Kyoto Connection - The First Voyage (2006/2010)

Kyoto Connection
Jamendo
Lastfm

9.0

/Chilltronica, Art pop, Downtempo, World music, Electronic pop, Synth pop, Alternative pop, New Age/

Comment: Kyoto Connection is a quartet from Argentina, interweaving synthesized harmonies with bracing melodies running incessantly over the listener`s head. Natural instruments are finely balanced with electronic devices and small machines. The band obviously gets huge inspiration and signs from the 80`s synth pop, world fusion, new age, and electronic pop a la Pet Shop Boys. At times it does enter into more contemporary, dream pop-like milieus. On the other side, as you already know there is a big difference between new age and new age, chill out and chill out music. And KC makes difference for their own advantage for sure. Furthermore, KC`s sound used to appeal everywhere - to bigger crowds and more requiring circuits. By any means, Kyoto Connection is one of the best combos settled down at Jamendo.

Tim Chaplin - Honesty (2011)

Bandcamp

9.3

/Art folk, New Weird Europe, Experimental folk, Psych-folk, Avant-folk, Baroque folk, Singer-songwriter, Alt-folk/

Comment: Tim Chaplin aka Luminous is one of those unsung art rockers/indie experimentalists waiting to get more appreciated for they deserve by full right. He started already it the end of 90`s, since having created uncompromising ditties and idiosyncratic compositions. He is also part of Factory Kids (with Christina Marie). These 12 songs are settled in the billowy junkyard of cracks and hisses creating a contrasty folder for twanging guitars and zestful vocal lines. All what was described is just a hint at the dominating template. He is supported by many collaborators, who used to play theremin, Hammond organ, and different kinds of strings. Pertaining of that Chaplin is the sort of genius it is showcased through such songs as So She Says, and Your Top Ten (the last one resembles a little of Have You Seen Her Lately, the Pulp`s classic one.

tHÖAm - Eye shadow (2011)

Nowaki Music

9.0

/Downtempo, Ambient, Experimental electronica, Chill out, Modern classical, Crossover/

Comment: in principle, it is a pleasant shift between racous beat-induced (from downtempo to more aggressive, breakbeat-like developments) appearances and more atmospherically/and hauntingly designed bows. Indeed, being in such a crossbreed-ish situation the artist`s sound used to evoke and delete memory snippets from your very consciousness. At times it reaches the highest parametres of beauty (Opaque). Of course, this 13-track album is a quite demanding one needing more for profound listening times. If to regard the possible kindred souls of tHÖÄm, however, I recommend listen to the likes of Mank, ElectricWest, David Schomber, Naono. However, you can perceive some similarities with James Leyland Kirby`s oeuvres as well.

Paolo Pavan & Pasqualino Ubaldini - Second (Live)

Random Article - Valley Sessions 'Unwebbed', May-July 2011 (2011)

Archive.org

9.0

/Psych-folk, Improvised music, Experimental folk, New Weird Europe, Trance folk/

Comment: 13 tracks for saz, bass, violin, voice and percussion, recorded at a cottage in the Broad Oak Valley, near Canterbury (UK) during May-July 2011. Behind these honestly cultivated acoustic improvisations are Tom, Miriam, Matthew, and assisted by Paul (playing drums sometimes), related to the Exeter-based Children Of The Drone collective and its subsidiaries (in principle, it is quite hard to draw the distinction line between them). This session is highly warbling and vitally organic in its magical hypnotism. By the way, all the titles are chosen accidentally. The Valley Session as usual - it has been their brand of quality.

Crash City Saints - I'm Only Looking EP (2011)

Bandcamp

8.8

/Shoegaze, Alternative rock, Post-punk, Fuzz rock/

Comment: above all, this 3-track EP is up here to constitute shoegaze, shoegaze, and - once again - shoegaze-ish graphs. In fact, the first and third notch represent a clear-cut tribute to My Bloody Valentine, it might be the second track only is an instance of more mainstream-induced and post-punk-ish attempts (somewhere inbetween JAMC, and Franz Ferdinand). More concretely, massive guitar walls will evolve into quasi-orchestrated outputs. And this is really fine.

The Slides (2008)

Mimonot

8.7

/Blues rock, Pop punk, Alternative pop/rock, Post-punk/

Comment: By any means, this is an eminent alternative pop/rock album. Firstly, it is irresistibly loaded with the galvanized sauce of infiltrated post-punk and blues rock influences including lots of guitar-based high-bow hooks and elating changes in song structures, secondly it is sung in Russian. The lyrics of the EP are about the disillusionment of ideals, considering some existential approaches either. The Slides, a quartet comes out from Komsomolsk-on-Amur, a city locating in the Far East part of Russia (residing in Moscow now). By the way, a big part of musical groups publicated on the Mimonot label, does have their roots related to the Siberian cities.

EARLY TO BED & SCHLOCK! - WEATHERVANE (unrated)

EARLY TO BED & SCHLOCK! - WEATHERVANE (unrated) from EardrumsPop, the label on Vimeo.

Memotone – Bad Panda EP (2011)

Bad Panda
Free Music Archive
Lastfm

9.2

/Post-rock, Organic electronica, Experimental electronica, Art pop, Crossover, Sampledelic, Post-psychedelic, Experimental indie/

Comment: this 4-track EP offers a smorgasboard of synthesized breaks, colourful whiffs and instantaneous awakenings arching broadly over it (made up of chiming synths, piano snippets and circinately clanking xylophones). Recommended for fans of DJ Shadow, Four Tet, and Mice Parade. Music is made by William Yates, a solo perfomer/multi-instrumentalist from England being active since the mid of 00`s.

The Golf Sunshine Company - The Leper's Colony Has Drifted Away (2011)

Bandcamp

8.3

/Hip-hop, DIY, Lo-fi, Psych-hop, Avant-hop, Urban music/

Comment: a frenzied psych/lo-fi/hip-hop issue from Oregon, USA. It obviously seems to be a nihilistic, rusty, and abrasive, and amusing trip taken to come over to the unidentified realms of DIY. It is at times noodling, at times stuttering, at times being based on catchy loops and repetitions.