Headphone Commute's Best of 2009 [part 5]

One final list for you from Headphone Commute's Best of 2009. Enjoy this installment, and I'll be back with more reviews for 2010!



Music For Synergizing The Synapse Of Ideas




Music For Grinding Your Teeth At Night




Music For Caffeine Free Car Chases

Headphone Commute's Best of 2009 [part 4]

Apologies for failing to keep this blog mirror up to date with Headphone Commute's Best of 2009 lists. Got a bit overwhelmed and distracted, but here are three more, if you missed them!



Music For Sonic Installations In The Cavern Of Your Skull




Music For Missed Friends, Barbecues And Turntables




Music For Vibrating Your Neighbors’ Dusty China

Headphone Commute's Best of 2009 [part 3]

Three more lists from Headphone Commute's Best of 2009 have been published on the main site!



Music For Walking And Not Crying In The Autumn Rain




Music For The Frosty Night When I Miss Your Warm Light




Music For Watching The Snow Slowly Fall In The Moonlight

Headphone Commute's Best of 2009 [part 2]

Three more lists from Headphone Commute's Best of 2009 have been published on the main site!



Music For Crawling Through Abandoned Cities




Music For Withered Leaves And Lonely Fishtanks




Music For Kicking Your Brain Back Into The Groove



I've got 9 more lists to go! Each one is being revealed one day at a time, so stop by often and save all your money! :)

Headphone Commute's Best of 2009 [part 1]

Headphone Commute's Best of 2009 lists are being published one per day on our main site. Be sure to visit and check out the currently revealed lists:



Music For The Film Behind Closed Eyelids




Music For Bending Light And Stopping Time




Music For Awakened Spirits And Open Minds

Headphone Commute’s Best of 2009

READ HEADPHONE COMMUTE'S BEST OF 2009

Reflections on 2009 : Stephan Mathieu, offthesky, Paavoharju, worriedaboutsatan and Klimek

We still have some time until the end of the year, and I'm in no rush to publish my list of favorite releases. Meanwhile, you guys are doing a great job at submitting Your Votes! These will be tabulated and aggregated at the end of the year to present the Reader's selections. Keep them coming! While the list is growing, I decided to reach out to my favorite artists and labels, and ask them to share their thoughts on the music of 2009. These are now presented to you, in the order that they have been submitted, one installment at a time.

This first part includes reflections from Stephan Mathieu, offthesky, Paavoharju, worriedaboutsatan and Klimek. I hope you enjoy!

Read part one of the article only on Headphone Commute.

50 (MORE!) Albums, EPs and Compilations of 2008

Hold up, hold up. Rewind selector! Before I attempt to sit down and put together my list of favorite albums of 2009, I must pay homage to the music that slipped past me in the year before. I have said this time and again - there is simply way too much music! Every year, I reflect on the year prior and attempt to catch up on all of the releases. And I refuse to let them go! So here is a list of albums that has not made it to my list of Headphone Commute's Best of 2008, but have been in my rotation since the publication, and deserve to be recognized in this flashback to 2008.

See the entire list only on Headphone Commute.

20 Compilations and Mixes of 2009 [part 2]

Here are ten more entries to complete Headphone Commute's 20 Compilations and Mixes of 2009. I've been trying to get these off of my chest for a whole year! Now that I'm finally sharing these recommendations with you, I feel much better. There is an amazing selection of music below, spanning across a variety of genres such as downtempo, psybient, modern classical, experimental, ambient, dark and crunchy IDM, dubstep, and everything in between!

Read part one of the article only on Headphone Commute.

20 Compilations and Mixes of 2009 [part 1]

Compilations are notoriously difficult to cover. Usually, when I write an article on a collection of tracks, I spend some time capturing a specific theme or concept that the volume is made up of, and then feverishly rattle off the contributors. It’s tough to encapsulate the theme otherwise. That doesn’t mean that I don’t listen to them, of course. There are plenty of mixes and compilations that make it to the top of my rotations.

Read part one of the article only on Headphone Commute.

Best of 2009 – Your Votes

December is here. Can you believe it? A year of music already gone. A DECADE of music, if you will, is behind us. And something barely audible is already stretching its tentacles into 2010 to begin another trend. But before we leap into the new year, I think it’s time we celebrate 2009 the only way that I know. So help me out with your votes for Best of 2009! Here’s what I need from you. I’ll make it easy, but please stick to the format in order to help me compile all of this at the end.

Submit your for best of 2009

Thank you!
~HC

20 EPs of 2009 [part 2]

Finally published part 2 of this writeup! Sorry for the delay.
Read entire article only on Headphone Commute.

