WATMM Album of the Year 2017 Nominations

ur list sux

  On 12/19/2017 at 9:13 PM, Bulk VanderHooj said:

ur list sux

i didnt even put the opn album in there

btw this is nominations so there's no point in listing albums that have been mentioned already right

  On 12/19/2017 at 9:14 PM, span said:

 

  On 12/19/2017 at 9:13 PM, Bulk VanderHooj said:

ur list sux

 

i didnt even put the opn album in there

 

 nevermind I love your list. <3

  On 12/19/2017 at 9:14 PM, span said:

btw this is nominations so there's no point in listing albums that have been mentioned already right

 

true :)

  On 12/19/2017 at 9:14 PM, span said:

btw this is nominations so there's no point in listing albums that have been mentioned already right

is it?

isn't the poll calculated on amount of mentions?

at least that's how usagi did it last year:

https://forum.watmm.com/topic/92327-2016-album-of-the-year-poll/?do=findComment&comment=2514426

loool

  On 12/19/2017 at 10:39 PM, Blank said:

lol

CAVE made my EPs of the year list

Here's some I haven't seen mentioned and need some lovin pronto:

• AB2088 - Sagittarius Computer Club. Nice to the point abstract electronic cuts.  
• Bellows - Strand Shelter Press. Reminiscent of early Rastermusic; minimal pseudotapeloopy stuff. Kind of cute.  
• Scald Rougish - Idioal Oifrmech Ge-stell. My mind is going. I can feel it.  
• EXM - Modulus Touched. Melodic I D M.  
• Freeform - Rewind Above Bedroom Research. Freeform triptych!  
• Freeform - Rewind Below Bedroom Research. Freeform triptych!!  
• Freeform - Rewind Beyond Bedroom Research. Freeform triptych!!!  
• Goto80 - Floptrik Central Processing Unit. My favorite "chiptune" dude, keeps me on the edge.  
• Jeff Mills - A Trip to the Moon Axis. Jeff Mills wrote a score for the first scifi film ever made, yes please.  
• Justin Walter - Unseen Forces Kranky. Drifting synth-pieces with some trumpeting here and there.  
• Konrad Sprenger - Stack Music PAN. Algorithmic electric string music. 
• Kraftwerk - 3-D The Catalogue / Der Katalog Kling Klang. Octuple ultrastereo live album of epic proportions. 
• Lapalux - Ruinism Brainfeeder. His best one to date and everyone's sleeping on it. 
• Danny Wolfers - Unfolding The Future With Amateur Space Jazz Nightwind Records. Laidback Legowelt jams... 
• Luke Vibert - Luke Vibert Presents UK Garave Vol. 1 Hypercolour. Vibert toujours.  
• Mika Vainio - Reat Elektro Music Department. Vaino's last album R ! I ! P !  
• Pyramids of Space - Live on Neptune Mordant Music. Life on Neptune, electronic jazz doodles.  
• Ricardo Villalobos - Empirical House LP [a:rpia:r]. This might be my n°1 , insanely chill ~12 minute housy technofunk jams. 
• Second Woman - S/W Spectrum Spools. ☢. 
• Shit and Shine - Total Shit! Diagonal. Mashing electronic and pop in one poop, very nice.  
• Shobaleader One - Elektrac Warp Records. Put it on LOUD and you're right there - seen the real thing twice, a very worthy companion.  
• Sugai Ken - UkabazUmorezU Rvng Intl.. Stumbled upon this dude last year, Rvng Intl. is a perfect home. 

