Happy Holidays!

Green Machine's Top 10 Albums of 2008

10. The Magnetic Fields - Distortion









9. Ratatat - LP3









8. Tears Run Rings - Always, Sometimes, Seldom, Never









7. Soundpool - Dichotomies & Dreamland









6. Hot Chip - Made In The Dark









5. Deerhunter - Microcastle









4. MGMT - Oracular Spectacular









3. Kaiser Chiefs - Off With Their Heads









2. Kelley Polar - I Need You To Hold On While The Sky Is Falling









1. Jim Noir - Jim Noir

Microcastle / Weird Era Cont.

DEERHUNTER – MICROCASTLE / WEIRD ERA CONT.
After their wildly popular “Cryptograms” made them the critics’ darlings of last year, Deerhunter is back with even more shoegazey delights for 2008. Probably their finest work to date, “Microcastle” also includes a bonus disc, “Weird Era Cont.,” which is basically a full-length album in its own right.

Check out my favorite track, "Nothing Ever Happened," here:


Get your own copy of "Microcastle" here.

Double Night Time

MORGAN GEIST – DOUBLE NIGHT TIME
“Double Night Time” is the new solo album from Environ Records founder Morgan Geist. Environ is home to Metro Area and Kelley Polar, who contributes vocals on about half of the tracks. Vocals on the remaining tracks come from Jeremy Greenspan of Junior Boys.

Check out my favorite track, "City of Smoke and Flame," here:


Get your own copy of "Double Night Time" here.

Body Language Vol. 7

MATTHEW DEAR – BODY LANGUAGE VOLUME 7
The latest volume of this popular series comes from Matthew Dear. Curated by Berlin-based electronica label Get Physical, past contributors have included M.A.N.D.Y. and the Junior Boys.

Check out the track "Free To Ask" by Matthew Dear here:


Get your own copy of "Body Language Vol. 7" here.

Everything That Happens Will Happen Today

BRIAN ENO & DAVID BYRNE – EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS WILL HAPPEN TODAY

27 years after the groundbreaking “My Life In the Bush of Ghosts,” Brian Eno and David Byrne have reunited for a second collaborative album. This time around, the legendary duo have recorded what they call a “gospel-folk-electronic” album. Eno says of his gospel-influenced progressions, “I use modes and chords that are easy to follow and harmonize with. I want music to be inviting, to offer the listener a place inside it. I think David responded to this with sensitivity and skill, and his natural edginess made those familiar progressions sound new to me once again.”

Check out the track "Wanted For Life" here:


Get your own copy of "Everything That Happens Will Happen Today" here.

Random Blog Post

DEADMAU5 – RANDOM ALBUM TITLE
In less than a year, Canadian based Joel Zimmerman, a.k.a. deadmau5, has gone from near obscurity to being touted as Producer Of The Year and becoming the number one selling artist on Beatport. Using both analog synths and computer-based programming, deadmau5 creates his own unique brand of Progressive House and Trance.

Check out my favorite track, "I Remember," with vocals by Haley Gibby, here:


Get your own copy of "Random Album Title" here.

Skeletal Lamping

OF MONTREAL – SKELETAL LAMPING
It seems most music critics are in agreement about their dislike of the new Of Montreal album – it’s too frenetic, too random, too densely layered. The songs don’t make any sense, switching in the middle to a completely different idea. Even the lyrics are “schizophrenic,” written from the point of view of Kevin Barnes’ alterego, Georgie Fruit. The funny thing is, those are all the reasons why I like the album so much, and consider it equal to or better than the critically-exalted “Hissing Fauna.”

Check out my favorite track, "Nonpareil Of Favor," here:


Get your own copy of "Skeletal Lamping" here.

Blood, Looms and Blooms

LEILA – BLOOD LOOMS AND BLOOMS
When Warp signed London-based Iranian DJ, musician, and producer Leila Arab, it was a smart choice for a label that has always successfully supported progressive electronic music with pop sensibilities. “Blood, Looms and Blooms” fits this theme well while exploring sonic ground that sets it apart from its contemporaries. Featuring vocals from former Tricky partner Martina Topley-Bird, Specials frontman Terry Hall, and others, this album fuses the personalities of its varied guests with an adventurous palette of sound. The combination lifts the music off familiar ground, revealing Leila as an artist unafraid to take risks.

Check out the track "Mollie" here:


Get your own copy of "Blood, Looms and Blooms" here.

