Tony Williams - in New York

An argument can be made that modern jazz drumming begins and ends with Tony Williams, since he came up playing with Miles, embraced rock and the avant-garde and influenced nearly everyone who followed him with his grace, power and inventiveness. In the last years of his life he led a spry quintet through his own catchy, deceptively simple compositions (there's some serious harmony underneath those hummable melodies, thanks in part to pianist Mulgrew Miller). The group played for an hour in front of a NY studio audience in 1989; this is the thunderous proof.

Allen Toussaint - The Bright Mississippi

Nonesuch

I guess this was producer Joe Henry's idea, but it's brilliant: New Orleans' ambassador of song on piano, interpreting N'Awlins standards in basic settings with edgy but reverent jazz players like Nicholas Peyton, Don Byron, Marc Ribot, etc. Simple, direct, and gets right to the heart of the music in a truly satisfying way.

Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

V2

Yeah, it was brought to my attention by a car commercial, but it's cool, okay?

Vijay Iyer Trio - Historicity

ACT Music

Steve Lehman Octet - Travail, Transformation, and Flow

Pi Recordings

The Beatles - In Mono

Apple

On the one hand, it's an endless game of Spot The Difference, one that Beatlemaniacs can play for days on end; odd fade-outs, different takes, etc. On the other hand, I wasn't prepared for how bracing this stuff sounds in mono. With a stereo picture, there are ways to hide instruments in the mix, or placing sounds in the stereo field to imply space or distance; with mono, it's either there or it's not, and the presence is immediately felt. Whether you spring for the Mono Box, the Stereo Box, or just buy the reissues individually, you'll hear things in this forty-year-old-plus music you've not heard before.

The Dutchess & The Duke - Sunset/Sunrise

Hardly Art

The Dutchess and The Duke have seriously avoided a "sophomore slump" with Sunset/Sunrise. Recorded by Greg Ashley in Oakland, this album is just as heart-felt and hand-made as their debut, but is more fully realized and draws from a much larger sound palette. But even with the enhanced production, distorted electric guitar, and somber string melodies, Jesse Lortz and Kimberly Morrison's achingly beautiful harmonies are still the core of the songs (there's even two songs where Kimberly takes lead vocal!). Still unchanged is the duo's rock & roll swagger that belies their folksy demeanor. And though the general mood of the album tends toward the dark and the sorrowful, moments of beauty and redemption are also plentiful. There is a simple authenticity to The Dutchess & The Duke that demands to be heard. Even as the songs on Sunset/Sunrise ache with longing, they also soothe the aches of longing.

Thirst / District 9

I'm still not sure what my favorite movies of the year were, but the return of the genre film is definitely my favorite trend of the year. From big screen to TV screen, blockbuster to indie, the lowly genre film (or even TV show) is coming back with a vengeance. Sci-fi, horror and crime stories seem really hot right now and some of the best ones are coming from places you wouldn't expect. Korean director Park Chan-Wook (director of Oldboy) brings us Thirst, an(other) unconventional vampire film that cleverly tackles themes of religion, morality, and redemption, but doesn't get bogged down in existential angst. The South African produced District 9 boldly handles apartheid through the lens of alien (like, E.T. alien) immigration, but maintains a wry wit and an understated love story. Screw self-important Hollywood filmmaking and egotistical directors and actors. Bring back the art and craft of the genre!

The Gears/D.I.'s - Rockin' at Ground Zero/Rare Cuts

Hep Cat

I'd heard of The Gears before and dug their just slightly rockabilly influenced punk sound, but somehow I'd never managed to hear the D.I.'s (the band the Gears devolved into after a few years) until recently. "Mohawk vs. D.A." was blaring on the radio and I wondered where this song that coulda been written about me came from. "I used have a mohawk/now I wear a D.A./I used to live in Torrance/now I live in L.A." [actually, for me it's East Bay.] Anyway, besides the biographical similarities to my life, either band's righteous & rootsy punk rock is like an amphetamine laced trip back in time to when even a low budget punk rocker could make the scene in a hot car and way before punks and the EPA discovered a common agenda.

Girls - Album

True Panther

I don't know why, but I sorta hate myself for liking this album so much. maybe I just hate the hype machine and all the subpar shit it tries to pass off as shinola. Maybe it's just the ridiculous labels it tries to put on something like Girls trying to market them. Whatever, man. This Album's just good. It's breezy and psychedelic without sounding too light or cliche. The Girls' songs are like the inevitable come-down from a sunny sunshine pop trip. With songs awash in a sort of detached melancholy and gauzy flippancy, Album teases like the beach on a grey San Francisco day, holding a promise of California dreaming just beyond the fogged in horizon.

