jazz snob eat shit

Meat Puppets - Up on the Sun (1985)

noreply@blogger.com (Skyler) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 21:14:00 +0000

The criminally underrated follow-up to the beloved Meat Puppets II, Up on the Sun is arguably the Meat Puppet's best album. The darker punk elements of II have all but subsided in favor of a sunnier, more psychedelic sound. Curt Kirkwood's guitar playing is fantastic, as usual.

A.R. Kane - "i" (1989)

noreply@blogger.com (Skyler) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 20:40:00 +0000

Possibly one of the most under-appreciated bands of all time, A.R. Kane was integral in the development of genres such as dream pop, trip hop, dance, and post-rock. While their debut album could be linked to the burgeoning shoegaze movement, "i" is a much more diverse and poppy affair.

Cymande - Cymande (1972)

noreply@blogger.com (Skyler) — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 03:50:00 +0000

Formed in London in 1971 by musicians from Guyana and Jamaica, Cymande developed a subtle yet complex style of funk influenced by calypso, jazz, African music, and American soul. Several songs on this album were heavily sampled in the late 80s/early 90s hip-hop scene.

Kraftwerk - Autobahn (1974)

noreply@blogger.com (Skyler) — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 21:27:00 +0000

Possibly Kraftwerk's most popular album, Autobahn is a concept album about driving on the German freeway system. The 22-minute long title track is easily the highlight, and encapsulates the roots of ambient, electro, and synthpop into one hypnotizing piece of music.

The Orb - Orbus Terrarum (1995)

noreply@blogger.com (Skyler) — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 19:05:00 +0000

Like its title implies, Orbus Terrarum is a much more organic and earthly sounding record compared to the rest of The Orb's discography. The house style they are known for is virtually nonexistent here, as the beats are more sparse and minimalistic, rather than driving the songs themselves.

Sir Richard Bishop - While My Guitar Violently Bleeds (2007)

noreply@blogger.com (Skyler) — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 02:02:00 +0000

Best known as a member of the experimental rock band Sun City Girls, Richard Bishop's unique style of guitar improvisation blends elements of John Fahey-style fingerpicking, Middle Eastern and Indian classical music, and American jazz and country.

Clueless - Torrid Affairs (2011)

noreply@blogger.com (Skyler) — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 20:18:00 +0000

Torrid Affairs is an unusual name for such a pretty album. Clueless' style is relatively simple, but very efficient: jittery 2-step percussion, murky sub-bass lines, warm synths, and great vocal samples. Both a throwback to the earlier days of garage, as well as a look into the future.

Brian Eno - Nerve Net (1992)

noreply@blogger.com (Skyler) — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 21:13:00 +0000

An underrated, almost forgotten departure from Eno's typical avant-rock and ambient work. The music is much more percussive in nature, with strong elements of techno, jazz and funk throughout. A cold, digitized sound contributes to the futuristic, dystopian vibe of the album.

Skullflower - Xaman (1990)

noreply@blogger.com (Skyler) — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 18:44:00 +0000

Skullflower is an influential British collective formed in 1988 who perform largely improvised psychedelic noise. There's a lot to love here, from the crushing Godflesh-esque industrial trudge, to the krautrock hypnotism, to the psych rock jamming... the list goes on.

Alias - Fever Dream (2011)

noreply@blogger.com (Skyler) — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 20:23:00 +0000

Alias has a prolific production career that spans almost 15 years. While his older work was more traditional and sample-based, Fever Dream's architecture is much more complex. It more closely resembles IDM than hip-hop, with its house/techno breaks and trip-hop-esque downtempo elements.

High Tone - Underground Wobble (2007)

noreply@blogger.com (Skyler) — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 18:12:00 +0000

High Tone is a group of French producers who seamlessly blend elements of traditional dub, drum & bass, hip-hop, and other styles of electronic music. An extensive use of sampling progresses each track along, and helps contribute to the psychedelic sci-fi tone of the album.

Slint - Tweez (1989)

noreply@blogger.com (Skyler) — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 19:23:00 +0000

Less focussed and emotionally charged than the incredible Spiderland, Tweez was possibly just as influential. Although it often echoes Steve Albini's work (who produced the album), the eccentric sounds and time signatures were progressive and highly original for the time.

