Electronica List1 - Justice - CrossI was skeptical of this record at first, but it deserves the acclaim it's received. The only misstep--and the only thing keeping it from my regular-list top-10--is the atrocious song "The Party." I'm a huge fan of some of the staticy noise bursts utilized in several of the songs.
2 - Stendeck – FacesThis album really blew me away the first time I heard it. It's fallen a bit on my list since then, but it's still a magical album of cold, ethereal, electronic wizardry.
3 - M83 – Digital Shades Vol. 1Given the prominence of M83, I'm surprised this one hasn't received more attention. It's an ambient album, but not a particularly minimalist one, which is fortunate. I never grow bored listening to it as I do with most ambient stuff. It's beauty distilled.
4 - Familjen – Det Snurrar I Min SkalleKiller Swedish dance music. It suffers a bit from inconstency but has some fantastic high points. Most of the songs have vocals.
5 - Black Moth Super Rainbow – Dandelion GumEarly on I thought this was one of the best albums of the year, and while it's since lost some of its luster, I think it's still a lot of fun. More than anything I just like the
sound of this album. The electronically distorted vocals and synths they use throughout the record are fantastic and carry the songs even when the songwriting is less than spectacular.
6 - Future Conditional - We Don't Just DisappearLike the Notwist, but without organic instruments, Future Conditional create electronic pop music that enthralls even as it creates a laid-back yet solemn, mood. I haven't listened to this one in a while, and it probably should be higher, perhaps a lot higher, on my list.
7 - Port-Royal - Afraid to DanceAnother album that could loosely be described as ambient. There are several songs with beats, however, and even one or two with some faint vocals. They strike a great balance between ambient and dance on this record.
8 - Popnoname - The White AlbumAnother great dance album, though not one that you'd call a party album. Most of the songs feature vocals, and the best songs are dominated by simple but undeniably catchy repetitive rhythmic melodies.
9 - Gui Boratto - ChromophobiaAnother album that piqued my interest immediately,
Chromophobia displays an abstract aspect yet maintains its immediacy through its catchy beats and synths, never veering into the avant-garde netherlands inhabited by the likes of Fennesz and Keith Fullerton Whitman.
10 - Pantha du Prince - This BlissAt well over 70 minutes, it's overly long, but its elastic beats and dark atmospherics have great appeal.
I'm tempted to separate entirely my electronic and regular lists as they inhabit such separate spheres. I feel like I underrate electronic stuff on my year-end list, but I have trouble justifying separating non-electronic albums that I see as being so identical in quality. Anyways, I'm glad we have these genre lists so I can give my favorite electronic albums their due.
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