Off With Their Heads

KAISER CHIEFS – OFF WITH THEIR HEADS
Despite what would seem like insurmountable setbacks (having their album produced by Smiths-song-ruiner Mark Ronson AND allowing out-of-tune mewler Lily Allen to contribute guest vocals), the Kaiser Chiefs have somehow managed nonetheless to pull off a triumphant third album. “Off With Their Heads” finds the band more focused, and refines their irresistible Brit-pop sound into a really enjoyable album as a whole, perhaps their finest to date.

Check out the track "Good Days Bad Days" here:


Get your own copy of "Off With Their Heads" here.

Secret Machines

SECRET MACHINES – SECRET MACHINES
The highly anticipated follow-up to 2006’s “Ten Silver Drops,” the new self-titled “Secret Machines” is a sonic tour de force full of expansive instrumental swells and psychedelic sounds. This album sees the band mapping out new musical terrain while retaining the lyrical and melodic elements that have made them favorites amongst fans of prog and psychedelic rock.

Check out my favorite track here:


Get your own copy of "Secret Machines" here.

S-M Backwards

SERENA-MANEESH – S-M BACKWARDS
While working on their new album, Serena-Maneesh gives us a look back to their early days. Most of the material on this double album was released as two EPs prior to the self titled debut. This is the first time the material has been released outside of Norway. In addition to the original EPs, this double album also contains new mixes, and two videos.

Check out my favorite track here:


Get your own copy of "S-M Backwards" here.

Offend Maggie

DEERHOOF – OFFEND MAGGIE
Listen for 5 seconds, and you'll know "Offend Maggie" can only be Deerhoof. On their latest record, Deerhoof achieve the perfect blend of their characteristic experimentation and a more accessible pop songwriting, blending unpredictable shifts with great hooks.

Check out my favorite track here:


Get your own copy of "Offend Maggie" on CD or LP here.

Radio Retaliation

THIEVERY CORPORATION – RADIO RETALIATION
Rob Garza and Eric Hilton return with “Radio Retaliation,” the duo’s fifth studio album. This time around, they enlist the help of some terrific guest artists, including Seu Jorge, Femi Kuti, Sleepy Wonder, Jana Andevska, and Anoushka Shankar.

Check out my favorite track here:


Get your own copy of "Radio Retaliation" here.

Object 47

WIRE – OBJECT 47
From 1977's “Pink Flag” to the band's most recent album, “Object 47,” legendary combo Wire has created a unique body of work. Often subverting genres, Colin Newman, Graham Lewis and Robert Grey continue to work on new material, regularly confounding expectations. “Object 47” is Wire's 11th studio album, and the 47th object in Wire's discography.

Check out the track "Hard Currency" here:


Get your own copy of "Object 47" here.

Let Your X's Be Y's

TETINE – LET YOUR X’S BE Y’S
While Tetine may appear to be the most recent addition to the growing Brazilian Post-Punk/Baile Funk scene that includes the groups C.S.S. and Bonde do Role, the group have actually been in existence the longest, and have an infamy in the Sao Paulo scene that they helped create. “Let Your X's Be Y's” is Tetine's first album to be released in the UK. It includes their two previous singles on Soul Jazz Records, "A Historia da Garca" and their most recent "I Go To The Doctor." This album also comes with a limited edition bonus track - the CSS remix of "I Go To The Doctor."

Check out my favorite track, "Everything Must Die," here:


Get your own copy of "Let Your X's Be Y's" here.

Republic Tigers

REPUBLIC TIGERS – KEEP COLOR
Due to a lifelong love of all things golf-related (mini golf, real golf, and even video game golf), I recently purchased Tiger Woods PGA Tour ’09. As is the case with most games, I love the game but dislike most of the music. However, there is one really great song in the 09 edition, and it’s by the Republic Tigers. They are a quartet from Kansas City, MO. Currently on tour with Travis, their music is at times reminiscent of Death Cab For Cutie, Mew, Interpol, and Travis. Frontman Kenn Jankowski describes the band’s distinct sound as "a sound that's half organic and half synthetic, kind of like how all of our lives are now. It's the common theme throughout all our songs and we tried to approach it audibly as well."

Check out the track "Bulidings & Mountains" here:


Get your very own copy of "Keep Color" here.

I Shall Rise Again

ALIAS – RESURGAM
Anticon veteran Brendon Whitney returns for his first proper solo album since 2003's "Muted," delivering an impressive album of instrumentals, as well as a couple of vocal collaborations (with labelmate Yoni Wolf of Why? and One AM Radio). Whitney's starting point for his music is firmly rooted in hip hop, but there's a freakishly wide range of other influences as well. Tracks like "Death Watch" and the title track have an almost Ulrich Schnauss-like soundscape of textured electronica.

