The following is a list of albums that were released this year that I did not have the space to review, but recommend no less. Hopefully you’ll see something that catches your interest and inspires you to look it up. Ummm…… yeah, smoke babies. Oh, and P.S., go to www.slsknet.org for the best file sharing program ever. Pipes!
AFX- Chosen Lords [ Rephlex ]
Arthur Russel- First Thought, Best Thought [ Audika ]
No Neck Blues Band and Embryo- EmbryoNNCK [ Staubgold ]
Tom Ze- Estudando o Pagode [ Luaka Bop ]
Fiery Furnaces- Bitter Tea [ Fat Possum ]
James F!@#$%^ Friedman- Go Commando With [ DeFend Music ]
Maritime- We, the Vehicles [ Flameshovel ]
Wilderness- Vessel States [ Jagjaguwar ]
Aloha- Some Echoes [ Polyvinyl ]
Calexico- Garden Ruin [ Calexico ]
Parts & Labor- Stay Afraid [ Jagjaguwar]
Mi and L’au- Mi and L’au [ Young God ]
Major Stars- Syntoptikon [ Important ]
Various Artitsts- The DFA Remixes: Chapter One [ DFA/Astralwerks ]
Tanakh- Ardent Fevers [ Alien 8 ]
Islands- Return to the Sea [ Equator ]
T.I.- King [ Grand Hustle/Atlantic ]
Morrissey- Ringleader of the Tormentors [ Attack/ Sanctuary ]
Flaming Lips- At War With the Mystics [ Warner Bros ]
Feathers- Feathers [ Gnomonsong ]
The Essex Green- Cannibal Sea [ Merge ]
Nomo- New Tones [ Ubiquity ]
Pinetop Seven- Beneath Confederate Lake [ Empyrean ]
Deerhoof- Untitled EP [ selfreleased ]
Various Artists- The Complete Motown Singles, Vol. 4: 1964 [ Hip-O Select ]
Johnny Cash- Personal File [ Columbia ]
Vetiver- To Find Me Gone [ DiChristina ]
The Go! Team- Audio Assault Course [ self-released ]
Hot Chip- The Warning [ DFA/EMI ]
Phoenix- It’s Never Been Like That [ Astralwerks ]
The Black Angels- Passover [ Light in the Attic ]
Mission Of Burma- The Obliterati [ Matador ]
Whitehouse- Asceticists 2006 [ Susan Lawly ]
Dat Politics- Wow Twist [ Chicks on Speed ]
Shogun Kunitoki- Tasankokaiku [ Fonal ]
Ekkehard Ehlers- A Life Without Fear [ Staubgold ]
Karl Blau- Beneath Waves [ K ]
The Black Heart Procession- The Spell [ Touch and Go ]
Paik- Monster of the Absolute [ Strange Attractors ]
Espers- II [ Drag City ]
The Coup- Pick a Bigger Weapon [ Epitaph ]
The Futureheads- News & Tributes [ 679/Vagrant ]
King Biscuit Time- Black Gold [ Poptones ]
The Durutti Column- Keep Breathing [ Artful ]
Kimya Dawson- Remember That I Love You [ K ]
Danielson- Ships [ Secretly Canadian ]
Grandaddy- Just Like The Fambly Cat [ V2 ]
Shearwater- Palo Santo [ Misra ]
Scott Walker- The Drift [ 4AD ]
Matmos- The Rose Has Teeth in the Mouth of the Beast [ Matador ]
Various Artists- Sur La Mer Samp-Le-Mer [ 5rc ]
Gnarls Barkley- St. Elsewhere [ Downtown]
Zach Hill and Mick Barr- Shred Earthship [ 5rc ]
Frog Eyes- The Bloody Hand/ The Golden River [ Global Symphonic ]
Jesu- Silver EP [ Hydra Head ]
Sunset Rubdown- Shut Up I Am Dreaming [ Absolutely Kosher ]
Ellen Allien & Apparat- Orchestra of Bubbles [ Bpitch Control ]
Cadence Weapon- Breaking Kayfabe [ Upper Class ]
