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The music of Zeni Geva has variously been described as heavy metal, noise rock, math rock (apparently because of their use of atypical time signatures), death metal, thrash metal, sludge metal, doom metal and industrial metal; in truth it is all of these categories while at the same time travelling far beyond the trite parameters and restrictions usually associated with them. Maximum Money Monster originally debuted in 1990 and here includes three extra live tracks as bonus material.
Zeni Geva's music is above all an intensely intelligent redefinition of 'rock' boundaries and firmly pushes those very same boundaries into new post-rock territories. Admittedly the music does share many of the characteristics and stylings indigenous to the genres mentioned above (such as gruffly shouted vocals, overdriven guitar, pounding drums and screaming solos) but in this case it amounts to sheer intellectual laziness to lump them in with the often moribund and immature aesthetics of such music as well as exhibiting a distinct lack of imagination; there are indeed elements of metal in all its guises in there and no doubt they would be the first to acknowledge the debt owed. ZG are more knowing than that though; using these aspects in combination with the aesthetics, sensibilities and rawness of both punk rock and Japanoise the music becomes catalysed into something that is at once all these things and something new, changed beyond the original conception.
There is no denying that ZG constitute a behemoth of a musical outfit both in terms of sound and sheer vital energy. Null's overdriven guitar and powerful voice, supported by the backbone of the relentlessly driving and pounding drums, form the essential blueprint of Zeni Geva's vision. It could so easily have been something of a Frankensteinian chimera, but this creature is expertly and deftly handled by all participants, tightly controlled yet simultaneously allowed full freedom of expression. The various facets and influences show through individually while playing their co-operative part in the whole; the musicians show a flair for combining everything without letting it become an indistinguishable (and undistinguished) mess.
I would venture to say that Japan is better known for artists and outfits espousing a more extreme vision—bands like Zeni Geva help to redress the balance with their marrying of familiar rock structures with a fiercely independent intelligence, and an intelligence not willing to yield to stasis. The vast majority of music, even that considered to be underground, exists within a comfort zone which it is often reluctant to step outside of. Not only do ZG step outside their own comfort zone, but they do so fearlessly and with both eyes very much firmly open.
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- John Kealy
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Les Protorhythmiques goes on quite a journey; chopped up recordings of voices and instruments give way to massive drones and synthesiser pulses. High frequencies cut through the mass of sound, stretching out the feeling of empty space. In places the piece is not a million miles away from Nurse With Wound recordings like The Ladies Home Tickler. Indeed when the tribal sounding drumbeats kick in, there is a huge resemblance to "Yagga Blues." It is strange comparing a Ferrari- related piece to one of his bastard children but that is the way this piece leads my mind.
Although musique concrete may be more garde than avant garde, this is a nice example of 21st century sound composition. There is a definite feeling of Les Protorhythmiques looking both to the past at the old masters but also to the future in terms of approaches and sounds that new technologies will bring. It is a very satisfying and sonically exciting piece of music, it is too bad Ferrari never got to finish what he started.
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- Scott Mckeating
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Grounding the skyfloat soloing with a Texan outsider vibe and more solid strumming, the link to traditional forms remains despite the psychedelic reach. There are yielding chipped chimes throughout "One," a sense of displacement pervading the music. A pensive and lost feeling melody is coaxed into standing out on its own, MacGregor hinting at folk roots. Strands of reality are separated out as layers come and go, his wayward vocals straining to be understood. The closing "The Flow of Time" is free of this tension, a blown mind liberated in the breeze of the fuzzy guitar halo. Growing into a furious white light chant of feedback, there's the kind of fire worthy of his colleague in The Bark Haze.
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- Mike Barrett
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Sea From Shore opens strong with "Rockist Parts 1," a disjointed pop song built around a loop of vocalized vowel sounds and "Rockist Part 2," a reprise that breaks the song apart even more into a no-wave, dub-plate version, spacing out the arrangement and exploring the sonics of all the instruments. Add a loud and blown-out drum sound played like the ghost of John Bonham, and this album's got a catchy and sonically intriguing start. Being from England, School of Language looks like they found a niche in Chicago's avant-rock scene. It is too bad then, that the rest album quickly drifts into rote, cliché indie rock after track two.
The main body of the disc takes cues from tired '70s classic rock radio. Songs like the ballad "Keep Your Water" sound like a cross between late-'70s Pink Floyd and aforementioned Led Zeppelin. Aside from excellent production (I am stuck on this drum sound), this album drifts along bland soft-rock pretensions.
So much of this album is contrived and generic that I can't see it being more than dollar bin fodder. School of Language sits well with the current scene of "smart" pop bands, like Broken Social Scene and label-mates Firey Furnaces, but lacks the sincerity and spirit that has given these other bands so much staying power.
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Roughly a year and a half after his prior album as Uusitalo, the prolific Sasu Ripatti returns with a new collection of reliable and sometimes engrossing tracks targeted for progressive underground dancefloors. Though practically every one of its ten analogue cuts could keep a bespectacled Mutek crowd moving, his latest merely supplements his healthy catalog instead of strengthening it.
