los favoritos de los amigos (the obligatory year end list)

team durutti works on the los amigos year end favorite album list

Makin' a list and checkin' it twice. It's that time of the year. A time that brings both smiles and grimaces to the face of music bloggers everywhere. Yes, it's time for the obligatory year end list, which, in los amigos case is really more of a "favorite albums of the year" list than a "best of" tally. (NOTE: a tiny bit of precise order tweaking occurred in the few days since I committed myself to a this list on Tuesday.)

Anyway, let's get on with los favoritos de los amigos. Here goes:


1. Ghostface: Fishscale. The Champ, hands down. Fishscale features production from Just Blaze, MF Doom, Pete Rock, and the late great J Dilla (see #2). But what really sets Ghostface apart is the amazing dexterity of his word play and flow, not to mention the often bizarre, stream of consciousness story telling. And speaking of "The Champ," that track leaps off the vinyl (or CD or iPod) like Ali jumping up from the corner as the bell signals round two. As O-Dub noted, the track has gone through two previous incarnations, with the original featuring actual, not reconstructed, dialogue sampled from one of the old Rocky films (god help us now that Stallone is about to unleash yet another Rocky). And, as Oliver notes in a follow-up post, Fishscale's version of "The Champ" includes a Just Blaze reconstruction of Sharon Cash's cover of "Fever." The mighty Ghostface is about to follow-up Fishscale with More Fish. Can. Not. Wait.

The Champ -- Ghostface: Fishscale

2. Dilla: Donuts. J Dilla, aka Jay Dee, the brilliant beat maker and innovative hip hop producer, died this spring of complications associated with the rare blood disease TTP. He was only 32 (see my Dilla tribute post). Dilla's solo joint Donuts, which he literally finished from his hospital bed, was released three days before he died. And it's a great reminder of the genius Dilla put into his production work for Common's Like Water For Chocolate, Q-Tip's solo joint Amplified, and other joints for the likes of the Pharcyde and Eryka Badu. (We also have the BBE release of Dilla's posthumous album The Shining and Stones Throw forthcoming re-release of Ruff Draft). But back to Donuts. It's impossible to convey the scope of this release by just one brief track, so here are two mini donuts -- just a tidbit taste of the nearly three dozen that make up the album (all of which, save one, are under two mins). I reluctantly picked these over other standouts like the breezy "Two Can Win" (which sounds almost like an outtake from the Avalanches Since I Left You) and "Don't Cry" (a delicious slice of rare, chopped '60s R&B). Oh, and yes, that's Wolfman Jack sampled on "Anti-American Graffiti."

Time: Donuts of the Heart -- Dilla: Donuts

Anti-American Graffiti -- " . . . "

3. The Roots: Game Theory. I already reviewed this album in August. And as I noted then, The Roots are really pissed off. About the war in Iraq. About the degradation of civil rights and the general political and social climate. About the shape of things to come, particularly in urban America. Both O-Dub (Oliver Wang) and Vibe's Thomas Golianopoulos used the phrase "dark and brooding" to describe the album. So I guess you'd have to say it's dark and brooding. "In the Music" ranks among the best Roots tracks. It has a gut punch that reminds me of "Respond/React" from Illadelph Halflife. But it's a stronger cut that knocks the wind out of you. Also check the delicious "It Don't Feel Right," which is driven by ?uestlove's crisp drumming (which, no matter how straight forward, is always so instantly recognizable) and simple AB/BA and AAB/BBA piano chords that march along under Maimouna Youssef's strong vocals. "Can't Stop" is a chilling tribute to the late, great Dilla, and "Atonement" samples Radiohead's "You and Who's Army?" from Amnesiac. But the album's strongest offering is "Game Theory" -- and it doesn't get much better than the title track:

Game Theory -- The Roots: Game Theory

In the Music (edit) -- " . . . "

