tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88495006763979963612024-03-23T03:14:52.596-07:00Dozens of DonutsDozens Of Donutshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09419864582928187713noreply@blogger.comBlogger994125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8849500676397996361.post-692801769132833782022-08-11T10:23:00.000-07:002022-08-11T10:23:42.902-07:00park zero - Proxy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY92R1syDiZ4bRTq5ZcH9ss824LUgJlZDOIrleLKcy99gWFo7RC8-9eW3carRYa6lvnZcEorvoQi3ruiaiH6DhrL_Hu3mlRTLUfAbc-19F7lc3QRg32eDXhJAJL8kYAFZa1d-NJM6Nol4l58wCl7-htYbYPlgbrFdDVr6I4dVqhBM7DVd2arrG9XPj/s1600/Proxy.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="990" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY92R1syDiZ4bRTq5ZcH9ss824LUgJlZDOIrleLKcy99gWFo7RC8-9eW3carRYa6lvnZcEorvoQi3ruiaiH6DhrL_Hu3mlRTLUfAbc-19F7lc3QRg32eDXhJAJL8kYAFZa1d-NJM6Nol4l58wCl7-htYbYPlgbrFdDVr6I4dVqhBM7DVd2arrG9XPj/s1600/Proxy.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<script src="https://s7.addthis.com/js/300/addthis_widget.js#pubid=MYID" type="text/javascript"></script><span style="color: #444444;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Lora; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;"><span style="font-size: 22px; font-weight: bold; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: underline;">LOVERS TORTURED IN THE ROBOTIC UPRISING</span></span></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;">park zero's <i>Proxy</i> is demanding. It invades the senses, abuses them in a way that's both aggressive and stimulating. Similarities are drawn to Fuck Buttons, in the sense that power secretes pattern. Noise is used not as a tool to petrify, but rather as a stun gun aimed at electrifying. It's dance music, thinly disguised as torture sequences set to chainsaws, battering rams, and cries from maddened prisoners. park zero straddles this line confidently, never falling into tropes that often arise from Power Noise, never resting on laurels that come from high-intensity EBM. Unnatural rhythms break up the monotony of Drum N' Bass ('Fuzz Funk'), while samples shredded beyond comprehension incise the brain fold into inducing memories once revered, now repulsed ('Longest Night'). <i>Proxy's</i> a mental workout, tantalizing the pleasure principles while heightening the senses for what lurks around the bend.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;">Nowhere is that executed better than in the stunning nine-minute opener 'Could You Love Me Now?' An exodus of dystopian futurism, rife with stifled panic, micro-compressed heartbeats, and lost romance. The vocals and namely their topic of love, consumed by the void, works as a perfect palatial match for something so grotesque, brutal, and frankly abusive. There is no escape in park zero's crafted world, as tectonic bass thumps endlessly behind blender blades and graphic malfunctions. Yet its success arises in the hope; the strength of movement, of persistence, of desire. In spite of these gargantuan confines, the singer fights onwards, bringing with her a feverish appetite that never fails to relent. This comes in the form of 120 BPMs.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;"><br /></span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;">That being said, by album's end, the tonal draft changes dramatically. Presumably lost in abyssal fragments, the final two convention songs ('Death From Above,' 'East Of Eden') feature zero vocals, or presence of humanity. On the former, a somber beat marks this absence. But on the latter, a celebration of automation perseverates. It spits in the face of 'Could You Love Me Now?,' matching the energy and bullheadedness, without the pestering little human finding their way in. In theory, 'East Of Eden' boasts as <i>Proxy's</i> closer, for if we're to take this concept further, the ten-minute 'Funeral Song' concludes this affray devoid of consternation, movement, and antagonism. It is merely decay, a rotting corpse of a human fell by machine. Without the frantic Death Industrial elements, the dread and misery draws a comparison to Uboa. Lying on her deathbed, tethered to machinery. With no tempo to entice towards ascension. 'Funeral Song' stands in contrast to <i>Proxy</i>, and for good reason. It's a cleansing edifice, an extreme contending against an album of extremes.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Lora;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq9vFcKGBb6H2aiJ9ocUYAzFNCwJL0eKyVfH3OItk4xEQqJMZxz022E5q_Iuu6FVGlbV3uDN9F8Wrykv9-svh0aiANXf9qY7FwgOJhF5Ss98vgXQyPetc7yQrtJoFKKxwRgWiLSGlZdZw2elmQXZ0VmNfkIMPAy5_qvQLGsSR0v8Zh8VxV6uFJ2nxr/s1600/A-.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq9vFcKGBb6H2aiJ9ocUYAzFNCwJL0eKyVfH3OItk4xEQqJMZxz022E5q_Iuu6FVGlbV3uDN9F8Wrykv9-svh0aiANXf9qY7FwgOJhF5Ss98vgXQyPetc7yQrtJoFKKxwRgWiLSGlZdZw2elmQXZ0VmNfkIMPAy5_qvQLGsSR0v8Zh8VxV6uFJ2nxr/s1600/A-.jpg" /></a></div></div>Dozens Of Donutshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09419864582928187713noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8849500676397996361.post-2309862813225881782022-06-25T11:08:00.000-07:002022-06-25T11:08:59.476-07:00Rocks & Waves Song Circle - Rocks & Waves Song Circle<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi99XHdjDH2AjtDs1nOitN8OdQ2YEsxmcfiey84TKXRLQeZcXKWuEj4tZG2yflyZw4pE47BRoC8LFmWViH_rhjLeFQEeEGBTh9TxkxMH66cTaLnSjjIKisRWzNRnqid5EWh0D9UUg2oE7bx7Tm6kJCiagIzfERb42jRhQ6t3VMR80xb-OXJe27Cea6l/s1600/RocksAndWaves.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="990" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi99XHdjDH2AjtDs1nOitN8OdQ2YEsxmcfiey84TKXRLQeZcXKWuEj4tZG2yflyZw4pE47BRoC8LFmWViH_rhjLeFQEeEGBTh9TxkxMH66cTaLnSjjIKisRWzNRnqid5EWh0D9UUg2oE7bx7Tm6kJCiagIzfERb42jRhQ6t3VMR80xb-OXJe27Cea6l/s1600/RocksAndWaves.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<script src="https://s7.addthis.com/js/300/addthis_widget.js#pubid=MYID" type="text/javascript"></script><span style="color: #444444;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Lora; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;"><span style="font-size: 22px; font-weight: bold; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: underline;">CONQUERING THE DAY, CHAMPIONED BY THE PEOPLE</span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Lora;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5I3MSXFwb4dpomJ1lEs6WhsLaxz7WZ2ceRsxpkoZV9CTIz5tpDTfp6ruQcnq8j5fXiyiBB3W0CR3fHKXpd_8-DyIpl45LJj7aGzSSVisLno2M_MOGjoSVgegoaDGd9yAf4MsJw6cAr9rxDE6q00rZSOXZkG1_6ZmzRjLUwauAnxfvPx4CkvnYKvnJ/s1600/RocksAndWavesPicture.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5I3MSXFwb4dpomJ1lEs6WhsLaxz7WZ2ceRsxpkoZV9CTIz5tpDTfp6ruQcnq8j5fXiyiBB3W0CR3fHKXpd_8-DyIpl45LJj7aGzSSVisLno2M_MOGjoSVgegoaDGd9yAf4MsJw6cAr9rxDE6q00rZSOXZkG1_6ZmzRjLUwauAnxfvPx4CkvnYKvnJ/s1600/RocksAndWavesPicture.jpg" width="400" /></a><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;">Taking what is known, what is exacted, and extrapolating it into something entirely original is Rock & Waves' modus operandi on their magnificent debut. Its hushed and humbled existence - being, in all likelihood, the only album to come from Isaak Sundström's side project - inflames the aura even more. Rickety pews creaking in the breathy silence, a harmonized choir chanting alacrity to the heavens, improvisational moments as if taken over by the Holy Spirit. <i>Rock & Waves Song Circle</i> is Gospel through and through. However, in spite of this, there's a distinct lack of one crucial element: Religion. The tone instantly draws listeners to Christianity; the praise, worship, and communal warmth too. But God's seat lies vacant, occupied by an embrace of Earth in the moment, rather than a perceived Heaven of the future. The result naturally shifts <i>Rocks & Waves</i> into Outsider Art material by creating something so reliant on its crux... without it. Really, if anything, Rocks & Waves praises not the religion that spawned Gospel music, but Gospel music itself.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;">This is best seen on the stunning 'II (We Trust In Defeat).' Surrounded by the two, meandering builds of 'I (Rocks & Waves)' and 'III (Here We Come),' the composite whole of 'II' brews zeal in a perfect storm. It accepts, even admits, failure in order to overcome. Vocals from all angles (and angels) cry out in unsettled unison, repeating the adage "Never for victory, we trust in our defeat. We trust in the heart, we rely on the try." Each iteration grows, adding a layer here or a voice there, before culminating with a bevy of powerful instruments. It's as addicting as it is empowering.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;"><br /></span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;">And while nothing else on <i>Rocks & Waves</i> reaches the height of 'II,' everything around it maintains, and emanates, the spiritual atmosphere. 'I' and 'III' stretch drums, chimes, and a piano to their absolute limit, droning onwards and upwards. The pacing of these two songs are brilliantly-meditative, providing a subtle impetus in the repeated line, while soothing the soul of all transgressions. The 17-minute closer 'V (Perdidad)' does this too, but on a much larger scale. Here, the choir feels simultaneously intimate and expansive, as one can clearly hear background chatter, missed notes, even some laughter, as the song trudges on towards oblivion. Like a wave picking up everything in its path, a melodic chant and simple piano loop eventually engulfs the entire proceedings. By climax, those chatty side bars are gone, consumed by the force of community. While long, 'V' proves that Gospel - when done right - can be everlasting. And for those that believe in eternal life in Heaven, one can't ask for much more than that.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Lora;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXWxcSQ2xcBnvrgc8y6Lu_QBpiT8ZHCLpCUX_O7tPJREwQKP_QL5oJKEqoDmUxCPRmEvjE0fpdtRb2qQgyh6ZsJZRCSkIj61zFv6ZUkScvFqOU3Kg4RFHL3WspY8Rz91HaK52RxrzaOXpkWQmahKpzf5Ecke-4toVyN0Hp3TDZScNHowUpxoWNOGD5/s1600/A-.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXWxcSQ2xcBnvrgc8y6Lu_QBpiT8ZHCLpCUX_O7tPJREwQKP_QL5oJKEqoDmUxCPRmEvjE0fpdtRb2qQgyh6ZsJZRCSkIj61zFv6ZUkScvFqOU3Kg4RFHL3WspY8Rz91HaK52RxrzaOXpkWQmahKpzf5Ecke-4toVyN0Hp3TDZScNHowUpxoWNOGD5/s1600/A-.jpg" /></a></div></div>Dozens Of Donutshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09419864582928187713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8849500676397996361.post-39933353690532992472022-05-01T21:30:00.000-07:002022-05-01T21:30:19.714-07:00The Feelies - Crazy Rhythms<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigRt8IUpl-ZD13ERTH6i-SvIej6Yim7Ci3NZawbs0EVQ4LTJhrgLX3EeCwT5IdssEXmE6Mb3lcaHZW6AH_5VJx4_oED28BLybtGlw5SzJcRCuMH7j2WooInvRP-AsVBWeAEK0O4z2qA3IM6Y26qqjEKCishDUAZvVp4O82b43AVX2rcdBEEE75ksQi/s1600/CrazyRhythms.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="990" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigRt8IUpl-ZD13ERTH6i-SvIej6Yim7Ci3NZawbs0EVQ4LTJhrgLX3EeCwT5IdssEXmE6Mb3lcaHZW6AH_5VJx4_oED28BLybtGlw5SzJcRCuMH7j2WooInvRP-AsVBWeAEK0O4z2qA3IM6Y26qqjEKCishDUAZvVp4O82b43AVX2rcdBEEE75ksQi/s1600/CrazyRhythms.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<script src="https://s7.addthis.com/js/300/addthis_widget.js#pubid=MYID" type="text/javascript"></script><span style="color: #444444;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Lora; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;"><span style="font-size: 22px; font-weight: bold; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: underline;">CHASED BY BULLIES, SWEATING TO THE INNER-TUNE</span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Lora;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ90rRy1yU00G_TIj5Z0UkppXd2nFGO6w1XyN2xr8_1WTGx4K43MItJhBgWl8LbcfgLmbtUsY1fMJSZrPnyw2MHuGZqJmeDM_lw7o4LhFzvhLQaIB5CL4yCZeJIH_JFM3iFemUIA4YpJ6rcUEJSdGuYNvZAythnFgGVuZW6edeAL-SPI0rUvH_Thgx/s1600/CrazyRhythmsPicture.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ90rRy1yU00G_TIj5Z0UkppXd2nFGO6w1XyN2xr8_1WTGx4K43MItJhBgWl8LbcfgLmbtUsY1fMJSZrPnyw2MHuGZqJmeDM_lw7o4LhFzvhLQaIB5CL4yCZeJIH_JFM3iFemUIA4YpJ6rcUEJSdGuYNvZAythnFgGVuZW6edeAL-SPI0rUvH_Thgx/s1600/CrazyRhythmsPicture.jpeg" width="400" /></a><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;">Well, ain't that an apt title. For The Feelies' debut is filled, top to bottom, head to toe, with <i>Crazy Rhythms</i>. At a time when morbid perusing and dour pretension dominated any Post-Punk not named Talking Heads, these upstanding suburbanites from New Jersey brought spunk and fervor to a rather dreary scene. Best of all, they managed to incorporate the same sense of burgeoning anxiousness ('The Boy With Perpetual Nervousness'), offset by a playful spirit that managed to quell any errant thoughts that came to light. Tracks like 'Fa Ce-La' and 'Everybody's Got Something To Hide' provide that buoyancy, with raucous lightweight guitars that align more with the as-yet defined Jangle Pop. While others, like 'Forces At Work' and 'Moscow Nights,' dabble in the darkness by choice. These are sane twenty-somethings with their heads screwed on, after all. The doldrums act as nothing more than a temporary cure for boredom. Which, in turn, provides <i>Crazy Rhythms</i> with unpredictable turns and crude desires.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;"><br /></span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;">I find numerous parallels to Ought, a modern Art Punk band who approached the same middle class dread with a more pointed touch. You can hear the influence on 'The Boy With The Perpetual Nervousness' and 'Loveless Love,' which features an immaculately-delirious finale that is unlike anything I've ever heard. Only Television came close, and still found themselves nowhere near the revelrous perambulation. Yet with all this, <i>Crazy Rhythms</i> saves my favorite two cuts for the end; 'Raised Eyebrows' and 'Crazy Rhythms.' Here, the band's nuanced combustion finds the spotlight, due to lead singer Glenn Mercier taking a backseat. On the former - a largely instrumental affair - The Feelies' convivial feelings dance recklessly around overlapped guitars and jarring percussion. It has that classic nostalgic spirit for the 80's and 90's, something I can only imagine wasn't felt at the time considering the century hadn't even turned yet when they made it. As for the latter, improvisational rhythms akin to a drugless 'European Son' spur the duration, bookended by Mercier's celebratory appearance, cajoling in a relationship with the ease of someone without a care in the world. The Feelies don't relate to everyone, but they certainly do to me.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Lora;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPeKrVqkd32JqL3eVUopS05wR-t9Cu3AtDTDztv2xCbigA3ZnhVjn-S1RTd5veF-xwQK2yOvLtZmCAFgJyN8WjI7SSL9u46quCwmrsJCWQvFlDu6vGD1pJew8yDorA4ae5j6iM6buAlv1DNwKqt4TbsEpWjWQ79d4H757v_LALAzWUIaMiSwxS8VT6/s1600/B+.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPeKrVqkd32JqL3eVUopS05wR-t9Cu3AtDTDztv2xCbigA3ZnhVjn-S1RTd5veF-xwQK2yOvLtZmCAFgJyN8WjI7SSL9u46quCwmrsJCWQvFlDu6vGD1pJew8yDorA4ae5j6iM6buAlv1DNwKqt4TbsEpWjWQ79d4H757v_LALAzWUIaMiSwxS8VT6/s1600/B+.jpg" /></a></div></div>Dozens Of Donutshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09419864582928187713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8849500676397996361.post-28611700195075550022022-04-29T11:50:00.000-07:002022-04-29T11:50:53.181-07:00Big Thief - Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-xDAG_S7ZENtOb_Q_8kFkU3MSFZ9cg76TLNCYztKEcDYiWZ1TEnCtAii9bK7Ps2c_wCFzDtBL3IjKPMN4hIANBuvzoLkGGM_qwdP3UViMJLEwk5YXA01Fvg_xr3Okd0VWkIp5JgwiXvJdlC0Nu270KzFQYLzbV9oIXL2rehXmtM9Mt5gu8JU7Wknw/s1600/DragonNewWarmMountain.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="990" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-xDAG_S7ZENtOb_Q_8kFkU3MSFZ9cg76TLNCYztKEcDYiWZ1TEnCtAii9bK7Ps2c_wCFzDtBL3IjKPMN4hIANBuvzoLkGGM_qwdP3UViMJLEwk5YXA01Fvg_xr3Okd0VWkIp5JgwiXvJdlC0Nu270KzFQYLzbV9oIXL2rehXmtM9Mt5gu8JU7Wknw/s1600/DragonNewWarmMountain.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<script src="https://s7.addthis.com/js/300/addthis_widget.js#pubid=MYID" type="text/javascript"></script><span style="color: #444444;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Lora; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;"><span style="font-size: 22px; font-weight: bold; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: underline;">RETROSPECTIVE ROCKING CHAIR VISITS</span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Lora;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk5yRAuW3ZmK1-nlw9azGzeZBiDwCiXSkC5xqNBmP2AxIW8_7AaolkDug9BjhI0bEXSAAncvJUnvEeYSwPh8GZ-JfPzYnODGGWcF2FwLQsrXCT_oIsrT0Y-Do2wE6OIk9MHxzsBgcsoJDq3l7sE8KUGw-7Er2YvvyETJZTTJ8FnGcLQeOVUSWx9eIL/s1600/DragonNewWarmMountainPicture.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk5yRAuW3ZmK1-nlw9azGzeZBiDwCiXSkC5xqNBmP2AxIW8_7AaolkDug9BjhI0bEXSAAncvJUnvEeYSwPh8GZ-JfPzYnODGGWcF2FwLQsrXCT_oIsrT0Y-Do2wE6OIk9MHxzsBgcsoJDq3l7sE8KUGw-7Er2YvvyETJZTTJ8FnGcLQeOVUSWx9eIL/s1600/DragonNewWarmMountainPicture.jpeg" width="400" /></a><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;">Big Thief was six years too early naming this album. For 2016's debut <i>Masterpiece</i> doesn't hold a torch to their magnum opus; A now-sprawling, 20-track Indie Folk masterpiece. It's blessed music, devoid of pretension and materialism. Honed to an earthly core, with innate human behavior defining the mood, rather than whatever manufactured cravings come with the modern trends. Big Thief tap into the primitive on <i>Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You</i>, enraptured by life's natural beauties in both the highs and lows. Truth be told, I would've never believed this album could be made. A double album in the narrowest of genres: Folk? Rife with striking variety and unfaltering tenderness? No way. Expectations are constantly off-set against the backdrop of Adrianne Lenker's virtuous eye, exploring human connection - as is the Big Thief way - with a myriad of new contortions. I sit in awe.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;">One could admire the Singer/Songwriter aspect, with Lenker's frail vocals shone through a spotlight begrudgingly accepted on tracks like 'Change,' 'Dried Roses,' or 'The Only Place.' Or perhaps capricious Indie Rock is more your flavor, electrified with a rowdy spark plug as seen on 'Little Things,' 'Flower Of Blood,' or 'Love Love Love.' But maybe campfire Americana tickles your inner game-drifter - with influence tethered to Big Blood's Avant-Folk - on the frolicsome collective 'Spud Infinity,' 'Red Moon,' and 'Blue Lightning.'</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;"><br /></span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;">Or, you could have it all, for standouts like 'Time Escaping' and 'Simulation Swarm' accomplish all this simultaneously. Really, <i>Dragon New Warm Mountain</i> is a stunning mishmash of brilliant ideas, drawn from acclamatory sources across the continental United States. Only some eccentric Brooklynites could bring it all together.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Lora;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXrW-5woiPiBojGxLGkOWA2Vyr47wPMyRUbymcTZGdlb4SGqwnmtyvTYu7h74_wNzZBEOzTCtdq0Eieh_8WxxGDLwLYMjI9befp4mq17P7qENh2GkoeeWQL2qUcMbbeXUVafHgQhqQoUSi-Cbt0HwQiYrt5OR0nPF-V4aktXZHEUP2zJ_DbXjwP7ei/s1600/A.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXrW-5woiPiBojGxLGkOWA2Vyr47wPMyRUbymcTZGdlb4SGqwnmtyvTYu7h74_wNzZBEOzTCtdq0Eieh_8WxxGDLwLYMjI9befp4mq17P7qENh2GkoeeWQL2qUcMbbeXUVafHgQhqQoUSi-Cbt0HwQiYrt5OR0nPF-V4aktXZHEUP2zJ_DbXjwP7ei/s1600/A.jpg" /></a></div></div>Dozens Of Donutshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09419864582928187713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8849500676397996361.post-10786356390627443102022-03-25T11:15:00.000-07:002022-03-25T11:15:52.299-07:00Black Country, New Road - Ants From Up There<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-ZFLPPJCys0R-NRS316qFvWNtsNwvDjWRieHPsFUl7CiZH5vXxddiJLunbE6aw5OGTxSHhOG8rE7sK1N0_bPAcsTQCDsxHYpzqFj3UcM6bmO9Be8TOcf-nK5L1IoETvqKXAh_p9tW54u6zEwlmTf07Mx9gxT1vcCObELFw79IsRZf26bPN3wtXhsp/s1600/AntsFromUpThere.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="990" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-ZFLPPJCys0R-NRS316qFvWNtsNwvDjWRieHPsFUl7CiZH5vXxddiJLunbE6aw5OGTxSHhOG8rE7sK1N0_bPAcsTQCDsxHYpzqFj3UcM6bmO9Be8TOcf-nK5L1IoETvqKXAh_p9tW54u6zEwlmTf07Mx9gxT1vcCObELFw79IsRZf26bPN3wtXhsp/s1600/AntsFromUpThere.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<script src="https://s7.addthis.com/js/300/addthis_widget.js#pubid=MYID" type="text/javascript"></script><span style="color: #444444;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Lora; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;"><span style="font-size: 22px; font-weight: bold; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: underline;">LOVE IS A SELF-MADE THING</span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Lora;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9V90WZzCr13I1rbX0w2YobVMD5CimQvzW0SCVm3ts_pCtRz8Hfh4l8hnE9dZbNA007zxFrob6cP3ChRmEXvrFj8sPDcIpsDBjSMfuvDLDVK0uGaR4vPFDPrAC2b-tk9wnV2hccnMY8mH5gGTsvIdhEpGPZOX61chhV7_WpMi1zZZR_FWT1nYjYikE/s1600/AntsFromUpTherePicture.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9V90WZzCr13I1rbX0w2YobVMD5CimQvzW0SCVm3ts_pCtRz8Hfh4l8hnE9dZbNA007zxFrob6cP3ChRmEXvrFj8sPDcIpsDBjSMfuvDLDVK0uGaR4vPFDPrAC2b-tk9wnV2hccnMY8mH5gGTsvIdhEpGPZOX61chhV7_WpMi1zZZR_FWT1nYjYikE/s1600/AntsFromUpTherePicture.jpg" width="400" /></a><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;">We sit in awe at the rare commodity. A piece of art that paralyzes with grandiose themes and unflinching ambition. <i>Ants From Up There</i> is the once-in-a-decade piece. Consummate and studious, affecting and poignant. A paradigm to mark a new generation of lost adolescents, some of which - as we found out with the sudden departure of lead singer Issac Wood - can be found within Black Country, New Road itself. The parallels to Arcade Fire's <i>Funeral</i> are obvious. Outside of the music - which itself contains the same big band histrionics rife with chamber flourishes - Wood and company find themselves at life's impervious crossroads. Interestingly enough, where <i>Funeral</i> concerned itself with death, <i>Ants From Up There</i> seizes the magnitude of life. Distraught tendencies waver not from physical loss - as in familial bodies or suburbia youth - but perceived ones. Fear of intimacy conflate with stewing anxieties bolstered by society's cold shoulder. Undoubtedly exacerbated by 2020's quarantine, which held communal experiences hostage.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;">Wood's lyrics are peppered with tender relations that lean more towards fantasy than reality, like in 'Bread Song' or 'Basketball Shoes,' where idyllic late nights of repose uncover a deeper connection with one's sentimental side. I mean, in what other situation would one find meaning in bread crumbs? On the flip side, whether overtly or subconsciously, in spite of these unsoiled times of yore and beauty unraveling in the production, Wood himself can't seem to shake modernity. <i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/02/black-country-new-road-for-first-time.html" target="_blank">For The First Time</a></i> ran rampant with hip one-liners providing topical references or meta humor, and the same rings true here, even if the integration isn't as blunt. Billie Eilish is name-dropped on numerous occasions as a recurring image of Wood's fantasy girl, while 'The Place Where He Inserted The Blade' finds the singer relying on YouTube videos for his meal preparation. These moments spark paradoxes with the band's classically-trained maturity, providing a staple that'll soon go unappreciated when Wood - and his penchant for scrutinizing the mundane - no longer coexist. Even his effete use of "darling" throughout the album carries with it the feeling of an old soul trapped in a young body. The impact of his eventual absence remains to be seen, but I feel as though it's stronger than many are anticipating.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;">However, the real calling card of Black Country, New Road's epic lies in the sound. 'Track X' off <i>For The First Time</i> hinted at such a direction, as did the early performances of 'Bread Song' and the transcendental tentpole of 'Basketball Shoes,' but nothing could've prepared one for this salient leap. There's a clarity in chrysalis, a branch extending out from the source in beautiful, interwoven fractals. Each song adheres to this approach, while also separating themselves distinctly. 'Chaos Space Marine' is punchy and instantaneous, a winning go-getter with inspirited vigor, while 'Bread Song,' for instance, moves tenuously through weighted steps and a heavy heart pulled down by gravity. 'Haldern' does the same, but with less grace and tenderness, causing it to be a damp outlier that pales around everything that encircles it. Including the gorgeous and galvanized 'Good Will Hunting,' a homebound epic that thrives in unification. Background singers carry Wood as the headstrong drums courtesy of Charlie Wayne set the singer's weary sights on a light at the end of the tunnel. And though there's far much more to discuss with 'Snow Globes' - the Post-Rock dirge that follows the dual-playing, free-flow mannerisms of The Velvet Underground's 'Heroin' - I'll leave the commentary at this: That is Wayne's song. The performance unparalleled.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;">There is one minor criticism I have with Black Country, New Road's approach to composition though, and that's an over-reliance on complexity. Natural, given the expansive talents of the band and their potential for tripping over one another. It occurs in small moments, like at 2:21 of 'Chaos Space Marine' or 2:54 of 'Good Will Hunting,' where transitions enter abruptly with a comparative lack of grace. But even grandiose ideas, found on 'Snow Globes' and 'Basketball Shoes,' suffer a tad from prying eyes making inquisitions over idiosyncrasies. The former's bland and repetitive guitar build falls into pretension, thankfully offset by the "second song" running rampant in the second half, while the latter's numerous restarts cause needless delays as an excuse to bridge ever-disparate gaps in tone and pace. 'Basketball Shoes' is a mess, and perhaps that's by design.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;">However, none of this truly matters because the pros significantly outweigh the cons of the monumental closer. 'Basketball Shoes' is the band's masterpiece, a clarion call for everything they stand for. And in spite of the occasional clunkiness, or the further ridding of Wood's juvenile lyrics (which, to be honest, fairs much better here than on 'Sunglasses'), the climax to 'Basketball Shoes,' and therefore <i>Ants From Up There</i>, and therefore this era of BCNR, is dastardly, cathartic bliss. A moment of complete release, shedding gravity's imposing weight in order to ascend beyond the human condition. And it's not even the best song.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;"><br /></span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;">That goes to 'The Place Where He Inserted The Blade,' which nears complete and total Indie Rock perfection. Every moment, every ounce of panic and hope, agitation and patience, coalesces in succinct measures, bound and built through British engineering to return to a place of pure, natural essence. The careful verses, traipsing bridge, and utterly-masterful chorus unite in sublimity, culminating in classic, coda absolution. Wood's 100% commitment, matched by each and every member, works wonders in invigorating, motivating, and proving that honest passion can achieve the unthinkable. And for the sake of curtailing platitudes and pontification, we'll leave the entirety of Ants From Up There at that. We are nothing but specks on this rock. Specks that can achieve this.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Lora;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI3apAzATT-ucsE0LysDlX9C1BL6OBsIiiOiH5CCekIZVcevtUYL8vr-r6nHwFMvMYOvlsaHI1Oiww2TwUJZwyTonrJdWfVY4G2I0p_gEd8LwlP3VSQfqha6uM6T4rKg2lSJYJrWSfS53laBtlOfhGHwRKIgcVxFc5K62C5aDSrW2Gog2Ts6dzh5mH/s1600/A+.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI3apAzATT-ucsE0LysDlX9C1BL6OBsIiiOiH5CCekIZVcevtUYL8vr-r6nHwFMvMYOvlsaHI1Oiww2TwUJZwyTonrJdWfVY4G2I0p_gEd8LwlP3VSQfqha6uM6T4rKg2lSJYJrWSfS53laBtlOfhGHwRKIgcVxFc5K62C5aDSrW2Gog2Ts6dzh5mH/s1600/A+.jpg" /></a></div></div>Dozens Of Donutshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09419864582928187713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8849500676397996361.post-81447556133884264402022-03-23T11:30:00.000-07:002022-03-23T11:30:38.806-07:00Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - Architecture & Morality<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnxqU-YQw2SaQjOqEwvs6Eh8Japmyj1s6WvukIrHceganm8yYaQpks-amZY09Z0ArfdEFcUhujZbM1d0Z3oRpES0cMeqtFxuILSBpFGgJD6qdObTqf_jFkPSGoVYcOQnsGCb-O4jlKgBqfdvYAL5lbDPfFocfGMCJ4E9Xq8OdQJHNycdNGKSs9Cqxk/s1600/ArchitectureAndMorality.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="990" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnxqU-YQw2SaQjOqEwvs6Eh8Japmyj1s6WvukIrHceganm8yYaQpks-amZY09Z0ArfdEFcUhujZbM1d0Z3oRpES0cMeqtFxuILSBpFGgJD6qdObTqf_jFkPSGoVYcOQnsGCb-O4jlKgBqfdvYAL5lbDPfFocfGMCJ4E9Xq8OdQJHNycdNGKSs9Cqxk/s1600/ArchitectureAndMorality.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<script src="https://s7.addthis.com/js/300/addthis_widget.js#pubid=MYID" type="text/javascript"></script><span style="color: #444444;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Lora; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;"><span style="font-size: 22px; font-weight: bold; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: underline;">PLEADING FOR AMOUR AT THE GATES OF HEAVEN</span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Lora;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRKEUbNzPeRsa4M_GEmYSOZLjkksyiEdImrazQeM14_HcNaLhT5KcPTMh_cC9bTeX5nLsIUjIGoBhdDrk1kCqHUaBfmifroNVEGaYHLaWSq4G5QOskXZJ7hACiDMhodjq9lwxFickxKkiFheA9hf7o6G4YlVopnp33IkKaWfQ85c9dzXZ-po62cYO2/s1600/ArchitectureAndMoralityPicture.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRKEUbNzPeRsa4M_GEmYSOZLjkksyiEdImrazQeM14_HcNaLhT5KcPTMh_cC9bTeX5nLsIUjIGoBhdDrk1kCqHUaBfmifroNVEGaYHLaWSq4G5QOskXZJ7hACiDMhodjq9lwxFickxKkiFheA9hf7o6G4YlVopnp33IkKaWfQ85c9dzXZ-po62cYO2/s1600/ArchitectureAndMoralityPicture.jpg" width="400" /></a><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;">Sappy, New Romantic melodrama. Primitive synthesizers; shallow and contagious. Anemic vocals; languid and flaccid. On the surface, <i>Architecture & Morality</i> is everything I dislike about 80's Synthpop. So what gives? Well, for lack of a better explanation, heart. A desire to correlate lyrical pang with elaborate production flourishes. The kind that would make Andrew Lloyd Webber proud. Far too often, infantilized Synthpop suffered from redundancies, tactics tried and tested that soured with over-analyzation. Bands like Simple Minds, Thompson Twins, and a-ha could perfect a vibe that translated magnificently to the age of the radio, but faltered immensely whenever one snagged that full-length cassette tape. Such was not the case with Orchestral Manœuvres In The Dark, at least my experience with <i>Architecture & Morality</i> and <i>Dazzle Ships</i>. Identifiable and varied, paced with an eye on artistry over accessibility, OMD achieved all this while still maintaining a knack for the ear worm.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;">On first listen, it was a case of one-upsmanship. With its thudding, Jangle Pop guitars, siren call synthesizers, and frenzied back-and-forth singing, 'The New Stone Age' gripped with tenacious hands. Then, in typical 180 fashion, OMD reverts to the land of expectation on 'She's Leaving,' mastering the impassioned cries of breakup Synthpop with anthemic, instrumental hooks. Depeche Mode has them to thank. Then, an infinitely-tender touch with the voice of a womanly angel on 'Souvenir.' Or is that just Paul Humphreys? His cocksure femininity scaling over a genre filled with men determined to be dainty.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;">Then, in a moment of artistic whiplash, 'Sealand' curbs the pattern of pleasure for eight minutes of moody existentialism that reaches back to Kraftwerk's <i>Radio-Aktivität</i> era to signal for a future of spiritual Post-Rock courtesy of Talk Talk. The gap is splendid and sealed. And though 'Sealand' interrupts an otherwise-flawless five-track run, that purposeful aberration only further strengthens the importance of <i>Architecture</i>. Especially within context, as the duality between strident drums and sterile synthesizers, and the futile, weeping, religious overtones helps instill the distinction between two antithetical halves; permanence and transience. A bifurcation that would influence a myriad of future artists (see: Son Lux, Xiu Xiu, Algiers). Later on, the title track would accomplish this with even greater carelessness, separating another consistent run with pure, disgruntled Industrial predating the would-be inspirations of Psychic TV and Legendary Pink Dots.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;"><br /></span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;">Apart from those moments of nihilistic automation, every other track on <i>Architecture</i> is approachable and defiant. Nowhere does OMD slouch or fill in the blanks. The two-part 'Joan Of Arc' and 'Maid Of Orleans' are stadium-fillers, featuring crying vocals and choral arrangements. The medieval vibe protrudes, doing an exquisite job paralleling Joan Of Arc's... well, um, arc. And while 'Georgia' and 'The Beginning & The End' don't compare to previous efforts, each still maintains a level of originality and finality that completes the LP, fitting a golden ribbon atop its perfectly-wrapped present. Though competition is certainly abound, I'd have a hard time putting any 80's Synthpop record above this. That, made all the more impressive by the 1981 release date. Through subtle tones and a penchant for the theatrical, Orchestral Manœuvres In The Dark nailed a style that far too many merely frolicked and fluffed.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Lora;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijiPb5p_CHC4dGcr2PmNR92GrokE0mPV_rpDBzAJNctTH5LEXG-gUsjt2SwBfvkSwdIzDGWmdalG2Wz2O5dWpZ6hV3HQ7zevfvDeQo3VmSoq_WQYSWVxF5EDQbWKVmUhyldbK0PDDu6P_y5wBsD7zXzlQCKsI6_IFS8Xj04Ee3kaUEayRx3HTkUyro/s1600/A.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijiPb5p_CHC4dGcr2PmNR92GrokE0mPV_rpDBzAJNctTH5LEXG-gUsjt2SwBfvkSwdIzDGWmdalG2Wz2O5dWpZ6hV3HQ7zevfvDeQo3VmSoq_WQYSWVxF5EDQbWKVmUhyldbK0PDDu6P_y5wBsD7zXzlQCKsI6_IFS8Xj04Ee3kaUEayRx3HTkUyro/s1600/A.jpg" /></a></div></div>Dozens Of Donutshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09419864582928187713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8849500676397996361.post-51343348973540844252022-02-08T15:53:00.000-08:002022-02-08T15:53:29.395-08:00Flowchart - Cumulus Mood Twang<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh5Dhh6-C6qPk-bc24riTaZXXaDubbOlbS3jWUNGSsj1JIThIvcAfU-KsJbDQdq678dh8oBhESi_BwlOPmfPPKWUF7PzsVM0YBpJH4Rfnt9mAd3rbZp_fFqND_TV9bJy3x8ShqXjZyqfCZuIFV8zmc2ZpPqIBSmCwC3bBrQzFjWrIO3312ifNWSRe6r" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="990" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh5Dhh6-C6qPk-bc24riTaZXXaDubbOlbS3jWUNGSsj1JIThIvcAfU-KsJbDQdq678dh8oBhESi_BwlOPmfPPKWUF7PzsVM0YBpJH4Rfnt9mAd3rbZp_fFqND_TV9bJy3x8ShqXjZyqfCZuIFV8zmc2ZpPqIBSmCwC3bBrQzFjWrIO3312ifNWSRe6r" width="640" /></a></div>
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<script src="https://s7.addthis.com/js/300/addthis_widget.js#pubid=MYID" type="text/javascript"></script><span style="color: #444444;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Lora; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;"><span style="font-size: 22px; font-weight: bold; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: underline;">BATHED IN BLISS, BAPTIZED FOR INFINITY</span></span></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;">I was in love from second one. Without any warning or gradual lead-up, Flowchart transports you into bedazzled, budding bliss on 'Envelopment Continuum.' Piano keys dance erratically around euphoric chants and tribal drums, engulfed by a maximalist agenda hellbent on traipsing off an earth bound by nature's criterion. Though their measures are varied and eclectic throughout, this holds true for the entirety of <i>Cumulus Mood Twang</i>, a masterclass in psychedelic overload. Flowchart perfectly balance often-irritating Drone with enriching soundscapes that layer ad-infinitum over one another, wisened to the need for repetition in hypnotic music. The prominent vocal sample on 'Platform Cloud' even hints at this ideology, as his nonchalant "it's there for a reason" loops and caroms across gentle clouds caught soaring across an arching rainbow. In fact, this supposed-therapist's clinical dissection is really the only point throughout the 54-minute long LP in which English is prominently heard. For Flowchart understands that, where we're going, language isn't necessary. Grunts, coos, sighs, and shrieks dual between both male and female vocalists, intent more on becoming one with the higher power (of music), and less with inculcating a narrative.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;">Each song brings a distinct identity to the table. 'Another Word Explodes' is the most instantaneously-impressive, what with its clairvoyant Outsider House that rattles caged walls with thunderous rhythms and growing petulance. Here, the loops are addicting and monopolizing, cornering every inch of surface that could possibly be reached. It's a truly singular song that only moderately borrows from the Electronic trends of the mid-1990's (namely Ambient Techno and EBM, finding a haunting middle ground between the two). 'Rain Boa Bye' regresses with an extended interlude reversal of sorts, not entirely removed from The Stone Roses or Spacemen 3 had they been stripped of guitars. 'Yosho' uses vocal layering and indecipherable phrases over elastic synthesizers, amounting to a relaxed, aquatic feel best suited for still ponds rich with life.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;"><br /></span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;">'Rust A La Glare' achieves euphoria with a plethora of quirky, television samples and percussive delirium that ascends into a beaming, bright abyss. Though it's not reminiscent of Stereolab, the eccentric influences can be felt. 'Grain Of Apology' is pure celestial Ambient, akin to Brian Eno's space-faring works, providing a necessary respite after the momentous 'Rust A La Glare,' segueing beautifully into the closer 'Icicles & Clipboards.' Here, Flowchart's come down persists, drifting aimlessly in the ether after an exhausting LSD trip. It's proof-positive - along with everything else on <i>Cumulus Mood Twang</i> - that Flowchart were capable of achieving the near-impossible: Psychedelic music for all occasions. It's not all dreams, not all nightmares, not all reprieve. Much like its cover's visual accompaniment, it's all moments at once.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Lora;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi70KJguOX5m9gRHKjOlGW0BvCkt4SDgi75JBjn40kUMMnykhc9cRiUpSUg39lVlLkxrmxv13sLr9aj78UbPDLNkHQKS76VFK1dMWLB0RvEPs73F0eJqiGzXhUB37hJz_j6eJl3EVzTCGHULVGq0jsQGgFUrn3hjra3OqdDg9KtP9CVSUq1YUnEHiYb" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi70KJguOX5m9gRHKjOlGW0BvCkt4SDgi75JBjn40kUMMnykhc9cRiUpSUg39lVlLkxrmxv13sLr9aj78UbPDLNkHQKS76VFK1dMWLB0RvEPs73F0eJqiGzXhUB37hJz_j6eJl3EVzTCGHULVGq0jsQGgFUrn3hjra3OqdDg9KtP9CVSUq1YUnEHiYb" /></a></div></div>Dozens Of Donutshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09419864582928187713noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8849500676397996361.post-45611237907283426162022-02-07T11:22:00.000-08:002022-02-07T11:22:49.325-08:00Big Blood - Fight For Your Dinner Vol. II<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhyqrg4ZFqk-vFcKtoymB1Kkpn88MqhApYsuuETz_OVd-hoaDTScenaK6IlbGPfqBTJWha5xw_5pOZuCMCAremvS5xGuke87AdLHv3E_1Hoh3cwhWZc8ThkRmMw0A2w3CrGaJ6RUtCYTqTKqi-9NbB6xMFBjINoigFiVt5LuqXb8tT-CR7vXdaFD38N" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="990" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhyqrg4ZFqk-vFcKtoymB1Kkpn88MqhApYsuuETz_OVd-hoaDTScenaK6IlbGPfqBTJWha5xw_5pOZuCMCAremvS5xGuke87AdLHv3E_1Hoh3cwhWZc8ThkRmMw0A2w3CrGaJ6RUtCYTqTKqi-9NbB6xMFBjINoigFiVt5LuqXb8tT-CR7vXdaFD38N" width="640" /></a></div>
