[BEST OF 2010] honourable mentions (albums 41-50)

blog 2010/12/09 - [BEST OF 2010] 10 honourable mentions

Instead of a top 50 countdown, we're doing this:
10 best albums
15 amazing albums
15 good albums
10 honourable mentions


So let's get started!  There has been so much amazing music this year.  This I guess kind of counts as entries 41-50, but as usual, I am just listing them in alphabetical order.


BEST ALBUMS OF 2010:  10 HONOURABLE MENTIONS (41-50)

Antony and the Johnsons - Swanlights
B. Dolan - Fallen House Sunken City
Bobby Mcferrin - Vocabularies
Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles (II)
Grinderman - Grinderman 2
Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Lisa Bozikovic - Lost August
Slow Six - Tomorrow Becomes You
The Extra Lens - Undercard
Vampire Weekend - Contra


Antony and the Johnsons - Swanlights

The tragedy of this album is that it follows The Crying Light and I Am A Bird Now.  If this was Antony's first album, it'd upend the music industry with it's radically creative structure and entirely unique sound.  But as salivating fans, we are listening to it as though it were itself a god.  Antony's found love, and the ecstasy of it sometimes makes you pine for the ruminations on death and existentialism that permeated the most heartfelt songs of the back catalouge.  But that's our problem, and we need to get over, fast.  Because when we can share in Antony's ecstasy, we can share in the rapture and delight.  Bravely, the standout song only has Antony in the background supporting Bjork with her most stunning performance in recent memory.  Antony's happy, and we should be happy as well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-Xdm5yS6PY


B. Dolan - Fallen House Sunken City

When you start an album with frantic soundbites from the 9/11 strike at the Pentagon, you can pretty much assume you're in for something heavy.  There is no letting up here.  No slow jams, sexy ballads, or low-key jams about the small things in life that make us smile.   It's hardcore Alias beats with B. Dolan giving his concise and charismatic flow non-stop for the whole journey.  With a flow that owes equally to El-P, Sage Francis and Kool Keith, this album will be easily entered for anyone at all familiar with the "backpacker" hiphop of the early aughts.  But all that aside, there is a tonne of greatness on this album.  So much that you might not even mind fast-forwarding the mid-album transgressions that wear on a bit.  But, to his credit, he probably pulls off a dark vampire hiphop tale with more grace and drama than anyone else could ever.  If you love crazy dense beats and dystopic anti-authoritarian rhymes, you have to get this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hf2sxN6vSQ4


Bobby Mcferrin - Vocabularies

Acapella has always been there, just outside of the mainstream.  With the occassional wave rising it to prominence, like beatboxing, or The Nylons, or Bjork's Medulla, it always sinks in to the background again, underappreciated.  Bobby Mcferrin (yes, that guy. sheesh.) has rweorked the medium far beyond Bjork with this new album that employs an insane amount of overdubbing.  At 9 minutes as the average song length, these are not little pop songs.  These are extended jazz meditations on themes and emotions that are stunning for their technical acheivement as they are for their spiritual.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b__9YQLJSZo


Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles (II)

If you loved the 8-bit crushing beats of the Celestica EP b-sides, the album itself is much more poppy and smooth, but I assure you you'll love it all the same.  They have really got their synth-pop roots down, and their production is still as glorious as it is (sometimes) brutal.  The wall-of-pop sound makes you take noice, but never forget this album is still all about the dance floor, so listen to it loud.  At high enough volume, the ending piece I Am Made Of Chalk will sound so perfectly appropriate to close off the experience.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JITI0FskSG0


Grinderman - Grinderman 2

I really thought I was done hearing about Nick Cave's penis.  I was so sick of Nick Cave's penis.  He wrote a novel all about his penis.  A friend gave it to me ("because it seemed weird, like you") and I couldn't finish it.  Too much Nick Cave penis.  But here I am, wishing I could hate Grinderman 2, wish I could stop Nick Cave's penis, but damnit, there's just no escaping this man's penis.   This is a good album, despite the prominent role Nick Cave's penis has in it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKznZUtKntg


Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

The beats are sick and the mastering is shit (yes, in a bad way), that much is obvious from the get-go.  You need to buy this album for 4 reasons:  POWER, All Of The Lights, Monster and Lost In The World.  Those tracks alone are worth $20, or $9.99, or whatever you end up paying for them.  And if an instrumental version ever comes out, whatever it costs will be worth it for the So Appalled beat, which is just sick (yes, in a good way).  The rest of the album is mildly listenable, but will only have any lasting appeal for people that are interested in Kanye as much as Kanye is interested in Kanye.  It's a psychological profile that could only happen in the age of Jersey Shore and reality TV, and the strongest argument yet that humanity is past it's prime and ready for the next asteroid impact.  But fuuuuuuuck, those 4 tracks are hot.  Nikki Minaj and Bon Iver FTW.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L53gjP-TtGE


Lisa Bozikovic - Lost August

Armed with a whirling organ and as much creaking emotional fragility as an early Cat Power record, Lisa Bozikovic has been making quite an impact in Toronto.  Her new album captures her open-hearted playing very well, with her lush instruments playing duet with her sometimes emotionally strained voice.  Like the early Cat Power records, this is the kind of album you will need to develop a personal and intimate relationship with.  It's odd to say, but sometimes there are albums where they are even better when enjoyed alone.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUSKgzlG8Ck


Slow Six - Tomorrow Becomes You

Post-rock has long been over.  The ascending cascades of guitars hasn't given us much new over the years, and the moniker has faded from our vocabulary like "acid jazz" and "alternative".  But the combination of musicians crafting devastating instrumental  music with rock implements will never leave, it has only evolved and branched.  Branches to jazz improv, classical composition, operatic metal, avant electronics and soundtrack pop have morphed the genre in new ways that demand our attention on occassion.  Slow Six manage to tug at the nostalgie of what was once glorious in the genre without dwelling in its corniness.  They put forth a refinement of a chamber pop group, but with the power a post-Sunn O))) world demands.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-ulb7QwFeQ


The Extra Lens - Undercard

What is the difference between this and a Mountain Goats album?  I don't know, maybe an extra guitar track on the songs?  But for those that don't know this John Darnielle side project, it might fly under your radar and leave you jonesing for the next Mountain Goats outing.  But it's all here, so step write up.  Emotionally shellshocked songs that tell stories of people and towns and life.  And like all Darnielle, it trully takes two or three listens to properly parse what's going on, but it's all the goodness you'd expect.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqAob1UNdlc


Vampire Weekend - Contra

The price of admission here is high.  The first lines of the album rhyme "horchata" with "balaclava" and you might be done with it at that point, succumbing to the internet bully squads that tried really hard to never like Vampire Weekend.  But song 2 is meh and 3 and 4 are kind of terrible and I was ready to give up then.  But if you get over that hump, the album is filled with pop genius.  When you hit the trio of "Cousins", "Giving Up the Gun" and "Diplomat's Son" you forget any blips from earlier on.  You forgive and you succumb.  This is why god gave you mp3s.  Play producer.  Delete the 2-4 tracks you don't like and get on with your life.  Don't let the nagging knowledge that you have a partial album in your collection weigh you down.  No, let it set you free.  Because you need this album in your pop music folder, regardless of what steps you have to take to make it happen.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bccKotFwzoY




THIS WEEK'S TRACKS

Antony & The Johnsons - Fletta
Antony & The Johnsons - The Great White Ocean
B. Dolan - Economy Of Words (Bail It Out)
B. Dolan - Leaving New York
Bobby Mcferrin - Messages
Bobby Mcferrin - Say Ladeo
Crystal Castles - Celestica
Crystal Castles - Year of Silence
Grinderman - Bellringer Blues
Grinderman - Heathen Child
Kanye West - Lost In The World ft Bon Iver; Who Will Survive In America
Kanye West - Monster ft Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj & Bon Iver
Lisa Bozikovic - Phone Cord
Lisa Bozikovic - Take and Take
Lisa Bozikovic - The Letting Go
Slow Six - Sympathetic Response System (Part Two)
Slow Six - The Night You Left New York
The Extra Lens - Adultery
The Extra Lens - Communicating Doors
The Extra Lens - Cruiserweights
The Extra Lens - How I Left the Ministry
Vampire Weekend - Cousins
Vampire Weekend - Giving Up The Gun


brace yourself:  http://thetastates.com/mp3s/blog/blog20101209.zip

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More info:

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Enjoy!

~CPI

[BEST OF 2010] The year's best EPs

blog 2010/12/07 - [BEST OF 2010]  The best EPs of the year!

The EP has always been one of my favourite musical mediums.   It was what the fans sought out when they craved more.  It held rare nuggets, odd remixes, live versions, and often allowed the artist far more freedoms that a record label would allow on a full length LP.  They were the limited edition 7"s that I flipped through for gems and would randomly purchase because they just had an amazing cover.  If you want to discover more about your favourite artists, or hear the sound of the upcoming year, focus on the EPs.


THE BEST EPS OF 2010

Antony and the Johnsons - Thank You for Your Love EP
Balam Acab - See Birds
Chronomad - Sayeh
Crystal Castles - Celestica EP
Entertainment For The Braindead - Roadkill
Gobble Gobble - Becoming Legion 7"
Gobble Gobble - Lawn Knives 7"
Gobble Gobble - Wrinklecarver 7"
GuMMy†Be?R! - Spectral Analysis EP
Iron and Wine - Walking Far From Home EP
oOoOO - oOoOO EP
Rae Spoon & CPI - thereisafire
Robyn - Body Talk Pt 1
Robyn - Body Talk Pt 2
Sufjan Stevens - All Delighted People EP
The Tallest Man On Earth - Sometimes the Blues Is Just a Passing Bird
Taylor Deupree - Snow (Dusk, Dawn)
tUnE-YaRdS - Bird-Droppings EP
Wye Oak - My Neighbor, My Creator EP
Yellow Ostrich - Whalemary 7"



Antony and the Johnsons - Thank You for Your Love EP
Antony has always made sure that the Eps are a critical portion of the back catalouge.  Each Antony and the Johnsons EP is an essential document adding to their total ouvre.  Each one contains gems that I could never live without.  From I Fell In Love With A Dead Boy, to Shake That Devil, and now the cover of Dylan's Pressing On, this EP is as essential as the others.

