Well I took a look at the voting choices and was very amused. Seems like
the folks who got all the hype are the ones in the running. So much for
the little guy. With that in mind I thought I would mention some things
people may have missed. Seems to me at times that alot of us are to
"sound oriented" <that skam sound> or "label oriented" <mas>. For what
its worth here are some things I have been listening to quite a bit. I
have purposely only listed cd releases. There was tons of good vinyl this
year. Hell it was the year of the EP. Also a couple of these things may
have been released in 96.
Conmelt - 24 carat conmelt
Underrated album. At first a hard listen. Best analogy is that it is like
exploratory surgery. Almost every song is in a different style and some
change styles in mid song. But in the end you are left with a fresh,
frantic and enjoyable take on the current state of music.
Two Lone Swordsman - Swimming not skimming
A wonderful album. Varied and full of talent. IMHO it is a pretty good
chillout album as well.
GPR - Digital Millenium
These tracks still stand up today. A good way to see where we have been
and where we are going. Worth it for the scoobs of columbia track alone.
Plug Research Comp - won't say much here. Been all said before. If you
don't have it you missed out.
Radiohead - Ok computer - not IDM but one hell of a good cd. This is the
only rock album I bought this year.
Praxis: Transmutation Live <buckethead, laswell.dxt with the invisible
scratch pickles> - don't know when this came out. A mixture of excellent
guitar work, mad scratching, ambient synths and improv.
Shizuo - High on emotion - mad, crazy, noisy, insane. DHR and Shizuo at
their finest.
Swim - Water Communications - swim is one of the most varied labels to
date. Nothing sounds the same. This comp will prove it. A must have.
Anywhere from jungle to ambience.
Scanner vs signs ov Chaos - unite scanner with michael wells <from GTO
fame>. Expect the unexpected. I usually don't like scanner but I found
myself appreciating this cd quite a bit.
and I could go on. But I just wanted to state that not all the good
things were on vinyl.
-dan