Podcasts:
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Podcast /
XLIII

Mark Abraham

:: Enjoy your breathless anticipation of Sharpay's newest evildoings to the sounds of: Perfect, Build, AGF, Callers, HEALTH, Buff1, Gang Gang Dance...



Columns:
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Column /
XIII :: Country I (Post-1960s)

Mark Abraham

:: Grr. I'm an outlaw! Quiver in fear at my laid-back banjo playing!

Column /
XII :: Industrial and its Ancestors

Mark Abraham

:: "Sorry, Trent. But you're kinda lame."

Column /
XI :: New Jack (& Jill) Swing
retconning header
Mark Abraham

:: "Ever wish the other guys would let us sing more?"

Column /
X :: Prog I (R.I.O. & Avant-Prog)

Mark Abraham

:: Psychoalphadiscobetaudio- aquadoloop sound, eh? Sounds dirty.

Column /
IX :: New Wave I (Grab Bag!)

Mark Abraham

:: I hope Gwen Stefani doesn't exploit this column like she's exploited the music it's about.

Column /
VIII :: Post-punk

Mark Abraham

:: In fact, the only bad thing about post-punk was that it seemed for a brief moment to make the moustache okay again.

Column /
VII :: Be-Bop, Cool, & Hard Bop

Mark Abraham

:: "Dude. Quit fucking around. I already told you this joint was in ALT double-double-flat 6/7!"

Column /
VI :: Prog I (Art, Symphonic, Space)

Mark Abraham

:: "You'd think it was the costume that makes it hard for me to sing into the mic, but actually it's my castration anxiety."

Column /
V :: Seventies Folk

Mark Abraham

:: Controversy abounds as Mark totally snubs John Martyn.

Column /
IV :: Classic Rock

Mark Abraham

:: It’s all about the necktie!

Column /
III :: Free Jazz & Free Improvisation

Mark Abraham

:: That plastic saxophone is so cute!

Column /
II :: Roots Reggae & Dub

Mark Abraham

:: Plus, a dub-hole is way less bad than a k-hole.

Column /
I :: Minimalism

Mark Abraham

:: "Eat it, Stravinsky! The revolution will not be over-orchestrated!"

:: / [collapse↑]
Features:
Most Recent / [↓see all]
Article /
Best Made-For-TV Bands, Except Dingoes Ate My Baby, Because Buffy Fans with Access to Youtube are Crazy and You Try Wading Through all the Homemade 'Shipper Reels

Mark Abraham

:: "Space blows."

Article /
Reasons that You (the Non-Phish Fan) Should Be Excited and Not Excited About the Very Likely Phish Reunion

Mark Abraham

:: How will North America be able to face this music?

Article /
Top 10 Worst (Fictional) Supergroup Albums

Mark Abraham

:: Somewhere, Wes Borland...still exists.

Article /
Established and Committed Hard Rock Band Seeks...

Mark Abraham

:: ...drummer.

Article /
Top 10 Up-and-Coming Contenders for the Throne of Most Overused Animal Moniker for Band Names

Mark Abraham

:: The year in post-Cambrian Explosion identity politics.

Article /
Recently Unveiled Vintage MIDI Controllers

Mark Abraham

:: Mmm. Synergy.

Article /
Reppin' with the ACARR

Mark Abraham

:: Rick 1: "Damn." Rick 2: "Double Damn."

Article /
Top 10 Anagrams of "Animal Collective"

Mark Abraham

:: Many of which feature...animals

Article /
Top 10 Best Entries from Dom's Childhood Diary

Mark Abraham

:: No, for reals. I actually stole it.

Column /
XIV :: Fusion I (Early '70s)

Mark Abraham

:: Play this in your elevators.

Column /
XIII :: Country I (Post-1960s)

Mark Abraham

:: Grr. I'm an outlaw! Quiver in fear at my laid-back banjo playing!

Column /
XII :: Industrial and its Ancestors

Mark Abraham

:: "Sorry, Trent. But you're kinda lame."

Column /
XI :: New Jack (& Jill) Swing
retconning header
Mark Abraham

:: "Ever wish the other guys would let us sing more?"

Column /
X :: Prog I (R.I.O. & Avant-Prog)

Mark Abraham

:: Psychoalphadiscobetaudio- aquadoloop sound, eh? Sounds dirty.

Column /
IX :: New Wave I (Grab Bag!)

Mark Abraham

:: I hope Gwen Stefani doesn't exploit this column like she's exploited the music it's about.

Column /
VIII :: Post-punk

Mark Abraham

:: In fact, the only bad thing about post-punk was that it seemed for a brief moment to make the moustache okay again.

Interview /
Huntsville

Mark Abraham

:: It's true: Ingar knows many middle class people, and they all love his band.

Column /
VII :: Be-Bop, Cool, & Hard Bop

Mark Abraham

:: "Dude. Quit fucking around. I already told you this joint was in ALT double-double-flat 6/7!"

Column /
VI :: Prog I (Art, Symphonic, Space)

Mark Abraham

:: "You'd think it was the costume that makes it hard for me to sing into the mic, but actually it's my castration anxiety."