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<script src="https://s7.addthis.com/js/300/addthis_widget.js#pubid=MYID" type="text/javascript"></script><span style="color: #444444;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Lora; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;"><span style="font-size: 22px; font-weight: bold; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: underline;">KITCHEN SINK RECORDINGS</span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Lora;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhnkaRv5no8gdVvbk9xgesXiu8oW4j-xeEJogWnlK30m5Eu4EEC9fjwIY-Pu5eeq68e9ZoxuJi_XjrvTiyHCqME_6hclc-YQj_p6_BVHs782r4-f9F-NXZFqGCFGpa_B7ojICXt6z63Oe3iZCkb7Ja51MDHI6c_oL20XDHjqoy9MdvOCCtmb9SRuHMn" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhnkaRv5no8gdVvbk9xgesXiu8oW4j-xeEJogWnlK30m5Eu4EEC9fjwIY-Pu5eeq68e9ZoxuJi_XjrvTiyHCqME_6hclc-YQj_p6_BVHs782r4-f9F-NXZFqGCFGpa_B7ojICXt6z63Oe3iZCkb7Ja51MDHI6c_oL20XDHjqoy9MdvOCCtmb9SRuHMn" width="400" /></a><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;">As if in a sign of tempting fate, Big Blood has once again carried their inexhaustible streak to the final day of the year. <i>Fight For Your Dinner Vol. II</i> released in the waning hours of 2021, continuing a now 16-year streak of glorious, free, psychedelic weirdness. Whilst admittedly a collection of unused assets - apparent by its incongruous nature - <i>Fight For Your Dinner</i> still entices by showcasing Big Blood's wayward inquisitions and beatnik curiosity. I mean, where else could you find daring, antithetical, Avant-Folk covers of Amon Düül II, Prince, and The Pixies? Helmed by a voice of an angel shattering glass.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;">True to their career, Big Blood continue to reinvent expectations when it comes to song covers. 'Velouria' is perhaps the most impressive, stripping The Pixies of the Alternative Rock that defined them, drowning in the mire of romantic morose over languished piano keys. But in all three instances, Colleen Kinsella's vocals remain unmatched; quivering with ethereal rootlessness. Elsewhere, accentuating <i>Fight For Your Dinner's</i> desultory causes, are two excellent Caleb Mulkerin-fronted efforts; 'The Fox & The Rose' and 'My Daughter's Only Son.' This is your typical Big Blood, with crunchy guitars, twitchy acoustics, and campfire paeans. Beautiful and intrinsically-human. Unlike the band's next foray into primitive Electronics; 'Floating From Xanthi.' This freakish whirlwind of science fiction industry surpasses anything Big Blood exercised on the inferior <i>Thunder Crutch</i>. The soundscapes are engrossing and unexpected, enhanced by a myriad of disparate insertions swirling around like a tornado in a forgotten, Midwest township.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;"><br /></span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;">Bookending <i>Fight For Your Dinner's</i> consistent streak are the opener 'Half Light Blues' and the closer 'Rejected By Reno,' a riveting timberland dirge that beckons weary travelers to lose themselves in. But wait... you say there's another song that follows that heavenly crest? And it's archaic Minima Synth featuring ear-curdling autotune and rinky-dink lyrics about adolescent romantic infatuation? And that it doesn't sound entirely unlike Kanye West's <i>808's & Heartbreak</i> era? Surely you're kidding? Reality couldn't be so cruel. But in fact, 'Shine Bright Like A Star' is endearing in its absurdity, as Quinnisa was just six at the time of its recording. As Big Blood stated: "she insisted that I make her sound like the robot she heard on the radio." How adorably-apt.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Lora;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgDLZoVOiFfQAYao5Xipysifu5NFW17WVz_ziDMuzpKlpfLMe6sDJ9BrcGIuCvZES7OXMcQB3LIufas8esS-cu1Y8iKPhefQPcIABY6D1MPkYObDhdZCghKB-cIwLVSY5EFX7gdlbtIo8f0OIjugKRiZcmTQ4SBVlysoXixE7KKZap-t2omy6tBEH0V" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgDLZoVOiFfQAYao5Xipysifu5NFW17WVz_ziDMuzpKlpfLMe6sDJ9BrcGIuCvZES7OXMcQB3LIufas8esS-cu1Y8iKPhefQPcIABY6D1MPkYObDhdZCghKB-cIwLVSY5EFX7gdlbtIo8f0OIjugKRiZcmTQ4SBVlysoXixE7KKZap-t2omy6tBEH0V" /></a></div></div>Dozens Of Donutshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09419864582928187713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8849500676397996361.post-74360485316271581592022-01-23T17:52:00.000-08:002022-01-23T17:52:07.301-08:00death's dynamic shroud - Faith In Persona<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhUCgoWKYpn9n1WUeMSX-wA3TfRe6cWaXCABNr26k4OI3nC2ROMASPEGStZLf3PcruE7DFMU40fbH07J7tLmMhfj79hejTOVK2Il1J6l5Mo2FEc6m38RpS1oEQwcpAZNnCA6L5TNxIlQFPukH2og2pp-e-kaj4TP5SAKx8ocIETJQcFxztpYA47gyvW" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="990" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhUCgoWKYpn9n1WUeMSX-wA3TfRe6cWaXCABNr26k4OI3nC2ROMASPEGStZLf3PcruE7DFMU40fbH07J7tLmMhfj79hejTOVK2Il1J6l5Mo2FEc6m38RpS1oEQwcpAZNnCA6L5TNxIlQFPukH2og2pp-e-kaj4TP5SAKx8ocIETJQcFxztpYA47gyvW" width="640" /></a></div>
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<script src="https://s7.addthis.com/js/300/addthis_widget.js#pubid=MYID" type="text/javascript"></script><span style="color: #444444;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Lora; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;"><span style="font-size: 22px; font-weight: bold; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: underline;">FINDING COMFORT IN THE MILQUETOAST</span></span></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;">Enthralled, I asked myself "what is this?!" as a grin protruded via 'Tear In Abyss'' compounding rhythms and screeching vocals. It's a moment you savor, the understanding that you're experiencing greatness first hand. Every aspect of <i>Faith In Persona</i> is accounted for. Maximalist production, tantalizing Vaporwave synthesizers, emotional frailty, off-the-wall bangers, and the total deconstruction of Pop. Of all the magic death's dynamic shroud presents here, it's that last one that makes the strongest impact. Distended to extremes, saccharine singers like Demi Lovato, Taylor Swift, and Ariana Grande quiver in duress under the weight of pent-up sensitivity. Take the dire momentum of 'Tear In Abyss' and its sudden twist of fate at the five-minute mark. Previously, sporadic samples contend with military drums and lightning synthesizers that pierce the sky, providing impregnated gravity to intent dubiously concocted. Then, Lovato's voice - once chipmunked - crystalizes to form a beautiful bridge of total loss and regret. "Take everything I have," her voice reams, as crescendoing Christmas bells bounce aggressively behind her parched cries. It's a moment of weeping bliss, carried out on a procession of warm, tropical percussion. An aesthetic curators dream.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;">Which, as a whole, defines <i>Faith In Persona</i>. Though it's apparent what death's dynamic shroud's ultimate goal is - to invert teen Pop sensations and their manufactured penitence towards something more profound and fractured - it's damn near impossible to explain how such an obvious transformation is achieved. Which, given the typically-obtuse nature of Vaporwave (see: any of its on-the-nose sub-genres), is all the more astounding. <i>Faith In Persona</i> is complex music simplified down to a science. Pop built from algorithms, fetching influence from scattered sources. It's why songs like 'See Me' and 'Pop Chin' are so unstable, as confusion lies in the range of what humans deem enjoyable. Vocals deviate at random intervals, tickling the ears, as structures perform about-face actions, keeping expectations capricious and unsteady. Every song that strives for accessibility masters that domain in one way or another, be it 'Faith In Persona's' jungle rhythms or 'Someone In The Room's' plastic scratching. Even the interminable 'Last Minutes Of The Memory' finds bliss in the celebration of arena music, with giant electric guitars and a seemingly-endless coda.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;">Despite these moments of ecstasy, <i>Faith In Persona's</i> genius arises in the tenderness shared by all. More often than not, Pop music - especially those composed by strong, female leads - struggles with the conundrum of enjoyment versus emotion. This duality has always felt paradoxical to me, apart from the rare moments in which it's done right. Take Ariana Grande's 'Needy,' sampled exquisitely on the masterpiece that is 'Just To Be Needed.' On Grande's original, the topic of insecurities and attention is spoon-fed over pleasurable sounds and sonorous vocals. The mere separation of weakness and desire leads to an artificial outcome, one that relies more on - ironically - algorithms for germane radio play, rather than the messy realism. 'Just To Be Needed' does away with that, amping up the intimacy of loneliness with slowed-down vocals, gorgeous in their epicene nature, and angelic strings fluttering around like a bird cast from their cage. Best of all, the backbone of military drums and tapping keys carry a linearity that's found all across <i>Faith In Persona</i>. It's a masterpiece in sample work and Electronic music defying the human condition.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;"><br /></span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;">Acting as the quintessential closer, defiant against the preceding bombast, stirring in its summation, 'Rip' features a single line from Olivia Rodrigo's 'Drivers License' contorted and diffused, across lofty strings, overwhelming ocean waves, and a fatigued piano. Though the song stands in contrast to <i>Faith In Persona's</i> modus operandi, its gentle fluttering and reclusive benevolence exhibits death's dynamic shroud's goals to a tee. Here, they took an overly-sentimental - yet ultimately dry and soulless - Teen Pop song and gave listeners a feeling they can actually find comfort in. As someone who's typically opposed to modern Pop music, this is a godsend.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Lora;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi70KJguOX5m9gRHKjOlGW0BvCkt4SDgi75JBjn40kUMMnykhc9cRiUpSUg39lVlLkxrmxv13sLr9aj78UbPDLNkHQKS76VFK1dMWLB0RvEPs73F0eJqiGzXhUB37hJz_j6eJl3EVzTCGHULVGq0jsQGgFUrn3hjra3OqdDg9KtP9CVSUq1YUnEHiYb" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi70KJguOX5m9gRHKjOlGW0BvCkt4SDgi75JBjn40kUMMnykhc9cRiUpSUg39lVlLkxrmxv13sLr9aj78UbPDLNkHQKS76VFK1dMWLB0RvEPs73F0eJqiGzXhUB37hJz_j6eJl3EVzTCGHULVGq0jsQGgFUrn3hjra3OqdDg9KtP9CVSUq1YUnEHiYb" /></a></div></div>Dozens Of Donutshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09419864582928187713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8849500676397996361.post-33327551707053223832022-01-05T12:07:00.000-08:002022-01-05T12:07:18.877-08:00Top 10 Best & Worst Covers Of 2021<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg784VX13UtoX7ajagCD1ZUwhjLlXooUpLcNJ6pgcaEpmE_4u2yHPl2KkhfuOYXRM-ybjKW4Pphp5NU4-iMdgPcXr0-e9m5avvtOM0K7N57YxKxTlwGMPOQp_jmRtAcUKUrquaOnTTAuugA9-IwlxVx-p8h7MV1pX4tMypwfD6W8PUTOtdHplJViGWb" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="990" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg784VX13UtoX7ajagCD1ZUwhjLlXooUpLcNJ6pgcaEpmE_4u2yHPl2KkhfuOYXRM-ybjKW4Pphp5NU4-iMdgPcXr0-e9m5avvtOM0K7N57YxKxTlwGMPOQp_jmRtAcUKUrquaOnTTAuugA9-IwlxVx-p8h7MV1pX4tMypwfD6W8PUTOtdHplJViGWb" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">With another year in the can it's time to look back towards the best and worst covers of 2020. Purely subjective - with some favorited or disliked for purely personal reasons - this list acts as a fun round-up of the year. Take a look back in time for the best and worst covers of <a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/01/top-10-best-worst-covers-of-2020.html" target="_blank">2020</a>, <a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2020/01/top-10-best-worst-album-covers-of-2019.html" target="_blank">2019</a>, <a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2019/01/top-10-best-worst-album-covers-of-2018.html" target="_blank">2018</a>, <a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2018/01/top-10-best-worst-album-covers-of-2017.html" target="_blank">2017</a> and <a href="http://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2016/12/the-10-best-worst-album-covers-of-2016.html" target="_blank">2016</a>. As per usual, one rule of thumb applies: I must have listened to the album, otherwise intent could be lost</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 40px;"><b>10</b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #f35925; font-size: x-large;">Worst</span><span style="color: #444444;"> | </span></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Yu Su - <i>Yellow River Blue</i></b></span> | This isn't exactly bad, just lazy. And for what it's worth, when it comes to visual art, that's more often than not my barometer for whether I respect something or not; how much work went into it. Yu Su's <i>Yellow River Blue</i> is a photograph, of an admittedly-pretty landscape, blotted over with a blinding hue of orange. For someone equip with Photoshop, this is three minutes of work. And the majority of that is importing the image and exporting the final composite. Literally.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #f35925; font-size: x-large;">Best</span><span style="color: #444444;"> | </span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Bruno Pernadas - <i>Private Reasons</i></b></span> | Every cover by Bruno Pernadas is exceptional, and <i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/05/bruno-pernadas-private-reasons-review.html" target="_blank">Private Reasons</a></i> is no exception. Their brand of elaborate Progressive Pop uses a myriad of colors, reflected here, quite literally, by an escalating rainbow. Odd dots and lines help fill an otherwise beige background, as classic 50's onlookers - a staple of fashion for retro-futurists enamored with Space Age Pop, as is the case with Pernadas - gazes into the colorful abyss. Throw a nod to <i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2019/10/listening-log-past-vol-15.html" target="_blank">Those Who Throw Objects</a></i> in for good measure, with the parrot off to the side.</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgFDkhw1wH8LNbk4IRLqGvMjpbTRzUYr-c3jLzTXdMEdl1CbphJVuF0ww7Incdj40Tc2S62ug4paaQo6haDyhU2xwiXh7_pIWUMMWyzoZqAORoPmXceIVWyticY8I9RnnR6lOyHMvaySIOdnkgCcao1RgRlPs5tYpTgcKeDaC5RH5X4wryOqc9viYvY" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="990" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgFDkhw1wH8LNbk4IRLqGvMjpbTRzUYr-c3jLzTXdMEdl1CbphJVuF0ww7Incdj40Tc2S62ug4paaQo6haDyhU2xwiXh7_pIWUMMWyzoZqAORoPmXceIVWyticY8I9RnnR6lOyHMvaySIOdnkgCcao1RgRlPs5tYpTgcKeDaC5RH5X4wryOqc9viYvY" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 40px;"><b>9</b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #f35925; font-size: x-large;">Worst</span><span style="color: #444444;"> | </span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Black Country, New Road - <i>For The First Time</i></b></span> | </span></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Ah yes, the classic "we know our music's incredible, so let's purposely make our visuals crap" trope. It's post-ironic, whatever that means. Take the text and context away from <i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/02/black-country-new-road-for-first-time.html" target="_blank">For The First Time</a></i> and you're left with an inconsequential image that wouldn't garner any likes on some kid's Facebook page. There's not even a hint of meaning here. And the eye-rolling inclusion of the artist's credit is the cherry on top. It's almost mocking "asafyrov," considering how phenomenal the album is and how useless the photograph is.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #f35925; font-size: x-large;">Best</span><span style="color: #444444;"> | </span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Low - <i>HEY WHAT</i></b></span> | </span></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Minimalism and abstract done right. In art, more often than not, I despise the two. Especially when they don't have the benefit of being attached to a secondary piece of art, like this cover does with Low's music. But here, what ultimately looks like a microscopic image of some desaturated, dusty fabric, takes on a totally new form once the dire, dreadful, morbid sounds of <i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/10/low-hey-what.html" target="_blank">HEY WHAT</a></i> are heard. You take the starkness of Ambient Pop and the garishness of Post-Industrial, which is effectively what Low did on <i>HEY WHAT</i>, and this is the visual result. Minimalistic and abstract.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiLpTaL0-AWjI61Iwyn0-tioWVCE1yMt5xjD6ZnBpgN9pu_YbcgDUBQ-s4THYg1hp8CkhiMzMgY7Xw6Q9P3XlbcUTkqIQpExjeiaYn9sOG2tmamXta6VBEqy8Un-nlirx0i9_SPvDOLv03yI_NZafmy8H1haZo0njP9mWWy2LFnFDCiguYWmNcTrd9y" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="990" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiLpTaL0-AWjI61Iwyn0-tioWVCE1yMt5xjD6ZnBpgN9pu_YbcgDUBQ-s4THYg1hp8CkhiMzMgY7Xw6Q9P3XlbcUTkqIQpExjeiaYn9sOG2tmamXta6VBEqy8Un-nlirx0i9_SPvDOLv03yI_NZafmy8H1haZo0njP9mWWy2LFnFDCiguYWmNcTrd9y" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 40px;"><b>8</b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #f35925; font-size: x-large;">Worst</span><span style="color: #444444;"> | </span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Tyler, The Creator - <i>Call Me If You Get Lost</i></b></span> | </span></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Sure, it pays homage to Ol' Dirty Bastard and his cover of <i>Return To The 36 Chambers</i> - fitting given Tyler's reconnection to rugged Hip-Hop - but apart from that, <i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/07/tyler-creator-call-me-if-you-get-lost.html" target="_blank">Call Me If You Get Lost's</a></i> suffers like many "unusual" covers do in that it's not fit for the classic, square cover format. The meaningless white space dominates the scene, and the license itself fails to make any sort of impact outside of the obvious homage.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #f35925; font-size: x-large;">Best</span><span style="color: #444444;"> | </span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Aaron & Lucy - <i>Lucy & Aaron</i></b></span> | </span></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This is just flat-out, shape-shifting cool. It's one thing when an artist can correctly correlate their sonic landscapes to a visual medium. It's another entirely, when it's one as peculiar and surreal as <i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/11/aaron-dilloway-lucrecia-dalt-lucy-aaron.html" target="_blank">Lucy & Aaron</a></i>. Tape Music left on the stovetop of a kept housewife from the 1950's, boiling and internally-conflicted. The masquerade of expression, startling pink (for an experimental album), three-dimensional depth. All of it works so, so well together.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgHwb1LDdPydpQ2YRWde4F2aU7xyhkjMAr7D2jKlHviOMeY9NJgo0t51nuhnNFdAsdHmggczakv3MhQ1kRTcOJEf_On9X4e3gKjEg18ktURP3Pi8S_dulbk-3uQTBLaN6dhFDjBxrEY9V4WSFJhxyXXn1UqmklVgArjtYRzb37E0re7GIUqCsc4GMOy" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="990" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgHwb1LDdPydpQ2YRWde4F2aU7xyhkjMAr7D2jKlHviOMeY9NJgo0t51nuhnNFdAsdHmggczakv3MhQ1kRTcOJEf_On9X4e3gKjEg18ktURP3Pi8S_dulbk-3uQTBLaN6dhFDjBxrEY9V4WSFJhxyXXn1UqmklVgArjtYRzb37E0re7GIUqCsc4GMOy" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 40px;"><b>7</b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #f35925; font-size: x-large;">Worst</span><span style="color: #444444;"> | </span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Kanye West - <i>Donda</i></b></span> | </span></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Ah, yes. A perennial tradition. The all-black, all-white, all-whatever color. You name it, it'll always have a spot on this list. Of course, this year it has to be Kanye (with concessions to Dean Blunt, who barely avoided it by placing a tiny "2" in the corner of <i>Black Metal 2</i>). A shame, for <i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/09/kanye-west-donda.html" target="_blank">Donda</a></i> deserved an iconic cover like so many Yeezy covers that came before. There's enough content, enough religious overtones, enough grave undertones, to warrant it. But nope. Like every cover dating back to <i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2016/02/kanye-west-life-of-pablo-review.html" target="_blank">Life Of Pablo</a></i> - which was satirical in how bad it was - Kanye knows that, for him, the visuals won't change how many people listen. He's reached cult status, and any extra work is frivolous.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #f35925; font-size: x-large;">Best</span><span style="color: #444444;"> | </span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Floating Points & Pharoah Sanders - <i>Promises</i></b></span> | </span></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Floating Points' <i>Promises</i> garnered plenty of critical acclaim this year. From Jazz circles, I'm sure it's warranted. From an outsider who seeks substance in his music, I don't get it. Nonetheless, the cover is striking. Unlike Tyler, The Creator's album, this excess of white works because the bold text and artistic detail found in the centerpiece draw your eyes away from it, rather than to it. I'm not even sure what's happening on those three planes of existence, but it's a sensational mix of realism and abstract. Subway maps slathered in graffiti.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj2DRT0trxH2zhnS7gxQY4NLkywyA3BfqtfrbajjQFNDdlAT4GcLeMASkMeg_qvsvXDFvugk126s17BATejNtHnhl_88l7QzGycz3dbf6G8PFlG8fbXP8L1rkTnGJKQRHoiXsqganjHyfTr24psr2tDDQ2sfWPKWgAQBRtFPyeOETPt05jACycVBBWq" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="990" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj2DRT0trxH2zhnS7gxQY4NLkywyA3BfqtfrbajjQFNDdlAT4GcLeMASkMeg_qvsvXDFvugk126s17BATejNtHnhl_88l7QzGycz3dbf6G8PFlG8fbXP8L1rkTnGJKQRHoiXsqganjHyfTr24psr2tDDQ2sfWPKWgAQBRtFPyeOETPt05jACycVBBWq" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 40px;"><b>6</b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #f35925; font-size: x-large;">Worst</span><span style="color: #444444;"> | </span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>sonhos tomam conta - </b><i><b>hypnagogia</b></i></span> | </span></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Cheap and annoyingly on-the-nose. Once again, another example of a blasé picture imported into Photoshop. However, unlike previous examples, <i>some</i> work has been done to it. The problem being? sonhos tomam conta's work is predictable and stereotypical. A layer of purple haze overwhelms the palate, evoking Shoegaze's perennial color, as slight fading distortion makes it even more obvious the aesthetic hypnagogia's shooting for. Just way too conventional.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #f35925; font-size: x-large;">Best</span><span style="color: #444444;"> | </span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Lingua Ignota - <i>Sinner Get Ready</i></b></span> | </span></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Lingua Ignota's aesthetic has never wavered. Up close and personal, intimate and brooding. Each cover of hers prominently features her portrait, tormented and pained. <i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/09/lingua-ignota-sinner-get-ready.html" target="_blank">Sinner Get Ready</a></i> is no different, apart from the mystique of an opaque headgear which matches the religious grandiosity and illogical pragmatism that dominates the album. Eery, menacing, and gorgeous.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 40px;"><b>5</b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #f35925; font-size: x-large;">Worst</span><span style="color: #444444;"> | </span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>DJ Sabrina - <i>The Other Realm</i></b></span> | </span></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">DJ Sabrina's aesthetic is clear, concise, and unflinching. Which is exactly the problem with <i>The Other Realm</i>. Isn't this the album meant to express her alternate endeavors? The spirited teenage samples are gone, replaced with more rudimentary House concepts. So why then do we a cheap Barbie in celebratory pose? It conflates with <i>Other Realm's</i> sound, while also continuing to point out the contrast between DJ Sabrina's unparalleled ambitions when it comes to music, and her cheap visuals thrown slapdash together on the covers.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #f35925; font-size: x-large;">Best</span><span style="color: #444444;"> | </span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Nala Sinephro - <i>Space 1.8</i></b></span> | </span></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It's easily my least favorite album on this side of the list, but there's no discrediting the bold, stark minimalism that gracefully commands the cover of Nala Sinephro's <i>Space 1.8</i>. I mean, look at that font. It's so thin, so peckish, yet Sinephro somehow manages to adorn the entire cover with it. The abstract pink splotch compliments the traipsing human figure and the rainbow rings admirably as well, combining forces to reflect the album's space-faring Jazz perfectly.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjOElMnXVEFGroo1_-_YENgRgQnie9c3HM2phqXQ3ifj1TW87fV9i4tCQv085SjwxSgM4OtyflobsA9SfwGHM89CychOe0hh0d8PhOHIhIeou6_hV6r5LrNPKs6U6NIxp2vyweAD3sOptAXHd6K9ezGqqdaA41XaijMMtfw5hxhF919PWTzXaulH8v5" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="990" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjOElMnXVEFGroo1_-_YENgRgQnie9c3HM2phqXQ3ifj1TW87fV9i4tCQv085SjwxSgM4OtyflobsA9SfwGHM89CychOe0hh0d8PhOHIhIeou6_hV6r5LrNPKs6U6NIxp2vyweAD3sOptAXHd6K9ezGqqdaA41XaijMMtfw5hxhF919PWTzXaulH8v5" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 40px;"><b>4</b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #f35925; font-size: x-large;">Worst</span><span style="color: #444444;"> | </span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Big Boi & Sleepy Brown - <i>Big Sleepover</i></b></span> | </span></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I didn't expect much from a collaboration from two aging performers clinging to relevance (I love Big Boi, but it's true), but <i>Big Sleepover's</i> cover still manages to let me down. For what it's worth, the album's okay. Some real, real stinkers mixed in with a couple surprisingly-good moments. But this cover just screams photoshoot. Take the text away and this is but one picture from the press junket for the album. The colors are nice, but the presence of Big Boi and Sleepy Brown are just beyond uninspired. There's nothing happening. It's like they don't want you to listen to the album.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #f35925; font-size: x-large;">Best</span><span style="color: #444444;"> | </span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Armand Hammer - <i>Haram</i></b></span> | </span></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Armand Hammer won this list <a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/01/top-10-best-worst-covers-of-2020.html" target="_blank">last year</a> with their remarkable cover for <i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2020/10/listening-log-present-volume-67.html" target="_blank">Shrines</a></i>. With <i>Haram</i>, they've come close to winning again. Any cover that's censored by Google, in spite of the plethora of absolutely grotesque and vile content one can find in images there, deserves kudos. The name <i>Haram</i> - meaning "forbidden or proscribed by Islamic law - contrasts beautifully with the image of two decapitated pig heads. A sight that offends millions, despite those same millions proliferating such abuse by consuming pig meat in hordes.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj18Ngo9TCMDwc8yAQH1s9eozPm40S-75HwQy_ojZKYxKTrqfX3Y6u8wW7EjaMpkzIb55W4qlE6rL3UG7cJzxx5vVWxU7QRziy4Kr9P2K5iHf-YEkIZsTPQfpFyC4xY8dxA_VXeYKiGkZHcA-hh7E4oltL3Jz1gKAjlYYK2LozXYx4dRgSbqxuWMHlZ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="990" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj18Ngo9TCMDwc8yAQH1s9eozPm40S-75HwQy_ojZKYxKTrqfX3Y6u8wW7EjaMpkzIb55W4qlE6rL3UG7cJzxx5vVWxU7QRziy4Kr9P2K5iHf-YEkIZsTPQfpFyC4xY8dxA_VXeYKiGkZHcA-hh7E4oltL3Jz1gKAjlYYK2LozXYx4dRgSbqxuWMHlZ" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 40px;"><b>3</b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #f35925; font-size: x-large;">Worst</span><span style="color: #444444;"> | </span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Vince Staples - <i>Vince Staples</i></b></span> | </span></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It's as lazy as the album itself. A shame considering the heightened expectations that typically surround a self-titled album midway through an artist's career. Not for Vince Staples though, who felt 22 minutes was an adequate amount of time to analyze and characterize the self. Or, at least, that's what one would expect. Really, he spent 22 minutes fondling tired West Coast ideals, front-loaded by one or two genuinely solid moments. I do like the pixelated look of his face on the cover, but even that was likely a happy accident when zooming in on the otherwise apathetic, disinterested look. It's weird, much like the <i>Big Sleepover</i>, it's like Vince Staples doesn't want anyone listening to his album, given that he himself is seemingly bored by it.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #f35925; font-size: x-large;">Best</span><span style="color: #444444;"> | </span><span style="color: #444444; font-size: large;"><b>Boldy James & Alchemist - <i>Bo Jackson</i></b></span><span style="color: #444444;"> | </span></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This is so freaking cool. Whoever edited this, props to them. Obviously, there's no covert messages or implied double meanings here. This is an album called <i>Bo Jackson</i> with a handful of Bo Jackson trading cards chopped to bits. Trippy, yet really effective and simple. I love how the rich color palate just emerges naturally. Like there's no editing or touch-ups going on. You dice a couple baseball cards into thin strips using a scissor, then lay them on the table against one another, it'll look like this. Though it likely wasn't intentional, the one parallel I can find dates back to the days when kids would put trading cards in the spokes of their bike tires to make them sound like a motorcycle. I can see some of these cards having met the same, destroyed fate.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg1rfeOH9ZOEy9njjnx_xPkzaptzRjpU0t31KWqWAd_eahI9dEY76CFVlc4WsP8s2Q6CiYH1R79N1T_Qk6T0_V14gFxfQl5iqh0jW_PfFe1fwrWlOM0fFmo89f1-x1-xJfpiC0KkoKWwrkumAKfQ4zaB2xjlUy4ZdzIqzYEIvmwHD-YkwXVPInuzwRi" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="990" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg1rfeOH9ZOEy9njjnx_xPkzaptzRjpU0t31KWqWAd_eahI9dEY76CFVlc4WsP8s2Q6CiYH1R79N1T_Qk6T0_V14gFxfQl5iqh0jW_PfFe1fwrWlOM0fFmo89f1-x1-xJfpiC0KkoKWwrkumAKfQ4zaB2xjlUy4ZdzIqzYEIvmwHD-YkwXVPInuzwRi" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 40px;"><b>2</b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #f35925; font-size: x-large;">Worst</span><span style="color: #444444;"> | </span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Ducks Ltd. - <i>Modern Fiction</i></b></span><i> </i>| </span></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What. Why? Take what I said about Black Country New Road's debut and amplify it by a hundred. Unlike that notorious Experimental Rock band who had hype on their side - thus, first impressions aren't as necessary - Ducks Ltd. had nothing of the sort. Their music, while great and heart-warming, is textbook Jangle Pop. Regardless of how good <i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/10/ducks-ltd-modern-fiction.html" target="_blank">Modern Fiction</a></i> is (and believe me, it's worth a listen), customary Jangle Pop in the year 2021 requires visuals to give off the illusion of progression. Not a corridor from a prosaic mansion. Also, unlike some previous examples, this is a basic photograph that's not even edited! If I took this while sightseeing, then looked back on those iPhone images, this would be the first to see the trash.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #f35925; font-size: x-large;">Best</span><span style="color: #444444;"> | </span><span style="color: #444444; font-size: large;"><b>Lost Girls - </b><i><b>Menneskekollektivet</b></i></span><span style="color: #444444;"> | </span></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Initially, <i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/04/lost-girls-menneskekollektivet-review.html" target="_blank">Menneskekollektivet's</a></i> cover was my number one. But, despite still loving it, I struggled to come up with reasons as to why. Still, I'll do my best. It manages to satisfy two schools of thought that tend to be polar opposites; minimalism and mystery. It's creepy no matter which way you look at it; literally. Either these "Lost Girls" (<i>wink wink</i>) are staring absentmindedly at a concrete wall, or they're actually facing forward, concealed entirely by their hair. I love it. The black and white, shadows, complete lack of text (in spite of the potential with the word <i>Menneskekollektivet</i>), all of it comes together in something so effortless, yet cerebral.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhDasY-wj63A8DbAoMvuVNo1LEsa2QB0xUM33mHEciPilZUv-zHJAwZzFboSsVRK-XmZsU_0k_9qWs65P5PG8KLKGn2f6XVSwW8wLxbDu8-f8M7dDqTLlR0Vmg_kwsW_YniRuJTMVSFxcM9tG8-bVjDg28BCNpy8dvLCmlphoAsmfZatXvdConZ2EoI" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="990" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhDasY-wj63A8DbAoMvuVNo1LEsa2QB0xUM33mHEciPilZUv-zHJAwZzFboSsVRK-XmZsU_0k_9qWs65P5PG8KLKGn2f6XVSwW8wLxbDu8-f8M7dDqTLlR0Vmg_kwsW_YniRuJTMVSFxcM9tG8-bVjDg28BCNpy8dvLCmlphoAsmfZatXvdConZ2EoI" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 40px;"><b>1</b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #f35925; font-size: x-large;">Worst</span><span style="color: #444444;"> | <span style="font-size: large;"><b>Iglooghost - <i>Lei Line Eon</i></b></span></span><span style="color: #444444;"> | </span></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It's vomit. For what it's worth, this gaudy, tasteless extravagance matches the tonality displayed on <i>Lei Line Eon</i> quite well. On the album, Iglooghost attempts to combine Glitch with Classical. And, I mean, that's exactly what's happening on the cover. But my god is it grotesque. This, primarily due to the color palate. Creamy white and piss yellow do not mix, under any circumstances. A cracked egg from a sick hen is the closest comparison, and that's not exactly the mark of something attractive. The fractured detail, evoking Vaporwave's hidden hysteria, isn't awful, but hardly makes an indent with the visceral reaction caused elsewhere.</span><br />
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</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #f35925; font-size: x-large;">Best</span><span style="color: #444444;"> | <span style="font-size: large;"><b>shame - <i>Drunk Tank Pink</i></b></span></span><span style="color: #444444;"> | </span></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Initially, shame's <i>Drunk Tank Pink</i> didn't really capture the imagination. But then I learned that drunk tank pink is an <i>actual</i> color, meant to offset the aggression of intoxicated prisoners. It's the color displayed in the font. Now, contrasted against the beautifully-stark black and the shrouded image of a seeming ne'er-do-weller (the drummer's own father) one begins to conjure up images of abuse, machoism, and violence, and how these can be combated. All topics discussed within the album. In terms of checking off the boxes for what makes a great album cover, it doesn't get much better than this. It lacks the instant gratification, but once one looks further down, resonance begins to grow.</span><br />
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top: -10000px;" /><img id="hzDownscaled" style="position: absolute; top: -10000px;" /><img id="hzDownscaled" style="position: absolute; top: -10000px;" /><img id="hzDownscaled" style="position: absolute; top: -10000px;" /><img id="hzDownscaled" style="position: absolute; top: -10000px;" /><img id="hzDownscaled" style="position: absolute; top: -10000px;" /><img id="hzDownscaled" style="position: absolute; top: -10000px;" /><img id="hzDownscaled" style="position: absolute; top: -10000px;" /><img id="hzDownscaled" style="position: absolute; top: -10000px;" /><img id="hzDownscaled" style="position: absolute; top: -10000px;" /><img id="hzDownscaled" style="position: absolute; top: -10000px;" /><img id="hzDownscaled" style="position: absolute; top: -10000px;" /><img id="hzDownscaled" style="position: absolute; top: -10000px;" /><img id="hzDownscaled" style="position: absolute; top: -10000px;" /><img id="hzDownscaled" style="position: absolute; top: -10000px;" /><img id="hzDownscaled" style="position: absolute; top: -10000px;" /><img id="hzDownscaled" style="position: absolute; top: -10000px;" /><img id="hzDownscaled" style="position: absolute; top: -10000px;" /><img id="hzDownscaled" style="position: absolute; top: -10000px;" /><img id="hzDownscaled" style="position: absolute; top: -10000px;" /><img id="hzDownscaled" style="position: absolute; top: -10000px;" /><img id="hzDownscaled" style="position: absolute; top: -10000px;" /><img id="hzDownscaled" style="position: absolute; top: -10000px;" /><img id="hzDownscaled" style="position: absolute; top: -10000px;" /><img id="hzDownscaled" style="position: absolute; top: -10000px;" /><img id="hzDownscaled" style="position: absolute; top: -10000px;" /><img id="hzDownscaled" style="position: absolute; top: -10000px;" /><img id="hzDownscaled" style="position: absolute; top: -10000px;" />Dozens Of Donutshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09419864582928187713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8849500676397996361.post-85933752019419209412021-12-31T17:16:00.000-08:002021-12-31T17:16:05.756-08:00Deep Cuts - December '21<div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Deep Cuts. An idea spurred by those countless playlist drifters, jumping from single to single, without investigating albums further. Here you'll find the five best 2021 songs discovered by Dozens Of Donuts in the previous month, not given exposure via the duty of lead single. The only condition I've imposed upon myself is that no artist can have more than one song. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 35px;"><b>5</b></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">IDLES - Crawl!</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><i>CRAWLER</i> | Post-Hardcore</span></div>
<br /><div class="p1"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Yes, IDLES' <i>Crawler</i> was dominated by its two lead singles; 'Beachland Ballroom' and 'Car Crash,' however the pseudo title track still incorporates a great deal of the relentless energy presented by Joe Talbot and crew. No, it doesn't stray far from IDLES' norms, but that's where the beauty lies: In refinement. The percussion and guitars are tight and rambunctious, matched by Talbot's notorious grunts and screams. While the verses are quite rudimentary, the chorus is where '<a href="https://song.link/us/i/1571499421" target="_blank">Crawl!'s</a>' breadth flourishes. It unfolds naturally from the bridge, lending a gritty sense of optimism to the proceedings in classic IDLES fashion.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 35px;"><b>4</b></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">Courtney Barnett - Sunfair Sundown</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/12/courtney-barnett-things-take-time-take.html" target="_blank">Things Take Time, Take Time</a></i> | Jangle Pop</span></div>
<br /><div class="p1"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">On her latest record, Courtney Barnett settled down in the simplistic. Melody was placed above all else, exceeding perhaps her sometimes sentimental, sometimes dour lyrics. '<a href="https://song.link/us/i/1573663816" target="_blank">Sunfair Sundown</a>' was a perfect example of both. Jaunty and airy, like the aptly-named Sunshine Pop, with a slathering of disguised plaudits best suited for an intervention. The quirky acoustics combined with the constant, and ever so subtle building made for a cerebrally-enjoyable experience. By song's end, one's enclosed in a flurry of psychedelic sounds without even realizing it. Due, in part, to Barnett's tricky and blunt command of dialogue.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 35px;"><b>3</b></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">Richard Dawson & Circle - Silene</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/12/richard-dawson-circle-henki.html" target="_blank">Henki</a> </i>| Progressive Rock</span></div>
<br /><div class="p1"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">For uninformed readers, '<a href="https://song.link/us/i/1584036433" target="_blank">Silene</a>' is not a good representation of <i>Henki's</i> sound, style, and tone. In fact, its greatness arises out of the fact that it's set squarely in the middle of mayhem, content with languishing in a blissful slumber. A delicate, sublime Krautrock groove carries Dawson over the land, allowing him to analyze those ever-so pretty flowers he's enamored with. The multi-spirited harmonizing towards the end is a fascinating touch, though not as much as the way Circle's production unfolds. The building is pastel and precise, hitting notes of slightly-increasing momentum at just the right times.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 35px;"><b>2</b></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">DJ Sabrina The Teenage DJ - Princess</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/12/dj-sabrina-teenage-dj-makin-magick-ii.html" target="_blank">Makin' Magick II</a> </i>| Outsider House</span></div>
<br /><div class="p1"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Like any DJ Sabrina album, numerous songs could've been picked as representation for this list. But alas, there's a one artist limit I've arbitrarily imposed. Though I'll point those curious in the direction of my review of <i>Makin' Magick II</i>, where I list off (in comically-long detail) every song that would've warranted a spot here. '<a href="https://song.link/us/i/1598685526" target="_blank">Princess</a>' wins purely by personifying what DJ Sabrina does the best... the best. Touching samples from cheap Teen Dramas, dripping melancholy, addictive Trance, and the force of an artist whose never heard of a creative ceiling bashing through with implacable optimism. The prominent vocal sample of 'Princess' beams through all the House layers, with one phrase slicing through the menagerie; "keep on pushing harder." The growing loop only aims to prove DJ Sabrina's visionary ambitions.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 35px;"><b>1</b></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">death's dynamic shroud - Just To Be Needed</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><i>Faith In Persona</i> | Vaporwave</span></div>
