Different Kitchen Tumblr

Between the mid 1960s and the late 1970s, the long-playing record and the albums that graced its grooves changed popular music for ever. For the first time, musicians could escape the confines of the three-minute pop single and express themselves as never before across the expanded artistic canvas of the album. The LP allowed popular music become an art form - from the glorious artwork adorning gatefold sleeves, to the ideas and concepts that bound the songs together, to the unforgettable music itself.

Built on stratospheric sales of albums, these were the years when the music industry exploded to become bigger than Hollywood. From pop to rock, from country to soul, from jazz to punk, all of music embraced what ‘the album’ could offer. But with the collapse of vinyl sales at the end of the 70s and the arrival of new technologies and formats, the golden era of the album couldn’t last forever.

With contributions from Roger Taylor, Ray Manzarek, Noel Gallagher, Guy Garvey, Nile Rodgers, Grace Slick, Mike Oldfield, Slash and a host of others, this is the story of When Albums Ruled the World.

Manifesto Festival’s new audio page. Some good stuff on there if you’re not familiar with the featured artists.

“Somebody was trying to tell me that CDs are better than vinyl because they don’t have any surface noise. I said, ‘Listen, mate, life has surface noise.” — John Peel

LOVE it!

[via the homie, Paul]

From c. 1956! As MOU put it: “Same sh-t, different day….”

Great illustration of why the “music should be free” argument is bullshit, no?

As I was saying on a recent post on The Kitchen Facebook page, I always have the same issue every year when it comes time to do these year-end wrap-up lists: what criteria should they be based on? Should I do them by ‘best’, my favorites or most ‘popular’ and how do you define best and most popular anyway?? Each approach can generate very different lists, at least based on my ‘eclectic’ tastes.

This year is especially tough though. Despite what some cynics might argue, it was a really good year for music from my point of view and I liked a lot of albums. There’s probably about three or four of them that could make a strong case for being my favorite of the year, but as for the rest? I liked them all pretty much equally but at different times, for listening under different circumstances to the point where the exercise of trying to rank them verged on becoming meaningless. What does it mean to be my eighth favorite album versus my thirteenth, or twenty-first and what criteria would I be using to make those distinctions that I could share with readers that would be of any value to them?

So in the end I decided that just listing these albums alphabetically was the best way to go. But for those of you who like the competitive aspects of list-making and the horse race and list-based nature of news that our 24/7 blog and social media-powered world has given us, let me say that my most-played albums over the course of 2012 were The Slakadeliqs’ The Other Side of Tomorrow, Miguel’s Kaleidoscope Dream, THEESatisfaction’s awE naturalE and Saukrates’ Season One. And if you still wanna get into a conversation about what the ‘best’ albums were, I’m gonna have to add Cold Specks’ I Predict a Graceful Expulsion, Killer Mike’s R.A.P. Music, METZ’s self-titled banger and also the Kendrick Lamar good kid, m.A.A.d city and El-p Cancer 4 Curealbums, neither of which is even on my list, to the conversation as well. And when you consider all the non-commercial ‘street’ mixtapes and EPs, neither of which are categories that are super well-covered by my list, then yeah, there really was more good music than anyone could really reasonably expect to properly enjoy or get through over the course of last year.

Given all that though, hopefully, there’s some albums on my list that will still be new to you. Maybe you’d heard of some of these titles but hadn’t actually heard them. Or you saw them in these pages but dismissed them as just another post to fill up space and time and hopefully catch your attention (but didn’t really). Maybe now though you’ll decide to explore them based on The kitchen’s year-end co-sign! After all, that’s kind of the point of these wrap-ups, no? See what you might have missed or compare what someone else liked and deemed ‘worthy’ (by whatever criteria) and see how it matches up with your own tastes, or not!

Just ‘cos we’re into a new year now is no excuse to jettison everything from the last one. If there’s one thing I’ve struggled with over the almost ten years I’ve done this site, it’s trying to not get caught up on the ‘Be first or post only new stuff’ treadwheel that seems to snare other bloggers and sites. We try to maintain a standard at The kitchenwhere, while we might not cover everything or be the first to cover something, you can be sure that the stuff we do cover is great or at least worth your attention on some level or another. Our goal is to try and continue to do that over the next year and, if we can get our sh-t together, also have some treats to celebrate our tenth year anniversary in the fall. You’ve been warned!

