20

Battles, Mirrored [Warp]

Mirrored somehow arrives at a melting point right in the middle of the spontaneous exuberance of the Battles live experience and the calculating arrangements of their early EP’s, and it displays their songwriting as well as their raw ability in a way I don’t think anyone could have imagined. Tyondai’s singing, while incredible odd, is strangely enchanting, and adds a layer just like any one of the many instruments or machines they’re already using. With Mirrored, Battles really let it all hang out, and it makes the record so much more important than those from other skilled musicians who remain reserved and overtly technical just for the sake of it.

~ onecaseman

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Download: Leyendecker

19

The World on Higher Downs, Land Patterns [Plop]

The man behind Arctic Hospital is a part of this? This couldn’t be anything further from techno; Land Patterns is an illegal left turn away from the dancefloor, relying on that blend of ambience and post rock that can be boring, but is oh so captivating if done well. And it’s pretty impressive here. Bass, guitar, piano, and synths slightly alter the songs as they move like glaciers over their epic lengths to create sonic memories. I’d really like to see more post rock moving in this direction, instead of the Explosions in the Sky opus style that’s become so monotonous.

~ onecaseman

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Download: Sun Court

18

Shape of Broad Minds, Craft of the Lost Art [Lex]

Jneiro Jarel’s third record in as many years, with his third new moniker. This one’s technically a collaboration, but most of the collaborators are just more aliases of Jneiro. As such, this release is way more varied than Beat Journey or even Three Piece Puzzle, and it’s better and worse for it. There’s so much going on here; Craft really shows just how much more daring and willing to take risks Jneiro is compared to other producers. I just can’t recall anyone extending their reach to this much variety in the hip-hop genre. And while it may be hard to keep track of the aliases after a while, it will always be a joy to listen to the music.

~ onecaseman

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Download: There 4 Me

17

Lukid, Onandon [Werk]

‘Fresh’ is the first word that comes to my mind when trying to explain why Onandon is so well made. The album just bleeds originality, while going back to the glitch-hop basics. It is hard to pinpoint his sound, but it’s somewhere between J Dilla and old vinyl cracking sounds. At the same time as sounding like an album out of the seventies, it ends up sounding completely out of the future. Lukid’s sound comes through with ‘The Now,’ a startling beat filled with what sounds like white static dancing with the drum pattern. This is the hip-hop album that alien life grooves with while abducting cows.

~ Neveryan

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Download: The Now

16

Letters Letters, Letters Letters [Type]

Type really hit its stride in 2007. With a questionable start, Xela’s label settled down in 2007 with the kind of unique, interesting, and uncategorizable releases you might expected from such a musical chameleon. Letters Letters might be Type’s best release to date. Folk is at the base of this record, but it’s stained with elements of noise, pop, indie, and electronics. Male and female vocals about unsettling topics alternate over haunting arrangements. This is some dark stuff, but taking a flashlight to it is so worth it as the songs reveal themselves layer after layer.

~ onecaseman

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Download: Favorite Hands

15

Murcof, Cosmos [Leaf]

Murillo Corona Fernando permanently redefines the characteristics of a modern classical composition with a celestial symphony that is unlike anything that has ever been heard before. As part of a series named after each letter in his alias, the fourth movement (with only two more remaining) is Corona's most ambitious and monumental contribution to the Leaf label. In prior albums, this Mexican producer (now residing in Barcelona), introduced a minimalist approach to micro-programmed, sample-based electronica, incorporating orchestral and classical instruments accompanied by pulsing, glitchy and straight solid beats. In Cosmos, however, Corona expands on the universe of sound with infinite flow of energy generated through the Big Bang. Showcasing NASA's Atmospheric Entry Simulator on the cover, Corona foreshadows the mood for this inter-dimensional travel. The best approach to experience our state of being is to stretch outwards and gaze into the countless stars. Or you can close your eyes and let Corona infuse your imagination with the soundtrack for Harmony of the Spheres.

~ Headphone Commute

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Download: Cielo 

14

Apparat, Walls [Shitkatapult]

Walls ditches much of the glitchier, harder edge of Duplex (one of my all-time favorite records) and embraces the vocal electronic pop he first explored with “Contradiction” and later with the Silizium EP. And while I may wondered if I should have ordered the harder stuff on first listen, it’s hard to stay mad at Sascha when he works with vocals so well. Back with frequent collaborator Raz Ohara, Apparat’s songs are heartfelt without crying for attention. The vocals work with the beats instead of in contrast. While there may not be a “Granular Bastard” on this record, it’s replaced with “Over And Over”, and I’ll take either, honestly.

~ onecaseman

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Download: Over And Over

13

Amon Tobin, Foley Room [Ninja Tune]

If Ninja Tune was entirely in its own music genre (and I'd like to claim that it is), then it would be hard for its roster to compete with its staple artist, Brazilian born Amon Adonai Santos de Aravjo Tobin, who for over a decade has graced our ears with abstract downtempo trip hop and experimental jazzy breaks. Such is the case with Foley Room, an organic and at times dark album, that swirls and loops through filtered sweeps and broken beats. For his sixth release, Tobin abandoned his perfected technique of sampling from dug up vinyl, and built an ambitious collage of field and studio recordings with the help of The Kronos Quartet, Stefan Schneider (To Rococo Rot) and harpist Sarah Pagé. The elaborately cut up bits and pieces of familiar every day sounds form into an organized chaos of dissonant, elastic melodies powdered with bouncy rhythms and dropped into a chamber, which the sound effect designers call "the foley room".

~ Headphone Commute

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Download: Esther's

12

Lights Out Asia, Tanks and Recognizers [n5MD]

This is another one of the newer post-rock bands that continue to impress me. Recalling Port-Royal, this band thrives in making ethereal guitars and glitchy drums swerve together to make memorable songs, while also adding in the mix violins and other lush instruments. In the first song, “Roy,” the album makes it clear that you are about to listen to a one-of-a-kind album that doesn’t come around too often. All nine songs are sonically arresting, and you want to hear more of their sound once the album ends.

~ Neveryan

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Download: Roy

11

The Tuss, Rushup Edge [Rephlex]

Richard D. James (or a very, very convincing impersonator) has taken an interesting step forward with this album; combining the analogue work of the early 90s and early 00s with the IDM-ish elements of his late 90s Warp heyday, yet without seeming forced or strained. A random two-minute selection from this album has more impressive drum programming than the entire catalogs of certain IDM labels (which shall remain unnamed!).

~ playbynumbers

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Download: Rushup I Bank 12