Final Fantasy- He Poos Clouds [ Blocks/Tomlab ]
Bob Drake- What Day Is It? [ self-released ]
Neil Young- Living With War [ Reprise ]
Birchville Cat Motel- Our Love Will Destroy the World [ PseudoArcana ]
Milosh- Meme [ Plug Research ]
Cex- Actually Fucking [ Automation ]
Mojave 3- Puzzles Like You [ 4AD ]
Four Tet- DJ Kicks [ DJ Kicks ]
Asobi Seksu- Citrus [ Friendly Fire ]
DeVotchka- Curse Your Little Heart EP [ Ace Fu ]
Brightblack Morning Light- Brightblack Morning Light [ Matador ]
Amps for Christ- Every Eleven Seconds [ 5rc ]
DJ Drama & Lil Wayne- Dedication 2 [ Gangsta Grillz ]
The Red Krayola- Introduction [ Drag City ]
Barbara Morgenstern- The Grass Is Always Greener [ Monika ]
Mr. Lif- Mo’ Mega [ Definitive Jux ]
Bardo Pond- Ticket Crystals [ ATP ]
Smog- Rock Bottom Riser EP [ Drag City ]
Metallic Falcons- Desert Doughnut [ Voodoo-EROS ]
Ricardo Villalobos- Salvador [ Frisbee Tracks ]
Evangelicals- So Gone [ Misra ]
Sonic Youth- Rather Ripped [ Geffen ]
Om- Conference of the Birds [ Holy Mountain ]
Be Your Own Pet- Be Your Own Pet [ Ecstatic Peace/Universal ]
Camera Obscura- Let’s Get Out of This Country [ Merge ]
Herbert- Scale [ !K7 ]
The Pipettes- We Are The Pipettes [ Memphis Industries ]
Current 93- Black Ships Ate the Sky [ Durtro ]
Old 97’s- Hit by a Train: The Best of Old 97’s [ Elektra/Rhino ]
Girl Talk- Night Ripper [ Illegal Art ]
Peaches- Impeach My Bush [ XL ]
Boris- Dronevil Final [ Misanthropic Agenda ]
CSS- Cansei De Ser Sexy [ Sub Pop ]
Alias and Tarsier- Brookland/Oaklyn [ anticon ]
Sufjan Stevens- The Avalanche [ Asthmatic Kitty ]
Kid 606- Pretty Girls Makes Raves EP [ Tigerbeat6 ]
Johnny Cash- American V; A Hundred Highways [ Lost Highway/American ]
Various Artists- Hefty Digest + Prefuse 73 Mixtape [ Hefty ]
The Roots- Game Theory [ Def Jam ]
M. Ward- Post-War [ Merge ]
Kelis- Kelis Was Here [ Jive ]
Broadcast- The Future Crayon [ ]
Lambchop- Damaged [ Merge ]
Jason Molina- Let Me Go Let Me Go Let Me Go [ Secretly Canadian ]
Metalux & John Wiese- Exoteric [ Load ]
The Mountain Goats- Get Lonely [ 4AD ]
DJ Quik- Born and Raised: The Greatest Hits [ Profile/Arista ]
J Dilla- The Shining [ BBE ]
Wooden Wand and the Sky High Band- Second Attention [ Kill Rock Stars ]
The Thermals- The Body, The Blood, The Machine [ Sub Pop ]
My Brightest Diamond- Bring Me the Workhorse [ Asthmatic Kitty ]
Wasteland- All Versus All [ Transparent ]
Tortoise- A Lazarus Taxon [ Thrill Jockey ]
Tokyo Police Club- A Lesson in Crime EP [ Paper Bag ]
Masta Killa- Made In Brooklyn [ Nature Sounds ]
I’m From Barcelona- Let Me Introduce My Friend [ Dolores ]
Comets On Fire- Avatar [ Sub Pop ]
Bonnie “Prince” Billy- The Cursed Sleep EP [Drag City ]
Erase Errata- Nightlife [ Kill Rock Stars ]
Xiu Xiu- Tu Mi Piaci EP [ Acuarela ]
Les Savy Fav- 3/5 [ Self-Starter Foundation ]
A Cloud Mireya- Singular [ Eastern Developments ]
Four Tet- Remixes [ Domino ]
My Morning Jacket- Okonokos [ ATO ]