<br /><div class="p1"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">Stop what you're doing and listen to <i>Faith In Persona</i> right now. As is customary, a year's never truly finished until an upset album comes out of nowhere, outdating my AOTY list in the process. With low expectations promptly floored, death's dynamic shroud's latest is a stunning journey into otherworldly Pop; touching, yet unfamiliar. And no matter what song I picked - 'Tear In Abyss' or '<a href="https://song.link/us/i/1600758820" target="_blank">Just To Be Needed</a>' - they both would've topped this list. Most impressive? Given the chance, every other song - excluding 'Pop Chin' - would've appeared somewhere on this Deep Cuts.<div class="p1"><br /></div>Let's dedicate some time to 'Just To Be Needed,' a weeping, ceremonial elegy that ascends in pristine, purified Vaporwave euphoria. On it, death's dynamic shroud tastefully samples Carole & Tuesday's 'Lay It All On Me' for the first half, incorporating Ariana Grande's 'Needy' for the second. In each instance, in typical Vaporwave fashion, impatient Pop slows to an histrionic, wistful crawl. The result borders on tear-jerking, with the coddling swath of heavenly strings and growing bathos. It really feels like love tugging on the heartstrings. For sentimental teens seeking out comfort in Pop music with relational woes, songs like 'Just To Be Needed' and their recontextualization is where true growth and sophistication can be found.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">__________________________________________________________</span></span></div>Dozens Of Donutshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09419864582928187713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8849500676397996361.post-63580754432906259212021-12-29T10:27:00.000-08:002021-12-29T10:27:05.569-08:00Swans - Burning World<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgIaqAjNwRXaZK_cfFLBQW7Nv18BceDJtTdk3gwBcq_jKeFTihWt5a_Oc1lXvaGF1fzYVVzhEl3kpNQ_7uz7wDpV304Zd0U2MhArq509F1NVvox-LUgTRmPcjhuOJekFg26FIgel8M_-V_FKD7al3O-xszCl3wVstYNFMbJ9U8SDuck6x8eGenfKBsi" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="990" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgIaqAjNwRXaZK_cfFLBQW7Nv18BceDJtTdk3gwBcq_jKeFTihWt5a_Oc1lXvaGF1fzYVVzhEl3kpNQ_7uz7wDpV304Zd0U2MhArq509F1NVvox-LUgTRmPcjhuOJekFg26FIgel8M_-V_FKD7al3O-xszCl3wVstYNFMbJ9U8SDuck6x8eGenfKBsi" width="640" /></a></div>
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<script src="https://s7.addthis.com/js/300/addthis_widget.js#pubid=MYID" type="text/javascript"></script><span style="color: #444444;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Lora; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;"><span style="font-size: 22px; font-weight: bold; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: underline;">SUNLIGHT BURNS TEARY EYES</span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Lora;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg4XVMbTV-i-VhBGA3dc9sZkhS_dmWA-aAp21e5YYRtzxY0bEoy6nkZPkBWlS8FLK4A4Hhw3zni_VkS7qUebDZcT9P_Siwy7hMbKaBYYW0JfM0DySrenpjf-GfOjGeygLIV5d8bZLO5-2Ym5c7mH9xSG8Sybo4t5ZlyjiI1uyQxOKjShiTuTLKpLJUZ" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg4XVMbTV-i-VhBGA3dc9sZkhS_dmWA-aAp21e5YYRtzxY0bEoy6nkZPkBWlS8FLK4A4Hhw3zni_VkS7qUebDZcT9P_Siwy7hMbKaBYYW0JfM0DySrenpjf-GfOjGeygLIV5d8bZLO5-2Ym5c7mH9xSG8Sybo4t5ZlyjiI1uyQxOKjShiTuTLKpLJUZ" width="400" /></a><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;"><i>Burning World</i> is more necessary to the Swans mythos than many fans dare believe. For me, after bearing the blunt force trauma of Swans' dire dirge of 80's New York No Wave, Burning World came out as a revelation. A baptism for musicians mired in sin. Yes, <i>Children Of God</i> begins the transformation, subtle and ever-so creeping into moody, Gothic territory, but their coerced signing on a major label - Uni Records - and the proliferated evolution that followed, gave Swans' ensuing Neofolk era (their best) foundation to build upon. It was a swinging pendulum, from misanthropic to ethereal. Without it, Michael Gira likely would've never embraced the perverted Americana that inserted a bleeding, beating heart into Swans' otherwise soulless parable. For some, especially followers of Swans beforehand, <i>Burning World</i> proved too tender to touch.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;">Apparently, for Gira as well, who would soon come to loathe the album. But who wouldn't, when memories of poor sales and the immediate dropping from a label come to mind? In spite of its murky surroundings, <i>Burning World</i> is ever-so delicate. Jarboe's background harmonizing, mixed with the anthemic acoustics, folksy philter, and occasional string sections, warps Gothic Country on songs like 'The River That Runs With Love Won't Run Dry' and 'Saved.' After a rocky, or perhaps just generally mediocre first half, 'Saved' is where the record, ironically, salvages itself. It's auspicious and downright pretty, amplified by Gira's gravitational vocals and his charming histrionics, two factors sitting in complete contrast to Swans just three years prior. From here on out, there isn't a single ordinary moment, as the Jarboe-led 'I Remember Who You Are' grows around free-flowing Contemporary Folk, as 'Jane Mary' finds bliss in melodic twang.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;"><br /></span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;">All these aspects come together in complete harmony on the unquestionable standout 'God Damn The Sun.' Gira's poetic lyrics dominate the proceedings, much in the same way of his greatest work 'Blind,' as simple, shimmering acoustics accompany him on his moment of triumph. It's a conflicting song, following the feathery weightlessness of Burning World's sound whilst in dour straits over Gira's tumultuous past. The final, title-expounding coda marvels in this conjecture, as a string ensemble - built like angels sent down through rays of light - overwhelms Gira's depressed melancholy. A beautiful paradox to end an album that sits, harmless and amiable, as the paradox to Swans' recondite career.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Lora;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi3NPfbySi5dB48butxTTeqQ4_LBCM_Z_uraDl05SpeoxJSe-BoTt44-Rh2N3l_0qU_U77jaTIIL0Z9htbsYNDFkUawfNPfl6Z2r8MaJpsHmMSipLoHzbdWyiDZy-u9Kgh0bta6WDKc4-0QvtrTpop1ND9sWh14aHVmk72tV3JBr-0Cwp-m6mY4WzMj" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi3NPfbySi5dB48butxTTeqQ4_LBCM_Z_uraDl05SpeoxJSe-BoTt44-Rh2N3l_0qU_U77jaTIIL0Z9htbsYNDFkUawfNPfl6Z2r8MaJpsHmMSipLoHzbdWyiDZy-u9Kgh0bta6WDKc4-0QvtrTpop1ND9sWh14aHVmk72tV3JBr-0Cwp-m6mY4WzMj" /></a></div></div>Dozens Of Donutshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09419864582928187713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8849500676397996361.post-47703740462596863182021-12-29T10:26:00.000-08:002021-12-29T10:26:57.455-08:00Richard Dawson & Circle - Henki<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjGcAlmbvankppjfiVHZLhuTH8zdy3hpZCIC5xjiQzXHLATj-2ahJOak0AZzft2FDuXqMCNh4UWEa8-pFQKwIUTQSAkKTv7Wz58Hxeu8ie_9Hvg4AM6xtOeAjTW583_a7ASt7PKDCnc_JN7MID5B-y4-ygxLNX4ofthnojdm8PyQ1oA2nkui9RYFPC9" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="990" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjGcAlmbvankppjfiVHZLhuTH8zdy3hpZCIC5xjiQzXHLATj-2ahJOak0AZzft2FDuXqMCNh4UWEa8-pFQKwIUTQSAkKTv7Wz58Hxeu8ie_9Hvg4AM6xtOeAjTW583_a7ASt7PKDCnc_JN7MID5B-y4-ygxLNX4ofthnojdm8PyQ1oA2nkui9RYFPC9" width="640" /></a></div>
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<script src="https://s7.addthis.com/js/300/addthis_widget.js#pubid=MYID" type="text/javascript"></script><span style="color: #444444;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Lora; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;"><span style="font-size: 22px; font-weight: bold; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: underline;">PLANT LIFE ENDURING AN APOCALYPTIC WRATH</span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Lora;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEioJL3dnLsTww7KVXqxoTvyt5zKl4CTHWh_uggxQ_iRk7Fqg4E8u6-NUzvSEEUgZ6H816pY5Qyjo3eyUE428G3ZmV0QRHTGhWMuZ2DiZtxbQ7XI92Fjii2Swo0xQNl8s4Z57MtVK6bJGI5GunFUXcFwqf7UNtnHQp2QTgVYlUx35koEjRBSJGMSfF3X" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEioJL3dnLsTww7KVXqxoTvyt5zKl4CTHWh_uggxQ_iRk7Fqg4E8u6-NUzvSEEUgZ6H816pY5Qyjo3eyUE428G3ZmV0QRHTGhWMuZ2DiZtxbQ7XI92Fjii2Swo0xQNl8s4Z57MtVK6bJGI5GunFUXcFwqf7UNtnHQp2QTgVYlUx35koEjRBSJGMSfF3X" width="400" /></a><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;">Only Richard Dawson could make an Art Rock album about some plants. No, seriously, every song off <i>Henki</i> unfurls a story connected - either directly or tenuously so - to a species of plant that's played an important role in the tales of mythological characters ('Ivy'), Dawson's own relatives ('Lily'), or even in the case of 'Methuselah,' other plants. With Finnish Krautrock savants Circle backing his every deranged move, Dawson's storytelling exposé on innocuous plant life is brilliant, beaming, and utterly original.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;">Truth be told, after the first couple listens I hadn't a clue as to what <i>Henki</i> was actually about. This, due in part to Dawson's notoriously thick, cod Geordie accent, helped not by his scholar-like drabble pulling words typically reserved for the dictionary into his vernacular. But, realistically, it was the raucous performances - both verbally and sonically - that swung my attention away from the mundane. The duality of historical stodginess with riveting composition is fascinating, and something that's defined Dawson's career. But thanks to Circle, both sides have reached an extreme on <i>Henki</i>. There's elements of propulsive Klezmer on tracks like 'Methuselah' and 'Pitcher,' which fly with gusto like a runaway freight train. And the Progressive Rock facets, similar in scope and judiciousness to Genesis, tantalize through moving pastures and unexpected detours.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;"><br /></span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;">From start to finish, <i>Henki</i> is a blast of energy. Sans, ironically, the best track; 'Silene.' Set dead center, clearly on purpose, the biography of the plant's origin finds an astonishingly-psychedelic groove of budding patterns and expanding kaleidoscopes that soothes rather than stirs. But let's be honest, the industrious moments elsewhere - be it 'Ivy's' assailant verses, 'Lily's' piercing chorus, or 'Pitcher's' monolithic coda - all excel with striking magnificence. I can only laugh at the idea of a Metalhead, devoured in delirium whilst listening to 'Methuselah's' towering guitar solos and precarious transitions, knowing full well the lyrical content explains, in needless detail, the chopping down of a tree by amateur geography student Donald Currey. The contradiction is where Richard Dawson thrives, and <i>Henki</i> is an exemplary example of that.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Lora;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhFYhAfDN8eQhRn1DoSxzc5j0W40yrmgNZDWv1LUsz6WiFC1OCJNHwpBCIcguvRxnEbCqY9SIOn7_ZynhbKAfk7IzPZTQdrBB-9Mvt4L88GjRn7WrxFU839KPD8g2Y61iXs3byr3mYHRotqjllFwRVHEPE2lY28cNjPBFXD5kVN-flqqBt-1IRCufnh" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhFYhAfDN8eQhRn1DoSxzc5j0W40yrmgNZDWv1LUsz6WiFC1OCJNHwpBCIcguvRxnEbCqY9SIOn7_ZynhbKAfk7IzPZTQdrBB-9Mvt4L88GjRn7WrxFU839KPD8g2Y61iXs3byr3mYHRotqjllFwRVHEPE2lY28cNjPBFXD5kVN-flqqBt-1IRCufnh" /></a></div></div>Dozens Of Donutshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09419864582928187713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8849500676397996361.post-21273081025448490332021-12-24T11:26:00.000-08:002021-12-24T11:26:36.395-08:00Curate This - Atop The Summit<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgiI3SrAWC7BnNZvh0MU9br0tFWPWN_yGwvdl6sAqeb4R66kh-XWrYeMs8oYRob-uV2UVih5NtWOEzxHquRX5-yuhu_d-94CWjMbDJQXeJjrNd6vdH5j3VQgvBH58Hro8YCK_30R4TiyvcO6-SB8EvtmRSEFwdx-UKoPqNAqlVdJWpGFUzyNRBl3-2Q" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="990" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgiI3SrAWC7BnNZvh0MU9br0tFWPWN_yGwvdl6sAqeb4R66kh-XWrYeMs8oYRob-uV2UVih5NtWOEzxHquRX5-yuhu_d-94CWjMbDJQXeJjrNd6vdH5j3VQgvBH58Hro8YCK_30R4TiyvcO6-SB8EvtmRSEFwdx-UKoPqNAqlVdJWpGFUzyNRBl3-2Q" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a class="addthis_button_facebook" href="https://www.blogger.com/null"></a><a class="addthis_button_twitter" href="https://www.blogger.com/null"></a><a class="addthis_button_reddit" href="https://www.blogger.com/null"></a><a class="addthis_button_tumblr" href="https://www.blogger.com/null"></a><a class="addthis_button_google_plusone_share" href="https://www.blogger.com/null"></a><a class="addthis_button_compact" href="https://www.blogger.com/null"></a><a class="addthis_counter addthis_bubble_style" href="https://www.blogger.com/null"></a></span></div>
<script src="https://s7.addthis.com/js/300/addthis_widget.js#pubid=MYID" type="text/javascript"></script><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;">If there weren't already enough curated mixes strewn about the Internet, Dozens Of Donuts is here to add more. Rather than analyze a burgeoning genre, herald the best of a past one, or merely formulate background music for study sessions, road trips, or midday snoozes, Curate This aims to immerse listeners in a niche aesthetic that enraptures and vitalizes. With written accompaniment to provide the expository backdrop, these songs flow - errantly or harmoniously - around particular moods, sensory emotions, and pertinent tones. As we finish out the year, in a brooding winter chill, we ascend to the summit in search of something greater and more serene.</span><div><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Montserrat;"><br /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/ct-atop-the-summit/pl.u-9N9L193uax0NK8" target="_blank">Apple Music</a> | <a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1uw7FbGT4On3jjb3WQrX1M?si=368389701e5a4b57" target="_blank">Spotify</a> | <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-mUCqgVhpUBQsXpQ86ngE-7xPQs9j_si" target="_blank">YouTube</a></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68);">______________________________________________________</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiVZ2BVq2D6Yt20himLeacLftUjHq0ibGONjzjMLjDof5Vk7h4AuvmureXOREIXlzX8OAkEXz9tY3mzd1CMMryMlIfaKWq43geTBZzJ6aliUyi_snI04YPiDd1r3QPviDHGOLKx_c0cjDIHm4sekfP_eMKZBEo5SU84sUCHBtq8y6oJyGdbdDAsjwJR" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="990" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiVZ2BVq2D6Yt20himLeacLftUjHq0ibGONjzjMLjDof5Vk7h4AuvmureXOREIXlzX8OAkEXz9tY3mzd1CMMryMlIfaKWq43geTBZzJ6aliUyi_snI04YPiDd1r3QPviDHGOLKx_c0cjDIHm4sekfP_eMKZBEo5SU84sUCHBtq8y6oJyGdbdDAsjwJR" width="640" /></a></div></div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444;"><div><span style="font-family: Lora;">Heavy breathing permeates the silent air. In and out, through layers of snow-strewn gear. These silver flecks, chill to the touch, intrude upon the goggles' periphery, crackling up the glass like geometric patterns formed from bouts of attrition. Though not confined to a chamber, one's sensory deprivation takes hold. Even on Earth's windswept crown, with the whole of civilization below, mother's wit has been reduced to nil. There's nothing to see but white, nothing to hear but transient echoes.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Lora;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Lora;">In the ear, a voice crackles over muffled static. A signal. From below, rising through mountains, or above, falling from satellites. Once incongruent and imperceptible, now perceived as calls from the heavens. Insignificant delusions take on apocryphal meaning whilst surrounded by pallid ataxia. Mirages too fast for bleary eyes to discern. Hands frosted to the bone, ears drooping from accumulating icicles. We've been told death approaches via a tunnel of bright light. What then, when it envelops you whole?</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Lora;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Lora;">Outstretched like a warm hug, into the ever-falling graces of soft, snug snowflakes lies a body prone and suspended in animation. That is, before a shaking jolt eviscerates nirvana, as screaming voices compete helplessly against whiplash gales and suctioned breathing apparatuses. Those senses, previously lost to oblivion? Overwhelmed to the brink of losing consciousness. Like a defibrillator working on the departed. Whooping coughs, cracking bones, noises from Hell meeting their maker on the steps of Olympus. A black hole on the precipice.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Lora;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Lora;">Then, it fades. Time slows to the sun's waning light over the horizon. The beauty, unparalleled and beckoning, like a siren call to desperate seafarers. For once, white isn't all that consumes. Rays of orange teem down in cascading waves, giving the name sunburnt its apt denomination. And with it, endless and resolute, night stalks around the bend. Blinding light gives way to isolated darkness, as radiating flickers dot the sky as they do on distant radio towers. Regretful delirium grapples a deteriorating mind, as nothingness consumes the eternal.</span></div></span>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68);">______________________________________________________</span></span></div>
<div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Galindo; font-size: 24px;">ACT I - INFINITE LIGHT</span></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgl3QSkIe3-29rxyUQRrIsBST6ocjM3bzKxKdVykq0E9dcCUROnTH6oBdPrk5Gkklue6UjV64EpAUrPk7l8QuC_lUHiUD89Le0zuqX56Y8hSVvKwTqAOIFpMxSChRjnJkgxAKNNJ3muxwUkVijUTl339LXlcuMGka4tc3s6EdV13gz94dRxLxIorO_W" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="990" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgl3QSkIe3-29rxyUQRrIsBST6ocjM3bzKxKdVykq0E9dcCUROnTH6oBdPrk5Gkklue6UjV64EpAUrPk7l8QuC_lUHiUD89Le0zuqX56Y8hSVvKwTqAOIFpMxSChRjnJkgxAKNNJ3muxwUkVijUTl339LXlcuMGka4tc3s6EdV13gz94dRxLxIorO_W" width="640" /></a></div></div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Lora; font-size: 20px;"><b>Boards Of Canada - Over The Horizon Radar</b> | 1:09</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Lora; font-size: 12px;"><i>Geogaddi </i>| 2002 | IDM</span></div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></span><span style="color: #444444;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Lora; font-size: 20px;"><b>A Winged Victory For The Sullen - Steep Hills Of Vicodin Tears</b> | 4:27</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Lora; font-size: 12px;"><i>A Winged Victory For The Sullen</i> | 2011 | Modern Classical</span></div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></span><span style="color: #444444;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Lora; font-size: 20px;"><b>Taylor Deupree - Sill</b> | 5:26</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Lora; font-size: 12px;"><i>Fallen</i> | 2014 | Ambient</span></div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></span><span style="color: #444444;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Lora; font-size: 20px;"><b>Tim Hecker - No Drums</b> | 3:24</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Lora; font-size: 12px;"><i>Ravedeath, 1972</i> | 2011 | Drone</span></div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></span><span style="color: #444444;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Lora; font-size: 20px;"><b>Nikoas Kozik - Some Small Winter</b> | 5:08</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Lora; font-size: 12px;"><i>Violent Lives</i> | 2021 | Drone</span></div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></span><span style="color: #444444;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Lora; font-size: 20px;"><b>The Conet Project - NNN (German)</b> | 1:00</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Lora; font-size: 12px;"><i>The Conet Project</i> | 1995 | Radio Broadcast Recordings</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68);">______________________________________________________</span></span></div></span></span>
<div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Galindo; font-size: 24px;">ACT II - HAUNTING ECHOES</span></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiRcCLaRKa4hk4SsxJe45SoLZuS098hFl9xInxzx7DTsF2Kn1HPkCpIwccaE8yvdMdNKsYCKfctd7HXpjdxzZlYsj7UmB6N03eQbOcKelJQc1_F8lNqgiwMkLkQ74bCygVNg5VQDxSwFKejXljHiCCPO-H8ibUMz1SqD3w-fpZ89tnP5j7tVHqevJSc" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="990" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiRcCLaRKa4hk4SsxJe45SoLZuS098hFl9xInxzx7DTsF2Kn1HPkCpIwccaE8yvdMdNKsYCKfctd7HXpjdxzZlYsj7UmB6N03eQbOcKelJQc1_F8lNqgiwMkLkQ74bCygVNg5VQDxSwFKejXljHiCCPO-H8ibUMz1SqD3w-fpZ89tnP5j7tVHqevJSc" width="640" /></a></div></div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Lora; font-size: 20px;"><b>Inventions - Feeling The Sun Through The Earth At Night</b> | 6:25</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Lora; font-size: 12px;"><i>Maze Of Woods</i> | 2015 | Electronic</span></div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></span><span style="color: #444444;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Lora; font-size: 20px;"><b>Hildur Guðnadóttir - 12 Hours Before</b> | 2:32</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Lora; font-size: 12px;"><i>Chernobyl</i> | 2019 | Dark Ambient</span></div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></span><span style="color: #444444;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Lora; font-size: 20px;"><b>Ama Divers - I Want To Follow</b> | 4:34</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Lora; font-size: 12px;"><i>An Echo In The Sound</i> | 2018 | Ambient Pop</span></div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></span><span style="color: #444444;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Lora; font-size: 20px;"><b>Gidge - Seems To Be Getting Closer</b> | 8:30</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Lora; font-size: 12px;"><i>New Light</i> | 2020 | Tech House</span></div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></span><span style="color: #444444;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Lora; font-size: 20px;"><b>The Conet Project - Rapid Dots</b> | 0:59</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Lora; font-size: 12px;"><i>The Conet Project</i> | 1995 | Radio Broadcast Recordings</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68);">______________________________________________________</span></span></div></span></span>
<div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Galindo; font-size: 24px;">ACT III - CACOPHONY ON THE CREST</span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiFsBSalTN9R2FA3vJ6q3SVAI-ZESaCU1ja7ndJQRwmKYBnoOHLwJMRJkqZAjvgfV1MIOnE8VZEUrK9-VKsK-VPTkVebncVIlFvfxAycXOjaK7MrOGYBOtzmnIiSZJ-Vw6SBej8dtNtTz58f_P7hlK1LtLIY2U2sq9WGwpO9mbcQT3LROxTsA5w9WgE" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="990" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiFsBSalTN9R2FA3vJ6q3SVAI-ZESaCU1ja7ndJQRwmKYBnoOHLwJMRJkqZAjvgfV1MIOnE8VZEUrK9-VKsK-VPTkVebncVIlFvfxAycXOjaK7MrOGYBOtzmnIiSZJ-Vw6SBej8dtNtTz58f_P7hlK1LtLIY2U2sq9WGwpO9mbcQT3LROxTsA5w9WgE" width="640" /></a></div></div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Lora;"><span><span style="font-size: 20px;"><b>Jefre Cantu-Ledesma - Where You End & I Begin</b></span></span><span style="font-size: 20px;"> | 5:14</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Lora; font-size: 12px;"><i>Love Is A Stream</i> | 2010 | Drone</span></div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></span><span style="color: #444444;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Lora; font-size: 20px;"><b>Windy & Carl - Lighthouse</b> | 8:59</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Lora; font-size: 12px;"><i>Drawing Of Sound</i> | 1996 | Drone</span></div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></span><span style="color: #444444;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Lora;"><span><span style="font-size: 20px;"><b>Ensemble Economique - Monsoon Clouds</b></span></span><span style="font-size: 20px;"> | 3:49</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Lora; font-size: 12px;"><i>Psychical</i> | 2010 | Dark Ambient</span></div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></span><span style="color: #444444;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Lora;"><span><span style="font-size: 20px;"><b>Rafael Anton Irisarri - Fright & Control</b></span></span><span style="font-size: 20px;"> | 5:32</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Lora; font-size: 12px;"><i>Peripeteia</i> | 2020 | Ambient</span></div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></span><span style="color: #444444;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Lora; font-size: 20px;"><b>The Conet Project - 'A'</b> | 1:24</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Lora; font-size: 12px;"><i>The Conet Project</i> | 1995 | Radio Broadcast Recordings</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68);">______________________________________________________</span></span></div></span></span>
<div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Galindo; font-size: 24px;">ACT IV - FALLING IN THE VOID</span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjztGhqgMW4GL6ADYJTpcccaTW-rAJ990G-o8gRTNWXIfMNGNmXPQXpMP1QSIwY1gyW5Ip85Mz5wuryLUufIsCkQqRVfZDHBUehH8hYJ78quE1qNC7p7Hs-TBnAWuckZw4m216GuO4ylF5RH9h3xxPeenpXU58sQBOF1BHBzPIXVKtynnlCOa1c60lI" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="990" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjztGhqgMW4GL6ADYJTpcccaTW-rAJ990G-o8gRTNWXIfMNGNmXPQXpMP1QSIwY1gyW5Ip85Mz5wuryLUufIsCkQqRVfZDHBUehH8hYJ78quE1qNC7p7Hs-TBnAWuckZw4m216GuO4ylF5RH9h3xxPeenpXU58sQBOF1BHBzPIXVKtynnlCOa1c60lI" width="640" /></a></div></div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Lora; font-size: 20px;"><b>Brian Eno - An Ending (Ascent)</b> | 4:17</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Lora; font-size: 12px;"><i>Apollo</i> | 1983 | Space Ambient</span></div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></span><span style="color: #444444;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Lora; font-size: 20px;"><b>Thomas Köner - Nuuk</b> | 4:15</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Lora; font-size: 12px;"><i>Nuuk</i> | 2010 | Dark Ambient</span></div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></span><span style="color: #444444;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Lora; font-size: 20px;"><b>Kraftwerk - Uranium</b> | 1:27</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Lora;"><i><span style="font-size: 12px;">Radio-Activity</span></i><span style="font-size: 12px;"> | 1975 | Electronic</span></span></div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></span><span style="color: #444444;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Lora; font-size: 20px;"><b>Biosphere - Antennaria</b> | 5:05</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Lora; font-size: 12px;"><i>Substrata</i> | 1997 | Ambient</span></div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></span><span style="color: #444444;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Lora; font-size: 20px;"><b>The Conet Project - Pozor</b> | 0:48</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Lora; font-size: 12px;"><i>The Conet Project</i> | 1995 | Radio Broadcast Recordings</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68);">______________________________________________________</span></span></div></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div id="gtx-trans" style="left: 462px; position: absolute; top: 453px;"><div class="gtx-trans-icon"></div></div>Dozens Of Donutshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09419864582928187713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8849500676397996361.post-26150287784161711002021-12-22T11:22:00.001-08:002021-12-22T11:22:15.393-08:00The Best Of 2021<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgqB6P022fb0cI2m-FwREDEoRy5jLwcBAvnOgWLr2tQU1L9X3bB1OgFrbHuhhUPRFVhE_htUd-mY6iz0hYrwi6PvZDFtijSGA-LanSibldGt70xkVjvyIJ6aDOytzuRssczwGzR9hsHbP2gWSidsVVupbQDs4uPXG3U5L2WjvHZvmUhxmtMnWK8YjRh" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="990" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgqB6P022fb0cI2m-FwREDEoRy5jLwcBAvnOgWLr2tQU1L9X3bB1OgFrbHuhhUPRFVhE_htUd-mY6iz0hYrwi6PvZDFtijSGA-LanSibldGt70xkVjvyIJ6aDOytzuRssczwGzR9hsHbP2gWSidsVVupbQDs4uPXG3U5L2WjvHZvmUhxmtMnWK8YjRh" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">You've likely stumbled upon this page to discover the best of what 2021 had to offer in music. And you'd be right. Listed below are a collection of links recounting Dozens Of Donuts' 100 greatest songs of the year and 50 greatest albums. Enjoy.</span><br />
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<a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/12/top-50-albums-of-2021-50-21.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="990" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjXlCMwgtBm_x69DBnFtitmGV3thhIgMW1UIe_euW_Y7L_dKXdsec9QLQ22Oq22uhMqa6Cp6ik09iJJqSzK2E3weAJ0kKznKEpRezD4TPKvpUvXfDMJGxMNmJBWsVBeDpI_UGRX3J5ySBqihH1oCPVWmzKKU6HPxbcWAl_wi5UX7EE2AG3W873ihJXS" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/12/top-50-albums-of-2021-50-21.html" target="_blank">Top 50 Albums Of 2021, 50-21</a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Highs were abound, and while lows were frequent, it's lists like these that prove just how grateful we should be for the art that continues to push us all forward, even in the darkest of timelines. So, with that being said, I hope you enjoy DoD's 50 best albums of the year.</span></div>
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<a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/12/top-50-albums-of-2021-20-11.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="990" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiH9LQL_nkJ_2IZHDybyslXVYxc2fRUsBuEPvBkdclUKu5FQvDKe9OppE_Utn5Ra9tJ0JUg1fFXj9QIDVe-S3vxbWU2wvVw5Gd50fu386eALsPA4Wq5DvP6_W5Cq_cwyCjk9V4pZoKk4-w5SOGlQgPLmwSqBrYsCl3iiCOyOi6v5-pDUT1KMk6Gkh9x" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/12/top-50-albums-of-2021-20-11.html" target="_blank">Top 50 Albums Of 2021, 20-11</a></span></div>
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<a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/12/top-50-albums-of-2021-10-1.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="990" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgyPXGoGhKQ-heFtyxBE3msjNTp3sWQMTn-H89wg49hbljeJVn1rhIThA4pEAdbgBlDzubYOFLw6SsUkb2_dzqEqyuA9Z8KqU8L8N_KOUDDgTAxVQYmeVDumUWbkMBomC70-832HPu-dnMe8GVP2pa9_N8XccQwAtkTAWbZJqZ27s7xgbtaR54v8c6S" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/12/top-50-albums-of-2021-10-1.html" target="_blank">Top 50 Albums Of 2021, 10-1</a></span></div>
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<a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/12/top-100-tracks-of-2021-100-51.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="990" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEivU9PnOdA2kOx712R2X-Msvx5qlDjn2APsbnKW9z6MeeaxCrNH-3nZaLvQGxpSuiNGAp4ARUANRkoR5ae09iPMmIsbK_wlFctpTelqaRAtaW_UzzU6MhEbPof37gAOznUuj8yvIgzgqO7K2vHZyvM-OVGosm2HOtg2v_VSHyhM0dBwymbNrr17_MLx" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/12/top-100-tracks-of-2021-100-51.html" target="_blank">Top 100 Tracks Of 2021, 100-51</a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Thousands of songs came and went, few making a dent in whatever cranial department contains memorable retention. Loosies tossed away like scraps to feed hungry fans. But every now and then a feat of imagination, ingenuity, or just sheer talent would emerge. These are DoD's top 100 songs of the year.</span></div>
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<a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/12/top-100-tracks-of-2021-50-21.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="990" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiERSQ_VBvNrxCYKkjnPiUvdb-ID5Tt5zZ7HtMXDGfVbjswa3plRxPMzpAK2Cgo4w2CDzc2p0s2Ny7SaK23u9Zoa3vyW2DCmA6fbQCxIcTa_YmgNOP66cgyi6brNQHU-5PPRj_P-Xec0SZA5WTpRZ0_78AfbbittXKJp5zxLYPfSovV38SD-CbDKAW6" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/12/top-100-tracks-of-2021-50-21.html" target="_blank">Top 100 Tracks Of 2021, 50-21</a></span></div>
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<a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/12/top-100-tracks-of-2021-20-1.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="990" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjel0emneXcHyRCDgG1ngEe10pO0uVLwH7oJT88rAL8-RkPYguVolFRHH_qCsYdnA5C1C2kurGVqjy6aIKcUkaOELe9rRTKkPSzTpviLq0ofjyz3DJY15eK9ueK5vXnstASrEwM2I2GPdXH42FHB0mY0Uq4W5_A3J6EwyNBcAkyUHRS6Ycjz9ltOK72" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/12/top-100-tracks-of-2021-20-1.html" target="_blank">Top 100 Tracks Of 2021, 20-1</a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">_______________________________________________________</span></span></div>Dozens Of Donutshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09419864582928187713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8849500676397996361.post-16295047921147812232021-12-22T11:02:00.001-08:002021-12-22T11:02:27.379-08:00Steely Dan - Aja<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi55WQuG2C49lMpppjShE21DRRGRVWqeieoElHPOykbBwwCGjKL9J88HvIhyVkZSkYo4awajp56WET5pgfXVJCUN3otCTPrPy0hCnF99uVc323IOeb2BztISOc7SPPjh0Z3Yr-bgRaWqaAwapQSnbJzOfTZm3GBS1f6JsbT2ES5LlBqu3Cd5oFK3qMj" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="990" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi55WQuG2C49lMpppjShE21DRRGRVWqeieoElHPOykbBwwCGjKL9J88HvIhyVkZSkYo4awajp56WET5pgfXVJCUN3otCTPrPy0hCnF99uVc323IOeb2BztISOc7SPPjh0Z3Yr-bgRaWqaAwapQSnbJzOfTZm3GBS1f6JsbT2ES5LlBqu3Cd5oFK3qMj" width="640" /></a></div>
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<script src="https://s7.addthis.com/js/300/addthis_widget.js#pubid=MYID" type="text/javascript"></script><span style="color: #444444;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Lora; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;"><span style="font-size: 22px; font-weight: bold; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: underline;">REFINE UNTIL IDEALISM IS REACHED</span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Lora;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj_1MCm5ESWhFV2LShJRRtZ8smgkdf2tRHJt2kJtKnTGEyjUrq0l3Yd6ZGr_fyTPviDlqLjgES94sGzZP5evTWHBrRWK4lKMGlXBwnO82c1faHCIKP2IQa2VzHpZwZRTrHt-MW9WUv1FJgiQ_XVX7lIWo9C3gRsoRM1fiwvSQCYpTOgchrM6uf9pmQ4" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj_1MCm5ESWhFV2LShJRRtZ8smgkdf2tRHJt2kJtKnTGEyjUrq0l3Yd6ZGr_fyTPviDlqLjgES94sGzZP5evTWHBrRWK4lKMGlXBwnO82c1faHCIKP2IQa2VzHpZwZRTrHt-MW9WUv1FJgiQ_XVX7lIWo9C3gRsoRM1fiwvSQCYpTOgchrM6uf9pmQ4" width="400" /></a><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;">There's no secret to <i>Aja</i>, in spite of what many might philosophize. As someone whose tracked Steely Dan's career from <i>Can't Buy A Thrill</i> (which seems like years ago by now), one thing's explicitly clear; <i>Aja</i> is just simply better than anything before it. There's no tricks, no clairvoyant direction, no grand ideology statements. It's merely Steely Dan at their best, tight and tuned, elastic and supple. Apart from the elongated instrumental break during the eight-minute 'Aja,' the duo's distinctive Pop Rock patterns find comfort here, be it in the melodic melancholy of 'Deacon Blues' or the excitable percussion parleys of 'I Got The News.' So much so that finding moments of emphasis with talent, evolution, or ingenuity proves difficult. Truly, <i>Aja</i> is just Steely Dan refining their mold until perfection (or, as close as their foxy Jazz-Rock can get to it) is reached.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;">That holds true for side A, undoubtedly <i>Aja's</i> crowning jewel and easily the band's greatest four-track run to date. 'Black Cow' is a masterclass of patient progression, nuanced set pieces, and instrumental congruity. The latter becomes most prominent with the saxophone solo, which is just as memorable as the hook or bridge. And, in my eyes, the MF DOOM 'Gas Drawls' sample, which initially caught my attention, much in the same way of 'Kid Charlemagne' off <i>Royal Scam</i>: Sudden surprise with an affable grin. Speaking of samples though, we can't go without mentioning 'Peg,' which has the honor (not the other way around) of birthing Hip-Hop's greatest song; De La Soul's 'Eye Know.' Prince Paul's gentle use of such remarkable sounds shan't be understated, and thankfully Steely Dan's original version holds up lavishly well too. It's elementary, sweet, and virtuous, sending praise to the leading damsel over Sesame Street-esque production, reflecting the accessible principles of hippie culture to the mainstream circa 1977.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;"><br /></span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;">These two songs, 'Black Cow' and 'Peg,' are the two <i>Aja</i> highlights. But the title track's exploratory ways, along with 'Deacon Blues'' clever lyrics and choir gentility make for strong cases as well. And though <i>Aja</i> sputters to its finish, none of the trifecta of 'Home At Last,' 'I Got The News,' or 'Josie' falter to a failing state. Something that can be said for any number of deep cuts off Steely Dan's previous albums. Still, to think a single four-track run can cement an artist's career is preposterous. But clearly, that's exactly what happened on <i>Aja</i>. And for me, that's enough.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Lora;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi3NPfbySi5dB48butxTTeqQ4_LBCM_Z_uraDl05SpeoxJSe-BoTt44-Rh2N3l_0qU_U77jaTIIL0Z9htbsYNDFkUawfNPfl6Z2r8MaJpsHmMSipLoHzbdWyiDZy-u9Kgh0bta6WDKc4-0QvtrTpop1ND9sWh14aHVmk72tV3JBr-0Cwp-m6mY4WzMj" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi3NPfbySi5dB48butxTTeqQ4_LBCM_Z_uraDl05SpeoxJSe-BoTt44-Rh2N3l_0qU_U77jaTIIL0Z9htbsYNDFkUawfNPfl6Z2r8MaJpsHmMSipLoHzbdWyiDZy-u9Kgh0bta6WDKc4-0QvtrTpop1ND9sWh14aHVmk72tV3JBr-0Cwp-m6mY4WzMj" /></a></div></div>Dozens Of Donutshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09419864582928187713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8849500676397996361.post-79131593873820104832021-12-22T11:02:00.000-08:002021-12-22T11:02:16.579-08:00DJ Sabrina The Teenage DJ - Makin' Magick II<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEio-4XNFbIBWDAvCJ1ySz5BV6ROXZXcqdELejdLYECF2KgiinFyJ9l6dAGjUIEjcNGY8YAo3QgczHo7OQGhYdJLypR2khzkeBQCFX1cI5O5a9JyG0Gg0l_JmEQL_51e4OIaMObuyPcqwv7BLu84PFba5IrMSAuWB3XnajBiYabBsbAtmv5vOs6Ei2OI" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="990" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEio-4XNFbIBWDAvCJ1ySz5BV6ROXZXcqdELejdLYECF2KgiinFyJ9l6dAGjUIEjcNGY8YAo3QgczHo7OQGhYdJLypR2khzkeBQCFX1cI5O5a9JyG0Gg0l_JmEQL_51e4OIaMObuyPcqwv7BLu84PFba5IrMSAuWB3XnajBiYabBsbAtmv5vOs6Ei2OI" width="640" /></a></div>
