Apparently it’s the end of the decade too…

Top Ten New Records of the Decade

Andrés Andrés (Mahogani Music)

It’s one of the only LPs from the last decade that I’ve literally worn out. House music in an LP format is usually a mistake, but this manages a succinctness (and musicality) usually unfamiliar to the genre.

Bonnie “Prince” Billy Master and Everyone (Drag City)

Just before slipping into total irrelevancy Will Oldham pulls off this buzzer-beater masterwork. While it certainly pales when compared to his 1990s output, even a lesser Bonnie “Prince” Billy is better than most stuff from this decade.

Eluvium Life Through Bombardment (Temporary Residence)

Sort of unfair because it’s five years or so of recordings collected into one incredible bound volume. However, it’s a document of murky ambient sounds that is pretty hard to beat.

Emeralds Allegory of Allergies (Gods of Tundra)

Extraordinary transcendent drone from this Ohio group that synthesizes the feeling of falling asleep on a couch warmed by the afternoon sun.

Espers Espers (Locust)

Too often songwriting is missing from the aesthetics of acid folk revivalists, but not on this first release from Espers. III may ultimately prove to be the better LP but it’s too soon to say for sure.

Grouper Cover The Windows And The Walls (Root Strata)

Dragging a Dead Deer Up A Hill seems to have made a bigger impact, but this is the LP for me. Wordless vocals and ethereal and earthy textures instead of independent songs. The track breaks are merely for show.

King J King J World Vol. 2 (King J)

The best of King J’s massive oeuvre simply for its emphasis on long confusing instrumentals. Call it outsider if you’d like, but it’s hard to argue that these tracks are not intentional at minimum.

Moodymann Black Mahogani (Peacefrog)

The culmination of Kenny Dixon’s creative peak mixed in with the most unique KDJ-era material. Intended to be an album, so I’ll consider it that, but it’s more akin to a classic soul LP that simply collects the latest hits.

Pole 3 (Kiff SM)

From 2000, this LP is part of an aesthetic from the previous decade. Electronic dub so minimal its connection with reggae is barely even meaningful. It’s arguably the true masterpiece of his career and the high point of his genre defining trilogy.

Red Favorite Red Favorite (Streamline)

I probably wouldn’t have heard it except that Jeremy is in my extended circle of friends but it definitely stayed on my turntable more than any other LP the last few years. A dark and blurry four-track guitar symphony.

Top Ten Re-issues and Archival Releases of the Decade (Non-Numero)

Albert Ayler Holy Ghost (Revenant)

I have at least 10 Ayler LPs but there were plenty of revelations to be found on this collection, particularly the Don Ayler stuff on disc 7.

American Primitive Vol. 2 (Revenant)

The exact intersection of perfect songs and absolute rarity in the category of country blues and hillbilly southern gothic.

Miles Davis The Complete On The Corner Sessions (Legacy)

I’ve dreamed of such a thing since I first read about the insane recording process that Teo Macero and Miles Davis went through to assemble his often overlooked masterpiece some thirteen years ago. And frankly, it’s a hard slog to get through the whole thing. But I’ve done it and its easy to get lost in this coke-and-pill damaged netherworld and forget what day and time it might be.

Music: The Book of Music (Rockadelic)

Rockadelic is certainly one of the all time great labels for archival psych and hard rock but the output slowed down in the new millennium. The highlights are certainly Music and Kath but I’m particular to The Book of Music for its mellow supremacy.

O.W.L. Of Wondrous Legends (Locust)

I would not consider myself a fan of this sort of pretentious prog folk (it veers into Gwydion territory at moments) but this record is pretty undeniable to me.

Parson Sound Parson Sound (Subliminal Sounds)

Pre-International Harvester and Trad Gras och Stenar master document and, to me, preferential to their descendents.

Charley Patton Screamin’ and Hollerin’ The Blues (Revenant)

Grammy-bait packaging for something that actually warrants it.

Pieces of Peace Pieces of Peace (Cali-Tex)

Even though the Pharaohs LP on Scarab had been reissued in the early 1990s and became one of the best selling rare groove LP reissues ever, no one had bothered to suss out the second LP on the label that remained unissued, from one of Chicago’s most important bands.

