It’s been 8 months since I’ve done one of these. It’s not an end of year list – I would be more interested to know your top 10 of 2018 right now, tbh.
Anyway, some things I reckon I’ve fully digested and really rate. I’ve been picking up a few things lately that I’m pretty buzzy about, so I might write again in another few months. See if the buzz remains.
Isolée – Resort Island (Resort Island)
Good old Isolée made one of my favourite house (-adjacent ?) tracks 25 years ago now. His releases since then, especially the albums, have been pretty patchy, but Beau Mot Plage was so good I kept on checking in. He’s had this thing over the years where he’s dancy but it’s weird and the results are often uncomfortable – in particular he does weird things harmonically, which I think usually put me off. Not like “I’m jazz!” but “I dgaf about tuning!” This album is much friendlier than usual and I happily play it start to finish anytime. It’s even quite lush compared to older stuff. Good times.
The Japanese House – In The End It Always Does (Dirty Hit)
I was faintly amazed some Newsroom quiz mentioned The Japanese House recently, but my partner says her music has been on various TV shows and such. It’s indie pop, I guess, and she used to get compared a lot to The 1975. This album is much, much more mellow and gentle than those times. Like the first single, Boyhood: “Lets build some hype with something so chill it verges on nondescript!” 😅 OK then. But the whole thing has sunk in and now I love it.
Zachary Utz – Pop Wheelies (Sound As Language)
This is the next release on the same label that put out my Epiphytes, and I can’t tell you honestly whether that influences my opinion of it. It’s a really intriguing mix of often quite glitchy noisy stuff and lushness: most tracks involve some mix of guitar, flutes and vibraphone and some cheerful and exotica-leaning harmonies and melodies, but stuttery processing, distortions and pinging electronic sounds make it spiky, occasionally bordering on abrasive. At least you can’t really relax into it, and in this case I like that about it.
The closest thing I can think of is Autechre remixing those chilled out Tortoise instrumentals, and it’s not that close.
J. Albert Meets Will August Park – Flat Earth (29 Speedway)
Another combo of electronic processing and acoustic instruments, but in this case piano-led jazz cut up and looped to create a way more sedate and laid back feel than the Utz record. Chill, but with plenty of substance.