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<script src="https://s7.addthis.com/js/300/addthis_widget.js#pubid=MYID" type="text/javascript"></script><span style="color: #444444;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Lora; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;"><span style="font-size: 22px; font-weight: bold; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: underline;">WE LOVED IT, LET'S LOVE IT AGAIN</span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Lora;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjOaG0QDSeOdpP1zk-NTi0-2gRT1Obhba0PQSrZhNiKAHq9UzV5wHnPKk15ZiMsEVIOtcYny7zWOzPK6k1XaJRD72UmbD6rkn6PpPwRr8OLOlIA7yWxJp0cQW03zaDAshMnL14huXqA5zM95985mdHH4js89NyUMIijXQRPFawIOU54QqHq1Dl1uvDH" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjOaG0QDSeOdpP1zk-NTi0-2gRT1Obhba0PQSrZhNiKAHq9UzV5wHnPKk15ZiMsEVIOtcYny7zWOzPK6k1XaJRD72UmbD6rkn6PpPwRr8OLOlIA7yWxJp0cQW03zaDAshMnL14huXqA5zM95985mdHH4js89NyUMIijXQRPFawIOU54QqHq1Dl1uvDH" width="400" /></a><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;">She did it again. The princess of House has graced our most humble presence, as she has every year since her origin in 2017. DJ Sabrina The Teenage DJ is unfathomable. A robot, capable of love, designed to churn out heartfelt hits. It's the only logical way to process such a work ethic, one that's inundated with passion, vigor, and infatuation. Like her past works, <i>Makin' Magick II</i> adheres to a strict formula seemingly plucked from the most innate of human emotions. If you've tried anything before - most likely the breakout <i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/01/dj-sabrina-teenage-dj-charmed-review.html" target="_blank">Charmed</a></i> - and weren't a fan? This won't change your mind in the slightest. For DJ Sabrina's commitment to her schtick, one engorged with Teen Drama samples and boilerplate dance grooves, finds comfort in these hallowed, school halls. If criticism were to be valid, it be here, in the rudimentary reproduction. Predatory in its chintzy euphoria, like a reality show oozing good vibes only (I'm looking at you, Great British Bake Off). <i>Makin' Magick II's</i> for those who let their imagination run wild, on a dance floor built for one.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;">I'm not going to spend much time talking about any of the 22 songs here, for their distinction amongst DJ Sabrina's past work is minimal, and for there's two epiphanies I'd like to discuss instead. When Boards Of Canada released the treasured <i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2018/04/past-greatness-march-18.html" target="_blank">Music Has The Right To Children</a></i>, they did something fascinating. Electronic music, for arguably the first time, gained sentience. Memories, nostalgia, melancholy, all human emotions previously unheard through collections of 1's and 0's. Then Burial came along, asserting a self-awareness to isolated nights for city life. Drawn to clubs, only to physically distance himself from entering, his unmistakable brand of Future Garage redefined the limits of what was possible with a computer. Though treacherous, I'm prepared to declare DJ Sabrina the next iteration in this evolution. It dawned on me whilst lost in the ecstasy of 'Being Alone,' this dualistic sentiment. Fearless, and with an outwardly-awkward persona, DJ Sabrina has asserted herself onto the dance floor without a friend, or foe, by her side. This is House music for introverts, or, more accurately, House music for those who can't escape the self. Constantly thinking, constantly hoping, wishing, praying, to dissipate just this once. 'Being Alone' is the pinnacle of such a concept, proud and triumphant in spite of the growing concerns festering inside. Musically, the stunning and elaborate evolution is one of DJ Sabrina's best, but the proud embrace of human frailty truly defines the song's greatness, revealing in tow, DJ Sabrina's entire modus operandi.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;">This song, and namely its retro-enamored music video, led me to the second revelation; whether a true representative or not, DJ Sabrina should be at the forefront of Vaporwave's lost transformation. The hyper-realized aesthetic, niche and exhaustive, the 90's infatuation, even the cinematic emotions that tend to pinpoint a single moment in time, soaked in nostalgia (for her; prom night). All these facets are compulsory aspects of Vaporwave, the only missing piece is the Ambient that tends to consume the whole. But even that's replaced with monolithic House so brain-dead, so routine, that one could draw parallels to Brian Eno's infamous quote on the genre he founded: "it must be as ignorable as it is interesting." DJ Sabrina fits that description impeccably.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;">Okay, fine. As this is a review on <i>Makin' Magick II</i>, it must be discussed. It is DJ Sabrina's most consistent work, bar none. Interesting, considering her least consistent work was released on the same day (The Other Realm). Discussing that album will open up an entirely new discussion, which I'll avoid for now. By my estimates, there's only two songs that miss the mark; 'Be Ready' and 'One Day.' The former is far too repetitive and nauseating, draining all the Future Funk life out of those eight unnecessary minutes. There's a reason CHANCE デラソウル works in the bite-sized. And as for 'One Day,' the longest track, a tame build-up and some of DJ Sabrina's most clunky sample work (Imogen Heap 'Hide & Seek' doesn't fit at all) leads to a dissatisfying payoff where true intent is muddled.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;">Contrasting against those are a slew of magnificent hits, like 'Spirit,' 'Airplane Song,' 'Lose Myself,' 'Each Time,' 'I Guess You'll Find Out,' 'Wheels In Motion,' 'I'm Still High,' 'Being Alone,' 'Can't Help Myself Tonight,' 'Miss Me,' 'Satisfy,' 'Princess,' and 'Back 2 Back.' Whew. Like an invasive leech, these songs instantly resonate and then proceed to grow inside you. Dominated by samples and an intricate palate, <i>Makin' Magick II</i> revels in glory. Certain experiences, like 'I Guess You'll Find Out' and 'Can't Help Myself Tonight,' evoke DJ Sabrina's debut - which this is tenuously connected to by name only - with adorable vocals oozing conscripted idealism. "Keep on pushing harder" the voice cries out on standout 'Princess,' as if DJ Sabrina herself's calling to her past to fight through the tireless devotion. More interestingly, certain songs like 'Each Time' and 'Back 2 Back,' find the producer growing as a force to be reckon with. The former especially, which is likely DJ Sabrina's most impressive House song to date, relying not on the bewitching aesthetic that's guided her hand thus far, but rather genuine, Trance-oriented accessibility. The sample that gifts the song it's moniker is absolute perfection.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;"><br /></span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;">Though, to be fair, this advanced expression is few and far between. But clearly, I don't care about that. For DJ Sabrina's fascination lies in the maudlin spirit that gushes from every crevice. Unmatched in ambition, with a level of commitment that'll likely never be topped, DJ Sabrina is an icon for outcasts. A voice for those who rarely get that voice out. A conduit for everyone's freedom to express. Fans of hers couldn't be luckier.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Lora;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhFYhAfDN8eQhRn1DoSxzc5j0W40yrmgNZDWv1LUsz6WiFC1OCJNHwpBCIcguvRxnEbCqY9SIOn7_ZynhbKAfk7IzPZTQdrBB-9Mvt4L88GjRn7WrxFU839KPD8g2Y61iXs3byr3mYHRotqjllFwRVHEPE2lY28cNjPBFXD5kVN-flqqBt-1IRCufnh" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhFYhAfDN8eQhRn1DoSxzc5j0W40yrmgNZDWv1LUsz6WiFC1OCJNHwpBCIcguvRxnEbCqY9SIOn7_ZynhbKAfk7IzPZTQdrBB-9Mvt4L88GjRn7WrxFU839KPD8g2Y61iXs3byr3mYHRotqjllFwRVHEPE2lY28cNjPBFXD5kVN-flqqBt-1IRCufnh" /></a></div></div>Dozens Of Donutshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09419864582928187713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8849500676397996361.post-57590513860817018032021-12-18T10:53:00.001-08:002021-12-18T10:57:39.838-08:00Top 50 Albums Of 2021, 10-1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 40px;"><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/12/top-50-albums-of-2021-50-21.html" target="_blank">50-21</a> | <a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/12/top-50-albums-of-2021-20-11.html" target="_blank">20-11</a></span></div>
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<br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><div>Though I expected greater of 2021 - on account of all the free time artists were given courtesy of the quarantine in 2020 - to say it disappointing would be a lie. After all, nothing in recent years has been more exciting than watching U.K.'s Art Punk scene grow, as the three-headed beast of black midi, Black Country New Road, and Squid all released incredible debuts within a four-month window. Fearless and exceptionally-talented, their prowess headlined the year. Though stewing in a niche community was a cult, bound by a love for 90's melodrama, aspirational romance, and Dance music that ascends to the heavens. It was spurred by the faceless DJ Sabrina The Teenage DJ, a transformative artist who took my breath away with each intrepid exodus. She mustered optimism in the face of overwhelming dread. Represented those Life Is Good t-shirts better than the t-shirts themselves. These two halves - the palpitating anxieties of the Windmill collective, and the calming resurgence of an impassioned DJ - helped put 2021 into context.</div><div><br /></div><div>All before Lil Ugly Mane tore it apart. Both he, with the near-perfect <i>Volcanic Bird Enemy</i>, and other established artists grew in satisfying ways. There was Japanese Breakfast flexing her versatility in Pop. Lingua Ignota descending further into the reaches of Hell. Little Simz embracing Hip-Hop as a means to overcome. No matter where you looked, in music circles both large and small, artful progression could be found. In a way, it's a testament to human resilience. That a worldwide quarantine needn't be the central topic for musicians, for overcoming the odds was the expected outcome. Art could still prosper even when our chips are down. And boy has it ever.</div><div><br /></div>For posterity sake, if one wants to look back, to greener pastures more naive than our modern day, DoD's Best Of dates back seven years now. <a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2020/12/the-best-of-2020.html" target="_blank">2020</a>, <a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2020/02/the-best-of-2019.html" target="_blank">2019</a>, <a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2019/07/the-best-of-2018.html" target="_blank">2018</a>, <a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2018/02/the-best-of-2017.html" target="_blank">2017</a>, <a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2016/12/the-best-of-2016.html" target="_blank">2016</a>, <a href="http://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2015/12/top-100-tracks-of-2015-100-21.html" target="_blank">2015</a>, and <a href="http://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2014/12/top-50-tracks-of-2014-50-26.html" target="_blank">2014</a>.</span><br />
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<b style="color: #f35925; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 40px; text-align: start;">10</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">Aaron Dilloway & Lucrecia Dalt | <i>Lucy & Aaron</i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Tape Music | <a href="https://album.link/us/i/1564329563" target="_blank">Listen</a></span></div>
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<div class="p1"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">More often than not, Experimental music carries with it an aura of pretentiousness. A sentiment that the artist can think deeper than you, conceptualizing with vapid soundscapes and meaningless conjecture. Such was not the case on <i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/11/aaron-dilloway-lucrecia-dalt-lucy-aaron.html" target="_blank">Lucy & Aaron</a></i>, a mind-melting, genre-defying experience whose direction felt precise and thorough. Dilloway's unsettling sampling techniques distorted realities once deemed indefectible. This, combined with Dalt's haunting whispers - fractured and repressed - manifested an ambiance of 1950's suburbia, complete with idealized perfections and bridled housewives. Be it 'Demands Of Ordinary Devotion,' 'Niles Baroque,' or 'The Blob,' <i>Lucy & Aaron</i> never wavered in that foresight.</span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">Genesis Owusu | <i>Smiling With No Teeth</i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Neo-Soul | <a href="https://album.link/us/i/1561839648" target="_blank">Listen</a></span></div>
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<div class="p1"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It's great when the excitement of a new artist is shared by not only the fans, but the artist themselves. On <i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/04/genesis-owusu-smiling-with-no-teeth.html" target="_blank">Smiling With No Teeth</a></i>, Genesis Owusu made this clear. His talent tantalized through expression, his boastful confidence matched by bouts of reflection. A myriad of styles wove through rich Neo-Soul, going so far as to imitate (successfully, mind you) names as iconic as Death Grips ('On The Move!'), Young Fathers ('Drown'), and Brockhampton ('A Song About Fishing'). Owusu's voracious appetite, curiosity, tangy hooks, and brand recognition will take him to stardom. One could look back at his origins as being humble, if he wasn't as daring and provocative straight out the gates.</span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">Lost Girls | <i>Menneskekollektivet</i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Art Pop | <a href="https://album.link/us/i/1553173895" target="_blank">Listen</a></span></div>
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<div class="p1"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Jenny Hval understands art and the malleable textures by which it stands. Matters should not be predictable, or common, or accessible, but rather progressive, fixated on new approaches that aim to entice an ear trained to tune out the rudimentary. That's where <i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/04/lost-girls-menneskekollektivet-review.html" target="_blank">Menneskekollektivet</a></i> comes in. Even the name is daring and unconventional. Musically, Spoken Word abstractions on the self drift myopically into snowy and soft harmonization, all the while free-flowing synthesizers peel danceable rhythms from a strand of drone. Before long, these epics like 'Menneskekollektivet' and 'Love, Lovers' ascend like no other. Not because of preplanned direction, but natural guidance towards new places.</span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">Horsey | <i>Debonair</i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Art Rock | <a href="https://album.link/us/i/1576176789" target="_blank">Listen</a></span></div>
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<div class="p1"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Humans are complex beings. Sometimes that's overlooked in art, as the process of creation tends to value theming, cohesion, and expressed characteristics rather than tackling vague, yet ubiquitous concepts. We vacillate, and often. We partake in capers before returning to solitude to stew in torment. We combat arduous hurdles, yet fear the most irrational of phobias. We adore ridiculed niches and deride praise received elsewhere. Better than any other album this year, <i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/08/horsey-debonair.html" target="_blank">Debonair</a></i> captured this ambiguous seesaw. Moments like 'Sippy Cup' and 'Clown Song' were irreverent and absurd, while others waded in torpid unease like 'Wharf' and 'Seahorse.' Horsey knew how to approach them all, for routine can always be unpredictable.</span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">Japanese Breakfast | <i>Jubilee</i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Indie Pop | <a href="https://album.link/us/i/1553364590" target="_blank">Listen</a></span></div>
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<div class="p1"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/07/japanese-breakfast-jubilee.html" target="_blank">Jubilee</a></i> is an exercise in multiplicity. An excursion through Pop, with coherency derived primarily from the persistent quality that rarely drags. One moment, Japanese Breakfast envelopes herself in grandiose Baroque Pop ('Paprika'), the next she's charming through effervescent Boogie ('Be Sweet'). But that's not all, as bite-sized pieces of Sunshine Pop ('Kokomo, IN'), Ambient Pop ('Posing In Bondage'), and Zauner's good ol' fashioned Indie Pop ('Savage Good Boy') transform the record with each and every turn. A savant relishing in her consummate refinement. For the regretful few emerging from a decades-long coma, they ask how Pop's evolved, you show them this.</span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">Lingua Ignota | <i>Sinner Get Ready</i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Neoclassical Darkwave | <a href="https://album.link/us/i/1570359456" target="_blank">Listen</a></span></div>
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<div class="p1"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Infatuated with the sins of man, hell-bent on unraveling why. Why religion breeds hate, ignorance, and hypocrisy. On <i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/09/lingua-ignota-sinner-get-ready.html" target="_blank">Sinner Get Ready</a></i>, Lingua Ignota dove further than she ever had, enduring the torment and banality of middle America. Her angst boiled, her despair felt the coarse rock bottom. In this experience she learned purity, welcoming sparse Avant-Folk to her Neoclassical Darkwave dirge. Earthly, if only to get closer to Hell. Forsaken fables like 'Many Hands' and 'Man Is Like A Spring Flower' aquatinted holier-than-thou Christians with the infernal vengeance they'll face upon death, recounted quite literally on standout 'Pennsylvania Furnace.' Ignota's grace cares not for facades.</span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">DJ Sabrina The Teenage DJ | <i>Charmed</i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Outsider House | <a href="https://album.link/us/i/1543256416" target="_blank">Listen</a></span></div>
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<div class="p1"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">She captured my heart. One that never got to experience the bathos of overwrought teenage melodrama, fleeting and potent, captured at high school proms, bedroom sleepovers, and pool parties. <i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/01/dj-sabrina-teenage-dj-charmed-review.html" target="_blank">Charmed</a></i> is a marvelous distillation of maudlin revelry, a three-hour tour de force of euphoric, sample-laced House. It is DJ Sabrina's bread and butter. 120 BPM's, reaching higher and higher, layered and spliced with passion unheard-of for lengths such as this. Be it the lachrymose run from 'New Year's Resolution' to 'Down To Love,' or the final celebration with the impeccable 'Charmed Life,' <i>Charmed</i> is a magnum opus of commitment and affection.</span></div>
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<b style="color: #f35925; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 40px; text-align: start;">3</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">Black Country, New Road | <i>For The First Time</i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Experimental Rock | <a href="https://album.link/us/i/1533822061" target="_blank">Listen</a></span></div>
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<div class="p1"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The anticipation was unrelenting. It had been years since the music community was in collective awe over a new band as earth-shattering as Black Country, New Road. Top of their class talents, spearheading the Windmill movement, angered and anxious over adolescent lives slipping from their grasp. <i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/02/black-country-new-road-for-first-time.html" target="_blank">For The First Time</a></i> formally welcomed them, with six disparate songs helmed by Isaac Wood's distressed cries. Yet, the landmark moment was soured due to the indulgent rollout, leaving just two new tracks ('Instrumental' and 'Opus') to the imagination. Nevertheless, cementation had been achieved. Thoroughly comprehensive, equal parts tragic and savory. The Black Country, New Road delicacy.</span></div>
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<b style="color: #f35925; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 40px; text-align: start;">2</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">black midi | <i>Cavalcade</i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Avant-Prog | <a href="https://album.link/us/i/1556010645" target="_blank">Listen</a></span></div>
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<div class="p1"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2019/07/listening-log-present-week-of-71519.html" target="_blank">Schlagenheim</a></i> proved black midi were capable of the immaterial. Schizophrenic and rash, yet finely-tuned with a striking polish unexpected of today's Punk youth. On <i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/06/black-midi-cavalcade-review.html" target="_blank">Cavalcade</a></i> they doubled down, dawning suits while envisioning Frank Zappa, Magma, and King Crimson. Tracks like 'John L' and 'Ascending Forth' exhibited stunning technicals, maneuvering through disparate structures with unorthodox appeal. Others, like 'Marlene Dietrich' and 'Diamond Stuff,' spiraled ardently into psychedelic dreamscapes best left to marvel at, while standout 'Slow' incorporated every <i>Cavalcade</i> tactic through a crushing, Halloween bender. Compelling variety, fits of panic and patience, and the ability to merge the abstruse with the accessible made <i>Cavalcade</i> a stunning achievement.</span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">Lil Ugly Mane | <i>Volcanic Bird Enemy</i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Neo-Psychedelia | <a href="https://album.link/us/i/1590201368" target="_blank">Listen</a></span></div>
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<div class="p1"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;">It captivated me with one question: "Who are you?." The robot lady's focal point was apparent. Every insistent loop on 'Bird Enemy Car' primed Lil Ugly Mane, not I, as the recipient. As disparate, surreal, and irreverent as it was, <i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/10/lil-ugly-mane-volcanic-bird-enemy.html" target="_blank">Volcanic Bird Enemy</a></i> was Travis Miller's life story. Torment self-contained to a world of expression. In the past, anger and misanthropy dominated over blasted 808's, chicken scratch Noise, and cutthroat Lo-Fi hysteria. Now, mature contemplation married hallucinogenics. Facades propped up by psychedelic overdoses ill-tethered to reality ('With Iron & Bleach & Accidents,' 'Styrofoam'), fantasized imaginary worlds rife with relatable problems. Drugs numbed the pain, as Lil Ugly Mane fought the dregs ('Benadryl Submarine,' 'Discard'). Relationships bore complications, but more importantly, internal growth ('Hostage Master,' 'Cursor').</span></div><div class="p1"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="p1"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">But <i>Volcanic Bird Enemy's</i> greatest achievement wasn't those rather frank concepts. It was the entertainment, wide-eyed and cathartic, that prevailed through every inconceivable minute. Lyrics destined for Slowcore and Midwest Emo paraded, like Eeyore in the Hundred Acre Wood, around bountiful colors and curious, crazy concoctions. "Cannibalize all versions of myself / Where I wait for the eruption to collapse me into Hell" he murmurs, sluggishly, as a crunchy and invigorated guitar loop shreds into Shoegaze heaven on 'Headboard.' "I wait for panic to subside / And scrape the tarnish from my mind" he croons dejectedly over apocryphal Mercury Rev felicity - had they been indoctrinated into Skate Punk crust - on the extraordinary 'Porcelain Slightly.' These moments of depression, offset by compelled saturation both real and medicated, gave <i>Volcanic Bird Enemy</i> its unshakable aesthetic; otherworldly, yet entirely corporeal. Though it's only been a few months, Lil Ugly Mane's instant classic has that timeless feel. Adored by generations seeking refuge. Achieving cult-like status from those who can't - nay, won't - let go. For me, praise doesn't get much higher than that.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/12/top-50-albums-of-2021-50-21.html" target="_blank">50-21</a> | <a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/12/top-50-albums-of-2021-20-11.html" target="_blank">20-11</a> | <a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/12/top-100-tracks-of-2021-100-51.html" target="_blank">Top 100 Tracks</a></span></div>Dozens Of Donutshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09419864582928187713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8849500676397996361.post-45980138619520990532021-12-17T10:04:00.003-08:002021-12-22T11:05:37.926-08:00Top 50 Albums Of 2021, 20-11<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 40px;"><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/12/top-50-albums-of-2021-50-21.html" target="_blank">50-21</a> | <a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/12/top-50-albums-of-2021-10-1.html" target="_blank">10-1</a></span></div>
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<br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><div>Though I expected greater of 2021 - on account of all the free time artists were given courtesy of the quarantine in 2020 - to say it disappointing would be a lie. After all, nothing in recent years has been more exciting than watching U.K.'s Art Punk scene grow, as the three-headed beast of black midi, Black Country New Road, and Squid all released incredible debuts within a four-month window. Fearless and exceptionally-talented, their prowess headlined the year. Though stewing in a niche community was a cult, bound by a love for 90's melodrama, aspirational romance, and Dance music that ascends to the heavens. It was spurred by the faceless DJ Sabrina The Teenage DJ, a transformative artist who took my breath away with each intrepid exodus. She mustered optimism in the face of overwhelming dread. Represented those Life Is Good t-shirts better than the t-shirts themselves. These two halves - the palpitating anxieties of the Windmill collective, and the calming resurgence of an impassioned DJ - helped put 2021 into context.</div><div><br /></div><div>All before Lil Ugly Mane tore it apart. Both he, with the near-perfect <i>Volcanic Bird Enemy</i>, and other established artists grew in satisfying ways. There was Japanese Breakfast flexing her versatility in Pop. Lingua Ignota descending further into the reaches of Hell. Little Simz embracing Hip-Hop as a means to overcome. No matter where you looked, in music circles both large and small, artful progression could be found. In a way, it's a testament to human resilience. That a worldwide quarantine needn't be the central topic for musicians, for overcoming the odds was the expected outcome. Art could still prosper even when our chips are down. And boy has it ever.</div><div><br /></div>For posterity sake, if one wants to look back, to greener pastures more naive than our modern day, DoD's Best Of dates back seven years now. <a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2020/12/the-best-of-2020.html" target="_blank">2020</a>, <a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2020/02/the-best-of-2019.html" target="_blank">2019</a>, <a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2019/07/the-best-of-2018.html" target="_blank">2018</a>, <a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2018/02/the-best-of-2017.html" target="_blank">2017</a>, <a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2016/12/the-best-of-2016.html" target="_blank">2016</a>, <a href="http://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2015/12/top-100-tracks-of-2015-100-21.html" target="_blank">2015</a>, and <a href="http://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2014/12/top-50-tracks-of-2014-50-26.html" target="_blank">2014</a>.</span><br />
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<b style="color: #f35925; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 40px; text-align: start;">20</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">Poppy | <i>Flux</i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Alternative Rock | <a href="https://album.link/us/i/1576011831" target="_blank">Listen</a></span></div>
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<div class="p1"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/12/poppy-flux.html" target="_blank">Flux</a></i> is arguably more important to Poppy's odd ascension than her laudable breakthrough <i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2020/02/listening-log-present-volume-32.html" target="_blank">I Disagree</a></i>. Why? Whereas the latter proved her capable of merging her persona's shock n' awe tactics to catchy, monumental moments, <i>Flux</i> shreds the gambit, focusing entirely on the music quality itself. Self-aware tracks like 'So Mean' and 'Her' scaled behind contemplative dissections of the self, while others like 'Hysteria' and 'Never Find My Place' let the new sonic template do the talking. Alternative Rock commandeered tender detours, much in the same way as Wolf Alice.</span></div>
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<b style="color: #f35925; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 40px; text-align: start;">19</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">Tonstartssbandht | <i>Petunia</i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Neo-Psychedelia | <a href="https://album.link/us/i/1578525305" target="_blank">Listen</a></span></div>
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<div class="p1"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Tonstartssbandht's transition from foolhardy brothers, experimenting with every whim, to easygoing adults delving into everlasting grooves has been admirable at worst, electrifying at best. <i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/11/tonstartssbandht-petunia.html" target="_blank">Petunia</a></i> further expands upon the grounds that <i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2017/03/tonstartssbandht-sorcerer-review.html" target="_blank">Sorcerer</a></i> set, in that Jam Band style excursions thrive best when under refined restraint. Nowhere was that seen better than 'Pass Away' and 'What Has Happened,' the two stunners that sailed for the heavens while contemplating the purpose of it all.</span></div>
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<b style="color: #f35925; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 40px; text-align: start;">18</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">Feu! Chatterton | </span><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: x-large;"><i>Palais D'argile</i></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Nouvelle Chanson Française | <a href="https://album.link/us/i/1549194641" target="_blank">Listen</a></span></div>
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<div class="p1"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">At the beginning of the year I wasn't expecting Nouvelle Chanson Française to sweep me off my feet, yet Feu! Chatterton did just that by incorporating familiar genres, ambitious excursions, and exacerbated flirtation to <i>Palais D'argile</i>. 'Un Monde Nouveau,' radio Pop for the ultra-sophisticated, 'Compagnons,' beaming coda brilliance reflecting 70's Rock, and 'Cantique,' unraveling tales of emotional instability, provided <i>Palais D'argile</i> with variety and wonder despite the language barrier. A beautiful one at that.</span></div>
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<b style="color: #f35925; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 40px; text-align: start;">17</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">Blu | <i>The Color Blu(e)</i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Conscious Hip-Hop | <a href="https://album.link/us/i/1582939195" target="_blank">Listen</a></span></div>
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<div class="p1"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Last year it felt as though <i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2020/09/listening-log-present-volume-59.html" target="_blank">Miles</a></i> was a miracle. After years of trudging onwards, defining the very essence of underground, West Coast Hip-Hop, Blu had finally returned to the promised land. With Exile and like-minded producers in tow, <i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/10/blu-color-blue.html" target="_blank">The Color Blu(e)</a></i> went above (and way, way beyond) defining who Blu is and what his music means for the common good of the common people. Light, scattered percussion, rich Soul samples, and Blu's ever-fighting spirit graced uplifting perils like 'Blu(e)r Than Blu[e]' and 'Mr. Blu(e).' It's a match forever made in heaven.</span></div>
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<b style="color: #f35925; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 40px; text-align: start;">16</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">Spellling | <i>Turning Wheel</i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Art Pop | <a href="https://album.link/us/i/1560029728" target="_blank">Listen</a></span></div>
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<div class="p1"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Despite the rich tapestry of sources - be it Kate Bush, Björk, or Erykah Badu - Spellling's elfish personality and inspirational femininity bears no comparison. On <i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/07/spellling-turning-wheel.html" target="_blank">The Turning Wheel</a></i>, she revels in Grimm fairy tales; eloquent and deranged. On the surface, polished and innocent ('Little Deer,' 'Always'), but deep down lies menacing, macabre tendencies ('Boys At School,' 'Queen Of Wands'). Spellling's medieval landscape resembles that of a castle forgotten by time, as exquisite, exterior garnishes hide the torture chambers, indentured servitude, and tales of woe.</span></div>
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<b style="color: #f35925; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 40px; text-align: start;">15</b></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">Squid | <i>Bright Green Field</i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Art Punk | <a href="https://album.link/us/i/1544474458" target="_blank">Listen</a></span></div>
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<div class="p1"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Despite the bountiful output from U.K.'s Post-Brexit revival scene, Squid - slightly aged from the others - still managed to corner a market in desperate need of repair. That being Dance-Punk, and the manic drive that steamrolls its percussion. Tracks like 'Narrator' and 'Pamphlets' unfurled extended distress, tapping toes not just from the rhythm but from that nervous twitch. Centered around Ollie Judge's exclamatory work, <i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/05/squid-bright-green-field-review.html" target="_blank">Bright Green Field</a></i> spewed unmatched energy due to his dual role as singer and drummer. Performance art, the sweat declares.</span></div>
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<b style="color: #f35925; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 40px; text-align: start;">14</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">Sufjan Stevens | <i>A Beginner's Mind</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Indie Folk | <a href="https://album.link/us/i/1572705246" target="_blank">Listen</a></span></div>
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<div class="p1"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">When it comes to Sufjan Stevens' myriad of styles, his chaste, austere Singer/Songwriter fixtures tend to breeze on by. Not <i>A Beginner's Mind</i>, which levies his Christian wholesomeness with De Augustine's theatrical ornamentations. Songs are quaint, but never hollow. As early album hits like 'Reach Out' and 'Lady Macbeth In Chains' showcase, anthemic majesty can coexist with solitary humility. Others, like 'It’s Your Own Body & Mind' and 'Cimmerian Shade,' gild Stevens' patented acoustics under echoing gasps of weightless breath.</span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">Yves Tumor | <i>The Asymptotical World</i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Post-Punk | <a href="https://album.link/us/i/1572852841" target="_blank">Listen</a></span></div>
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<div class="p1"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Since Yves Tumor began distancing themselves from tender, obscured Sound Collages, every project of theirs has been outfitted with a categorical identity. <i>The Asymptotical World</i> was no different, admiring the world of underground Post-Punk from within. Tracks like 'Jackie' and 'Secrecy Is Incredibly Important' found grooves alive in the sewer, pulling alleyway arguments from stormy couples down to the muck. An observer to the break-up, Tumor excels by adding ambience to intimate, dire straits.</span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">DJ Sabrina The Teenage DJ | <i>Makin' Magick II</i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Outsider House | <a href="https://album.link/us/i/1598685415" target="_blank">Listen</a></span></div>
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<div class="p1"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">She released ten hours of music over a four year, five album span. How could DJ Sabrina possibly top that, when her passionate peak seemingly knew no bounds? How's four hours of music, spread across two albums, released on Thanksgiving night sound? And though <i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/12/dj-sabrina-teenage-dj-makin-magick-ii.html" target="_blank">Makin' Magick II's</a></i> highs weren't as opulent as we've seen before, it's noted consistency deserves applause. Sample-laden House beats; endless and eternal. A sense of maturity blossomed in both the production ('Each Time') and lyrical implications ('Being Alone'). But above all else, in spite of the odds and dejections, exalted optimism guided DJ Sabrina ('I'll Never Stop,' 'Princess').</span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">Little Simz | <i>Sometimes I Might Be Introvert</i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Conscious Hip-Hop | <a href="https://album.link/us/i/1561184260" target="_blank">Listen</a></span></div>
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<div class="p1"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">She bore the torch for a revolution. At least that's how <i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/09/little-simz-sometimes-i-might-be.html" target="_blank">Sometimes I Might Be Introvert</a></i> sounds; desperate and dignified. Little Simz fought oppression - of race, of gender, of cultural outcasts like her - on defiant pieces like 'Introvert' and 'Little Q, Pt. 2.' Orchestral flourishes reminiscent of Kanye West's <i>Late Registration</i> lent her lofty aspirations a real weight and vitality. Whether overwhelmed in the ceremony, like on 'Standing Ovation,' or flexing in the streets, like 'Rolling Stone,' Little Simz proved her resonance as a voice of a generation.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/12/top-50-albums-of-2021-50-21.html" target="_blank">50-21</a> | <a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/12/top-50-albums-of-2021-10-1.html" target="_blank">10-1</a> | <a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/12/top-100-tracks-of-2021-100-51.html" target="_blank">Top 100 Tracks</a></span></div>Dozens Of Donutshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09419864582928187713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8849500676397996361.post-25594625305356114122021-12-16T12:54:00.002-08:002021-12-18T10:57:02.853-08:00Top 50 Albums Of 2021, 50-21<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 40px;"><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/12/top-50-albums-of-2021-20-11.html" target="_blank">20-11</a> | <a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/12/top-50-albums-of-2021-10-1.html" target="_blank">10-1</a></span></div>
