The sky is breathing...

Boduf Songs-Two Across the Mouth


Benoit Pioulard- Ext. Leslie Park


Explosions in the Sky- Catastrophe and the Cure (Four Tet Remix)


Eluvium- One This button turns this into a megapost

Warp

Goddamn, what a label. I found out about Aphex Twin way back in high school, right around the time I started spending every last penny of my money on weed. Needless to say the combo knocked me on my ass and it's been on ever since. At this point I've listened to probably 80-90% of the labels massive catalogue and I have always been amazed (and super pleased) by how they stay consistently relevant and ground breaking while expanding outwards in many different directions. They've opened sooo many doors in my head over the years. In short, I think they are one of the greatest creative institutions on the planet, so I got the jonsing to fawn over their awesomeness, especially since it feels like they are back on top these days).

Yeah, so here's some recent videos.



Clark-Ted. Amazingly detailed footage of insects that have been moded out with some Japanese mech style enhancements. Video by 1st Ave Machine . You should actually watch this on their website instead because the video isn't as compressed as YouTube's, plus there is an equally amazing video for an Alias song. These guys are setting the bar REAL high.




Grizzly Bear-The Knife. This one got my anxiety juices flowing even harder then those bugs. At first I was like jesus, what the fuck was that, where was the knife? But I watched again and I think I get it...it's us, right? We've got the give and take all fucked up and one-sided and she's sad (or pissed). So then it's about the resulting subconscious turmoil, and how its presence hints that it's only a matter of time before the fundamental interconnectivity of our relationship with the planet is consciously realized, at which point, we'll be consumed? Cause that's what I'm picking up on...still, I can't tell if Star Trek guy is our creator or an alien observer, and if he's pining for the Earth's essence after she leaves or if he's just starting the draining process anew...or if the video is just the result of a bunch of dudes on drugs and I'm reading into it way too hard. Either way, thought-provoking stuff courtesy of Encyclopedia Pictura. Again, way better quality on their badass website plus a bunch of other videos with amazing CG organics.

Also, this reminds me a lot of Saul of the Molemen with it's campy yet visually unsettling approach. Random, but hey, sometimes that's how associations work.



Battles-Atlas. It's taken me awhile to warm up to these guys, but the more I listen, the more I like. I have a feeling they may be the new Animal Collective if they get enough exposure...they're equally unbridled and volatile, and they're getting surprisingly catchy. Diggin' the advanced vocoder action and the Superman 2 factor.


A deeply rooted nexus of amazingly talented people that are pushing the boundaries of human experience...or just a really really solid label. You choose. This button turns this into a megapost

Best of 06: OMG! Fix Your Life Edition

And so I lumbered forth once more from the digital ether, dragging a virtual hobocart's worth of shiny a/v stimulants...

or something like that...

Sooo...yeahh, as soothing as it was to submerge back into obscurity and traverse the net in OG stealthmode, I've been feeling the edgeless discomfort of some amorphous internalized pressure trying to burrow it's way out of my head. Whatever it is, it's leading me to believe that, at this point, I can only silently comb our collective consciousness for so long before I am overcome by a misguided obligation to spread the things that give me mental sustenance.

SO so completely knew I shouldn't have broken the seal...now I gotta feed some newfangled tendency towards compulsory display case-ing for faceless eyes...as well as the need to garnish it all with undercooked wordmush, before (knowingly!) casting more defunct synaptic patterning into the abyss. But even if it's just so that my hesitant sputterings can be swept away in a massive tide of time sensitive commentary, I do take comfort in the fact that it motivates me to milk little driblets of life from my fingers. So even if it's all for nothing and I'm just getting my rocks off by unloading all these built up pretensions, I can still just write it off as some sort of biological mechanism to ward off embolisms. or ghosts. or ghostjism. Hmmm, GhostJism(TM)...

Ok, so I think you get it, I'm a weirdo oops sorry. Anyway, it's liquidation time, people. Hopefully you are not ridiculously on top of your shit otherwise this post could be a whole lot of yesterday's news (Actually, you probably only have to be marginally on top of shit at this point). For those of you who still consume culture at a rate that doesn't threaten your cranial integrity, there should be at least something in here that is worth your time.

