Thnx, etc.
I'm super late with my annual Thanksgiving thanks list, but what else is new? Hope you had a fine Turkey Day and Shopping Day and Internet Shopping Day and whatever else you did recently.
Animal Collective: for a light show that almost caused me to fall over at Pitchfork.
Benedict's Eggs & More: for lovely gourmet breakfast getaways.
Cats (ours): for love, excitement and free entertainment.
Dads (ours): for coming through and kicking ass, as always.
Enterprise Car Rental: for getting me around at two crucial junctures.
"Fall, The": for opulent, liberating cinematic storyspinning.
"Golden Girls, The": for centering me with withering put-downs, sex jokes and St. Olaf stories.
Heathen Crusade III: for a much-needed, ale-fueled pagan metal weekend retreat.
Italian cuisine: for always hitting the spot.
Job opportunities: for arising.
Kuma's Corner : for good beer, great burgers and proud support of heavy metal in Chicago.
Living together: for being all it's cracked up to be.
My Sassy Frassy Lassie: for true love that makes me happier than I've ever been in my life.
Ninjavideo.net : for helping us keep up with our stories.
Obama, Barack: for beating the bad guys... may he not fuck up.
Parts & Labor: for unleashing such beautiful noise.
Quince body butter: for making m'lady smell nice.
Ruffles (aka Russell) the orca: for thrilling high seas adventure.
"Superjail": for bringing fun, violent, surreal animation back to Adult Swim.
Totter's Otterville: for evoking fond memories of childhood birthday parties.
Ulveheim: for making me believe that Mexicans can play good Viking metal.
Vic Mackey: for seven seasons of gut-wrenching tension.
Woods of Ypres: for grand-scale metal that's also personal and real.
"Xanadu" (Pirated Video version): for being just as ridiculous, but easier to sit through.
Yorik and Rachel: for lovely nuptuals, gracious hosting and family bonding.
Zany hijinks: for being zany.
Hey, remember when I used to post playlists without writing a damn book about each song? I think I'm gonna try to do that once a week until the end of the year. Keepin' it short is the only way I'll find time to present a sampler of the year's cool tunes before unveiling my top ten. The upside is that the top ten should actually appear before 2009 dawns. So, minimal comments from me, but click the album title to read more about any given release. I also want to tell you about the cool time I had at Heathen Crusade III, so please come back during the month. Here's the first batch of tracks... listen before they're gone.
1. Lair of the Minotaur, "Slaughter the Bestial Legion" War Metal Battle Master (Southern Lord): Primal Chicagoans brandishing ornery, war-torn death/thrash.
2. Agalloch, "Pantheist" The White EP (Vendlus): Mesmerizing neo-folk/post-rock/metal by Oregon's finest, from a limited "Wicker Man"-themed EP that is, like all their work, a pristine evocation of the natural beauty in Northwestern winter.
3. Nine Inch Nails, "Head Down" The Slip (The Null Corporation): Trent's free album isn't as catchy as his old stuff, but its moody electro-rock is funky and intricate enough to make up for that.
4. Dismember, "To End It All" Dismember (Regain): Among Swedish death metal legends, Dismember has thankfully altered their rabid, blood-caked, engagingly melodic style the least over the decades... especially that sick guitar tone.
5. Equilibrium, "Unbesiegt" Sagas (Nuclear Blast): Triumphant, highly recommended symphonic folk metal from Germany with enough room for both epic, exotic theatrics and pint-slamming forest fun.
6. Ratatat, "Mumtaz Khan" LP3 (XL): An Arabian-tinged groover by this awesome electronic duo, who downplay their guitar rockin' and broaden their textural palette on long-player number three.
7. Trinacria, "The Silence" Travel Now Journey Infinitely (Indie Recordings): A collaborative Norwegian art metal project featuring the core members of Enslaved, dabbling in harsh repetition and experimental noise.
8. They Might Be Giants, "Triops Has Three Eyes" Here Come the 123s (Disney Sound): From the third children's album by Brooklyn's Ambassadors of Love, this one centering on numbers, comes this reliably goofy and infectious keyboardy charmer for all ages.
9. Protest the Hero, "Palms Read" Fortress (Vagrant): Twiddly, titanic prog-metalcore from California that smashes the instrumental excesses of The Mars Volta and Between the Buried and Me into flamboyantly molten emotive fragments.
10. Brain Drill, "Apocalyptic Feasting" Apocalyptic Feasting (Metal Blade): Yes, more batshit insane U.S. death/grind, but with superhuman chops and more thrash than "core" leanings which elevate these kids over the unappealing sea of jokey MySpace "metal" trendies.
11. The Black Angels, "Deer-Ree-Shee" Directions to See a Ghost (Light in the Attic): Hazy psychedelic coolness from the hipster haven of Austin, TX, enhanced here by a stinging sitar slicing through the smoky shroud.