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<br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><div>Though I expected greater of 2021 - on account of all the free time artists were given courtesy of the quarantine in 2020 - to say it disappointing would be a lie. After all, nothing in recent years has been more exciting than watching U.K.'s Art Punk scene grow, as the three-headed beast of black midi, Black Country New Road, and Squid all released incredible debuts within a four-month window. Fearless and exceptionally-talented, their prowess headlined the year. Though stewing in a niche community was a cult, bound by a love for 90's melodrama, aspirational romance, and Dance music that ascends to the heavens. It was spurred by the faceless DJ Sabrina The Teenage DJ, a transformative artist who took my breath away with each intrepid exodus. She mustered optimism in the face of overwhelming dread. Represented those Life Is Good t-shirts better than the t-shirts themselves. These two halves - the palpitating anxieties of the Windmill collective, and the calming resurgence of an impassioned DJ - helped put 2021 into context.</div><div><br /></div><div>All before Lil Ugly Mane tore it apart. Both he, with the near-perfect <i>Volcanic Bird Enemy</i>, and other established artists grew in satisfying ways. There was Japanese Breakfast flexing her versatility in Pop. Lingua Ignota descending further into the reaches of Hell. Little Simz embracing Hip-Hop as a means to overcome. No matter where you looked, in music circles both large and small, artful progression could be found. In a way, it's a testament to human resilience. That a worldwide quarantine needn't be the central topic for musicians, for overcoming the odds was the expected outcome. Art could still prosper even when our chips are down. And boy has it ever.</div><div><br /></div>For posterity sake, if one wants to look back, to greener pastures more naive than our modern day, DoD's Best Of dates back seven years now. <a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2020/12/the-best-of-2020.html" target="_blank">2020</a>, <a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2020/02/the-best-of-2019.html" target="_blank">2019</a>, <a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2019/07/the-best-of-2018.html" target="_blank">2018</a>, <a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2018/02/the-best-of-2017.html" target="_blank">2017</a>, <a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2016/12/the-best-of-2016.html" target="_blank">2016</a>, <a href="http://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2015/12/top-100-tracks-of-2015-100-21.html" target="_blank">2015</a>, and <a href="http://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2014/12/top-50-tracks-of-2014-50-26.html" target="_blank">2014</a>.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjOx23k8iogEUlSX5_2XK494L0NcaUzYCic9JW1fYCNAkbJ-NBfaAPbX6QyUtLud76kQp1RRF7UGUJTP_hGLOIhQG3bLX-yJAzNfvmwQFW4986aPsUdw2wKag0oG3zOzUUIFLJzSW-Ln-q9DDU_2D8D3RWg5QHJ1JW-eOTE7uYaHVETlfnXRDIU8aVW" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjOx23k8iogEUlSX5_2XK494L0NcaUzYCic9JW1fYCNAkbJ-NBfaAPbX6QyUtLud76kQp1RRF7UGUJTP_hGLOIhQG3bLX-yJAzNfvmwQFW4986aPsUdw2wKag0oG3zOzUUIFLJzSW-Ln-q9DDU_2D8D3RWg5QHJ1JW-eOTE7uYaHVETlfnXRDIU8aVW" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 40px;"><b>50</b></span></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">Handsomeboy Technique</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><i>Technique</i></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">Alternative Dance</span><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;"> </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">| <a href="https://album.link/us/i/1569532382" target="_blank">Listen</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">JIt had been 12 years since Handsomeboy Technique's last record; The sorely under-appreciated <i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2020/05/listening-log-past-volume-44.html" target="_blank">Terrestrial Tone Cluster</a></i>. A sophisticated spirit takes shape on <i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/07/handsomeboy-technique-technique.html" target="_blank">Technique</a></i>, as weary features find comfort in exotic party anthems. Tracks like 'Slowfish,' 'Long Slow Distance,' and 'A Light Hits The Gloom' best exemplified this mettle. Far East Avalanches, one could call it.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgJ_sgZe6G2A9LoCEd26kmqmPwrIFwQGgmFQvhVIEiQ3ffrexwvT-QsfNWy_xcGTi6459w1yMzik6-pWhxGq9p_j1AmBYwvccE-M1eNFXihe9NS-_1TL81rJGYf_5kIr_yFa58UpPJbD3GfdYgSIh_xcxb48hnQGHD6x92lNBfORCLr6tXt0BHXEJm9" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgJ_sgZe6G2A9LoCEd26kmqmPwrIFwQGgmFQvhVIEiQ3ffrexwvT-QsfNWy_xcGTi6459w1yMzik6-pWhxGq9p_j1AmBYwvccE-M1eNFXihe9NS-_1TL81rJGYf_5kIr_yFa58UpPJbD3GfdYgSIh_xcxb48hnQGHD6x92lNBfORCLr6tXt0BHXEJm9" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 40px;"><b>49</b></span></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">The Antlers</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><i>Green To Gold</i></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">Indie Folk</span><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;"> </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">| <a href="https://album.link/us/i/1544426001" target="_blank">Listen</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In classic Antlers fashion, they tiptoed through 2020 without so much as a whimper. On <i>Green To Gold</i>, Slowcore gave way to Indie Folk, maintaining the nimbly deference Peter Silberman has held throughout his career. Nothing stood out, but everything fit. 'Wheels Roll Home,' 'Just One Sec,' 'Green To Gold.' Antlers bathed in the contentment of warm, idle springs.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjvbnhmFwx0OhhWjjJ24M08qEXpS3TLBO3b7HzL8OrEbZ8grNRkH-phHmcHzSbIR45u9FiM7tcdfIqlNbzJrkXALEYevrWfCXIlzyD8wVhtTkMkliGdwWj7DjJ0CnbHKP_cD2U85Nk9MVT3sGYek-K5dvew2tW-4NLo704KqrPIA9hFSTCRJDoDMPd-" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjvbnhmFwx0OhhWjjJ24M08qEXpS3TLBO3b7HzL8OrEbZ8grNRkH-phHmcHzSbIR45u9FiM7tcdfIqlNbzJrkXALEYevrWfCXIlzyD8wVhtTkMkliGdwWj7DjJ0CnbHKP_cD2U85Nk9MVT3sGYek-K5dvew2tW-4NLo704KqrPIA9hFSTCRJDoDMPd-" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 40px;"><b>48</b></span></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">Pom Poko</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><i>Cheater</i></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">Noise Pop</span><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;"> </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">| <a href="https://album.link/us/i/1528039300" target="_blank">Listen</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Though it didn't have the same impact as Pom Poko's magnificent debut, <i>Cheater</i> still matched the energy and eccentricity of Norway's beatnik twenty-somethings. Jamtveit's vocals protrude like that of a doll's come to life, while gruff Noise Rock scratches down chalkboards. It's a duality that never ceases to intrigue, and on tracks like 'Like A Lady,' 'Danger Baby,' and 'Andy Go To School,' Pom Poko reached for the extreme.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEifoj5Wo1C4Kx8zItwGDleRUxCd21MIlvJsaLwUAsYMCtkS0pvrbpVQx089IZl1EZnhA-kUIbZzQaR5_9I8c1EwJ9-tiUEE5bb6isvLNnooTE0weYPD0a0OTJQGdoqS6rx_bxmygokYoy4gbU-Y6rRk5H-d3VriXqQAZNjPpYEH1ArgYr-EQCKCWWdd" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEifoj5Wo1C4Kx8zItwGDleRUxCd21MIlvJsaLwUAsYMCtkS0pvrbpVQx089IZl1EZnhA-kUIbZzQaR5_9I8c1EwJ9-tiUEE5bb6isvLNnooTE0weYPD0a0OTJQGdoqS6rx_bxmygokYoy4gbU-Y6rRk5H-d3VriXqQAZNjPpYEH1ArgYr-EQCKCWWdd" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 40px;"><b>47</b></span></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">Bruno Pernadas</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><i>Private Reasons</i></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">Progressive Pop</span><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;"> </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">| <a href="https://album.link/us/i/1563737153" target="_blank">Listen</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Though expectations were recklessly high, and therefore unmet, Bruno Pernadas' latest excursion still relished in rich, tropical psychedelia. Sunburnt vocals, steamy acoustics, and an array of pleasurable sounds - be it from strings to pianos to primitive, Space Age synthesizers - wove threads across <i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/05/bruno-pernadas-private-reasons-review.html" target="_blank">Private Reasons</a></i>, like a rainbow stretching across the landscape. No song combined these elements better than 'Theme Vision.'</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjsZhWVkJrEfFQHk8JmTHIqMnKO4-JN1jJXpVo2sRRofh3kRtCMlveiYzKOe3Z5XXYzpbTOJZjtlLiU34Hcn7it7vT4uIUtMBp5LBicGhX0BGNDHbKNZjyCNBPy710fYtt65DiFDoTUJuJdppZHiAnHhqsh4gVhklg4tUsnWo7mNnBboCi87keczlGl" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjsZhWVkJrEfFQHk8JmTHIqMnKO4-JN1jJXpVo2sRRofh3kRtCMlveiYzKOe3Z5XXYzpbTOJZjtlLiU34Hcn7it7vT4uIUtMBp5LBicGhX0BGNDHbKNZjyCNBPy710fYtt65DiFDoTUJuJdppZHiAnHhqsh4gVhklg4tUsnWo7mNnBboCi87keczlGl" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 40px;"><b>46</b></span></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">Godspeed You! Black Emperor</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><i>G_d's Pee AT STATE'S END!</i></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">Post-Rock</span><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;"> </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">| <a href="https://album.link/us/i/1556346295" target="_blank">Listen</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">At times, Godspeed's music tends to become a caricature of itself, working through routine and relishing in patterns despite the irony of their apocalyptic incertitude driving the anxiety and angst. Yet it's that same insistence, like a rushing tide - from global warming or military invasion - that bears favorable results. Humans are captivated by the upending of it all. Systems, societies, mankind itself. Godspeed aims to reflect that.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjUtBfCPxQu4U8Oo74G6viV3Z2mSJcW_3s8K2qnu7QqWXc4XWuqODv5Cip0OuBIhlsFABVtmWEmsQpx3dJTgE0AstKWNV5nUAcA0nXEDA68hZJNVKMElCTqFkhaxrU0SOe42P-CWwDxA9v0XZKPJHZ5SI_TdDz68PoOp6IrFrf2GTHyxfBpkiTIdMq7" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjUtBfCPxQu4U8Oo74G6viV3Z2mSJcW_3s8K2qnu7QqWXc4XWuqODv5Cip0OuBIhlsFABVtmWEmsQpx3dJTgE0AstKWNV5nUAcA0nXEDA68hZJNVKMElCTqFkhaxrU0SOe42P-CWwDxA9v0XZKPJHZ5SI_TdDz68PoOp6IrFrf2GTHyxfBpkiTIdMq7" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 40px;"><b>45</b></span></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">Dry Cleaning</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><i>New Long Leg</i></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">Post-Punk</span><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;"> </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">| <a href="https://album.link/us/i/1549505079" target="_blank">Listen</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Lost amidst a generation-defining U.K. scene, Dry Cleaning's sophistication and placidly isn't for everyone. Formulaic Post-Punk with a minimalist flourish, complete with Florence Shaw's monotone Spoken Word, draws comparison to Algebra Suicide. And much like that overlooked outfit, <i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/06/dry-cleaning-new-long-leg.html" target="_blank">New Long Leg</a></i> teases epiphanies under the brushing of abstraction. The groove, however, underlies it all.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg7PKU7oF_-0T6JwgIeyrnw1Jz4qo7SmkMQW0O4U4_iPCr_vkhoSI5cQgHWz2wd-ZgnvvwCFumxtEkf5Xe0aYf-Rx1nnrWAJHSYzkCR6O4ZPwI_H5Q3N9fN4RNmayYgjmxXbsS5emcLRK1OL8XuoaUoCnqxQn3jzer642iLXEnBNIUNbEOsqD5pL0N8" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg7PKU7oF_-0T6JwgIeyrnw1Jz4qo7SmkMQW0O4U4_iPCr_vkhoSI5cQgHWz2wd-ZgnvvwCFumxtEkf5Xe0aYf-Rx1nnrWAJHSYzkCR6O4ZPwI_H5Q3N9fN4RNmayYgjmxXbsS5emcLRK1OL8XuoaUoCnqxQn3jzer642iLXEnBNIUNbEOsqD5pL0N8" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 40px;"><b>44</b></span></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">Chad VanGaalen</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><i>World's Most Stressed</i></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">Neo-Psychedelia</span><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;"> </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">| <a href="https://album.link/us/i/1548377559" target="_blank">Listen</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">By the mere process of maturation, few artisans remain indebted to the whimsical musings of their childhood. Not Chad VanGaalen, who continued his fascination with the abstract, the nonsensical, and the delirious on <i>Stressed Out Gardener</i>. Seemingly pointless, tracks like 'Nothing Is Strange' and 'Samurai Sword' appealed to all the senses, no matter the age. Full bloom or just budding.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjNBWeg4BkL1W9zM98ugjdu_RMpYogl6waUB16ZWwdm0axbhL_yKYUvJwEPK2AAYioh-V3-bjfgNxQ98bOEnpEReal-i9tZxnTBcAhlLEwEBwMVRGLorpnGYl2oWWAssmzFGVib1DJjGUMEazgy9dINHSeXwyn__HawIWycdDscCQJ7g4TfBSOOV5se" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjNBWeg4BkL1W9zM98ugjdu_RMpYogl6waUB16ZWwdm0axbhL_yKYUvJwEPK2AAYioh-V3-bjfgNxQ98bOEnpEReal-i9tZxnTBcAhlLEwEBwMVRGLorpnGYl2oWWAssmzFGVib1DJjGUMEazgy9dINHSeXwyn__HawIWycdDscCQJ7g4TfBSOOV5se" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 40px;"><b>43</b></span></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">DARKSIDE</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><i>Spiral</i></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">Art Rock</span><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;"> </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">| <a href="https://album.link/us/i/1586473066" target="_blank">Listen</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Nicolas Jaar's atmosphere rarely finds comparison. Much of it derived from his Chilean roots, the sparse fleshiness, ominous and sultry, once again emerges in his side project Darkside. With <i>Spiral</i>, he and David Harrington maneuvered through this off-kilter environment that's both natural and unnatural. Tracks like 'Lawmaker,' 'Liberty Bell,' and 'Inside Is Out There' underscored such shadowed distinction.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjAut1oFgmRysKYwUBIoSUw9qu2iGEPV3Frme8gMYDpEMuyKxpGhMQdfxsUzJljOrnqz9XbNhGhrD9_DkM6CIf1qricDEYPKU6T78Mf8BVJY2Tjg8ZPUYsK3LCoeymY86pwzhOp52P8qBLVMHrCbDUFn0luVkDlzTQmYu1kwBlHlP8tpkNEcmtR9geW" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjAut1oFgmRysKYwUBIoSUw9qu2iGEPV3Frme8gMYDpEMuyKxpGhMQdfxsUzJljOrnqz9XbNhGhrD9_DkM6CIf1qricDEYPKU6T78Mf8BVJY2Tjg8ZPUYsK3LCoeymY86pwzhOp52P8qBLVMHrCbDUFn0luVkDlzTQmYu1kwBlHlP8tpkNEcmtR9geW" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 40px;"><b>42</b></span></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">slowthai</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><i>TYRON</i></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">UK Hip-Hop</span><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;"> </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">| <a href="https://album.link/us/i/1538562860" target="_blank">Listen</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/02/slowthai-tyron-review.html" target="_blank">TYRON</a></i> made slowthai's goal obvious: Play both sides. The hard and humble, stern and soft. Split down the middle, <i>TYRON</i> tackled the distinction many aspiring rappers face head-on. How to approach sincerity when bombastic provocation draws attention? Simple, treat each as an integral part of the whole. Be it '45 SMOKE' or 'feel away,' slowthai understood that humans have many faces.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhYd436iAwfPTh_Du5Sj9TrI_78mas85h9VLIcXhg4QtEuuhu2s1s5u5wUqK-gwtkVJYyI0YRcVbEYJTkFZ42SLF57lTc-6M6nBPfF5F1RZKZ0z9z19aLmmif_aZmnV9WHLRpJDh-M4ehINdvV6u17J2LLM69TYbexf1GidkSa6TTWfGK0kZSzPfjnY" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhYd436iAwfPTh_Du5Sj9TrI_78mas85h9VLIcXhg4QtEuuhu2s1s5u5wUqK-gwtkVJYyI0YRcVbEYJTkFZ42SLF57lTc-6M6nBPfF5F1RZKZ0z9z19aLmmif_aZmnV9WHLRpJDh-M4ehINdvV6u17J2LLM69TYbexf1GidkSa6TTWfGK0kZSzPfjnY" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 40px;"><b>41</b></span></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">Richard Dawson & Circle</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><i>Henki</i></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">Progressive Rock</span><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;"> </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">| <a href="https://album.link/us/i/1584036428" target="_blank">Listen</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Though I hadn't heard of Circle prior to this engagement, it's clear their brand of Klezmer-influenced Prog Rock molds to Richard Dawson's fantastical hysteria with aplomb. Ever the eccentric, Dawson's tales of triumph and woe rifle through <i>Henki</i> with earthly impetuosity. At times though, to throw his manic scent off, matters are tempered and tame, as seen on 'Cooksonia' and 'Silene.' But who're we kidding? When the rails are torn through, Dawson's fury is achieved ('Ivy,' 'Lily').</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjZSbhf6vj3UAp4dbCFKMMXxdb9BEXHsjt88kXdR8HxqPxXJsxHDpkFyzpKoD_AmPbT6V3lmNJxR6aY5IoFAZJxdW9esK4NZUB0zJtNOeHEC2dF1cVYMTde9vz_xkGalKKDZfHaAzYzkVKDxkatc3MUXzSh2G27nzbr0uAb2YnDEU6McG-U5_DxLBt8" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjZSbhf6vj3UAp4dbCFKMMXxdb9BEXHsjt88kXdR8HxqPxXJsxHDpkFyzpKoD_AmPbT6V3lmNJxR6aY5IoFAZJxdW9esK4NZUB0zJtNOeHEC2dF1cVYMTde9vz_xkGalKKDZfHaAzYzkVKDxkatc3MUXzSh2G27nzbr0uAb2YnDEU6McG-U5_DxLBt8" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 40px;"><b>40</b></span></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">St. Vincent</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><i>Daddy's Home</i></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">Blue-Eyed Soul</span><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;"> </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">| <a href="https://album.link/us/i/1552955481" target="_blank">Listen</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Needless to say, I wasn't expecting much after the over-the-hill <i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2018/02/st-vincent-masseduction-review.html" target="_blank">Masseduction</a></i>. St. Vincent had lost her touch with reality. <i>Daddy's Home</i> grabbed it again, with a handy helping of Soul. Here, she remained humble, focusing on intimacy ('Somebody Like Me,' '...At The Holiday Party'), rather than ostentation. If tracks like 'Live In The Dream' and 'Melting Of The Sun' are any indication, St. Vincent never had to elicit a reaction to garner attention.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhN_098Hv6X-9jbQidSvRB6c5YsIh3_kvvEve4hHuDSo8-TZGe9vrT1dC1Tf8pOr7kMGSA1p9pG_IdJlCsdCNtW8iCahfgj5q79C3Ey_s46nV0GsCR54T0qDsrebU7khkcNKKOj_tDy0X5sRXV1w7hRyPS-xBJaLa_YijGQfBkrbKVvxYfW45R0OnVX" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhN_098Hv6X-9jbQidSvRB6c5YsIh3_kvvEve4hHuDSo8-TZGe9vrT1dC1Tf8pOr7kMGSA1p9pG_IdJlCsdCNtW8iCahfgj5q79C3Ey_s46nV0GsCR54T0qDsrebU7khkcNKKOj_tDy0X5sRXV1w7hRyPS-xBJaLa_YijGQfBkrbKVvxYfW45R0OnVX" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 40px;"><b>39</b></span></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">War On Drugs</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><i>I Don't Live Here Anymore</i></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">Heartland Rock</span><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;"> </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">| <a href="https://album.link/us/i/1576851901" target="_blank">Listen</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">America is at its best when change is prominent. Though many harken back to the "good ol days," something that's replete in Americana, it's really through revolution and a desire to endure that the ideals of patriotism were founded. War On Drugs understands that, shifting their vanilla principles towards greener pastures. <i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/11/war-on-drugs-i-dont-live-here-anymore.html" target="_blank">I Don't Live Here Anymore</a></i> categorized that change through anthemic Synthpop, aspirational and propulsive.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiizu9pQaXhNh48oU9rv9Mp52oHjKHpNFNMw4S890p0p2B2YbyP5Ky9pJhgwfJbacBVZUIrj3FG-_Sdcjsl14lQKy7D_DWg7G2GJoUUyC8skxBy86IrmM-xYOVwHLks8AfuGnCBQfa48EztSYdZjuEoSRdxeEkbjLANkYywBijSDGFOZgVrf5_NtrM0" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiizu9pQaXhNh48oU9rv9Mp52oHjKHpNFNMw4S890p0p2B2YbyP5Ky9pJhgwfJbacBVZUIrj3FG-_Sdcjsl14lQKy7D_DWg7G2GJoUUyC8skxBy86IrmM-xYOVwHLks8AfuGnCBQfa48EztSYdZjuEoSRdxeEkbjLANkYywBijSDGFOZgVrf5_NtrM0" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 40px;"><b>38</b></span></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">Deafheaven</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><i>Infinite Granite</i></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">Shoegaze</span><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;"> </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">| <a href="https://album.link/us/i/1567143738" target="_blank">Listen</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Ever since their breakout, Deafheaven has slowly but surely shied away from Post-Metal. Brooding through Blackgaze, beauty emerged in their clandestine Shoegaze. Though typical, <i>Infinite Granite's</i> accessibility proved irresistible. 'Great Mass Of Color,' 'Lament For Wasps,' 'Other Language.' These are songs that followed a pattern, one that's proven invaluable for years. The rise.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhZBo0wdJWTrjsqQ884JP7sdIxoywHNTcXvK-wlHX8lBH2VeRcnrwY_GvdPp_GFtO9S6X9hoZZEOtgFZLFPfW5zmM-fdsGXIR9C70_DS3fOUmHgoy6QBM8-HSlGLvdGdIm07QEiUts1jBqx01_IieEibirN4qlZgoLEHrKlfjnLQz4kPcNOG2TSJMnR" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhZBo0wdJWTrjsqQ884JP7sdIxoywHNTcXvK-wlHX8lBH2VeRcnrwY_GvdPp_GFtO9S6X9hoZZEOtgFZLFPfW5zmM-fdsGXIR9C70_DS3fOUmHgoy6QBM8-HSlGLvdGdIm07QEiUts1jBqx01_IieEibirN4qlZgoLEHrKlfjnLQz4kPcNOG2TSJMnR" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 40px;"><b>37</b></span></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">The Avalanches</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><i>We Will Always Love You</i></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">Nu-Disco</span><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;"> </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">| <a href="https://album.link/us/i/1529562337" target="_blank">Listen</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The Avalanches are renowned for modernizing the past. So much so that their talents almost seem ignored. On <i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/01/the-avalanches-we-will-always-love-you.html" target="_blank">We Will Always Love You</a></i>, the band used their connections to validate their status as evocative producers, charting course for the stars. Hope defines their brand, uplifting even the most dour of circumstances ('We Go On,' 'Gold Sky,' 'Always Black'). Committing to such prospects will never go out of style.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg82JNmWDZkuE-m0xt0fi5gd8Bzs5Lr7WJmQ25Z3N8BcYCt9P-uUulc91pecvHleGHnQVP-IAJ93B8-BSDiyzjv-ys8UZ2hS8U-2RWQB9E0m5i5TnzPbdOE6eb8b3ed0aIYViRoPL3qdJgQ4BbDrQ13KL0FL3v74McuSabEvunBg4oKkOTaqhuUR6U3" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg82JNmWDZkuE-m0xt0fi5gd8Bzs5Lr7WJmQ25Z3N8BcYCt9P-uUulc91pecvHleGHnQVP-IAJ93B8-BSDiyzjv-ys8UZ2hS8U-2RWQB9E0m5i5TnzPbdOE6eb8b3ed0aIYViRoPL3qdJgQ4BbDrQ13KL0FL3v74McuSabEvunBg4oKkOTaqhuUR6U3" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 40px;"><b>36</b></span></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">Ducks Ltd.</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><i>Modern Fiction</i></span><br /><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">Jangle Pop </span></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">| <a href="https://album.link/us/i/1569497041" target="_blank">Listen</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It's rare for a debut to perfect a honed craft. But when it comes to Ducks Ltd.'s <i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/10/ducks-ltd-modern-fiction.html" target="_blank">Modern Fiction</a></i>, the boilerplate had been set decades in advance. Jangle Pop, idealized. From 'How Lonely Are You?'s' ramshackle coil to 'Grand Final Day's' montage bathos, Ducks never leave their promised land. They soar in anthems ('Under The Rolling Moon'), reminiscence in the trifles ('18 Cigarettes').</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgdRQ1yTSdEWowhvThfmO-EJi7_0T4xc3UVkH86_cyM2kzDcVcim-YvO_ypzWVKLh4UGurgZ46t1jip092MfeL1Zh8NKIcKbfCCGmnyoXU9uPqFVuLntFN4DwgPnfOPL9IW8DEUQkhCXTV62WB8zDDaTvqxPzEt7M6DfvJZ9do5Pw8mQrm75uMZWrNn" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgdRQ1yTSdEWowhvThfmO-EJi7_0T4xc3UVkH86_cyM2kzDcVcim-YvO_ypzWVKLh4UGurgZ46t1jip092MfeL1Zh8NKIcKbfCCGmnyoXU9uPqFVuLntFN4DwgPnfOPL9IW8DEUQkhCXTV62WB8zDDaTvqxPzEt7M6DfvJZ9do5Pw8mQrm75uMZWrNn" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 40px;"><b>35</b></span></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">King Gizzard</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><i>Butterfly 3000</i></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">Psychedelic Pop</span><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;"> </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">| <a href="https://album.link/us/i/1569279719" target="_blank">Listen</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Quality over quantity, or the other way around. Neither saying concerns King Gizzard, who continually offers up both. <i>Butterfly 3000</i> balanced their hordes of diverging paths, resulting in a prismatic array of saturation. Fluid and steadfast, elaborate interludes like 'Dreams' and 'Ya Love' carried the rainbow weight between orchestrated Psychedelic Pop. None stronger than 'Interior People.'</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiN9liM9qqOo1YbTRP-WCDSQ2UcS55NA7ruyJRg5pBYng2DkxNvqw011THXUq9pbfE_O2uuYkxXwSREIKwsrduPAbHBIbVuf_xtj7n3WXE2-XOEUpGti96FVmL23oXwANLEvkoH56hXUVIlivAeEiiRowTryTF_xDoStUCWv_shdxGIP7FcDwJdrAWT" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiN9liM9qqOo1YbTRP-WCDSQ2UcS55NA7ruyJRg5pBYng2DkxNvqw011THXUq9pbfE_O2uuYkxXwSREIKwsrduPAbHBIbVuf_xtj7n3WXE2-XOEUpGti96FVmL23oXwANLEvkoH56hXUVIlivAeEiiRowTryTF_xDoStUCWv_shdxGIP7FcDwJdrAWT" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 40px;"><b>34</b></span></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">Iosonouncane</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><i>IRA</i></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">Post-Industrial</span><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;"> </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">| <a href="https://album.link/us/i/1560811975" target="_blank">Listen</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">When you casually pop on 'hiver,' there's no escaping the sinister wrath of <i>IRA</i>. 17 tracks, none shorter than the four-minute 'pétrole,' is a recipe for perilous indoctrination. With appendages shackled, Iosonouncane slices through medieval rituals of sacrilege, proudly flaunting a circumferential knowledge of all things musically dark. Chaotic, cathartic drums as seen on 'ashes' and 'hajar' is the just the tip of the iceberg.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjFsv8_p6BcsWhFyhSF-ca5-ZZWn_wKMJWKZeQCEAk35WOa-z52RsCVDim2-LLVQ6Gr3z1IRHPQ67otZ8pMn4I1g9J_nwxG6dKddl-cHwi73PBvVAAlQkzyMrRCs5AIL4OXEsAUXSSoOG_wi91sKni-GZF1035w-_uhGQjT9NJ5nIQux1bS_TA0ESq3" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjFsv8_p6BcsWhFyhSF-ca5-ZZWn_wKMJWKZeQCEAk35WOa-z52RsCVDim2-LLVQ6Gr3z1IRHPQ67otZ8pMn4I1g9J_nwxG6dKddl-cHwi73PBvVAAlQkzyMrRCs5AIL4OXEsAUXSSoOG_wi91sKni-GZF1035w-_uhGQjT9NJ5nIQux1bS_TA0ESq3" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 40px;"><b>33</b></span></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">Kanye West</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><i>Donda</i></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">Pop Rap</span><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;"> </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">| <a href="https://album.link/us/i/1587795158" target="_blank">Listen</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As self-indulgent as all his past works, what <i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/09/kanye-west-donda.html" target="_blank">Donda</a></i> did to separate Kanye from Kanye lies in absence. Absence of a mother, absence of a wife, absence of God. It's there, on stunners like 'Believe What I Say,' 'Moon,' and 'Come To Life,' where Kanye learns to reflect on past successes and recent mistakes. Sure, a savage swarm of discordant Trap mares greatness, but discovering the heart deep within <i>Donda</i> makes it all worth it.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEijcAEcafwI-Iw9cYgKVR9FnsU2MZcJayslXFLyf50kFT70_NKlV13GXYHVTesGuvKF9i-ixczrhCbgvnIAExoqpkR9t_udfCwxLoVgvAsdaQzDAO_oShZtZF_xwPt2snKiDUEPBcI5qD0faPsBFqbw50SvZ2ZOSMoNvwLADDJmK2mfLQdV7JsWNvc4" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEijcAEcafwI-Iw9cYgKVR9FnsU2MZcJayslXFLyf50kFT70_NKlV13GXYHVTesGuvKF9i-ixczrhCbgvnIAExoqpkR9t_udfCwxLoVgvAsdaQzDAO_oShZtZF_xwPt2snKiDUEPBcI5qD0faPsBFqbw50SvZ2ZOSMoNvwLADDJmK2mfLQdV7JsWNvc4" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 40px;"><b>32</b></span></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">Bo Burnham</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><i>Inside</i></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">Musical Comedy</span><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;"> </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">| <a href="https://album.link/us/i/1571419211" target="_blank">Listen</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">After years out of the relative spotlight, Bo Burnham ignited imagination by welcoming quarantined viewers <i>Inside</i>. His home, his humor, his mental well-being. With an obsessive attention to detail and a commitment to craft - as distraction from reality - <i>Inside</i> coped using comedy. At times outrageous ('Welcome To The Internet'), others portentous and bleak ('All Eyes On Me'). Some hit too close to home ('30').</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhP0dBJsy7-GzdU9veRrhqJJrZCAF4rUpCQEZZmsohUvfN4-fZKEcGo6b5RPbUbL5kVZ4j9ogOmdXplvmnaUCF5OoSjO1KoZ0zMe5ZmHaUATOVBAIxCDe4azGvQYltmUfEjWRso1lJ2KQjZaFZCretOkkQicLclP4Ywe2yoRVSx1pJ1lxqSLOk0sTRu" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhP0dBJsy7-GzdU9veRrhqJJrZCAF4rUpCQEZZmsohUvfN4-fZKEcGo6b5RPbUbL5kVZ4j9ogOmdXplvmnaUCF5OoSjO1KoZ0zMe5ZmHaUATOVBAIxCDe4azGvQYltmUfEjWRso1lJ2KQjZaFZCretOkkQicLclP4Ywe2yoRVSx1pJ1lxqSLOk0sTRu" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 40px;"><b>31</b></span></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">Backxwash</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><i>I Lie Here Buried</i></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">Horrorcore</span><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;"> </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">| <a href="https://album.link/us/i/1570917460" target="_blank">Listen</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Backxwash has her schtick and she's sticking to it. Her latest went further down the rabbit hole of Horrorcore, inflicting pain and unleashing vitriol on those opposed to equality or the dark arts, at times it's hard to tell which. Tracks like 'TERROR PACKETS' and 'SONG OF SINNERS' proved her uncompromising nature, as Industrial Metal scraped against cries for help from an exorcising demon.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEglreZQzM_-PWefZqx3C4EfhfexIbPOD_7eYSQP484KupLvmalNJKhY-aUud2qYPkRchT4dgdsRanPVublQAj_8jkj_0l1gQ5zL9sfrzkpbqT9jSYAtQyl1nUoqmraIwJ0qmJ86ySRr-0G5ly_oc5H8efdY8DOIpsxg2lZV0Zvgpz1WX6QeAzY70FDw" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEglreZQzM_-PWefZqx3C4EfhfexIbPOD_7eYSQP484KupLvmalNJKhY-aUud2qYPkRchT4dgdsRanPVublQAj_8jkj_0l1gQ5zL9sfrzkpbqT9jSYAtQyl1nUoqmraIwJ0qmJ86ySRr-0G5ly_oc5H8efdY8DOIpsxg2lZV0Zvgpz1WX6QeAzY70FDw" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 40px;"><b>30</b></span></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">underscores</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><i>fishmonger</i></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">Indie Pop</span><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;"> </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">| <a href="https://album.link/us/i/1554129662" target="_blank">Listen</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Underscores' Hyperpop debut is a certified love-hate album. Which, at this point, is part and parcel of the genre itself. Erratic and fitful, honest yet deceptive, <i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/06/underscores-fishmonger-review.html" target="_blank">fishmonger</a></i> lambasted listeners with random spunk, but prized itself on the moving sentiments found underneath the veneer. For every outrageous 'second hand embarrassment' or 'spoiled little brat,' there was a heartfelt 'fish song' or 'Del Mar county fair 2008.'</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiUelUE_Zur2pxqdBAJ33hLXkBAeBwVYHLbPFY3ENGlrFfIDyz4I38VGF7nNjeoeLLBNYAEvuzFkEYCRuObEq9I8jSnSSBfFa7hj45qZ2jmXOPyvCxFkM6SsZi3fov9Dz22d4KQYCVkp3U93cZ-GpVLGBbDusHKgbjfo255uni2Mcghdfdl7kBCIRkb" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiUelUE_Zur2pxqdBAJ33hLXkBAeBwVYHLbPFY3ENGlrFfIDyz4I38VGF7nNjeoeLLBNYAEvuzFkEYCRuObEq9I8jSnSSBfFa7hj45qZ2jmXOPyvCxFkM6SsZi3fov9Dz22d4KQYCVkp3U93cZ-GpVLGBbDusHKgbjfo255uni2Mcghdfdl7kBCIRkb" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 40px;"><b>29</b></span></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">Emmanuelle Parrenin</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><i>Jours De Grève</i></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">Tribal Ambient</span><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;"> </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">| <a href="https://album.link/us/i/1532887814" target="_blank">Listen</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Perhaps degrading or culturally-appropriating, it's better to think of <i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/04/emmanuelle-parrenin-detlef-weinrich.html" target="_blank">Jours De Grève</a></i> as fantasy and not an interpretation on long-embedded African traditions. Europeans envisioning rights of passages and rituals of sacrifice through the lens of drama and theater. Tracks like 'Hephaistos Breeze' and 'A Zombi's Passport' make this obvious, with their treated vocals and high-fidelity rhythms. The mix, a bizarre and extravagant world to behold.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgWhaoOqDLvBtkObSx913Nh1EPJywFvIddRK6fBWp-G_hNf7Lx-KOLx_obUIaGQqOU76zjpfwLlI4Mtg8PDCslLRprt8CqoIp-y7pWNK75c1qsHaG-qgtq7hd2s9YECMaokkGpW-fiGBftKjbAFA77c9qUZ4VXZXZ3aan0iMcemE71kD-8Ux4Zoe_Nh" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgWhaoOqDLvBtkObSx913Nh1EPJywFvIddRK6fBWp-G_hNf7Lx-KOLx_obUIaGQqOU76zjpfwLlI4Mtg8PDCslLRprt8CqoIp-y7pWNK75c1qsHaG-qgtq7hd2s9YECMaokkGpW-fiGBftKjbAFA77c9qUZ4VXZXZ3aan0iMcemE71kD-8Ux4Zoe_Nh" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 40px;"><b>28</b></span></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">World Is A Beautiful Place</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><i>Illusory Walls</i></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">Midwest Emo</span><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;"> </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">| <a href="https://album.link/us/i/1575703967" target="_blank">Listen</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">TWIABP were all but dead. Gone with the fickle wave of Midwest Emo. However, passion mingled with reform as the Connecticut-based band satisfied old fans and new, using determined Post-Rock to shape visions of a muddy past. None went higher than the dual epics of 'Infinite Josh' and 'Fewer Afraid,' though one can't discredit 'Queen Sophie For President' or 'Trouble.'</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj3GLed-ER2v1hx-zEDfrKXGcmsCkjSm7ua5OO7dyVjdA1lm3WvdYYrdot6hy3Zv4L-u4QDzkzV8Cat-ivxRh1bwFP27einZ-LqZJor_hHHKjhLUyFN6oyOS2VzPKavzdRF0D55rSpsoIUmZjXz2HXvWwJPywFrUmrvsLn9p0i01cs-ayWO4eu4CDQH" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj3GLed-ER2v1hx-zEDfrKXGcmsCkjSm7ua5OO7dyVjdA1lm3WvdYYrdot6hy3Zv4L-u4QDzkzV8Cat-ivxRh1bwFP27einZ-LqZJor_hHHKjhLUyFN6oyOS2VzPKavzdRF0D55rSpsoIUmZjXz2HXvWwJPywFrUmrvsLn9p0i01cs-ayWO4eu4CDQH" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 40px;"><b>27</b></span></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">Chance デラソウル</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><i>Chance デラソウル</i></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">Future Funk</span><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;"> </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">| <a href="https://album.link/us/i/1557515341" target="_blank">Listen</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Chance デラソウル follows a predictable script. It's a crutch for sure, but the endless party never stops, never wanes, never deceives. On their self-titled, samples sing glorious strings through infinite dances, like 'Just For You' and 'Don't Stop.' The patterns are redundant, but those patterns are brilliant. Time-tested, addicting, preying on the primal senses of humanity. But we all love it.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 40px;"><b>26</b></span></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">Courtney Barnett</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><i>Things Take Time, Take Time</i></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">Singer/Songwriter</span><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;"> </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">| <a href="https://album.link/us/i/1573663472" target="_blank">Listen</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Though the fanfare has dwindled, Courtney Barnett has found comfort in complacency. On <i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/12/courtney-barnett-things-take-time-take.html" target="_blank">Things Take Time</a></i>, satisfyingly-simple melodies teetered through crippled vocals and a monotone personality. Despite the modesty, charm oozed from Barnett's questioning nature, seen especially on 'Sunfair Sundown' and 'Write A List.' In fact, of the ten songs present, only one ('Splendour') failed to flatter.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 40px;"><b>25</b></span></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">Low</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><i>HEY WHAT</i></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">Post-Industrial</span><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;"> </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">| <a href="https://album.link/us/i/1568438773" target="_blank">Listen</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In the past decade there's been no shortage of Ambient Pop or Post-Industrial. But those two inconsonant genres together? Now that's a rarity. On <i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/10/low-hey-what.html" target="_blank">HEY WHAT</a></i>, Low experience the pitfalls of each. The tender brush of isolation (see: 'Days Like These'), the overwhelming dread ('The Price You Pay'). For many, one half is enough to endure. For some, both may be too much to bear.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgYZUvrayVb1OHyNBltXii9D-pXj6sA8vXVZYpATZOeoFzN8j1MSz2WNBSrBv3iM5Icd1wvVOZsH1ssi4eE0EQt6T86lT9rnS0bkJcHwQm3r-PBkIUPGYkS05G6i2pVuP_8dREqiFe5TsXIY8jOB3whWQsrlDmKKSh6Jno5tHjUASxdZ_bLJeewZnOK" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgYZUvrayVb1OHyNBltXii9D-pXj6sA8vXVZYpATZOeoFzN8j1MSz2WNBSrBv3iM5Icd1wvVOZsH1ssi4eE0EQt6T86lT9rnS0bkJcHwQm3r-PBkIUPGYkS05G6i2pVuP_8dREqiFe5TsXIY8jOB3whWQsrlDmKKSh6Jno5tHjUASxdZ_bLJeewZnOK" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 40px;"><b>24</b></span></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">JPEGMAFIA</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><i>LP!</i></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">Experimental Hip-Hop</span><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;"> </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">| <a href="https://album.link/us/i/1590920785" target="_blank">Listen</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Though apparently stifled by his record label, the limits of JPEGMAFIA still border on boundless. <i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/11/jpegmafia-lp.html" target="_blank">LP!</a></i> goes hard and eccentric, weaving immaculate samples through the crust of vitriol, none greater than 'HAZARD DUTY PAY.' While Peggy's lyrics have idled, his production has only expanded. Tracks like 'WHAT KINDA RAPPIN' IS THIS?,' 'ARE U HAPPY?,' and 'NICE!' exhibit what he can do when given the tools and a creative outlet.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhT6DGu7Ko1iRwCqfURmZn00-BYnNHr_F0AWCj05ZEorwJhdsHVS3G45m8zFh4ekREsNLbZsF3zia3U-Za75Y_c7szrjiHORYh4izyQzRSiB1QXkNpwXvTzZGyfaxZ1O_XHcgFvYMWlauaHsDX7KmiOyXAH3gcK2RaQh5lPewUh2ha7-shbeVPVx56U" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhT6DGu7Ko1iRwCqfURmZn00-BYnNHr_F0AWCj05ZEorwJhdsHVS3G45m8zFh4ekREsNLbZsF3zia3U-Za75Y_c7szrjiHORYh4izyQzRSiB1QXkNpwXvTzZGyfaxZ1O_XHcgFvYMWlauaHsDX7KmiOyXAH3gcK2RaQh5lPewUh2ha7-shbeVPVx56U" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 40px;"><b>23</b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">The Go! Team</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><i>Get Up Sequences</i></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">Indie Pop</span><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;"> </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">| <a href="https://album.link/us/i/1554889468" target="_blank">Listen</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Though The Go! Team has never left their happy-go-lucky, over-the-moon aesthetic, the removal of DIY functionality meant their more recent releases sagged rather than inflated. Not so on <i>Get Up Sequences</i>, where their childlike spirit pounced through efforts like 'Cookie Scene' and 'I Loved You Better.' Much like their heyday, even the instrumental interludes were filled with colorful splotches of lush reverie.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhnnREXoeze1U1aYhGulST602oBDfmafvF8qRJ5JniGieZb3U_ZDQcIjHXaRUdp-ECcv3Ft4EoEHpbkOvfoiXK43oXUcumqIM7PxuSUjomt7ZNmVGwf6ylAppMdoFxhliZzeIXzpkoXzXk350HQsyMs02o31RH8iLQMnAH2QLXY-8lBioowdrQPwk7d" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhnnREXoeze1U1aYhGulST602oBDfmafvF8qRJ5JniGieZb3U_ZDQcIjHXaRUdp-ECcv3Ft4EoEHpbkOvfoiXK43oXUcumqIM7PxuSUjomt7ZNmVGwf6ylAppMdoFxhliZzeIXzpkoXzXk350HQsyMs02o31RH8iLQMnAH2QLXY-8lBioowdrQPwk7d" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 40px;"><b>22</b></span></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">DJ Seinfeld</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><i>Mirrors</i></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">House</span><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;"> </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">| <a href="https://album.link/us/i/1565509309" target="_blank">Listen</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">On <i>Mirrors</i>, DJ Seinfeld saw the light of day, with a love interest at his side. Unlike <i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/04/dj-seinfeld-time-spent-away-from-u.html" target="_blank">Time Spent Away From U</a></i>, which languished in loneliness, <i>Mirrors</i> found harmony in the sensual. Deep, pulsing layers infested tracks like 'The Right Place' and 'Tell Me One More Time,' as female vocals dripped with thirsting desire. In my eyes, Electronic gets no better than club-oriented music primed and brimming with textures.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiLGLKvHuY35ES71VAuewnS-9-Uy1WPgeYZj5BFu8rJSHDx4Hy6dV3KN5IL7WjTYp-jqtkjUcrGhUjoKxsjyGEp3TfubzXETRAzigRsjVdg5yuW1UNHFeHIJmSgJZvC9W59-7fXVybmAXOCoy7d09xlu_pXH7FwVknLXl0l9MbkMzpqxDakvspyT2gP" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiLGLKvHuY35ES71VAuewnS-9-Uy1WPgeYZj5BFu8rJSHDx4Hy6dV3KN5IL7WjTYp-jqtkjUcrGhUjoKxsjyGEp3TfubzXETRAzigRsjVdg5yuW1UNHFeHIJmSgJZvC9W59-7fXVybmAXOCoy7d09xlu_pXH7FwVknLXl0l9MbkMzpqxDakvspyT2gP" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 40px;"><b>21</b></span></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">Urban Village</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><i>Udondolo</i></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">Nguni Folk Music</span><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;"> </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">| <a href="https://album.link/us/i/1540254872" target="_blank">Listen</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Though perhaps an idealized visage of Africa, brought on by western civilization's perception of naked harmony, Urban Village's <i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/03/urban-village-udondolo-review.html" target="_blank">Udondolo</a></i> still manages to acclimate to its surroundings despite pleasing a wider audience. Take 'Dindi' or 'Marabi,' the two standouts. The former, an upbeat romp whose tropical levity envisions vacation life, could be appreciated by all. And the latter, quite literally, reclaims 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight' after its mass appropriation by American folk revivalists.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/12/top-50-albums-of-2021-20-11.html" target="_blank">20-11</a> | <a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/12/top-50-albums-of-2021-10-1.html" target="_blank">10-1</a> | <a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/12/top-100-tracks-of-2021-100-51.html" target="_blank">Top 100 Tracks</a></span></div>Dozens Of Donutshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09419864582928187713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8849500676397996361.post-47948885752960277632021-12-15T11:43:00.000-08:002021-12-15T11:43:08.413-08:00Top 100 Tracks Of 2021, 20-1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 40px;"><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/12/top-100-tracks-of-2021-100-51.html" target="_blank">100-51</a> | <a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/12/top-100-tracks-of-2021-50-21.html" target="_blank">50-21</a></span></div>