Rusty Like (Cd-R)

After releasing one of the best LPs of 1990s the band lost key member Hcrink to internet stardom a la Tila Tequila. This semi-authorized Cd-R release captures the best of the Crink era, released and otherwise, in a handy silk-screened slimline.

Seiche Dose After Dose (Hexamon)

Revelatory prototypical pigfucking hard rock from Chicago. Admittedly, I rate this partly out of hometown pride, but it gives more legitimacy to the sound Chicago would be known for with bands like Big Black and Jesus Lizard.

I’m considering taking back what I said about 2005 being my favourite year of music. 2007 might be beating it, if it doesn’t beat it, it’s a close second for sure. I was so surprised with the amount of albums that came out this year that are amazing, considering that the previous year was pretty dire for the most part. You’ll perhaps find more of a diverse list here than in previous years; again, it was all about finding what I liked and exploring similar artists. I’m pretty sure many of these albums will be put in my Top 10 of the decade. These are in no particular order, as always.

1) Minus the Bear – Planet of Ice

This was the first Minus the Bear album that I listened to, and the first thing that struck me was the actual feeling of being on an icy planet, such a cold vibe. Its production, especially in the keyboard samples and patches really matches the album title so well I feel, but songs like “Throwin’ Shapes” are also very fitting for a hot summer day with the car windows down too. It’s a coin toss between this album and Menos el Oso over my favourite MtB album as both are great in their own different ways. This album has been played to death by yours truly, and I spot little new nuances every time I listen to it. Again, getting to hear many of these tracks live made my appreciation of this album and band go way up. A fantastic album that is sure to be an album of the decade.

2) MGMT – Oracular Spectacular

When I was looking through the auto-playlist I made for albums released in 2007 (and it’s how I came up with finding out my other albums of the year) I was really surprised this came out in 2007, as I was almost 100% certain it came out in 2008. However, I was mistaken. Anyway, regardless of what year it was released, this is an instant classic. Thanks to a recommendation from good friend of mine Neil Burns, I was turned on to this album and I immediately “got” it. Within my own music, it was exactly what I was trying to; create psychedelic yet coherent musical background, out there but instantly accessible melodies and lyrics, and all around good time music. Again, almost every song in this album is ready for radio (whether or not MGMT wanted that, I don’t know), and they certainly did see success with “Kids” and “Time to Pretend”. It’s also interesting to hear the progression of the song “Kids” from the way it was released in an EP released a few years before this, to the way it’s represented in this album. Complete change of key, tempo and general production too really gave this song the lift it desperately needed to become a hit. This is something I admire in artists; not always being 100% satisfied that a song sounds its very best, so they go back and rework it, almost from the ground up. Of course, this too can be a double-edged sword, as fans would complain that the artist was just simply recycling old material because they can’t think of new music. But I don’t think that was MGMT’s problem there. Anyway, this is one of the best electronica albums of this decade, and possibly of all time. A perfect little gem from start to finish.

3) Coheed & Cambria – No World For Tomorrow

Ah yes. Many of the Coheed fans also believe that this is a pretty terrible album; I respectfully disagree. It’s certainly not their best work, but I still greatly enjoy listening to this album. “The End Complete” suite is easily some of the best work they have ever produced, and as downright catchy and radio-friendly as “Feathers” and “The Running Free” is, they both can get stuck in your head as easily as a Lady GaGa song (in my humble opinion, of course.) There really isn’t much else to say on this album, Taylor Hawkins does a great job on the drums, inevitably playing what Chris Pennie told him to (I still find it weird, however, that Pennie was unable to play on Coheed’s album due to a contractual stipulation with Dillinger Escape Plan, a band he left months beforehand.)