Check out my favorite track, "M.G. Jack," here:


Get your own copy of "Resurgam" here.

Molecular Pop

STEREOLAB – CHEMICAL CHORDS
Stereolab’s 11th full length album is their first for legendary label 4AD. Inspired by Motown rhythms and instrumentation, Chemical Chords retains the classic Stereolab sound, but overall the songs are a bit poppier, and less meandering (the longest track on the album is its title track, clocking in at just over 5 minutes).

Check out my favorite track, "Pop Molecule," here:


Get your own copy of "Chemical Chords" here.

Return of the Dandies!

DANDY WARHOLS – EARTH TO THE DANDY WARHOLS
Despite its being soundly trounced by the reviewers over at Pitchfork (in an amusing fit of hypocrisy, Pitchfork refers to the Dandies as “consumed with scenester mannerisms”), I am enjoying the Dandy Warhols’ sixth album, their first on their own label, Beat the World Records. EARTH TO THE DANDY WARHOLS marks a return to consistently good songwriting that seemed sadly lacking in ODDITORIUM. The album also comes with a remix EP, featuring one mix by each member of the band.

Check out Fathead's "Welcome to the Skin-Up Remix" here:


Get your own copy of "Earth to the Dandy Warhols" here.

Odd Nosdam - Pretty Swell Explode

David P. Madson, a.k.a. Odd Nosdam, is an artist, musician, DJ, and co-founder of Bay Area record label/collective Anticon. Along with artists like Dalek, Boom Bip, cLOUDDEAD, and Subtle, Nosdam is part of a growing number of artists combining elements of atmospheric studio wizardry, shoegaze, and hip hop into a big beautiful soundscape you’ll love to listen to.
Nosdam’s latest release is "Pretty Swell Explode," an enhanced two-disc collection of remixes, B-sides, videos, and original songs.

Check out the track "Untitled Three here:


Get your own copy of "Pretty Swell Explode" here.

(non)Brazilian Girl(s) - New York City

BRAZILIAN GIRLS – NEW YORK CITY
Yay! This upbeat NYC trio (none of whom are Brazilian, and only one is a girl) is back with a third album of quirky, worldbeat-infused electronica. If you enjoyed the first two albums, “Brazilian Girls” and “Talk To La Bomb,” “New York City” is a must-have. If you are new to this band, this is a good place to start.

Check out the track "Losing Myself" here:


Get your own copy of "New York City" here.

RATATAT – LP3

Ratatat features multi-instrumentalist/ programmer Evan Mast and guitarist Mike Stroud. On their third album, aptly titled LP3, they add to their signature instrumental sound with layers of mellotron, live percussion, harpsichord, and slide guitar.

Check out the track "Dura" here:


Get your own copy of "LP3" on LP or CD and get a free Ratatat logo iron-on while supplies last.

And the 2008 Bedroom Genius Award goes to...

JIM NOIR – JIM NOIR
Music from Jim Noir’s 2006 debut “Tower Of Love” was used on the BBC Radio4 game show “The Unbelieveable Truth,” the US television series “Grey’s Anatomy,” commercials for Chase Manhattan Bank, UK food company Ginsters, Target, Adidas, and in the trailer for the PS3 game “Little Big Planet.” Not bad for a 24 year old guy from Manchester. A bedroom genius extraordinaire, Jim Noir admits to not getting out much, instead hiding out in Davyhulme, recording his unique brand of nostalgic yet progressive psychedelic-tinged pop.
The self-titled followup album is a masterpiece, expanding upon some of the ideas in “Tower Of Love,” but adding new layers of harmony and understated elements of electronic wizardry.

Check out the track "Look Around You" here:


Get your own copy of "Jim Noir" here.

"Slap that baby..."

LIFE BEYOND MARS: BOWIE COVERED
Rapster Records, the folks who brought you the Radiohead covers album “Exit Music” in 2006, are back with an album of David Bowie covers. Artists include Au Revoir Simone, Kelley Polar, Matthew Dear, and more. There’s a great selection of songs here, too – including three tracks from my favorite Bowie album, “Low.”

Check out Kelley Polar’s version of Bowie’s “Magic Dance” from the movie Labyrinth here:


Get your own copy of "Life Beyond Mars" here.

Watching the jet planes go by...

On his most recent effort, Beck teams up with legendary producer Danger Mouse. Despite the fact that his first album came out 14 years ago, Beck has always seemed to have the ability to adapt and expand his sound with the times. Danger Mouse provides great production for Beck’s signature psychedelic folkpop sound. And, despite the fact that NASA continues to deny their existence, MODERN GUILT even has a song about chemtrails!

