Symphology

I'm back, muh'fuggahs!


It takes something a bit special for me to pop my head out of my hidey-hole these days and DJ History's new release is just that. As disco and house show signs of converging once again these days, especially with the likes of Toby Tobias, Still Going and Trus'me to name but three, it's probably the optimum time to delve back into the 90s London house scene. Street Corner Symphony, alongside Heller & Farley's Fire Island and Black Science Orchestra (Ashley Beedle, Rob Mello & co.), were one of the main purveyors of disco-laced house music from that London of that decade.

SCS were Pete Z (Idjut Boys, Das Etwas) and Glen Gunner (Block 16) and they were ace. In fact, their music sounds more contemporary now than it did way back when. Tracks like 'Slow Blow' and 'Memories Of Aphrodite' have more in tune with the thriving nu-disco scene (or whatever the fuck it's called these days) than anything emanating from anywhere back then. Great time for a retrospective then.

So that's exactly what the DJ History guys have put together. You can buy it here - with a special super-sized version here with extra tracks - and while you're over there, you might as well treat yourselves to their recent Tele Music remix compilation, 'Le Disco Remixed' too. It's worth it for Toby Tobias' spacey take on 'Monkey Star' and Leo Zero's lairy re-do of 'Baby's Band' alone.

Here's a little taster of what to expect from the Street Corner Symphony album...

Street Corner Symphony - Street Corner Symphony (mp3)

While I'm here too, I might as well pimp this mix I did to promote last month's Dig For Victory! too. It's a bit charming (read sloppy) in places but it's pretty fun all the same, I think...

DFV's Fruity And Frivolous Promo Mix For July

Bits & Pieces - Don't Stop The Music (Island)
Q-Tip - Gettin' Up (Universal Motown)
Lauryn Hill - Everything Is Everything (Ruffhouse)
Codek - Tim Toum (Island)
Agneta Faltskog - Wrap Your Arms Around Me (Villa Diva Edit) (Mindless Boogie)
Raggio Di Luna - Comanchero (Il Discotto)
Taggy Matcher - Shimmy Shimmy Ya (Stix)
Lancelot Layne - Yo Tink It Sorf? (Strut)
Metro Area - Disco Reaction (Environ)
Shirley Lites - Heat You Up (Melt You Down) (Instrumental) (West End)
The B.B. & Q. Band - On The Beat (Capitol)
T-Coy - Carino (Deconstruction)
Hercules & Love Affair - True False Fake Real (DFA)
Super Furry Animals - Cardiff In The Sun (Rough Trade)
Caetano Veloso - Lady Madonna (Philips)
Steel An' Skin - Reggae Is Here Once Again (Honest Jon's)
J.J. Cale - Cocaine (Mercury)
The Science Fiction Corporation - The Whistling Astronaut (Finders Keepers)
The Shadows - Scotch On The Socks (EMI Columbia)
Elton John - Bennie & The Jets (MCA)

And also, if you like, you can check out this Spotify playlist what I did. It took about five minutes to put together. It's the thought that counts...

JMx

Wax On...

Here's a couple of new-ish mixes for you all. I did them about a month apart and just realised that I repeat one track on both of the mixes. Oh well. It's a good tune. Anyway, check them out if you so wish...

DFV's Weird And Wonderful April Promo Mix

Bullion - Young Heartache (One Handed)
Architeq - Sleeping Bear Lament (James Pants Remix) (Tirk)
Dabrye - Smoking The Edge (Ghostly International)
6th Borough Project - Do It To The Max (Instruments Of Rapture)
Debruit - Pouls (Musique Large)
Fudge Fingas - Getting Togetha (Firecracker)
Fulgeance - Revenge Of The Nerd (All City)
Carlos Y Gaby - Hot Heavy Heat (Dimlite's Hot Air And Thick Plastic Remix) (Alpha Pup)
M.I.A. - Galang (XL)
Dam-Funk - Let's Take Off (Far Away) (Stones Throw)
Beatconductor - Rocksteady (Spicy)
Kanye West - Champion (Cousin Cole's Acid Dub Slow) (Flagrant Fowl)
Shake - SMD (Scarelly Style) (Klang Elektronik)
DJ Vadim - They Say (Rune Lindbaek Edit) (White)

