WATMM's Top Records Mid-2015!

A few disappointing albums and lots of immediately good but eventually underwhelming records so far for me. A few strong records, although only Holly Herndon and Idlewild are ones I've completely fallen in love with. Will have to have a rummage through the stuff I've not heard of in this thread. Hopefully the second half of the year will throw in a few surprises... fingers crossed for FSOL, Tangerine Dream and Max Richter.

Holly Herndon - Platform

Trickfinger - Trickfinger

Bjork - Vulnicura

Akkord - HTH035

Blur - The Magic Whip

Idlewild - Everything Ever Written

It has been a slow year for me....

Hot Chip - Why Make Sense?

John Tejada - Signs Under Test
Johan Agebjörn - Notes
Kerrier District - 4
Variant - Auratia

Jefre Cantu-Ledesma - A Year With 13 Moons
Chungking - Defender
Roisin Murphy – Hairless Toys
Say Lou Lou - Lucid Dreaming
Marina And The Diamonds – Froot
Shamir - Ratchet
Susanne Sundfør - Ten Love Songs
Kate Pierson - Guitars And Microphones

Intrusion - A Gentle Embrace (Variant Reshapes)
Azealia Banks - Broke With Expensive Taste
Purity Ring - Another Eternity
Miami Horror - All Possible Futures
Passion Pit - Kindred
The Go! Team - The Scene Between

And yes, I do like 'pop' music.

  On 6/11/2015 at 7:49 PM, digman said:

Rrose - Having Never Written A Note For Percussion

Really gorgeous performance of it, to my shame I haven't bought it yet but it's currently my go-to for pre-sleep music.

  On 6/12/2015 at 12:37 AM, purlieu said:

Akkord - HTH035

That has the Haxan Cloak remix right? That track is a beautiful monster, love it.

  On 6/11/2015 at 8:40 PM, murphythecat8 said:

 

  On 6/11/2015 at 7:25 PM, lin said:

Holly Herndon - Platform

Jefre Cantu Ledesma - A year with 13 moons

Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A Butterfly

Aleksi Perälä - Colundi Sequence 8

Ekoplekz - Reflekzionz

Amnesia Scanner - AS ANGELS RIG HOOK

Kerrier District - 4

Aphex Twin - CCAI Pt2

 

Can't wait for J. G. Biberkopf EP on K.N.I.V.E.S. (Kuedo's new label).

great list

thanks

 

You're welcome!

  On 6/12/2015 at 2:38 AM, Kooch said:

 

The Go! Team - The Scene Between

I forgot to mention that one.

  On 6/12/2015 at 11:50 AM, WeAreOceans said:

 

  On 6/11/2015 at 7:49 PM, digman said:

Rrose - Having Never Written A Note For Percussion

 

Really gorgeous performance of it, to my shame I haven't bought it yet but it's currently my go-to for pre-sleep music.

 

  On 6/12/2015 at 12:37 AM, purlieu said:

Akkord - HTH035

 

That has the Haxan Cloak remix right? That track is a beautiful monster, love it.

 

Yeah, it's last year's 4-track EP plus the four remixes. Not a 'proper' 2015 release I suppose but every track is a killer so fuck it.

Mark Turner - Lathe of Heaven (sparse, beautifully composed/arranged/performed straight-8th chamber jazz record from my favorite living tenor player...)

Aphex Twin - CCAI pt. 2

BadBadNotGood & Ghostface Killah - Sour Soul

Blanck Mass - Dumb Flesh

The Body & Thou - You, Whom I Have Always Hated

Container - LP

Elder - Lore

High On Fire - Luminiferous

Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A Butterfly

The KVB - Mirror Being

Lightning Bolt - Fantasy Empire

Maps & Diagrams - Celsius

Monolord - Vaenir

Nocternity - Harps Of The Ancient Temples

Nosaj Thing - Fated

A Place To Bury Strangers - Transfixiation

Spectres - Dying

Sumac - The Deal

  On 6/11/2015 at 7:25 PM, lin said:

Can't wait for J. G. Biberkopf EP on K.N.I.V.E.S. (Kuedo's new label).

