Albums of the Year 2017 // Compilations

//10
Various Artists
Pop Makossa: The Invasive Dance Beat of Cameroon 1976-1984
(Analog Africa)

//09
Various Artists
Synthesize the Soul: Astro-Atlantic Hypnotica from the Cape Verde Islands 1973-1988
(Ostinato)

//08
Various Artists
Diggin' in the Carts: A Collection of Pioneering Japanese Video Game Music
(Hyperdub)

//07
Various Artists
Sweet as Broken Dates: Lost Somali Tapes from the Horn of Africa
(Ostinato)

//06
Various Artists
Miracle Steps: Music from the Fourth World (1983-2017)
(Optimo Music)

//05
Various Artists
Twin Peaks (Limited Event Series Original Soundtrack)
(Rhino)

//04
Various Artists
Twin Peaks (Music from the Limited Event Series)
(Rhino)

//03
Various Artists
The Gamelan of the Walking Warriors: Gamelan Beleganjur and the Music of the Ngaben Funerary Ritual in Bali
(Akuphone)

//02
Various Artists
Abatwa (The Pygmy): Why Did We Stop Growing Tall?
(Glitterbeat)

//01
Various Artists
The Photographs of Charles Duvelle: Disques OCORA and Collection PROPHET
(Sublime Frequencies)

Comments

Corrupted - Felicific Algorithim (Cold Spring, 2018)

For whatever it means, this is the beginning of Corrupted's "Hollow" series. Maybe the clue is in the music? Unlike Corrupted's traditional ultra-slowed down, Spanish-sung, Japanese doom metal this is instrumental harsh noise. Still filthy and angry and depressive but sans vox and also more or less sans metal. Both untitled sides are meant to be played at either speed. The result? Meh. I miss Corrupted's brand of doom, this relatively anonymous harsh noise is fine and all but if I'm listening to Corrupted...well I know what I want. Skippable.

Abstracter - Cinerous Incarnate (I, Voidhanger, 2018)

I was not aware of these guys, who formed in 2010 as a noise duo, and slowly evolved and added more members and turned into a kind of death/blackened doom metal project. They've got ties to other noise acts I don't know (Sutekh Hexen) and other industrial acts I don't know (Only Now). Quite a stew and the band pulls of something that sounds truly different. It's got a tentacle in each of the aforementioned genres but blends them really well. It's quite hard to pin them down in fact. Big, heavy riffs with a production level along the lines of a sludge/black metal record but sharp instrumentation and just a dirty atmosphere...ambient noise passages separate a couple tracks as a nice diversion...very cool

Grouper - Grid of Points (Kranky, 2018)

I've never really liked Grouper much, lots of other wogs go ga-ga over anything she puts out but it all leaves me cold. I wrote her off for a while, heard some hype for this new one, and I'm back to writing her off again. It's the same ghostly vocal samples/quasi religious/hymnal vibes..haunting and ethereal and...nothing that gets me all wound up. Pass.

Tips Zum Selbstmord

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