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Reckless Records 2013 Employee Best of Lists

  RECKLESS RECORDS 2013 EMPLOYEE PICKS

Angela Ziles
Best Albums of 2013
Bill Orcutt – A History of Every One (Editions Mego)
Oozing Wound – Retrash (Thrill Jockey)
Joshua Abrams – Unknown Known (RogueArt)
Tropic of Cancer – Restless Idylls (Blackest Ever Black)
Chance The Rapper – Acid Rap (self-released)
White Fence – Cyclops Reap (Castle Face)
Ken Camden – Space Mirror (Kranky)
Fire! – Without Noticing (Rune Grammofon)
M.I.A. – Matangi (Interscope)
Bottomless Pit – Shade Perennial (Comedy Minus One)
Squrl – EP #1 (ATP)
My Bloody Valentine – MBV (self-released)
Justin Walter – Lullabies & Nightmares (Kranky)
James Plotkin & Paal Nilssen-Love – Death Rattle (Rune Grammofon)
Rob Mazurek Octet – Skull Sessions (Cuneiform)
Boards of Canada – Tomorrow’s Harvest (Warp)
Grouper – The Man Who Died In His Boat (Kranky)
Lionel O – Mama Said Knock Me Out (Golden Beast)
Implodes – Recurring Dream (Kranky)
Clinic – Free Reign II (Daniel Lopatin Versions) (Domino)
Josephine Foster – I’m A Dreamer (Fire)
Marissa Anderson – Galax (Mississippi)
Pissed Jeans – Honeys (Sub Pop)
Fake Limbs – Power of Patrician Upbringing (BLVD)
Haim – Days Are Gone (Rough Trade)
Le Tour – Christian Guilt (Golden Beast)
Bitchin Bajas – Bitchitronics (Drag City)
Kevin Hein – Gauze (Baro)
The Delfonics – Adrian Younge Presents (Wax Poetics)
Allen Toussaint – Songbook (Rounder)
Darkside – Psychic (Matador/Other People)
Laurel Halo – Chance of Rain (Hyperdub)
No Joy – Wait To Pleasure (Mexican Summer)
Loren Connors – Departing of a Dream (Family Vineyard)

Reissues and Compilations:
Unwound – Kid Is Gone (Numero)
V/A I Heard The Angels Singing: Electrifying Black Gospel From The Nashboro Label 1951- 1983 (Tompkins Square)
Roky Erickson – Light In The Attic Reissues
William Onyeabor – World Psychedelic Classics 5: Who Is William Onyeabor? (Luaka Bop)
Arthur Russell – Another Thought (Point)
Cleaners From Venus – Vol. 2 (Captured Tracks)
V/A New Orleans Funk Vol. 3 (Soul Jazz)
Irma Thomas – In Between Tears (Alive)

Shows:
Joshua Abrams Natural Information Society at Hideout
Swirlies at Metro
Keiji Haino at Empty Bottle
Black Sabbath at First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
Allen Toussaint at SPACE
Rotted Tooth Fest
Ken Camden at Constellation
Bottomless Pit at Township
Le Tour and Negative Scanner at The Whistler
Metz and No Joy at Lincoln Hall
Slushy at Bric-A-Brac Records
Melvins at Double Door
Kranky 20th Anniversary Shows

Cole Cooney
1) Yo La Tengo – Fade
2) Bill Callahan – Dream River
3) Lloyd Cole & Hans Joachim Roedelius – Selected Studies Vol. 1
4) Har Mar Superstar – Bye Bye 17
5) Ken Camden – Space Mirror
6) Jagga Jazzist – Live with Britten Sonfonia
7) Lionel O – Mama Said Knock Me Out
8) Men – New Moon
9) Rhye – Woman
10) Colin Stetson – History of Warfare Vol. 3
11) Implodes – Recurring Dream
12) Shannon & the Clams – Dreams in the Rathouse
13) Boards of Canada – Tomorrow’s Harvest
14) My Bloody Valentine – MBV

Derek Medley
Atom TM – HD
Autechre – Exai /L-event
William Basinski – Nocturnes
Keith Berry – Towards the Blue Peninsula
Ken Camden – Space Mirror
Jefre Cantu-Ledesma – Music From the Headlands Center for the Arts
Ceephax Acid Crew – Cro Magnox
Jack Dangers – Bathyscaphe Trieste
Philip Glass – Visitors
Tim Hecker – Virgins
lovesliescrushing – Ghost Colored Halo
Stephen Mathieu – The Falling Rocket /Un coeur simple

Reissues:
Eduard Artimiev – Stalker /The Mirror /Solaris
François Bayle – L’Expérience Acoustique /Les couleurs de la nuit
Benge – Twenty Systems
Boards of Canada – Warp catalog
Alice Coltrane – Divine Songs
Léo Kupper – Electronic Works & Voices
Bernard Parmegiani – De Natura Sonorum
Eliane Radigue – Adnos I-III
Vangelis – Blade Runner
Iannis Xenakis – GRM Works

Dave Hofer
Artifacts – Between a Rock & a Hard Place (Artifacts) REISSUE
A$AP Ferg – Trap Lord (RCA)
A$AP Rocky – Long.Live.A$AP (RCA)
Blasted Diplomats – Blasted Diplomats (BLVD)
Botch – We are the Romans (Hydra Head) REISSUE
The Bronx – IV (ATO)
Danny Brown – Old (Fool’s Gold)
Cave In – Until Your Heart Stops (Hydra Head) REISSUE
Dillinger Escape Plan – One of Us is the Killer (Sumerian)
Discordance Axis – Jouhou (Hydra Head) REISSUE
El-P & Killer Mike – Run the Jewels (Fool’s Gold)
Ghostface Killah – Twelve Reasons to Die (original Adrian Younge mix & Apollo Brown remix) (Soul Temple)
Gigan – Multi-Dimensional Fractal Sorcery and Super Science (Willowtip)
Heliocentrics – 13 Degrees of Reality (Now Again)
Ill Bill – The Grimy Awards (Fat Beats)
Immolation – Kingdom of Conspiracy (Nuclear Blast)
Mr. Muthafuckin’ eXquire – Kismet (Self-released)
Nails – Abandon All Life (Southern Lord)
Nedelle Torrisi – Nedelle Torrisi (Self-released)
Wormed – Exodromos (Willowtip)

Mark Lux
2013 in no particular order
tv ghost ‘disconnect’
ken camden ‘space mirror’
chance ‘in search of’ (reissue)
steve gunn ‘tim off’
larry coryell ‘lift’
outer minds ‘behind the mirror’
new canyons ‘everyone is dark’
photon band ‘pur photonic matter vol. 1’
bare mutants ‘affliction’
implodes ‘recurring dream’
grateful dead ‘sunshine daydream live 1972’
we have heaven/20 guilders split 12”
jacco gardner ‘cabinet of curiosities’
daft punk ‘random access memory’
my bloody valentine ‘mbv’
dark ’round the edges’ (reissue)
peter peter/peter kyed ‘valhalla rising’ (soundtrack)
purling hiss ‘paisley montage’
labradford ‘prazision’ (reissue)
doomed to obscurity ‘pipe bomb’ 7″
strapping fieldhands ‘sitting on her whiskers’ 7″

Sarah Frier
Best of 2013 – No Order

Savages – Silence Yourself
Cave – Threace
Angel Olsen – Half Way Home
MIA – Matangi
Grant Hart – The Argument
Disappears – Era
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Push The Sky Away
Kurt Vile – Wakin on a Pretty Daze
Superchunk – I Hate Music
Black Angels – Indigo Meadow
Neko Case – The Worse Things Get…
Neil Young – Live At The Cellar Door
V/A – I Am The Center

Matt Jencik
Acteurs – s/t
Afflicted Man I’m Off Me ‘Ead LP reissue
Algebra Suicide Feminine Square LP reissue
Atoms for Peace Amok
A Band Called Death documentary
Blasted Diplomats s/t
Blessure Grave Flashing
Blut Aus Nord Work Which Transforms God LP reissue
Boards of Canada Tomorrow’s Harvest
Ken Camden Space Mirror
John Carpenter The Fog (soundtrack) LP reissue
Christmas Lights S/T reissue
Circuit Des Yeux Overdue
Alice Coltrane Divine Songs LP reissue
Devo Hardcore Devo Vol. 1 & 2 reissues
Disappears Era
Dreamies (Bill Holt) Auralgraphic Entertainment LP reissue
Emerald Web Stargate Tapes 1979-1982
Kat Epple & Bob Stohl Sanctus Spiritus
Ethernet Opus 2
Fake Limbs The Power of Patrician Upbringing
Fielded Ninety Thirty Thirty
Grouper Man Who Died in His Boat
Grant Hart  The Argument
Lee Hazlewood all Light in the Attic reissues
Peter Jefferies Last Great Challenge in a Dull World reissue
Jesu Every Day I Get Closer to the Light From Which I Came
Labradford Prazision (20th anniversary reissue)
Lives of Angels Elevator to Eden reissue
Magas Pspoilers tape
Medico Doktor Vibes Liter Through Dorker Vibes reissue
Joe Meek I Hear a New World LP reissue
My Bloody Valentine MBV
William Onyeabor World Psychedelic Classics 5: Who is William Onyeabor?
Polvo Siberia
Sarcofago Inri LP reissue
Tropic of Cancer Restless Idylls
Various Artists I Am the Center: Private Issue New Age Music in America
Voivod Target Earth
Neil Young Live at the Cellar Door

Shows
Absu @ Cobra Lounge
Acteurs/ Wreckmeister Harmonies @ Bohemian National Cemetery
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds @ Chicago Theater
Ken Camden/Circuit Des Yeux/Alex Barnett @ The Hideout
Come & Empty Bottle
Enslaved @ Reggie’s
Fielded @ Burlington
Goat @ Empty Bottle
Goblin @ The Metro
Grant Hart @ Danny’s
Kranky Twenty
My Bloody Valentine & The Aragon
Silver Apples @ The Owl
Colin Stetson & Schubas

Kate Ruggeri
Acteurs- S/T
Barnett + Coloccia- Retrieval
Blouse- Imperium
The Cairo Gang- Tiny Rebels
Dark- Round the Edges (reissue)
David Bowie- The Next Day
Delfonics- Adrian Younge Presents
Devo- Hardcore Vol. 1 & 2 (reissue)
Dog Man- Dream Date OST
Drexciya- Journey of the Deep Sea Dweller IV
Implodes- Recurring Dream
Janelle Monae- Electric Lady
Ken Camden- Space Mirror
Knife- Shaking the Habitual
Magas- Pspoilers Cassette
M.I.A- Matangi
My Bloody Valentine- MBV
Paul McCartney- New
Roky Erickson- Light in the Attic Reissues
Tim Hecker- Virgins
Troller- S/T
William Onyeabor- World Psychedelic Classics: Who Is William Onyeabor?
Yoko Ono- Take Me to the Land of Hell
V/A- New Orleans Funk Vol. 3
V/A- Punk 45: Kill the Hippies! Kill Yourself!
V/A- Purple Snow

shows
Kathleen Baird/Michael Zerang @ ACRE
G.W.W
Goblin
Sparks

Steven Rahman
Top 5 Hip Hop
Clear Soul Forces – Gold PP7s
Wordy, dense, & nerdy… References abound, particularly to video games, & other great fun without ever sounding too childish. Very boom-bap, & definitely for folks that like their rap music with heavy trivia included.
L’Orange & Stik Figa- The City Under the City
On Mello Music Group, Stik & L’Orange haven’t worked together often. This is the first I’ve heard of Stik since Oddisee’s Odd Seasons, & the first I’ve heard of producer L’Orange ever. The two work out really well. L’Orange has this quirky sense for samples that is perfectly complimented by Stik’s easy flow. Plus the guests on this are amazing.
Tyler the Creator- WOLF
OFWGKTA… Wolf is evolution for Tyler; a jazzier more fluid style of production under slightly less graphic lyrics. Tyler is a great big fan of Pharell & it shows in all his production, but WOLF really polishes the sound. There’s a certain maturity in WOLF that had been lacking from Tyler’s previous projects, which is not to say that the humorous, ridiculous, grotesqueness of Goblin & Bastard aren’t there, just not as prevalent.
Earl Sweatshirt- Doris
This is some of the best rapping I’ve heard in years. Lot of people saying this record lacks content, but I think the density of these rhymes supports second, third, fourth listening to catch some of the slickest wordplay & storytelling this side of Slick Rick. With a lot of the production being handled by Earl himself, this is definitely the album we were waiting for.
Chance The Rapper – Acid Rap
Bootlegging put this not- for- sale tape on the Billboard Top 100 list, & there’s no questioning why. Chance twists words into his flows using his melodic sense to create some really cool & trippy effects. The flow is often bent & syrupy, rarely fitting easily into the beat, but around it, just ahead, just behind but never off time. This is the most Chicago a rapper has sounded since Common dropped Resurrection & if you don’t believe me just check out the extended juke finish on “Good Ass Outro”
Honorable Mentions:
Vic Mensa – INNANETAPE
Tanya Morgan – Rubber Souls
Run The Jewels (Killer Mike & El-P) – Run The Jewels
J.Cole – Born Sinner
Big Sean – Hall of Fame
Dessa – Parts of Speech

Top 5 Not Hip Hop
Cecile McLorin Salvant – Womanchild
Classically trained in Opera, Salvant is a prodigiously talented singer. Very adventurous, she combines technique & style to create a very modern style of jazz that truly recognizes the masters of the genre.
Bilal – A Love Surreal
Groovy & soulful, with a strong jazz influence, A Love Surreal is alternative soul that stretches out the genre definitions without totally abandoning them. Lots of Prince in Bilal Oliver’s singing style, but something quite different in the long run…
Arctic Monkeys – AM
I love the Arctic Monkeys. Rock’n Roll with lyrics that combining irreverence with heart. It’s a very late night record, even though this record hits a lot harder than previous records.
Alice Smith – She
This record is everything I hoped it would be. After a long lay-off, Smith comes back with a record that shows off her rangy huge voice over Pop, Rock, & Soul soundscapes.
Hiatus Kaiyote – Tawk Tomahawk
Tawk Tomahawk is one of the best future-soul, alt-soul records I’ve ever heard. It takes the feeling & sounds of hip hop & translates them to a live band feeling better than anyone save the Roots.
Honorable Mentions:
Valerie June – Pushing Against a Stone
Foreign Exchange – Love in Flying Colors
Best Coast- Fade Away
Elvis Costello & the Roots- Wise Up Ghost

Eric Lipe
10.  Ra Ra Riot–  Beta Love
9.  Daft Punk– Random Access Memories
8.  Camera Obscura–  Desire Lines
7.  Mazzy Star–  Seasons of your day
6.  Midlake–  Antiphon
5.  William Onyeabor–  World Psychedelic Classics 5  Who is William Onyeabor?
4.  Savages–  Silence yourself
3.  Har Mar Superstar–  Bye bye 17
2.  Lorde–  Pure Heroine
1.  Lucius–  Wildewoman

Kevin Hein
top picks of 2013- in no particular order

Von Pea & Aeon- Duly Noted- (total summer barbecue boom box jam. Instantly likable/relatable raps over heavy ethereal beats)
Sons Of The Morning- Speak Soon Vol 1- (Teebs + Prefuse 73)
Resonars- Greatest Songs Of.. (one-man garage pop perfection)
Ryan Chavira- Staycation (a cool breeze on a perfect day. easy, mellow, delightful instrumental pop gems)
Oneohtrix Point Never- R Plus Seven (mind melting, genre blending, synth ripping)
No Joy- Wait To Pleasure (fast fun loud pop rock from 2 badass ladies)
My Bloody Valentine- MBV (my favorite band released a new album after 22 years. happy.)
Medicine- To The Happy Few (Medicine figured if MBV put out a new album, then why not?)
Machinedrum- Vapor City (more forward thinking dance music from a genre veteran)
Ken Camden- Space Mirror (frontal lobe massage, shredding in space)
Jefre-Cantu Ledesma- Devotion (harsh hi frequency swells of static amongst lush chorus guitar)
Implodes- Recurring Dream (psychedelic pop at the bottom of a well)
Grouper- The Man Who Died In His Boat (more material from Dragging A Dead Deer..)
Villages- Sun Control (beautiful aural bliss, stretching on for miles & miles)
Goat Lightning- Sisters Crystals (morning yoga on dmt)
Drawing Trees- Meadow’s Exist (hypnotic weaving guitar tapestry)
Calidonia County- Telegraph Canyon (deathbed ambient at its finest)
Boards Of Canada- Tomorrow’s Harvest (the masters at it again, familiar sounds with a new approach: 70’s horror soundtracks/apocalyptic desolation. does not disappoint.)
Ant’lrd- Extra Domicile (warm blanket on a chilly day)
Serengeti- Firebird Logo (produced by ambient collage duo Arborist)
Odd Nosdam- T R I S H (drum-less fuzzy hip-hop)
Angel 1- Purple Haze (VHS dream)
Cave- Threace (CAVE sound like CAN now)
Tim Hecker- Virgins (ensemble performances spliced/diced to perfection)
Carcass- Surgical Steel (best soundtrack to drunk Mortal Kombat matches this year)
Dog Man- Dream Date OST (could pass as unreleased 16 bit Final Fantasy music)

Ken Camden
Grouper – Man Who Died in His Boat
Benoit Pioulard – Hymnal
Lionel O – Mama said knock me out (cs)
Barnett & Coloccia – Retrieval
Circuit Des Yeux – Overdue
Rodion G.A. – Lost Tapes
Vangelis – Sex Power reissue
Noveller – No Dreams
Tomorrow’s Achievements (Parry Music Library 1976-86)
Streetwalker – Future Visions
Kat Epple & Bob Stohl – Sanctus Spiritus

Arpad Lep
TOP TEN 2013

A HAWK AND A HACKSAW – YOU HAVE ALREADY GONE TO THE OTHER WORLD – Former Neutral Milk Hotel/Beirut musicians craft true gypsy music (trust me). Dynamic and      cinematic, heavy and authentic.
KEN CAMDEN – SPACE MIRROR – Chicago musician who evokes electronic pioneers like Raymond Scott and the score to Blade Runner.
MOLLY DRAKE – MOLLY DRAKE – Haunting, self-penned songs for the piano and voice by former war-era radio singer and mother of Nick Drake.
FOREST SWORDS – ENGRAVINGS – Meditation through repetition, driven at a gangsters’ pace. Forest because it was mixed in a field instead of a studio. Swords because it cuts like the  RZA.
HAR MAR SUPERSTAR – BYE BYE 17 – This is, for my money, the album of the year. Minneapolis, MN native sounds like Raphael Saadiq, looks like Revenge of the Nerds. The best soul  record to come out since Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black. This is the record no one told you about that you have been looking for.
KANYE WEST – YEEZUS – It brought tears to Lou Reed’s eyes.
YOUNG FATHERS – TAPE TWO – Africa-by-way-of-Scotland psychedelic hip hop. Not your normal rhythms, the musical overlap of lifelong friends is more feels than genre.
V/A – AFTER DARK 2 – Compilation of Italians Do It Better bands. Sorry, Cliff, but Johnny Jewel is why we liked the Drive soundtrack. In fact, some of his original discarded music for the  film is included on this record. Phil Spector of Neo-Italo-disco.
V/A – BARO RECORDS COMP 001 – Compilation of Chicago and Oakland ambient music. No pressure total enchantment.
V/A – STUDIO GHIBLI: KOKYO KYOKUSHU – The Czech Philharmonic performs pieces from five Studio Ghibli films, including Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away.

