2010's Best List of the Best of 2010

2010 had its moments, along with a few inevitable disappointments, the greatest disappointment being most publications' choices for what they deemed the best of the year.  It's always frustrating to read the year-end best-of lists, I know, thus I have compiled an elite best-of-the-best-of-2010 list, including selections from the year's music, film, and literature, as well my personal favorite art exhibits.  I also have refused to apply ordinal rankings to these, as such is a simplistic and cheap approach to the art of a best-of list.  It is important to note, as is always the case with this blog, that I only included what I personally experienced in 2010 and that ultimately the list is entirely subjective and somewhat autobiographical (as a few of my friends may appear in the list).  This list will be lengthy, so for the first time ever on The Esoterrorist, you must continue reading after the jump.

Holidaze Shopping Guide

Do you find yourself with the dreaded task of holiday shopping for an esoterrorist?  You can't just go to the mall for such a person; you have to dig.  Plus, there's probably the chance that they don't even celebrate the holidays, reminding you always about the historical inaccuracies of Xmas.  And while you probably won't be able to find them something they don't already know about, there a lot of amazing things that are just now coming out that they would love to have in their stockings.  Below is a list of potential goodies for your pretentious but lovable significant other.

As mentioned before, Merzbow just released a 12-disc box set of ambient music, Merzbient!  It's interesting that just as Kevin Drumm was getting noisier, Merzbow decides to get more Kevin Drumm.  This will take one whole day to listen to in its entirety, so it should keep them busy during your Xmas eggnog-induced nap.  Prices are varying depending on the source, but I've found it as cheap as $130.

In 2004, Tristan Perich released a CD of 1-bit music, consisting of compositions from circuitry.  Similarly this year, Perich released his 1-bit Symphony; however, instead of a CD in the jewel case, one finds the actual circuitry, which, in contrast to the previous release of recorded material, actually performs the music live when turned on (one could think of it as a more avant-garde version of those singing holiday cards).  Plug your headphones directly into the case and enjoy.  Available for $29 from Cantaloupe Music (also available in a limited edition with silk-screened source code for $150).

Yeah Buddha Machines are awesome, those handheld looping devices that were first introduced in limited quantities from Chinese partnership  Christiaan Virant and Zhang Jian, and are back in third generation for more ambient drone creations a la Brian Eno.  About $25.

While Criterion Collection is responsible for keeping underrated classic film still in rotation in the DVD market, they are also responsible for making you pay $50 for a DVD, leaving many film enthusiasts reluctant to indulge themselves (which means you should get it for them).  Around Black Friday, Borders did a huge 50% off sale for their entire stock of CC, which was probably the best deal I've seen.  At the time of this post, unfortunately, that sale has ended.  Amazon, however, always maintains the most competitive prices on these collector's edition masterpieces, with usual discounts starting at $10 off.  Best case is almost half off of the Ingmar Bergman box set.

Friends of mine, Nick and Nadine, who are Sonnenzimmer, ran a series of amazing work for Insound this year, the 'Insound 10 for 10,' which visually represents the ten bands that made a resounding impact in music in 2010, though you may disagree with this list, including Beach House ,Broken Social Scene, Girls, Liars, The Mountain Goats, Neon Indian,Owen Pallett, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, and Titus Andronicus.  Each poster and t-shirt design for each band works independently and then ultimately as a whole.  Available at Insound, more info here.

Not impressed yet?  Nothing obscure or weird enough?  How about a Tom Zé box set, cataloging his career with 3 LPs, 7 inch single, and a CD interview.  That ought to do it. 

Holiday Tunes

A google search for "noise christmas" doesn't get you holiday classics performed by The Boredoms, but you may get a few "joyful noise" results.  Unfortunately there aren't a lot of cool records for fans of the out that are holiday-relevant, but I do know of a few that are somewhat unique concepts for Xmas albums, if you even care about being festive with your current tunes.

Working Stiff has been an open forum collective of outsider folk since 1985.  It mostly consisted of some like-minded artists meeting at the Springwater venue in Nashville, TN, some of the most recognizable acts involved being Lambchop, Dave Cloud, and one of my favorites, The Cherry Blossoms.  Cherry Blossoms bassist, Laura-Matter Fukushima, began a small label, Tiny Rig, which put out one of Nashville's proudest holiday records, The Working Stiff Christmas compilation, featuring holiday recordings (some live from Springwater) from all the best, and decorated with one of the many beautiful paintings of Blossoms' frontwoman, Peggy Snow.  The record still pops up at Nashville's most popular vinyl shop, Grimey's, every holiday, and it can still be ordered through Amazon and The Cherry Blossoms' official site.

If you've read this blog before, then you know about my fascination with christian alternative culture, especially religious metal.  Almost a decade ago, ROTD Records (and wouldn't you know it, christian metal labels have a significantly short lifespan, and this one's now kaput) put out their famous (and when I use this word, it often means famous amongst my friends and me) Brutal Christmas record, with epic metal covers of your holiday favorites.  Asian black metal group Kekal's cover of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" is the highlight for me, with the chorus sung with elfin-esque  group vocals.  Now, metal christmas albums seem gimmicky and silly, I know, but what stands out about this one is the sincerity of the record, as these bands subscribe to the christian faith and thus all subsequent christmas narratives, advent and all.  This is way out of print.  WAY out of print, but you can find it.