Yer Mam!'s Protodiscobalearichiphouse Mix

Walter Jones - I'll Keep On Loving You (DFA)
Massimiliano Pagliara - Ophelie (Live At Robert Johnson)
Smith & Mudd - Wem (Claremont 56)
Zilverzurf Vs. 7 Samurai - The Moment Is Gone (7 Samurai Disco Reggae Remix) (Poets Club)
Kid Sublime - Basement Works Vol. 5.2 (Jahwell)
Omid - Mutiny (Alpha Pup)
Galaxy Toobin - Toobin Problems (Creme Organization)
Bonzo Goes To Washington - 5 Minutes (B-B-B Bombing Mix) (Sleeping Bag)
Afrobutt - Cracks All Gone (Electric Minds)
Fulgeance - Tribute To Masakela (Fulgeance Bicoquet Edit) (Musique Large)
Toto - Georgie Porgy (OOFT Rework) (Five20East)
Dam-Funk - Hood Pass Intact (Stones Throw)
E-The-Hot - Live At The Academy Pt. 1 (Mantra Vibes)
Meanderthals - Andromeda (Prelude To The Future) (Smalltown Supersound)
Shake - SMD (Scarelly Style) (Klang Elektronik)
Aqeel - Nasty (Instrumental) (4 Lux)
Jayson Brothers - All My Life (MCDE)
Reggie B - Hydraulic City (Instrumental) (Circulations)
Floating Points - Love Me Like This (Nonsense Dub) (R2 Records)

You wanted to see it...

So here it is. There was a bit of interest in seeing what my favourite albums and tunes of 2008 actually were, after I aborted it at some point in January. I'm not going to write something about every entry but here are the lists and there's five links for all the top 100 tunes down the bottom of the post. Hope you enjoy/agree/vehemently disagree...

Yer Mam!'s Top 50 Albums Of 2008

1. Flying Lotus - Los Angeles (Warp)

2. Kelley Polar - I Need You To Hold On While The Sky Is Falling (Environ)
3. Starkey - Ephemeral Exhibits (Planet Mu)
4. Hercules & Love Affair - Hercules & Love Affair (DFA/EMI)
5. TV On The Radio - Dear Science (4AD)
6. Portishead - Third (Universal Island)
7. Zomby - Where Were U In '92? (Werk)
8. Cadence Weapon - Afterparty Babies (Big Dada)
9. Lindstrom - Where You Go I Go Too (Feedelity)
10. Thomas Function - Celebration (Alive Records)
11. Gang Gang Dance - Saint Dymphna (Warp)
12. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! (Mute)
13. Man Man - Rabbit Habits (Anti-)
14. Roots Manuva - Slime & Reason (Big Dada)
15. Quiet Village - Silent Movie (Studio !K7)
16. Vivian Girls - Vivian Girls (In The Red)
17. The Night Marchers - See You In Magic (Vagrant)
18. The Bug - London Zoo (Ninja Tune)
19. No Age - Nouns (Sub Pop)
20. Killer Mike - I Pledge Allegiance To The Grind II (SMC Recordings/Grind Time Official)
21. Syclops - I've Got My Eye On You (DFA/EMI)
22. Low Motion Disco - Keep It Slow (Eskimo)
23. Osborne - Osborne (Spectral Sound)
24. The Roots - Rising Down (Def Jam)
25. Neil Landstrumm - Lord For £39 (Planet Mu)
26. Morgan Geist - Double Night Time (Environ)
27. Deerhunter - Microcastle/Weird Era Cont. (4AD)
28. Hatchback - Colors Of The Sun (Lo Recordings)
29. Dan Lissvik - 7 Trx + Intermission (Information)
30. Toby Tobias - Space Shuffle (REKIDS)
31. Wolf Parade - At Mount Zoomer (Sub Pop)
32. Black Mountain - In The Future (Jagjaguwar)
33. Harvey Milk - "Life... The Best Game In Town" (Hydra Head Records)
34. David Byrne & Brian Eno - Everything That Happens Will Happen Today (Todomundo)
35. Lil' Wayne - Tha Carter III (Cash Money Records)
36. Black Milk - Tronic (Fat Beats)
37. Koushik - Out My Window (Stones Throw)
38. Young Jeezy - The Recession (Def Jam)
39. JME - Famous? (Boy Better Know)
40. Windsurf - Coastlines (Internasjonal)
41. Deerhoof - Offend Maggie (Kill Rock Stars)
42. Clinic - Do It! (Domino)
43. Q-Tip - The Renaissance (Universal Motown)
44. Dusk & Blackdown - Margins Music (Keysound)
45. Eddy Current Suppression Ring - Primary Colours (Goner)
46. The Kills - Midnight Boom (Domino)
47. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend (XL)
48. Girl Talk - Feed The Animals (Illegal Art)
49. Bun B - II Trill (Rap-A-Lot)
50. 2562 - Aerial (Tectonic)

