2/13/2012
Julian Winter - Slow Motion (2011)
/Indietronica, Experimental electronica, Club dance, Cut and paste, Organic electronica, Crossover, Sampledelic, Modern classical/
Comment: this is an intriguing, 10-piece approach by a German artist who is known due to his attempts to cross indie pop tunes and suggestive, organic electronica, and glitch-y beats. The compositions are quite short-running ones taking on a realm which comprises the elements of concrete sounds, plucked chords of guitar, chopped-up rhythm loops, and classical/baroque infused bits. Frequently Winter`s sound reminds more of some kind of sound collage/cut and paste/sampledelica rather than the song-oriented arrangements. For instance, he used to pull out the samples from vintage motion pictures. However, the most intimate moments are related to the chords of a lone piano backed up with the torrents of rain and flickering, epic electronic developments (Life`s Pace In Slow Motion). On the other side, JW provides a pair of examples taking on mesmerizing club dance prospects which are up to the level.
Balogh - Rhythms of Life (2012)
9.2
Comment: there are up 10 pieces involving two main templates made up of the chords of double bass and improvised sequences of piano which at times are variegated with vibraphones and a sensible amount of electronica (indeed, resembling of such post-rock-related groups as Tortoise, The Dylan Group, Mice Parade). Mostly Jared C. Balogh (an US-based producer and header of the Altered State Reflections Records) is intended to find out the balance between joyous progressions and more murkily composed appearances, or drifting between repetition-heavy patterns and incessantly variable array of chords, or the listener can detect the ideological fight between notated chords and more improvised endeavours. The result is highly enjoyable by any means. And do not forget - it is not a sort of muzak. Give your approach to it.
2/12/2012
Sidhartha - Mouse Clicking EP (2002)
/Abstract techno, Abstract electronica, Experimental electronica, Ambient dub, Crossover, Dubstep/
Comment: the sonic explorations behind the name Andrey Kiritchenko (born in 1976) need not to be introduced actually. He is an experimental electronic music producer who has defined the imaginary scene of post-Soviet electronic music with Alexei Borisov, Kateryna Zavoloka, Younnat, Evgenij V. Kharitonov, Randomajestiq, Buben, and some other ones. Sidharta`s Mouse Clicking had been issued approximately 10 years ago showcasing his ingenious touch of how diverse styles should be crossbreeded with each other in seamless/organic way. The listener can perceive how dub music in the embodiment of ambient and dubstep does have different possibilites to evolve into a more quintessential one (reminding of the likes of Pole, Basic Channel-related things). Those subtle phase changes based on the modulations of synth sequences do make out an astonishing trace. By the way, the term "dubstep" was not used (invented?) then. On the other side, the parts of it will develop into a more abstract compartment of minimal/intellectual techno vibes a la Autechre or Kim Cascone. Furthermore, the 6-piece release used to have lots of energy and vital power oozing out both from carefully treated paces and ethereal layers. Or just call this power simply synergy. In a word, listen to it and sing this album to be a classic one. Never mind, it has already managed to be a classic one on its own.
2/11/2012
Winstonmcnamara - Dustbeen (2011)
/Expermental indie, Folk indie, Singer-songwriter, Americana, Psychedelic folk, Baroque pop, Art folk, Indie folk/
Comment: Winstonmcnamara is a musician from Wankona, Italy who had issued the debut album Amore E Iodio on 42 Records/24 in 2011. The follow-up Dustbeen is represented by far more radical turns regarding his songwriting approach because of replacing Italian to English and offering up more subtlety and a wider range of dynamism in composition. His voice is remarkably subdued and channelized through the filters. Indeed, the outlet is highly captivating which is already compared with the likes of Beck, Atlas Sound and Sparklehouse. All is right except the fact that Beck used to chime more tedious on the most of his albums. However, besides electronics-soaked guitar twangs augmented with crispy programmed beats (those vintage synth sounds/effects are absolutely outasight) and the listener can detect the influences of lush Americana, harmonica-driven southern rock, enthralling orchestrated/baroque pop, whimsical art rock. However, the favorite of mine is the 13-minute length The Ballad of Crooked Smiles which starts out with fragile Americana-galvanized whiffs, though, soon developing into more noiseful wah-wah templates and synth effects which in turn will arrive at Mercury Rev-tinged elusive pop once again. Never mind, all the pieces on it are superb (produced for the time span of 2000-2009). In a word, enjoy it!
