01. Caribou-Swim

caribou, formerly manitoba, is responsible for the best album of 2010. new album, and new directions. he is evolving his sound and trying to give his songs a sort of flexible flow not often seen in dance music. stressful and stripped vocals with less reverb and special effects, a result of the collaboration with junior boys' greenspan, leads the album in a more minimalistic, early techno and electronic way. picks of the album: oddesa, an adhesive track with tremendous rhythm and recognizable vocals and bassline, sun, almost ecstatic, hannibal, floor-killer song with powerful bassline and a melody reminding paul kaklbrenner songs, and for the end, jamelia, with luke lalonde chorus vocals, an emotive and atmospheric closer. moreover, one of the best live performances of the year, full of noise, energy, mood and colors.an evolutionary songwriter and a leading artist. the most distinctive release of this year.

02. Flying Lotus-Cosmogramma

to be updated..

03. National-High Violet

to be updated..

04. Angus & Julia Stone-Down The Way

to be updated..

05. Black Keys-Brothers

to be updated..

06. Deerhunter-Halcyon Digest

to be updated..

07. Efterklang-Magic Chairs

i haven't listened this album as i should have done. i haven't given to it the attention it deserves. all these changed after their live performance in athens. efterklang mark the start of a new chapter with their third album and first at 4AD. they are moving forward from their classical and post-rock sounds to a more pop soundscape. any narrative is fractured, the songs standalone, constructs shorn of company and context. beautifully orchestrated, with strings, guitars, bass, harp, violins, cellos, trombones, flutes,vocals and percussion, anything u can imagine, compose the new pop and more rhythmic sound. it couldn't be nothing more, after their tremendous previous album parades, an outstanding album meeting all the expectations. and if u are wondering about their live in athens: they succeeded, from a stage that couldn't fit them, to excite almost everyone. a concert that will remain in my mind for long time, for my big, awkward smile on my face and the whispering vocals on my way out. that is a musical bond, what music is all about at the end.

08. Arcade Fire-The Suburbs

there is no much to say about this band. u know the deal. they are fuckin awesome. i don't think there is even a point to write some words as everyone is talking about this album. just that in the beginning i didn't like it so much, but after some more and 'careful' plays in my list it won me. you can feel that it is just a step below their previous two releases, but it sounds like arcade fire, and fucking yeah, we do like it.. and by the way, don't even think to miss the chance to see them live. they are fantastic, one of the best bands playing live now.

09. Gonjasufi-A Sufi and A Killer

a sufi and a killer, the debut release of gonjasufi at warp records. a lot of mystery and rumors were spreading around his name on the first months of previous winter, while warp trying to promote him with an awkward way: sufi said / says / will say. production by flying lotus and gaslamp killer and expectations are rising to the highest level. eastern melodies, dub and aggressive sounds, unsound hip hop, a taste of psychedelic elements, and final his expressive and individual vocals compose his unique sound. this album has accompanied me many many times this year and if it wasn't for his shitty live at bios at athens, acting like a retarded, it would be much more higher. sufi said: in order to get the conviction behind the words, it took 30 years of a lot of frustration and despair...continual tests of faith. Day to day struggling. Bottled-up energy, then all o a sudden, the way it came out seemed perfect..it kept flowing. Continually flowing out of me." If anything I would pray that people find the ability to find themselves in the music."