Whether via Luomo's Bohemian tech-house or the expansive soundscapes of Vladislav Delay, Sasu Ripatti apparently has an outlet and a moniker for each of his musical tendencies. Uusitalo, however, has become the one for his proper yet devious minimal techno productions, imbued with Berlin's dubby atmospherics and Detroit's post-modern melodies. 2006's Tulenkantaja, released on Ripatti's vanity label Huume, reminded listeners that this artist still had love for deep and engaging dance music, something criminally absent from Luomo's anticlimactic Paper Tigers, also released that year. Karhunainen, named for one of his father's plays, follows up that deferred sophomore release in prudently similar if slightly banal fashion. In this instance, the incredibly accomplished Ripatti hasn't quite mustered up a masterpiece, yet even an indistinct Uusitalo album holds my interest more than the vast majority of recent electronic music full-lengths out cluttering the market.
Opening with studio clatter and shifting filmic pads, Karhunainen misleads with the beatless "Vesi Virtaa Veri" before kicking into gear with the subsequent "Korpikansa." Its 4/4 percussion pokes around the subtle organ drones and giddy bassline, with once suppressed stabs urgently rising later in the mix. Nodding backwards to his heady days at the forefront of the clicks and cuts scene, "Sikojen Juhla" captures and loops a snippet of incomprehensible vocal over untamed elastic bass and bubbly bursts of sub-aquatic sound exploding like delicate fish roe. "Satumaa" impregnates the saucy MILF of Sheffield bleep with spindly bliss while the title track nimbly works its deep, spirited hook into the minimal mélange. Stepping away from the previous danceable fare, closer "Puut Juuriltaan" expertly wipes the floor clean with shimmering sunny warbles that would make Ulrich Schnauss blush. Fitting in quite well with the tones and moods of Kompakt's Pop Ambient series, the song leaves me wishing there had been more material like it on here. Perhaps yet another pseudonym is in order.
While not remotely as compelling as Whistleblower, released earlier this year on Huume, Karhunainen simply doesn't need to be. A respectable addition to Ripatti's catalog, it closes out a solid year of releases from one of the few Force Inc. / Mille Plateaux survivors.
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The eyeballed-ones recent foray into storytelling and radio plays has been patchy to say the least. Tweedles was disappointing and the Timmy YouTube viral videos frequently seemed to be lacking something. However, it has never been written anywhere that The Residents had to placate their audience all the time (in fact, if anything should be written it is that The Residents should not placate any of their audience any of the time). That being said, this latest album seems to work far better than its predecessors as it melds a number of musical (and other) styles in that inimitable Residential fashion.
Continuing their storytelling mode, The Residents recreate the tale of The Sandman as written by E.T.A. Hoffman. This audio play deals with paranoia, childhood trauma and the shadow at the edge of the night that pushes the fragile over the edge. I must admit the story itself is somewhat lacking but this is a strong album, indeed stronger than their more recent broadcasts. And while the acting may be hammy, the almost kitsch delivery of the lines fits with the style of the production. The Residents have always combined the absurd with the unsettling and The Voice of Midnight is in this regard no different to the rest of their back catalogue. In the opening scene, the action goes wildly from screamed phone conversations to a soliloquy resembling something from The Tiger Lillies' canon, all falsetto vocals and the melancholy music of a deserted theare.
The rest of the album steers mostly clear of songs and instead sticks to dialogue with atmospheric music and sounds. Much of the time it is a nice combination of Angelo Badalamenti style ambience, weird noises, and cheap sounding keyboards typical of The Residents. When the dialogue is sung rather than spoke, The Voice of Midnight sounds like some demented opera which suits the melodramatic plot down to the ground. I wish they made the characters sing all the time as these moments are definitely the best and oddly the most convincing in terms of acting.
I cannot pretend that The Voice of Midnight will keep me listening over and over again due to the complexity of the plot or any layering of meanings in the dialogue. Instead it is the power of the mood evoked that will give this album a long shelf life. It is one of the more accessible sounding albums that The Residents have released but retains the weirdness that makes them so compelling. It will be interesting to see if they continue to do these audio plays or whether they will change the stage and combine their multimedia experiments with their dramatic flair? Or of course decide that it is time for something completely different. I feel The Voice of Midnight could act as a new springboard for another concept concert tour, one can only hope.
samples (WARNING: May give away plot details):
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Lithuanian conceptual artist and performer Gintas Kraptavicius manipulates minimal digital sources and acoustic vibrations in the service of narrative rhythms and electro-acoustic wand waving. Rather than merely barricading himself behind walls of atmospherics, Kraptavicius uses his tools to explore sound in ways that are both unpredictable and inviting.
This is not to say that there aren't austere or abrasive moments on 13 Tracks. In fact, the album has plenty of them. Yet Kraptavicius' methodology disarms rather than alienates, favoring surprise over antagonism. "Nezinau Kas Tai" kicks off to an alarming start with an eruption of pummeling beats and raising pitches. The only thing keeping the tension at bay are the soft melodic drones shimmering in the background. The insistence eventually fades, replaced by what sounds like crinkling foil and bursts of air. The track ends shortly afterwards, mysteriously but unsentimentally vanishing mid-measure. Tricks like these are constant but without foreshadow, which is what makes them so effective.
