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Old 2014.12.11, 02:46 PM   #21
Tokyo Jihad
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Dear Glathannus,

Please excuse Tokyo Jihad from his annual top 50 list this year. He is upset and disappointed, but due to developing circumstances in the last 10 months he was unable to fulfill his duties to an acceptable capacity. It takes considerable time and effort to listen to the required volume and scribe the countless thoughts (that no one will ultimately read anyway, lets be rill) that go in to each year-end write up. He wants to inform you that he's enjoyed "DG's" list so far, and likes the Weezer pick.

Though his research is not as thorough, he insists on sharing the following thoughts. His favorite album was probably Benji by Sun Kil Moon, he apologizes that the album is probably going to be on every list this year though I don't understand why that's necessary to point out. He thinks Benji is closely followed by Iceage's Plowing in to the Field of Love and notes that these guys "keep winning." He also "loves" Death Grips' Niggas on the Moon and Kate Tempest's Everybody Down. He points out that these two albums demonstrate rap's versatility. Another album he wants you to know about is Mouth Sounds by Neil Cicierega. He says its his favorite album, although that sounds like a contradiction...He is also "very jealous" of Neil. Ariel Pink's Pom Pom is fantastic. He says rock fans should check out Sleaford Mods Divide and Exit and Nothing's Guilty of Everything, as well as this year's Cloud Nothings record Here and Nowhere Else. He wants to point out that he doesn't buy the FKA Twigs hype, but loves SZA's album Z. He then points out that The War on Drugs' Lost in the Dream does live up to the hype. He says pop fans should check out Frankie Cosmos Zentropy, Quilts Held in Splendor, Fear of Men's Loom, and Tune-Yards Nikki Nack. He thinks Marissa Nadler's July is good, Angel Olsen's Burn Your Fire for no Witness is "really good", and advises all to check out the Tara Jane O'Neil album Where Shine No Light. He says Tokyo Jihen fans should check out the Adult Jazz album Gist is. He really likes the East India Youth album, Total Strife Forever, but did not find enough time to "process it fully" this year.. He says Run the Jewels 2 is as good as advertised, Oxymoron (Schoolboy Q) is a sleeper, and he begs you not to believe what you may have heard, the new Alt-J, This is All Yours is a good listen. He really liked Foxygen's ...And Star Power, with all its warts.

He is very sorry to not keep up this tradition. He hopes this will not affect his grade in the class.
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Old 2014.12.11, 05:26 PM   #22
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^ Heh, I laughed at that letter from your mom.

It's funny how many people love Benji, except all the hardcore Sun Kil Moon fans I know (most of my IRL friends) seem to hate on it, claiming it's 'lazy' apart from the lyrics. I however, don't hate it, just never really went back to it.

Anyway, better keep going with mine:

9. Scott Walker and Sunn O)))- Soused


When this was first announced I merely saw the "scott O)))" logo and it took a while to sink in that it was indeed a collaboration between singer songwriter legend Scott Walker and drone gods Sunn O))). I then, like many other people, began having flashbacks to the train-wreck that was the collaboration between Lou Reed and Metallica, Lulu. Surely this won't be anything remotely as horrible as that? Thank the fates then, that it actually turned out to be totally compelling, delightfully dark and brilliantly bizarre in all the best ways that either Scott Walker or Sunn O))) could muster.

Definitely a Scott Walker album at heart (think of Sunn O))) as his backing band on this), it bares similarities to late era Walker albums like Tilt, The Drift and Bish Bosch in it's absurdity and strangeness. However, it surprisingly feels quite a bit easier to listen to. (It is also certainly a much easier listen than the usual Sunn O))) fare, making the album even more surprising). Whereas the aforementioned albums often take many spins for the listener to get into, this one only takes a couple. Whether it be from the more traditional song 'structure' or the fact that Sunn O))) are playing like a more 'traditional band' is anyone's guess, and probably would make for some heated debate. Whatever it is, the two sounds truly mesh and compliment each other in the most interesting ways.

Scott sounds great as usual, and his lyrics are once again confrontational -bring on that New Testament inspired narrative!- yet always have a sense of playfulness reaching out from the murk. Sunn's always amazing sonic boom is ever present, if played more sparingly, and most surprisingly- there are often moments where Sunn play their music FAST (at least for them)- accompanied with drums- something I never imagined I would hear. For the might of both artists- nothing ever sounds like it is competing with one another. Tos Nieuwenhuizen provides yet another layer of warmth with his experimental keys, and it just sounds amazing and probably unlike anything the casual music listener has ever heard.