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<br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><div>Though I expected greater of 2021 - on account of all the free time artists were given courtesy of the quarantine in 2020 - to say it disappointing would be a lie. After all, nothing in recent years has been more exciting than watching U.K.'s Art Punk scene grow, as the three-headed beast of black midi, Black Country New Road, and Squid all released incredible debuts within a four-month window. Fearless and exceptionally-talented, their prowess headlined the year. Though stewing in a niche community was a cult, bound by a love for 90's melodrama, aspirational romance, and Dance music that ascends to the heavens. It was spurred by the faceless DJ Sabrina The Teenage DJ, a transformative artist who took my breath away with each intrepid exodus. She mustered optimism in the face of overwhelming dread. Represented those Life Is Good t-shirts better than the t-shirts themselves. These two halves - the palpitating anxieties of the Windmill collective, and the calming resurgence of an impassioned DJ - helped put 2021 into context.</div><div><br /></div><div>All before Lil Ugly Mane tore it apart. Both he, with the near-perfect <i>Volcanic Bird Enemy</i>, and other established artists grew in satisfying ways. There was Japanese Breakfast flexing her versatility in Pop. Lingua Ignota descending further into the reaches of Hell. Little Simz embracing Hip-Hop as a means to overcome. No matter where you looked, in music circles both large and small, artful progression could be found. In a way, it's a testament to human resilience. That a worldwide quarantine needn't be the central topic for musicians, for overcoming the odds was the expected outcome. Art could still prosper even when our chips are down. And boy has it ever.</div><div><br /></div>For posterity sake, if one wants to look back, to greener pastures more naive than our modern day, DoD's Best Of dates back seven years now. <a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2020/12/the-best-of-2020.html" target="_blank">2020</a>, <a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2020/02/the-best-of-2019.html" target="_blank">2019</a>, <a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2019/07/the-best-of-2018.html" target="_blank">2018</a>, <a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2018/02/the-best-of-2017.html" target="_blank">2017</a>, <a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2016/12/the-best-of-2016.html" target="_blank">2016</a>, <a href="http://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2015/12/top-100-tracks-of-2015-100-21.html" target="_blank">2015</a>, and <a href="http://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2014/12/top-50-tracks-of-2014-50-26.html" target="_blank">2014</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Playlists For All 100 Songs: <a href="https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/dods-top-100-songs-of-2021/pl.u-9N9LZpWtax0NK8" target="_blank"><b>Apple Music</b></a> | <b><a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1mdmDnBD52sEU2drT5qpUP?si=1a505c493f2545a9" target="_blank">Spotify</a></b></span><br />
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<b style="color: #f35925; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 40px; text-align: start;">20</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">Armand Hammer - Stonefruit</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Haram </i><i>| </i><a href="https://song.link/us/i/1554945314" target="_blank">Listen</a></span></span></div>
<br /><div class="p1"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Armand Hammer, like a plethora of underground rappers, have gravitated towards easily-replicable schticks. Ever since zeroing in on a sound, with 2017's <i>Rome</i>, Elucid and Billy Woods have maintained that gruff starkness over austere beats. <i>Haram</i> was no different, excluding 'Stonefruit,' the phenomenal closer that found Elucid singing with awkward embellishments over a loopy, psychedelic sample from The Alchemist. It was a match made in heaven, clunky and real, relatable and impassioned. </span></div>
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<b style="color: #f35925; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 40px; text-align: start;">19</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">Xiu Xiu - A Bottle Of Rum</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/04/xiu-xiu-oh-no-review.html" target="_blank">OH NO</a> | </i><a href="https://song.link/us/i/1550397637" target="_blank">Listen</a></span></span></div>
<br /><div class="p1"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Ever the experimentalists, Xiu Xiu found trouble evading other artist's sounds on the collaborative <i>OH NO</i>. Lightning struck at the most opportune time though, with 'A Bottle Of Rum.' A duet between the dejected and deranged, Liz Harris (Grouper) and Jamie Stewart's team-up warped conventional acoustics through Ethereal Wave bliss. Mesmeric choruses, playful bridges, and those ever-prescient vocals that long for satisfaction swam like leisurely currents through moss-worn riverbeds. </span></div>
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<b style="color: #f35925; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 40px; text-align: start;">18</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">Genesis Owusu - No Looking Back</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/04/genesis-owusu-smiling-with-no-teeth.html" target="_blank">Smiling With No Teeth</a> | </i><a href="https://song.link/us/i/1561839866" target="_blank">Listen</a></span></span></div>
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<div class="p1"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I have many soft spots in music often labelled as gimmicks. Incorporated Gospel, used in contrast to an emotive climax, is certainly one. And 'No Looking Back' ticks that box decidedly. After an enduring album filled with potent styles and capricious moods, Genesis Owusu's moment of inspirational reflection leaves a lasting mark on <i>Smiling With No Teeth</i>. Choir chants, glorious trumpets, and weeping organs (reminiscent of Sly & The Family Stone's most sentimental work) march around Owusu's clarion call. </span></div>
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<b style="color: #f35925; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 40px; text-align: start;">17</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">Lingua Ignota - Man Is Like A Spring Flower</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/09/lingua-ignota-sinner-get-ready.html" target="_blank">Sinner Get Ready</a> | </i><a href="https://song.link/us/i/1570359470" target="_blank">Listen</a></span></span></div>
<br /><div class="p1"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span><i>Sinner Get Ready</i> featured a plethora of gravitational moments, but none stunned quite like 'Man Is Like A Spring Flower.' Using an interview sample from a sex worker engaged in nefarious acts with televangelist Jimmy Swaggart, Lingua Ignota's upheaval of religious hypocrisy set the stage for an Avant-Folk masterpiece. Here, she detested wickedness from brewing within those preaching sacrament. A maximalist kaleidoscope of Liturgical Music guides her turmoil, breaking barriers previously not seen.</span></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></div>
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<b style="color: #f35925; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 40px; text-align: start;">16</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">Feu! Chatterton - Compagnons</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Palais D'argile | </i><a href="https://song.link/us/i/1549194665" target="_blank">Listen</a></span></span></div>
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<div class="p1"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68);">This is cheating. We all know it. There's a name for songs like 'Compagnons,' ones so infectious and intent on defying structure for the good stuff. Bridges, codas, hooks, background vocals, and a constant build to lands unfettered with joy. Alternative Dance's known for ignoring skippable formalities, and Feu! Chatterton's 'Compagnons' fits in with that descriptor nicely. The language barrier matters not, for Arthur Teboul's smile practically dominates the proceedings. There's Rolling Stones, Beatles, Blur, all wrapped in a delectable, French delicacy</span></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">. </span></div>
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<b style="color: #f35925; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 40px; text-align: start;">15</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">Beach House - Superstar</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Once Twice Melody | </i><a href="https://song.link/us/i/1583866200" target="_blank">Listen</a></span></span></div>
<br /><div class="p1"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Though I question the unconventional rollout, one thing is assured: new Beach House means good Beach House. Since the turn of the century, no band has been more consistent. Drowned in Dream Pop, still turning new leafs. 'Superstar' takes to the streets, late at night, evoking the short-lived Synthwave aesthetic made irresistible by acts like Desire, Chromatics, and College. Victoria LeGrand's baritone delivery, washed over by shooting star synthesizers, has never felt so sensuous. The growing splendor only adds to 'Superstar's' luminous aura. </span></div>
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<b style="color: #f35925; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 40px; text-align: start;">14</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">Japanese Breakfast - Posing In Bondage</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/07/japanese-breakfast-jubilee.html" target="_blank">Jubilee</a> | </i><a href="https://song.link/us/i/1553364596" target="_blank">Listen</a></span></span></div>
<br /><div class="p1"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Jubilee</i> was an exercise in expansion, one that tried - and thrived - to uncover every Pop avenue Japanese Breakfast would excel in. 'Posing In Bondage' sought shelter in Synthpop, but not the formal expression wrought with excessive extravagance and over-the-top bombast. She lingered, uneasily yet overcome with seduction, in Chillwave. Bouncing between ricocheting balls of light, culminating in an irresistible climax to get lost in. Like an immersive visual experience, staring into a void of starlight, 'Posing's' ephemeral state - while disappointing - is nonetheless accurate. Perfection rarely lasts long. </span></div>
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<b style="color: #f35925; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 40px; text-align: start;">13</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">Horsey - Lagoon</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/08/horsey-debonair.html" target="_blank">Debonair</a> | </i><a href="https://song.link/us/i/1576176806" target="_blank">Listen</a></span></span></div>
<br /><div class="p1"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Debonair</i> was reckless in disguise, parading itself as a run-of-the-mill Art Punk record while deceptively toying with a litany of styles and, more importantly, emotions. Horsey reflects the fickle human condition, and nowhere was that pontificated better than 'Lagoon.' Ravenous and joyful, passionate and yearning, Jacob Reed's tender heart - capricious as it is - maneuvered this medley of unexpected left turns with clumsy, yet confident grace. In fact, in reality, it's Horsey breathlessly keeping up with him, buoyant and edgeless, ready to shift from melodic to Piano Rock bombast. </span></div>
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<b style="color: #f35925; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 40px; text-align: start;">12</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">Tonstartssbandht - Pass Away</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/11/tonstartssbandht-petunia.html" target="_blank">Petunia</a> | </i><a href="https://song.link/us/i/1578525517" target="_blank">Listen</a></span></span></div>
<br /><div class="p1"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">'Pass Away' opens <i>Petunia</i> like the dawn opens every new day. Mildew rests on yawning flower petals, curtains arise off resting windowsills, farmers toil the land; quiet and solitary. 'Pass Away's' beauty builds that somnolence to a rush. Though the lyrics paint a different picture, one bleak and desolate. "Some folks are born who can taste the days / Me, I can't wait to pass away" the White brothers wail, conflicting their abjection with 'Pass Away's' unquestionably-fighting spirit. In recent years, Tonstartssbandht's greatness lie in the contrast between their slacker mentality and the enterprising constructs they make from such ideas. 'Pass Away' is no exception. </span></div>
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<b style="color: #f35925; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 40px; text-align: start;">11</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">Black Country, New Road - Science Fair</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/02/black-country-new-road-for-first-time.html" target="_blank">For The First Time</a> | </i><a href="https://song.link/us/i/1533822064" target="_blank">Listen</a></span></span></div>
<br /><div class="p1"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Like much of BCNR's modest material, 'Science Fair' centers itself around Issac Wood's untethered anxieties. Rhythmic uniformity eschewed by bouts of shrieking horns and spine-tingling violin work courtesy of Georgia Ellery mirror the increasingly-irascible Wood, as his tangents of failure and embarrassment grow wild. This, culminating in a boiling breaking point as the crash of momentum distorts modernity with grand relapse. "It's Black Country" out there, Wood screams, namedropping his band in the best way possible. </span></div>
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<b style="color: #f35925; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 40px; text-align: start;">10</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">Lost Girls - Real Life</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/04/lost-girls-menneskekollektivet-review.html" target="_blank">Menneskekollektivet</a> | </i><a href="https://song.link/us/i/1553174055" target="_blank">Listen</a></span></span></div>
<br /><div class="p1"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Contradiction is a major draw of 'Real Life.' On one end, you have Jenny Hval. Frail, crystalized, contemplative. On the other, Håvard Volden's guitar. Strewn from convention, wrecking havoc on the silence between breaths. It's a girl and her dog on a morning walk, one half-awake taking in the mildew, the other choking itself on the leash as it bolts from one scent to the next. The underbelly, forever present forever rhythmic, finds equilibrium in the distinction. The closer to <i>Menneskekollektivet</i> highlights the subtleties of Tech House; nimble and nuanced. </span></div>
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<b style="color: #f35925; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 40px; text-align: start;">9</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">Gossamer Girls - Gossamer Girls</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>What A Time To Be Alive | </i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8nEaJCLHUM&ab_channel=OliverB" target="_blank">Listen</a></span></span></div>
<br /><div class="p1"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Virtually unknown, hidden deep within a companion record to Black Country, New Road's <i>For The First Time</i>, lies a jewel atop a mountain of promise. Made, seemingly, as a one-off given the band and song title strangely mirrored, 'Gossamer Girls' flaunts a staggering array of anthemic styles. At times, starward synthesizers spell out Progressive Electronic. That, proven inaccurate at the Warren Zevon-esque Piano Rock rousing underneath. Both whiplashed by chintzy Doo-Wop vocals. All enchanting, all coexisting under the guise of experimentation. </span></div>
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<b style="color: #f35925; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 40px; text-align: start;">8</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">JPEGMAFIA - HAZARD DUTY PAY!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/11/jpegmafia-lp.html" target="_blank">LP!</a> | </i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CGFU1lBdCI" target="_blank">Listen</a></span></span></div>
<br /><div class="p1"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It's a damn shame we'll never hear 'HAZARD DUTY PAY!' outside of the context of its music video. Samples are murky territory when money's involved, and The Winans' 'Ain't No Need To Worry' proved too insurmountable for JPEGMAFIA. So he released it for free. An immaculate example of his complicating style, 'HAZARD' flexes with ravenous fervor, spitting with saliva spewing from mouth, despite the heartwarming Soul sample laced throughout. The muffled chopping techniques bring Vaporwave's nostalgic silk into the mix, contrasting the pummeling drums with exquisite flair. </span></div>
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<b style="color: #f35925; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 40px; text-align: start;">7</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">Cassandra Jenkins - Hard Drive</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>An Overview Of Phenomenal Nature | </i><a href="https://song.link/us/i/1539427490" target="_blank">Listen</a></span></span></div>
<br /><div class="p1"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">'Hard Drive' is really, truly a magnificent work of art. Like the sculpture the first verse depicts, with its feminine touch and softened edges, Cassandra Jenkins' Spoken Word meditation implants the numb, unemotional palate left in the wake of concern. Strangers from all walks of life noticing the quirks in behavior, the draggy smile, distant eyes, curious life choices. All, reminding Jenkins of her ongoing "hard drive," presumably centered around mental health and the uphill stone-rolling she perpetually endures. Yet, under that constant pressure lies halcyon equanimity, seen in the graceful rise of Sophisti-Pop production. The assurance that everything will be alright. </span></div>
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<b style="color: #f35925; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 40px; text-align: start;">6</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">Magdalena Bay - Hysterical Us</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Mercurial World | </i><a href="https://song.link/us/i/1570541941" target="_blank">Listen</a></span></span></div>
<br /><div class="p1"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Considering the leapfrog tactics of Hyperpop, modern day Synthpop really has nowhere left to go. It will rot, as the former supersedes it. It's why, in recent years, the best Synthpop has been those songs which levy the desires of humans to enjoy fleeting glimpses of bliss, rather than those exhibiting artistic expression. 'Hysterical Us' is that bliss. A cornucopia of pleasure, where summers are endless and nostalgia is permanent. Apart from the jaunty piano riff, which dances atop hi-hats and glissading strings, it's Mica Tenenbaum breathy weightlessness that lifts 'Hysterical Us's' chorus to the stratosphere. </span></div>
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<b style="color: #f35925; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 40px; text-align: start;">5</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">Bruno Pernadas - Theme Vision</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/05/bruno-pernadas-private-reasons-review.html" target="_blank">Private Reasons</a> | </i><a href="https://song.link/us/i/1563737160" target="_blank">Listen</a></span></span></div>
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<div class="p1"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">'Theme Vision' was arguably too good. Nothing on <i>Private Reasons</i> bested it, setting expectations astronomically high for Bruno Pernadas' next ambitious project. On its own, the Psychedelic Pop voyage marries the aesthetics of Pernadas' past, that of vintage Neo-Psychedelia and capricious Space Age Pop, colliding on a tropical island. Wonderfully imaginative. Flighty synthesizers, jostling guitars, and an irresistible hook with a wave of caroling voices caps off another elaborate Pop masterpiece. </span></div>
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<b style="color: #f35925; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 40px; text-align: start;">4</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">Kanye West - Come To Life</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/09/kanye-west-donda.html" target="_blank">Donda</a> | </i><a href="https://song.link/us/i/1587795934" target="_blank">Listen</a></span></span></div>
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<div class="p1"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68);">An innocuous, run-of-the-mill church gathering runs under 'Come To Life.' A woman speaks in tongues as the pastor capitulates to the shared delusion. On its own, the sample is unnerving and ignominious. But placed in the care of Kanye's sacred heart it becomes inspirited and unified, as if a procession of believers rest their hands on the weeping, forlorn West, in hopes of reconciling past mistakes. Ethereal synthesizers and a transformative, Modern Classical piano (a la Nils Frahm) welcomes the zealots to the gates of heaven. And if 'Come To Life's' representative of what's above, it's no wonder disciples aspire to the afterlife</span></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">. </span></div>
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<b style="color: #f35925; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 40px; text-align: start;">3</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">Lil Ugly Mane - Porcelain Slightly</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/10/lil-ugly-mane-volcanic-bird-enemy.html" target="_blank">Volcanic Bird Enemy & The Voiced Concern</a> | </i><a href="https://song.link/us/i/1590201388" target="_blank">Listen</a></span></span></div>
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<div class="p1"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">'Porcelain Slightly's' incredible stature comes, amongst a litany of other things, from the noted distinction Lil Ugly Mane has between mopey Grunge and Alternative Rock and the light he sees at the end of the tunnel. The guitars are crunchy as hell, his vocals sullen and tired. Yet there's an inclusive sense of optimism, one defined by swirling, innocent psychedelics and poignant lyrics rid from years of torment. His vocals find common ground with Lil Peep, while the skater energy aligns with Blink-182. Eclecticism; it's the Lil Ugly Mane way. </span></div>
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<b style="color: #f35925; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 40px; text-align: start;">2</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">black midi - Slow</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/06/black-midi-cavalcade-review.html" target="_blank">Cavalcade</a> | </i><a href="https://song.link/us/i/1556010650" target="_blank">Listen</a></span></span></div>
<br /><div class="p1"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It all arrives here. Everything that makes black midi great. Tight finger work, intricate pacing, interspersed moments of panic and tension, Cameron Picton's dreary ennui, lyrics balancing the abstract with the existential. 'Slow' is a masterclass of Avant-Prog. Decades of influence, yet firmly ahead of anything set before. Nothing lands better than the haunting Western flair found in the dead middle, with burrowing strain giving way to fits of hysteria. "I guess I'll wait," Picton ushers, as a wave of clamorous ghouls - akin to the Haunted Mansion - materialize behind him. </span></div>
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<b style="color: #f35925; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 40px; text-align: start;">1</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">DJ Sabrina The Teenage DJ - Charmed Life</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/01/dj-sabrina-teenage-dj-charmed-review.html" target="_blank">Charmed</a> | </i><a href="https://song.link/us/i/1543256658" target="_blank">Listen</a></span></span></div>
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<div class="p1"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68);">"It could happen to me." The opening line off DJ Sabrina's masterpiece encapsulates the wide-eyed optimism running, like rushing currents, through her works. The three-hour <i>Charmed</i> was no exception, clinging uplifting House music to damsels, on the night of prom, alone and in distress. The maudlin cravings, desperate persuasions, teary-eyed synthesizers falling from the rafters like gossamer tinsel. It all came to a head on 'Charmed Life,' the 14-minute migration towards ecstasy that was so ambitious, so monumental in scope, that it required a near-three-minute precursor ('Always Charmed') to build the fervency.</span></span></div><div class="p1"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68);"><br /></span></span></div><div class="p1"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Few songs have brought me, a 29-year-old male, greater joy than 'Charmed Life.' It rests in historic legacy, in the metaphorical halls of all-time greats, despite having only existed for a year. The mawkish spirit and rose-colored lachrymose beam through each developing section, as crescent oscillations teeter off 90's Teen Drama samples, creating an awe-inspiring, deterministic ardor that proves, once and for all, that love and happiness are our goals for life. While the 120 BPM's introduce no new ideas, DJ Sabrina's genius emerges in the meticulous reworking of vocals plucked from obscure sources. The most notable, undoubtedly, is the lead female voice - that of Ginny Owens - carrying us with minced Christian agita. DJ Sabrina's brilliance contorts her words, with grace and care, to new foundations, parading acoustic-spent vocals to roaring Outsider House, headstrong and dizzying, in order to not die unloved. On my behalf, because of 'Charmed Life,' DJ Sabrina never will. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/12/top-100-tracks-of-2021-100-51.html" target="_blank">100-51</a> | <a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/12/top-100-tracks-of-2021-50-21.html" target="_blank">50-21</a> | Top 50 Albums</span></div>Dozens Of Donutshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09419864582928187713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8849500676397996361.post-54363898665846847422021-12-14T10:10:00.001-08:002021-12-16T12:49:15.556-08:00Top 100 Tracks Of 2021, 50-21<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 40px;"><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/12/top-100-tracks-of-2021-100-51.html" target="_blank">100-51</a> | <a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/12/top-100-tracks-of-2021-20-1.html" target="_blank">20-1</a></span></div>
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<br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><div>Though I expected greater of 2021 - on account of all the free time artists were given courtesy of the quarantine in 2020 - to say it disappointing would be a lie. After all, nothing in recent years has been more exciting than watching U.K.'s Art Punk scene grow, as the three-headed beast of black midi, Black Country New Road, and Squid all released incredible debuts within a four-month window. Fearless and exceptionally-talented, their prowess headlined the year. Though stewing in a niche community was a cult, bound by a love for 90's melodrama, aspirational romance, and Dance music that ascends to the heavens. It was spurred by the faceless DJ Sabrina The Teenage DJ, a transformative artist who took my breath away with each intrepid exodus. She mustered optimism in the face of overwhelming dread. Represented those Life Is Good t-shirts better than the t-shirts themselves. These two halves - the palpitating anxieties of the Windmill collective, and the calming resurgence of an impassioned DJ - helped put 2021 into context.</div><div><br /></div><div>All before Lil Ugly Mane tore it apart. Both he, with the near-perfect <i>Volcanic Bird Enemy</i>, and other established artists grew in satisfying ways. There was Japanese Breakfast flexing her versatility in Pop. Lingua Ignota descending further into the reaches of Hell. Little Simz embracing Hip-Hop as a means to overcome. No matter where you looked, in music circles both large and small, artful progression could be found. In a way, it's a testament to human resilience. That a worldwide quarantine needn't be the central topic for musicians, for overcoming the odds was the expected outcome. Art could still prosper even when our chips are down. And boy has it ever.</div><div><br /></div>For posterity sake, if one wants to look back, to greener pastures more naive than our modern day, DoD's Best Of dates back seven years now. <a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2020/12/the-best-of-2020.html" target="_blank">2020</a>, <a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2020/02/the-best-of-2019.html" target="_blank">2019</a>, <a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2019/07/the-best-of-2018.html" target="_blank">2018</a>, <a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2018/02/the-best-of-2017.html" target="_blank">2017</a>, <a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2016/12/the-best-of-2016.html" target="_blank">2016</a>, <a href="http://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2015/12/top-100-tracks-of-2015-100-21.html" target="_blank">2015</a>, and <a href="http://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2014/12/top-50-tracks-of-2014-50-26.html" target="_blank">2014</a>.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Playlists For All 100 Songs: Apple Music | Spotify</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 40px;"><span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>50</b> </span></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 20px;">Aaron & Lucy - Demands Of Ordinary Devotion</span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 15px;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/11/aaron-dilloway-lucrecia-dalt-lucy-aaron.html" target="_blank">Aaron & Lucy</a> </i>| <a href="https://song.link/us/i/1564329567" target="_blank">Listen</a></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I struggle to believe 'Demands Of Ordinary Devotion' came from this dimension. Really, anything Aaron Dilloway and Lucrecia Dalt mustered on their collaborative epic. Here, a disjointed loop eviscerates Dalt's alien vocals that beg for release, weeping with every fractured curtail. Hypnotic, sure. But also affectional, in its ability to grip listeners with something otherworldly, yet internal. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 40px;"><span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>49</b> </span></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 20px;">Isaiah Rashad - HB2U</span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 15px;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/08/isaiah-rashad-house-is-burning.html" target="_blank">House Is Burning</a> </i>| <a href="https://song.link/us/i/1577188655" target="_blank">Listen</a></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Though its become routine for radio-oriented Southern Hip-Hop records to suddenly switch face come album's end, Isaiah Rashad's 'HB2U' still managed to make a prominent mark. This, due to Rashad's crisp reflection and smooth Soul samples. But let's be real, it was that final coda. The woozy, Cloud Rap swan song sticks, especially when Rashad's reflection culminates in the line "you are now a human being." </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 40px;"><span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>48</b> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 20px;">Kanye West - Jail</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 15px;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/09/kanye-west-donda.html" target="_blank">Donda</a> </i>| <a href="https://song.link/us/i/1587795181" target="_blank">Listen</a></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">After a few miserable releases that spewed apathy, 'Jail' set the tone for <i>Donda</i> right. It was anthemic, pronounced, properly mixed, and gave off the same superstar bravado of <i>808's & Heartbreaks</i>, while providing an austere, club-oriented grayness that felt more applicable to <i>Yeezus</i>. The naturally-memorable hook only helped 'Jail' cement itself as Kanye's reawakening.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 40px;"><span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>47</b> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 20px;">Urban Village - Marabi</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 15px;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/03/urban-village-udondolo-review.html" target="_blank">Udondolo</a> </i>| <a href="https://song.link/us/i/1540256327" target="_blank">Listen</a></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">There's a certain levity that pervades much of African music. That, in spite of the adverse odds dealt to them, hope and perseverance dominates the art. 'Marabi' exhibits that with crystal clarity, dancing around a full brass band. Best yet, Urban Village's reclaiming of 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight' helps to de-appropriate a song that once (and still does) mock their culture extensively.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhWP8x6Nt5woLoyu2ShMgGbg8O_whW8YE_8pH6hIF9PaNuKf6pWOCcA81x6R7rOGSwnaBmloKaXwL_q5Bj6XmDhVzIUtrjOh-GDdDqpAY-Ptb4v7YKUBDAEHTYtCWrDy7BZA3gU7wfNz96pGZD6A9uN-zzDLSuaaqeK3DrtJsnV4kqbxITpw3RcZNrA" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhWP8x6Nt5woLoyu2ShMgGbg8O_whW8YE_8pH6hIF9PaNuKf6pWOCcA81x6R7rOGSwnaBmloKaXwL_q5Bj6XmDhVzIUtrjOh-GDdDqpAY-Ptb4v7YKUBDAEHTYtCWrDy7BZA3gU7wfNz96pGZD6A9uN-zzDLSuaaqeK3DrtJsnV4kqbxITpw3RcZNrA" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: 40px;"><span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>46</b> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 20px;">DJ Seinfeld - Tell Me One More Time</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 15px;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Mirrors </i>| <a href="https://song.link/us/i/1565509316" target="_blank">Listen</a></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Like DJ Seinfeld's masterpiece 'U,' 'Tell Me One More Time' weaves through a night devoured by nostalgic sensuality. Intricate layers of percussion patter off austere walls, as starlit synthesizers cascade down from the ceiling. All the while, a seductive voice pleads through the void, begging for connections and a touch that's become all-too rare nowadays.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiK5PYlU7kX566PdjS2BpDsEPO8mFIqX2x05iWtl9lFdUTII0aOeajSTaaHAdH67ynqtV0O7akBT0MBAifeL64Y4qZaXI0_42eX2NbrSK5mdiooZ-r2ZarRwfTxKPgnt6-n35lEs7PxyelLTGYykTFDwxPoIbIv2iu6QCGTdY8pJNbCbEu9eU4N-J_L" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiK5PYlU7kX566PdjS2BpDsEPO8mFIqX2x05iWtl9lFdUTII0aOeajSTaaHAdH67ynqtV0O7akBT0MBAifeL64Y4qZaXI0_42eX2NbrSK5mdiooZ-r2ZarRwfTxKPgnt6-n35lEs7PxyelLTGYykTFDwxPoIbIv2iu6QCGTdY8pJNbCbEu9eU4N-J_L" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: 40px;"><span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>45</b> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 20px;">underscores - Second hand embarrassment</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 15px;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/06/underscores-fishmonger-review.html" target="_blank">fishmonger</a> </i>| <a href="https://song.link/us/i/1554129916" target="_blank">Listen</a></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As far as I can tell, underscores' in-tune with a youth I'm most certainly not. However, rather than amping up a character or profiting off extremes, tracks like 'Second hand embarrassment' flaunt a sleek, nonchalance that controls the chipmunk vocals and glitchy malfunctions, rather than the other way around. An Alternative Metal burst, similar to 100 gecs or Poppy, gets thrown in for good measure.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 40px;"><span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>44</b> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 20px;">St. Vincent - Somebody Like Me</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 15px;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Daddy's Home </i>| <a href="https://song.link/us/i/1552955793" target="_blank">Listen</a></span></span><br />