Column /
V :: Seventies Folk

Mark Abraham

:: Controversy abounds as Mark totally snubs John Martyn.

Column /
IV :: Classic Rock

Mark Abraham

:: It’s all about the necktie!

Column /
III :: Free Jazz & Free Improvisation

Mark Abraham

:: That plastic saxophone is so cute!

Column /
II :: Roots Reggae & Dub

Mark Abraham

:: Plus, a dub-hole is way less bad than a k-hole.

Festival /
And Pitchfork Brought Us Together

Mark Abraham & Conrad Amenta & Chet Betz & Peter Hepburn & Dom Sinacola & Edgar White

:: Only the bestest festival in the universe could unite us as one.

Column /
I :: Minimalism

Mark Abraham

:: "Eat it, Stravinsky! The revolution will not be over-orchestrated!"

Epic Journalism /
The Other Side of Mt. Thunderegg: CMG vs. Open Book

Thundermark Abraham & Thunderdom Sinacola

:: Slip into your best pair of clean thunderwear: you may lose control.

:: / [collapse↑]


Track Reviews:
Most Recent / [↓see all]

:: Staff

Mark Abraham
Managing Editor, Sparkles

e-mail: mark@cokemachineglow.com

I got so excited when I heard the Spice Girls were coming to Toronto that I almost puked…and that’s really all you need to know about me.

Record Reviews:
Most Recent /
Gang Gang Dance :: Saint Dymphna
(Social Registry; 2008)
Deerhoof :: Offend Maggie
(Kill Rock Stars; 2008)
AGF :: DANCE FLOOR DRACHEN
(AGF Producktion; 2008)
Buff1 :: There's Only One
(A-Side Worldwide; 2008)
Grouper :: Dragging a Dead Deer Up a Hill
(Type; 2008)
[↓see all] /
ADULT. :: Why Bother? AGF :: Words are Missing (NBH) AGF :: DANCE FLOOR DRACHEN Christina Aguilera :: Back 2 Basics Ellen Allien & Apparat :: Orchestra of Bubbles Ellen Allien :: Sool Fred Anderson & Hamid Drake :: From the River to the Ocean Angel :: Kalmukia Annuals :: Be He Me Apparat :: Walls Basement Jaxx :: Crazy Itch Radio Beirut :: Gulag Orkestar Various Artists :: Black Stars: Ghana's Hiplife Generation Comp The Blow :: Paper Television Bobby and Blumm :: Everybody Loves Bobby and Blumm Booka Shade :: Movements Boredoms :: Super Roots 9 Peter Broderick :: Float Buff1 :: There's Only One Butcher/Müller/van der Schyff :: Way Out Northwest Don Byron & Bang on a Can :: A Ballad for Many Caribou :: Andorra Brent Cash :: How Will I Know If I'm Awake? (NBH) Charalambides :: A Vintage Burden The Chicago Underground Duo :: In Praise of Shadows Kelly Clarkson :: My December Clipse :: Hell Hath No Fury Clogs :: Lantern Coup :: Pick a Bigger Weapon DarkBlueWorld :: Dark Blue World (NBH) Deerhoof :: Friend Opportunity Deerhoof :: Offend Maggie Diableros :: You Can't Break the Strings in Our Olympic Hearts The Drones :: Wait Long by the River and the Bodies of Your Enemies Will Float By Ermine :: The Murra (NBH) Espers :: II Dominik Eulberg :: Heimische Gefilde Dominik Eulberg :: Bionik Fanfare Ciocărlia :: Queens and Kings The Field :: From Here We Go Sublime Figurines :: Skeleton FM3 & Dou Wei :: Hou Guan Yin Fond of Tigers :: A Thing to Live With (NBH) Fond of Tigers :: Release the Saviours Gang Gang Dance :: Saint Dymphna Giddy Motors :: Do Easy Glissandro 70 :: Glissandro 70 Grouper :: Dragging a Dead Deer Up a Hill Gultskra Artikler :: Kasha Iz Topora Chihei Hatakeyama :: Minima Moralia Kieran Hebden & Steve Reid :: The Exchange Sessions, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 Herbert :: Scale Ezekiel Honig :: Scattered Practices Hot Chip :: Made in the Dark François Houle :: Aerials Various Artists :: How Low Can You Go?: Anthology of the String Bass (1925-1941) Box Humcrush :: Hornswoggle Huntsville :: For the Middle Class Invincible :: Shapeshifters (NBH) Iron & Wine :: The Shepherd's Dog Islaja :: Ulual YYY Anna Järvinen :: Jag Fick Feeling Jan Jelinek :: Tierbeobachtungen The Joe Beats Experiment :: Indie Rock Blues Jóhann Jóhannsson :: IBM 1401, A User's Manual Kammerflimmer Kollektief :: Jinx Kemialliset Ystävät :: Kemialliset Ystävät Kite Operations :: Heart Attacks, Back to Back (NBH) KK Null :: Fertile Justus Köhncke :: Safe and Sound KTL :: KTL L. Pierre :: Dip Les Savy Fav :: Let's Stay Friends Les Savy Fav :: Let's Stay Friends Loscil :: Plume Love is All :: Nine Times That Same Song Lupe Fiasco & DJ E Nyce :: Touch the Sky Mixtape Magik Markers :: A Panegyric to the Things I Do Not Understand Magik Markers :: BOSS Malajube :: Trompe-L'oeil Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks :: Real Emotional Trash Mastodon :: Blood Mountain Melt Banana :: Bambi's Dilemma Melvins :: Houdini Live 2005: A Live History of Gluttony and Lust Michele :: Saturn Rings Reissue MoHa! :: Raus Aus Stavanger MoHa! :: Norwegianism Mouse on Mars :: Varcharz Róisín Murphy :: Overpowered Joanna Newsom :: Ys OOIOO :: Taiga Opsvik & Jennings :: Commuter Anthems Morgan Packard & Joshua Ott :: Airships Fill the Sky/Unsimulatable Pantha Du Prince :: This Bliss Perfect :: Giddimani Phonophani :: Phonophani Reissue Pig Destroyer :: Phantom Limb Pinch :: Underwater Dancehall Kelley Polar :: I Need You to Hold On While the Sky is Falling Prodigy :: Return of the Mac Mixtape Professor Murder :: Professor Murder Rides the Subway EP Protest the Hero :: Fortress Rhymefest :: Blue Collar The Roots :: Game Theory The Roots :: Rising Down Jessica Rylan :: Interior Designs Shapes and Sizes :: Split Lips, Winning Hips, A Shiner Shining :: Grindstone Shinjuku Zulu :: Various Chimeras Shogun Kunitoki :: Tasankokaiku Dani Siciliano :: Slappers Soft Circle :: Full Bloom Spoon :: A Series of Sneaks (OF) Sun :: I'll Be the Same Susanna :: Sonata Mix Dwarf Cosmos Susanna and the Magical Orchestra :: Melody Mountain Svalastog :: Woodwork T.I. :: King T.I. :: T.I. vs. T.I.P. Tape :: Rideau Tape :: Luminarium Various Artists :: Total 7 Comp Touane :: Figura Various Artists :: Touch 25 Comp Alexander Tucker :: Furrowed Brow Various Artists :: Until Human Voices Wake Us and We Drown Box Ricardo Villalobos :: Achso EP Scott Walker :: The Drift Amanda Jo Williams :: Yes I Will Mr. Man (NBH) Wolf Parade :: At Mount Zoomer Wooden Wand & the Vanishing Voice :: Gypsy Freedom Xela :: The Dead Sea Susumu Yokata :: Wonder Waltz Tom Zé :: Estudando O Pagode ZMF Trio :: Circle the Path (NBH)

