roachboy

yes yes, it's another one of those new year's eve what about the past year things.

what music/sound has impressed you during 2007?

edit: this isn't really about what came out this year, but about what you're listening to more broadly--which can include new releases of course, but need not. there's also a strange twist to all this by considering the number of reissues about, particularly in experrymental/new music....

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this has been a strange year in that most of my listening has been routed through getting an artist's residency and so through the spurious landscapes project, getting ready for it then doing it. so there's not alot of pop on my list this time around.


A. general

1. probably the most overwhelming single recording i remember having heard is by pandit pran nath...the morning raga.

you can get an idea here:
http://www.ubu.com/sound/nath.html

but you have to actually listen.
just trust me on that and do it.

B. stuff that has smeared my brain during 2007 (best i can do):


2. david tudor: rainforest 4: sliding pitches in the rainforest in the field
an extraordinary piece in every way: basically it's a huge sound installation made up of dozens of metal sculptures miced in various ways, the signals run through a homebrew mixer and effects. stunning. not like music from this planet quite.

3. earle brown: centering
some of the coolest contrapunctual bits i have heard in years unfold and disappear within this recording.

4. pandit nam narayan:rag purya-kalyan (live at the salle gaveau, paris, 1978)
o my this is a beautiful thing.
o my o my.
i'm listening to it now--i think the thing tht amazes me most about this performance is the sense that everything is floating.
it comes from the intonations that ram narayan uses on sarangi--and the space left around the phrases.


5. luc ferrari: petit symphonie intuitive pour une paysage de printemps
um.. yeah.
like sun ra once said: there are other worlds they have not told you of and they want to speak with you.

6. toru takemitsu: music from kwaidan
i have been captivated by takemitsu's film music for quite a while now--i have a little mission of seeing every film that he did music for--and while there are many excellent examples (the triolgy that takemitsu did with teshigahara--woman in the dunes, pitfall, face of another is great), kwaidan is in another place, both as a film and as a soundtrack. getting ahold of this recording is difficult, but doable, and absolutely worth the effort.
my god this is good.
humbling.

7. jimmy guiffre: free fall
this entire record causes me to sit in one place and do nothing for the duration except listen. it's a 1963 session i think with paul bley on piano, but most of it is solo clarinet and is just lovely.

poptreats.

it's been a bhangra year.

8.


9.


and because sonic youth toured daydream nation again this past summer:

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a gramophone its corrugated trumpet silver handle
spinning dog. such faithfulness it hear

it make you sick.

-kamau brathwaite

Fly

the only music that has engulfed me over the past year......is the sounds i'm getting out of my home studio..........

both of my kids are all over the recording process.........my son is kickin' the hell out of the bass guitar.....(15 years old)

and my daughter is finding her voice in a short period of time too.....(11 years old)

maybe i'm stuck in a tunnel vision mode but......man.........it's just all that we do now......

it sure is nice watching them enjoy music as much as i do.

happy new year roachboy............keep on making that great music of yours too eh

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BASTARD

SterlingStudios

DahliMama

well I think that my musical tastes have broadened quite dramatically over the past year. I'm currently loving some really good, albeit somewhat mainstream, music.
A few of my new favorites are:
The Postal Service
Jimmy Eat World (hated them forever because of the only song I ever heard on the radio, The Middle. Still don't care for that one, but pretty much everything else is great.)
Paramore (kinda mainstream, but they deserve every ounce of fame they get.)
Tool. (Listened to them for a while now, and it never gets old.)
Flight of the Conchords. (these guys are a hilarious band from New Zealand. The fourth most popular folk rock comedy band. LOL)

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That is all.

Zodijackyl

I'll throw in my opinions on this year in metal in 20 words or less!

Agnostic Front - Warriors
Strong and outspoken, it gets a strong point across. Not their best but worth owning.

Anaal Nathrakh - Hell Is Empty and All the Devils Are Here
Good, but not great, they're working with black metal and blending new styles rather than trying to clone other bands.

Angel Corpse - Of Lucifer And Lightning
Awesome comeback, doesn't match up to The Inexorable but it's close. One of the best modern death metal bands.

Behemoth - The Apostasy
Another excellent Behemoth album, they have improved much from the past and are living up to their full potential.

The Berzerker - Animosity
The Berzerker sound like nothing I have heard before, amazing modern grindcore blended with death metal and industrial.