  On 12/19/2017 at 10:39 PM, Blank said:

lmao

me and stephen in the pond after throwing Good Time OST in it: (NSFW dont ban me)

  if only life was so good bahah

Versalife ‎- Encrypted Mind

Rognvald - Lord Rover

LCTR ‎– Teal Ranger

Beach Fossils - Somersault
Broken Social Scene - Hug of Thunder
Chaz Bundick meets the Mattson 2 - Star Stuff
Chicano Batman - Freedom is Free
Com Truise - Iteration
Courtney Barnett and Kurt Vile - Lotta Sea Lice
Deafcult - Auras
Floating Points - Reflections Mojave Desert
Four Tet - New Energy
Gas - Narkopop
Geotic - Abysma
Grizzly Bear - Painted Ruins
Hoops - Routines
John Maus - Screen Memories
King Gizzard & Lizard Wizard - Sketches of Brunswick East
Lee Fields - Special Night Instrumentals
Mogwai - Every Country's Sun
Pallbearer - Heartless
Queens of the Stone Age - Villains
Real Estate - In Mind
Slowdive - Slowdive
Spoon - Hot Thoughts
The War on Drugs - A Deeper Understanding
Thundercat - Drunk
Washed Out - Mister Mellow

  On 12/14/2017 at 9:01 PM, Kavinsky said:

Protomartyr - Relatives in Descent is my fav non electronic rec of the year

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWdLpIITqsQ

Yes! Best gig I went to this year too. Best frontman I’ve seen for a long time.

  On 12/20/2017 at 12:07 AM, cear said:

 

Here's some I haven't seen mentioned and need some lovin pronto:

• AB2088 - Sagittarius Computer Club. Nice to the point abstract electronic cuts.  
• Bellows - Strand Shelter Press. Reminiscent of early Rastermusic; minimal pseudotapeloopy stuff. Kind of cute.  
• Scald Rougish - Idioal Oifrmech Ge-stell. My mind is going. I can feel it.  
• EXM - Modulus Touched. Melodic I D M.  
• Freeform - Rewind Above Bedroom Research. Freeform triptych!  
• Freeform - Rewind Below Bedroom Research. Freeform triptych!!  
• Freeform - Rewind Beyond Bedroom Research. Freeform triptych!!!  
• Goto80 - Floptrik Central Processing Unit. My favorite "chiptune" dude, keeps me on the edge.  
• Jeff Mills - A Trip to the Moon Axis. Jeff Mills wrote a score for the first scifi film ever made, yes please.  
• Justin Walter - Unseen Forces Kranky. Drifting synth-pieces with some trumpeting here and there.  
• Konrad Sprenger - Stack Music PAN. Algorithmic electric string music. 
• Kraftwerk - 3-D The Catalogue / Der Katalog Kling Klang. Octuple ultrastereo live album of epic proportions. 
• Lapalux - Ruinism Brainfeeder. His best one to date and everyone's sleeping on it. 
• Danny Wolfers - Unfolding The Future With Amateur Space Jazz Nightwind Records. Laidback Legowelt jams... 
• Luke Vibert - Luke Vibert Presents UK Garave Vol. 1 Hypercolour. Vibert toujours.  
• Mika Vainio - Reat Elektro Music Department. Vaino's last album R ! I ! P !  
• Pyramids of Space - Live on Neptune Mordant Music. Life on Neptune, electronic jazz doodles.  
• Ricardo Villalobos - Empirical House LP [a:rpia:r]. This might be my n°1 , insanely chill ~12 minute housy technofunk jams. 
• Second Woman - S/W Spectrum Spools. ☢. 
• Shit and Shine - Total Shit! Diagonal. Mashing electronic and pop in one poop, very nice.  
• Shobaleader One - Elektrac Warp Records. Put it on LOUD and you're right there - seen the real thing twice, a very worthy companion.  
• Sugai Ken - UkabazUmorezU Rvng Intl.. Stumbled upon this dude last year, Rvng Intl. is a perfect home. 