4) Portugal. The Man – Church Mouth

This album is where I feel Portugal. The Man really started to pick up their game and go for it. I’m also very impressed with the fact that the band leaked the album themselves, and saying on their site that if you enjoy the music to go buy the album and support them. I feel it’s an attitude that almost every band should have. I’m pretty sure their sales went way up (and they did, apparently) from their previous album which wasn’t given that treatment. In this modern age of information being available everywhere 24/7, Portugal made a bold statement. Going to the music however, you can tell they were beginning to find their sound. Groovy rock, at times technical and Progressive, with amazing singing from John Gourley. The production on this album is also rather impressive (listen to “My Mind” as a good example), many steps up from their rather box-like sound in “Waiter: You Vultures!” released just one year beforehand. You also cannot say this band is lazy, they’ve released one album every year since 2006, with another one on the way next year; and with each album, they only get better and better. Seeing this band live was also a great experience too, and meeting them all afterwards made me realise how cool and humble these guys really are. Great album from a great bunch of guys.

5) Thrice – The Alchemy Index Volumes 1 and 2: Fire and Water

In my eyes, this band can do no wrong. Everything since The Artist in the Ambulance has been nothing short of incredible. With the opener “Firebreather”, the tension before the huge and heavy riff is just amazing, leaving you hanging with a rather undesired harmonic interval, obviously done to build the aforementioned tension. While Volume 1 is blatantly heavy, Volume 2 is a huge contrast in sound; ambient, beautiful, melodic and dreamy. The band does a great job in musical word painting, depicting what they feel is fire and water (fire being destructive, so they accompany that with heavy music, water being the essence of life and therefore is the giver of life, so therefore they depict ambience and dreaminess.) Another fantastic album from a fantastic band.

And now, on to the HUGE list of…

Honorable Mentions

Aeon Spoke – Aeon Spoke
Athlete – Beyond the Neighbourhood
Battles – Mirrored
Biffy Clyro – Puzzle
Chris Cornell – Carry On
The Dear Hunter – Act II: The Meaning Of, And All Things Regarding Ms. Leading
Eluvium – Copia
The Dillinger Escape Plan – Ire Works
Explosions in the Sky – All of a Sudden, I Miss Everyone
The Fall of Troy – Manipulator
Justice – Cross
Kings of Leon – Because of the Times
The National – Boxer
Nine Inch Nails – Year Zero (and Year Zero Remixed)
Okkervil River – The Stage Names
Of Montreal – Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer
Porcupine Tree – Fear of a Blank Planet (and Nil Recurring EP)
Radiohead – In Rainbows
Rush – Snakes and Arrows
Simian Mobile Disco – Attack Decay Sustain Release
Smashing Pumpkins – Zeitgeist
St. Vincent – Marry Me
Stars – In Our Bedroom After the War
Stars of the Lid - And Their Refinement of the Decline
UNKLE – War Stories (and it’s a very honorable mention)
65daysofstatic – The Destruction of Small Ideals

2008 and 2009 coming up next week!

Born in Tennessee and raised in Louisville, KY, Matthew Cooper relocated to Portland, OR several years back and has since spent many a night holed up in his house transforming the vibrations in his brain into sweeping walls of elegant noise. With a depth ranging from fragile to glacial, he takes dense layers of guitars and pianos and builds them into an awe-inspiring fortress around himself. Resting comfortably and confidently in the spirits of Brian Eno’s most accomplished ambient pieces, Eluvium is a freakishly beautiful affair. If it was ever possible for a warm gust of wind to send chills through every bone in your body, then Eluvium is that warm wind.

Early next year, (Feb 2010) Portland’s Eluvium will be releasing his latest full-length, Similes. Here is the leading single “The Motion Makes Me Last,” Matthew Cooper has also been busy creating a soundtrack for an upcoming movie starring James Mercer from The Shins and Carrie Brownstein, the ex-Sleater-Kinney guitarist.

myspace

official

It’s almost Thanksgiving!!!  It’ll be good to head back to Philly and take a break…although something tells me I won’t.  In the meantime, check out these bands for the soundtrack to your holiday season.

Eluvium – I was totally in the headspace last week for monotonous slow building epic orchestral ambient music and Eluvium aka Matthew Cooper is the KING at this shit.  Check it out.

Philip Seymour Hoffman – Don’t let the name fool you.  It’s actually a band that has nothing to do with the actor of the same name.  Lo-fi experimental pop similar, but inferior to Dan Deacon.