Balam Acab - See Birds
Dreamy downtempo that probably should have been released on Anticon.  Much respect given to DJ Screw and Boards Of Canada equally, here.

Chronomad - Sayeh
Having put out some of the most unique and untouchable electronic music in the past, it is an incredible pleasure to have Chronomad back in my life.  Asylon here is an epic journey that sends the witchhouse kids back to school.

Crystal Castles - Celestica EP
While their new LP is great, it is this EP which is almost perfect.  The lush and pretty single Celestica is here, but it's the lo-fi 8-bit goodness on here that really makes it special.  Total overload rush happiness.

Entertainment For The Braindead - Roadkill
On a bed of what sounds to be a plinky banjos played with all the might of a ukulele rests some fabulous folk that almost reminds me of Gaelic traditional songcraft.  Even though this is the worst bandname I discovered this year, the songs are gorgeous and tranquil, with enough play to avoid any recoil at earnestness.  They call it an EP, but it feels like a full album worth of joy.  The best part?  You can download it for free online at http://www.aaahh-records.net/entertainment-for-the-braindead-roadkill/

Gobble Gobble - Becoming Legion 7"
When I had just turned 15 Beck just started getting on Much Music and the first thing I picked up by him was the Beercan EP, and my life was never the same thanks to that genius little CD.  I feel the same way about Gobble Gobble.  It is bursting with vitality and beauty that makes me excited about pop music and electronic music again.

Gobble Gobble - Lawn Knives 7"
I am putting these Eps up in full because Gobble Gobble linked to the digital copies in full on their own tumblr, so I am assuming they just want to spread the love.  The 7"s might even still be out there!   Rub them all over your trembling flesh!

Gobble Gobble - Wrinklecarver 7"
Seriously people, Gobble Gobble is, hands-down, the best new artist of 2010.

GuMMy†Be?R! - Spectral Analysis EP
Like Balam Acab, but with obvious digital particles from the timestretching and more overloaded compression.  Not too far away from 80s synth pop melodies, this is a fine mix of the absurd and awesome.  And awesomely absurd.

Iron and Wine - Walking Far From Home EP
Taking notes from the likes of Yeasayver, Iron & Wine sneaked this out at the end of 2010 as a burst of joyous hallelujah pop for the cold season.  Indeed this is their poppiest record and it has the emotional earnestness of gospel, but you can't deny it's addictiveness, and it still has much of the classic Iron & Wine you love.

oOoOO - oOoOO EP
Like a more angsty take on the witchhousey brethren.  A bit less DJ Screw and a bit more Bat For Lashes going on here, with some pretty fabulous synth work to boot.

Rae Spoon & CPI - thereisafire
I have no shame in this, since I think it's actually a damn good EP.  Rae's hit single from 2009 gets flipped up for the indie dance floor, and his fan-favourite There Is A Light (But It's Not For Everyone) goes electro pop.  Delicious.

Robyn - Body Talk Pt 1
Robyn - Body Talk Pt 2
Wait, what are these doing here?  Isn't there a full length album called "Body Talk" out there now that collects most of these tracks?   Yes.  The answer is yes and dammit you know that's the answer.  But it was these EPs that were the magic rush.  Robyn did things differently, releasing the 2 EPs before adding a few songs and making it all a full length, and it was a genius marketing strategy with Robyn rocking our mp3 players all year long, saying nothing of the constant stream of remixes that flooded the web as well.  You should probably just get the full length at this point, but my favourite tracks are on the first 2 EPs.  This is totally indulgent cheese pop confidently executed by our hipster hair goddess.  Seriously, who has better hair and catchier tunes?  Buy all 3 EPs for the extras, or buy the LP.  Either way, this is the goodness you've been craving ever since you played Konichiwa Bitches to death.

Sufjan Stevens - All Delighted People EP
This is music for schizophrenic fits.  I want to thrash and cry and feel like others are conspiring in the universe in a way that affects me profoundly.  There is just so much to feel here, and it comes at you from all angles, that it can be overwhelming.  But the throes and cries are also ecstatic and fascinating and we all need to get on board this rock opera cum...  EP?  Yes, this EP (59 minutes!) surpasses the duration of most albums.  Yes it ends with a 17 minute epic.  Yes, the title track appears twice in slightly different versions for a total of 20 minutes, but when it comes back in it feels like a reprise and it's even that much more ecstatic in it's careful parsing of Simon & Garfunkel collding with the 21st century.  Essential for every Sufjan fan.

The Tallest Man On Earth - Sometimes the Blues Is Just a Passing Bird
Speaking of essential!  Holy shit.  EPs usually wet our appetite for the full length, but this came out afterwards like an echo, and it's some of his best work yet.

Taylor Deupree - Snow (Dusk, Dawn)
I was drooling over the full length in my post of best experimental music, but I couldn't ignore this one-track EP that just shimmered it's way in to my heart.

tUnE-YaRdS - Bird-Droppings EP
Sometimes I can listen to this and imagine that Mr. Bungle have got a female singer and continued their sweet spot.  Trey Spruance should totally hook up with this person.

Wye Oak - My Neighbor, My Creator EP
There hasn't been such a pitch-perfect mope-rock EP since last year's Yeah Yeah Yeahs acoustic disc.  They tap so many aspects of rock n roll that just give me the chills, wheher it's the earnest rocker, the that dog. Catharsis, or Zola Jesus self reflection.  And aside from a questionable hiphop verse tossed on the remix, it's pretty frickin' perfect.

Yellow Ostrich - Whalemary 7"
A stunning 7" of lofi rock goodness.  If the track Whale doesn't make you want to shake yr indierock booty, you have no heart.



THIS WEEK'S TRACKS

Antony and the Johnsons - Pressing On
Antony and the Johnsons - You Are The Treasure
Balam Acab - Big Boy
Balam Acab - See Birds (moon)
Chronomad - Asylon
Crystal Castles - Insectica
Crystal Castles - Seed
Entertainment For The Braindead - Dry Wood
Entertainment For The Braindead - Patience
Entertainment For The Braindead - Pirates
Gobble Gobble - Becoming Legion
Gobble Gobble - Cat Eggs
Gobble Gobble - End of Days
Gobble Gobble - Lawn Knives
Gobble Gobble - Nemo
Gobble Gobble - Wrinklecarver
GuMMy†Be?R! - GURL
GuMMy†Be?R! - The Elders pt 2
Iron & Wine - Summer In Savannah
Iron & Wine - Walking Far From Home
oOoOO - Burnout Eyess
oOoOO - Hearts
Rae Spoon - Come On Forest Fire Burn The Disco Down (CPI Remix)
Rae Spoon - There is a light, but it's not for everyone
Robyn - Criminal Intent
Robyn - Dancing On My Own
Robyn - Include Me Out
Sufjan Stevens - All Delighted People (Classic Rock Version)
Sufjan Stevens - From The Mouth Of Gabriel
Taylor Deupree - Snow (Dusk, Dawn) (extract)
The Tallest Man On Earth - Like the Wheel
The Tallest Man On Earth - The Dreamer
tUnE-YaRdS - Hatari (The Small Is Beautiful Remix)
tUnE-YaRdS - Real Live Flesh
Wye Oak - I Hope You Die
Wye Oak - My Neighbor
Yellow Ostrich - Whale


It's always the smaller doses that catch you with your defenses down:  http://thetastates.com/mp3s/blog/blog20101207.zip

Stay on top of everything new at http://djcpi.blogspot.com

More info:

DJ mixes

Blog archives

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Enjoy!

~CPI

[BEST OF 2010] My favourite experimental, leftfield, jazz, classical, etc

blog 2001/12/06 - [BEST OF 2010]  My favourite experimental, leftfield, jazz, classical, etc.

"Experimental" is such a vast, oft meaningless term.  Especially because of people like me.  Because here I am referring to pretty much anything that doesn't fit in to the pop category.  Soundtrack, jazz, classical, ambient, sound art, noise, improv, whatevs.  This is a big grab bag, and these are my favourites from it.

You might notice that there are far less noise albums this year than in prior years.  Many apologies!  I've still been listening to noise, but except for the Lasse Marhaug album, there wasn't much in 2010 noise that really got me going.  And really, I'm still working through that 30 CD Hijokaidan box set, so I've been busy.

So, for the more sonically adventurous of you, this post is 4 hours long and summarizes my favourite non-pop music of 2010.



MY FAVOURITE EXPERIMENTAL/LEFTFIELD ALBUMS OF 2010
(in alphabetical order)

Akira Rabelais - Caduceus
Alva Noto - For 2
Daniel Menche - Blood Forest
Gaston Arevalo - Marea
J.G. Thirlwell - Manorexia, The Mesopelagic Waters
John Zorn - Book Of Angels Vol. 13, Mycale
John Zorn - Book Of Angels Vol. 16, Haborym (Masada String Trio)
Lasse Marhaug - The Quiet North
Manu Holterbach & Julia Eckhardt - Do-Undo (In G Maze)
Mark Feldman And Sylvie Courvoisier - Oblivia
Max Richter - Infra
Michael Santos - Memory Maker
Natural Snow Buildings - The Centauri Agent
Omar Souleyman - Jazeera Nights
OST - The Social Network (Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross)
Richard Skelton - Landings
So Percussion & Matmos - Treasure State
Sunn O))) & Earth - Angel Coma EP
Taylor Deupree - Shoals
The Knife in collaboration with Mt. Sims and Planningtorock - Tomorrow, In A Year
The Residents - Dollar General



Akira Rabelais - Caduceus
With a release history that seemed to take more influence from tape music and opera, this release was a surprise as it seemed to echo more Basinski and Richter.  The album is rather unsettling, with disorienting flutters of static and a benign sense of doom.  Noise floods in following ambience, textures wash in over stillness.  Like the soundtrack for a horror film set at a boarded up musical conservatory, where nothing is ever quite seen, only felt and heard.

