The Best Music of the 2010’s — 10 other essential songs
The 20 most important artists (and 10 other essential songs) of the 2010’s. 20–16 . 15–11 . 10–6 . 5–1 . & 10 more songs Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti — “Round and Round” (2010) Like its creator Ariel … Continue reading
The Best Music of 2010’s: #5-1
The 20 most important artists (and 10 other essential songs) of the 2010’s. 20–16 . 15–11 . 10–6 . 5–1 . & 10 more songs 5. Tame Impala When the quest … Continue reading
The Best Music of the 2010’s: #10–6
The 20 most important artists (and 10 other essential songs) of the 2010’s. 20–16 . 15–11 . 10–6 . 5–1 . & 10 more songs 10. Vampire Weekend Modern Vampires of … Continue reading
The Best Music of the 2010’s: #15-11
The 20 most important artists (and 10 other essential songs) of the 2010’s. 20–16 . 15–11 . 10–6 . 5–1 . & 10 more songs 15. D’Angelo and the Vanguard Two … Continue reading
The Best Music of the 2010’s: #20-16
The 20 most important artists (and 10 other essential songs) of the 2010’s. In the 2010’s, music consumption went through a revolution. We listened to it in more ways and … Continue reading
Best Music of 2018: #5-1
5) The 1975 “Love It If We Made It” – A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships The 1975’s sound slaps your skin like ice-cold tap water — refreshing and reliably engineered to hold … Continue reading
Best Music of 2017: #5-1
10-6 | 5-1 5) The National “The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness” – Sleep Well Beast The human nervous system relays messages to the brain at speeds of up … Continue reading
Best Music of 2017: #10-6
10-6 | 5-1 To quote the irascible Isaac Brock: In 2017, “opinions were like kittens. I was givin’ them away.” It seems we all were. Whether by Tweet, FaceBook post, Instagram … Continue reading
150 Seconds to Shibui: The Best Short Songs You Might Have Missed
Original ceramic art by Matthew Chambers The Japanese word “Shibui” refers to an aesthetic of subtle, unobtrusive beauty often characterized by simplicity and economy of form. In the context of … Continue reading
Best Music of 2016: #5-1
10-6 | 5-1 5) Solange “Cranes In The Sky” – A Seat at the Table “Got a lot to be mad about” Solange Knowles admits on her third and easily … Continue reading
Best Music of 2016: #10-6
10-6 | 5-1 Tough year, 2016. Bowie, Prince, George Michael, Leonard Cohen, Phife Dawg, Glenn Frye, Merle Haggard, Maurice White, Sharon Jones, Leon Russell, Paul Kantner, the fifth Beatle George … Continue reading
Best Music of 2015: #5-1
20-16 | 15-11 | 10-6 | 5-1 5) Sleater-Kinney “No Cities To Love” – No Cities To Love Sleater-Kinney’s return from a ten-year hiatus is remarkable not just for the … Continue reading
Best Music of 2015: #10-6
20-16 | 15-11 | 10-6 | 5-1 10) Viet Cong “Bunker Buster” – Viet Cong When Calgary post-punk quartet Viet Cong dropped the rough mix of “Bunker Buster” in March, … Continue reading
Best Music of 2015: #15-11
20-16 | 15-11 | 10-6 | 5-1 15) Beach House “Sparks” – Depression Cherry “There’s a place I want to take you” sings Victoria LeGrande on the superbly-titled Depression Cherry. … Continue reading
Best Music of 2015: #20-16
Sigh. For the second straight year, I could scarcely keep track of my bills, business papers, and kid’s birthdays in 2015, let alone write bi-weekly reviews for my languishing labor … Continue reading
Best Music of 2014: #5-1
10-6 | 5-1 5) Spoon “Do You” — They Want My Soul Lead single “Do You” from Spoon’s They Want My Soul is as shiny and polished as a newly-minted … Continue reading
Best Music of 2014: #10-6
Some years, music coalesces into a grander movement or reaches a watershed level of excellence, signifying general agreement that holy shit, this was a really great year. 2014 was not … Continue reading
Best Music of 2013: Honorable Mentions
Honorable Mentions | 20-16 | 15-11 | 10-6 | 5-1 Autre Ne Veut “Play By Play” – Anxiety “I’m counting on the idea/ That you’ll stay” Arthur Ashin cries — no, … Continue reading
Best Music of 2013: #5-1
Honorable Mentions | 20-16 | 15-11 | 10-6 | 5-1 5) Savages “Shut Up” – Silence Yourself Savages hit me hard this year — their vehemence, their aesthetic minimalism (sonic … Continue reading
