ARTICLE
2006 10 Favourite Labels

ALBUMS
aMute
Art Ensemble of Chicago
Asphalt Jungle
Joseph Auer
Avia Gardner
Tommi Bass
Caural
Cdatakill
Christ.
Conjoint
Contriva
Cursor Minor
DJ Soul Slinger
DJ Wally/DJ Willie Ross
DoF
Electric Penguins
Encre
Flashbulb
Fuckpony
Funckarma
Cedric Gervais
Eglantine Gouzy
Greater Than One
Greg Haines
François Houle
Housemeister
Jan Jelinek
Eleni Karaindrou
Kode9 + Spaceape
Takagi Masakatsu
Mini
Move D
The New Law
Nuuro
Qwel & Meaty Ogre
Rant
Max Richter
Janek Schaefer
Svarte Greiner
Thighpaulsandra
Unwed Sailor
Geoff White
Wilt
Yellow6
Jesse Zubot

COMPILATIONS/MIXES
4 Women No Cry Vol. 2
Analog for Architecture
Assemblage Sessions
Jimmy Van M
King Unique/Nubreed
Monza Club Ibiza
Pop Ambient 2007
Rub-N-Tug
Thankful
The Rorschach Suite

3"/7"/10"/12"/EPs
Baseheadz
Big Toe
Franco Cangelli
Richard Chartier
Deadbeat/Monolake
Depth Affect
Diebombshelters
DJ Koze
Eltron
Johan Fotmeijer
Hellothisisalex
Mitsuaki Komamura
Múm
Ozka
Seekers Who Are Lovers
Strategy
Tandem 5
Andi Teichmann
The Twilight Sad
Ray Valioso

DoF: Sun, Strength, and Shield
Abandon Building

Dof's (Brian Hulick) Sun, Strength, and Shield is a rare bird indeed. On the acoustic side lie elegantly dancing piano lines and shimmering acoustic guitar picking, on the other clanking drum & bass beats and an occasional detour into prog-like compositional intricacy. Sans beats, DoF's pretty instrumentals conceivably could find their way onto the playlist at your local FM MOR station (the drumless “The Light Village,” which alternates between a jaunty shuffle and sunlit sparkle, a case in point) but the aggressive rhythm structures quickly render that a non-proposition. Encapsulating the album in a single gesture, windswept melodies gently blow across wide open spaces in “My Phoenix” (the piece even verges on shoegaze during its drumless second half) while beat squelch churns alongside. Sometimes the two realms merge more naturally (“Splintered Wormwood”), while at other times their connections are more tenuous. By conflating two such dissimilar components, Hulick fashions an admirably unique sound (the intro to “Scant and Pale” recalls “Hotel California” a little too strongly but the moment thankfully passes quickly) that resists easy categorization.

December 2006