Year-End Critics' Polls '08

I never thought it possible that I could actively dislike Carrie Brownstein; thanks to this blog, she's done it.

She writes about about her current indie faves and her older '90s ones with the same drab approach. And like the rest of the folks involved with the NPR site she mostly tries to pretend that anyone could ever be interested in anything but her little insular rock world.

If only I would proofread my posts and get rid of the typos.

Listening to that npr roundtable discussion is painful. They're all so smug. If NPR has the likes of Christgau and Banning Eyre and Ken Tucker and others on the radio why weren't they invited to participate and offer their thoughts on genres that the others were not interested in.

haven't been there lately, but they have had some good concerts on there, like Martha Wainwright (that one's downloadable)The best thing about the reviews is that you can check the excerpts vs. the comments; excerpts can be misleading of course, but that makes it more intriguing (or sometimes unintentional musical comedy, the best kind, of course)

Resident Advisor's Top 30 Tracks is up: http://www.residentadvisor.net/feature-read.aspx?id=999

30. Sebo K - Diva [Mobilee]
29. Melchior Productions Ltd - Who Can Find Me (I Can't) [Cadenza]
28. Seth Troxler - Love Never Sleeps [Crosstown Rebels]
27. Donnacha Costello - Trust [Minimise]
26. dOP - I'm Just a Man [Eklo]
25. Portable - Release [Perlon]
24. Martyn - Natural Selection [3024]
23. Syclops - Where's Jason's K [DFA]
22. Appleblim & Peverelist - Over Here [Skull Disco]
21. DJ Koze - Zouzou [Kompakt]
20. Invisible Conga People – Cable Dazed [Italians Do It Better]
19. Move D & Benjamin Brunn - Honey [Smallville]
18. Appleblim & Peverelist - Circling [Skull Disco]
17. Stimming - Una Pena [Diynamic]
16. Dave Aju - Crazy Place [Circus Company]
15. The Juan Maclean - Happy House [DFA]
14. Ricardo Villalobos - Enfants (Chants) [Sei Es Drum]
13. Sound Stream - "Live" Goes On [Sound Stream]
12. tobias. - I Can't Fight the Feeling [Wagon Repair]
11. My My - Everybody's Talkin' [Playhouse]
10. Lawrence - Miles [Dial]
09. SIS - Nesrib [Cécille]
08. Move D - Drøne [Modern Love]
07. Omar-S - Psychotic Photosynthesis [FXHE]
06. Hercules & Love Affair - Blind [DFA]
05. Johnny D - Orbitalife [Oslo]
04. The Mole - Baby You're the One [Wagon Repair]
03. Shackleton - Death Is Not Final [Skull Disco]
02. Ricardo Villalobos - Minimoonstar [Perlon]
01. DJ Koze - I Want to Sleep [IRR]

Jon Caramaburana's taste is like the exact opposite of mine.

Caramanica's list confirmed to me that he and Tom Breihan have v. similar tastes.

I never thought it possible that I could actively dislike Carrie Brownstein; thanks to this blog, she's done it.

i don't know somehow her being into earnest indie beard boys is no big surprise. in general i try to avoid reading what musicians i like have to say about musicians they like, cuz it's so often disappointing. (it's even worse when some indie rocker talks about that one hip-hop album they love, or when a rapper starts going on about john mayer or whatever.) there are obvious exceptions, yr j0hn d. types who are music dudes and total music geeks at the same time. but it doesn't seem that common.

this exercise makes me hate all music, or at least wonder what the fuck is up with my ears, or how much these dumb fucks are getting paid. the Cool Kids might very well be the worst 'rap' duo that have ever become wildly popular-- they're a terrible group who act like assholes (i've done hospitality and shit for them) and their fans don't know shit about shit.

also, TV on the Radio? should i listen to it? i love Tunde's voice, but 'Cookie Mountain' sort of made me throw up in my mouth a little, so i just ignored the newest stuff.

also, my radar for dance music has obviously left the contemporary scene. i know, like, 6 of the RA records, and only one of them made my top 10. two of them in my top 20.

this exercise makes me hate all music, or at least wonder what the fuck is up with my ears, or how much these dumb fucks are getting paid. the Cool Kids might very well be the worst 'rap' duo that have ever become wildly popular-- they're a terrible group who act like assholes (i've done hospitality and shit for them) and their fans don't know shit about shit.

i have never done hospitality for the Cool Kids but co-sign

i mean jesus christ those dudes are terrible and every retro comparison they get is an insult to the '80s

Dear Science and Cookie Mountain are sonically different to my ears so maybe you'll like it more. But maybe you won't.

