c0ld l▲k3 - °∆° (Parafago)

The appearance of the Italian label Parafago was highly welcomed in the ending of the previous year having revealed an interesting mix of peripheral and whimsical electronics which at some of its points is related to witch house/haunted house/drag appearances. For instance, the second release in the label`s discography is issued by c0ld l▲k3, which is probably the best known artist in the roster. So far c0ld l▲k3 has got some attention with his/her previous accomplishments in the circle of blogs closely related to witch house/drag hype. Indeed, I have no idea about who she/he is but I have experienced his/her excellent touch of sound.

By obsessed with murky, industrial-infused sonority the recent case is related to a 16-minute track which is fulfilled with propulsive shards, layer changes, (over)shadowed borders, delay effects and stomping beats. Being properly channelized, balanced and dosed for the impression will overwhelm a listener in the first place for sure. And it makes the difference on its own.

Listen to it here

9.3

[Artists] ✝ DE△D VIRGIN ✝

✝ DE△D VIRGIN ✝/Bandcamp
Lastfm

[Artists] The Conet Project

Irdial
Archive.org
Lastfm

Cagey House Major Monk (Black Square)

Avant-garde music veteran Dave Keifer aka Cagey House is back with an having-no-idea-which-album-it-could-be-in-queue release. Because of the high quality of his albums and the uncompromising intention for perfection, Cagey House`s follow-ups are very anticipated. Keifer started off producing music on the FruityLoops-based manipulations but later has found its fondness in sampling processing. In fact, he has issued 2 albums in the near future - Major Monk, and The Stupid Grin (under Sayonara).

In fact, the first three tracks - the seven ones in total - on Major Monk were completed in the beginning of 2009 already. The American musician had used lots of vocal samples to bring forth a suggestive narrative (he has even designed a dialogue relied upon a couple). The first-off Preliminary Major Champion Monk embarks on entering into an appalling radiophonic territory. On the other hand, regarding Keifer `s doings in last years the opening does not make an extraordinary feeling, though. (For instance, check it out for his masterpiece set Lark). As a king of the sampledelic(plunderphonics/cut and paste/sound collage music, he is still used to dive into the abyss of linear composing schemes where one sample is deliberately followed by another, having dosed an witty collation of chords to get deeply into a listener's inner world. On the other side, however, every key/key change on it regarding somehow emotions is charged up in different shape and amount thereby I can imagine it might even be a kind of frightening music for some listeners. By speaking in a more concrete way the soundscape is wrapped in by a poignant environment, dusty antiquity, much of it played out on Keifer`s big hype upon theremin (at least keen to its samples, indeed). The third and fourth track do deviate from the main concept of an unexpected but welcome direction so far. It comes out as if the like of Laetitia Sadier (McCarthy; Stereolab; Monade) is attended therein for to feature with Moog-relied backdrops thereby conveying a mild psychedelic-drenched dimensionality over to the soundscape. The next number Basement returns to the initial situation via "trampling and scraping things" (by Keifer`s own words). All you can be witnessing subsequently here is a mixed-up array of clicks and bleeps, otherwordly effusing sonic patterns of programmed toys, sole trombone blasts, and psychedelic shades as well. To get finished it off, you shall have to look at the excellent coverprint of Major Monk, purposefully amplifying the sonorous impression of it - and vice versa. In fact, it is just the pleasure to perceive it as a whole.

Listen to it here

9.5

Sun-inside Speed Beauty (Section27)

The Ukrainian project`s first track is named as Transparency Palm which might semantically have a reference to Faust`s first, so-called X-ray album, and the album title might referentially be related to krautrock style in a bit broader sense as well, though its surrealistic and shimmeringly sounding approach is more keen to hauntologic and sampledelic outputs rather than come to over for manipulating with motorik and hypnotic conceptions. Indeed, 13 tracks consisting of weird low-end synth effects, have been played out via high-key sonic patterns, though mainly on the lo-fi mode, remembering strongly of Cagey House, and Manuel Buerger sometimes. In fact, weird can be perceived without the weirdest ones. For example, Tragic Ceiling has been brought forth through mystical spiritual music, respectively to the Russian orthodox tradition. This track could be associated with the collaboration acts of Alexei Rafiev and Alexei Borissov (two albums under Clinical Archives).

Listen to it here

8.3

Beko Beko_box3 (Beko DSL)

To speak tongue in-the-cheek of the style "witch house" it may seem to be sounded like the gothic people/dark wavers` chillwave music. No doubt, between the aforementioned styles are obvious similarities (the use of low-end synths, the exploitation of the DIY-aesthetics), while their main difference is drawn by the using of noir-loaded soundscapes/hauntology, and peripheric sonic experiments. The style, by the way, under which categorized bands, at least some of them, love to use different symbols (especially the different way-shaped crosses) in their names, though the most well-known of them, for instance, the likes of Salem, Modern Witch, and oOoOO are restricted in the borders of alphabetical signs yet. However, the label Beko DSL is always used to pretend finding out new bands and styles-subgenres, but their turn toward witch house/drag/haunted house seems to be their first notch, though. This release, consisting of three boxes, and 6 ensembles (Mater Suspiria Vision; d3thplaY; High Park; Residual Prophecy; ZON; lll^◊^lll, can be considered as a fine kind of overview-offering compilation. In any case, a good introduction to the new hype.

Listen to it here

Cagey House Major Monk (Black Square)

Netimuusika veteranist avangardist Dave Keifer aka Cagey House on tagasi järjekorras ma-ei-tea-mitmenda väljalaskega. (Järjekorranumbreid ma ei mäleta, kuid albumite headust küll). Õieti reliisis ta lähiajal 2 taiest - käesolevale lisaks ka "The Stupid Grin"-i (Sayonara).