10. Four Tet-There Is Love In You

after a lengthy absence of an album release, four tet is back with a great album. it is not at the same level as his previous classic albums like rounds, but it is still top class. this album works best taken whole, rather than broken into individual tracks. it's both head and physical, subtle but powerful music for thinking and moving or ideally doing both in the same time. u can come around everything in this album: metalic guitars, deep or dark melodies, bass and beats that are endlessly unfolding, kids' laughing and whatever else u can imagine as long as u are searching for it. before you notice it, this album will have come to its end, and u will need more. this is the moment you will understand that it has a lot to give you as a lot of hidden elements are waiting to unfold. it is like back then at coronet theater, when he was playing developing tracks in his set, waiting for our respond and reaction, and returned to us armed with his soundscapes and 'information'. four tet has understood the simple power of sound.

other.albums.of.2010

these two or three previous days, i've been totally ill, with really high fever, and that is why i couldn't update on time the top 20 list. having a break from this stuff, these are some other albums that i like for this year, but couldn't be in the list:

playground noise-playground noise/the boy-koustoumaki/these new puritans-hidden/wild nothing-gemini/tame impala-innerspeaker/matthew dear-black city/brian eno-smallon craft on a milk sea/zola jesus-stridulum II/wavves-king of the beach/no age-everything in between/belle & sebastian-write about love/keep shelly-in love with dusk/crocodiles-sleep forever/small black-new chain/girls-broken dreams club/james holden-dj kicks/apparat-dj kicks

11.Darkstar-North

the thing is that from here up to the top first, any ablum could have ended up in any ranking position . all of them are my favorite ones and i am emotionally connected with them. north is the debut album of darkstar and altough they are a group with a winning formula, they decided to break the mold in search of something more. and it succeeds, as all the expectations were met.. likely named on a rainier, darker day in northern england, focuses less on the rhythmic aspects of darkstar's sound, and more on the coarse synthesizers laid over its beats. distorted vocals and thick globs of synth make up the basis, with the contribution of dropout and glitches, pianos, strings, bass & guitar. and the most important element is the addition of vocalist James Buttery that adds another dimension to the group's dynamic, both sonically and lyrically. north may be gray, but it's an intense and gorgeous shade.

12. Warpaint-The Fool

i've come across the all-female quartet from LA one year ago, listening their exquisite corpse ep. their debut album, the fool, lacks the ep's melodic blows, but neither does it suffer for that. hypnotic rhythms, fragile lyrics by the dreamy voice of co-leader emily kokal and majestic guitars and basses which balance somewhere between psychedelia and shoegaze. the production, some times low-fi, other moment vast and shimmering, always is submerging listener beneath surface, dragging him deep down to their mood. their music is wandering through desert plains and darkened streets. it's by no mean instant. it isn't the easiest album to listen and love. but u have to give to it a couple of listens, and then it starts to unveil in front of you. like it did to me and it climbed to the to middle of the list.

13.Beach House-Teen Dream

the third album of the dream pop duo feels like a result of thoughtful growth, new influences and rare maturity. interplay between legrand's voice and keyboards and scally's guitars is still the key element. repetitive guitar figures, double-time kick drums, crashing cymbals, soaring melodies and whispery backing vocals compose the musical form. each song has its own palette and its own path. music that feels better when u close ur eyes and start making dreams, dreams about beaches, trips, roadtrips and all the untangable dreams.a remarkable release not only because of its tremendous quality and consistency, but also in its willingness to stick with their sound, with what are most natural at doing. this band truly finds its own voice.

14. Gil-Scott Heron-I'm New Here

you don't really expect after 16 years of total decay- diseases, drugs and prison, this guy to come up with such a great album. an unlikely but triumphant return, that sounds so familiar. spoken word poetry, packed full of sadness and experience, is accompanied by deathly silence and the fragmentary presence of thudding drum sounds. his voice more age-weathered, prones to letting words melt into each other. rather than tackle big scale political issues, he focuses in his own situation. he is not apologizing, he is just explaining his stories. he continues to dissect the past and realign himself with the present throughout carefully pouring all his life experience into every syllable and drawing on the triumphs and aberrations that shaped him. it still feels honest, like something said out of necessity instead of opportunity. let the man sing/recite and follow him. he knows the way.

