[Compilation] Between Two Waves – Vol. C (EardrumsPop)

Actually it did not happen much time ago when I reviewed one compilation (Between Two Waves - Vol. A) under EardrumsPop which consisted fundamentally of two-sided collaborations. In any cases, I am not able to put the temptation aside for not reviewing another one too because of my orthodox indie nature was came to the forefront with those 14 songs again. In a word, here is another great collection of songs shuffling inbetween jangle pop, dream pop, slightly folk-driven indie pop and also some more contemporary sounds are thrown over here (of course I referred to dream-alike electronic/chillwave undercurrents here). Although without whimsical tricks basically, in principle, the whole seems to be really virtuous in the vein of old indie tunes having lots of catchy angles and edges and refreshing air letting you feel yourself free. No doubt, you need to be relaxed and having some distance from effect-loaded pop experimentalism at least for some time. Here is one track that really imprisoned me during last days. Indeed, The Hurries (Sundae + Girl Alliance)`s Not That Easy sounds out as if hinting at a neutral zone between Pet Shop Boys and Mojave 3 somewhere.

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[Compilation] Various Artists - 23 Evergreens Vol.2 (23 Seconds)

The Gothenburg-based label 23 Seconds has been a crisscrosser of different indie styles or at least strongly indie-infused electronic pop genres for some years. Here represented 23 tracks released inbetween 2008-2010 do offer a proper overview about the backbone of the label. No doubt, the selection compiled by H Johan Lundin and Jesper Larsson is decent enough reflecting upon some exceptions as well - hip-hop (Dynamo 414; Conspiracy of Mind) and trance-induced bubblegum rave (Clone DJ) and post-metal (The Big Sleep In Search Of Hades). The other artists include Henrik Josè, Azoora, Jenifer Avila, Shampoo Tears, Azeda Booth, Adam & Alma, Ixtlan, Danish Daycare, Cosmic Spring, The Womb, Azoora, Can`t Stop The Daggers, and Emerald Park.

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[Compilation] Between Two Waves – Vol. A (EardrumsPop)

As I said once, the Norwegian-based EardrumsPop has been one of the finest single and compilation records around the world to date. (Unfortunately the first compilations are being down for a while because of purposed to save space for future issues. I hope those will be uploaded somewhere else, at Archive.org or Bandcamp, for instance). The music under this label does proof out as a voice of nowadays and classical sensed indie conscience. More profoundly, it does veer from jangle, twee pop, dream pop, baroque pop and sunshine pop currents to poptronica and electronic pop, and shibuya-kei notches (lots of artists represented herein come from Japan). Yet, in principle, the indie pop under EardrumsPop is rather a retrospective appearance, for sure, having avoided to be a hype-centric one (which is also very important!), instead aspiring for great classical melodies and astonishing harmonies to shuffle seamlessly the (theoretical) gap between nowadays and the previous decades.

On Between Two Waves - Vol. A (released in April of 2010) are represented 14 tracks by the following artists like Boa Constrictor vs The Honeydrips, Baffin Island (The Very Most + The Hermit Crabs), Suspicious for the Winter (Casa Murilo + Like Spinning), Jacob Borshard and Cake on Cake, Starlight Recorder (Dylan Mondegreen + Alex Rinde (The Margarets)), Leaving Rio (Cineplexx + Onward, Chariots), Peacock Dreams (Shelby Sifers + Spirituals), Saturnalia (The Lost Cavalry + We Walk On Ice), Kubot (Martin Gustafsson (Boy Omega) + Martin Bergström (New Beginnings/Sin Närmiljö)), Early to Bed (Wisdom Tooth + Me And The Horse I Rode In On), En handvändning (Solander + Jerker Kaj), Johnny Favourite and the Exs (Johnny Favourite + little xs for eyes), Dizzie Bird (The Marble Man + Angela Aux), and Broken Motion (Paragraphs + Me And My Arrow). As it can be witnessed for, regarding the collection title and concerning on the artists`specific juxtaposition to each other, each song in principle consists of a blend of (at least) two artists or musicians (can it somehow be related to the abandoning of the kind of snooty eccentricity, though?). The miscellany is full of great songs, though, some of them are outstanding - Baffin Island (The Very Most + The Hermit Crabs)`s You Make Two Weeks Two Days which is a fine ukulele-based troubadour pop reminiscent of some workouts by Jens Lekman and Sondre Lerche; Jacob Borshard and Cake on Cake`s Summer Will Have Its Way is a Belle & Sebastian-esque warble; Leaving Rio (Cineplexx + Onward, Chariots)`s Vanish does involve delicious doo wop harmonies, sung the first half in English, and the ending side in Spanish, respectively.