 

good list

  On 12/20/2017 at 11:53 AM, dr lopez said:

 

  On 12/20/2017 at 12:07 AM, cear said:

 

Here's some I haven't seen mentioned and need some lovin pronto:

• AB2088 - Sagittarius Computer Club. Nice to the point abstract electronic cuts.
• Bellows - Strand Shelter Press. Reminiscent of early Rastermusic; minimal pseudotapeloopy stuff. Kind of cute.
• Scald Rougish - Idioal Oifrmech Ge-stell. My mind is going. I can feel it.
• EXM - Modulus Touched. Melodic I D M.
• Freeform - Rewind Above Bedroom Research. Freeform triptych!
• Freeform - Rewind Below Bedroom Research. Freeform triptych!!
• Freeform - Rewind Beyond Bedroom Research. Freeform triptych!!!
• Goto80 - Floptrik Central Processing Unit. My favorite "chiptune" dude, keeps me on the edge.
• Jeff Mills - A Trip to the Moon Axis. Jeff Mills wrote a score for the first scifi film ever made, yes please.
• Justin Walter - Unseen Forces Kranky. Drifting synth-pieces with some trumpeting here and there.
• Konrad Sprenger - Stack Music PAN. Algorithmic electric string music.
• Kraftwerk - 3-D The Catalogue / Der Katalog Kling Klang. Octuple ultrastereo live album of epic proportions.
• Lapalux - Ruinism Brainfeeder. His best one to date and everyone's sleeping on it.
• Danny Wolfers - Unfolding The Future With Amateur Space Jazz Nightwind Records. Laidback Legowelt jams...
• Luke Vibert - Luke Vibert Presents UK Garave Vol. 1 Hypercolour. Vibert toujours.
• Mika Vainio - Reat Elektro Music Department. Vaino's last album R ! I ! P !
• Pyramids of Space - Live on Neptune Mordant Music. Life on Neptune, electronic jazz doodles.
• Ricardo Villalobos - Empirical House LP [a:rpia:r]. This might be my n°1 , insanely chill ~12 minute housy technofunk jams.
• Second Woman - S/W Spectrum Spools. ☢.
• Shit and Shine - Total Shit! Diagonal. Mashing electronic and pop in one poop, very nice.
• Shobaleader One - Elektrac Warp Records. Put it on LOUD and you're right there - seen the real thing twice, a very worthy companion.
• Sugai Ken - UkabazUmorezU Rvng Intl.. Stumbled upon this dude last year, Rvng Intl. is a perfect home.

good list

Made me realize I forgot to mention Freeform. What great releases those were.

late contender for EP of the year 

Bjarki - Geothermal Sheep

  On 12/20/2017 at 5:27 PM, perunamuussi said:

late contender for EP of the year

 

Bjarki - Geothermal Sheep

 

 

 

  Reveal hidden contents

The latest release from Bjarki Runar’s bbbbbb label sees Bjarki delving back into his vast archives and shines a light on a bizarre detour during the early days of the label that involved a peculiar commission from the Icelandic state.

 

Bjarki introduces the story; “It was back in 2015 and we were only just putting together the original plans towards making bbbbbb a label. While this was happening, I got a call from a friend who was working for a local tech start-up and marketing company. They’d been contacted by the Icelandic Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture who came to them with a weird proposition. They were looking at the idea of marketing Icelandic lamb as this user-exclusive commodity for high end restaurants, the same way they do with Kobe beef in Japan. His marketing company was going all in with this idea of creating an elite herd of sheep that would get the 5-star treatment – fresh food and beer, shampoo and geothermal baths for their fleece, and entertainment such as TV and music for when they were in the hills. That’s where I came in.”

 

The initial meeting between Bjarki and the marketers however didn’t go as smoothly as they hoped; “When I met my friend and his team, they were going to have music pumped through a series of remote speakers across the hillside” Bjarki explains. “But when they showed me what they were going to play to them, I almost fell of my chair laughing! It was all this cheesy, easy listening, orchestral Icelandic bullshit. I said to them ‘This is nonsense! Why are you bringing me into this project if that’s all you’re going to be playing?’ In the end, I told them I would completely redo all the sounds and music they were going to be using. I was going to drag the Icelandic sheep into the 21st Century”.

 

Bjarki was as good as his word. Over the summer of 2015, he spent several weeks at farm locations near Kirkjubæjarklaustur and Reykholtsdalur, walking the hills and playing a variety of sounds and beats to various flocks of sheep to see what the best approach was. It was tough going at first; “At the beginning, I was working totally blind”, Bjarki explains. “I mean how can you possibly know what sort of modern music and sounds Icelandic sheep would go for?” But Bjarki persevered and he found certain sounds and tones made the sheep more active and engaged.

