Laurel Halo

1. Julia Holter – The Falling Age

“A constantly evolving piece that touches on psychedelic folk, Medieval chant, sinister drones and epic chamber music anguish.  This is the most interesting and beautiful new track that I have heard all year!”

2. James Blake – CMYK

“I spent one evening playing along on the piano to this over and over again so I could figure out the harmonies.  The noise of the harmony’s synth combined with dagger-like distorted vocal samples creates this overall sense of reluctant catharsis.”

3. Oneohtrix Point Never – Preyouandi

“Sounds like the drowning process you go through before your lungs can handle liquid breathing.  Entering The Abyss.  Returnal is an incredible album.”

4. Egyptrixx – Liberation Front

“I love Egyptrixx’s sense of tension and release, mainly realized by aggressive, constantly detuning synth lines preceding huge trails of reverb and quiet metallic moments.  Wonderful sound design and production overall.  Can’t wait for his Night Slugs LP next year!”

5. Zs – Masonry

“This sounds like an intelligent building constructing itself.  Psychotic tine melodies drenched in reverb with sudden glissando attacks and forboding persistent clicking.  From their amazing album New Slaves.”

6. Girl Unit – Wut

“Baby-making glockenspiel and longing-yet-triumphant vocal samples.  ‘Wut’ is a total requiem club anthem.”

7. Alicia Keys – Unthinkable (Physical Therapy Edit)

“This sounds like driving into a post-thunderstorm CGI sunset.  The accompanying YouTube video with a dancing bearded lady is mental.”

8. Charanjit Singh – Raga Malkauns

“Ten Ragas to a Disco Beat is an incredible album and is exactly what it says it is.  I love this track’s bassline and the elegance of its simple arrangement.”

9. Oni Ayhun – OAR003-B

“The chords in this track are amazing – the ubiquitous [:joy2trauma:] in the verse and beautiful suspensions in the chorus.  Really hypnotizing and positive sounding leftfield jam.”

10. Light Asylum – Skull Fuct

“The voice of Shannon Funchess is the scariest and most beautiful that I have heard all year.  The In Tension EP is on the whole an amazing record!”

Loefah

1. Mala – Education (DMZ)
2. Shortstuff – I Am (Dub)
3. Actress – Lost (Honest Jon’s)
4. Girl Unit – Shade On (Night Slugs)
5. Joe – Claptrap (Hessle)
6. Boddika – Boddika’s House (Naked Lunch)
7. Pearson Sound – Blanked (Hessle Audio)
8. Pinch – The Boxer (Tectonic)
9. Fis-t – Deep Mover (502)
10. Breach – Fatherless (Ramp)

Starkey

1.  Rick Ross – Teflon Don
2. Antony & The Johnsons – Swanlights
3. Starkey – Ear Drums and Black Holes
4. Squarepusher – Shobaleader One: d’Demonstrator
5. Vex’d – Cloud Seed
6. Drake – Thank Me Later
7. Brad Mehldau – Highway Rider
8. Big Boi – Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty
9.  BD1982 – Lets Talk Math
10. DJ Nate – Da Trak Genious

Robin Tri Angle

1. Autre ne Veut – Autre ne Veut
2. Tyler, The Creator – Bastard
3. Ke$ha – Cannibal / Animal
4. Chasing Voices – ‘Acidbathory’
5. Pariah – Safehouses
6. Blawan – ‘Fram’
7. Babe Rainbow – Babe Rainbow
8. Sky Ferreria – ‘One’
9. Salem – King Night
10. Hyetal – ‘Phoenix’
11. Cassie – ‘What She Don’t Know Won’t Hurt Her’
12. Dusk & Blackdown vs. Grievous Angel – Margins Music: Redux
13. The Saturdays – Missing You
14. Forest Swords – Forest Swords