Teen-A-Bang! - Homoviolence E.P (2012)
StoneAge
9.4
9.4
/Hardcore punk, Oi! punk, Punk rock, Post-punk, Live, Electro-rock, Trash rock, Grrrl Riot, Noise rock, Dance punk, Alternative rock/
Comment: just one EP, just 6 tracks spreading out over 11 minutes. This EP is thought for you oi! punks, for you hardcore punks, but also for post-punks/alternative rock fans (frequently these notches used to remind of Elastica, especially Dancing Song with dense electro vibes and electronic-charged effects - the track is performed live). Generally, the EP provides disillusioned sort of vision played with the assistance of demented guitars, angered drum sequences and (half-)shrieking female vocal line chiming as convincing as a lush, old school-ish undertaking. The collective comes out from Jakarta, Indonesia. The collective is compared with such artists as Bikini Kill, Even Worse, and Dara Puspita! Indeed, it´s power, it`s our punk and roll! It`s essential! Check it out and get this wash!
HLFP 03 - NEW KIDS ON THE BLOG (2008)
HLFP
9.3
9.3
/Psychedelic rock, Psychedelia, Alternative pop/rock, Trance rock, Experimental indie, Fuzz pop, Blues, Avant-rock, Lo-fi, Experimental rock, DIY/
Comment: Homemade-Lofi-Psych is a blog/records which has been making thankful job by promoting lots of unsung yet intricate artists for some years. At New Kids On The Blog are represented 16 notches by musicians and groups who used to rock in more or less straightforward ways conveying dominantly psychedelic tunes and compelling overdrives. However, "psychedelic" is the common adjective for the miscellany being crossbreeded with the aesthetics of lo-fi/DIY, blues, space rock, improvised music, experimental indie, fusion, alternative pop, leftfield, Shoegaze, fuzz pop. The favorites of mine on it are Rangers` Volvo Jungle Mist which resembles of the doings by Ariel Pink mixed up with the connotations of trance rock , and Shalloboi`s enthralling shoegaze/power pop exploration (Angels Floating On The Head Of A Pin). It is said very exactly at the blog home site that these are musical groups who are unimpressed by the mainstream plastic pop world. The miscellany involves the array of following artists: Rancho Relaxo, St. James Infirmary, Rangers, Tapio Oksa, Barnyard, Grass Monkey, Microgramma Medium Extended, Lucas Nathan, dANIL (Todessterne 007), Pan Amp, 3XCX3 Project, Brian Andrew Marek, Shalloboi, Traummachine, Bill Rogers, Andrew Bland And Steve Logel. A splendid set.
2/10/2012
aboombong - Taking Blue Mountain By Stages (2011)
/Krautrock, Ambient rock, Dark ambient, post-rock, Ambient noise, Experimental rock, Drone rock, Space rock, Crossover, Epic, Trance rock, Noise rock, Ambient, Avant-rock/
Comment: J. C. Thorne is a Seattle-based musician/unsung experimentalist who is being active for many decades and has appeared in a batch of projects. However, aboombong is his main project where he used to show up his ingenious characteristics (listen to his ten-points albums like amnemonic, and asynchronic). This time Thorne blends resonating space/krautrock-ish epic noise with more or less dark ambient-alike layers (or is it ascended into symphonic endeavours already?) and mellow yet propulsive industrial rock/avant-noise somewhat similarly to the late period of Einstuerzende Neubauten (indeed, his timbre and singing manner do resemble a little bit of Blixa Bargeld`s distinct ones). Additionally to Neubauten you can draw parallels upon the likes of Spacemen 3, Spiritualized (trance/drone rock elements), Children Of The Drone`s most cosmic incantations and even Tim Hecker`s borealic landscapes. It is longing and powerfully appealing at the same time. Ultimately, if you discover J.C Thorne`s art for yourselves the history will (partly) be re-written.
Ohrchitekt - Snakeseed (2009)
Pharmacom
8.8
8.8
/Breakcore, Glitchtronica, Electro pop, Electro, Industrial electro, Brekabeat, Breaks, Club dance/
Comment: there are up 14 tracks by Ohrchitekt (Carsten Lehmann), a Germany-based producer whose main concept is to evoke breakcore-charged conceptions. Indeed, Ohrchitekt`s pieces are very tight and galvanized ones, with no pause for resting time; those breakbeat/breakcore-centered pieces are filled in with the elements of billowy electro, glitch-filled smithereens, industrial-drenched noise, stutteringly running sonic effect-related madness. It is though for dancing at full speed and just for listening and enjoying. Very good indeed.