You wanna know why? I'll tell you why. Cuz it's a best of 06 shakedown, bitch! only 2 1/2 full months late! (in REGULAR people time!!!), in internet time, what is that, an eon? a fucking aeon flux capacitor??? Y'know????? Can you feel it???????? Fshoooooo....the time dilation is palpable in this town...

But really, honestly, I'm fucked...I can't help but try and wrap my head around all this goddamn media...

Sooo, in accordance with the flow of information that I attempt to absorb officially shifting from "Insurmountable" to "Defcon 1 Cultureblast", I present to you my best of 06 mix, as translated through my indiedancebloggeryi-i-ibeonthatcomputershit type likings.


The Innernet Ruined My Life... (Best of 06?)


Tracklist:
1.Klaxons-Magick (Simian Mobile Disco Remix)
2.Soulwax-Krack
3.Dj Mehdi-Pony Rocking
4.Mustapha 3000-kongo thong
5.Outhud-Panarava(Rub n Tug Remix)
6.Riot In Belgium-The Acid Never Lies
7.Ying Yang Twins feat Pitbull-Shake
8.New Young Pony Club-Ice Cream
9.My Robot Friend-Rapture
10.Martin Bros-Stoopit
11.Bonde Do Role- Melo Do Tabaco(Jokers of the Scene Remix)
12.Sharon Phillips- Want 2 Need 2 (Trentemoller Remix)
13.DJ Delicious/Fam-Lay & Pharell - "Let It Drop" (Red Foxx Chopped & FX Edit)
14.Spank Rock-Sweet Talk(Kalbata Remix)
15.Yo Majesty-Club Action (Bagraiders Remix)
16.Chromeo-Breathe (Al Dare Remix)
17.The Presets-The Girl and The Sea
18.The Presets-THe Girl and The Sea (Cut Copy Remix)
19.Ready For The World-Oh Sheila (Trackademicks Remix)
20.Peaches-Downtown
21.Sally Shapiro-I'll be by your side
22.Sally Shapiro-I'll be by your side (Rude 66 808 Remix)
23.Whitey-Can't Go Out, Can't Stay In
24.Hot Chip-Boy From School(Hot Chip rework)
25.Bonde Do Role- Melo Do Tabaco(Radioclit Remix)
26.Lil Scrappy-Money in Da Bank (Bird Peterson Remix)
27.Tigarah-Money (Speed Dub Remix)
28.Simian Mobile Disco-Hustler
29.C.l.a.w.s.-Claws theme(Passions Remix)
30.Rick Ross-Hustlin
31.Cansei De Ser Sexy-Superafim
32.The Myrmidons-Clap(See the Stars)
33.Lotterboys-Animalia
34.Vive Le Fete- Liberte (Sweetlight Remix)
35.Dj K-What you know about Deus Ex Machina(TI VS. Paper Cranes)
36.Tom Vek-I ain't saying my goodbyes(Phones Remix)
37.Spank Rock - Bump
38.MSTRKRFT-Paris
39.Rich Boy-Throw Some D's
40.The Klaxons- Gravity's Rainbow (To My Boy Remix)
41.Drop The Lime-Wake Up Call
42.Peter,Bjorn, and John-Young Folks (Beyond the Wizard's Sleeves Remix)

What can I say? I lag. Fulltime.

But really, I'm gonna try and get better with the turnaround time on the megamixes this year(while still making sure I don't feel like I'm wasting your time). Honest. It's my Mid March Resolution...

Anyhow, so yeah, '06 rundown...there's even some late '05 stuff... again, i know...woefully out of touch, right? Guess that's why I felt obligated to toss in a little '07 too, just to soothe some of this burning hot shame. I also feel compelled to cover my ass by saying that I tried constructing this beast in a sort of holistic manner. Meaning, I was leaning more towards presenting a whole array of styles that seem to be converging on a kind of unified mindset, rather than your standard emphasis on flow and continuity (so think sampler platter, not a zoner-outer journey deal)

Hmmm, that still probably made no sense...or maybe just sounded kinda ridiculous. Alright, real quick then...

For the uninitiated: if you see a late teen/20 something walking around and they look like they are from the not too distant future and/or the past via the future and/or they are rocking a bunch of confusing shit that jams up your senses and makes you think "what the fuck is happening here?"...then this is like my abridged version of the soundtrack to that lifestyle, minus a lot of indie rock (cause I can't really mix it) and all things disco related (cause that's a whole other cd I really need to make).