Tom Walcyzk
No particular order:

Disappears- Era LP (Kranky)
Jacco Gardner- Cabinet of Curiosities LP (Trouble in Mind)
Iceage- You’re Nothing (Matador)
Dirtbombs- Ooey Gooey Chewey Ka-Blooey! LP  (In the Red)
Tar- 1988-1995 (Chunklet)
Black Angels- Indigo Meadow (Light in the Attic)
Mikal Cronin- MCII LP (Merge)
Acquaintances- S/T LP (File 13)
Night Beats- Sonic Bloom LP (The Reverberation Appreciation Society)
Implodes- Recurring Dream (Kranky)
Black Hollies – Somewhere Between Here and Nowhere LP + 7″ (Ernest Jennings Records)
Coachwhips- Hands On The Controls LP (Castle Face)
White Fence- Cyclops Reap LP (Castle Face)
Pamphleteers /Blasted Diplomats 12″ (BLVD)
Milk Music- Cruise Your Illusion LP (Perennial Records)

Top Shows of 2013:
Cosmic Psychos @ The Empty Bottle
Kate Nash @ Metro
Iceage @ Empty Bottle
Knapsack @ Bottom Lounge
Blake Schwarzenbach (Jawbreaker/Forgetters) @ Shubas

Brook Sinkinson Withrow
Best Albums:
Beau Wanzer – S/T (L.I.E.S.)
The-Drum – Contact (Audraglint)
Fielded – NinetyThirtyThirty (Captcha)
Anika – EP (Stones Throw)
Grouper – Man Who Died In His Boat (Kranky)
Tropic of Cancer – Restless Idylls (Blackest Ever Black)
Chelsea Wolfe – Pain is Beauty (Sargent House)
Lonnie Holley – Keeping A Record Of It (Dust-to-Digital)
William Onyeabor – Who Is William Onyeabor? (Luaka) *Reissue
Charles Bradley – Victim of Love (Dunham)
The Delfonics – Adrian Younge Presents The Delfonics (Wax Poetics)
V/A – Purple Snow (Numero)
V/A – Good God! Apocryphal Hymns (Numero)
Arthur Russell – Another Thought (Arc Light Editions) *Finally
Theo Parrish & Tony Allen – Day Like This/Feel Loved (Wildheart Recordings)
Ciara – S/T (Epic)

Best Music Videos:
Anika – In the City /by Kyle Whittington & Joe Broady
Implodes – Scattered in the Wind /by Lori Felker

Best Music Documentary Shorts:
Whateverest /Directed by Kristoffer Borgli
Real Scenes: New York /Directed by Patrick Nation

Kip McCabe
1. Neil Young “Live at the Cellar Door”
2. My Bloody Valentine “MBV”
3. Bill Callahan “Dream River”
4. Juana Molina “Wed 21”
5. William Onyeabor “World Psychedelic Classics 5: Who is William Onyeabor?”
6. Shannon Wright “In Film Sound”
7. Spring Breakers OST
8. Emerald Web “Stargate Tapes 1979-1982”
9. Ken Camden “Space Mirror”
10. Labradford “Prazision” (Reissue)
11. Devo “Hardcore Devo Vol.1 & 2” (Reissues)
12. Cliff Martinez “Only God Forgives” OST
13. Sigur Ros “Kveikur”
14. Boards of Canada “Tomorrow’s Harvest”

Courtland Green
1. Ghostface Killah – Twelve Reasons To Die
2. Al Tone Edits Volumes 1-3
3. V/A Kill Yourself Dancing
4. V/A Purple Snow
5. Express Rising
6. Bill Orcutt – History of Every One
7. Delfonics – Adrian Younge Presents The Delfonics
8. Tindersticks – Across Six Leap Years
9. Sebadoh – Defend Yourself
10. Various Artists – Punk 45: Kill The Hippies!
11. Eddie Palmieri – Doin’It in the Park
12. GZA – Liquid Swords reissue with chess set
13. Fake Limbs – The Power of Patrician Upbringing
14. Sly & The Family Stone – Higher box set
15. Devo – Hardcore Devo
16. Ken Camden – Space Mirror
17. The Cairo Gang – Tiny Rebels
18. Bob Dylan- Another Self Portrait- Bootleg Series Vol 10
19. Arthur Russell- Another Thought
20. R Kelly – Black Panties
21. Bill Callahan – Dream River
22. Frank Rosaly – Centering & Displacement

Mike Gillilan

Favorite records of 2013 in no particular order
Julia Holter – ‘Loud City Song’  (Domino)
Dead C – ‘Armed Courage’ (Ba Da Bing!)
Grouper – ‘The Man Who Died In His Boat’ (Kranky)
Dirty Beaches – ‘Drifters/Love is the Devil’ (Zoo Music)
KMFH – ‘The Boat Party’ (Wild Oats)
My Bloody Valentine – ‘m b v’ (self released)
Pillars and Tongues – ‘End-dances’ (Empty Cellar)
Iceage – ‘You’re Nothing’ (Matador)
Huerco S. – ‘Colonial Patterns’ (Software)
Tim Hecker – ‘Virgins’ (Kranky)
Kurt Vile – ‘Wakin On A Pretty Daze’ (Matador)
Potions – ‘MIDI Jazz Bass’ (Lake Paradise)

Reissues
William Onyeabor – ‘Who is William Onyeabor?’ (Luaka Bop)
D’Angelo – ‘Voodoo’ (Light in the Attic) Dec 2012
Fluxion – ‘Vibrant Forms’ (Type)
Sensations Fix – ‘Fragments of Light’ (Superior Viaduct)
Bona Dish – “The Zaragoza Tapes: 1981-1982′ (Captured Tracks)

Favorite Overlooked Record from 2012
Voices from the Lake – ‘Voices from the Lake’ (Prologue)

John Wilkinson
Ten (in no particular order)

Mount Eerie – Pre Human Ideas
Nails – Abandon All Life
Tricky – False Idols
Raspberry Bulbs – Deformed Worship
My Bloody Valentine – m b v
Merchandise – Total Nite
Kurt Vile – Walkin’ on a Pretty Daze
Iceage – You’re Nothing
Chelsea Wolfe – Pain is Beauty
Wolf Eyes – No Answer: Lower Floors

Favorite Reissue
Robbie Basho – Visions of the Country (reissue)

Dan Maloney
Albums

1.) My Bloody Valentine- MBV
2.) Julia Holter- Loud City Song
3.) Parquet Courts- Light Up Gold
4.) Deerhunter- Monomania
5.) Daft Punk- Random Access Memories
6.) Lonnie Holley- Keeping a Record of It
7.) Blasted Diplomats- Blasted Diplomats
8.) Ghostface Killah- Twelve Reasons to Die
9.) Janelle Monae- Electric Lady
10.) Paul McCartney- New
11.) Blouse- Imperium
12.) Jacco Gardner- Cabinet of Curiosities

Reissues/Compilations

1.) Bob Dylan- Another Self Portrait- Bootleg Series Vol 10
2.) William Onyeabor- Who is William Onyeabor?
3.) Roky Erickson- Light in the Attic Reissues
4.) Dark- Round the Edges
5.) Joe Meek- I Hear a New World
6.) Arthur Russell- Another Thought
7.) Devo- Hardcore Vol 1 & 2
8.) Botch- We are Romans
9.) Cave In- Until your Heart Stops
10.) Damon- Song of a Gypsy
11.) New Orleans Funk 3- Various
12.) Country Soul Sisters Vol. 2- Various
13.) To Fathom Hell Or Soar Angelic- Various
14.) Blake Foley- Cold Cold World
15.) Chris Darrow- Artist Proof

Lea Board
1. Fidlar – Fidlar
2. M.I.A. – Matangi
3. Shannon & the Clams – Dreams in the Rat House
4. Night Beats – Sonic Bloom
5. Thee Oh Sees – Floating Coffin
6. Mogwai – Les Revenants
7. Strokes – Comedown Machine
8. Daft Punk – Random Access Memories
9. Unknown Mortal Orchestra – II
10. Boardwalk – Boardwalk

Melissa Grubbs
Atoms for Peace- Amok
Beyonce- Beyonce
Blasted Diplomats – Blasted Diplomats
Bosq- 12″s
David Bowie- The Next Day
Charles Bradley – Victim of Love
Broadcast – Berberian Sound Studio
Ken Camden – Space Mirror
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Push The Sky Away
Alice Coltrane – Divine Songs
Kim Deal- singles
The Delfonics – Adrian Younge Presents
Disappears – Era
Roky Erickson – Light In The Attic Reissues
Fake Limbs – Power of Patrician Upbringing
Jacco Gardner- Cabinet Of Curiosities
Ghostface Killah – Twelve Reasons To Die
Lee Hazlewood- all Light In The Attic Reissues
Heliocentrics – 13 Degrees of Reality
Implodes – Recurring Dream
Jesu- Every Day I Get Closer to the Light From Which I Came
MIA – Matangi
Janelle Monae- Electric Lady
My Bloody Valentine – MBV
William Onyeabor – World Psychedelic Classics 5: Who Is William Onyeabor?
Eddie Palmieri – Doin’It in the Park
Perera Elsewhere- Everlast
Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats- Mind Control
Kurt Vile – Wakin’ on a Pretty Daze
Chelsea Wolfe – Pain is Beauty
Neil Young – Live At The Cellar Door
V/A New Orleans Funk Vol. 3
V/A Sharpies-14 Aggro Aussie Anthems From 1972 to 1979

Colin Blanton
Grouper- The man who died in his boat (kranky)
Cave- Threace (drag city)
Odd Nosdam- Trish (BARO)
Oneohtrix Point Never- R Plus Seven (warp)
Ron Berry- A Voice in the Wilderness (sanity muffin)
Moevot- Best of (sanity muffin)
Villages- sun control (sacred phrases)
Boards of Canada- tomorrow’s harvest (warp)
V/A- I am the center (light in the attic)
Kwaidan- make all the hell of dark metal bright (bathetic)
Tim Hecker- virgins (kranky)

Gar Brandt
Warm Soda “someone for you” LP
Pharaoh Overlord “#3”
Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats “Mind Control”
Glitter Wizard “Hunting Gatherers”
Aspic Tines ” ENCHANTE MADAME A.I.”
David Bowie “Next Day”
Savages “Silence Yourself”
Kronos Quartet “Aheym”
Clinic “Free Reign II”
Blasted Diplomats “S/T”
KADAVAR/AQUA NEBULA OSCILLATOR SPLIT
Amon Amarth “deceiver of the Gods”
Chelsea Wolfe “Pain is Beauty”
Dismemberment Plan “Uncanney Valley”
Fake Limbs “Power of Patrician Upbringing”

Kurt Nget
Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats-Mind Control
Hookworms-Pearl Mystic
Tribulation-Formulas Of Death
Implodes-Recurring Dream
Medicine-To The Happy Few
Watain-The Wild Hunt
My Bloody Valentine-MBV
Night Beats-Sonic Bloom
Gap Dream-Shine Your Light
Mazzy Star-Seasons Of Your Day
Noctum-Final Sacrifice
The Resonars-Greatest Songs Of…
The Verlaines-Juvenilia (Reissue)
Roky Erickson-Evil One (Reissue)
Seefeel-Quique (Reissue)

Billy Smith
some nice things of 2013:

DEPECHE MODE “Delta Machine” (Columbia)
ULFUR “White Mountain” (Western Vinyl)
YOUTH LAGOON “Wondrous Bughouse” (Fat Possum)
CHELSEA LIGHT MOVING “s/t” (Matador)
OMD “English Electric” (Bmg)
CLUTCH “Earth Rocker” (Weathermaker)
ZOLA JESUS “Versions” (Sacred Bones)
PET SHOP BOYS “Electric” (Kobalt)
CLIFF MARTINEZ “Only God Forgives (Soundtrack)” (Gaumont)
CHELSEA WOLFE “Pain Is Beauty” (Sargent House)
LORDE “Pure Heroine” (Universal)
NIRVANA “In Utero 2013 Albini mix” (Geffen)
PEARL JAM “Lightning Bolt” (Monkeywrench)
TIM & ERIC SHOW (just found out….)
ANNA VON HAUSSWOLFF “Ceremony” (Fat Possum)
CHVRCHES “Bones of What You Believe” (Goodbye)
EMIKA “Dva” (Ninja Tune)
SMALL BLACK “Limits Of Desire” (Jagjaguwar)
DESTRUCTION UNIT (Sacred Bones)

Matt Orenstein
1. Grouper – The Man Who Died In His Boat
2. William Basinski – Nocturnes
3. Implodes – Recurring Dream
4. Broadcast – Berberian Sound Studio
5. Bill Callahan – Dream River
6. My Bloody Valentine – MBV
7. Ken Camden – Space Mirror
8. The Knife – Shaking The Habitual
9. Rhye – Woman
10. Stephen Steinbrink – Arranged Waves

Chris Connelly
CINDYTALK-LIFE IS EVERYWHERE
BOWIE-THE NEXT DAY
JANELLE MONAE-ELECTRIC LADY
KANYE WEST-YEeZUS
M.I.A.-MATANGI
JULIA HOLTER-LOUD CITY SONG
CHELSEA WOLFE-PAIN IS BEAUTY
MY BLOODY VALENTINE-MBV
THEE OH SEES-FLOATING COFFIN
KEN CAMDEN-SPACE MIRROR

Emily Elhaj
2013 ALBUMS

Grouper – The Man Who Died In His Boat (Kranky)
Yo La Tengo – Fade (Matador)
Josephine Foster – I’m A Dreamer (Fire)
Asia Argento – Total Entropy (Nuun)
Neil Young – Live At The Cellar Door (Reprise)
Cindy Lee – Tatlashea (Isolated Now Waves) 2012
Power Trip – Manifest Decimation (Southern Lord)
Broadcast – Berberian Soundtrack (Warp)
My Bloody Valentine – MBV (Self-released)
Voivod – Target Earth (Century Media)
Fielded – Ninety Thirty Thirty (Captcha)
Ken Camden – Space Mirror (Kranky)
Total Control – EP (Home Loan)
Dirty Beaches – Drifters/Love Is the Devil (Zoo Music)
Streetwalker – Future Fusion (Cititrax)
Lace Curtain – DFA EP
David Bowie – The Next Day (Columbia)
Cough Cool – “29” (Bathetic)
Matt Duncan – Soft Times (Hop Hop)
The Drum – Contact (Audraglint)
Dog Man – Dream Date OST (Love Lion)
Barnett & Coloccia – Retrieval (Blackest Ever Black)
Marisa Anderson – Mercury (Mississippi/Change)
Troller – s/t (Holodeck) 2012
The Delfonics – Adrian Younge Presents (Wax Poetics)
Jacco Gardner – Cabinet of Curiosities (Trouble In Mind)
Forest Swords – Engravings (Tri Angle)
The Besnard Lakes – Until In Excess, Imperceptible UFO (Jagjaguwar)
Dean Blunt – Redeemer (Hippos In Tanks)
Acteurs – s/t (Public Information)
Kelela – Cut 4 Me (Fade to Mind)
Oozing Wound – Retrash (Thrill Jockey)
The Cairo Gang – Tiny Rebels (Empty Cellar)
Heavy Times – Fix It Alone (Hozac)
Gorguts – Colored Sands (Season of Mist)
Circuit Des Yeux – Overdue (Ba Da Bing)
Blouse – Imperium (Captured Tracks)
Félicia Atkinson – With Her Own Hands (Shelter Press)
M.I.A. – Matangi (Interscope)
Gabriel Saloman – Soldier’s Requiem (Miasmah)
7 Days Of Funk – s/t (Stones Throw)
Arve Henriksen – Places Of Worship (Rune Grammofon)
Ciara.

REISSUES

MU – s/t (Guerssen)
Vangelis – Blade Runner (Audio Fidelity)
Atheist – Piece of Time (Season of Mist)
The Walker Brothers – Nite Flights (Tizona)
Icecross  – s/t (Rockadrome)
Roky Erickson – Evil One (Light in the Attic)
Twin Peaks/Eraserhead Soundtracks (Sacred Bones)

SHOWS

The Hecks/ Mayor Daley/ Miami Dolphins – Medusa, Minneapolis
Bomb Banks/ Mr. 666/ Diva 93 – Empty Bottle
Yo La Tengo – The Vic
Enslaved – Reggie’s
Guardian Alien/ Kria Brekkan – St. Ferdinand, New Orleans
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – Chicago Theater
Black Angels – Reckless Records
Fleetwood Mac – United Center
Cave – El Marney
Pissed Jeans – Empty Bottle
Sweet Cobra – Dark Lord Day, 3 Floyd’s Brewery
Villages/ Nest Egg – Broadways, Asheville
Backyard BBQ – Ottoman Empire
Broken Water – Empty Bottle
Jody/ Inc. – Empty Bottle
Silver Apples – The Owl
Savages – Metro
Rotted Tooth Festival – Situations
Angel Olsen – Lincoln Hall
Mayor Daley, The Hecks, Larry Wish, Mar Habrine, Homebirth, XXXPRESSIONXXX – Menglekoch, Minneapolis
White Poppy/ Cindy Lee – Remington Gallery, Vancouver
Goblin – The Metro
My Bloody Valentine – Aragon Ballroom
Eyehategod – Cobra Lounge
Absu – Cobra Lounge
Guerilla Toss/ Wishfgift/ Toupee/ Blanche Blanche Blanche – Club Rectum
Kranky Twenty Festival – Empty Bottle/ Constellation/ Lincoln Hall

Pat Campbell
Wolf Eyes – No Answer – Lower Floors
Lionel O – Mama Said Knock Me Out
Circuit Des Yeux – Overdue
Heavy Times – Fix It Alone
Nate Young – Regression Vol. 3 (Other Days)
Absolutely Not – Mister Something
Thee Tsunamis – A Goodbad Man Is Hard To Find
Ken Camden – Space Mirror
Mac Blackout – Beat Off
Flesh Panthers – S/T Cassette

Tim Quinlan
1. MIA “Matangi”
2. Qwel & Maker “Beautiful Raw”
3. Chance the Rapper “Acid Rap”
4. Janelle Monae “The Electric Lady”
5. Lee Ranaldo & the Dust “Last Night on Earth”
6. Implodes “Recurring Dream”
7. Ken Camden “Space Mirror”
8. Justin Timberlake “20/20 Experience Pt. 1” NOT PT. 2!!
9. Thundercat “Apocalypse”
10. Nosaj Thing “Home”

Reilly Gill
There’s no order to these; they’re all number one!
-Ex-Cult: “Ex-Cult”
-Janelle Monae: “Electric Lady”
-Metz: “Metz”
-Jay Reatard: “Singles 06-07” Reissue
-Blouse: “Imperium”
-Chance the Rapper: “Acid Rap”
-The Snails: “Worth the Wait”
-Pure X: “Crawling up the Stairs”
-DeRobert and the Half-Truths: “I’m Tryin'”
-Wooden Shjips: “Back to Land”
-MIA: “Matangi”
-Ty Segall/Chad and the Meatbodies: “Music for a Film, Pt. 1” and “Mountain” split (45)

Dan Worland
Disappears – 2 EPs + Era
Flesh Panthers – Cassette EP
Implodes – Recurring Dream
Survival Knife – 2 7″s
Acteurs – self-titled

Jim Magas
2013 FAVORITES

ADULT. – Way Things Fall
Asia Argento – Total Entropy
Barnett & Coloccia – Retrieval LP
Basic Channel reissues
Francois Bayle – L’Experience Acoustique
Black Deer 12”s
Ken Camden – Space Mirror
Captain Beefheart – Safe As Milk mono reissue
John Carpenter – Assault on Precinct 13 reissue
Chrome – Half Machine from the Sun: The Lost Tracks ’79-80
Luciano Cilio – Dell’Universo Assente
Patrick Cowley – School Daze
Dark – Round the Edges reissue
Demdike Stare – Testpressing series
Drexciya – Journey of the Deep Sea Dweller Vol. IV
Kevin Drumm – Humid Weather
Roky Erickson – Evil One & Don’t Slander Me
Gherkin Jerks reissues
The Gories – The Shaw Tapes: Live in Detroit 5/27/88
Kyle Hall – Boat Party & Boat Party Bonus EP
Gunnar Haslam – Mimesiak
Icecross – 1. LP aka s/t
Implodes – Recurring Dream
Bob James – Rhodes Scholar LP
Raul Lovison/Francesco Messina – Prati Bagnati del Monte Analogo
Magas – Pspoilers cassette
Mainliner – Mellow Out reissue
Charles Manier – Electrocution & S/T (Nation)
Ron Morelli – Spit
Omar S. – Thank You For Letting Me Be Myself
Bill Orcutt – History of Every One LP & 13×7” boxed set
Theo Parrish – Black Jazz Signature
Raspberry Bulbs – Deformed Worship
3 Chairs – CH 07 12”
Vangelis – Blade Runner & Sex Power reissues
Velvet Underground – At the End of Cole Ave, 2nd Night
Vox Dei – La Biblia reissue
Wolf Eyes – No Answer – Lower Floors
Xenakis – GRM Works 1957-1962 LP
Nate Young – Regression LPs
Beau Wanzer – 3 L.I.E.S. 12”s
V/A – Bang the Box: the (Lost) Story of AKA Dance Music Chicago 1987-88
V/A – Sounds of Silence LP

Anthony Illarde

THE BIG BOYS – Where’s My Towel /Industry Standard (2LP reissue) (Light In The Attic)
CAPTAIN BEEFHEART – Safe As Milk (Mono LP reissue) (Sundazed)
GRANT HART – The Argument (2LP) (Domino)
THE HUMAN EXPRESSION – Love At A Psychedelic Velocity (LP + 45 reissue) (Mississippi)
HUSKER DU – Statues (2X45 reissue) (Numero)
MOONDOG – new Sound Of An Old Instrument (CD reissue) (Kopf)
MOUSE & THE TRAPS – The Fraternity Years (LP reissue) (Big Beat)
NILSSON – The RCA Albums Collection (CD box set) (Legacy)
THE SEEDS – A Web Of Sound (2CD reissue) (Big Beat)
SLY & THE FAMILY STONE – Higher (CD box set) (Legacy)

NOTHING CAN HURT ME: THE BIG STAR STORY (Magnolia Films)
SACRIFICIAL YOUTH (Regressive Films)

Whitney Mercer
Things I really liked in 2013
Darkside – Psychic
Ken Camden – Space Mirror
MIA – Matangi
William Onyeabor – Who is William Onyeabor
Lee Ranaldo & the Dust – Last Night on Earth
Body/Head – Coming Apart
The Julie Ruin – Run Fast
Typhoon – White Lighter
The Blow – The Blow
Colin Stetson – New History of Warfare Vol. 3: To See More Light
Mykki Blanco – Betty Rubble: The Initiation EP
Oddience – Slide EP
Dawn of Midi – Dysnomia
Brandy Clark – Twelve Stories

Bryan Smith
Big Boys – Where’s My Towel (re-issue)
Big Star – Nothing Can Hurt Me 2LP
Blut Aus Nord – Work Which Transforms God LP (re-issue)
Boards of Canada – Tomorrow’s Harvest
Charles Bradley – Victim of Love
Bronx (IV)
Devo – Hardcore Vol.1 (re-issue)
Endless Boogie – Long Island
Enslaved – Riitir
Hot Lunch – Hot Lunch
Iceage – You’re Nothing
Cate Le Bon – Mug Museum
Marcos Valle – all 4 LP re-issues!
Bernard Parmegiani – De Natura Sonorum (re-issue)
Power Trip – Manifest Decimation
Satyricon – s/t
Scientists – s/t ( re-issue)
Martin Sorrondeguy – Get Shot (Book)
Voivod – Target Earth
Wire – Change Becomes Us