Brit & The Calvary – St. Vincent meets Andrew Bird  (that’s funny since they just toured together) with Grace Potter female rocker twist.  Her studio tracks don’t do justice to her live show, which I got to see a few days ago.

Junior Boys – Electro rock with hint of hip-hop and corny, but cool 80’s vibe to it (aka heavy on the synths).  Look forward to seeing them do a DJ set on Saturday with RJD2 and Lotus at Terminal 5.

Tristan Clopet – I wasn’t really sold on Tristan until I saw this video a few months ago, but for this and that, never added him until now.  Jason Mraz meets Jeff Buckley with a dash of funk (although this video is solo acoustic with a waltzy vibe to it).  Also, check out his cover of Bon Iver.  Note:  I would be lying to myself if I omitted that he’s a client, but I’m adding him for artistic reasons.

[Eluvium - An Accidental Memory In The Case Of Death]

Tace il rumore dei piatti da lavare

i mesi passati scrutano

lo zucchero ingoiato dalle tazze

rispolvero l’aria di una finestra

resta aperta nonostante

il freddo

fino a sera

passa sulla soglia una luna appannata

chissà che non trovi

le chiavi di casa.

.

Elina Miticocchio 20/10/2009

(these are) the living

Irgendwie war es der Tag der Erfahrungen. Zum Beispiel, was es für seltsame Zufälle gibt und wie sich diese fügen. Man verfährt sich um satte 16 Kilometer auf dem Weg zum Übel & Gefährlich und in dem Taxi, das man hektisch an der Ampel anwinkt um den Fahrer nach dem Weg zu fragen, wird der Blumfeld-Sänger Jochen Distelmeyer kutschiert. Das muss man sich erst mal vorstellen. Perplex ob dieses Zufalles habe ich dann sogar den Straßennamen vergessen, und als sich die Wagen wieder in Bewegung setzen und ich endlich „Feldstraße 66!“ herauspressen konnte, signalisierte mir ein Winken des Hamburger Schule-Urgesteins, dass der Club genau in der entgegen gesetzten Richtung liegt. Und tatsächlich, in dem Bunker-artigen Gebäude verbarg sich im vierten Stock die kleine, sehr gemütliche, mit Leder-Sitzecken ausgestattete Location. Auch eine neue Erfahrung: Mit dem Fahrstuhl samt „Liftboy“ zum Veranstaltungsort gelangen. Es gibt für alles ein erstes Mal.

Um fünf nach acht absolvierte Eluvium sein Support-Set, also 40 Minuten lang angenehme Ambient-Teppiche aus Gitarren- und Laptop-Effekten, unterbrochen von schlichten Klavierstücken. Das fiel sogar weit weniger dröge aus als erwartet, Matthew Cooper füllte mit seinen minimalistischen Soundspielereien den Saal voll aus, ohne dabei penetrant zu wirken – Das Publikum nahm den Temporary Residence Label-Kollegen der Explosions dementsprechend recht wohlwollend auf.

Die Texaner legten daraufhin ab fünf nach neun ein 75minütiges Set hin, das zu den intensivsten und atemberaubendsten Konzerterfahrungen zählt, denen man sich stellen kann. Man muss zugeben, die Songs von EitS sind sich insgesamt untereinander recht ähnlich und durch die verschiedenen, zwischen laut und leise alternierenden Wechsel schwer voneinander zu trennen. Da kann man befürchten, dass es live zu einem anstrengenden Mix an anonymem Material kommt. Dem war aber ganz und gar nicht so, trotz einer Setliste, die recht viel von der Fan-favorisierten, im Katalog aber eher mittelmäßig zu bewertenden The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place enthielt, hatte das ganze Set einen fesselnden und atmosphärisch dichten Aufbau. Wenn die Aufmerksamkeit einmal gefangen war, ließen die Männer sie nicht mehr in die Entspannung zurück fallen, selbst die kleinen Pausen, in denen sie zu wiederholtem Reverb ihre Instrumente stimmten, unterbrachen den Fluss nicht. Soundwände und ambiente Miniatur-Melodien strömten wie Ebbe und Flut über das durchschnittlich recht junge, aber sehr aufmerksame Publikum hinweg. Gerede und Pöbelei hielten sich auf einem erfreulichen Minimalmaß.

