Shawn Lee’s Incredible Tabla Band: Tabla Rock (Ubiquity)

Shawn Lee's Incredible Tabla Band: "Apache"

In 1972, Michael Viner's Incredible Bongo Band released Bongo Rock, a heavily percussive and funky take on hits of the day. With the beat-driven version of the famous instrumental "Apache," the album firmly entrenched itself in the breakbeat lexicon. Now multi-instrumental and rabidly multi-genre musician Shawn Lee has produced his Indian-funk take on the classic album, covering it song by song and adding two tracks from Viner's followup record.

Though there might be more virtuosic or "authentic" voices who could recreate Bongo Rock in Indian form, there may be no more apt musician on the planet than Lee to tackle such a project. His endlessly morphing Ping Pong Orchestra has touched countless modern and retro styles; Tabla Rock is just the latest in the tireless Lee's repertoire.

By and large, the structure and melodies of the originals are intact, and many tracks (such as "Apache" and "Last Bongo in Belgium") remain jazzy and funky with horn and organ accents. But with sitar drones, gurgling tabla hits, and other accoutrements, Tabla Rock is more than a mere re-introduction to the source material — although it's excellent for that as well.

- Scott Morrow

Loincloth: Iron Balls of Steel (Southern Lord)

Loincloth: "Underwear Bomb"

It might be silly to call a band named Loincloth stripped-down, but that’s exactly what it is. There are no vocals or indulgent riffing — just pure, soaring metal.

Iron Balls of Steel is the debut full-length from the prog-metal trio, but drummer Steve Shelton and bassist Cary Rowells are also members of on-again, off-again North Carolina-based metal band Confessor. Rounding out the three-piece is guitarist Tannon Penland. Rather than adding complexity to its music through varied instrumentation, Loincloth gets incredibly technical, experimenting with tempo to an almost unfathomable degree.

Its start-stop style doesn’t come at the expense of punishing grooves, but its unpredictable percussive tangents will challenge even the most experienced of head-bangers. If that sounds intimidating, let’s not overlook Loincloth’s sense of humor about it all — Iron Balls of Steel, anyone? — as that self-awareness is what impels the band to rise above the pomp and circumstance of modern metal.

- Kyle Gilkeson

Loma Prieta: IV (Deathwish Inc.)

Loma Prieta: "Trilogy 4: Momentary"

Sharing its name with one of the Santa Cruz mountains, Bay Area hardcore quartet Loma Prieta has quietly cranked out a half-dozen records since the mid-2000s. IV, its Deathwish debut, helps to announce it to the rest of the world with the force of the 1989 earthquake that is most associated with the name.

Though previous recordings have leaned more toward "post-hardcore" with slight touches of screamo and power violence, IV goes straight for the jugular. Shades of the old influences appear in bridges and interludes, but the album is dirty, angry, and raw.

Punk beats and blast beats alike power the screams and the noisy, over-fuzzed guitars and bass into the red for much of the album. Yet there are plenty of tempo shifts and breakdowns, and though IV very predominantly is a hardcore album, it shares good company on Deathwish with its heavy dynamics.

- Scott Morrow

Honorable Mentions

Everything Went Black: Cycles of Light (Prosthetic / Lost Shepherd)

Herculaneum: Uchu

Howler: America Give Up (Rough Trade)

Justin Robinson & The Mary Annettes: Bones for Tinder (Spindle)

Cate Le Bon: Cyrk (The Control Group)

Matthew Dear: Headcage EP (Ghostly International)

Wiley: Evolve or be Extinct (Big Dada)

The Echocentrics: "Esclavo Y Amo" (feat. Natalia Clavier)

The man behind The Echocentrics is Austin-based, two-time Grammy-nominated producer Adrian Quesada. Quesada has previously worked in bands like Ocote Soul Sounds and Brownout. On The Echocentrics' new album, Sunshadows, he teamed with Argentinean singer Natalia Clavier and Brazilian musician Tita Lima to craft a psychedelic, Latin-funk album that oozes laid-back grooves. Ample use of a Farfisa synthesizer and electric harpsichord take these cross-cultural jams into far-flung hinterlands.

If you're into The Echocentrics' worldly melange, enter to win a copy of Sunshadows, courtesy of Ubiquity, by filling out the form below.

Update: Contest has ended.

Shawn Lee's Ping Pong Orchestra: Hooked Up Classics (Ubiquity, 12/7/10)

Shawn Lee's Ping Pong Orchestra: "Swan Lake"

Mogwai: Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will (Sub Pop)

Mogwai: "Rano Pano"

Mogwai, everyone’s favorite Glaswegian post-rock quintet, recently celebrated 15 years together, and during that span, its nearly unaltered lineup has been as consistent as its mid-tempo rock instrumentals. The band’s sound has changed along the way, including intermittent vocal activity, but by and large, fans know what to expect: reverberated guitar melodies, glimmering keyboard lines, steady beats, and lots of fuzz.

Along the way, the band has shifted a bit from hypnotic, repetitive guitar lines to have songs with more conventional rock leads, and a prime example is “How to Be a Werewolf” from its seventh and newest full-length album, Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will. Still, nothing here will take listeners by surprise. It’s another 10 tracks of roughly five-minute instrumentals, with a smattering of highlights – a ghostly guitar/keyboard line in triplicate, an upbeat rock track with a half-time breakdown, and a sunny yet sludgy bass melody.