Chimaira - Resurrection
One of the best metalcore bands, they keep improving and put on a flawless live performance and make great music.

Dark Tranquillity - Fiction
Dark Tranquillity continue to evolve and still make all around impressive music, in sound and performance.

Darkest Hour - Deliver Us
Breakthrough album from a talented band, one of the best of their type and a great live show.

Destruction - Thrash Anthems
All the classic Destruction songs rerecorded with great production, a new take on a career compilation. Great album.

Dethklok - Dethalbum
Fucking awesome.

Detonation - Emission Phase
On top of modern melodic death metal, they are simply amazing.

Dream Theater - Systematic Chaos
Slightly more radio friendly than most DT albums, not a bad thing, but James LaBrie is terrible. Good musicianship.

Dublin Death Patrol - DDP 4 Life
It isn't Testament or Exodus, but it's good. Some weaker parts, some better parts, I anticipate their second album.

Dying Fetus - War of Attrition
This impressed me, much better than their earlier albums, but still a bit bland.

Exodus - The Atrocity Exhibition... Exhibit A
Absolutely amazing, pure thrash, and it features a banjo rerecording of "Bonded By Blood"!

HammerFall - Steel Meets Steel - Ten Years Of Glory
I love Hammerfall, but they need to try something new. Didn't buy this one.

High on Fire- Death Is This Communion
One of the best newer death metal bands, give them a listen if you like metal.

Iced Earth - Framing Armageddon
Ripper Owns shows his talent with exceptional vocal harmonies, his best performance with the band yet, and his last.
note: Those who wanted Barlow back got him back and I hear them complaining about Owens now, I liked Owens much more.

Immolation - Shadows In The Light
Brutal and melodic, Robert Vigna is a very unique guitarist and Immolation continue to be outstanding.

Job for a Cowboy - Genesis
One of, if not the best, of the "deathcore" bands, they are more of a melodic death metal band now.

King Diamond - Give Me Your Soul...Please
King continues to be himself without being monotonous or disappointing, he's famous for a reason!

Mayhem - Ordo Ad Chao
Classic black metal, but the production is terrible and incredibly disappointing. I spent half an hour adjusting my sound.

Megadeth - United Abominations
Megadeth are still going strong, better than a few of their past albums, but can't touch their classics. Inconsistent.

Municipal Waste - The Art of Partying
Good to see someone keeping crossover thrash alive, but the album doesn't excite me. I'd like to see them live.

Nightrage - A New Disease is Born
At least they used to be good.

Nile - Ithyphallic
Living up to their reputation, ass-kicking and innovative. Karl Sanders breaks out an eleven-string fretless guitar.

Novembers Doom - The Novella Reservoir
ND leave doom metal behind and explore new genres fantastically. Paul Kuhr is one of the greatest vocalists ever.

Obituary - Xecutioner's Return
Obituary know when a style becomes stagnant, Santolla revitalizes death metal with his fantastic shredding over sickeningly brutal vocals.

Overkill - Immortalis
They're still thrashing, and they sound great.

Ozzy Osbourne - Black Rain
Ozzy is old, but he can still put out a decent album. Zakk varies his playing, which is nice.

Rotting Christ - Theogonia
Another solid album, but nothing amazing.

Shadows Fall - Threads of Life
Shadows Fall lighten up and move away from metalcore, but their music is still heavy and strong, good rock music.

Sodom - The Final Sign of Evil
Another great thrash album, Sodom reunite their original lineup and kick some ass.

Soilwork - Sworn to a Great Divide
Disappointing, doesn't live up to their previous work.

Sonata Arctica - Unia
Another good Sonata album, their sound is more progressive now, but it adds to the sound.

Sonic Syndicate- Only Inhuman
Very similar in style to newer In Flames, but better vocals. Another good newer band.

Suicide Silence - The Cleansing
Surprisingly good, they have a fresh sound and put on one of the best live shows I've seen.

Symphony X - Paradise Lost
Symphony X at their best, Mike Romeo further proves himself as a composer and an amazing guitarist.

Through the Eyes of the Dead - Malice
Still young and establishing their sound, Erik Rutan's production enhanced the album, but lineup changes and inexperience show.

Vital Remains - Icons of Evil
Dave Suzuki is an amazing musician and Glen Benton's vocals fit the music well. Another great VR album.