Serengeti & Polyphonic - Don't Give Up
I don't really recall how exactly I came across Serengeti. It was either late 2005 or early 2006 and I somehow found a review of Noodle Arm Whimsy. I ordered the record from MF Grimm's label website and three months later it arrived. I still don't know whether to laugh or cry when I hear the album. Since then he's released about 6 albums under a variety of labels, each one weirder and slightly more depressing than the last. Don't Give Up is the most recent and probably the best of the lot. Teaming up with Polyphonic, a multi-faceted producer (who also worked on the excellent Juba Dance record) was obviously a good move for Geti King who moves through tracks that straddle the line between IDM, Hip-Hop and straight out indie soul. Definitely worth a shot.
Daft Punk - Alive 2007
We all know I'm only putting this here because I saw them play their last pyramid show and it was fucking awesome. I resisted the temptation to listen to this until after the concert and I can still picture the pyramid on stage, the insane amount of people getting into it, the rush that came from hearing the Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger melody underlying Face To Face and the pretentious Australia's Next Top Model yelling at my friend for accidentally bumping into her - because that doesn't happen in a 50'000 strong crowd, not at all. Regardless of how much Daft Punk love on the internets and in the Sydney cool crowd can be attributed to their recent Pitchfork stamp of approval (who have never given them great marks for their studio albums) and the rise of Human After All devotees Ed Banger. All of that adds to the mystique of Daft Punk's live show but it doesn't take away from the fact that this is a quality record.
Spank Rock & Benny Blanco are Bangers & Cash
MC Spank Rock's impeccable voice, flow and rhymes combined with old N.W.A. and 2 Live Crew samples, there's not really much else to say. If Spank Rock, Amanda Blank & Santogold manage to drop albums this year they might actually get noticed by the kind of Hip-Hop fans that love arguing about riveting issues like Souljah Boy vs. GZA.
U.G.K. - Underground Kings
It's always a shame when a talented musician passes away. For all of Pimp C's arrogance and big statements his music always spoke louder. UGK isn't a perfect album. It's overlong and as is now standard for a Hip-Hop double album there's an over-abundance of guests. The problem in this argument is that almost every track is great so you can cherry-pick if you can't sit through the entire record. The guests, of which there are many, shine. Dizzee Rascal steals the show on Two Types of Bitches while Pimpin' Ken pulls off a George Clinton-esque level of rant. Interestingly, the very next track is a Can't Hide Love sampling Talib Kweli aided ode to at least one of those types of bitches. So what's the problem with the album? Nothing, really. Except that Pimp C's dead now, so we'll probably never hear another one.
Deerhoof - Friend Opportunity
Super happy fun slide!
Grinderman
Don't ask me why I haven't gotten into Nick Cave earlier, because I've got no good answer. Even Raekwon would respect that man's moustache. I don't want to delve too much into the music. It's worth a listen. Everything fits together.
Architecture In Helsinki - Places Like This
More giddy fun, but slightly more disturbing than Friend Opportunity, Places Like This marks a bold shift from what could be considered Architecture's breakout record. Rough guitars, drum machines and Cameron Bird's much harsher 'new' sound are superimposed over the soft indie-pop stylings of In Case We Die to create something that didn't resonate with a lot of bloggers and critics. While I too was dismissive at first one by one the songs attached themselves to my iPod playlist until the whole album came together. Definitely a grower and hopefully an indication of what's going on with Australian music.
Wu-Tang Clan - 8 Diagrams
Amazon's listing of this record (Wu-Tang Clan & The RZA) is spot-on. While you won't hear anyone except Meth keep the Wu-Tang name out there more than RZA he's musically transcended the space the Clan once occupied in Hip-Hop. Where Ghostface stuck to what the fanatical cadre of Wu-fans know and love on his recent Big Doe Rehab (which, honestly, should have been better) the first Clan album in 6 years has RZA pulling further and further away from what made him - and the Clan - famous in the first place. The Kung-Fu samples make a welcome return and opener Campfire immediately brings to mind RZA's Hip-Hop peak in 2000 but nothing else is the same. Musically, 8 Diagrams is the bastard child of Forever & The W with no sign of the straightforward funk and soul of Iron Flag to be seen. RZA struggles to find a balance between his experimental streak and his obligation to the fans and the other members in crafting an album that can still be called Hip-Hop, layering traditional 4 and 8-bar loops and beats over intermittent slap bass, violins, spaghetti western whistles and war drums in what seems to be an effort to keep him interested. The results are musically rich and consistently fantastic - if only we could say the same for the rapping. The public bickering between members over money, creative input and release dates spills over into the record and destroys any illusion of unity and we're left with nine talented rappers who can't seem to cohere on more than a couple of songs (like standout 'The Heart Gently Weeps'). RZA might be the Abbot of the Clan but they're obviously not interested in learning anything else from him. The result is, of course, an incredible yet flawed album, difficult to digest at first yet eventually opening up and revealing the true depth of the Clan's talent.
M.I.A. - Kala
This was always going to be album of the year. We've all heard Bird Flu, Boyz & Paper Planes but the depth of the rest of Maya Arulpragasam's sophomore effort is staggering. It's a statement, a party, a circus and a confessional all in one package. I can't say anything about the album that hasn't been said already, so I'll leave it at this - a hipster British artist managed to eclipse everyone's expectations, by accident. What started out as a pop album with Timbaland ended up being a tour of the post-colonial world, held even less commercial appeal than Arular and ended up being one of the best albums of the decade.
