Anesthetize
Porcupine Tree
KScope, Bluray
www.porcupinetree.com
An absolute stunning live Bluray disc. Pure surround bliss, no wonder Steven Wilson was chosen by Robert Fripp to mix the King Crimson albums in surround. This is easily the best representation of live music I have heard on Bluray and the closest to capturing a live band performance in highdef ever. It was just nominated for a Grammy I believe.
Suggested by Derek J. Hunt www.derekjhunt.org
Girlfight Vol. 1
r0773r b0u7d3r
r0773r b0u7d3r, EP
http://r0773rb0u7d3r.bandcamp.com/
A collaboration between chip music legend Bud Melvin and singer Jessica Billey, the EP was created to commemorate the R0773R B0U7D3R set assembled for the Thursday Night Girl Fight show at the Launchpad in Albuquerque on May 27th, 2010, which featured local acts all performing songs written by women. Bud rocks the backing tracks with LGPT (piggy tracker) and electric guitar. The album’s closer, Mistral Wind originally by Heart, is dreamy, visceral, whimsical and menacing all in one shot. I’ve never heard anything quite like it.
Suggested by B.Leo dummydrome.com
LP4
Ratatat
XL Recordings, Album (full-length)
http://beggarsgroupusa.com/releases/lp4/
I can’t find another band out there with such a tight grasp on all aspects of creating music. Inventive sound design, exotic instrumentation, a strong sense of melody and composition, intricately layered recordings and actual musicianship. The music is more organic than it is electronic. It’s not rigidly quantized, and melody is not replaced by samples, distortion or LFOs modulating cutoff filters like so much other electronic music out there. On top of all this, the band takes a real DIY approach to recording. The two members of the band play almost all of the instruments on the album (not including the string section), and they are their own recording and mixing engineers. This doesn’t mean the music is inherently any better, but it should appeal to the readers of CDM who tend to be the musician/producer/engineer all-in-one types as well. Although they have been pretty successful so far, I still think Ratatat are criminally under-appreciated by most.
Suggested by arob
Because Maybe!
Renard
Renard Queenston, Album (full-length)
http://lapfox.bandcamp.com/album/because-maybe
uplifitng, and lots of good albuns besides this one… and renard can indeed reach various genres with his many personas.. so for me is not about the music of the year but the musician i started to listen to this year
Suggested by — —
Disaffected Suite
Rhythm In Mind
Rhythm In Mind, EP
http://rhythminmind.net/1313/?p=1945
Great orginal use of electronic & Live playing.
Suggested by Jen Silver
Atman
RJ Valeo
Io Records, Album (full-length)
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/atman/id380110628
Really amazing album by an inspired multi-disciplinary artist.
Suggested by Jessi Scopp http://jessiscopp.com/
The Transactional Dharma of Roj
Roj
Ghost Box, Album (full-length)
http://www.ghostbox.co.uk/products/product_tdor.htm
It is informed by the pioneers of electronic music and uses tape manipulation, percussion, electronics and voice to create otherworldly music. Roj is an ex member of Broadcast.
Suggested by Simon http://thesimonsound.bandcamp.com/album/reverse-engineering
Midnight Club EP
Russ Chimes
Eye Industries, EP
http://www.russchimes.com/
It sounds modern and nostalgic in the same time 🙂
Suggested by Max Brannslokker http://spandarecords.info/
Tell Your Friends
Snarky Puppy
Ropeadope, Album (full-length)
http://www.snarkypuppy.com/
Funky shit
Suggested by Spazmatron
SONOIO
SONOIO
independent, http://sonoio.org/, Album (full-length)
http://sonoio.org/
I like both the songwriting and the sounddesign. Have not heard such a beauty in quite a long time. I’m completely hooked on this.
Suggested by x2mirko http://twitter.com/x2mirko
blue
sonoio
sonoio, Album (full-length)
http://www.sonoio.org/
apart from the buchla gear porn side of it, its a collection of genuinely well put together, catchy but unashamedly synth-geeky music
Suggested by kathal http://soundcloud.com/7ar
SONOIO
SONOIO
SONOIO, Album (full-length)
www.sonoio.org
Really nice vibe of the record, composition. Liked the use of analog synths, which got me more interested in the synth music. One of the favourite releases of 2010.
Suggested by Kharlamov Dmitri
SONOIO
SONOIO
SONOIO, Album (full-length)
http://sonoio.org/
There’s an underlying energy in this album that translates into my mind/body/whatever else there is. The synth work is fabulous, and the challenge/delight of the writing process on the Buchla 200e is very intriguing. The SONOIO album and its coverage forced me to re-listen to Telefon Tel Aviv – Immolate Yourself, which is another analog powerhouse album. In your face and underlying energy sources coming from each track, and the album as a whole. I now have a new appreciation for Immolate Yourself, and that in turn gave me new appreciation for SONOIO. Regardless of the equipment used, the sound is amazing. Not having a piece of analog synth gear aside from my Monotron adds to what could be novelty in this album, but it’s not. It’s enlightened work.
Suggested by Codey Christensen http://renderful.com