I've really loved this year, top 3 are my favorite releases from the artists
1.
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Syro by Aphex Twin
It's weird for me that this is considered accessible, because it's so far removed from the repetitiveness of the most beloved stuff. It doesn't have the flash of all the metasynth stuff on Windowlicker so a lot of people were like "wtf why doesn't this sound like the future". It's the furthest step away from the "using drum repetitions to create the impression of pitch" drill n bass stuff of the late 90's. And the aesthetics of it all are more like a distillation of the aesthetic pursued by the now defunct Rephlex Records. But it makes me so glad that in spite of all that, it still connects with people. Because these compositions are just so detailed, bustling with activity. But there is a light touch to everything, even on the high bpm tracks, it always feels like there is space for every element to move around and decide to be something else (and that is often taken advantage of). I've never heard anything that geeks out this hard without weighing down the ears any.
2.
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Slipping Control by Ben Vida
This is one of those albums where I can totally get if someone finds it annoying and absolutely hates it. I wouldn't want to just put it on somewhere where someone had to listen to it without consciously choosing to. There's a lot of weird high frequency synthesis stuff, and people doing weird phonetic poetry type stuff that has nothing to do with language and everything to do with making sounds out of your mouth. This started as a book, with pages filled with different series of phonemes, presented with various typographical stylistical stuff to give different impressions of emphasis. These were then performed by Ben Vida, Tyondai Braxton, and Sara Magenheimer, with the vocals being used to trigger all sorts of synth stuff. But where someone like Florian Hecker does this sort of thing and creates a (truly wonderful and highly recommended) abrasive brain floss noise bash, on this album there's a stronger sense of rhythm to the original text. And although the (wait for it) control has been (oh my god) slipping throughout this whole process (omg that's the title), there's still a strong sense that something really made it through. And all of the mutations it went through to get to that point made it something really distinct and near and dear to my heart.
3.
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Xen by Arca
So everyone knows about Arca by now, did a little bit on Yeezus, did some stuff for FKA Twigs, those Stretch eps in 2012 and the &&&&& mixtape in 2013. This is only his first album, but I really think it blows all that other stuff out of the water. The mixtape last year was a bit of a letdown for me, it had the crazy bent sounds and everything but there was none of the structural craziness of something like Fortune from Stretch 2. And this album just delivers on all of that, and then goes and surprises me with some really brilliant melody stuff that thrives in the environments of these songs, grounding everything on a much more human emotional level when I was planning on staring up into space looking for aliens. The alien is landed and he's gonna help produce Bjork's next record and more than likely will come out with something that tops this, and I'm psyched for the ride.
Mine would be :
1) Run the Jewels - Run the Jewels 2
2) The Afghan Whigs - Do to the Beast
3) Cloud Nothings - Here and Nowhere Else
Have to give a nod to Ought too, their album is surprisingly a grower.
20 year old me would vote for The Hotelier - Home, Like Noplace is There as album of the year though, pretty sure I would have been hooked on it (and I still find it pretty good).
I should add it's been a fairly disappointing year, only RTJ2 would be in my 2013 top 10 and only the 5 albums above and Swans could compete with my 2013 top 20.
I have listened to about 90 2013 albums and 40 2014 albums so that might factor in, but still, I love the consensus picks of last year, not so much this year.
It's been my favorite since it was initially released and has held up really well since than. A very personal record and often wanders around lyrically, but that is the genius part of it. Throughout the record, I hear a man trying to come to terms with what has happened in his life and the lives of people he knows and cares about. While I can't relate to what's going on in the songs, the album makes me reflect on my own life and the lives of those around me. Truly a marvel of an album.
2) To Be Kind- Swans
The Seer was incredible and this topped it. Slower and more brutal than its predecessor, I found this to be a very cathartic record. You feel every second of its 2 hr length, yet it feels like it passes in a flash. A powerful album about love and what it does to people, I think I feel in love with this record at the exact time I needed it (depression, messy breakup). It confirmed in my mind that Swans are now making the best music of their career since they have reunited.
3) The Future's Void- EMA
Not as powerful or as great as her debut, but really, few records I have heard are better than Past Life Martyred Saints. A great record about the ways we attempt to make connections in our modern age, it shows EMA has greater range than the loud noise rock of her debut. "3Jane" in particular shows a softer side that shows she can create great beauty from minimalism.
I have listened to about 90 2013 albums and 40 2014 albums so that might factor in, but still, I love the consensus picks of last year, not so much this year.
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