20 EPs of 2009 [part 1]

As the year draws to a close, and I start thinking about the upcoming Best of 2009 list, I realize that I haven’t properly covered some 12" singles, EPs and mini albums. These tend to fall off my reviewing queue, mostly because in some cases it’s difficult to do a proper writeup for only a few tracks. However, they tend to haunt me, refusing to go away until I share with you these words. So here they are, in alphabetical order by artist, some of my favorite singles of 2009 (so far).

Read entire article only on Headphone Commute.

On Silence and Transition...

Here's a quick update on all the beautiful things at Headphone Commute. First of all, we want to thank you for your patience while enduring the silence during our move. It's not over yet, but we have been slowly settling in at our new home on the East Coast. The listening studio is almost setup, but the slap back is still pretty awful, and is a bit depressing. So a pair of headphones help us through the day, for the time being. If you are a record label or an artist with whom we've had previous relationship, by now you should have received our new mailing address. We've got plenty of promos right here to catch up to, but the time is still restricting, so please bare with us while we clean up the queue.

Have you noticed our new logo? That's right! The new face of Headphone Commute is none other than Zoetica Ebb - artist, writer, photographer, style technician and a co-founder of Coilhouse magazine who has written up a praise for Headphone Commute, and now agreed to be our new protagonist, if you will. Let's be honest - we think Zo is beautiful, and love the presence she adds to the music, the mood, and the weight of our words. We hope you feel the same. Check out Zoetica's recently relaunched site, Biorequiem.com, and drop us a line on your thoughts.

We would also like to welcome Tigon as a new contributor to HC. Tigon has been following our write-ups for quiet some time, and finally decided to try his hand at writing. We've stumbled upon his reviews and they closely resembled our words and more importantly our taste. Basically, Tigon covered albums that we've lacked the time to praise. Not to mention the fact that his posts came at a time during our transition, becoming indispensable words to carry us through the move. Tigon's recent reviews covered music by Proem, Rival Consoles, and even Alva Noto + Ryuchi Sakamoto, with a follow up of our Two and a Half Questions! We're looking forward to having Tigon as a regular contributor to HC with many more great things to come!

And last, but not least, to carry you through the silence during this dreadful period of our relocation, we offer you another mix. This one is a little special to our hearts, titled Thank You, Chicago, Good Bye. Recorded live at Chicago's Hidden Forms radio, WNUR 89.3FM, the one hour mix of crunchy IDM and melodic electronica features a handful of special tracks from significant moments during our five year stay in Chicago. It's not exactly nostalgic or celebratory, but more of a marking point in time of yet another transition. Here are your usual suspects like Lusine, Hecq, Deru, Yasume, KiloWatts, Trentemøller and many more...

Download this free mix, and see full track listing only on Headphone Commute

Free Mix : Intelligent Breakcore

This mix has been in the making for quiet some time. Maybe not in its actuality, but at least in my head. It all started when I was compiling Headphone Commute’s Best of 2008 list at the end of December last year. I wanted to select some of my favorite tracks and create hour-long sessions. That lead into separation of genres into Modern Classical, Organic Ambient, and this one, Intelligent Breakcore. Of course, I’m about six months overdue now, but that only allowed me for squeeze in a few of 2009 releases. A-n-y-w-a-y… Here’s for your pleasure sixty minutes of uninterrupted intelligent and dark goodness from some of my favorite labels. Enjoy, and if you like it, let me know, I’ll post the other two mixes up here…

Download free mix, and see full track listing only on Headphone Commute

Electronic Explorations

I’ve been ranting about my favorite podcast, Electronic Explorations, for over a year now. It’s about time that I was able to catch Rob Booth for an in-depth interview. And while you read it, make sure to grab the latest episode, featuring the artist at the top of my rotations, Hecq.

Read full Interview with Rob Booth of Electronic Explorations.

myspace.com/robbooth | electronicexplorations.org

Label Profile: Tympanik Audio

In 2009, Headphone Commute introduces two new features. First of all there is our new and exciting revamped site with a better layout, navigation, and blah blah blah. And then there is a whole new Label Profile feature! First up is an excellent interview with Paul Nielsen, the head of Chicago based Tympanik Audio, which within only a year and a half has already established itself among the rhythmic noise, experimental downtempo, and dark idm scene. This interview is republished courtesy of Quark of Arrhythmia Sound, who I'm sure will appear as a contributor on Headphone Commute again in the future. Did I mention that we launched a new site? :)

Read Label Profile: Tympanik Audio on reviews.headphonecommute.com

...out on vacation...

