Francois Bonne - Drek da'han le fou (2011)

Jamendo

8.6

/Soundtrack, Orchestrated music, Electronic pop, Mood music/

Comment: The main strain of Francois Bonne`s 4-track issue consists of fairy-tale-alike symphonies, intriguingly syntesized soundtracks, all of which is played up with huge impetus thereby particles in the sublevels will be changed very fast in any cases. Like a film score workout for a kind of plenty with pace, however, it is made out of lots of key changes and mood progressions. Indeed, it is art-y and at times even dizziness-induced. Masterful.

Naomu - Amanita (2011)

Totokoko

8.8

/Folktronica, Primitive pop, Weird folk, Acousmatic, Avant-folk, Minimal, New Weird Japan, Experimentalism, Weird pop, Toytronica/

Comment: This semi-detached album under the Japanese label totokokolabel resembles of the first releases by CocoRosie - it is female voice-lead, deliberately primitivistic, swaying between the ancient eras and recent recording technologies. Beatific and weird and a little bit schizoid acousmatic pop. But satisfyingly relaxing in its naive and restrainted prosperity in any cases.

Emerald Park - Slow 2004-2005 (2011)

23 Seconds
Af-music
Jamendo

8.6

/Alt-folk, Indie pop, Britpop, Indie folk, Baroque pop, Folk indie/

Comment: As the album title suggests, indeed the issue is about 4 songs being released 6-7 years ago. The group comes from Malmo, Sweden and showcases some examples of folk-inflected Britpop, Swedish (indie) pop carnival, and baroque pop, in detail, demonstrating its affinity toward mellow chords and pleasant melodies. By the recent point, however, it can be considered classic (indie) pop. Nostalgic and decent.

Ataque Escampe - Violentos anos dez (2011)

Aregueifa

8.5

/Alt-folk, Indie folk, Baroque folk, Folk indie, Indie pop, Psychedelic/

Comment: Aregueifa is a honest label from Galicia, dedicated to the Galician music and musicians who mostly used to sing in their native language (which reportedly is more close to the Portuguese than Spanish language). However, a smorgasboard of genres are presented under the label, from nihilist punk attacks to strongly Celtic folk influenced ethnic music. Ataque Escampe is one of the most profilic collective under Aregueifa, playing up folk music with a tough touch of indie pop. Exalting harmonies, joyous rhythms, more concretely, wherein alt-folk used to get embellished with orchestrated sounds, jangle-y strums, brass sounds and at times psychedelic easiness as well. It can be compared to the other Spanish-based harmony alchemists like Nodding by the Fire, and Wild Honey.

Jose Travieso - Don`t Kill The Vinyl (2011)

Jamendo
Lastfm

9.0

/Downbeat, trip-hop, Hip-hop, Rap, Jazz, Epic, Experimentalism, Electronic pop, Film noir, Cinematic/

Comment: Are you used to enjoy high-tempered Spanish hip-hop/rap? Beside it, however, you can listen to smoky, cinematic trip-hop scratches (oh, Portishead, Portishead!!!), noir-filled downbeat progressions, solid jazz shakes, some cool glockenspiel interludes, reversed sound effects, and decent tributes to the Kraftwerk-ian tradition, however, all of those fundamental stones are finely juxtaposed to each other. Indeed, Travieso`s notch is whimsical and melancholic simultaneously. Deliberately perverted by language.

Book of Burrow - Book of Burrow (2011)

No-Source

Lastfm

8.4

/Folktronica, Experimental folk, Glitch/

Comment: Intriguing 12 minutes of glitch-induced folk music by Michael Carrier and Morgan Quirk. The duo`s debut album showcases lots of metallic-inflected shadows, bleak guitar fingerpickings, from metronomic yet slightly strikeless to suggestive clock-alike beats, all of which is brought forth without singing and words. Awesome listening indeed.

Wonder Wheel - Speakeasy (2011)

Beko DSL

9.8

/Free folk, Shoegaze, Alternative, Glo-fi, Poptronica, Post-psychedelic electronica, Psychedelia, Lo-fi, Avant-pop, Primitronica/

Comment: Wonder Wheel is the brainchild of the californian Paul A Rosales, already being known as a demiurg of a great mix of psychedelia, lo-fi, glo-fi, and shoegaze. In fact, this 9-track album continues to ooze greatness out of every pore, though, this time Rosales` shoegaze element is even a bit more subdued in comparison with his usual practice (and replaced by a kind of trance-induced Animal Collective-esque repetitiveness, for instance). Yet, it does not mean it is not an example of nowadays shoegaze album at all. Exhilarating progressions is filled in with the washes of serotonine. At times it chimes like Ariel Pink meets Slumberland Records sound. By the way, some grooves of deliberately primitive dance music are made out on it as well. If you have been involved in sound of Ariel Pink, Wavves, Coolrunnings, Animal Collective, and Memoryhouse, such sort of quality is thought for you. One of the albums from the path of 2011 so far. Music is not dead yet. Fortunately.