Each song contributes something different without repeating any ideas from its predecessors. The music achieves a pleasant balance between rhythm and abstraction that revitalizes the ear and maintains interest the whole time. Even the song lengths differ drastically, ranging anywhere from the minute and a half of "Ritmas 100 Fonas" to the almost thirteen minutes of "Ka As Zinau." The latter starts with the patient beeps and bleeps of what could be medical equipment or other scientific measurement devices, supplemented by intermittent tests of an emergency broadcast system. While a bit sterile, it works as an effective palette cleanser before hollow beats and bursts of air wrestle over fields of mechanical crickets only to evolve into a pulse-driven razor wire crusade. The change is drastic but not incongruous.
Not every track is equally entertaining, but nothing wears out its welcome either. 13 Tracks isn't necessarily groundbreaking, but it has more than enough strange noises and turns regardless to make it a fun, worthwhile experience from beginning to end.
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Although ostensibly a remix album, there is no need to be familiar with the source material to enjoy the remix work here. From what I gather, PureH are a successful electronic rock band out of Slovenia who invited a slew of electronic artists to rework a single track, "Signia." Not being familiar with the original track, I purposely avoided listening to the initial song to fully appreciate the remixes, which all vary greatly and, as a whole, make for strong, diverse tracks.
It is not hard to recall the all too brief existence of the so-called "isolationist" outgrowth of ambient music when looking at the artists charged with remixing PureH's track. Anyone who was listening to music of that ilk in the mid to late '90s (led by prolific artists such as Bill Laswell, Mick Harris, and Justin Broadrick) will recall names like Eraldo Bernocchi, P.C.M., D.J. Surgeon, and K.K. Null, who all appear on here. And along with these "big boys" there's a good mix of lesser known artists who show they have got the chops to hang with the established guys.
The established artists show that, some ten years after they first stepped on the scene (at least from this reviewer's perspective) they have largely refined and honed their work to stay contemporary, yet not alienate those who remember them from back in the day. K. K. Null takes the rather conventional sounding original material and pitch shifts it to a painful high end shriek as well as cutting up the rhythm section into dense, distorted loops that still allow a semblance of the original sound (via voical fragments and somewhat recognizable elements), but twists and turns it into pure sonic sadism in his "Signia Pagan" mix.
Another of the old recognizable names is the duo of P.C.M., who, though mostly limited to remixes and a single 12" on Mick Harris' old Possible label. They start out their "Signia Blue Waters Turn Black" mix with an opaque haze of thick reverb drenched loops that are met with a slow, monotone beat that eventually explodes into a hardcore blast of a drum n bass loop that plows through the mix like a pipe bomb. It has the manic intensity of vintage Squarepusher or Aphex Twin, but without the whimsical trappings and a sense of pure insanity. Unfortunately, Eraldo Bernocchi seems to have not developed his art as much as the others: while the dubby beat and subsonic bassline stay solid, there is simply less variation or development on here, and it's repetitive nature is among the gripes of artists from the time period.
The artists that I'm not quite as familiar with also hold their own among the big names. Chris Wood excerpts the electronic elements and tones from the original track and cuts them up with a high end skittering drum loop that morphs and changes throughout, making for an extremely dynamic track. Wodan takes the track for a more electro spin on "Signia H Light," throwing down an old school stiff monotone beat, swirled bass pastiches and an ordinate amount of distortion. Another unique take comes from Taiwanese artist MoShang, who uses the rock track as clay to sculpt into a light take on downtempo electronica, mixing in a hip-hop beat and additional samples. It's not really my thing, but it is well done. Clocking in at 16 minutes, Psychedelic Desert's "Signia Live Farce" mix comes across with good intentions, stripping the track down to only its most rudimentary sounds and tones, but over such a length it begins to drag and slow down. If it had been around the eight minutes that most of the other mixes were, it would have been a great contribution.
It is great to know that, even with my intentional abstention from checking out the original track, these artists can use that source material to design tracks that, while standing out on their own, still feel thematically linked by the occasional untreated elements of the original work coming through. Those who long for the days when dark textures mixed with hip-hop/jungle loops like peanut butter and chocolate will enjoy this stroll down memory lane. Now, to check out the original "Signia" track….
samples:
- Signia "Blue Waters Turn Black" (P.C.M. Mix)
- Signia "Ukwakha" (Chris Wood Mix)
- Signia "Live Farce Mix" (Psychedelic Desert Mix)
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Most of the discs that have been on Utech's ARC series have been consistently dark excursions in texture and noise. Never full on harshness akin to Merzbow, but generally bleak, almost punishing works (in the best possible sense). As it is drawing to a close, this seems to allow a bit of light to seep in, but only in the darkest shades of gray. Former Boredoms/Zeni Geva player Mitsuru manages to take a unique spin on the series that has a greater warmth and somewhat less density, but it is by no means inferior.