And now to the list…

2012 FAVORITE ALBUMS
The Alchemist, Oh No, Gangrene - Vodka & Ayahuasca
Azari & III - Azari & III
Cold Specks - I Predict a Graceful Expulsion
Curren$y - The Stoned Immaculate
DJ Premier & Bumpy Knuckles - KoleXXXion
Flying Lotus - Until The Quiet Comes
Game - Jesus Piece
Kanye West Presents - Good Music Cruel Summer
Hot Chip - In Our Heads
Jai Nitai Lotus - Something You Feel
R. Kelly - Write Me Back
Killer Mike - R.A.P. Music
KJ - Water
METZ - METZ
Miguel - Kaleidoscope Dream
Mint Condition - Music @ The Speed Of Life
Georgia Anne Muldrow - Seeds
Nneka - Soul Is Heavy
Frank Ocean - Channel Orange
Phenomenal Handclap Band - Form & Control
Planet Asia - Black Belt Theatre
Saukrates - Season One
The Slakadeliqs - The Other Side of Tomorrow
SonReal & Rich Kidd - The Closers
Tame Impala - Lonerism
THEESatisfaction - awE naturalE
Tyga - Careless World

Previously on The Kitchen:

- DIFFERENT KITCHEN’S FAVORITE SONGS OF 2012

- The Best Of The Kitchen 2011 – Albums

- Brendan Philip’s Top 10 Album Picks For 2011

[via DK Blog]

Ordered alphabetically ‘cos honestly I couldn’t really discern where to rank every track on this list but be clear “Adorn” by Miguel was pretty much my favorite song of the year and Jean Grae and Scrufizzer: you both blew my mind with your tracks.

So what does this list say about The Kitchen and music in 2012? I wouldn’t want to speak definitively to those questions (others, feel free to weigh in with your own thoughts in the comments section though) but I would say the list, I think, does a pretty decent job of reflecting all the varied sounds that The Kitchen has always supported over our entire history and of course, in particular this past year.

We’ve never been a pure hip-hop blog (hence our name and goal of striving to be ‘different’) but rep the culture to the fullest, everything from the most ig’nant of-the-moment club bangers to super-lyrical or left-of-center underground joints by indie, unsigned or foreign artists. We won’t claim to outdo the EDM blogs out there but we were listening to those sounds (or their precursors) before many of the kids who run the ‘tastemaker’ blogs in that space were old enough to even know what house music was and feel like our tastes sometimes unearth sounds and talent that don’t fit within the blinkers of their preconceived but approved ‘trendy’ sounds. And tell me how many of the rap bloggers out there feel comfortable enough to post straight-up pop stuff that doesn’t have some cred-grabbing featured rapper on it or some cool punk or indie rock with no ‘urban’ connection to it at all?

Happily enough, I feel like the momentum seems to be towards more and more people with that sensibility with each passing year and you know what? I think that’s a great sign for music and where it’s going or could go moving forward. Growth and evolution, always. Music will never die if artists keep adhering to that ethos and I think they are and have been. Music’s not dead…

2012 FAVORITE SONGS:

2 Chainz feat. Kanye West - Birthday Song

Alley Boy feat. Pusha T - Your Favorite Rapper

Azealia Banks - 1991

CashOut - Cashin’ Out

French Montana - Pop That feat. Rick Ross, Drake & Lil Wayne

Jean Grae - Kill Screen

Youngblood Hawke - We Come Running (The Knocks Remix)

Hint - Aliens Enter feat. T Fly

ivanunknown - So Close So Far

Killer Mike - Big Beast feat. Bun B, T.I. and Trouble

Meek Mill - Amen feat. Drake and Jeremih

Miguel - A D O R N

Mocky - Little Bird

Nas - The Don (Produced by Salaam Remi, Da Internz & Heavy D)

NotestoSelf - All of the Above

Redman - White People Are Rioting

Scrufizzer - #RapRave

Skrillex & Damian Marley - Make It Bun Dem

Spek Won - Pulp Fiktion feat. Keisha.Leisha

Tasha the Amazon - Scallywags feat. Cola of Wifetaker

T.I. - Like That

WatchTheDuck - Poppin’ Off

Kanye West feat. Big Sean, Pusha T, 2 Chainz - Mercy

Yung Nate - Work

Xzibit feat. King Tee & Tha Alkaholiks – Louis XIII (prod. Dr. Dre)

Check out the soundcloud player with a playlist set of all these tracks within (an abbreviated version of this playlist is also available on RDIO, some of the non-commercial or unsigned track were not available on there…):

Previously on The Kitchen:

- The Best Of The Kitchen 2011 – Singles

- Brendan Philip’s Top 10 Singles of 2011

[via DK Blog]

546inthemorning:

Here’s my list! And I reserve the right to add on anything I forgot! lol

A really spectacular year for rap - folks like Tree, Ka, Starlito, Pusha T and the Black Hippy crew put out banger after banger, not to mention some very pleasant surprises from Jim Jones and Lloyd Banks.