(i've done hospitality and shit for them)

http://www.geargeek.net/images/moar-cat.jpg

become wildly popular-

uh?

let's not get into the whole fucking multi-platinum mainstream 'wildly popular' and magazine editor/RSS feed 'wildly popular' and just acknowledge that there are way too many people being enthusiastic about the Cool Kids

Muzzle Of Bees
http://www.muzzleofbees.com/2008/12/22/muzzle-of-bees-best-albums-of-2008/

Boomkat
http://www.boomkat.com/charts.cfm?id=432

Once again one of the most interesting top 100 lists around. Anyone know The Fun Years?

01 The Fun Years - Baby, It's Cold Inside
02 Portishead - Third
03 Stephan Mathiew - Radioland
04 Gas - Nah Und Fern
05 Newworldaquarium - The Dead Bears
06 Machinefabriek - Dauw
07 The Caretaker - Persistent Repetition Of Phrases
08 Richard Skelton - Marking Time
09 Kevin Drumm - Imperial Distortion
10 Fennesz - Black Sea
11 Claro Intelecto - Metanarrative
12 Andy Stott - Unknown Exception
13 Grouper - Dragging A Dead Deer Up A Hill
14 Ø (Mika Vainio) - Oleva
15 Mountains - Mountains Mountains Mountains LP
16 Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
17 Jacaszek - Treny
18 Shed - Shedding The Past
19 Emearlds - Solar Bridge
20 SND - 4, 5, 6

let's not get into the whole fucking multi-platinum mainstream 'wildly popular' and magazine editor/RSS feed 'wildly popular' and just acknowledge that there are way too many people being enthusiastic about the Cool Kids

― shiroiblappinhoes (some dude), Monday, December 22, 2008 11:06 AM Bookmark

one is too many

Anyone know The Fun Years?

It's a blend of Fennesz, Stars of the Lid, Gas and the likes. And it's pretty great too, but considering how most of the music in that vain is great to me, not groundbreaking, number one-like great. But it's still great.

x-post
I think the Cool Kids are harmless. Yea, yea they not ATCQ and yea Mr. Hospitality they acted like jerks (as if there aren't millions of musicians/rappers who do that) but it just doesn't seem worth the effort or the energy to spend your time hatin' on them

"They're assholes" is really not a good criticism of someone's music. (I have no opinion of the Cool Kids at all.)

Yeah but "barely rapping over refried Clipse beats" is.

are people getting return emails after submitting P&J ballots yet?

yeah mine came w/ a jamba juice coupon too

the fun years are GREBT

sorta minimalist textural electronic music. it's easy to put it on and forget it's on, but it's really nice.

fRoots Magazine poll http://www.frootsmag.com/content/critpoll/

New Album Of 2008 winners
1. Jim Moray Low Culture (NIAG)
2. Toumani Diabate The Mandé Variations (World Circuit)
3. Rokia Traore Tchamantché (Nonesuch/Tama)
4. Umalali The Garifuna Women’s Project (Cumbancha)
5. Kasai Allstars Congotronics 3: In The 7th Moon, The Chief Turned Into A Swimming Fish And Ate The Head Of His Enemy By Magic (Crammed)
6. Bellowhead Matachin (Navigator)
7. Issa Bagayogo Mali Koura (Six Degrees)
8. Eliza Carthy Dreams Of Breathing Underwater (Topic)
9. Taksim Trio Taksim Trio (Doublemoon)
10. Natacha Atlas & The Mazeeka Ensemble Ana Hina (World Village)