Co-authored ::

[↓top rated albums of 2008 by this author] /
AGF :: DANCE FLOOR DRACHEN
(AGF Producktion; 2008) / Rating: 90 / Combined Rating: 83
Gang Gang Dance :: Saint Dymphna
(Social Registry; 2008) / Rating: 89 / Combined Rating: 87
Invincible :: Shapeshifters (NBH)
(Emergence; 2008) / Rating: 87 / Combined Rating: 83
Wolf Parade :: At Mount Zoomer
(Sub Pop; 2008) / Rating: 87 / Combined Rating: 84
Various Artists :: Black Stars: Ghana's Hiplife Generation Comp
(Out Here; 2008) / Rating: 85 / Combined Rating: N/A
Deerhoof :: Offend Maggie
(Kill Rock Stars; 2008) / Rating: 83 / Combined Rating: 79
Ellen Allien :: Sool
(Bptich Control; 2008) / Rating: 83 / Combined Rating: N/A
Butcher/Müller/van der Schyff :: Way Out Northwest
(Drip Audio; 2008) / Rating: 83 / Combined Rating: N/A
Kelley Polar :: I Need You to Hold On While the Sky is Falling
(Environ; 2008) / Rating: 80 / Combined Rating: 79
AGF :: Words are Missing (NBH)
(AGF Producktions; 2008) / Rating: 79 / Combined Rating: N/A
Brent Cash :: How Will I Know If I'm Awake? (NBH)
(Marina; 2008) / Rating: 78 / Combined Rating: 78
Peter Broderick :: Float
(Type; 2008) / Rating: 76 / Combined Rating: N/A
Justus Köhncke :: Safe and Sound
(Kompakt; 2008) / Rating: 76 / Combined Rating: N/A
Anna Järvinen :: Jag Fick Feeling
(Häpna; 2008) / Rating: 74 / Combined Rating: N/A
Bobby and Blumm :: Everybody Loves Bobby and Blumm
(Morr; 2008) / Rating: 74 / Combined Rating: N/A
Tape :: Luminarium
(Häpna; 2008) / Rating: 73 / Combined Rating: 76
Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks :: Real Emotional Trash
(Matador; 2008) / Rating: 73 / Combined Rating: 75
Buff1 :: There's Only One
(A-Side Worldwide; 2008) / Rating: 72 / Combined Rating: 72
Angel :: Kalmukia
(Editions Mego; 2008) / Rating: 72 / Combined Rating: N/A
Grouper :: Dragging a Dead Deer Up a Hill
(Type; 2008) / Rating: 71 / Combined Rating: 69