Charles Taylor
Best Jazz of 2013
Jason Robinson: Tiresian Symmetry
Living By Lanterns: Old Myth/New Science
Woody Shaw: Complete Columbia Albums
Ivo Perelman: The Edge
Sophie Agnel: Meteo
Nate Wooley: Throne Of Friendship
Atomic: There’s A Hole In The Mountain
Mary Halvorsen: Illusionary Sea
Sun Ra: Continuation
William Parker: Wood Flute Songs

Chris Wilkus
MY FAVORITE HIP HOP/R&B ALBUMS OF 2013

15) Express Rising “Express Rising 2” (Reissue) (NUMERO GROUP)
14) The Lonely Island “The Wack Album” (UNIVERSAL REPUBLIC)
13) Cocaine 80s “The Flower of Life EP” (SELF-RELEASED)
12) Perera Elsewhere “Everlast” (FRIENDS OF FRIENDS)
11) Tyler, the Creator “Wolf” (ODD FUTURE/SONY)
10) Willis Earl Beal “Nobody Knows.” (XL RECORDINGS)
9) Danny Brown “Old” (FOOL’S GOLD RECORDS)
8) Beyoncé “BEYONCÉ” (COLUMBIA RECORDS)
7) R. Kelly “Black Panties” (RCA RECORDS)
6) Zebra Katz “DRKLNG EP” (ZEBRA TRACKZ)
5) The Weeknd “Kiss Land” (REPUBLIC/XO)
4) Ghostface Killah “Twelve Reasons to Die” (SOUL TEMPLE RECORDS)
3) Earl Sweatshirt “Doris” (COLUMBIA RECORDS)
2) Chance the Rapper “Acid Rap” (SELF-RELEASED)
1) Kanye West “Yeezus” (ROC-A-FELLA/DEF JAM)

(the rest of…) MY FAVORITE ALBUMS OF 2013

20) Emika “DVA” (NINJA TUNE)
19) Umberto “Confrontations” (NOT NOT FUN)
18) Zomes “Time Was” (THRILL JOCKEY)
17) Wire “Change Becomes Us” (PINK FLAG)
16) Matthew E. White “Outer Face EP” (DOMINO RECORDINGS)
15) Ken Camden “Space Mirror” (KRANKY)
14) Juana Molina “Wed 21″ (CRAMMED DISCS)
13) DARKSIDE ” Psychic” (MATADOR RECORDS)
12) Ahnnu “Battered Sphinx” (NNA TAPES)
11) Mike Patton “The Place Beyond the Pines” (Soundtrack) (MILAN RECORDS)
10) Burial “Rival Dealer EP” (HYPERDUB)
9) Kölsch “1977” (KOMPAKT)
8) David Lynch “The Big Dream” (SACRED BONES RECORDS)
7) L. Pierre “The Island Come True” (MELODIC)
6) Disappears “Era” (KRANKY)
5) James Blake “Overgrown” (ATLAS RECORDS/A&M)
4) Majical Cloudz “Impersonator” (MATADOR RECORDS)
3) Tricky “False Idols” (K7)
2) Girls Names “The New Life” (SLUMBERLAND RECORDS)
1) Dean Blunt “The Redeemer” (HIPPOS IN TANKS)

HONORABLE MENTIONS & STRONG CONTENDERS

Chelsea Wolfe “Pain is Beauty” (SARGENT HOUSE)
Cliff Martinez “Only God Forgives” (Soundtrack) (MILAN RECORDS)
Colin Stetson “New History Warfare, Vol. 3: To See More Light” (CONSTELLATION)
Dirty Beaches “Drifters/ Love Is the Devil” (ZOO MUSIC)
Implodes “Recurring Dream” (KRANKY)
Oneohtrix Point Never “R Plus Seven” (WARP RECORDS)
Salem “G O O D B Y E” (BANDCAMP)
The Stranger “Watching Dead Empires In Decay” (MODERN LOVE)
Tropic of Cancer “Restless Idylls” (BLACKEST EVER BLACK)
Zomby “With Love” (4AD)

…the end…

Friends of Reckless

Stephen Sowley (Fake Limbs/Studio Manager @ Electrical Audio)

Audio2013: Shelf It (For Nanny & Sputnik. Alphabetical Order)

Full-On:
The Book-Burners—People’s Songs LP
Bottomless Pit—Shade Perennial LP
Dead C.—Armed Courage LP
Ghostface—Twelve Deadly Venoms/Brown Tape LPs
Tim Hecker—Virgins DLP
Implodes—Recurring Dream LP
Iron Lung—White Glove Test DLP
Martha’s Vineyard Ferries—Mass Grave LP
Maxamillion Dunbar—House Of Woo DLP
No Statik—Unity And Fragmentation DLP
Omar S—Thank You For Letting Me Be Myself 4×12”
Bill Orcutt & Chris Corsano—The Raw & The Cooked LP//Bill Orcutt-History of Everyone LP//25 Songs Box
Pissed Jeans—Honeys LP
Run The Jewels—S/T LP
Society Nurse—s/t LP
Kurt Vile—Wakin On A Pretty Daze LP
Wire-Change Becomes Us DLP
Shannon Wright—In Film Sound LP

Reissues:
Breeders—LSXX boxset
Devo—Hardcore Devo Vol. 1 & 2 DLPs
DJ Screw—All Screwed Up DLP
Fluxion—Vibrant Forms DLP
Medico Doktor Vibes—Liter Through Dorker Vibes LP
Arthur Russell—First Thought, Best Thought DLP

Internet:
Action Bronson & Party Supplies—Blue Chips 2 mixtape
Live From The Barrage
Andrew Mason—Hardley Working
Mr. Muthafuckin Xquire—Kismit mixtape
Primes-Millions
Tom Scharpling—Frankie Teardrop Sound Collage
Split Feet-demos

Singles:
Curmudgeon—Amygdala 12”
Kim Deal—Are You Mine? 7”
Demdike Stare—Test Pressing twelve inches
Diat-Everyday 7”
Good Throb—S/T 7”//Culture Vulture 7”
Jack Buck—Soft 7”
Permanent Ruin—Hell is Real 7”
Repos—Live Munitions 12”//Rejoice In Ruin 7”
Yi—Punk Memories 7”

Mike Venutolo-Mantovani (Matador Records)
14 for ’13
1. ovlov – am (Exploding In Sound)
2. Brother JT – The Sveltness Of Boogitude (Thrill Jockey)
3. Rhye – Woman (Loma Vista)
4. Yo La Tengo – Fade (Matador)
5. Marnie Stern – The Chronicles Of Marnia (Kill Rock Stars)
6. Anna Calvi – One Breath (Domino)
7. Charles Waters Quartet – Chroma Colossus: 13 Visions Of The City (Amish)
8. The Brooklyn What – Hot Wine (self-released)
9. Joel RL Phelps & The Downer Trio – Gala (12XU)
10. Stephen Malkmus And Friends – Ege Bamyasi Record Store Day Exclusive (Matador)
11. King Khan And The Shrines – Idle No More (Merge)
12. Queens Of The Stone Age – …Like Clockwork (Matador)
13. Potty Mouth – Hell Bent (Old Flame)
14. Washed Out – Paracosm (Sub Pop)

Brett Grossman (ex-Reckless)
My Bloody Valentine m.b.v. (Self)
Lucky Dragons “Publicity Reform” (Escho)
Purple Pilgrims /Gary War “Split Album”  (Upset the Rhythm)
The Humble Bee “Henrietta” (Other Ideas)
Eluvium “Nightmare Ending” (Temporary Residence)
Deerhunter “Monomania” (4ad)
Destroyer “Five Spanish Songs” (Merge/Dead Ocean)
Ken Camden “Space Mirror” (Kranky)
Youth Lagoon “Wondrous Bughouse” (Fat Possum)
Earl Sweatshirt “Doris” (Tan Cressida)
Califone “Stitches” (Dead Oceans)
Oneohtrix Point  Never “R plus 7” (Warp)
Widowspeak “Almanac” /”The Swamps” (Captured Tracks)
Kelley Stoltz “Double Exposure” (Thirdman Records)
Crystal Stilts “Nature Noir” (Sacred Bones)
Grouper “The Man who Died in His Boat (Kranky)
Coma Cinema “Posthumous Release” (Fork & Spoon)
Neko Case “The Worse Things Get, the Harder I Fight, the Harder I Fight, the More I Love You” (Anti)
Dan Friel “Total Folklore” (Thrill Jockey)
Devendra Banhart “Mala” (Nonesuch)
Implodes “Recurring Dream” (Kranky)
Brian Grainger /Orick “Children Of The Hill” (Attack Nine)
Julianna Barwick “Nepenthe” (Dead Oceans)
Bare Mutants “Affliction” (In The Red)
White Fence “Cyclops Reap” (Castle Face)
Magik Markers “Surrender to the Fantasy” (Drag City)
Kurt Vile “Walkin on A Pretty Daze” (Matador)
Colleen “The Weighing of the Heart” (Second Language Music)
Joane Skyler “Orz” (Reckno)
Justin Walter “Lullabies and Nightmares (Kranky)
Bruce Russel /Roy Montgomery: Split (Grapefruit)
Atoms for Peace “Amok” (XL)
Jackson Scott “Melbourne” (Fat Possum)

Then:
Bbc Radiophonic Workshop – BBC Radiophonic Music by David Cain, John Baker, Delia Derbyshire (Music on Vinyl)
William Basinski “Disintegration Loops” Boxset (Temporary Residence)
Big Star “Nothing Can Hurt Me” (Omnivore Recordings)
Kat Epple & Bob Strohl “Sanctus Spiritus” (Dead Cert)
Edward Artemiev “Solaris” (Superior Viaduct)
Various “I am the Center: Private Issue New Age Music in America 1950-1990 (Light in the Attic)

Utrillo Kushner (Revolver Distribution)
MASTON – Shadows LP (Trouble In Mind)
MAMMATUS – Heady Mental LP (Spiritual Pajamas)
MAMMANE SANI – La Musique Electronique du Niger LP (Sahel Sounds /Mississippi)
MICHAEL BEACH – Golden Theft LP (Spectacular Commodity /Twin Lakes)
KELLY STOLTZ – Double Exposure LP  (Third Man)
ZACHARY CALE – Blue Rider LP (All Hands Electric)
NEW BUMS – Slim Volume 7″ (New Bums Industries)
PRAIRIE CAT – Got Nothin’ 7″ (Triple Crown Audio Recordings)
V/A – Ecstasy of Gold Vol. 1 – 23 Killer Bullets from the Spaghetti West (Semi-Automatic)
V/A – Ecstasy of Gold Vol. 2 – 22 Killer Bullets from the Spaghetti West (Semi-Automatic)
V/A – Ecstasy of Gold Vol. 3 – 25 Killer Bullets from the Spaghetti West (Semi-Automatic)
V/A – Ecstasy of Gold Vol. 4 – 25 Killer Bullets from the Spaghetti West (Semi-Automatic)
Goblin – Live at the Warfield San Francisco, CA. October 20th 2013

Adam Reach (Carrot Top Distribution)
Rodan “Fifteen Quiet Years” (Quarterstick)
Implodes “Recurring Dream” (Kranky)
Survival Knife “Traces of Me” b/w “Name That Tune” (Sub Pop)
Tar “1998-1995″ (Chunklet)
Disappears “Kone” (self-released)
Man…Or Astro-Man? “Defcon 5…4…3…2…1″ (Chunklet)
Girls Against Boys “The Ghost List” (self-released)
Cuntz “Solid Mates” (Homeless)
Unwound “Kid Is Gone” (Numero Group)
Shannon Wright “In Film Sound” (Vicious Circle)
Montibus Communitas “Haci Aquellos Bosques de Immensidad” (Trouble In Mind)
Carlton Melton “Always Even” (Agitated)
Obits “Bed & Bugs” (Sub Pop)
All Pigs Must Die “Nothing Violates This Nature” (Southern Lord)
Coliseum “Sister Faith” (Temporary Residence)
Federation X “We Do What We Must” (Molasses Manifesto /Recess)
Exhaustion “Future Eaters” (Aarght)
Bardo Pond “Peace On Venus” (Fire)
Old Baby “Love Hangover” (Karate Body)
Taking Pictures “2113″ (Say Hello To Never)
Big Business “Battlefields Forever” (Gold Metal)
Crooks on Tape “Fingerprint” (Misra)
Martha’s Vineyard Ferries “Mass Grave” (Kiam)

Aaron Aites (Director of Until the Light Takes Us/99%: The Occupy Wall Street Collaborative Film)
Paavoharju – Joko Sinä Tulet Tänne Alas Tai Minä Nousen Sinne
Boris – Präparat
Darkthrone – The Underground Resistance
Demdike Stare – Test Pressings Series
Forest Swords – Engravings
Fuck Buttons – Slow Focus
Laurel Halo – Chance Of Rain/Behind The Green Door
The Haxan Cloak – Excavation
Tim Hecker – Virgins
Magik Markers – Surrender To The Fantasy
My Bloody Valentine – MBV
Thee Oh Sees – Floating Coffin
The Stranger – Watching Dead Empires In Decay

Posted on

Reckless Records 2011 staff best-of lists

Dan Worland
Disappears – Guider

Implodes – Black Earth

Eternals – Approaching The Energy Field

Obits – Moody, Standard & Poor

Yuck – s/t

White Wires – White Wires II

Night Beats – s/t

Death Ships – Circumstantial Chemistry

Sloan – The Double Cross

crooked fingers – Breaks In The Armor
Mannequin Men – s/t

Arpad Lep
2011 baker’s dozen
Bitchin Bajas – Water Wrackets
Clams Casino – Rainforest
The Eternals – Approaching the Energy Field
A Hawk & A Hacksaw – Cervantine
Implodes – Black Earth
Little Dragon – Ritual Union
The Rentals – Resilience
Spank Rock – Everything Is Boring and Everyone Is a F—ing Liar
Ssssnake – Hostile Snakeover
The Stepkids – S/T
Tune-Yards – W H O K I L L
A Winged Victory For The Sullen – S/T
&
Throbbing Gristle – Second Annual Report (2011 Edition)

Dave Hofer
-in no order-

JAM OF THE YEAR:
Chris Brown feat. Twista & Lil’ Wayne – Look at Me Now (remix)

Everything else . . .
Gigan – Quasi-Hallucinogenic Sonic Landscapes
Random Axe – Random Axe
Fuck the Facts – Die Miserable
Madlib & Frank Nitt – Madlib Medicine Show #9: Channel 85 Presents Nittyville
Brutal Truth – End Time
Beach Boys – Smile Sessions
Bongripper – Sex Tape b/w Snuff Film (7″)
Noisear – Subvert the Dominant Paradigm

Exhumed – All Guts, No Glory
Decapitated – Carnival Is Forever
Natural Yogurt Band – Tuck In With the Natural Yogurt Band

Gridlink – Orphan
Harpoon – Deception Among Birds
Vakill – Armor of God
Blasted Diplomats – Unreleased Shit
Origin – Entity

Shabazz Palaces – Black Up
Putridity – Degenerating Anthropophagical Euphoria

Sarah Frier

WILD FLAG – WILD FLAG

RED BARKED TREE – WIRE

C’MON – LOW

ONLY IN DREAMS – DUM DUM GIRLS

SMOKE RING FOR MY HALO – KURT VILE
HELPLESSNESS BLUES – FLEET FOXES

SLAVE AMBIENT – WAR ON DRUGS

SMILE SESSIONS – BEACH BOYS

SKYING – HORRORS

BECOMING A JACKAL – VILLAGERS



MY FAVORITE INTERNET THINGS:

ROOKIEMAG.COM,
THE BEST SHOW ON WFMU,

DRUNK HISTORY &
OCCUPYTOGETHER.COM

Billy Smith
Foo Fighters “Wasting Light”

J. Mascis “Several Shades Of Why”

Soundgarden “Live On I-5″

Mumford & Sons “Sigh No More”

Beastie Boys “Hot Sauce Committee Part Two”

Urge Overkill “Rock and Roll Submarine”

Bon Iver “Bon Iver, Bon Iver”

Caretaker “An Empty Bliss Beyond This World”

Winged Victory For The Sullen “s/t”

Washed Out “Within & Without”

Mason Jennings “Minnesota”

Office of Future Plans s/t (Dischord)

Sigur Ros “Inni”

Pearl Jam “Twenty” DVD
Muhly: Seeing Is Believing/ Gould; Aurora Orchestra

”Two Souls” Mikhail Simonyan/ Jarvi; London Sym Orch

Ives: Four Sonatas/ Hilary Hahn/ Valentina Lisitsa

Gar Brandt
New releases

1. Horrors “skying”

2. Tom Waits “Bad As Me”

3. Washed Out “within & without”

4. Brian Eno “Drums Between the Bells”

5. David Lynch “Crazy Clown TIme”

6. Chris Connelly “”Artificial Madness”

7. Indian “guiltless”

8. Death Ships “Circumstantial Chemistry”
9. Mannequin Men “Mannequin Men”

10. Tame Impala “Innerspeaker”

11. Implodes “Black Earth”

12. Willie Nelson “Remember Me”

13. War On Drugs “Slave Ambient”

14. Black Cobra “Invernal”



Best Live Record

Sweet Cobra “Live at Dark Lord Day 2011)


Best Reckless Wicker Park in-store

Kurt Vile
Best Wicker Park in-store comedian

Hannibal Buress


Best Wicker Park in-store book reading/signing

Patton Oswalt



Best DJ set at a craft fair
Matt Jencik

CHRIS CONNELLY
LULU-LOU REED/METALLICA

LET ENGLAND SHAKE-PJ HARVEY

SLAVE AMBIENT-THE WAR ON DRUGS

BLACK EARTH-IMPLODES

CIRCUMSTANTIAL CHEMISTRY-DEATH SHIPS

LAST SUMMER-ELEANOR FRIEDBERGER

ZOLA JESUS-CANATUS

RED BARKED TREE-WIRE

DOA REISSUE-THROBBING GRISTLE

2ND ANNUAL REPORT REISSUE-THROBBING GRISTLE

Emily Elhaj
The Best Albums of 2011 (in no particular order)

Krallice – Diotima (Profound Lore)
Brain Idea – Cosmos Factory (Mexican Summer)
Craft –Void (Southern Lord)
Kate Bush – 50 Words For Snow (Anti/ Fish People)
Yuck – Yuck (Fat Possum)
Dirty Beaches – Badlands (Zoo Music)
Pure X – Pleasure (Acephale)
Belong – Common Era (Kranky)
Caretaker – An Empty Bliss Beyond This World (History Always Favours the Winners)
Ga’an – Ga’an / Black Equus (Captcha)
Wishgift – Folk Twain 12” (Sophomore Lounge)
Disappears – Guider (Kranky)
Bitchin Bajas – Water Wrackets (Kallistei)
Telebossa – s/t (Staubgold)
Harold Budd – In the Mist (Darla)
Oneohtrix Point Never – Replica (Software)
Burzum – Fallen (Back on Black)
Fielded – White Death 7 (Sophomore Lounge)
Merchandise – (Strange Songs) In the Dark (Drugged Conscience/Katorga Works)
Julian Lynch – Terra (Underwater Peoples)
John Maus – We Must Become the Pitiless Censors of Ourselves (Upset the Rhythm)
Geffika – II cassette (Love Lion)
Bjork – Biophilia (One Little Indian)
Sleep Over – Forever (Hippos in Tanks)
Marisa Anderson – Golden Hour (Mississippi)
Anna Calvi – Anna Calvi (Domino)
Bleached – Think of You/You Take Time 7 (Art Fag)
Bloodiest – Descent (Relapse)
Grouper – AIA: Dream Loss/ AIA: Alien Observer (Grouper)
Alex Barnett/ Fielded split (Nihilist)
Broken Water – Peripheral Star (Perennial)
Deathspell Omega – Diabolus Absconditus/Mass Grave Aesthetics (Norma Evangelium Diaboli)
Angels in America – Narrow Road to the Interior (Ehse)
Wolves In the Throne Room – Celestial Lineage (Southern Lord)
Holy Other – With U 12” (Tri Angle)
Clams Casino – Rainforest 12” (Tri Angle)
Absu – Abzu (Candlelight)
Caethua – The Summer Is Over Before It’s Begun (Water Wing)
Broken Water – Whet (Night People) 2010
No Joy – Ghost (Mexican Summer) 2010
Anika – Anika (Stones Throw) 2010

Beach Boys – Smile Sessions (Reissue) (Capitol)
Ramases – Space Hymns (Reissue) (Mexican Summer)
Enslaved – Yggdrasill (Reissue) (Peaceville)
You – Electric Day/ Time Code (Reissues) (Bureau B)
Angel Olsen – Strange Cacti EP (Reissue) (Bathetic)
Craig Leon – Nommos (Reissue)
Talk Talk – Spirit of Eden/ Laughing Stock (Reissue) (Ba Da Bing)
Mark Hollis – Mark Hollis (Reissue) (Ba Da Bing)

