Lend Me Your Ears: Decayed alternative

Monday, 20 January 2020

Decayed alternative

To accompany our recent Festive 33-1/3, an attempt to acknowledge the inevitable, inadequate contingency of year-end lists with, er, another year-end list: the Restive 33-1/3...

As always, the point is to highlight some of the past year's many fine releases that resonated with LMYE's ears while spreading recognition as widely as possible.

Not that even this second collection completes the picture of 2019: besides the artist & label multiples ruled out by our approach (see below), the year brought countless further releases that deserve your time & attention, of course...

In any case, the hairshirted LMYE framework still applies to this supplementary list: again, no more than one selection per artist (&, clearly, none represented in the earlier list); again, no more than one per label (ditto).

There are only three deviations from the usual 33-1/3 methodology. The first is that all Restive picks are jl's aone. The second is that compilations make up the entire quartet of additional selections that go beyond the confines of conventional releases;

No doubt :zoviet*france's 15-LP 'Chasse' wooden box would have featured, though, if these ears ever got to hear more of it than the samples at Soundohm...

You could also consider heavyweight serial releasers Kevin Drumm & Jim O'Rourke included by default (only four new Steamrooms over the year notwithstanding...).

The third is that in the spirit of inclusion this list's conventional releases go somewhat over Festive's strict 30 limit.

Anyway, in the hope that it inspires interest in these outstanding works & their labels here's the list:

Joshua Adams & Natural Information Society :: Mandatory Reality (Eremite) https://eremiterecords.bandcamp.com/album/mandatory-reality
Oren Ambarchi :: Simian Angel (Editions Mego)
https://orenambarchiemego.bandcamp.com/album/simian-angel

anthéne :: Virtue (Lillerne)
https://lillernetapes.bandcamp.com/album/virtue

Arovane + Porya Hatami :: C.H.R.O.N.O.S. (Karlrecords)

https://karlrecords.bandcamp.com/album/c-h-r-o-n-o-s

Julianna Barwick :: Circumstance Synthesis (RVNG Intl)

https://rvng.bandcamp.com/album/circumstance-synthesis

William Basinski :: On Time Out Of Time (Temporary Residence Ltd.) https://williambasinski.bandcamp.com/album/on-time-out-of-time
BLACK TO COMM :: Before After (Thrill Jockey)

https://blacktocomm.bandcamp.com/album/before-after

Joseph Branciforte & Theo Bleckmann :: LP1 (greyfade)

https://greyfade-label.bandcamp.com/album/lp1

Evan Caminiti :: Refraction (Make Noise)

https://dust-editions.bandcamp.com/album/refraction

Laura Luna Castillo :: Folksonomies (Cudighi)

https://cudighirecords.bandcamp.com/album/folksonomies

cinchel :: a ghost's hand leads you through darkness (1473)
https://cinchel.bandcamp.com/album/a-ghosts-hand-leads-you-through-darkness
Sarah Davachi :: Pale Bloom (Superior Viaduct)

https://sarahdavachi.bandcamp.com/album/pale-bloom

Emilia :: Pollinations (Rottenman Editions)

https://rottenmaneditions.bandcamp.com/album/pollinations
Yair Etziony :: Ensemble (False Industries)
https://falseindustries.bandcamp.com/album/ensemble

Carlo Giustini :: Custodi (LONTANO Series)

https://lontanoseries.bandcamp.com/album/custodi

Darren Harper :: Paths (Shimmering Moods)

https://shimmeringmoodsrecords.bandcamp.com/album/paths