4. Georgia Anne Muldrow: Olesi: Fragments of an Earth. I previewed this one too (check the comments -- probably the most enthusiastic response to any album preview I've ever done). At 22, Georgia is quite a phenomenon. She not only composed all of Olesi's tracks, but also produced the joint and constructed all of the album's organic, Dilla-esque beats. The first woman signed to Stones Throw Records, Muldrow brings a limber, commanding voice steeped in '70s soul and jazz to her own brand of hip hop and funk. Her intriguing voice deftly handles her often abstract, jazz-like lyrical lines that sometimes meander along a winding trail, other times stick to a more familiar melodic path. Oh, and she raps. With an assertive flow. Other Music put it this way: "Muldrow's mix of the new soul is an infectious brew of jazz, R&B and, of course, hip-hop . . . [that] sounds like Chaka Khan being produced by the late J-Dilla." It's worth noting that the jazz influence and phrasing Georgia brings to her work comes naturally. Muldrow's mother sang with Pharoah Sanders and her father invented instruments for Eddie Harris.

Melanin -- Georgia Anne Muldrow: Olesi: Fragments of an Earth

5. Juana Molina: Son. As I said in my los amigos review back in May, Son creates an intriguing universe of folktronica grounded in quirky electronics that sometimes gurgle and chirp, sometimes moan and buzz. You hear shades of Another Green World Eno, late '70s Frippertronics, and early Stereolab. Molina's airy, not quite fragile voice floats above it all. Throw in off-beat percussion (banged-out to particularly great effect on "Micael"), acoustic guitar, and Juana's lilting folk melodies, and you've got one mesmerizing album. And not one without humor. “Un Beso Llega” gradually bends a series of buzzing and whining electronic notes into a cacophony of meowing kittens. “Hay Que Ver Si Voy” sounds like what Amorphous Body Study Center and Dots and Loops era Stereolab might have turned out had Laetitia Sadier and Tim Gane downed a couple quaaludes and spent the day listening to Boards of Canada and Calexico. And even in its most unsettling moment, you have to crack a smile when the mini-soundscape in the album's title track is punctuated by out-of-tune whistling.

Rio Seco -- Juana Molina: Son

6. Gnarls Barkley: St. Elsewhere. Do I really need to say anything about this release by Danger Mouse and Cee-Lo? Didn't "Crazy" rock your iPod about 1 million times this Spring before you finally got sick of the hearing it (and the 8 dozen remixes and mash-ups floating around the blogosphere) everywhere. Everywhere. Perhaps, like me, it took a little longer for you to burn out on "Storm Coming" and "Just a Thought." And maybe you're still so sick of the ubiquity and hype surrounding Sir Gnarls and St. Elsewhere that you don't think the album deserves a spot on anyone's top ten list. Well, I think your crazy. Just a Thought.


7. Lupe Fiasco: Food and Liquor. Has Lupe been overhyped? (Has Borat?) Hell yeah. Does that mean Lupe (or Sacha) is not worthy? Hell no! Lupe's Food and Liquor is a delicious and intoxicating spread. Lupe made it into last year's los amigos list with his contribution to Kanye's "Touch the Sky," which was in pretty heavy rotation on the ol' iPod in 2005. And these past couple months I've been spinning Food and Liquor ' over and over and over. Especially the Neptunes produced "I Gotcha" and "Daydreaming" (featuring Jill Scott and an I Monster sample). Only complaint: the lame-ass album cover art.

Daydreaming (feat. Jill Scott) -- Lupe Fiasco: Food & Liquor

8. TV On The Radio: Return to Cookie Mountain. Yes the post-punk, doo-wop, soul, free jazz, and gospel elements of past TVOTR joints are heard on Cookie Mountain. And yet, it sounds like such a departure -- and giant step forward -- from 2004's Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes. "David Bowie's favorite band" have put out quite an impressive album, which a lot of folks have called "challenging" (in the same way that, say, Kid A, was "challenging"). But get over it. The opening track, "I Was a Lover" (one of the more "difficult" cuts), is phenomenal. It has stuttering, Timbaland-style beats, glorious My Bloody Valentine noise, sitars, blurting horns, quirky electronics and, of course, Tunde Adebimpe's incredible vocals, backed-up by Kyp Malone's "otherwordly doo-wop" falsetto harmonies. What more could you ask for? Something a bit more grounded and "accessible" you say. Check "Province," featuring vocals by booster Bowie, and the propulsive "Wolf Like Me," featuring vocals by Katrina Ford. And the dark, brooding "Blues From Down Here" is one of the album's highlights. Oh, btw, los amigos was lucky enough to see TVOTR live this summer with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs (review here).