(So many) Performances
Big Freedia – Beauty Bar, Chicago
Valis/ oOoOO – Berlin, Chicago
Burial Hex/ Oakeater – Reuben’s Palace
Absu/ Immortal – the Bottom Lounge
Lee Relvas/ Ancestral Diet/ Ono/ Tabou/ Mayor Daley – Situations
Thou – Albion House
Mars – Dragon’s Den, New Orleans
Cacaw/ Supersonic Piss/ Mayor Daley – White Lightning Warehouse, Iowa City
Broken Water – Fair Grinds, New Orleans
Anna Calvi – Schubas
Zath/ Fielded/ Verma – the Hideout
Zath – the Dustbowl (x2)
Zath – the Empty Bottle
Alex Barnett/ Brain Idea/ Implodes – Lincoln Hall
Motorhead – the Congress
Tinsel Teeth/ Cacaw – Crown Liquors
US Girls/ Noveller/ Talk Normal – the Empty Bottle
Brett Naucke/ Alex Barnett/ Streetwalker – S Blue Island
Joan of Arc/ Implodes Tour 
Angels in America/ Fielded – Mortville
Enslaved/ Alcest – the Bottom Lounge
Kurt Vile/ Yuck – Pitchfork Festival
John Maus/ Geneva Jacuzzi – the Empty Bottle
Dusk Variations: Chicago Counterpoint: A Steve Reich Celebration featuring Eighth Blackbird and Third Coast Percussion – Millennium Park
Stevie Nicks – Rosemont Theatre 
Brain Idea/ Zath – Mortville
Ken Camden/ Winged Victory for the Sullen – Lincoln Hall
Angels in America/ Angel Olsen/ Bill Orcutt – Cropped Out Festival, Louisville, Kentucky
Danava/ Thrones – the Empty Bottle
Hoax/ Culo/ Crazy Spirit – W Huron
Oozing Wound/ Psychic Steel – the Empty Bottle 
Meeting the Raincoats & Steve Shelly

Reckless Records In-store Performances
Raw Nerve
Bleached
Thou
Dirty Beaches

Labels
Hippos In Tanks
Sacred Bones
Dust to Digital
Type
Kranky
Tri Angle

Mike Gillilan

Records and music I enjoyed from 2011 in no order:
–       Skúli Sverrisson – Sería II (12 Tónar)
–       Cass McCombs – Wit’s End (Domino)
–       Sidi Touré – Sahel Folk (Thrill Jockey)
–       Grouper – A I A: Alien Observer (Yellowelectric)
–       Kurt Vile – Smoke Ring For My Halo (Matador)
–       Michael Gordon – Timber (Cantaloupe)
–       Luke Temple – Don’t Act Like You Don’t Care (Western Vinyl)
–       Ricardo Villalobos & Max Loderbauer – Re: ECM (ECM)
–       Oneohtrix Point Never – Replica (Mexican Summer)
Reissues that excited me:
–       Talk Talk – Laughing Stock (Ba Da Bing!)
–       Mark Hollis – Mark Hollis (Ba Da Bing!)
–       Van Dyke Parks – Arrangements, Vol. 1 (Bananastan)
–       The Beach Boys – The Smile Sessions (Capitol)
Shows that rocked my face:
–       Cross Record – All of them!
–       Zath @ Dustbowl
–       Omar Souleyman @ Empty Bottle
–       Grouper @ Empty Bottle
–       Streetwalker @ Rueben’s Palace
–       K. Serra @ room under the Double Door

Matt Jencik
Absu – Abzu
Aluk Todolo – Ordre 10”
Beach Boys – Smile Sessions
Belong – Common Era
Bitch Magnet – reissues
Brain Idea – Cosmos Factory
Burzum – Fallen
Can – Tago Mago: 40th anniversary edition
Circle of Ouroborus – Eleven Fingers
Chris Connelly – Artificial Madness
Craft – Void
Dead Reptile Shrine – Sun of Circles and Wood
Deathspell Omega – Diabolus Absconditus/Mass Grave Aesthetics
Enslaved – Sleeping Gods (free digital e.p. Download it here: http://www.preemtiv.com/emails/enslaved/
Enslaved – Thorn 7”
Fugazi – Live Series downloads
Ga’an – Black Equus
Harald Grosskopf – S/T (reissue)
Grouper – AIA: Alien Observer
Grouper – AIA: Dream Loss
PJ Harvey – Let England Shake
Tim Hecker – Ravedeath, 1972
Higuma – Pacific Fog Dreams
Horseback – Gorgon Tongue/ Impale Golden Horn/ Forbidden Planet
Mannequin Men – S/T
Kim Jung Mi – Now (reissue)
Oneohtrix Point Never – Replica
Peaking Lights – 936
Pink Floyd – Dark Side of the Moon (live disc from reissue)
Radiohead – King of Limbs
Radiohead – Butcher/Supercollider 12”
Ride for Revenge – Under the Eye
Spacemen 3 – Transparent Radiation 12” (reissue)
Starfuckers – Metallic Diseases LP (reissue)
Talk Talk – Laughing Stock LP (reissue)
Television – Live at the Old Waldorf LP (reissue)
Kurt Vile – Smoke Ring for My Halo
A Winged Victory for the Sullen – S/T
V/A – Those Shocking Shaking Days

Shows
Ken Camden/ A Winged Victory for the Sullen – Lincoln Hall
Danzig Legacy – Congress theater
Enslaved – Bottom Lounge
Immortal/Absu – Bottom Lounge
Mayor Daley – Happy Dog
Mayhem – Reggies
Kurt Vile & the Violators – Subterranean
Kurt Vile: acoustic in-store – Reckless Records Milwaukee Ave
Neil Young/ Bert Jansch (RIP) – Chicago Theater
Chris Connelly – Hideout

Implodes tour with Joan of Arc

Jim Magas
Wolfgang Voigt – Kafkatrax

Andy Stott – We Stay Together / Passed Me By

Implodes – Black Earth

Bill Orcutt – How the Thing Sings + tour 7″s

Danava – Hemisphere of Shadows

Various Artists – Reckless “Lifers” RSD 2011 cassette

Nate Young – Regression

Mutant Beat Dance – Another World 12″

Don Gere – Werewolves on Wheels OST

Throbbing Gristle reissues

Theo Parrish – Uget (Ugly Edits)

I Teoremi – s/t

Erkin Koray – Mechul – Singles & Rarities

Sog 12″s on Profan & Kompakt
Various Artists: Gene Hunt Presents Chicago Dance Tracks

Michael Yonkers & the Blind Shake – Period

Endless Boogie – 20 Minute Jam Getting Out of the City

Moon Duo – Mazes


Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (game)

Steve Rahman
The Roots – undun
Wale – Ambition
J.Cole – Cole World: The Sideline Story
Oddisee – Rock Creek Park
Phonte – Charity Starts at Home
Blueprint – Adventures in Counter Culture
Jay & Kanye – Watch The Throne
Yuck – Yuck
The Cool Kids – When Fish Ride Bicycles
Foreign Exchange – Dear Friends: An Evening w/…

Angela Ziles

V/A- Motown”s Mowest Story (Light In The Attic)

Blouse- S/T (Captured Tracks)

Ringo DeathStarr- Colour Trip (Sonic Unyon)

Iceage- New Brigade (What’s Your Rupture)
Colin Stetson- New History Warfare Vol. 2: Judges (Constellation)

A Winged Victory For The Sullen- S/T (Kranky)

The Men- Leave Home (Sacred Bones)

TV Ghost- Mass Dream (In The Red)

Danava- Hemisphere of Shadows (Kemado)

The War on Drugs- Slave Ambient (Secretly Canadian)

Fire! With Jim O’Rourke- Unreleased? (Rune Grammofon)

Total Control- Henge Beat (Fuse Group)

Dylan Posa

Best albums of 2011
Tori Amos – Night Of Hunters
Anthrax – Worship Music
Beastie Boys – Hot Sauce Committee Pt. 2
The Body & Braveyoung – Nothing Passes
Cake – Showroom Of Compassion
Dead Rider – Raw Dents
DJ Shadow – The Less You Know The Better
Foo Fighters – Wasting Light
Ghost – Opus Eponymous
PJ Harvey – Let England Shake
Havok – Time Is Up
Liturgy – Aesthethica
Low – C’Mon
My Violent Ego – One Day You’ll Laugh…
Radiohead – King Of Limbs
The Roots – undun
Sloan – The Double Cross
St. Vincent – Strange Mercy
Colin Stetson – New History Warfare Vol. 2
Wilco – The Whole Love
 
Best reissues of 2011
Beach Boys – Smile Sessions
Dug Dug’s – s/t
His Name Is Alive – King Of Sweet LP
Human Switchboard – Who’s Landing In My Hangar anthology
Bill Orcutt – New Way To Pay Old Debts CD
Pale Saints – The Comforts Of Madness LP
V/A – Motown’s Mowest Story
 
Biggest waste of an ex-This Heat member: About Group
 
Best shipment box of 2011: 9/12/11 Carrot Top box

Michelle Hodges

total abuse – prison sweat

sqrm – rodeo

raspberry bulbs – nature tries again

bone awl – bowing heads

brian eno – panic of looking

total control – henge beat

ice age – new brigade
bastard noise – skulldozer



7″s:

vile gash – deluded

hoax – s/t

ropes – s/t

raw nerve – midnight

population – s/t

manipulation – 2

divine right – pray for me

double negative – hardcore confusion vol. 1 + 2

neo cons – s/t

no comment – common senseless (reissue)

no comment – downsided (reissue)

school jerks – control

screaming dead – children of the boneyard stones

sea of shit – s/t

Steve Shoup

BEST OF 2011

Absu – Abzu

Bloodiest – Descent

Brain Idea – Cosmos Factory

Burzum – Fallen

Circle Of Ouroborus – Eleven Fingers

Craft – Void

Dead Moon – reissues

Deathspell Omega – Diabolus Absconditus

Faith – Subject To Change reissue

Fielded – White Death 7″

Fielded / Alex Barnett – split LP

Ga’an – Black Equus

Ga’an – Ga’an

Harold Grosskopf – Synthesist reissue

Grouper – Alien Observer

Grouper – Dream Loss

Tim Hecker – Ravedeath

Iceage – New Brigade

Implodes – Black Earth

Leather – Sterile 7″ & Wretch 7″

Louvin Brothers – Satan Is Real reissue

Lungfish – Unanimous Hour reissue

The Men – Leave Home

Morbid Angel – Covenant reissue

No Comment – 7″ reissues

Doris Norton – Personal Computer

Reatards – Teenage Hate reissue

SQRM – Rodeo

Television – Live At The Old Waldorf

Throbbing Gristle – reissues

Truth & Janey – No Rest For The Wicked reissue

Void – Complete Sessions

You – Electric Day reissue

You – Timecode reissue

v/a Boddie Recording Company: Cleveland, Ohio

v/a Those Shocking Shaking Days



LIVE SHOWS:

Absu & Immortal

The Body

Cave

Enslaved

Hoax

Leather

Mayor Daley

Melvins

Reigning Sound

Samhain & Misfits

Scratch Acid

Swans

Wire

X

Zath



FILMS:

Drive by Nicolas Winding Refn

Tabloid by Errol Morris

Whitney Mercer

Ga’an – “Black Equus”
High Places – “Original Colors”
Tim Hecker – “Ravedeath, 1972”
Typhoon – “A New Kind of House”
Fugazi – LIVE ARCHIVES
Cacaw – “Rat Skin Robes” cassette
Bad Drugs – “Raw Powder”
Belong – “Common Era”
Implodes – “Black Earth”
Kurt Vile – “Smoke Ring For My Halo”
Wild Flag – “Wild Flag”
Thurston Moore – “Demolished Thoughts”
PJ Harvey – “Let England Shake”
v/a – “i listen to the wind that obliterates my traces ” (dust to digital)
v/a – “Those Shocking Shaking Days: Indonesian Hard, Psychedelic, Progressive Rock”

Anthony Illarde

Alice Cooper – Old School Box Set (Universal)
Blind Shake – Seriousness (Learning Curve)
Jim Ford – Harlan County (Reissue, Light In The Attic)
Good Weather For An Airstrike – A Winter / A Summer (Sonic Reverie)
Government Issue – Boycott Stabb Complete Session (Dischord)
KD Lang & The Siss Boom Bang – Sing It Loud (Nonesuch)
Implodes – Black Earth (Kranky)
Left banke – Left Banke Too (Reissue, Sundazed)
Leopards – Kansas City Slickers (Reissue, Sing Sing)
Mickey – Rock & Roll Dreamer (Hozac)
Stepkids – The Stepkids (Stones Throw)
Jim Sullivan – U.F.O. (Reissue, Light In The Attic)
Thee Oh Sees – Castlemania (In The Red)
Void – Sessions 1981-1983 (Dischord)
White Mystery – Blood & Venom (White Mystery)

and a film:

Errol Morris – Tabloid

Dan Maloney

Best Records of 2011
 
1.) Kurt Vile: Smoke Ring For My Halo 
2.) Cass McCombs: Wit’s End

3.) War On Drugs: Slave Ambient
4.) Destroyer: Kaputt
5.) Thee Oh Sees: Carrion Crawler/ The Dream
6.) Tom Waits: Bad As Me
7.) Anna Calvi: Anna Calvi
8.) William Elliott Whitmore: Field Songs
9.) Desertshore: Drawing of Threes
10.) Stepkids: Stepkids
11.) Leyland Kirby: Eager to Tear Apart the Stars
12.) PJ Harvey: Let England Shake 

13.) Ty Segall: Goodbye Bread
14.) Peaking Lights: 936

Reissues:

1.) Louvin Brothers: Satan Is Real
2.) Beach Boys: Smile

3.) Jim Sullivan: UFO

4.) Paul McCartney II
5.) Jim Ford: Harlan County
6.) Mickey Newbury (Drag City Vinyl Reissues)
7.)  Boddie Recording Company Box (V/A)

8.) Social Climbers: Social Climbers

9.) Delta Swamp Rock (V/A)

10.) Michael Chapman: Fully Qualified Survivor


Favorite Local Releases

1.) Chris Connelly: Artificial Madness

2.) Mannequin Men: Mannequin Men
3.) Radar Eyes: Best Friends

4.) T’Bone: Mount Trashmore

5.) Implodes: Black Earth

6.) Apteka: Gargoyle Days

7.) Laureates: Spells

8.) Bloodiest: Descent


Favorite Chicago Area Poster Artists in 2011    
 
1.) Ryan Duggan

2.) Ethan D’Ercole
3.) Rick Leech
4.) Josh Davis (Deadmeat Designs)
5.) Alana Bailey

Courtland Green

1. STONE COAL WHITE 

2. CULT CARGO: SALSA BORICUA DE CHICAGO

3. EAST OF UNDERGROUND

4. BODDIE RECORDING COMPANY

5. McCARTNEY II

6. TRUE SOUL: DEEP SOUNDS FROM THE LEFT OF STAX

7. BEACH BOYS “SMILE SESSIONS”

8. DINOSAUR L “24-24 MUSIC”

9. WILLIE WRIGHT “TELLING THE TRUTH”

10. OMAR SOULEYMAN “HAFLAT GHARBIA

11. HAYVANLAR ALEMI “GUARANA SUPERPOWER”

12. BILL ORCUTT “HOW THE THING SINGS”

13. MEATY ORGE & CRUSHCON “SWORD”

14. LAWRENCE PETERS OUTFIT “WHAT YOU BEEN MISSIN'”

15. SUPEREGO
16.
BEST SHOW ON WFMU

Luc Rogers
(In no order)


1. Racebannon “Six Sik Sisters”

2. Indian “Guiltless”

3. Bloodiest

4. Iceage “New Brigade”

5. The Men “Leave Home”

6. Cursed “Last Session” 7″

7. Tim Hecker “Ravedeath 1972”

8. Nirvana “Nevermind” reissue (no shame)

Cole Cooney
1) Fleetwood Mac – Rumours 45 RPM reissue: I’ll take any reason to put Rumours on a year-end best of list. Best record of always.

2) Bill Callahan – Apocalypse: His best record since “A River Ain’t Too Much to Love” shows a fine example of Bill doing what he does- well-timed, minimal arrangements and the dense lyricism that alternates between sardonic and piercingly poignant, all with that familiar stoic baritone delivery. 

3) Implodes – Black Earth: With comparisons ranging from Can to My Bloody Valentine, these dudes summon a haze you can’t (nor want to) escape.

4) Black Angels – Phosgene Nightmare 10″: A mellow, melancholic display of their talents works surprisingly as well as, and sometimes better than, their heavier material.

5) Kurt Vile – Smoke Ring for My Halo: This album is a stoney sleeper hit. It’s feel-good with bedraggled depth and shimmer.

6) Heavy Times – Jacker: Short spurts of fuzzy garage with hooks for days. All killer.

Laura Deutsch
SQRM – Rodeo
SQRM – White Saints 7”
HOAX – s/t 7”
Implodes – Black Earth
Ga’an – Ga’an/Black Equus
Fielded – White Death 7”
Geffika – II cassette
Alex Barnett/Fielded split
Brain Idea – Cosmos Factory
Marisa Anderson – Golden Hour
Zombi – Escape Velocity
Cacaw – Rat Skin Robes
Void – Sessions 1981-1983
Monopoly Star Child Searchers – Bamboo for Two
Julian Lynch – Terra
 
 Shows:
 
Mayor Daley/White Hills/Cave– Empty Bottle
Mayor Daley/Bad Drugs/High Castle – Empty Bottle
Hoax/Raw Nerve/The Ropes/Salvation – Water Works
Hoax/Crazy Spirit/Culo – W Huron
Hume – Treasure Town
Monopoly Star Child Searchers/Dolphins Into The Future – Glowsticks
Raw Nerve – Record Store Day – Reckless Broadway
Fielded – Reuben’s Palace
Ga’an/Pillars & Tongues/Axis: Sova/Ancient Ocean – Empty Bottle
Implodes – Empty Bottle
Alex Barnett/Brain Idea/Implodes – Lincoln Hall
Brain Idea / Zath – Mortville
Zath – Dust Bowl
Cacaw/Liturgy/Dope Body/Spanyurd – Empty Bottle
Oozing Wound/Pyschic Steel – Empty Bottle

Lauren Jobe

1.  Shin Joong Hyun “Beautiful Rivers and Mountains”  (cd/lp) (light in the attic)

2.  Pussy “Invasion”  (cd) (rockadrome)

3.  Black Tusk “Set the Dial”  (cd/lp) (relapse)

4.  Caretaker “Empty Bliss Beyond This World”  (cd/lp) (History Always Favours The Winners)

5.  Bloodiest “Descent”  (cd) (relapse)

6.  Dirty Beaches “Badlands”  (cd/lp) (zoo music)

7.  Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats “Bloodlust” (cd/lp) (rise above records)

8.  Various Artist “True Soul: Volume 1”  (cd/lp) (Now-Again Records)

9.  Jim Ford “Harlan County”  (cd/lp)  (light in the attic)

10. Rodd Keith “My Pipe Yellow Dream”  (lp) (Roaratorio)

Kate Ruggeri
NO PARTICULAR ORDER:


Social Climbers – S/T

V/A – Those Shocking Shaking Days

Mannequin Men – S/T

Bill Orcutt – How The Thing Sings

Implodes – Black Earth

PJ Harvey – Let England Shake

Alvarius B – Baroque Primitiva

Beach Boys – Smile Sessions

Kurt Vile – Smoke Ring For My Halo

Illuminati Congo – All Eye See

Stone Coal White – S/T

Lijadu Sisters – Danger

Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings – Soul Time!