15. Sufjan Stevens-The Age Of Adz

after four years of his musical silence -claiming the idea of writing an album for each of the 50 america's states, abandoning this idea, questioning about the point of releasing new albums or ever writing music, eventually he does something different, something more difficult, something that other pop artists wouldn't do. he is pushing it, he is moving forward. into a more electronic way. industrials beats, minimal blips, synthesizers, distorted trombone, harps, horns, backing vocals and his bittersweet voice compose his musical path. this album requires time and devotion, but finally it will reward you. and for the finale, sufjan screaming: we can do much more together, it's not so impossible.

16. LCD Soundsystem-This is Happening

the new album of james murphy lands at the 16th place. a lot of things have been said about this album, either that it is boring and poor or that it is similar with his two previous works. its place in my top 20 could be emotional, and even if it is, i don't care. this is happening could lack previous albums' sense of mapping out new territories, but it still does it all incredibly fuckin well. it embraces a wide selection of musical directions that glance back at the past while maintaining a direct footprint in the present days. he is making music by blending the pulse of techno and energy of indie. but now more than ever, he confirms that he is a top vocalist/lyricist capable of mixing heavy, self-deprecating and meaningful lyrics. this post finds me ill, melting myself into pieces with high fever, but i am listening this track as loud as my flatmates can stand, hoping that it can be my remedy.

17. Arandel-In D

Arandel is not an artist, he is a character, ispired by Terry Rile's In C. being supremely mysterious, wanting to do it anonymously, he even performs live hidden behind a curtain. all sound sourced from real instruments, recorded by himself -so there are no samples here. he is rather an experiment in the convergence of techno and french philosophy. a hybrid of thoughtfulness classical and progressive dance floor sounds. this album is one of the most interesting releases of this year. mystical and courageous, an album that thinks for itself.

18. Archie Bronson Outfit-Run Gospel Singer

the trio's third album comes with psychedelic and garage sounds accompanied by synthesizers and dance beats. noisy riffs, thumbed circling bass, martial spatters of drums and an emotional intensive voice. hard and dirty songs that demands ur attention from the outset. overall, it's not a fantastic album, not even a very good album. maybe u can find indifferent songs. but, there are some songs, that make u dancing in ur room, singing loudly, screaming with Sam Windett, and listening to them again and again and again.. don't let yourself fall apart.

19. Emeralds-Does It Look Like I’m Here?

moving to the top 19th release, we remain at more electronical sounds, but this time more drone and experimental. in these last five years, the trio has managed to put out a seriously impressive amount of material, around 40 releases, most of them CDRs and cassettes. this one is mainly made up of shorter and more focused pieces, which tend to float u out of this world with their amazing ability to construct hypnotic tales. It is this kind of music that u are pulling back, while closing all the lights and all innumerable thoughts flood ur mind.

20. Mount Kimbie - Crooks & Lovers

Crooks & Lovers is an album of abrupt and paradoxes, at once organic and heavily processed, drowsy and yet full of acoustically sweet and electrically charged moments. It pushes the sound into lonely, fragmented places, but locates moments of warmth. As it accompanied me in many of my summer road trips, it couldn't be out of my top 20 list. They've no idea where they're going. Either do I, but go with them. Towards their way.

news from london

hello, hello. things going very fast at London. big load of reading & coursework at my master, even days seem to be the same (sunday=monday=tuesday=...). these days are really freezing, and it's also snowing. the good thing is that i have gone or planning to go to some concerts, like flying lotus, caribou, four tet, nathan fake, darkstar, the national and arcade fire. i'll try to update the blog with some kind of news or reviews of these concerts, and also with some portfolio and videos. from today, the Blogovision of 2010 has started (greek blogers voting for top 20 albums of 2010), so until the 20th of december, u will see a daily post.

Darkstar-North

Darkstar-North was the forthcoming album no 4. and all the expectations were met . . although they are a group with a winning formula, they decided to break the mold in search of something more and it succeeds on North. likely named on a rainier, darker day in northern england, focuses less on the rhythmic aspects of Darkstar’s sound, and more on the coarse synthesizers laid over its beats. What’s more, the addition of vocalist James Buttery adds another dimension to the group’s dynamic, both sonically and lyrically. u can decide yourself listening here. i had the chance to see their show at 'rough trade' and it was so good, especially 'dear heartbeat' and a remix on radiohead.

