The shows that I attended this year, according to my computer’s calendar: Lykke Li, Modest Mouse, Iron & Wine, Doves, Black Moth Super Rainbow, Wighonomy Bros, Micachu, Tune-Yards (4times), Bon Iver, Flight of the Conchords, The Jesus Lizard, McCoy Tyner.

Have a great holiday season, and remember to share music, always !!! Also, our good friends at Red Choo Choo have extended their holiday coupon for our readers.  Please enter FOEWEEL at check out for a 10% off coupon until the end of the year.

2009 Best Albums (in no particular order)

Bibio-Ambivalence Avenue (Warp) Lover’s Carving

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Fever Ray – Fever Ray (Mute) If I Had A Heart

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The XX – XX (Young Turks) Basic Space

__________________________________________________________________________ Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix (Glassnote/Loyaute) Girlfriend

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Matias Aguayo - Ay Ay Ay (Kompakt) Rollerskate

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St. Vincent – Actor (4AD) Save Me From What I Want

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Beach House – Devotion (Carpark) Heart Of Chambers

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Dirty Projectors – Bitte Orca (Domino) No Intention

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Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion (Domino)

Summertime Clothes

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Micahu & The Shapes – Jewellery (Rough Trade) Vulture

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Tune-Yards – Bird Brains (4AD/Marriage) Lions

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Mix of the Year:
Richie Hawtin – Tsugi 100th Podcast (Big Outside Festival 2009 Live Mix)

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Reissue of the Year:
Spiritualized - Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space (Sony) Cop Shoot Cop (Demo)

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Compilation of the Year:
5: 5 Years of Hyperdub (Hyperdub) Burial – Fostercare

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Live Recording of the Year:
Jeff Buckley – Live @ King Theater, Seattle May 7th 1995 (Sony) What Will You Say

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Box Set, Old but New Release of the Year:
Ella Fitzgerald – Twelve Nights in Hollywood (Hip-O Select) Angel Eyes

When I was working at a record store (Discovery Discs) in Philly around 1993/94, I was a big fan of Spiritualized’s Lazer Guided Melodies and somehow our shop got a few copies of this limited edition live, mail-order only Spiritualized disc called Fucked Up Inside (see cover above). For some reason, I didn’t get a copy and I soon found out that they only made 1000 copies, plus another 5000 for general pressing, so copies have been going for bank (north of $100) from various online resellers. Well, the other day, I found a copy at a record store I frequent, and it was fairly reasonably priced, so I got it. Now, I just need to find the limited pill case version of Ladies and Gentlemen….

I saw Spiritualized open for Radiohead in 1997 which was just a wall of distortion, and not the feedback Sonic Youth type of distortion, but a high frequency horror movie soundtrack type of noise. Most of the people had a look of disgust, or that look of, i just soiled my pants. I saw them recently again for the Acoustic Mainline tour (read here), and being in the minority, I thought it was pretty bad and bland, so I left early, which I have only done a handful of times. And for their new album, Songs in A+E, we’re still in that “get to know each other” phase. Also, Ladies and Gentlemen… is still one of my favorites. This featured release is a 7 track Live EP from Nov 21, 1992 at the Hollywood Palladium as well as a show at the Warfield in San Francisco from the previous evening, so it has a multitude of significances in my life. And besides the Royal Albert Hall release, this is the only way to hear the band at, or near it’s peak. (Note: the new release, Songs in A+E will come with a limited poster of syringes)

Spiritualized – Take Good Care Of It – the non-distorted original version.

Spiritualized – Walking With Jesus – the first live version and a bit slower than the Royal Albert Hall version.

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Aphex Twin – Windowlicker (Original Demo) Cover

The other rarity I found was this 1 track CD single of Windowlicker with a different take from the original cover. It has the demo version of the song as well as the video. I know you can find everything, in terms of music through the internet these days, but there’s still something about finding it on the shelves and owning an actual physical copy. I probably sound like my elders when they were referring to vinyl, or 8 tracks.

Aphex Twin – Windowlicker (Original Demo)

Mark Gardener – Vapour Trail (Acoustic) – a song made famous by gardener’s former band, Ride. this song was part of the limited (500 copies) double 7″ 45′s released by berkeley’s KALX for their 45th anniversary last year. The other gem on this 4 song collection is the Talking Heads doing an early version of Stay Hungry. i’ll save that one for later.

Spiritualized – Angel Sigh (Peel Session) (Shoegaze) – part of a collection of unreleased and demo material. a nice live version from the late great John Peel show.

Bitcrush – An Island, A Peninsula (Etheral) – dreamy, hallucinogenic, sigur ros-like. the most recent album epilogue in waves is a vast ocean of colors that seem to take over your mind.