Check out the track “Chemtrails” here:



While supplies last, get a free bonus 7” record with your purchase of Beck’s MODERN GUILT. Tracks include “Chemtrails” and “Vampire Voltage No. 6.”

What Does It All Mean?

Steinski (advertising writer, DJ, and record collector Steve Stein) produced his first record in 1983. In response to a nationwide remix contest by Tommy Boy Records, he and partner Double Dee (engineer and studio wizard Douglas DJ Franco) produced “The Payoff Mix.” A panel of ten judges—including Afrika Bambaataa, Shep Pettibone, Jellybean Benitez, and Arthur Baker—unanimously chose the mix as the winner. Within two weeks “The Payoff Mix” became a Top 10 request on urban radio nationwide, but the release never saw official status and was subsequently bootlegged countless times. The Payoff Mix became the first record in a series now known as The Lessons. The series quickly became highly sought after collectibles and led to homage records by DJ Shadow, Cut Chemist, DJ Format, and others. WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN? collects everything from a hip-hop narrative about the Kennedy assassination to the 1998 remix of Afrika Bambaataa’s “Jazz” with Double Dee. The release also includes a second disc with the critically acclaimed “Nothing To Fear: A Rough Mix,” an hour-long mashup that was produced for Solid Steel/BBC London.

Check out "Lesson Three" here:


Get your own copy of "What Does It All Mean?" here.

With A Buzz In Our Ears

SIGUR ROS – MED SUD I EYRUM VID SPILUM ENDALAUST
My favorite Icelandic band is back with a brand new album! The title translates to “With A Buzz In Our Ears We Play Endlessly.” Produced and mixed by the legendary Flood, Sigur Ros’s latest effort exposes a lighter side to the band, with many shorter, poppier songs. If you like the classic Sigur Ros sound, though, never fear – there are still a couple of the trademark lengthy, euphoric tracks the band is known for on here as well.

Check out the track Inní Mer Syngur Vitleysingur (Within Me A Lunatic Sings) here:


Get your own copy of "Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust" here.

Allien Planet

ELLEN ALLIEN – SOOL
The goddess of minimal techno is back. Join her for a tour of the imaginary planet Sool, which is “an array of positive energy and light.”

Check out the track "Freida" here:


Get your own copy of "Sool" here.

Ladytron - Velocifero

Back with their self-produced fourth album, the foursome continue where they left off on 2005’s “The Witching Hour.” Darkly sparkly, sleek and bleak, it’s everything you’d expect from Ladytron as they continue to evolve.

Check out my favorite track here:


Get your own copy of "Velocifero" here.

I need you to hold on while the sky is falling

There may be nothing I enjoy more than really good electronic music composed by someone with a lifetime of classical training. Kelley Polar grew up in rural New Hampshire listening to disco records on his Fisher Price record player. Beginning his serious musical studies, he took up the violin at age 3. By 18, he was a prizewinner at the William Primrose International Viola Competition. He continued his musical education at Oberlin and Juilliard. During his time at Juilliard, he met Environ Records owner Morgan Geist, and his foray into electronic music began. Check out my favorite track from his new album, "I Need You To Hold On While the Sky Is Falling," "Entropy Reigns (In the Celestial City)" here:

Same As It Never Was

THE HERBALISER – SAME AS IT NEVER WAS
The Herbaliser is back! With their shared love of jazz, funk, and hip-hop, West London duo Jake Wherry and Ollie Teeba have contunially evolved over the past 15 years. On their latest album, they hit a new peak. With a new label, a new main vocalist, and a new focus on soulful songwriting, this is their richest and most diverse record so far.
Check out the track "The Next Stop" here:



Get your own copy of "Same As It Never Was" here.

That Subliminal Kid

DJ SPOOKY – SOUND UNBOUND
Released in conjunction with his book Sound Unbound, which explores the state of contemporary digital music and its cultural context, this CD mashes and mixes a huge cast of artists, including Aphex Twin, James Joyce, Erik Satie, Sun Ra, Steve Reich, Sonic Youth and Iannis Xenakis. All of the material used was culled from Belgian ambient/industral label Sub Rosa's extensive archives. Check out my favorite track here:



Get your own copy of "Sound Unbound" here.

Welcome To Dreamland

Forming in 2005, Soundpool is a NYC-based 5 piece shoegaze/space rock act with sweet, ethereal vocals, saturated guitar noise, and lush synths. I first heard them on the “Secret Garden Vol. One” compilation, which featured the title track from their debut release, “On High.” The newest release, “Dichotomies + Dreamland,” is great from start to finish. Check out the track "Do What You Love" here:

Up, Up, and Away...