The Next 10:
11=Dub Colossus A Town Called Addis (Real World)
Mary Hampton My Mother’s Children (Navigator)
Seun Kuti & Fela’s Egypt 80 Many Things (Tôt Ou Tard)
Rajery, Ballaké Sissoko & Driss El Maloumi 3MA (Contre-Jour)
15=Buika Niña De Fuego (Warner Spain Classics & Jazz)
Spiers & Boden Vagabond (Navigator)
17=Lila Downs Shake Away (EMI)
Melingo Maldito Tango (Mañana)
Warsaw Village Band Infinity (Jaro)
Mariza Terra (EMI Portugal)
Runners Up (alphabetically): Amadou & Mariam Welcome To Mali (Because); Les Amazones De Guinée Wamato (Stern’s); Saban Bajramovic with Mostar Sevdah Reunion Saban (Snail); Debashish Bhattacharya Calcutta Chronicles: Indian Slide Guitar Odyssey (Riverboat); Blue Blokes 3 Stubble (Fledg’ling); Carolina Chocolate Drops Heritage (DixieFrog); Chumbawamba The Boy Bands Have Won (No Masters); Mercan Dede 800 (Doublemoon); DeVotchKa A Mad & Faithful Telling (Anti); Chris Foster Outsiders (Green Man); Mor Karbasi The Beauty & The Sea (Mintaka); Kries Kocijani (Kopito); Jackie Oates The Violet Hour (Chudleigh Roots); Ivo Papasov Dance Of The Falcon (World Village); Karine Polwart Fairest Floo’er (Hegri Music); Rupa & The April Fishes Extraordinary Rendition (Cumbancha); Terakaft Akh Issudar (Tapsit/IRL); Riccardo Tesi Presente Remoto (Felmay); Huong Thanh & Nguyen Lê Fragile Beauty (ACT); Abigail Washburn & The Sparrow Quartet Abigail Washburn & The Sparrow Quartet (Nettwerk).

Jim Moray's a Bristol, UK folk/indie guy who uses drum machine beats and has Bristol rapper Bubbz on one track I heard on his myspace page

But he sounds more conventionally Brit-pop-folkie on other tracks.

That Diabate solo instrumental cd is like a classical album--it's real nice I just prefer him with a band and percussion and vocals. I don't think Nonesuch is releasing the Rokia Traore or the new Amadou & mariam in the US until 2009.

Congotronics 3 seems to reach more different audiences than some of the others above--the indie folks who like Konono plus the various whirled music listeners

That Slate.com chat above between Christgau, Jody Rosen, and Ann Powers just keeps going. I think they're up to day 9 or something. Christgau went for the Franco compilation that the fRoots (FolkRoots once upon a time) folks named #one reissue. There are so many Franco reissues out there (and I already have a few) so I never got this one

Congotronics 3 is kind of a misnomer -- Kasai All-Stars are a different group from Konono No. 1, and Congotronics 2 was a comp. I think Kasai All-Stars do a more interesting thing, maybe because they are a super-group made up of three or four different crews from a different area of DR Congo.

The Slate thing is finished, each of the last three posts explicitly say that they're each writer's final word in the dialogue.

I like all three writers but nothing any of them are saying is news in the slightest, and none of them are out to change anyone else's mind or anything.

well here's mine :P

http://www.moteldemoka.com/2008/12/08/mokas-top-10-albums-2008/

1. Paavoharju - Laulu Laakson Kukista (Fonal)
2. Jacaszek - Treny (Miasmah)
3. Scott Tuma - Not For Nobody (Digitalis)
4. Shed - Shedding the Past (Ostgut Ton)
5. Tape - Luminarium (Häpna)
6. Fleet Foxes - fleet foxes (Sub pop)
7. Bruno Pronsato - Why can’t we be like us (Hello? Repeat)
8. Grouper - Dragging a dead dear up the hill (Type)
9. Lykke Li - Youth Novels (LL)
10. Zdzislaw Piernik & Piotr Zbrodzki - Namanga (Vivo)

Why should they be out to change anyone's mind?

didnt say they had to, just it's more interesting when they try, like on some of the old slate film threads. this was like 'well i love you but i liked this record better, no offense' 'why none taken!' which is fine, but kinda ho-hum.

Yeah, I can see that.

La Onda Tropical Blog list http://laondatropical.blogspot.com/

Calle 13 - Los De Atrás Vienen Conmigo

Choc Quib Town - Somos Pacifico

Aterciopelados - Rio

Julieta Venegas - MTV Unplugged

Acida - Greatest Hits

Bajofondo - Mar Dulce

Bostich + Fussible - Tijuana Sound Machine

Plastilina Mosh - All U Need Is Mosh

Orishas - Cosita Buena

I Like It Like That Fania Remixes

Club Fonograma's Best Songs of '08 [Latin-pop]http://clubfonograma.blogspot.com/2008/12/best-songs-of-2008-part-iv-25-01.html

25. "Hansel y Gretel's Bollywood Story", Porter (Atemahawke)
24. "Terrorize You/Disco Flor", Turbopotamos (Disco Suite)
23. "Pijamas", Babasonicos (Mucho)
22. "Algo Musical", Nejo y Dalmata feat. Arcangel (Broke & Famous)
21. "Sin las patas traseras", Bam Bam (Bam Bam)