For those of you as culturally obsessed as myself: Yeahhh, kinda old news, but I think I make a pretty good argument here for technorap (or whatever the term will end up as) being something that needs to be honed in this year (tastefully, though, tastefully). What else...oh that Myrmidon's joint was seriously slept on. It shoulda been feelgood haircut jam of the year, specially for the ladies, but seems it slipped through the cracks. So yeah, get up on your grrlbounce. Actually, come to think of it, this whole thing just might have been an elaborate excuse to throw together some of that pink lemonade passion that I've been cultivating as of late. So midway thru, please do not be afraid to get your dreamweave on.

PS I know I am blowing it huge with all the yip yap (y'know, like, spelling things out rather than alluding to them all coy and wink wink-like), so if you are still reading because you are bitter about my lack of restraint, just pretend I said "06:We still 'bout it 'bout it" instead of all this other stuff (but in a cooler font or something).

-------------------------------------------------------------

OK so there's that. Enjoy.

I should probably add at this point that it's not like I've been terribly busy or nothing either. I've been dicking around at your local fucknuttery's, quietly attending to my fergie->nelly furtado blends and sighing wistfully. So as far as goods go...I've just been hoarding for a minute, that's all. I don't think I can adapt to the post post post post post mentality of the more influential blogs, both due to quality control concerns and massive bouts of laziness. Still, rather than implementing my usual "well why try then" logic, I figure I should just do it to do it while still reserving the right to bow out politely at a moment's notice.

Cool? Cool. Ok, but before I start trying to get into some NEW shit, I figure I'd go ahead and recklessly post some GOOD shit.

As in B-B-Best of 06 videos!(that I haven't posted at some point)



DJ Mehdi feat Chromeo. Slick Lettermans, even slicker handshakes. I got away with playing this song a bunch at my normal folk gigs this year and none seemed to be the wiser. SO subversive. (nerd note: Montreal version though, fuck that atonal chorus version.)





CSS. I have this one secret type of boner that possesses an overwhelming amount of virility, but it's reserved solely for Lovefoxx.





Actually, that's bullshit, any girl in this video would get me all shy and level 5 advanced boner-y too. This Saam guy has been real good with the videos. I guess he realized it and so he did the "I'm a fucking director" video that all aspiring young upstarts secretly want to do. Hell yeah, dude! Thank you. Only complaint is thatI'm not feeling the excessive overdub effects though. Watching these girls get down is totally justified without unnecessary "art stuff", bro bra.




Next 3 videos are all by Chad VanGaalen. He does the songs and then animates the videos...




Definately give him props for the full package approach, it's inspiring...




Still, I got to say the videos are the real meatyness for my tastes. I've got a soft spot for tripped out morphy drawrings.




Softlighties. Not too keen on their particular brand of heart on your sleeveyness (I've been sticking to Voxtrot when I'm jonsing for some aww geee style wonderpop), but goddamn, this video is an amazing little labor of love. Seriously, director Kris Moyes deserves a real big hug for this.




Boards of Canada. Although I was kind of bummed out by the demistified route they went with on the new record, this video still smacks of unspoken awesomeness. Yes, that footage is real. Google Joseph Kittinger if you want to know more about skydiving in outerspace.




Subtle. Tried posting this awhile ago but it got taken down from Youtube. Now it's back. I already said my piece on Subtle some time back (I'll add that i really don't think I devote the time necessary to absorbing their work), but I can not stress how ill the visual collective SSSR is.




This is a trilogy of videos, btw.




Stop motion, cg, hand drawn animation, cut outs, it's all far game with these guys.




This is a separate deal from that little trilogy (it's another subtle song from their last full length) but still really crucial for your eyes. Creepy eastern european type puppets mixed with an old school cartoon vibe.



Klaxons. Damn, the innernet got super Klaxon'd out, huh? Good testament to the power of these little blog dealies. Anyhow, this shit looks cool...and it confirmed my suspicions...glowsticks ARE evil, it just took this long to feel the aftereffects of those terrible little "light shows" your gay raver friends use to give you.




Claude Von Stroke. Fun video from a dude who makes some fun ass music. Seriously, his style is super accessible, even if you don't like dance tunes.




Ugly Casanova. Adorably disgusting and hilariously stylish. Hah! That kid just got blasted! What a fuckin incredible mix of associations...again, a perfect testament to my fascination with Japan.