 

From this point, he began to make tracks that would encapsulate what the lambs were drawn to the most. “A track like Soda “Sugarlicious” for example, came about when I started playing Candy Crush on the hillside. As I kept playing, the sheep began to gather around me showing interest in the bright chintzy sounds coming from my laptop and that deep voice that would keep speaking to you. I simply put together a track that was all shiny colours and heavy on the chimes. The sheep fucking loved it!” A track like “Drab” meanwhile was suited for less sunny moments. “I got caught in a nasty rainstorm, so I started playing these synth lines I had made, along with an improvised kick drum. The mix of the softness of the tones along with the hit of the bass cased the sheep to follow me all the way back to the farm I was staying at. The farmer wasn’t too impressed with that, but the flock was completely hypnotized”.

 

In the end Bjarki, amassed several tracks ranging from soft ambient to gnarly hardcore bangers to present to the Ministry. But in the end, they decided not to go with the whole proposal. “These people were fools”, Bjarki says. “They just couldn’t get their heads around doing something completely different, that was a bit of fun yes, but was completely done in a serious manner. We all spent weeks doing this stuff so yeah, it was a bit gutting”.

 

In the end though, there is a silver lining to this story as these efforts were not wasted for we can now hear the best of Bjarki’s efforts from this admittedly weird project on a limited 12” release that marks a storming 2017 for the bbbbbb label.

 

EP release date:

15 December 2017

https://bleep.com/release/93169-bjarki-geothermal-sheep-ep

 

 

Yes! More love for Bjarki. Way too under appreciated around these parts.

  On 12/21/2017 at 3:44 AM, Extralife said:

 

  On 12/20/2017 at 5:27 PM, perunamuussi said:

late contender for EP of the year

 

Bjarki - Geothermal Sheep

 

 

 

  Reveal hidden contents

The latest release from Bjarki Runar’s bbbbbb label sees Bjarki delving back into his vast archives and shines a light on a bizarre detour during the early days of the label that involved a peculiar commission from the Icelandic state.

 

Bjarki introduces the story; “It was back in 2015 and we were only just putting together the original plans towards making bbbbbb a label. While this was happening, I got a call from a friend who was working for a local tech start-up and marketing company. They’d been contacted by the Icelandic Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture who came to them with a weird proposition. They were looking at the idea of marketing Icelandic lamb as this user-exclusive commodity for high end restaurants, the same way they do with Kobe beef in Japan. His marketing company was going all in with this idea of creating an elite herd of sheep that would get the 5-star treatment – fresh food and beer, shampoo and geothermal baths for their fleece, and entertainment such as TV and music for when they were in the hills. That’s where I came in.”

 

The initial meeting between Bjarki and the marketers however didn’t go as smoothly as they hoped; “When I met my friend and his team, they were going to have music pumped through a series of remote speakers across the hillside” Bjarki explains. “But when they showed me what they were going to play to them, I almost fell of my chair laughing! It was all this cheesy, easy listening, orchestral Icelandic bullshit. I said to them ‘This is nonsense! Why are you bringing me into this project if that’s all you’re going to be playing?’ In the end, I told them I would completely redo all the sounds and music they were going to be using. I was going to drag the Icelandic sheep into the 21st Century”.

 

Bjarki was as good as his word. Over the summer of 2015, he spent several weeks at farm locations near Kirkjubæjarklaustur and Reykholtsdalur, walking the hills and playing a variety of sounds and beats to various flocks of sheep to see what the best approach was. It was tough going at first; “At the beginning, I was working totally blind”, Bjarki explains. “I mean how can you possibly know what sort of modern music and sounds Icelandic sheep would go for?” But Bjarki persevered and he found certain sounds and tones made the sheep more active and engaged.