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Atlas Sound Bedroom Databank Vol. 2 (Atlas Sound)

This release is my personal favorite exemplar of the 4-part Bedroom Databank series. 16 tracks do show up a crafty balance between strumming, guitar-relied pop and computer-processed electronic experiments, or thirdly, a mix of both which, more detailly, reminds on its fluctuant approach of Deerhunter`s Weird Era Cont. (2007, Kranky). No doubt, Bradford Cox is a hero between so-called established, commercial music and free webaudio world. Moreover, his special juxtaposition to those realms does not even make so much sense as much of his workouts under the moniker Atlas Sound and Deerhunter-related deeds which can be considered as one of the most essential hallmarks on contemporary indie music. Obviously his later profilic approach occurred in letting out music from his old tapes might closely be related to his health condition. By having managed to push down more musical fingerprints over into the present, past, and forthcoming future, by this point of view, his action may have a metaphysical and religious background. As I noticed above the album is a fluctuant integration of both electronics and natural strings realized off into a warble, merry-go-round-alike whole, being at times folk-ish, the second time blues-infected, on the other hand, the last track Here Come The Trains is an embarassing cosmic blues-y, krautrock-heeled notch.

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9.2

[Artists] Jean Dean

Myspace
Lastfm

A Sunny Day in Glasgow Autumn, Again (ASDIG)

Ben Daniels-headed Philadelphian sextet released the third album, as a total sum, having the longitude of 33 minutes on 11 tracks. Vis à vis with their previous, shoegaze-meets-doo wop album Ashes Grammar (2009) it is used to be a bit more straightforward shoegaze/atmospheric/electronic pop release, though, in principle, the basic elements for manipulating to get involved in new patterns are previously the same ones, featuring catchy harmonic walls, burbling keyboard surfaces, blissful, female-based vocal oozings, fuzz-infused guitars, and lo-fi-inflected, synth-driven, rough-formatted cadences at times. Aside 100/0 (Snowdays forever), which sounds as a shoddily nude tribute to Stereolab and Laetitia Sadier, it might be watched upon it as a possible go-ahead, even rock-ish format for the English-French combo. Yet, nowadays, when Stereolab might be considered as an ensemble without its proper place and time, reflecting via retrodelic memories upon the past time cliches only while ASDIG has much more to add for, because of having incorporated the influences by the poptronica/chillwave movement and vital shoegaze hooks as well.

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8.7

Jean Dean Steps (Jean Dean)

I have big pleasure and honour to announce the Tallinn-based ensemble Jean Dean released recently their debut single Steps and video for it at their Myspace page. Undoubtedly it is the day single (and obviously for the next days as well) of mine because of creating vast monumentums and evoking lots of nostalgic memories in my head and shaking strongly some of my soul`s inactivated edges and pouring over the imaginary borders, offering a flying platform for to get glidered from the snowy present toward the fairy tale-alike past to be drowned into great parallels applicated to Estonia and the United Kingdom as well. In any cases, Jean Dean is a quartet consisting of musicians known by their previous and parallel independent musical activities in various groups. Kene Vernik (song, guitar), Allan Pilter (guitar, synths, harmonica, electronics), Margit Korbe (synths, backing vocals), and Inga Nõlvak (bass, backing vocals) are intended to create suggestive, dream-filled (not catchy tunes in the first sense, though) soundscapes with crisscrossed guitar lines, velvet-infected noisy indie feedbacks, with lots ups and downs and key changes. If to come back to the above cued reference it reminds of apparently forgotten Estonian band 1983 (having been active in the first half of 90`s) and of course Lush ( their line-up consisted of 3 women and a man as well!), though, Jean Dean is used to be a bit more murky, a bit more dark-hued, more detailly, via mostly Kene Vernik`s lush, velvet-filled timbre. A perfect workout indeed. The nineties are coming back? It seems to be so at least...

