Ryanosaurus – Kaleidosaur (2011)

Ektoplazm

Bandcamp

• Psytance 
• Breakcore 
• Tekno 
• Electro 
• Alternative dance

Comment: Ryanosaurus is a musician from Sydney, Australia whose 5-tracks outing is based on crisp rhythmic patterns that relentlessly used to change within each track and throughout the course. On the other side, those variegating paces are spiced up with sustaining delays and agile synthesizer threads thereby constituting the dense psychedelic trance, electro and tekno-tinged issue. However, the last composition Plibt (featuring Poseidon & Forrest) involves firstly intriguing adjacent motives flicking in and out of the centre and then it is followed by a piano-driven part.  Added Additional Extra includes a catchy (neo-) krautrock-alike synthesised motive in the first half, which makes me fairly aroused. It could be said Ryanosaurus knows very well what he is doing – a carnival of colour saturated rhythms and rhythms.                  

Mircanto – Esercizi di Statica (2011)

Bandcamp

• Alt-folk 
• Indie folk 
• Slowcore 
• Folk indie 
• Sadcore

Comment: for me, to listening to Bergamo, Italy-based trio Mircanto`s 9-track issue obligates me to draw parallels with cooking. Thereafter you have figured out the idea of a food and you have gathered relevant ingredients to accomplish it then you will prepare it stepwise by adding one ingredient followed by another. By doing it you have to be patient and concentrated. Their music is slowly meandering between the walls of doleful, melancholic singing obviously imbued with singing (unfortunately I have no idea they are singing about because of doing it in Italian) and softened guitar and piano playing. Yet throughout the course the result is getting growing and growing by either adding some odds and ends to the mix or slightly changing the course of the compositions (for instance, by adding some melodica and harmonica sounds and found sounds to the blend). I guess if I would not have the idea that behind the album is a trio I would have been thinking it is a singer-songwriter case. Today is Sunday and vividly shiny weather and Mircanto`s music together arouse idyllic sensations inside me. In a word, the result is a solid and delightful one and can be added to a list of other succeeded Italian artists like Nick Rivera, Il nostro Tempo Violenta, Nick Rivera; Goldaline, My Dear, Barbagallo. On the other side, the result can be compared with certain Americana artists like Bon Iver, and Okkervil River.       

Apache Dropout – Half of the Apache Dropout LP (2011)

Free Music Archive

• Blues 
• Alternative rock
• Indie rock 
• Americana 
• Psychedelic rock

Comment: Firstly, Apache Dropout as a combo could be considered an archetypical American combo because of trudging across the landscapes of twanging guitar driven blues rock, dusty organ drenched psychedelic sweeps and always refreshing blackened rock and roll hubbles. Secondly, the Yankees have always had enough craftsmanship and gustiness to bring their endeavours to the fore in an unmarred way. Apache Dropout`s vibe is charmingly rebellious and exquisitely negligent even if it could be understood retrospectively. For instance, let’s listen to Sam Phillips Rising where one could enjoy ecstatic, sensual screaming in the middle of chorus singing, rough guitar chords and overdriven riffs. Indeed, it is all about a chaotic environment but it is controlled and thereby managed and channelized more effectively than it would be done haphazardly. In fact, thanks to it all the minor elements included are masterfully magnified to surface them in front of the listener. In a nutshell, it is a spellbinding outing where you could draw parallels with such artists as Tom Waits, Johnny Cash, Captain Beefheart, Nirvana, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Royal Trux, and Elvis Presley. The recent version involves 6 tracks but the Bandcamp-based one includes five more compositions.         

Astma – Moscow / Istanbul (2011)

H.A.K. Lo-Fi

• Live session
• Noise
• Electro-acoustic
• Electronic music
• Freeformfreakout
• Noise rock
• Avant-garde
• Psych-rock
• Improvised music
• No Wave
• Experimentalism
• Non-music
• Crust punk

