Better Late Then Never

This week I posted my lists of my favorite singles and cds of the past year. Of course, I can't possibly listen to everything, and I am not given any promotional copies of these releases, so my means are fairly limited. So it is a very small cross section from what is released throughout the year. As an addendum to my list, here are a few cds that I literally just came across in the past few weeks and would likely have included them in my final lists. I would call these Honorable Mentions, but that implies that they wouldn't have made the list. And one of the cds would easily have been included in my top ten. Here they are:

Memory Tapes - Seek Magic



I will admit I heard about this cd long ago but could never find it anywhere. iTunes, as nice as it can be, didn't have it and I am not sure if they even carry it now. I finally tracked it down a couple of weeks ago on an obscure website and have been blown away. While my top ten list was fairly immobile by this point, I would have definitely put this cd in there towards the top. I have listened to it about 10 times a day for the last few weeks. The music is not necessarily electronic or dance music, and is not really alternative pop, but a lovely mix of the two. Shades of bands like Cocteau Twins (the delicate echoing guitar parts of "Swimming Field"), LCD Soundsystem (the pulsating "Bicycle" and "Graphics"), and Aphex Twin ("Pink Stones") coalesce into something wholly its own. I haven't been this excited about a dance music act in awhile.

Various Artists - 5: 5 Years of Hyperdub



Dark, ominous, and foreboding. Music for late night rides on empty mass transit systems. This compilation of 5 years of material from the seminal dubstep label Hyperdub is amazing to listen to. I had this cd for awhile but really only recently started to listen to it in depth, and the range and high quality of the acts is astounding. Along with label stars Burial, Caspa and Rusko, Zomby, and Kode9, there are a bevy of other acts that stand tall alongside them. 5 years is a long time in dance music, and dubstep seems to be in for the long haul.

Caspa and Rusko - FabricLive.37



This is a very strong entry in the FabricLive series of mix cds. I've been listening to a lot of solo Rusko due to a recommendation from my friend Kurt. Solo, his material is very harsh dubstep. With Caspa, the rough edges are sanded down. Not that it blunts any impact, but makes it bordering on the edge of commercial, which will hopefully open up the genre to a wider audience.

Washed Out - Life of Leisure



Georgia multi-instrumentalist Ernest Greene, who operates as Washed Out, is one of the new proponents of glo-fi electronic music, which somehow conjures images of x-ed out club kids holding glow sticks and wearing Urban Outfitter couture. I'm not quite sure what the term is meant to signify, but to me, is not a very apt description. The music doesn't evoke a club or rave culture to me at all. Rather, it is very pastoral; evoking long, hot summer days and being young with a whole future laid out before you. I would assume it means something different to a college age person than to me, who is fast approaching 40. It fills me with longing and nostalgia. The complexity of the music is what brings me back time and again.

Maxwell - BLACKsummers'night



Maxwell sat out the last 9 years in an attempt to enjoy life. I envy the man. He decided to make music when he felt like it and not at the whim of a record executive. Upon returning, he has not released a cd that announces itself loudly, and does not make any bold leaps in any new direction. It is just Maxwell doing what he does best, lending his gorgeous voice to a set of beautiful, and very sexy songs. Open a bottle of wine, kick your shoes off and let him work his magic. Seduction is an art left to the masters.