Album of the Year
Andy Stott - Luxury Problems
Luxury Problems is as punishing as it is beautiful. Blunt, mechanical bass bisect Alison Skidmore's chopped and rearranged vocals, creating a sound of Stott's own. I listened to and loved this record more than any other in 2012.
Luxury Problems is as punishing as it is beautiful. Blunt, mechanical bass bisect Alison Skidmore's chopped and rearranged vocals, creating a sound of Stott's own. I listened to and loved this record more than any other in 2012.
EP of the Year
Burial - Kindred
Burial’s album, Untrue, was my introduction to electronic music a few years ago; it just so happened to be the best one I could have hoped for. I couldn’t grasp on to anything right away, the vocals seemed alien, like they were coming from behind a cloth sheet in a well, while the songs Burial built around them were subtle, never paying off in the way you expected. I’ve been living with this music since- sound-tracking walks alone on campus, airport terminals, and highway drives. Burial’s music always gives me something new, an ingenious drum break, a buried vocal sample, a new narrative. Kindred is the heir apparent to Untrue’s perfection, it’s dark and sparse, rewarding the listener who mirrors it’s own patience.
Song of the Year
Korallreven - "Sa Sa Samoa" (Elite Gymnastics Remix)
Elite Gymnastics’ progression from blog-baiting prankster to
hyper-literate electronic project has been a fun one to watch. Here, James Brooks
takes a meditative cut from Korallreven’s excellent An Album By Korallreven and turns it into a dance-floor
victory lap. It’s cut into different parts, there’s the come-up and anthemic
climax, and then a startling hardcore and jungle flip into the comedown. Make
sure to check out the video as well, a turbo paced ode to early 90’s rave
culture.
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