Bidibop - Be (2011)
8.9
/Indie pop, Indietronica, Electronic pop, Organic electronica, Alternative, Leftfield, Experimental indie/
Comment: the Frenchman Vincent Nicolas aka Bidibop fuses electronica and indie pop and angular glitches in an elegant way. In comparison with his (previous) band Un Automne à Lob-nor (with Sèbastien Roux, Jean-Nicolas Heillouis, Alexandre Gouy) Bidibop`s sound is intended to be remarkably more indietronic and less post-rock by its orientation. Dominantly Nicolas` oeuvre is instrumental, there is only one notch where he used to sing (though, he does it very well). It is said that his only aim is to create pop. Indeed, by listening to the album you get convinced the release does have its own place amongst indie and electronica mixing musicians so widely appeared in Central Europe (The Notwist, Wixel, Oto Efekt, Lali Puna, Nogaro, Cantaloup, Julian Winter and others).
2/09/2012
Joshua Manchester - Occident (2004)
Betasound
9.4
9.4
/Improvised music, Free Jazz, Chamber music, Musique concrète, Crossover, Spoken word, Avant-garde, Experimentalism, Electro-acoustic/
Comment: Joshua Manchester is a classically trained jazz composer/percussionist closely related to Chicago experimental jazz/improvised music scene. There are represented 10 compositions which used to variegate their shapes, change their patterns and constitute innovative, refreshing modalities. At times it delivers more jazz-centered pieces (especially by exploiting the whiffs of brass-wind instruments), sometimes it gets developed into chamber music/noir progressions, at times it used to be getting close to electro-acoustic/ambient music, sometimes Manchester has managed to showcase his aspirations through avant-garde characterized pitchbent effects and warped voice snippets. On the other side, Psycle Sluts takes on a storytelling endeavour slightly embellished with brassy sounds. The album will be ended up at get serious wrapped up in tight street sounds. Though the issue used to be a complex result, it is coherently composed and thereby vital and galvanic. An eminent outlet which deserves to be remembered.
Akron/Family - February 17, 2011 Knitting Factory (2011)
Nyctaper
8.8
8.8
/Psych-folk, New Weird America, Psychedelic rock, Free folk, Avant-folk, Free folk, Experimentalism, Live recording/
Comment: the gigs by Akron/Family (Dana Janssen, Seth Olinsky, Miles Seaton) seem to be highly joyous by nature. At least this one used to be. In addition to the band`s frenetic experiments/improvisations with folk, blues, electronic undercurrents, dance rhythms, musique concrète-drenched sounds, sharp psychedelia there are some funny dodges (interpreting old standards; let the crowd singing). Enjoy the gig by a musical combo at Knitting Factory, a legendary venue for innovative artists, which was one of the most eminent chapters in the appearing process of the New Weird America movement alongside with Animal Collective, and Devendra Banhart.
Alpha Couple - WHNZ:27:NJNYC (2011)
/New Weird Canada,Psych-folk, Crossover, Avant-folk, Psycho-acoustic, Acousmatics, Improvised music, Sound art, Free folk, Experimentalism, Non music/
Comment: it is thoroughly problematic to classify this 4-track issue because of having at least two or even more strong intentions and axes within it. At first, it can be handled as an instance of acousmatic explorations which used to comprise the elements of musique concrète, improvised music, radio station-ragged samples and noise, and of course, radical yet striking folk/psych-folk/dream folk contents. By its folk-ish side it is essentially restraint resembling of Charalambides, for instance. However, all these parts are expressed in equal extent. Despite this radical content the publication seems to be a domesticable one after many listening times. Thanks to its open-ended approach and borders it offers the listener possibility for further imagination.
2/08/2012
Karibean - ePop019 (2011)
/Alternative pop, Jangle pop, Surf pop, Twee pop, Indie pop, Experimental indie/
Comment: there are 6 tracks spreaded out over 18 minutes. The issue starts off with a tropical pop tuned Christmas song (Xmas Vibrations) (and will be ended up in the same mood - Down Before Christmas). This track and the rest ones on the album include easy, suggestive melodies and harmonies so characteristic to the 80`s twee pop, jangle pop/C 86 scenes (early Primal Scream, The Housemartins, McCarthy, The Primitives etc) which in turn was partially influenced by Beach Boys and other Californian surf pop and sunshine pop groups´ sonorous chirps. Despite of the influences this Ancona, Italian-based trio is a clear-cut entity with its strengths and...more strengths on its own. Because of outreaching the borders of different eras with playful lightness at any moments and including the pieces being essentially strong, in a word, the release can be considered one of the best issues on Eardrums Pop so far.