Yer Mam!'s Top 100 Tunes Of 2008

1. Hercules & Love Affair - Blind (DFA/EMI)

2. The Juan Maclean - Happy House (DFA)
3. TV On The Radio - Golden Age (4AD)
4. Portishead - Machine Gun (Universal Island)
5. Kelley Polar - Entropy Reigns (In The Celestial City) (Environ)
6. Flying Lotus - Parisian Goldfish (Warp)
7. Jay Reatard - Screaming Hand (Matador)
8. Aeroplane feat. Kathy Diamond - Whispers (Eskimo)
9. Kanye West - Love Lockdown (Roc-A-Fella)
10. Thomas Function - Can't Say No (Alive Records)
11. David Byrne & Brian Eno - Strange Overtones (Todomundo)
12. Hudson Mohawke - Polkadot Blues (Warp)
13. Lil' Wayne - A Milli (Cash Money Records)
14. Syclops - Where's Jason's K? (DFA)
15. The Cool Kids - What Up Man? (XL)
16. Osborne - 16th Stage (Spectral Sound)
17. Roots Manuva - Let The Spirit (Big Dada)
18. Watussi - If All We Had Was Love (StickyDisc)
19. Young Jeezy feat. Nas - My President (Def Jam)
20. Janelle Monae - Sincerely, Jane (Bad Boy Entertainment)
21. Joker - Snake Eater (Soul Motive)
22. Hot Chip - One Pure Thought (EMI)
23. Canyons - Apples And Pears (Hole In The Sky)
24. Toby Tobias feat. Kathy Diamond - The Feeling (REKIDS)
25. Cadence Weapon - Julianne Wilding (Big Dada)
26. Mayer Hawthorne & The County - Just Ain't Gonna Work Out (Stones Throw)
27. King Midas Sound - Cool Out (Hyperdub)
28. 6th Borough Project - Planets (Jiscomusic/Five20East)
29. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - We Call Upon The Author (Mute)
30. Mujava - Township Funk (Warp)
31. Mark E - Slave 1 (Running Back)
32. No Age - Teen Creeps (Sub Pop)
33. Gang Gang Dance - House Jam (Warp)
34. Zomby - Liquid Dancehall (Ramp Recordings)
35. Camille - Money Note (EMI)
36. Man Man - Big Trouble (Anti-)
37. Starkey - Gutter Music (Planet Mu)
38. Wiley - Wearing My Rolex (Asylum Records)
39. James Pants - We're Through (Stones Throw)
40. Plastique De Reve - Lost In The City (Supersoul/Death From Abroad)
41. Solange - Sandcastle Disco (Geffen)
42. Vampire Weekend - One (Blake's Got A New Face) (XL)
43. T.I. feat. Kanye West, Jay-Z & Lil' Wayne - Swagga Like Us (Grand Hustle/Atlantic)
44. Deerhunter - Nothing Ever Happened (4AD)
45. Mickey Moonlight - Interplanetary Music (Ed Banger)
46. Bostro Pesopeo - Falls (Permanent Vacation)
47. The Barbaras - Summertime Road (Goner)
48. Neon Neon - I Told Her On Alderaan (Lex)
49. Chris Brown - Forever (Jive)
50. Robert Owens - I'm Chained (Compost)
51. The Kills - Last Day Of Magic (Domino)
52. Vivian Girls - Tell The World (In The Red)
53. The Muslims - Nightlife (1928 Recordings)
54. Koushik - Bright And Shining (Stones Throw)
55. Padded Cell - Word Of Mouth (DC Recordings)
56. Eddy Current Suppression Ring - Which Way To Go (Goner)
57. Max Essa - Back To The Beach (Bear Funk)
58. Runaway - Brooklyn Club Jam (DFA/REKIDS)
59. Late Of The Pier - The Bears Are Coming (Zarcorp)
60. Mock & Toof - Underwater (DFA)
61. Morgan Geist - Ruthless City (Environ)
62. Pinch - Joyride (Tectonic)
63. Babytalk - Chance (StickyDisc)
64. Shackleton - Death Is Not Final (Skull Disco)
65. White Denim - Sitting (Full Time Hobby)
66. The Rapture - No Sex For Ben (Rockstar Games)
67. Quiet Village - Pacific Rhythm (Studio !K7)
68. Wavves - Side Yr On (Woodsist/Fuck It Tapes)
69. Air France - Collapsing At Your Doorstep (Sincerely Yours)
70. Dam-Funk - Burgundy City (Stones Throw)
71. Black Mountain - Wucan (Jagjaguwar)
72. Yacht - It's Boring/You Can Live Anywhere You Want (DFA)
73. Martyn - Natural Selection (3024)
74. Britney Spears - Womanizer (Jive)
75. Crystal Antlers - A Thousand Eyes (Touch And Go)
76. Crazy Cousinz - Bongo Jam (Bongo Records)
77. Mr Raoul K - Le Cercle Peul (Club Mix) (Baobab Music)
78. Erykah Badu - The Healer (Universal Motown)
79. Ramadanman - Carla (Soul Jazz)
80. The Bug - Murder We (Ninja Tune)
81. Linkwood - R.I.P. (Prime Numbers)
82. Killer Mike - God In The Building (SMC Recordings/Grind Time Official)
83. L.S.B. - Loco Motion (Eskimo)
84. Cheap Time - People Talk (In The Red)
85. Rustie - Zig-Zag (Wireblock)
86. The Night Marchers - In Dead Sleep (I Snore ZZZZ) (Vagrant)
87. Fulgeance - Revenge Of The Nerd (All City)
88. The Dirtbombs - La Fin Du Monde (In The Red)
89. Kode9 Vs. LD - Bad (Hyperdub)
90. Wild Rumpus - Purple Somersault (Bitches Brew)
91. Schwarz, Ame, Dixon - D.p.o.m.b. 1 (Innervisions)
92. Ikonika - Please (Hyperdub)
93. Tiedye - Nothing Else Matters (Italians Do It Better)
94. The Long Blondes - Here Comes The Serious Bit (Rough Trade)
95. Thriller - BBQ (Thriller)
96. Telepathe - Chrome's On It (IAmSound)
97. Invisible Conga People - Cable Dazed (Italians Do It Better)
98. POLLYester - You Are Amen (Love In C Minor)
99. Nas feat. Keri Hilson - Hero (Def Jam)
100. Toddla T feat. Serocee - Soundtape Killin (1965)

