12/30/2010
Wyrm In The Hills, The Cities (Bandcamp)
Actually quite much is changed since Wyrm`s previous, 2-track release We Cannot Hear The Stars (2010). Indeed, the US-based project has abandoned their minimal, low-frequencied noise vibrations (The Unknown Is Infinity), and secondly, partly, electronic-infused post-rock concept (We Cannot Hear The Stars). Or the way round, a new, also 2-track album can be dealt with as the sequel and progression of the last named track on We Cannot Hear The Stars, making out difference in more epic, static guitar-riffed appearances. More concretely, the wide, potent-buzzing basic layer is fringed by a few elements, for instance, loosely pulsating rhythms at times, moreover, which are almost unheardable and at the closure of the issue seem to be just the set of vibrations of the album`s integrated, seamless parts. Notwithstanding its radical drone/drone doom/drone metal/drone doom metal husk, and regarding its almost invariable, almost endlessly emitting drone-based soundscape, indeed, by the very minimalism-esque type of conceptual approach it has managed to get into much bigger joint area with minimal music composers like La Monte Young, Terry Riley, and even Steve Reich, rather than ordinary metal bands. No doubt, Wyrm`s issue has very pragmatic sense and field of application - it is might be directed for individuals who are searching up for help to fix up his/her minds. Indeed, it is a very relaxing trip into the infinity.
Listen to it here
8.9
12/29/2010
[Compilation] Totokoko Christmas Compilation (Totokoko)
Here is a compilation of 19 tracks from Japan, though, more concretely, if to check out for the names, not all the artists are the Japanese heritage by their roots. For instance, Ryan Cohen, who offers opportunity to Ron Sexsmith`s Maybe This Christmas. This is a compilation which is dedicated to the Christmas (as the Christmas present with music, drawings/illustrations/photos and one video by the Totokoko label) showcasing a vast array of diverse indie spheres, veering from restrained keyboards-driven indie pop and folktronica/fingepicked guitar pop wrapped in by glockenspiel chords and accidental concrete music sounds to more shibuya-kei-touched dynamic outputs, chamber-alike infused progressions, lo-fi-inflected sonic backbones, creeping, capella-near notches and some instrumental, piano-relied "interludes". The only exception is the closure track Wallpaper of the Soul by Kraffa which is used to be a 100 percent-electronic one being deep(ly) techno(-)reflected and even slightly dubstep-hued. The favorites of mine are [.que]`s Silver Light, Wool Strings`s Sleep Green, and AMERICAN GREEN`s The Clock Tower And The Fountain, and Ibuki Yushi`s Noel Readying Experience.
All in all, in fact, it may be seem at times that the compilation is not pretended to be upon the highest aesthetical level because of the natural restriction of conceptual thing on its own, on the other side, it is filled with heartful touches for the biggest red-letter day and quiet times.
Listen to it here
12/28/2010
Spagetti Bolonnaise Disco1 (42 Records/Bandcamp)
Behind this cheesy name can be found a delicious whole of 6 notches, of psychedelic oriented songs obviously compiled of 60`s British music influences, on the first side, running on the more pop-oriented currents (The Beatles, The Byrds), and on the other side, on fusion/jazz rock-relied blasts (the Canterbury scene), and on the third side, chillout moods. However, an Italian quintet consisting of Elia Domeneghetti, Guido Bianchini, Andrea Mancin, Paolo Michelazzi, and Oliviero Farneti who sang in English, play up their "disco" concept in an excellent mode, operating with quasi march-like rhythms, colourful brass sections, smooth jazz parts, vibraphone-played shreds, vibrating electric organ snippets or overpouringly grooving, acid-filled synths (for instance, the ending track Dedicated to Wyatt but Wyatt Wasn`t Listening). In a nutshell, it can be said, indeed, the Italians do it better (it is a cliche, of course, having some pieces of truth inside it, though).