Bill Callahan – Apocalypse

Cosmic Relief – Dekalb EP

Madlib & Frank Nitt – Madlib Medicine Show #9: Channel 85 Presents



I MISS YOU PETER FALK

Rebecca Crawford

Autumn “Synthesize” (awesome minimal wave re-issue) 

Davila 666 “Tan Bajo”

Fathers Children “Who’s Gonna Save the World”

The Feelies “Here Before”

Shin JoongHyun “Beautiful Rivers & Mountains: The Psychedelic Rock Sound of South Korea’s Shin JoongHyun 1958-1974″

The Soft Moon “S/T” 
The Soft Moon
“Total Decay EP”

V/A: “Those Shocking, Shaking Days.  Indonesian Hard Psychedelic, Progressive Rock and Funk: 1970-1978″

The War on Drugs “Slave Ambient”

Kevin Hein
Full lengths, in no particular order..
HTRK- Work (Work, Work)- Distorted 808 beats, deep bass grooves, and a drugged-up sounding female vocalist create music that is depressingly pretty.
The Caretaker- An Empty Bliss Beyond This World- Leyland Kirby is at it again, sampling and reprocessing old 78 records into his own creation. While his last record focused on repetition, this one dives into slightly different territory by focusing on abrupt starts and stops and the space between them.
Leyland Kirby- Eager To Tear Apart The Stars- Not released under his usual Caretaker moniker, this record is less about his reprocessed 78’s shtick, focusing more on his own minimal ambient compositions. More subdued, but still beautiful.
Tim Hecker- Ravedeath, 1972- Shimmering, icy, glacial drones. One can easily get lost in it’s layers, and every listening experience seems to be different.
Ringo Deathstarr- Colour Trip- Comes off sounding like a mixture of My Bloody Valentine and The Jesus and Mary Chain, this album blends the 90s shoegaze aesthetic with modern production techniques. Noise pop at its catchiest.
Ringo Deathstarr- Sparkler- A compilation of their pre-Colour Trip EPs, more catchy noise pop in the vein of Jesus and Mary Chain.
My Violent Ego- Some Day You’ll Laugh At The Sad Saga That Was..- A compilation of hard-to-find EPs by a duo who create shimmering ethereal pop in the vein of My Bloody Valentine. Haunting female vocals over swirling, warping guitars.  
Cold Cave- Cherish The Light Years- Extremely catchy 80’s New Order-esque synth-pop. These riffs will get stuck in your head for days.
Jamie XX and Gil Scott Heron- We’re New Here- Jamie XX remixes Gil Scott Heron’s last album (RIP) in its entirety, surpassing the original.
Sepalcure- Sepalcure- Full length debut from the duo of Machinedrum and Praveen/Braile. Generally less organic sounding than the preceding EPs, this record is aimed at the dance floor.
Wagon Christ- Toomorow- Another classic-sounding mash of samples from Luke Vibert’s long-running Wagon Christ moniker.
Laurel Halo- Hour Logic- Synth-worship from the biggest babe of the Hippos In Tanks crew. 
Daedelus- Bespoke- Monome master Daedelus presents us with his version of a pop record. The old-timey samples are still here, amidst a clustered production of dusty drum rolls and heavy bass, but this time featuring a guest vocalist on almost every track.
FaltyDL- You Stand Uncertain- New York producer Drew Lustman attempts to create a  “timeless” electronic record by combining  all of his influences in one bucket. Boards of Canada-esque detuned analog synths, 90s rave stabs, jungle/D’n’B breaks, and UK Garage drum patterns shine through amidst dusty layered samples. This is the sound of a producer who has been working hard honing his craft, and has developed an instantly recognizable sound which deserves more attention.
Machinedrum- Room(s)- Electronic veteran machinedrum has mastered almost all genres of dance music and decides to crank up the BPM to the 160 range. This release brings footwork/juke music to a new level, going heavy on auto-tuned vocal samples with hints of UK Garage drum patterns. He’s still using the same chord progressions and scales, but the beats are more forward thinking.
Oneohtrix Point Never- Replica- Daniel Lopatin bought $100 worth of 80’s TV commercial compilation DVDs for sampling, and this is the result. Weird, repetitive sound clips swim amongst his trademark Juno 60 synth-drones.
Martyn- Ghost People- A fine addition to Flying Lotus’s Brainfeeder crew, Martyn tries his hand at techno. Sounding entirely different from his previous releases, the unfolding layers of repetition are still here, but pack a harder punch. 
Zomby- Dedication- This second full length (as well as debut on 4AD) from this masked london producer sounds less like an album and more like a collection of songs, but no one’s complaining here. Minimal 8-bit blips and bleeps over dark, brooding beats.

EPs 
Zomby- Nothing- Zomby revisits his love of the 90’s rave sound originally explored on Where Were You In ’92, combining it with the minimal production aesthetic displayed on his Dedication LP.
Burial- Street Halo EP- The master returns to work (finally) and gives us another three track teaser of his trademark crackle-y dark textures over broken UK Garage beats. Before you knock or dismiss this man’s music, remember that Burial’s output is made entirely by cutting and pasting samples by ear, no sequencer or grid involved. 
Blawan- Bohla EP- Blawan takes his tribal pounding bass groove to the next level by throwing in a Roland TB-303. Neo-acid house at its best.
FaltyDL- Mean Streets Part 1 EP- FaltyDL expands on the genre-bending sound established on You Stand Uncertain. This man has established a sound, and this release sounds so undeniably FaltyDL.
Machinedrum- Sacred Frequency EP- A teaser for his Room(s) LP, this EP contains more future-juke tracks that don’t appear on the full-length.
Sepalcure- Fleur EP- A beautiful collage of samples, each layer unfolding like a flower to reveal new timbres and patterns. Earthy organic textures, female vocal samples, and dusty neon synths float in and fold over a cluster of woodblocks, bells, and metallic clanks. Heavily influenced by the current crop of future garage producers, Fleur takes off where the Sepalcure EP left off, managing to be forward thinking while still evoking a certain nostalgia.

12″s
Burial/Four Tet/Thom Yorke- Ego/Mirror 12″- Burial and Four Tet collaborate once again, this time with Thom joining the fray. The result sounds exactly like what you would expect.
Phon.O- Slavemode/Abbey Road 12″- UK Garage beats over huge trance-y sounding synths.
Objekt- Objekt #2- Surpassing his first EP, Objekt continues perfecting the genre of “future garage”/bass music, building slow and erupting with synths.
Daedelus- Tailor Made 12″- The Tokimonsta and Floating Points remixes surpass the original song.
Lando Kal- Further/Time Out 12″- Newcomer Lando Kal gives us a slab of chopped vocal samples and smooth synths over a bed of shuffled futuristic house.
George Fitzgerald- Don’t You 12″- A member of Scuba’s Hotflush crew and protege of producer Joy Orbison. Infectious, repetitious future bass music.
Falty DL- Hip Love 12″- More broken UKGarage shuffle from NY’s future garage master FaltyDL.
Falty DL- Jack Your Job/Make It Difficult 12”- FaltyDL makes 90’s feel-good house tunes.

Bryan Smith
Absu – Abzu

Beach Boys – Smile Sessions 2lp

Bitch Magnet deluxe re-issue

Chris Connelly – Artificial Madness

Craft – Void

Dead Moon LP re-issues

Deathspell Omega – Diabolus Absconditus

Mark Hollis – s/t LP re-issue

Talk Talk – Laughing Stock LP re-issue

Television – Live At The Old Waldorf (2LP, RSD 2011)

Void – Sessions 1981-1983

Various Artists – Guitar Music From The Western Sahel

Various – Those Shocking Shaking Days 3lp

Melissa Grubbs
anna calvi – s.t.

beach boys- smile sessions

belong – common era

can- tago mago (40th anniversary edition) 

chris connelly- artificial madness

darondo- listen to my song
pj harvey- let england shake 

howlin wolf- this is howlin wolf’s new album… (reissue)

implodes- black earth

lefte bank- lefte bank too (reissue)
lijadu sisters – danger

radiohead – king of limbs 

raphael saadiq- stone rollin’
Michi Sarmiento y su Combo Bravo 1967-77- Aqui Los Bravos!

stone coal white- s.t.

talk talk- (reissue)
ebo taylor – life stories (reissue)

television – live at the old waldorf

kurt vile- smoke ring for my halo

a winged victory for the sullen s.t.

v/a- boddie recording company

v/a- cult cargo: salsa boricua de chicago

v/a- Motown”s Mowest Story 

v/a- soweta tropicalia comps & 12″s

v/a -soundways 45s (andre tanker/ colombia set, etc they were all good!)

v/a-those shocking shaking days 

v/a- true soul: vol.1

bonus:
game of thrones!

Mark Lux
in no particular order 2011/LUX
yes ‘fly from here’
hebden/ reid/ mats ‘live @ south bank’
shin jun hung ‘beautiful rivers & mountains’
implodes ‘black earth’
loudon wainwright ’40 odd years’
danava ‘hemisphere of shadows’
mannequin men s/t
brain idea ‘cosmos factory’
vee dee s/t
lawrence peters outfit s/t
v/a ‘those shocking shaking days’
group inerene ‘guitars from agadaz vol 4’
belong ‘common era’
tim hecker ‘dropped pianos’
stepkidsV
little dragon ‘ritual union’
grimble grumble ‘september sun’

Beth Klacko
BEST OF 2011.
No order

Beastie Boys – Hot Sauce Committee Pt 2
LFO – Frequencies (Reissue)
Kurt Vile – Smoke Ring For My Halo
Can – Tago Mago (Reissue)
Washed Out – Within and Without
Oneohtrix Point Never – Replica
Tim Hecker – Ravedeath
Ty Segall – Goodbye Bread
Cave – Neverendless
The Horrors – Skying
Charles Bradley – Dreaming
Alela Diane – Wild Divine
John Maus – We Must Become Pitiless Censors of Ourselves

Friends of Reckless

Erika Hendrix

Alvarius B – Baroque Primitiva

Dirty Beaches – Badlands

Dirty Beaches/Ela Orleans (split) – Double Feature

Disappears – Guider

Grouper – A I A : Alien Observer

Grouper – A I A : Dream Loss

Tim Hecker – Ravedeath, 1972

Implodes – Black Earth

Kurt Vile – Smoke Ring For My Halo

Moon Duo – Mazes

Bill Orcutt – How the Thing Sings

Thee Oh Sees – Castlemania

A Winged Victory for the Sullen – s/t

Yuck – Yuck

Brett Andrew Grossman
Papercuts “Fading Parade”

Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi “ROME”

Peaking Lights “936”

Dum Dum Girls “Only in Dreams”

Oneohtrix Point Never “Replica”

Radiohead “TKOL RMX 1234567” / “King of Limbs”

Belong “Common Era”

Ducktails “Ducktails III: Arcade Dynamics”

Fleet Foxes “Helplessness Blues”

Panda Bear “Tomboy”

Implodes “Black Earth”

Coma Cinema “Blue Suicide”

White Fence “…Is Growing Faith”

Woods “Sun and Shade”

Beirut “The Rip Tide”

Tropic of Cancer “The End of All Things”

Real Estate “Days”

Youth Lagoon “The Year of Hibernation”

Grouper “A I A : Alien Observer”

Kurt Vile “Smoke Ring For My Halo”

Baths “Pop Music / False B Sides”

Trouble Books & Mark Mcguire “Song For Reinier Lucassen’s Sphinx”

Tape “Revelationes”

M83 “Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming”

Taylor Brode (Sacred Bones Records, ex-Reckless employee)
Alphabetical as always, this does not include anything on Sacred Bones because that would just be cheating.  I didn’t have a lot of time to listen to a lot of albums other than the 23 we released this year but the few that got through to me (3 LP’s in total), really deeply got through.
 
Cold Cave Cherish the Light Years (Matador)
I give zero fucks about people judging me for loving this band. Wes Eisold has been cutting his heart out and letting his audience crawl inside the hole remaining since we were both teenagers (well since he was a teenager, and I was in my early 20’s), and we are all the better for it.  His courage in writing openly about his own psychological shortcomings have in-numerous times given me the courage to acknowledge and address my own. Their live set up which has been stripped down to remove all ironic blonde “goth” women now includes only the other essential songwriter Dominick Fernow, and fantastic drummer Alex Garcia-Rivera.   The new line-up allows Wes and Dom the public freedom to become exactly the kind of Pet Shop Boys they have always privately wanted to be. Trust me it’s working for them.  I threw my underwear at them every night on stage for an entire week this summer and would do it all again in a heartbeat.  This band grows light years with each release and I simply could.not.be.more.proud. of them.  If you have never seen them you should do yourself a favor next year, and make sure to bring delicates to toss c/o Taylor & Christiana.
 
E.M.A Past Life Martyred Saints (Souterrain Transmissions)
I have been a huge fan of Erika’s since she was in Gowns, i was at Touch and Go, and I heard the song White Like Heaven. On her 1st solo effort she manages to take all the rawness of that song and add a layer of sexual realness to it so thick it has an aftertaste. Her lyrics touch on everything from narcotic addiction to abusive relationships to eternal love so real it carries through to the next life.  Her sense of timing, hook and ability to both create and release tension (sometimes simultaneously) is simply unparalleled in modern music.  My boyfriend and I are both recovering addicts and had difficult childhoods (to say the least); we have an extra closet at home where all of our skeletons hang out together actually. We’ve both been working in music since we were teens and we argue vehemently over who’s good and who sucks.  Needless to say this album is a household favorite, and the only thing we argue over is who has listened to which track on repeat more times in a row.
 
Iceage New Brigade (Escho/ Dias)
 
In an effort to keep up the mystery I am going to attempt to translate this into the band’s native tongue.  To put it bluntly: no other punk album has changed me so singularly in the last decade as these four kids’ has.  I am not going to bore you with the details of how we came into each others’ lives, instead I am just going to speak in the abstract.  This record is about three things:  faith, loyalty, and trust.  What these young men and their extended family in Denmark have re-taught me in the last year is that if you have faith, loyalty and trust you do not need anything else.   Sleep, food, clean clothes, money, etc. –it is all meaningless if you do not have amazing friends in your life.  This is not business; this is love.

Stephen Sowley (ex-Reckless employee, Studio manager at Electrical Audio)

No order. 2011: Shelf It. 
Bill Orcutt—How The Thing Sings // Tour 7”s (Ill Bill keeps going; I don’t want to know of a world without him)
V/A—Boddie Recording Company: Cleveland, Ohio // Local Customs: Pressed At Boddie (Numero culls the ghosts of a lost DIY era)
The band Leather (Philly behemoths take an archeological dig through your past embarrassments. Full Frontal Jock Shaming. MORE NOW)
Implodes—Black Earth (the dreamiest band in Chicago that refuses to make eye contact with you)
The band Raw Nerve (if they’ve done anything, they’ve proven how Trad H.C. Bobby Hill really was.)
Slices—Modern Bride 7” (the victory anthems for when Roethlisberger blows his knee out.)
Fantasia In Best Show Minor DVD (chump steam rolling in visual form)
Tim Hecker—Ravedeath 1972 (Key People, Blur Shit, Art School)
The band Wild Flag (Men: move to the back, put the phone down, and stop trying so hard)
Andy Stott—We Stay Together // Passed Me By (wherein Richie Hawtin meets Wolf Eyes and they burn your house down…slowly)
Byron Coley—C’est la Guerre: early writings 1978—1983 (Gather round, it’s xmas and dad’s gonna tell us about the war)
Kurt Vile—Smoke Ring For My Halo // So Outta Reach (Shroom Tea Franks, Ganja Peanut Chew, Spuds McKenzie Poster sold separately) 
The comedian Eddie Pepitone (Blue Collar Life Coach, Bitter Buddah…hating the things you can’t stand to live without.)
Void—Sessions 1981—1983 (Finally)
The band Population (Nepotism. Drink it up, Gothdrips)
Peaking Lights—936 (Lovers Rock for your resin stained walkman)
True Radical Miracle—Cockroaches (reissue LP) (Watch your summer vacation go down the toilet in the other direction)
Iceage—Youth Brigade (prison tattoos, unnecessary drama, and primal urgency get every number cruncher with a live-journal way too wet.)
Swans live (your band sucked compared to this…sorry boutcha.)
Total Control—Henge Beat (imagine the guys that refer to this as “friend rock.” I want to see their lists!)
Bjork—Crystalline 12” (1 out of 10 ain’t so bad, I guess)
Psychic Paramount—Psychic Paramount II  (Repeat, repeat, repeat until maximum health and efficiency)
Sandwell District–Feed-Forward (free dinner with me for whomever bootlegs the vinyl for this and/or convinces these pricks to repress it.)
Dean Whitmore (Sub Pop Records)
Bakers 10 records both new & reissued that I bought & liked a lot this year. Alphabetically:
Mahmoud Ahmed – Jeguol Naw Betwa (Mississippi)
Bloodloss – Lost My Head for Drink (Dirty Knobby)
Broken Water – Peripheral Star (Perennial)
Condiminum – Warm Home 12″ (Condominium)
Cruddy – Negative World (12xU)
Fungus Brains – Ron Pistos Real World (Load)
L’orchestre Kanaga De Mopti – Kanaga De Mopti (Kindred Spirits)
Shabazz Palaces – Black Up (Sub Pop)
Shin Joong Hyun – Beautiful Rivers & Mountains (Light in the Attic)
Sonskull – Wiped Clean (Perennial)
Total Control – Henge Beat (Iron Lung)
Records from last year that hooked me this year:
Hype Williams – Find Out What Happens (De Stijl)
Kemialliset Ystavat – Ullakkopalo (Fonal)
No Balls – Less (Who Can You Trust/Streaks)
Something that I just got & think I am going to totally love end of ’11 & beyond:
Opika Pende Africa at 78 RPM Box
Other great stuff:
Camping w/ Cassidy
Tour w/ Uzi Rash
Getting rid of cable TV.
Squire Park
Living in a house again / playing records late etc.
Riding bike & ditching car.
Sloop Tavern.
20/20 Cycle
Getting to know Vancouver
Lopez & Shaw Islands

Mike Venutolo-Mantovani (Matador Records)

1. Brain F≠ – Sleep Rough (Grave Mistake)
2. Crooked Fingers – Breaks In The Armor (Merge)
3. The Shrine – Featherheads 7″ (Eliminator Records)
4. Mark Sultan – Whatever I Want (In The Red)
5. Mark Sultan – Whenever I Want (In The Red)
6. Mastodon – Live At The Aragon (WBR RSD Exclusive)
7. Wild Flag – S/T (Merge)
8. Crisis Of Conformity – Fistfight In The Parking Lot 7″ (Drag City)
9. Reigning Sound – Abdication… For Your Love EP (Scion A/V)
10. Total Babes – S/T (Old Flame)

WHITE MYSTERY: Miss Alex White & Francis S.K. White

(http://www.whitemysteryband.com)
Thee Oh Sees: Carrion Crawler (In The Red)
Heavy Times: Jacker (HoZac)
Cave: Neverendless (Drag City)
Night Beats S/T (Trouble in Mind)

Joe Wetteroth (BRAIN IDEA)
1. Cave, Neverendless

2. Grateful Dead, Europe ’72 Vol. 2

3. Fucked Up, David Comes To Life

4. Heavy Times, Jacker

5. James Ferraro, Far Side Virtual

**also started collecting Dead Bootlegs so that i can fulfill my 2012 new year resolution of listening to one live Grateful Dead set a day
from that particular day of the year. an idea given to me by Cooper 
from Cave.

Ben Scott (BRAIN IDEA)

In no particular order
James Ferraro- Far Side Virtual

Destroyer- Kaputt

Jay-Z and Kanye- Watch the throne

Cave- Neverendless

Heavy Times- Jacker

Oneohtrixpointnever- Replica

Omar S.-It can be done, but only i can do it

Tyler The Creator- Bastard

Kurt VIle- Smoke ring for my halo

Azari and III

Real Estate- Days

YES- CLOSE 2 THE EDGE

Widowspeak- S/T

Todd Curtis (Music Direct)

new stuff i listened to the most this year:
true widow – as high as… (kemado)
bats – free all monsters (flying nun)
absu – abzu (candlelight)
pj harvey – let england shake (vagrant)
seapony – go with me (hardly art)
inquisition – ominous doctrines of the perpetual mystical macrocosm (hell’s headbangers)
ice age – new brigade (dais)
violeta vil – toronjil ep (discoteca oceano)
lorelle meets the obsolete – on welfare (captcha)
chancha via circuito – rio arriba (zzk)
 
reissues:
v/a – cartagena! (soundway)
voivod – to the death ’84 (alternative tentacles)
sisters of mercy – first and last and always (mobile fidelity silver)
dug dug’s – s/t (lion productions)
dead brain cells – s/t & universe (war on music)
lee perry – return of pipecock jackxon (honest jon’s)
blossom toes – we are ever so clean (sunbeam)
above ground – gone aiwa (siltbreeze)
junior kimbrough with the soul blues boys – do the rump (klimpt)
television personalities – they could have been bigger than the beatles (1972)

Pete Klockau (Bloodshot Records)
In no particular order…
 THE JIM JONES REVIEW- “Burning Your House Down” (Punk Rock Blues)
“Explosive” is probably the best word to use here- it’s like if Little Richard were a demonic hellion fronting
a band of ex-convicts playing to earn back their freedom. This thing smokes… their show at Schuba’s (with
Kid Congo Powers) was pretty damned incredible, too.
 
DEX ROMWEBER DUO- “Is That You In The Blue” (Bloodshot)
Not to toot our own horn (though I will here), Dex & his sister Sara turn in their second phenomenal
record as the Dex Romweber Duo. I love(d) me some Flat Duo Jets… but dare I say this is (gulp)… even better?!
I dare you to listen to his version of “Brazil” and tell me this album doesn’t do anything for you.
 
JC BROOKS & THE UPTOWN SOUND- “Want More” (Bloodshot)
A local favorite, not only local to Chicago, but local to my adopted neighborhood Uptown. Our little neighborhood that
could has been in the news for so many shitty reasons this year, it’s great to see some local boys make good.
Oh, and this record kicks 10 kinds of ass (count ’em!) Speaking of ass, if “Want More” doesn’t make
you shake yours, it must be broke.
 
KID CONGO POWERS- “Gorilla Rose” (In The Red)
Ex Cramp, Bad Seed, and Gun Clubber makes his third record of weirdo glammy gutter garage noir
and makes it all seem so easy to pull off. Extra props to In The Red for also releasing a limited edition LP
of Kid & his band playing live at a prom in the Southern California suburbs this year.
 
JACK OBLIVIAN- “Rat City” (Fat Possum)
This is Jack O’s fourth record with the Tennessee Tearjerkers, and I’ll be good god damned if they
don’t keep getting better and better. “Rat City” is every bit as gritty and sinister sounding as that title
would have you think. Who would’ve thought back when the Oblivians were kicking my high school
ass with “Soul Food” and “Popular Favorites” that (between Jack O and Greg Cartwright’s multiple and
meritus projects) they’d still be tickling my ear drums in exactly the right way 15 years later?
 
JERRY SUN- “Exotic Sounds” (Dionysus)
I am an admitted Exotica and Lounge junkie. Unfortunately most of the new stuff that turns up is hokey and, frankly,
awful. Thank god for Dionysus who are still out there finding exotica master tapes from the original era. Much
like last year’s Beachcomber Trio “Live at Kahiki Supper Club” LP, this one gets a special spot next to the hi fi.
JD MCPHERSON- “Signs & Signifiers” (Hi-Style)
His voice swings from Wilson Pickett to Big Sandy to everything in between. It’s timeless, with production so
authentically vintage sounding you’d swear this was some lost Hi Records or King 45 from the late 1950’s. It’s
nice to know there are still people out there able to make vintage sounds fresh again.
 
