Eat Skull - Eusta Kill

Technically supposed to be a supplement to their second real LP, the much mellower Wild and Inside, Eusta Kill is a compilation of all Eat Skull's 7" and unreleased tracks. Loud, in-the-red surfy goodness, pretty much all the band's best tracks are on here (except for "Shredders on Fry"). Perfect summer jams.

Onra - Chinoiseries

Not new, but new to me, this record has pretty much ruled my life for the last six months. Made up almost entirely of Vietnamese and Chinese pop records, you've got 32 tracks of crackly goodness that never overstay their welcome (few of them exceed the two-minute mark). Pretty much the only "DJ" record that's ever grabbed me this much, I'd feel pretty comfortable calling this one of my favorite records of all time, totally hypnotic. If you need a quick reference point, think sublime frequences + J Dilla and you're basically there.

Los Holys - Sueño Sicodelico

Rescued from obscurity by the good people at plustapes, this is up there with the very best of world psych, with perfect cheeseball organs, surfy guitars, and tons of tape hiss. Also a cover of the Hawaii Five-O theme that's up there with The Ventures version. It's definitely one of those albums where the crap recording combined with years of tape dubbing wound up making it sound even better. It sounds like they recorded this on a ghetto blaster in the desert or something. Plus, these kids were like 18 when they made this. In Peru. In 1967. As cred-boosting as it is jam-packed (with jams).

Wet Hair - Dream

Since Racco-oo-oon called it quits last year, pretty much everyone has gone off to form a completely rad solo project (I definitely recommend tracking down the Driphouse tape that came out this year as well), but none bring the tones quite as hard as Wet Hair. Coming on like Suicide jamming in the woods, Wet Hair have dropped their most trad "rock" LP, not that that really means much in the context of where these dudes are coming from. It just kinda comes off as apocalypse jams. Drums, drones, damaged vocals...totally epic. It's black metal without the guitars.

Mt. Egypt - III

Singer-songwriter Travis Graves' new album has songs that haunt you in a good way, calling to mind old faces, late afternoons, and that moment on the highway when everything is calm, the road nothing but desert and optimism. Grab this limited release by Secret Seven while supplies last!

Steinski - What Does It All Mean? 1983-2006 Retrospective

Any DJ that samples Humphrey Bogart and creates a danceable track out of news reports of the Kennedy assassination deserves a tickertape parade, or at least a lovingly packaged two-disc retrospective cd set (complete with self-deprecating and informative liner notes by the artist).

Various Artists - Paper Moon Soundtrack

"Drink your Nehi and eat your Coney Island!" No surprise that my all-time favorite movie is also my all-time favorite soundtrack . . .Leo Reisman, Dick Powell, Ozzie Nelson, Hoagy Carmichael and friends ease you into the joyful, alien land of Depression America where snappy patter wards off poverty and sickness, and you can wrap your troubles in dreams.

Forbidden Hollywood Collection, Volume Three

Bless Warner Bros. and the TCM Archives for making the strangeness that is early '30s Hollywood available at long last! Hand in hand with the Paper Moon soundtrack, It's not the aspects of these "pre-code" movies that remain modern and topical that are so appealing, it's the opposite -- how foreign 1932 is from 2009, and what a beguiling world Great Depression Hollywoodland can be with the right ingredients. These five films, all directed by the underrated-until-now William Wellman, explode with frenzied melodrama, montages, and inexpensive joy. Though the highly anticipated Heroes for Sale and Wild Boys of the Road, two cult favorites, are not to be dismissed, the two movies on this collection that made me jump up and down (literally) are Midnight Mary and Other Men's Women. The former because of the ample screen time allowed to Ricardo Cortez, the original Sam Spade and Numero Uno Screen Idol in this gal's opinion; and the latter for the wild supporting performances by starting-outs James Cagney and Joan Blondell, and for leading man Grant Withers, who plays a dipsomaniac with a never-ending supply of chewing gum.

