The Year That Was: 2011′s Best Projects #40-31

#40 Araab Muzik Electronic Dream

This album baffled me to no end. It feels a lot like living in a cloud, but with a certain kind of upbeat energy rarely found in the blunted nature of haze soundscapes.

After making a name for himself delivering exactly what Dipset needed for their hood sagas and then blowing up online for having the fastest fingers to work an MPC Araab hit the masses with a full length project (sorta, it clocks in just over a half hour?) in the form of Electronic Dream.

The record isn’t something that I can see serving any purpose other than just to give people something fun they can ignore just as easily probably dance too. Not being too familiar with the music he chooses to sample and loosely remix here it’s hard to tell what exactly is him and what was just jacked from the original music. Regardless their is a vibe here you won’t be able to escape. It’s feel good music with no real destination, spacey melodies and cause for a smile to be had.
-Will J.

Araab Muzik “Feelin So Hood”

#39 The Good Sin & 10.4Rog Late

These two sound about as good together as any hiphop duo of producer and emcee you can name. While Rog’s brand of mellow soul is rarely an energy booster, it’s always a mesmerizing and enchanting sound you won’t be able to dismiss easily. Sin is a capable rapper with a commanding voice and a seriousness perfect for these tracks.

The dusty thump blended with ominous keys is a standard here, although sometimes Rog experiments with the percussion of choice. Sin toys with some sing song hooks, showing off a voice that can flow or stay tune at the drop of a dime. His singing is never laid on too thick and from the moment you hear him spit his first bar on any tune it’s obvious where Sin’s heart lies.

Late is a quick play and it’s rarely skippable. There is knowledge to be found and a sincerity present, quite possible brought out by the sparse production Rog laces Sin with. It leaves little room to rest on laurels, few emcees could have owned these tracks in the same manner.
-Will J.

The Good Sin & 10.4Rog “Self Talk”
<a href="http://thegoodsin.bandcamp.com/track/self-talk">Self Talk by The Good Sin x 10.4 Rog</a>

#38 Campfire OK Strange Like We Are

Within the first thirty seconds of hearing this record, you begin to take notice of the indescribable feeling that something special is about to happen. The ivory introduction quickly gets built up by brass, harmonies, tambourines, sparks, echoes and everything in-between, making one’s adrenaline raise in anticipation of what’s to follow. It is clear Campfire OK is made up of members who’s musicianship goes beyond the ordinary, displayed in ways as simple as telling truths in words projected and the particular placement of pauses. The Seattle five-piece found their own way of bringing back the banjo, handclaps and finger snaps, while still maintaining a strong sense of maturity through their more mellow melodies. I have yet to find a group who displays more enjoyment on stage than these fine fellows and female, allowing for the sincerity in Strange Like We Are and them to shine though.
-Kayte O.

Campfire OK “We Lay In Caves”

#37 WU LYF Go Tell Fire To The Mountain

I went to see WU LYF solo; it was a show I wasn’t willing to miss. After rushing to join the ever-expanding mosh pit it became increasingly clear that, at that moment, there was no better place to be in the entire world. The sweat and stage diving, the unending triumphant crescendos and drum rolls, the abstracted vocals—they all combined into a maelstrom of anthemic indie rock bliss.

If you missed them, it’s not entirely your fault. The Manchester, U.K. quartet (whose acronym is pronounced “woo life” and stands for World Unite Lucifer Youth Foundation, a riddle of its own) ran a successful anti-publicity campaign in its early days that included denying interviews and shunning record labels. They charged A&Rs 50 pounds for a copy of their demo. They recorded and self-produced in an abandoned church. They did everything they could to work as far outside the music mainstream as possible and seemingly create an air of self-aggrandizing hype—then turned around and put out a record with extremely little in the way of pretense.

Once you strip away the layers of shadow and mystery, what you’re left with is Go Tell Fire to the Mountain. Frontman Ellery Roberts’s vocals are curiously distorted, primal, seemingly as much a compilation of grunts and nonsense as lyrics. And as you begin to decipher, a beauty emerges from the simply stated sentiments of angst and rebellion.

You find that as their name surely indicates, WU LYF isn’t content with the state of things. They call themselves “nothing, four dumb kids calling out heavy longings for a place to call home.” But if you take the time to absorb the soaring melodies and snarled, mumbled lyrics, you’ll feel why they’re so much more than that. Lucifer Youth Foundation isn’t about Satanism, nor is it petty mockery; it’s about rejecting constraint. And World Unite? Just listen to “We Bros”—“You try to put suits on animals but we bros,” Roberts growls. Unity is the key.
-Nick F.