Saur - Saur EP (2011)

Saur

Bandcamp
Lastfm

8.4

/Post-rock, Power rock, Instrumental rock, Experimental rock, Synth rock/

Comment: This is a trio from Lisboa, Portugal, and Saur EP is their debut issue. It is represented through 4 tracks (within 23 minutes), drifting between instrumental-induced post-rock-ish noise and silentful tunes, searching densely for peaks and bottoms during their sonic explorations. However, massive guitar vibrations, guitar fingerpickings, whimsical near-electro synth snippets, all of it is packaged into powerful energy and nice still life-ish contemplation respectively.

Moses Luster - I`m The Lion

Radere - Maple Drip (2010)

Rural Colours

9.7

/Ambient, Organic electronica, Sound-art, Musique concrete, Post-rock, Soundscape, Minimal/

Comment: Philly-based writer and sound artist Carl Ritger`s sophomore album consists only of 1 track (23 minutes long, though) , which is a solid wash of ambient sounds, organic soundscapes, synthetic swirls and exhilarating post-rock-ish vibrations. A kind of post-music indeed, which is filled in with lots of dreams and imaginations. By the way, the release is mastered by Rafael Anton Irisarri aka Sight Below.

Joxfield ProjeX - Hypnotic Wash Up (2011)

Clinical Archives

9.2

/Kosmische musik, Krautrock, Psychedelia, Avant-rock, Fusion, Progressive rock, Space rock, Dance rock/

Comment: One of my favs (from Sweden) are back with a brand new release...it reminds me of the first CAN`s issue I have ever heard - CAN (1979), which is used to be ashamedly underrated by the musical press worldwide. More detailly, those subtly flowing, high-ridged guitar riffs are pulled off to the frontline, slightly danceable spaced-out washes ride into a listener`s consciousness, subdued autotuned vocals, altogether making lots of sense through dynamic jamming sessions. Space-funk, kraut-fusion etc... Hipernotik.

fydhws - Fikcii, II (2011)

Bandcamp
Lastfm

9.4

/Post-rock, Drone, Krautrock, Minimalism, Experimental rock, Avant-garde, Sound-art, Experimentalism, Progressive/

Comment: This is a beautiful and irritating post-rock album simultaneously. Fikcii II does not come over to the high ridges of guitar explosions, preferring to play with other "toys", for instance, with minimalistic, very slowly progressing primal sonic atoms, threatening infiltrating drone overthrows, static krautrock effects, and a kind of sound which comes very close to the sound-art-like approach. Knob-screwers` output indeed. Could this sound be described as the progression of the cancer disease throwing its metastases over to the every angle of a body? Fydhws is an artist from Macedonia, Balkan, whose sound has been very underrated so far. So if you have been interested in such (post-rock) bands as Transient Waves, Grails and Radian, however, this group would be similar to your taste.

pous- VPLE (2011)

Noecho

/Indie-hop, Experimental hip-hop, Avant-garde, Noise-hop, Sampledelica, Rap/

9.0

Comment: pous is an experimental hip-hop guy from London, UK crossing it with indie aesthetics, cinematic sampledelica and digitally inflected hiss and noise outbursts and different overthrows. Very dense and obsessive indeed. Visiting his site at Lastfm I mentioned such tag as der beste rapper der welt (the best rapper in the world). In any cases, those 7 tracks make hugely sense.

A Beautiful Machine - Solar Winds, White Noise, Antigravity (2000)

Embryo

10.0

/Shoegaze, Stonergaze, Psych-rock, Experimental rock, Epic, Avant-rock, Guitar ambient, Dream pop/

Comment: The Australian Skye Klein is known by his participations in such projects as Halo and Terminal Sound System, yet my favorite endeavour by him is A Beautiful Machine, an epic shoegaze project, which decently reflected upon the angst feeling of a pre-millennium change, and some new directions during the post-Slowdive/MBV era. Indeed, similarly to Slowdive`s Pygmalion (1995) it is heavily abstract and warm simultaneously, full of suggestive guitar manipulations and progressions, atmospheric yet psyched-out vocal howls, and mellow noise washes. Actually, the term shoegaze does mean way too little nowadays, so let`s complement the term, however, it is clustered with abrupt yet dreamy chasing along the midway of stoner visions and ambient . Aarghh, it is a majestic yet forgotten (actually undiscovered) shoegaze gem.

Blear Moon - Sauvignon Valley (2010)

Umpako
FMA
Lastfm

9.0

/Musique concrete, Sound-art, Abstract, Electronic pop, Modern classical, Electro-acoustic, Dark ambient, Modern classical, Microtonal, Ambient drone, Experimental electronica, Dystopbient, Experimentalism/

Comment: The Russian experimentalist Vlas Presnetsov`s 8-track album (being released at 20.10. 2010) is a lingering journey across different stylistic middles and fringes, which staple spot is focused upon profound, mostly beatless endeavours, though, at times it goes into down-tempo electronica for a wink. More precisely, the first mentioned involvement is more intriguing approach among Presnetsov`s sonic pastiche, i.e compacting the elements of ambient drone/dark ambient/ghost ambient, some minutiae of electro-acoustics, undercurrents of microsounds/experiments with hisses, piano-headed snippets, concrete music occurrences, however, all of which is flinged into endless progression and phase changes. A solid result indeed.