Mophono: Cut Form Crush LP (CB Records)

Mophono: "Be Human Part One"

Another of the up-and-coming DJs/producers from San Francisco’s beat scene, Mophono (also known as DJ Centipede) has just released a neck-breaking full-length debut called Cut Form Crush.  It follows a handful of EPs and remixes that were scattered over the past six years, but outside of beat junkies, it likely is an introduction for most listeners.

Released on Mophono’s own CB Records, Cut Form Crush is an LP/digital-only release where Moog bleeps meet hard hip-hop beats, jazzy fills, heavy funk cuts, and fanatical synth hooks.  Though it features guest spots by Flying Lotus and MC Subverse, Mophono does all of the heavy lifting, splicing samples over boom-bap beats and spacey dubstep passages.

Shawn Lee's Ping Pong Orchestra: World of Funk (Ubiquity)

Shawn Lee's Ping Pong Orchestra: "Cairo Cairo"

A super-prolific and accomplished multi-instrumentalist, Shawn Lee has made a career of splicing disparate styles over his foundation of funk, soul, R&B, and more.  Now, just two months after the release of a dub-, funk-, and rock-infused album of classical covers, Lee’s Ping Pong Orchestra is back with a world-driven collection of exceptionally funky jams.  It’s not old-school funk, of course, but a similar brand of Lee’s multifarious style – hip-hop and down-tempo beats, grooves galore, and layers upon layers of sounds.

Like usual, Lee employs a small music shop’s worth of instruments to achieve his diversity, this time tabbing sitar, kalimba, charango, bouzouki, tambura, steel drum, castanets, udu, and balafon among other choices.  It helps World of Funk make virtual visits to India, Egypt, the Mediterranean, and many other locales while adding Ethio-jazz, Latin psychedelia, and Eastern funk.  Guest singers also help to establish the global vibes, including some with Brazilian, Egyptian, and Cambodian heritage, with the latter coming from Dengue Fever frontwoman Chhom Nimol.

And with additional guest spots by mysterious beat-smith Clutchy Hopkins, multi-talented bandleader Michael Leonhart, and NOMO songwriter Elliot Bergman, World of Funk is a bona-fide melting pot of talent.

Total Fucking Destruction: Haters (Translation Loss)

Total Fucking Destruction: "Time Theft"

Formed after the first demise of Brutal Truth, Total Fucking Destruction has spent more than a decade presenting themes of nihilism, annihilation, and nonsense over grind, thrash, and punk rock.  Led by drummer/vocalist Richard Hoak of Brutal Truth, the band exists as a mocking assault on the global power structure, the inhumanity of homo sapiens, and mindless consumption.

Musically and vocally, the band has a very defiant vibe, and its new album, Hater, is no different.  There’s a punk-rock flair with overdubbed growls and gang vocals, and there’s the usual dose of rock-'n'-roll riffage, but the base of blast beats, double kick, and power chords remains the same.  Unlike a lot of grind bands, Total Fucking Destruction has plenty of tempo shifts, and though Hater isn’t as off the wall as previous albums have been, it might be the band’s most polished and cohesive release.

Sims: Bad Time Zoo (Doomtree)

Sims: "Burn It Down"

Headlined by Rhymesayers recording artist P.O.S, Minneapolis hip-hop collective Doomtree has some up-front name recognition but also a roster full of talent.  That includes Andrew Sims, an MC and early member of Doomtree who has done his part to help cultivate independent rap.

Bad Time Zoo is Sims’ second and newest solo album, produced by Doomtree associate and DJ Lazerbeak.  There’s enough sociopolitical content – including the call to action of “One-Dimensional Man” – but there are personal themes along the way, such as the unabashed balladry of “Love My Girl” and “When It Rolls In.”

With horn, piano, and guitar samples, double-time hi-hats, and thumping bass and synth hits, Bad Time Zoo sets a head-nodding foundation for Sims’ steady (and often doubled) delivery.  P.O.S drops a guest verse on “Too Much,” but this is far from another group effort, standing on its own as Sims continues to define his style.

Shugo Tokumaru: Port Entropy (Polyvinyl)

Shugo Tokumaru: "Lahaha"

Port Entropy is the latest full-length from Shugo Tokumaru, a Japanese singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist who performs or produces every sound on his records.  It’s his first US release on Polyvinyl Records, but Tokumaru has already achieved considerable commercial success in his native nation and abroad, including TV ads and a spot in the Japanese top 40.

With self-professed influences of the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and Japanese pop, Tokumaru wields an array of sounds behind his cheery, airy, harmonized vocals.  Guitar, glockenspiel, flute, banjo, and homemade percussion are just a handful of what one hears on an average album.  Some may feel overwhelmed by the layer upon layer of major-chord melody, but Port Entropy is another golden nugget of sunshine pop, with chops that aren’t too shabby either.

