Top Tracks 2016 Part X 10 – 01
10. The Hotelier – Soft Animal // Settle The Scar (Goodness)
“Soft Animal” is a heartwarming moment of realization, facing the nature of mortality and learning about the ongoing cycles of existence. While it can be understood apart from the album, it is the literal successor of “Opening Mail for My Grandmother” and sees the singer Christian Holden reencounter his dead grandmother as a newly born doe. This moment of realization goes as far as believing in some notion of a God and being talked down by others, who cannot share such spiritual meaning. Regardless of one’s own standpoint, the serene nature of the verses and the exploding chorus of this song build a powerful dynamic, almost serving as a repercussion of such an encounter and the inner upheaval and revolution it can bring. Lifting this experience even higher is the band´s complete lack of any elements that allude to darkening of mind, representing a balanced sensibility of knowledge and centering yourself in the way of a Buddhist smile – not overly euphoric but nevertheless far from sad – content and actively knowing. “Settle The Scar” then, is almost at the other side of the spectrum musically, whilst giving of the same atmosphere of content. This song seems like an off-cut from Home, Like Noplace Is There days and picks up at the final moments of letting a failed relationship go. You bring back some stuff, receive yours, bathe in a pool of regret and moments that just went wrong, and yet, at the end you might be able to move on, maybe with a little regret in your heart, but with the ultimate knowledge that it wasn´t meant to be.
09. Sumac – Blackout (What One Becomes)
This seventeen minute epic by Sumac embodies the mind blowing intensity of their approach on making music. The whole song can be picked apart into different movement and the flow of different ideas, but the greater appeal lies in it feeling like one extensive jam. It´s almost like Aaron Turner giving some cues at the beginning of every part and the other members of the band following along for the ride. The result is a transformation of a song, going from disparate growling experiments to Isis-esque darkness, changing into the greatest freak-out, until settling for a thumping desert rock lead out. Everything that happens over this time span is soul-crushing whilst remaining highly enjoyable, an energetic nod to the power of hard hitting music and the seldom reached sonic intensity of combining guitar, bass, and drums.
08. Marie Davidson – Naive to the Bone (Adieux Au Dancefloor)
The simple drum beat, pounding in a childlike and tribal manner, as much genius, as it could be a result of mindless improvisation won´t leave your aural memory after the song has ended. Coupled with the superb spoken word delivery by Marie Davidson, part intense dialog, part ennui-laden talk, “Naïve To The Bone” is a rod of light. The track can be understood as the total honest burn of being rudely addressed by someone at a bar and equally plays like a letter to someone who declined your love. Naivety is mostly considered to be weakness and Davidson flip it to be a strength, full of determination and holding your vulnerable heart dear. All this stands as one of the rectifying moments of 2016, full of self-determination and the strength fragility – all this over electronics that dare you to dance.
07. Eluvium – Regenerative Being // Posturing Through Metaphysical Collapse (False Readings On)
Eluvium soundtracks existential breakdown, as well as he delivers the aural manifestations of finding yourself and growing to become who you are. Self-doubt was the theme of False Readings On and “Regenerative Being” might stand as the track of healing and surreal detachments from yourself – like looking in the mirror after having faced hardships and seeing a broken person staring back at you, while realizing that you´ve aged through the pain. Eluvium´s soundscapes have become thoroughly refined and the choice of using subtle vocals from opera-like voices was a wise step for this record. Especially as Eluvium allowed these voices to create small peaks and moments of intense focus in his work while taking a natural quality and turning it somewhat ghostly and tattered. The grand closer “Posturing Through Metaphysical Collapse” sees this device slowly transforming into a colorful wash of noise, with the voices starting in an angelic tone and falling into distortion. The great thing is how Eluvium has grown to understand noise and drones, in that he can create something incredibly intense, without sounding harsh or stressing out your listening experience, leaving a sense of relief in the blooming of the track and last rises of sound.
06. Tim Hecker – Music of the Air (Love Streams)
Working with the sound of voices, working them into already established aesthetic paradigms of experimental soundscapes was prominent this year and Love Streams by Tim Hecker featured a small ensemble of vocal artists, too. While Eluvium seems to have worked on the voices post production, altering the source material through effects, Hecker took the opportunity to direct the performances by the vocalists himself. While there is certainly some alterations after recording, on “Music Of The Air”, you clearly hear the vocalist singing different syllables and stretching their voices in various ways. Paired with Hecker´s scrambled sounds, the known organ-like drones, high pitched stacked glitches, “Music Of The Air” becomes as visceral and bodily experience: Showing the innate force of the voice, questioning the ability of speech and resonating with your own understanding of meaning. There is the urge to intonate the voices, to bark and gurgle back what they say, without actually being addressed or even understanding something in the usual sense.
