Something For Everybody - Devo

Something For Everybody by Devo (2010)

a lot of fun! I mean, the end of "Don't Shoot (I'm A Man)" is a refrain, 3 times, of "Don't taze me, bro!"

Favorite: "Fresh"

Plastic Beach - Gorillaz

Plastic Beach by Gorillaz (2010)

strangely my most favorite songs are not the ones with the hip hop guest appearances (Mos Def, De La Soul), tho I do like the intro with Snoop Dogg & The Hypnotic Brass Ensemble.

Favorites: "White Flag" (ft. Kano, Bashy & The Lebanese National Orchestra for Oriental Arabic Music) "To Binge" (ft. Little Dragon)

Odd Blood - Yeasayer

Odd Blood - Yeasayer (2010)

Really enjoying this album. One of my favorites of 2010, for sure. I just keep coming back to it.

Favorites: "Mondegreen" "O.N.E." "Ambling Alp"


"O.N.E." by Yeasayer from Secretly Jag on Vimeo.

Head First - Goldfrapp

Head First by Goldfrapp (2010)
overall this album is very ethereal with lots of breathy vocals from Ms. Goldfrapp, something you might guess from the album artwork.  It's kind of disco-tinged electronic but not really dancefloor disco.

Favorites: "Believer" "Dreamer" "Shiny And Warm"
Least Favorite: "I Wanna Life"

Drift - Nosaj Thing

Drift by Nosaj Thing (2009)

After hearing the remix he did for The XX's "Islands", I wanted to hear more, so I sought out his album from last year.  It's a bit more minimal than I expected but still has some pretty dope beats.

Favorite: "Quest" - even tho it's the intro, it does a perfect good job of letting you know what to expect on the rest of the album. "Light #1" "Us"

The Foley Room - Amon Tobin

The Foley Room by Amon Tobin (2007)


listening to his newest project the other day made me want to go back a little further to his last previous album.  Hearing to this one again, I remembered just how much I liked it.

Favorite: "Bloodstone" ft The Kronos Quartet "The Killer's Vanilla"

Swim - Caribou

Swim - Caribou (2010)  

very funky. 

Favorite: "Odessa"

no.3 - JJ

no.3 - JJ (2010)


3rd album from this Swedish group (first I've heard from them tho) Very airy vocals. Gets a bit one-note but chill.


Favorite: "My Life" - a partial cover of The Game's song (partial because it's just a cover of the hook that Lil' Wayne sings).

Monthly Joints Series - Amon Tobin

Monthly Joints Series by Amon Tobin (2010)

typical fare for this Brazillian-born producer. drum and bass twinged complexities. almost cinematic developments within the compositions.
"Dualistic" - starts off with a nice little handclap. 

Favorite: "Eight Sum" "Technique" "Twelvses"

LP4 - Ratatat

LP4 by Ratatat (2010) 

really funky instrumentals.

to (possibly slightly mis-)quote A-Trak, "The vocal bassline on 'neckbrace' is one of the most screw-face inducing things I've heard in a long time. In a good way". If that's not a recommendation, I don't know what is.

Favorite: "Neckbrace" "Bilar" "Party With Children" - is that a harpsichord I hear? "Grape Juice City" - replete with birds chirping!

XX - The XX

XX by The XX (2009)

really chill debut album from this British trio who have been blowing up since it dropped last year.

The XX live at the Hollywood Palladium - September 22, 2010

got to see them live a couple weeks back at the Hollywood Palladium as they kicked off their most recent (and apparently last, for a while) tour. Great show. remarkable amount of lesbians there.


Favorite: "Shelter" "Infinity" "VCR"


Loving this remix by Nosaj Thing too: "Islands" (Nosaj Thing remix)

and their videos are very well done - especially this one, directed by Saam Farahmand...


The xx - islands (Official MV) from JOOONAE LEE on Vimeo.

Ephemeral Exhibits - Starkey

Ephemeral Exhibits by Starkey (2008)

I've been getting into dubstep a decent amount lately. I like the wobble.

Starkey's part of the Trouble & Bass crew out of Philly. He's kind of blowing up right now. He was even selected by Ninja Tune luminary, Amon Tobin, to create an exclusive EP to premiere the "featured artists" section of Tobin's website. 

"Gutter Music" definitely starts things off strong.

"Pictures" is a little repetitive for me.

"Miracles" is a little less intense with more atmospherics & a haunting vocal sample.

"Marsh" is also a lot more on the chill side & switches up drastically about 2 minutes in. In fact, it's almost as if it's two separate tracks because there is a noticable pause between the two parts of the track.

