Noted:
La Femme “Mystere” (Born Bad)
Civil Civic “The Test” (Gross Domestic)
Duchess Says “Sciences Nouvelles” (Bonsound)
Odd Nosdam “Sisters” (Leaving Records)
De La Soul “And the anonymous nobody” (A.O.I.)
Holy F*ck “Congrats” (Innovative Leisure)
Horse Lords “Interventions” (Northern Spy)
Spray Paint “Feel the Clamps” (Goner)
Tobacco “Sweatbox Dynasty” (Ghostly International)
Honorable:
David Bowie’s album Blackstar (ISO / Columbia)
The Pop Group “Honeymoon on Mars” (Freaks R Us)
Future of the Left “The Peace & Truce of The Future of the Left”
Guerilla Toss “Eraser Stargazer” (DFA Records)
Aesop Rock “The Impossible Kid” (Rhymesayers)
Reissue / Excavated delights:
The Shaggs Philosophy of the World (Light in the Attic)
Get me Home for Tea – Rare psychedelic rock from the UK (Org Music)
Sunday Nights (Fat Possum)
Boombox 1 (Early Independent Hip Hop, Electro And Disco Rap 1979-82) (Soul Jazz)
Betty Davis The Columbia Years 1968-1969. (Light in the Attic)
Cream of the Wheat:
A Tribe Called Quest – We got it from here, thank you for your service (Epic)
Savages “Adore Life” (Matador)
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard “Nonagon Infinity” (ATO)
Of the Year:
Brian Eno “The Ship” (Warp Records)
In this year of realizing our mortality, whether it be the ending of our life through the loss of our celebrity heroes from David Bowie to Carrie Fisher, or the potential end of our nation in this horrifying deplorable presidential election, I needed some sort of reflection, introspection that goes beyond fake or real news stories and topic sentence solutions that we share on social media. What was needed was a meditative atmosphere that took all of the politics, brandings and identifications away and left me to feel this sense of peace in the time of darkness. Enter Brian Eno’s The Ship. The title track is a 21 minute immersion into the dark depths of the sea, imagine being on the Titanic as it is sinking, you are drowning. Drowning in the political world, drowning in a capitalist, drowning in a materialistic world, drowning in a world of glaciers melting, as we sink into the loss of it all, where does it leave us? The brilliant title track takes us below the surface with slow mediation that is alarming and somber as deep vocals set us in the scene of being on the ship. There is the sun, the sky, the waves — there is a timelessness to the chanting. And then:
The sail is down the wind is gone
The sky is blessed with growth
The slave to hopes of destiny
Illusion of control
And we are as the unrefined
The wake about to roll
And we sink….the ghosts of life come in, an ethereal voice speaks randomly, but NOT randomly. Through the words be they objects, actions, and things, they connect and submerge us under wave after wave.
The song demands that you dedicate yourself to it, listen with full attention. In this world of flash synapse and a barrage of sensation, chopped and fed to us in tiny little bits, this will be your challenge. And the reward is brilliance. I get chills. The pace of this world is spinning us a million miles an hour, this song teaches us to stop, look around, listen, slow down, observe, find the solace in the darkness. There is a great calming in the calamity. Haunting and enlightening, The Ship is a song and album that will stand the test of time and is the album of the year for me.
Local Boom:
Imaginary Sons
Live moment:
Richard Pinhas / Wume @ Strange Matter
Artist | Song | Album | Record Label | Year/Comments |
---|---|---|---|---|
Odd Nosdam | Bow they will | Sisters | leaving records | 2016 |
La Femme | mycose | Mystere | Born Bad | 2016 |
Civil Civic | The Island | The Test | Gross Domestic | 2016 |
Holy F*ck | Xed Eyes | Congrats | Innovatice Leisure | 2016 |
Future of the Left | Grass Parade | The Peace and Truce of... | 2016 | |
Horse Lords | Truthers | Interventions | Northern Spy | 2016 |
Duchess Says | Inertia Pt 2 | Sciences Nouvelles | Bonsound | 2016 |
Spray Paint | george finally showed up | Feel the clamps | Goner | 2016 |
Tobacco | Human Ohm | Sweatbox Dynasty | Ghostly | 2016 |
David Bowie | Lazarus | Blackstar | ISO / Columbia | 2016 |
The Pop Group | War Inc | Hollywood on Mars | Freaks R Us | 2016 |
Guerilla Toss | Diamond Girls | Eraser Stargazer | DFA Records | 2016 |
Aesop Rock | Rings | The Impossible Kid | Rhymesayers | 2016 |
The Brain | nightmares in red | Get me home for tea : rare psychedelic rock from the uk | ORG Music | 2016 |
The Fiery Furnaces | I'm Leaving | Sunday Nights : the songs of Junior Kimbrough | Fat Possum | 2016 |
Count Coolout | Rythmn Rap Rock | Boombox 1 : early independent hip hop, electro and disco rap 1979-82 | soul jazz | 2016 |
Betty Davis | Down Home Girl | The Columbia Years | light in the attic | 2016 |
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard | Gamma Knife | Nonagon Infinity | ATO | 2016 |
Whores | I see you are also wearing a black tee shirt | gold | eone | 2016 |
Savages | the answer | Adore Life | Matador | 2016 |
A Tribe Called Quest | We the People | We got it from here, thank you for your service | epic | 2016 |
Brian Eno | The Ship | The Ship | warp records | 2016 |
Imaginary Sons | Taste the Waste | Don't Impress me | 2016 |
Playlist archive for Phil D:
- We are here!
- BLAHHHHH!
- Snowballin'
- 2016 Cream of the Wheat Edition
- Happy Christmas Atom
- Cocktail?
- Let's get this weekend going!
- Blueprints for a Blackout
- I AM WRONG, I guess
- Now more than ever!
- Barf your Candidates!
- CREEP TIME!
- IT'S THAT TIME!
- Ready Get Go!
- Boombox it!
- Drop
- Moonhole
- American Supreme
- I take time!
- Mirror your Head!
- Calling up the 80s tunes!
- Punch Friday!
- Let's make out...
- New Betty Davis? Yup! (well, found new)
- Let's all find a common narrative
- Hey Hey Hey!
- Phil D subbing the sub!
- DJ Rasputina in tha House
- Drumpf go home!
- Move some bacon baby
- Gizz Wiz
- Now more than ever!
- Let's get on the Road and Go!
- Imaginary Sons on LIVE!
- Putting the FU in FUnd Drive!