Coke Weed - Volume One (2011)
Coke Weed
9.3
9.3
/Alt-folk, Americana, Experimental indie, Indie folk, Art rock, Alternative pop/rock, Indie rock, Folk indie, Alt-country/
Comment: Coke Weed is a quartet from Bar Harbor, USA delivering a set of 10 tracks which is self-released by the musical group itself. However, the notches are filled in with folk/indie pop tunes being very strongly influenced by so-called saccharine underground/cowboy psychedelia genre introduced once by Lee Hazlewood. Furthermore, similarly to the legendary musician, CW like to diversify their soundscape with female and male (baritone) mixed vocals backed up with chiming magic dust and chirpy guitar strums. For instance, listen to Sea Smoke, or Dandy, or nevermind, something else and you can get a clear-cut idea of how root-related music can be interpreted in modern way without losing the initial power and adding to it lots of new features.
Romantic States - Come Over To My House (rare bootleg) (2012)
/Glo-fi, Alternative pop, Noise rock, Garage rock, Fuzz rock, Primitive, DIY, Lo-fi/
Comment: it is a rare, 11-track recording by Romantic States, a Baltimore-based glo-rock duo. Jim plays a guitar, synth and sings, and Ilena delivers percussion. More profoundly, the washes of rough guitar riffs are variegated with catchy synth gears and unpolished background hums and susurrant bits and rusty drum sequences. All of that is rehearsed and recorded in the duo`s upstairs room. Though the issue is an interesting listening, however, I recommend listen to Romantic States´ full-length albums in the first place.
Shapeless Lab - Space EP (2011)
/Krautrock, Psyambient, Kosmische Musik, Industrial metal, Crossover, Electronic pop, Psytrance, Avant-garde/
Comment: this is an occult but highly enjoyable record. The 4-track set holds surprisingly a wide array of sonic turns and shades, extending from krautrock-ish and psychedelic ambient/trance vibes to a more aggressive industrial metal undertaking. However, if you like NIN, Weird Ribs, Fujiya & Miyagi, Tunguska Electronic Music Society, Simiram this issue is thought exactly for you. And you have no chance to get disappointed.
Skai Nine - Ember (2012)
Bandcamp
9.1
9.1
/Electro pop, Alternative, Electro pop, Glo-fi, Alternative dance, Synth pop, Sampledelic, Lo-fi/
Comment: it is said that Skai Nine is a lover and creator of all kinds of electro-based music, drawing inspiration from hip-hop to the synth pop sounds of the 80s. Indeed, you can listen to lone piano chords dripping above crispy, angular-shaped cadences (the release benefits from those variable, catchy bass lines). Or you can enjoy more burbly, peeping blisstronica and instrumental electro-mixed compositions coming directly out from old school sequencers and keyboards. It is charmingly a little bit clumsy and lo-fi (or even primitive). The favorite of mine is highly groove-ish All In Together. Actually it says everything. In a word, this 4-track EP is infected with electro disco virus.
Inch Chua - Wallflower (2010)
/Alternative pop, Indie pop, Dream pop, Chamber pop, Baroque pop, Poptronica/
Comment: Inch Chua is a Singaporean singer-songwriter whose apparent influences veer away early Radiohead-hued alternative rock and early Cardigans-esque mellow pop, Jane Siberry-alike flirtations with more classical and chamber music standards and even jazz/downbeat whiffs. Chua`s vocal manner is whimsical and permanently changing. Some songs are more chart-appealed than others (Discern). However, there are represented 12 notches which showcase Chua`s ability to write crafty, suggestive pop examples. I felt in love with them. Grrrl power.
Black Pus - Live at WFMU (2012)
FMA
9.2
9.2
/Improvised music, Crust punk, Live session, Post-psychedelic electronica, Experimental rock, Avant-rock, Psych-rock, Psychedelic, Noise rock/
Comment: this is a two-track improvised set by Brian Chippendale aka Black Pus, the drummer and vocalist at Lightning Bolt, and Mindflayer. A pair of notches both of them used to exceed 20 minutes are filled in with crust punk, desperate noise rock. More profoundly, angst moaning vocal lines are at times variegated with frantic yodel, however, behind it the listener can detect dizzy drum sequences and drilling electronic substrades/electronic bass propulsions. Now and then the layers are pitchbent or conjure up squealing effects, by fits and starts even joyous (sic!) electronic bass propulsions are available and Chippendale`s vocal is classical heavy rock-loaded. In a nutshell, this is a set which makes highly sense in direct and indirect way. Actually it blows out of the water of how one person is able to spouter so much energy within from him.