Alva Noto - For 2
Alva Noto has always been at the forefront of the glitch scene.  In the days when Oval and Pole were getting cover stories, Alva Noto was still being grossly overlooked.  His sound art has matured wonderfully in the aughts, in no small part due to his touring and recording with pianist Ryuichi Sakamoto.  Their album Vrioon being one of my favourites of all time, "For 2" will undoubtedly make #2 in my list of albums from Alva Noto.  Last year's Xerrox was a fabulous affair of static and whirrs and clicks as well, but here the more abrasive textures have dropped way to let silence between sounds play more of a role.  Field recordings, glass bowls, generative idm clicks, and the most pleasant use of sine waves ever (see Stalker) are all to be found.  For fans of microsound, glitch, ambience, idm and the ecstatic side of sound art.

Daniel Menche - Blood Forest
Menche has always worked on creating noise works that were as far removed from nihilist scum noise roots as possible.   As a fiend for texture, his records have constantly yielded the wonderful attention to levels, mastering, and mixing that you might not find in your standard wall-of-noise.

Gaston Arevalo - Marea
These sound lo-fi, like drone ambient remastered from once-lost 78 RPM records.  The pieces are very minimal conceptually, oft dominated by a reverb-drowned drone, with some textured crackling and manipulating sitting nicely on top.  But it is because of that aesthetic consistency, and not despite it, that it is such a successfully hypnotising release.  Except for the Roach-ey synth experiment on Maritim, the album would appeal to anyone looking for a more rustic, ancient take on the likes of Lull or Koner.

J.G. Thirlwell - Manorexia, The Mesopelagic Waters
Yes.  Yes, this is THAT Thirwell.  I am as shocked as you to rediscover the man from Foetus releasing on Tzadik.  I was more shocked, however, to discover that it is one of my favourite Tzadik records of the entire year.  Violin, viola, cello, piano, percussion and more come together for truly inspired chamber music.   And when I think of avant-garde chamber classical, I immediately imagine high pitched strings squealing along, or a total absence of melody, and/or a purposeful abstraction of structure.  But those elements aren't here, making it fabulously listenable even for those not familiar with the styles.  All the while, it is both challenging and captivating.

John Zorn - Book Of Angels Vol. 13, Mycale
We all know Zorn is not human.  No one can craft 10+ stunning albums of music every year.  So we can at least start with the assumption that he is some kind of demon beast, or at least a demon beast-human hybrid.  With cyborg limbs.  It's really the only thing that makes sense.  He blew the jazz world out of the water with his 10-CD set recording of his "Masada Book One" compositions.  Then later in his life he decided to do it again, with a second expansive book, titled The Book Of Angels.  This time however, a new group has taken on each recording, and the series is already at 16 installments.  (note:  they weren't all released in numerical order).  Well January kicked off with a bang with this release of an acapella take on The Book Of Angels, to stunning effect.  As a long-time fan of Charming Hostess, this disc was just ambrosia to my ears.  A revelation of contemporary Jewish music.

John Zorn - Book Of Angels Vol. 16, Haborym (Masada String Trio)
I don't know what to say here.  I'll just wipe the drool off my face and tell you that this is one of the pinnacle Masada releases.  If you loved the earnest joy of the first Masada book, this captures it oh so perfectly with a genius string quartet.  It is just stunning chamber jazz.  WITH LASER BEAM EYES.

Lasse Marhaug - The Quiet North
This is one big ol slab o noise.  It is of that variety that pretty much just maximizes all frequency spectrum and rumbles, with some occassional squeals bleeding through the overload.  It's amazing what contemporary compression technnology has wrought!  I'm not going to even try and say how this album is a great leap forward for the noise world, because it isn't, but that's not the point.   This is for when you are looking to erase all meaning from between your ears and just ride the overload.

Manu Holterbach & Julia Eckhardt - Do-Undo (In G Maze)
Long drones.  Field recordings.  Drifting sine waves.  You know the territory well, but the journey through it still delights.

Mark Feldman And Sylvie Courvoisier - Oblivia
Feldman has always been one of my favourite violinists.  From the young age where I realized it was the same guy doing sessions with both They Might Be Giants and John Zorn in the same year (but alas, not the same studio.  The TMBG collab album on Tzadik I long for is not to be) I have followed his exploits as best I could on a limited budget.  Here he works with Sylvie Courvoisier on piano and they form a sonic world that seems part composition and lots of organic improvisation.  A stunning display of classical improv.  Or improv classical.

Max Richter - Infra
Max Richter has always kind of, to me, been the perfect evolution of Brian Eno's influence in ambient.  He takes those Music For Airports kind of fragments and keeps them interesting, keeps them textured, and keeps the story going.  I fell in love with him after his Waltz With Bashir soundtrack, and Infra moves beyond his previous works to gel as a complete album, not just a collection of miniatures.  And above all, it just feels like love.

Michael Santos - Memory Maker
Santos loves the static.  The pieces work as cinematic vignettes in much the same way Max Richter's work do, but replace much traditional instrumentation with molded and manipulated jolts of static wash.  Other instruments come and go.  The drones, the strings, the synths, but it is the static that is on show here to exhibit its textural diversity and ability to give a command peformance by itself.

Natural Snow Buildings - The Centauri Agent
Only 2 CDs?  That's downright reasonable.  My other favourite NSB albums are each 5 parts long.  The 5 cassette Daughter Of Darkness, the 5 CD I Dream Of Drone!   There are only 2 discs here but you still get all of the giant sound satisfaction that you've come to expect.  Or, if you aren't familiar, expect organic psychedelic jams that swirl and grow and pulse and destroy any of that bullshit arpeggiator stuff that hipster magazines seem to love.  This is the goodnessm uniting folk jam fans with the noise folks.  For fans of Sunn O))), Skullflower, Birchville Cat Motel, freak folk and Rafael Toral.

Omar Souleyman - Jazeera Nights
I am not going to claim that I actually know anything at all about Syrian pop music.  Most of the music I listen to from specific ethnic regions around the world tends to be very traditional and/or ceremonial.   When I first heard Souleyman it had the density of the best Muslimgauze and sucked me right in.  Now I can almost listen to it and sing along as if it was Justin Bieber.  The win for me is his synth dude doing the fantastic synth solos that sit between the charging beat and Souleyman's chanting and singing.  I had the joy of seeing them live this summer, after they quite literally lost all of their equipment during travel, and despite all of the technical issues, they still rocked the whole place.

OST - The Social Network (Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross)
I like soundtracks that portray a great story through the sound alone.  And having not yet seen this Oscar contending film, the fact that my drive to see it has increased greatly because of the soundtrack is my ultimate mark of praise.  Reznor specializes in building blippy tension that works its magic over the light keys.  The electronics never deviate in to a full-on song mode that would be distracting, but instead provide the perfect for my own computer endeavours.  I only hope old school fans of Nine Inch Nails check this out to see just how much Reznor has grown up between the Quake soundtrack and now.

Richard Skelton - Landings
Strings are sampled and layered, painting a picture of foggy lakes and moist forests.  Each piece seems poised to inflict a great emotional weight, as if each was a separate dream of momentous importance.    By far, one of my favourite albums to listen to late at night.

So Percussion & Matmos - Treasure State
Two of my favourite quirky cuties, together at last!  There is something about this album that just beams happiness.  Maybe it is the wet percussion, the steel drums, the randomly crunchy drums, or just the wonderful use of a gong through an envelope filter.  This is an album that would appeal equally to fans of contemporary Reichian percussion, as well to fan of playful IDM.

Sunn O))) & Earth - Angel Coma EP
The strumming guitar chords don't take as prominent of a stand in this Sunn O))) track, which is probably why I love it so much.  They are more than happy to built that external drone over and over.  And Earth?  It is the slow blues rock that I love them for so much. 

Taylor Deupree - Shoals
For those who savour the textured side of the ambient world, Deupree's latest offering is rich in acoustic miniature moments flitting through gorgeous drone.  It is winter in a warm industrial basement, with the weather unstoppable and the leaking pipes beyond reasonable repair.  It's best to just not move, ride out the evening, and let what may be just be.

The Knife in collaboration with Mt. Sims and Planningtorock - Tomorrow, In A Year
This is a stunning collaboration that shakes the listener in many ways, but ebbs and flows with it's carresses and slaps.  At times poppy and beat happy, other times delving in to stellar examples of Raster-Noton static walls, every track on here builds an epic mood of intruige and plot.  Operatic vocals soar and seem not too far removed from the pitched-out vocal stylings from The Knife.  This is not "cinematic music", this is a full movie just missing video.

The Residents - Dollar General
I have been a life-long fan of The Residents and their output has taken more than enough drastic twists and turns to keep everyone on their toes.  Dollar General is part of a wonderful trend where online they would release vast collections of B-sides and studio outtakes and such.  This album is pre-show music from their Talking Light tour.  As such it is content to filter mostly in to the background, but it has a strong aesthetic of anticipation.   Mostly rhythms and synths, it almost evokes a sense they had been listening to Muslimgauze b-side records for inspiration, because it shares that trance-like singular focus on the power of the rhythmic structures and warped sounds on top.  Signature residents sounds are there on synth front, but really, don't come in to this expecting a typical Residents record, because there isn't really such a thing.