Download all 100 tunes in five convenient zips below...

1-20

21-40

41-60

61-80

81-100


Back soon, kids...

JMx

Disco-lusioned?

Okay, first of all, I'm not going to make any real excuses for my absence. There were many contributing factors I guess, but the most succinct answer is that life got in the way, as it sometimes does (it can be quite fun, y'know, that life thing). Anyway, I'm sort of back now I guess. I won't be finishing my 2008 lists as it's a bit late now really, but if there's enough interest, I might just post the lists with links to mp3s or something.

Also, as Blogger have been taking posts down willy-nilly lately, I'm not bothering posting mp3s on posts for the time being, but as you're all resourceful people, you can probably track down what I'm talking about elsewhere. Right, on with the show...


Has the Balearic bubble burst? You'd certainly think so listening to II, Lindstrom & Prins Thomas' latest opus. Where their eponymous first album revitalised an oft-forgotten strain of disco, making slo-mo, Italo-leaning kosmische with soft-pop overtones fashionable in the process. Beards, kaftans and Jesus sandals were in all of a sudden and these two Norwegians were partly to blame.

While the debut had its flaws, it was a hell of a listen, sounding gorgeous, alien and propulsive, despite its laidback trappings. II isn't a radical departure - although there's a definitely more pronounced Krautrock vibe - but where Lindstrom & Prins Thomas was thrilling and unique in its own way, this comes over insipid, overly languid and boring by comparison.

