TOP TEN
1) The Fall
2) The Visitor
3) Synecdoche New York
4) Burn After Reading
5) Man On Wire
6) Rocknrolla
7) Frost/Nixon
8) Slumdog Millionaire
9) Encounters At the End of the World
10) Phoebe in Wonderland

4/5
wild combination
bigger, faster, stronger
curious case of benjamin button
the wrestler
wall-e
xxy
milk

3.75/5
vicky christina barcelona
pineapple express
role models
gomorra
the class
the bank job

3.5/5
it might get loud
the wackness
the dark knight
be kind, rewind

3/5
in bruges
chicago 10
forgetting sarah marshall
step brothers
baby mama
horton hears a who

2.5/5
operation homecoming
religulous
stop-loss
redbelt

2/5
midnight meat train

still need to see:
doubt
the changeling
let the right one in
hunger
momma's man
happy-go-lucky
wendy & lucy
in the city of sylvia
ballast
the pleasures of being robbed
mister lonely
dear zachary


tell me of any others you liked that i should see!
or if you wanna see any of these with me, let me know
this is all i will be doing for a while, reviews coming soon

my favorite section for last; these albums brought the most joy into my world.


Library Tapes - Fragment (5/5)


Utter perfection formed from slightly off piano chords and minimal melodies played against field recordings. Everything this guy touches is gold. Feels like i am enwrapped in a warm blanket of piano. Beauty like this cannot be put into words, it's limiting.


Max Richter - 24 Postcards in Full Color (5/5)


Max Richter in similar to Library Tapes except with more instruments and electronic/ambient elements involved and a fuller/more refined classical sound. Beautiful piano and violin music very reminiscent of Philip Glass, Brian Eno, etc. oh its so amazing that musicians keep making music like this- keep it up people, don't stop being influenced by classical music because that was the music of geniuses! (excuse my tangents)

Hauschka - Ferndorf (4.5/5)

This third album is gonna be my last example of experimental piano, I know I know its too much. But really, we are entering more experimental territory here with Ferndorf as it is not the kind of music you can necessarily fall asleep to as its dynamics fluctuate. yet it expands your mind unlike anything else. good for doing math!

Jacaszek - Treny  (4.5/5)

This one is pretty hard to describe as every song sounds kinda different, basically some really relaxing and haunting music right here. A woman's voice appears in the background, pauses here and there, electronic elements, strings, and piano. Think Arvo Part / film music. Very ambient, very minimal. 



Grouper - Dragging a Dead Deer Up a Hill (5/5)


The raw, field recording/broken piano sound is back. Soft eerie music, this album is more vocal based, and a guitar is involved! The girl's voice is beautiful.


The Alps - III (4.5/5)


Psychedelic music with a hint of free jazz & inspired by contemporary minimalist classical composers, sounds like the soundtrack to a tripped out surrealist film.


Paavoharju - Laulu laakson kukista (4.5/5)


this album rules. 0.5 deduction for 1 song I don't  really like. this is crazy experimental ambient weird folk from Finland... they are christian and they speak a language you cannot understand. i repeat, it fucking rules. hard. for fans of non-classifiable music.

John Zorn - FIlmworks XIX: The Rain Horse (5/5)

Woah. best soundtrack this year (sorry johnny greenwood) apparently he released two more this year but I haven't heard them so I won't recommend them but this one is quite a masterpiece.

Matmos - Supreme Balloon (5/5)

WOAH!! Yeah this is epic sounding. Different from all their other stuff, as usual, and equally amazing. It sounds like Bach & Neu! on a Supreme Balloon.

Clutchy Hopkins - Walking Backwards (5/5)

Yes this one is good. The least electronic album in this group, and probably would find a better home in the Hip Hop section, yet it rings of old Thievery Corporation. There's some jazz and soul in there too, very relaxing album. Also, his identity is unknown, which is intriguing.

The Black Dog - Radio Scarecrow (4.5/5)

Best techno album. Great for dancing, driving, & writing papers. Fans of that more mainstream minimal electronic/dance music (digitalism, booka shade) will enjoy this.

Booka Shade - The Sun And The Neon Light (4/5)

Electronic music that is chill & minimal. A bit of a guilty pleasure as 80% of the people I know probably wouldn't listen to this. Reminds me of the club scene in Melbourne. I miss that place. You can't go wrong with Germans when it comes to dance music and if you couldn't tell i am really partial to them.

Squarepusher - Just A Souvenir (3.5/5)

Half this album is a little too much "rock" for me but I'm a pussy who doesn't like noise/rawness so you might enjoy it more than I did. The other half is full of jazz samples accompanied by well-made beats that make for some chill yet mind altering music. Those songs alone are enough to make it a favorite this year.

Autechre - Quaristice (3.5/5)

A little more on the experimental side, Autechre is a duo that has been making music for quite a while now. Just like Squarepusher, in their newest album, they seem to have mixed melody and noise to create a sort of recapitulation of all their past work. With that said, it's a challenging listen and you might not enjoy it upon first listen (unless you're already a fan) but it becomes familiar while even more strange with every listen as you begin to notice sounds that weren't there before. Overall good good album.

