| Son Raw’s half-year singles round-up | July 8, 2011 |
Son Raw listens to too many records. Son Raw, not Sach O: which is to say that this is a list of my favorite singles to play out rather than an ostensibly objective journalistic account of the 20 biggest tunes of the year. Not that I chose a lot of of obscurities here but rather […]
| Sach O’s Half Year Round Up: Full Lengths | June 24, 2011 |
Sach O doesn’t play well with others on the playground. I’m not going to argue about it. When it came time to submit mid-year lists for the site, I saw that I had maybe a choice or two in common with some of the other guys and said “Fuck it, all good, Ima do me”. […]
| The 30 Greatest Hip-Hop Demos, Now in Zip Form | May 2, 2011 |
Six weeks ago, Chairman Mao of XXL and Ego Trip fame, compiled a list of the 30 Greatest Hip-Hop Demos of all-time. Though the litany inspired the usual bickering about order and exclusions, the feature was as comprehensive as anyone could rightfully expect. Presumably, only a minor fraction of people reading this had heard demos […]
| The Odd Future Drinking Game | November 9, 2010 |
Three months ago, no one had ever heard of Odd Future. Two months ago, the Internet proposed. One month ago, they played a show at the Low End Theory: the earth’s orbit stopped, unicorns skateboarded out of the inside of the clouds, and the hills were alive with the sound of swag and the taste […]
| The 10 Best Beat Albums of the Half Year | July 2, 2010 |
Because the dumb are mostly intrigued by the drum machine. Because Sach will opine differently in the comment section. Because my favorite Beat Album is “Kaddish.” Short write-ups because writing about electronic music is like dancing about Autechcre. When in doubt, just say noirish. 10. Baths – Cerulean [Anticon] Distilling the cosmic sampledelics and stutter-step […]
| The 10 Best Rap Albums of The Half Year | June 22, 2010 |
This reflects only my opinions. Subject to change tomorrow, yesterday, or when Big Boi, Black Milk, Freddie Gibbs drop an album. Or when Jay Electronica finds the Ghost of Ebenezer Scrooge Christopher Wallace. If it’s not on the list, it’s because I blocked your favorite rapper’s Twitter feed. Short write-ups because the Double Dribble cheerleaders […]
| LA LA: The Top 10 Local Albums of 2008 | January 15, 2009 |
How last month of me….However, since I sleep on the hometown scene all-too-frequently, consider this mild penance. 10. Dengue Fever–Venus on Earth (M80) Dreamy and druggy psychedelia built on a bedrock worship of 60s Cambodian pop, and the ethereal buoyancy of Chom Nmol’s voice. Adorned with a filagree of B-movie spy scores, Dick Dale surf […]
And people acted surprised when Jerry O’ Connell landed Rebecca Romjin. 10. Why? Alopecia (Anticon) It’s tough to write about Why?’s breakout record without anxiously jotting down a few choice lyrics from songwriter Yoni Wolf’s notebook. Not to downplay its musicianship, but Alopecia is foremost a lyrical masterpiece. Wolf muses on relationships, sex, and especially […]
| The 50 Best Albums of the Year (#20-11) (Sponsored By Teen Wolf Too) | December 29, 2008 |
Some might say this was the finest work Jason Bateman would ever do. 20. Al Green–Lay It Down (Blue Note) What more did you want from Al Green? Did you want him to wear Levar Burton sunglasses and use auto-tune? Did you want him to do a ladies only tour? Did you want him to […]
| The 50 Best Albums of the Year (#40-31) (Sponsored By Crystal Pepsi) | December 24, 2008 |
If you’re gracious enough to link to this list, the complete Top 50 is concurrently being updated in the original post. If you’re going to drink one clear cola this year, make it Crystal Pepsi. Please. 40. No Age–Nouns (Sub Pop) Face it, *Nouns* is this decade’s *Let it Be* (The Replacements, not The Beatles): […]