It's not without its moments ('Note I Love You + 100' for instance, is as good as anything off their debut), it just feels so self-indulgent and too much like a xerox of what made them so intriguing in the first place. It's a shame really, as last year's Lindstrom solo album, Where You Go I Go Too is pretty much a masterpiece of perfectly modulated poise and dynamism and recently released non-album track 'Tirsdagsjam' is everything that most of II is not. It's understandable why it was left off the album, as it's basically a club track and essays that L&PT should stick to making eccentric dancefloor rockers rather than ornate aural wallpaper like the vast majority of II. A disappointing turn of events for arguably the two most talented producers in the microgenre.

Signs of ruder health for Balearica can be found elsewhere though, in two new full-lengths from the cosmic ghetto. Meanderthals is the new collaborative effort from Idjut Boys and Rune Lindbaek and their debut LP, Desire Lines is absolutely wonderful. A beardo's wet dream team-up, it pretty much surpasses anything Idjuts and Lindbaek have done in the past. Full of hooks and purpose, it never meanders - despite their chosen moniker - and always enthralls, especially the enterprising '1-800-288-Slam' and blissful closer 'Bugges Room'. Smalltown Supersound once again prove themselves one of the most reliable labels around.

Also well worth checking out is Le Suivant, Smith & Mudd's follow-up to the beautiful, languorous Blue River. Besting that record significantly, Le Suivant is, alongside Desire Lines, one of 2009's best LPs so far. Recent singles 'Wem' and 'The Delivery Man' are highlights but it's all great. Hearing is believing so I won't go on. Check it out on Claremont 56 from next week.

Meanwhile, at the more boisterous end of the disco spectrum, The Glimmers are only giving away another new album at their shows. This one is credited to their band project, The Disko Drunkards and it's, well, it's a bit rubbish. The Glimmers are clearly talented guys but the lazy, hacky post-punk disco shenanigans contained here grow pretty annoying pretty quickly. A Liquid Liquid rip-off here, a bogstandard approximation of LCD Soundsystem there, The Disko Drunkards album sure sounds like it was made under the influence of something or other, but unless you're pissed too, then I can't see it holding much enjoyment for anyone.

Much more successful is In Flagranti's new album, Brash & Vulgar. Every bit as crass and obnoxious as the title suggests it may be, but it's also a fucking blast. Careening, disorderly discoid jams are the order of the day and if you overlook the porny cover and ridiculous song titles, there's plenty to keep you interested. There's a case to be made for some of the tracks being a bit longer (In Flagranti are the most attention deficient of the nu-disco camp) but it never outstays its welcome and, like I said, it's an absolute riot.

Back soon, honest.

JMx

Yer Mam!'s Top 50 Albums Of 2008: 45-41

45. Eddy Current Suppression Ring - Primary Colours (Goner)

Eddy Current Suppression Ring; remember the name. Their chosen moniker might not trip off the tongue, but there's nothing convoluted about the music of this Aussie four-piece. Favouring a stripped-down, raw power aesthetic approach to well-worn garage-punk tropes, Primary Colours might not be the most refined album released this year, but it's certainly one of the most primally thrilling.



ECSR throw unrestrained Stooges-esque proto-punk, Mission Of Burma-like fury and Gang Of Four's wit and way with rhythm into their admittedly derivative brew but the fact that all the elements are stolen doesn't detract from the massive replayability of songs like the menacing 'I Admit My Faults' or the stark, hypnotic 'Colour Television', whose "Switch on, switch off" refrain will stick in your head like an icepick. It may take a little while to get your head around that name but the 10 songs on Primary Colours will hit immediately.



Eddy Current Suppression Ring - Colour Television (mp3)

Eddy Current Suppression Ring - Memory Lane (mp3)

Bonus: Very amateur footage of 'I Admit My Faults' live in Sydney.

44. Dusk + Blackdown - Margins Music (Keysound Recordings)

There's no escaping from the fact that Margins Music is very much a London record. It's there in the artwork depicting a fruit and veg market stall, it's in the multifarious references to certain boroughs of the city, hell, even the album's catalogue number is LDN006. It's also in the atmosphere though, as Margins Music is a smoky, suffocating record that sounds as harsh and austere as the average London street at night.



