Seeing as my topic purged and all, I felt I should document this somewhere rather than keeping all three of my fans hanging. And, you know, so that I can laugh at this in a few years time when I only actually like one of my current top five anymore. I don't think there has been a single year this decade that I heard my favourite album from the year during that calendar year. Well, except maybe 2008, but that was such a musical write-off that it barely even counts.

If anyone wants links to / write-ups for any of this stuff, I'll happily oblige. And it'd be awesome to see everyone else's lists posted on here too!

Anyway:

Top 25 Albums of 2009

1. Maudlin of the Well - Part the Second
2. Rome - Flowers from Exile
3. Shpongle - Ineffable Mysteries from Shpongleland
4. Converge - Axe To Fall
5. The Antlers - Hospice
6. Levon Helm - Electric Dirt
7. Sunn O))) - Monoliths & Dimensions
8. The Ruins of Beverast - Foulest Semen of a Sheltered Elite
9. Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...Pt. II
10. Natural Snow Buildings - Shadow Kingdom
11. Mos Def - The Ecstatic
12. Amesoeurs - Amesoeurs
13. Cunninlynguists - Strange Journey Volumes 1 & 2
14. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
15. Clipse - 'Til The Casket Drops
16. P.O.S. - Never Better
17. Lady Gaga - The Fame Monster
18. Mastodon - Crack the Skye
19. Wu-Tang Clan - Chamber Music
20. Drudkh - Microcosmos
21. Bohren & der Club of Gore - Mitleid Lady (EP)
22. Burial & Four Tet - Moth/Wolf Cub
23. The Necks - Silverwater
24. Cobalt - Gin
25. Crippled Black Phoenix - The Resurrectionists

Top 25 Songs of 2009

1. Converge - Cruel Bloom
2. P.O.S. - Let it Rattle
3. Mos Def - Life in Marvelous Times
4. Drudkh - Ars Poetica
5. The Antlers - Kettering
6. Clipse - Freedom
7. Converge - Dark Horse
8. Shpongle - Invisible Man in a Fluorescent Suit
9. Maudlin of the Well - Laboratories of the Invisible World (Rollerskating the Cosmic Palmistric Postborder)
10. Animal Collective - Brothersport
11. Grizzly Bear - Two Weeks
12. Rome - To Die Among Strangers
13. Sunn O))) - Alice
14. Rome - We Who Fell in Love with the Sea
15. Bohren & der Club of Gore - Mitleid Lady
16. Raekwon, Cormega & Sean Price (Wu-Tang Clan) - Radiant Jewels
17. Sole & the Skyrider Band - Black
18. Levon Helm - When I Go Away
19. Jay Electronica - Exhibit C
20. Joss Stone (feat. Nas) - Governmentalist
21. Lady Gaga - Alejandro
22. Why? - Eskimo Snow
23. Big Boi (feat. Gucci Mane) - Shine Blockas
24. Animal Collective - Bluish
25. Patrick Wolf - Thickets

Let's get some action here on Rebellious Shponglebox, shall we?


Artist: The Mercury Program
Album: Chez Viking
Genre: Post-Rock

I haven't had a chance to listen to this, as I just came across it. By all accounts (note: I have read no accounts), this album will be similar to A Data Learn the Language in style and in quality. Let's hope so! We really need some lush post-rock right about now.

Try.

I flew 3800 miles to be at this show, the first legitimate Shpongle live show ever. Worth it? hell yes.

This is merely the audio of the show; you can buy the actual DVD here. If you buy the Real Thing you can probably see me being assaulted by a bubble machine. So awesome.