Akron/Family- Meek Warrior [ Young God ]
The Album Leaf- Into the Blues Again [ Sub Pop ]
Lupe Fiasco- Food & Liquor [ 1st and 15th/Atlantic ]
Acid Mothers Temple and the Melting Paraiso U.F.O.- Have You Ever Seen the Other Side of the Sky? [ Ace Fu ]
Mastadon- Blood Mountain [ Reprise ]
Missy Elliot- Respect M.E. [ Atlantic ]
DJ Shadow- The Outsider [ Universal ]
Emily Haines & the Soft Skeleton- Knives Don’t Have Your Back [ Last Gang ]
Brazilian Girls- Talk to la Bomb [ Verve Forecast ]
Bonnie “Prince” Billy- The Letting Go [ alace/Drag City ]
Xiu Xiu- The Air Force [ 5RC ]
Magnolia Electric Co.- Fading Trails [Secretly Canadian ]
Hella- Acoustics [ 5RC ]
The Beach Boys- Pet Sounds: 40th Anniversary [Capitol ]
Mouse on Mars- Varcharz [ Ipecac ]
The Lifeforce Trio- Living Room [ Plug Research ]
Grizzly Bear- Yellow House [ Warp ]
Stereolab- Serene Velocity: A Stereolab Anthology[Rhino ]
Basement Jaxx- Crazy Itch Radio [ XL ]
Sunn 0))) & Boris- Altar [ Southern Lord ]
Skullflower- Tribulation [ Crucial Blast ]
Clark- Body Riddle [ Warp ]
! Hi-Tek- Hi- Teknology 2: The Chip [ Babygrande ]
Lindstrom- It’s a Feedelity Affair [ Feedelity ]
Flying Canyon- Flying Canyon [ Soft Abuse ]
Clinic- Visitations [ Domino ]
Goldfrapp- We Are Glitter [ Mute ]
Malajube- Trompe- L’oeil [ Dare To Care ]
Chavez- Better Days Will Haunt You [ Matador ]
The Mooney Suzuki- The Maximum Black EP [ self-released ]
Sunburned Hand of the Man- The Mylar Tantrum [ Three Lobed ]
Various Artists- The DFA Remixes: Chapter 2 [ DFA/Astralwerks ]
Okkervil River- Overboard & Down EP [ Low Transit Industries ]
Subtle- for hero: for fool [ Astralwerks ]
Beck- The Information [ Interscope ]
Noxagt- Noxagt [ Load ]
Kaki King- …Until We Felt Red [ Velour ]
The Decemberists- The Crane Wife [ Capitol ]
The Hold Steady- Boys and Girls in America [ Vagrant ]
Isis- In the Absence of Truth [ Ipecac ]
Tom Waits- Orphans, Brawlers, Bawlers, & Bastards[Anti ]
Max Richter- Songs From Before [ Fat Cat ]
Swan Lake- The Beast Moans [ Jagjaguwar ]
Sufjan Stevens- Songs For Christmas [ Asthmatic Kitty ]
Snoop Dog- The Blue Carpet Treatment [Geffen ]
The Drones- Gala Mill [ ATP Recordings ]
Karen Dalton- In My Own Time [ Just Sunshine ]
Rock Plaza Central- Are We Not Horses? [ Rock Plaza Central ]
Tussle- Telescope Minded [ Smalltown Supersound ]
Merle Haggard- Hag: The Best of Merle Haggard [ Capitol Nashville ]
– Wood Pipes would like to dedicate this album to our boy John. Keep on truckin brotha, much love. The Game- Doctor’s Advocate [ Geffen ]
PJ Harvey- The Peel Sessions: 1991-2004 [ Universal/ Island ]
Various Artists- The Complete Motown Singles Vol.5: 1965 [ Hip-O Select ]
The Places- Songs For Creeps [ High Plains Sigh ]
Pavement- Wowee Zowee: Sordid Sentinels Edition [ Matador ]
Swan Island- The Centre Will Hold [ Holocene ]
– Big ups to Swan Island! The Exploding Hearts- Shattered [ Dirtnap ]
n0 things- Trees [ self-released ]