Really digging this one; what do you think of it?

As a music lover/listener, I think it's stellar. It's futuristic, lush, dynamic, often unpredictable : a proper grower.

I happen to make music myself, and it gives me tons of ideas as well.

I think I'll purchase all K.N.I.V.E.S releases blind anyway. I've been following Kuedo's SC for a while, and the artists he follows/tracks he shares are often fantastic, with a similar vibe & vision. With a little luck, he'll release some Amnesia Scanner and T.C.F. as well :)

Oh and I can not wait for Kuedo's own EP, scheduled soonish IIRC.

  On 7/1/2015 at 9:22 PM, lin said:

As a music lover/listener, I think it's stellar. It's futuristic, lush, dynamic, often unpredictable : a proper grower.

I happen to make music myself, and it gives me tons of ideas as well.

 

I think I'll purchase all K.N.I.V.E.S releases blind anyway. I've been following Kuedo's SC for a while, and the artists he follows/tracks he shares are often fantastic, with a similar vibe & vision. With a little luck, he'll release some Amnesia Scanner and T.C.F. as well :)

 

Oh and I can not wait for Kuedo's own EP, scheduled soonish IIRC.

Definitely agree; some really interesting things going on there. And when it grooves it fucking grooves.

I've been really digging this sound lately (TCF and Helm's new LP), and I see reviews of Ecologies namedropping Mind: Body: Fitness, Sentinel, Ornine, v1984, Djwwww, and Yearning Kru, but I keep coming short on quick google searches for a few of these artists; is their output predominantly on soundcloud, or am I missing out on some essential proper releases from these referenced artists?

I have to check Helm's LP then, thanks!

All the musicians you mention are, as far as I know, only on SC at the moment. I think I've read that M:B:F and v1984 (can't remember where, sorry!) are likely to be the next entries or so to the label catalogue.

  On 7/2/2015 at 12:40 AM, lin said:

I have to check Helm's LP then, thanks!

 

All the musicians you mention are, as far as I know, only on SC at the moment. I think I've read that M:B:F and v1984 (can't remember where, sorry!) are likely to be the next entries or so to the label catalogue.

Ah ok, guess I'll hold tight until they release; thanks!

And yeah, the Helm LP is fantastic IMO; might not be directly in line with the rest of the artists in this "net aware" movement (that label kind of makes me cringe), but I think it's similar enough in timbre. It's way more loop based/drone-y than Ecologies though.

where de lists at

They've both been up for more than a month .. but might interest some of u

Bleep Mid-year Roundup 2015

Norman Records Mid-Year Review 2015 (click on new stuff)

Kasm 01

Kasm 02

Top 5

Unknown Mortal Orchestra - Multi-Love

Faith No More - Sol Invictus

Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Asunder, Sweet and Other Distress

Squarepusher - Damogen Furies

Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp a Butterfly

Honourable mention goes to the AFX Soundcloud. It's not an album but some of that material is life-changingly good. Infinitely better than his official 2015 releases anyway.

  On 6/18/2015 at 8:27 AM, ghOsty said:

Aphex Twin - CCAI pt. 2

BadBadNotGood & Ghostface Killah - Sour Soul

Blanck Mass - Dumb Flesh

The Body & Thou - You, Whom I Have Always Hated

Container - LP

Elder - Lore

High On Fire - Luminiferous

Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A Butterfly

The KVB - Mirror Being

Lightning Bolt - Fantasy Empire

Maps & Diagrams - Celsius

Monolord - Vaenir

Nocternity - Harps Of The Ancient Temples

Nosaj Thing - Fated

A Place To Bury Strangers - Transfixiation

Spectres - Dying

Sumac - The Deal

man, your metal taste is the bomb. I've discovered so much good shit through you.

anyway, Luminiferous is one of the best metal joints I've heard in ages, second only to Elder, possibly. I'm new to High On Fire and loving it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmI-CvhxcWs

so fucking good.

also The Body is on my radar to investigate soon.