SBTRKT - 2020 EP (2010)

noreply@blogger.com (Skyler) — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 20:40:00 +0000

SBTRKT is an anonymous, London-based producer who is making some of the freshest garage tracks around right now. This EP showcases his moodier house and techno inclinations, with broken garage rhythms and soulful tech/deep house melodies.

Shellac - At Action Park (1994)

noreply@blogger.com (Skyler) — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 02:54:00 +0000

Another project of Steve Albini, the infamous recording engineer and noise rock visionary. The angular, discordant riffing is surprisingly groovy, and almost seems melodic at times. Their sound is clean, but Albini's production makes the rough edges all the more punishing.

Poison Idea - Feel the Darkness (1990)

noreply@blogger.com (Skyler) — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 03:08:00 +0000

Taking cues from innovative bands such as Discharge, Black Flag and The Germs, Feel the Darkness is an aggressive and nihilistic combination of hardcore punk and metal. Their unbelievable energy, emotion and musicianship separates them from most punk.

La Düsseldorf - La Düsseldorf (1976)

noreply@blogger.com (Skyler) — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 03:12:00 +0000

Klaus Dinger's first post-Neu! project, La Düsseldorf picks up right where Neu! ‘75 left off. It encompasses the trippy ambience, the driving 4/4 motorik beats, and the progressive electronics, but with an eye towards what is perhaps a slightly more “accessible” sound.

Dead Kennedys - Frankenchrist (1985)

noreply@blogger.com (Skyler) — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 21:01:00 +0000

While the first two Dead Kennedys albums were generally lightning-fast hardcore punk, Frankenchrist slows things down a bit. East Bay Ray’s guitar playing is much groovier and more intricate here, as his surf rock influences become much more prominent.

Liquid Liquid - Liquid Liquid (1997)

noreply@blogger.com (Skyler) — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 23:34:00 +0000

The minimalistic post-disco of Liquid Liquid consists almost entirely of percussion and bass grooves, with the occasional vocals. This 18 track retrospective collects the band's short-lived (1981-'83) studio output in its entirety, as well as a few live recordings.

Throbbing Gristle - 20 Jazz Funk Greats (1979)

noreply@blogger.com (Skyler) — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 02:14:00 +0000

A strange and disturbing "pop" album from the infamous avant-garde performance group. The record's title and cover are meant to mislead the listener, but the photo of Beachy Head (a notorious suicide spot) hints at the true, terrifying nature of the album.

Herbie Hancock - Takin' Off (1962)

noreply@blogger.com (Skyler) — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 04:41:00 +0000

Hancock's debut is a straightforward hard bop album in line with much of Blue Note's early 60's catalogue. Neither his playing nor his compositional skills had fully matured at this point, but Freddie Hubbard and Dexter Gordon deliver fantastic performances as usual.

Mouse on Mars - Autoditacker (1997)

noreply@blogger.com (Skyler) — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 01:08:00 +0000

Extremely warm and textured electronic music that is largely rooted in German krautrock and dub. The album stimulates both the mind and the feet in equal measure, and each listen reveals new layers in the group's intricate arrangements.

Herbie Hancock - Head Hunters (1973)

noreply@blogger.com (Skyler) — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 03:55:00 +0000

Unlike most jazz fusion of the time, there is a distinct lack of guitar playing on this album. The music is instead centered around Hancock's funky keyboard playing, with support from a strong, Afro-influenced rhythm section and the occasional brass instrument.

Giles Corey - Giles Corey (2011)

noreply@blogger.com (Skyler) — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 04:31:00 +0000

Self-described "acoustic music from the end of the industrial revolution," these emotionally rich songs range from alt-country, to gospel-influenced shoegaze, to synth-heavy folk; from upbeat to depressed, and hushed quiet to crashingly loud.

2562 - Fever (2011)

noreply@blogger.com (Skyler) — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 04:00:00 +0000

A fresh and intriguing dubstep/techno album composed entirely of samples taken from old "golden era" disco records. Each sample has been meticulously deconstructed and reassembled to the point that they’ve taken on whole new rhythmic shapes and sounds.

Tera Melos - Tera Melos (2005)

noreply@blogger.com (Skyler) — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 04:17:00 +0000

A shockingly unique piece of instrumental music that fuses elements of hardcore punk, progressive rock, jazz, and electronic. The result is an album that values catchy, chaotic riffing as much as dense ambient textures and untraditional song structures.