Vitalic. K, this is probably my favorite video of last year. It encapsulates so much about how I feel about right now, while saying so little. And it's done with puppies, so you are forced to like it no matter what because dogs are the shit from now till infinity. Genius.




Bonus Vid. So Adidas launched an Adicolor campaign last year to do the Nike thing by tastefully blurring marketing with legitimate artistic endeavors, in what appears to be an attempt to circumvent the 20 something demographics apparent disdain towards being marketed to (at least that's what it seems like from my angle).

By itself, this video is definitely intriguing, albeit creepy as hell, for a number of reasons (the song, Made by Greg Weeks, is awesome, huh?). But seriously, what the fuck does a metaphor for the female loss of innocence have to do with shoes?? You mean to tell me that the tie-in is seriously just a certain color of Pink that a shoe could come in? Really? O-Ok...

Now I'm not saying that this isn't interesting or that the director sold out because he obviously got the funding to do something he wanted to do, but the connection between these two worlds, even if it's a slightly noble undertaking by Adidas to foster creativity with corporate money, just seems so odd.

So is it possible to make a huge company's attempts at gaining tastemaker creed a truly charitable endeavor? Is the branding of everything inevitable?





Is this the future?

Oh wait, fuck, i was doing an 06 summary in March....
------------------------------------------------
Best Albums of 06 (in no particular order and without commentary because it'll be healthier for me to do it this way)

Alex Smoke-Paradolia*
Mr. Flash-Monsiuer Sexe*
Beach House-Beach House
Broadcast-The Future Crayon*
Skream-Skream
Caural-Mirrors For Eyes*
Clark-Body Riddle
Clipse-Hell Hath No Fury
Truth & Soul-Fallin' off the Reel*
Zilla-Grinted and Brawlsville*
Felix Laband-Dark Days Exit*
Ghostface-Fishscale
J Dilla-The Shining/Donuts (Can't decide which was better, both are essential)
Junior Boys-So This Is Goodbye
Kitsune Maison Comp 2
Burial-Burial
Lindstrom-Another Side of Lindstrom
Nobody-Tree Colored See*
Bibio-Hand Cranked*
Belbury Poly- The Owl's Map*
Helios-Eingya*
Loscil-Plume*
More Melting Pot Music Sound*
Ratatat-Classics
Trae-Real Talk*
Tapes N Tapes-The Loon
Secret Mommy-Very Rec*
Chrome Children-Chrome Children
Ellen Allien-Orchestra of Bubbles
Trentemoller-The Last Resort
Hot Chip-The Warning
Claude Von Stroke-Beware the Bird
CSS-Cansei De ser Sexy
Daedelus-Denies the Day's Demise*
Spank Rock-YoYoYoYoYo
Dictaphone-Vertigo II*
Drumcorps-Grist*
I am a robot and proud-the electricity in your house want's to sing*
mordant music-dead air*
Minotaur Shock-Maritime*
Karl Lagerfeld-My Favorite Songs*
Voxtrot-Soft and Warm
Fujiya and Miyagi-transparent things

The ones with stars next to it are more personal picks that are awesome albums that didn't get hyped to death by the powers that be. Seriously, I'm beginning to think that Pitchfork has the end all/be all opinion regarding popular consensus of alternative music. Not to say that they are completely off base, but I will never get over how they have the fucking gall to dish out numerical ratings to A TENTH OF A WHOLE NUMBER. It's called rounding you self serving fucks...a person's encapsulated being does not translate into a 7.3, no matter how much naval gazing you do. Please stop making people think it's ok to be this uselessly anal, the ripple effect is awful (as in more fucking hipster parrots that ACT like they actually THINK like how these geeksquad reviews SOUND, just because they just bought a striped sweater so they can dance real hard to "We Are Your Friends".

(Ed note:Nice, got a last minute rant in there too...don't worry, they didn't hear you)

Yeah, I know, but talking to yourself on the internet always seems to bring about surprising results, huh? Yeah... Ummm, here are a couple names to watch for this year...Duke Dumont, U-tern, Mathhead, Starkey, Kid Sister, Anders Ilar, Padded Cell, Bauchamp, Zilla.

Phew,did it...dead last. Now that's cutting edge. This button turns this into a megapost