The Red Circle

31. M.I.A. – Kala (2007)
Maya Arulpragasam’s music is a genre unto itself, an internationally inspired blend of hip-hop, dancehall and electro that accompanies her cucumber-cool vocals and less than conventional persona. Much was made upon the release of he debut Arular of Arulpragasam’s family ties to the Tamil Tigers, a violent Sri Lankan political resistance group that some considered a terrorist organization. Kala is a defiantly brash album that builds on her debut, expanding her already diverse musical vocabulary and featuring even more innovative beats. The sly hip-hop homage “Paper Planes” provided the album’s biggest commercial success, but it is packed with standouts from the sludgy bubbling of “Mango Pickle Down River” and the otherworldly Pixies-cribbing “$20″ to hypnotic up-tempo dance numbers like “Boys” and “World Town.” Kala’s undeniable visceral appeal is married well with M.I.A.’s edgy politics and the result of this well-defined musical vision is a true sense of urgency unparalleled in music today.

32. Nachtmystium – Assassins: Black Meddle (2008)
There’s a special sort of self-assuredness that drives a band to proclaim their own album a black metal companion piece to Pink Floyd’s psychedelic opus Meddle. Only time will tell if Nachtmystium’s Assassins: Black Meddle will age as well as its inspiration, but it is without a doubt a minor classic. Though black metal purists have mixed feelings about the increasingly diverse US black metal scene, Nachtmystium’s achievement was such that it sidestepped the argument all together and struck a chord outside that fairly restricted niche audience. The far-out concept may provide the framework the band works within, but within these restrictions, Nachtmystium finds an awful lot of room to create. The songs range from hypnotic to hyperactive yet interact so naturally that one simply couldn’t imagine the fury of “Your True Enemy” without the creepy crawl of “Code Negative.” Years of Pink Floyd worship and drug use definitely taught these guys (and Radiohead) that there are few studio tricks as simple and effective as a good stereo mix with a few fireworks thrown in for headphone listeners. The drum mix on “Omnivore” is designed to sound as if the listener is sitting at the drum set himself, while the guitars swirl wildly around in the air above. The whole set finishes strong with the three-part, ten-minute epic “Seasick” which features some great prog riffs, a saxophone and more synthesizer than you can shake a spiky gauntlet at. Assassins: Black Meddle is bound to be considered a great moment in recorded music for years to come.

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