Book ended by the two-part "Mahhagogo" track, both of the parts open with Mitsuru and friends chanting the title before launching into a noise roar. While noisy, it isn't violently so—it is more of a humming, warm wall of distortion, like a forceful blast of hot air. Eventually the noise takes on the character of heavy blowing winds that have an alien, spacey quality to them, like being in the midst of a storm on Venus.
These beginning and end points of the album also make for the most challenging moments, as the middle are a little more comfortable and familiar. The untreated guitar playing of "Dust to Dust" is a bit jarring after the blast from before, but the gentle strums slowly give way to a building swell of feedback just a bit off from the mix that eventually grows to dominate and own the mix.
Also in the realms of conventional is the string plucking of "Tiovivo" that lend an almost spaghetti western soundtrack slant to the track. Honestly, this could almost be coming out of any coffee house in America if it weren't for the complex, dissonant guitar abuse that hides beneath the surface but slowly rears its ugly head to the point that it becomes the focus by the end. The title track is among the most bizarre of the disc, avoiding the plaintive guitar of the prior tracks and instead goes for the electronic treatment. The high pitched synth tones have a painful, tinnitus like sustain that stay the focal point from beginning to end, with more pulsing tones like radar beacons from deep, dark space.
The ARC series draws to its conclusion on a high note that is consistent with the previous releases. While there is a slightly different overall feel and vibe to Mitsuru's disc, it is by no means uncharacteristic of the series and is another fascinating installment. Why the Utech label isn't getting more recognition is a shame, and I hope the forthcoming fine art series that's planned helps to remedy this oversight.
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Not comfortable leaving well enough alone, living legend Richie Hawtin's preeminent minimal techno label drops one final compilation at the end of a year where the imprint appeared reinvigorated with a ramped-up activity level implying a surge in newfound capital. Contained within the eco-friendly packaging are all new tracks from seven dynamic artists on the roster, including one new high-profile addition.
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Here it is! The definitive list of lists. Why? Because it's the tenth year in a row that the readers nominated and voted! This is what you—not self-important hipsters or jaded old critics—picked, unaffected by the corporate ads and silly trends. 2007 was an amazing year for music, our poll had a ton of excellent entries, and once again, the cream has risen to the top.
Album of the Year
- Stars of the Lid, "And Their Refinement of the Decline" (Kranky)
"Brian McBride's and Adam Wiltzie's most doggedly serious recording to date. Compared to The Tired Sounds of... the music here is more direct, relying less on minutiae and emphasizing the power of their music as cleansing and consumptive. Their talent for drawing human qualities of what might be termed essentially un-human processes is impressive, both for its impact and for the consistency of that fact. That spilling over of emotional content requires the listener, though: this is not background music, it's far more exciting than that." - Lucas Schleicher
"This was a perfect album that grabbed me from the minute I heard it. It will be hard for Stars of the Lid (or anyone else) to better this." - John Kealy
"It is a completely unpredicted album to win: instrumental, quiet, slow, yet surprisingly versatile (this disc can be listened to at home, working, driving, going to sleep to, or just putting the headphones on and zoning out). Up until the middle of December, this 2xCD/3xLP set was rated by Metacritic as the most critically acclaimed album of 2007 Those fortunate enough to catch SOTL live know that with visuals it becomes a new level of experience." - Jon Whitney - Jesu, "Conqueror" (Hydra Head)
- Angels of Light, "We Are Him" (Young God)
- Throbbing Gristle, "Part Two: The Endless Not" (Mute)
- A Place To Bury Strangers, "A Place To Bury Strangers" (Killer Pimp)
- Burial, "Untrue" (Hyperdub)
- Grinderman, "Grinderman" (Mute)
- Om, "Pilgrimage" (Southern Lord)
- Einstürzende Neubauten, "Alles Wieder Offen" (Potomak)
- Panda Bear, "Person Pitch" (Paw Tracks)
- M.I.A., "Kala" (XL)
- Six Organs of Admittance, "Shelter from the Ash" (Drag City)
- Battles, "Mirrored" (Warp)
- Earth, "Hibernaculum" (Southern Lord)
- Boris with Michio Kurihara, "Rainbow" (Drag City)
- Caribou, "Andorra" (Merge)
- Deerhunter, "Cryptograms" (Kranky)
- Liars, "Liars" (Mute)
- LCD Soundsystem, "Sound Of Silver" (DFA)
- Animal Collective, "Strawberry Jam" (Paw Tracks)
- Boris with Merzbow, "Rock Dream" (Southern Lord)
- Faust and Nurse With Wound, "Disconnected" (Art-Errorist)
- Threshold HouseBoys Choir, "Form Grows Rampant" (Threshold House)
- Robert Wyatt, "Comicopera" (Domino)
- Shellac, "Excellent Italian Greyhound" (Touch & Go)
- Pan Sonic, "Katodivaihe" (Blast First)
- The Field, "From Here We Go to Sublime" (Kompakt)
- Einsturzende Neubauten, "Jewels" (Potomak)
- Low, "Drums and Guns" (Sub Pop)
- James Blackshaw, "The Cloud of Unknowing" (Tompkins Square)
- Thurston Moore, "Trees Outside The Academy" (Ecstatic Peace)
- Marissa Nadler, "Songs III: Bird on the Water" (Peacefrog)
- Iron and Wine, "The Shepherd's Dog" (Sub Pop)
- Volcano the Bear, "Amidst the Noise and Twigs" (Beta-lactam Ring)
- Blonde Redhead, "23" (4AD)
- Ghost, "In Stormy Nights" (Drag City)
- Deerhoof, "Friend Opportunity" (Kill Rock Stars)
- Beirut, "The Flying Club Cup" (Ba Da Bing!)