20. "Bonita", Cabas (Amores Dificiles)
19. "Plastic Caramelo", Plastic Caramelo (Single)
18. "Mas que a nada en el mundo", Austin TV (Mas que a nada en el mundo OST)
17. "Borron y cuenta nueva", Adriana Lucia (Porro Nuevo)
16. "Laydown", Chikita Violenta (The Stars and Suns Sessions)

15. "Shiva", Austin TV (Fontana Bella)
14. "Conteo Regresivo", Gilberto Santa Rosa (Contraste)
13. "Para que celebren todos", El Guincho (Alegranza!)
12. "Bestia", Hello Seahorse! (Bestia)
11. "Ta Perdoado", Maria Rita (Samba Meu)

10. "El Idolo", Adanowsky (Etoile Eternelle)
09. "Reptilectric", Zoe (Reptilectric)
08. "Cigarettes", Russian Red (I love your glasses) (LIVE @ BUHOL)
07. "Nada", Juan Son (Mermaid Sashimi)
06. "Normal", Ximena Sarinana (Mediocre)

05. "Que Lloren", Calle 13 (Los de atras vienen conmigo)
04. "AV Corrientes", Prietto Viaja al Comos con Mariano (Prietto Viaja al Cosmos con Mariano)
03. "Microdancing", Babasonicos (Mucho)
02. "El Presente", Julieta Venegas (MTV Unplugged)
01. "Palmitos Park", El Guincho (Alegranza!)

The Venegas cd is such great pop. I think indie folks and others all would enjoy it (even if she's singing in Spanish).

I see there's a whole Top 100 on that site:

http://clubfonograma.blogspot.com/2008/12/best-songs-of-2008-part-i-100-76.html
http://clubfonograma.blogspot.com/2008/12/best-songs-of-2008-part-ii-75-51.html
http://clubfonograma.blogspot.com/2008/12/best-songs-of-2008-part-iii-50-26.html

There's some MP3s there, too. Thanks for pointing it out.

No problem (actually I just discovered thanks to a link on the soon to call it quits La Onda Tropical blog). Re: the Club Fonograma list, I'm not crazy about the song or 2 from rock-en-espanol act Porter I checked out ages ago, but the list includes Ximena Sarinana, a new pop act who appeals to some Venegas fans (and showed up on some Billboard critic lists)including me. I never did get Brazilian mpb sorta bossa-nova singer Maria Rita's latest (I like her earlier stuff) but I bet its perty.

http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/sashafrerejones/2008/12/the-best-record.html SFJ comments and link to his lists

Rhapsody Chuck It All In blog (a/k/a me), Best Albums of the Year, Part 1 (of 3), #s 101 - 150:

http://blog.rhapsody.com/2008/12/best-albums-of-the-year-countdown-part-1-s-101-150.html

whenever i read sasha make offhand statements i disagree w/ like 80% of them or think they're just weird generalizations or preferences stated as if they have some larger significance -- like saying rihanna hasnt really had a hit since 'umbrella', just bcuz he (i guess?) doesnt like "please dont stop the music" which, altho u can say its not as GOOD as umbrella or even quite as ubiquitous certainly qualifies as a pretty damn big HIT while he just sorta implies that you know shes just dropped the ball ever since. or that nyer entry where he says busta rhymes "peak" was his first solo single?? really random -- i was in h.s. when all those singles came out, 'eyes to see' and 'gimme some more' was as big and bigger. its not like hes 'wrong' bcuz he can just back up to 'personal preference' i guess, but he states them like they're the general consensus or some real universal truth and its not even reflective of popular consensus its just kinda o_O

and that new busta single is aite but its not even as good as 'arab money' albeit less offensive

That world music list curmudgeon posted on Christmas Eve ends up with Abigail Washburn and the Sparrow Quartet's s/t, which might be great, at least at times, considering a set they did on public radio's "Woodsongs." She lived in China, brought back some tunes and instruments to mix into her Americana; some very attentive players in the Quartet, and maybe a couple of big or recognizable names, but the main thing is the tone and and tensile lyricism of playing, singing, writing. Nothing too gushy, though you might hear it in Starbucks. Some of it didn't work, but most of it did. The show's got a webcast they mention pretty often, so the set might be archived, and worth checking out, though the host/interview is a bit gushy("My name is Michael Jonathan, I'm a folksinger and treehugger").

x-post to Deej re Sasha FJ and Busta--

Is that the one (the new one?) with the James Brown meets PE feel?

yeah i didnt mean to say new -- there is a new one tho

sasha's pick is the PE sounding track yes