 

From this point, he began to make tracks that would encapsulate what the lambs were drawn to the most. “A track like Soda “Sugarlicious” for example, came about when I started playing Candy Crush on the hillside. As I kept playing, the sheep began to gather around me showing interest in the bright chintzy sounds coming from my laptop and that deep voice that would keep speaking to you. I simply put together a track that was all shiny colours and heavy on the chimes. The sheep fucking loved it!” A track like “Drab” meanwhile was suited for less sunny moments. “I got caught in a nasty rainstorm, so I started playing these synth lines I had made, along with an improvised kick drum. The mix of the softness of the tones along with the hit of the bass cased the sheep to follow me all the way back to the farm I was staying at. The farmer wasn’t too impressed with that, but the flock was completely hypnotized”.

 

In the end Bjarki, amassed several tracks ranging from soft ambient to gnarly hardcore bangers to present to the Ministry. But in the end, they decided not to go with the whole proposal. “These people were fools”, Bjarki says. “They just couldn’t get their heads around doing something completely different, that was a bit of fun yes, but was completely done in a serious manner. We all spent weeks doing this stuff so yeah, it was a bit gutting”.

 

In the end though, there is a silver lining to this story as these efforts were not wasted for we can now hear the best of Bjarki’s efforts from this admittedly weird project on a limited 12” release that marks a storming 2017 for the bbbbbb label.

 

EP release date:

15 December 2017

https://bleep.com/release/93169-bjarki-geothermal-sheep-ep

 

 

Yes! More love for Bjarki. Way too under appreciated around these parts.

 

Holy shit just seeing these lists makes me realize Ive not listened to a single bloody album all year  except

Afx - Field Day

aphex bleepstore/SC goodies

Jlin Black Origami

Mike n Rich tape - Exper Knob Twiddlers 

Its been mostly radioshows, mixes,  soundcloud and bandamp rabibitholes and live-sets for me in 2017

I don't know how i feel about any of that yet tho - possibly a low-attention-span thing, not making the time, lazy with purchasing blah blah bla

Anyone else in the same boat? 

The last National isn't as good as the holy trinity of Alligator, Boxer and High Violet, but still pretty good.  The Bllep list was pretty good this year. Should probably add Brainwaltzera to my list. I'm gonna make a huge watmm017 and add all the stuff in this thread as always. I know it's gonne be some good stuff I've missed.

EDIT: Supposed to quote bendish on p1, but that didn't work out.

In comparing Zwischenwelt to a "mysterious obelisk," Mark Smith aptly summarised the album's enigmatic sound. It draws equally from dub techno and drum & bass, but resembles neither style. That's partly down to its use of Euclidean rhythms, each one taking turns to draw the ear. Not that much of this would cross your mind on a dance floor—you'd probably just ask, awestruck, "What the hell is this?" 

Listen: Apple Music / SoundCloud / Spotify

How could I forget this one??  Way too much great stuff put out this year.

Are we doing a separate thread for EPs by chance. Heard another one I would add to my list: Mirror & Veil

by S.Maharba

  On 12/4/2017 at 6:39 PM, Marked x 0ne said:

DJ Python - Dulce Compania

This one is a trip.

Queens of the Stone Age - Villains

Grizzly Bear - Painted Ruins

Deerhoof- Mountain Moves

Thundercat - Drunk

Nine Inch Nails - Add Violence

Fleet Foxes - Crack Up

LCD Soundsystem - American Dream

St. Vincent - Masseduction

Mastodon - Emperor of Sand

Foo Fighters - Concrete and Gold... I don't care what you think, watmm!

Bjork - Utopia

Jlin - Black Origami

I still need to hear the new Godspeed, Converge, Animal Collective EPs, Chelsea Wolfe, Fever Ray, Guided by Voices, Shins, Spoon, Weezer, Arca... and everything good that I don't know about.  Too much music, too little time.  I actually did better keeping up with new releases than usual, but I'm still pretty oblivious to what's going on.

Forgot to mention:

Iglooghost - Neō Wax Bloom

  On 12/22/2017 at 11:58 PM, Extralife said:

 

Way too much great stuff put out this year.

 

yes