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</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">St. Vincent won back my fleeting lassitude by, surprisingly, focusing less on art and more on skill. Her beckoning vocals lent themselves to Blue-Eyed Soul, best seen on 'Somebody Like Me,' with her consequential depth and stirring richness. The rolling percussion and acoustic subtleties gave 'Somebody Like Me' the budding Spring feel she so craved.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 40px;"><span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>43</b> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 20px;">shame - Station Wagon</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 15px;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Drunk Tank Pink </i>| <a href="https://song.link/us/i/1538884727" target="_blank">Listen</a></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Though overshadowed by the other, more prodigal British revival acts, shame's finality in the form of 'Station Wagon' found a groove both singular and familiar. Charlie Steen's lean nonchalance, balanced against an increasingly-anxious world, built upon itself like scaffolding perpetually on-edge. Despite the encroachment, Steen remained himself; cool, calm, and only marginally collected.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 40px;"><span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>42</b> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 20px;">black midi - Diamond Stuff</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 15px;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/06/black-midi-cavalcade-review.html" target="_blank">Cavalcade</a> </i>| <a href="https://song.link/us/i/1556010653" target="_blank">Listen</a></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Concession needs to be made: If not for the impassive first half, 'Diamond Stuff' would rival 'Slow' as <i>Cavalcade's</i> best. Though, understandably, that anxious prodding courtesy of Cameron Picton is what gave the sensational second half its grace. One swirling around psychedelic phantasm, caught in a kaleidoscope of majestic, beaming, diamond brilliance.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 40px;"><span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>41</b> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 20px;">Poppy - Her</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 15px;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/12/poppy-flux.html" target="_blank">Flux</a> </i>| <a href="https://song.link/us/i/1576011839" target="_blank">Listen</a></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">You know, when 'Her' came out as a single I dismissed it as an unambiguous throwaway. Boy was I wrong. <i>Flux</i> changed that, both through the lyrical lens 'Her' presents, and the repetition such a song desires. This Sleater-Kinney impersonation rips, with a raucous hook that never relents or runs stale. Even Poppy's tossed Screamo matches the intensity, without deterring through its typical gimmick.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 40px;"><span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>40</b> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 20px;">Little Simz - Fear No Man</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 15px;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/09/little-simz-sometimes-i-might-be.html" target="_blank">Sometimes I Might Be Introvert</a></i> | <a href="https://song.link/us/i/1561184465" target="_blank">Listen</a></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Much of <i>Sometimes</i> languished in the serious. Hopeful yet realistic, Little Simz's style matches the Conscious Hip-Hop at the turn of the century. However, her charismatic flair defies those lyric-driven diatribes, and nowhere was that more evident than 'Fear No Man.' Even the cinematic glamour fell to the wayside, as Simz consumes herself with African rituals, complete with tribal drums, humid air, and a giddy children's choir.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjvRrG5PcuMgfW7ttIF3Z9-m2Y5Nf33cnbVsxTmplTAe5Rch1bu-ocX59VHz21wAqAtPTLuBP_mUiKMpfy8CtGKUdPJUlvyd7fVijozSCZq5auQGzO-hudVJXfrcsb0QKekv1mdvOlLxQzYAQZqQrNJhs1zHI9qRIzppbG_WENlJH2-hsTk4mrTxNiN" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjvRrG5PcuMgfW7ttIF3Z9-m2Y5Nf33cnbVsxTmplTAe5Rch1bu-ocX59VHz21wAqAtPTLuBP_mUiKMpfy8CtGKUdPJUlvyd7fVijozSCZq5auQGzO-hudVJXfrcsb0QKekv1mdvOlLxQzYAQZqQrNJhs1zHI9qRIzppbG_WENlJH2-hsTk4mrTxNiN" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: 40px;"><span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>39</b> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 20px;">Bo Burnham - 30</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 15px;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Inside </i>| <a href="https://song.link/us/i/1571419360" target="_blank">Listen</a></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In t-minus seven months I'll be turning 30. It seems as though, for every aging millennial, Bo Burnham's '30' instills dread. Through humor, of course. His characteristic "nooooo" awkwardly balances childlike want with adult reality, as do the whiny detours ("God damn it!" / "Oh fuck"). It's Burnham at his best, combining laugh-out-loud punch lines with depressing realizations. On '30,' the dated Synthpop is just icing on the cake.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgTe2PfCVHpTWqdwarI1z66KfDeWcv_R-0l9MqEXoCD78YRnoSaYCAzmwCR849W21cY6tJejt8au1HqLVWpRGdHH0RRHaoBcB8MNbz0pCFmwjHVy193EWW0h2rBh8NarNYGxFVvujAp-4SD25pRl0yBwzmRE0jDvSokwYLa6T-paBucHx92k043KLXM" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgTe2PfCVHpTWqdwarI1z66KfDeWcv_R-0l9MqEXoCD78YRnoSaYCAzmwCR849W21cY6tJejt8au1HqLVWpRGdHH0RRHaoBcB8MNbz0pCFmwjHVy193EWW0h2rBh8NarNYGxFVvujAp-4SD25pRl0yBwzmRE0jDvSokwYLa6T-paBucHx92k043KLXM" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: 40px;"><span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>38</b> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 20px;">Japanese Breakfast - Paprika</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 15px;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/07/japanese-breakfast-jubilee.html" target="_blank">Jubilee</a> </i>| <a href="https://song.link/us/i/1553364591" target="_blank">Listen</a></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">There's an ingrained magic to 'Paprika,' one that's almost impossible to comprehend. Much like a Studio Ghibli film, whimsical flourish catapults Japanese Breakfast into another stratosphere. And she wasted no time in doing so, welcoming a complete orchestra from the get-go. No restrained climax, no perpetual build. We are here, in this world of pure, concentrated bliss.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjQi0Q7KFZYyq0oOQ-xpwTI9f3My8W4bKU_PQBqy8LgMVtdpeDooduMvGwKwh_Y2bVs4EZCvNKPJACdpJNUz8JCJlAwH2CMEaE4kzslp2cPiVDjYrmqBBGdbApZWYDyqa6rr3zw01rj-Lvu-CPCbEHPP2ej7dhFTW3N-XWdAHvohlCthBKcaiofXujL" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjQi0Q7KFZYyq0oOQ-xpwTI9f3My8W4bKU_PQBqy8LgMVtdpeDooduMvGwKwh_Y2bVs4EZCvNKPJACdpJNUz8JCJlAwH2CMEaE4kzslp2cPiVDjYrmqBBGdbApZWYDyqa6rr3zw01rj-Lvu-CPCbEHPP2ej7dhFTW3N-XWdAHvohlCthBKcaiofXujL" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: 40px;"><span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>37</b> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 20px;">Iosonouncane - prison</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 15px;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">IRA<i> </i>| <a href="https://song.link/us/i/1560812173" target="_blank">Listen</a></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Iosonouncane's music is, naturally, overwhelming. Dread permeates all corners, elongated to torturous levels. With its nine minutes, 'prison' does as well a job as any exposing such languished brutality. Rattling chains, slave hymns under duress, and a psychotic break mark the movements of 'prison,' resulting in a riot complete with blaring, authoritative megaphone.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjiwjupIqZP9NTXz5Z9i8_Qxd29UljGOeoJ3vGxwdI06NV7NJ-rfbP-DDSpxMWOK1bRAepG3kgDOeJ7na6q4U7PIYWDDREjltIF3e3GzKOBrjlT2P2RX_CGfQ7W3dl7yD6HImKu0x3RJjmhHUy5q2zd7jhb4PpCTln3YVA-YtD0wx6CZVNuJTt2E-6N" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjiwjupIqZP9NTXz5Z9i8_Qxd29UljGOeoJ3vGxwdI06NV7NJ-rfbP-DDSpxMWOK1bRAepG3kgDOeJ7na6q4U7PIYWDDREjltIF3e3GzKOBrjlT2P2RX_CGfQ7W3dl7yD6HImKu0x3RJjmhHUy5q2zd7jhb4PpCTln3YVA-YtD0wx6CZVNuJTt2E-6N" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: 40px;"><span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>36</b> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 20px;">Dean Blunt - the rot</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 15px;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Black Metal 2 </i>| <a href="https://song.link/us/i/1568453070" target="_blank">Listen</a></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Somehow, Dean Blunt's at this best when pulling away from the Avant-Garde with peeled spartanism. Take the exceptional '100' or 'the rot.' Each rely on empty acoustics parched from steady tears, the latter layering forlorn strings and steady, heart-pounding drums atop Blunt's lethargic ennui. As per usual, Joanne Robertson provides the romantic quarrel, like two lovers at odds, staring out rain-soaked windows.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh9zhvBSIG_viStlaH8ABz9sfb5uKDA00zPwAxznIVj7FElS4mmrmfpFjFhEfhS3_XSdVZLml6VncL2vEIvMrqwtzLmSFi-5ZnxGNOar6C4qy9Hrbnco8nmIT-TcG8hdBFl6MZWUNFcVe_aVhI738TeGBSDuor-G5owt7bWxIAbCQw6qpTJr7PSi48X" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh9zhvBSIG_viStlaH8ABz9sfb5uKDA00zPwAxznIVj7FElS4mmrmfpFjFhEfhS3_XSdVZLml6VncL2vEIvMrqwtzLmSFi-5ZnxGNOar6C4qy9Hrbnco8nmIT-TcG8hdBFl6MZWUNFcVe_aVhI738TeGBSDuor-G5owt7bWxIAbCQw6qpTJr7PSi48X" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: 40px;"><span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>35</b> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 20px;">Tune-Yards - hold yourself.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 15px;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Sketchy. </i>| <a href="https://song.link/us/i/1546834683" target="_blank">Listen</a></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">While the order and systematic patterns stray from Tune-Yards' idiosyncratic days of greatness, 'hold yourself.' achieves something Merrill Garbus has been aspiring to for years; stand defiant with a moving, inspirational anthem. The chorus is instantly-memorable, finding Garbus' heroic boom atop rejuvenated Neo-Soul. It never ends, relishing in the glory. All for the better.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgzMt7-7R1k2bQS5hN2z9kRihHrfQVwh9T-JWtheGa3Y1h7sLvXzp3Vwsq2KELha5vLQs_aU9qruKnLDtxgKzaII-76uEr8j24FNCBK6vex1FRnI2FcRYZMxYZ9JIcLXT3xoacG2rZ3s02B8FL70pHwfmNuOVKH22QJH4qhAIm1IgFsFZ0bdbwi8PZS" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgzMt7-7R1k2bQS5hN2z9kRihHrfQVwh9T-JWtheGa3Y1h7sLvXzp3Vwsq2KELha5vLQs_aU9qruKnLDtxgKzaII-76uEr8j24FNCBK6vex1FRnI2FcRYZMxYZ9JIcLXT3xoacG2rZ3s02B8FL70pHwfmNuOVKH22QJH4qhAIm1IgFsFZ0bdbwi8PZS" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: 40px;"><span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>34</b> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 20px;">Backxwash - 666 In Luxaxa</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 15px;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>I Lie Here Buried </i>| <a href="https://song.link/us/i/1570917470" target="_blank">Listen</a></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Backxwash's brand is entirely shaped by provocation. Hell boiling up to our earthly realm, no matter the origin. We see that, plain as day, on '666 In Luxaxa,' an absonant Industrial Hip-Hop binger that layers Backxwash's visceral lyrics on religion - compete with exorcisms, devils, and racists - atop a lovely Sangoma chant, which comes out strikingly clear and purified by song's end.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 40px;"><span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>33</b> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 20px;">Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Cliffs Gaze</span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 15px;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>G_d's Pee AT STATE'S END! </i>| <a href="https://song.link/us/i/1556346302" target="_blank">Listen</a></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The multi-part 'Cliffs Gaze' embodies Godpseed's auspicious style with graceful accessibility. A looming build and collapsing crescendo. Despite the dread of humanity's apocalypse - something forever pertinent in the Post-Rock outfit's lineage - it's the hope that rumbles forward and satiates the soul. Set to the backdrop of war, what matters most is movement onward..</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 40px;"><span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>32</b> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 20px;">black midi - John L</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 15px;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/06/black-midi-cavalcade-review.html" target="_blank">Cavalcade</a> </i>| <a href="https://song.link/us/i/1556010647" target="_blank">Listen</a></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Each of 'John L's' first few seconds was a rapid strike slap across the face. An alarm to an impending stampede. A raucous, unpredictable evolution to black midi's sound. Batshit Avant-Prog, derailed, destroyed, and rebuilt again. Geordie Greep's cult tragedy an apt complement to the shattering of minds, contorted and canonized. A story on the sanity's chiffon tether.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhItnB4gDyO8Y290qmA8naL4lL1TnALxDD3UQf9W6g1yG37Xhysa5isdDWJIDwVFiL45rAablN5FZ8YQGCQnFXn9lFVmo8r213S5YgqxGq9VpiwWZF9EKwgB64aThBoKpUSxnAAyV_OJoMfpzyKe1GbYy1T6OBKs5nbgA720XRC7TM0LhuXKmpNpqVj" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhItnB4gDyO8Y290qmA8naL4lL1TnALxDD3UQf9W6g1yG37Xhysa5isdDWJIDwVFiL45rAablN5FZ8YQGCQnFXn9lFVmo8r213S5YgqxGq9VpiwWZF9EKwgB64aThBoKpUSxnAAyV_OJoMfpzyKe1GbYy1T6OBKs5nbgA720XRC7TM0LhuXKmpNpqVj" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: 40px;"><span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>31</b> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 20px;">Feu! Chatterton - Un Monde Nouveau</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 15px;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Palais D'argile </i>| <a href="https://song.link/us/i/1549194649" target="_blank">Listen</a></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Music is at its best when the emotion carried can transcend barriers. Despite not understanding French (though slowly learning in anticipation for a 2022 vacation!), Arthur Teboul makes clear his sentiment towards the future through uplifting prose. How? With Feu! Chatterton's production techniques, sour and strained in the verses, unbridled and gliding through 'Un Monde Nouveau's' glorious hook.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 40px;"><span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>30</b> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 20px;">Dry Cleaning - More Big Birds</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 15px;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/06/dry-cleaning-new-long-leg.html" target="_blank">New Long Leg</a> </i>| <a href="https://song.link/us/i/1549505600" target="_blank">Listen</a></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">'More Big Birds' starts out strong, only growing from there. "Brain replaced by something," Florence Shaw creaks over gritty, rolling percussion. Her monotone delivery begins contrasting beautifully with Dry Cleaning's multi-layered melodic build. A forced harmony, rare on <i>New Long Leg</i>, completes the ensemble. Like Suzanna Vega or Laurie Anderson, harmony <i>can</i> arise from Spoken Word.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiVX1tj_4iyQEwSVPs6F76sWPD2pWw0E9GIyN64SoxuJZOO5DzQPMpKE_tc_hvKsY9_GBfDtkkRrQmtsqo4MQxOcqnySJlF10o94dhktHOSnCqfr5Gp6Js7KXnqcswHVZxy86bE3DJZU6oYdlYj7a2Weos7Kpc3pg35R-J7V9ZY9Tj5kCxunqRgRR38" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiVX1tj_4iyQEwSVPs6F76sWPD2pWw0E9GIyN64SoxuJZOO5DzQPMpKE_tc_hvKsY9_GBfDtkkRrQmtsqo4MQxOcqnySJlF10o94dhktHOSnCqfr5Gp6Js7KXnqcswHVZxy86bE3DJZU6oYdlYj7a2Weos7Kpc3pg35R-J7V9ZY9Tj5kCxunqRgRR38" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: 40px;"><span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>29</b> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 20px;">Go! Team - World Remember Me Now</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 15px;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Get Up Sequences </i>| <a href="https://song.link/us/i/1554889602" target="_blank">Listen</a></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It's no surprise the air of levity and joy that permeates all of The Go! Team's music. Perhaps that's why 'World Remember Me Now' sticks. The production is giddy, modish, and blissfully psychedelic, but Ninja's amiable coos tell of a different story. One of fear and apprehension guiding a lost sense of identity. The combination is surprisingly redolent for The Go! Team, though, let's be honest; we came for the fun.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh1Te8lpFzIBr-pRzW25CKgITEVtvpnQooosArJuNDULDwTVNcq1xy4XouyfsyNkRTyjP1NFaH4my2aFux_7p-vNXiAM_dyWRC7TCV7Ht-qmVYpsnqqBn534So-pUnB1ikmaTzvadLS4t8xQCkxEObByHImJ_GteDG0s-dRtX9Ny4OZbpJakY9qkOAU" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh1Te8lpFzIBr-pRzW25CKgITEVtvpnQooosArJuNDULDwTVNcq1xy4XouyfsyNkRTyjP1NFaH4my2aFux_7p-vNXiAM_dyWRC7TCV7Ht-qmVYpsnqqBn534So-pUnB1ikmaTzvadLS4t8xQCkxEObByHImJ_GteDG0s-dRtX9Ny4OZbpJakY9qkOAU" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: 40px;"><span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>28</b> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 20px;">The World Is A Beautiful Place - Infinite Josh</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 15px;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Illusory Walls </i>| <a href="https://song.link/us/i/1575703977" target="_blank">Listen</a></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Looking back as if it were the end. 'Fewer Afraid's' final coda seemed to indicate that as such. But before that moment reached us, 'Infinite Josh' came first, a look back at vocalist Josh Cyr's childhood. Minuscule moments burned into the brain, recontextualized as life-altering decisions. 'Infinite Josh's' embarks on such a momentous journey.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 40px;"><span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>27</b> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 20px;">DJ Sabrina - Not Your Fault</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 15px;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/01/dj-sabrina-teenage-dj-charmed-review.html" target="_blank">Charmed</a> </i>| <a href="https://song.link/us/i/1543256434" target="_blank">Listen</a></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">All DJ Sabrina's best material exemplifies sappy, yet relatable romance. 'Not Your Fault' is no exception, entangling chopped vocals in a web of turbulence - made all the more intoxicating by building, parallel rhythms - before forming some sort of sanity when a friend, a calm voice of reason, enters the fray. From then on, euphoria on a hopeful future engulfs 'Not Your Fault.' Despite the main sample never changing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 40px;"><span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>26</b> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 20px;">Squid - Narrator</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 15px;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/05/squid-bright-green-field-review.html" target="_blank">Bright Green Field</a> </i>| <a href="https://song.link/us/i/1544474461" target="_blank">Listen</a></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Like most of their contemporaries, Squid finds that anxiety comes with exhaustion. An endurance of torment, brought on by abiding agitation. However, Ollie Judge's frantic vocals align with this proclamation better than any other, rising and falling and rising again, culminating in the endless scream. Martha Skye Murphy's there too, blood-curdling like Diamanda Galás.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 40px;"><span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>25</b> </span></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 20px;">IDLES - Car Crash</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 15px;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>CRAWLER </i>| <a href="https://song.link/us/i/1571499417" target="_blank">Listen</a></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Though much of <i>CRAWLER</i> landed no surprise punches, 'Car Crash' proved an exception to that rule. Here, a tinge of Industrial Hip-Hop provides a meaty background for Joe Talbot to sneer and bark recklessly over. The Noise isn't pretty, its crackle and pops bounce off concrete drums, culminating in a violent cataclysm of sound bearing similarity to black midi or Squid.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 40px;"><span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>24</b> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 20px;">Ducks Ltd. - Under The Rolling Moon</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 15px;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/10/ducks-ltd-modern-fiction.html" target="_blank">Modern Fiction</a> </i>| <a href="https://song.link/us/i/1569497230" target="_blank">Listen</a></span></span><br />
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</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Their formula is formulaic, but one can't deny how well it works. Ducks Ltd. exemplifies Jangle Pop, with rushing momentum akin to Lloyd Cole and grand, exquisite hooks akin to early REM. 'Under The Rolling Moon' represents this to a T, proudly flaunting their influences while embracing the inherent romanticism captured through those rickety, ricocheting guitars.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 40px;"><span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>23</b> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 20px;">Yves Tumor - Secrecy Is Incredibly Important</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 15px;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Asymptotical World </i>| <a href="https://song.link/us/i/1572852844" target="_blank">Listen</a></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Ignoring the coy production techniques, mixing muddiness with flourish, Yves Tumor's marvelous 'Secrecy' feels ripped from the underground Post-Punk scene of U.K.'s early 80's. Rambunctious guitars battle against timid and distant vocals pleading for union. The beauty lies in the vast gap, bridged by an understated riff that feels like a fusion of Joy Division and Cocteau Twins. Love.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 40px;"><span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>22</b> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 20px;">Sweet Trip - At Last A Truth That Is Real</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 15px;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>A Tiny House, In Secret Speeches, Polar Equals </i>| <a href="https://song.link/us/i/1566026141" target="_blank">Listen</a></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">On their long-awaited return, Sweet Trip struggled with variety and vocals. But none of that mattered when it came time for what they do best; send-off anthems. 'At Last A Truth That Is Real' drifts in ethereality before being overtaken by a rushing sea of percussion. Here, vocals were left in the waves. The crash, pummel, and pull of tides. Ascension on the backs of moving mountains.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 40px;"><span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>21</b> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 20px;">Spellling - Little Deer</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 15px;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/07/spellling-turning-wheel.html" target="_blank">Turning Wheel</a> </i>| <a href="https://song.link/us/i/1560029731" target="_blank">Listen</a></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">With 'Little Deer,' Spellling's standards for herself grow higher. Way, way higher. Orchestral flourishes dotted around fairytale imagery, as smooth structural patterns provided stepping stones for Spellling's dainty, tip-toe vocals. Over triumphant horns and cascading strings, the fearless singer befriended a struggling Bambi, lending a shoulder for the coming winter. It was beautiful, and beautifully-unique.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/12/top-100-tracks-of-2021-100-51.html" target="_blank">100-51</a> | <a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/12/top-100-tracks-of-2021-20-1.html" target="_blank">20-1</a> | Top 50 Albums</span></div>Dozens Of Donutshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09419864582928187713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8849500676397996361.post-28684645732882489352021-12-13T10:11:00.002-08:002021-12-16T12:49:35.020-08:00Top 100 Tracks Of 2021, 100-51<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<script src="//s7.addthis.com/js/300/addthis_widget.js#pubid=MYID" type="text/javascript"></script><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 40px;"><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/12/top-100-tracks-of-2021-50-21.html" target="_blank">50-21</a> | <a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/12/top-100-tracks-of-2021-20-1.html" target="_blank">20-1</a></span></div>
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<br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><div>Though I expected greater of 2021 - on account of all the free time artists were given courtesy of the quarantine in 2020 - to say it disappointing would be a lie. After all, nothing in recent years has been more exciting than watching U.K.'s Art Punk scene grow, as the three-headed beast of black midi, Black Country New Road, and Squid all released incredible debuts within a four-month window. Fearless and exceptionally-talented, their prowess headlined the year. Though stewing in a niche community was a cult, bound by a love for 90's melodrama, aspirational romance, and Dance music that ascends to the heavens. It was spurred by the faceless DJ Sabrina The Teenage DJ, a transformative artist who took my breath away with each intrepid exodus. She mustered optimism in the face of overwhelming dread. Represented those Life Is Good t-shirts better than the t-shirts themselves. These two halves - the palpitating anxieties of the Windmill collective, and the calming resurgence of an impassioned DJ - helped put 2021 into context.</div><div><br /></div><div>All before Lil Ugly Mane tore it apart. Both he, with the near-perfect <i>Volcanic Bird Enemy</i>, and other established artists grew in satisfying ways. There was Japanese Breakfast flexing her versatility in Pop. Lingua Ignota descending further into the reaches of Hell. Little Simz embracing Hip-Hop as a means to overcome. No matter where you looked, in music circles both large and small, artful progression could be found. In a way, it's a testament to human resilience. That a worldwide quarantine needn't be the central topic for musicians, for overcoming the odds was the expected outcome. Art could still prosper even when our chips are down. And boy has it ever.</div><div><br /></div>For posterity sake, if one wants to look back, to greener pastures more naive than our modern day, DoD's Best Of dates back seven years now. <a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2020/12/the-best-of-2020.html" target="_blank">2020</a>, <a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2020/02/the-best-of-2019.html" target="_blank">2019</a>, <a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2019/07/the-best-of-2018.html" target="_blank">2018</a>, <a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2018/02/the-best-of-2017.html" target="_blank">2017</a>, <a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2016/12/the-best-of-2016.html" target="_blank">2016</a>, <a href="http://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2015/12/top-100-tracks-of-2015-100-21.html" target="_blank">2015</a>, and <a href="http://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2014/12/top-50-tracks-of-2014-50-26.html" target="_blank">2014</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Playlists For All 100 Songs: Apple Music | Spotify</span><br />
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<img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="990" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh4eVTNaCV7H3NhIVmRjFju0JUD17-oarRf4xNplLwGmZ4iFaIbCd8lxWnmziszDaq9ENge1o0wOeLs_L2mfQLu4bQBjskCrPknuyavhov6J6SHJ-edjEyQQOUqhUE0JiXUmu2cUIfLCI2PaNvTOhOEHAHB-X21S6c4niSIZtoaOwaoBYvs-mQeKgph" width="640" /></div>
<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: #f35925; font-size: 40px;">100</span><span style="color: #f35925;"> </span></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 25px;"><b>Elori Saxl - Wave I</b></span></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 18px;"><b><i>Blue Of Distance</i></b></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">At start, Elori Saxl's '<a href="https://song.link/us/i/1537022953" target="_blank">Wave I</a>' does nothing special. It's aquatic Ambient; natural and floating. However, the subtle incorporation of a growing trombone finds rhythm amidst desultory patience, coming and going with each ocean breath.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: #f35925; font-size: 30px;">99</span><span style="color: #f35925;"> </span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: #444444;">|</span><span style="color: #444444;"> <span style="font-size: 18px;">Sleigh Bells - Tennessee Tips | <i>Texis</i></span></span></span></b></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Sleigh Bells somehow revamped their career. Most bizarre? They did it through 100 gecs' Electropop. '<a href="https://song.link/us/i/1575621678" target="_blank">Tennessee Tips</a>' kept listeners on their toes, bouncing through palpitating synth pads and an airy, 80's Synthpop hook.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: #f35925; font-size: 30px;">98</span><span style="color: #f35925;"> </span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: #444444;">|</span><span style="color: #444444;"> <span style="font-size: 18px;">The Armed - Average Death | <i>Ultrapop</i></span></span></span></b></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Post-Hardcore, usually, never frets on emotion. Its own masculinity prevents such contemplations. Not with The Armed's '<a href="https://song.link/us/i/1547727324" target="_blank">Average Death</a>,' a crushing storm of pent-up rage and dejected, abyssal decomposition. The hidden melodies are just icing on the cake.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: #f35925; font-size: 30px;">97</span><span style="color: #f35925;"> </span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: #444444;">|</span><span style="color: #444444;"> </span><span style="font-size: 18px;">Lost Girls - Love, Lovers | <i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/04/lost-girls-menneskekollektivet-review.html" target="_blank">Menneskekollektivet</a></i></span></span></b></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">There's something about transitions from minimal to maximal that always hits the right spot. Especially when handled with care and not rushed. Jenny Hval's welcoming patience was a calling card on '<a href="https://song.link/us/i/1553174054" target="_blank">Love, Lovers</a>,' and one that rewards eagerness with sublimity.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: #f35925; font-size: 30px;">96</span><span style="color: #f35925;"> </span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: #444444;">|</span><span style="color: #444444;"> </span><span style="font-size: 18px;">St. Vincent - ...At The Holiday Party | <i>Daddy's Home</i></span></span></b></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">When holiday parties become a topic for a song, you know your content's running thin. Or, it's a testament to St. Vincent's efforts to turn the mundane into the momentous. '<a href="https://song.link/us/i/1552956096" target="_blank">At The Holiday Party</a>' eases into Blue-Eyed Soul, satisfying the heart and soothing apprehensions.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: #f35925; font-size: 40px;">95</span><span style="color: #f35925;"> </span></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 25px;"><b>Little Simz - Little Q</b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 18px;"><b><i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/09/little-simz-sometimes-i-might-be.html" target="_blank">Sometimes I Might Be Introvert</a></i></b></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It recalls the days of Black Starr, Little Brother, and The Fugees. Impassioned Conscious Hip-Hop, uplifting and all-too real. '<a href="https://song.link/us/i/1561184274" target="_blank">Little Q</a>' reflects on past hurdles whilst aiming for even greater ones. The children's choir, as always, is a great touch.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: #f35925; font-size: 30px;">94</span><span style="color: #f35925;"> </span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: #444444;">|</span><span style="color: #444444;"> <span style="font-size: 18px;">DARKSIDE - Lawmaker | <i>Spiral</i></span></span></span></b></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Nicolas Jaar's atmosphere is unlike any other. It's like a Noir turned Western; deep and moody. On '<a href="https://song.link/us/i/1586473168" target="_blank">Lawmaker</a>,' that ataxia is taken literally, as Jaar weaves around rattling chains and desert drums in a style reminiscent of his <i>Sirens</i> era.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: #f35925; font-size: 30px;">93</span><span style="color: #f35925;"> </span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: #444444;">|</span><span style="color: #444444;"> </span><span style="font-size: 18px;">DJ Sabrina The Teenage DJ - Princess | <i>Makin' Magick II Album</i></span></span></b></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Though I've talked ad nauseam about DJ Sabrina's spanning greatness, an understated aspect of her production comes out in full force on '<a href="https://song.link/us/i/1598685526" target="_blank">Princess</a>:' Captivating psychedelia. It's so easy to get lost in those filled drum loops and uplifting samples.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: #f35925; font-size: 30px;">92</span><span style="color: #f35925;"> </span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: #444444;">|</span><span style="color: #444444;"> </span><span style="font-size: 18px;">Wolf Alice - The Last Man On Earth | <i>Blue Weekend</i></span></span></b></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">With their third LP, Wolf Alice levied their playfulness to exacerbate a more somber direction. It didn't entirely work, though that doesn't apply to standout '<a href="https://song.link/us/i/1554144912" target="_blank">Last Man On Earth</a>,' where Ellie Roswell carried angelic vocals into a big, Beatles coda bash.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: #f35925; font-size: 30px;">91</span><span style="color: #f35925;"> </span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: #444444;">|</span><span style="color: #444444;"> </span><span style="font-size: 18px;">CHANCE デラソウル - I Still Do | <i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/05/chance-afterparty-review.html" target="_blank">Afterparty</a></i></span></span></b></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Context matters on '<a href="https://song.link/us/i/1565215669" target="_blank">I Still Do</a>,' for the song that precedes it is called 'I Used To Make Vaporwave.' Always self-aware, Chance デラソウル celebrates his love of Future Funk with multi-layered, multi-cultural Disco samples. It's 70's America with Japanese vocals. Nuff said.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 25px;"><b>Urban Village - Dindi</b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 18px;"><b><i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/03/urban-village-udondolo-review.html" target="_blank">Udondolo</a></i></b></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Though my familiarity with modern African music is virtually nonexistent, I find comfort in songs like '<a href="https://song.link/us/i/1540255719" target="_blank">Dindi</a>.' Ones that exhibit progress, fusing utopian Electronica with irresistible Pop born from the soil itself. Loving and hopeful.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: #f35925; font-size: 30px;">89</span><span style="color: #f35925;"> </span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: #444444;">|</span><span style="color: #444444;"> </span><span style="font-size: 18px;">Squid - Peel St. | <i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/05/squid-bright-green-field-review.html" target="_blank">Bright Green Field</a></i></span></span></b></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Perhaps the funkiest cut off <i>Bright Green Field</i>, '<a href="https://song.link/us/i/1544474737" target="_blank">Peel St.</a>' hardly concerns itself with the anxieties rampant through Squid's music. Ollie Judge's frantic yelps take on a playful tone as the multi-rhythmic background parades in unison like steam pistons on the assembly line.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: #f35925;"><span style="font-size: 30px;">88</span> </span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: #444444;">|</span><span style="color: #444444;"> </span><span style="font-size: 18px;">Patricia Taxxon - Certainly, Yet | <i>Yes, And</i></span></span></b></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">There's something particularly inspiring about hyper-condensed Glitch Pop. Songs like '<a href="https://patriciataxxon.bandcamp.com/track/certainly-yet" target="_blank">Certainly, Yet</a>' feel like supernovas exploding, the beginning or end of something imperative. Taxxon's delirious story unraveling through euphoria further cements that opinion.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: #f35925; font-size: 30px;">87</span><span style="color: #f35925;"> </span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: #444444;">|</span><span style="color: #444444;"> </span><span style="font-size: 18px;">Yves Tumor - Jackie | <i>Asymptotical World</i></span></span></b></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">With its searing, arena-sized guitars, hot to the touch, '<a href="https://song.link/us/i/1572852842" target="_blank">Jackie</a>' oozes the big time sensuality that dominates Yves Tumor's music and persona. Their hoarse vocals and impassioned pleas only further accentuates the gruff, Post-Punk melancholy on display.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: #f35925; font-size: 30px;">86</span><span style="color: #f35925;"> </span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: #444444;">|</span><span style="color: #444444;"> </span><span style="font-size: 18px;">Sufjan Stevens - Reach Out | <i>A Beginner's Mind</i></span></span></b></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">'<a href="https://song.link/us/i/1572705248" target="_blank">Reach Out's</a>' beauty arises in its disguised complexity. The best acoustic-driven material always twists patterns with subtle alterations. At its core, beauty ascends through Stevens' vocals. But deep down, the ear latches to the minutiae.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: #f35925;"><span style="font-size: 40px;">85</span> </span></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 25px;"><b>Jockstrap - 50/50</b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 18px;"><b><i>Single</i></b></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">On <i>Wicked City</i>, Jockstrap made a strong assertion that they weren't scared to try anything. '<a href="https://song.link/us/i/1592172443" target="_blank">50/50</a>' affirms that desire, diving headfirst into disorienting Breakbeat. Georgia Ellery is lost amidst radical absurdism.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: #f35925; font-size: 30px;">84</span><span style="color: #f35925;"> </span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: #444444;">|</span><span style="color: #444444;"> </span><span style="font-size: 18px;">Trance Farmers - Like Dreamers Do | <i>Single</i></span></span></b></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">They vanished just as mysteriously as they reemerged. On '<a href="https://song.link/us/i/1586247014" target="_blank">Like Dreamers Do</a>,' Trance Farmers treaded their idiosyncrasies with a fine touch, uncovering dusty, tired Hypnagogic Pop through a busted radio along Route 66.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: #f35925; font-size: 30px;">83</span><span style="color: #f35925;"> </span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: #444444;">|</span><span style="color: #444444;"> </span><span style="font-size: 18px;">Burial - Chemz | <i>Chemz / Dolphinz</i></span></span></b></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Burial has struggled for years, lost without a concept. '<a href="https://song.link/us/i/1544149148" target="_blank">Chemz</a>' changes that course, with chiptune 2-Step that manages to thrive in Burial's grim, subway aesthetic. It's the closest he's gotten to the evocative movements of his classic EP's.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: #f35925; font-size: 30px;">82</span><span style="color: #f35925;"> </span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: #444444;">|</span><span style="color: #444444;"> </span><span style="font-size: 18px;">Dry Cleaning - Strong Feelings | <i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/06/dry-cleaning-new-long-leg.html" target="_blank">New Long Leg</a></i></span></span></b></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">There's an understated grace to Dry Cleaning's '<a href="https://song.link/us/i/1549505356" target="_blank">Strong Feelings</a>,' one that oozes unconventional confidence. And not just in Florence Shaw's whimsical abstractions, but also the vintage Post-Punk guitars that relish in lofty builds.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: #f35925; font-size: 30px;">81</span><span style="color: #f35925;"> </span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: #444444;">|</span><span style="color: #444444;"> </span><span style="font-size: 18px;">slowthai - i tried | <i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/02/slowthai-tyron-review.html" target="_blank">TYRON</a></i></span></span></b></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Sampling the late Trey Gruber, slowthai presents an uplifting Soul remake on '<a href="https://song.link/us/i/1538563205" target="_blank">i tried</a>,' the introduction to the U.K. rapper's tender side. Inspirational lyrics contend with past sins and vices to present the duality of man, and his ability to grow.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: #f35925; font-size: 40px;">80</span><span style="color: #f35925;"> </span></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 25px;"><b>Pom Poko - Danger Baby</b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 18px;"><b><i>Cheater</i></b></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Is '<a href="https://song.link/us/i/1528039585" target="_blank">Danger Baby</a>' the nickname for Pom Poko's itsy-bitsy vocalist, Ragnhild Fangel Jamtveit? If not, it should be. Deception plays a key role in Pom Poko's Math Rock, and is on marvelous display within the crooks of 'Danger Baby.'</span><br />