Comment: The presocratic Greek philosopher Heraclitus said once that there is no possibility to step into the one and the same river twice. All around us and within us used to be in permanent flux, all is changing around and within us consistently. I guess the same can be said about the Russian duo Astma consisting of Alexei Borisov (also known from such groups as Volga, Notshoi Prospekt and many other projects and collaborations), and Olga Nosova (Motherfathers). Indeed, there are up some similar points between the two live gigs in their native Moscow and Istanbul but in general in the form these sessions are built up slightly in different ways. However, both of them involve interesting experiments with noise music, improvised music, rock-oriented music, voices and electro-acoustic chips. There are up some very intriguing sonic effects as if coming out from unknown or at least extraordinary sources. The both gigs used to progress gradually and being directed in the way to unleash catharsis punctually and poignantly. There one could draw parallels with diverse movements such as free jazz, noise rock, No Wave, crust punk, electronic music. In a word, let's listen to these mind-boggling sessions from different places worldwide.

|sistra| - All My Friends Were Dead (2011)

BFW Recordings

BFW Recordings

• Indie pop/rock
• Electronic
• Alternative pop/rock
• Dream pop
• Live
• Art rock

Comment: there are represented three pieces altogether By Russian combo |sistra| which used to reveal the ensemble`s exquisite manner to produce sounds – sparse yet poignant instrumentation is bound to high-pitched singing which emotionally provide a pre-eminent dagger ultimately. Indeed, the singing is a very amusing element within it providing different threads due to exploiting female-male mixed dreamy voices with a slightly elliptic trajectory which used to chime and chirp in an unconventional manner. Because of this it sounds in a familiar and unknown way this creates a welcome tension in the listener. Because of this one could enjoy indie music which does not follow an average indie pop formula. There are the guitars to be represented but they seem somehow to be treated or pulled out of the blend sometimes. It is very ok for this case. One could even say it is an example of dream pop produced and rehearsed in vacuum. By the way, one of those songs Tiny Boat is performed live. In a word, it is a solid indie glimpse under BFW Recordings. 

Helen Austin – A Few Songs of The Week (2011)

Archive.org

• Indie folk
• Singer-songwriter
• DIY
• Folk indie
• Americana

Comment: Helen Austin decided to produce one song weekly since April 2009. After producing 51 tracks altogether she picked up twice a portion of tracks to release them on a CD, called Song Of The Week, and for new mixes, respectively. Thereafter Lee Rosevere chose 11 compositions for Free Music Archive from the rest of the whole. I have been listening to the issue for the last three hours to have only good words to say about this portion because of being so light-hearted, bucolic and pristine by its nature. All of that is principally created by using only gentle guitar twanging and mild singing where the artist craftily creates enchanting harmonies and chord sequences. Furthermore, one could perceive even cinematic flow within the tracks. Lyrically it is about to surface themes with a positive sense of life. Fairly nice.

Dead Gum – Ghost Wise (2011)

Phase! Records Net Junk 

Bandcamp

• Ambient
• Drone 
• Noise rock
• Experimentalism
• Post-rock
• Noise
• Drone rock
• Ambient rock
• Ambient noise
• Avant-garde

Comment: these 20 minutes within just one composition reveal quite different angles and facets throughout the course. It starts off with low-end, buried frequencies to evolve into more masculine and labyrinthine, noise-drenched droning where guitars are being set up to be either static or ready to render its undulations in a minimal manner. I guess it is not the most primary case to puzzle out is it either more about experimental rock or ambient kind of music. I guess the borders between the styles started to blur stepwise after outings by the likes of Labradford, Slowdive, Flying Saucer Attack, Lycia, My Bloody Valentine. Later on, of course, Montrèal, Canadian ambient/drone/micronoise juggernaut Tim Hecker loaned some of the peripheral rock influences from these artists and synthesised them into his own work. Dead Gum`s Ghost Wise is like a clockwork which has been managed in the way to rev up with every minute. Indeed, in the middle part of the whole an abrasive, chord-changing guitar and Oriental-alike vowel effects alongside will begin to build on mind-boggling phantasmagorical threads and noisy terrains which almost chime like a converse, “minus-signed” symphonic work. Indeed, its influence is twofold – it is both aesthetically overwhelming and physically loud to stimulate one`s forehead and brain. In a word, it must be heard and shared being created by the Greek Panagiotis Spoulos. 

