Utrovortu - Byt' kak myshi-polevki (2011)

Clinical Archives

9.3

/Avant-rock, Krautrock, Improvisation, Free jazz, Conceptual, Dark pop, Singer-songwriter, Experimentalism, Experimental rock, Avant-garde/

Comment: This interdisciplinary collective coming from Saint Petersburg (Sankt Peterburg), from the northern capital city of Russia was previously known as The Pigeons and the Insane Porridgemakers (having issued albums on Clinical Archives as well). However, they used to be previously very insane, making out an impressive patchwork of diverse styles. In principle, all is built on borderless improvisation, veering from experimental pop and freely floating krautrock a la Faust (the first contemporary indie band of the world) to free jazz and bucolic singer-songwriter-ism and just dark-hued pop (even darkwave). Moreover, some explorations within electro-indie/synth rock and space rock and free jazz and dense sonic effect compartments are also carried out herein. In the second part of the issue can be detected for the rhythm experimentation on the Casio Tonebank synths (cheap but very effective keyboards) either. In a nutshell, the Byt' kak myshi-polevki embodies a finely balanced yet very intriguing album. Actually this is all what we can expect from the music, isn`t?

Blood Ruby - Recent Songs (2011)

 

Jamendo

  

 9.4

 /Shoegaze, Dream pop, Art-rock, Alternative rock, Dark pop, Ethereal, Epic/

Comment: Honestly, I could not resist to this album coming from New Haven, USA evoking so much pleasant memories in my mind. Initially being released in 2006/and 2007 the Recent Songs comes over to keep refreshing different traditions, more concretely, living up to the mellow dream pop and shoegaze scenes, and ethereal pop and symphonic metal tradition (in true, the last named one used to be allowed mainly through mezzo-drenched or operatic style-ish vocal lines at times). The band started off in 2001, and having been line-upped by Cynthia Conrad, Margaret Browning, and Thomas Wall. Indeed, all the set of 7 tracks by the trio is filled in with monumental sounds resembling of Cocteau Twins, Love Spirals Downwards, Autumn`s Grey Solace, even Beth Gibbons & Portishead at Remains of the Day, Jane Siberry, and many other artists. Yet, in total sum it is essentially idiosyncratic phenomenon on its own, thereby finding a compartment in my heart.

Nihil Limit - Drifting EP (2011)

17 Sons
Jamendo

8.6

/Minimal techno, Electro, Electro pop/

Comment: First of all, a meticolously adequate description can be borrowed from the 17 Sons` website. /...made by drifted machines producing linear, techno grooves with impulsive modulated sounds/. Indeed, it sounds like a vulnerable Krafwerk-esque template in the 21th century based on minimal layering, more profoundly, on the sequencer-evoked beats with moderately dosed but at times progressing electro torrents in it. As once Karl Bartos said in his interview to the Estonian newspaper Postimees that people should more listen to the Beatles than nowadays minimal techno (reportedly overwhelmingly prevailing in Berlin) because the former lacks of melodies (to be remembered every band needs to have it as Kraftwerk once had it). Regarding the Nihil Limit`s sound, indeed it is being devoid of having melodies in the classical perspective (and apparently cannot be remebered either), yet, the whole is embellished with harmonic halo oozing from the rhythm structures (and coming still close to Kraftwerk`s sensitive robots). In a nutshell, although having no vision about this quite profilic artist`s previous workouts, the recent issue (of 5 tracks) makes hugely sense now and here.

Pretty Swans - Burning Love (2011)

Miriam Kaukosalo - It's The Tooth (2011)

Bakery Allstars inc

8.8

/Electro-rock, Indie pop, Singer-songwriter, Experimental indie, Primitive pop, Lo-fi, DIY/

Comment: Although having no idea and knowledge about who Miriam Kaukosalo is, her short-running release is a gem for sure. Only the 5-track set within less than 10 minutes, Kaukosalo shows off DIY-based uncrompromising pop power where can be perceived proto electronic indie with heavy reverberation and propulsive rhythms (Culver City) a la The Silver Apples, or catchy harmony-loaded vocals moving on alongside primitivistic paces (Bolla), or an astonishing indie ballad (D.A.M.P) with some really straightforward (even filthy) sentences and intentions. All in all, it is probably Kaukosalo`s vista about punk rock.

Nuthre - Bloops for Alice (2007)

No Type

7.7

/Avant-garde, Primitive pop, Experimentalism, Downbeat, Sound collage, Electro-acoustic/

Comment: This release was issued more than 4 years ago on the Canadian experimental label No Type. Jeff Morton, an artist, used to exploit comparatively few elements to carry out his enterprise. At most times the whole sounds like a downbeat shake with reversed effects, thudding beat nuggets and electronic tails in it. At its extremities, anyway, it can be considered way too provocative, using the hisses coming out of the digital sound processing or being slowed down to form into a primitive piano-driven chord building, for instance.

Buben – Beat’N'Hoper (2011)

Haze
Lastfm

8.4

/Experimental electronica, Breakbeat, Sound collage, Hip-hop, Experimentalism/

Comment: Beat box sounds, hip-hop scratches, diverse break(-beat)s - all of which is forged into a seamless whole by the ultimatively profilic legend Vladislav Buben from Belarus. Six crafty outputs with pleasant vibes indeed. Throughout the course Buben do not allow to forget about the joyous attitude of the album. For instance, an example of moaning zombie-like techno or easy latin music themes amongst the rhythms.

Sandro Marinoni - Don Baltasar (2011)

Clinical Archives

8.6

/Jazz, Improvised music, New age, World music, Chillout, Experimentalism, Crossover/

Comment: Sandro Marinoni is a flute, saxophone and trombone player from Italy who has been active for a pair of decades (embarked on as a member in different groups), having been especially active during the last 3 years. Upon arrived at the umbrella of the Clinical Archives label again, he offers us a delicate submission of new age, laid-back soothings, ethnic music explorations, cool jazz and modal jazz-based snippets, atmospheric near-ambient progressions, and whimsical electronic shapes (being separated or mixed up with each other). By splashing in the midst of such classically trained experimentalists, however, it is very hard to find out the distinctive line between improvised sound and determined music. On the other side, yet, it does not make any difference at all.

Nasienie - Blackwood EP (2011)

Webbed Hand
Lastfm

8.2

/Ambient folk, Ambient, Minimal, Soundscape/

Comment: this 3-track issue comes over to folk-tinged mainlines (spiced up with dark-hued waves), and vast-scale atmospheric pannels rippling on sparse, ellipse-stretched loops. In a nutshell, all the logic of the release is subordinated to repetition.

Meczûp - Hanging from the Purgatory's Pendulum (2010)

BFW Recordings
Lastfm

8.6

/Hauntology, Ambient, Avant-garde, Experimentalism, Conceptual, Drone, Minimal/

Comment: Howling and haunting... . What is that? An monolithic slab of theremin-induced sounds which at the time of closer investigations will be decomposed into the countless particles of (dark) mood situations? Indeed, the whole issue is made out of using this ancient, legendary electronic instrument. The album is created in Istanbul, maybe that is the reason why it used to sound a bit oriental at times. However, Cihan Gülbudak`s workout has reached the borders of drone, avant-electronica, ambient, and even orchestrated music, thereby re-locating these genre-related expectations and initial sense/meaning of them.