Listen to it here

10.0

Raindeer Raindeer EP (Bandcamp)

Raindeer does consist of three lads - Charlie Hughes (vocals, synth), Devin Byrnes (synth), and Beau Cole (guitar, bass) - coming from Baltimore, Maryland, a town being once home for Animal Collective. Vis à vis with Collective, besides the trio`s aesthetical heritage originating from similar (post-)psychedelic breeds and DIY-based conceptions and lo-fi-infused common ground their start, however, is not a less impressive opening at all compared to the very launch by Avey Tare-Panda Bear circa 10 years ago, more concretely, being soaked in a rousing mix of electronics and indie pop and subtly nudging at their boundaries and zones. Yet, those 6 tracks of the debut issue are remarkably more extrovert and pop-oriented encompassed by broad yet intelligent postures and caustic keyboard (under)currents, the kind of reminiscent of those played up by the English innovative pop group Space in the last years of the Britpop-era (the track The Green Lights), and MGMT as well. Of course, there can be found out some similarities with the later-era Animal Collective, which drove some obduarate Collective`s fans to despair (Dark Place). On the other side, fortunately, Raindeer is able to avoid this kind of ostentatious artistical shelves cranking out of emotions being anchored at a subject`s genuine sensitiveness. No doubt, the trio is able to master crafty pop numbers, for instance, the ending This Is My Last Transmission which at the outset is intentionally restrained to come off into a catchy even hysterical explosion.
A solid debut, indeed.

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9.2

[Artists] Inverness

Inverness
Jamendo
Myspace
Lastfm

Black Tambourine black tambourine cassette (Bandcamp)

There were quite messy times about the musical situation in the Foggy Albion during the 80`s when indie music had intensely searched for its very own identity. Of course, the solid premisses were up there having been moulded via the post-punk/proto-indie blowouts, and The Smiths made its succesful enterings into top charts. To be set up into the broader meaning of a then-time occurence chain, it was appropriate time when underground music identified itself through the cassette culture movement as well. In any cases, the tape-based C86 compilation was the most influental appearance showcasing a wide and vital array of twee pop and jangle pop ensembles at the time, some of which later evolved into alternative dance/baggy form (for instance, The Soup Dragons, and Primal Scream), and some musicians (Tim Gane) abandoned/cancelled his previous band (McCarthy), replacing it with obvious purpose toward innovative pop frontiers with a new type of formations (Stereolab) to be reached off.

The aforementioned situation by the US-side was strongly reverberated by the label Slumberland, which the most golden rabbits were/are The Lilies, Hood, and Black Tambourine. The last named one was consisted of the members of Whorl, and Velocity Girl, having crossovered twee, noise pop, and shoegaze (though a bit less visible angle) elements with each other. More concretely, Black Tambourine might be imagined as a bastard of Jesus & The Mary Chain, Lush and Talulah Gosh. A great bastard, yet, having stuck in catchy, joyous, and delightful warbles.

On this compilation, 4 solid tracks/re-mixes made by Don Zientara after the mastertape of original mixes were stolen from a car are proudly represented here. The differences between original mixes and new mixes are apparently subtle in principle - doubled vocals on Can't Explain and For Ex-Lovers Only, a long feedback ending to Throw Aggi Off The Bridge, different effects & treatments (reverb, reverb, reverb) all around. The vocals are somehow buried even deeper, and the guitars sound louder. Undoubtedly a hidden pop music chapter lighted up nowadays.

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9.0

[Artists] Billie the Vision & the Dancers

Billie the Vision & the Dancers
Bandcamp
Myspace
Lastfm

[Artists] Skittle Alley

Club 7
Anorak Records
Series Two Records
Myspace
Lastfm

The Arctic Flow Club 7 003 (Club 7)

Supposedly everyone who is got deeply digged into the discography of the Holiday Records is not surprised at all to hear about such a name as the Arctic Flow, behind it is Brian Hancheck, a profilic musician from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Approximately a half year ago he released a pair of singles under Beko DSL as well. However, now it is proper time for another single label Club 7. Hancheck`s soundscape is profoundly dreamy and floating, consisting mainly of subtle indie pop numbers with certain shoegaze influences. On the other way, it could be described as shoegaze music without massive touch of abrasive guitars and psychedelic entering into a chaotic inner world, instead of it used to be reserved for nicely suffusing guitar chords driving over the middle layers of the sound. Though, it can be sounded psychedelic as well. First of all, if you are in to dedicate your time to such British indie luminaries as Slowdive, Ride, and Chapterhouse (especially the last named one) or have listened to music released under the label Slumberland, this release of 2 tracks (Sentiments and Artifacts; King of the Flood) is thought for you.