Charlotte Gainsbourg - IRM

My friend tells me that my tolerance for cute girls that can’t sing is really high. I guess that’s true because I really dig this album. Once again produced and co-written by another musician (in this case, Beck, who manages not to smear too much of his signature across it), IRM is more confident and outgoing than Gainsbourg’s previous outing. Her voice is less breathy and ethereal, the songs less atmospheric. The songwriting is less fabulously imaginative and more playfully witty. Nevertheless, the overall mood of the album is still dreamy. Only this time, Ms. Gainsbourg isn’t afraid to up the tempo and even rock out a few times. Or maybe I just like cute girls that can’t sing.

tip: Unless you hate fun and good music, pretty much any DJ night that Special Lord B, A.k.a. Paul Paul, is involved with (Saturday Night Soul Party, Int'l Freakout A Go-Go, Girl Groups Night, Ska War, etc.) is guaranteed to be a blast.

Sanity Muffin cassette releases!

Sanity Muffin

The rebirth of cassette culture is upon us. In the Bay Area and all over the world musicians and bands are scrapping their bogged-down crashing computers and digitally saturated computer music programs for the free and easy direct to tape format of yesteryears...

And it makes sense too. The recordings sound real. There's no big checks to pressing plants or fancy recording studio costs and no pile of CDs or LPs in your closet you'll never get rid of.

Just small supply and demand copies for hand-to-hand exchanges of warm analog tape with creative compact artwork and packaging.

This is the path local Oakland based cassette label Sanity Muffin is on and all music lovers should take immediate note. Beginning in mid-2009, the label has released beautifully packaged full-length releases with music to match. They started off with a release for Anticon team member Odd Nosdam, lush ambient kings Drape and Perpeteia, Oakland psychedelic sound shifters Voices, and instrumental indie hero's Tristeza and their minimal synth-wave side project Naked Lights. A heavy roster is planned for 2010 spanning ambient, black metal, sound-collage, electronic, weird wizardry, and some early '80s tape-only reissues!

Amoeba recommends exploring the cassette culture again with a label doing it up the right way and right here in your own backyard!

*Available in the cassette section at both Bay Area stores.

tip: *Listen to a favorite RECORD on headphones...

The Flaming Lips - Embryonic

Warner Brothers

The latest from my favorite American band of all-time. Most agree - this is their best work in years. The vinyl comes with a CD version. Get it!

John Fahey - America

4 Men With Beards

For me, the second half of 2009 was largely dominated by the acceptance-into-my-heart of John Fahey as my personal lord and savior. Lucky for me, Four Men With Beards issued Mr. Fahey's amazing 1971 album America on four sides of 180g vinyl. Amen. Double-LP version as Fahey intended.

Maus Haus - Winter

Self-released

The latest from SF synth-pop collective Maus Haus. Be sure to snatch up this limited 7" before it runs out, and be on the lookout for a new full-length LP in 2010. www.myspace.com/maushausmusic

Man/Miracle - The Shape of Things

Sinaloa Records

The debut full-length from the East Bay's own Man/Miracle. A must-have for fans of awesome. www.myspace.com/manmiracle

Thao With The Get Down Stay Down - Know Better Learn Faster

Kill Rock Stars

Dude. Have you heard Thao? She's the best. And her drummer looks like a sexy George Washington. I'm not kidding.

Various Artists - Crayon Angel: A Tribute To Judee Sill

American Dust

American Dust puts out fine, fine records, and this compilation is no exception. Featuring gorgeous contributions from Grizzly Bear's Daniel Rossen, Owen Pallett (Final Fantasy), Bill Callahan (Smog), and many more, late folk singer Judee Sill's work is brought beautifully back to life on this disc.

Various Artists - Ciao My Shining Star: The Songs of Mark Mulcahy

Shout! Factory / Mezzotint

Remember the theme song to Nickelodeon's amazing TV series The Adventures of Pete & Pete? Remember how much you liked it? The man behind that nostalgic bit of tune-age was Mark Mulcahy - one of America's greatest living songwriters. Mulcahy's wife died suddenly and unexpectedly, leaving him to raise their twin daughters on his own. This compilation is a benefit for Mulcahy and his family, and features great covers of his work by Thom Yorke, Michael Stipe, Dinosaur Jr., and many more.

Spoon - Transerence

Merge

"This song was written in reverse - somebody better call a hearse." Yes, somebody HAD better call a hearse because this album will KILL you. So good.

tip: Are you a fan of guitar music by the likes of John Fahey, Bill Frisell, or Marc Ribot?  Then you should check out SF-based guitarist Jameson Swanagon -- www.myspace.com/littleskretas

Tal & Acacia - Wake Me

Essential/Bmg

Chock full of tunes that are good for the soul. Music this beautiful, catchy, honest and genuine shouldn't be so hard to find. Coming to a revival tent near you. The only group I would travel to Lodi to see.