Sometimes Always - ePop008 (2011)

Eardrums Pop
Lastfm

9.2

/Indie pop, Alternative rock, Cover, Noise pop, Shoegaze, Fuzz pop, Electro rock, Jangle pop/

Comment: Sometimes Always (may it be named by the Hope Sandoval-featured JAMC`s hit?) is a sequent example of the blossoming Indonesian indie scene nowadays. More detailly, Tyo from Jakarta seems to be one of those old school guys who used to mix up the mid-period (Isn`t Anything) MBV-echoed densely stomping drum patterns with dynamic, hiss-filled jangle pop/C86/blonde hair guitar strums, however, which will be interrupted sometime to segue into shoegaze-inflected electro rock (a cover of The Sharesprings` Ivory Tower). Grossly, it is a recommended release for all of those bewailing crews having assumed the advantage of the past experience vis à vis with the nowadays musical situation.

Dan Deacon - Twacky Cats (2004)

Comfort Stand

9.3

/Avant-garde, Indietronica, Dada music, DIY, Avant-electronica, Electronic pop, Weird, Experimentalism/

Comment: Twacky Cats was released by this Baltimore-bred, academically educated musician in age of 23 years old in 2004 having revealed 5 vanguard electronic staples as if R Stevie Moore-esque DIY aesthetics meet masterful manipulations on angular-led, even dada-like electronics (sine wave and FM manipulations, Broadcast-like spooky sections of innovative pop, peculiar pitch-treated samples), deliberately balanced notches relied on skipping electronics and sublime indie pop, and a frantic, even infantile-induced notch about diverse beasts in the jungle (Arms Saloon). Yet, on the other side, it might be considered the foremost pop album ever. Close to, it is a classic one really worth to be remembered daily.

humeka - Moolid the Lobster (Infloria Edit)

Nodding by the Fire - At home in the wilderness (2011)

Bandcamp

8.4

/Alt-folk, Mood music, New Weird Europe, Baroque folk, Epic, Chamber folk, Indie folk, Instrumental folk, Folk indie, Brass folk/

Comment: This is the sophomore album by this Spanish-based instrumental music combo (Javier Ordàs, Carlos Puente, Jacob Gonzàlez). Likely to the self-titled debut issue (2010), indeed, At home in the wilderness is managed to manipulate on listeners` mood via brass-induced themes, fully radiant harmonica-led melodies, some adjacent droning examples and craftily tinted textures, some of those having reached essentially dizzy altitude. For instance, I`ll tell you a story, and the self-named track. On the other side, it can not outbalance the trio`s first outlet.

Absent Fever Presents Woman Was The Word

Absent Fever
Mediafire

9.3

/Electronic pop, Indie pop, Chillwave, Soul, Singer-songwriter, Indie folk, Dream pop, Folk indie, Dream folk, Conceptual/

Comment: This is a seamless project between female bloggers and musicians purposed to pay tribute to the women involved in the cultural realm. Three remarkable female bloggers were asked to write pieces, poetry, stories, about anything that made them feel inspired to put pen to paper. Here are 3 tracks, the first of them, Elisabeth`s Rose Throw Me To The West (inspired by East to West) starts out with a snippet from the ancient, 1920`s jazz-influenced pop music which soon gets developed into an electronic-induced soulful brand. Rachel Levy`s Pierced (inspired by Heavy Percussion) and Yohuna & Adelyn Rose`s All The Slow Songs (Waiting) (inspired by Friends With Both Arms) are used to be catchy, dream-alike folk-ish notches, however, representing the indie (folk) music sphere at the highest level.

Distape - The Flying Cats Season (2011)

42 Records
Bandcamp
Lastfm

8.8

/Poptronica, Experimental indie, Glo-fi, Lo-fi, Psychedelic, Singer-songwriter, New Weird Europe/

Comment: Distape is the brainchild of Michele Alessi, coming from the homeland of the Farfisa organ - Italy. However, there are represented 5 beautiful examples of the songwriting which are mainly created through catchy electric keyboards-backed hooks-loops, lo-fi beats and slightly pessimistic, symbolism-tinged lyrics. Furthermore, there can be detected for some subtle bows of electrified guitars played up with huge impetus. By the way, the issue is mastered by Barbagallo, one of the Recent Music Heroes` longtime heroes.

Tryad - Struttin`

Orphalis - Watchmaker Analogy EP (2011)

Torn Flesh
Lastfm

8.5

/Brutal metal, Death metal, Black metal, Progressive metal, Technical metal, Goregrind/

Comment: Orphalis (Jens Duerholt - vocals & guitars; Morten Formeseyn – guitars; Danny Koehler - bass; Kai Volman - drums) is a combo from the western part of Germany (Dortmund-Luenen) who used to play appealing technical death metal with some influences from the black metal, and goregrind purviews. Within the 3 tracks can be met stumbling grooves of key changes, mangling riffs, punching drums and grinding voice, all of it wrapped up in an organic (metal) whole. Indeed, it mostly takes on impression via (omni)potent energy.

