1. Ben Frost & Daniel Bjarnason, Solaris
(Bedroom Community, CD/DL/LP)
A majestically controlled orchestral piece inspired by the film by Tarkovsky and the book by Lem, neither of which I knew well before. A personal choice in part (I saw it performed in Krakow, New York, and Reykjavik, and spent lots of time talking to Frost and others involved for a story not yet realized), but there’s real bravery and exploration here—in ways all too fleeting and all too rare.
2. Destroyer, Kaputt
(Merge, CD/DL/LP)
Dan Bejar is my favorite lyricist at work these days (and one of very few I’d profess to paying any genuine attention), but this one addressed overall sound and vision so well as to make distinctions between incisive writing and idle humming blur. (Wrote about it here.)
3. James Ferraro, FACT Mix 289
(factmag.com, DL)
Loved this in ways I’m still sorting through, and pretty sure I’ll never fully account for the effect of the pitched-down New Editon that wanders in at 2:20. Substituted Ferraro’s also-great Far Side Virtual for entry in polls requiring proper albums, but I liked the Fact podcast mix even more—probably the thing that made me most go “Wha?! Wait, how…? What?” (Wrote about Ferraro here.)
4. Nicolas Jaar, Space Is Only Noise
(Circus Company, CD/DL/LP)
Disarmingly patient and poised, plus paired later in the year with a live-band presentation that made for one of the more impressive musical showings I’ve seen in years. Think Al Green and extrapolate. (Wrote about him here.)
5. Hecker, Speculative Solution
(Editions Mego, CD + book)
Confusion made systematic, to startling effect. Hearing computer music like this makes one wonder what is taking so many others—all but a few others, really—quite so long. Also dug the BBs that came in the box.
6. Sun Araw, Ancient Romans
(Drag City/Sun Ark, CD, DL, 2xLP)
Was agnostic or at least not terribly enthused about Sun Araw until seeing them play live and slay. Album makes good on many of the same kind of lateral moves, plus ace mixing by Sonic Boom from Spacemen 3.
7. Ricardo Villalobos & Max Loderbauer, Re:ECM
(ECM, 2xCD/DL)
I suspect it took writing about it to burrow in as deeply as proved necessary for real apprehension, but once dialed in I got more as regards “whither new forms for electronic music?” out of this than anything else. (Wrote about it here.)
8. Prurient, Bermuda Drain
(Hydra Head, CD/DL/LP)
Scabrous in ways but ingratiating too, an interesting strategic enlistment of formalism, or at least intimations of formalism.
9. Tim Hecker, Ravedeath, 1972
(Kranky, CD/DL/2xLP)
I’d want to call this one novelistic if that didn’t seem to miss the point entirely. Ambient music to scrape paint by, preferably from a fresco.
10. Balam Acab, Wander/Wonder
(Tri Angle, CD/DL/LP)
Still not sure if the vocal sounds are revelatory or else embarrassing (not mutually exclusive, but still…), but the sweep of this one got me every time.