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<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: #f35925; font-size: 30px;">79</span><span style="color: #f35925;"> </span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: #444444;">|</span><span style="color: #444444;"> </span><span style="font-size: 18px;">Goat Girl - Pest | <i>On All Fours</i></span></span></b></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It's still on my tongue. Months later, the song Goat Girl's '<a href="https://song.link/us/i/1530656154" target="_blank">Pest</a>' reminds me of remains out-of-reach. Regardless, the shared vocal harmonies of Lottie Pendlebury and Ellie Rose-Davies soothes with the strength of a looping coda.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: #f35925; font-size: 30px;">78</span><span style="color: #f35925;"> </span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: #444444;">|</span><span style="color: #444444;"> </span><span style="font-size: 18px;">Sharon Van Etten & Angel Olsen - Like I Used To | <i>Single</i></span></span></b></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In some ways, '<a href="https://song.link/us/i/1565570687" target="_blank">Like I Used To</a>' is rather cheap. Cliche-ridden, purposefully anthemic, peppered Synthpop cascades, coda over coda over coda. Yet, isn't that what we all love? Sharon Van Etten & Angel Olsen know full well what makes humans tick.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: #f35925; font-size: 30px;">77</span><span style="color: #f35925;"> </span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: #444444;">| </span><span style="font-size: 18px;">Strange Fire - Leaving Eden | <i>Strange Fire</i></span></span></b></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">On '<a href="https://song.link/us/i/1566406442" target="_blank">Leaving Eden</a>,' Strange Fire bridge the vast gap between Contemporary Folk and Post-Rock. By song's end, they somehow land alongside Tycho's brand of surging Downtempo. Sweeping in scope, yet intimate in the analysis.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: #f35925; font-size: 30px;">76</span><span style="color: #f35925;"> </span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: #444444;">|</span><span style="color: #444444;"> </span><span style="font-size: 18px;">JPEGMAFIA - WHAT KINDA RAPPIN' IS THIS? | <i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/11/jpegmafia-lp.html" target="_blank">LP!</a></i></span></span></b></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">JPEGMAFIA always leaves room for surprises. On '<a href="https://song.link/us/i/1590921086" target="_blank">What Kinda Rappin' Is This?</a>' he fancies lush arrangements around throwback Boom Bap, a combination that found success on Tyler, The Creator's <i>IGOR</i>. Here, the beauty works just as well.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: #f35925; font-size: 40px;">75</span><span style="color: #f35925;"> </span></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 25px;">L'Rain - Two Face</span></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 18px;"><i>Fatigue</i></span></b></span></div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">'<a href="https://song.link/us/i/1560500687" target="_blank">Two Face</a>' mystifies with 3D percussion, circling around, under, and through the air between L'Rain's soft breaths. Elevated psychedelia, maximalist and heady, comes together with vivacious horn calls by track's end that swirl like circling birdies.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: #f35925; font-size: 30px;">74</span><span style="color: #f35925;"> </span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: #444444;">|</span><span style="color: #444444;"> </span><span style="font-size: 18px;">Vince Staples - ARE YOU WITH THAT? | <i>Vince Staples</i></span></span></b></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A self-titled disappointment for the ages, <i>Vince Staples</i> at least started on the right foot. To the point, intimate and a cultural stepping stone, '<a href="https://song.link/us/i/1573959841" target="_blank">Are You With That?</a>' finds the Compton rapper relishing in his comfort zone; chilled out Wonky.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: #f35925; font-size: 30px;">73</span><span style="color: #f35925;"> </span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: #444444;">|</span><span style="color: #444444;"> </span><span style="font-size: 18px;">Senyawa - Alkisah I | <i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/03/senyawa-alkisah-review.html" target="_blank">Alkisah</a></i></span></span></b></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">For a steady, unrelenting nine minutes Senyawa torture the poor souls who veered off the beaten path. '<a href="https://song.link/us/i/1580746368" target="_blank">Alkisah I</a>' is visceral, clanging with Industrial-tinged drums and an uncontrollable guitar. It's quite the freight, especially with the chanting of fire-breath Indonesian.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: #f35925; font-size: 30px;">72</span><span style="color: #f35925;"> </span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: #444444;">|</span><span style="color: #444444;"> </span><span style="font-size: 18px;">Modest Mouse - Lace Your Shoes | <i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/08/modest-mouse-golden-casket.html" target="_blank">Golden Casket</a></i></span></span></b></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Despite the alien synthesizers, '<a href="https://song.link/us/i/1565510010" target="_blank">Lace Your Shoes</a>' feels distinctly human. Here we find Issac Brock reflecting on the day-to-day trivialities of his children, daydreaming of a life well-lived for them all. An endearingly personal song for a sometimes out-of-touch singer.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: #f35925; font-size: 30px;">71</span><span style="color: #f35925;"> </span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: #444444;">|</span><span style="color: #444444;"> </span><span style="font-size: 18px;">Horsey - Seahorse | <i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/08/horsey-debonair.html" target="_blank">Debonair</a></i></span></span></b></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What better way to end an album full of surprises than deferring the final minutes to King Krule. Horsey does just that on '<a href="https://song.link/us/i/1576177261" target="_blank">Seahorse</a>,' providing Krule's idiosyncratic Noir-tinge to a Jazzy night club. One that's empty of all patrons, save Krule, wallowing in sorrow.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: #f35925; font-size: 40px;">70</span><span style="color: #f35925;"> </span></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 25px;">Doss - Strawberry</span></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 18px;"><i>4 New Hit Songs</i></span></b></span></div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Dream Trance. What a genre name, and one that perfectly personifies '<a href="https://song.link/us/i/1553501219" target="_blank">Strawberry</a>.' Filled with the afterglow of Baggy, the rushing noise of Shoegaze, the gleeful recklessness of Alternative Dance, Doss' darling is one to forever get lost in.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: #f35925; font-size: 30px;">69</span><span style="color: #f35925;"> </span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: #444444;">|</span><span style="color: #444444;"> </span><span style="font-size: 18px;">Material Girl - Material Girl Meets The Devil, Pt. 3 | <i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/05/material-girl-drujjha-review.html" target="_blank">Drujjha</a></i></span></span></b></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This is the future of Hip-Hop, one can hope. NAPPYNAPPA's depressive lyrics recall Earl Sweatshirt, MIKE, or Navy Blue, yet it's Material Girl's crackling tape loops and utterly surreal left turn into Drum N' Bass on '<a href="https://song.link/us/i/1563349351" target="_blank">Pt. 3</a>' that provides greatness unheard.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: #f35925; font-size: 30px;">68</span><span style="color: #f35925;"> </span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: #444444;">|</span><span style="color: #444444;"> </span><span style="font-size: 18px;">Black Country, New Road - Track X | <i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/02/black-country-new-road-for-first-time.html" target="_blank">For The First Time</a></i></span></span></b></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Surrounded by behemoths with proven track records, '<a href="https://song.link/us/i/1533822276" target="_blank">Track X</a>' actually seems like the most valuable of all <i>For The First Time</i> material. It showed a tender side to BCNR; one capable of reflection, of hope, of beauty.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: #f35925; font-size: 30px;">67</span><span style="color: #f35925;"> </span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: #444444;">|</span><span style="color: #444444;"> </span><span style="font-size: 18px;">CHANCE デラソウル - Don't Stop | <i>CHANCE デラソウル</i></span></span></b></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It's a call to the DJ; "don't stop." It essentially defines the whole of CHANCE デラソウル's career, with one Future Funk romp after another. Intoxicating jubilee to get lost in, '<a href="https://song.link/us/i/1557515683" target="_blank">Don't Stop</a>' bears a passing resemblance to The Avalanches circa <i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-avalanches-since-i-left-you-2001.html" target="_blank">Since I Left You</a></i>.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: #f35925; font-size: 30px;">66</span><span style="color: #f35925;"> </span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: #444444;">|</span><span style="color: #444444;"> </span><span style="font-size: 18px;">King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Interior People | <i>Butterfly 3000</i></span></span></b></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">'<a href="https://song.link/us/i/1569279914" target="_blank">Interior People</a>' is classic, boilerplate King Gizzard. Set adrift, on the dunes of the outback, lost in a vibrant, perspiry Neo-Psychedelia wonderland. It doesn't do anything special, it just does everything right.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: #f35925; font-size: 40px;">65</span><span style="color: #f35925;"> </span></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 25px;">Low - All Night</span></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 18px;"><i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/10/low-hey-what.html" target="_blank">HEY WHAT</a></i></span></b></span></div>
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</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Never has Ambient Pop been so elaborate. Low's form, one that takes dreamy vocals and forces them through a barely-functional shredder, shines on '<a href="https://song.link/us/i/1568438776" target="_blank">All Night</a>.' Mimi Parker's embracive coos exist in limbo, as if entirely unaware of their new, insoluble surroundings.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: #f35925; font-size: 30px;">64</span><span style="color: #f35925;"> </span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: #444444;">|</span><span style="color: #444444;"> </span><span style="font-size: 18px;">The Avalanches - We Go On | <i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/01/the-avalanches-we-will-always-love-you.html" target="_blank">We Will Always Love You</a></i></span></span></b></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Avalanches thrive in the mid-party set. A time that, for many artists, works as a breathing space. For the duo, it's the height of existence. That's where we find '<a href="https://song.link/us/i/1529562682" target="_blank">We Go On</a>,' trailing from 'Oh The Sunn!' to keep the celebration set on the stars.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: #f35925; font-size: 30px;">63</span><span style="color: #f35925;"> </span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: #444444;">|</span><span style="color: #444444;"> </span><span style="font-size: 18px;">Lingua Ignota - Pennsylvania Furnace | <i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/09/lingua-ignota-sinner-get-ready.html" target="_blank">Sinner Get Ready</a></i></span></span></b></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Languished and dreadful, '<a href="https://song.link/us/i/1570359466" target="_blank">Pennsylvania Furnace</a>' combined the halves of Lingua Ignota's dolent side. As heavy fingers hit antiquated piano keys, Ignota's voice warps with sly elegance. "One thing I've learned is everything burns" hits hard.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: #f35925; font-size: 30px;">62</span><span style="color: #f35925;"> </span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: #444444;">|</span><span style="color: #444444;"> </span><span style="font-size: 18px;">Tyler, The Creator - JUGGERNAUT | <i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/07/tyler-creator-call-me-if-you-get-lost.html" target="_blank">Call Me If You Get Lost</a></i></span></span></b></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">With an unabashed focus on returning to gritty Rap, Tyler's latest failed to garner my interest. There were moments though, namely the cataclysmic '<a href="https://song.link/us/i/1573484646" target="_blank">JUGGERNAUT</a>,' featuring a stunning verse from Lil Uzi Vert who managed to tip-toe around Tyler's minefield of quirky production tricks.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: #f35925; font-size: 30px;">61</span><span style="color: #f35925;"> </span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: #444444;">|</span><span style="color: #444444;"> </span><span style="font-size: 18px;">Lil Ugly Mane - Benadryl Submarine | <i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/10/lil-ugly-mane-volcanic-bird-enemy.html" target="_blank">Volcanic Bird Enemy & The Voiced Concern</a></i></span></span></b></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Volcanic Bird Enemy's</i> best asset is, undoubtedly, its surrealism. This, heightened when reality bites. You can see that on '<a href="https://song.link/us/i/1590201371" target="_blank">Benadryl Submarine</a>,' where abstract and verity merge. Drug escapism giving way to freaky airiness.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: #f35925; font-size: 40px;">60</span><span style="color: #f35925;"> </span></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 25px;">Courtney Barnett - Sunfair Sundown</span></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 18px;"><i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/12/courtney-barnett-things-take-time-take.html" target="_blank">Things Take Time, Take Time</a></i></span></b></span></div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">With a shaky guitar twang, only possible down under, '<a href="https://song.link/us/i/1573663816" target="_blank">Sunfair Sundow</a>n' finds motivated movement through humid air. Barnett's comments, cherishing change on behalf of another, is roused by a steady, succulent build..</span><br />
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<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: #f35925; font-size: 30px;">59</span><span style="color: #f35925;"> </span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: #444444;">|</span><span style="color: #444444;"> </span><span style="font-size: 18px;">DJ Sabrina The Teenage DJ - How Did You Know? | <i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/01/dj-sabrina-teenage-dj-charmed-review.html" target="_blank">Charmed</a></i></span></span></b></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">'<a href="https://song.link/us/i/1543256432" target="_blank">How Did You Know?</a>' carries with it an adorable, teenage maudlin spirit that's difficult to capture in music. It's DJ Sabrina's specialty. From the instigating, poorly-acted samples, to the gushing synthesizers and schmaltzy, soda pop euphoria.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: #f35925; font-size: 30px;">58</span><span style="color: #f35925;"> </span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: #444444;">|</span><span style="color: #444444;"> </span><span style="font-size: 18px;">War On Drugs - I Don't Live Here Anymore | <i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/11/war-on-drugs-i-dont-live-here-anymore.html" target="_blank">I Don't Live Here Anymore</a></i></span></span></b></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Americana circa 1980. Where malls were packed on Fridays and late nights dominated by indiscriminate car rides. '<a href="https://song.link/us/i/1576852093" target="_blank">I Don't Live Here Anymore</a>' adjusts War On Drugs' Heartland obsession to a country beholden to change.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: #f35925; font-size: 30px;">58</span><span style="color: #f35925;"> </span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: #444444;">|</span><span style="color: #444444;"> </span><span style="font-size: 18px;">Jon Hopkins - Sit Around The Fire | <i>Music For Psychedelic Therapy</i></span></span></b></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Over gorgeous piano notes that deepen with each incurrent key, '<a href="https://song.link/us/i/1581582914" target="_blank">Sit Around The Fire</a>' crackles into meditative bliss. Ram Dass' calming peace carries ethereal weight, freeing the mind of all trials and tribulations.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: #f35925; font-size: 30px;">56</span><span style="color: #f35925;"> </span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: #444444;">|</span><span style="color: #444444;"> </span><span style="font-size: 18px;">Viagra Boys - In Spite Of Ourselves | <i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/01/viagra-boys-welfare-jazz-review.html" target="_blank">Welfare Jazz</a></i></span></span></b></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I'm not one for trashy humor. Satirize it with a helping of Art Punk crunch though and you've got a hit. '<a href="https://song.link/us/i/1533669072" target="_blank">In Spite Of Ourselves</a>' finds Viagra Boys teaming up with Amy Taylor for a tawdry Cowpunk epic that's all filth and flourish.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: #f35925; font-size: 40px;">55</span><span style="color: #f35925;"> </span></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 25px;">Injury Reserve - Knees</span></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 18px;"><i>By The Time I Get To Phoenix</i></span></b></span></div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">'<a href="https://song.link/us/i/1578980419" target="_blank">Knees</a>' finds the now-duo of Injury Reserve at their lowest; dejected and mournful. A voice from beyond decries the perils of aging, whilst enduring eternal slumber. It's a difficult song, especially for someone, like myself, on the verge of turning 30.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: #f35925; font-size: 30px;">54</span><span style="color: #f35925;"> </span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: #444444;">|</span><span style="color: #444444;"> </span><span style="font-size: 18px;">Tonstartssbandht - What Has Happened | <i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/11/tonstartssbandht-petunia.html" target="_blank">Petunia</a></i></span></span></b></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">'<a href="https://song.link/us/i/1578525520" target="_blank">What Has Happened</a>' manages to find its own lane, despite the similarities to <i>Petunia's</i> adjoining flock. There's a tenacious current lurking underneath the White brothers' glorious harmonizing. Progressive, yet tight and nimble.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: #f35925; font-size: 30px;">53</span><span style="color: #f35925;"> </span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: #444444;">|</span><span style="color: #444444;"> </span><span style="font-size: 18px;">Lil Ugly Mane - Styrofoam | <i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/10/lil-ugly-mane-volcanic-bird-enemy.html" target="_blank">Volcanic Bird Enemy & The Voiced Concern</a></i></span></span></b></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Lil Ugly Mane never shies away from tackling the totally bonkers. On '<a href="https://song.link/us/i/1590201374" target="_blank">Styrofoam</a>' he mixes metaphorical self-deprecation with vintage, carnival Dixieland and Ragtime. The result? A rich tapestry of disorientation.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: #f35925; font-size: 30px;">52</span><span style="color: #f35925;"> </span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: #444444;">|</span><span style="color: #444444;"> </span><span style="font-size: 18px;">Sufjan Stevens - Lady Macbeth In Chains | <i>A Beginner's Mind</i></span></span></b></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What makes '<a href="https://song.link/us/i/1572705250" target="_blank">Lady Macbeth</a>' so charming? The understated grace and clear definition, of course. It's a song in total harmony, striking given the two collaborators in similar fields. Sufjan's calming demeanor over gentle, rustling acoustics.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #f35925; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: #f35925; font-size: 30px;">51</span><span style="color: #f35925;"> </span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: #444444;">|</span><span style="color: #444444;"> </span><span style="font-size: 18px;">Blu - Mr. Blu(e) | <i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/10/blu-color-blue.html" target="_blank">Color Blu(e)</a></i></span></span></b></span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Does Hip-Hop get better than this? Over a decade removed from <i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2016/11/blu-exile-below-heavens-review-2007.html" target="_blank">Below The Heavens</a></i> and the tandem of Blu and Exile still got it. On '<a href="https://song.link/us/i/1582939466" target="_blank">Mr. Blu(e)</a>,' mesmerizing samples, poignant lyrics, and a symbiosis that can only occur when passion is the driving force.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/12/top-100-tracks-of-2021-50-21.html" target="_blank">50-21</a> | <a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2021/12/top-100-tracks-of-2021-20-1.html" target="_blank">20-1</a> | Top 50 Albums</span></div>Dozens Of Donutshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09419864582928187713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8849500676397996361.post-50024187476943987002021-12-10T12:01:00.000-08:002021-12-10T12:01:17.166-08:00Grab Bag - December '21<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgvxApJOJQa-ODl3oEdVh7HGgafMSnQ0uZAZLCBzgDr5yDAlLTWZCzvOlbythTg10nbMXuqtof6OVZYCAMn25c5OQ4k_fPg3QpzMhP0681LUpoyov_ei6-bBLdFmpNIJgJfKvO3ArLUlL2u0RFz8npTkXzy5diJEXfiEI01EduDrrTbWW2bORPlA_cG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="990" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgvxApJOJQa-ODl3oEdVh7HGgafMSnQ0uZAZLCBzgDr5yDAlLTWZCzvOlbythTg10nbMXuqtof6OVZYCAMn25c5OQ4k_fPg3QpzMhP0681LUpoyov_ei6-bBLdFmpNIJgJfKvO3ArLUlL2u0RFz8npTkXzy5diJEXfiEI01EduDrrTbWW2bORPlA_cG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<script src="//s7.addthis.com/js/300/addthis_widget.js#pubid=MYID" type="text/javascript"></script><br /><span style="font-family: Lora;"><span style="color: #444444;">After a lengthy hiatus, Grab Bag returns to Dozens Of Donuts. Here, we'll find and react to completely random songs from the depths of music's annals. There's no prerequisites, no regulations self-imposed. Anything can make this list if the site I'm using to discover these songs, RateYourMusic's <a href="http://rateyourmusic.com/misc/random" target="_blank">random release generator</a>, spits them out. This is a great way to discover new music with no attachment to something in your catalogue. Or, a dark reminder that truly horrid music exists in droves.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br />
</span> <span style="color: #444444;">The positioning is based on the order in which I discovered them. The rating system similar to what DoD already enforces, in that 5 / 10 is average, not bad.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Lora;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: x-large;">Thurston Moore - Siren</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-size: large;"><i>By The Fire</i> | Noise Rock | 2020</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Lora;"><br /></span><div class="p1"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;">Woah. Talk about upheaving expectations. I see Thurston Moore, the 62 year-old former leader of Sonic Youth, left to stew in Noise Rock existentialism. I see '<a href="https://song.link/us/i/1521679559" target="_blank">Siren</a>,' clocking in at 12 minutes. I immediately dread the outcome. Now? I adore it. 'Siren' is a beautiful construct, soft and welcoming. As Moore's head tilts, his eyes close, a riff from greener pastures overwhelms the senses. It carries rich fragrances and fine hopes. A movement towards Arcadia, hinting at the gentle edges of Michael Gira's Gothic Country endeavors. Though the tonal shift midway through is a tad unpalatable, the return towards warmth - with Moore's vocals in tow, amiable and affectionate - reveals why such a hurdle needed to exist. 'Siren' is a marvel. A shocking Grab Bag entry that attests to the importance of musical discovery.</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora; font-size: 24px;"><b>9 / 10</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Lora;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: x-large;">Robert Palmer - I Didn't Mean To Turn You On</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-size: large;"><i>Riptide</i> | Pop Rock | 1985</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Lora;"><br /></span><div class="p1"><span style="font-family: Lora;"><span style="color: #444444;">You know, I had a speech ready for Robert Palmer and his trend-biting, charm-driven ways. And while that's relevant, '<a href="https://song.link/us/i/1440651444" target="_blank">I Didn't Mean To Turn You On</a>' swayed my focus instead. On the sensual cut (reduced to ashes by cheap, New Romantic synthesizers), Palmer finds a groove in the nautical. It bears a passing resemblance to Arthur Russell, of all people, in this sense. Not on the surface, but deep within the sparse layers and moody recital of the title. That being said, like much of the 80's, Palmer's brunt style and chintzy production flavor hasn't exactly aged well.</span><br />
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</span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora; font-size: 24px;"><b>4 / 10</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">__________________________________________________________</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Lora;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: x-large;">Love Sculpture - In The Land Of The Few</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-size: large;"><i>Forms & Feelings</i> | Psychedelic Rock | 1970</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Lora;"><br /></span><div class="p1"><span style="font-family: Lora;"><span style="color: #444444;">A short-lived Psychedelic Rock band from the United Kingdom. Haven't we heard that before? About a hundred-dozen times. In the wake of the British Invasion, a flurry of Rock artists sprung from the background, intent on capturing the wave. Love Sculpture, like many, failed to garner much traction, disintegrating under the weight of tour life. As '<a href="https://song.link/us/i/696362417" target="_blank">In The Land Of The Few</a>' shows, their music wasn't particularly interesting either. Conventionality, nothing seems out of place. But that, ironically, is the exact problem. They're not as accessibly and poppy as The Beatles, nor as ambitious and daring as King Crimson. Falling into quite the boring spasm in-between.</span><br />
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</span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora; font-size: 24px;"><b>3 / 10</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">__________________________________________________________</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Lora;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: x-large;">Kid Loco - Relaxin' With Cherry</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-size: large;"><i>A Grand Love Story</i> | Trip Hop | 1997</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Lora;"><br /></span><div class="p1"><span style="font-family: Lora;"><span style="color: #444444;">Skulked 90's Trip Hop, arriving from the heart of France, where AIR were dominating airwaves at the time. While similarities can certainly be found, Kid Loco's '<a href="https://song.link/us/i/331780362" target="_blank">Relaxin' With Cherry</a>' constantly performs about-face tricks, offsetting the Downtempo sound with unpredictable blockades and tangled percussion. The result isn't all that appealing, sadly. These transitions are brutal, interruptive, and fail to match 'Relaxin' With Cherry's' riding tonality, which is actually quite calm and pleasant, even amidst all the patterns and loops. Clunky doesn't begin to describe these moments, which, while few and far between, are so whiplash-inducing that you can never quite shake them entirely.</span><br />
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</span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora; font-size: 24px;"><b>5 / 10</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Lora;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: x-large;">Pete Namlook - Trip 5</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-size: large;"><i>Air II</i> | Ambient | 1994</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Lora;"><br /></span><div class="p1"><span style="font-family: Lora;"><span style="color: #444444;">Find me someone more obsessed with Space, and Space-related Ambient, than Pete Namlook. The man released 135 albums on his record label FAX +49-69/450464. Thank you for compiling that number so I didn't need to, Wikipedia. His aesthetic was uncompromising, obsessed with shades of blue, monolithian soundscapes, and the great beyond. '<a href="https://song.link/us/i/41864028" target="_blank">Trip 5</a>' is sandwiched between growing passages, carrying but a fraction of <i>Air II's</i> 60 minutes. On it, Namlook invades the primitive Ambient Trance found slathered across the Berlin School movement. It should surprised no one that Namlook is German. They love their rigid lines, austere atmospherics, and meandering Electronics. In that sense, 'Trip 5' is fine. However, there's no denying a surplus of this style would go stale rather quickly.</span><br />
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</span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora; font-size: 24px;"><b>3.5 / 10</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Lora;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: x-large;">Shadowfax - Move The Clouds</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-size: large;"><i>Shadowfax</i> | New Age | 1982</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Lora;"><br /></span><div class="p1"><span style="font-family: Lora;"><span style="color: #444444;">To be fair, 'Move The Clouds' isn't exactly the best song to find off Grab Bag. First impressions are imperative, and for Shadowfax, I believe, things could've been better. Though it eclipses the three-minute duration, '<a href="https://song.link/us/i/308870141" target="_blank">Move The Clouds</a>' feels like little more than an interlude for grander compositions. Or perhaps not, given Shadowfax's connection to New Age and Jazz Fusion. Those types have no problem gliding away on a float made from meandering strings, teetering pianos, and droopy brass. For that's all 'Move The Clouds' is; aptly titled and descriptively bland.</span><br />
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</span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora; font-size: 24px;"><b>2.5 / 10</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">__________________________________________________________</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Lora;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: x-large;">Operating Theatre - Why Is Kilkenny So Good?</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-size: large;"><i>Rapid Eye Movements</i> | Musique Concrete | 1981</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Lora;"><br /></span><div class="p1"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;">No, no, no. We aren't doing this now. You know, I hate the types that approach anything esoteric in music and say "this isn't music!" But I mean, can we please agree, Operating Theatre's '<a href="https://rogerdoyle1.bandcamp.com/track/why-is-kilkenny-so-good-2" target="_blank">Why Is Kilkenny So Good?</a>' isn't music? Is it performance art? Absolutely. But nothing here entertains, excites, or tantalizes. It's a meaningless interview, devoid of point. Mixed, for the better half of the song, to your right ear. For god knows what reason. And if it's not silence filling the gaps, trivial Musique Concrète does the trick. Here, porcelain pots and pans creek along to skittish vocal samples, breathy heaves, and boilerplate Industrial noise. Left again, to infatuate with your right ear. No thanks.</span></div><div class="p1"><span style="font-family: Lora;">
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</span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora; font-size: 24px;"><b>0.5 / 10</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">__________________________________________________________</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Lora;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: x-large;">Social Distortion - I Was Wrong</span><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-size: large;"><i>White Light White Heat White Trash</i> | Punk Rock | 1996</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Lora;"><br /></span><div class="p1"><span style="font-family: Lora;"><span style="color: #444444;">Okay, I know we're supposed to lower our expectations on lyrics when it comes to Punk music, but c'mon. "When I was young, I was so full of fear / I hid behind anger, held back the tears" is what we're introduced to. The lines we'd read in journals from frustrated preteens. It doesn't help that Mike Ness' vocals feature that classic, Punk Rock gravel. Exaggerated and embittered, designed for teenagers to fight back their perceived injustices with. That being said, Social Distortion's production is killer, with giant riffs and an accessible palate. And though I dislike Ness' whole persona, one can't fault the content. '<a href="https://song.link/us/i/201415136" target="_blank">I Was Wrong</a>' stands against Punk Rock's machismo, with introspection, acceptance, and confession. That I can respect.</span><br />
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</span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora; font-size: 24px;"><b>6 / 10</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Lora;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: x-large;">Motoomi Doi - Nazo</span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: large;"><i>Hari No Nai Gabyo</i> | Ambient Pop | 2018</span></div></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Lora;"><br /></span><div class="p1"><span style="font-family: Lora;"><span style="color: #444444;">The textures on '<a href="https://song.link/us/i/1552850408" target="_blank">Nazo</a>' are what stood out to me first and foremost. Sure, Motoomi Doi's vocals are cordial and soft, matching Ambient Pop's reflection qualities with ease. But that genre, whether the artists who're largely disguised Singer/Songwriters want to believe it, is at its best when texture invades the otherwise stale palate. Initially, twinkly acoustics play fairly with Contemporary Folk, before a subtle and elongated build invites distortion and a general sense of impending tension. This transformation is effortless, and honesty quite impressive, as it's all done through the guitar. Shifting the perversion midway through helps 'Nazo' scale, instead of whimpering under yet another fragile voice.</span><br />
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</span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora; font-size: 24px;"><b>7.5 / 10</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">__________________________________________________________</span></span></div>Dozens Of Donutshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09419864582928187713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8849500676397996361.post-48712991754983735872021-12-08T11:53:00.001-08:002021-12-08T11:53:35.821-08:00Boards Of Canada - Geogaddi<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhh5UmM2_ncqPNjNmfEMW3EXJsNOE0OPKeraEVbCKiFvcLu5ZiudvoZqox4vKNkj0FbTVMXvb5963P5dtMG7UTxecjuIMx67IjaSO5k8MvR608F0tttiMYhX16p5DmSnkV8Pq-A6n04FSdb2R3F9mkED9n1VF8rmwQlCUDo-_Cts1zUJTyBcyE_J99R" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="990" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhh5UmM2_ncqPNjNmfEMW3EXJsNOE0OPKeraEVbCKiFvcLu5ZiudvoZqox4vKNkj0FbTVMXvb5963P5dtMG7UTxecjuIMx67IjaSO5k8MvR608F0tttiMYhX16p5DmSnkV8Pq-A6n04FSdb2R3F9mkED9n1VF8rmwQlCUDo-_Cts1zUJTyBcyE_J99R" width="640" /></a></div>
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<script src="https://s7.addthis.com/js/300/addthis_widget.js#pubid=MYID" type="text/javascript"></script><span style="color: #444444;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Lora; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;"><span style="font-size: 22px; font-weight: bold; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: underline;">TRANSMISSIONS FROM THE DUGA RADAR</span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Lora;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjG2ADwm2_39CRz9bhZtMZjGYL6TbxS9qDeJ97xfKycv3NKoLhQMKZ1J-gMF0FCVcMrVlAPuKJX3QI7B1y5AEbQzwZ0bM2Wiz1TFsK_GtNZGhb0lcXWfJadfWMT_He0sAIF3POiwEpXXQiAeu_FMhDiAkpwZ-iLzlv-TYb8LimCAtm4TgPxYerrPUar" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjG2ADwm2_39CRz9bhZtMZjGYL6TbxS9qDeJ97xfKycv3NKoLhQMKZ1J-gMF0FCVcMrVlAPuKJX3QI7B1y5AEbQzwZ0bM2Wiz1TFsK_GtNZGhb0lcXWfJadfWMT_He0sAIF3POiwEpXXQiAeu_FMhDiAkpwZ-iLzlv-TYb8LimCAtm4TgPxYerrPUar" width="400" /></a><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;">Months after I graduated college I found myself working local news as an overnight, do-it-all television junky running from one position to the next. On slow nights, when only myself and a producer filled two chairs in an otherwise-large building, I took to wandering the empty rooms in search of mundane, office-related mysteries. Apart from some decades-old viewer complaints soiled on musty printer paper, nothing caught the eye or captured the imagination. Except for one long, dark hallway whose sole light flickered dimly in the distance. Doors were left ajar on either side, peering into further blackness. To muster some sensation from these uneventful nights, I took to traversing this hallway, skin crawling up my spine, as 'Gyroscope' played, ricocheting off unseen shadows and barely perceptible surfaces. It was manufactured terror. It was <i>Geogaddi</i>.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;">While Boards Of Canada's <i><a href="https://dozensofdonuts.blogspot.com/2018/04/past-greatness-march-18.html" target="_blank">Music Has The Right To Children</a></i> still holds the title as their magnum opus, its successor delved even further into the enigmatic beast that came to define their production style. Vintage vocal samples scuffed by decades of deterioration, Field Recordings of microscopic beings shuffling indiscriminately, radio interference intruding upon nefarious dealings, loops of grandiose prominence cascading like streams, stardust twinkling in the ethosphere, chemical reactions drawing symbolism to nature's intrinsic symmetries, and children whooping and hollering just for good measure. <i>Geogaddi</i>, and Boards Of Canada by extension, exist in a world like no other. One that, at times, feels entirely inverted to ours. Perhaps even an alternate dimension, captured and imprinted with every click of the Polaroid, on images accosted by our sun.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;">Within their world, patterns emerge. For every IDM centerpiece lies an intersecting idea, an interlude composited of educational recordings ('Dandelion'), dead channel transmissions ('The Smallest Weird Number'), island ambiance ('Opening The Mouth'), or even silence ('Magic Window'). The jumbled distortion of 'A Is To B As B Is To C' even predates Vaporwave's surrealism by a solid decade. These moments peel back the fabric of Electronica, filling the gaps with mind-melting fluff, as a story would when taking a detour to expand upon the lore. Snapshots of another time engrave themselves in these moments, like the remnants of Chernobyl has to the landscape of Pripyat. In fact, that ghost city - and its haunting echoes of still life - bears the closest resemblance to <i>Geogaddi's</i> aura. Both in the stoicism of each interlude, and the catapulting tracks that feel like fissures cracking through the seams. Though stilted, 'Julie & Candy' and 'Dawn Chorus' sound like nuclear explosions, complete with disembodied voices of playground children running for the hills. More technical tracks, like the lauded 'Music Is Math' and 'Alpha & Omega,' twist knobs, sizzle in beakers, and attempt to control the uncontrollable.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;"><br /></span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Lora;">Then there's 'The Beach At Redpoint' and 'You Could Feel The Sky,' songs that worship nature at the cost of their own intrusion. Like humans invading pristine lands, becoming one with the environment, whilst leaving footprints in the soil. Except in Boards Of Canada's case, the effects are far more imposing and deadly, distorting serenity with a deluge of harmful chemicals and mechanical austerity. Yet, despite their far-reaching influences, Boards Of Canada's identity works through unbreakable synergy. The atmosphere of <i>Geogaddi</i> is flawless, delicately weaving the unnatural with the organic, tenderness with brutal systems. Despite all these interworking parts, <i>Geogaddi</i> appears effortless. Considering the genre, that is the true triumph.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Lora;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiU5O2w-SOxhdqORvGhjhPdZNXskTyGSK6NArJegQ2rz1MsrgjKjfeOTfgaKE_a9jmcO8_-oY2kpSIj8-jP-J0wI6zIW-2pcYDM4kf8KhEHdvQefmLs9j6EJw-23ncMJ6M6r6_HYzcb8XxkvISGqWamDt1AGvKs62EyG-G-LtQLGkckLR8-H-kf9-cP" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiU5O2w-SOxhdqORvGhjhPdZNXskTyGSK6NArJegQ2rz1MsrgjKjfeOTfgaKE_a9jmcO8_-oY2kpSIj8-jP-J0wI6zIW-2pcYDM4kf8KhEHdvQefmLs9j6EJw-23ncMJ6M6r6_HYzcb8XxkvISGqWamDt1AGvKs62EyG-G-LtQLGkckLR8-H-kf9-cP" /></a></div></div>Dozens Of Donutshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09419864582928187713noreply@blogger.com0