- Eluvium, "Copia" (Temporary Residence)
- Oren Ambarchi, "In The Pendulum's Embrace" (Touch)
- Wooden Shjips, "Wooden Shjips" (Holy Mountain)
- The National, "Boxer" (Beggars Banquet)
- Jesu, "Pale Sketches" (Avalanche)
- Akron/Family, "Love Is Simple" (Young God)
- Von Südenfed, "Tromatic Reflexxions" (Domino)
- El-P, "I'll Sleep When You're Dead" (Definitive Jux)
- Neurosis, "Given to the Rising" (Neurot Records)
- Sir Richard Bishop, "While My Guitar Violently Bleeds" (Locust)
- Do Make Say Think, "You, You're a History In Rust" (Constellation)
- Nadja, "Radiance of Shadows" (Alien8)
- Grails, "Burning Off Impurities" (Temporary Residence)
- Fennesz Sakamoto, "Cendre" (Touch)
- Nadja , "Touched " (Alien8)
- Kemialliset Ystävät, "Kemialliset Ystävät" (Fonal)
- Mogwai, "Zidane" (Pias)
- KTL, "2" (Editions Mego)
- Burning Star Core, "Blood Lightning 2007" (No Fun Productions)
- !!!, "Myth Takes" (Warp)
- Andrew Chalk, "The River That Flows Into the Sands II" (Faraway Press)
- Explosions in the Sky, "All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone" (Temporary Residence)
- Dälek, "Abandoned Language" (Ipecac)
- Yellow Swans, "At All Ends" (Load)
- Axolotl, "Memory Theater" (Important)
- Supersilent, "8" (Rune Grammofon)
- Irr. App. (Ext.), "Cosmic Superimposition" (Errata In Exelsis)
- Vic Chestnutt, "North Star Deserter" (Constellation)
- Whitehouse, "Racket" (Susan Lawly)
- The Tuss, "Rushup Edge" (Rephlex)
- To Kill a Petty Bourgeoisie, "The Patron" (Kranky)
- Edward Ka-Spel, "Dream Logik Part 1" (Beta-Lactam Ring)
- Burning Star Core, "Operator Dead... Post Abandoned" (No Quarter)
- Chris Corsano / Mike flower, "Radiant Mirror" (Textile)
- Current 93, "Birdsong In The Empire (live in Toronto 2005)" (Durtro Jnana)
- Lichens, "Omns" (Kranky)
- Nadja, "Thaumagenesis " (Archive)
- Svarte Greiner, "Knive" (Type)
- Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting Paraiso U.F.O., "Crystal Rainbow Pyramid Under the Stars" (Important)
- High On Fire, "Death Is This Communion" (Relapse)
- Sir Richard Bishop, "Polytheistic Fragments" (Drag City)
- William Basinski, "El Camino Real" (2062)
- Richard Youngs, "Autumn Response" (Jagjaguwar)
- Wolves In the Throne Room, "Two Hunters" (Southern Lord)
- Colleen, "Les Ondes Silencieuses" (Leaf)
- Holy Fuck, "LP" (Young Turks)
- Merzbow, "Merzbear" (Important)
- Robin Guthrie and Harold Budd, "After the Night Falls" (Darla)
- Raccoo-oo-oon, "Behold Secret Kingdom" (Release the Bats)
- The Dead C, "Future Artists" (Ba Da Bing!)
- Charalambides, "Likeness" (Kranky)
- Electralene, "No Shouts, No Calls" (Too Pure)
- Richard Youngs, "Autumn Response" (Jagjaguwar)
- Magik Markers, "Boss" (Ecstatic Peace!)