2/07/2012
Cosmic Boxer - Everything Depends On You (Berlin Edition) (2011)
/Dream pop, Indie pop, Alternative pop, Folk indie, Singer-songwriter, Indie folk, Poptronica, Dream folk/
Comment: dream-heavy longing based either on ethereal piano based chord drops or more floatingly drifting string-relied alternative/dream pop which is prone to demonstrate sphere-related topics and blissful, past-centered glimpses (as we know very well the past used to be realized as future sometime). However, the listener can figure out some similarities with such groups as Slowdive, Trembling Blue Stars, Northern Picture Library. At times his sound gets more involved in the realm of glo-fi-esque developments (for instance, fascinating Jasper In Denmark). A batch of truly beautiful songs with high potential for future days.
TRaiN SP Collective - kidnaping the noise (2012)
Bandcamp
9.0
9.0
/Shoegaze, Avant-rock, Alternative, Electro-acoustic, Experimental rock, Electro-rock, Indie dance, Space rock, Improvised music/
Comment: TSPC is a collective from Greece who offer up a relaxing and sometimes intriguing set of eight (mainly long-running) progressions. In detail, the album consists of a blend of shoegaze-ish jamming and spacey rock vibes which are obviously recorded as the unplugged ones. Indeed, it is tightly surrounded by electro-acoustic sort of vapour at times variegated with jew`s harp and harmonica-induced chords (reminding a little bit of Aboombong, and Vlor, the US-based quirky musical collectives). However, without you, you and you makes more sense due to electronics-drenched vibrations and chopped-up sonic effects around and below it. The same can be said about the last episode which shares lofty shoegaze-ish progressions with acute breakbeat/jungle sequences. Subsequently can be said that it is a case of how shoegaze and space rock can be converted into an instance of as if it were performed by jazz musicians-improvisers who accidentally like to listening to noiseful guitar music.
2/06/2012
Bezukov - A água, o cinza, o vão (2011)
/Ambient noise, Ambient drone, Drone, Ambient, Minimal, Avant-garde, Abstract, Experimentalism/
Comment: jestingly you can admit there will be a little bit happening throughout the course. Just 4 tracks which used to intensely pulsate conjuring up an imagination as if white noise were blended with massive washes of the infiltrated masses of droning trash which are amplified and extended now and then. Indeed, those sublime elements and minutiae within this tight mass do make substantively sense, getting quite close to the illustration of how particles managed to run at the high speed within the unstable environments. Behind Bezukov hides himself Roger Farias, a Brazilian composer.
D’INCISE/HENNIG/KOCHER/SCISS - D’INCISE/HENNIG/KOCHER/SCISS (2012)
/Sound art, Electro-acoustic, Abstract electronica, Avant-garde, Microtonal, Experimental electronica, Improvised music, Experimentalism, Noise/
Comment: there is a connection between Switzerland-based musicians, and between accordion-induced music and nuance-filled live electronics. Three laptops and one accordion. There are 4 long-running compositions which comprise a shitloads of improvised tendencies and refreshing variegations. More concretely, this is a dialogue between organic sounds and more or less treated microscopic sonic explorations, between the acute washes of noise and barely perceptible silentful oscillations drifting between music and...mhh...physics. The album is a shift between the pixels and voxels of white and grey and black-hued minimalism. Or on the other side, this is an intricate and intriguing set of improvised tracks wrapped up in the electro-acoustic/acousmatic environment.
Twizzle - Soda Fountain (2003)
/Electronic pop, Sampledelic, Plunderphonics, Cut and paste, Sound collage, Crossover/
Comment: Twizzle, a Seattle-based duo (Sir Mildred Pitt; Spacecake) had issued their debut 4-piece composition on the legendary Comfort Stand label in 2003. The issue is spectacular because of involving the elements of a diverse array of styles and genres, taking on chanson, art pop, downbeat, electronic pop,ethnic-tinged endeavours, crossover, however, all of that is made up of cut and paste/plunderphonics aesthetics. Piano-based careless tickles are represented there along with captivating orchestrations which will dominate in the senses of the listener. Especially outstanding is Black Elk Mountain which includes Bond-esque orchestration snippets and murky trip-hop-soaked vocals and paces. The more you listen to it the more it gets captivate you. The duo`s aesthetics can be compared with the likes of People Like Us, Pogo, Ergo Phizmiz, and Chenard Walcker.
