2009 Halfway Review [Part 2/5]

Here we go with part two of my top albums of 2009 at the halfway mark. Before starting with the next five, here's a quick plug for pitches for a special features section on the 20th anniversary of Warp Records that I'm co-editing for PopMatters. The call for papers is public, so you (yes, you!) should get cracking on a pitch or two! Deadline for pitches is August 14.

Now, without further ado, here's 20-16:

20. Venetian Snares - Filth (Planet Mu)

This is far from the first time Aaron Funk has done something close to pornographic - his Nymphomatriarch collaboration with then-partner Rachel Kozak (aka Hecate) was built entirely out of sampled sounds from the duos “private debaucheries” recorded while on tour. But Filth is much more about the giggles than the (hypothetical) shits, with Funk relying on the syrupy snot of distorted acid to communicate the sounds of darkly absurdist fluid-swapping.

19. Ethan Rose - Oaks (Holocene)

Great year for ambient, part 2. Something serene from Portland-based composer Ethan Rose, who built Oaks out of samples of the ancient organ at the Oaks Park skating rink. Since I have childhood memories of birthday parties and rainy afternoon at the Oaks rink, this one definitely hits me in the nostalgia. It’s to Rose’s credit that Oaks avoids sounding sappy, instead relying on reverb and the digital artifacts of computer processing to invoke the hazy nature of memory.

My review at PopMatters

18. The Prodigy - Invaders Must Die (Take Me To The Hospital)

When I interviewed Liam Howlett about this one (to be published in full soon, really I swear), he mentioned that recording and touring for this album, The Prodigy has felt more like a solid band unit than ever before. Certainly, we have the opposite of 2004’s Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned, which saw Howlett turning mostly towards guests vocalists, as MC Maxim Reality and singer Keith Flint have a heavy presence on Invaders Must Die. Where Outgunned lagged in parts, Invaders is an abrasive thrill-ride through rave sounds past and present. The trio are clearly more comfortable with their status as rave’s veterans, and as such, it’s nice to hear some call-and-response and hoover-esque stabs back in the mix.

17. Moby - Wait For Me (Mute)

After last year’s disco curveball, Last Night, I had no idea what to expect from Moby. Coming within a year of Last Night, Wait For Me sees Moby going back to his “Little Idiot” persona of the daydreamer with a synthesizer and a bunch of field recordings, only this time things are a bit different. Wait For Me is as soul-baringly naked as Moby’s ever been on record - he truly does sound like he’s about to burst into tears on the New Order-esque “Mistake.” It’s inspiring to see that Moby, two decades into his career, still wrestles so heavily with where to go next. Luckily, his avenue with this record is a rewarding one.

My review at Cokemachineglow

16. Alva Noto - Xerrox Vol. 2 (Raster-Noton)

The second album in a series conceptually exploring the link between the sounds of past and present, Xerrox Vol. 2, like its older brother, Xerrox Vol. 1 (2007), finds Alva Noto glitching out over aching strings. Vol. 2 is even more toward the accessible end of anything Carsten Nicolai’s done, with nary a harsh beat or burst of noise to be found. Instead, we get an entry with a foot in the door for Great Year for Ambient. It’s also, it should be mentioned, a fine jewel in what is shaping up to be an excellent year for Raster-Noton. Well worth seeking out.

My review at Cokemachineglow

MUR #1

Introducing a new feature here - Music Under Review (MUR), in which I'll be blogging some short quips about the music that is currently under review, often soon to be published elsewhere. This will be a place for my first impressions, or thinking out loud about how to come down on something.


Mark Pritchard - ? / Hologram (Ho-Hum; 2009)

I interviewed Mark for PopMatters yesterday, talking primarily about his latest record as Harmonic 313. He mentioned this new single, released under his given name. The Harmonic 313 LP was dark, but "?" is black hole space of another kind - nary a beat in site. Should be reviewing this one for the milk factory soon.

The Prodigy - Invaders Must Die (Take Me To The Hospital; 2009)

Hello again, old friend(s). Most of you will best remember The Prodigy for its hit singles "Firestarter" and "Breathe," more than a decade (!) old now. After a just-okay come-back album in 2004's Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned, The Prodigy sound reinvigorated this time around. There's a palpable "blog house" influence on some of these tracks, but luckily its kept to a minimum. Instead, most of Invaders is the rave music that Liam Howlett and co. and best known for, amplified to 11. Plus the return of vocals from Maxim Reality and Keith Flint - good show. Might review this for Coke Machine Glow. In the mean time, I'll be seeing, writing about and photographing The Prodigy live at the Roseland this Thursday for PopMatters. Trying to interview them for PM too, but it looks like I'll be out of town during their scheduled press time.

Atom™ - Liedgut (Raster-Noton; 2009)

Before hearing this latest release, I knew Atom™ best as Señor Coconut, known for his Latin Pop-tinged versions of Kraftwerk. This being a release on Raster-Noton, I knew to expect something rather different. Ostensibly, the theme here is romanticism; according to the press release, Nietzsche is somehow involved. I don't speak German, so both the liner notes and the lyrics here are a mystery. But there's some beautiful and innovative glitch here, including a series of pieces built around polyrhythms of cell phone-speaker interference. I'll be reviewing this one for PopMatters.

Babe, Terror - Weekend (Perdizes Dream; 2009)

Ever since Panda Bear's last record, neo-exotica has flourished - check out El Guincho for another kindred spirit. In a somewhat similar, but decidedly more experimental vein comes Babe, Terror, the alias of Claudio Szynkier from São Paulo, Brazil. Weekend's pieces consist of intimate and engulfing manipulations of Claudio's voice. Rather than lyrics, we get vocalizing, at times appropriately harmonic and atonal. It's the debut work of a truly individual artist. I'll be reviewing it this week for Coke Machine Glow.

Dntel - Early Works For Me If It Works For You II (Plug Research/Phthalo; 2009)

Jimmy Tamborello, best known as the electronic half of The Postal Service, is, it can be argued, responsible for the popularity of "lap-pop" artists in indie circles. Outside of his collaborations with the perpetually whiney Ben Gibbard, however, he's got a lovely repertoire as Dntel, best known for 2001's shimmering Life Is Full Of Possibilities This 3-disc package reissues his first recorded album, Something Always Goes Wrong, along with his first released album, Early Works For Me If It Works For You, and a new successor to Early Works that compiles unreleased material from around the recording of Possibilities. I'll say this - his material from when he was a college student definitely bests anything I could come up with at that point. I'll be reviewing this one for PopMatters.

AGF / Delay - Symptoms (BPitch Control; 2009)

Antye Greie and Sasu Ripatti make intriguing bedfellows - literally, as the two are the pre-eminent power couple of experimental techno. Both have entered this latest collaborate record off strong solo releases; Greie as AGF with the thought-provoking Dance Floor Drachen, and Ripatti as smooth house cat Luomo, with the collaboration-heavy Convivial. The presence of Ripatti seems to mellow Greie out a little bit, while she in turn pushes him to further experimental lengths than he's been in a while. A good match, then. I'll be reviewing this for the milk factory.