Ohmbot Cassette Tape - Program 5

Myspace
Archive.org

10.0

/Noise, Avant-garde, Avant-electronica, Tape music, Experimentalism, Drone, Circuit bending, Doomtronica, abstract, Improvised music, Dada music, Acousmatics, Non music/

Comment: This one track-relied set is sent from the state of Pennsylvania (at least the project`s Myspace site hints at OCT this way). Those 68 minutes are filled in with lush analogue (brown) noise, lots of phase changes, drone, itself devouring onyx-tinged outbursts, manipulated circuit-bent electronics, which at times will be evolved into highly suggestive orchestration-like anthems, frantic improvisations, and near-dada occurrences. In fact, it might be described that the total sum exceeds the sum of its particles. Grossly, it really makes hugely sense having an apparent regard to the early tradition of electronics and experimental music indeed. So handle it as an instance of the perfect noise.

Kurobear - Special Electric (2010)

Rec72
Lastfm

8.8

/Dubtech, House, Electronica, Progressive, Crossover, Tech-house, Minimal techno, Breakbeat, Techno, Club dance/

Comment: Kurobear delivers a crafty set of 10 tracks which showcases his profound affinity toward the club music via the highly dynamical grooves of pleasant dub(tech) and tech-house, mesmerizing deep house, melancholic down-tempo electronica, hasty breakbeat, and some glimpses of drum and bass and minimal techno, or crossovered outputs of the abovementioned styles, however, most of those tracks are essentially sublime on its own. In fact, there is also another set of 10 tracks called Rare Traxx, created under his old pseudonym Kid Kaustic during the years 2006-2008, unlike in comparison with the basic disc, running mainly on electro- and electronic-drenched paces which at times chimes really simplistic and primitive, at times solid enough.

Ruby Coast - Made To Change

Radiokoala - Meerkat Approved (2011)

Paragrafo

8.7

/Avant-garde, Non-music, Avant-industrial, Noise, Weird, Experimentalism, Electro-rock/

Comment: Aarghhh...it is a really weird notch from Belarus. On the other side, all the topics under Paragrafo Records have been used to be very strange odes to the pop music so far. The first track Here We Go Spastic, Movement I. Grand Booze at the Hennery kicks off as a warped electro-rock hallmark, and the second track Ants-Conquerors Astride Aeneous Mammoths is getting more into a hell-ish flag, mixing up the indistinct borders of rock and nihilistic (proto-)industrial music and flash backed hauntology into each other. Furthermore, hazy experimenting with the radio waves has been one of the extremities of the experimental music for long time, thereby Radiokoala is intended to give it a serious launch at Badger Circuit-Bends Himself by Inadvertence - by hearing those dense tunings of shortwaves with diverse frequencies will make up some melomans remember for lots of worthy memories from the past times for sure. After all of this abovementioned bunch of sonic mayhem, however, intriguing chopped-up sounds, explorations in the spoken word world and heavily clattering riffs will be conjured up.

Sea Things - See Thangs (2010)

Bandcamp
Lastfm

8.4

/Glo-fi, Chillwave, Lo-fi, DIY, Experimentalism, Psychedelic, Avant-garde, Weird, Cut and paste, Plunderphonics, Crossover, Samplecore, Sampledelic/

Comment: The American Mike Froeling aka Sea Things` debut album See Thangs makes lots of chillwave/glo-fi grooves, on the other side, it is not an usual mix of lo-fi/DIY and chillwave/glo-fi album at all. Why? Because it used to exploit much sound collage/cut and paste/plunderphonics aesthetics thereby having more broader extension and off-kilter approach than usual to its adjacent styles. Moreover, a reliable reference to it may be founded out from the fact that there do shuffle 21 songs in total. Some examples? For instance, Drakewave (What Am I Doing) seems to use Knight Rider-esque theme-paces. All in all, I suggest you have a perspective of it as if a Chenard Walcker-like frenzied sampledelic session meets Blackbird Blackbird.

Plastic People - Good As You (2010)

Myspace
Af-music
Jamendo
Bandcamp
Lastfm

7.7

/New rave, Post-punk, Art-punk, Dance punk, Alternative pop, Gothic, Electro-rock/

Comment: Today the frenchman Sèbastien Ficagna aka Plastic People just released the sophomore album Pink Narcissus. His first release Good As You takes on electro-rock, dance punk, post-punk, dark pop, art-punk sounds (some symphonic progressions, some whimsical synth burblings, treated effect-loaded appearances, cabaret-alike undercurrents), however, paying mostly tribute either to the British post-punk/gothic rock groups like The Cure, and Bauhaus through those bouncing dynamical bass guitars and rigidly stomping drum sections or the nowadays new rave sounds through its snooty approach though sounding even a little interesting than contemporary comrades like The Klaxons, and !!!, for instance.

