Friday, December 14, 2007

Donewaiting.com Staff Favorites of 2007: Doug Elliott Donewaiting.com Staff Favorites of 2007: Doug Elliott. 1. Psychedelic Horseshit, Magic Flowers Droned (Siltbreeze) The most sincere record of the year. Despite its pasted-together ambiance, Magic Flowers Droned is a meticulously-crafted manifesto against the mundane, the disposable, and the transparent. Mr. Whitehurst is at once the most detail-oriented and haphazard person I know. 2. Panda Bear, Person Pitch (Paw Tracks) Beautiful and uplifting without overstatement, Noah Lennox has trumped every dream-pop or collage-work record over the last fifteen years, including his own band[base ']s best work, with Person Pitch. The most forward-looking album of 2007. 3. Blues Control, Puff (Woodsist) True postmodern psychedelia. Guitar, keys, some pedals and a Walkman are all this duo need to create a 21st Century Atlantis. It's like the bong is taking hits from you. 4. Justice - ÄY (Vice/Ed Banger) The Ed Banger hype finally culminates stateside with this French duo's debut. House grooves, hi-jacked funk, disco strings, a Devo video sample[sigma]this is a rare dance record that will stand the test of time. 5. Pink Reason - Cleaning the Mirror (Siltbreeze) Primal screams from Kevin DuBroux, the Midwest[base ']s finest post-hardcore singer/songwriter (don[base ']t call him that to his face). Rumors that he might end the PR book have me bummed. Stream: Pink Reason 6. Los Llamarada, The Exploding Now (S-S) Never-wave jams outta Monterrey, Mexico. This one climbed up my list as [OE]07 rolled along, its scuzzy vibes finally able to penetrate my dense skull. 7. Times New Viking - The Paisley Reich (Siltbreeze) I would probably put this in my top two or three if a) it were a tad longer, b) the drummer wasn[base ']t my brother and c) they didn't have the album of the year '08 coming out in a little more than a month. Still, a huge piece in the TNV puzzle and the most bang out of fifteen minutes ever. 8. Burial, Untrue (Hyperdub) As big a breakthrough for dubstep you'll see in the US, Burial takes a dated artform (minimal breaks) and somehow makes it vital again. 9. Shocking Pinks, Shocking Pinks (Astralwerks/DFA) Not quite your older brother's Kiwi Pop. DFA compiles the best from Nick Harte's two Flying Nun albums to make this domestic long-player. Love the live feel of these recordings. MP3: Second Hand Girl 10. Der TPK, Harmful Emotions (Siltbreeze) Read my full review of this here. 11. Sword Heaven, Entrance (Load) Read my donewaiting.com review of Entrance here. 12. R. Kelly - Double Up (Jive) I wish Kels would serialize "Real Talk" like he did "Trapped in the Closet". And isn[base ']t it time he got his own reality show? MP3: Real Talk 13. The Field, From Here We Go Sublime (Kompakt) A human pulse for adderall-fueled robots. Warmth + repetition = ecstasy. MP3: Everyday 14. Sonic Chicken 4, Sonic Chicken 4 (In the Red) SC4 are a French group that play spirited garage in the VU/Kinks vein. Fun stuff, I'm really kicking myself for missing not one but two shows in Columbus this Fall. Link: Sonic Chicken 4 live on Cherry Blossom Clinic 15. Group Doueh, Guitar Music From the Western Sahara (Sublime Frequencies)Sublime Frequencies' first foray into new, album-length releases, Guitar Music showcases Doueh's virtuosic string talents. This is their first official release outside of Morocco and deserves a much wider edition than its 1000 copy, vinyl-only run. Link: About Dakhla, Morocco [donewaiting.com] 7:16:49 AM