11: PANGAEA
PANGAEA EP
(HESSLE AUDIO)
“The darkness in Pangaea’s work – and there’s certainly a lot of that – is never easy or simple. Minute by minute these tracks slip into new moods, leaving things tantalising and obscured. Take ‘5-htp’, for instance, which drifts from a wistful ambient throb to paranoid industrial two-step, ending with some sensual blurred keys that could have come from Theo Parrish. Much as it drills a hole in your skull and plays with your mind, this music belongs in the rave, rushing forward on garage and Funky beats clipped down to the essentials. It’s not perfect: ‘Because of You’ feels frustratingly more like a sketch than a fully realised piece, and ‘Neurons’ is a bit, well, silly. But the best moments here are the most utterly, enthrallingly, genuinely hardcore pieces of music. The kind of music that makes you stop and think ‘yeah, I remember now…this is why’.” Full review
12: PANTHA DU PRINCE
BLACK NOISE
(ROUGH TRADE)
“It might take long-time Pantha fans a while to gel with this record: Black Noise is so delicate and subtle that it takes a few listens to realise it’s more than just This Bliss Pt. 2 [This Bliss being his previous, widely celebrated album]. In the build up to its release, there were worries that Pantha’s trademark chime-heavy sound would become an albatross around his neck; instead, he’s shown he can tell new stories with this unique aesthetic. This is almost certainly the dance – and in some ways pop – album of the year so far.” Full review
13: SCUBA / VARIOUS ARTISTS
SUB:STANCE
(OSTGUT-TON)
“All hugely impressive tunes, and an example of how diverse this increasingly uncategorisable scene has become, for sure. But the real star of the show is Scuba himself, and this impeccably programmed set is his calling card.” Full review
14: SHINING
BLACKJAZZ
(INDIE RECORDINGS)
“Blackjazz is a pretty vital piece of work. Though some quarters of the metal audience may balk at the absence of 20-minute drone-backed monologues, and the presence of no small amount of testosterone, it’s been a long time since a metal album sounded so of its time. At points its gleaming, reflective surfaces may reflect other artists, though taken as a whole it sounds like nothing else. The shape of metal to come? Don’t count on it. We should just be thankful Blackjazz exists in the here and now. If Tool or Trent Reznor were capable of this kind of thing in 2010, it would sell hand over fist. As it is, Blackjazz may just have to settle for cult classic status.” Full review
15: THESE NEW PURITANS
HIDDEN
(ANGULAR)
“There’s no doubt Hidden could have so easily been a sprawling mess, but it’s unified by its drive towards something entirely original, and it succeeds. Like all breaks from the past it feels uncomfortable at first, but soon you’ll wonder when the rest of the world is going to catch up.” Full review
16: TORO Y MOI
CAUSERS OF THIS
(CARPARK)
An unseasonably sweet and sun-dried record that combines the beach-psych tendencies of a Ducktails or a Washed Out with the pop nous of Noah Lennox and the synthetic groove know-how of Dam-Funk. If he ever pairs up with a more assured vocalist the way Lindstrøm did with Christabelle (or just makes peace with his voice’s limitations), we’re all going to want to experience life through Toro’s filters.” Full review
17: VARIOUS ARTISTS
BLANK GENERATION: BLANK TAPES NYC – 1975-1985
(STRUT)
“Blank Studios, Bob Blank’s off-centre studio on West 20th Street NYC was something of a hub for music both fantastic and vital…Blank Generation leaves you hungry for more, while at the same time wishing things were still as simple now in an era calcified by gentrification.” Full review
18: VARIOUS ARTISTS
THE MINIMAL WAVE TAPES VOL.1
(STONES THROW)
“Minimal wave”, also known as “cold wave”, is the loose term applied to stylized North American and European DIY synthesizer music from the late 70s and 80s, most of which was independently released in short cassette and vinyl runs. This ravishing and revelatory compilation, put together by Veronica Vasicka and Peanut Butter Wolf, rescued fourteen exemplary cuts from obscurity, including Mark Lane’s proto-acid ‘Who’s Really Listening’ and Linear Movement’s sublime pop confection ‘Way Out Of Living’. The best history lesson we’ve had so far this year.
19: VIRGO
VIRGO
(RUSH HOUR)
“Virgo’s deep, melancholic but drum-machine-heavy sound has a great deal in common with the best of Fingers Inc and Armando, but really it stands alone, and its cerebral but generously groovy evocation of the urban nightscape has never been matched for elegance or acuity.” Full review
20: YEASAYER
ODD BLOOD
(SECRETLY CANADIAN)
“This is a great album – a really great album – in so many respects, but all those shiny, overblown yet bizarrely weedy 80s sounds can’t be ignored, and it’s almost impossible to listen without thinking how much better it could be had the band not been so beholden to skewed nostalgia. So, Odd Blood: a frustratingly brilliant record.” Full review
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