Listen to it here
9.1
Interview with Dave Keifer/Cagey House
I sent some questions over to the United States, to David Keifer aka Cagey House, a webaudio legend whose year of 2010 was dedicated to constructing lots of crafty issues apparently looked upon very purpose to be improved on his cut and paste/sound collage/plunderphonics/sampledelic/hauntology approach.
The year 2010 is coming soon to its very closure having been very profilic for you. More concretely, are you satisfied with your goals and those realizations in principle?
In general, I was pretty happy with what I came up with this year. There was a kind of density on the tracks I made in 2010 that hadn't been there previously. That's especially true of Flapper with Tuba and some of the tracks on Ratty Boo. The only thing I was kind of disappointed with was the spoken word parts on Stupid Grin. I had thought that coming up with texts would be really easy, but it's not. So if I'm going to continue in that direction, I'll have to work a lot harder than I thought I would. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing.
Indeed, regarding your dense, alchemist-alike, even obviously tiresome way to explore the tracks, could you step backwards and analyze what were the basic differences and features of the issues?
Looking back, this year was about achieving a higher level of density - a kind of multi-voice critical mass. Up until around November of 2009, my main technique had been a kind of sequential collage. I'd make different tracks, then cut them up and string certain parts of them together, one after another. The Major Monk tracks and the B for Breakfast tracks are good examples of that. But then when I was finishing up Camping with Jimmie, which was one of the last things I made for Do the Magnet, I got to the point where I actually had two different tracks running at the same time - one in the left channel and one in the right. And it was a really cool effect. Then, without really thinking about it much, I just kind of threw myself into that kind of "everything at once" style of writing. Flapper with Tuba is really just an extended experiment in that. Each of those numbers started out as a little scrap of melody which I would keep dubbing back over itself - after some tinkering with voicings, and pitch and tempo. The cool thing is that, to me at least, they had a lot of emotional impact - they really took on a life of their own, and didn't sound just like experiments in technique. Through the rest of the year, I kept trying to expand that technique. And I started dubbing larger structures over themselves and over each other. For instance, instead of staring out with just a little bit of melody, I'd start out with more elaborated things, things that already had multiple parts to see how they would sound when played simultaneously with themselves, or some other multi-part thing. Most of the time the results were horrible, and I had to abandon them, but every now and then things got really interesting, and wild.
What could the melomans expect for the next year by you? What are your further doings to be planned out?
I have an album called June through the Window coming out on Weird and Wired in January. That one has lots of the really dense stuff on it. There's also lots more of that on an as-yet un-named album that I hope will be out on Just Not Normal later in the spring. That one also has some much simpler music on it as well. After that, I really don't know. My wife bought an ipod touch, and there's tons of music app for that. It would be fun to explore that - to be able to write away from a PC - to be able to write on the sofa, or even outdoors, that would be great! In any event, I'd like to really hone the emotional impact of what I do. A lot of the time I get hung up on method - I'd like to really start focusing on the buzz the music gives off.
Thanks a lot, David!
[Old but important] Time Columns Sunriseinthesea EP (Bandcamp)
Time Column`s debut, the 5-track Sunriseinthesea EP (released on the 25th December of 2009 promptly after the ensemble`s first US-based tour had finished off) has already been looping at the non-stop regime for some hours in my headphones, and indeed, as for the whole set the better sorts of scents are brought forth after every following listen time. Two guys - Kenny Eaton and Jordan Miller - coming from Baltimore, Maryland, USA, exploiting guitars, keyboards, drums, and effect-sustained devices (moreover, Gibson Echoplex can be suggested as their third member) to conjure a mix of fusion/jazz rock, post-rock, math-rock, and classically layered progressive rock sound. No doubt, their interplay is an instrumental rock-relied synergic reflection, which does search for diverse chord compounds and complex, cadence-based realms, sometimes being "stuck" in restraint runs and even introspective hoverings, the another time, yet, blown up into the acceleration of synth-infused guitar grimaces, acquiring lots of panoramic flashlights to be brightened up and broadened into near-epic glider trips. Indeed, it is a solid example of intelligent rock music which can be enjoyed at the duo`s concert tour coming soon at the beginning of the January of 2011.
Listen to it here
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