In keeping with last yearâs music issue Iâve compiled a list of my 10 favorite local releases that came down the line between May â07 and May â08.
If I had to single out the best Atlanta label for this year, thus far thereâs no doubt that it would be Douche Master Records. But the labelâs reach has extended far beyond Atlanta over the last year. Excellent singles in the DM catalogue by groups, such as Hex Error and Cheap Time, as well as the Black & Whiteâs self-titled full-length are all worthy of note, but they donât fit into the category of a âlocal release.â The one significant local release from Douche Master this year is the reissue of Carbonasâ âBlack Outâ single ⦠Is it a faux paw to list reissues in the yearâs best of list? I think so ⦠But itâs worthy of an honorable mention. The âBlack Outâ single is a good companion to Carbonasâ third full-length, which shows a tremendous amount of growth on the groupâs part. Vocalist Greg Kingâs voice sounds so much more controlled than it has on previous releases and the groupâs grasp on tight, manic melodies in songs, like âPhone Boothâ and âAss Vogelâ are so much more refined than any of the groupâs previous records that it easily eclipses anything else to come out of Atlanta this year.
I also want to make a note about including the Selmanaires 7-inch in this list and not the album, The Air Salesmen. Whenever I play the CD I catch myself skipping to the tracks from the single. As soon as theyâre finished I play them again, rather than letting the rest of the songs play out. For me, the single, âJust to Get Your Loveâ b/w âVerdigris Intrigueâ are such powerful songs that they outshine the rest of the album.
So hereâs my listâ¦
1.) Carbonas â Carbonas (Goner Records)
2.) Atlas Sound â Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See but Cannot Feel (Kranky)
3.) Zoroaster â Dog Magic (Terminal Doom Records/Battle Kommand Records)
4.) The Black Lips â Good Bad Not Evil (Vice)
5.) Baby Shakes â âTell Me Now,â âBaby, It's You,â âCome On, Babeâ 10-inch (Rob's House Records)
6.) Anna Kramer & the Lost Cause â The Rustic Contemporary Sounds Of... (International Hits)
7.) The Coathangers â The Coathangers (Robâs House Records)
8.) The Selmanaires â âJust To Get Your Loveâ 7-inch (International Hits)
9.) Noot dâ Noot â âJiggle Cityâ 7-inch (Solutionist)
10.) Daniel Clay â The Protestant (Self-released)
Showing 1-2 of 2
Where is the Hip hop list?? I may check out the Coathanger Joint. Those chicks are hot!!
Hey Coolyfett, you should check out "Who's who among Atlanta hip-hop's new new" from last week's music issue: http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/who_s_who_among_atlanta_hip_hop_s_new_new/Content?oid=473247