That said, take away the obvious "This is London" shout-outs and Dusk + Blackdown's massively impressive debut album could have come from any bustling, multicultural metropolis. For all its frequent darkness however, Margins Music is also an album of rare, disarming beauty that expands the dubstep pallette to incorporate fragile Indian motifs such as alluring tablas and stirring sitars. D+B are also not afraid to bring a bit of forcefulness to proceedings as evidenced by the midsection one-two punch of 'Concrete Streets' (with Durrty Goodz) and 'The Bits' (with Trim). Margins Music is a marvellous, absorbing treatise on inner city life in the 21st Century, with a life and an appeal outside of the big smoke.



Dusk + Blackdown - Con/Fusion (feat. Farrah) (mp3)

Dusk + Blackdown - The Bits (feat. Trim) (mp3)

Bonus: Watch the great short promo vid for the album. See, advertising can still be artful.

43. Q-Tip - The Renaissance (Universal Motown)

2008 was the year of the comeback and there were fewer returns as emphatic and like-they've-never-been-away than the rebirth of Jonathan Davis aka Kamaal Fareed aka Q-Tip. From the opening treated guitar lick of 'Johnny Is Dead' and Tip's affirmation that "What good is an ear if a Q-Tip isn't in it", it was obvious that The Renaissance would be worth the nine year wait.



It really is all that and then some, arguably a better album than his last official solo effort, 1999's Amplified (which itself is a lot better than the lukewarm critical reception it received at the time suggests), The Renaissance is bright, effusive, hugely optimistic and nostalgic. It's also a very timely album, setting Tip up (if he can avoid anymore record company troubles) once again as an affable outsider alternative to the hip-hop mainstream. After all he works a Can sample better than Kanye did.



Q-Tip - Gettin' Up (mp3)

Q-Tip - Dance On Glass (mp3)

Bonus: Watch the brilliant video for 'Move'.

42. Clinic - Do It! (Domino)

Along with the rest of the music-following world, I'd written Clinic off as a one-trick pony who'd forgotten how to perform its one trick. Treading water doesn't really cover just how 'meh' Clinic's albums have been since the glorious debut, Internal Wrangler way back in 2000. Thankfully Do It! is their most confident release since that brilliant first shot across the boughs and one of 2008's most pleasant surprises.

Ade Blackburn and gang have been boning up on their songcraft lately as Do It! assays at a disarmingly frequent rate. They're charming and eloquent on 'Free Not Free' and 'Emotions', fractured and punky on 'Shopping Bag' and 'Tomorrow' and woozy and psychedelic on 'Mary and Eddie' and 'Memories'. If you've tuned out on Clinic since Internal Wrangler then Do It! is more than worth tuning back in.

Clinic - Shopping Bag (mp3)

Clinic - High Coin (mp3)

Bonus: Watch the video for 'Tomorrow'.


Another year, another Deerhoof album. While Offend Maggie doesn't quite match up to the audacity of Milk Man, the frenzied, hyper-kinetic charm of The Runners Four or the streamlined, odd-pop greatness of Friend Opportunity, it's still another fittingly barmy and fulfilling entry into the Deerhoof discography.

If there's something that marks Offend Maggie out from those that preceded it, it's that it sees Deerhoof edging closer towards a union between their more outre experimental sensibilities and their clear 'gift' for classic pop music. On songs like 'Chandelier Searchlight', the band showcase some of their brightest melodies to-date, whilst 'The Tears And Music Of Love', 'My Purple Past' and 'Buck And Judy' rock almost as hard as their heroes The Who. Offend Maggie isn't their best album, but the mere existence of each Deerhoof record is cause enough for celebration and this collection further marks them out as one of America's most pleasingly consistent and idiosyncratic indie-rock bands.

Deerhoof - The Tears And Music Of Love (mp3)

Deerhoof - Eaguru Guru (mp3)

Bonus: Watch the typically strange video for 'Chandelier Searchlight'.

Yer Mam!'s Top 100 Tunes Of 2008: 90-81

90. Wild Rumpus - Purple Somersault (Bitches Brew)

One of those you can file under 'shouldn't work, but it does', Wild Rumpus is a startlingly good collaboration between Bitches Brew head, DJ Cosmo and former Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band guitarist, Gary Lucas. Wild Rumpus make wonderful music, however, that touches on dub, country, surf and disco and 'Purple Somersault' is their outlandish zenith to-date. Essentially an ostentatious guitar freakout, complete with a drum solo (*fist pump*), 'Purple Somersault' eskimo-rolls onto the dancefloor with grace and effortless good-time verve. A balearic classic in the making. Um... gnarly, dude.