I think my main problem with the harder tracks like "Pictures" & "Escape" is that they run too long, as if intended to be used in a mix.  However, if that's the case, those longer versions should have been released separately as extended mixes & the versions on the album should have been shortened to flow more continually with the vibe of the rest of the album.

Fantasies - Metric

Fantasies by Metric (2009)

really pop-y rock (or rock-ish pop) but I dig it.  the female vocalist, Emily Haines, has a very straightforward, sweet voice that pairs nicely with their simplistic keyboard-heavy melodies.

Favorite: "Sick Muse" "Front Row" "Stadium Love"

Least Favorite: "Gimme Sympathy"

This Is Happening - LCD Soundsystem

This Is Happening by LCD Soundsystem (2010)

most recent (and apparently last ever!) album by this electronic rock outfit.  some songs are more rock, some more electro.

"Pow Pow" reminds me of something from David Byrne/The Talking Heads.

Favorite: "I Can Change" "You Wanted A Hit" "Home"

Least Favorite: "Drunk Girls" "One Touch" gets too repetitive with the shouting on the hook

Maximum Balloon - Maximum Balloon

Maximum Balloon by Maximum Balloon (2010) 

I take no effort to conceal my adoration for TV On The Radio. So when I heard that there was a side project coming out from their engineer, I was all about it.  Then I forgot all about it until a remix of the first single popped up on RCRDLBL.  

I'm still kind of digesting the full album. There's definitely a lot going on there. Tons of guest appearances (on every track actually), including one by David Byrne! 

Favorites: "If You Return" (ft. Little Dragon)  "Tiger" (ft. Aku Orraca-Tetteh)  "Pink Bricks" (ft. Ambrosia Parsley) "Absence of Light" (ft. Tunde Adebimpe) and I really like that remix! 

One Life Stand - Hot Chip

One Life Stand - Hot Chip (2010)

What can I say? I like Hot Chip. This album is more of the same from them: energetic pop-electro.

Favorites: "Slush" which is uncharacteristically melancholy & "Keep Quiet"

Temporary Pleasure - Simian Mobile Disco

Temporary Pleasure by Simian Mobile Disco (2009)

I'm not really a fan of this project. was hoping for more work like "Hustler" with heavy bass and catchy lyrics. Instead got "Audacity of Huge" with terrible male vocals and pop/house sensibility. ick.
Overall, I felt like the album was uneven at best, generic at worst. "Turn Up The Dial" ft. Young Fathers sounds like a bad rip-off of something Andre 3000 might release. And "Bad Blood" ft. Alexis Taylor sounds like a throw-away track from one of Hot Chip's albums. But it's still one of the stronger cuts on the album, if that says anything. The final track "Pinball" ft. Telepathe is decent. At least the project ends on a highpoint but definitely not a strong enough track to redeem this tepid album.

Favorite: "Cruel Intentions" ft. Beth Ditto from The Gossip (only because I love Beth & The Gossip - the song's not that great)

Heligoland - Massive Attack

3 months later, and I'm back to the blog!
Can't believe it's actually been that long.
sorry but life interrupts.

Heligoland by Massive Attack (2010)

First full length studio album from these guys in YEARS. It's like they never left. good stuff.

Favorite: "Paradise Circus" ft. Hope Sandoval
Least Favorite: "Flat of the Blade" (ft. Guy Garvey) - something about the rhythm and his singing make my skin crawl.

A Bugged Out Mix by Hot Chip

A Bugged Out Mix by Hot Chip (2009)

just what the title indicates, this mix is all over the place. This is just the latest installation in the "Bugged Out Mix" series. Other volumes include those by Miss Kittin, Erol Alkan, Klaxons & Felix da Housecat. for more info on the the crew behind the compilations, go get BUGGED Out!

It took me a little while to get drawn into the mix, which is fine because it runs over 2 discs, clocking in at almost 2.5 hours! The first disc is a bit tech-y for my taste but by the time they drop their own "Take It In", I was feeling what they were doing.

The second disc is less electronic, even featuring cuts from Hall & Oates, Terence Trent D'Arby, Biz Markie and Zapp & Roger. Like I said, all over the place!

Favorite: Ican "Chiclet's Theme", District One - "One2One", The Andrews Sisters - "Rum & Coca Cola", Robert Palmer - "Looking For Clues"

Bright Like Neon Love - Cut Copy

Bright Like Neon Love - Cut Copy (2004)

 

Favorite: "Saturdays" "A Dream"