THIS WEEK'S TRACKS

Akira Rabelais - Surface of Soft Steps, Violets Whisper
Akira Rabelais - Where to Let Our Scars Fall In Love
Alva Noto - Argonaut
Alva Noto - Early Winter
Alva Noto - Interim
Daniel Menche - Blood Forest (excerpt)
Gaston Arevalo - Bosque
Gaston Arevalo - Nebular
J.G. Thirlwell - Armadillo Stance
J.G. Thirlwell - Chloe Dont Know Im Alive
John Zorn, Masada String Trio - Elimiel
John Zorn, Masada String Trio - Gergot
John Zorn, Masada String Trio - Turel
John Zorn, Mycale - Natiel
John Zorn, Mycale - Tehom
John Zorn, Mycale - Uzziel
Lasse Marhaug - The Quiet North (excerpt)
Manu Holterbach & Julia Eckhardt - Julie's Ecstatic Spring Phenomena (excerpt)
Mark Feldman & Sylvie Courvoisier - Dunes
Mark Feldman & Sylvie Courvoisier - Purveyors
Max Richter - Infra 1
Max Richter - Journey 4
Michael Santos - Cut Them Loose
Natural Snow Buildings - Stuttering Probe
Natural Snow Buildings - The Storm Of Resurrection
Omar Souleyman - Ala Il Hanash Madgouga
Omar Souleyman - Dazeitlak Dezzelli
Richard Skelton - Noon Hill Wood
Richard Skelton - The Shape Leaves
So Percussion - Needles
So Percussion - Shard
Sunn O))) - Coma Mirror
Taylor Deupree - Falls Touching Grasses
The Knife in collaboration with Mt. Sims and Planningtorock - Colouring of Pigeons
The Knife in collaboration with Mt. Sims and Planningtorock - Ebb Tide Explorer
The Residents - Burning Madrone
The Residents - Last Rites for Billy Bago
The Residents - Temple of Dragan


for your ears, for your belly:  http://thetastates.com/mp3s/blog/blog20101206.zip

Stay on top of everything new at http://djcpi.blogspot.com

More info:

DJ mixes

Blog archives

CPI fan page

Buy me books

Friend me on Last.FM to see what I am listening to

Enjoy!

~CPI

[BEST OF 2010] My favourite producers, mixtapes and reissues.

blog 2010/12/03 - [BEST OF 2010] My favourite producers, mixtapes and reissues.


It has started!  The BEST OF 2010 will slowly be unveiled now.
To start, I want to review my favourite producers of the year, the hottest mixtapes, and the reissues and collections that I am most thankful for.

After this post, the rest will come as follows:
 - best experimental albums
 - best EPs
 - 10 honourable mentions
 - 15 good albums
 - 15 great albums
 - 10 best albums



MY FAVOURITE PRODUCERS OF 2010

I wanted to include this for the hit makers that don't always produce the amazing full lengths, but give us a steady stream of amazing singles and hot productions.
Alphabetical order!

Alias:  Ever since Alias stopped rapping and focused on the beats he and Ant have been the glue that kept Anticon so dope.  This year Alias did an incredible job on B. Dolan's "Fallen House Sunken City" and I flipped when I found that the instrumental version came out.  Because event when Dolan ever faltered on a rhyme, the beats were always brilliant.  I love how it's all so well put together, but at the same time it still has the aesthetic where you can close your eyes and see him performing live on an MPC2000.

Basti Grub:  Electronic music is SO DISPOSABLE, especially the likes of techno and house and such.  Normally there is just so much stuff out that you don't even bother with producers, since you're sifting 100 tracks to find one nugget.  But Basti Grub kept popping up in my "holy shit!" bin.  I took notice.  Perfectly lofi vocal ctups, a plodding rhythmatism that evokes Shackleton's crew, but all underpinned with crazy solid deep house essentials.

Claude VonStroke:  This man has been putting shit-eating grins on everyone subwoofer owning music afficionado for a few years now.  The way his bass just BOUNCES instead of slaps.  The way his groove is paramount.  He's on a level of his own.

Danny Byrd:  Danny Byrd is obviously a jungle afficionado with crates as deep as mine.  His productions span the history of jungle, from '91 hardcore to '94 ragga to '98 tech to the modern age of sidechain overload with dubstep bass swams.  It's all hear.   The rave pianos, the bass bubbles that are just veering North of splitting off to Happy Hardcore, the ragga choruses, the amen smashes, the floor-killing hoovers, the pills, the pants, the neon, omg omg omg omg *asplode*               ....I'll be over there in cuddle puddle.

Don Diablo:  So let's see.  Here we have this mastermind flipping the Moby rave classic into a modern D&B smasher.  Tweaking the new Chemical Brothers into a DaftPunkian ecstatic groove.  And beyond that, dropping a track which is probably my favourite Dragonette track since I Get Around?  This is on one trick pony.   The dance floors are getting it from all sides.

DZ:  Dubstep was declared dead early last year, but that was just because of the glut of shit producers.   DZ reminds us that the news of dubstep death has been exagerrated.  Not only has he been producing a constant stream of chart-topping bangers, but he did the unthinkable:  releasing "The Proliferation Sequence", an incredible 2 CDs of modern dubstep mastery.  Some context:  Producer albums are mostly garbage.  A few hot singles padded with B-side filler.  It's really fucking hard for a producer to create a captivating listening experince.  But here was a 2 CD set that kept keeping things hot and fresh.  Before the first disc was done, it was worth the price of admission.  The 2nd CD was just gravy.

El-P:  El Producto has been one of the hottest producers for over a decade.  What this person can do with an old organ, a drum kit and a sampler should, in a just world, meltdown every computer with Fruityloops installed for a few miles from his proximity.  Apparently he even had a new album and his HD fubared, and he didn't have it backed up?  OK, that was stupid of him.   But almost as if in an act of mourning, he gives us the hot beat tape Weareallgoingtoburninhellmegamixxx3.  If these are toss offs from his studio playtime, the new album in 2011 is going to make me spasm in delight.

Nero:  Blending dubstep with garage and sex, I've been focused on Nero remixes for a while now.  There is no song he can't improve on.  And he doesn't just take a song, rip a few samples, and drop them in his template.  He seems to really love his source material and builds a structure that lets it shine.  Shine in a basspounding kind of way, of course.

Treasure Fingers:  Whenever I heard a Treasure Fingers production I totally think of people candy-flipping and spazzing out with glowsticks.  Not that there is anything really ravey going down, it's just the sheer joy and energy that floods from his tracks.    It's like what Kissy Sellout should have been.  I think of all the producers this year, Treasure Fingers is the one who most deserves to have an entire exercise program developed around their catalouge.


TRACKS INCLUDED FOR THIS SECTION:

Alias - Fifty Ways To Bleed Your Customer
Alias - Kitchen Sink
B. Rich - We Ball Harder (DZ's Spy Harder Remix)
Basti Grub - Eines Tages
Basti Grub - Lina
Basti Grub - Unzucht
Claude VonStroke - Bay Area
Claude VonStroke - The Greasy Beat ft Bootsy Collins (Funk Bomb DJ Version)
Danny Byrd - Planet Earth
Danny Byrd ft Liquid - Sweet Harmony
Don Diablo - Animale ft Dragonette
DZ - Killin' em Softly
DZ - Nevah
El-P - How To Serve Man (Stripped)
El-P - I Got This (EL-P Remix) Redux
El-P - Meanstreak (in 3 Parts)
MJ Cole - Sincere (Nero Remix)
Moby - Feeling So Real (Don Diablo Remix)
Monarchy - Love Get Out Of My Way (Treasure Fingers Remix)
The Chemical Brothers - Swoon (Don Diablo Remix)
The Streets - Blinded By The Lights (Nero Remix)
Treasure Fingers & Jocelyn Brown - What Am I Supposed To Do






MY FAVOURITE MIXTAPES OF 2010

Please note:  The first few mixes are from commercial releases or are no longer available for download from their original distributors.  We have included a 12 minute preview from the mix, or just some tracks from it.
The mixes at the bottom are still freely available online, so just directly download them online!  No files are included in the ZIP for them.


Chiddy Bang - Air Swell Mixtape
It is kind of awkward that Chiddy Bang's best works comes when he's riding on top of someone else's pop-culture gems.  Wait for a hit, jack a part for the beat, or jack the whole song and insert yourself remix style.  Ethical or not, his late-period Warholian take on party hiphop IS FUN.  That's why these are mixtapes, though.  Grab your favourite songs, stick 'em together, and add your own little flair.  Hella fun.

Four Tet - FACT Mix 182
After so much output in 2010, this mix is fabulous for the reason alone that it gives us insight in to Kieran's playlist.  The mixing isn't as tight as it could be, but there are some fabulously quirky bouncey tracks going on here.

James Holden - DJ Kicks
I always grit my teeth when entering a new DJ Kicks album since they tend to be such a mixed back, but James Holden renews my faith in the storied institution with the most shocking high-profile mix this year.  Focused on the mood more than on the dancefloor, al sorts of textures are in the works here.  The blips, the rock beats, the squiggly electro-light, the dubby electronics, etc.    I hereby declare this to be a fabulous mix to play strategy games by!

Justin Martin - Five Years Of Dirtybird
From the triple CD godsend available at http://www.dirtybirdrecords.com/5-years-of-dirtybird Justin Martin kills it, even though he's just riding the Dirtybird catalouge.  Total killer minimal bouncey tech house.  Oh so fucking good.

