A Past Year Amplified

Ben Kudler

Global shut in. Whatever continent you read this on, run through a translation application, or not, you are shut in. How many people get global events in their lifetime? Truly global. Hard to know, hard to say anything. The idea of reissue culture wrecking the somehow idealized perfect state of music seems like an arrogant joke at this juncture. I originally wrote out a year end list and made this mix as a companion. Things got delayed, for pandemic and non pandemic reasons. I figured it would be fun to look at the much more innocent time of four months ago. Here’s the year end list for 2019 with a slightly altered intro. All the lives shows seem much more precious now. Excited to see live music again, that shit is fire. All the below was written pre-pandemic, can we read with pre-pandemic eyes?

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Some of the best stuff I heard this year was sent to me by the creator attached in a friendly e-mail. There’s a much better chance I’m going to listen to something that someone I actually like as a person is asking me to check out than something I have to go to a whole separate website to get the information on and then yet another website to actually listen to the sounds of — I’m going to check my e-mail either way. There was a lot to listen to this year. I love Jim O’Rourke, but I would have had to devote more energy and time than my God given allotment to listen to every one of his records that came out this year, and that’s just one person. I’m certain that, as I type this, 20 Bandcamp releases have come out, each one with the ability to change the way I look at music and plaster constant smiles across this in-need of a grin face, but, to be candid, sometimes I would prefer to put it all down and listen to a skateboarding podcast.

Well, no way I could possibly listen to enough stuff to say what was the best or what is in the top ten best of the year, or whatever, but god damnit making lists is fun, so I just got to do it.

PURPLE MOUNTANS — S/T

I guess I have to get confessional and sentimental. Another gross confession after confessing to be a fan of the Nine Club. A bunch of people went out too early this year and I have no pithy takeaway or Hell’s Angels reminiscent maxims. I hate to see people go in a painful way and I feel deeply for the people who loved them, especially if that person is me. I don’t know any of the answers. I heard a public figure say “people are giving up on life”, that one hit me like a rock. I’m sorry for the confession and the bummer, but that’s locked into this record.

Dave Berman released one last one and it plays like a clear and considered suicide note; my partner left, I don’t know what to do with myself, I wish God could help me, I love you mom, death is not that bad — there’s even some laugh lines amidst the tragedy. “What I wouldn’t give for a half hour with the power on the throne”, hit me like a bigger rock. “Of course, I’ve been humbled by the void”, had me wondering, “why of course?”. I guess he wouldn’t be singing that song if it wasn’t a given he had been humbled.

Berman was a master of the cheeky story-song and abstract poem jam that it occasionally gets lost that he could arrange and write a song on that greatness level — this record being no exception. The songs have fantastic harmonies, cool attention-keeping structures and diverse lyric setting melodies, that are usually cast against an organ or slide guitar counter-melody. For this final record he got a bunch of the people from Woods (who did an awesome job), to rip and kept things up to date by spraying out a Mac Demarco style solo on I Loved Being My Mother’s Son.

Do kids still learn to play guitar solos from their favorite songs in the back room of a local music shop so they can post it on TIk-Tok in exchange for vape pods? Man, the 90s were weird.

Persistently the master of color in his work (I mean Silver Jews, Purple Mountains, excuse the obvious observation), Margaritas At The Mall manages to eke out an extra heart beat from my chest with the line “magenta, orange, acid green…”

I’m especially pained a seemingly great person who was still making great records had to go in such a sad way, but his influence and example are something to return to for inspiration. This pitchfork interview is one of the only things I’ve read/heard where a musician candidly, and in specific numbers, discusses how they financially survive. The penultimate stage of Berman’s life was spent trying to right the wrongs of his right wing PR powerhouse father. The task, and seemingly low level obsession, was not only noble but unimaginably brave. Berman castigated his father for being an enemy of unions and environmentalists and took pains to take responsibility for being the son of someone who had done evil things to gain a fortune. I have never heard of another artist even refusing to take ill-gotten family money, let alone publicly out themselves and their family as an enemy of the people. The current era seems marked by an explicit “what does it matter that this persons’s family is unimaginably wealthy through immoral means?”, when it comes to artists/musicians, which is unsurprising, as the children of the mega-wealthy control larges swathes of the music industry and cultural landscape, and oh how they like to be protected. I can’t imagine it was easy for Berman to fight that battle and writing this now I’m taken back by how original and brave that battle was.

Berman’s suicide is the exemplar for all the premature deaths I saw this year… one is too many. “The alleys are the footnotes to the avenues”, thanks David.

Itasca — Spring

Beautiful lurching guitar playing, imagistic 70s style lyrics, subtle, virtuosic, without being showy, vocal performance, c’mon, freaking great! Check plus plus.

Bill Orcutt — Odds Against Tomorrow

He just can’t be stopped, honestly one of the best solo one’s and he seemingly opted for a pro recording style and even some overdubs on this. Somehow more complex, stupider and weirder all in one go.

Offset — Father Of 4

Another confession record, at least for me, sorry. One of the only albums and songs I have ever heard where one laments for not being the father he could be. Somehow explaining the hurtles of his life without making excuses for them and showing, not telling, the power of fatherhood. Reverb threaten-style-vocals and string based beats across the board…. Hooks for miles. Whoop.

Gucci mane — Evil Genius

Raspy gnarly Gooch. Rapping his ass off, bars full of the off-scary scenes Guwop is known for painting. Taking risks with the beat selection too, might fuck around invent a couple of genres with Wake Up In The Sky

Shots — A Private Hate

Super dense one. Going to be listening to this for years to come. Great ROI on this record! Unexpected stuff happens and it all sounds very cool.

Hecker — Inspection II

I usually hate babble in between my high-end digi computer tone blasts, but the one’s on this record are a nice break and add a good dose of much needed humor. The shrill electronics cutting back in develop a nice pulse with the voice parts.

Marcus Schmickler — particle/matter-wave/energy

Just classic sounds go up, sounds go down, sounds get more clear and mixed all good. Why not?

Zeitkratzer & Terre Thaemlitz — Deproductionz

A brutal one… in so many different ways. Super accomplished and thought out take on some actual banger style material. Recorded nice and weird with the strings right where you can see them.

Alvin Lucier — Ricochet Lady

Amazing to see a composer with this kind of career composing and allowing recordings to be made of his stuff. The percussion Lucier stuff is always great and this as dense and head spinning as any of it. The psychoacoustic melody things have major Klaus Schulze vibes.

LIVE

Aaron Dilloway — Union Pool

Wolf Eyes — Brooklyn Bizarre

Home Blitz — Brooklyn Bizarre

Toshimaru Nakamura — permian gallery

Shots — Fried Greenpoint Gallery Zone

Tetzui Akiyama — Permian Gallery

Eliane Radigue’s Occam Ocean — Blank Forms at The Fancy Gallery

Wadada Leo Smith — Brooklyn Music School Theater

Kevin Drumm — Brooklyn Music School Theater

Akira Sakaata & Chikamorachi — Brooklyn Music School Theater

Pvre Rave — Harvestworks

Angels In America — Bowery Ballroom

Bloodyminded — Dead God Presents

Video Part of The Year

Alex Willms

Slam Of The Year:

Alex Willms backside Bennet grind

Stuff I was over:

Nosegrind back 180 out

Tape releases that only exist to promote the Bandcamp version

People speaking on subject matters just to speak

I ain’t got time for you alright jams, so perk it up. The world needs another Drainolith record.

For all you none believer praying for my downfall…