Best Music of 2013: #10-6
Honorable Mentions | 20-16 | 15-11 | 10-6 | 5-1 10) Danny Brown “Lonely” – Old Danny Brown is acutely aware that he walks between worlds — dope dealer turned … Continue reading
Best Music of 2013: #15-11
Honorable Mentions | 20-16 | 15-11 | 10-6 | 5-1 15) The Knife “Full of Fire” – Shaking the Habitual “How do you build an album about not knowing?” ask … Continue reading
Best Music of 2013: #20-16
Artists below are ranked by the likeability, listenability, and overall influence of their work (sometimes a song, sometimes an album, and sometimes both.) Hope you enjoy. Honorable Mentions | 20-16 … Continue reading
Best Music of 2012: Honorable Mentions
Honorable mentions | 20-16 | 15- 11 | 10-6 | 5-1 Bat For Lashes “Laura” – The Haunted Man Like “Daniel” from 2009 album Two Suns, “Laura” is a bit of … Continue reading
Best Music of 2012: #5-1
Honorable mentions | 20-16 | 15- 11 | 10-6 | 5-1 5) Japandroids “The House That Heaven Built” – Celebration Rock Japandroids’ galvanizing rock anthem “Young Hearts Spark Fire” revolved around … Continue reading
Best Music of 2012: #10-6
Honorable mentions | 20-16 | 15- 11 | 10-6 | 5-1 10) Swans “Mother of the World” – The Seer This album is frightening. Not in how good it is (although … Continue reading
Best Music of 2012: #15-11
Honorable mentions | 20-16 | 15- 11 | 10-6 | 5-1 15) How To Dress Well “Set It Right” – Total Loss What precisely is that emotion called, the indescribable flood … Continue reading
Best Music of 2012: #20-16
More so than ever before, 2012 was a year of astonishing variety in music. From rap and R&B, to indie rock and left-field pop, to dubstep and experimental electronica, 2012 … Continue reading
Best Music of 2011: Honorable Mentions
These five artists may not have made the top 20 of 2011 but are definitely worth a listen. Honorable mention | 20-16 | 15-11 | 10-6 | 5-1 The Antlers “I … Continue reading
Best Music of 2011: #5-1
Honorable mention | 20-16 | 15-11 | 10-6 | 5-1 5) Bon Iver “Perth” – Bon Iver, Bon Iver While reevaluating Bon Iver’s self-titled album back in July, I strangely … Continue reading
Best Music of 2011: #10-6
Honorable mention | 20-16 | 15-11 | 10-6 | 5-1 10) Wye Oak “We Were Wealth” – Civilian Sheer volume and raucous energy are two qualities most often cited when admiring … Continue reading
Best Music of 2011: #15-11
Honorable mention | 20-16 | 15-11 | 10-6 | 5-1 15) Eleanor Friedberger “Roosevelt Island” – Last Summer Eleanor Friedberger is better known as one half of The Fiery Furnaces, the … Continue reading
Best Music of 2011: #20-16
After 18 years of arranging songs on “best of the year” mix tapes & CDs based purely on how good they sounded together, I finally gave in to the power … Continue reading
The Best of 2010 collection
Ranking songs at the end of each year really isn’t my favorite way to share good music. I’d much rather create a mixtape of songs from the artists who stood out … Continue reading
Favorite Electronic Songs: #5-1
5. “Breathe.mp3” (single) – The Prodigy – 1996 – Buy it Mechanized ticks and thumps whir throughout “Breathe” with an industrial, factory floor-like frenzy, laying a labyrinthine backdrop for the … Continue reading
Favorite Electronic Songs: #10-6
10. “Protection.mp3” (single) – Massive Attack – 1994 – Buy it Massive Attack has always been smart and humble enough to enlist fantastic guest vocalists (i.e. Andy Horace, Shara Nelson) … Continue reading
Favorite Electronic Songs: #15-11
15. “Postcards.mp3” – Faithless – 1998 – Sunday 8 p.m. – Buy it Faithless’ songs jump all over the musical map, combining elements of techno, house, hip-hop, and trance. This … Continue reading
Favorite Electronic Songs: #20-16
20. “One More Time.mp3” (single) – Daft Punk – 2000 – Buy it Spun at clubs, wedding receptions, and even top 40 countdowns — “One More Time” was ubiquitous in … Continue reading
Favorite Electronic Songs: #25-21
25. “Doom’s Night (Timo Mass Remix).mp3” (single) – Azzido Da Bass – 2000 – Buy it I first heard this track in the depths of a sweaty Dublin discoteque and … Continue reading
LUDDITE STEREO 