- Carter Tutti, "Feral Vapours of the Silver Ether" (Divine Frequency)
- The Fall, "Reformation Post T.L.C." (Narnack)
- No Age, "Weirdo Rippers" (Fat Cat)
- Konono No. 1, "Live at Couleur Café" (Crammed Discs)
- Robin Guthrie and Harold Budd, "Before the Day Breaks" (Darla)
- Jens Lekman, "Night Falls Over Kortedala" (Secretly Canadian)
- Diana Rogerson, "The Lights Are On But No-One's Home" (United Jnana)
- Sutcliffe Jugend, "This Is the Truth" (Ground Fault/Hospital Productions)
"Light years beyond Burial's remarkable dystopian 2006 debut, the comparatively apocalyptic Untrue is easily one of the greatest LPs I have ever owned. Infused with a paranoid version of quiet storm soul, his music taps into those desperate late night hours felt by so many young brokenhearted men sitting shivering in the dark. An album worth dying to." - Gary Suarez
"Nick Cave and a few of the Bad Seeds decide to lose some of the pretense that may have peaked on Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus and dive headlong into scuzzy garage rock. And it works, very well. While it may be a bit amateurish at times and overwrought, it doesn't lack the humor and irony Cave is so good at." - Creaig Dunton
"Panda Bear uses the most basic elements (vocal harmonies, one or two samples), to create lush, melancholy suites. The mood is far more mature than what Animal Collective has been doing this past few years." - Matt Spencer
"A Place To Bury Strangers was unexpected a blow to the head. Where the fuck did Killer Pimp find this lot?" - Scott McKeating
"2007 was Jesu's year. There wasn't a band I was happier to be a fan of than Jesu this year, and Conqueror was a big reason for that." - Matthew Jeanes
"If only every band would mature as gracefully as Einstürzende Neubauten. I think this is their pop opus, catchy and up-beat, but still, undeniably, Neubauten." - Michael Barrett
Single/EP of the Year
- Sunn O))), "Oracle" (Southern Lord)
- Joanna Newsom , "And the Ys Street Band" (Drag City)
- Burial, "Ghost Hardware" (Hyperdub)
- Wire, "Read & Burn 03" (Pink Flag)
- Deerhunter, "Fluorescent Grey" (Kranky)
- Sigur Ros, "Hvarf/Heim" (XL)
- Michael Cashmore, "The Snow Abides" (Durtro Jnana)
- Jesu, "Sun Down/Sun Rise " (Aurora Borealis)
- Jesu, "Lifeline" (Hydra Head)
- Fovea Hex, "Allure" (Die Stadt)
- Jesu/Eluvium Split 12" (Temporary Residence/Hydra Head)
- Beirut, "Elephant Gun" (Ba Da Bing!)
- Scott Walker, "And Who Shall Go To The Ball? And What Shall Go To The Ball?" (4AD)
- Current 93, "Black Ship In The Underworld" (Durtro Jnana)
- Bonnie "Prince" Billy, "Lay & Love" (Drag City)
- Battles, "Tonto" (Warp)
- Animal Collective, "Peacebone" (Domino)
- Cloudland Canyon, "Silver Tongued Sisyphus" (Kranky)
- A Hawk and a Hacksaw, "And the Hun Hangar Ensemble" (Leaf)
- The Hafler Trio, "Who Gave You the Ability to Envision Perfection?" (Korm Plastics)
- Wooden Shjips, "Loose Lips/Start To" (Sub Pop)
- Grizzly Bear, "Friend" (Warp)
- Astral Social Club, "Super Grease" (Important)
- Gescom, "A1 - D1" (Skam)
- Strategy, "Future Rock" (Community Library)
"Through the two long tracks on Oracle, Sunn O))) manages to both recall their breakthrough Black One album as well as show the more abstract, musique concrete tendencies that have been developing recently. It shows the progression from the monotone Earth 2 aping of the earlier work into the more experimental leanings. Plus, it has Joe Preston playing a mean jackhammer." - Creaig Dunton
"In 2003, when Brainwashed bestowed upon the post-punk pioneers its Lifetime Achievement Award, I cheekily asked "Who's Wire?" Read & Burn 03 is more than a reminder of their potency and craft, and hopefully a preview of even greater things to come." - Gary Suarez
"Fluorescent Grey proved Deerhunter were as competent at writing hooks and melodies as soundscapes and grooves. Despite the hype driven mythology and biographical speculation, they were just a good pop/rock band." - Matt Spencer
"Joanna Newsom managed to record the sound of her touring band without sacrificing the songs. Great pun too, there weren't enough puns in 2007" - Scott McKeating
"I'll take just about anything from Joanna Newsom but this single was a particularly nice offering that got away from the long, wonderful stories of Ys and back to some fun, simple songwriting." - Matthew Jeanes
"I was expecting a Bruce Springsteen cover, but I got "Colleen" instead. Most pleasant surprise of the year. I think I played that song 800 times in a row before I got sick of it and now and again I still find the time to enjoy Newsom's pleasant little vocal noises." - Lucas Schleicher
Old/Vault/Reissue
- Current 93, "The Inmost Light" (Durtro Jnana)
- Nurse With Wound, "Homotopy to Marie" (United Jnana)
- Joy Division, "Unknown Pleasures: Remastered and Expanded" (Rhino)
- Fennesz, "Endless Summer" (Touch)
- Nico, "The Frozen Borderline: 1968-1970" (Rhino)
- Labradford, "Prazision LP" (Kranky)
- Nurse With Wound, "Insect and Individual Silenced" (Raash)
- Kevin Drumm, "Sheer Hellish Miasma " (Mego Editions)
- Nurse With Wound, "Gyllensköld, Geijerstam and I at Rydberg's" (United Jnana)
- The Pop Group, "Y" (Rhino)
- Seefeel, "Quique" (Too Pure)
- Foetus, "Nail" (Some Bizzare)
- William Basinski, "Shortwavemusic" (2062)
- Test Dept., "The Unacceptable Face of Freedom" (Some Bizzare)
