Year-End Critics' Polls 2012

i mean, those DJs and producers have been using southern hip-hop drums and dropping southern hip-hop tracks for years and years, i remember hudson mohawke playing a fabric set about half a decade ago that was full of this

also i don't know who the people actually using the genre name "trap" are, the only time i see it is when i see people mocking it (not that this isn't annoying in itself, the way they go on about it)

I suppose the reason I'm suspicious of it a bit is that I don't see it as having much connection to the rest of British dance music bar a bit of dubstep crossover. Also I find it difficult to imagine Hudson Mohawke doing anything without an annoying smirk on his face.

xpost yeah, but the point is (as far as i understand it) it's blown up beyond just one or two nerds playing around with a sound in their bedrooms and assimilated itself into an actual scene recognised by the dance/party mainstream beyond its initial intended audience.

well on the one hand it's good to acknowledge what they're biting but the way those people have basically taken ownership of the word to describe what they've been doing in the last year as opposed to Shawty Redd or something, it's all very "you didn't build that!" -- plus when you take into account the origins of the term it's kinda fucked up for some european dude to make an aggressive drum loop and go "look i've made a 'crack house' song lol!"

― some dude, Friday, November 23, 2012 4:32 AM Bookmark

Yeah, obviously. I kind of feel that the dumb name (which actually a lot of people making music in the style eschew for the same reasons) has become a stick to beat the music with, which isn't entirely fair, although by all means do shit on goddamn fucking UZ or whoever.

the thing is it doesn't actually sound noticeably different to the stuff that was played in those clubs before people started using the word "trap"

― #YOLO ONO (lex pretend), Friday, November 23, 2012 4:31 AM Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

People were playing stuff that sounded like this at dance nights a couple years ago? I call bullshit. The only thing I can think of is "Wut", which I kind of look at as inadvertently kicking this whole thing off.

xpost yeah, hudson mohawke's name is very offputting. but the current state of UK bass music is pretty all-encompassing right now. I really like it - dubstep basslines, trappy-drums, housey melodies, female vocal samples - taking the Night Slugs sound and running with it in various directions I guess - fewer prescribed rules than how things were with dubstep.

Aquacrunk - The sound of urban glasgow/please explain this to me

People were playing stuff that sounded like this at dance nights a couple years ago? I call bullshit. The only thing I can think of is "Wut", which I kind of look at as inadvertently kicking this whole thing off.

hudmo is not exactly a new face

xp yes

Hudmo's old stuff sounds completely different iirc?

not so much that this constitutes a radical new direction

"fuse" was soooooooo amazing he will never ever top it ;_;

lol what the fuck is aquacrunk

As genre names go it managed to catch on even less then 'wonky'.

all I remember about the HudMo solo stuff I checked out was it was really garish and bad. I pretty much only checked for TNGHT cause I like Lunice.

Tom Hull and co's Turkey Shoot: they aim at Miguel, Kendrick Lamar, Lambchop, Grimes, etc.

Yeah, early HudMo just sounded like crap IDM tracks with Missy samples lazily pasted all over them; as if mashup culture had never died.

trap music biting the southern rap scene is a common misconception, all the producers are actually irish football ultras

The one you've all been waiting for:

http://ultimateclassicrock.com/top-albums-of-2012-so-far/

1. Van Halen - A Different Kind of Truth
2. Rush - Clockwork Angels
3. ZZ Top - La Futura
4. Bruce Springsteen - Wrecking Ball
5. Neil Young - Psychedelic Pill
6. Aerosmith - Music From Another Dimension
7. Heart - Fanatic
8. Bob Dylan - Tempest
9. Kiss - Monster
10. Joe Walsh - Analog Man

I think the difference between now and 2008 or whatever, lex, is that it's now congealed into a genre with its own set of rules rather than just a few people shooting off in the dark. It reached its "wot do you call it?" moment (and has suffered greatly for it). Obviously, one side affect of this is that it allows for the laziness I mentioned earlier.

side effect, even

lol i have listened to 50% of the Ultimate Classic Rock list -- ZZ Top the only one that'll be in my year end list

Combined age of that top ten is like 5,000 or something. It's a fine tribute to medical science as much as anything else.

There's something perennially beautiful about the Classic Rock list's refusal to both to yield to fashion and to chase a kind of old-timer credibility and plump for Dylan or someone.

well, there are no new "classic rock" bands, and if there were they'd be even worse than the new records those ancients are still making

I've heard 6 off that Classic Rock list. Would rank what I've heard ZZ Top > Rush > Heart > Bob Dylan > Van Halen >>>>>>> Neil Young

it's Classic Rock magazine, the whole point is that it doesn't yield to fashion.

"making a halfway listenable album past the age of 55" is a genuine noteworthy accomplishment imo

well, there are no new "classic rock" bands, and if there were they'd be even worse than the new records those ancients are still making

Oh of course, but even so their resolve not to sneak in a Jack White or Alamaba Shakes or whoever is admirable.

My admiration has abated somewhat upon reading the gallery sidebar 'HOT ROCK DAUGHTERS - the baby girls of your rock gods are no longer children'.

http://ultimateclassicrock.com/top-10-leg-songs/

Lex's favourite, Uncut.

