Meanwhile Project.ltd - The Sober EP (2011)

WM Recordings
Bandcamp
Lastfm

9.3

/Noirscape, Musique concrète, Psychedelia, Covers, Experimentalism, Modern classical /

Comment: a peculiar (just trying to avoid describing it as "macabre") shit which contains musique concrète-hued mourning classical music and essentially obsessive noirscapes, by the way including a cover version of the Pink Floyd`s coolest song Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun, and a version of the Twin Peaks theme composed by Angelo Badalamenti. The EP is issued on WM Recordings, a great label from the Netherlands (Phil Reavis, R Stevie Moore, Chenard Walcker, Happy Elf, Spheriot, Roy Chicky Arad, Keshco and many other ones)

Jakim - To Bleep Or Not To Bleep (2011)

Jamendo
Lastfm

8.8

/Chiptune, Chipbreak, Chilltronica, Psychedelic electronica, 8-bit, Tracker music, Electronic pop/

Comment: Jakim (20-year-old Mateusz Szymànski from Poland) provides a 15-track set (turns to the end at the length of 29 minutes!) of lush, psychedelic electronica (catchy motifs and upbeat progressions). More profoundly, it is somewhat jazzy (fusion) and funk-tuned, yet, in the first place it is played up with the help of the sawtooth-shaped beats and buzzing noise of 8-bit/tracker music, chiptune. Indeed, it is chill and brain-eating at the same time.

Virgin Of The Birds - Fugitive Works (2011)

Abandoned Love
Lastfm

8.8

/Indie folk, Singer-songwriter, Baroque folk, Alt-folk, Folk indie/

Comment: five suggestive folk-drenched indie pop songs composed by Jon Rooney. At times the ditties will turn into more introspective ones reminding of baroque pop with those subtle strumming and orchestrations, yet, most of the course they used to exploit a more burbly approach. Listen to it and you will not get disappointed.

Hypermagic - Lasso

Oskar Hallbert - Promenader & Utflykter (2011)

Resting Bell

9.2

/Dream folk, Avant-folk, Musique concrète, Drone folk, Organic electronica, Microtonal, Experimental folk/

Comment: Oskar Hallbert is a Swedish musican who allegedly lives in the middle of the forest massives somewhere in the countryside (at least it was a preterit legend about him). However, Hallbert continues the similar path he used to exploit on his previous releases on Resting Bell, Rain, and Zymogen. More profoundly, here are represented little, restraint miniature compositions consisting of some lofty drones, sparse string fingerpicking, mellotron`s vibraphone glimpses which are effortlessly penetrating through thick mist-and-natural sound blend. It may be these elusive and otherworldly vibes are made by fairy creatures.

I Buried Paul - The 633 EP (2009)

Sinewave
Lastfm

8.5

/Sampledelic, Glitchtronica, Sound-art, Sound collage, Dark ambient, Avant-garde, Noirwave/

Comment: this release can be considered as a somehow white crow amongst the issues on Sinewave, a Brazilian post-rock label. Why? Because guitars are replaced with sampledelic trash veering out from punching noir-filled beats to bright-scaled sunshiny visions, from noiseful glitchtronica to more or less electro-acoustic explorations. You can enjoy heavily effect-loaded notches, flying hooks to the left and right. At times it seems that the soundscape could be dedicated to those few days before lifting of the veil.

Starfire Connective Sound - Starfire Connective Sound EP (2011)

Bandcamp

9.7

/Big Beat, Noise rock, Psychedelia, Avant-rock, Dance rock, Experimental rock, Shoegaze, Industrial rock/

Comment: it is amazing! Simply amazing... . You should more watch out for Brazil, a new location for avant-garde/shoegaze/experimental rock bands today. Starfire Connective Sound is truly eargasmic mixing up boundless, dance-appealed psychedelic drive with massive shoegaze washes, heavily stomping big beats and somehow industrial rock. More concretely, if you are searching for the total concept of pop music, this could be one of the best candidates regarding its incessantly revolving glacial-go-round throwing sharp hooks and shards around its frenzied axis and ploughing its topsoil deeply up either. Imagine Silver Apples meets Sereena Maneesh meets Death In Vegas meets Superficial Random Knowledge Porridge meets Primal Scream meets Acid Mother Temple yet providing a sort of idiosyncratic psyche-core.

In A Sleeping Mood - Draft

VİYA - Huzur İsyanda EP (2011)

Clinical Archives

9.4

/Balkan brass, Improvised music, Chamber music, World music, Psychedelic, Mood music/

Comment: this is a great 3-track issue by a quintet from Turkey, played up mainly with the help of monumentally ascending, heartbreaking (Balkan) brass twists and chiming string-based magic dust and melodica solos. More concretely, it is a dynamical, picturesque orchestration-soaked chamber music which at times is deeply melancholic but very blissed-out either. The kick-off Huzur ósyanda and the finishing Oyuncaklar Ülkesi does include the impassioned singing manner by Barış Demirel (who is playing trumpet, melodica, and bass guitar either), who is recording his brand new one at the moment. This album is especially thought for all of those who used to admire the music of Goran Bregović, Bark Cat Bark, Beirut, Molotow Brass Orkestar and other such kind of bands or watch the films produced by Emil Kusturica.

Sonic Clams - Sonic Clams (1986)

Bob Chaos

9.1

/Weird pop, Avant-garde, Non-music, Experimentalism, Improvised music, Psychedelia, Psych-music, Sound collage, Found sound/

Comment: approximately 2 years ago I reviewed Phil Reavis` amazing album The Reagan Years, which was issued on WM Recordings in 2008. Before it Phil Reavis played in some Muncie/Bloomington, Indiana-related bands which in turn were related to Bob Chaos Records, a avant-garde cassette label having had the lifespan from 1984 to 1988. Anyway, Sonic Clams represents an album of 18 tracks which can be deemed to be one of the precursors of nowadays lo-fi/DIY/tape music culture (the label needs to be discovered by a wider audience yet). More profoundly, all is revolving (or revolting) around those hazy soundscapes which are loaded with deliberate tape hisses, spoken word samples, found sound additions, somewhat majestic organ drones or on the other side filled in with angry, obsessed prepared guitar shards and noise. However, at times this album seems to be a chain between R Stevie Moore, and The Residents, for instance. It also borders upon the early doings by John Crewdson aka the Hirundu and Halloween-induced compilatons.