Wild Rumpus - Purple Somersault (mp3)

Bonus: Wild Rumpus - Purple Somersault (Prins Thomas Diskomiks) (mp3)

89. Kode9 Vs. LD - Bad (Hyperdub)

In which Kode9 drops The Spaceape, hooks up with LD from Transition and gets on the funky bandwagon. Well, that last part is maybe a little wide of the mark as this is still definably dubstep in nature, but there's no doubting that the soca-fied percussion is a nod to the year's most oddly successful mini-genre. This is a pretty big step outside of the comfort zone for Kode9 but upfront and clubby fits him like a glove. A bit different from his usual half-stepping darkness then but as a marker of the scene's healthy diversification these past twelve months, it's blinding.

Kode9 Vs LD - Bad (mp3)

Bonus: Kode9 & The Spaceape - Konfusion (Dub) (mp3)

88. The Dirtbombs - La Fin Du Monde (In The Red)

To be honest, I thought that We Have You Surrounded, Dirtbombs' latest full-length, was a little of a disappointment. A fun disappointment, but a letdown all the same. Every time they bring out a new album it seems, they get more polished and further away from what made them great in the first place (for the record, my favourite Dirtbombs album is their singles collection, If You Don't Already Have A Look, which probably speaks volumes). However, there are always one or two great moments on a Dirtbombs release and this French-sung closer is as bright and vivacious, yet rueful and apocalyptic as they've ever sounded. A full album of songs like 'La Fin Du Monde' every two years wouldn't be too much to ask would it?

The Dirtbombs - La Fin Du Monde (mp3)

Bonus: 'Wreck My Flow' live in Philly.

87. Fulgeance - Revenge Of The Nerd (All City)

Parisian beatmaster, Fulgeance has emerged, for me, as one of the most exciting purveyors of head-nod glitch around. His Low Club mini-album is on heavy, heavy, heavy rotation 'round these parts but the best track he's put out in 2008 is still this bumptious little beauty, which headed his installment in the magnificent All City beatstrumental 7" series. Skippy as fuck, with about eight different hooks all vying for headspace at the same time, this is attention-deficient future funk at its most fun and lively. Watch this guy take over your headphones in '09.

Fulgeance - Revenge Of The Nerd (mp3)

Bonus: Fulgeance - Absolute Belta (mp3)

86. The Night Marchers - In Dead Sleep (I Snore ZZZZ) (Vagrant)

One of the more unfettered joys of rock 'n' roll is John 'Speedo' Reis Jr. in full flow and this turbocharged rocker from his new band, The Night Marchers finds him in full-on, petrol-gargling, knife-fighting mood. The guitars sound as murderous as ever, while cascading, hard-hitting drums batter away in the background. It's not got a hell of a lot to say but music like this doesn't have to. It's bludgeoning, careening, violent punk-rock at its thrilling best.

The Night Marchers - In Dead Sleep (I Snore ZZZZ) (mp3)

Bonus: 'In Dead Sleep' live in a parking lot.

85. Rustie - Zig-Zag (Wireblock)

Russel Whyte, aka Rustie, has already coined a rather apt term for the music he creates, with 'aquacrunk', as 'Zig-Zag' is a slathering, submerged future-funk beast. This is the kind of music Timbaland would be making if he wasn't to busy manning the boards for AOR dross-peddlers like One Republic. It's about time someone picked up the torch and ran with it and the lusty, frenzied synths and acid lines, coupled with tempo-changing r'n'b beats of 'Zig-Zag' show that it's safe in Rustie's hands.

Rustie - Zig-Zag (mp3)

Bonus: Pivot - In The Blood (Rustie Remix) (mp3)

84. Cheap Time - People Talk (In The Red)

A gloriously scruffy cover of The End's classic bubblegum-punk anthem from Tennessee's Cheap Time here. I try not to put cover versions on this list but this good-time thrill ride is too good not to include. The sound of young, alcohol-fuelled misadventures in little over two minutes. So mood-elevating, they should sell it in pill form, 'People Talk' is a fuckin' riot.