Oh fuck, it's 75. I'm not typing all that out. Dylan controversially beaten to top spot by Cohen.

Token modern hip-hop R&B: Frank Ocean, 5
Happily welcomed returning prodigal son: Bill Fay, 6
Obligatory acknowledgement of Lawrence: Go-Kate Mozart, 12

"making a halfway listenable album past the age of 55" is a genuine noteworthy accomplishment imo

― some dude, Friday, 23 November 2012 13:15 (19 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

this might be for another thread, but why is this so often the case? I'm loving that in recent years, albums by (I'm gonna say their names again, sorry) Swans, Scott Walker, Tom Waits and a few others have proven to be exceptions to the rule, but for every one of these there are at least three hoary old rockers or idea-starved popstars churning out uninspiring bilge every year.

Uncut top ten:

1. Leonard Cohen - Old Ideas
2. Bob Dylan - Tempest
3. Jack White - Blunderbuss
4. Dr John - Locked Down
5. Frank Ocean - Channel Orange
6. Bill Fay - Life Is People
7. Ty Segall & White Fence - Hair
8. Bear Shields - Grizzly
9. Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Psychedelic Pill
10. Bruce Springsteen - Wrecking Ball

With this lascivious little classic off just their second album, 1974’s ‘Get Your Wings,’ Aerosmith figuratively earned their ‘ready for prime time’ diplomas, graduating from semi-glam boys (and New York Dolls doppelgangers) to seasoned hard rock men about town. ‘Lord of the Thighs’ comes swaggering into view on Joey Kramer’s iconic drum beat before Steven Tyler starts slobbering his come-hither lyrics all over the object of his affection; aided and abetted all the way by Joe Perry and Brad Whitford’s slippery guitar licks and solos, which clearly can’t keep their hands to themselves.

this might be for another thread, but why is this so often the case

Inspiration and strong work ethics collide if you're a rock and roller over 50.

you can hear the trouser rubbing from here.

Yeah that ZZ Top is kind of great. I was kind of excited about the Van Halen at the time but have no desire to listen to it anymore. I'm a Rush but it leaves me cold just like everything they've done since 1985. Have not been motivated to hear Young, Aerosmith, Heart, Dylan, Kiss.

Another heavy rock album along the lines of the 'Swedish stuff' is Golden Void. Earthless’ Isaiah Mitchell moves to SF, gets married and writes some REALLY great songs.

xp Some of the malaise I'm sensing seems to be along the lines of what Simon Reynolds wrote about in last year's book Retromania in which he essentially bemoans the end of 'hot new genres.' I hope some might consider my response (here) and give themselves permission to just enjoy what they enjoy without worrying about how 'important' or groundbreaking its supposed to be.

8. Bear Shields - Grizzly

lol

haha

aw man, i really want to hear a south london grime artist called Bear Shields now

Bear Grills

Mojo

1 Jack White
2 Frank Ocean
3 Bill Fay
4 Leonard Cohen
5 Dexys
6 Black Keys
7 Django Djangp
8 Dr John
9 Julia Holter
10 Dyland
11 Scott Walker
12 Tame Impala
13 XX
14 Hot Chip
15 Cat Power
16 Bobby Womack
17 Mark Lanegan Band
18 Orbital
19 Advance Base
20 Lee Fields & The Expressions

man, that frank ocean really is gonna walk it isn't it? i've had it on my iphone for months now and haven't got round to hearing a single thing off it yet.

So glad to see Bill Fay doing so well in a few of these lists. Not just cos it's a good album but I mean really glad for Bill, the person.

Other Mojo polls

Urban

1 Spoek Mathambo
2 Main Attraktionz
3 Frank Ocean
4 Homeboy Sandman
5 JJ DOOM

Electronica

1 Actress
2 Christian Loffler
3 Laurel Halo
4 Jon Talabot
5 Dean Black & Inga Copeland

Jazz
1 Gareth Lockrane's Grooveyard
2 Tomasso Starace
3 John Turville Trio
4 Phronesis
5 Simcock Garland

Undeground
1 Julia Holter
2 Mount Eerie
3 Shackleton
4 Oren Ambarchi
5 Morten Feldman

Reissues
1 Can
2 the Beat
3 The Vlvet Underground & Nico
4 Sex Pistols
5 Darondo

Spoek Mathambo eh? nice one.

So glad to see Bill Fay doing so well in a few of these lists. Not just cos it's a good album but I mean really glad for Bill, the person.

Was just going to say; that album was nowhere as good as everyone wanted it to be.

fastnbulb: The exciting thing about "hot new genres" is that they don't sound like music you've heard before! I mean I hate to get all EPCOT WORLD OF THE FUTURE abt it, but yeah those Witchcraft and Grand Magus albums are great, but that Goat album is like beamed from an alternate reality

Jazz
1 Gareth Lockrane's Grooveyard
2 Tomasso Starace
3 John Turville Trio
4 Phronesis
5 Simcock Garland

Have heard exactly zero of these (my #1 jazz album is the Vijay Iyer one, #2 probably the Endresen/Westerhaus); anything worth checking out?

Also I think that Van Halen album is prolly the classic rock album of the year (but I didnt hear ZZ yet)