TD Sidell lives in Cambridge and he’s a busy man. TD plays in BIG DIGITS, makes people laugh with THE UNION SQ. ROUNDTABLE, does alternative football commentary with FOOTBALLZ and DJs at the all rap night Holy Calamity every second Thursday of the month at Zuzu.
He also makes posters:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/40048641@N00/sets/72157618602713427/
and
is part of the occasionally produced Silent Cal Radio podcast
HIS LIST:
Martin Newell- Songs For a Fallow Land
This local(!) re-issue stayed all up in my head for the early part of spring. Reminded me of my favorite things about both GBV and Ariel Pink. Lo fi because it had to be.
The Mekons- Live at the Middle East 9/18/2002
This one is kind of a cheat, I saw this show back in the day and actually had this bootleg but lost it one of the many moves I was doing during that time in my life. While I was in LA this fall I ran into the dude who gave me the set in the first place and he re-issued it to me. Going through twenty five years of fantastic being-a-bandness through various styles and incarnations mixed with awesome stage banter make this one of my favorite shows that I’ve ever been to. Sorry for showing off.
Danny Brown- XXX
(Doin) drug rap has been a big thing recently but Mr. Brown wit and unique flow elevates him above the normal cases/wasted couplet makers.
Eleanor Friedberger- Last Summer
Ms. Friedberger makes her way back to the positive side of my mental ledger. My download did get fucked up so I think I only have seven of the ten songs on this record so it’s possible that with this is another overlong mixed bag from a Friedberger, but the seven I have are pretty damn great.
Death Grips- Ex Military
My dreams of rap music brought back from a future I don’t want to live in have come true. Bonus points for a well deployed Chuck Manson sample.
Ty Segall- Goodbye Bread/Ty Rex/Castle Face Group Flex/Singles Collection
Mr. Segall gets the most prolific title from me this year. After bumming me out by dropping a somewhat mellower album early in the year, which was excellent none the less, this dude ripped through a ton of fantastic covers (of T-Rex on the Record Store Day Ty Rex ep and of David Bowie on the Castle Face Group Flex comp) and re-released a collection of his 2007-2010 to remind me that I am dumb and often jump to conclusions.
Anika- Anika
Though this came out in 2010, I didn’t get it till well into the new year. Anika and Geoff Barrow (of Portishead fame) detune and noise up old covers making this my favorite record to fall over to.
Shabazz Palaces- Black Up
The most unlikely comeback record ever coming straight from outer space.
DJ Quik- Book of David
You should really try to not piss DJ Quik off, he’ll ruin you over a hot beat of his own construction and stick in an album of neck breakers so that people will take even greater notice of it.