Tsone - A Sound Beyond Reckoning (2010)

Audiotalaia
Lastfm

9.5

/Ambient, Microsound, Minimalism, Experimental electronica, Drone, Microtonal, Soundscape, Abstract, Avant-electronica, Ambient drone/

Comment: This is an excellent issue of the nowadays ambient music (actually masterpiece) filled in with subtle sounds of droning electronics, chopped-up microsounds, and fluttering, highly emotive electric piano chords (by its sound characteristics you may suppose this way). However, I cannot myself to tear apart from the Arctic-related ice plateaus and cold yet warm imaginations. Indeed, very minimal yet following the maxim less is more. The author of such blessing soundscape is Anthony Obr from USA (not to be confused with another tsone, an artist from Finland).

Fuck Her, or the Terrorists Win - Up The Ante

Yves Rakotomalala - Ce matin encore (1981/2010)

Free Music Archive
Golden Pavilion
Arachnid Records
Lastfm

7.8

/Folk, Singer-songwriter/

Comment: A set of 12 tracks sung in French and English were originally released in 1981, though later being some times re-issued (most lately at Golden Pavilion and Free Music Archive). Cute folk songs wherein one chord is soothingly followed by another, where acoustic sounds are mixed up with electric ones, indeed, having all premisses for some commercial success on the album which physical copies have apparently been very rateable in the circles of old folk music completists.

Venice - Animals, Stars & Other Psychedelic Creatures (2011)

Bad Panda
Lastfm

9.6

/Avant-garde, Avant-pop, No Wave, Post-rock, Post-psychedelic electronica, Electronic, Krautrock, Avant-rock, Experimental rock, Psychedelic/

Comment: The Rome-based Venice`s album kicks off as a kind of vanguard-ish tribal sound (Faust`s proto-industrial hypnotism) which step by step is getting evolve into...ehh...vanguard-ish tribal sound. A way too tautological, isn`t it? Indeed, but it so bloody cool. However, the second track makes some turns rightward (or is it leftward actually?), incorporating the elements from the vibraphone-centered post-rock a la the early Mice Parade and The Dylan Group and some full railing atmospheric layers of Kosmische Musik. It is almost undescribable how soft and subtle it used to be chiming throughout the course. The third track continues principially in the same vein, though, turning its focus more upon bouncy yet cutting edge paces, however, reminiscent of No Wave-drenched ones and besides it adding some treated guitar effects either. No doubt, a superb issue.

[aftersun] - Goodbye (2011)

Bandcamp

9.8

/Shoegaze, Post-punk, Goth rock, Psychedelic, Alternative rock, Space rock, Covers/

Comment: [aftersun] seems to be a combo from Brooklyn, New York which makes a mesmerizing sound loving heavily to loan from a mix of cosmic shoegaze, proto-shoegaze, and the British post-punk/gothic punk music. Indeed, this 2-track issue bases on atmospheric, astonishingly overdriving guitars, rigid bass undercurrents and the same way stomping drums. More detailly, it resembles of such bands as The Chameleons, Swervedriver, Moose, The Comsat Angels, and the French post-punk legend Asylum Party whose track Old Dreams Are Not Innocent is covered herein. An amazing trip.

Japanese Gum - Gonna look in the backroom

Plastic Whore - Elite Elbow Patch Collection (2011)

Plastic Whore
Lastfm

9.2

/Alternative rock, Post-punk, Experimental rock, Electro-rock, Crossover, Psych-rock, Doom/

Comment: Jarmo "Chopper" Nuutre has been active since the first half of 00`s in the Estonian (indie) music scene, i.e being the drummer in many groups. Obviously the most known is he used to be via as one half of doom/stoner/post-metal duo Talbot (having got appreciated outside the borders of Estonia as well), also being recently a member of the dream pop/shoegaze combo Jean Dean. However, Plastic Whore is his solo project, and Elite Elbow Patch Collection is his most accomplished solo publication. In comparison with Talbot, indeed, it might be a little bit subdued enterprise, though, which does not mean it is the restraint project a jot. EEPC is full of (sometimes even) very diverse stylistic angles showcasing itself as a melting pot of alternative rock/post-punk/punk funk, primitive electronic music, doom-ish string waves, grandeur heavy guitar riffs, hardcore snippets, and much more else. First of all, my favorite track is Bogus Charlie which rushes out as a homage to the Fall, more concretely being filled in with a dialogue between synergical bass guitar crests and a nihilistically primitive drum section and those mumbling vocal effects and mere yet sufficient electronics. On the other side, the exertions on infused guitar layers and some funky bass developments do resemble Sonic Youth and Talking Heads, respectively. Indeed, regarding the Estonian scene it is another mesmerizing album after Mirabilia`s Sümpaatiline Õudus EP during this year so far.

