1/29/12

tin man - ice blue eyes - vienna blue
matthew dear - headcage - headcage ep
kuruki - such a liar - such a liar 12"

vivien vee - alright - alright/sex appeal 12"
giorgio moroder - utopia-me giorgio - from here to eternity
black devil - "h" friend - disco club

nash the slash - novel romance - novel romance 7"
alan howarth and john carpenter - airforce #1 - escape from new york ost
michael garrison - theme to onday - in the regions of sunreturn

peak - nightmist - ebondazzar
steve moore - alternate quantum realities - brainstorm
edgar froese - police disco - kamikaze 1989

jean michel jarre - oxygene part iv - oxygene
innergaze - perception-reception - we are strange loops
chris & cosey - illusion - trust

ashrae fax - ultravaca - static crash
balaclavas - hard pose - snake people
the danse society - we're so happy - woman's own 12"

wire - on returning - 154
bruce gilbert - net in the feather - the shivering man
throbbing gristle - ab/7a - d.o.a. the third and final report of

blues control & laraaji - city of love - frkwys, vol. 8
silver apples - misty mountain - s/t

1/15/12

tropic of cancer - a color - the sorrow of two blooms
jimmy page - (side b) - kenneth anger's lucifer rising soundtrack

jonas reinhardt - leaving the touch taboo - music for the tactile dome
edgar froese - krismopompas - kamikaze 1989 ost
morphosis - spiral - what have we learned

darkside - (a3) - s/t
demdike stare - mnemosyne - elemental part 2: violetta

byla - open door - s/t
conrad schnitzler - metall 1 - ballet statique
alberich - venusberg - psychology of love

espelndor geometrico - baraca - shiekh aljama
zyklon - kelvin - the heartland
bruce gilbert - hommage - the shivering man
cabaret voltaire - animation - the crackdown

league of nations - illuminas - music for the new depression
michael garrison - escape - in the regions of sunreturn
michael hoenig - sun and moon - departure from the northern wasteland

blues control & laraaji - awakening day - frkways vol. 8
area c - sea of serenity - sea of rains

michael shrieve - view from the window - transfer station blue
peter gabriel - at night - birdy ost

1/8/12

nick cave & the bad seeds - running scared - the singer 12"
king dude - my everlasting life - tonight's special death
grouper - vapor trails - a i a : alien observer

jimmy page - (side a) - kenneth anger's lucifer rising

demdike stare - mephisto's lament - elemental part 1: chrysanthe
bruce gilbert - angel food - the shivering man

einsturzende neubauten - zeichnungen des patienten o.t. - zeichnungen des patienten o.t.
cabaret voltaire - why kill time (when you can kill yourself) - the crackdown
balaclavas - shit meridian - snake people

the danse society - continent - woman's own 12"
second layer - definition of honour - world of rubber
and also the trees - impulse of man - s/t

siouxsie & the banshees - bring me the head of the preacher man - hyaena
cocteau twins - the itchy glowbo blow - blue bell knoll
tin man - energia - cool wave

grace jones - unlimited capacity for love - living my life
darkside - (track 1) - s/t ep

stereolab - silver sands (emperor machine mix) - not music
zola jesus - hikikomori - conatus

Top (read: favorite) Albums of 2011

I'd kind of gotten away from doing these year-end lists, which I've always loved. In a lot of ways, it's a very arbitrary act, owing a lot to my whim at the moment I decide to commit to the order set before me, and subject to change at any moment. But it's also a lot of fun, and an excuse to pay even more attention to the music I enjoy, respect and admire. I'd say the list was determined by those last three factors. That and, again, whim. An objective determination of quality, this is not.

1. Grouper - A I A : Alien Observer / A I A : Dream Loss

2. The Field - Looping State Of Mind

3. P.G. Six - Starry Mind

4. Ford & Lopatin - Channel Pressure

5. Morphosis - What Have We Learned

6. John Maus - We Must Become The Pitiless Censors Of Ourselves

7. The Native Cats - Process Praise

8. Kurt Vile - Smoke Ring For My Halo

9. Bibio - Mind Bokeh (except for the horrid "Take Off Your Shirt," it should be noted)

10. Alberich - Psychology Of Love

11. Metal Mountains - Golden Trees

12. Belong - Common Era

13. Eleanor Friedberger - Last Summer

14. Jonas Reinhardt - Music For The Tactile Dome

15. Balaclavas - Snake People

16. Silk Flowers - Ltd. Form

17. Roll The Dice - In Dust

18. U.S. Girls - U.S. Girls on KRAAK

19. The Sea And Cake - The Moonlight Butterfly

20. Zola Jesus - Conatus

Other albums of note (in no particular order): Zombi - Escape Velocity, Steve Moore - Primitive Neural Pathways, Total Control - Henge Beat, Tim Hecker - Ravedeath, 1972, Panda Bear - Tomboy, Natural Snow Buildings - Waves Of The Random Sea, Maria Minerva - Tallinn At Dawn, M83 - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming, Kyle Bobby Dunn - Ways Of Meaning, Dream Diary - You Are The Beat, Charalambides - Exile, Household - Items, Shoppers - Silver Year