Honorable Mentions

Arbouretum: The Gathering (Thrill Jockey)

Beaten by Them: Invisible Origins (Logicpole)

Bright Eyes: The People's Key (Saddle Creek)

DC the MIDI Alien: Avengers Airwaves (Brick)

Elk: Let’s Get Married (Shape Up)

The Eternals: Approaching the Energy Field (Plustapes / Addenda)

PJ Harvey: Let England Shake (Vagrant)

Tim Hecker: Ravedeath, 1972 (Kranky)

The Natural Yogurt Band: Tuck in With… (Now-Again)

Austin Peralta: Endless Planets (Brainfeeder)

Phaedra: The Sea (Rune Grammofon)

La Sera: s/t (Hardly Art)

The Skull Defekts: Peer Amid (Thrill Jockey)

Win Win: s/t (Vice)

NOMO & Shawn Lee: Upside Down tour seven-inch (Ubiquity, 1/18/11)

Instrumental collective NOMO combines funk, Afrobeat, electronica, jazz, and more for a unique fusion of good-time jams.  Unclassifiable producer/multi-instrumentalist Shawn Lee, a label-mate on Ubiquity, has tackled dozens (perhaps hundreds?) of styles over his dynamic career.

Together, the two sides have collaborated to create "Upside Down," the A-side of a tour-exclusive seven-inch that NOMO officially released today.  Featuring guest vocals by Natalie Bergman, the sister of NOMO bandleader Elliot Bergman, the tune builds its groove with loops of an electric kalimba, a funky bass line, steel drums, and a flanged synthesizer.

The seven-inch is limited to 300 copies, and it also features NOMO’s “Nocturne” on side B.  It originally was available on the band's fall tour with Iron and Wine; it's now available at Amazon.com and through iTunes.

As usual, ALARM leaves no genre unexplored in our list of this year's overlooked gems.

Sigh: Scenes from Hell (The End, 1/19/10)

Sigh: "The Summer Funeral"

With a history of fusing other revered genres to a doomy combination of black metal and thrash, Japan's Sigh used its eighth studio album to deliver symphonic, epic metal that calls upon classical instrumentation to top its rock foundation.

Brass, woodwind, and string instruments — as well as organ and piano — accent as well as lead sinister melodies that take surprising turns through fanciful themes. Raspy, menacing vocals coat each track, resulting in a dramatic presentation that isn't much at odds with its complex backdrop.

RJD2: The Colossus (RJ’s Electrical Connections, 1/19/10)

RJD2: "Games You Can Win"

Following a divisive album that saw the introduction of poppy, soulful vocals, producer RJD2 returned with something of a split release — an album that leaves no shortage of accessible, vocal-driven tunes but that emphasizes some inventive instrumentals.  Whether or not you dig the soulful RJ, there's no doubt that the music on The Colossus is some of his best to date.

Chicago Underground Duo: Boca Negra (Thrill Jockey, 1/26/10)

Chicago Underground Duo: "Spy on the Floor"

For 15 years, the Chicago Underground Duo (and Trio, Quartet, and Orchestra) has been an avant-garde jazz outlet for prolific Chicago musicians Rob Mazurek (Exploding Star Orchestra, Isotope 217) and Chad Taylor.  Boca Negra is an interesting dichotomy, as spiraling vociferation leads to upbeat grooves, shifting piano chords, harmonic electronics, and ambient samples.

Algernon: Ghost Surveillance (Cuneiform, 1/26/10)

Algernon: "Broken Lady"

The brainchild of guitarist Dave Miller, Algernon walks a thin line between melodically driven post-rock and instrumental unconventionality.  Ghost Surveillance places greater emphasis on synthesizers and sprawling song structures, but at its core is the combination of accessibility and technicality that has defined Miller's style. Noisy, circular rock riffs transform to tranquil, wandering passages. "Timekiller," the album's fourth track, is a beautiful, buoyant number — and one of the band's best creations to date.

Bei Bei & Shawn Lee: Into the Wind (Ubiquity, 1/26/10)

Bei Bei & Shawn Lee: "East"

In the hands of a marvel, the guzheng — a gorgeous Chinese zither — resonates with tactile beauty as its many strings are plucked with precision.

Bei Bei, a native of Chengdu, China, is one such musical technician. And this collaboration with Shawn Lee, a prolific producer who can man as many genres as he sees fit, is undoubtedly one of the year's finest albums.  Together, the two use Into the Wind to navigate through funky down-tempo jams, Kung-Fu flavor, hip hop, soul, and driving grooves.

Daníel Bjarnason: Processions (Bedroom Community, 2/1/10)

Daníel Bjarnason: "Bow to String I: Sorrow Conquers Happiness"

Best known as a conductor and arranger for indie groups such as Sigur Rós, composer Daníel Bjarnason also holds a lofty classical résumé. Processions, his proper debut, is, at many points, a challenging classical work.  Powerful cellos scale and race with crackling percussions before settling into gently bowed and pizzicato string accompaniments; easily half a dozen strings battle for dominance in a sorrowful, harmonic piece that resonates long after hearing it.  Undoubtedly, Processions is a daring and original debut.

Shining: Blackjazz (Indie Recordings / Distribution, 2/2/10)

Shining: "Fisheye"

Beginning as an experimental acoustic jazz ensemble, Norway's Shining — the brainchild of saxophonist Jørgen Munkeby — transformed to a progressive jazz-fusion outfit before delving into its darker side for a collaboration with black-metallists Enslaved.

