Phantom Vibrations

It's Mixxmas time once again, and so this was my gift this year. I'd been downloading a bunch of dubstep the past couple months and decided to make a mix out of it. To people who listen to a lot of dubstep this may sound like a "best of 2008" mix or something, but I don't claim that kind of genre proficiency. And besides, it means there's no filler, so a win-win. I know this is technically being posted in January which puts me behind the 2 month mark, but that's just because I had to wait until my mix recipient had gotten the hard copy. Hopefully the Googles that be will not take this one down like they did 25th Birthday. If you didn't get the chance to download that and want it, let me know and I'll get it to you. All that said, I hope you enjoy the dubstep mix and wish you and yours a Merry Mixxmas and a Happy New Year!

Gold Skulltulla - Phantom Vibrations

See comments section for tracklist.

Best Albums of 2008: 5-1

5. Deadbeat - Roots and Wire
This was a nice little surprise for me, courtesy of Mike Treffehn. I'd never even heard of Deadbeat, and went about downloading everything I could find. I'd have to say that his output in 2008 was quite stellar and the best of his entire catalog. His album release, Roots and Wire, is the next thing you should check out if you were into the new DJ/Rupture mix this year. It crosses over genres effortlessly, which highlights just how close certain types of music actually are to one another. You could call this a dubstep record, but that's ignoring the techno, the reggae, and other sounds that play a huge role. The tracks themselves are chock full of wonderful beats, and the way songs featuring Paul St. Hilaire bookend the album, everything feels like a tightly controlled package. It could be considered a blemish how precise everything is, but that's more a matter of personal taste than anything. I certainly can't find flaw here.

4. Minilogue - Animals
It's difficult to say where to start talking about Minilogue's debut album as it takes a lot of time to fully process. I mean that literally as well; we're talking 2 discs totalling over 2 hours of music here. The first disc is the "dance" half, while the second is the "ambient" half. This is for the most part true, but both do deviate a little into the other from time to time (i.e. the 2nd disc brings in beats a few songs in). Oh, both are also fully mixed from start to finish. So yeah, this is a really boring way to talk about one of the most exciting techno acts right now. This is kind of the Isolee's We Are Monster of this year in terms of tone and background. Unlike that record though, Minilogue sticks more to the trademark techno beats. The thing is, for an album that (on the 1st disc) remains in this structure, it's the most organic, amoebic sound I've heard in techno music in a long time. There's always a sound you haven't really heard around the corner at an interval that you might not have expected. Things flow quite easily, and the second disc is like a total dream. Ambient-phobics need not fear that they're in for 5 keys of Casio synth washes on repeat, it retains it's mesmerizing pace and its sense of mystery throughout.

3. Lindstrom - Where You Go I Go Too
I found out this year that my lineage actually traces more back to Sweden than it does Norway, which means I pick up being able to say I'm possibly distant cousins with Studio, The Field, Air France, and The Tough Alliance, but I lose Lindstrom. This is made all the more depressing by the fact that he put his smiling, friendly face on the cover of his debut album. I'm sorry Hans-Peter, it's not my fault! Luckily, with this album I feel like the two of us are spending plenty of quality time together. In an effort that trumps everything Nike could have come up with for a running nix, Lindstrom puts "the journey" in musical form. Take equal amounts of epic buildups, heavy breathing, synth stabs, crashing waves, and disco beats and there you go. You'll forget all about how Lindstrom has said he's not doing any more remixes, because maybe he's working on a follow-up to this, which is something that (despite how great his remixes are) I would definitely prefer if I had to choose.

2. M83 - Saturdays = Youth
The new album from M83 was definitely my most hotly anticipated album of the year, and though I was not disappointed, I was surprised. When I first heard "Couleurs" I thought I had my song and probably album of the year already set. Once I finally got my hands on the album, I had to take a step back and say, "Ok, this is different, I need to get over that it's different because I think it's really good." So I did, and it is. I have read just about every review of this album from every decently notable music site, and have to say that I disagree wholeheartedly with the negative criticism they offer of this album. My favorite part, other than the transition into the last track which then lingers for over ten minutes, is the reading of the poem/diary entry in "Graveyard Girl." It's everything this album is about, and so much what M83 seems to have been aspiring to since Before The Dawn Heals Us. So, yes, it's different (though all the elements from past records are still here in some form), but it's more than a worthy entry in the M83 catalog. Worth noting perhaps that the past 2 M83 albums have been my favorite albums of the year when they were released, and so, maybe I still like them a little more by comparison (maybe not), but this still feels like the most fully formed M83 vision to date. Also, I love when my favorite artists evolve in interesting directions.