- Tim Hecker, "Radio Amor" (Alien8)
- Skullflower, "IIIrd Gatekeeper" (Crucial Blast)
- Andrew Chalk, "Goldfall" (Faraway Press)
- Peter Brotzmann Octet, "The Complete Machine Gun Sessions" (Atavistic)
- Jack Rose, "Jack Rose" (Tequila Sunrise)
- Mimir, "Mimir" (Streamline)
- Laurie Anderson, "Big Science" (Nonesuch)
- Sun Ra, "The Night of the Purple Moon" (Atavistic)
- Pere Ubu , "Cloudland" (Umvd Import)
- Cranes , "Wings of Joy" (Cherry Red UK )
- V/A, "Twin Peaks - Music from Season Two and More" (Absurda)
"The Inmost Light is a perfect reissue package. No unnecessary bonus material and elegantly presented. This is still a haunting and gorgeous collection." - John Kealy
"One of my first encounters back in the late '80s with the industrial scene was with Nurse With Wound and Steven Stapleton, I still listen occasionally to some of the early material such as Insect and Individual Silenced, Gyllensköld, Geijerstam and I at Rydberg's, and Homotopy to Marie. It is no surprise that they are still as fresh and innovative (AND influential) today as they were then. I am glad that these three particular albums have been reissued, given the prices early NWW material fetches. It is nice to think that through them a whole new generation of appreciative listeners can sample material that was (and still is) very much ahead of its time." - Simon Marshall-Jones
"Y typifies the musical adventurousness of post punk that's usually lost on revival acts." - Matt Spencer
Boxed Set
- V/A, "Broken Flag: A Retrospective 1982 - 1985" (Vinyl on Demand)
- Lee Perry & The Upsetters, "Ape-Ology" (Trojan)
- Robyn Hitchcock, "I Wanna Go Backwards" (Yep Roc)
- Asmus Tietchens, " 4K7" (Vinyl on Demand)
- Magnolia Electric Co., "Sojourner" (Secretly Canadian)
- Mike Tamburo, "Language of the Birds and Other Fantasies" (New American Folk Hero)
- V/A, "Mute Audio Documents" (Mute)
- V/A, "Wattstax" (Stax)
- V/A, "King Jammy's Selector's Choice Volumes 1-4" (VP)
- V/A, "People Take Warning!" (Tompkins Square)
"Dancehall has rarely received the level of collector's appreciation that roots reggae enjoys, despite the fact that the sound continues to progress magnificently while unquestionably reigning supreme in Jamaica. King Jammy's groundbreaking contribution to this music cannot be measured, but this lovingly prepared eight disc collection of his production work takes a vital step towards rightfully legitimizing his legacy." - Gary Suarez
"I have no idea how Jason Molina pulls off touring either solo or Magnolia Electric Co. as much as he does and can still find time to write and record some of the greatest rock songs of our time. Unlike most items which are sort of billed as releases for the hardcore fans, Sojourner was a remarkable value—three full CDs of music; one CDEP; and one 20-minute DVD; wrapped in a box with a die cast metal piece—and there isn't a musical mis-step anywhere on it. The only reason I think this didn't make as many top lists this year is because Secretly Canadian probably invested way too much in the set to hand out any promos." - Jon Whitney
"Death and survival: It's hard to think of a more compelling theme to base a compilation, and reminder of just how tough people were in face of adversity." - Matt Spencer on People Take Warning!
"Jason Molina is a criminally unrecognized musician. This box sets the last couple of albums in a clearer light and proves that Molina should release more of what is laying around in his closet. Whereas some musicians sacrifice quality control and release everything they put on tape, Molina does the opposite much to my dismay. If only there were more Magnolia Electric Co. in the world." - Lucas Schleicher
Music Video
- Six Organs of Admittance, "Shelter from the Ash"
Photographed by Aaron Platt
Featuring Bryn Phillips
Directed by Cam Archer - Battles, "Atlas"
- Stars of the Lid, "Apreludes (In C sharp Maj.)"
- Grinderman, "No Pussy Blues"
- Panda Bear, "Bros"
- LCD Soundsystem, "Someone Great"
- LCD Soundsystem, "All My Friends"
- Liars, "Plaster Casts of Everything"
- M.I.A., "Boyz"
- Low, "Hatchet"
- Low, "In Silence"
- A Place To Bury Strangers, "I Know I'll See You"
- Caribou, "Melody Day"
- Battles, "Tonto"
- Low, "Breaker"
- M.I.A., "Jimmy"
- Low, "Belarus"
- Beirut, "Elephant Gun"
- Grinderman, "Electric Alice"
- M.I.A., "Bird Flu"
- LCD Soundsystem, "North American Scum"
- Liars, "Houseclouds"
- Von Sudenfed, "Fledermaus Can't Get It"
- To Kill a Petty Bourgeoisie, "The Man with the Shovel, Is the Man I'm Going To Marry"
- Deerhunter, "Strange Lights"
"A combination of the availability of affordable equipment, popularity of YouTube, and video iPods has brought the music video back from being on the endangered list. There are amazing works of art being created right now that are ripe for more recognition. In the coming years I would like to see music videos in more places: in between programs on movie channels; at rock clubs between acts; or even movie theaters before the coming attractions when people are getting seated. The potential is definitely here." - Jon Whitney
"M.I.A. has single handedly made me feel bad about owning a closet of mostly black clothes. Boyz also made me hate my penis." - Lucas Schleicher
Recording label of the Year
This poll category numbers were tabulated from total points given to their collective total of releases.