Law and Order: The Sixth Year

Nostalgia seems to be a running theme with this list, so why not go back to the magical time and place that was mid-'90s New York City, where deranged serial killers and internet stalkers had yet to engulf the consciousness of every prime-time crime show, and Law and Order had yet to morph into the bloated high-tech franchise that it is today. Cops still pounded the pavement, used pay phones, and the internet is "cyberspace!" People kill for money, power, and revenge; add to that Jerry Orbach's pre-9/11 wisecrackery, and you have an entertaining 50-minute crime show.

tip: Because the English-speaking world needs French Hip-Hop: www.yolala.org

Dancing Outlaw

Boone County, West Virginia - two local legends derive from this rural, hillbilly mountain town: one is the late, great Hasil Adkins and the other is Jesco White, son of Donald Ray White (R.I.P.) - the king of the mountain tapdancers. This documentary was first aired on a program called Different Drummer and became an instant cult hit in the 90s -- one that was difficult to obtain outside of second, third, and fourth generation VHS copies floating around cyberspace.

We get a look inside the rather twisted life of Jesco, or "Jesse" as most folks call him (plus it's easier to spell for Jesco). I say "twisted" because somewhere in Jesco's mind, he thinks he's Elvis Presley....yeah, it's THAT kind of a ride here, folks. Jesco, a former criminal and gasoline, lighter fluid, paint, and glue huffer/jailbird has been through a lot in his life, and it seems to just keep getting stranger and stranger. The humor here is warped and there's plenty of it, though when Jesco talks about how much he misses his father, one may feel a slight lump of emotion in their throat.

Practically everyone in this documentary is a character. Seriously, Mike Judge (creator of the now-defunct King Of the Hill) could make a jacked-up animated sitcom off of all this. Jesco's on-again-off-again wife, Norma Jean, is submissive (to a slight point) to Jesco's erratic personality switches and a wonder to Jesco's mother, Birty Mae, as to what Jesco even sees in this older, obese woman. Love is love I say, but theirs is a VERY strained form of love, which has its humorous moments.

There are classic scenes scattered about in this documentary, but when Jesco is in Elvis-mode talking about a vision he had from taking "a double, SUPER buzz" of airplane glue and gasoline, I had tears in my eyes from laughing so hard, which also leads me to say that a good chunk of the humor in here partly comes at the expense of the hillbilly/white trash element that seems so profound. Somewhere, Jeff Foxworthy is nodding in approval.

Jesco's father was killed in a horrible tragedy, which really messed up Jesco and his family as a whole, understandably. Maybe this explains the warped mindstate Jesco is in. I'm almost sure of it.

The saga of Jesco White continues in Dancing Outlaw 2: Jesco Goes To Hollywood where - on the request of Tom Arnold (formerly known as "Mr. Rosanne Barr"), Jesco goes to Tinseltown to perform on Rosanne. The sequel has a few key moments (like when Tom notices that Jesco has a swastika on his hand and tries to tell Jesco that he should get it removed, but Jesco is too busy waving at the applauding audience, so Tom inadvertently talks to the camera). The sequel pales to the first Dancing Outlaw.

Clipse - Lord Willin' / Hell Hath No Fury

MCs from Virgina with refreshing rhyme patterns, which separates them from the basic NY East Coast style flows. Dope production from The Neptunes gives them a different dimension as opposed to basic sampled production...definitely one of my faves outta new school Hip-Hop!

Wale - The Mixtape About Nothing

Another new school MC, this one hailing from Washington, DC. He uses good metaphors and has a refreshing style; street yet not too hard. His first single, "Nike Boots," was an ode to the shoe heads and was a perfect metaphor for being grimey...hahah. Good stuff.

Santogold - Santogold

Santi White was formerly the lead singer of the punk group Stiffed and experimented going solo, messing with electronica and alternative style music. Working with the talented producer Diplo (who was also producing M.I.A.), Santi came up with a perfect concept for her reinvention. I can say Santogold is similar to M.I.A. in vocal tone, but she can actually sing and has a better range of vocal ability that sets her apart. Good music.

Ryan Leslie - Ryan Leslie

In the world of present day R&B, a lot of singers sound the same and are very redundant, but Ryan Leslie is a new breed of singer who has a strong voice similar to John Legend. He has MC skills and actually has good rhyme patterns and a good voice for flowing. Some singers try this concept of singing and rapping but usually they are clearly better at one thing than the other. Ryan Leslie takes the cake and excels at both. He is a credited producer that makes all his songs himself, from the production to vocals. He is an all-around musical talent. There are countless videos of him on YouTube creating the songs that he made on his debut album. He is truly a talent in the R&B world.