Blackjazz pushes deeper into the band's dark recesses, forging a progressive industrial sound for the young century.  Big, complex rock riffs, twisted through gnarly distortion, form the foundation and support a mass of frantic, whirring synth lines and gut-wrenching black-metal screams.  In all, Blackjazz is a new epic — and perhaps the best metal album of 2010.

Pillars and Tongues: Lay of Pilgrim Park, LP + download (Endless Nest, 2/9/10)

Pillars and Tongues: "The Center of"

With just three members, Pillars and Tongues manages to craft powerful folk abstractions and interwoven, trance-inducing vocal dynamics. Both composed and improvisational, these shifting forms evoke spiritual vibes in their soulful essence, heavenly harmonies, and repeated patterns.

Dessa: A Badly Broken Code (Doomtree, 2/9/10)

Dessa: "Dixon's Girl"

The only female member of Minneapolis hip-hop collective Doomtree, Dessa is a spoken-word vocalist, singer, and MC whose awaited full-length was finally released earlier this year.

On A Badly Broken Code, her true solo debut, Dessa's vocal diversity is matched by its underlying music, ranging from hard-hitting beats and rhymes to lilting harmonic overdubs.

The Bastard Noise / The Endless Blockade: The Red List (20 Buck Spin, 2/16/10)

The Bastard Noise: "Mutant World of Shame / Underworld"

A spinoff of treasured "power-violence" hardcore group Man is the Bastard, The Bastard Noise is approaching its 20th anniversary of creating noisy electro-doom brutality.  For this split release with hardcore/punk experimentalists The Endless Blockade, the group utilizes the trademark drum-and-bass style of Man is the Bastard in combination with its far-out sounds.  The Endless Blockade contributes three tracks to the release — one 14-minute epic and two avant-garde remixes.

Freeway & Jake One: The Stimulus Package (Rhymesayers, 2/16/10)

Freeway & Jake One: "Know What I Mean"

Continuing his life after Roc-A-Fella Records, former freestyle star Freeway now makes his debut on Rhymesayers, a fitting new home — if only temporary before a move to Cash Money.  Fellow Rhymesayers standout Jake One provides a funky, malleable backdrop for Freeway's fiery delivery and lyrics that are alternately personal and light in content. And though Freeway deserves his accolades, Jake One's production is the MVP of this collaboration.

Carolina Chocolate Drops: Genuine Negro Jig (Nonesuch, 2/16/10)

Carolina Chocolate Drops: "Hit 'Em Up Style" (Blu Cantrell)

Beholden to the traditions of Americana and early African-American folk, the string trio Carolina Chocolate Drops continues blurring the lines of old and new. On Genuine Negro Jig, the group's fifth album, a few original numbers and a trove of traditionals take root in banjo, fiddle, and percussion. Three-part harmonies shimmer on the famous folk tune "Trouble in Your Mind," and simplicity shines on gripping renditions of "Why Don't You Do Right?" by Kansas Joe McCoy and "Trampled Rose" by Tom Waits.  Most surprisingly, Genuine Negro Jig includes an enjoyable rendition of "Hit 'Em Up Style," an unintentionally farcical pop hit by Blu Cantrell.

Mako Sica: Dual Horizon LP (La Société Expéditionnaire, 2/16/10)

Mako Sica: "I'Itoi"

A translation of the phrase "land bad," Mako Sica has more than a nominal Native American influence; the trio's distant vocal reverberations and dirge-inspired tunes recall the spirituality of America's original inhabitants.

Between the vocalizations of Brent Fuscaldo, the melodies of guitarist Przemyslaw Krys Drazek, and the rhythms of drummer Michael J. Kendrick, Mako Sica maintains a strong balance of abilities — with a brooding combination of jangly guitars, reverberated vociferation, and instrumental dynamics.

High on Fire: Snakes for the Divine (E1 Music, 2/23/10)

High on Fire: "Snakes for the Divine"

Stoner-metal trio High on Fire has built a devoted following over the past dozen years as fans fell in love with Matt Pike's gruff vocals and thunderous guitar riffs. On Snakes for the Divine, Pike uses his throat to channel Lemmy Kilmister; meanwhile, the band has picked up its pace and crafted an album that isn’t as outstretched. Hard-hitting riffery leads an effort that, though diverse at times, may be the band’s most driving release.

Jaga Jazzist: One-Armed Bandit (Ninja Tune, 2/23/10)

Jaga Jazzist: "One-Armed Bandit"

Five years have passed since we've heard the powerhouse melodies of Norway's Jaga Jazzist, the post-rock/"nü-jazz" conception of brothers Lars and Martin Horntveth.

One-Armed Bandit, immediately the group's best album, resembles symphonic prog rock, arguably a few steps removed from parts of Frank Zappa's expansive catalog and closer to countryman Jono El Grande's diverse and theatrical style.  This album, however, is much more cohesive than either of those comparisons suggest, and at times it is nearly overwhelming with grooves and harmonious refrains.