ANNISAxGAHAR – ANNISAxGAHAR (2011)

Pati Rasa

Pati Rasa

• Trashcore
• Punk rock
• Hardcore

Comment: recently I had listened to an earlier radio show where one part was dedicated to music and especially to earlier live recordings of a famous Estonian punk rock, Psühhoterror. Similarly to the music of Psühhoterror the Indonesian AnnisaxGahar`s 9-track issue consists of short-running tracks being laconic and staggering in its nihilistic brutality and energetic chaos (however, those vectors are not set up against each other which would have cancelled the whole`s influence altogether – vice versa). More concretely, spasmodic guitars, rattling drums, hi-hat rumbling and desperate singing is the very base of the outing which would be the one and only vivid and viable appearance of punk music by my personal opinion. In truth, the sort of classic punk is not about the aesthetical side, it is about raw, destructive energy to come along in the first place (differently from the movement of post-punk, for instance). Indeed, shout your gutter out of your mouth! It to spot upon the titles of these songs then those are at times funny, at times misanthropic and environmentalist-alike (commit a suicide to save the planet; kill people to save the animals etc). And they do not care of the formal outlook of theirs - I have not sure at all what is the proper name of the issue and when it was actually released. In  a word, it is a convincing punkish shit. F.ck off! Sincerely. 

Kyland Holmes – Seattle Session (2011)

Modisti

• Improvised music
• Art music
• Experimentalism
• Modern classical
• Piano music
• Post-classical
• Avant-garde

Comment: indeed, it is piano music and it is a kind of improvised music. It is the sort of piano music which makes sense for me personally. It is piano music where watery tonality and floating chords in permanent change used to become larger and smaller and begin to metamorphose differently. Silence meets intensity, being meets nonexistence. Many states of mind will be cancelled and erased throughout the course to create many new ones instead. It is like an artsy reflection of the human being`s life. It was a cosy session to listen to it in the night.

Nasienie – Private Loops (2011)

Enoughrecords

Archive.org

Free Music Archive

Bandcamp

• Ambient pop
• Shoegaze
• Post-rock
• Electronic music
• Crossover
• Dream pop
• Alternative

Comment: this 15-track issue is truly inspired from beginning to end because of consisting of elements being ennobling and sublime. Principally it is ambient music which is imbued with dream pop, shoegaze, and post-rock threads. On the other side, all this sort of categorization is indirect and implicit because the aforesaid stylistic determinations say quite little about true nature of the issue – all these parts are just faint flickers without definite borders and angles where one style is superimposed by another or just seamlessly melted into each other. The whole seems to dither surrealistically and phantasmagorically. It reminds a little of more atmospheric endeavours by My Bloody Valentine (The Light, for instance) or Slowdive`s technical and abstract issue Pygmalion. Recently I have listened to another very similar and staggering issue by Brother Saturn which was entitled as Tales Of Space Exploration 35-42 (2016). Last but not least I could remember for a dream where I entered into a music shop to buy a very rare tape recording of My Bloody Valentine which chimed truly fabulously but I eventually lost the gem. It was a truly horrendous experience to me. However, by listening to it this helps partly to restore the former feeling. In a word, the outing is mandatory due to its special nature and effect. Nasienie is a Russian project and the issue was released under legendary Portuguese imprint enoughrecords.

Alyiann - Gravity Escalation (2011)

Sirona-Records

• Chillstep
• Chill out
• Dubstep
• Mood music
• Electro
• Electronica

Comment: there are up a couple of tracks which will clock in at an eight minute created by Warsaw, Poland-based artist Alyiann. In principle, it is a chill-out, moody album in spite of manipulating with dubstep and electro rhythms . The self-titled piece is led by a marvellous motif which feeds back both the bold rhythms and firework around the issue. It reminds of something very strongly but I am not able to remember it at the moment. Another track called How To Obey launches off with more restrained synthesised chords which will evolve into a melancholic, even nostalgic insight of electronic music. The issue is a part of the discography of Sirona-Records which is led by Pollux aka Arnaud Barbe.

