self-titled magazine :: s/t daily » The Aughts In Review http://www.self-titledmag.com/home Sat, 11 Feb 2012 04:03:33 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 THE AUGHTS IN REVIEW: Mount Eerie On … Wyrd Visions’ ‘Half-Eaten Guitar’ http://www.self-titledmag.com/home/2009/12/29/the-aughts-in-review-mount-eerie-on-wyrd-visions-half-eaten-guitar/ http://www.self-titledmag.com/home/2009/12/29/the-aughts-in-review-mount-eerie-on-wyrd-visions-half-eaten-guitar/#comments Wed, 30 Dec 2009 01:20:11 +0000 selftitled http://www.self-titledmag.com/home/?p=5843

Instead of going on and on about our top picks of 2009 and the past 10 years—like we did here—self-titled asked some of our favorite ‘09 artists to share their favorite records. The following is a folk-metal favorite of Mount Eerie, Wyrd Visions‘ Half-Eaten Guitar. 

Wyrd Visions, Half-Eaten Guitar (Blue Fog Recordings, 2006)
My knowledge of music is far from comprehensive. I am no expert on anything. I pick up snippets of information and then fill in the rest with imagination. In my imaginary knowledge of the music world, ‘black metal’ necessarily means shrieking and thin buzzing guitars, even if the ‘lyrics’ might be reverently evoking dark deep wooden pagan sacredness. I always found a contradiction here, which was a bummer because I wanted to live in that world all the time; I wanted more and more music that felt like a dark northern bog at twilight. This record by Wyrd Visions (a reclusive dude from Toronto) was the first time I felt this vibe through sounds that made sense to me. I don’t think he was actually trying to do that, or that he considers it black metal-related or anything, but that’s how I heard it and I still love that world he created—ceremonial and dreamy and stark. — Phil Elverum

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]]> http://www.self-titledmag.com/home/2009/12/29/the-aughts-in-review-mount-eerie-on-wyrd-visions-half-eaten-guitar/feed/ 0 THE AUGHTS IN REVIEW: Doseone On … Department of Eagles’ ‘The Cold Nose’ http://www.self-titledmag.com/home/2009/12/15/the-aughts-in-review-doseone-on-department-of-eagles-the-cold-nose/ http://www.self-titledmag.com/home/2009/12/15/the-aughts-in-review-doseone-on-department-of-eagles-the-cold-nose/#comments Tue, 15 Dec 2009 07:43:23 +0000 selftitled http://www.self-titledmag.com/home/?p=5695

[Photo by Alexander Wagner]

Instead of going on and on about our top picks of 2009 and the past 10 years—we’ll do that later—self-titled asked some of our favorite ‘09 artists to share their favorite records. The following is as free associative as it gets: Doseone’s (Themselves, Subtle, cLOUDDEAD) knee-jerk take on Department of Eagles‘ debut album.

Department of Eagles, The Cold Nose (Melodic, 2005)
This Department of Eagles record has always done it for me, ranking amongst the Notwist’s Neon Golden, Saafir’s Boxcar Sessions and Kate Bush’s The Dreaming for most played album in my home or headphones in the past decade. It is one of those rare first records that captures not only the potential and talent of its makers, but also happens upon some downright timelessness.

Daniel [Rossen] and Fred [Nicolaus] should get medals and milemarkers named after them for making this. It bares no sense of label ownership, and has none of the trappings of a band trying to hone a sound; instead it falls apart, and explodes of its own lo-fi/newborn accord…keeping one both guessing, and grinning…It’s also one of the few records I feel happy recomending to any one in the spectrum of humanity. From corner store clerk to bandmate, this record speaks for itself, and lasts forever on the listener’s block…there is a certain something to be said for that…I thank this record and its makers, for reminding me what it’s like to make beautiful music from scratch, and take names later… — Adam Drucker

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]]> http://www.self-titledmag.com/home/2009/12/15/the-aughts-in-review-doseone-on-department-of-eagles-the-cold-nose/feed/ 0 THE AUGHTS IN REVIEW: FaltyDL On … Squarepusher’s ‘Ultravisitor’ http://www.self-titledmag.com/home/2009/12/11/the-aughts-in-review-faltydl-on-squarepushers-ultravisitor/ http://www.self-titledmag.com/home/2009/12/11/the-aughts-in-review-faltydl-on-squarepushers-ultravisitor/#comments Fri, 11 Dec 2009 17:03:35 +0000 selftitled http://www.self-titledmag.com/home/?p=5619

[Photo by Sabine Mirlesse]

Instead of going on and on about our top picks of 2009 and the past 10 years—we’ll do that later—self-titled asked some of our favorite ‘09 artists to share their must-listen LPs. In the following post, FaltyDL tries to make sense of Squarepusher’s mid-decade disasterpiece. 

Squarepusher, Ultravisitor (Warp, 2004)
While most websites gave this record an ‘above average’ rating, Ultravisitor was 11 years ahead of its time. Never has an entire album made me feel more emotions than this. For instance, the opening track (“Ultravisitor”) pisses battery acid on any digitally manipulated piece of DSP funk ever made, and what’s more? It was recorded live. It’s incredible to think someone can fully understand groove and swing at 180+ BPM like this.

Hey, I know what your thinking, I love Remarc as much as the next junglist, but this was some other shit. Check the 6:24 mark of “50 Cycles.” See what I mean? Or as Squarepusher put it in a press release: “Ultravisitor is my spectacle of beauty and of terror. It is unknowable, and will never be understood by anybody, least of all its creator.”

I may not completely understand it, but it’s one hell of a trip. It’s dangerous for me to revisit a lot of his material, especially this. I’ll leave the room thinking I should go back to school, or make shoes or clean fish tanks for a living. The man is on top of his game here, making thousands of kids in their bedrooms cry emo tears on their keyboards wishing they could,”hang.” It also slams like nothing else in a club.

It may not be hip to break beats to bits anymore, but whatever. Check his 2-step if your gonna be a bitch about it. That craps on most 2k21 material you’ll hear next month. — Drew Lustman

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