So basically, I've spent the last year holding desperately onto some kind of tasteful independence from the subscribed list of what's good - AKA the Hype Machine.It's clearly a fantastic resource and a great concept (to merge the collective tastes of hundreds of different music blogs) but I think it gets a bit circular as bloggers notice what other bloggers are saying is cool, then re-post the same music, so that it snowballs and something (very possible SHIT) that a few blogs liked early on becomes invincible in the snooty eyes of the musical blogosphere, and thrives on little more than hype. Hence, hype machine.
HAVING SAID THAT they just finished compiling their 2009 'musical zeitgeist' which listed the year's 50 best albums and artists and a handful of the most hyped tracks as per the musical dogma, and I was forced to eat a small delicatessen bag full of my own words. Yummy.
So, listening to their collection of top tracks, a few sprung out at me that made me feel guilty for leaving them out of my 2009 reminiscing. Here they are in all their outdated, mixt-ape-proving-wrong glory:
Florence + The Machine - You Got The Love (The XX Remix)
This one forced me to sulkily pour away a few of my preconceptions, like non-alcoholic beer you'd been sipping nonchalantly for hours under the impression it was regular 5%. Yeahp, I've been forced to sober up to realising that I might have been wrong about BOTH artists in the title. I've always been weirdly suspicious of female-fronted bands (it's probably cos girls are shit at music. :) ) and the XX seemed annoyingly sedate to me. Plus I was clearly suffering from that arrogant aversion to hype in both cases. But this remix in all its glittery splendour is making me think I shouldn't have ignored two of 2009's most prominent artists. It's fucking lovely, its staccato beats and deep bass are a bit reminiscent of old school UK garage (sweet, like chocolate boy?) but without the guilt that went with it, and the singers' replacement vocals perfectly fit the weirdly dispassionate yet emotional sound to the track (and the XX generally if I'm not wrong) before the actual Florence samples begin bleeding through, chopped up and knocked about with effects. This being the second Florence remix I've fucking loved (see Drumming Song remix a couple of posts down) my words might just end up in the shitter.Sigur Rós vs Mobb Deep - Shook (Emancipator Mash Up)
Probably my favourite one here, although more for the Sigur side than Mobb Deep's, Emancipator takes Jonsi's vocals from an otherwise gentle and fluid track and supremely beats the shit out of it with a sampler, creating an entirely new melody, before Mobb Deep comes back from the nineties to bounce verse off of an otherwise soul-touching track. Still, he's totally allowed to, it's cool.Notorious B.I.G. - Party And Bullshit (Ratatat Remix)
Here's where the hip hop can definitely happen. Biggie + Ratatat's cheeky production = beyond the grave satisfaction.
Radiohead - Reckoner (The Twelves Remix)
And I failed to hear this last year probably owing to my sensible suspicion of radiohead remixes. This one does pretty well though, the twelves seem to have a way with the upbeat transformation of very haunting minor songs (hear their remix of Fever Ray).We Plants Are Happy Plants - Apollo
Unsigned euphoric bleepy electronica. I possibly only remembered this artist when mishearing the name as 'Weed Plants Are Happy Plants' which I reckon would be much better. Still, ears peeled for this one.
Yeah, so there are the ones I'll give Hype Machine. Well done lads and ladettes, you did good. Listen to these tracks and more on their radio show/podcast (and try to fight the temptation to kill things when their presenter speaks. She says EVERYTHING in the same tone of voice like she's a Californian freshman ready for spring break).