Samples of the Top 20:

1. Grouper - A I A : Alien Observer / A I A : Dream Loss




2. The Field - Looping State Of Mind




3. P.G. Six - Starry Mind




4. Ford & Lopatin - Channel Pressure




5. Morphosis - What Have We Learned




6. John Maus - We Must Become The Pitiless Censors Of Ourselves




7. The Native Cats - Process Praise



and, for a better sense of how they sound on the album:

The Native Cats - Dani Dani by Noise, Etc.



8. Kurt Vile - Smoke Ring For My Halo




9. Bibio - Mind Bokeh (except for the horrid "Take Off Your Shirt," it should be noted)




10. Alberich - Psychology Of Love




11. Metal Mountains - Golden Trees




12. Belong - Common Era




13. Eleanor Friedberger - Last Summer




14. Jonas Reinhardt - Music For The Tactile Dome




15. Balaclavas - Snake People




16. Silk Flowers - Ltd. Form

Silk Flowers - LTD FORM - Chance (post present medium) by pdis_inpartmaint


17. Roll The Dice - In Dust




18. U.S. Girls - U.S. Girls on KRAAK




19. The Sea And Cake - The Moonlight Butterfly




20. Zola Jesus - Conatus

1/1/12 (2011 wrap-up)

grouper - moon is sharp - a i a: alien observer
kurt vile - society is my friend - smoke ring for my halo

the sea and cake - the moonlight butterfly - the moonlight butterfly
zombi - slow oscillations - escape velocity
jonas reinhardt - to lord eminence - music for the tactile dome
silk flowers - fruit of the vine - ltd. form

the native cats - wearing the killer - process praise
balaclavas - wrong side of the bars - snake people
nicolas jaar - too many kids finding rain in the dust - space is only noise

john maus - hey moon - we must become the pitiless censors of ourselves
belong - very careful - common era
alberich - rumbala - psychology of love
zola jesus - avalanche - conatus

morphosis - gate of night - what have we learned
ford & lopatin - gate of night - channel pressure
bibio - anything new - mind bokeh

the field - burned out - looping state of mind
hercules & love affair - blue songs - blue songs

peaking lights - all the sun that shines - 936
u.s. girls - island song - u.s. girls on kraak

eleanor friedberger - owl's head park - last summer
p.g. six - january - starry mind
metal mountains - prisms - golden trees

12/25/11

julie doiron - will you still love me in december? - will you still love me?
hintermass - are you watching? - ghost box study series 05: the open songbook
metabolismus - snowy meadows - the social club no. 7
april march & los cincos - last train to christmas - s/t

philip glass - etoile polaire - north star
22 brides - a coventry christmas carol - a christmas present for you
grouper - wind and snow - dragging a dead deer up a hill
this mortal coil - a single wish - it'll end in tears

cocteau twins - lorelei - treasure
the sea and cake - window lights - split 7" with john mcentire
michael rother - flammende herzen - flammende herzen

neu! - lila engel - 2
broadcast - winter now - ha ha sound
the coctails - first snowfall - a john waters christmas
stringtronics - ballata - mindbender

vince guaraldi trio - what child is this - a charlie brown christmas
belle & sebastian - fox in the snow - if you're feeling sinister
panda bear - winter in st. moritz - s/t
low - one special gift - christmas

tamaryn - choirs of winter - the waves
animal collective - winter's love - sung tongs
the electric prunes - our father, our king

george winston - carol of the bells - december
mogwai - christmas song - ep+2
windy & carl - christmas song - introspection
aisler's set - christmas song - the last match
darlene love - christmas (baby please come home) - phil spector's christmas album

antena - noelle a hawai - camino del sol
fripp & eno - evening star - evening star

12/4/11

chasing voices - acidbathory - acidbathory

conrad schnitzler - zug - ballet statique
roll the dice - maelstrom - in dust

cluster - halwa - sowiesoso
grouper - she loves me that way (second heart tone) - a i a: alien observer
rihanna - you da one - talk that talk

suzy q - computer music (dub mix) - computer music 12"
chris & cosey - watching you - trust
cabaret voltaire - over and over - the crackdown

league of nations - index of motion - music for the new depression
//tense// - pull the strings - escape

synergy - delta one - games
michael garrison - for you and me - in the regions of sunreturn
edgar froese - unexpected death - kamikaze 1989 ost

d.a. - the owl - odeon
nash the slash - in a glass eye - novel romance

morphosis - gate of night - what have we learned
jonas reinhardt - to lord eminence - music for the tactile dome
cocteau twins - mizake the mizan - iceblink luck 7"
throbbing gristle - hometime - d.o.a. the third and final report of