Rob Swift: The Architect (Ipecac, 2/23/10)

Rob Swift: "The Architect"

Turntablist/DJ Robert Aguilar, formerly of the X-ecutioners, has long utilized his love of jazz, R&B, and other musical movements to create compelling hip-hop instrumentals while displaying his tight beat-juggling skills.

The Architect is Swift’s foray into the classical world. In addition to a multitude of sampled styles and sounds, classical cuts comprise a substantial chunk of this Ipecac debut. Rearranged strings, organ, and horns often make the foundation of a given track, occasionally evoking high-tension Italian Westerns, as Swift’s scratches dance atop banging beats.

Rotting Christ: Aealo (Season of Mist, 2/23/10)

Rotting Christ: "Aealo"

For more than 20 years, Athens' Rotting Christ has traversed different directions on the metal path.  With its previous release, Theogonia, the group released a striking, original album that fused its dark sound to the ethnic sounds of its ancestors.

Like its predecessor, Aealo features female Benedictine chants, lingual pipes, and a medieval feel. Combined with dueling high-pitched harmonies and powerful guitar work, these new elements highlight an album that should be among the most original metal releases of the year.

Ali Farka Touré & Toumani Diabaté: Ali and Toumani (Nonesuch, 2/23/10)

Ali Farka Touré & Toumani Diabaté: "Ruby"

As two of Africa's most internationally renowned musicians, guitar legend Ali Farka Touré and kora phenom Toumani Diabaté have displayed impeccable abilities while integrating the styles of other cultures into their ethnic sounds.

Each Malian, the two collaborated for the acclaimed In the Heart of the Moon in 2005, shortly before Farka Touré's passing in 2006. Fortunately, the two set aside time to record new material before touring for In the Heart of the Moon, and the result is another beautiful set of duets that sees a posthumous release.

Throughout Ali and Toumani, Farka Touré roots each creation in melodious African-blues pieces. Diabaté's virtuosity accents each track in the form of fanciful scales, which at times evoke classical harpsichord passages, perhaps most notably on "Sabu Yerkoy."

Fang Island: s/t (Sargent House, 2/23/10)

Fang Island: "Sideswiper"

Mostly comprised of ex-Daughters, the good-time rock quintet Fang Island was one of the most quickly ascending bands of 2010, jumping onto tours with The Flaming Lips and Stone Temple Pilots following the release of its first full-length album.

The self-titled release is chock full of palm-muted and speed-infused indie-prog anthems, with über-layered vocal harmonies to go with a triple-thick guitar assault and distorted-bass bludgeoning.  It's one of those rare releases that feels absolutely radiant and thrashing at the same time.

B. Dolan: Fallen House, Sunken City (Strange Famous, 3/2/10)

B. Dolan: "The Reptilian Agenda"

Going way back with Sage Francis, rapper B. Dolan is a like-minded MC and slam poet whose style isn't terribly dissimilar to that of his long-time friend. Fallen House, Sunken City is Dolan's second full-length for Strange Famous, and it's full of the sociopolitical themes (if often in quick blasts or asides) and contentious delivery for which he's known.

In addition to some seemingly personal lyrics, Dolan takes passing shots at big business, taxation, the pharmaceutical industry, the concept of ownership of natural resources, the Israeli razing of Palestinian developments, and, among many other things, the so-called New World Order — dropping clips of Dick Cheney and George H.W. Bush in "The Reptilian Agenda."  On top of Dolan's socially conscious rhymes, A-list production by Alias makes this one of the year's top hip-hop releases.

Archie Bronson Outfit: Coconut (Domino, 3/2/10)

Archie Bronson Outfit: "Shark's Tooth"
Archie Bronson Outfit: "Shark's Tooth"

With its warbled vocals and driving percussion, British psych-rock trio Archie Bronson Outfit is like a more adventurous Wolf Parade — as comfortable burning up the dance floor with clean, bouncy riffs as it is turning up the reverb and rocking in a garage.

Coconut is the band's first LP in nearly four years, and it kicks off with a crunchy, swirling guitar line and a hypnotic bongo-laden beat. Produced by DFA's Tim Goldsworthy, Coconut gets spaced-out and drone-like at times, but it always offers a hint of pop accessibility amidst the static and haze.

Download the podcast for This Week’s Best Albums: December 7, 2010 and subscribe to This Week’s Best Albums for free with iTunes.

Stream the podcast for This Week's Best Albums: December 7, 2010.
This Week\'s Best Albums: December 7, 2010

Daft Punk: Tron: Legacy soundtrack (Walt Disney)

Daft Punk: "Derezzed"

Daft Punk: "The Grid"

Helping to popularize computer graphics in mainstream film, Tron was the 1982 sci-fi smash starring Jeff Bridges as a programmer who gets trapped inside an electronic world.  Disney's long-awaited sequel, Tron: Legacy, opens on December 17, but in advance of the release is a soundtrack that has been nearly as anticipated.

The film's epic accompaniment is the first new music by Daft Punk in five years, and it features the 85-piece London Orchestra.  It's a legitimate film score but one that employs the famous timbres and dance beats of its creators.  There are lots of racing strings, ominous swells, and tense climaxes, and many moments recall the work of composer Hans Zimmer – particularly those that combine the orchestra with synthesizers, or use long, blaring horn blasts and percussive thuds.  At other times, the material draws parallels to fellow countrymen Air — notably on "The Grid," which recalls the other duo's song "Electronic Performers" from 10,000 Hz Legend or some of its material from the soundtrack to The Virgin Suicides.

