TranscendNoise

20. Andy Stott – It Should Be Us Eight years after blessing us with his second LP We Stay Together which established his signature sluggish broken dub music and served as the inspiration for other artists to rethink and slow it down, Andy Stott gives a tasty reminder that he is still helming the boards with muse and efficiency. We Stay Together saw a much-awaited release this year and by the start of November "It Should Be Us" seemed to relive and update the best negative bangers ever produced. With Boomkat mentioning the similarity to some of the sounds and tweaks of Stotts early work and Low´s Double Negative that broke the idea of what establishes a band and shoegaze last year, It Should Be Us returns the formula with a bigger focus on driving beats and, as described by Stott himself, tracks for the dancefloor. From the get-go, the sludge of Stott mingles with his shine and polish, the ghostly twinkle of "Promise" incentivizing to rethink dance music wh...

30. Ólafur Arnalds – Particles ( Island Songs ) Ólafur Arnalds isn´t one for vocal collaboration, at least these instances don´t make any entry on his album and remain mostly in the range of working with choirs. For his Islands Songs compilation, he got together with Of Monsters And Men singer Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir and this track is one of the most goose-bump inducing moments of this year. Arnalds arrangements of tiny melodies and little hints over a solid framework of piano, the rising strings for emotional impact over the chorus of the song, create the perfect synergy with Nanna´s voice. Her lyrics provide a mythical openness for interpretation and her few words create evocative imaginary, especially when she sets for the peak of the song, her exhaustion expressed in the words can be felt. 29. Jace – Midas Feat. Robb Banks ( Jace Tape ) Why this track was the bonus track of the Jace Tape is beyond me. This one caught me off-guard after a good listen, solid l...

10. Saba – Comfort Zone Strange dancing Chicago rapper Saba is the best newcomer in Hip Hop this year. Well, he has been around but this mixtape will hopefully turn a bunch a people on to him. Comfort Zone works in almost every direction of hip hop you want it to. There is the socially conscious, the fame-rap and many positive messages. Saba´s style of rapping is as variable as it is enjoyable. For someone making this kind of blend, not going into the dark, scruffy or gangsta rap might be a stepping stone as such, but hopefully, with affiliation to the likes of Chance The Rapper and the overall urge to finally deliver more positivity in hip hop music (read: messages that evoke thinking and not having a good time) hopefully Saba will see great success and musical growth in the future. Read my full review here. 09. WIFE – What´s Between James Kelly, the man behind WIFE is better known for his work with Alter of Plagues, a black metal act , that as many ...