Death Angel - The Ultra-Violence

Death Angel's first album, The Ultra-Violence, has strong, hard riffs and classic fast thrash metal-style rock...definitely a classic metal album.

Beat Street

This movie changed my whole perception of Hip-Hop and was definitely an influentual movie in my life. There have been a few other movies that tried to capture the early wave of Hip-Hop (such as Wild Style, Crush Groove, and Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo), but Beat Street was the first movie that chronicled the life of a pack of friends fresh out the 70's and early 80's scene in New York, when two new styles of music were merging: punk rock and Hip-Hop. The story revolves around a graffiti artist, DJ, B-boy, and a hustler. Many important people in the Hip-Hop scene were featured in this movie, such as the New York City Breakers, Rock Steady Crew, Afrika Bambaataa, Soul Sonic Force, Universal Zulu Nation, Treacherous Three, and many others. Dope.

Ratatat - Classics

This album is very sonicly enticing. Using basically the lead guitar, bass guitar, and a synthesizer on virtually every song, they still manage to keep their arrangements interesting and very easy to listen to. Good stuff.

Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles

A very good electronica album. The vocals and production are very reminiscent of early Kraftwerk, but updated with altered and edited tapped-out vocal effects. The sound kits used for the production are very intricately made and arranged nicely.

Tony Dryer/Jacob Felix Heule/Jacob Lindsay - Idea of West

Superthere!

Oumou Sangare - Seya

Super Duper!

Jordi Savall/Hesperion XX & XXl - Ministriles Reales

Super, woman!

Mt. Egypt - lll

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!

Bela Fleck - Throw Down Your Heart, Tales from the Acoustic Planet, Vol. 3: Africa Sessions

Supersurprisingdamnsatisfying!

Bob Dylan - Together Through Life

Super, man!

Allen Toussaint - The Bright Mississippi

Supernice!

Staff Benda Bilili - Tres Tres Fort

Superdelic!

Vieux Farka Touré - Fondo

Superlative!

Bill Frisell/Jim Hall - Hemispheres

Superbad!

Sila and the Afrofunk Experience - Black President

Superdelicious!

Trainwreck Riders - The Perch

Superrockin'!

Sviatoslav Richter - Pianist of the Century

Superior!

McCoy Tyner - Guitars

Estupendo!

Isabel Bayrakdarian - Gomidas Songs

Superbeauteous!

Rokia Traoré - Tchamantché

Supertasty!

tip: Listen.

The Fresh & Onlys - The Fresh & Onlys

After two amazing singles, SF's drunkest return with a debut full-length that shows off all the tools at their command. From the "Be My Baby" pre-wig-wearing/ladyfriend-shooting Phil Spector beat that opens "Feelings In My Heart" and the relentless pop'n'roll rush of the incredible "Fog Machine," the Onlys move through all the most interesting detours off the pure pop highway. Primal Monks-style stompers ("I Saw Him," "Only One I Want," and "The Mind Is Happy") sit alongside Syd Barrett on the bus to visit his "Imaginary Friends." The acoustic rush of "Nuclear Disaster" arises from the murk and feedback at the tail end of the get-out-your-dancing-shoes "Peacock and Wing" (one of the highlights of any Onlys live show and my undisputed stuck-in-my-head-all-day jam of 2009) in only one of many displays that this is one of the few bands that understands how to order tracks and pace an album so that interest isn't lost in a sea of sameness. My favorite LP of 2009...at least until their Woodsist record comes out.

Zero Boys - Vicious Circle

In the documentary American Hardcore,Paul Mahern (vocalist for Zero Boys) makes the statement that "if you were from a big town and were into this kind of music (hardcore punk) all you had to do was jump into the stream to get wet. In the middle of the Midwest we had to dig the fucking well." These Indiana teenagers must have had some killer shovels because they created one of the truly great American hardcore full-lengths with this 1982 classic. Since they weren't encumbered with the restrictions that come along with a big city scene (the brutishness of Boston and New York or the strident straight edge of Washington, DC), the Zero Boys were able to move from the finger snapping snottiness of "Livin' In the 80's" or the relentless hardcore of the title track and "New Genereation" while still delivering classic anthemic punk like the incredible "Civilization's Dying." Not to mention, it is quite possibly the best produced full-length of the first wave of American hardcore. This reissue is killer, essential, and long overdue.