CPI - ineedaghostship
Indie rock taken to the dancefloor.  No bloghouse mess, all rocked out grooves.   http://thetastates.com/mp3s/CPI_-_ineedaghostship.mp3

CPI - Live for Original Plumbing & Toronto Pride, 2010-07-01
My summer megamix of hotttxxxttt dance ish.  First up was my set for the Original Plumbing party, which paid tribute to the recently deceased Will Munroe, founder of the venue there The Beaver.  Also includes references to the G20 fiasco, and part of my set for Toronto Pride.  You'll never want to leave the gym.  get the goodness at http://thetastates.com/mp3s/CPI_-_Live_for_Original_Plumbing_and_Toronto_Pride,_2010-07-01.mp3

CPI - Moonchild (in memoriam)
Dreamer beats.  Moods for the beat heads.  A personal journey, but you'll totally groove to it.  Get it at http://thetastates.com/mp3s/CPI_-_Moonchild_(in_memoriam).mp3

DJ Zhao - Fusion 2
Dubby afrobeat and crazy blunted rhythms.   What it sometimes lacks in mixing is made up by hot track selection and great atmosphere.  Download the whole thing at http://official.fm/track/159491

Girl Talk - All Day
OK OK, let's get it over with.  It's fucking dense.  His favourite hiphop is full of bullshit assholes that deserve divine retribution.  His live shows are full of bullshit assholes that deserve comeuppins.  But there's no denying his total love of wheezy pop vomit, and he puts it together in a way that you don't even taste the neon.  Get it all at http://illegal-art.net/allday/

Skillz, Jazzy Jeff & J.Period - Infamous Quotes
J. Period is a mixtape genius that gives us some of the freshest storytelling mixes.  This time he hooks up with DJ Jazzy Jeff and Mad Skillz, throws in 60 minutes of movie quotes, and BAMMO, incredible hiphop mix!  Download the whole thing at http://www.jperiod.com/upload/skillz/infamousquotes.zip


Please note:   If you are reading this on facebook and have trouble downloading the direct mp3 links, they are all up at http://thetastates.com/ for easy download action.



TRACKS INCLUDED FOR THIS SECTION:

Chiddy Bang & Ellie Goulding - Under The Sheets
Chiddy Bang & Lily Allen - Breakfast
Girl Talk - Oh No
James Holden - DJ Kicks (excerpt)
Justin Martin - Five Years Of Dirtybird (excerpt)
Skillz, Jazzy Jeff & J.Period - Skillz
Skillz, Jazzy Jeff & J.Period - This Shit Right Here?!




MY FAVOURITE REISSUES OF 2010

Elliott Smith - An Introduction to... Elliott Smith
FOR THOSE THAT DON'T KNOW, ONLY:  Elliott Smith was the ultimate in emo folk in the 90s.  He was so fucking hardcore that in the end he killed himself...  BY STABBING HIMSELF IN THE HEART.  WTF???  Keep that in mind as you listen to his genius.  If you don't know Elliott Smith, you need this collection right now.

MF Doom - DOOM!
40 tracks of total DOOM?  77 minutes long though, so nothing sits around too long, and it turns out it's one of the best ways to really soak in the doom.  Let him flip the beats, screw the flow, and 2 minutes later we're back at it in a new way.  This is a collection of rarities and unreleased, but ends up being one of my favourite Doom CDs.

Pavement - Quarantine The Past
Pavement was the definition of indie rock in the 90s, and the worst of whom singlehandedly fueled Pitchfork, it seems.  I never got it.  THEY WEREN'T THAT GOOD!   They were good, maybe even great, but fuck, the worship of them drove me crazy.  Thank goodness for greatest hits collections!  This collects all of the goods.  For people like me who only really liked Brighten The Corners and Slanted & Enchanted as total album works, it's a sigh of relief and a totaly pleasure.  If you haven't heard Pavement yet, you are probably 25 years old or younger.  Now's a time to start.

Refused - The Shape Of Punk To Come
When this originally came out in 1998 I was out of punk rock.  Like most kids in the 90s in high school, there was much Fugazi, NOFX, Propagandhi and Dead Kennedys.  By the time 1998 came around I was mostly listening to IDM and noise and drone, but I am so happy I at least discovered this one 12 years after the fact.  Also includes a second disc of live versions, which is probably the best recorded punk show I've ever heard.  Like seriously, kudos to the live engineer and everyone on the boards and the mics.


TRACKS INCLUDED FOR THIS SECTION:

Elliott Smith - Alameda
Elliott Smith - Angeles
Elliott Smith - Needle in the Hay
MF Doom - 3214
MF Doom - Gazzillion Ear
MF Doom - The Mask ft Ghostface Killah
Pavement - Cut Your Hair
Pavement - Spit On A Stranger
Pavement - Stereo
Refused - Summer Holidays vs. Punk Routine (Live)
Refused - Worms Of The Senses; Faculties Of The Skull




Stay tuned, best of experimental coming soon!



FULL LIST OF TRACKS INLCUDED IN THIS POST:

Alias - Fifty Ways To Bleed Your Customer
Alias - Kitchen Sink
B. Rich - We Ball Harder (DZ's Spy Harder Remix)
Basti Grub - Eines Tages
Basti Grub - Lina
Basti Grub - Unzucht
Claude VonStroke - Bay Area
Claude VonStroke - The Greasy Beat ft Bootsy Collins (Funk Bomb DJ Version)
Danny Byrd - Planet Earth
Danny Byrd ft Liquid - Sweet Harmony
Don Diablo - Animale ft Dragonette
DZ - Killin' em Softly
DZ - Nevah
El-P - How To Serve Man (Stripped)
El-P - I Got This (EL-P Remix) Redux
El-P - Meanstreak (in 3 Parts)
MJ Cole - Sincere (Nero Remix)
Moby - Feeling So Real (Don Diablo Remix)
Monarchy - Love Get Out Of My Way (Treasure Fingers Remix)
The Chemical Brothers - Swoon (Don Diablo Remix)
The Streets - Blinded By The Lights (Nero Remix)
Treasure Fingers & Jocelyn Brown - What Am I Supposed To Do
Chiddy Bang & Ellie Goulding - Under The Sheets
Chiddy Bang & Lily Allen - Breakfast
Girl Talk - Oh No
James Holden - DJ Kicks (excerpt)
Justin Martin - Five Years Of Dirtybird (excerpt)
Skillz, Jazzy Jeff & J.Period - Skillz
Skillz, Jazzy Jeff & J.Period - This Shit Right Here?!
Elliott Smith - Alameda
Elliott Smith - Angeles
Elliott Smith - Needle in the Hay
MF Doom - 3214
MF Doom - Gazzillion Ear
MF Doom - The Mask ft Ghostface Killah
Pavement - Cut Your Hair
Pavement - Spit On A Stranger
Pavement - Stereo
Refused - Summer Holidays vs. Punk Routine (Live)
Refused - Worms Of The Senses; Faculties Of The Skull


the madness starts here:  http://thetastates.com/mp3s/blog/blog20101203.zip

Stay on top of everything new at http://djcpi.blogspot.com

More info:

DJ mixes

Blog archives

CPI fan page

Buy me books

Friend me on Last.FM to see what I am listening to

Enjoy!

~CPI

CPI - Live at Once In A Blue Moon, Oakland CA, 2010-11-20

Previously if someone asked me what my dream setup would be I would always semi-seriously describe a room that was basically a huge speaker, filled with blankets and pillows, and that was basically this place Iwas in.  I was experiencing my favourite tracks in a way in which I never had before, and probably will never be able to replicate again.

I performed 2 sets, and I recorded them both.  I am not releasing them officially on my website, but they will be online until the end of 2010, so grab them now if you want them.
They contain some familiar songs, as I was hired by someone who was a fan of specific mixes.  I will often agree to perform in a different country if you are able to cover all expenses, so take note.


CPI - Live at Once In A Blue Moon, Oakland CA, 2010-11-20, 3am
genre: ambient
174 minutes, 397 MB
http://thetastates.com/mp3s/CPI_-_Live_at_Once_In_A_Blue_Moon,_Oakland_CA,_2010-11-20,_3am.mp3

01) John Zorn - Dark River
02) Terry Fox - Lunar Rambles
03) Thomas Koner - Ilira
04) Terre Thaemlitz - Aging Core, Aging Periphery
05) Bass Communion - Wide Open Killingfield
06) Deathprod - Dead People's Things
07) BJ Nilsen & Stilluppsteypa - Skuggbild Skuggamynd
08) Meryn Cadell - Knitting
09) Fennesz - Saffron Revolution
10) Mick Harris - There
11) David Lynch - Curtains Up
12) Bohren & Der Club of Gore - Dead End Angels
13) Moljebka Pvlse - Daiji
14) Tortoise - Lurning Curve (Markus Popp Remix)
15) Belong - Beside
16) Klimek - Ruined In A Day (Buenos Aires)
17) Simon Scott - Under Crumbling Skies
18) Richard Skelton - Remaindered
19) Thomas Koner - Teimo, Schluss
20) Tom Heasley - Where The Earth Meets the Sky
21) Drum Komputer - E.P.L. (Terre Thaemlitz Remix)
22) Full Swing - [~] (Kit Clayton Edit)
23) Divination - Aum
24) Microstoria - Remix by C-Schulz & Hajsch
25) Vidna Obmana - In The Mouth Of The Reptile
26) Hood - Horse Opera Remix
27) Wolfskin ft Objekt4 - Axes In The Twilight
28) Elegi - Fandens Bre
29) James Plotkin - Chemstiks (Speaker Phasing)
30) Greg Davis - Happy
31) AGF - Letsmakeourmovies
32) Bohren & Der Club Of Gore - Gore Musik
33) Bill Laswell & Lori Carson - Nothing
34) Ekkehard Ehlers - Plays John Cassavetes A
35) Slow Dancing Society - ...and to the dust we shall return
36) Microstoria - NAMM Weekend Pass (Jim O'Rourke Remix)
37) Seefeel - Lux1
38) Oren Ambarchi - This Evening So Soon
39) Janis Mattox - Soli Deo Gloria
40) Seefeel - Utreat
41) Cornelius - Kling Klang
42) Ishq - Daisy
43) Death Cube K - Disembodied
44) Lustmord - Exit
45) Naono - Untitled Merrow
46) Robert Rich & Lustmord - Hidden Refuge
47) Tomasz Bednarczyk - Sawako Sun
48) Steve Roach - At The Edge Of The In-Between (Anima)
49) Freescha - Smoke Stack
50) Thomas Koner - Firm
51) Denzel + Huhn - Senet
52) Thomas Koner - Nieve Penitentes 3
53) Greg Kowalsky - X-XI
54) Bohren & Der Club Of Gore - Staub
55) Jasper TX - Sleeping Rivers
56) Thomas Koner - Kaamos 3
57) Robert Rich & Lustmord - Synergistic Perceptions
58) Oval - Kardio V
59) Freescha - Vapoured
60) Klimek - New Deal
61) Richard Skelton - River Song
62) Steve Roach - Magma
63) Lull - Found
64) Bohren & Der Club Of Gore - Weltern
65) Thomas Koner - Nuuk (end)
66) Golden Palominos - No Skin (Terre Thaemlitz Remix)
67) Lustmord - Of Eons
68) Xela - I Drowned Her In A Dreamless Sleep
69) Thomas Koner - Nuuk (Harbor)
70) Cezary Gapik - 0461
71) Deathprod - Tron
72) The Notwist - Lichter 1





