Tops of My Pops for 12/17/06

A weekly look at what I'm listening to, from my Last.fm user stats:

Top Artists for the week ending Dec. 17, 2006
1. Bonobo
2. Moloko
3. Sondre Lerche & The Faces Down Quartet
4. J Dilla
4. Dub Tractor
4. Jurassic 5
7. Syntaks
7. Peeping Tom
7. Roots Manuva
7. Mogwai

Continuing my efforts to listen through all my unrated 2006 tracks I'm realizing that Bonobo's latest, Days To Come, is a fine piece of work. His songwriting skills have really matured over the years, to the point where he now makes it all sound effortless. Don't let the smoothness fool you though – there's a magic touch behind it all.

Similarly, Dub Tractor's and Syntaks' releases this year (Hideout and Awakes, respectively) didn't click with me at all on the first few listens but as I've spent more time with each they've really grown on me. I think the lesson here is for me to not let the more subtle releases slip by unexamined.

FYI Dept:

1. Sondre Lerche's Duper Sessions is fun enough, but it's not the joy to hear that Two Way Monologue was.
2. I've tried and I've tried, and I just can't get into J Dilla's Donuts. I know I have shamed mrkvm by saying this.
3. Feedback, the new one from J5, isn't as bad as all that...but we've all come to expect a much higher level of game from these guys.
4. I actually kinda like Peeping Tom, one of this year's Mike Patton releases – I respect both Patton and his high profile guest stars for getting out there and getting weird. I know I have shamed mrkvm by saying this as well.
   

See also:
The 'Tops of My Pops' archives

Tops of My Pops for 9/3/06

A weekly look at what I'm listening to, from my Last.fm user stats:

Top Artists for the week ending Sept. 3, 2006
1. OutKast
2. J Dilla
3. Shriekback
4. David Bowie
4. Public Enemy
4. Meat Beat Manifesto
4. Pop Will Eat Itself
4. Spoon
9. Foo Fighters
9. Burial

I'm going to try to start posting these weekly again (here for the first time). I used to do this on my old LiveJournal blog, but I haven't for more than a year.

This week was about checking out new/old discs I've picked up from la la. Haven't heard the new Outkast but I'm doing my best to catch up on ATLiens, Aquemini and Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, all older albums I hadn't really heard before. I've also been checking out J Dilla with some encouragement from mrkvm. Donuts has been fun so far, but no individual track really seems to stand out for me. Also just snagged a copy of Public Enemy's New Whirl Odor and have been enjoying it, but not as much as the first album of their “indie era”, There's A Poison Goin' On.... Needless to say, they're never gonna release another one as good as It Takes A Nation Of Millions....

Burial is another one mrkvm turned me onto, and he's completely obsessed. They represent my first knowing foray into dubstep, and so far I'm liking it despite the minimal presence of anything I'd think of as dub technique. I wonder, is all dubstep dark or is that just Burial's particular take on it?

See also:
The 'Tops of My Pops' archives