1. Hercules & Love Affair - Hercules & Love Affair
Far and away my worst musical addiction this year was "Blind." I listened to it on freaking repeat sometimes, and the video is absolutely perfect as well. Herc was easily the most interesting development in dance music this year. Even though so many elements on the album are borrowed from older funk/disco records (for "You Belong" see Inner City's "Good Life" for example), but everything is made anew with pitch-perfect production and vocal performances. This was competing with M83 since their releases all year, and nothing else even came close. The lyrics are heartwrenching, the beats are infinitely danceable, and the melodies are sweeping. One element that may be underrated with this album is it's diversity of midtempo offerings. Nothing sounds like a template had been used for multiple tracks. Only "You Belong" has obvious club potential, and the rest are content to quietly compel you move rather than shouting "this is dance music!" Thus the vibe of the album is friendly and inviting, which makes Antony's singing all the more empathetic (also, it's Antony). The result is something that's dancey, intimate, fun, and endlessly listenable. Plus it's the best new thing you could have put in your ears in 2008.

Best Albums of 2008: 15-6

15. Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles
It's one thing to use 8-bit sounds in your music, but quite another to use the best 8-bit sounds. Crystal Castles is one of those bands where I had more bootlegs and demos than I knew how to categorize. Having no idea what was the proper version of anything is an aesthetic that is carried over into their self-titled album. The LP jumps all over the place, blurring the line between original material, sampled based material, and remixed material. On one hand there's Crystal Castles vs. HEALTH, but on the other is the track "Vanished" which is basically a CC remix of "Sex City" by Van She. This interplay is pretty interesting, and raises some significant questions about authorship and ownership. This aside, the music is still pretty great. I've grown more detached to the screamo side of CC in favor of more subdued fare like "Magic Spells" (my favorite song from the album) and "Reckless." It'll be interesting to see where the band goes from here, especially considering their most recent remix included no 8-bit samples at all.

14. Quiet Village - Silent Movie
This album may give off the vibe of a film score, but it would definitely be a film score that demands your attention during the movie, and not just providing a pleasant backdrop. Each song would also be coming from a totally different movie as well, and it's fun to imagine the genre-specific imagery that would accompany each song, especially since this is something I have a tendency to do with instrumental music anyway. If all you know of Matt Edwards is Radio Slave, the sound of Quiet Village will be incredibly surprising. There's is very little "techno" at work here, instead Edwards is pulling more from his Rekid alias side of things, but stripping the club atmosphere in favor of the movie theater. I heard they did a live show where they essentially brought people into a tent and piped in their album while they screened silent films, which is probably the best way to accurately "perform" this album anyway.

13. DJ/Rupture - Uproot
Rupture outdoes himself here with what is definitely the most accomplished release of his career. With more listens, Uproot would likely ascend higher on this list, but for now it stays here. A denser atmosphere has been curated here than on Special Gunpowder, bestowing more of a moody, ambient setting. I tend to favor this strategy by default (but can definitely go the other way too) and it's nice to see it accomplished with such attention to detail here. The mixing and track selection is picture perfect, resonating between history and contemporaneity in a very dynamic sense. With still no new Avalanches record this year, Rupture more than fills the gap left behind in their absence and given me a whole host of artists to seek out more material from.

12. Sally Shapiro - Remix Romance Vol.1
Sure, I liked the original Disco Romance alright, it appealed to certain sensibilities, but I've since come to enjoy the darker side of Italo disco more via Chromatics, Glass Candy and others. So when the album is remixed by some of the best new (neu) disco and Balearic-themed producers, the results are totally right up my alley. I don't know that a comparison between this and the original is really apt, but I can say for sure that I like this one better. Add to that that everything Juan Maclean has touched recently has been nothing short of fantastic, and the album leads off with one of my favorite producers as of late, Tensnake, turning out the best version of the most recognizable Shapiro track, "I'll Be By Your Side" that has been, and likely will ever be, created. Normally remix albums fall pretty flat with a couple standouts, but Vol. 1 here is clear exception. I haven't listened to Vol. 2 which on the surface seems unnecessary, because this is already the perfect compliment to the original.

