01. Chemical Brothers - Further
Originally released 2010. BLEW MY MIND. Over and over. Again and again. Absolute best thing that's been released in years. The DVD is also worth it, and in a pricing mishap, I got the deluxe double disc version for less than the cost of the standard cd. This album is the most banging, psychedelic, dadgum beautiful thing I have heard since...damn maybe when I first heard those Bran Van remixes (more on that later). A MUST-JAM.
02. Toro Y Moi - Causers of this
Originally released 2010. This one sneaks in on a technicality, because even though it was actually released in 2010, I already had used it on my 2009 list. It's that good, let the thing rule the top of lists for both years. A MUST-JAM.
03. Soul Mann and the Brothers - Shaft
Originally released 1971. I just listened to this record so much this year. This is the origin of the very popular guitar sample found in Erykah Badu - Bag Lady and Dr. Dre - Xxplosive. Also this gets props for the massive GIGs of bounty it pulled filling a request on what. Works very great as bed music too when doing announcements on air.
04. The Rip-Off Artist - Copper Blue EP
Originally released in 2002. This is record I found this year that not only completely satisfied my expectations, but blew the doors off them. Some of the best, no bullshit, minimal/micro house you can find. Every track is killer and I mixed this with everything I could find, from Roy Acuff to Venetian Snares.
05. Roy Acuff and his Smoky Mountain Boys - Great Speckled Bird
Originally released 1958. The godfather of country music had a huge share of my needle wear this year. A voice that resonates straight from the throne, and melodies that remind you why home-grown american music is the defining force it is. Also, props to to the title track for inspiring my search to find all the songs that actually share that same melody (save that for a later post).
06. Tom T. Hall - Homecoming
Originally released 1969. Man, this dude can write a damn song. Sometimes slim-pickins to find his albums, but having a hits comp and the album 'Homecoming', which travels the distance between silly-country-story songs to full string section psychedelic-awareness-country-story songs, I'd say I played Homecoming straight through more than the other.
07. The XX - XX
Originally released 2009. Just a little late to the game with this one, this record has one of the most unique and bold sounds I've heard from a pretty popular band in a while. It's refreshing to hear this stuff coming out that sounds totally un-copycat from anything else out right now. If you don't know, it's super mellow.
08. Bran Van 3000 - Drinking in L.A.
Originally released in 1997. FLASHBACK. Found this record still sealed in Seattle and it stayed in my active crates for the rest of the year. You forget how good 90's jungle was then you hear these epic remixes and it hits you. SHIT WAS GOOD. (loosely related...)
09. John Tejada - The Matrix of Us
Originally released 2000. Whenever I need something smooth - but banging, distinctive - but familiar, analog - but digital, fast - but slow...you get the idea...I turn to this wonderfully edited vinyl EP. Tejada has range.
10. Joy Orbison - The shrew would have cushioned the blow
Originally released 2010. Another one I can't throw enough positive adjectives at. Songs usually 8-12 minutes, a big slap to the face to the trendiness of new genres...as this takes those elements and creates something completely it's own. Something for everybody in these tracks...bass, vox, beats, atmospheres, melodies, LFOs, shuffles...for technical refinement this guy takes the cake.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
J's 2010 - Non-2010-released-but-thoroughly-jammed-in-2010 best of
Friday, December 19, 2008
A Milli
So A Milli was probably the most played song this year. I guess Lollipop might give it a run for it's money, but A Milli will probably be the single that people think of when they remember Tha Carter 3. Here's a sweet remix of it by Flying Lotus. I'm posting it because I thought I was really tired of A Milli, but this seems to breathe a little bit of new air into it. Even though the remix is probably three months old.
Flying Lotus - Robo Tussin (ft. Lil Wayne)
(divshare)
In other news, Tha Carter 3 placed #11 in Pitchfork's top albums of the year. I was pretty surprised not to see it in the top 10. I didn't want to write much about their list, but I am going to. Here's my quick rundown of the albums on their top 10 that are worth saying anything about. 
#1. Fleet Foxes? Haven't listed to them, don't care.
#2. Portishead? Are you fucking kidding me? I laughed out loud once or twice while listening to this album.
#3. No Age? Haven't listened to them, don't care.
#4. Cut Copy. I listened to this album twice in a row when I first heard it. It's great, deserves it's spot.
#7. Vampire Weekend. Really?
#8. M83. Are you fucking kidding me? Again, this album is laughable. I feel like people who dig this album are just trying to prove that they like 80s pop music.
#9. Hercules and Love Affair. Deserve to be higher, although they did get the nod for best single of the year.
They put the Arthur Russell comp at 30 or so, which I don't agree with and also surprised me given the amount of love they have been sending his way lately. Another big surprise to me was the inclusion of The Dodos record as an honorable mention. I thought it would be top 10 for sure, at least top 20.
I totally sympathize with the Tiny Mix Tapes article that Chris posted a few days ago. I just don't give a shit about most of this "best new music".
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
The Thing I Forgot About Emos Outside // Chicks in Bands Crush List of 2008
If you are on the front road the sound isn't bad. That room sounds like shit so many different places, but the front row is not one of those places. Also Deerhunter was awesome, and my chicks in bands crush list of 2008 has expanded from 1 to 2.
Ethan's Chicks In Bands Crush List of 2008:
chick from Thee Oh Cees
chick from Deerhunter
but which is the number one hottie and which the number two hottie? lets go in depth and see which of Ethan's turn-ons these lovely ladies managed to hit:
chick from Thee Oh Cees: tall but wearing boots anyways, long dark hair, simple clothing, tambourine, originally British so sort of has that nastiness, rockin body, awesome voice, member of Thee Oh Cees, clearly does not give a fuck
chick from Deerhunter: tall but wearing boots anyways, long dark hair, simple clothing, tambourine, hysterical Snake Pliskin vibe but still femenine, crooked but sexy teeth, was a keyboard stand for a song during Times New Viking, seemed ultra-psyched to be in Texas, rockin body, member of Deerhunter, clearly does not give a fuck
I'm going to give the nod to the the chick from Deerhunter (her name is Wendy (ed: her name is actually Whitney. oops!) by the shake of the rattlesnake rattle she was wearing as a necklace. So congrads Wendy, you are number 1! in my book at least...
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