Kolm esimest "Major Monk"-i rada (kokku seitse) valmisid juba 2009. aasta alul. Ameeriklane kasutas vokaalsämpleid, et tekitada mingilgi määral narratiivseid assotsiatsioone (ta on koguni konstrueerinud dialoogi mehe ja naise vahel). Sissejuhatav Champion Major Monk algab kui sisenemine õõvatekitavasse raadiokuuldemängu. Teisalt, Keifer`i viimaseid aastaid arvestades ei ole see erakordne (nt "Lark"). Sämplikunnina kasutab ta jätkuvalt lineaarseid komponeerimisskeeme, kus sämpel järgneb sämplile, nr. 2 kannatlikult nr.1-le. Doseerib mõõdukalt, s.t vaimukalt, leides sisendi kuulaja emotsioonidega suhestumiseks. Iseasi on muidugi see, et iga helialge on emotiivselt erinevalt laetud, mistõttu kuulaja võib isegi ehmatuse osaliseks saada. Lisaks võttestikule on ka helid üsna sarnased - kriipiv happelisus, tolmune arhailisus, ning seda suuresti armastusele theremini helide vastu. Kolmas ja neljas rada muudavad senist kontseptsiooni ootamatus, kuid tervitatavas suunas. Sulnid sündisaundid - nagu Laetitia Sadier (Stereolab, Monade) mängiks Moog`i taustaks - annavad Cagey House`i muusikale uue - malbe psühhedeelia - mõõtme. The Basement Number - kus Keifer enda sõnul "hõõrus, trampis ja kraapis asju" - taastub esialgne olukord. Lõputud klikid-klakid, mulinad-lalinad, üleskeeratavate asjade-lelude helid, tromboonitörtsutamised ning taaskord sisse juhatatud psühhedeelne helikude sulgevad teose. Ning taaskord tuleb Dave`i kiita suurepärase coverprint`i eest. Visuaalne mulje tugevdab kuuldut - ning vastupidi. Lihtsalt nauding on tajuda seesugust tervikut.

Kuula albumit siit

9.5

[Vana ning oluline] Volumina Ciencia Ficción (Peppermill)

Benjamin Zàrate aka Volumina on järjekordne kinnitus veendumusele, et hetkel löövad latiinod-segaverelised tugevate elektrooniliste mõjudega avant-indie`s laineid. Ühemeheprojektid nagu Neon Indian, MillionYoung, Toro Y Moi ning Wonder Wheel (viimane postitas oma Myspace´i leheküljele traktaadi tuleviku popmuusika tehnilistest võtetest) loovad 21. sajandi teise kümnendi popkehandit. Chillwave/glo-fi, shoegaze, dream pop, lo-fi, psühhedeelia ja elektrooniline tantsumuusika on siiani olnud peamised vahendid, milledest on uusi muusikalisi universume vormitud.

“Ciencia Ficción” on mehhiklase järg samal, st 2009. aastal ilmunud debüütalbumile “This Is Our Home, Please Come In!” (mõlemad üllitatud Kanada leibli Peppermill all). Seos ei ole üksnes kronoloogiline – harmooniatest-meloodiatest laetud indietronica/electro-indie hüljatakse enamuses ning täidetakse ja segatakse avant-proge/zeuhl`i, 60ndate-70ndate kummituskogumike helide ja space age pop-mullistuste kollaažiks. Justkui Mort Garson-abielupaar Barron`id ja Magma-Eskaton leiutanuks oma tippaegadel ajamasina ning maabunuks kolm-neli kümnendit hilisemasse aegruumi. Paraja koguse müstika ja ängiga segatud teatraalne element ajab kombitsad kuulaja alateadvusesse. Näituseks vastupandamatud ava- ja lõpurada.

Kuula albumit siit

Cagey House B for Breakfast (Bypass)

Kas B for Breakfast" on sama, mis oleks "H hommikusöögi tarvis"? Või peab jätkuvalt täht "B" seda seost tunnusmärgitsema? Või hoopis mõni teine initsiaal? Näiteks M(esilane)? See on ilmselt sama, mis küsida, mis eristab Dave Keifer`i 13. albumit tema eelmistest teostest "Lark" ja "1902". Narratiivi muutused pisiasjades, millel on illusoorne moment juures, st tegelikkuses ameeriklase muusikalist kehandit muutmata. Hoolimata tõigast, et Jaapani leibel (Bump Foot) on vahetunud Hiina oma (Bypass) vastu - viimane on ennekõike tuntud rütmikeskse elektroonilise muusika kataloogi läbi. Tõepoolest, Cagey House`i kulg - 5 lugu 14 minuti sees - on jätkuvalt mittetantsuline ja sämplikeskne - kummastavad miljööd, happelised sündipassaažid, spooky klaverimuusika, teatraalsed sopransämplid - mis kokkuvõttes justkui pärineks kusagilt kummitusooperist. Sametise interjööriga art house-muusika. Metafüüsiline noir. Minu lemmiklugu on Honey Yep Nope - hunnitute vokaalosiste ja klaveriakordidega klanitud sundimatu electro-draiv.

Korralik tasemenäit jäjekordselt. Teisalt - kuivõrd seda üllitist võiks vabalt ka eelpoolmainitud albumite osaks arvata, siis ootaks ameeriklaselt juba uutele aladele liikumist. Muidugi, daoistlikust perspektiivist vaadatuna on kõik jätkuvalt korras - kulgemine ilma kulgemiseta.

Kuula albumit siit

8.7