Elijah's Year in Dance

While on vacation over the holidays, a relative dragged us to an unnamed indie rock concert. We remained planted against the back wall until we noticed a Musik Krause logo on the chest of one of the smaller attendees. Suddenly alert, we approached the youngster, figuring he might speak the same language as us. The youngster turned out to be a man -- Elijah Wood, famous actor and voracious music fan, who claimed to be "enamored with dance music" of late. Later that night, he was gracious enough to sit down with us and discuss some of his favorite dance tracks of 2005.

I would have to start with something off the Isolée album. That's just tremendous stuff, really dense and tight with a lot of little details. They're like the Boards of Canada of dance music because you know it's them right off the bat and they have a distinct sound that nobody else has. I guess I'll go with "Schrapnell." There's something very pure and honest about it and it sort of reminds me of the Von Bondies or screwed and chopped Gas Huffer.

One of the songs later on in the Kelley Polar album, which I think is really amazing and heartfelt. "Black Hole" -- I think that's the one. He has a precious indie voice but it doesn't bug me, you know? It's not annoying, like Postal Service. I swear to god I will strangle the next person who plays that garbage in front of me [clenches fists]! And it sure as hell is not like Sean Lennon. Now I love the Beatles, and I love John Lennon, and even some of Julian's stuff -- and come on, some of Yoko's stuff is bananas -- but I'm certain Sean must've heard the Langley Schools stuff before making that Grand Royal album. He ruined Grand Royal for me. I can't even listen to Luscious Jackson because of him. So, yeah, anyway, where was I? I have to mention Kelley Polar.

And while we're talking about Kelley Polar, I have to mention Metro Area. Not many people got into the EP they put out this year, but I like it a whole lot. I think it's called "Honey Circuit." It's kind of quirky for them, but it's not like "Caught Up."

The Field, "Love vs. Distance," on Kompakt -- my new favorite label! This is so much more euphoric and exciting than that MFA track that everyone put in their year-end lists instead of this. Come on, people -- that MFA track is so wack, and it didn't even come out in 2005, and it's like this one old Moose song with a dance beat underneath it! Moose! "Love vs. Distance" is like the best Seefeel track ever being shot through the huge marshmallowy clouds!

Bringing up "I Feel Space" by Lindstrøm might be pretty obvious at this point but I can't deny that I must have played it a hundred times. [Checks.] Yep! It's my second most-played song after Kevin Ayers' "Stranger in Blue Shoes"! What's funny is that "I Feel Space" is basically a fast instrumental remix of this one song off a Mike Oldfield album from the late 1970s that Jeff Goldblum gave me while shooting Chain of Fools.

Jan Jelinek's not really dance, at least not the album he put out this year. It makes me think of a Black Forest Tortoise. There's a weird kinda-dance track with "disco" somewhere in the title, so I'll go with that one, whatever it is. I was playing it in my trailer the other day and Nick Cannon came in while scratching his nuts and said, "What the fuck is this -- crazy cracker computer shit?" Then he ran out.

For some reason that's all I can think about right now! Sorry! I've also been playing the hell out of this CDR of Sa-Ra Creative Partners that Woebot sent me. That's not really dance in the sense that we're talking about but I was playing it the other night for some friends and we were all getting down -- well, if you could call it that. They're so weird and out there. Laurence Fishburne told me it was alright and that what I really needed was this song by a group called Kleeer titled something like "Taste the Music." I don't know. I'll probably pick it up when I can, or get it off Soulseek.