MATMOS – SUPREME BALLOON
Over the last nine years, M.C. Schmidt and Drew Daniel have used the recorded sounds of amplified crayfish nerve tissue, the pages of bibles turning, a bowed five string banjo, slowed down whistles and kisses, water hitting copper plates, the runout groove of a vinyl record, a $5.00 electric guitar, liposuction surgery, cameras and VCRs.
Now floating in a new direction, SUPREME BALLOON was recorded using no microphones at all, instead relying on a plethora of exotic and antiquated synths from Arp, Korg, Roland, Waldorf, and Moog. Check out the track "Polychords" here:



Get your own copy of "Supreme Balloon" here.

Return of Portishead

After an 11-year absence, the Bristol band that pioneered the trip-hop genre has returned! Still trippy, but a little less hoppy, the band’s sound has definitely been updated. But thanks to the distinctive voice of Beth Gibbons, THIRD still has the recognizable sound of Portishead that fans know and love, and have been eagerly awaiting. Check out the track "We Carry On" here:



Get your own copy of "Third" here.

Remix Romance

Adorable reclusive Swede Sally Shapiro (not even her real name, either!) follows up her adorable 2007 release, “Disco Romance,” with Remix Romance Vol. 1. Featuring a remix of each track on the US release of “Disco Romance,” remixers include Juan MacLean, Lindstrom, Junior Boys and more. Check out the Holy Fuck remix of “Find My Soul" here:



Get your own copy of "Remix Romance" here.

Saturdays=Youth

"I loved being a teenager," says Anthony Gonzalez, who is M83. "That's when I discovered music and started to take drugs and party with my friends. On this record I wanted to have the feeling of a teenager mixed with this period of the Eighties."
To realize his vision, Gonzalez enlisted the help of producers Ken Thomas and Ewan Pearson. Thomas is known for his work with Sigur Ros, Sugarcubes, Cocteau Twins, Suede and Clinic. Berlin-based British dance producer Ewan Pearson has worked with Tracey Thorn, The Rapture, and Ladytron. Check out the dreamy results here:



Get your own copy of "Saturdays=Youth" here.

shoegazer's not dead

TEARS RUN RINGS – ALWAYS, SOMETIMES, SELDOM, NEVER
Tears Run Rings has five band members, based in Portland, Seattle, and LA. Despite the distance between them, they collaborated over the course of about 3 years to create one of the prettiest shoegaze albums I have heard in recent times. Something like a more upbeat Slowdive, the vocals provided by guitarist Matthew Bice and bassist Laura Watling are sublime. Check out the track "How Will the Others Survive?" here:

Can anyone who has heard this music really be a bad person?

KAKI KING – DREAMING OF REVENGE
King's distinctive style combines fret-tapping with slap bass techniques, using the guitar for percussive beats, as well as sound layering and looping, which creates a percussive and complex sound. This is what it might be like if you could roll up the California Guitar Trio into one small girl with a really pretty singing voice. Check out the track "Pull Me Out Alive" here:



Fulfill your own dreams of revenge here.

A Statement From Morrissey:

In late June the Montreal Symphony are hosting a TV Special to salute Buffy Sainte-Marie's 50th year making music. I am honored to be asked to take part. I first bought a Buffy Sainte-Marie record when I was 12, and her music has always remained with me. In the 1960s, as a political activist, Buffy's lyrics were fearless, and I'm very grateful for all the risks that she took.
I am also pleased to be asked to join the bill at the V Festival at the Thunderbird Stadium in Vancouver, and also at Fort Calgary in Calgary.
However, as we all know, the psychologically and constitutionally sickening Canadian seal-kill has started and is once again in full-cry.
The horror of the Canadian seal-kill is untranslatable, and although I fully realize that highly concentrated evil exists in other countries - Japan's dolphin slaughter, Iceland's newly-revived whaling, the cat-skinning trade in Switzerland, and China with just about every injustice imaginable - there is something especially menacing about Canada's seal-kill.
Loyola Sullivan (Canada's Ambassador for Fisheries Conservation) is a man of glacial coldness who claims that the seal-kill is "humane" - a view he might alter if his own skull were cracked open with a spiked axe.
The fact that the seal-kill provides a livelihood for fishermen is an insultingly dim excuse for it to take place - after all, the German gas chambers of World War 2 also provided work for someone.
The seal-kill takes place to satisfy greed for fur-pelts, and this Canadian government is happy to drag the global image of its own country down, and make it a place that people such as I couldn't bear to visit.
MORRISSEY, 29 March 2008.