The Peach Tree - Children of Cain, Night-Loving Creatures, Prepare Thyselves for 2012 (2011)

Tribal Dancing Kid
Bandcamp
Lastfm

8.6

/Dark folk, Synth noir, Neofolk, Singer-songwriter, Apocalyptic folk, Dark wave, Heavy metal, Electronic, Experimental, Conceptual/

Comment: The Australian Angus Maiden is a busy man, who used to be running the label Tribal Dancing Kid and who has released a bunch of albums under the pseudonym Peach Tree. The recent album is inspired by 21st December 2012 and the Mayan Prophecies. However, through those 11 tracks are represented the dominating dark folk-ish line (those lavish guitar strums), spacious synth noir overthrows, teeth gnashing heavy rock-ish guitar riffs, naive-shiny stompings or primitive burblings, and sweaty chopped-up chords-breakbeats. By the vocal characteristics Maiden does add either dark-tinged manners or high-tempered oppression. An intriguing concept, interesting sounds, and indeed - no sense to be denied- quite rational expectations/conceivable scenarios against this fucked-up world/simulacrum. So let`s see will the whole be restarted or not.

Lule Kaine - Radiation From Futurist Furniture (2007)

Chew-Z
Lastfm

9.0

/Krautrock, Epic, Progressive, Experimental rock, Avant-rock, Motorik, Post-rock/

Comment: Lule Kaine is an eminent experimental rock combo from Turin, Italy having the activities since 2002. They have opened Turin shows for such prominent post-rock/experimental rock groups as Explosion In The Sky, Tarentel, and Girandini di Mirò. However, Radiation From Futurist Furniture is the sophomore album under Chew-Z being accomplished in 2007. The first half of the issue follows the formula of krautrock through precise cadences, metallic echoes, step-by-step evolving through new layers, all in all resembling those proto-industrial whirls by Neu! and Faust conjured up approximately four decades ago. The second half (the last two tracks) is more precisely post-rock, made out through restraint guitar chords, subtle half-orchestrations and dainty electronics. Indeed, it is a convincing workout.

Wonder Bear - Golden Years EP (2010)

Bandcamp

8.7

/Experimental indie, Alternative pop, Glo-fi, Chillwave, Electronic pop, Dream pop/

Comment: Here are represented 5 songs by Ben and Daisy, a pair residing in New York. The handful of skillful outings, though. By its strategy, line-up features, sonic resemblance/its dream-alikeness and female-led vocals, however, the duo can freely be compared to the Canadian miracle fruit Memoryhouse. In true, aboard some rough appearances Ben and Daisy are able to showcase their teeth either. It is a little shameful that only 37 persons are condescended to express their fancy to the EP via Bandcamp (over to Facebook) at the moment.

Fandango - Fandango (2011)

Bandcamp

9.2

/Latin music, Crossover, World music, Improvised music, Psychedelic, Experimental, Tango/

Comment: This is a highly frenzied, 13-track gem from Buenos Aires, Argentina sounding out tango grooves and latin rhythms and world music influences to insertion into more experimental enterprises, including slowed-off, near-drone layerings by bandoneòns, dense, practically exorcised incantations (Tutù-Marambà), simultaneously catchy and arrogantly tootling trumpets, luminous strumming strings (Mentiras Piadosas), some lightening glimpses of surf-based acuteness, and profoundly melancholic, even funeral experience (1976, Mustang Ranch) and epic, slightly dark-hued opuses (Boris Karloff † Ruta Ocho) By its ideological spot, however, Fandango`s soundscape is obviously influenced by Manu Chao`s melting pot, yet there where Balkan vibrations confluence with tango whirls it can be drawn upon indie stars like Beirut, and Bark Cat Bark. By the way, here are decorously presented the covers of The Doors (People Are Strange), Depeche Mode (Personal Jesus), and The Rolling Stones (Paint It Black), giving to those even great tracks an idiosyncratic turn.

Dublicator - Anonym Vectors

Deimost - Space Sadness (2011)

Jamendo

8.4

/Piano, Modern classical, Electronic, Melancholic pop/

Comment: It is Barcelona-based Deimost`s follow-up to his 2010`s issue Mirando en el Baul which was similarly a modern classical appearance. Likewise the brand new one continues its explorations using at times the electronic/new age-esque fringes, restrainted minor key-infused spacious piano chords, reminiscent sometimes of Ennio Morricone`s rich articulations in searchings for blissful sonic sensitiveness. On the other side, Space Sadness might be a case of sore homesickness watched back from the outer space somewhere. A solid accomplishment indeed.

Oláfachada - ePop012 (2011)

EardrumsPop
Lastfm

8.4

/Indie pop, Twee pop, Alternative pop/

Comment: Behind Olàfachada are Ola Innset aka My Little Pony and Bernardo Fachada aka bFachada delivering us two examples of rolling indie pop with changeable pace patterns and a bit buffooning vocal manners, restraint guitar fingerpickings, syncopated rhythm examples, and some ascending transitions. Subsequently, it is a pleasant outing worth enough to be checked out.