According to the duo, other key influences on this material were Max Steiner, Bernard Herrmann, and John Carpenter, and though it’s hard to imagine many film-score composers who haven’t been influenced by them, they’re apt inspirations for what the duo has created here.

The dance moments are relatively sparse, but a lot of melodies carry characteristics of the duo’s catalog.  There’s slightly more of a glitch/IDM vibe than on older albums, and it will be interesting to note whether any of these elements carry over to Daft Punk's next “official” studio album.

Shawn Lee’s Ping Pong Orchestra: Hooked Up Classics (Ubiquity)

Shawn Lee's Ping Pong Orchestra: "Swan Lake"

Shawn Lee is a highly productive multi-instrumentalist and producer known for applying his funky, soulful style in myriad ways, and as Shawn Lee’s Ping Pong Orchestra, he has tackled assorted world styles, famous pop songs, cinematic string pieces, and even Christmas songs.

His latest release, Hooked Up Classics, is a collection of rock, funk, and dub covers of classical favorites, and it fits right into the holiday season as commercials are deluging us with Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” and “Swan Lake,” Richard Wagner’s “Ride of the Valkyries,” Edvard Grieg’s “In the Hall of the Mountain King,” and Richard Strauss’ “Also Sprach Zarathustra.”

Each of those ever-present pieces is featured on Hooked Up Classics, but as Lee has done throughout his career, they take their own musical paths. Each is presented in a refreshing new way, such as the surf-rock rendition of “In the Hall of the Mountain King” or the alternately gloomy and sunny take on Frederic Chopin’s “Funeral March.” Lee’s take on “Ride of the Valkyries” is a particularly funky cut, featuring an exotic guitar interlude.

If you love these classical hits and want to hear them in a new way, or if you’re not familiar and want an entry point to the expansive genre, pick this up.

Liz Janes: Say Goodbye (Asthmatic Kitty)

Liz Janes: "I Don't Believe"

A folksy yet unconventional pop-rock singer and guitarist, Liz Janes caught the attention of Sufjan Stevens around the inception of his Asthmatic Kitty record label. Following a handful of solo releases – including a collaboration to re-imagine a handful of public-domain songs – she’s back with her first album in five years.

Titled Say Goodbye, the album scales back the light-rock aggression, bluesy riffs, Americana influences, and lower-register vocal moments of her older tunes.  It’s a collection of tender pop songs carried by Janes’ harmonized vocals, with slow beats and bass grooves, as well as flourishes of bells, horns, and acoustic guitar, establishing a more soulful and sultry feel.

Interestingly, Janes has a background in noise and improv music, stemming from random jam sessions in Olympia, Washington with experimentalists like Arrington de Dionyso of Old Time Relijun. To read about how these early improvisations impacted her music and life, check out her recent guest column for AlarmPress.com.

Zoon Van Snook: (Falling from) The Nutty Tree (Mush)

Zoon Van Snook: "Cuckoo"

Zoon Van Snook is the alias of Alec Snook, a former keyboardist/sampler for UK bands such as Skunk Anasie and I Am Kloot.  His debut full-length, (Falling from) The Nutty Tree, is a sort of pseudo-acoustic electronica album – also dubbed folktronica – featuring performed and programmed melodies on keyboards and sampled instruments over hip-hop beats. Think of contemporaries such as Dosh, Minotaur Shock, or Caribou.

The album’s first single, “Cuckoo,” is more in the electro vein, and it’s well done, but this is a really beautiful and composed album. The fifth track, “The Two Knives,” is dubbed “Cuckoo’s Reprise,” and it’s the same basic chord progression as “Cuckoo” but redone as a somber solo-piano piece.

Much of the rest of the album incorporates samples, field recordings, and vocal clips underneath the faux instruments, which often are percussive and very melodic. Many tracks are pieced together with big, glitched beats, and the result is an album that sparkles as much as it stutters.

Honorable Mentions

Anika: s/t (Stones Throw / Invada)

Einsturzende Neubauten: Strategies Against Architecture IV (Mute)

Eluvium: The Motion Makes Me Last (Temporary Residence)

Feist: Look At What The Light Did Now (bonus live CD) (Cherrytree / Interscope Records)

Jon Hopkins: Music from the Film 'Monsters' (Double Six / Domino)

Starkey: Space Traitor Vol. 1 (Civil Music)

Various artists: Psych Funk Sa-Re-Ga! (World Psychedelic Funk Classics / Stones Throw)

An iconic poet/musician whose soulful spoken-word style helped give rise to rapping, Gil Scott-Heron has been proclaimed a major influence in hip hop, neo-soul, and acid jazz. His political activism has been at the forefront of his noted career, which includes the acclaimed poem/song "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised."

Now, marking another landmark moment in his career, Scott-Heron has released I'm New Here, his first full-length since the 1994 album Spirits, which too was something of a "comeback" — his first studio album since 1982.

Produced by XL label owner Richard Russell, who convinced Scott-Heron to go back into the studio, I'm New Here is an atmospheric, down-tempo disc of diversity.