Einige Momente der Show waren besonders herausstechend, etwa wie Bassist Michael schon beim früh im Set platzierten „Catastrophe And The Cure“ im Scheinwerferlicht die Schweißtropfen ob der immensen Anstrengung in Strömen vom Kopf schossen oder Munaf im Finale desselben Songs ganz showy die Gitarre gegen Drumsticks tauschte und Christopher am Schlagzeug Gesellschaft leistete. Es macht bei Explosions in the Sky viel aus, die vier Texaner bei ihrer Arbeit zu beobachten, wie sie zu gewissen Einsätzen synchrone Bewegungen ausführen, Mark auf dem Boden kniend die verzerrten Gitarreneffekte produziert oder Munaf wie in Trance seine eigenwilligen Tänze zelebriert, bei denen sein Kreuz irgendwie mit Stahlstriemen unterstützt werden muss, denn das bleibt immer kerzengerade.

Auch wenn es relativ wenig vom neuen Album gab, lieferten sie keinen Grund zur Beschwerde, denn das Gefüge aus Stücken und ihrem Auf und Ab ist so cineastisch und kunstfertig virtuos verwoben, dass es ziemlich egal ist, welchen ihrer Songs sie live zum Besten geben, es ist immer wie ein Best Of-Set. Besonders erfreulich: Ihr wohl stärkster und fesselndster Song „Greet Death“ war auch dabei und das klare Highlight eines durchdringenden Gigs, der Skeptikern an modernem (Post-)Rock vor allem gezeigt hat, dass man immer noch in Musik eintauchen und in ihr leben kann. Für diese, wohl wichtigste Erkenntnis des Abends war ihnen das gelöste Publikum sichtlich dankbar. [11. & 13. Mai 2008]

Eluvium: 7/10
Explosions in the Sky: 9,5/10

Band: Explosions in the Sky (USA)
Support: Eluvium (USA)
Datum: 10. Mai 2008
Stadt: Hamburg
Ort: Übel & Gefährlich
Eintritt: 18 Euro
Spielzeit: 75 Minuten

Setliste:

1. Memorial
2. Catastrophe And The Cure
3. With Tired Eyes, Tired Minds, Tired Souls, We Slept
4. Your Hand In Mine
5. Greet Death
6. The Birth And Death Of The Day
7. The Only Moment We Were Alone

Explosions in the Skys Homepage: http://www.explosionsinthesky.com/
Eluviums Homepage: http://www.eluvium.net/

Since this is officially the last year of “the oughts” or “the oh-oh’s” or whatever you want to call it, that means only one thing: we now need to figure out what we call the next decade (the teens, I guess?). It also means I need to figure out my top 50 or 100 or whatever albums of this decade.

Trying to keep the momentum going (2 weeks in a row!), I continue this week with 2005.

1. The National - Alligator (Beggars Banquet) – This catapulted The National into one of my favorite bands, when they had just previously been a “band I dig.” Matt Berninger really started to hit his stride lyrically on this one, taking desolate and lonely moments and making them seem somehow cathartic and romantic. And the rhythm section continued its development into the most underrated part of the band. This is really an album where any of the songs could be a favorite song on the album, depending on which of your friends you talk to.

2. My Morning Jacket – Z (ATO) - I’ll admit it, I was not prepared upon my first listen of Z. Just look at the first three tracks: I wasn’t prepared for the wordless chorus in, uh, “Wordless Chorus”; I wasn’t prepared for the faux R&B in the Prince-y named “It Beats 4 U”; and I certainly wasn’t prepared for the spacey “Gideon.” And while there are moments of the “old My Morning Jacket” mixed in (“What a Wonderful Man” “Anytime”, “Lay Low”), this is where they really began a new, exciting direction as a band (which they explored further on Evil Urges).