TONY CHRISTIE- “Now’s the Time” (Acid Jazz)
60’s British lounge singer Tony Christie was dormant for many years, but unlike Tom Jones (who returned with
an album of gospel folk songs last year), Mr. Christie stuck to what he did (does) best and made one catchy-
and-fun-as-all-shit album of vintage brassy lounge-pop. This album sounds like all the songs you like by Neil Diamond
with a healthy dose of classic Sinatra. When you go to Las Vegas and want to see a show, this is what you want to
see… or at least it’s what I want to see. The key here is that there is nothing remotely hokey or ironic about this
album- the whole package is just GOOD.
 
HAYES CARLL- “Kmag Yoyo” (Lost Highway)
Hayes continues to prove he’s one of the finest songwriters going these days. From open to close, the
lyrics are clever, the songwriting is tight, and it is exceedingly enjoyable throughout.
 
THE BLACK SWANS- “Don’t Blame the Stars” (Misra)
This record is a joy to listen to- I am biased as I have had a copy for some time now. But I am so
glad to finally see this immensely enjoyable album get released. Totally contemporary, occasionally
absurdist lyrics, but wrapped in a warm analog package that sounds like it could’ve been made this
year, or could be some lost gentle country-folk masterpiece from a bygone era.
 
Some reissues I never thought I would see:
 
MR GASSER & THE WEIRDOS- “Surfink”, “Hotrod Hootenany” & “Rods & Ratfinks” (Sundazed)
Ed “Big Daddy” Roth surf novelty records? Yes, please!
 
JIM FORD- “Harlan County” reissue (Light in the Attic)
I’ve loved this record for years- so glad to see it finally get a full-on reissue. This is the absolute
funkiest white dude you will ever hear (Tony Joe White and Dennis Coffey… watch yourselves…)
 
YMA SUMAC- “Miracles” (Omni)
The “Incan Princess'” bizzaro rock record from the early 1970’s… Les Baxter (Exotica and soundtrack king of
the 1960’s) wrote and produced this album, adding another layer of weirdness to the proceedings.
 
VARIOUS ARTISTS- “Delta Swamp Rock” Vol. 1 thru 3 (Soul Jazz)
All three of these comps are excellent. The title gives you an idea of what to expect- country music from
that weird-and-awesome crossroad in the mid 1970’s where country got funky and soulful.  

Posted on

Reckless Records 2010 employee & friends best of lists

Jim Magas
Wolfgang Voigt – Freiland Klaviermusik
Les Rallizes Denudes – Heavier Than a Death In the Family
Les Rallizes Denudes – Blind Baby Has Its Mother’s Eyes
Bill Orcutt – Way Down South
Endless Boogie – Full House Head
Speed, Glue & Shinki – s/t
Scientists – This Is My Happy Hour
VA – Ecstatic Music of the Jemaa El Fna
VA – Saigon Rock & Soul: Vietnamese Classic Tracks 1968-1974
Omar Souleyman – Jazeera Nights: Folk & Pop Sounds of Syria
Dadawah – Peace And Love
Bang – Bullets boxset
Moebius – Blue Moon OST
Kevin Drumm – Necro Acoustic 5CD box
My Solid Ground – s/t
Umberto – Prophesy of the Black Widow
Goblin – Zombi
Virgo – s/t
Chris & Cosey reissues
Brainbombs – Burning Hell
Omar Khorshid – Guitar El Chark
Anthony “Shake” Shakir – Frictionalism
Negative Approach – s/t 7″
Vulcan – Meet Your Ghost
Chris Connelly – How This Ends
Syl Johnson – Complete Mythology 6LP box

Other great things: The Gories reunion at Empty Bottle, Louie CK, Omar Souleyman at Grant Park, my daughter entering pre-school, the continuing proliferation of outstanding craft beers and playing with the Violent ARP Band.

Emily Elhaj
LADY GAGA
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS WINNING THE SUPER BOWL
Beach House – Teen Dream (Sub Pop)
Etienne Jaumet – Night Music (Domino)
Best Coast – Crazy For You (Mexican Summer)
Magik Markers/Sic Alps – Tour Only 12″ (Yik Yak Records)
Sylvester Anfang II – Commune Cassetten (Blackest Rainbow)
Ken Camden – Lethargy & Repercussions (Kranky)
Mulatu Astatke – Mulatu Steps Ahead (Strut)
Blessure Grave – Judged By 12, Carried By 6 (Release the Bats)
Sun Araw – On Patrol (Not Not Fun)
Caribou – Swim (Merge)
Erykah Badu – New Amerykah Part Two: Return of the Ankh (Universal Motown)
Phil Cohran – Armageddon (Katalyst)
Pantha du Prince – Black Noise (Rough Trade)
Cacaw – Cacaw (Permanent)
Dum Dum Girls – Blissed Out (cass) (Art Fag)
Fielded – Terrageist (Catholic Tapes)
Janelle Monae – The Archandroid (Bad Boy)
Geffika – Geffika (cass) (Love Lion)
Emeralds – Does it Look I’m Here? (Editions Mego)
Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – Before Today (4AD)
Amen Dunes – Murder Dull Mind EP (Sacred Bones)
Wild Nothing – Gemini (Captured Tracks)
Oneohtrix Point Never – Returnal (Editions Mego)
Julian Lynch – Mare (Olde English Spelling Bee)
The Dream – Love King (Def Jam)
Best Coast – Sun Was High (So Was I) 45 (Art Fag)
High Confessions – Turning Lead Into Gold… (Relapse)
Dirty Beaches – True Blue/Sweet 17 45 (Zoo Music)
Purple Rhinestone Eagle – The Great Return (Stank House/Love Lion)
Blut Aus Nord – What Once Was… Liber I (Debemur Morti)
Angel Olsen – Lady of the Waterpark (cass) (Love Lion)
Tinsel Teeth – Trash As The Trophy (Load)
Dead C – Patience (Badabing)
Brain Idea – Survival Scrolls (Permanent)
Games – That We Play (Hippos In Tanks)
Burzum – Belus (Back on Black)
Sleep Over – Outer Limits 45 (Forest Family)
Deathspell Omega – Paracletus (Norma Evangelium Diaboli)

(((SHOWS)))
Thrones – Empty Bottle
Best Coast – Empty Bottle/Pitchfork/Metro
Sleep/Ga’an – Logan Square Auditorium
Joan Jett – 7/11 Parking Lot
Omar Souleyman – Grant Park
Solvent – Home Sweet Home, New York
Enslaved – House of Blues
Cacaw – Ball Hall
John Wiese – MCA (Wire Festival)
Julian Lynch – Gravity Records, North Carolina
Cropped Out Festival, Louisville, Kentucky
Riccardo Muti at Millennium Park

Dave Hofer
BEST OF 2010 (no order):
Big Boi – Sir Lucious Left Foot
Decrepit Birth – Polarity
Aeon – Path of Fire
Primate – demos
Blacastan – Blac Sabbath
Fuck the Facts – Unnamed EP
Bongripper – Satan Worshipping Doom
Angel Eyes – Midwestern
Drake – Thank Me Later
Puerto Muerto – Drumming for Pistols
Sleepy Sun – Fever
Guilty Simpson – OJ Simpson
Whitefield Brothers – Earthology
Cephalic Carnage – Misled By Certainty
Centarus – Pulse
Nails – Unsilent Death
Cardiac Arrest – Haven for the Insane
Muzzler/Harpoon – Split 7″

Kate Ruggeri
Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – Before Today
Big Boi – Sir Lucious Left Foot: Son of Chico Dusty
Brain Idea – Survival Scrolls
The Dream – Love King
Flying Lotus – Cosmogramma
Gregory Isaacs – All I Have is Love
Group Doueh – Beatte Harab
Group Inerane – Guitars From Agadez, Vol. 3
Lee Perry – Sound System Scratch
Neil Young – Le Noise
Sun City Girls – Funeral Mariachi
Sun Araw – On Patrol / Off Duty EP

Dan Maloney
Ariel Pink & The Haunted Graffiti: Before Today
Field Music : (Measure)
Gil Scott Heron : I’ m New Here
Javelin : No Mas
Tallest Man On Earth: Wild Hunt
Robert Plant: Band of Joy
Beach House: Teen Dream
Tame Impala: Inner Speaker
Deerhunter: Halcyon Digest
Secret Sisters: S/t
Sun Kil Moon: Admiral Fell Promises
Neil Young: Le Noise

Reissues

Bruce Springsteen: The Promise
Anibal Velasquez & Su Conjunto: Mambo Loco
Syl Johnson: Complete Mythology
Jim Sullivan: UFO
Kris Kristofferson: Please Don’t Tell Me How The Story Ends (Publishing Demos)
Ride: Nowhere
Slowdive: Soulvaki & Blue Day
Robert Wyatt: Shleep
Dadawah: Peace & Love
Bridget St John: 4 Men With Beards Reissues
Pastor T.L Barrett: Like A Ship

Libby Zanders
In no particular order:
Love Lion cassette label
Pastor T.L. Barrett and the Youth for Christ Choir “Like A Ship… (Without A Sail)” reissue LP
Brain Idea “The Survival Scrolls” LP
Eddy Current Suppression Ring “Rush to Relax” LP
Burzum “Belus” LP
Los Saicos “Demolicion!” 7″ box set
Heavy Times “Dead” LP
Kris Kristofferson “Please Don’t Tell Me How the Story Ends: the Publishing Demos 68-72” LP
Pissed Jeans “Sam Kinison Woman” 7″
Mississippi Records still killin’ it-  Check out their tape series!
Tandoori Knights “Bucketful” 7″
Lady Gaga taking over the country
Beyonce “Why Don’t You Love Me” music video
Sleep at the Logan Square Auditorium
Implodes at the Empty Bottle
extra photos of Bruce Springsteen from Darkness on the Edge of Town sessions
touch & go book

Katie Kapuza
Into the Great Wide Yonder- Trentemoller
Ay Ay Ay- Matias Aguayo
Black Noise- Pantha Du Prince
U Don’t Like Me- Diplo & Lil Jon
A Sufi & A Killer- Gonjasufi
Strange Weather Isn’t It- !!!
Mercy- Sweet Cobra
Dust- Ellen Allien
Madlib Medicine Show #4- Madlib
Where Did the Night Fall- Unkle
DJ Kicks- Apparat
Modeselektion Vol. 1- Modeselektor
Blood of Heroes- Blood of Heroes

Caroline Yohanon
(in no order)
dungen “skit i allt”
beach house “teen dream”
whitefield brothers “earthology”
Javelin “no mas”
black keys “brothers”
the liminanas “the liminanas”
sade “soldier of love”
lcd soundsystem “this is happening”
chicago thrash ensemble “chicago thrash ensemble ep”
field music “field music”
tame impala “innerspeaker”
thee oh sees “warm slime”
tallest man on earth “the wild hunt”
robert plant “band of joy”
mgmt “congratulations”
baths “cerulean”
black angels “phosphene dream”
sleigh bells “treats”
yeasayer “odd blood”
twin sister “color your life”
mulatu astatke “mulatu steps ahead”
peed glue & shinki “speed glue & shinki” (reissue)
various artists “pomegranates”

best shows
the violent arp band @ empty bottle
dungen @ lincoln hall

Billy Smith
2010 best of looks mostly mellow

Peter Gabriel “Scratch My Back” (Real World)
Loscil “Endless Falls” (Kranky)
Jonsi “Go” (XL)
S O U N D G A R D E N is B A C K
Johann Johannsson “Fordlandia” (4AD)
Olafur Arnalds “And They Escaped The Weight” (Erased Tapes)
Superchunk “Majesty Shredding” (Merge)
Swans “My Father Will Guide Me Up a Rope to the Sky” (Young God)
Posies “Blood/ Candy” (Rykodisc)
Local H “Local H’s Awesome Mix Tape # 1 (G&P)

Michelle Hodges
best coast – crazy for you
merchandise – (strange songs) in the dark
jack rose – luck in the valley
detachments – s/t
anika – s/t
scientists – this is my happy hour
swans – my father will guide me up a rope to the sky
death in june – peaceful snow
daily void – eclipse of 1453 ep
bastard noise – a culture of monsters
total abuse – mutt
drunkdriver – s/t
slices – cruising
raw nerve – s/t
sick/tired – highlife
double negative – daydream nation
manipulation – violence 7″
low threat profile – s/t 7″
mens interest – more war 7″
leather – anchorite 7″
vile gash – s/t 7″
veins – s/t 7″
vaccine – human hatred 7″
sea of shit/ socially retarded split 7″
raspberry bulbs – dust in the fallen face cs
population – demo cs
skrapyard – demo cs

vinyl reissues:
the fall – wonderful and frightening world of the fall
crisis – hymns of faith
les rallizes denudes – heavier than a death in the family
black tambourine – s/t
hoover – the lurid traversal of route 7
ride – nowhere
galaxie 500 (all of them)
spacemen 3 (all of them)
wake – harmony

shows:
   swans @ bottom lounge
   dropdead & double negative @ treasure town
   the clean @ bottom lounge
   bastard noise @ ronny’s

Matt Jencik
Agalloch “Marrow of the Spirit”
Aguaturbia LP reissues
Alcest “Ecaille De Lune”
Anika “s/t”
Autopsy LP reissues
Blut Aus Nord “What Once Was…Liber I”
Brain Idea “Survival Scrolls”
Jane Birkin “Di Doo Dah” reissue
Burzum “Belus”
Ken Camden “Lethargy & Repurcussions” LP
Chris Connelly “Ed Royal” book
Deathspell Omega “Paracletus”
Deuter “D” LP reissue
Deux “Decadence” LP reissue
Disappears “Lux”
Drudkh “Handful of Stars”
Enslaved “Axioma Ethica Odini”
Fielded “Terrageist”
Furze “Reaper Subconscious Guide”
Katatonia “Dance of December Souls” LP reissue
Les Rallizes Denudes LP reissues
Liars “Sisterworld”
Love Cry Want “s/t” LP reissue
Nachtmystium “Addicts: Black Meddle Part Two”
Orkustra “Adventures in Experimental Electronic Orchestra”
from the San Francisco Psychedelic Underground”
Parasites of the Western World LP reissue
Parson Sound LP boxset
Armando Piazza “Suan” reissue
Ramleh “Hole in the Heart”
Ride for Revenge “Wisdom of the Few”
Triptykon “Eparistera Daimones”
Until the Light Takes Us 2XDVD
Voivod “Negatron”/”Phobos” LP reissue
Yellow Swans “Going Places”
Neil Young “Le Noise”
V/A Saigon Rock & Soul: Vietnamese Classic Tracks 1968-1974
V/A Secret Museum of Mankind Vol. 1 LP reissue

Live shows
Alcest @ Reggie’s
Brain Idea @ The Hideout
The Clean/ Mannequin Men @ Bottom Lounge
Enslaved @ House of Blues
Entombed @ Reggie’s
Guided by Voices @ Riviera
Iggy & the Stooges @ Riviera
eyehategod/ Nachtmystium @ Empty Bottle
Omar Souleyman @ Grant Park
Sleep @ Logan Square Auditorium
Sunn O)))/Boris at ATP NY
Triptykon @ Bottom Lounge

Erika Hendrix
Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti: Before Today (4AD)
Best Coast: “Something in the Way” [7”] (Post Present Medium)
Das Racist: Shut Up, Dude (digital mixtape)
Deerhunter: Halcyon Digest (4AD)
Disappears: Lux (Kranky)
Dum Dum Girls: I Will Be (Sub Pop)
Hallo Gallo: “Blinkgurtel” [7”] (Vampire Blues)
Hunx and his Punx: Gay Singles (True Panther)
Moderne: Moderne 1980-81 (Minimal Wave)
Moon Duo: Escape (Woodsist)
Munly & the Lupercalians: Petr & the Wulf (Alternative Tentacles)
Newsom, Joanna: Have One on Me (Drag City)
Olsen, Angel: Strange Cacti (Bathetic) [tape]
Swans: My Father Will Guide Me Up a Rope to the Sky (Young God)
Teengirl Fantasy: 4AM (Thrill Jockey)
Thee Oh Sees: Warm Slime (In the Red)
Umberto: Prophesy of the Black Widow (Not Not Fun)
The Vaselines: Sex with an X (Sub Pop)
Yellow Swans: Going Places
Zola Jesus: Stridulum EP (Sacred Bones)
Various artists: Minimal Wave Tapes, Vol. 1 (Stones Throw)

Honorable mentions:
Beach House: Teen Dream (Sub Pop); Future Islands: In Evening Air
(Thrill Jockey); Grinderman: Grinderman 2 (Anti-); LA Vampires & Zola
Jesus: LA Vampires Meets Zola Jesus (Not Not Fun);Lynch, Julian: Mare
(Old English Spelling Bee); Sadier, Laetitia: The Trip (Drag City)

Reissues/compilations/box sets::
Black Tambourine: Complete Recordings (Slumberland)
Deux: Decadence (Minimal Wave)
Neu!: Neu! reissues/Neu! box set
Orange Juice: Coals to Newcastle (Domino)
Slim Cessna’s Auto Club: Buried Behind the Barn (Alternative
Tentacles; originally  released in 2004 as a CD-R)

Melissa Grubbs
Alcest- Ecaille De Lune
Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – Before Today
Erykah Badu – New Amerykah Part Two: Return of the Ankh
Ken Camden – Lethargy & Repercussions
Phil Cohran- Zulu 45s 7” boxset
Deux “Decadence” LP reissue
Enslaved “Axioma Ethica Odini”
Grinderman- 2
Group Inerane- Guitars From Agadez Vol. 3
High Confessions – Turning Lead Into Gold…
Syl Johnson- Complete Mythology
Omar Khorshid – Guitar El Chark
Les Rallizes Denudes (reissues)
Liars- Sisterworld
Janelle Monae- The Archandroid
Parson Sound LP boxset
Pastor T.L. Barrett “Like a Ship Without a Sail”
PNS & ZAVALA- Canciones Modernas
Mark Ronson- Bang Bang 12″ (with Q-Tip! Best guilty pleasure 12″ in a while!)
Sade- Soldier of Love
Gil Scott Heron- I’m New Here
Sylvester Anfang II – Commune Cassetten
Umberto – Prophesy of the Black Widow
Anibal Y Su Conjunto Velasquez- Mambo Loco
Various Artists- Cloud Cuckooland
Various Artists- Cumbia Beat Vol.1 1966-1976: Experimental Guitar-Driven Tropical
Various Artists: Ecstatic Music of the Jemaa El Fna
Various Artists – Pomegranates
Various Artists – Saigon Rock & Soul: Vietnamese Classic Tracks 1968-1974
Whitfield Brothers- Earthology
Robert Wyatt- Shleep (vinyl reissue)
Neil Young- Le Noise

Ethan D’Ercole
SYL JOHNSON BOX
PHIL COHRAN 7″ BOX
MANNEQUIN MEN- HOBBY GIRL/ SEE SAW (HOZAC)
MANNEQUIN MEN/ JACK OBLIVIAN SPLIT 7″ (VICE)
HIGH CONFESSIONS- TURNING LEAD INTO GOLD (RELAPSE)
(DUTCH) OUTSIDERS- AFRAID OF THE DARK (PSEUDONYM)
THEE OH SEES- WARM SLIME (IN THE RED)
ENDTABLES- S/T (DRAG CITY)
CHICAGO THRASH ENSEMBLE- S/T (PLASTIC AIRLINES)
BEDFELLOWS- LIVE AT THE HIDEOUT (IMPORT ONLY)
SMALL FACES- ALL OR NOTHING (DVD)
ARIEL PINK- BEFORE TODAY (4AD)

Robbie Hamilton
Disappears “Lux”
Besnard Lakes “Besnard Lakes Are The Roaring Night”
David Vandervelde “Summertime Hits”
Ariel Pink “Before Today”
Swans “My Father Will Guide Me Up A Rope To The Sky”

Movie of the year:
“I’m Still Here”, Directed by Casey Affleck

Sarah Frier
1. Brothers – The Black Keys
2. Phosphorescent Dream – The Black Angels
3. Majesty Shredding – Superchunk
4. Before Today – Ariel Pink
5. Square Shells EP – Kurt Vile
6. Band of Joy – Robert Plant
7. I Learned the Hard Way – Sharon Jones
8. Expo 86 – Wolf Parade
9. Teen Dream – Beach House
10. Le Noise – Neil Young
11. This is Happening – LCD Soundsystem
12. Go – Jonsi
13. Transference – Spoon

You made this year funny awards: Kristin Wiig, The Best Show on WFMU, David Cross, Tina Fey & the hometown heroes at The Beat Kitchen’s Chicago Underground Comedy. Go to there.