North may be gray, but it’s an intense and gorgeous shade.

burn: ride

guess what? another skate video. a film directed by garth davis and produced by exit films.

flying.lotus.cosmogramma

i have in my i.pod some weeks now the new album of flying lotus. i am thinking almost everyday to post a review about cosmogramma. but, every single day, i have the same problem. i open my blog, and see my cursor just to wink. i don't know what to write. maybe, i have to blame his intelligence, creativity and talent. i don't have to say that it is for sure, one of the albums of the year. nothing more to say. just listen this fuckin awesome album loud. l o u d e r . .

madrid.on.longboard

just another skate video.. rolling around madrid on longboards. directed by Juan Rayos with a Canon 5D MarkII + 17-40f4 L.

presenting:passage.sampler

original post from pav from parttimedrunks:

I have spoken before for the passage netlabel. it is an ambient branch of Fragment and is based in krasnodar russia. this year has released some of the best albums of the genres. originally I hoped to find time to write about each of the eight individual releases, but finally decided to pick my favorite tracks in the following collection. get free the collection here and for more information visit the official page of all the releases, but also the relevant page on myspace. tracklist:
01] Monokle – Gray Sparks
02] Feldmaus – Put On A Magical Hood (Passage Version)
03] Doyeq – Train Travel
04] Polar Lights – Subluemarine
05] Gastón Arévalo – Hielo Norte
06] Lazzich – T1
07] Clouds In My Home – Waves
08] Doyeq – Eyelashes Of Lanterns
09] Gastón Arévalo – Bosque
10] Slow – Dawn
11] Feldmaus – The Sky Turned (feat. Imachi Akira)

offf.paris

i have talked again for offf festival again some posts back. but, i think that i love offf and everything that has to do with it. since 2001, offf festival has been held in Barcelona, becoming the globally recognized and trendsetting event it is today. the three-day festival showcases top digital artists, web, print and interactive designers, motion graphics studios, and new music adventurous. it is spreading the work of a generation of creators that are breaking all kind of limits. OFFF dreams about the future, and then writes the code for it.

Here are the opening-titles presented this weekend at the offf festival paris 2010, designed by the milk under the direction of jeff stevens.

say.no.to.love

new single for the brooklyn band. after their debut album, one of the best of year 2009, they come back with two tracks, two really addictive tracks. a peerless slice of pure pop just right for the summer. “It’s got 3 chords, a fuzz pedal and lots of feelings. But instead of recording in the basement like we did for our album and both EPs, we recorded in an actual studio (Stratosphere Sound in New York). We tried hard to make it sound, as Peggy would say, ‘life affirming’ and we’re pretty excited about how it turned out.”

penny.sparkle

so, september is coming with two albums. the first one is interpol's, whose two new tracks (from a gig in NYC, poor quality though) are all around the net. the second one is from the new york trio, blonde redhead. Penny Sparkle, released on september 13th, marks another sonic twist in their already adventurous canon. and as with their three years previous album, 23, alan moulder is enlisted to mix it. Kazu speaks of the record:

I can't say what Penny Sparkle is about just yet.

I remember talking to Ed (from 4AD) one day and telling him that I had a vision that I was traveling to far away places to complete it.

(Then) I landed in snowy slippery Stockholm..... and here.

I fell in love with the music like falling for someone you've known for a long time.

It was dreamy and sometimes was very stormy.

At times I felt like a shepherd who was trying to herd five stallions into a yard (unsuccessfully).

I felt like I was a link to everyone. I remained still and the others were constantly moving around it.

I am not sure what Penny Sparkle is but I hope I offered to them as much as they offered me.