CPI - Live at Once In A Blue Moon, Oakland CA, 2010-11-20, 10:30pm
genre: idm
128 minutes, 292 MB
http://thetastates.com/mp3s/CPI_-_Live_at_Once_In_A_Blue_Moon,_Oakland_CA,_2010-11-20,_10.30pm.mp3

01) Lull - Slow Fall Inward
02) Laurie Anderson - Born, Never Asked (intro)
03) Michael Fakesch - From Crocut
04) Hirokazu Tanaka - 1986 Metroid Title Background Music
05) Mount Kimbie - Taps
06) Mum - Don't Be Afraid, You Have Just Got Your Eyes Closed
07) Moderat - Rusty Nails
08) CocoRosie - Werewolf
09) Vector Lovers - Melodies & Memory
10) Chronomad - Do
11) DNTEL - Rock My Boat ft Mia Doi Todd
12) Borko - Chloorvrij
13) Fever Ray - If I Had A Heart
14) Deru - Din (Lo Grey Beam Remix)
15) B. Fleischmann - Chad F.
16) B. Fleischmann - Chad F. (The Tick And Sax Mix)
17) Piano Magic - There's No Need For Us To Be Alone (Future 3 Remix)
18) Broken Social Scene - Anthems for a Seventeen Year-Old Girl
19) B. Fleischmann - Nightly
20) aus - Moraine (Bracken rmx)
21) Donato Wharton - Is That Why Yr Still On Earth
22) Laurie Anderson - Born, Never Asked
23) Borko - Pale Hand
24) Chronomad - Sard
25) Clickits - No Clickedy
26) Bichi - Layers Of Generation Without Number
27) Seven Ark - Sixteen
28) Pulshar - Nospheratu
29) Piano Magic - The Canadian Brought Us Snow (Opiate Remix)
30) Mum - Green Grass Of Tunnel
31) Solvent - A Panel Of Experts
32) Christian Kleine - Today's Mark
33) Boards Of Canada - Happy Cycling
34) Seefeel - Time To Find Me (AFX Fast Mix)
35) Crunch - Karot
36) Ulrich Schnauss - Blumewiesse Autobahn
37) Boards Of Canada - Turquoise Hexagon Sun

MP3 blog 2010/11/26

blog 2010/11/26 - we're going to buckle down and produce rainbows

I've got to get focused!  I had a blast in Oakland, and I recorded my sets there.  I'm in the process of mastering them and getting them online.  They will hopefully be up as limited edition special treats for the holidays.

My eyes are also on the calendar, with December fast approaching.  I have been listening to the last few albums in my "omg must hear this" box and my declaration of favourite albums of 2010 is forming organically.

So while all this spins around in my mind, I want to drop another post of new goodness.  Enjoy!


Autre Ne Veut - Two Days Of Rain:  I listen to this and I think of a masculine Annie Lennox.  Or a contemporary Human League.  Epic 80s pop for the 21st century.

Belleruche - Anything You Want (Not That) (Hint Remix):  Hint has been bopping out Mr. Scruff-esque downtempo bass music for years, and fit perfectly on top of the soulful Belleruche.  Probably my favourite thing off the dope new Liberty EP.

Crystal Castles - Baptism (Punks Jump Up Remix):  Punks Jump Up have always been one of my favourite remixes for giving something that raw indie rock flair that still pumps the dancefloor.  Taken from the Baptism single, this is probably my favourite Crystal Castle remix of the year.  And there's have been a number of good ones.

Deluka vs Mike Snow - OMFG Animal:  Two fabulous pop songs that fuse really well.  Mike Snow's piano riffs are some of the happiest out there.

Generationals - When They Fight They Fight:  With all of the golly-gee-whiz goodness of a 60s radio pop group!

GR†LLGR†LL - sLOwDanciNg
GR†LLGR†LL - sOmethiNgiNtheway (cobain) ft DirtyPrid3
GR†LLGR†LL - Utta:  Witch House is the stupidest genre name since Intelligent Dance Music came around.  It's neither witchy nor housey.  Discuss.  But if anyone asked for an example of witch house, I think GR†LLGR†LL would be the perfect example.  From the self-titled album, it's a fabulous trip through sluggy sample work, DJ Screwisms, lofi breaks.  DHR for the next generation, in the best and worst ways possible.

Jesse Rose - Well Now:  Oh come on, admit it, this makes you smile.

Kanye West - All Of The Lights
Kanye West - Lost In The World ft Bon Iver:  Well, it's here.  My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is out and you'll probably be hearing about it ad nauseaum for the next few months.  Most people are gaga for it.  I think it has 4 fabulous songs, really.  Skip to the winner:  POWER, All Of The Lights, Lost In The World, and Monster.
Bon Iver and Nicki Minaj for the win.  Seriously.

Lulu Rouge - Bless You (Mike Sheridan Pris Dig Lyk'lig mix):  Back in 2008, Bless You got an army of remixes.  I must have missed this one, because I love it's stripped done minimal world.

Max Tundra - Which Song (Silverlink Remix):  Speaking of discovering older remixes, here's a take on pretty much the best pop song in the world.  Which Song is the crowl jewel in Max Tundra cepter.  Those funky keyboard lines!  The heartfelt love musings of a touring musician!

Murcof - Memoria (Sutekh's Trisagion Mix):  And more with discovering old remixes!  The Utopia Remixes seldom really improved on the original Murcof genius, but this is a really functional rework that should hopefully ensure you will all PLAY MORE FUCKING MURCOF.  Seriously, people.  At least once per set.

Robyn - In My Eyes
Robyn - We Dance to the Beat:  After 2 amazing EPs of the same name, Body Talk is out!  It collects most of the songs from the EPs and adds a few more.  Oh music marketing in the 21st century!  you are so wacky.

Saycet - Daddy Walks Under the Snow
Saycet - Easy:  I had only recently discovered their fabulous 2006 album, and now new for 2010 they give us the absolutely gorgeous Through the Window.  If you were ever a fan of lush IDM in the late 90s, you know the joyous place this music is coming from.  Highly recommended, but pretty much essential for fans of Isan and the first 15 Morr Music releases.



THIS WEEK'S TRACKS

Autre Ne Veut - Two Days Of Rain
Belleruche - Anything You Want (Not That) (Hint Remix)
Crystal Castles - Baptism (Punks Jump Up Remix)
Deluka vs Mike Snow - OMFG Animal
Generationals - When They Fight They Fight
GR†LLGR†LL - sLOwDanciNg
GR†LLGR†LL - sOmethiNgiNtheway (cobain) ft DirtyPrid3
GR†LLGR†LL - Utta
Jesse Rose - Well Now
Kanye West - All Of The Lights
Kanye West - Lost In The World ft Bon Iver
Lulu Rouge - Bless You (Mike Sheridan Pris Dig Lyk'lig mix)
Max Tundra - Which Song (Silverlink Remix)
Murcof - Memoria (Sutekh's Trisagion Mix)
Robyn - In My Eyes
Robyn - We Dance to the Beat
Saycet - Daddy Walks Under the Snow
Saycet - Easy


Let's get dangerous.   http://thetastates.com/mp3s/blog/blog20101126.zip

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More info:

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Enjoy!

~CPI

MP3 blog 2010/11/24

blog 2010/11/24 - My office cubicle needs far more pillows.

Beats party today!  Heavy on the beats...


Balam Acab - Big Boy
Balam Acab - See Birds (moon):  2 highlights from the awesome "See Birds" EP, downpitched downtempo downer music that is really actually very lovely.

Baths - Aminals
Baths - Maximalist
Baths - Rain Smell:  I'm loving "Cerulean".  It mixes in flavours you might associate with Passion Pit, Casiotone For The Painfully Alone, and even some Morr Music fare.  Highly recommended for anyone who ever thought Mount Kimbe should make love songs.

Daft Punk - Derezzed (Tron Legacy OST)
Daft Punk - The Crash (Tron Legacy OST):  So much hype surrounding the new Tron movie, but the most exciting and insta-fawning aspect was signing Daft Punk to do the soundtrack!  And yes, here are some fabulous reasons as to why that was an awesome idea.

El May - Don't You:  From last year's self-titled album, super catchy folk pop.

Eluvium - The Motion Makes Me Last (Four Tet Remix):  Eluvium has been constantly surprising and delighting over the past few years, and joy of joy the new Leaves Eclipse The Light EP gets Four Tet on board.  OK, Four Tet in some ways has been phoning in the remixes, but it's more about the source material here.  You can't go wrong, and Four Tet does right and flips it in to a deep and beautiful ecstatic ride, never going off the rails.

Flevans - Mad Perks:  2009's 27 Devils LP had a few hot tracks on it, but this one is the sure fire boom bap standout for me.  For fans of Jon Kennedy and RJD2 for sure.

New Boyz ft Tyga - Cricketz:  Banger hiphop is a guilty pleasure, and oh I do love the cricket solos.