Ken Camden
Group Inerane – Guitars From Agadez Vol. 3
Fielded – Terrageist
Jonas Reinhardt – Powers of Audition
Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – Before Today
Brain Idea – Survival Scrolls
Disappears – Lux
Brian Mcbride – The Effective Disconnect
Sylvester Anfang II – Commune Cassetten
Alex Barnett – Section 1-3 (cassettes)
Geffika – Geffika (cassette)
Reissues
Slava Ranko – Arctic Hysteria
Daphne Oram – Oramics
Dwarr – Animals
Snowy Red – Right to Die
Deux – Decadence

Steve Shoup
Artificial Peace – Complete Sessions
Autopsy – reissues
Beherit – Engram
Bitchin Bajas – Tones/Zones
Blut Aus Nord – What Once Was… Liber I
The Body – All The Waters Of The Earth Turn To Blood
Brain Idea – The Survival Scrolls
Burzum – Belus
Cacaw – Cacaw
Ken Camden – Lethargy & Repercussions
Can – Peel Sessions
Cave – Pure Moods
Crisis – Hymns Of Faith 
Daily Void – Eclipse Of 1453
Deathspell Omega – Paracletus
Drudkh – Handful Of Stars
Dwarr – Animals
Emeralds – Does It Look Like I’m Here?
Fielded – Terrageist
Ga’an – Call Of The Black Equus
Geffika – Geffika 
Goblin – Roller reissue
Heavy Times – Dead
Omar Khorshid – Guitar El Chark
Leather – Anchorite 7″
Les Rallizes Denudes – Blind Baby Has Its Mother’s Eyes
Les Rallizes Denudes – Heavier Than A Death In The Family
Lungfish – Pass & Stow reissue
Ozzie – The Parabolic Rock 1975-1982
Parasites Of The Western World reissue
Parson Sound box set
Pissed Jeans – Sam Kinison Woman 7″
Plastic People Of The Universe – Magical Nights
Psychic Steel – Ofsteme
Ride – Nowhere reissue
Rorschach – Remain Sedate/Protestant reissue
Section 25 – Always Now reissue
Snowy Red – Right To Die
Spacemen 3 – reissues
Steel Pole Bath Tub – Unlistenable
Wipers – Out Takes
Neil Young – Le Noise
SHOWS:
Bastard Noise
The Body
The Clean
Harvey Milk
Negative Approach
Bill Orcutt
Pissed Jeans
Sleep 
Swans
Thrones
… and far too many Chicago bands to list here

Kip McCabe
Chicago Backhawks winning the Stanley Fucking Cup!

Meshuggah “Alive”
Shipping News “One Less Heart to Fear”
Bottomless Pit “Blood Under the Bridge”
Melvins “The Bride Screamed Murder”
The Books “The Way Out”
Andrew Bird “Useless Creatures”
Dungen “Skit I Allt”
Neil Young “Le Noise’

Dan Worland
Disappears – Lux
Tyler Jon Tyler – s/t + both 45s
Night Beats – H-Bomb EP
Midwest Beat – At The Gates
Eddy Current Suppression Ring – Rush To Relax
Spoon – Transference
1900s – Return of the Century

Courtland Green
JOSHUA ABRAMS “NATURAL INFORMATION”
SADE “SOLDIER OF LOVE”
ANIBAL VELASQUEZ Y SU CONJUNTO “MAMBO LOCO”
MEATY OGRE & CRUSHCON 7 “SWORD”
PNS & ZAVALA “CANCIONES MODERNAS”
ROBERT WYATT “FOR THE GHOSTS WITHIN”
BILL ORCUTT “WAY DOWN SOUTH”
SYL JOHNSON “COMPLETE MYTHOLOGY”
GIL SCOTT-HERON “I’M NEW HERE”
GREGORY ISAACS “ALL I HAVE IS LOVE”
WHITEFIELD BROTHERS “EARTHOLOGY”
V/A “ECSTATIC MUSIC OF THE JEMAA EL FNA”
PASTOR T.L. BARRETT “LIKE A SHIP WITHOUT A SAIL”
V/A “REAL SOUND OF CHICAGO”
FUMIO HAYASAKA & MASARU SATO “AKIRA KUROSAWA’S MOVIE
SOUNDTRACKS”
PARSON SOUND “PARSON SOUND” boxset

Gar Brandtt
NO particular order except number one is #1.
LCD Soundsystem “This is Happening”
Books “The Way Out”
Grinderman “2”
Lustmord “Dark Places of the Earth”
Holy Fuck “Latin”
Doomstar! “Rainbow Bloodsucker”
National “High Violet”
Perseus Noble S/T
Health “disco2”
Les Savy Fav “Root For Ruin”11. Altar Eagle “Mechanical Garden”
Band of Horses “Infinite Arms”
Deerhunter “Halcyon Digest”
Robert Plant “Band of Joy”
Swans “My Father Will Guide Me Up a Rope to the Sky”
Stereolab “Not Music”

New to Me (Reissues and Remasters)
David Bowie “Station to Station”
Amanaz “Africa”
Neu! “Boxset”
Syl Johnson “Complete Mythology

Lauren Kornman
1. Various Artists “Minimal Wave Tapes, Volume One” (cd/lp) (minimal wave)
2. Los Saicos “¡Demolición! – The Complete Recordings” (cd) (Munster)
3. Omar Khorshid “Guitar El Chark” (lp) (Sublime Frequencies)
4. Deux “Decadence” (lp) (minimal wave)
5. Various Artists “Cumbia Beat Vol. 1: Experimental Guitar Driven Tropical
Sounds From Peru 1966-1976 (vampi soul)
6. Bruce Haack “Farad: The Electric Voice” (lp/cd) (Stones Throw)
7. Dara Puspita “1966-1968” (cd) (Sublime Frequencies)
8. Pastor T.L. Barrett: “Like a Ship (Without a Sail)” (lp/cd) (Light In The Attic)
9. Various Artists “Saigon Rock & Soul: Vietnamese Classic Tracks 1968-1974” (lp)
(Sublime Frequencies)
10. Syl Johnson “Complete Mythology” (lp/cd) (Numero Group)
11. Various Artists “Vol 1: Wave The Ocean, Wave The Sea – Field
Recordings 1959-1960” (lp) (Mississippi Records)
12. Various Artists “Vol 2: Worried Now, Won’t Be Worried Long – Field
Recordings From Alan Lomax’s “Southern Journey”,1959-1960″
(lp) (Mississippi Records)
13. Various Artists “Vol 3: I’ll Meet You On That Other Shore – Field
Recordings From Alan Lomax’s “Southern Journey”, 1959-1960″
(lp) (Mississippi Records)
14. Various Artists “Vol 4: I’ll Be So Glad When The Sun Goes Down –
Field Recordings From Alan Lomax’s “Southern Journey”,
1959-1960″ (lp) (Mississippi Records)
15. Various Artists “Psych Funk Sa-Re-Ga!” (lp/cd) (Stones Throw)

Dylan Posa
ANIMAL COLLECTIVE – FALL BE KIND EP
BEAK – S/T

Best New Records Of 2010 (in no order)

THE MAJOR LABEL SUCCESSES (against all odds)
   =========================
ERYKAH BADU ‘NEW AMERYKAH PT.2’ – a little mellower than Part One,
but good tunes nonetheless
FLAMING LIPS ‘DARK SIDE OF THE MOON’ – a seemingly bad idea actually
works, and is (dare I say) improved on in some spots
DEVO ‘SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE’ – haters will hate, but the new
songs are just as good as the old. Nostalgia is for squares.
ROOTS ‘HOW I GOT OVER’ – another brilliant concoction from the
hardest working band in show business
ELVIS COSTELLO ‘NATIONAL RANSOM’ – brilliant trawl through the
record collection, but in a good way

LITTLE BIGS THAT COULD (the Indies that feel like Majors)
   ======================
GIL SCOTT-HERON ‘I’M NEW HERE’ – a brilliant and thoughtful return
from a true original
TED LEO ‘BRUTALISM BRICKS’ – not one of his best, but still pretty
strong
BOOKS ‘THE WAY OUT’ – incredible constructions of pop collage
NEW PORNOGRAPHERS ‘TOGETHER’ – better and better

SMALL PLEASURES WITH GOOD DISTRO (I wish we sold more of these)
   ================================
MIDLAKE ‘COURAGE OF OTHERS’ – gorgeous uk folk/rock that sucks you in
FIELD MUSIC ‘MEASURE’ – ork/prog/pop genius
JAGA JAZZIST ‘ONE ARMED BANDIT’ – closest thing to a new ’70s Zappa
record you can get (and that’s a good thing)
LOCRIAN ‘TERRITORIES’ – their most fully-realized statement yet
DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN ‘OPTION PARALYSIS’ – unfuckingbelievable
KAYO DOT ‘COYOTE’ – creeeepy
HARVEY MILK ‘SMALL TURN OF HUMAN KINDNESS’ – what can you say about
this band: perfect in every way, like a dinosaur.
BASTARD NOISE ‘CULTURE OF MONSTERS’ – I’m loving the dense punk
construction of these songs
HIGH CONFESSIONS ‘TURNING LEAD INTO GOLD’ – totally compelling and
seriously one of the best records I’ve heard in the last 10 years
MEGAFAUN ‘HERETOFORE’ – these guys combined UK folk and American
avant-garde tendencies to create an interesting amalgam
BAD PLUS ‘NEVER STOP’ – another batch of knotty “loud jazz”
compositions (too bad the vinyl is pressed so quietly)
CALLERS ‘LIFE OF LOVE’ – like Beefheart combined with Bacharach
GREYMACHINE ‘DISCONNECTED’ – came out last year but the vinyl finally
arrived in 2010. Godflesh for the aughts…
MARNIE STERN ‘S/T’ – guitar pyrotechnics plus indie rock
WOLF PEOPLE ‘STEEPLE’ – possibly the most slept-on record of 2010,
considering how much people loved Dungen
GLASSER ‘RING’ – cooler than Zola Jesus and Kate Bush combined
CIRCLE OF ANIMALS ‘DESTROY THE LIGHT’ – High Confessionals have some
Killing Joke love
WEEKEND ‘SPORTS’ – a late entry in the list, this one caught us all
by surprise

Best Reissues Of 2010 (in no order)

WEEZER ‘PINKERTON’ – Anything to do with this record gets an automatic
“Best” whatever.
ELVIS COSTELLO ‘LIVE AT HOLLYWOOD HIGH’
EMBRYO ’40’
WITCH ‘LAZY BONES II’ – In a glut of Afrorock reissues, this one
had some of the most compelling songwriting and playing.
EINSTURZENDE NEUBAUTEN ‘HAUS DER LUGE’ – One of their most accessible
and beautiful records, finally spiffed up for CD.
JIMI HENDRIX ‘WEST COAST SEATTLE BOY’ – an excellent collection
of, amazingly, unheard material.
Jason Verhagen
1. DEVO “SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE” (WARNER BROS)
2. SAIGON ROCK & SOUL 1968-1975 “VARIOUS ARTISTS” (SUBLIME FREQ.)
3. KOES PLUS “DHEG DHEG PLAS. VOL.2″ (SUBLIME FREQ.)
4. CHARANJIT SIGNH “TEN RAGAS TO A DISCO BEAT” (BOMBAY CONNECTION)
5. CHICAGO TRASH ENSEMBLE “12” (SELF-RELEASED)
6. TRANS AM “THING” (THRILL JOCKEY)
7. DARA PUSPITA “1966-1968” (SUBLIME FREQ.)
8. M.I.A. “MAYA” (XL RECORDS)
9. ARIEL PINK’S HAUNTED GRAFFITI “BEFORE TODAY” (4AD)
10.PAUL COLLINS “KING OF POWER-POP” (ALIVE REC.)
  
TOP CONCERTS OF 2010
1. BUZZCOCKS
2. P.I.L.
3. OMAR SOLEYMAN
4. RIOT FEST (CIRCLE JERKS,CRO-MAGS,N.A.,OFF)
5. DEVO

Angela Ziles
Best of 2010 List
 
Electric Wizard- Black Masses
Balam Acab- See Birds
Harvey Milk- S/T
Mount Kimbie- Crooks & Lovers
The Besnard Lakes- The Besnard Lakes Are The Roaring Night
The Daily Void- The Eclipse of 1453
Deux- Decadence
White Hills & Gnod- Gnod Drop Out With White Hills II
Date Psalms- Of Psalms
Phil Cohran & Legacy- African Skies
Anika- S/T
The Warlocks- Rise & Fall, EPs & Rarities
James Blackshaw- All Is Falling
Psychedelic Aliens- Psycho African Beat
Umberto- Prophecy Of The Black Widow
Arp, Anthony Moore- Frkwys Vol. 3
Lee “Scratch” Perry- Sound System Scratch Lee Perry’s Dub Plate Mixes

Mark Lux
ken camden lethargy & repercussions
steel pole bathtub unlistenable
ariel pink before today
plastic people of the universe magical nights
seu jorge & almaz
sun city girls funeral mariachi
pippo spera a buen perto
junip fields
bruce springsteen the promise
disappears ‘me’
dwarr animals
group inerane guitars from agadez vol. 3
running/loose dudes split 7″
chris & cosey heartbeat reissue
mount carmel
jonas reinhardt powers of audition

Laura Deutsch
Flowers-Corsano Duo
The Four Aims
VHF
 This album just might be the greatest thing I’ve come across in the last few years. After being a fan of Chris Corsano’s for many years, I got to see the duo live in Massachusetts and was blown away. On this album, Corsano is as skilled and quick as ever while Mick Flowers soars with an intense, rhythm-driven performance on the organ and tanpura. While these two musicians are undeniably talented on their own right, it is beyond clear (to me) that Corsano and Flowers bring out the best in one an other when playing together in this duo.
 
Michael Hurley
Armchair Boogie
Mississippi Records
 Hurley’s voice on this album reminds me of every back road in the northeast.
 
Bill Nace, Paul Flaherty
An Airless Field
Ecstatic Peace!
 I had been waiting to get my hands on this album and finally picked it up when Nace played at Enemy earlier this year. Nace creates a layered and grounding sediment for Flaherty to jump off from in his ever-weird ways. The sound remains cool and piercing throughout, keeping the listener on their toes. There’s even a dog barking in the background at the end of side one! Probably confused as shit as to what was going on when this doozie was recorded!
 
 Irma Thomas
Wish Someone Would Care
Imperial
 I was introduced to “Break-a-Way” on a mixtape earlier this year and promptly sought out this album. It’s very east to fall in love with the crackle in Irma’s voice.
 Neil Young
On the Beach
Warner Bros
 His best eight songs. His best album. Period.
 
Fat Worm of Error
Broods
Ecstatic Peace! / Open Mouth
 Weirdest of the weird. The vocals punch through the mountain of sound from somewhere that, although LOUD, always seems like it’s making its way up from underground. Each song leaves the listener trying to figure out just how it makes such perfect sense.
 
Chairmen of the Board
Give me Just a Little More Time
Invictus
General Johnson’s strained high notes hit hard! “Patches” and the group’s rendition of “Come Together” rule.
 
The Band
Stage Fright
Capitol
Levon Helm’s subdued, gravely singing is just dreamy.
 
The Stranglers
La Folie
Liberty
 There’s something super elegant and super creepy about this album, and the harpsichord on “Golden Brown” is one of the best things ever.
 
Ike & Tina Turner
ANYTHING
 I had really never listened to Ike and Tina before very recently and now I can’t get enough. I know I’m late to the game but the more I hear the more I like. It feels like there’s just an infinite amount of awesomeness to uncover. The Ikettes rule for that matter too!

Daniel Morris
9 things I remember liking in 2010,
in very particular order:

1. Jeremy Jay – Splash
2. Katy Perry – Teenage Dream
3. Purple Rhinestone Eagle – The Great Return
4. Aziz Ansari – Intimate Moments For A Sensual Evening
5. Bruce Springsteen – The Promise
6. Apple Records Box Set
7. ok, those Beatles remasters sound awesome too
8. Thee Oh Sees – Warm Slime
9. Janelle Monae – The Archandroid

Chris Connelly
1: Baalstrom sing omega – Current 93
2:Absolute dissent – killing joke
3:Swanlight – Antony & the johnsons
4:Up here in the clouds – Cindytalk
5:Destroy the light – Circle of Animals
6:My father will guide me up a rope..-Swans
7:Night work – Scissor sisters
8:Station to Station (reissue) – David Bowie
9:Kill City (reissue) Iggy pop & james williamson
10:Public image limited -live, june 2010, Chicago

Colman Cooney
ALPHABETICALLY:

Beach House – Teen Dream
Black Angels – Phosphene Dream
The Books – The Way Out
Bottomless Pit – Blood Under the Bridge
Califone – All My Friends Are Funeral Singers
Ken Camden – Lethargy and Repercussions
Fang Island – Fang Island
Group Inerane – Guitars from Agadez vol. 3
Harlem – Hippies
Heavy Times – No Plans 7″
Jonas Reinhardt – Powers of Audition
Kings Go Forth – Outsiders Are Back
Ted Leo & the Pharmacists – Brutalist Bricks
Liars – Sisterworld
Getatchew Mekuria & the Ex – Moa Anbessa
Menomena – Mines
Midlake – Courage of Others
Gil Scott Heron – I’m New Here
Soft Pack – Soft Pack
Superchunk – Majesty Shredding

Luc Rogers
1. Pissed Jeans – Sam Kinison Woman 7″: The Allentown foursome’s combination of witty lyrics, non-traditional song structures, and stellar, nearly cosmic sounds have worked well for them in the last few years. Recently hush on any forthcoming album; instead we were presented with this two-song slab of perfection. Both noisy as fuck and toast worthy, these little numbers not only satiate the PJ fans but offer a perfect introduction to those unfamiliar in that “Sam Kinison Woman” could’ve easily fit on any of their records while “The L Word” demonstrates perfectly their penchant for simple humor (“Love is a word/I use to describe/The way I feel inside/I love this pie”) and not giving a single fuck.
 2. The Walkmen – Lisbon: The years have been good for these Walkmen. Unfairly lumped in with the early 00s Brooklyn rebirth, Hamilton & co. have only grown more distinct and distant from their press-adopted brethren. Their worship of classic songwriters such as Roy Orbison and Harry Nilsson not only help with their singular sound but also give it a timeless feel. Interviews regularly find them listing their favorite Sun Studio recordings, ones they studied on finding the perfect sound for this album, their penchant for using the greatest of vintage equipment for sound and not kitsch, and their very un-rock star quality of a semi-quiet life. In addition, Hamilton’s voice has grown far from the Dylan-worshipping days of A Hundred Miles Off and has really found itself a perfect place in their both sparse and soaring sounds.
3. Watain – Lawless Darkness: In an interview posted on a metal website last year, “e,” Watain’s outspoken vocalist, proclaimed that the world has merely seen 20% of what black metal is truly capable of and he has taken it upon himself to show the other 80%. Whether or not that has been done (I say hell no) it is truly wonderful to sit and listen to something as powerful and all encompassing as Lawless Darkness. Their masterful songwriting abilities, first truly showcased on 2007’s Sworn to the Dark, separate these heathens from most of the other black metal bands currently active in that it offers an accessibility to people that wouldn’t normally listen to something such as this. An underlying melody permeates every song without sacrificing any of the intended result of punishing blast beats and all out classic Swedish metal blasphemy. While club owners may truly hate their use of real blood onstage (and their decision to try and kill pigeons for the use of their blood before a Canadian show) it cannot be denied that while it may seem ridiculous and over the top to most of the world it is life to these guys. The near silliness of their antics combined with the brilliance of the actual music only adds to what makes metal both the most enjoyable and brushed off genres today.
 4. Candy Cane/Oranssi Pazuzu – Split: While the USA is deservedly gaining more notoriety in the black metal scene Europe will forever remain the best. Finnish avant-garde black metallers Candy Cane (best name ever) and Oranssi Pazuzu teamed up to release this split to a surprisingly hush audience. Candy Cane combine the power of traditional black metal with fancy studio tricks and the addition of beautiful instruments like xylophone and piano to create something instantly memorable and terribly frightening. With song titles such as “16061978” and “10091989” making them hard to remember (obvious referral to dates of some sort of significance) the music contained therein is certainly not so. Oranssi Pazuzu offer a less WTF approach to black metal albeit nonetheless interesting and haunting. A cloudier sound reminiscent of France’s Deathspell Omega is instantly recognizable despite its much more listenability to the general public. With psych breakdowns galore these newbies (formed in 2007) will hopefully gain momentum and fans in the coming years.
 5. Rose Kemp – Golden Shroud: On her last two albums, UK songstress Kemp showcased singular songwriting styles combining voice and guitar with heavier, Sonic Youth-y explosions (most notably “Violence” from her debut Handful of Hurricanes). Then out of nowhere comes her three song follow up to 2008’s Unholy Majesty, an album that was already teeming with noticeable darkness. For Golden Shroud Miss Kemp has gone full-on doom metal without sacrificing her vocal prowess (clean into growl into all out belting with astonishing quickness) and lyricism. While only three songs it is definitely a full length at 30+ minutes and it is in its entirety that one needs to sit and ingest completely. There are a lot of things to discern here, all of them rewarding in their own capacity.
 6. Superchunk – No Pocky for Kitty/On the Mouth re-releases: Classic masters of DIY, Superchunk introduce themselves to a new generation with the re-releases of two of their best albums (with Foolish hopefully coming sometime) remastered and on fancy pants 180 gram vinyl for the first time. Not all-pop nor all-punk, and certainly not pop punk , they were their own beast in the 90s. Mac’s distinct voice is perfectly showcased on these records as is the band’s taught, melodic/noisy dichotomy. “Tie a Rope to the Back of the Bus” (No Pocky…) and “Package Thief” (On the Mouth) have remained favorite songs and it is truly special to hear

Rebecca Crawford
Limananas
Deux “Decadence”
Superimposers “Sunshine Pops”
Circuit 7
Snowy Red “Right to Die”
Aerial Pink “Before Today”
Devo “Something for Everybody”