Cheap Time - People Talk (mp3)

Bonus: 'People Talk' live in Arizona.

83. L.S.B. - Loco Motion (Eskimo)

Ah, piano house. Earlier in the year, I tipped the black-and-whites to make an allcomer-smashing return to the genre. It didn't really happen, but a few hardy souls decided to bring the ebony and ivory back in play in the field of four-to-the-floor. L.S.B.'s Pete Herbert and BabyG Fernandez weld a maddeningly upfront piano lick to one of the toughest kick and snare combinations this year. Add in the lairy horns and it's a White Island tour de force. Bring back the summer of love.

L.S.B. - Loco Motion (mp3)

Bonus: Chic - NY Attitude (L.S.B. Edit) (mp3)

82. Killer Mike - God In The Building (SMC Recordings/Grind Time Official)

Killer Mike doesn't do subtle. 'God In The Building' is a powerhouse slab of prime braggadocio (the 'God' of the title is Mike, himself, of course) with choral moans, explosive Dirty South beats and some of the finest MC-ing of 2008 that make Mike's messianic boasts seem not too far off the mark. The top dog in (righteously) independent rap today just got that little bit more fierce.

Killer Mike - God In The Building (mp3)

Bonus: Read a fantastic interview with the man himself over at Hip Hop DX.

81. Linkwood - R.I.P. (Prime Numbers)

From Scotland, via Detroit comes this Moodymann-like piece of modern deep house. Prime Numbers have released some of the classiest, most soulful house music of the last year and this ecstatic little groover is the best thing they've put out yet. Much like their label head and kindred spirit, Trus'me, Linkwood breathe life into a genre that's been missing, presumed done for the most part recently. Deep, but not at all stupor-inducing, house music is in good health north of the border.

Linkwood - R.I.P. (mp3)

Bonus: Linkwood - Hear The Sun (mp3)

Metro Area tonight @ Cutloose!

Something really very cool is happening in Manchester tonight. The guys at Cutloose have managed to persuade New York disco dons, Morgan Geist and Darshan Jesrani, aka Metro Area to come out and play some of their favourite bits of black plastic for the delectation of punters at Spektrum (the new-ish, modish club above Sankey's). For those of you familiar with MA's output, especially their recent, amazing Fabric mix, this is very exciting news indeed.

Metro Area's Fabric 43 is one hell of a mix, seamlessly blending disco, electro, boogie, house and the odd pop oddity (Heaven 17's 'Penthouse And Pavement'! Devo's 'Freedom Of Choice'!) in a showstopping, yet effortless manner. In fact, it kind of acts as an antithesis to their recorded output, which is generally more genteel, yet no less glorious.

Anyways, in case you haven't heard that, or you're just turking for more Metro Area, you can stream a mini-mix, courtesy of Fairtilizer below.

If you're in the area though, you should pop down to Spektrum on Radium Street tonight for all the disco thrills you can handle and then some.

Not Chaff, Not Quite Wheat: Sol-Angel And The Hadley St. Dreams

Carrying on my look at some of the records which didn't make my top 50 of the year now with this little gem from the sibling of someone rather famous and that...



I had the pleasure of seeing Solange Knowles live last month in Manchester and (I say this, fully aware that it's going to sound like an X-Factor-style epithet) for the first few songs, I thought she was miming. Oh no, she wasn't, she's just that good at singing. Even better at singing than that sister of hers, in my opinion. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that she's really, really, really... good at singing. She can also write a bit, having penned various tunes for big sis in the past, amongst others, and the best songs here are some of the finest pop moments of 2008.

There's a mid album lull on Sol-Angel And The Whatser-street Thingummies that just about prevents it from being, like, really, really, really, really... good and that, with songs like '6 O'clock Blues' and 'Valentines Day', just being merely good and stopping short of really, really, really good. She even samples Boards Of Canada (whoever they are, some kind of electro group from Scotland apparently) on 'This Bird' and goes all mad and trancey at the end of 'Cosmic Journey' and still manages to make a really, really, really... well, good fist at this whole album lark. Much better than Beyonce who normally just sticks three really, really, really good songs on each album and fills the rest of the time up with crap.

Solange then: really, really, really, really good, mostly.

Solange - Would've Been The One (mp3)

Solange - This Bird (mp3)