9. Nightmares on Wax: In a Space Outta Sound. Another prior los amigos review. Nobody does blunted beats, dub infected downtempo and soul infused instrumental hip hop better than George Evelyn. And, as Insound notes, In A Space Outta Sound is a return to form with "infectious but simple rhythms, Quincy Jones-esque synth lines, the blues, and the fusion of relaxed dub and Balearic melodies." A highlight is the brilliant "Flip Ya Lid," which features vocals by Ricky Rankin, little birdie-like whistling, handclaps, and a rocksteady groove and dubbed out beat that you could just listen to all day long (well, I could listen to it all day). And check the phenomenal "Damn." A middle eastern harpsichord pattern snakes through a hip hop beat marked off with finger cymbals (and more handclaps). The insistent rhythm is pushed along by heaving, breathy woodwinds and a sample of Al Hirt's "Snapback." And then the airy soul vocal, heart wrenching lyrics and gospel choir enter . . . (damn...)

Damn -- Nightmares on Wax: In a Space, Outta Sound

10. DJ Logic: Zen of Logic. I've said it here before: DJ Logic is one of my favorite turntablists (I've seen him each of the six times he's been in Beantown in as many years). Zen of Logic is the long awaited follow-up to 2001's phenomenal The Anomaly. Although Zen doesn't employ a core jazz-funk unit, many old friends drop by to lend a hand, including John Medeski and Charlie Hunter. Although it's a bit more eclectic, Zen, unfortunately, is not as impressive or cohesive as The Anomaly or 1999's Project Logic. But it does have it's share of treats, including the humorous, virtuoso scratch turntablism of "Smackness" and "Balifon Planet" (which tips it's hat to old school electro-funk), and the delta blues and Dirty South influenced "9th Ward Blues," which pays homage to the victims of Katrina. But the strongest track is "Afro Beat," featuring the Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra. It has a high energy punch driven by a churning organ, tight horn lines, and frentic, but controlled scratching that's in constant dialogue with the rest of the band. And of course its grounded in a delicious afro-beat groove. It pulls you in like the most infectious tracks on The Anomaly.

Afro Beat -- DJ Logic: Zen of Logic

Runners Up: 11. Junior Boys: So This is Goodbye, 12. Cut Chemist: The Audience is Listening, 13. Hot Chip: The Warning, 14. The Coup: Pick a Bigger Weapon, 15. Cat Power: The Greatest.

Also Rans: DJ Shadow: The Outsider, Spank Rock Yoyoyoyoyo, Oh No: Exodus Into Unheard Rhythms, Mr. Lif: Mo' Mega (Boston represent), Aloe Blacc: Shine Through, Thom Yorke: The Eraser, Soul Position: Things Go Better With RJ and Al.

possible contenders that I haven't yet checked out: Kid Koala: Your Mom's Favorite DJ. Almost certainly would crack my top 10. Gotta pick this up soon and may do a separate review. Mad Lib: Beat Konducta vol. II (another one los amigos really should be on top of). Scritti Pollitti: White Bread, Black Beer, and Ali Fakra Tourne: Savane.

"Guilty Pleasure" album of the year:

Justin Timberlake: FutureSex/LoveSounds

which really should be guilt-free. I already have my concert tix, although, truth be told, I wouldn't have purchased them without a push from a friend, who was practically hyperventillating -- which she claims was only rapidly whispered speech to prevent co-workers overhearing (how embarrassing that!) -- as we made the decision to cough up the $$ for seats that were rapidly selling out online to thirteen year olds as we were checking to see if there was an AARP discount.

As The Roots said, "It's all in the music . . . "
. . .