2/04/2012
Kent State - Past Lives (2012)
/Psychedelia, Experimental indie, Psych-rock, Fuzz pop, Alternative rock, Shoegaze/
Comment: the beginning of 2012 is being very busy for Kent State, Nicholas Vance headed combo from California who has issued 3 split issues with Airlooms (tough blues-vibed rock), Doleful Lions (self-conscious glo-rock/indie, somewhere in between chillwave-ish attitude and The Smiths-esque aesthetics), and At The Heart Of The World (radically obsessive and destructive self-reflection resembling of the doings by the likes of Black Dice, Hella, and Lightning Bolt). However, there are 9 tracks which are the whole portion of notches taken out from the abovementioned split issues (the limited edition of tape and digital issues). More concretely, Kent State`s psychedelic death pop (the self-categoration of the group) which consists of cellophanic fuzz-gaze-inflected guitars are this time profoundly variegated with the vibes of frantic knee-deep angst psychedelia hinting at the timeless rock and roll undulation of such groups as The Stooges, My Bloody Valentine, and The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. However, this is not the main reason for the final determination of the album. Obviously a withered yet irresistible call of surrounding environment (the Mojave Desert and Death Valley) adjacent to LA is apparently present there and it makes really sense. An outstanding miscellany which should be enjoyed with the split issues, though. By the way, yesterday I listened to their Walk Through Walls EP which was highly captivating either. In a word - this is our rock`n`roll. You can believe in that.
Jane Siberry - When I Was A Boy (1993)
/Art pop, Electronic pop, Singer-songwriter, Alternative, Chamber music, Crossover/
Comment: Jane Siberry (born in 1955) is a Canadian pop diva who started off her career in the early of the 80`s and who had launched a couple of hit songs from this period either. However, Siberry is always being a little bit quirky musician who has crossbreeded more common and more unusual elements with each other mixing up synthetic, electronic kind of pop music with highly arty approach of classical and chamber music. By the attitude of her Siberry can be compared with the likes of Kirsty MacColl, Bjork, Lisa Gerrard, Kirsty Hawkshaw, and Kate Bush. The ladies who have frequently sacrified their possible economical benefits for substantive aesthetical approach and thanks to it to be more devotedly followed and honoured. At When I Was A Boy are represented her quintessential kind of notches which are variegated due to Siberry`s incessantly changing roles within it (being longing, dark-minded, carelessly chiming - all of that is done in a very spectacular way). A dozen of songs represented there are moody, slightly vulnerable and due to it highly enjoyable. The album which is considered to be the internationally most famous one of her is released under Siberry`s own Sheeba Records (initially on Reprise) and is available at her home site. Produced by Brain Eno, and Michael Brook. By the way, Siberry comes out from Guelph, Ontario, from the same town being home for such nowadays rising indie stars like Memoryhouse, and Mathemagic.
Coma Cinema - Blue Suicide (2011)
/Americana, Singer-songwriter,Experimental indie, Chamber pop, Baroque pop, Lo-fi, DIY, Indie folk, Alternative, Folk indie/
Comment: Coma Cinema is an one-man-project headed by Mat Cothran, a troubadour from South Carolina, USA. Cothran is penchant for writing a vast amplitude of different kind of songs which contain the elements of lofty Americana, intriguing lo-fi/DIY, catchy electronic-soaked psychedelia, and his music is not devoid of more root-related sound, mostly folk-drenched appearances. A bunch of trasures can be pulled out from this 16-track release (Blue Suicide, Business As Usual, Desolaton`s Plan, Eva Angelina). Cothran can be compared with such celebrated musicians and singer-songwriters as Warren Defever, Stephin Merritt, Jonathan Donaghue, Mark Oliver Everett, Mark Linkous, Sufjan Stevens, Dave Fridmann, and Bradford Cox. However, by listening to the abovementioned tracks the listener can admit that Cothran is a very talented musician and deserves much more to be appreciated (with other similar type of musicians like Dan Masquelier, and Derek Clegg, for instance).
2/03/2012
Golosy - Echo Nude (2010)
Cocodriller
9.1
9.1
/Glitchtronica, Dubstep, Cut and paste, Sampledelic, Experimental electronica, Breakcore/
Comment: this 6-piece teaser embarks on with glich-y, very sharp and angular rhythms. The tendency gets developed throughout the course incorporating (or abandoning upon it) dub(step) elements and more atmospherical whiffs oozing out from a batch of slots and corners and surfaces. It may be the most surprising track is Tutom which mixes up broken beats with very vintage sounds (20-30`s jazz canons), this way reminding of the aesthetics of The Caretaker, Gutta Percha, MAS & Travis McAlister, for instance. Elsewhere Golosy`s sound resembles more of dizzy, spacious inner space by Flying Lotus.
