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The CHIRP Blog
Steven Grady writesCHIRP Radio’s Best of 2022: Steven Grady
Throughout December, CHIRP Radio presents its volunteers’ top albums of 2022. Our next list is from DJ Steven Grady.
#1 Shufflemania! by Robyn Hitchcock (Tiny Ghost)
In pandemic-riddled 2020, Robyn Hitchcock wrote and recorded several tracks and then emailed them randomly to various artists to overdub as they wished.
The result? His first studio release in five years, sporting a worthy cast of musicians including former Soft Boys mates Kimberley Rew and Morris Windsor, Johnny Marr, Seán Ono Lennon, Brendan Benson, and longtime companion Emma Swift. Hitchcock reinvents himself yet again, serving up a self-described antidote, not about the world we live in, but a reaction to it.
From Socrates to Scorpio to serpent gods, Shufflemania! is yet another masterpiece Hitchcock has added to his wonderfully unique discography.
KSanders writesGods and Ghosts: A Review of “Babylon”
by Kyle Sanders
Back in college, I took a Film Studies course where we watched King Vidor's The Crowd. Released in 1928, The Crowd is a classic from the Silent Era and was one of the first films nominated for Best Picture (back then, the category was "Best Unique and Artistic Production") at the inaugural Academy Awards ceremony. It tells the story of a young couple struggling to maintain an existence within "Society," that massive, faceless entity referenced in the title.
A landmark in direction, Vidor's kaleidoscopic camerawork follows its protagonists as their beaming ambitions slowly submerge within a vast swarm of indifferent people all clamoring for a piece of the same thing. For a film that came out during the Great Depression, it was not what you'd call a "feel good" movie of the year.
The Crowd came to mind near the end of a new film that takes place during the same era. A dizzying camera pans out above a crowd of theatergoers, tilting down at the tops of their faceless heads watching a scene from Singin' in the Rain. One of the film's protagonists is also in the audience, but in this darkened crowd he nearly goes unnoticed.
The scene is from Damien Chazelle's latest film, Babylon, and it's just one of many scenes that reference important markers of cinema--those magical movie moments that have stirred the hearts of filmgoers for over a century, The Crowd included.
If only Babylon could summon a new trick from up its overstuffed sleeve.
Clarence Ewing: The Million Year Trip writesCHIRP Radio Weekly Voyages (Dec 12 - Dec 31)
On the Podcast:
- Marjorie Alford talks to Elijah Berlow
- Mick R. interviews Greg Kot and Jim DeRogatis of Sound Opinions
On the Blog:
- CHIRP Radio's Top Albums of 2022 continues throughout December!
Top of the CHIRP Charts for the week of 12/12/22:
Eggs – A Glitter Year (Prefect/Howlin' Banana)
Mike Bennett writesCHIRP Radio’s Best of 2022: Mike Bennett
Throughout December, CHIRP Radio presents its volunteers’ top albums of 2022. Our next list is from DJ and Board Member Emeritus Mike Bennett.
Another year, and way more music to listen to than time to listen to it. I just went through the list I made of 2022 albums and EPs that I listened to this year (at least once, and most of these at least a few times), and my count came out to 245. Yeah, it was a great year for music, as I liked them all, and there are so many more things I played at CHIRP in our rotation that I never got around to fully giving a shot. (Or records I got as I was wrapping up this list, like the new SZA and Lous and The Yakuza). While I get that one should not be ranking things when it comes to art, making lists is a natural for anyone who has a sense of order (or is beholden to Nick Hornby's High Fidelity). These are the records I enjoyed the most, the ones I just kept going back to, and made it to the top of my large pile.
#1 Topical Dancer by Charlotte Adigéry & Bolis Pupul (Dewee/Because)
This Belgian duo mixes techno, R & B and funk with witty and incisive topical lyrics to make music you can think to and dance to at the same time. It never becomes strident, because it’s laced with humor, sometimes silly, often cutting. At various times, I heard things that reminded me of Laurie Anderson, LCD Soundsystem, and (an admitted influence) Talking Heads. This is all topped off by the infectious personality of Adigéry, whose singing is extremely compelling.
DJ Duggery Presents the Frontiers of Weird writesCHIRP Radio’s Best of 2022: Comus Rivera
Throughout December, CHIRP Radio presents its volunteers’ top albums of 2022. Our next list is from DJ-in-Training Comus Rivera.
This was without a doubt a funky year for music. Maybe it's because some of the stuff that's deeper in the weeds just so happened to manifest in front of me, but I found a lot of new sounds that threw me in every direction. Speaking of, some of my favorite releases over this last Sol rotation were...
#1 Body N. Will by Kumo 99 (Self-Released)
Kumo 99's Instagram headline reads "99 ways to die, choose one". Well, if I had to choose, it'd be in the middle of the jungle-breakbeat-eurocore rave that I imagine a Kumo 99 concert must be. I don't know how this jawn first found it's way to me, but the second the opener, Body N. Will, came on I was hooked. If you like too-cool-for-school deep electronic that draws from a million genres while still managing to have a whole lotta fun, I can't recommend this album enough!