a little help from my friends

I realize I’m probably picking a bad time (entire Replacements discography and all) to trot out a laundry list of random-seeming records that you just Have to Download Now! but… let’s just call it Save For Later-bait? Ok, cool.

I’ve posted here before about leaning on lists to augment my all-consuming music nerd habits, but December and January (aka year-end up wrap-up time) turns list scouring time into list drowning time. And, well… I love it. The whole year-end list clusterfuck gets a bad rap — it’s overwhelming, it’s arbitrary, it caters to ugly hivemind sensibility, etc etc. But honestly, the sheer amount of artists and records and songs I discover and come to love makes me quickly shelve any inclination I have toward petty list-hate snark.

I thought it might be worthwhile to share a list of some of my recent discoveries (and obsessions) and to give props to the fine excavators who lit the way. The list is currently spiraling out of control, no thanks to today’s arrival of Village Voice’s (always fascinating) Pazz n’ Jop poll coverage, which, among the great essays and master rankings, allows me to see the individual ballots of many writers I admire. So basically, it never ends. And that’s great.

Bad Sports, Bad Sports
From: Raven Sings the Blues

This record deserves its own post, really. I’m just gonna quote myself from somewhere else:

Obviously, punk in 2010 is a bit of a formalist exercise. We’ve heard the 1-4-5 chord progression, the aggro sneers, the chunky distortion. But when a band nails sweet-punk, that kind of almost-bubblegum that sounds like it’s played in a trashcan, I get knock-kneed. Records like these shouldn’t be so hard to come by. With any genre that’s become a bit rote, songs are king. And man does Bad Sports have ‘em.

To make a (way too long) story short: If you like Jay Reatard, the Exploding Hearts, the Boys, melodic punk music, pretty much anything on In the Red… get Bad Sports. Trust me.

It also must be said that Raven Sings the Blues is a phenomenal blog. Full disclosure: Andy, who runs the site, is a personal friend and old colleague. He specializes in the intersection of garage rock, drone, avant folk and all matters of psych. He is extremely ahead of the curve. Running shit, even.

Connie Converse, How Sad, How Lovely
From: Other Music

Almost buried at the bottom of Other Music newsletter, this record has ruled me for the last month or so. It’s a neat story, sure (’50s home recordings of a woman who just up and left her home one day and… never came back), but the music itself is pretty revelatory. Complete with some flubs and some talking bits, the intimate Carter Family-esque folk ditties on How Sad feel extra confessional. Just a supremely nice recording. That may sound backhanded, but I mean it as honest praise. Every time I listen to this record I just think, “Wow. This is SO. NICE.”

Richard Skelton, Landings
From: eMusic -> New This Month -> Most Downloaded

Even after working at eMusic for two years, I still get lost on the site. And I love that. Yesterday, after browsing Freshly Ripped, I decided to see what some of the past month’s most downloaded albums were. I was sure I’d missed some gems. Charts are one thing, but by navigating using the Browse page, you can just scroll and scroll and scroll until you hit these pages of strangely somewhat-popular albums. Sometimes it’s a trance remix collection and sometimes it’s Richard Skelton’s Landings.

In ‘08, I had some real down-the-rabbit-hole moments with Skelton’s harrowing Marking Time and when I saw Landings appear amidst my maniacal scrolling, I was psyched. Skelton records are typically stark and kinda scary, using echo-laden strings, treated piano and buzzing atmospherics to acheive a pretty dire mood. It’s beautiful, though, trust me!

Instra:mental, “Watching You”
From: Darkstar’s XXJFG’s mix

As much as I routinely find dance music that really moves me (natch), I’m resigned to the fact that I’ll never know as much as my favorite electronic honchos. So, gladly, I seek help. 20 Jazz Funk Greats is a blog that writes a lot about dark electronic music — dubstep, italo, 2-step, UK funky, etc etc. I don’t wanna pigeonhole them too much, but usually there’s a synth or drum machine in the (usually great) song or mix they’re posting.

People kind of went bonkers for Darkstar’s “Aidy’s Girlfriend is a Computer”, and not without reason. It’s possibly the most accessible 12″ from Hyperdub yet — it’s glitchy and nuanced, but it’s also kind of as close to the Postal Service as the esteemed label will ever come. Clipped vocals, gently stuttering drum programming. 20JFG says “Aidy” is another in the line of Hyperdub’s “hypnotic phantom digi-diva bass hymnals,” and, well, I’m not gonna say it any better than that.

HOWEVER, I find that Instra:mental’s “Watching You” succeeds in ways that “Aidy” only hints at. They are of the same strain of digi-diva bass hymnal (ha), but somehow “Watching You” feels… weightier. It has more space. More bass. Less cuteness and more ominous-ness. I’ve listened more to this song in the last month than anything else. By far. It makes me sad that we don’t have it on eMusic, but I just had to share it.

Final note (swear): The best-of list posted at the top of the JFG post with the Darkstar mix is essential. It was put together by one of their writers who also has a leftfield modern R&B blog (So Bones) that is also essential. That is all.

Interbellum, Over All of Spain the Sky is Clear
From: Jayson, over the cubicle wall

Sometimes… occasionally… you can discover things by, like, talking to people. This is a wonderful, subtle, beautiful album of modern classical (?), ambient (?) or some such inadequate genre tag. Thanks Jayson! (He did not know I was putting together an overly-long post about “discovering stuff” when he called this out to me. Wassup serendipity.)

David Sylvian, Manafon
From: The Wire

Sadly, I don’t think you can get Sylvian’s stuff anywhere digitally. I’ve never listened much to Japan, but Sylvian’s late-period solo stuff is miles away from the pomp-rock of his former band. He put of some of my favorite records of the decade (the Derek Bailey and Fennesz-assisted Blemish and his criminally underrated collaboration with Burnt Friedman under the name Nine Horses) and Manafon is predictably, singularly unnerving and wonderful.

Side note: Did anyone see Tim Burton’s Sweeney Todd? ‘Cause Johnny Depp’s singing voice is oddly similar to David Sylvian. Like, creepily so.

Lloyd Miller, A Lifetime in Oriental Jazz
From: FACT Magazine (Best Reissues)

God knows how I missed this. Chris Nickson reviewed it for us (glowingly) but even though I… freakin’… WORK HERE… sometimes things get lost in the shuffle. So in case you missed it too, here’s your chance. I’m just gonna quote some of Chris’ review here because it is HIGHLY persuasive:

When it comes to unknown geniuses, Dr. Lloyd Miller ranks high on the list. Born in California, he’s not only a virtuoso jazz pianist and clarinettist, but also a leading authority on Iranian music — he spent several years living there, even presenting a weekly TV programme in Tehran.

This eye-opening trawl through his little-known back catalogue shows just how he’s pioneered musical dialogues between cultures; not just Western and Iranian, but also Indian and Vietnamese.

So, yeah. Don’t walk… RUN!

Finally, here are some records that have grabbed me, but I haven’t had a chance to fully digest yet. It never ends, remember?!

Oneohtrix Point Never, Rifts
From: 14tracks.com

Redshape, The Dance Paradox
From: Little White Earbuds

Paul White, The Strange Dreams of Paul White
From: FACT Magazine (Best Albums)