Acoustic pseudo-ballads are accented by electronics, dramatic strings, and piano in a combination of new poems, covers, and interludes. It's a release that feels extremely personal, whether from the lyrical content or Scott-Heron's familiar voice.

Gil Scott-Heron: "Where Did the Night Go"
Gil Scott-Heron: \"Where Did the Night Go\"

Pillars and Tongues: Lay of Pilgrim Park LP + download (Endless Nest)

With just three members, Pillars and Tongues manages to craft powerful folk abstractions and interwoven, trance-inducing vocal dynamics. Both composed and improvisational, these shifting forms evoke spiritual vibes in their soulful essence, heavenly harmonies, and repeated patterns.

Violin, upright bass, and drums and other percussive elements slowly build and fall. Each member contributes to the layered vocal harmonics, often trading rounds of the same melody or balancing pitches as a low or intermediate voice begins a wordless refrain. Fans of Huun Huur Tu, Charming Hostess / Jewlia Eisenberg, and other vocally driven experimentalists will love this.

Pillars and Tongues: "The Center of"
Pillars and Tongues: \"The Center Of\"

Arsis: Starve for the Devil (Nuclear Blast)

A major force in metal just six years after its debut, Arsis is a Virginia quartet that boasts tireless harmonized shredding. Thrash and black metal, gently crossing into death metal, form the basis of a sound that leans on flawless technical proficiency in accessible time signatures.

Starve for the Devil trends towards the melodic end of the band's material, but there's no shortage of full-speed aggression. Riff lovers will get their money's worth with this one.

Hot Chip: One Life Stand (Astralwerks)

Hot Chip's brand of synthesized dance pop has allowed the keyboarded quintet to climb the UK charts and garner heaps of attention in the United States.

One Life Stand is another disc chock full of dance-floor albums, albeit a bit more restrained than on albums past. The gentle vocals of Alexis Taylor and Joe Goddard will continue receiving much of the attention from casual listeners, but One Life Stand really shines with its diversity of synth sounds and instrumental complements (such as the touches from Trinidadian steel-pan player Fimber Bravo).

Massive Attack: Heligoland (Virgin)

Seven years after its last studio offering, commercially thriving electronic producers Massive Attack — closely tied to the trip-hop explosion of the early 1990s — have finally released their long-awaited fifth album, Heligoland.

With Grantley Evan Marshall, a.k.a. Daddy G, back on board in the studio, the group attains a multitude of electronic styles on Heligoland, thanks to its divergence of tastes as well as the usual assortment of guests.

This time, Massive Attack collaborates with Tunde Adebimpe (TV on the Radio), Damon Albarn (Blur), Hope Sandoval (Mazzy Star), Martina Topley-Bird, Adrian Utley (Portishead), and Billy Fuller (Beak). The result is a minimalist electro dreamscape, one that should appeal to a sizable cross-section of music fans.

Honorable Mentions

Bluebrain: Soft Power (Lujo)
Galactic: Ya-Ka-May (Anti-)
Georgia Anne Muldrow: Kings Ballad (Ubiquity)
Shining (Sweden): VI / Klagopsalmer (Indie Recordings)
This Moment in Black History: Public Square (Smog Veil)

The guzheng is a gorgeous Chinese zither whose existence dates back two thousand years. In the hands of a marvel, it resonates with tactile beauty as its many strings are plucked with precision.

Bei Bei, a native of Chengdu, China, is one such musical technician. And this collaboration with Shawn Lee, a prolific producer who can man as many genres as he sees fit, undoubtedly will be one of the year's finest albums.

Lee is no slouch, but his work really shines when he's coupled with a virtuoso. Together, the two use Into the Wind to navigate through funky down-tempo jams, Kung-Fu flavor, hip hop, soul, and driving grooves.

Bei Bei & Shawn Lee: "East" (excerpt)
Bei Bei & Shawn Lee: \"East\" (excerpt)

Algernon: Ghost Surveillance (Cuneiform)

The brainchild of guitarist Dave Miller, Algernon walks a thin line between melodically driven post-rock and instrumental unconventionality.

The quintet, based in Chicago, has drawn comparisons to hometown compatriots Tortoise — thanks to a vibraphone and a few jazz-inflected melodies — but it very much has established its own voice, particularly on Ghost Surveillance, its third album.

This album places greater emphasis on synthesizers and sprawling song structures, but at its core is the combination of accessibility and technicality that has defined Miller's style. Noisy, circular rock riffs transform to tranquil, wandering passages. "Timekiller," the album's fourth track, is a beautiful, buoyant number — and one of the band's best creations to date.

As always, the vibraphone work of percussionist Katie Wiegman offers a warm, harmonic accompaniment, but the group's best-supporting player may be drummer Cory Healey, whose wild fills and drum-and-bass moments imbue Ghost Surveillance with explosive bursts of energy.

Algernon: "Broken Lady"
Algernon: \"Broken Lady\"

Chicago Underground Duo: Boca Negra (Thrill Jockey)

For 15 years, the Chicago Underground Duo (and Trio, Quartet, and Orchestra) has been an avant-garde jazz outlet for prolific Chicago musicians Rob Mazurek (Exploding Star Orchestra, Isotope 217) and Chad Taylor.