05. Kane Ikin – Crosstalk // Packet Loss (Modern Pressure // Sensory Memory)
Going with visceral experiences and stretching the ideas of sounds and resonances, Kane Ikin had a run this year and delivered crushing templates of sounds release after release. On debut LP Modern Pressure and track “Crosstalk” the minimalism displayed arches back to testing your hearing capability, your awareness of the different layers, while at the same time being dragged into bass-heavy explosions. The pacing of this track is perfect, you feel the rising tension, Ikin picking up the pace of the wet bass marching towards a climax. When reached the sounds remain hollowed in a way, never actually aiming for the foreground of outright exploding, but demand attention. On repeated listens, you are able to pick apart the different layers and sonic cues that run through this song and understand the dying of “Crosstalk” without actually fulfilling the promise set. “Packet Loss” from Sensory Memory takes a different route and is synth heavier and basks in a groove mindset. All the sounds come off as chipped and warped, but mingle together with drive and determination to spit in the eye of deconstructing jungle beats or overtly experimenting with pacing until a track becomes bereft of dynamic range and bodily affect. And affect is the theme these two tracks and Ikin´s music in general. The sounds demand physical attention and will want to expand into actual spaces. Do not dare to hear this shit on bad speakers or with a bad bass. You´ll need to feel it, have in your bones to get what´s happening here.
04. Migos – Bad and Boujee ft. Lil Uzi Vert (C U L T U R E)
I usually shy away from including tracks that haven´t been released on a proper album or EP yet, but who knows when C U L T U R E will drop and if there was a track to make an exception for, it must be “Bad and Boujee”. Migos have had a good track record of making hits, releasing hook-filled, swagged out projects full of slick production and the rappers have been appearing on various releases to deliver some clever lines, yet I never felt that their elements and power was as strong as in this track. Offset himself centers this track with an impeccable flow and witty wordplay, his delivery is as effortless and energetic as never before and is backed perfectly by Metro Boomin´s production. The uplift of this song is given through Lil Uzi and his quirkiness meddling with the previous verses. Migos have been making tracks about “making it” and keeping the attitude of a striving existence before, but here everything blends together and truly feel like an expression perfectly fitting a project titled “Culture” and will hopefully lead off an even greater album next year. In the magnificent words of Uzi "Yah Yah YAH"!
03. WIFE – Standard Nature (Standard Nature EP)
There will always be this connection to black metal when thinking about James Kelly and his WIFE outfit. He even tours with bands of this genre or somewhat falling near the more abrasive sounds of metal music, even to his own surprise. What Kelly might have understood through his work on Alter of Plagues, might have been layering sounds and creating cohesive sonic experiences, without caring too much about the actual reactions of a crowd. Movement or something akin to dancing isn´t the aim of WIFE, be it on his LP What´s Between or this year’s Standard Nature EP. His approaches this track in the way of creating a thriving wall of sound, a moment of ecstasy that derives not from finding a backbone in a catchy beat or heavy bass, but in developing itself, reiterating sounds, stressing outcome over structure or outwards compatibility. What arises through this process is a sparkling dynamic, an emotional opening, alluding to operatic moments, as much as to black metal excessiveness. The cascading synth lines, pushing further and further up over the dulled and distorted sung phrases gives the impression of critical emergence without spilling over or creating strain in any way.
02. Minor Victories – Scattered Ashes (Song For Richard) (Minor Victories)
“Scattered Ashes” is my ultimate track of loss and giving up on life between happiness and content, this year. This is a eulogy for the person that has left your side and went on and for a life unlived and misshapen by troubles and hardship. This is waking up and feeling like shit, hoping it will be over and you´ll join the abyss sooner than later. This is cursing fate and the higher power for everything that went wrong, asking for redemption or plain simple to die a quiet death. Surely, this sounds quite first-worldly and melodramatic, but in everybody’s life, there will come these moments of self-pity and just wishing for a reset as simple as on your Nintendo entertainment system. Minor Victories with vocalist Rachel Goswell collaborated with another of the most characteristic Scottish voices, James Graham of The Twilight Sad and there couldn´t have been a better choice for the theme and emotive pull for this track. The instrumentation is bombast and quite sun-shiny, making the longing for death and redemption almost undetectable if it weren´t for this voice of brokenness. Rejoice in your shitty life and do it with “Scattered Ashes”!
01. Raime – Dead Heat (Tooth)
Minimalism carries the bad connotation and reputation to being furniture store music or of the failure to deliver on a feeling other than wellness and reflection. Step into the charred world of Raime and gain the active knowledge of a few sounds being the knife to spill your guts and darken your perception of the world. Having said that much, “Dead Heat” is the most turbid track on “Tooth”. And yet this head shrinking track mostly relies on guitar and drums, beginning with eerily picked guitar before confronting you with a menacing bass that is interrupted by ripping guitar noise. These elements branch off and are complemented by other spooky cracks and sneers, tightening the grip on your throat little by little. As you give in to these sounds the untimely groove and melodic / anti-melodic dynamics of the track set “Dead Heat” apart from many other eerie tracks of horror movie infused unsounds, pointing toward the genius employment of a few elements to fuck with your mental state while you enjoy instability. There were many great moments this year, and this one might not become apparent right away, but over time the intricacy unraveled and left me longing for this combusted moment of tension again and again.
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