The Ruby Suns - Sea Lion (4.5/5)

Very well made album by a few talented people from New Zeland. My most listened to album and probably the most poppy and accessible. South American, Hawaiian, and African influences can be heard throughout and the echoing of the beautiful harmonies provides chilling yet uplifting music.

Parenthetical Girls - Entanglements (4.5/5)

Oh yes, back that shit up with an orchestra, make it extravagant because your amazing voice deserves it, lead singer of P girls (i forget your name). Classically driven & orchestrated sorrowful pop.

DJ Shadow & Cut Chemist - The Hard Sell (4.5/5)

-"If you were a domestic appliance what would you be?"
- "A plug, definitely a plug."

Dj Shadow & Cut Chemist showcase their skills by spinning 45's for over an hour... the result.. masterpieeeeece of a myriad of sounds! For lovers of dancing and happiness - also hip hop, 50s, 60s, soul, funk, space, EVERYTHING.

Reefer - Reefer (4/5).

Remember the Unicorns? Imagine them going underwater, smoking some pot, meeting a DJ and recording an album on a Hawaiian beach. Yes, that's kind of actually what happened- Nick Diamond (The Unicorns/Islands) and producer Daddy Kev collaborate to give you a surf-induced folk-trip hoppy fantasy that only existed in my dreams and today, in the form of this album. Also includes a cute hawaii-fied cover of "Blue Moon."

Jamie Lidell - Jim (4/5)

The most amazing voice in music today & one of the better and more talented producers, Jamie Lidell does it all. This album, almost as good as his last one, is dynamic and filled with soulful hits. Go see him live if you ever get the chance.

Dosh - Wolves and Wishes (4/5)

Dosh's music is complex and maximal. Bells, pianos, guitars, strings, distortion, percussion, and at times crazy space sounds illuminate this album and make every song unique. Reminds me of Four Tet on acid in space with Can. There's post-rock elements in here too, but subtle and not aggressive ones. Probably my favorite Anticon release this year. Very Original.

Ratatat - LP3 (3.5/5)

Although I can't listen to it anymore, this album was in my car for some time and it provided the occasional epic moment. There's probably 2 songs I can't stand and 2 songs I love to death (this includes that x-filesy track). They get props for doing something different, music is more spacey on this album, I was getting tired of their old sound.

Others / Great Job:
Animal Collective - Water Curses EP
Sigur Ros - the name of the album is really long & icelandic
Why? - Alopecia
Sian Alice Group  - 59.59
Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
The Dodos - Visiter
Portishead - Third
Stereolab - Chemical Chords
The Notwist - The Devil, You + Me
Devotchka - A Mad & Faithful Telling
Atlas Sound - Let The Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel
Chairlift - Does You Inspire You
Vetiver - A Thing of the Past

Welcome to my best of series, here's hip hop & related:

Flying Lotus - Los Angeles (5/5)

Mellow, indulging beats. Jazzy, Ambient & very J Dilla like. This guy is on Warp and he is getting pretty huge. Also amazing live if you ever get the chance to see him.

Onra - Chinoiseries (5/5)

Another somebody, highly influenced by Dilla & Madlib. Onra is from France and the samples used on this album are of traditional Vietnamese music. Out of the thirty-something tracks, there is maybe one beat I don't like- which is rare for a solely instrumental album. It never gets boring and I'd like to hear some people rap over this stuff.

J Dilla - Pay Jay (Unreleased) (4.5/5)
Why oh why is this not a legitimate release, it is probably one of the better Dilla albums but I say this as an avid fan so if you're not into the sometimes cheesy gangster/thug/ghetto/pimp aspect of the raps/beats you may not agree. For example, ny favorite song is TRUCKS, and it's awesomely bad but you can bump it in your truck or small car. Other favorites include "No One Knows" and the diamonds song and the club song. Phenomenal execution by Frank -n-dank might I add.

Guilty Simpson - Ode to the Ghetto (4/5)

Guilty's flow/rhythm is so unique in the way his words perfectly align with the beat. I simply love him, I mimic him in the car, pretending I have a gat and was raised in Detroit (.. nigga my area is the tightest!! the raps come easy live it see it write it). Alright getting carried away, buy this album he fucking rules. Best Stones Throw release this year.

People Under The Stairs - Fun DMC (4/5)

Best flows this year. Funky beats, smooth rhymes, these guys keep putting out consistently good music. Great album overall and go see them if they play for free at your local record store.

100dbs - Brenner's Breaks 2 (4/5)

Yes, the homie returns with a sequel to his first Brenner's Breaks which I loved slightly more but this album is a solid comeback.

Atmosphere - When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold (4/5)

If you liked Atmosphere circa God Loves Ugly & Lucy Ford EP then you will love this.

Re-Up Gang - We Got It For Cheap Vol. 3 (4/5)

"Tree Hugging Assed Bitch came up to me the other day on some Yo, yall nice and all but, how come yall only talk about dope? How come you only write about street shit? Come on?

"I was like Tree Hugging ass bitch please! I rhyme for my niggas on the corner, all 20,000 of them. 20 thousand money making brothers on the corner. Lets go."

This album is thugged out and amazing.