Can I recommend this to everyone? Certainly not. There demands quite an amount of patience (and I don't say this to sound patronizing). It's also probably pretty fucking 'weird' to anyone unacquainted with either artist- I'd say it better to start with either artist's separate releases first to get a sense of what either are 'about'. However- I can recommend it to anyone that has the slightest interest in avant-garde rock or drone music- and to hear how either genre can be elevated with the clashing of the two.

Good stuff.

(It's probably obvious from my spiel that I'm more a Sunn O))) fan than a Scott Walker fan, but oh well :-p)

Brando
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Old 2014.12.12, 03:24 PM   #23
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8. Lana Del Ray- Ultraviolence


Yes, that's right. Lana Del Rey. Her followup album to the outspoken Born to Die improves on that album in almost every imaginable way. It goes from a fun, almost novelty affair to a fully fledged, wonderfully constructed piece of romanticized melodrama. Sure, there's the Del Rey gimmick throughout, but for once, Del Rey's songwriting firmly stays focused, moody and downright theatrical for Ultraviolence's full running time.

The opening track "Cruel World" instantly sets the tone, and happens to also be the most haunting track Del Rey has put out in my opinion. It's so easy to just sit and drift away through this moody tale of being a femme fatale- one of the defining themes in the majority of Del Rey's music- and the instrumentation and production (courtesy of Dan Auerbach) is unquestionably brilliant. This trend continues throughout and creates a long, self indulgent, rich and completely Del Rey experience. All of it soars and reaches levels of grandeur not met by her previous album. Another personal favorite is the lead in single "West Coast" with its tight guitar loop and haunting vocal delivery that stays in the memory long after the song is over. While it's true she borrows a lot of inspiration from her idols- there is no denying that she really is a unique voice in the over-saturated, twerking pop market of today.

After all is said and done, she isn't going to win over any detractors. But it will suck her fans even deeper to her mysterious world. Whether or not her whole deal is appealing to you (I for one imagine Lana Del Rey as a character of a greater whole- I can almost imagine her being a jazz club singer in a David Lynch film for example)- will greatly depend on the success of this album to the individual.

I however, fell for this one, hook, line and sinker. I don't regret putting it in my top 10 and will continue to revisit this album over and over.

Cruel World
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Old 2014.12.13, 08:38 PM   #24
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7. Jane Zhang- The Seventh Sense


I have always respected Jane Zhang. Her amazing vocal range, loveable personality and emotive delivery have kept me hooked for many years. However, she's never had an album that's managed to blow me away from start to end. That is until now.

The Seventh Sense came out earlier this year and was one of the biggest surprises for me- I was totally unaware of it coming out until it appeared on certain blogs spouting praise for it. After I could stop drooling over THAT cover- something just totally does it for me when I see a pink haired Jane in high heels- I sat down and listened to it on headphones for my first experience.

Instantly, I knew Jane had finally hit the mark with this one. It's warmth was the first thing I noticed- it was a delightful warm. The kind of warm you look forward to when going to bed on a cold night. A loving, motherly like warmth that you only hear in albums once in a while. The opening track, "I Belong To Myself" (using the English titles here) is amazing, yet totally simple- a triumphant pop anthem that grips the listener from its very first note. After that it is a stream of delightful, soft, calming tracks that become all the more rewarding on repeat listens.

Jane also delivers two English songs here- and unlike many other Asian pop artists that have tried this- she never slips up. When she does sexy, it works, never sounds awkward (say, like Utada Hikaru's Poppin' or Dirty Desire for example) and comes off as tantalizing yet never, ever cheap.

The instrumentation is tight and beautiful. It is totally smooth and just a delight to listen to any time of the day. There is plenty of variety here, but for the most part it is a restrained mix of pop/rock and RnB that suits Jane's singing style perfectly.

Most of all, the vocal performance here is A grade stuff. (Just listen to her on Is There Any?- it sends shivers up my spine). She never goes over the top and shows a notable amount of restraint this time round. But man, does it work. Little flourishes of her trademark highs peek through the silky smoothness of the majority of it and adds that added element of personality that many albums of this kind seldom show.

I am in love with this album. It is the best Chinese pop album of 2014. I highly recommend this to anyone who likes this style of music.

Seventh Sense- First 3 Tracks
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Old 2014.12.14, 10:16 AM   #25
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I'm actually listening to Jane's record right now. I can't deny the slickness, vocal quality and polish on display, but it's just not doing anything for me. Sadly. Perhaps it'll grow on me?

I'll give Handsome Kenya a go later. I was meaning to listen to that record ages ago but it just got lost in the backlog.
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Old 2014.12.14, 11:00 AM   #26
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Don't want to hurt anyone's feelings, but God I despise Jane Zhang. Her voice is nothing special. The music is still that cliched water-downed R&B crap that makes most Chinese pop music so boring. I'd rather listen to Brown Eyed Girls.
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Old 2014.12.14, 03:51 PM   #27
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^ and ^^: well, oh well.