Tortoise - Live at Black Cat on 2007-07-07 (2007)
Archive.org
9.0
9.0
/Experimental rock, Post-rock, Live session, Instrumental rock, Fusion, Progressive rock/
Comment: obviously the most eminent and influential post-rock groups evoked in the 90`s across the Atlantic were Tortoise, and Godspeed You! Black Emperor which constitute diverse narratives within the post-rock scene. Tortoise, however, was more improvisation-centered (obviously influenced by and being part of the local Chicago-related experimental jazz scene), more progressive rock-inflected and less crescendo-heavy and epic. Tortoise`s kindred souls were Mice Parade, The Dylan Group, The Sea And Cake (John McEntire`s another project), Mercury Program. The legends perform a 16-track gig which involves frantic jazz grooves and more elusive vibraphone-driven appearances. Of course, at times these main offshoots will collide with each other to get intertwined into an organic whole. More detailly, driving rock guitars are blended with the patterns of lofty synths, washes of crescnding noises, elusive Americana-drenched orchestrations (the 4th track in queue) and chopped-up drums behind and below it.
Embark - Adieu Paris (2011)
Bandcamp
8.8
8.8
/Shoegaze, Alternative pop/rock, Covers, Conceptual, Trance rock/
Comment: by covering Adieu Paris Embark pays tribute to the French group Les Fils De Joie`s track (1985). However, by listening to the track more closely you can detect that the single is up there to bow the head toward My Bloody Valentine either. Stomping but sonorous guitar/bass floatation is backed by distinct drumming parts and trance rock-heavy buzzing which used to grow and dilate cyclically.
2/02/2012
Golgotha Communication Ltd. - Vindictive Patent Vol. II (2011)
Sirona-Records
Lastfm
9.1
Lastfm
9.1
/Post-industrial, Ritual music, Avant-garde, Experimental electronica, Abstract electronica, Minimal, Drone, Repetitronica, Non-music, Illbient/
Comment: Golgotha Communication Ltd. is a Philly-based experimental trio (Josef K-rpovski, Penny Petticoat, GRECO-NORWEGIAN) which can freely be considered a cult combo who have issued a shitloads of tapes, CDRs, and net albums during a lifespan of 11-12 years. Because of including more than 30 tracks the album shall have to be considered a magnum opus of experimental music, however, being strongly influenced by proto-industrial nihilism and murky modulated ambient and electronica as if were surrounded by a huge amount of ghosts and bad memories. In a word, it is a weird shit. GC`s approach is mostly minimalist because of having based on repetitive loops and shapes which seems to be creepy and malignant. On the other side, the trio showcases itself by a more joyous point of view now and then, providing a ritualistic set of bouncy paces in its idiosyncratic manner which used to be far away from possible pop centers, though. At times the concept is relied with hazy ambient flickerings (Orner of the Solar Cankle), or quite conventionally oscillating drone pop (Broad Forth). The album draws parallels upon such occult legends as Big City Orchestra, early Cabaret Voltaire, The Residents, and Coil. A retrofuturistic, politically incorrect statement by any means.
B.R.O - Analog People In A Digital World (2010)
NoEcho
9.4
9.4
/Nu jazz, Avant-jazz, Experimentalism, Crossover, Ambient, Modern classical, Chamber music, Improvised music/
Comment: this 8-track publication is a follow-up to the Polish experimental jazz duo B.R.O.`s debut issue Etudes EP (2008) which was an astonishing blend of old and modern, being a melting pot for conciliating cool jazz and nu jazz, frenetic electronic explorations and restraint downbeat-esque undercurrents. However, the brothers Zamojski will continue running on the same path, offering additionally to the improvisation-soaked and hook-laden territory also such sort of music which outreaches the borders of jazz in very apparent way. Stylus, for instance, is an oddball which gets into ambient and classical-induced sort of desire thus reminding more of Dead Can Dance. Or Take-up Reel which provides some spacey glimpses of the outer space within the mixed realm of spoken word and chamber/cabaret-alike milieu. Indeed, B.D.O. does mean a quality sign on its own.