The Mountain Goats - Life of the World to Come

4AD

John Darnielle has spent time in this neighborhood before but not for this length of time. Literate, not preachy.

Devine's Jug Band - Terrible Operation Blues

Porto Franco

Pete, Meredith, Mayumi, and the boys can sure stomp it. Get ready to smile.

Chris Montez - Call Me: The A&M Years

Universal UK

Handclaps and "La-La-La..." choruses for everyone! Unbelievably laid back and very much of its time. Another stellar compilation from Saint Etienne.

Slade - Live at the BBC

Salvo

Great live studio and concert performances captured just as the group began living in the U.K. charts. Great originals...Inspired cover versions...Filthy guitar tones...Kick-ass rhythm section...Noddy Holder's UNFREAKINMISTAKABLE voice!!! I love Slade. There, I said it and it felt good.

King Crimson - In the Court of the Crimson King (Deluxe)

Discipline US

Can this really be 40 years old? Every bit as terrifying and hilarious as the first time I heard it. Previously unreleased full version of "Moonchild." As a kid, I would hyperventilate while listening to this through headphones, album cover in my trembling hands.

tip: "Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting." Don't be afraid to be goofy!

Evangelista - Prince of Truth

Constellation

This is one of the those albums that pulls you in so subtly, that when it is over you wonder where the time went and feel that you could play it again.

Om - God is Good

Drag City

I'm going to start doing yoga and this is one of the albums that I'll be listening to. Belly dancers, check out the last two tracks for your next performances!

Le Face - Le Face

Tic Tac Totally

Madness ensues on this EP and lovely cover art by Gitane Demone (of The Crystelles)!

Kurt Vile - Childish Prodigy

Matador

Droney, yet never dull. Psychedelic garage, but not too beaten to death.

Hardware

A truly amazing film that shows what you can do on a limited budget and with tons of junk.

tip: Death Rock Dive Bar celebrates two years in June and Dressed In Black is just beginning. Look for them on MySpace and Facebook.

Paten Locke - Super Ramen Rocketship

Tres

He grew up on tapes! Paten Locke's approach to music is rooted in the traditions of old school boom bap rap, so his fondness for cassette tapes comes as no surprise. Having produced songs for the likes of Mr. Lif and Akrobatik under the moniker Therapy, P. Locke comes out on his own as a rapper on Super Ramen Rocketship. His style is a call-back to classic Hip-Hop, similar to groups like People Under the Stairs or Jurassic 5, and he's not afraid to have some fun with his hooks and vocal cadences. His beats are excellent, with layers of lo-fi sampling and dusty drums making for a refreshingly upbeat vibe. Definitely one to nod your head over and occasionally bust a move to. Funky funky funky funky funky hit record.

Dessa - A Badly Broken Code

Doomtree

The first great release of 2010 is a stunner indeed, instantly trumping every album from 2009 with one of the strongest albums of female MCing to date. Long-awaited by Doomtree fans and more than ready to turn a few new heads in their direction, A Badly Broken Code is as unified and polished as full-length debuts come. As a vocalist, Dessa is just incredible. I think that she's a strong contender for the most talented female MC working in Hip-Hop today, with a sexy flow, sophisticated lyrics, clever concepts and an excellent singing voice all at her disposal. If I had to draw comparisons, Lauryn Hill and Ursula Rucker are the first names that'd come to mind, but Dessa's distinctly feminine approach to Hip-Hop is quite original in its own right. The album's 15 standout tracks also have the benefit of topnotch musical backdrops courtesy of Doomtree's in-house producers, and range from melancholy string arrangements to bouncy horns and keys. The best Doomtree release to date. If this isn't one of the top albums of 2010, I'll eat my DTR hoodie.

tip: 2009 was also a great year for movies; don't let anybody tell you different.  Inglourious Basterds, The Limits of Control, Where the Wild Things Are, The Fantastic Mr. Fox, Antichrist, The International, and the list goes on...

Kowloon Walled City - Gambling on the Richter Scale

Perceptual Motion Machine

Various Artists - Where the Wild Things Are (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

Interscope

Fall of Efrafa - Inle

Halo of Lies

Kris Kristofferson - Closer to the Bone

New West

Built to Spill - There is No Enemy

Warner Bros./ATP Recordings

Fever Ray - Fever Ray

Rabid Records

Camera Obscura - The Blizzard

4AD