- Important
- Kranky
- Beta-lactam Ring
- Mute
- DFA
- Temporary Residence
- Jnana (with Durtro/Jnana and United Jnana)
- Drag City
- Sub Pop
- Thrill Jockey
"The real winners are the artists who make Important Records what it is. Obviously, it wouldn't be possible without them. 2007 was a great year for Important and 2008 looks like it's going to be even better." - John Brien, Important Records
Artist of the Year
This poll category numbers were also tabulated from total points of their new releases.
- Jesu
- LCD Soundsystem
- Andrew Liles
- Nadja
- Stars of the Lid
"Justin Broadrick finally does what he has been hinting at for much of his career and meshes the lush experimentation of '90s shoegaze with his penchant for slow, pounding metal. It was an extremely prolific year." - Creaig Dunton
"Two albums ranking in the top 50, three singles ranking in the top 15, and two world tours. Justin Broadrick has put out more music in one year and done more shows than some bands have done in their entire career." - Jon Whitney
Lifetime Achievement Recognition: Einstürzende Neubauten
As chosen by the Brainwashed staff and contributors.
"They haven't stopped raising the bar from themselves (and usually used the bar on some piece of metal to make a rhythm). In 27 years they have released over 20 studio albums, each one mapping a new musical topography and each one reflecting a different facet of their home city at a given moment in time. They are heavy but tender, loud but restrained, danceable but intelligent, clever but not too pretentious and most importantly consistently brilliant." - John Kealy
"Too amazing to live in the shadow of Nick Cave, Blixa Bargeld somehow figured out how to go from an acned noisemonger into one of the most formidable frontmen alive. Romantically nuanced yet enigmatically charismatic, the former Bad Seed thankfully continues to lead this amazing band of experimentalists softly down a creative road not yet travelled." - Gary Suarez
"Rather than stagnating with their sound, they continue to evolve and develop and still manage to be as frightening, captivating, playful, and overall entertaining as they were back in the Stahlversion days. The subscription model they’ve also employed in the past few years is also revolutionary in the amount of fan interaction that takes place. It’s great to see a band that does realize it was the fans who got them to where they were and continue to support them" - Creaig Dunton
"Their music, their uncompromising approach to making it and their sheer tenacity plus the continuing drive to innovate and forge new paths means that, unlike many in the ‘music’ scene today, their name (however difficult to get your tongue around) will always be associated with fresh new musical explorations and directions." Simon Marshall-Jones
"It's hard to argue against Neubauten: the consumate innovators and experimenters. For a band who could probably coast on the value of their brandmark alone, Neubauten continues to take risks, and that's what the best artists always do." - Matthew Jeanes
"From their raw junk yard racket of Kollaps to the symphonic din of Perpetuum Mobile and now the off kilter pop of Alles Wieder Offen, EN continually destroyed what was in front of them, and left behind better, more beautiful things. For nearly 30 years, "Destroying New Buildings" has not only been an appropriate name, but a credo that they have stood by, and surpassed any expectations of." - Michael Barrett
"One of the most inventive bands ever and the only one capable of serenading me with a chainsaw, sand, and power tools. I would like a song employing a yankee screwdriver, however. You know, for the sake of completion. I still find myself listening to records released throughout their career and that in and of itself says a lot. Many bands have periods of real inspiration and genius, but EN's entire career captivates me. I wonder how you spell integrity in German." - Lucas Schleicher
The Absolutely Worst Album of the Year
These were the most negatively rated full-length albums in this year's poll.
- Dntel, "Dumb Luck" (Sub Pop)
- Stars, "Do You Trust Your Friends?" (Arts & Crafts)
- Console, "Mono" (Indigo)
- Supermayer, "Save The World" (Kompakt)
- Puscifer, "V is for Vagina" (Puscifer Enternainment)
- Der Blutharsch, "The Philosopher's Stone" (WKN)
- Von Thronstahl , "Sacrificare" (Fasci-Nation Recordings )
- Therion, "Gothic Kabbalah" (Nuclear Blast)
- Hella, "There's No 666 In Outer Space" (Ipecac)
- Devendra Banhart, "Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon" (XL)
"Supermayer was absolute fucking garbage. I couldn't believe that anyone seriously enjoyed this atrocious, unfocused effort from two of contemporary techno's most celebrated producers. Thankfully, enough of you fine readers agreed with me that this polished turd deserves our collective scorn." - Gary Suarez
"Dnterrible" - Jon Whitney
"Puscifer is a side project of Maynard James Keenan, even with Tool beginning to sound worse with every release its surprising how awful this album really is. Even the black-baked production can't cover this multitude of half-ideas. Shoot him before he fills up his audio scraps collection again." - Scott McKeating
"Dumb Luck was bad enough to break one of the CD players at the radio station." - Lucas Schleicher
Thanks again to all who participated and we wish you the best for 2008.
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