Thundercat, Flying Lotus, and The Golden Age of Apocalypse
Brainfeeder
(2011)

Thundercat – “Daylight”

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The Golden Age of Apocalypse is Brainfeeder’s middle finger to the world.  Steve Ellison, who we know as Flying Lotus, founded Brainfeeder in 2008 to create a record label and—more importantly—a multifaceted musical coterie that would carve a new corner for themselves in a music world that was still fumbling to define a genre or provide a appropriate platform for their talent.  →

When Saints Go Machine
!K7 Records
(2011)

As When Saints Go Machine’s Konkylie begins with a plaintive folk melody in the opening title track, vocalist Nikolaj Manuel Vonsild’s falsetto portends a record full of austere ballads. Subsequent songs, however, prove the opposite is true of this Danish pop group’s evocative sophomore record. “Church and Law” opens with a melody laden with spiraling synths and vocals which shed their texture as the drum machine kicks into the song’s second movement. Vonsild sings, “Hardened by church and law / The spell that binds us all” as layers of synth and drums build up to the chorus, where the group announces its particular brand of gothic futurism. →

Dirty Beaches
Kill Zoo Music
(2011)

David Lynch’s neo-noir road film Wild at Heart stars Nicolas Cage and Laura Dern as two rebellious lovers on the run from the mob. In characteristic Lynch fashion, the film is a dark, surreal tribute to the ethos of Elvis Presley, who starred in 33 feature films of his own. The music of Alex Zhang Hungtai’s Dirty Beaches project is made in a similar spirit, although lacking the budget of an established auteur, Hungtai’s work has more of the homemade, lo-fi aesthetic of underground filmmaker Jon Moritsugu. The music lends itself to comparisons to film by way of tightly focusing on mood and theme, most often the frequent loneliness and psychic displacement of the open road. →

Girl Talk
Illegal Art
(2010)

As a recent college graduate, I spent the past four years listening to a lot of new music through festivals, radio shows, parties and gigs. Many of those years were anchored by a lot of Top 40 music that I have come to know either willingly or unwittingly. Girl Talk is one of those musicians who captured the zeitgeist of my college years, a period in which music seemed to have slowed its search for new genres by looking backward for workable sounds and personae. →

Curren$y
DD172
(2010)

There’s been a lot of talk about Kanye West and his latest record, much of it well-deserved given his position in pop culture as the preeminent fashion rap star. Yet for all public adoration of rappers like West and Weezy, there are rappers like Curren$y who are carving out a niche of their own. →

Four Tet
Domino Records
(2010)

Once again, Kieran Hebden (aka: Four Tet) proves that London’s rising electronic artist is never short on creative ideas. He began in 1998, concocting a unique blend of electronica, hip-hop, folk and jazz. Since then he has completed seven albums, remixed a diverse cast of artists including Radiohead, Aphex Twin and Notwist. At first glance, his latest release, There is Love in You, can easily be dubbed “folktronica” (a term that became synonymous with the artist) however these tracks defy classification, transitioning effortlessly from smooth electronic beats into post-rock gems.

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Ahab Rex
Lens Records
(2006)

Martin Atkins and I might agree that Ahab Rex is one of the most underrated musical projects going today. My proof is that I merely listened to this release, the Queen of Softcore EP, and a few tracks on various compilations, whereas Mr. Atkins contributed drums on two of the best songs on the album, “Ordinary Things” and “The Queen of Softcore.” Atkins Pigface co-conspirators Chris Connelly and Steven Seibold also lent their musical talents with Connelly, providing guest vocals on “Ordinary Things” and Seibold aiding Martin Atkins in a Pigface remix of “To Whom It May Concern.”

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Fol Chen
Asthmatic Kitty Records
(2010)

Fol Chen would like you to think they’re a mysterious band, more art than pop. These L.A.-based fans of misdirection (try visiting their website) cover their publicity tracks with fake bureaucracy and snippets of their song lyrics sprinkled everywhere. But don’t be fooled: they might be dressed for the apocalypse but The New December, their second album, is one of the more straightforward shots of pop you’ll take this year. →

Mac Rybell – “The Lantern”

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Various Artists
Tropicalia in Furs
(2010)

We currently live in political stasis. Cultural change is a turgid philosophy moving at snail’s pace; when it seems that even Obama’s coin phrase of change doesn’t strike the same emotional chord it did when we elevated him as the messiah who would rescue us from our political complacency.  Yet the status quo dictates the mass and greedy corporate giants continue to follow an unrealistic and painfully slow reform.  So we plug away at our Twitter and Facebook accounts and hope for some social redemption →

Various Artists
Strut Records
(2010)

Duncan Brooker is what some would call an ethnomusicologist. He is the man responsible for collecting roughly 20,000 rare and influential gems that span across the African continent. After years of digging, he compiled a hybrid of ‘60s and ‘70s Afro-funk and soul, some of which had never previously reached the Western states. →