Sun Devoured Earth - The Sunshine Always Fades (2011)

Bandcamp

Mediafire

• Ethereal Wave
• Alternative rock
• Shoegaze
• Dream pop
• Gothic rock
• Post-rock
• Darkwave
• Epic

Comment: firstly, I have no hesitation at all while I am going to start to listen to any of the outings by the Latvian one-man project Sun Devoured Earth. Vadim`s music does have many hints at throughout this 14-notch album. It used to range from powerful, gloomy shoegaze and dream pop tinged guitar-based noise walls to more restrained, dark wave-ish incantations, however, being fulfilled with vital, sustainable energy. All these shifts used to realize in a seamless way where one track or mood is followed by other ones to build up something otherworldly and beatific. Although one could hear some similarities with such combos as Lycia, My Bloody Valentine, Galaxie 500, Slowdive, Cocteau Twins, Autumn`s Grey Solace, Love Spirals Downwards the result is unique due to its pristine fragmentation and idiosyncratic dreamed-out climaxes. Although the main motif of the issue is relatively dark-hued it paradoxically provides a breeze of optimism for you to amend your miserable, hopeless life in the middle of human being`s vanity. In this case let`s tell about it as an appealing, irresistible misanthropic example. For me, Sun Devoured Earth has been the favourite combo of me from Latvia, the southern neighbouring country of Estonia.

Hoodie Woody Freaky - Story Of The Early Days (2011)

Acustronica

• Hip-hop
• Indietronica
• Alternative pop
• Indie pop
• DIY
• Electronic pop

Comment: by listening to this short, 4-track issue by an Indonesian trio with a funny name this album could have been produced as one 11-track issue, for instance. Indeed, it could have been just one possibility. More profoundly, the issue draws on light-hearted guitar twangs, blithesome singing and beatbox induced rhythm sections. However, all the aforesaid elements are built up in the way to be angular while being juxtaposed against each other. The result is simple and straightforwardly understandable in its simplicity. Let`s say it is just entertaining. Because of that the outing represents one of the pop clichés with regard to the Far East and South Asia pop music scenes. In the universal sense, the issue is consistent and solid due to developing one sonic topic profoundly and thoroughly. Get it now. 

The Red*Eyes – The Red*Eyes (2011)

Interplanetary Floral Star

• Avant-rock
• Noise rock
• DIY
• Experimental rock
• Industrial music
• Experimentalism
• Dada music
• Lo-fi
• Avant-garde

Comment: the first chords of the self-titled issue of the trio of Ed Landis, Ross Martin, and Eric Hunter Bruno reveal that it is recorded as a self-indulgent production. Indeed, it embarks on with hand clapping at Doctor Janikowski as if actors coming up to the stage. Later on, the frantic canard of guitar induced sounds is ready to penetrate through tiny slots of the listener`s brain. Indeed, the concept is thoroughly experimental and mind-boggling – the reversed lo-fi guitars are up to create invigorated background for buried vocal deliveries which at times are variegated with drowsy ambient electronics and programmed beats. It might remind of early releases of the Fall (for instance, Perverted By Language), The Residents, old school industrial/post-punk acts like Cabaret Voltaire, Clock DVA. Especially Banana Compost Phase #4 used to run in the vein of the last mentioned style. More profoundly, it is ticklingly nihilistic and dada induced anti-pop piece. The final piece High Gain exploits shimmery guitar chords and explosive noise dynamites to create tension and contrast inside the track throughout the course. The issue is a part of the discography of a label with the uncanny name, Interplanetary Floral Star.           

Morgan Sadler - Go On (2011)

Happy Puppy

• Singer-songwriter
• Indie folk
• Canadiana
• Folk indie
• Folk

Comment: Morgan Sadler is a singer from Toronto, Ontario, Canada whose single Go On won a Toronto Independent Music Award for Best Song 2009-2010. Indeed, the ditty is great due to fine fragmentation of properly dosed and dreamy singing and somniferous instrumental parts beneath it. Been Known To, and Going Nowhere are certainly more ceremonial and conventional ones where Morgan Sadler`s vocal is unveiled and the chords are more bold and naked-tailed to be set out for poppy boasting and mainstream appeal though making sense enough to accomplish the whole.