Annette Hanshaw - 1930-35

78RPMs & Cylinder Recordings

10.0

/Pop, Classics, Vintage, Jazz/

Comment: (Catherine) Annette Hanshaw (1901-1985) was one of the most profilic recording singers in the late 1920's and early 30's, having been commissioned to represent new directions in the realm of pop and jazz music during the abovementioned timelapse. More detailly, herein are being delivered 5 tracks of essential classics. Those notches from the years 1930-35 do sound really special making out the otherworldly sense of feeling.

Sejdman - Invisible Bells (2011)

Beko DSL

Lastfm

9.6

/Modern classical, Post-rock, Epic, Ambient drone, Organic electronica, Experimental rock, Ambient, Crossover, Chamber music/

Comment: In fact, there has not passed much time since the Swedish duo Ecovillage`s (Emil Holmstöm & Peter Wikström) 2-track (long notches in fact) release had been reviewed at Recent Music Heroes (9.3). However, the Beko DSL did set up the cohesive link between Ecovillage and (Holmström`s) Sejdman. By the other way round, Holmström`s used to continue with similar artistical processes yet having designated more concern on orchestral compartments and less concrete sound-drenched growths. The album can be divided into three parts - the onset section is dominated by the epic ambient movement since it will be superseded by the focal modern classical-tinged minor gorgeousness which by its side will be chiming into a post-rock-ish crescendo and ambience. Altogether, it is an essentially elusive and breath-taking masterpiece indeed.

Fanny + Alexander - Espida de credo

Esterhazy - Helen and the Sea (2011)

Bandcamp

9.0

/Alternative pop, Dream pop, Experimental indie/

Comment: Yeah, Esterhazy (Russell, Eli, and Damon), a combo from the Big Apple has delivererv us a pleasant 3-track outing which is filled in with flawless, airy guitar chords, exhilaratingly catchy progressions, propulsive dynamics, gyratory sonic minutiae-effects and dream-alike yet slightly ironical lyrics. As you have realized it out already, indeed, it is a solid turf via beautifully(or beatifically) tuned chords written out in a calm mood. The kind of redemption. However, this project does not deserve to be let unsung.

Juanitos - Welcome in the House of F.U.N. (2011)

Jamendo
Free Music Archive

8.7

/Psychedelia, Latin rhythms, Easy listening, Exotic pop, Crossover, Dance rock, Trop-rock, World music, Funk soul, Tropicàlia, Rockabilly/

Comment: I like the rock`n` roll music and I like to the cha-cha-cha... . After a bunch of mesmerizing issues (Best Of; Exotica; Soul Africa) Juan Naveira aka mrjuan is back with a new catchy brand of latin rhythms, funky soul (and the way round), fine exotic pop, madman dance grooves based on glaringly psychedelic dust-coated organs, some acute hints at jazz experience, afrofuturism (cos he believes in black music), subtle brass-tinged compartments, declaiming spoken word hums, and suggestive singing course definitely pulled out to the front. Though Welcome in the House of F.U.N. represents a cool easy listening way, however, it is all but superficial. In a nutshell, it comes to a mighty drift demonstrating a way how the music (at least emotive sonic crests) should be made up. Indeed, the issue is a masterful bow regarding the 20th anniversary of (Les) Juanitos. By the way, a sequent eminent cover sleeve is represented over here. Moreover, it might be even the best.

Hobo Cult 2.1 (Hobo Cult)

Hobo Cult

8.6

/Avant-garde, Psychedelic, Post-psychedelic electronica, Experimental indie, Lo-fi, Avant-pop, DIY, Krautrock/

Comment: I have often thought during last years that the pop tradition is used to repeat itself, coming forth as a cyclic appearance. However, this miscellany of 21 tracks represents the nowadays underground situation and consciousness while harking back to be mirrored upon the early days of electronic music and experimental rock. In fact, therein can be met the shadows of CAN, Neu!, Suicide, Tangerine Dream, Kraftwerk, The Silver Apples and other seminal legends. It is compilated by the Montreal-based label Hobo Cult including such artists as Dirty Beaches, Reedbeds, CVLTS, Quiet Evenings, Jean-Sèbastien Truchy, Panabrite, Relax and Sleep, Body Rush and many others.

Urmal Vesnat – Musics for Near Future Ceremonies (2011)

17 Sons
Jamendo

7.0

/Ambient, Soundscape, Minimal, Drone, Ambient drone/

Comment: This is a case of three long tracks of pulsating ambient sound and "dances", inclinated to show up some metallic vapours and dark-hued shades around it. Despite of some slight progressions within it, however, this does not offer a pivotal turnabout for to be reached upon the next perception level either. Its margins are used to be mostly bleak, furthermore, all of that which is set inbetween its extremities can be detected for in the same simplistic way too. Indeed, business as usual - if to give it the admittance from the average experience of ambient embodiment.