3. Spoon – Gimme Fiction (Merge) – Spoon has my vote for most consistent band of the decade. Since 2001’s Girls Can Tell, we can expect an extremely solid album every 2 years from the band (though this one took closer to 3). The band moved back away from their minimalist production on Kill the Moonlight to a more lush, full sound. Highlights are “I Turn My Camera On” and “I Summon You.”

4. Eluvium – Talk Amongst the Trees (Temporary Residence) – A beautiful ambient album from Portland’s Matthew Cooper, perfect for nights when you shouldn’t be up as late as you are.

5. M.I.A. – Arular (XL) – A few years before “Paper Planes” brought her into the mainstream, M.I.A. released an album which I consider to be better than Kala, from where “Paper Planes” hails. In 2005 it sounded fresh and bizarre and awesome, mixing dancehall, dub, reggae, electro, rap and so much more. Basically, its an aural representation of the cover art (or perhaps its vice versa).

Others receiving votes: Broken Social Scene – s/t (Arts and Crafts), Ryan Adams and the Cardinals – Jacksonville City Nights (Lost Highway), Sigur Ros – Takk… (Geffen), Kings of Leon - Aha Shake Heartbreak (RCA)

listen

rain is falling. the train swept through the city, each side fell away green gardens as it passed.

too many lives, she told me. though we’d never met. never will. i believe her still, though.

can you hear the piano, she would ask?

she is, somewhere. or was. or will be. time will tell, of she and all her stories– never without, ever within. an elusive understatement of sorts, scattered amongst the leaves in wind, falling with the seasons. and this one also passing.

it is not the she that i must forget, or will forget rather. it is the she that i can’t remember, will i cannot.

i piece her together within my bosom, grabbing for bits as though to grasp olive oil puzzle pieces- the fading reach for a dream.

she/ comrade. loves to sing while walking, or hum when taken in thought. noticing the in-betweens. my hands and their shy stories.

why? and the questions will ever be. why? O that how we will never fly, never know: how many paths, only imagined- only penned in poetry, only sung in songs and dreamt in dream. but to live is to know, and all we know is that we don’t.

we are all and we are none.

but we won’t be cast off forever STOP and these telegram notes will do STOP they must STOP syntax stunts and stutters STOP ants carrying ten-times their weight STOP we will cast off STOP we will stop STOP just stop STOP just

don’t go, i cried. don’t go. but before I would say it, there she was.

gone.

The first time I ever listened to Eluvium in depth was during a rough period of time on an especially rough day and I was looking for some music to relax me. Imagine my surprise when I began listening to “Zerthis Was A Shivering Human Image” and heard washed out, distorted guitar resonating back and forth in my headphones.

Initially annoyed (“fifteen minutes of this?” I thought…), I found myself relaxing more and more as the song continued and before the song finished my mood had changed completely. Somehow, “noise” had a calming effect which thus makes it not noise at all.

The rest of the album is mostly the “quiet” ambience for which he seems to be known.

One of the more creative artists of recent years, definitely doing his own thing and definitely recommended.

Try

Info

A thing of beauty.

Try

Info

Takes “chill” to a whole new level.

Highest recommendation.

Try

Info

nepenthe

Last year in between four straight days of partying and boarding a Tuesday morning flight to Thailand, I somehow wrote a review of the epic, amazing time I had at Seattle’s Decibel Festival.

A party like no other, Decibel is a city festival held in the clubs, bars, parks and museums of Seattle, an event for the people, by the people. I will be reposting my review from last year along with photos and links, in five parts: Intro, Day 1, Day 2….you get it.

Decibel Festival 2009 takes place September 24-27 and you can check the lineup and buy ticketshere.

DAY 4:

After a respectable amount of sleep I was up on Sunday and made it to Havana’s just in time to catch Suntzu Sound, though not so for the barbeque from Austin which was long gone. This Texas girl was very sad, although the bartender had stashed some chicken back so I did get a little fix of homefood. I wasn’t expecting to dance, just to relax, but the warm, tribal sounds echoing out of the parking lot had a different idea, and soon I was getting down with a few others in the shady pink parking lot- so perfect for a city barbeque. Jeremy Ellis was out chillin’ in his sweet yellow suit and red ponytail and jumped in for a minute to play along with Suntzu. People kept strolling by the gates, watching us dance and listening to the beats and wondering where they took a wrong turn in life. I think it was at the intersection of Mainstream Avenue and Live-For-Art Street.

