Tropical? Robotic? How about both? “Stillness” is a strange amalgamation of the organic and the artificial, mirroring nothing else on the scene. And this one is on the scene alright (for proof, see also: every other Best of 2009 list on the ‘net). The praise is worthy. This strange trip shifts and evolves and fluctuates, then makes sure to take a little time staying still.
Holy hell, this is what grunge is like at the end of the 00’s? It’s a little more patient, a little louder, a little more ironic and a little more emo. Makes sense. That’s pretty much like the way world has become (although, patience? What a virtue). While Pearl Jam is off selling the same 200,000 records to the same 200,000 fans, the world needs an “I Quit Girls.”
Talk about no-hype anthems. How many hipsters were talking about DJ Quik and Kurupt’s soon-to-be collaboration in 2008? Then again, who knew a couple of West Coast fogies would drop the hip hop babble of the year: “Typhoons tycoons/I assume delusions/Illusions like mushrooms/Get it now or pretty soon/Irradiated mushrooms irradiate entire rooms/Go bananas baboons/Just STOP.”
In a year that was pretty solid for female vocalists, “Daniel” may be the ultimate package. Whispery words spread elegantly across a dreamy soundscape, with a dark edge that cuts through any notion of indie bubblegum (the sweet-sickly “In a goodbye bed/With my arms around your neck”). She’s beautiful Daniel, but maybe the world isn't.
The weirdest in the game arose from the dead to delight us with this oddball anthem. He pauses for a quick breath just twice, playing the gentleman and giving the beat time to make a mid-song switch. Both pauses feed no-rest turnarounds into the seemingly stream-of-conscious Doom world, where everything's upside down, but it all makes sense. As always, Doom boasts it best: “These stats are staggerin/Has his ph.D in indiscreet street hagglin’”
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