Josef Blo - The Studious EP (2011)

Dusted Wax Kingdom

• Hip-hop
• Sampledelic
• Cut and paste
• Soul-hop
• Cinematic
• Breaks
• Urban music
• Sound collage

Comment: although this issue of 11 fragments is a short-running one clocking in at a 14 minute the result is at times exceedingly amusing. For instance, the opening piece Tradition starts off with a funny music hall vignette and cut-up beats and somewhat buried yet funny vowel expressions. However, later on, the music by the Canadian producer Josef Blo used to evolve into soulful progressions and even cinematic flickers which are reached by exploiting heavily sampling and cut and splice technique. It embraces a bunch of scratches, broken beats and hovering synthetic sounds and orchestrated parts all of them being fondly spliced and reiterated thereby representing the cut and paste/sound collage music rather than the pop-oriented product. On the other side, it does not mean it is nothing to do with poppy music – for instance, listen to Get Stoned and indeed, you get stoned due to those beatific harmonic movements and synergy between different elements. In a word, grab this album from a pre-eminent jazz/soul/hip-hop/broken beats/sampledelic music imprint, called Dusted Wax Kingdom.

SAD - Crystal Faces (2011)

Ruzzinet

• Breakcore
• Electro pop
• Alternative dance
• Deep house
• Synth pop

Comment: by analysing the coverprint of this 3-notch issue you might presume of this music to be something fairly infantile and done with toys, for instance. However, the result is an example of great electro propulsions with chopped vocals and hovering atmospheric synth lines. By considering the coverprint once more one might assume something playfulness within it and he/she is not wrong altogether. As we know very well the puerility and playfulness often used to stick together. The second track Hipnolist involves synth pop frequencies to be added to crunchy electro cadences. Marvin is even more one step farther because of recruiting sublimely bouncing house-y vibes and softened vocals to the mix. Who could expect that after listening to the first a couple of compositions? In fact, the kind of versatility is the privilege of accomplished artists. Indeed, the result clocking in at a 21 minute is fascinatingly filled with pleasant surprises and sustainable threads. The issue is a par tof the discography of Ruzzinet. 

Volfoniq – Ernest (2011)

LibreCommeLair

Free Music Archive

• Dub
• Reggae
• Tango
• Raggamuffin
• Crossover
• World music
• Electronica

Comment: Volfoniq is the Frenchman Nicolas Sorbier who has issued a bunch of albums over Internet in recent years. Ernest consists of 11 tracks which used to rely on Jamaican styles of special kind – dub, reggae, raggamuffin. However, all these styles are sprinkled with some European sounds – accordion chords coming out from the streets of Paris, there are also represented the vibes of tango music with electronic frequencies which was widely popularized by Gotan Project. On the other side, the Jamaican styles are interlaced with ethnic drum sounds of Asian origin. In a word, musically it is an iridescent release providing enough delight and some overwhelming turns for your pleasure.

Plastik Kettle – New Horizons EP (2011)

Elpa

• Alternative pop
• Electro pop
• Robot pop
• Electronic pop
• Synth pop

Comment: The Sardinia, Italy-residing musicians Alessandro Pintus & Corrado Caocci have said they are inspired by the universe of robots and their profound passion for the synthesizers. By watching the title of their first issue Our Toys Are Better Than Yours (2007, Elpa) the duo`s statement gets cemented further. Their sophomore issue New Horizons EP proves also that the music of Italian combo is a highly subtle undertake on robots and electronic keyboards. The flow is iridescent due to warped yet graceful vocals and elegantly bouncing electronic rhythms full of (artificial) solar rays and organic synth templates. In a word, if this issue were a part of the discography of a well-known artist it would be widely recognized. The issue is a solid notch in the discography of the Latvian imprint Elpa music.

Goldaline, My Dear – How We Say Goodbye and Leave (2011)

Stop Records

Bandcamp

• Alt-folk
• Indie folk
• Folk indie
• Acoustic pop

Comment: as the main title might suggest the lyrics on this 5-track issue are about love, about relation problems, about quarrels and subsequent longing and waiting desperately arrival at home of the second part of the relation. Even if the people used to be involved romantically then they are not able to leave their past behind. Indeed, it seems to me the lyrics are the kind of top notch because of representing life and relations faithfully. It could be said it is a romantic folk issue where the lyrics are supported by the twangs of outright acoustic guitars and some sparse vamps additionally. Goldaline, My Dear is the duo of Davide, and Tommaso from Rimini, Italy. How We Say Goodbye And Leave was the duo`s first notch which was followed by Pretend the World is Funny and Forever in 2014. Both of these issues are issued under Stop Records where the releases are up for free download.