Still hungry from my teaser barbeque experience, I drove over to the Triple Door to the Ambient Showcase for a little Deaf Center and a cheese plate. At the second door I ran into Akira Rabelais and we had quite the lovely wine experience all backed up with some creepy-ass music that would chill my bones right off if I played it late at night at my house, and would no doubt inspire me to turn on every single light that I had. I think they call this kind of music “haunting”.

I went to this Ambient Showcase on the recommendation of everyone who has ever told me in my life to slow down- which is like 80,000 people. I did, and it was as lovely as the wine I shared with Akira. I hung on for a little of Eluvium and then took my leave to go get down for one last night of Decibel. It was time to dance!

Over at Sole Repair my favorite people in the world, Innerflight, were getting things started with J-Sun and then Kadeejah Streets up on the decks and swinging hard and low with their music- I don’t know who loved it more, the DJs or the crowd below. Upstairs once again in the gallery the dance freaks were rocking it; the crowd wasn’t as thick as it had been for the weekend nights but for those of us there it just meant more dance floor, because the music was definitely right up there with the best of the weekend.

Again, tough choices had to be made. I left Sole Repair to catch Flying Lotus who was incredibly entertaining and a gentleman to boot. He has to be one of the most talented and critically-acclaimed artists of the weekend, and for good reason. The Bug and the Warrior Queen didn’t entirely do it for me, I loved the heavy vibrating bass but couldn’t seem to get into it and found myself outside socializing more than dancing- which shouldn’t happen in Shilo World.

Supermayer brought it back for me though with their adorably clever musical attitude and I would have rocked out until the sugar-sweet ending, but m.0 was on fire next door and I wanted to blaze with him. I walked into Sole Repair to see him in the middle of the dance floor with his trademark giant smile and seriously talented beat-mastery. Fantastic, beautiful, and epic. m.0 is the shit in this town, plain and simple, and he is only going up, up, up! Seattle will be right behind him with a big “Hell Yeah.”

After two I headed out for my fourth afterhours of the weekend where once again the music was top notch, the crowd was off their heads with excitement, Flying Lotus was chilling on the windowsill and I danced until I was wringing out my shirt AND JEANS. Wringing out my jeans, people. I was in bed by 6:30AM which didn’t quite give me the sleep I needed to be all perky and Shilo-like by my office meeting at 10AM, but I sure as hell was still dancing on the inside, as I will be for a while, thanks to Decibel Festival.

And thanks to you, everyone involved which is about a billion people, from the director down to the kids who shucked out money to see a show and over to the bouncer sweeping up cigarette butts. The electronic music community in Seattle is alive and well, full of passion and smiling faces, exploding with talent and gaining more momentum every day. We must harness the excitement and enthusiasm for our music that you are all feeling right now and use it promote the talented artists among us, to work for more and bigger music venues in Seattle, to support newcomers to our scene, and to share with others what electronic music has meant to us, which is more than can be put into words.

I too am inspired not only by all the new music and art in my head but by the fact that one person with a little help from friends can make a huge impact on the international electronic arts community which we are part of: mad mad props to Sean Horton. And thank you to everyone who handed out a flyer, reposted a Myspace bulletin, told a friend about the festival or simply showed up and danced. Rest assured that people returned home with respect for the Seattle electronic music community in their hearts, and I am honored to have been able to contribute to this epic electronic arts mania riot love dance fever weekend we like to call the Decibel Festival. Thank you.

And I seriously have a flight to Thailand in a few hours and should probably go home and start packing.

That’s it! Catch you on the flip-flop. And one last time until next year, Happy Decibel.

****************

OH SHIT! NEXT YEAR IS HERE!!!!

The 2009 Decibel Festival takes place September 24-27 in Seattle; for tickets and more information please click here.

