Robin Cutler - Robin Cutler (2004)

 

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• Singer-songwriter
• Pop
• Folk

Plastic Whore - Wet Planet (2004)

Plastic Whore

Lastfm

8.9

/Doom metal, EBM, Industrial rock, Electro-rock, Grindcore, Electronic metal, Post-metal/

Comment: Plastic Whore is the nom de plume of Jarmo Nuutre, the Estonian musician who is also being known as a half of the stoner/doom project Talbot (the duo had toured across Europe and was the warm-up act for Nadja in Tallinn some years ago, for instance). Wet Planet was his first issue where 10 tracks have been managed in a way to acquire brutal doom and industrial mixed propulsions and suffocating walls, however, where the listener can detect dance-appealed/EBM rhythms, nihilistic sonic rushes, electronically mixed growling, amorphous black psychedelia and even some technical/progressive metal slabs and gears additionally. Yet, his later issues could even be ranked with higher points. In a nutshell, it is frantically ominous shit.

The Flesh Eating Goons - Cranium Crunch EP (2004)

 

Soundcloud

Tripod

9.0

/Surf pop, Avant-pop, DIY, Experimental, Lo-fi, Psychedelic pop, Rockabilly, Mood music/

Comment: a musical project with the funny name, called The Flesh Eating Goons conveys 8 short-running tracks (all the pieces used to be finished off at the length of 2 minutes) to the listeners interlacing dashing surf pop compositions imbued with frantic shuffles on chords and cadences with some rockabilly motives, self-conscious lo-fi sensitivity and humorous sensibility now and then. And those moody overdrives based on slightly gleaming guitar riffs and psychedelic keyboards are simply fascinating. Because of that this case can be compared with the likes of Man...Or Astroman, Juanitos, and Messer Chups, for instance. And these tracks make up your day.

AA.VV. - 11 of the 19 Worst Problems of the US (2004)

Lastfm

8.7

/Psych-folk, New Weird Italy, Weird folk, Avant-folk, Experimental folk/ 

Comment: this compilation involves 11 tracks all of them are made up of Carlo Barbagallo-related projects and his friends who are natives from Sicily. However, these notches reveal its bias toward off-kilter singer-songwriter-ism, which is filled in with psyched-out folk music, despair-tinged singing, some turns into noiseful progressions, and even nervous folk-hop. Intriguing.  

Sofia - Toe to Toe (2004)

Goodbye Cruel World

8.9

/Lo-fi, DIY, Weird pop, Anti-folk, Avant-garde, Experimentalism/

Comment: there are up 3 tracks spreaded out over 7-8 minutes. It is built on the DIY aesthetics and lo-fi drenched compositions, which more concretely consist of pitchbent guitar layers, melancholic motives, lopsided electronica, and odd sonic effects. Something like Beta Band or Penguin Cafe Orchestra bent heavily and profoundly. This ghost from the past chirps truly intriguing and exciting.

Oxaici - Legionaris

Joshua Manchester - Occident (2004)

Betasound

9.4

/Improvised music, Free Jazz, Chamber music, Musique concrète, Crossover, Spoken word, Avant-garde, Experimentalism, Electro-acoustic/

Comment: Joshua Manchester is a classically trained jazz composer/percussionist closely related to Chicago experimental jazz/improvised music scene. There are represented 10 compositions which used to variegate their shapes, change their patterns and constitute innovative, refreshing modalities. At times it delivers more jazz-centered pieces (especially by exploiting the whiffs of brass-wind instruments), sometimes it gets developed into chamber music/noir progressions, at times it used to be getting close to electro-acoustic/ambient music, sometimes Manchester has managed to showcase his aspirations through avant-garde characterized pitchbent effects and warped voice snippets. On the other side, Psycle Sluts takes on a storytelling endeavour slightly embellished with brassy sounds. The album will be ended up at get serious wrapped up in tight street sounds. Though the issue used to be a complex result, it is coherently composed and thereby vital and galvanic. An eminent outlet which deserves to be remembered.

Lebensjunge - Lebensjunge (der junge Tag) (2004/2009)

Accessory Takes
FMA
Bandcamp

9.3

/Noise, Avant-garde, Experimentalism, Non-music, Rhythmic noise, Abstract, Powerelectronics, Cut and paste/

Comment: I have always loved to variegate my listening habits with listening to noise music-induced compositions because most of these proponents are intended to get rid of feelings and not being burdened with melodies and harmonies. For instance, this album with a handful of arrangements are about sonic explorations, showcasing its ability to think in the categories of pure mind and transcendent realms.I think Immanuel Kant would have loved it. On the other side, the album does have its more pop-appealed (or more recognizable) moments within it, though. For instance, Lebensjunge (a project from Moscow, Russia) involves the aspects of near-ethnic music at 9:17.58 and the issue will be ended up with a cut and paste-alike act by using the samples of highly suggestive library music (4:12.10). If to emanate from the point of view of kindred souls, however, the likes of Kanin Krusete, Dror Feiler, Psovod, and Edgeist should be mentioned at least. A highly convincing enterprise indeed.