12. Dan Friel, "Buzzards" Ghost Town (Important): The hotwired electronics guru of the great Parts & Labor makes bright, melodic instrumental synth-pop on his debut solo LP, but with a harsh enough aesthetic to betray his noise roots.
13. Volbeat, "Maybellene i Hofteholder" Guitar Gangsters and Cadillac Blood (Mascot): Enjoyable lead single from album three by the world's leading rockabilly metal band, the Danes still sounding a lot like the '90s Misfits to me in their blend of boppy '50s melody and simplistic punk/metal energy, although they have yet to deliver a consistent LP.
14. Keep of Kalessin, "Kolossus" Kolossus (Nuclear Blast): Arnt O. Grønbech retooled his dormant black metal project into a fresh, unclassifiable beast a few years ago, and here the Norseman embraces his higher profile with a more adventurous alternative to Behemoth's accessible but sterile black/death bashing.
15. GZA/Genius, "0% Finance" Pro Tools (Babygrande): Wu-Tang Clan's most underhyped MC is at the top of his game on his new solo disc, such as on this impressive match of the casual-but-coiled Genius' car-themed rhymes with a driving Arabian Knight beat.
16. Unearth, "Cutman" The March (Metal Blade): Melodic metalcore is so 2003, but for those still occasionally drawn to the old stomp n' twiddle of East Coast Americans worshipping even older Gothenburg death metal, these Bostonians can still get the neck moving.
17. The Slackers, "Leave Me" Self Medication (Indication): While The Slackers' latest dips into a number of styles, including '60s pop and '50s rock, their strength continues to be slinky, soulful ska with tasteful horns and a slight sense of blissful damnation.
18. Brainstorm, "Stained With Sin" Downburst (Metal Blade): Moving at an Accept-like trudge, the German vets throw down impeccably solid traditional metal with modern heft, leather-lunged Andy Franck screaming skyward for the unapologetically dramatic chorus.
19. M83, "Graveyard Girl" Saturdays=Youth (Mute): Long revered for his stew of icy electronics and shoegaze rock textures, Frenchman Anthony Gonzalez goes way pop on his latest, at its best sounding like the closing credits of an old John Hughes movie beamed in from Neptune.
20. Velnias, "Sovereign Nocturnal" Sovereign Nocturnal (God Is Myth): Their exploratory doom/black fusion embodying all that's great about Chicago's thriving metal scene, the title track from this trio's debut full-length became an undeniably powerful highlight of this year's Heathen Crusade.
Animal Collective: for a light show that almost caused me to fall over at Pitchfork.
Benedict's Eggs & More: for lovely gourmet breakfast getaways.
Cats (ours): for love, excitement and free entertainment.
Dads (ours): for coming through and kicking ass, as always.
Enterprise Car Rental: for getting me around at two crucial junctures.
"Fall, The": for opulent, liberating cinematic storyspinning.
"Golden Girls, The": for centering me with withering put-downs, sex jokes and St. Olaf stories.
Heathen Crusade III: for a much-needed, ale-fueled pagan metal weekend retreat.
Italian cuisine: for always hitting the spot.
Job opportunities: for arising.
Kuma's Corner : for good beer, great burgers and proud support of heavy metal in Chicago.
Living together: for being all it's cracked up to be.
My Sassy Frassy Lassie: for true love that makes me happier than I've ever been in my life.
Ninjavideo.net : for helping us keep up with our stories.
Obama, Barack: for beating the bad guys... may he not fuck up.
Parts & Labor: for unleashing such beautiful noise.
Quince body butter: for making m'lady smell nice.
Ruffles (aka Russell) the orca: for thrilling high seas adventure.
"Superjail": for bringing fun, violent, surreal animation back to Adult Swim.
Totter's Otterville: for evoking fond memories of childhood birthday parties.
Ulveheim: for making me believe that Mexicans can play good Viking metal.
Vic Mackey: for seven seasons of gut-wrenching tension.
Woods of Ypres: for grand-scale metal that's also personal and real.
"Xanadu" (Pirated Video version): for being just as ridiculous, but easier to sit through.
Yorik and Rachel: for lovely nuptuals, gracious hosting and family bonding.
Zany hijinks: for being zany.
Hey, remember when I used to post playlists without writing a damn book about each song? I think I'm gonna try to do that once a week until the end of the year. Keepin' it short is the only way I'll find time to present a sampler of the year's cool tunes before unveiling my top ten. The upside is that the top ten should actually appear before 2009 dawns. So, minimal comments from me, but click the album title to read more about any given release. I also want to tell you about the cool time I had at Heathen Crusade III, so please come back during the month. Here's the first batch of tracks... listen before they're gone.
1. Lair of the Minotaur, "Slaughter the Bestial Legion" War Metal Battle Master (Southern Lord): Primal Chicagoans brandishing ornery, war-torn death/thrash.