Back in 2002, when music wasn't that bad, or at least not near as bad as now, German label Mobilé put out a storybook packaged compilation of christmas and winter songs.  Some are obvious picks, like Low's "Take the Long Way Around the Sea" and some terrible Badly Drawn Boy song.  Really the reason to grab this is for Domotic's "Smith, Klaus, and White" and Múm's "Nóttin Var Svo Ágæt Ein."  I think Boomkat still sells some copies.  Insound may have one or two left.  Not too scarce. 

(Something About Fatness)

Broods - 2010

After their debut LP in 2006, entitled Pregnant Babies Pregnant with Pregnant Babies (and come on, you know you've had this discussion of the Russian doll effect of pregnant babies before in both intoxicated and sober states), Fat Worm of Error had little more output on the market for the last four years, with the exception of some cd-r's and split tapes (full discography here).  This year, however, the eccentric collective of free jazz noise spastics, featuring previous members of Deerhoof, have gotten down to business and back on the radar, first with their vinyl LP release, Broods, on Ecstatic Peace! and now this month with their latest, Ambivalence and the Beaker, on Resipiscent, which in my understanding, has been circulating with a different cover as far back as 2008 (update - beyond cover art changes, the music is also significantly remixed and remastered - thanks pilastr). 

Ambivalence and the Beaker - 2010

 Carrying on with the band's signature elements, the same chaotic buzzes reminiscent of Yuma Nora speckle the speakers, occasionally erupting into neo-dada antics and playful vocal experimentations.  Like with Babies, the band succeeds in a rich and elaborate dynamic that doesn't bore the listener in its silly indulgences, but rather keeps things in constant movement and the general output in a satisfyingly thoughtful progression.  But what really matters is that Fat Worm is just fucking fun, and ultimately sounds like an auditory representation of muppet rape (unlike Pitchfork, I will not apologize for the use of the word).

Return Your Purchased Holiday Gifts, the Best Bet for Your Loved Ones Arrives

I actually have a lot of posts and reviews lined up, with the slump in blog productivity due to a great deal of testing I am currently undergoing.  However, something so fantastic, stunning, and limited has appeared within my scope that I must put down the books and relay the gospel of this event with the greatest of urgency.  Drum roll.


MERZBOW IS RELEASING A 12 DISC BOX SET OF AMBIENT NOISE.  And just in time for X-Mas!  As I have yet to hear this treasure, titled Merzbient (clever!), I can at LEAST show you images of the remarkable, beautiful packaging, and I can tell you that Boomkat recommends it to Kevin Drumm fans.  If you're an asshole and really need more motivation than that to blow the $150 or so on a box of noise, then might I mention its limitedness (only 555 copies made, amazon is sold out [it apparently came out October 26, and sneaked past me]).

Behold, Some New Things

Stuff that you should already be listening to but may not be because you're dumb/uninformed.

Zach Hill "Face Tat" - Okay, there's not a great deal of surprises from Hella drummer Zach Hill here:  chaotic yet mathematically precise eruptions of satanic drumming with static-filled currents zapping throughout, ripping ass of all those in the path of its destruction.  The only real surprise is just how much ass is getting ripped and what an improvement this record is from the last solo outing.  So highly recommended.  Cheapest if you download from Zach's bandcamp page.

Salem "King Night" - Salem isn't exactly an obscure subject right now.  In fact, they're about to blow up.  It's inevitable.  This record just impresses anyone who hears it.  Just show them the first track, and they'll go get their own copy of the record.  I'm feeling reluctant to elaborate more than that, because words can't really do justice to the enormous power and awesomeness of this overdriven drum machine epic-goth sexsplosion.  The title track will end up on a film or trailer.  I would bet everything in my possession on that.  Just fucking get it before it becomes too overplayed, because it most certainly will be.

Parlour "Simulacrenfield" - More post rock from Temporary Residence, the label that refuses to give up on this overdone genre.  Parlour, however, add a beautiful horn/woodwind section to the mix,  not like that of the last Do Make Say Think record, which was good, but more like a Harold Budd composition, which is better.

 

Retrospective Series #6 - Retrospection within Retrospection

I was at the Acid Living Room one night, sitting in the middle of a furniture-less room on the floor with my pal Kell Bells.  We were eating our nightly Taco Bell when Andrew came in and said he would play a record for us as we dine.  As the needle dropped, a single, warble-y "beep" tone sounded, followed by hollow air of analog tape playing a low fidelity voice from the other side of a phone call. "Hey this is Bobby Dale, pick up the phone," the voice announced in a thick southern accent. "Pick up, pick up, pick up... alright, I'll holler at ya."  Then the beep sounded once more.  What was being played for our enjoyment was a compilation of answering machine tapes, compiled by a Nashville-based label, Sebastian Speaks, who collected vintage, obsolete answering machines from southern pawn shops that still contained their previous owners' cassettes, chock full of interesting messages.  The recordings include dramatic notifications, such as, "I'm in jail!" as well as the desperate and lonely, speaking endlessly to themselves, as if using the answering machine as a therapist.

While the messages are entertaining, no doubt, what's really enamoring about the record is the obsolete technology and how it stimulates a deep nostalgia for the years it represents with its haunting tape warble.  The sound quality itself creates this womb-like comfort, but at the same time an anxiety about the loss of such experiences and the end of archived material in the easily deleted digital age.

Hilarity and Despair is one of numerous project put out by Sebastian, with other works including a 64-page book of discovered artifacts in an abandoned house and a somewhat kickass record by Deluxin (featuring Nathan Vasquez of Be Your Own Pet and far superior to the more successful act).