Jason Corder - Microcosmos (2004)

Thinner

9.4

/Dub house, Fusion, Electro house, Bubblegum house, Tech-house, Deep house, Cinematic/

Comment: First of all, it is an excellent album for your body and soul, for your lower part and for your upper part by a guy from Lexington, Kentucky who is also known by his dense ambient soundscapes. Actually I don`t have idea why it seems to me that old house music issues will be improving during time course. It veers from slightly neurotic electro house and stuttering tech progressions to bouncing bubblegum disco(theque), from cinematic dance fusion to such numbers having its shift into depth and paying its tribute to dub. This 10-track album was issued on the legendary Thinner label in 2004. Obligatory for sure!

Luarvik Luarvik - Tantsib huntidega

Lukas Nystrand - Magic Forest (North Star) (2004)

Goodbye Cruel World

8.6

/Downtempo, House, Crossover, Chill out, Experimental electronica/

Comment: This 3-pieced issue was released in 2004 by a profilic Swedish musician who is also known under pseudonyms such as Glenny#417, Sentimental Cat, LuKiss, Textile God of Sweden, Disciples Of Ageema and many other ones. However, the publication which was the first one for the Goodbye Cruel World records used to validate itself through laidback beats and simple yet whimsical sequences as if searching effortlessly for a midway point between house vibes and downtempo progressions which are partly coated with ancient hisses and familiarly processed electronics at times. All in all, you can enjoy this ghost from the recent past (yet, which seems to be so far away).

Alland Byallo - Club Soda & Salt (2004)

Epsilonlab

9.7

/Dub-tech, Tech-house, Deep house, Electro-house, Avant-funk/

Comment: Alland Bryant Byallo aka Hall Monitor, is a DJ producer and label owner from California, issued his debut, 4-tracked piece in 2004 on Epsilonlab (most of the publications on this label should be recognized as classic ones today). This EP does have 2 dimensions on its own - the first of them consists of deep tech-house, shimmery electro-house, and at times dub-tech, which, at the second stage used to seamlessly expand into an instance of irresistible funk and techno disco streaming - it can be mentioned as a predecessor of the tunes of nowadays future funk. By the way, the starting track Good Touch is remixed by Éloi Brunelle.

Children Of The Sun - Exeter Phoenix (2004)

Archive.org

8.7

/Ethno punk, Art-punk, Psychedelia, Conceptual, Psych-rock, Live recording, Live session, Covers/

Comment: Acoustic Hawkwind covers performed by an one-time project headed by Pok Spacegoat and assisted by some members of Children Of The Drone. Because of using the non-traditional rock instruments (saz, dilruba, balalaika, mandola) they have brought forth a unique kind of sound and attitude, however, by the project`s tone colours reminiscent apparently of the Exeter-based combo`s spacious raga-tuned/drone folk-ish warbles. On the other side, depending strictly on the concept, the format of the album is different, though - it is more sheer, high-tempered, psyched-out and heavily rocking in the psychedelic ethno punk tradition. A thankworthy enterprise indeed.

Ocaixi - Niku

Yellobelly - GM01 (2004)

Giant Manilow
Mediafire
Lastfm

8.6

/Instrumental rock, Post-rock, Experimental rock, Epic, Alternative rock/

Comment: The friend of mine told me once that all he used to need from pop music is just a good rhythm and melody. This 4-track single/EP by a Birmingham quartet (at the moment they are re-formed being known as Echo Lake and residing in London) was the first release of the Giant Manilow imprint and still being my favorite one under it so far. It is instrumental-only post-rock characterized by the epic ridges of guitar and repeated gears of this style, on the other side by the catchy harmonies and impetus of indie rock. Is there represented all of that do you need for yourself from pop music actually?

Dan Deacon - Twacky Cats (2004)

Comfort Stand

9.3

/Avant-garde, Indietronica, Dada music, DIY, Avant-electronica, Electronic pop, Weird, Experimentalism/

Comment: Twacky Cats was released by this Baltimore-bred, academically educated musician in age of 23 years old in 2004 having revealed 5 vanguard electronic staples as if R Stevie Moore-esque DIY aesthetics meet masterful manipulations on angular-led, even dada-like electronics (sine wave and FM manipulations, Broadcast-like spooky sections of innovative pop, peculiar pitch-treated samples), deliberately balanced notches relied on skipping electronics and sublime indie pop, and a frantic, even infantile-induced notch about diverse beasts in the jungle (Arms Saloon). Yet, on the other side, it might be considered the foremost pop album ever. Close to, it is a classic one really worth to be remembered daily.

The Sunshine Family - The Sunshine Family (2004)

Hippocamp

8.8

/Experimental electronica, Cinematic, Chillout, Downtempo, Nu jazz/

Comment: The Manchester-based label Hippocamp had been active since 2003, before deciding to finish off their duties in 2009. They released circa 200 albums during this 6-year time lapse, much of them yet waiting to be discovered in the future. There is one, 5-track issue which does flutter between the velvet-covered chords of cinematic (nu jazz) tunes and rhythm-backed ambient (downtempo) numbers. In the ending track can be heard even some funky jazz flowings and undefinable recordings from a distance. At the most time the whole is used to hack around lazily thereby making itself out as a pleasant laid-back output.

R Stevie Moore - Tra La La La Phooey! (2004)

Comfort Stand
Archive.org

9.3

/DIY, Alternative, Psychedelic, Southern rock, Spoken word, Experimental rock, Avant-garde, Art-pop, Soft rock/