Sub Swara ft Stuart Bogie & Eric Biondo - Bird of Paradise:  Sub Swara always seems to impress, but here he comes with the innovation stick and does what I've always wanted, fuse the soulful jazzy with the dubstep bass in a way that isn't just isolating, but downright funky.  Taken from the new LP Triggers.

The Wedding Band - Susie:  From the new release "The First Dance EP", this song is SO traditional "piano bar" that I almost skipped right over it.  But it's a slow brooding folk ballad of love and loss and really rather stunning.   This makes me want to go out to a bar and drink and cry in to my drink and be all awkward.

White Ring - Suffocation (Los Campesinos! Remix):  A pleasant find on the Suffocation EP!  I hadn't heard any Los Campesinos! remixes before, and here they come to save the day, pulling this pop song that was drowning in it's own distortion, and bringing it in to perfect equilibrium.

Yoshihiro Hanno - Re-Platform (Aoki Takamasa Remix):  From the new Fractalized LP, this rework synthesizes some of my favourite things of a textural ambient orchestration:  The sparse piano, the low hums, the haunting horns, the creeping cello...  ahhh bliss.



THIS WEEK'S TRACKS

Balam Acab - Big Boy
Balam Acab - See Birds (moon)
Baths - Aminals
Baths - Maximalist
Baths - Rain Smell
Daft Punk - Derezzed (Tron Legacy OST)
Daft Punk - The Crash (Tron Legacy OST)
El May - Don't You
Eluvium - The Motion Makes Me Last (Four Tet Remix)
Flevans - Mad Perks
New Boyz ft Tyga - Cricketz
Sub Swara ft Stuart Bogie & Eric Biondo - Bird of Paradise
The Wedding Band - Susie
White Ring - Suffocation (Los Campesinos! Remix)
Yoshihiro Hanno - Re-Platform (Aoki Takamasa Remix)


Those that sleep with tigers actually nap quite well:  http://thetastates.com/mp3s/blog/blog20101124.zip

Stay on top of everything new at http://djcpi.blogspot.com

More info:

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Enjoy!

~CPI

MP3 blog 2010/11/18

blog 2010/11/18 - let's blow this popsicle stand

Big things are a-brewing!  Soon I will be off on a plane to the magical land of California, where I'll be spinning ambient and IDM at a private 48-hour long party, and I am incredibley psyched up for that.
Again, I'll often play in any country, providing you cover all expenses.  (Unless it's a big money event, in which case I'd want pay.)
Thanks to all of those that have taken me up on that offer!  It's always fun to visit new places, and drop some great music there.

When I get back I have to get deep in to sifting and rating to come up with the framework of my BEST OF 2010 list, which you should be anticipating.  :)



Baron Bane - Orchids:  A slightly electro take on Florence And The Machine styled pop.

Bill Frisell - Keep On The Sunny Side:  I saw Bill Frisell's Beautiful Dreamers ensemble over the summer (because I love Eyvind Kang's violin oh so much), and a bunch of the set was great.  I was annoyed by the pop standards a bit, EXCEPT for this one.  They did a much longer rendition live, but oh a classic like this does put a smile on my face.

Caribou - Sun (Midland Re-Edit):  So many remixes of this out there!  But I think this is my favourite.  I don't even love Caribou, but was so waiting for this track to go DEEP.

DeVotchKa - Along the Way:  Sometimes I just pine for some fabulous horns beneath my crooner pop.  Oh Beirut, what have you done to us?  From the album "A Mad and Faithful Telling".

Iron Shirt - I Gave You All My Love (Matt Shadetek's I Gave You All My Dub Remix):  Probably my favourite standout from the wishy washy "Uproot: The Ingredients" collection circa 2008, it incorporates all of the modern soul dub goodness of someone like Fat Freddy's Drop with that analog synth blurt we've come to love.

James Blackshaw - Cross:  I fell in love with James Blackshaw with the 2007 The Cloud of Unknowing and I have since gone and found more of his fantastic work!  This is from the 2009 album "The Glass Bead Game", lovingly and appropriately referencing Herman Hesse's masterful novel.  The intricacies woven without hint of exhaustion here are magical.

Marnie Stern - Gimme
Marnie Stern - Nothing Left:  New Marnie Stern!  After the mouthful of the last album title, this one's just self titled, but just as ass kicking.  Like Gang Gang Dance or Ponytail, there is a love of dischord that is the price of admission, but like those two other bands, if you are tall enough to ride, there are moments of great ecstasy within.  And of course if you loved the last album, this will be essential.

Max Richter - Infra 8
Max Richter - Journey 2:  Richter is back with "Infra" for 2010 and it continues his tradition of strong soundtrack-focused compositions, and probably even remember his work from the spectacular movie Waltz With Bashir (which you TOTALLY need to see).
There is a fine balance between string compositions and textured electronics that almost implies the scenes flippnig between each other.  For fans of contemporary classical, soundtrack music and ambient, highly recommended!

MGMT - Congratulations:  I didn't give the new LP too many listens, but thought I should promo the precious highlight here.  Remember when Ween sobered up and released heartfelt subdued songs that sound like a Sunday afternoon hangover?  Yeah, that.

MJ Cole & Wiley - From The Drop (L-Vis 1990 remix):  MC Cole rocks my booty!  And oh wait, L-Vis 1990!  He rocks my booty too!  OMG they are rocking it so hard I'm worried my booty will get cancelled out!  The stakes are high in this game of life.

Moremoney - All Those People:  The backbeat is total shades of Bjork's Medulla, but the vox are more mid 90s Garbage than anything.

Owen Pallett - Scandal At The Parkade:  Owen doesn't have the same track record for EPs as say, Antony Hegarty.  While Antony releases gems of perfectly compact EPs that are essential to the catalouge, you end up wanting to skip over Pallett's EP efforts.   The new EP is called "A Swedish Love Story" and there is a some goodness on it!  As a whole I'm not in love with it all, but OMG this song sounds like it could have been a single off of his masterpiece, Heartland.

Paris Wells - Let's Get It Started (Mat Cant Remix):  Cabaret-esque pop...  done Juke style?   Umm OK.  But it totally works.  Super addicrtive.

Parlovr - Hell, Heaven:  From the album "Hell / Heaven / Big / Love" something about this makes me nostalgic for that which we earnestly dubbed "alternative rock" in the mid 90s.

Prince Club - Love Jackson:  Some sweet pitched down soul deepness!

The Decemberists - Down By The Water:  Leaked everywhere already, this is the firs single from the forthcoming album "The King Is Dead".  LOOKING FORWARD TO IT!

The National - You Were A Kindness:  The stellar "High Violet" gets the deluxe treatment, and here's a taste of bonus track goodness that you're missing out on.



THIS WEEK'S TRACKS

Baron Bane - Orchids
Bill Frisell - Keep On The Sunny Side
Caribou - Sun (Midland Re-Edit)
DeVotchKa - Along the Way
Iron Shirt - I Gave You All My Love (Matt Shadetek's I Gave You All My Dub Remix)
James Blackshaw - Cross
Marnie Stern - Gimme
Marnie Stern - Nothing Left
Max Richter - Infra 8
Max Richter - Journey 2
MGMT - Congratulations
MJ Cole & Wiley - From The Drop (L-Vis 1990 remix)
Moremoney - All Those People
Owen Pallett - Scandal At The Parkade
Paris Wells - Let's Get It Started (Mat Cant Remix)
Parlovr - Hell, Heaven
Prince Club - Love Jackson
The Decemberists - Down By The Water
The National - You Were A Kindness



Oakland, can you hear me?  http://thetastates.com/mp3s/blog/blog20101118.zip

Stay on top of everything new at http://djcpi.blogspot.com

More info:

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Enjoy!

~CPI

MP3 blog 2010/11/10

blog 2010/11/10 - a busy week, but take some solace in this update

I have to say, I love taking Tuesday and Thursday off!  Woot.  3 day work week!
And so before things get too nutty, here's another fabulous slab of (mostly) new releases.
PARTY!



Adam Arcuragi - She Comes To Me:  This one has a bit of that Beirut swagger, with a bit more "passed out at the bar" kind of feel.  From last year's "I Am Become Joy".

Annie - I Don't Like Your Band:  Annie is total cheese, but if you love Robyn, it almost goes without saying you have to love Annie.  And her songs are all so brutally honest, while being sunshine pop.  She has this earnestness that is focused solely on the shallow world of club culture, and her songs themselves are a cultural void, but still you have to smile at tracks like "I Don't Like Your Band", "Happy Without You", "I Know Ur Girlfriend Hates Me", "My Love Is Better".

Baths - Pop Song:  The whole thing, at first glance, seems kind of unassuming and downright "preset".  But there's a charming quality about this that just sucked me in.  Sometimes songwriting just trumps musical innovation.

Benga & Coki - Night (Geeneus Remix):  This tribal dubby number just slinks along delightfully, and then it's gone.  Gone fabulously.

Charlotte Gainsbourg - Heaven Can Wait (Nosaj Thing Remix):  I was never a big fan of the original, but this takes the overeager pop and subdues it appropriately and now it's smooth and cool and great.

Cornershop - Topknot ft Bubbly Kaur (Cavemen Mix ft M.I.A.):  It makes me so happy to have M.I.A. out on a good new track!  I love me some South Asian breakbeats, and I fucking LOVE Cavemen (where did they disappear to for so long?) so yay yay yay for this.

Crystal Castles - Not In Love ft Robert Smith:  WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS?  How the hell did this happen?  I was in shock when I saw this.  Could it be true?  Could it be?
Yes, it is.  It's here and it's yours.  Everyone, MAKE OUT ON THE DANCE FLOOR!

Das Racist - All Tan Everything ft Jay-Z
Das Racist - People Are Strange
Das Racist - Sit Down, Man ft El-P:  I had heard some random tracks by Das Racist and wasn't impressed, so I slept on this album, and now I realize the error of my ways.  This album is great.  Fun lyrics, interesting flows, an army of great producers pushing some great new ideas around, and a good roster of guests as well.  I think the thing that really seals the deal is that the MCs are really intelligent and play around with ideas of racism and stereotyping in such a knowing way.
Oh and mad bonus points for riffing on MC Hammer's Addams Groove.
   