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8.9

Friends Demos (Bandcamp)

Jaapani trio teeb laupäevaõhtusse ideaalselt sobituvat popmuusikat. Valguseküllaselt strummivat-strammivat kitarrisaundi, mis on üle igasugu haipidest, mukkahvidest ning grotesksetest poppjobudest, eemal suurte ajakirjade ja webzine`ide fookusest. Aus muusika, noh. Nende ideoloogiline alge näib pärinevat 80ndate jangle pop`ist ning blonde hair indie`st, millele lisatakse natuke juurde dream pop`i (ning ehk ka shoegaze`i) esteetikat. Hoogne, samas sametiselt hägune naisvokaal ja üledraivivad psühhedeelsed klahvkaliinid teevad sellest tõelise maiuspala. Vana kooli indie-asi on igihaljas. Unustad enese ega suudagi aru saada, mitmes ring minemas on. Vist 20nes juba. Sõltuvust tekitav. Ja 4 lugu ning 9 minutit kõigest. We`ll Never Stay Together oma õhkamistes ja unistuslikes käikudes lausa käristab hinge ning lõpulugu Saturday (alles nüüd avastasin pealkirja!) on üks selle aasta träkke-käkke. Äkki peakski kogu kupatuse demokvaliteeti jätma? Näib hetkel peaaegu võimatuna, et "krohvimisega" võiks esteetilist naudingut kuidagi suurendada.

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9.8

[Artistid] Ella tiene dos androides

Ella tiene dos androides
Myspace
Lastfm

[Kogumik] Various Artists - Season of the Sun (Rack & Ruin)

Inglismanni Dean Birkett`i kureeritud Rack & Ruin on leibel, mis annab peavarju pöörasele lo-fi muusikale, mille nime esimene pool on kahe aasta vältel tunnusmärgitsenud alternatiivpoppi-indie`t ning teine pool eksperimentaalset, kohati suisa irriteerivat elektroonikat. Tõsi, nimetet kogumik - mis on pühendatud käesolevale suvele - ei järgi niivõrd teravalt seda eristust võrdluses mõne varasema eelkäijaga. Mõnes mõttes on see ka paratamatu, kuivõrd elektroonika on ajapikku segunenud traadimuusikaga ning ka vastupidi. (Nimetagem seda poptroonikaks). Ennekõike väljendub nimetet tendents artistide puhul nagu Western Homes, T Bear ning Hipster Youth. Vincent Lillis jätkab tavapärast peitusemängu varjude ning folgiga, Woodland Heights teeb silma hoogsa kidrapopiga, kompilatsiooni koostaja Chad Golda pakub omalt poolt elektrist särisevat elektroonikat. Kogumik pakub loomulikult ka üllatusi - Frost Faire`i - mis on siin esindatud surf pop-liuglemisega - ninamees Brad Fielder, kes eelmisel aastal sai maha meisterliku alternatiivfolgi albumiga, pakub brass rock`i ja hip-hop`i hübriidi; auger shell pakub sulnist unenäopopi ja kingapõrnitsemise segu - kuulajana tahaksin isegi volüümi juurde keerata; kogumiku pikima - 14-minutilise - träki eest hoolitseb Dave Menzo, kes segab üheks psühhedeeliat, lo-fi`d ning abrasiivset elektroonikat-efekte, hoolitsedes seekord märksõna "Ruin" eest. 11-looline kogumik on tõepoolest väärtasi, iseasi muidugi, kas see just päikeselõõsas kuulamiseks mõeldud oli; kuid mõnusalt jahedasse ning vihmaootel augustiõhtusse sobib küll suurepäraselt.

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Flyafter Flyafter EP (23 Seconds)

Jakarta kolmiku 4-loolist EP`d kuulates ei jää üle muud kui konstateerida, et järjekordne kauniilmeline ning ajastutruudusest pakatav indiereliis on ilmavalgust näinud (püüdmata seejuures kuidagi irooniline olla). Tänapäevane indie tähendab reeglina pendeldamist akustilise ja elektroonilise helikeele vahel (rõhuasetusega viimase suunas), second-hand`ist soetatud süntekatega nurgeliste helimustrite mängimise kaudu DIY-kultuurile truuduse vandumist ning viimistletud produktsiooniga established popi vundamenti murendades. Keskmisest poploost on siinsed taiesed poolteise minuti jagu pikemad - naiivnaljakas sünteetiline helikeel avardub ning omandab "kredibiilsuse" sametiste sündiorkestreeringute/shoegaze-refräänide ning unistuslikkusest täidetud väljavenitatud vokaali toel. Ning uskuge mind, Indoneesia pealinna indieskeenest leiaksite teisigi suurepäraseid punte.

