February 2013 best albums

Autechre - Exai

I must admit, when I first came across Autechre all I could think was "I just don't get it". To the casual listener, it is easy to understand why with the extremely glitchy abstract sounds and general fuckeduppedness. However in over 20 years together the duo have created some stellar albums, and many argue that Exai is up with the best. At 17 tracks lasting just over 2 hours, Exai takes you on a long haul of IDM which can leave some restless. Nevertheless, Autechre is raw, physical and unrelenting as ever.

8.0  / 10

Hear - jatevee C

Benjamin Damage - Heliosphere

As soon as I heard the first track of the album I thought I was on to a winner. Heliosphere is the debut from Benjamin Damage, a Welsh techno producer based in Berlin. The first listen you enjoy the main heavy (but not agressive) beats from each track, however it is when you have a few more listens do you admire some of the intricate layers added into each song. With songs like "Delirium Tremens" and "Swarm" you could close your eyes and feel like your in a rave, and I sure would love to if he's playing.

8.5  / 10

Hear - Swarm

Darkstar - News From Nowhere

London trio Darkstar have transformed themselves from your standard post-dubstep artist into a purveyor of great alternative and electronica music. There is something very mystical and foggy about this record, which has some resemblance with Animal Collective. However I think it is best to distance the two artists, with Darkstar seeming to have more of a 70s psychedelic influence. Overall I was pleasantly suprised by the quality of this album and hope to hear more in the future.

7.5  / 10

Hear - Amblified Ease 

My Bloody Valentine - mbv

Much has already been said about My Bloody Valentine's first album in over 20 years. Like if they never were apart, MBV is a testament to the incredible talent of the noise pop artists. As always with My Bloody Valentine expect a wall of distorted sounds with the guitars turned to volume 11. However that is not true for all the tracks, with some being more subdued creating wonderfully mystical atmospheres. I don't think any fan of the band can leave disappointed with this even after 20 years.

8.5  / 10

Hear - She Found Now

January 2013 top albums

So new year new start, and thought it would be good to see what were the best albums released this month:

A$AP Rocky - Long.Live.A$AP.

A$AP Rocky delivers again with a good album. The album starts of fantastically with "Long.Live.A$AP" and "Goldie" which draw you in straight away. Unfortunately the album teetered for me further into the album. A$AP Rocky is not the greatest lyricist but he does enough using his sometimes amusing rhymes with some bold beats. 

7.0 / 10

Hear - Goldie

Emancipator - Dusk to Dawn

Released just near the end of the month, downtempo artist Emancipator's third album is beautiful. Each song takes its own journey, all individually exceptional that bring together a soulful album. Dusk to Dawn is a delicate masterpiece without needing to do anything brash to get your attention. Sit somewhere comfortable, close your eyes and enjoy.

8.0 / 10

Hear - Minor Cause

FaltyDL - Hardcourage

FaltyDL has never been one for sticking to a single style and genre of music, and it is certainly difficult to pin him down to one. Hardcourage didn't hit out to me straight away, however it is certainly a grower. Some songs are a bit too floaty whilst others are right on point, which I guess in a sense is what he wants. Still very much an enjoyable album.

7.0 / 10

Hear - Karme

Ochre - National Ignition

Christopher Leary is someone I have been very interested for a few months now, managing to produce fantastic sounds just using his computer. National Ignition is another fine example of how Ochre manages to use both hard hitting beats with beautiful symphonies. There is much complexity and depth into the music that makes it very risky to overcomplicate songs, however Ochre seems to avoid this well. Probably his best album yet from an artist who deserves much more exposure than he currently does.

8.5 / 10

Hear - Glassmaker

Nosaj Thing - Home

L.A's Jason Chung is back four years after his plauditted debut album, Drifts. His new album Home, chooses a much more subtle approach to entice this listener. The best from the album is aided by appearances from Toro Y Moi and a personal favourite of mine, Kazu Makino of Blonde Redhead, who both really add perfect vocals for an ambient theme. Overall Home sees Chung going more into ambient and mellow music, which is wonderful to hear, unfortunately it doesn't grab you.

7.5 / 10