I know that we have never made a record this way and if I could go back in time, I would do it exactly the same way again.

alien pop for the masses . .

arcade.fire.

arcade fire's new album, called 'the suburbs', is the forthcoming album no 3. try their single with two new tracks: 'month of may' and 'the suburbs'. or a live in June 08 at Théâtre Granada, Sherbrooke of Canada, trying new material. sound like . . arcade fire, and fucking yeah, we do like it.

the.national.terrible.love

good morning.

efterklang

08th of may and about 11.15 efterklang are on the little stage of rodeo, a stage that could not fit them all (heather broderick behind a column, and thomas kirirath husmer literally in the stage). and as the last time, one year and a half ago, they succeeded to excite almost everyone playing songs from 'parades', 'tripper', 'under giant trees' and the new album 'magic chairs'. a concert that will remain in our thoughts for a long time, because there are few bands, counted in one hand, that come with the mood to play live in greece, and not just to do us a favor. and from their side, they seemed to really enjoyed the concert, especially rasmus stolberg, with his stage diving while he was playing/drinking. that is what we call a bond. and that's what counts in the end of the evening. a big, awkward smile on your face and some whispering vocals in the way out. a great concert after all.
what music is all about . .

national.high.violet

and here comes the forthcoming album no2. Matthew Berringer, and the brothers, Aaron and Bryce Dessner and Scott and Bryan Devendorf, with their 5th album. it has nothing to envy from boxer or alligator, as their sound has evolved. behind the production is again peter katis, and for those who don't remember, he is responsible the production of Interpol's first album (turn.on.the.bright.lights). eleven tracks that you can't stop listening. simple, minimal and dense compositions, imposing drums, rough romanticism, Berringer's expressive vocals and lyrics like little scenes from movies. have nothing more to say, just puss the play button. and maybe is early to say so, but in top-5 list for suuuure.

interpol.lights

it was about time for a new song from interpol. and fucking yeah, is a good one. i can wait for the forthcoming album, one of the most expected for this year, no1.

synch.2010

LAURENT GARNIER LIVE BAND (LIVE) - FR HOT CHIP (LIVE) -UK PEACHES (LIVE) – CA JIMI TENOR & TONY ALLEN (LIVE) – FI/NG GET WELL SOON (LIVE) - D DJ KRUSH (DJ SET) - JP FUCK BUTTONS (LIVE) - UK BEAK> (LIVE) - UK ALVA NOTO / BLIXA BARGELD (LIVE) – D MATT ELLIOTT (LIVE) - UK A PLACE TO BURRY STRANGERS (LIVE) - US BUSY P (DJ SET) - FR JIMMY EDGAR (LIVE) - US TRUS’ ME (DJ SET) - UK MOONBOOTS (DJ SET) -UK BALEARIC MIKE (DJ SET) – UK ANALOG AFRICA SHOWCASE (DJ SET) - D KEITH SLATER (BOILING POINT) - (DJ SET) - UK LOLEK (LIVE) GR MY WET CALVIN (LIVE) - GR MODREC (LIVE) - GR LUMIERE BROTHER (LIVE) GR CAYETANO SOUNDSYSTEM feat. DJ BOOKER (LIVE) – GR SPYWEIRDOS WITH SCHEMA ENSEMBLE (LIVE) – GR THE BOY & FELIZOL (LIVE) – GR NO PROFILE (LIVE) - GR PI CI (DJ SET) – GR MATTEUS (LIVE) – GR ILAN MANOUACH (LIVE) - GR TERANGA BEAT (DJ DET) - GR

