Uza's favorite albums of 2010 - rock

Black mountain - Wilderness heart (Jagjaguwar, 13/10/2010) www.myspace.com/blackmountain

Just as Uza reaches in conciliation to the mainstream it spits in her face and says fuck you. How on earth has this not been a huge hit and the governor of all indie lists? BM's third album finds them in such a strong shape that they should be ruling the airwaves by now instead of watching shitty acts like King of Leon ride tsunamis of success with pale and sickly versions of the real thing. Wilderness heart is a celebration of psyched-out, droned-out, greasy stonerism. This album is the first one produced not by BM, and the presence of Randall Dunn (Boris) and D. Sardy (NIN, Spoon, LCD SS) is felt across the board. Heavily fuzzed guitar showers are accompanied by trippy instrumentation but not in a trashy mundane 60's way: BM would have blown Woodstock out of the water, not because they offer anything new, but because this time around they do it better than anyone else does today.

My gold mask - A thousand voices EP (Bandcamp, 09/01/2010) http://mygoldmask.bandcamp.com/

Minimalism galore! A drum-guitar duo that makes it sounds so much more. This is by no means lo-fi, bedroom recording or any other hermitic form of asceticism. This is carefully and meticulously produced and arranged piece of bare-knuckled rock. Watching them live brings to mind a one-man-band on acid. A thousand voices is as raw as rock can (and should) be.

Men among animals - Run ego (Tapete, 12/03/2010) www.myspace.com/menamonganimals

This is a Danish witch's cauldron of sheer balagan. Think XTC meets The cardiacs and then you're only on the first step there. Pop? Check. Late 70's British Punk? Check. 80's pop trash? Check. Cranky angular math rock? Double check. How on earth do these elements coexist? Only Lurpak has the answer.

Street sweeper social club - The ghetto blaster EP (Self released, 10/08/2010) www.myspace.com/streetsweepersocialclub

I'm not sure Tom Morello and Boots Riley had this EP in mind when they first started SSSC. Their 2009 debut showed case a band with a strong social agenda, an attempt to continue the political drenched texts of The coup and the like-minded angst-driven days of Rage against the machine. The debut worked – big time. However, the EP works, but not so big. Somewhere along the way, social awareness was replaced by fun. Don’t get me wrong: this is good, as fun is a noble cause just as fighting social injustice. However, SSSC try to hold the stick at both ends here. More often than not it doesn't take, and I think they know it. This album, is rife with good lyrics, but when you choose to (horribly) cover (the even more horrible) Paper planes and follow with a cover to Mama said knock you out and wrap things up with a new version of Promenade, clearly your focus has widely shifted somewhere along the road. But since music is what we are concerned with here, then I just gotta hand it to SSSC: this is fucking fun!!! Capital F bitches. Simple repetitive hooks that deliver the crunchiest and dirtiest rawwwk and the razor sharp humor of Riley. Don’t think too much here, this may just be the best riot music ever. So maybe SSSC achieved their goal after all?

First blood - Silence is betrayal (Bullet tooth, 09/11/2010) www.myspace.com/firstblood

Just like many other genres, hardcore is WAAAY over its peak, but – unlike other genres – it is not dead. Perhaps it will always be around due to its social bedrock and its high appeal to angry and bored youth, but musically it is done. Some would argue (justifiably so) that there never has been any music to talk about in this genre, yet in some rare cases few bands were able to melt into their wrath some good music. Again, this hasn't happened in eons. First blood is part of the new-new wave of west coast hardcore and their latest effort brought some happiness to the Uza's soar ears. Old-school hardcore, the way it is meant to be played and written. Sheer in-your-face urban assault that keeps on pounding and going for the jugular. Nothing new here, just a cool, light breeze of mayhem that did not come our way in a long time. If SSSC make riots fun, first blood make them terrifying (the way they outta be).

Uza's favorite albums of 2010 - experimental

It is virtually impossible today to invent something new in music. Just like peak-oil, the well had necessarily run dry, and mostly not due to popular music. While rock fans and musicians (and I use rock here as an engulfing collective term for all popular music) would like to think that novelty is their domain and that originality is part and parcel of their trade, the truth is that they were beaten to the goal line by modern and contemporary composers by several decades. Attempts to hail the birth of new genres in popular music are more often than not vacuous and at times even pathetic (e.g. the non-existent new rave or the recently championed chillwave). However, it is very likely that originality is overrated: after all, it does not immediately imply something better. Furthermore, variations on a theme can be just as ingenious, thought provoking and emotionally moving. Additionally, an artificial sense of urgency the compels artists to allegedly push the envelope just for the sake of making something better or keep up with the competition, usually leads to horrendous results (brutal grindcore anyone?). That said, it should still be remembered that novelty is the only lifeline of a stagnant culture (Lady kaka anyone?).

Land of Kush's Egyptian light orchestra - Monogamy (Constellation, 31/05/2010) http://cstrecords.com/land-of-kush/

The jaw-dropper of 2010. Sam Shalabi's orchestra made its presence known last year with the impressive Against the day, an experimental voyage into the depths of Egyptian classical music. Shalabi performs magic and surpasses the achievements of this debut with the truly astounding Monogamy. A marriage between east and west at seemingly impossible intersections creates a demented and psychotic soundtrack to a cabaret show in Nasser's Cairo. Shalabi draws from all possible worlds and his tour de force of import-export effortlessly shifts from Arabic music structures to Western ones and to places of no structure at all. Free jazz in middle-eastern scales. The standout track is without a doubt the 17 and a half minutes long epos Scars, with Tunnel vision and Monogamy hot on its heels.