Totally Nebular - Anthony Naples

The Burning Of Eterna City - Dance Till Your Fucking Legs Break EP (2011)

Mediafire

7.9

/Doom, Grindcore, Goregrind, Crossover, Power rock, Electro-rock, Progressive rock, Trance, Avant-garde/

Comment: Indeed, behind this malevolent title can be discovered for even more wicked content of 5 songs, wherein angry electro-driven power rock riffs are being mingled with grindcore/goregrind/doom mandatory elements which are contiguous to some "non-sequitur" minutiae, for instance, including some chiptune-backed beepy elements, progressive rock details, club dance/brooding trance progressions, and spoken word samples. Finally I was able to figure out that the main keywords would be "eclectic" and "bulimic" and those 5 notches are not used to be reflections regarding the love themes somehow (haha!). By the way, the combo comes from the State of Virginia, USA.

Keyboard Choir - Electrical Unity EP (2009)

Lastfm
Brainlove Records

8.7

/Neokrautrock, Experimental indie, Electronic pop, Synth pop, Psychedelic/

Comment: This issue was publicized yet at those times (some years ago) while Lastfm embarked on with the official presentation of new albums under its own umbrella. However, Keyboard Choir, an Oxford-based and Brian Eno-approved combo was an excellent choice, showcasing a potent mix upon synthesized nowadays and yesterday. More concretely, soothing, even inside directed realms were variegated with subtly tumbling krautrock-esque lines, reminiscent sometimes of an impetus similar to Ladytron (Witching Hour, for instance).

Ana Threat - Tug Of War Of Love (2010)

Kill Mommy
Lastfm

7.7

/Primitive pop, Anti-punk, Lo-fi, DIY, Blues, Psychedelic, Weird, Garage rock/

Comment: Ugghhh, what the hell is the coverprint about... . This is a combo from Vienna, Austria offering a weird 5-track set of primitivistic notches. Though being apparently the primitive output, however, such sort of nihilistic approach toward punk, garage sounds, psychedelia makes sense nevertheless.

Isak Goldschneider, Amy Horvey, Jeff Morton - Mille Bayous (2011)

Panospria

8.6

/Electro-acoustic, Improvised music, Avant-garde, Experimentalism, Psycho-acoustic/

Comment: On the first album of this classically trained Canadian trio can be detected for different aspects through electro-acoustic music, improvised jams and hardly definable sonic experiments. In fact, every path in the realm of electro-acoustic activity are so heavily explored thereby it should not be surprising at all if someone has managed to be a little prejudiced toward it either. Fortunately it is a different case (besides this is a short-running issue). However, the best moments on it are closely related to organ-induced passages and treated sonic tissues (warped voice snippets?) and abrasively chiming metallic overthrows evoking more moods and sensibility.

Les Marquises - Samuel Wolff (A Letter To)

LES MARQUISES "samuel wolff (a letter to)" from cartepostalerecords on Vimeo.

Ocelote Rojo - Pacarina (2011)

Bandcamp
Lastfm

8.6

/Psych-folk, Avant-folk, Drone folk, Experimental folk/

Comment: Behind Ocelote Rojo is Francisco Aravena who has managed to sail on this 4-track EP with the help of tenderly fingerpicked and strummed guitars, hypnotic drone, mystically chiming gongs as if sounding from a remote distance and being surrounded by a sort of mystical vapour and found sounds. However, sometimes it seems to have acquired a profound ritualistic disposition, the other time just cutting down its brooding consistency and getting more lighter. First of all, it is a contemplative trip into yourself. The coverprint is grandeur as well.

Vent God - Running Thought (2010)

Radio Hand
Lastfm

8.4

/Grunge, Alternative rock, Power pop, Dream pop/

Comment: Vent God is a trio from Russia being influenced by sleepless nights, heaven and universe. However, this is a four-track EP filled in with vigorous grunge-influenced tunes of being mixed up with catchy yet dream-filled melodies and gears. The singer`s vocal is flavoured with Billy Corgan-alike abrasive tinge which makes really sense anyway. The outstanding track is Stuck In letting the positive final chord to the release. A honest rock and roll case.

MC Cullah - E=MC Cullah (2009)

MC Cullah
Free Music Archive
Lastfm

8.4

/Hip-hop, Rap music, Electro, Experimental hip-hop, Soul funk, Electro pop, Indie-hop/

Comment: MC Cullah is a hip-hopper/electro producer from Milwaukee, USA having released the E=MC Cullah when he was at the age of 18 years old. Despite of his young age, indeed, he is keen to deliver an interesting, multi-faceted set of 15 tracks where obligatory hip-hop/rap repertory are augmented with Rhodes-biased soul funk, delicious autotuned vocals, down-tempo-dominated and chiptune-backed rhythms, synthesized psychedelic buzz girders, rolling-crackling electro synths, and even a bit louchè dance beats. By the way, some tracks do have apparent indie (rock) influences (for instance, Mance Dance - besides the indisputable leading motive, however, does it have another, verbally indicative hint at the Manchester/madchester band James`s huge hit She`s A Star either?)

Brad Sucks - Dirtbag