Canadian music warmed my heart and soul all year long - not that I got to everything. If you know me, you know I don’t give breaks just because we’re from the same place. No favours on this list no matter how much I like or love you for you, just music that made my life better this year.

In no particular order:

LPs, EPs & MIXTAPES
Schoolboy Q – Habits & Contradictions
Tree – Sunday School
Ka – Grief Pedigree
Ab-Soul – Control System
Hodgy Beats – Untitled EP
Frank Ocean – Channel Orange
Jim Jones – Vampire Life 2
DJ Sicksentz (mixtape) - Check Yo Ponytail 2
Rich Kidd vs dj NaNa 2 - s/t
Crowns – Slow Gospel EP
Ron Radge (mixtape) – Trap Waves Volume 1
Clams Casino - Instrumental Mixtape 2
catl - Soon This Will All Be Gone
Dean Blunt – The Narcissist II
Fabolous – The Soul Tape 2
Jeremih – Late Nights
Fatima Al Qadiri – Desert Storm EP
Pepperboy - PTS
Tree – The Lit EP
Tree – Trillin EP
Theo3 - Airplane Over One Way Streets
Starlito - The Starlito Tape (Produced by Coop)
Starlito – Post Traumatic Stress
Starlito - For My Foes 
Yo Gotti – CM7 The World is Yours
Lloyd Banks – V6 The Gift
Roc Marciano – Reloaded

SONGS
Jai Paul – Jasmine
Sandro Perri/Jokers of the Scene – Futureactive Kid Part 1
Sean Blackthorn – The Spirits
Progress - Rock Shit
Murr Ft. Rosina – My Best Dress
Mykki Blanco – Wavy
Mykki Blanco – Betty Rubble
Notes to Self -All of the Above
Theo3 Ft. Progress - Deadly Medley Dub
Yo Gotti - I Got That Sack
Brendan Philip - You Got It Girl
Doug Shorts – Love’s Gone Wrong
Ab Soul - Black Lip Bastard (Black Hippy Remix)
Lost Twin – Nothing
Pusha T – Exodus 23:1
Pusha T Ft. Popcaan and Travi$ Scott - Blocka
TI Ft. Pusha T - I’ll Show You 
Joey Bada$$ Ft. CJ Fly – Hardknock
Nas – Nas The Don
A$AP Rocky - Goldie
Don Trip - Help is On the Way
Hodgy Beats – In A Dream
B.James – You Can’t
Tone Skeeta – Life Goes On
Kendrick Lamar Ft. Gunplay – Cartoons and Cereal
Kendrick Lamar Ft. Jeezy – Westside Right On Time
Tona – Lost
Freedom Writers – The Grille
CV Beats – Military Mind Set
Frankie Payne - The Goal
ivanunknown – Make it By
ivanunknown – So Close So Far
Chief Keef et al – I Don’t Like
Alley Boy Ft. Pusha T – Your Favorite Rapper
Rich Kidd - Boiling Point
Strong Arm Steady Ft. Schoolboy Q, Ab-Soul, & Jay Rock - Fair Fight
Bounty Killer Ft. Cecile – Ride
Baby Cham Ft. O – Tun Up
Baby Cham – Back Way
Konshens – Gal a Bubble
Childish Gambino Ft RZA – American Royalty
Childish Gambino Ft. Bun B – RIP
Childish Gambino Ft. Danny Brown – Toxic
Ghostface Killah – Glamour Life
Juicy J Ft. Lil Wayne and 2Chainz – Bandz a Make Her Dance
Jahlil Beats Ft. Jinsu – Last Days
Jahlil Beats Ft. Styles P, French Montana, Pusha T – Gripping Over Here
Jahlil Beats Ft. Ace Hood – Wanna Beez
Joey Bada$$ Ft. Ab Soul – Enter the Void
Gucci Mane – White Girl
Gucci Mane - Plain Jane
Yo Gotti – CPR
Curtains Ft. Schoolboy Q – Ruthless
Chief Keef - Love Sosa
Brendan Philip - Wait
Starlito - Sober Kick Boxing
Roc Marciano and The Purist – Change
Jesse Ware – What You Won’t Do For Love
Flume – Holdin On
King Louie - More Bandz
Pepperboy Ft. Young Yadi and Western Tink - The Streets
Pepperboy - Deep

From Bob Dylan’s ‘Tempest’ to Frank Ocean’s ‘Channel Orange,’ Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Wrecking Ball’ to Beach House’s ‘Bloom,’ see which albums landed on our list of the 50 best albums of 2012.

Oh Rolling Stone, you just couldn’t quit your classic rock jock riding and join us in the 21st Century long enough to consider actually awarding an artist under the age of 40 the #1 album position, could you?? (Click the image or post title to find out who they picked.) Smdh….

[via RS tumblr]