"Snap"

As in "oh ____" - Nosaj Thing's new tune is interesting. 

"Eclipse/Blue"

New tune from Nosaj Thing is brilliant. Visuals via Creators Project. 

Malachi x Nosaj Thing

Two great tastes that taste great together...
  Malachai - Let 'Em Fall (Nosaj Thing remix) by DominoRecordCo

Best Albums of the Year

It's that time of year - the end of it - when we all take a look back at all the stuff, in order to figure out what was good and what was bad. If the time capsule were getting filled with all the albums I've been seeing on Top 10 lists, I'd feel pretty bad about how the future viewed us musically.
I'm not mad at a lot of what's on everybody's list: Kanye's album, for example, is praiseworthy - although I don't think it's his best work to date (and it has the least of his creative input of any of his releases - like not making most of the beats, for example). However, the critical world's obsession with Vampire Weekend I fail to see eye to eye with...I digress...
So, in no particular order, with no claims of being exhaustive or final, and with no particular focus on an exact number of total albums, I give you: My list* of albums from 2010 that were really good, and which I would recommend picking up if you don't already own. [*With help from my wife]

Malachai's The Ugly Side of Love - a mix of thrusting garage psych and spaced out trip hop.
*It was released in the UK in '09, but I didn't hear it until it was released stateside in 2010.


Blockhead's The Music Scene - a listening adventure along a road paved in beats.


The Black Keys' Brothers - the gut bucket blues rocking duo blossoms into a beautiful flower


The Chemical Brothers' Further - the big beat team returns with something interesting and unexpected


Daedelus' Righteous Fists of Harmony- The crazy victorian drops a gorgeous electronic concept album


Flying Lotus' Cosmogramma- the future-beat prophet delivers a masterpiece in quick, eclectic bursts of energy

 
Gorillaz Plastic Beach - this is definitely one of the best albums of the year, and one of the best Gorillaz albums yet



Gold Panda's Lucky Shiner - eclectic results of micro-sampling and textured walls of sound


Lorn's Nothing Else- if you wanted beats that bordered on John Carpenter scores with sub-bass frequencies


Caribou's Swim - a departure from his earlier stuff, which took a few listens to adjust to, but clearly an exceptional piece of work.

If I think of any others, I'll be sure to add them...I know there are some that I'm forgetting.

Nosaj Thing "Us" (Jon Hopkins rmx)

Oh man. This video is so crazy. Meal preparation as bizarre, violent ritual. The track is crazy. Raw buzzing bass overtaken by knife sharpening sounds. It's making me think of Pi.

Nosaj Thing "Us (Jon Hopkins Remix)" from Alpha Pup on Vimeo.

Follow Alpha Pup on twitter.

City of Angels

The L.A. Times has an article on the next big musical acts to come out of Los Angeles. Some interesting choices, plus you can listen to each as you go. Glad to see Nosaj Thing made the list. I don't know enough about what's really good in L.A. to tell you whether or not the list is a fair portrayal, but I do know that I'm slightly perturbed by the opening of the article, which tries to play L.A.'s music scene like some overlooked and under-appreciated burb that's been passed over for places like Austin and Nashville...come on, Nic Harcourt, really?

Daedelus, Jogger and Nosaj Thing

This trio of electronic musicians from the vicinity of Los Angeles, California are going tour. In my opinion, they are some of the best out there at the moment, and Jogger's This Great Pressure was one of my favorite albums of last year (definitely top 5, maybe top 3).

Here is a wonderful track from Jogger "Napping Captain" (Dark Party Remix)

Here's the tour dates:
Thursday Feb 4th - Space 120 - Palm Springs, California
Friday Feb 5th - Echoplex - Los Angeles, California*
Saturday Feb 6th - Mighty - San Francisco, California*
Sunday Feb 7th - Jambalaya - Arcata, California
Monday Feb 8th - Rotture - Portland, Oregon*
Tuesday Feb 9th - Fortune Sound Club - Vancouver, British Columbia
Wednesday Feb 10th - Neumos - Seattle, Washington
Friday Feb 12th - Hodi's Half Note - Fort Collins, Colorado
Saturday Feb 13th - Gothic Theater - Englewood, Colorado
Sunday Feb 14th - Mad Planet - Milwaukee, Wisconson
Monday - Feb 15th - Majestic Theater - Madison, Wisconsin
Tuesday - Feb 16th - Lincoln Hall - Chicago, Illinois*
Wednesday - Feb 17th - Grog Shop - Cleveland, Ohio*
Thursday - Feb 18th - Wrong Bar - Toronto, Ontario
Friday - Feb 19th - Le Belmont - Montreal, Quebec
Saturday - Feb 20th - Le Poisson Rouge - New York, New York*
Monday - Feb 22st - Kung Fu Necktie - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania*
Tuesday - Feb 23rd - Bourbon Street - Baltimore, Maryland
Wednesday - Feb 24th - Xscape Lounge - Richmond, Virginia
Thursday - Feb 25th - Club R2 - Charlottesville, Virginia
Friday - Feb 26th - Club 828 - Asheville, North Carolina
Saturday Feb 27th -New Earth Music Hall - ATHENS, GA