2. Agalloch, "Pantheist" The White EP (Vendlus): Mesmerizing neo-folk/post-rock/metal by Oregon's finest, from a limited "Wicker Man"-themed EP that is, like all their work, a pristine evocation of the natural beauty in Northwestern winter.
3. Nine Inch Nails, "Head Down" The Slip (The Null Corporation): Trent's free album isn't as catchy as his old stuff, but its moody electro-rock is funky and intricate enough to make up for that.
4. Dismember, "To End It All" Dismember (Regain): Among Swedish death metal legends, Dismember has thankfully altered their rabid, blood-caked, engagingly melodic style the least over the decades... especially that sick guitar tone.
5. Equilibrium, "Unbesiegt" Sagas (Nuclear Blast): Triumphant, highly recommended symphonic folk metal from Germany with enough room for both epic, exotic theatrics and pint-slamming forest fun.
6. Ratatat, "Mumtaz Khan" LP3 (XL): An Arabian-tinged groover by this awesome electronic duo, who downplay their guitar rockin' and broaden their textural palette on long-player number three.
7. Trinacria, "The Silence" Travel Now Journey Infinitely (Indie Recordings): A collaborative Norwegian art metal project featuring the core members of Enslaved, dabbling in harsh repetition and experimental noise.
8. They Might Be Giants, "Triops Has Three Eyes" Here Come the 123s (Disney Sound): From the third children's album by Brooklyn's Ambassadors of Love, this one centering on numbers, comes this reliably goofy and infectious keyboardy charmer for all ages.
9. Protest the Hero, "Palms Read" Fortress (Vagrant): Twiddly, titanic prog-metalcore from California that smashes the instrumental excesses of The Mars Volta and Between the Buried and Me into flamboyantly molten emotive fragments.
10. Brain Drill, "Apocalyptic Feasting" Apocalyptic Feasting (Metal Blade): Yes, more batshit insane U.S. death/grind, but with superhuman chops and more thrash than "core" leanings which elevate these kids over the unappealing sea of jokey MySpace "metal" trendies.
11. The Black Angels, "Deer-Ree-Shee" Directions to See a Ghost (Light in the Attic): Hazy psychedelic coolness from the hipster haven of Austin, TX, enhanced here by a stinging sitar slicing through the smoky shroud.
12. Dan Friel, "Buzzards" Ghost Town (Important): The hotwired electronics guru of the great Parts & Labor makes bright, melodic instrumental synth-pop on his debut solo LP, but with a harsh enough aesthetic to betray his noise roots.
13. Volbeat, "Maybellene i Hofteholder" Guitar Gangsters and Cadillac Blood (Mascot): Enjoyable lead single from album three by the world's leading rockabilly metal band, the Danes still sounding a lot like the '90s Misfits to me in their blend of boppy '50s melody and simplistic punk/metal energy, although they have yet to deliver a consistent LP.
14. Keep of Kalessin, "Kolossus" Kolossus (Nuclear Blast): Arnt O. Grønbech retooled his dormant black metal project into a fresh, unclassifiable beast a few years ago, and here the Norseman embraces his higher profile with a more adventurous alternative to Behemoth's accessible but sterile black/death bashing.
15. GZA/Genius, "0% Finance" Pro Tools (Babygrande): Wu-Tang Clan's most underhyped MC is at the top of his game on his new solo disc, such as on this impressive match of the casual-but-coiled Genius' car-themed rhymes with a driving Arabian Knight beat.
16. Unearth, "Cutman" The March (Metal Blade): Melodic metalcore is so 2003, but for those still occasionally drawn to the old stomp n' twiddle of East Coast Americans worshipping even older Gothenburg death metal, these Bostonians can still get the neck moving.
17. The Slackers, "Leave Me" Self Medication (Indication): While The Slackers' latest dips into a number of styles, including '60s pop and '50s rock, their strength continues to be slinky, soulful ska with tasteful horns and a slight sense of blissful damnation.
18. Brainstorm, "Stained With Sin" Downburst (Metal Blade): Moving at an Accept-like trudge, the German vets throw down impeccably solid traditional metal with modern heft, leather-lunged Andy Franck screaming skyward for the unapologetically dramatic chorus.
19. M83, "Graveyard Girl" Saturdays=Youth (Mute): Long revered for his stew of icy electronics and shoegaze rock textures, Frenchman Anthony Gonzalez goes way pop on his latest, at its best sounding like the closing credits of an old John Hughes movie beamed in from Neptune.
20. Velnias, "Sovereign Nocturnal" Sovereign Nocturnal (God Is Myth): Their exploratory doom/black fusion embodying all that's great about Chicago's thriving metal scene, the title track from this trio's debut full-length became an undeniably powerful highlight of this year's Heathen Crusade.
posted by SoulReaper at 10:25 AM
1 Comments:
Hooray for Superjail!
Post a Comment
<< Home