Discovery - I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend ft Angel Deradoorian:  Electro house meets Dirty Projectors?  Passion Pit dressed as Beyonce?

Don Diablo - Animale ft Dragonette:  Dragonette!  Kudos to you for making such amazing strides in 2010 with your collabs.  This isn't QUITE as super amazing as the last single I posted here, but still heads above the competition.

Eleanor Murray - Street To Ride:  From "Oh Thunder", I love the sense of foreboding and magnitude that is expressed here by what on the surface is just a subdued folk song.

Gyptian - Hold You (Shy FX & Benny Page Digital Soundboy Remix):  CHOOOOON!  Total ecstatic ragga anthem rework!  LIGHTAS UP!  This is the ish that gets the cuddle puddle rockin'.

John Zorn - Anxieties (The Treatment OST)
John Zorn - The Treatment (The Treatment OST):  I discovered John Zorn's Filmworks series way back when there was only 4 of them out.  Now there's like what, 23?   I have been working my way through the series and #18 (from 2006) has me stopped dead in my tracks.  For the film The Treatment (never seen it either), we have some of the most gorgeous ensemble pieces I've heard all year.

Les Nouvelles Polyphonies Corses With Hector Zazou - Eramu in Campu:  This one goes back 1991!  Digging in the vaults, but alas no, I just recently discovered this gem.  Full of haunting chants, flute, tribal drums and a steady sense of wonder.  New agey in all of the right ways, but as demanding of your prescience as any Philip Glass album.
   
People You Know - Good Girls
People You Know - Virginia Gold:  Toronto rockers do right!  More gems from the Canadian invasion that will make their way to any mixtape you construct for your girlfriend.

The Tallest Man On Earth - The Dreamer:  Oh lordy lordy lord, what a dynamite track to end on!  Sometimes the Blues Is Just a Passing Bird is the gorgeous new EP from this artist who already gave us gold this year.  Kiss the fucking ring!



THIS WEEK'S TRACKS

Adam Arcuragi - She Comes To Me
Annie - I Don't Like Your Band
Baths - Pop Song
Benga & Coki - Night (Geeneus Remix)
Charlotte Gainsbourg - Heaven Can Wait (Nosaj Thing Remix)
Cornershop - Topknot ft Bubbly Kaur (Cavemen Mix ft M.I.A.)
Crystal Castles - Not In Love ft Robert Smith
Das Racist - All Tan Everything ft Jay-Z
Das Racist - People Are Strange
Das Racist - Sit Down, Man ft El-P
Discovery - I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend ft Angel Deradoorian
Don Diablo - Animale ft Dragonette
Eleanor Murray - Street To Ride
Gyptian - Hold You (Shy FX & Benny Page Digital Soundboy Remix)
John Zorn - Anxieties (The Treatment OST)
John Zorn - The Treatment (The Treatment OST)
Les Nouvelles Polyphonies Corses With Hector Zazou - Eramu in Campu
People You Know - Good Girls
People You Know - Virginia Gold
The Tallest Man On Earth - The Dreamer


We can dig our way to a new sense of joy:  http://thetastates.com/mp3s/blog/blog20101110.zip

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More info:

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Enjoy!

~CPI

MP3 blog 2010/11/05

blog 2010/11/05 - back on the horse, we are almost another year closer to the end!

Back to it, now.  Another update, and lots of fabulous new albums to rub all over my body.


Amanda Palmer - Fake Plastic Trees (Radiohead cover)
Amanda Palmer - No Surprises (Radiohead cover):  These are from the new single "Amanda Palmer Performs The Popular Hits Of Radiohead On Her Magical Ukulele".  Which pretty much sums it up nicely.

Belle and Sebastian - I Can See Your Future
Belle and Sebastian - Little Lou, Ugly Jack, Prophet John
Belle and Sebastian - Write About Love:  These romantic troubadours are back with "Write About Love" and I'm a bit meh about the whole thing, but have fallen for a few songs on it.  I love love love their first 4 or 5 albums, but kind of drifted away from B&S for a while.  This is mostly a return to their most charming forms, and highly recommended for any fans of yore.  Def give it a chance.

Delphic - Counterpoint:  Total indie electro pop fun.

Gtronic - Iron Man:  Been a long time sing I posted some banging hard electro around here!  Reminds me of the joys of Stereoheroes.

Hop Along, Queen Ansleis - Bay Area Baby:  OK OK, you guys win for having the bestest band name ever.    And I love the exasperation in this woman's voice.

Jasper TX - Sleeping Rivers:  Last year's "Singing Stones" contains fabulous slabs of shimmering warm ambient blankets.   mmmmmmm

MF Doom - Bing Bong Bing:  It might be juvenile of me, but I'm oh so delighted to have that Borat sample flipped in to such a fun song.

Modern Superstitions - Visions of You:  Love the riotgrrrl tones with that barroom pop swagger.

Mowgli & Minimow - Bollyhouse:  Chunky yummy house!

Retribution Gospel Choir - Hide It Away:  Shades of Pearl Jam perhaps?

Rusko - Feels So Real (Savage Skulls & Douster Remix):   I just can't stay away from Rusko for long.   So good.

The Gaslight Anthem - American Slang
The Gaslight Anthem - Orphans
The Gaslight Anthem - The Queen of Lower Chelsea:  Who likes Bruce Springteen?  Have you EVER liked Bruce Springsteen?  If you answered YES, then you will love American Slang, the latest Gaslight Anthem album.
It fucking bleeds New Jersey expectations.  It rocks consistently, like an even poppier take on The Hold Steady, but consistently routed in the foundation of rockgod Bruce Springsteen.
The Boss is in control.  Even Titus Andronicus know this.  Best get on board.  This won't blow your world wide open, but it's still a damn good party.

Zola Jesus - I Can't Stand
Zola Jesus - Lightsick:  Stridulum II collects most of 2 earlier EPs, Stridulum and Valusia, for some reason dropping a single track off of Valusia.  Why not just combine the two?  They're BOTH GOLDEN.
And when they come together here, they work brilliantly as a full album effort.  If I didn't mention the EPs, you'd be none the wiser.
As far as the sound goes, imagine Bat For Lashes meets The Swans.  Mythic, ecstatic, dark and brooding.  I already posted my favourite track back in installment blog20101020, but I just had an EP then, and now that I have this full length, I am overflow with the giddy.
Highly recommended.



THIS WEEK'S TRACKS

Amanda Palmer - Fake Plastic Trees (Radiohead cover)
Amanda Palmer - No Surprises (Radiohead cover)
Belle and Sebastian - I Can See Your Future
Belle and Sebastian - Little Lou, Ugly Jack, Prophet John
Belle and Sebastian - Write About Love
Delphic - Counterpoint
Gtronic - Iron Man
Hop Along, Queen Ansleis - Bay Area Baby
Jasper TX - Sleeping Rivers
MF Doom - Bing Bong Bing
Modern Superstitions - Visions of You
Mowgli & Minimow - Bollyhouse
Retribution Gospel Choir - Hide It Away
Rusko - Feels So Real (Savage Skulls & Douster Remix)
The Gaslight Anthem - American Slang
The Gaslight Anthem - Orphans
The Gaslight Anthem - The Queen of Lower Chelsea
Zola Jesus - I Can't Stand
Zola Jesus - Lightsick


We are so much older than yesterday:  http://thetastates.com/mp3s/blog/blog20101105.zip

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More info:

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Enjoy!

~CPI

MP3 blog 2010/11/02

blog 2010/11/02 - time to clear out the old before we get down to business

APOLOGIES!  I have been sloppy.  And because of that, there are no real new releases in this here batch.
I had kept a folder of stuff for this blog aside, and then I misplaced it.  And then I found it again, and a long time had passed.
So I sifted through that folder and pulled out my favourites, and here they are for you.  It's a double post, but it clears out my archive of not-quite-new releases that I wanted to pass your way.

So a million apologies, and a million awesomes as well. 
No discussion, no rambling, just music!!!!   Get through this while I start sorting through my favourite albums of 2011...



THIS WEEK'S TRACKS

A Sunny Day In Glasgow - Failure
Black Lips - Veni Vedi Veci (Diplo Remix)
Bonnie Prince Billy - Cursed Sleep
Br'er - Painted Lady
Busdriver - Casting Agents and Cowgirls
Daniel Johnston - Freedom
Deela - Heartbreaker
Elvis Perkins In Dearland - Slow Doomsday
Free The Robots - Listen To The Future
Guillemots - Never Went to Church (The Streets Cover)
Gypsophilia - Agricola and Sarah
Hanne Hukkelberg - The North Wind
Jack Penate - My Yvonne
Kiln - Bluerain
Kim Hiorthøy - Giving And Taking Book
Library Tapes - The Scratches On The Window In The Door
Mates Of State - Think Long
Matson Jones - New York City Fuck Off
Milanese vs Virus Syndicate - Deadman Walking
Outlines - Listen To The Drums
Scott Orr - Don't Want To See That Again
Sebadoh - Flame
Silje Nes - Ames Room
Sole - Stuffed Animals Trailer
Sweet Things - Change Of Seasons
Teddybears - Cobrastyle ft Mad Cobra
The Cardigans - Lovefool (Mr. Gaspar Remix)
The Fire and Reason - 11 Minutes
The Futureheads - Hounds of Love (Mystery Jets Private Invasion Remix)
Torngat - Bordeaux Boredom
Triosk - Tomorrowtoday
Under Byen - Af Samme Stof Som Stof

get it all here and let's start fresh again in a few days, ok?  http://thetastates.com/mp3s/blog/blog20101102.zip

Stay on top of everything new at http://djcpi.blogspot.com

More info:

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Enjoy!

~CPI