Squarepusher- Hello Everything [ Warp ]
Thunderbirds Are Now!- Make History [ Frenchkiss ]
Converge- No Heroes [ Epitaph ]
The Wrens- Silver/ Secaucus [ Grass ]
Arthur Russel- Springfield [ Audika ]
Jan Jelinek- Tierbeobachtungen [ ~scape ]
Sonic Youth- The Destroyed Room: B-Sides and Rarities [ Geffen ]
Young Jeezy- The Inspiration [ Def Jam ]
Ocrilim- Anoint [ I and Ear ]
Gwen Stefani- The Sweet Escape [ Interscope ]
White Magic- Dat Rosa Mel Apibus [ Drag City ]
Lee Hazlewood- Cake or Death [ BPX1992 ]
Prurient- Pleasure Ground [ Load ]
Songs of Green Pheasant- Aerial Days [ Fat Cat ]
The Knife- The Knife/ Deep Cuts [ Mute ]
Ghostface- More Fish [ Def Jam ]
Neil Young and Crazy Horse- Live at the Fillmore East [ Reprise ]
William Basinski- Garden of Brokenness [ Parlophone ]
Excepter- Sunbomber EP [ 5RC ]
Ariel Pink- House Arrest [ Paw Tracks ]
Samara Lubelski- Spectacular of Passage [The Social Registry ]
volcano!- Beautiful Seizure [ Leaf ]
Cat Power- The Greatest [ Matador ]
The Advantage- Elf- Titled [ 5RC ]
DJ Shadow- Funky Skunk [ Obey ]
Modeselektor- Hello Mom! [ Bpitch Control ]
Coil- The Ape of Naples [ Threshold House ]
Safety Scissors- Tainted Lunch [ ~scape ]
Nurse With Wound- Livin’ Fear of James Last [ Castle ]
Boris- Pink [ Diwphalanx ]
Espers- The Weed Tree EP [ Locust ]
Tapes ‘n Tapes- The Loon [ Ibid ]
Sunset Rubdown- Sunset Rubdown EP [ Global Symphonic ]
Nathan Fake- Drowning in a Sea of Love [ Boarder Community ]
Isolee- Western Store [ Playhouse ]
Man Man- Six Demon Bag [ Ace Fu ]
Mylo- Destroy Rock & Roll [ RCA ]
J Dilla- Donuts [ Stones Throw ]
Belle & Sebastian- The Life Pursuit [ Matador ]
Ricardo Villalobos- Achso [ Cadenza ]
Mouthus- The Long Salt [ Important ]
Cocteau Twins- Lullabies to Violaine: Singles and Extended Plays Vol.1/ Vol.2 [ 4AD ]
Talkdemonic- Beat Romantic [ Arena Rock ]
Voxtrot- Raised By Wolves EP/ Mothers, Sisters, Daughters, and Wives EP [ Cult Hero ]
Howe Gelb- ‘Sno Angel Like You [ Thrill Jockey ]
Ghostface Killa- Fishscale [ Def Jam ]
Gregor Samsa- 55:12 [ The Kora ]
Psychic Ills- Dins [ Social Registry ]
Band of Horses- Everything All the Time [ Sub Pop ]
The Books- Music for a French Elevator [ self-released ]
Pink Mountaintops- Axis of Evol [ Jagjaguwar ]
Casiotone for the Painfully Alone- Etiquette [ Tomlab ]
Terrestrial Tones- Dead Drunk [ Paw Tracks ]
Coldcut- Sound Mirrors [ Ninja Tune ]
Keith Fullerton Whitman- Lisbon [ Kranky ]
Magik Markers- A Panegyric to the Things I Do Not Understand [ Gulcher ]
Neko Case- Fox Confessor Brings the Flood [ Anti- ]
Mogwai- Mr. Beast [ Matador ]
Wooden Wand & the Vanishing Voice- Gipsy Freedom [ 5RC ]
Why?- Rubber Traits EP [ anticon ]
Yellow Swans- Psychic Secession [ Load ]
GHQ- Cosmology of Eye [ Time-Lag ]
Starlight Mints- Drowaton [ Barsuck ]
Booka Shade- Movements [ Get Physical ]
Madlib- Beat Konducta Vol. 1-2 Movie Scenes [ Stones Throw ]
Shoplifting- Body Stories [ Kill Rock Stars ]