Craig Chordman - Scenes (2011)

Jamendo

9.4

/Glo-fi, Alternative, Leftfield, Chillwave, Poptronica, Chill out, Instrumental, Experimental indie/

Comment: The Englishman Craig Chordman has issued a lot of singles at Jamendo over time, yet, now it is time to gather them into one, 9-track album. And the result is truly mesmerizing by any means (by the side of harmonies and melodies, by its structural approach, by its sensible balance between experimentalism and conventionalism - if you wish you can tag CC`s music as "retrofuturistic", "retrodelic"). The miscellany starts its way with blissed-out Beacon of Dreams, which is followed by more catchy, hook-throwing synth propulsions, elusive harmonic and melodic turns and repetitive guitar patterns and riffs. It might be the most surprising leap comes out at Emergence which is obviously an dedication for Ian Curtis and his evergreen Love Will Tear Us Apart. Generally, you can admit that chillwave/glo-fi music meets exotica pop thereby reminding a little bit of Monster Rally, a project from USA. Indeed, the release is thought for your soul and for your body. This album includes much more words than the language used to do.

A Problem Like Maria - Radio Wire Empire Solves A Problem Like Maria (2011)

Bandcamp

9.4

/Alternative pop, Twee pop, Indie pop, Art pop, Baroque pop, Experimental indie, Tropicalia pop/

Comment: a handful of captivating, sonorous indie/alternative pop songs are represented here which are embellished with an array of diverse influences drawn from left and right, from the centre and periphery. These influences do not originate only from within the Western indie scenes (twee, southern rock, baroque pop, art pop, dream pop) but also from Brazil (for instance, at No Me Hagas Daño you can detect the templates of tropicalia pop a la Os Mutantes). Female vocal layers are set in a way to be in front of mellow guitar fingerpicking, sensitive glockenspiel chords, woodwind developments, some studio effects. For instance, listen particularly to the opening single Sea Legs which is enthralling and sexy simultaneously. Within it and more generally relative to the EP Maria C. R is assisted by Matthew R (from Radio Wire Empire). In a word - grrreeat!!!

Somepling - Properly Packed (2012)

Bandcamp
Lastfm

8.9

/Sampledelic, Nu jazz, Sound collage, Cut and paste, Urban sound, Instrumental hip-hop, Trip-hop/

Comment: upbeat and sunshiny harmonies, cinematic floatation, suggestive sampledelic formations all of that is excited with instrumental hip-hop and trip-hop and nu jazz-mixed rhythms. Such sort of music is being produced very much today, yet, the issue of 11 short-running notches goes across the borders of this sample-based genre. Additionally, I recommend listen to the likes of Blossom, Rimar, Anitek, Juj, htrspltn. Let`s call them the representatives of nowadays muzak.

December Nightskies - Cold Water (2012)

Misspelled

9.5

/Ambient, Soundscapes, Avant-garde, Dystopbient, Dark ambient, Illbient, Abstract/

Comment: glacial glow-alike shimmer which used to profoundly resonate and oscillate throughout the 4-track issue. Behind December Nightskies hides himself Kendall Keeler, a producer from Oklahoma, USA who makes up borealic kinds of soundscapes to conjure up the imagination of cold yet cozy winter. Mostly his soundscapes are restraint yet horrible as if were pulled out from within the realm of horror sci-fi. Imagine Count Dracula demolishing mercilessly human lives somewhere in the dark and very cold climate. By the way, the coverprint used to be as amazing as the music behind it. Reality meets fiction and both of them will tightly be mixed up with each other.

[Teaser of the day] Mizontiq - Wrapped In Glass (Find Me)

Delay Trees - Before I Go Go EP (2011)

Delay Trees
Lastfm

9.3

/Post-rock, Indie rock, Alternative rock, Crossover/

Comment: there are 5 tracks spreaded out over 19 minutes. DT (the quartet) originate from Helsinki-Hämeenlinna, Finland providing a subtle set of sonorous indie rock and more post-rock structured, crescendo-inflected mixed tendencies. You can be sure it is beautiful, enthralling and well treated which, however, consist of a loads of catchy turns and breathtaking spins.

The Peach Tree - The Other Side

The Chairman - Economies (2011)

Bandcamp
Lastfm

8.9

/Alternative, Leftfield, Electro pop, Alternative dance, Electronic pop/

Comment: The Chairman is Sam Deere, Adelaide, Australia-based artist`s project who at the time provides 9-piece album, entitled as Economies. Deere fuses a vast array of cadences with acidic synth developments in hover. Sharp-edged rhythms are variegated with tricky, even funny changes. Yet, the issue`s album intention should not be misunderstood - it is not only about orthodox kind of dance/electro pop. Deere has managed to enter into the realm of psychedelic and indie-fused universe now and then. Furthermore, Chalk On The Blank Slate takes on energetic flamenco-tipped progressions amplified with orchestrations above catchy rhythms and guitar strums. Onward, he uses electro-drenched aggressive aesthetics filled in with drilling synth sticks, fast-changing breakbeat washes and lofty, infiltrated noise within it. All notches are instrumental. If to compare his undertaking with someone then Deere would be juxtaposed to Angus Maiden aka The Peach Tree, another Australian musician.

Mark Ge - Your Blues Are Rough (2011)

No-Source
Lastfm

8.8

/Singer-songwriter, Lo-fi, DIY, Anti-folk, Indie folk, Primitronica, Folk indie/

Comment: twanging guitars and lo-fi synth rhythms are craftily set up there to function as the background for pensive songwriting by Mark Ge, a singer-songwriter from USA who just published his debut issue on No-Source. Indeed, he does have barefaced flirt with unpolished sort of folk and electronic-inflected indie music. However, there are a pair of exceptions either - Road seems to be the only example which is more concretely treated inside the walls of recording studio. Peace and Noise showcases its sympathy toward murky type of songwriting. Mark Ge`s aesthetics can be compared with the likes of Gazebo In A Lake, The Home Stretch, Stereo Moon and at the times even the aesthetics of Bradford Cox. In a nutshell, I think Ge is a talented musician, however, I am very excited about his following albums in the foreseeable future.

[Teaser of the day] Pasqualino Ubaldini - Viaggio Sesto