I am currently out on vacation. Relaxing, recharging, reflecting. But mostly catching up to music that I missed, and relistening to my favorites. I'll be back in February to pick up where we left of in December. Bringing you more reviews of the old and the new, the known and the unsigned, the beautiful and the nasty, but always good music. In 2009 I plan on continuing in the same spirit, with album writeups, two and a half questions, flashbacks to the pioneers, and an occasional label profile. Meanwhile, I invite you to submit your thoughts on this undertaking. What would you like to see of more? What do you think I can do differently? How has Headphone Commute been a treasure trove, or how has it been a complete waste of time. Until then, I don't promise any bigger or better. I don't even promise more of the same. I promise to just be here. Serving the totality of everlasting energy that I find in music.

BEST OF 2008

It is finally here... It took an incredible effort to actually compile this final list. In some cases it was even more difficult than last years', as I've listened to even more music in 2008. Feels like my mission has been accomplished and 2009 can be started off fresh. But not before I catch up to all the music that I missed myself! Anyway, here it is, just a click away!

Headphone Commute's Best of 2008

Top 50 of 2007

That's right - it's not a typo. I'm taking a few moments to revisit the Best of 2007 before we wrap up this year. As many of you know, it is nearly impossible to listen and cover all the great music out there. There simply can't be a definitive list for the "best of the best". And once such lists are released, many discover great albums that somehow have slipped passed their radar. It is the case for me as well... Every year... I still stumble upon amazing albums from previous years that sound fresh to me. So I'd like to take this opportunity and bring back the gems that have since moved to the top of my rotations. How many of these have you heard? How many of these have you totally missed? Hold on to your undies, boys and girls, cause it's a doozy!

Headphone Commute's Top 50 of 2007
(listed in alphabetical order)
Aaron Spectre - Lost Tracks (Ad Noiseam)
Amon Tobin - Foley Room (Ninja Tune)
Apparat - Walls (Shitkatapult)
Architect - Lower Lip Interface (Hymen)
Balmorhea - Balmorhea (self)
Ben Frost - Theory Of Machines (Bedroom Community)
Boxcutter - Glyphic (Planet Mu)
Burial - Untrue (Hyperdub)
DJ Hidden - The Later After (Ad Noiseam)
DJ Kentaro - Enter (Ninja Tune)
DeepChord presents Echospace - The Coldest Season (Modern Love)
Elegi - Sistereis (Miasmah)
Eluvium - Copia (Temporary Residence)
Evan Bartholomew - Caverns of Time (Somnia)
Fennesz * Sakamoto - Cendre (Touch / Commons)
Goldmund - Two Point Discrimination (Western Vinyl)
Grails - Burning Off Impurities (Temporary Residence Limited)
Hauschka - Room To Expand (130701)
Hecq - 0000 (Hymen)
Kashiwa Daisuke - Program Music I (MIDI Creative / Noble)
Keef Baker - Redeye (Hymen)
Kettel - Whisper Me Wishes (Djak-Up-Bitch)
KiloWatts - Ground State (Native State)
Krill.Minima - Nautica (Native State)
Lights Out Asia - Tanks And Recognizers (n5MD)
Lusine ICL - Language Barrier (Hymen)
Manual - Lost Days, Open Skies And Streaming Tides (Darla)
Modeselektor - Happy Birthday! (BPitch Control)
Morning Recordings - The Welcome Kinetic (Loose Thread)
Mr. 76ix - 3 (Minority Of 1) (Skam)
Murcof - Cosmos (Leaf)
Near The Parenthesis - Of Soft Construction (n5MD)
Ólafur Arnalds - Eulogy For Evolution (Erased Tapes)
Onra - Chinoiseries (Label Rouge Prod / Favorite)
Pan Sonic - Katodivaihe / Cathodephase (Blast First Petite)
Porn Sword Tobacco - New Exclusive Olympic Heights (City Centre Offices)
Port-Royal - Afraid To Dance (Resonant)
Rafael Anton Irisarri - Daydreaming (Miasmah)
Sankt Otten - Wir Koennen Ja Freunde Bleiben (Hidden Shoal)
Stars Of The Lid - And Their Refinement Of The Decline (Kranky)
Stateless - Stateless (Studio !K7)
Swod - Sekunden (City Centre Offices)
The Cinematic Orchestra - Ma Fleur (Ninja Tune / Domino)
The Field - From Here We Go Sublime (Kompakt)
The Flashbulb - That Missing Week (Alphabasic)
The World on Higher Downs - Land Patterns (Plop)
Valgeir Sigurðsson - Ekvílíbrium (Bedroom Community)
Venetian Snares - My Downfall (Planet Mu)
Vladislav Delay - Whistleblower (Huume)
World's End Girlfriend - Hurtbreak Wonderland (Human Highway)