7.
Oneida- A List of the Burning Mountains- Released 16 November
My number 7 choice was a difficult one, for reasons I will explain later. To me this year there’s been 2 big “mostly instrumental” or “ambient” releases (I use that term very,
very lightly) that I’ve really spent a lot of time with. Those two were the underrated
Valtari by
Sigur Ros and
A List of the Burning Mountains. The third possibility was the recently released
Magdala album, which I think is just as good as
Sigur Ros and
Oneida’s albums, but I feel it is too fresh in memory and hasn’t sunken in to fully decide. Though I will talk about it a bit below this.
So, out of
Valtari and
A List of the Burning Mountains which did I decide on? Both are really fantastic albums in their own right, and both to me are polar opposites yet not
that far apart. It’s hard for me to fully explain what I mean. Why not just put both on the list? Well, I would, but my top 6 are solid and can’t be moved around anymore.
In the end, I’m gonna go with
Oneida’s album this year.
For those new to
Oneida, they’re a band that are in equal parts rock as they are abstract. They seem to interchange between the two styles, and they love to experiment with repetition (earlier albums are heavily inspired by krautrock) and most recently have been going for a more minimalist approach, and their 40 minute LP
A List of the Burning Mountains is no exception. One "song" (or movement/piece/whatever you feel fits best) split over 2 sides, it’s not an easy listen. But for those with the patience and mindset, it’s one of the absolute best musical journeys you will come across this year.
Best appreciated either really loud through some nice floor speakers from the LP or on some kick ass headphones if you get the digital version, sit back and get yourself ready to be brought into the whirling, hypnotizing world that Oneida have created here.
It was a surprise find for me this year, glad I jumped on it. I’m sure any fans of this style of music will enjoy it too (hell, I think any self-respecting
Tool or perhaps even
Sunn O))) fan will get a kick out of it). Not quite drone and not quite rock, it fits right in between. It’s certainly a better experiment in rock than, say, the latest
Mars Volta album, and for audiophiles, it’s production values are worth the listen alone. The best album you most likely missed this year.
The other 2 options that I had in mind:
Sigur Ros- Valtari- an album that was too unfairly received I think. Hell, even I bitched a little about it on first impressions. I sat there listening to it wondering “when is something going to happen”. It wasn’t until on further spins that I realized the beauty of the album. It’s probably the prettiest album Sigur Ros have made, and that’s saying a lot.
Magdala- Magdala- this album is pretty amazing. I loved Mutyumu and when Hatis Noit’s (vocalist) name popped up under the credits for this album I was indeed excited. Lovely post rock elements mixed with electronica and whatever else they could mix in, it’s an immediate, accessible, enjoyable listen that seems to be revealing more of its
true self with each listen. Good stuff.