The Shadow Ring - Life Review (1993-2003)

When I describe the music of The Shadow Ring to people it is usually with the expectation that my explanation will almost certainly result in that person or persons never wanting to listen to them even if a gun were put to their head. That being said, there have been wondrous rewards for those of us who have allowed the hermetic brilliance of this duo (and sometimes trio) of South Kent shut-ins to seep into our subconscious. The second track, the previously unreleased "The Iron Ark," sets the tone with its combination of detuned acoustic guitar, single string picking, and the distorted spoken word performance of guitarist and occasional vocalist Graham Lambkin intoning a hectoring cryptic poem over the top. Next up is the brilliant "Computer Forms" in which usual "vocalist" Darren Harris delivers an attack/critique of language and the role of computers in society that rivals some of Mark E. Smith's most pointed early Fall rants (think a 90's version of "Eat Y'Self Fitter") without seeming derivative. In fact, it is safe to say that no band before or since has sounded like The Shadow Ring. God bless them and all who meander with them. Inspirational lyric that sums it all up well enough, taken from their masterpiece single "Tiny Creatures" b-side "Harlequin," goes as follows:
Like harlequin the darkest part of the sky
Cause when you study diamonds
You don't look into their light
In fact when you look through windows
You're only looking at glass
Passing any number of dust-plates
Distortion when you hear yourself laugh...

Thee Oh Sees - Help

The fourth LP by the current incarnation of John Dwyer's ever-evolving Oh Sees project is absolutely their most satisfying to date. The garage stomps and the clever girl group style harmonies of Dwyer and co-vocalist Brigid Dawson are still there in great tracks like "Ruby Go Home," "I Can't Get No," and "Meat Step Lively," but the songwriting ventures further out into pure pop confections like "A Flag In The Court" and "Soda St. #1," as well as the sweet wistfulness of the album closer "Peanut Butter Oven." There is even some epic jam-outs ("Go Meet The Seed" and "Destroyed Fortress Reappears") to keep you guessing. Nice to see a band growing without either pandering to the notion of commercial success or losing sight of what made them interesting to listeners in the first place. Pure chewing satisfaction.

Monks:The Transatlantic Feedback

A loving portrait of a band of American soldiers stationed in West Germany in the mid-60s who, inspired by The Beatles, formed a rock band. Once their German managers got hold of them, the idea was hatched for them to change their name from the 5 Torquays to The Monks, complete with all black attire and haircuts shaved into a monks' tonsure. This would all be a mildly humorous footnote in rock history if The Monks didn't make some of the most primal, interesting, and experimental rock music of the 60s. Their music resides in that tier of rock music that could absolutely not have been made by anyone else with Captain Beefheart, The Godz, and Velvet Underground. From anti-war tirades worked into the relentless stomp of "Monk Time" to the greatest anti-love song ever written, the pummeling "I Hate You," The Monks laid the groundwork for such musical nihilists as The Fall and Public Image Limited, while still creating music of exuberance, innocence, and joy. Thankfully, the filmmakers were able to interview all the members for the film (banjo player Dave Day died in 2008 after filming had been completed) so that they can say in their own voices what the motives of the band were and it is revealed that for all the calculation involved in The Monks concept, this was above all the instinctive alchemy of five regular guys making something irregular in a spontaneous, open, and joyful way. Spoiler alert: they finally got to play in America over 30 years after breaking up.

tip: It's not about selling a million fucking copies on a major label anymore. If it ever was. Long live DIY small press vinyl, zine, and cassette culture.

Letters from Iwo Jima

March of the Penguins

No Country for Old Men

There Will Be Blood

WALL-E

Shaun of the Dead

Lost in Translation

tip:

Blu & Exile's Below The Heavens is possibly the closest thing these days to a good Hip-Hop album in the tradition of previous Golden Age artists.

Dengue Fever - Sleepwalking Through the Mekong

DVD documentary of the band's trip to Cambodia. Includes soundtrack CD.

Klaus Schulze - La Vie Electronique 1 & 2

Various Artists - G Spots: The Spacey Folk Electro-Horror Sounds of the Studio G Library

Library music from Studio G. Also on LP. For all things trunk, visit: www.trunkrecords.com.

Daft Punk's Electroma

Best seen on a large TV with lots of Valium.

tip: One of the better things on television is Link TV. In San Francisco try ch.22/27/30 or www.linktv.org. They have tons of music-related programs. Check it out.