59-50 the list trundles orn

59 Nautilus – Rune Lindbaek (Drum Island)
I have long harboured the softest of spots for the Vikingular vibes of leading nincompoop of Nordic niceness, Rune Linbaek. Many years ago I kicked off a mix CD for Remix mag with his Junta Jaeger, which is a masterpiece of sludgey discoid majesty, that I still fling in the box from time to time. The Bonat Synthesizer EP, for his own Drum Island label, snuck out towards the end of '08 and is similarly top notch. I suspect will this also have a flextended shelf life round at chez Stinky and environs.

(buy)
(Runespace)




58 Forest Ghetto - Dub Delay Band (Tracky Bottoms)

I know next to nothing about the somewhat unattractively named outfit, on the brilliantly tagged Tracky Bottoms. Forest Ghetto was the initial standout for me, but all three tracks have something unusual and excellent going on. It's pretty hard to find now, but the link below should be good, if you're quick.
(buy)

57 A Milli – Lil Wayne (Cash Money)

Enough has been written about this artist and this song, but it's undeniable... and to not have it in the list would be frankly foolish.

56 A Manha Na Praia - The Alps (Type)
See this post for Alps guff and links.

55 Iceblock - SSR (From The Crate)
This was a delightful surprise from Auckland guitarslinger for all sorts of folk, Jeremy Toy, who comes on all shoegazi (his own term, from memory) for the mysterious S.S.R. You can check the moody blurred 'Iceblock' on his myspace (below) and I suggest an beady eye be kept on future activity from the S.S.R. camp.
(S.S.R.space)


54 Crying Blood (Andrew Weatherall Dub) - VV Brown (Island)
I had a ramble about this 10" here and slung up the vocal version, here's the Weatherall dub which isn't available on the 7" that has followed the sold out ten run. Large.
(VVBrownspace)
CRYING BLOOD (ANDREW WEATHERALL DUB) - VV BROWN

53Uptown (Andrew Weatherall Rmx) – Primal Scream (B Unique)
And there will be more Weathearall to come..... This sublime, somewhat nostalgic mix was only available with the ludicrously priced (50 quid) 'Beautiful Future' vinyl, limited edition, set, which was seemingly specifically designed for folk with more money than sense. I'm all for stimulating the market, and squeezing us last few foolish vinyl customers reasonably dry, but that amount is outrageous, and outside of the highly desirable, unavailable elsewhere 12" of this mix, you're paying for art prints and fancy packaging palaver. What a wanky waste of a good mix, and way to make music unattainable to your average sadass. Enjoy the mp3.


UPTOWN (ANDREW WEATHERALL RMX) - PRIMAL SCREAM

52 Le Valse De La Vie - Jean Marie Aerts (False Tuned)
This veteran Belgian guitarist unleashed a pearler of a 12" for Tikiman's label that won me over with it's general Sergeness on this track, and an unusually high strike rate elsewhere. Oh and the 'blah blah blah' bits, get me big time.

This is another one I only have digitally by pulling it from one of my stinkmix cds, so apologies for any abrupt endage and stinking stings, c'est lavvy.

(web)
(False Tuned web)

LA VALSE DE LA VIE - JEAN MARIE AERTS

51 Shoot Out – Mykal Rose

The exception that proves the rule, one of the great autotune tracks in a year of sooooo many lame ones. Like others in here it may technically be an '07 track but until I have a proper copy in my grubby mitts.. it doesn't really exist for me.
(buy)
(Rosespace)





50 Wickedness - Cult Of The 13th Hour (Soul Jazz)

Interviewing Kevin Martin about the Bug album last year, Cult Of The 13th Hour came up in the conversation and he expressed disappointment that the identity of the Co13H (that's quite a nifty 'table of the elements' kind of abbreviation right there) had been blown by a couple of British record shops. I was tickled by the thought that he imagined people might think this could be anyone but him and Spaceape. Both of these fellers have sonic signatures a mile high and fire for your soul, an album would be most welcome.



WICKEDNESS - CULT OF THE 13TH HOUR

Post(Rock) Early For Xmas

Enough of all the frivolity, its time to get some moody on.
Post Rock has never been a term that's appealed to me, though inevitably I have had to brandish it in my writings a few times, as it gets the point across succinctly. The following two spooky little gems could well be thrust into that overly stuffed envelope, alongside everything from Tortoise to HDU, Slint to Sigur Ros, Bark Psychosis to Jakob.. precisely the reason why the term irks me. Hanyways, like all of the above (and yes I do btw) London's Kontakte and California's Alps (curiously both 3 pieces) make a pleasing, gentle racket, that isn't hung up on over-conventionality, and thrives on space and drama, using predominantly the same instrumentation as presumably pre- or present-rockers do.
Kontakte's split single, 'Motorik' on Mind Exodus Recordings earned them a Record Of The Week at Manchester's marvelous Piccadilly Records, and the snip of audio was enough to pique my interest. It was definitely a hunch worth following as 'Motorik' is a right grower and it's placed their clunkily-titled album on Drifting Falling Records, 'Soundtrack To Lost Road Movies' (which even sounds good on a myspace player) on my list of wishy type things for when that Lotto ticket comes in.

Check all three of them playing it loive like...


I bought it from Piccadilly who are wonderful but you can't link to individual records on their site, boo hoo.
You can also (Buy)from here and do read their excellent shop review of said title.
(Web)
(Kontaktespace)



KONTAKTE - MOTORIK


The Alps, who claim San Francisco and New York as their geographical locators, first got me on the google when I clocked "A Manh Na Praia,'the opening cut from their recent 'III' album on Type Records. Further investigation revealed one of the three peaks of the Alps was none other than Alexis Georgopoulos, who not only sounds like he should be in a George Pelecanos novel (a good thing, in my book) but also used to be in Tussle (when they were fire), and operates under the sneaky synthy pseudonym ARP, for Norway's exemplary Smalltown Supersound label. Furthermore as one half of the DFA signed outfit, Expanding Head Band (with Bing Ji Ling's, Quinn Luke), this serial band-member is at least partially responsible for one of 2008's finest remixes and my picks of the year, that being the throbbing re-rub to the Shocking Pinks corker 'Cutout'. He is joined by Scott Hewicker (ex-Troll) and Jefre Cantu-Ledesma (Tarentel), and together they concoct a spooky, often spacey, atmospheric brew, that makes the most of the sumptuous production and time and space possibilities. After only a couple of weeks, 'III' (apart from a couple of wayward contributions) has been placidly mowing my musical lawn , here's the graceful 'Cloud One' to whet your appetite, and whats more you can buy it direct from the label (nice!) Though I couldn't work out how to do that easily, so there's an alternative too.

(Buy)
(Or Buy)
(Alpsspace)




THE ALPS - CLOUD ONE


There was more on this tip, but time eludes me and it'll wait... it's like that with this gear. This post was bought to you by the overuse of brackets (I'm a serial offender (no really) (I am)).....