WU LYF “We Bros”

#36 Machinedrum Room(s)

I slept on Machinedrum for a long time, which tends to be my way more often than not. I can jump onto one thing with the fervor of a rapid dog and yet ignore what’s right in front of me. What’s more, the music Machinedrum is aiming for on Room(s) is one that I’ve had my own interest in for quite some time now.

Chicago is the home to Juke music that kids from the town footwork too. Watching videos of this stuff online is incredible. The beats created by legions of bedroom producers from the city of wind are the sounds of modern urban decay. They are hard hitting and lack any sense of warmth. When Plant Mu’s owner discovered the sound and began pushing it out through his own label it was only a matter of time before Europe’s ever evolving electronic scenesters would grab hold of it and make it their own.

While Machinedrum’s take on it is anything but terrible, little of it reminds me of what I know has Juke music. The BPMs are right and the chopping of assorted sound snippets is pretty dead on, but their is a space in here that is welcoming and happy. The beautiful thing is that it doesn’t really matter. Electronic music stays shifting and picking up new subsets all the time. It’s a matter of growing and merging your own ideas with something rather than replicating what you’ve heard.

Machinedrum takes on an totally foreign sound and actives his own creativity by shifting the sound into his own realm while at the same time holding onto the most basic elements that comprise a “Juke” track. It’s an awesome examination at the constant nature of sonic evolution and a great example of how a musician can take inspiration to new heights.
-Will J.

Machinedrum “She Died There”

#35 Young Montana? Limerance

If you’re like me, you never knew a word like limerence existed and when you googled it to enlighten yourself, you were probably shocked at the meaning and more shocked when you read about the research process. Similarly, Young Montana?’s Alpha Pup debut album looks odd with its cover and title, but gets more odd when you explore its contents. From the beginning to the end, Montana? explores his tool kits in every imaginable way possible to build a unique, ever-changing soundscape that challenges the listener to keep up or else be left behind (Kirk Cameron style).

On “Bad.day,” Montana? shows off his skills by transforming a soulful vocal loop into a danceable jazz tune. With dual, opposing horn pieces, a warm bass accentuating the simple drum pattern, this beat probably would have been a finished product in the hands of any average producer. But this is Young Montana? and simplicity isn’t his trademark. Showing his versatility as an arranger of sound, the base of this song finds itself reiterated in different ways throughout the song’s five minutes. In the first part, vocal stabs syncopate the natural rhythm of the beat and stimulate the listener with the perfect amount of dissonance that keeps one intrigued by what comes next, even though we may already know. However, this soon changes into something more melancholy as the vocal stabs and horns are eliminated to make way for a shiny synthesizer that Montana? manipulates in some interesting ways to maximize its full potential. By this time, the listener has been sucked into a world of limerence characterized by oddly intriguing sounds and rhythms that confuse your senses and removes you from your normal world so that you have to listen to the end.

This type of exploration and freedom can be found throughout Limerence and it makes for an amazing listen because Montana? possesses the mind and creative energy to pack a variety of sounds, rhythms, and emotions into small space without crowding the soundscape. The free-flowing glitches and bells of “Connct” maintain throughout a wave of different primary elements to support a song that I would characterize as something perfect for a program on nature or space. “Sacre Cool” couldn’t be more aptly named for two reasons: how can you say the title without employing your stereotypical French accent and how can you not listen to this song without bobbing your head, tapping your toe or, god forbid, dancing? The syncopated hi-hats accentuate the thick kick drum and propel your feet while the dusty keys pump out a rhythm so catchy, the 70s are jealous. From someone so young, both in the industry and life, this piece of work rocks because it repackages hiphop’s love of samples with electronic music’s hyperactivity and jazz’s freestyling form. Looking forward to seeing what the future holds for this gentleman.
-Kyle J.

Young Montana? “Connct”

#34 Little Dragon Ritual Union

Little Dragon’s third album finds them continuing their journey through the rich landscape of soulful electronic patches and sultry jazz tinged vocal arrangements. While they don’t have to change their standard equation to make an avidly listenable record, they did veer into some slightly different territory on this outing, to which I am grateful. Production wise, this is their best effort. New sounds, more varied drum syncopation and a ‘less is more’ approach on tracks like “Brush the Heat” and “When I Go Out” really let Yukimi’s vocals and songwriting take center stage. Ritual Union moves Little Dragon out of the New Wave-y synth pop sounds of the 80s and towards a more contemporary electronic R&B territory.
-DJ100proof

Little Dragon “Ritual Union”

#33 Main Attrakionz 808′s & Dark Grapes II

While I was home for Christmas my mom asked me who the exciting new rapper was I was listening too. In about 30 seconds I had Main Attrakionz playing out of her stereo. I didn’t know what to tell her about them, I just decided it would be easier for her to just listen. Like most rap she couldn’t catch their lyrics but she nodded along to the beats.

