My late top ten

Here's my Top 10 records of the year:


1.Spaceghostpurrp: Mysterious Phonk/BMW
2.Rome: Die Aesthetik der Herrschaftsfreiheit (all three?)
3.Robert Hood: Motor (Nighttime World 3)
4.Young Smoke: Space Zone
5.Virtual Information Desk: Contemporary Sappho
6.Raime: Quarter Turns Over a Living Line
7.Ariel Pink: Mature Themes
8.Vessel: Order of Noise
9.Guided by Voices: Let's Go Eat the Factory
10.Hype Williams: Black is Beautiful

Rome's 3 part Die Aesthetik der Herrschaftsfreiheit, an evocative folk-noir sequence that mixed industrial textures, musique concrete and Nick Cave-style balladry with a concept involving 19th century European freedom fighters; the whole thing was ambitious, deeply romantic and highly moving but, sadly, spread across 3 separate albums (not discs, albums) which diluted the impact somewhat as no one release summed the whole thing up. Nonetheless, taken as a whole, it's a powerful body of work and one of the most richly enjoyable audio experiences I've had all year: thanks to Totem Records in Wien, Austria for giving me the heavy tip on this one, it paid off!

Shout-outs to MJ Linckoln, Vatican Shadow, :Wumpscut: and Royal-T, all of whom have been firm fixtures of my listening this year but who, for various reasons, don't cut into the top 10. MJ Linckoln is probably because I've digested so many EPs and albums at once and all the 'best bits' don't occur on one release; not to mention that one of my hands-down faves this year has been Malibu Locals Only Matterhorn pt2 but, for some reason, I found it difficult to squeeze it into the top 10.

SGP has taken up most of my listening this year; Rvidxr Klvn's Greatest Hits (nearly my #1) and BLXCK SMVRF's Mortal Kombat III were key texts while Mysterious Phonk was a great, gloomy rap record that, although totally lacking in fun and not quite heavy, kept going around my head and tempting me back. Furthermore, just when I began to question SGP's bars (you know, when you listen to a rapper so much you begin to pick holes in their flow), the fucker drops Black Man's Wealth for free, like the other day! A brilliant half-way house between Phonk's clean(er), considered tracks and God of Black's scuzzy fizzle (which, in spite of their brilliance, were annoyingly under-mastered).


New Dreams Ltd was a surprise entry for me as it was an album I found myself revisiting more and more. It pretty much kick started my fascination with vaporwave (despite already making Replicas and Far Side Virtual my no. 1s from previous years). I didn't realise how important it had been this year when I checked popped it on the other day and discovered I knew the thing really well (as in, 'this next track is that one with the weird sax, I love that!' or when I knew when a sample would stutter/chop).

How to choose which of the three GBV albums to 'top 10'. Class Clown Spots a UFO is possibly the better record, but Let's Go Eat the Factory was the one I obsessed over and listened to the most (because it was the first, maybe). One of my favourite lyrics of the year has to be from The Head:

"We have found/what appears to be the head/of the operation...but we've not yet found the body"

Slightly annoyed that there's not been any grime albums worth cherishing this year. Royal-T's came close, a brilliant package of grime and bass styles which featured my favourite track of the year: Cruel to be kind feat P Money. An intense, punkish grime-house monster that caused me to dance stupider than ever before in a variety of places: a) on the way to work b) Motion c) my front room d) my classroom e) The Exchange and f) Blue Mountain. Very difficult not to rave to the drop, wherever you are. Only problem with it was that much of it appeared to be genre-experiments or dull features -I didn't see Royal-T indulging in his strengths, y'know, like if they'd collected up his 12"s to date and then put the best tracks from Rinse Presents... in as the filler...that's be a fucking sick grime album, without any girly features.

Wiley did release Evolve or be Extinct, a fine album that sadly overstretched itself with sketches and a few quality, but ultimately toothless and indulgent, concept-songs e.g. Skankin'. Kylea's excellent Step Freestyles is around #12 on my list (I may have to extend it to Top 20 now...), chiefly down to his freestyle over Preditah's Circles. God almighty: choon, etc.

No black metal caught my ear, sadly, as Burzum's two efforts, Umskipitar and From the Depths o of Darkness were confusingly obtuse and a misguided re-recording of older standards respectively. The overall effect was a little unsatisfying because I really liked Umpskipitar but didn't find myself going back to it to explore further; no moments of revelation or ecstasy. Similarly, there was nothing new about the re-recordings of the earlier pre-incarceration material. It felt like a cash in, event though I suspect it was a genuine gesture. I doubt he cares anyway. I did get a few LPs in the genre but, meh, maybe it wasn't my year for such styles.

Tri-Angle label were, this year, fantastic in every way. All releases were intriguing, beautiful and challenging. Holy Other's dense and seductively mournful album Held was a highlight (probably my #15), as was the so-early-in-the-year-he-spoilt-his-chances disc from Balam Acab. However, Bristol boy Vessel takes the Tri-Angle prize for me. Order of Noise is airily spacious, grimly human and imbued with such a deftness of hand with regards to style (something not shared by the other Tri-Anglers) and technique as to allow the record to appeal to listeners on the level of a bass-y ghost-rave classic and skeletal Surgeon-esque dub-techno LP (similar-ish to his terrific Breaking the Frame LP). Slippery and elusive, this was one of the year's best UK records for me.