11. Clark - Turning Dragon
Dear God this album hits hard. Each beat is the audible equivalent of someone's face being smashed with a cinder block. It's a dry and gritty baseline, making use of noisy textures in a profoundly visceral manner. True the album isn't without its blissful breakdowns, but rather than the quiet ecstasy evident is Body Riddle, Turning Dragon more just offers a brief opportunity to lick your wounds. The hooks are catchy enough that you may feel compelled to dance, but if you try, you're likely to invent all sorts of moves that you never knew you had in you. I suppose the closest thing I can think to relate this too would be Clark's Warp brethren of IDM staples, but I happen to think he stands out pretty brilliantly from the pack. If you ever wanted to listen to the soundtrack to a post-apocalyptic urban war zone, look no further.

10. Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours
Ha, this is my indie rock entry this year, which is funny because rock people (the music kind, not the mutant kind) point out how dancey this band is. I suppose it's true, but I found them catchier, more consistent, more well-rounded, and more fun than their MGMT (great singles, meh album) and Vampire Weekend (meh) contemporaries. I came to Cut Copy more through them being remixed, but have since adopted a wealth of original tracks as being superior to any remix that follows them. I'm also pretty excited to see them live in the Spring as I picture them naturally awash in tinted lights as seen in the cover. The album continues this feeling of being awash in the sound, keeping everything very fluid. Through there are some driving beats, melody takes precedent and occasional group harmonizing results in a bit of a Klaxons-like vibe, but more sophisticated and less undirected youthful recklessness. It's been a good time for Australian music lately, which is a trend that I hope would continue.

9. Portishead - Third
I was totally surprised by Portshead this year. First we get their new material fresh off an 11 year hiatus, and then it sounds like this. Whether or not they sound like they used to is a moot point, the new sound is striking and varied and kind of depressing and pretty wonderful. Every track on here has at least one point where the instrumentation absolutely clicks and creates a memorable sound that yearns to be replayed. I really appreciate the varied song structures as well, keeping the whole thing feeling rather unpredictable, but without getting completely unhinged. The tone is sparse, hard, and cold. It's something that can only be played in specific conditions or risk putting everyone around you into an edgy state. Oh, and Beth Gibbons sounds as good as ever.

8. Ellen Allien - Sool
Speaking of sparse... This is one of those albums this I initially dismissed. Having come out of her collaboration with Apparat in what could only be classified as a techno pop album, we get Sool, just about the most minimal non-ambient album I've ever heard. I came back to this though, and tried to parse through its hard exterior, and once I did, the results were incredibly rewarding. This is the best Allien release yet, and a fresh take on what minimal techno can be (not everything has to aspire to Villalobos standards). It's hard to talk about the sound of Sool without stepping on the analogies of other critics, but I particularly liked the envisioned scenario that there are tiny machines that have evolved in the absence of humans, and they decide to make music. The point is that maybe it would sound like this. There's a weird organic structure that exists within the framework here, but it's tough to put your finger on exactly what quality it possesses. It remains that Sool continues to intrigue.

7. Gang Gang Dance - Saint Dymphna
Now it's easier than ever to get your non-weirdo friends into Gang Gang Dance. Following in the footsteps of "Nicoman" from their RAWWAR EP, GGD have taken on a more pop and much more polished sound. Listening to this and then going back to God's Money, I have to say that I prefer the older material, but Dymphna is an exiting evolution for them nonetheless, and a bountifully accomplished album. It's their most varied effort to date showing a wide variety of influences, and thus helping to create what can only be defined as the sound of contemporary New York music. When I think of the New York sound, I don't think of The Strokes or The Rapture, but rather this mishmashed collage of sounds and musical sources. Ironically then, for all their weirdness, GGD become an articulate voice for this sound; one that I hope continues it's evolution into whatever form it takes next. Oh, and for all the talk the true pop songs ("House Jam" and "Princes") received from critics, the best track is actually the instrumental "Vacuum." Just wanted to get that out there.

6. Air France - No Way Down
I'm still riding on last year's high of Studio and The Tough Alliance, and it leads straight to Air France. Here we have the release of a new EP and then a mini-album that places that EP together with 2006's On Trade Winds to create this stunningly blissful listening experience. Air France is different from their fellow Swedes though, less epic and more intimate than Studio, and more straightforward and less conceptually perplexing than The Tough Alliance. Sure the vibe is similar, but I could never mistake one for the other. Air France are close to the sound of The Avalanches in tone, but with a beachier vibe and without the hip-hop background. The draw comes from the creative use of samples, recontextualizing disparate elements into something that becomes a unified statement. There's a playfulness and a humor that makes No Way Down really easy to like, but I'd argue that there's plenty of content to unpack within the very accessible surface.