ANBB - Ret Marut handshake EP (Raster noton, 18/06/2010) http://www.raster-noton.net/anbb/

When two giants join hands it a recipe for either a catastrophe or a gem. In the case of ANBB it is the latter. Blixa Bargeld (founder of Einstürzende Neubauten and Bad seeds guitarists) hooked up with circuitry wizard Carsten Nicolai (aka Alva noto) to create a unique melting of experimental spoken word meets glitch/IDM/minimal electronica. In this EP (unlike to extended version full-length that followed a few months later). ANBB both present and perfect upon their new found formula, offering a meaty experience for fans of both sides of electronica: a considerable portion of fooling around, knob twisting and laptop hopping that does not compromise the occasional hooky melody. After last year's brilliant Einstürzende Neubauten album, it seems Bargeld can do no wrong.

Mycale - Book of angels volume 13 (Tzadik, 26/01/2010) www.myspace.com/mycaleVocalGroup

In the vast arsenal of musical tools that Tzadik and its kingpin John Zorn have, Mycale still is a standout. This vocal a cappella quartet takes on Zorn's book of angels. Considering the frightening caliber of those who have attempted it in the future (and some have failed miserably doing so), it is a daunting task to take, especially as a debut. However, Mycale pulls through (though not in uniform quality) and offers refreshingly down-to-earth interpretations of Zorn's work. The vocals and harmonies are perfect, yet I must admit this is not an album one can easily sit through in its entirety. Consumed in measured doses, however, this is definitely the highlight of Tzadik's output this year.

Uza's favorite albums of 2010 - soul & hip-hop

Aloe Blacc - Good things (Stones throw, 28-09-2010) www.aloeblacc.com

The neo-old face of soul, Blacc is criminally overlooked in his homeland. While mediocre acts and artists govern the American charts, presenting pale, withered and regurgitated versions of the soul and/or funk, Blacc should be the poster boy for what those genres really have to offer. By going back to the heyday of soul, Blacc offers an alternative for the educated listener, appealing to both lower limbs as to the cranium. Soul for Blacc is far more than just a genre; it is an overarching concept, a state of mind and heart. With smooth and deep vocals riding some of the best tunes written by any soul artists since the 70's, Blacc delivers a triumphant salute to a rich cultural tradition. Perhaps Blacc is the Janus of soul: gazing back into the glorious past while at the same time glaring fiercely at the present and future state of the genre. Politically charged texts and social awareness are a welcomed added value to the blissful music Blacc offers, generating a once-in-a-lifetime achievement, on par with the best and most revered soul artists. The injustice suffered by Blacc in the US is highlighted by the collaboration between The roots and John Legend: Wake up supposedly treads the same waters as Good things, yet The roots and JL offered only a covers album (and a plain one at that) of classic 70's soul gems, Blacc had crafted a fresh, updated and contemporary homage to the very same source. In a just world, Blacc would have been the recipient of the accolades now bestowed on The roots and Legend, yet if this had been a just world, Blacc would have nothing to write about….

B. Dolan - Fallen house, sunken city (Strange famous, 02-03-2010) www.myspace.com/bdolansfr

Bernard Dolan has come a long way in the 8 years that had passed since his debut. A ferocious slam-po, Dolan need not hone his rapid-fire political and angst-charged texts. However, it has taken several releases for him to improve upon his music. Enter Alias, and et voila, the production skills required to zero-in Dolan produced the eagerly anticipated musical background needed to yield some alternative hip-hop gems, most notable of which is the killer track Fifty ways to bleed your customer. Alias hands Dolan the beats that allow him to shine and, hopefully, get the recognition he deserves. If this duo continues to improve, then they will become an underground powerhouse (and maybe Tom Morello will hook up with them: Dolan's material just begs the addition of some power chords).

Melodica deathship - Doom your cities doom your towns (Self released, 10-07-2010)

http://mdsdub13.bandcamp.com

If you were to look for some quality underground hip hop, chances are that the last place you would look for is Ireland. Well, guess again. Not only is it underground, it is fuckin' experimental shit. If it hadn't been for Power struggle's 2005 masterpiece Arson at the petting factory, I would go as far as saying that MD just invented a new genre. Nonetheless, coming in second in that race (and to Power struggle) is the best compliment one can get. For the sake of this review let's call what MD do doom hip-hop: it's gloomy, atmosphere-driven, slowed-down hip hop that incorporates ambient and doom metal sensibilities. Using a melodica (!!) only makes it better. Hip-hop as a cultural phenomenon is dead. It has been hi-jacked long ago by cynical consumerism. Hip-hop as a musical genre is dead. The need to satisfy the crossover to shitty pop and global chart domination dictated so. The tombstone was laid this year by Kanye West and the epitaph reads whatever shit Lil' Wayne, Drake, or Skanky Minaj had to say. BUT, that is true only for mainstream American hip-hop. Fortunately, life does not end behind the desks of the suits genetically engineering this mind-numbing drivel. In nooks and crannies, all over the world, others are making the effort of keeping hip-hop really real, be it by pushing the musical envelope or by maintaining the real street-cred, not the one associated with the juvenile ideas of how many bullets are in your back or how long your rap sheet is. One might say that the US has by now outsourced one of its precious cultural tenets and melodica deathship are an outstanding example of a disciple taking a piss on the carcass of his master.

נער בכל נמלה

Tape tum – Safety (from: The night we called it a day, Sonic connections 2010) www.myspace.com/tapetum

The book of knots ft. Tom Waits & Kathleen Brennan – Pray (2007)

My solid ground - The executioner (1971)

איך הסרט הזה הפסיד את דקל הזהב לא ממש ברור לי

Des hommes et des dieux (Xavier Beauvois, 2010)

The pawnbroker (Lumet, 1964)

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