Its size and scope has shifted, but Mazurek and Taylor have been the staples of the Chicago Underground name, melding improvisation with composition through a shifting balance of impulse and atmosphere.

Boca Negra is an interesting dichotomy, as spiraling vociferation leads to upbeat grooves, shifting piano chords, harmonic electronics, and ambient samples.

"Hermeto," for example, is built around a delicate keyboard melody, harmonizing surroundings, and a windy backdrop. "Spy on the Floor" follows with one of CUD's most straightforward grooves, coupling with Taylor's snare-rolling beat to craft a danceable tune.

Taylor handles the programming this time around, which helps to explain some of the duo's new sound. Long-time fans will recognize Boca Negra as being in the CUD ouvre, but they might be surprised at its scope.

Chicago Underground Duo: "Spy on the Floor"
Chicago Underground Duo: \"Spy on the Floor\"

Noah Creshevsky: The Twilight of the Gods (Tzadik)

Electronic composer Noah Creshevsky is a master of contrast, crafting musical patchworks from samples of orchestras, vocalists, pop music, and much more.

The Twilight of the Gods, his second album for Tzadik, is another wild series of rearrangements. Otherworldly performances rub against spliced sonic quilts. Scurrying bits of avant-classical weave in and out, bobbing between vocal undulations and interpretations of freeform rock and jazz.

This very much is for daring audiences, but regardless of preference, most listeners should agree that there is nothing quite like it.

Honorable mentions

Greg Burk: Many Worlds (482 Music)
Four Tet: There is Love in You (Domino)
Fredrik: Trilogi (The Kora)
Harvey Milk: s/t reissue (Hydra Head)
Yuka Honda: Heart Chamber Phantoms (Tzadik)
Joan of Arc presents: Don’t Mind Control compilation (Polyvinyl)
Sam Sadigursky: Words Project III: Miniatures (New Amsterdam)
Slow Six: Tomorrow Becomes You (Western Vinyl)
Univers Zero: Clivages (Cuneiform)

ALARM leaves no genre unloved in our round-up of 50 albums that didn't receive enough attention in 2009.

Omar Rodriguez Lopez: Old Money (Stones Throw, 1/27/09)

Omar Rodriguez Lopez: "Family War Funding"

The first of many releases in 2009 from prolific guitarist/composer Omar Rodriguez-Lopez. Accessible and centered on rock, sounding spacey, funky, progressive, psychedelic, a little jazzy, and a little Latin.

Kevin Hufnagel: Songs for the Disappeared (self-released, 2/3/09)

Kevin Hufnagel: "Tres"

Musical themes come and go, covering swaths of Spanish and Gypsy guitar before reverting back to haunting rock melodies, on this solo acoustic album from highly technical Dysrhythmia guitarist Kevin Hufnagel.

P.O.S: Never Better (Rhymesayers, 2/3/09)

P.O.S.: "Drumroll"

Likely the year's best hip-hop album, Never Better draws on Stefon Alexander’s background in punk and rock music (he plays most of the live instrumentation on the record), making this is an album that categorically defines the indie in indie rap.

Zu: Carboniferous (Ipecac, 2/17/09)

Zu: "Ostia"

Sludgy alt-metal with complex repeated rhythms and free-jazz freakouts. Features Mike Patton on two killer tracks.

The Andreas Kapsalis & Goran Ivanovic Guitar Duo: s/t (2/24/09)

The Andreas Kapsalis & Goran Ivanovic Guitar Duo: "Shadow Thief"

A Balkan-influenced classical guitarist joins an ethically inspired finger-tapping guitarist for a disc of skill and beauty.

16: Bridges to Burn (Relapse, 2/24/09)

16: "Throw in the Towel"

Dubbed the "Unsane of the West Coast" by ALARM's Jamie Ludwig, 16 issued another hard-hitting riff fest in 2009 with Bridges to Burn, the band's best album to date.

Umlaut: s/t (3/10/09)

Umlaut: "Kitty Puppy"

Mr. Bungle's Bär McKinnon, multi-instrumentalist extraordinaire, issued one hell of an album for this new project — one that filters meticulous melodies and asinine vocals through the lens of a whacked-out lounge group.

Jono El Grande: Neo Dada (Rune Grammofon, 3/16/09)

Jono El Grande: "Oslo Coty Suite"

Fanciful music that's different around every turn. Art rock that weaves through theatrical, progressive, classical, and absurdist styles with influences from Frank Zappa, Captain Beefheart, King Crimson and Igor Stravinsky.

Kylesa: Static Tensions (Prosthetic, 3/17/09)

Kylesa: "Scapegoat"

Down-tuned dirge metal that rumbles with crust punk, sludge, metal, hardcore, and psychedelia, often laced with atmospheric samples. To date, Static Tensions is Kylesa's most powerful album.

(MF) Doom: Born Like This (Lex, 3/23/09)

Doom: "Cellz"

Dropping his “MF” prefix, the incomparable rapper and Marvel-inspired supervillain delivered another nearly impenetrable wall of rhymes and flow, dizzying listeners with his ever-shifting, slowly delivered lyrics.