Track Listing:

1. Ineffable Mysteries
2. Beija Flor
3. Dorset Perception
4. Periscopes of Consciousness
5. I Am You
6. Star Shpongled Banner
7. My Head Feels Like a Frisbee
8. When Shall I Be Free ?
9. No Turn Un-Stoned
10. Divine Moments Of Truth
11. Shpongle Interlude.
12. Nothing Is Something Worth Doing
13. Once Upon The Sea Of Blissful Awareness
14. Around The World In A Tea Daze

give it to me already

Artist: Various
Genre(s): Dubstep/Electronic
Released: 2009

What exactly is dubstep? I'm not entirely sure. Wikipedia offers this:

"Dubstep is a genre of electronic music that has its roots in London's early 2000s UK garage scene. Musically, dubstep is distinguished by its 2step rhythm, or use of snare sounds similar to 2step garage and grime, and an emphasis on bass, often producing "dark" sounds, but just as frequently producing sounds reminiscent of dub reggae or funky US garage. Dubstep tracks are generally produced at a tempo of around 140 beats per minute and in recent years have developed signature half time rhythms, often heavily shuffled or syncopated, and usually, though not exclusively, including only one snare drum hit per bar, often on the third beat. Such factors make dubstep rhythms markedly different from four-to-the-floor rhythms used in other styles of electronic dance music such as house music, which usually have two snare hits accompanying the second and fourth kick drum. Often, the sense of rhythm in dubstep is propelled more by the bassline than by the percussive content."

That sounds very accurate based on what's offered in this compilation from London label Hyperdub. If you are unfamiliar with the label, you have probably at least heard of Burial -- a band I often confuse with Battles for reasons unclear other than similar names, 'cause lord knows they don't sound the same -- and possibly Tombs-favourite Zomby. Hyperdub was started two years ago by Kode9.

Unfortunately that's as much information as I, an outsider to the genre, can offer. Hyperdub release a shitton of stuff, mostly 12', and this compilation featuring 30 songs from artists such as Burial, Kode9, Darkstar, Zomby, Samiyam and much more seems to be an excellent introduction not only to the label Hyperdub but the genre of dubstep as a whole. It's a very solid comp that really flows well, beats and melodies chugging along to a brilliant conclusion on many of the offerings. So try it.

hello, my name is luke. i hope you're all doing wonderful





Mythematica - Mythematica
Genre: Electronic / Ambient / Psytrance
Year: 2009

There is a huge genre of ambient-y electronic music that is absolutely impossible to define with words. I find that it's easiest to say "it sounds like Boards of Canada", even if it sounds absolutely fucking nothing like Boards of Canada. Hell, Boards of Canada aren't even that good -- sorry Seg -- but at least people know what the hell you're talking about. I was just peeking around and found the term "neo-ambient". Neo-Ambient? Really? What does this even mean?

90% of the albums that fit the "fuck it, it sounds like Boards of Canada" label are decent albums that I'll never listen to again. They're usually good for background music but not for repetitive listening. Every once in a while, though, I'll find something absolutely amazing that just clicks on the first listen. I have no idea what it is but it's just musically interesting and keeps bringing me back for more.

Mythematica doesn't really sound like Boards of Canada at all, but fucked if I know how to pigeonhole them. Sometimes they've got beautiful soundscapes, sometimes they're playing some funky jazz, sometimes they can be pigeonholed into the psytrance genre, and sometimes they probably sound something like what a generic Boards of Canada fan would like. I don't fucking know. But it's really good, one of the best electronic albums I've heard all year.

buy

try

Giggs is in the house; represent, represent, 'sent
A Tribe Called Quest; represent, repre-

Oh right, this is a serious blog and so forth. My bad.

The Ruins of Beverast - Foulest Semen of a Sheltered Elite
Genre: (Avant-Garde) Black Metal
Release Year: 2009

One thing I have been enjoying the absolute shit out of recently, to make this post vaguely topical, is the new The Ruins of Beverast album. Rain Upon the Impure is probably my pick for best black metal album of the decade, and despite thinking it was a jumbled incoherent mess upon first listen, I'm beginning to think his new one, Foulest Semen of a Sheltered Elite, is almost as good.

As it's ridiculous name may imply, though, it's most certainly not for the musically faint of heart. 80 minutes of oppressive black metal interspersed with harsh death-doom sections, beautiful Gregorian chant-esque vocals and obscene amounts of feedback await. I'd say "enjoy" but it hardly seems appropriate.

Download Link (320Kbps)