Now I’m not claiming my mom knows good rap, but there is a quality within the Main Attrakionz sound that is a feel good vibe even a 50 something year old woman can connect with.

Squadda B and Mondre M.A.N. were responsible for some of my favorite rap in the last twelve months. They make invigorating tunes that scream of hope and optimism for the future. Their flows are impeccable, their bars have more substance than you could ever pick up on in one listen and would be forgiven for missing. When I hear Blackberry Kush and 808s & Dark Grapes all I can think is here are two young kids rapping from the heart because it’s what they have to do.

Passion is rare in today’s rap age. Gone are the days of doing it for the love. Or are they?
-Will J.

Main Attrakionz “Perfect Skies”
<a href="http://mishkanyc.bandcamp.com/track/perfect-skies-prod-by-friendzone">Perfect Skies [prod. by Friendzone] by Main Attrakionz</a>

#32 Hudson Mohawke Satin Panthers EP

If Gil Scott-Heron was right when he said that jazz music makes you want to dance, then this extended play from Ross Birchard has to be one of my top jazz recordings from the last year: it’s big, audacious and represents the first release from Hudson that ensnared my complete attention from beginning to end.

One reason for this owes itself to Hudson’s full exploitation of a musical idea through subtle arrangement changes and production alterations. On “Cbat,” I swear Hudson was trying to make a beat for Young Money, even though none of them could probably keep up at this point. Despite its minimalistic nature, this track bumps because every instrument, loop and random sound fulfills the purpose of getting people to dance to some weird shit! I mean honestly, this track probably has some of the weirdest sounds, but everything fits together so well that it becomes an addicting listen.

Then Hudson switches it up and creates the hyperactive dance gem that is “All You Love.” It begins with a similar pitched synthesizer as another great HudMo song, “FUSE,” that drops into a percussion whirlwind of stuttering hi-hats, driving kicks and bouncy snares. I don’t know how you would dance to this, but I imagine it’d be fun.

The same goes for the triumphant finale of “Thank You” that spins up and up and up thanks to a barrage of snare drums and building synth stabs that break into the legato consonance that lasts just long enough to give you a break until he breaks into another torrent of rhythms. It is a fitting way to end such an impressive recording because it comes off like a happy ending and that’s okay every once in while, especially when it sounds like candy coated synthesizers.
-Kyle J.

Hudson Mohawke “All Your Love”

#31 Das Racist Relax

Relax might be best explained via a portion of The Fader’s “By The Numbers” column. One hundred: the percentage of critics surprised that Das Racist can actually rap. One hundred: the percentage of Das Racist surprised Das Racist can actually rap. A snark victory to be sure, but the magazine was only playing the trio’s own game. And not disingenuously either; intelligence and humor were the defining characteristics of Shut Up, Dude and Sit Down, Man while emceeing in the traditional sense was far from their best quality.

That said, Das Racist certainly didn’t give up their wit to make a commercial debut. And if you were still unsure of whether you should be laughing or paying close attention, the Brooklyn outfit smacks the shit-eating grin right off your face with the first track while simultaneously telling you to relax over and over again—kind of like what Kool A.D. literally did to me in the photo pit at Sasquatch! this year (no hard feelings dude!). Rhymes about White Castle burgers and faux club-bangers like “Booty In The Air” give you time to regain a smile by the record’s end, but not before being on the receiving end of a demonic, auto-tuned cackle. Lead single “Michael Jackson” captures the infectious catchiness of breakthrough track “Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell” while managing to also feature verses with a snarling hardness. They manage to ridicule and revel in hiphop all at once, and in that dichotomy rests their genius.

Das Racist settles the joke-band debate as best as a semi-serious band can, and they’re always one step ahead. Relax’s closing words are also probably the record’s most illustrative: “You can ask what it do, or you can act like you knew,” Kool A.D. says. “You can ask what it is, but I still wouldn’t tell you.”
-Nick F.

Das Racist “Michael Jackson”