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9.0

[Artistid] Alanna Takes A Solo

CLLCT
Myspace
Lastfm

Royal Hideouts Pine Sharks (Royal Hideouts)

Brighton`ist (Massachusetts`i osariik, USA) pärit ansambli 4-loolisest EP`st ei ole eriti midagi välja tuua. Valdavalt instrumentaalne loksumine on verevaene, demolik ning erinevaid kontekste arvestades mittemidagiütlev. Võiks suisa öelda, et kohatu, s.t ilma kohata muusika. Seda on raske kusagile, ka vahele, paigutada - mitte et midagi vägisi lahterdama peaks. Avaloos Barney Rubble, Steve McQueen on postpungi märgid ja hoog õhus, kuigi kolmandas ešelonis. Seevastu ülejäänutes puudub seegi dünaamika ja inerts. Kid Brother (Gaucho)-s ning Deaf Sister-is on jangle pop`i varje võimalik tajuda, tekitades ebamäärase tunde, teisalt soovitaks aja otstarbeka kasutamise, meelte erksuse ning esteetilise naudingu nimel eelistada kaasaegsetest näiteks Bishop Morocco loomingut. Kindel puks. Tõepoolest, albumi nimetus (männipuust haikalad) väärib oma hambulisele ohutusele osutavat tiitlit. Torgata käsi puumonstrumi lõugade vahele, kompida seal ning tajuda midagi ebamäärast ja mõttetut. Suht absurdne, on ju? Mis iganes, Pitchfork pidas oma Forkcast`is vajalikuks ühte nende lugu ära märkida - võimalik, et siinkirjutaja ei ole veel aru saanud nende puutest.

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5.6

Danish Daycare A Story Of Hurt (23 Seconds/AF- Musik/Bandcamp)

Rääkides Daniel Jönsson`i debüütalbumist tuleks alustada sellest, kuivõrd erinevad võivad olla mõtted esimese ja järgmiste kuulamiskordade vahel. Alul olin kindel, et alustan ülevaadet halbadest külgedest, et seejärel ka mõned positiivsused ära märkida. Praeguseks on jälle vaekauss teisele poole kaldunud...
34-aastane malmölane on (indie)muusikaringkondades olnud tuntud ansamblite Eyedrop`i (1997-2005) ja Emerald Park`i klahvkamängija, bassisti ja kitarristina. Esimese pundi harmoonilisest aasapopist ning teise rühmituse veidi järsemast, trummeldavast ja hõikuvast lähenemisest on Jönsson`i soolokal kuulda mõjusid mitmeid, kuigi ta püüab ennekõike leida oma teed. See ka õnnestub 11-loolisel üllitisel. Avalugu A Purpose To My Sins demonstreerib poptroonilist sirgjoonelisust, helklevat edetabelipoppi. Jönsson tõestab, et tema tugevaks küljeks on catchy`d refräänid, isegi kui sellest väljapoole jääv on mõnikord tuhm või kahtlase väärtusega. Lööb pompöösseks orkestreeritud reljeef, staadionitele liuglev ambitsioon (Second Day In June). Rootslase pompatakk võib kuulajast elegantselt üle kasvada, lämmatamata teda (Never Change Never Fade või albumi keskne, neworderlik Red Dead Flowers). Üldiselt domineerib kolmeplaaniline varieeruvus - on strummivaid kitarre, on sissejuhatusi piaanol, samuti on seda kokkumiksitult; ka on digitaalkõlalist elektroonilist eksperimenteerimist või vähemasti arglikku vihjet sellele (õnneks kuulub see erandite valda). Ka jääb miinuspoolele lovelorn-tüütus Boo. Lõpupoole äratatakse taas ellu indie-saurused; robertsmithilikku kaeblikku laulumaneeri on suisa mitmes kohas kuulda (pluss postpungilikud bassikäigud üleüldisemalt) ning pulpilikust tumedast velvetlikkusest kantud sissejuhatus lõpuloos The Man in White. Korralik popalbum.

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8.4