Vashti Bunyan made her last album in 1970, and then... well, disappeared.
Until this year, that is. Comparisons to Nick Drake are at once obvious and appropriate. Both are/were aloof, British folk singers with an aura of mystique, offering their first-hand, meloncholy tales of loneliness. Despite the touches of piano and string instruments, the record remains sparse and desolate. It's incredibly moving, and by far the best singer-songwriter record I've heard in a long time. Perfect music as the summer fades to fall.

Vashti Bunyan - Feet of Clay

-David

"Slowdive is my favorite band" is my best pick-up line.
Turn those headphones up. Close your eyes. It's like when the morninglight first hits, and its warmth just raptures you. At that moment, the ethereal sound compensates for everything, as if it were exclusively for you and you alone. A girl who falls short of Slowdive will never have my heart.

Slowdive- Machine Gun (live in Oslo)
Slowdive- Catch the Breeze (live in Oslo)

and for the débutant, the incredible When the Sun Hits

-John

eightkoreans: i'm in the middle of posting a new entry into my blog. it's about mike farentinos.
DurezA1: what did mike farentinos do that deserves you blogging about it
eightkoreans: well here's the story...
eightkoreans: back in high school, he's at one of those Q101 Jamboree events.
DurezA1: ya
eightkoreans: he's chillin' in the urinal. and in walks Kill Hannah. they walk up to the pisser right next to him and proceed.
DurezA1: ok
eightkoreans: mike then, without even looking over, calls them faggots.
eightkoreans: zips up his pants and leaves.
eightkoreans: and that's that.
DurezA1: whos kill hannah. is that some emo band
eightkoreans: yup. borderline homos.

Kill Hannah- Boys and Girls (Metrosexual Tommie Sunshine Remix)


I was hoping Salim Nourallah would be some obscure artist that I could name-drop towards the end of the year, but after flipping through his myspace I realized the mainstream is where he ought to be. "Life in a Split Second" is off his new album Beautiful Noise.

Salim Nourallah- Life in a Split Second

btw, Royksopp may be show of the year.

-John

Art-noise fucks Lightning Bolt are about to release their fourth full-length album, Hypermagic Mountain. Here's a sampler that should shake things up. Things have been a bit too polite around these parts lately.

Lightning Bolt - Captain Caveman

-David

Tujiko Noriko has been a busy girl this year, releasing two albums, one under her own name and another in collaboration with Aoiki Takamasa. The solo work is more subtle and organic, while her work with Takamasa features a more abstract, fractured, cut-up sound. No time for an in depth explanation, but both albums are excellent.. seriously I can't recommend them enough.

Tujiko Noriko w/ Aoiki Takamasa - Vinyl Words

-David