RantZen - Inzi Ma Mul Kar b/w Oyo Vor Keskva (2006)
/Club dance, Experimental electro, Gore-electro, Avant-electro, Experimental techno, Avant-techno, Dark electro/
Comment: actually not very much time ago I discovered a Sydney, Australia-based label, called 4-4-2 Music which used to publish an intricate rhythm-based vista of club music which apparently does have more experimental approach and angle than usually in the abovementioned field. There are up a pair of tracks which constitute intensely thudding bass-driven oscillations in the vein of murky electro and massively stomping techno music. However, Andy Rantzen`s music is witty and whimsical. The cadences are decorated with subdued, even moaning (indecipherable) vocal lines (the influences of goregrind????) and some constitutive sonic effects within it. The issue is a classic one which is directed upon the listener`s body and soul. This is our gore-electro.
Elite Gymnastics - Real Friends (2010)
/Poptronica, Experimental indie, Post-psychedelic electronica, Alternative dance, Indie dance, Electronic pop, Leftfield, Alternative pop/
Comment: Elite Gymnastics is an arty, intellectual indie combo which used to take a whack at a thread of diverse styles and getting inspiration from different slots. More concretely, it is a bass, rhythm-driven, highly dance-appealed urban indie outlet. Because of having surfaced lots of intriguing minutiae fused in the middle of bouncy cadences the album can be considered enthralling in its stylistical dirtiness reminding of such groups as MGMT, Yeasayer, Gang Gang Dance, Southern Shores. In a nutshell, they used to fly high as the title of one of the songs suggests.
Death By Snoo Snoo - Death By Snoo Snoo (2011)
Creative Class War
Lastfm
9.3
/Alternative rock, Punk rock, Post-punk/
Lastfm
9.3
/Alternative rock, Punk rock, Post-punk/
Comment: let´s continue reviewing Finnish music, this time from a little bit different corner and point of view. Death By Snoo Snoo chimes and shrieks like the sort of perfect punk music because it is essentially aggressive, cynical and poignant and triumphant. The combo which is led by the frontwoman used to offer tracks like Care Bear, Cat Song, Ethanol, Solar Wind, and The Beast. The average length of tracks is just one minute - as short-running as genuine punk music should be on its own. Additionally to thudding bass lines and blatant voice parts you can detect that the notches are a titmes variegated with unexpected minutiae of other instruments (synths? melodica?) than strings only. And it makes sense!
Kuupuu - Spring High Spiritual Spree Spray Ray (2010)
FMA
9.6
9.6
/Forest Folk, Sound art, Psych-folk, Avant-garde, Krautrock, Avant-folk, New Weird Finland, New Weird Europe, Abstract electronica, Musique concrète, Acousmatics, Experimentalism, Free folk, Improvised music/
Comment: Jonna Karanka aka Kuupuu is one of those obscure Finnish artists who often is being tagged as "Forest folk", "New Weird Finland", the most powerful and radical folk movement worldwide (by the way, I think Paavoharju`s Laulu Laakson Kukista (2008, Fonal) was the most eminent release in the 00`s. Absolutely captivating, otherworldly music). More profoundly, this is a sort of folk which comes together with the definition of folk in very indirect way. With Islaja, and Lau Lau, however, Karanka represents the movement`s female point of view. There are represented 6 tracks which are made up of a minimalistic, repetition-heavy approach of improvised music fringed with tight concrete sounds. At times Karanka`s sound used to be more mathematics than music because all these patterns and progressions are subordinated to algorithms. Or it is more sound-art than general sort of song structured music reminding of the experiments by early krautrockers (Conrad Schnitzler, for instance). The release will be ended up by a lush vista of mellow running krautrock undertaking. Superb!
2/01/2012
Nice Wings, Icarus! - Aurora (2011)
/Post-metal, Post-rock, Classical, Symphonic metal, Progressive rock, Crossover, Experimental rock/
Comment: while this 4-piece publication starts out with the math and progressive rock-soaked progression later it will be leaped into a more conventional chamber rock/progressive rock cubbyhole. However, the result by the Kiev, Ukraine-based trio is decent and elegant - those classical music-induced layers are profoundly laced with more murky, abrasive guitar works, which sometimes result in silentful introspections, at times get involved in very dizzy appearances (the finishing notch Haunted House, for instance). Their progressions used to originate not only from within the compartment of post-rock and classical music but also roaming on symphonic and post-metal territories thus allowing itself to be compared with the likes of Esmerine, The Butcher`s Ballroom, Our Subatomic Earth, Metsu.
1/31/2012
Craig Chordman - Scenes (2011)
Jamendo
9.4
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)
/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)
/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.
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