Ive been listening a lot to Woob's 2015 output.

http://woob.bandcamp.com/album/adaption

http://woob.bandcamp.com/album/intervision-1015

I had to post this as no one else has. The whole album was made on a Buchla Music Easel and a couple of pedals.

He has a new album coming in September too.

Donnacha Costello - Love From Dust

This is a Buchla Music Easel:

  On 8/21/2015 at 3:06 AM, mat said:

I had to post this as no one else has. The whole album was made on a Buchla Music Easel and a couple of pedals.

 

He has a new album coming in September too.

 

Donnacha Costello - Love From Dust

 

This is a Buchla Music Easel:

 

I really dug that, bummed I didn't get to snag a cassette. Did not sound like what I expected it to considering it was made with a Buchla, very impressed at what he was able to do with one sonically.

Bosse-de-Nage - All Fours

Leviathan - Scar Sighted

Misþyrming - Söngvar elds og óreiðuby

Xosar - Let Go

36 - Sine Dust

Alva Noto – Xerrox Vol.3

Blanck Mass - Dumb Flesh

Vince Staples - Summertime 06

Joey Bada$$ - b4da$$

Holly Herndon - Platform

Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp a Butterfly

t e l e p a t h テレパシー能力者 - アンタラ通信

Spectral Lore - Voyager

Ekoplekz - Reflekzionz

  On 8/21/2015 at 3:06 AM, mat said:

I had to post this as no one else has. The whole album was made on a Buchla Music Easel and a couple of pedals.

 

He has a new album coming in September too.

 

Donnacha Costello - Love From Dust

 

This is a Buchla Music Easel:

 

Really good, thanks for the tip!

So far:

Squarepusher - Damogen Furies
Aphex Twin - MARCHROMT30a Edit 2b 96
Holly Herndon - Platform
BadBadNotGood and Ghostface Killah - Sour Soul
Ghostface Killah - Twelve Reasons to Die II
Algiers - Algiers
Mourn - Mourn
Bjork - Vulnicura
Modest Mouse - Strangers to Ourselves
Cannibal Ox - Blade of the Ronin
FFS - FFS
Jlin - Dark Energy
Clark - Flame Rave EP
Zebra Katz x Leila - Nu Renegade
Ekoplekz - Four Track Mind

I highly expect Sean Price's and Method Man's newest records to be on my list near the end of the year.

  On 8/21/2015 at 2:50 PM, joshuatx said:

 

  On 8/21/2015 at 3:06 AM, mat said:

I had to post this as no one else has. The whole album was made on a Buchla Music Easel and a couple of pedals.

 

He has a new album coming in September too.

 

Donnacha Costello - Love From Dust

 

This is a Buchla Music Easel:

 

 

 

I really dug that, bummed I didn't get to snag a cassette. Did not sound like what I expected it to considering it was made with a Buchla, very impressed at what he was able to do with one sonically.

 

I missed out on the cassette too which is a double shame because of the pleasing blue color.

I just watched "I Dream of Wires" and I hadn't known one thing about Buchla except for this album so connecting the making and intention of the Buchla with this performance I enjoy so much was a treat I didn't expect.

I already pre-ordered the vinyl for his September release made with the Buchla as well.

Another great album I haven't seen mentioned here: https://pioulard.bandcamp.com/album/stanza

This one is ambient/drone and covers you up with a warm blanket.

  On 8/26/2015 at 4:47 PM, mat said:

 

  On 8/21/2015 at 2:50 PM, joshuatx said:

 

  On 8/21/2015 at 3:06 AM, mat said:

I had to post this as no one else has. The whole album was made on a Buchla Music Easel and a couple of pedals.

 

He has a new album coming in September too.

 

Donnacha Costello - Love From Dust

 

This is a Buchla Music Easel:

 

 

 

I really dug that, bummed I didn't get to snag a cassette. Did not sound like what I expected it to considering it was made with a Buchla, very impressed at what he was able to do with one sonically.

 

 

Another great album I haven't seen mentioned here: https://pioulard.bandcamp.com/album/stanza

 

This one is ambient/drone and covers you up with a warm blanket.

 

Another triumph from a WATMM alum.