Steve Rahman
THE ROOTS – HOW I GOT OVER
JOHN LEGEND & THE ROOTS – WAKE UP!
BEST COAST – CRAZY FOR YOU
CORINNE BAILEY RAE – THE SEA
BLACK MILK – ALBUM OF THE YEAR
SKYZOO & ILLMIND – LIVE FROM THE TAPE DECK
TIM KASHER – GAME OF MONOGAMY
FOREIGN EXCHANGE – AUTHENTICITY
VON PEA – PEA’S GOTTA HAVE IT
BILAL – AIRTIGHT’S REVENGE

Whitney Mercer
in no fancy order
Fielded – Terrageist
Cacaw – Cacaw
Best Coast – Crazy For You
Tallest Man On Earth – Wild Hunt
Liminanas – Liminanas
Heavy Times – Dead
LCD Soundsystem – This Is Happening
Black Keys – Brothers
Charlotte Gainsbourg -IRM
Pigeon John – Dragonslayer
Janelle Monae – The ArchAndroid
Buke and Gass – Riposte
Owen Pallett – Heartland
Frightened Rabbit – Winter of Mixed Drinks

Anthony Illarde
ARTICLES OF FAITH
New Normal Catastrophe (Alternative Tentacles)
Live at Riot Fest 10/09 AAA
TRISTRAM CARY
It’s Time For Tristram Cary (Trunk)
DA
Exclamation Point (Factory 25)
DIRTY BEACHES
True Blue/Sweet 17 (Zoo 7″)
Omon Ra II / Dirty Beaches (Split CS)
EDDY CURRENT SUPPRESSION RING
Rush To Relax (Goner)
FUCKIN’ FLYIN’ A-HEADS
Swiss Cheese Back 7” (De Stijl 7″ reissue 2010)
BRUCE HAACK
Farad – The Electric Voice (Stones Throw)
LAZY SMOKE
Corridor of Faces (Jackpot vinyl reissue 2010)
MONKEES
The Birds, the Bees & the Monkees Box Set (Rhino Handmade)
Head Box Set (Rhino Handmade)
SYL JOHNSON
Complete Mythology Box Set (Numero Group)
SHARON JONES & THE DAP-KINGS
I Learned the Hard Way (Daptone)
BRUNO MARS
Doo-Wops & Hooligans (Elektra)
ARIEL PINK’S HAUNTED GRAFFITI
Before Today (4AD)
SUN RA
Strange Worlds In My Mind: Space Poetry Vol 1 (Norton)
Sub-Dwellers: Space Poetry Vol 2
Outer Darkness: Space Poetry Vol 3
SUPERIMPOSERS
Sunshine Pops (Wonderfulsound)
TUTU & THE PIRATES
Sub-Urban Insult Rock For The Anti-Lectual 1977-1979 (Factory 25)
FRANK ZAPPA
Greasy Love Songs (Zappa)
VARIOUS ARTISTS
My Friend Rain [Soundtrack] (Sublime Frequencies)
Pomegranates – Persian Pop, Funk, Folk & Psych of the 60s & 70s (Finders Keepers)
Turkish Freakout: Psych Folk Singles 1969-80 (Bouzouki Joe)
DVD/FILM
The Short Films of Al Jarnow: Celestial Navigations (Numero Group)
Who Is Harry Nilsson (And Why Is Everybody Talkin’ About Him?) (D: John Scheinfeld)
BOOKS
Husker Du: The Story of the Noise-Pop Pioneers Who Launched Modern Rock (Andrew Earles)
Spray Paint the Walls: The Story of Black Flag (Stevie Chick)
Touch & Go:The Complete Hardcore Punk Zine 79-83 (Tesco Vee & Dave Stimson)

Charles Taylor
Midlake: The Courage Of Others
Mike Patton: Mondo Cane
Paul Weller: Wake Up The Nation
Tunng: …And Then We Saw Land
Groundhogs: The Liberty Years
Radio Massacre International: Time & Motion
Satoko Fujii: Desert Ship
Atomic: Theatre Tilters
Tyshawn Sorey: Koan
Aki Takase: A Week Went By
Decoy: Vol.1 Spirit
Anthony Braxton: 19 Standards (Quartet)
Parker/Guy/Lytton/Evans: Scenes In The House Of Music
Vandermark 5: The Horse Jumps And The Ship Is Gone

Chris Wilkus
BEST HIP HOP/R&B ALBUMS OF 2010

1) KANYE WEST “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” (Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam)
2) LIL’ B “Rain In England” (Weird Forest)
3) PRINCE “20Ten” (NPG Records)
4) BIG BOI “Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty” (Purple Ribbon/Def Jam)
5) KIDZ IN THE HALL “Land of Make Believe” (Duck Down)

BEST ALBUMS OF 2010 (NON HIP-HOP)

  1) ELUVIUM “Similes” (Temporary Residence)
  2) MELVINS “The Bride Screamed Murder” (Ipecac Recordings)
  3) JULIAN LYNCH “Mare” (Olde English Spelling Bee)
  4) INDIAN JEWELRY “Totaled” (We Are Free)
  5) ACTIVE CHILD “Curtis Lane EP” (Filter/Merok)
  6) UMBERTO “From the Grave” (Sonic Meditations)
  7) VILLA NAH “Origin” (Keys of Life)
  8) BLANK DOGS “Land and Fixed” (Captured Tracks)
  9) COCONUTS “Coconuts EP” (No Quarter)
10) THE SUPERIMPOSERS “Sunshine Pops!” (Wonderfulsound)
11) SQUAREPUSHER PRESENTS “Shobaleader One: D’demonstrator” (Warp Records)
12) MATTHEW DEAR “Black City” (Ghostly)
13) LCD SOUNDSYSTEM “This Is Happening” (Virgin/Parlophone/DFA)
14) HOT CHIP “One Life Stand” (Astralwerks)
15) BITCHIN BAJAS “Tones / Zones” (Important Records)
16) BRIAN ENO “Small Craft On a Milk Sea” (Warp Records)
17) HAROLD BUDD & CLIVE WRIGHT “Little Windows” (Darla Records)
18) KEN CAMDEN “Lethargy & Repercussions” (Kranky)
19) CHARLOTTE GAINSBOURG “IRM” (Because Music/Elektra)
20) ZOLA JESUS “Stridulum EP” (Sacred Bones) 
21) THE DURUTTI COLUMN “A Paean to Wilson” (Kookydisc)
22) THE BOOKS “The Way Out” (Temporary Residence)
23) FUTURE ISLANDS “In Evening Air” (Thrill Jockey)
24) SLEEP IN “Carnival” (Enemies List Home Recordings)
25) WHITE RING “Black Earth That Made Me” (Disaro)
26) THE SOFT MOON “The Soft Moon” (Captured Tracks)
27) GONJASUFI “A Sufi and a Killer” (Warp Records)
28) MÜHR “Shepherd/Blood” (Self-Released)
29) HEAVY HAWAII “HH” (Art Fag Recordings)
30)LAKE RADIO “Planet Earth About to Be Recycled”

Brett Grossman
34 Records/ 12 Months
 
The New Pornographers- Together (Matador)
Deerhunter- Halcyon Digest (4ad)
Casino Versus Japan- Night on Tape (Attack 9)
Eluvium – Similes (Temporary Residence)
Ian Hawgood – Slow Films in Low Light (Home Normal)
Ursula Bogner- Recordings 1969-1988 (Faitiche)
Julian Lynch – Mare (Olde English Spelling Bee)
Joanna Newsom – Have One On Me (Drag City)
Four Tet – There Is Love in You (Domino)
White Fence- White Fence (Woodsist)
Beach House – Teen Dream (Sub Pop)
Tape & Bill Wells – Fugue (Immune)
Ducktails / Dracula Lewis “Split 12” (No Fun)
Broken Bells- Broken Bells (Sony)
James Murphy- Greenberg Soundtrack (Virgin)
Liars- Sisterworld (Mute)
Ken Camden- Lethargy & Repercussion (Kranky)
Woods- At Echo Lake (Woodsist)
Frog Eyes- Paul’s Tomb: A Triumph (Dead Oceans)
Sparklehorse & Danger Mouse- Dark Knight of the Soul (Capitol)
Sleigh Bells – Treats (Mom & Pop Music)
Wolf Parade – Expo 86 (Sub Pop)
Various Artists- Stroke: Songs for Chris Knox (Merge)
The Books- The Way Out (Temporary Residence)
Caribou- Swim (Merge)
Best Coast- Crazy for You (Mexican Summer)
Here We Go Magic- Pigeons (Secretly Canadian)
Altar Eagle- Mechanical Gardens (Type)
Land of Talk – Cloak and Cipher (Saddle Creek)
Keith Fullerton Whitman – Generator (Root Strata)
No Age- Everything In Between (Sub Pop)
Gonjasufi- A Sufi And A Killer (Warp)
Coma Cinema- Blue Suicide (Wonder Beard)
Catherine Christer Hennix- The Electric Harpsichord- Reissue (Die Schachtel)

Friends of Reckless
Aaron Aites: Director of “Until the Light Takes”
in no particular order
Sun Araw: On Patrol / Off Duty
Digital Mystikz: Return II Space
Salem: King Night
Natural Snow Buildings: The Centauri Agent
Swans: My Father Will Guide Me Up A Rope To The Sky
Marnie Stern: Marnie Stern
Demdike Stare: Liberation Through Hearing / Forest Of Evil / Voices Of Dust
The Advisory Circle: Mind How You Go (Revised Edition)
Burzum: Belus
The Dead C: Patience

Mike Venutolo-Mantovani: Matador Records
10.Superchunk – Majesty Shredding (Merge)
9. Belle and Sebastian – Write About Love (Matador)
8. Happy Birthday – Happy Birthday (Sub Pop)
7. Pantha du Prince – Black Noise (Rough Trade)
6. Fucked Up – Couple Tracks: Singles 2001-2009 (Matador)
5. The Parting Gifts – Strychnine Dandelion (In The Red)
4. Titus Andronicus – The Monitor (XL Recordings)
3. Dylan LeBlanc – Pauper’s Field (Rough Trade)
2. Black Breath – Heavy Breathing (Southern Lord)
1. Sharon Van Etten – Epic (Ba Da Bing)

Brian Case (ex-employee, member of DISAPPEARS, THE PONYS)

Lower Dens – Twin Hand Movement
Easily my most listened to album this year. Initially I picked this up because I thought a friend of mine was in it, turned out he recorded it. So good, hope to do some shows together at some point.

Spoon – Transference
Spoon get better and more popular with every release by constantly evolving. This is their best album in my opinion, one of the few bands out their pushing their fans into new territory.
Deerhunter – Halcyon Digest
Another band that succeeds by changing. At first I was on the fence with some of this but after seeing it live a few times and a few serious headphone sessions I really got the mood and aura of the recording.

Women – Public Strain
This sounds better and different every time I listen to it. I hope they didn’t break up.

Anika – Anika
Woke up with this on my ipod one morning – don’t remember how I found it but it’s easily the coolest music made in 2010.

Weekend – Sport
Like Peter Hook in a Krautrock band. Lots of layers that never layer together, it’s great.

Veronica Falls – Both singles
Kinda surprised more people aren’t all over this band – they’ll have an album our sometime 2011 that will be my favorite for the year.

Brian Eno – Small Craft on a Milk Sea
Was really suprised by this, the guys he’s collaborating with are excellent. Everything about this – label, art, music – was really thought out and tasteful.

Soft Moon – Soft Moon
This is sneaking in right at the end of the year, very impressed with this guy.

Thread Pulls – New Thoughts
Heard this on the New Noise Podcast, really sparse – lots of space, just getting into it but I like it a lot
.
Beach House – Teen Dream
What a great year for music, this record is perfect

Stephen Sowley: ex-employee, studio manager at Electrical Audio, bouncer & DJ @ Danny’s, former bingo caller, hunk
“When I was 15, a record shop employee named Brady McTigue introduced me to Throbbing Gristle, Chrome, and Big Black; he also introduced me to the culture of independent record stores. This is for him…RIP friend.”

Slices–Cruising
The Fall–Your Future Our Clutter
Rot Shit–You’re Welcome 7″
Jack Rose–Luck In The Valley
Nina Nastasia–The Outlaster
Veins–Veins 7″
Dadawah–Peace & Love (reissue)
Joshua Abrams–Natural Information
Madlib–Madlib Medicine Show: Beat Konducta In Africa
Harvey Milk–A Small Turn Of Human Kindness
Bill Orcutt–Way Down South 12″
Hannibal Burress–My Name Is Hannibal
Population–Population Demo Cassette
Bill Callahan–Rough Travel For A Rare Thing
Love Cry Want–S/T (reissue)
Double Negative–Daydream Nation
Burning Star Core–Papercuts Theater

Joe Wetteroth: BRAIN IDEA

Conformists “None Hundred”
Heavy Times “Dead”
Neil Young “Le Noise”
Heater “God and Hair”
Fielded “Terrageist”

Henry Owings: CHUNKLET
Shipping News-One Less Heart To Fear (Karate Body)
Slices-Cruising (Iron Lung)
Dum Dum Girls-I Will Be (Sub Pop)
Black Helicopter-Don’t Fuck With The Apocalypse (Ecstatic Peace!/Limited Appeal)
White Shit-Sculpted Beef (PPM) + White Shi’ite (Wantage)
Ocean-Pantheon of the Lesser (Important)
Black Bug-self titled (FDH)
Twin Stumps-Seedbed (Fan Death)
Disappears-LUX (Kranky)
Drunk Driver-Self Titled (self released)
Woven Bones-In And Out And Back Again (Hozac)
Nails-Unsilent Death (Southern Lord)
The Limiñanas-self titled (Trouble In Mind)
Grids-White Walls (Ink Blot)
Tre Orsi-Devices and Emblems (Works Progress)
Hank IV-III (Siltbreeze)
Part Chimp-Thriller (Rock Action)
A Frames-3 (SS)

Cory Rayborn: Three Lobed
“We don’t normally make lists around here, but inspiration has struck the last few days for some reason or another to put together a little a little non-definitive (and non-ordered) list of some releases that we have found ourselves listening to with substantial frequency over the course of 2010.  Maybe there’s something on here that you’re not familiar with that piques your interest. – Three Lobed

1 Yellow Swans “Going Places” (Type) – This is one hell of a closing bow from Pete and Gabe. Dense, rich, and otherworldly.
2 Flying Lotus “Cosmogramma” (Warp) – If Sun Ra was given a turntable he would end up making a record like this. Deeply textured and rewards with new discoveries on each spin.
3 Jack Rose “Luck In The Valley” (Thrill Jockey) – A beautiful final album from a dearly missed friend.
4 Jenks Miller & Nicholas Szczepanik “American Gothic” (Small Doses) – Scrapes, tones and drones for the most gorgeous of all waking frightmares.  Some really wonderful minimalist activity is contained within these 35 minutes.
5 Barn Owl “Ancestral Star” (Thrill Jockey) – a varied collection of transportational and enveloping imagined landscapes.
6 Bonnie “Prince” Billy & The Cairo Gang “Wonder Show of the World” (Drag City) – Emmett Kelly’s guitar playing provides a perfectly paced foil to some of BPB’s most haunting lyrical performances. “The Sounds Are Always Begging” always produces chills.
 7 Rangda “Rangda” (Drag City) – Alternates between intense dual guitar shredmanship (“Waldorf Hysteria”) and hypnotic hymns (“Plain of Jars”).  Hopes are already high for the next chapter of this mega-dream team’s joint explorations.
8 Group Doueh “Beatte Harab” / Group Inerane “Guitars From Agadez, Vol. 3” (Sublime Frequencies)  Hisham and Alan constantly bring the goods during each of the past several years – they are out there turning over stones and going to remote locations to bring back treasures that we all need in our lives. While Sublime has brought us prior gems from both Group Doueh and Group Inerane, one would be remiss to pass
on these two latest without heaping praise upon them.  The Doueh offers a plate of concise, intricate artistry as a sort of complementary collection alongside lengthier jams from last year’s “Treeg Salaam”.  The Inerane record picks up right where the group’s first LP with Sublime left off – it’s a total keeper.
9 Sun City Girls “Funeral Mariachi” (Abduction) – A nice pairing with the radiantly alive “Luck In The Valley,” “Funeral Mariachi” is a somber collection of goodbyes.  Ghostly and haunting.
10 Jefre Cantu-Ledesma “Love Is A Stream” (Type) – Shimmering, squelching organic guitar landscapes.  The sort of jams that you will put on repeat and repeat…
11 Bottomless Pit “Blood Under The Bridge” (self-released) – As glorious as the late, great Silkworm. Anthemic greatness.
12 Endless Boogie “Full House Head” (No Quarter) – Count me fully on the side of those who adore this band, their approach and their product. “A Life Worth Leaving” is one truly splendid slice of deep fried, gravy soaked boogie

Matt Rucins: Schubas
Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
Deerhunter – Halcyon Digest
LCD Soundsystem – This Is Happening
Local Natives – Gorilla Manor
Janelle Monae – The ArchAndroid
Morning Benders – Big Echo
Robyn – Body Talk
Sharon Van Etten – Epic
Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Yeasayer – Odd Blood

Dave D’estroyer: Revolver Distribution

our love will destroy the world “blue eyes are my reward” – favorite record this year, maybe next too
all things purling hiss, 3 classic records in one year?  amazing.
segall / vandamme split – hilarious idea actually makes for an interesting listen
SDM cassette – pod blotz + zaimph = mind-expanding synth racket
chrisma re-issues – great for when all this minimal wave stuff starts to sound the same
stellar om source – exises cd-r & trilogy select lp & “gamers” 7″ – yes!
peter gordon + love of life orchestra – probably the most plays in the office since devon williams
shaangra electro comp on honest jon’s – impossible not to move to this
afro beat airways on analog africa – see above
anika – this year’s pleasant surprise award
death sentence: panda! – spectral arms – whoaaaaaaaaa
honestly i can’t even narrow down all the amazing music that came out this year, keep it up world

Ian Lawrence: Forced Exposure distribution
Top 10 Albums/Singles/Compilation/Reissues of 2010 (in no particular order)
 

ALBUMS:
Actress – Splashz (Honest Jon’s)
Sun City Girls – Funeral Mariachi (Abduction)
The Fun Years – God was like, No (Barge Recordings)
Jefre-Cantu Ledesma – Love is a Stream (Type)
Rene Hell – Porceline Opera (Type)
John Roberts – Glass Eights CD (Dial)
Deepchord present Echospace – Liumin (Modern Love)
Demdike Stare – Symbiosis/Liberation Through Hearing/Voices Of Dust LPs (Modern Love)
Thomas Fehlman – Gute Luft CD (Kompakt)
Prins Thomas – Prins Thomas CD (Full Pupp)
 
SINGLEs/EPs/12″/7″:
Shackleton – Man On A String Part 1 And 2/Bastard Spirit 12″ (Woe to the Septic Heart!)
Little John & Billy Boyo – What You Want To Be 12″ (Dug Out)
Balam Acab – See Birds EP (Triangle)
Mark Ernestus vs. Konono No.1 – Masikulu Dub/Masikulu Rhythm 12″ (CNG)
Eddie Hooper – Pass It On (Part 1)/Tomorrow’s Sun 12″ (Soundway)
Anthony Redrose – Electric Chair 7″ (Dug Out)
Bill Orcutt – Way Down South EP (Palilalia)
V/A – Sofritos Super Singles EPs 1 & 2 (Sofritos)
Farben – Farben 12″ (Faitiche)
Margaret Dygas – How Do You Do? (Power Shovel Audio)
 

REISSUES:
Mandre – 4 (Rush Hour)
Dadawah – Peace and Love (Dug OUt)
Parson Sound – Parson Sound Box LP (Subliminal Sounds)
Les Rallizes Denudes – Heavier than a Death in the Family LP (Phoenix)
Ted Lucas – Ted Lucas LP (Sebastian Says)
Michael Hurley – First Songs LP (Folkways)
The Parasites of the Western World – The Parasites Of The Western World LP (De Stijl)
Ozzie – Parabolic Rock LP (SS Records)
Alexander Robotnic – Ce N’est Q’un Début LP (Medical)
Charanjit Singh – Ten Ragas To A Disco Beat LP (Bombay Connection)
 
COMPILATIONS:
V/A – Pomegranates LP (Finders Keepers)
V/A – Diggin’ Down in Argentina LP (Crazy Apple Boutique)
V/A – Watch how the People Dancing LP (Honest Jon’s)
V/A – Vanity Records: Finest Selection 1978 to 1981 LP (Save Music Before Loose It)
V/A – The World Ends: Afro Rock & Psychedelia In 1970s Nigeria LPs (Soundway)
Dara Puspita – Dara Puspita 1966-1968 CD (Sublime Frequencies)
Daphne Oram – Oramics LP (Modern Love)
V/A – Soft Sounds For Gentle People 5 CD (Pet Records)
V/A – Lagos Disco Inferno LP (Academy)
v/A – Brazilian Guitar Fuzz Bananas LP (World Psychedelic Funk Classics)
 
Label of the Year:
Honest Jon’s


TOP 10 celebrity shoppers at Reckless in 2010 (in no order)

1.Paul Simenon
2.Glenn Danzig
3.Dan Auerbach
4.Winona Ryder
5.Keith Morris
6.Wreckless Eric
7.The Buzzcocks
8.Fred Schneider
9.Tesco Vee
10.David Cross