6. The Grates- Dream Team


After 2011's Secret Rituals album, the Grates went pretty quiet- well, at least on the music side of things- there were the constant reminders that Page and John were still alive on social media sites. Secret Rituals was a splendidly produced, electronic infused gem of an album, and I'm pretty sure a lot of people were excited to see where they would go with that sound- but then time passed and hope started to dwindle.

In 2014, fans were no doubt surprised then, to hear that The Grates were heading back into the studio to cut a new record, Dream Team. Not only that, the album was done and dusted in less than 10 days. This is the shortest time I can recall having to wait for an album from announcement to final product. And how does it sound?

Dirty, raw, passionate. Secret Ritual's sheen is nowhere to be found. The sound harkens more to their first album. yet sounds murkier and harder than ever before. Patience's vocal performance is outstanding and has a real 'live' quality to it throughout. Lyrics are dark yet wonderfully playful at the same time. Musically it's played almost punky (the delightfully crusty sound made by recording bad gear on great studio equipment- wish Jihen had recorded Kyouiku like this :-p), perhaps even a little grungy in places. Yet it is undeniably The Grates sound that shines through the most.

The single, "Holiday Home" is on fire. For outsiders you could probably describe it as The White Stripes meets The Donnas I suppose. Patience screams her way through the chorus like a banshee and sounds amazing. All the more impressive when you find out that she was HEAVILY pregnant at the time of recording. Other stick-out tunes are the aggressive "Friends With Scum", the 60s inspired "What's Wrong With You", the marching closer "Back to Back" and of course, the playful "I Wish I Was Alone" which apparently got its lyrics from an argument between the two band members (a married couple IRL for those unaware).

As a Grates fan, I can't get enough of this album. I imagine it wouldn't be the easiest album to listen to first by this band for a newbie, but who knows, the punk attitude exerted here is bound to appeal to some people's tastes, and at a short half hour, what have you got to lose?

Holiday Home
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Old 2014.12.15, 02:58 PM   #28
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5. Paipaidekami- Let's Dream Shogokku


Paipaidekami right now, is as mysterious as they get to me. Information (at least in English) is minimal, I just know she is somwhat of a viral sensation, has a really bizarre sense of humour, is friends with Seiko Oomori, and isn't afraid to let her sexuality (particularly her pride of her boobs) really hit you in the face. Her debut single, the Oomori produced and penned "PAINPU", sounded like the results of a for-fun song making session in one of their bedrooms on a slumber party. It was trashy, badly recorded, vulgar and most of all, a lot of fun. Let's not forget it's cover either- Paipaikademi's breasts covered by the text (or Oomori's depending on what side of the single you were looking at).

"Let's Dream Shogokku" is different sounding to that. Very different. From the start of this one, you're led through a psychedelic collection of tracks that if you didn't know were from 2014, you'd swear most of them were straight from the 80s. The production is chunky, often I am reminded of artists like Apogee and Perigee or Phew. The songs, while very pop, are so damn sinister they often make the listener feel uncomfortable. Paipaidekami stumbles through the songs with her imperfect nasal voice, the music often played quite sloppy and even on occasion, out of time. This may sound terrible, but in the context of the album and the feelings it brings out in me, it is glorious. And addictive.

Very much a grower album, it's main strength is it's weaknesses. If it didn't have them, it would probably come off as a shallow 80s wannabe album. Her voice and weirdness may be an instant turnoff for some listeners- which is totally understandable. It's undeniable that it really does have some downright WTF moments throughout its playtime. Patience really is a virtue though, and with time it becomes one of the most rewarding albums of the year.

Overall, Let's Dream Shogokku is a love letter to the golden age in Japan when Yen records was going strong and female fronted power pop was king. Mishio Ogawa, Phew, Jun Togawa, Rebecca, Miharu Koshi. If you know and like/understand any of these names, you will find something to appreciate here. I love all those artists, and I'm in love with this album (granted it did take a few spins to get into). It has been one of the albums that affected me the most this year and I can't wait to see what Paipaidekami delivers next.

*No songs from this album on youtube, samples can be heard here*
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Old 2014.12.15, 07:50 PM   #29
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^ Not to be a stickler for arbitrary comparisons and stuff but judging from the previews, Paipaidekami wins Oomori Seiko hands down in the pastiche pop album category. What an extraordinary recreation of that sound. Definitely checking this out.
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Old 2014.12.16, 03:00 PM   #30
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thought charisma.com would be higher
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