1. Television, “See no evil” (“Marquee Moon”, 1977)

2. Sonic Youth, “Schizophrenia” (“Sister”, 1987)

3. Pavement, “Summer Babe” (“Slanted & Enchanted”, 1992)

4. The Stone Roses, “I Wanna Be Adored” (“The Stone Roses”, 1989)

5. Pogues, “Sunny Side of the Street” (“Hell’s Ditch”, 1991)

6. Los Campesinos!, “Death to Los Campesinos!” (“Hold on now, Youngster…”, 2008)

7. Fleet Foxes, “Ragged Wood” (“Fleet Foxes”, 2008)

8. A Perfect Circle, “3 Libras” (“Mer de Noms”, 2000)

9. Dredg, “Information” (“The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion”, 2009)

10. Alcest, “Sur l’autre rive je t’attendrai” (“Souvenirs d’un Autre Monde”, 2007)

11. M83, “Kim & Jessie” (“Saturday=Youth”, 2008)

12. Eluvium, “Radio Ballet” (“Copia”, 2007)

E la prima puntata andò… ma rimanete sintonizzati: Martedì ci si ritrova con tanta buona musica!

Stay Tuned!

Antonio

Ever look back and marvel at how your musical tastes have shifted over the years?

-In junior high, I made the easy transition from Lou Bega to New Found Glory.  The Ataris were king (“San Dimas High School Football Rules”), but I also really liked Mariah Carey’s Butterfly album

-In high school, I explored the finer points of trance, pop-punk and good ol’ rock and roll.  Finch, Dashboard Confessional, and The Postal Service ring a bell? (:  An affinity for Jimmy Eat World’s Clarity naturally segued into Mae fanaticism.  I was also deeply obsessed with/engaged to Michelle Branch

In college– still rock of all sorts, but two things also happened: 1) my roommate introduced me to the “numa numa” song; and 2) I got into more ambient / instrumental rock music.

Now, that second point isn’t to say I’ve gone and lost the fire.  (The truth is, you need to rock out to Finch’s “Perfection Through Silence” again with me, and I just got Underoath’s latest   I just think over the past several years, I’ve come to appreciate the quieter side of life, and all the music that goes with it.

The following selections are excellent music for reading, writing, and art-making.  They’re great for long drives in the backseat and dreaming in shadow.  Great for thinking, praying, and those contemplative moments when silence is not enough… this is music for the spaces in-between.

1. Hammock

My goodness.  If you haven’t yet experienced a moment of transcendent beauty with this duo as your soundtrack, please do so.  In fact, your listening experience itself may be that moment.

Hammock blur the edges between post-rock, dream-pop and ambient soundscapes.  In fact, while several of their earlier tracks utilize drums and string arrangements to epic effect, their latest release (Maybe They Will Sing For Us Tomorrow) is completely devoid of percussion.  But through it all, the one Hammock constant is the dense, swirling guitar delay that will either wash over you as the shore or spiral you into the heavens.

“The Air Between Us” is from their first release, Kenotic.  Breathy, incomprehensible vocals, sparkling guitar reverb, electronic drum machine… a good introduction to the best the group has to offer.

[x] Hammock- The Air Between Us (mp3)

2. Eluvium

Don’t be fooled by the name, which admittedly sounds like some New Age mix between “Enya” and “Delerium.”  Eluvium is actually Matthew Robert Cooper, a genius of a composer who hammers out simple, haunting things of wonder with a classical sensibility.

Like Hammock, Cooper/Eluvium is not afraid to stretch his sonic capabilities.  While some of his earlier works often feature thick walls of ambient noise, other albums like Copia see things broken down to their absolute core.  On some tracks, Cooper utilizes only a piano here; a touch of strings or horns there.

“An Accidental Memory In the Case of Death” follows in this minimalist vein.  I find this solo piano piece pulverizing in its insistence and breathtaking in its simplicity.  Hope you enjoy it!

[x] Eluvium- An Accidental Memory in the Case of Death (mp3)

Well, that’s all the time I have for now.  A few more of my recent ambient/instrumental favorites will come with the next post.  In the meantime, breathe easy (:

content | eluvium- indoor swimming at the space station [x]

This is a live version of Under The Water It Glowed by Matthew Cooper (aka Eluvium). I think Copia is one of the most beautiful ambient albums of all time.