caribou.swim

dan snaith, formerly manitoba, in recent years caribou, is responsible for the album Swim. through his new album, caribou is evolving and is moving in other directions. he tries to give his songs a sort of flexible flow not often seen in dance music. stressful and stripped vocals with less reverb and special effects, a result of the collaboration with junior boys' jeremy greenspan, leads the album in a more minimalistic, early techno and electronic way.picks of the album, 'oddesa', a real adhesive track, with its rhythm and vocals, and the recognizable bassline, 'sun', almost ecstatic, 'hannibal', a floor-killer song with a tremendous bassline and a melody reminding paul kalkbrenner songs, and for the end, 'jamelia', with luke lalonde chorus vocals, an emotive and atmospherically closer. for those that are already in electronic-pop, this album may be one their favorite releases this year, like myself. as for fans of previous work of caribou, u won't be disappointed, as the evolutionary songwriting will be hard to miss due to its distinctive familiarity.

college.dropout

todays is time to feature two artists and their videos. the first one by Jordan Clarke, a 3d animation, is an event installation using matchmoving and compositing techniques, where box materials, which are painted and scanned into the computer, dance to the rhythm of the music. try to check and his other videos. nice colors and picture, clever and diverse ideas.
the second, a macro video by clemento, shooted with an MP-E 65mm lens on a 5D markII canon. breathtaking details and very clever idea.

sufi.said . . four.tet

'a sufi and a killer', the debut release from Gonjasufi, at warp records. a lot of mystery and rumors were spreading around his name all that time, while warp trying to promote it with an awkward way: sufi said, sufy says, sufi will say. production by flying lotus and gaslamp killer. eastern melodies, dub sounds, unsound hip hop, a taste of psychedelic elements, and final his expressive and individual vocals compose his unique sound. for me, the album of the year. sufi said:
In order to get the conviction behind the words, it took 30 years of a lot of frustration and despair…continual tests of faith. Day to day struggling. Bottled-up energy, then all of a sudden, the way it came out seemed perfect…it kept flowing. Continually flowing out of me." .... "I just hope this record reaches people at the point when they're one foot out the window and looking down and that song comes on through the speakers and they pull their foot back through the windows and say "wait a minute - let me re-evaluate the situation..". If anything I would pray that people find the ability to find themselves in the music."...

new album from kieran hebden, as four tet at domino records. definitely this is worth mentioning, considering his 7 years absence. an album that works best taken whole, rather than broken into individual tracks. it's both heady and physical, subtle but powerful music for thinking and moving or ideally doing both at the same time. something we need after so time, as four tet has understood the simple power of sound. don't forget to put this also the list with the albums of the year.

warpaint

warpaint, an other girl band (3 to 4), from los angeles, with the ep 'exquisite corpse' at rough trade, playing psychedelic, melodramatic popular song. watch stars and elephants, my two favorite songs, or just click on the play button, while watching some photos of Grappe Frogg, and his portfolio.

back.back..&back...

back after a long time. at least, i come with good news. army time comes to the end, the big end. only 8 days, and 34 days off. and the big news, i am accepted to the msc in UCL, the one i wanted, so from september, London for me. this period of inactivity, i have seen many things and i will try to remember them in the next posts.
to start, these three last weeks i have seen the 5 seasons of 'The Wire', the best one that i have seen so far. great script, photography, music, performance. and the way that the series come to the end, a 'not ending end', a vicious circle.. a must for sure. don't even think not to watching it.
Holy Fuck are going to release their new album later this year. for a first taste, check Holy Fuck performing Latin America live on KEXP from the Bumbershoot Music Lounge.

at last, go behind the scenes at the world famous Maida Vale studios as Mary Anne is joined by Philadelphia dubstep producer Starkey, percussionist and producer Reso, and vocalist Anneka who try to build an entire track live over the course of the two hour show. and they doing it well..

3rd.and.7th

'the third & the seventh' is an animated piece by Alex Roman that tries to illustrate architecture art across a photographic point of view where main subjects are already-built spaces. sometimes in an abstract way. sometimes surreal. a neat film with beautifully edited, stunning shots of great architecture such as Louis Kahn's Exeter Library and Mies Van Der Rohe's Barcelona Pavillion.