Ballpen The dreams trilogy (La bèl)

In recent years, among others, I am used to get deeply involved in music of some Italian labels having stylistically been offering different yet conceptually cutting-edge outputs. More specifically, every release under Barbie Noja, Chew-Z, Kill Mommy, Zymogen, and La bèl is an unexpected one and really worth to give a try. In fact, concerning specifically on in Italy residing projects I have discovered such ones like The Last Meredina, Nicola Ratti, con_cetta, Christian Alati, Barbagallo, The Japanese Gum, Menion, Elisa Luu, Difondo. By the side, speaking about the music from the Apennine Peninsula in a more general way, it would be a kind of crime not to mention the likes of Hox Vox, Ornitology, Les Dix-Huit Secondes, The reason is clear - because all of these aforementioned bands have put on their very own mentality to some Anglo-American influences. However, it seems so that there are two geographical peripheries in Europe which are really rich by their innovative music - Finland (their powerful avant-garde folk experimentations, so-called forest folk) and Italy. In the context, no chance to get over by Kraftwerk - Eleganz und Dekadenz Europa endlos

Actually the array will be completed with adding of Ballpen, the project of Alessandro Coronas, conjuring up really interesting and intimate dream-alike soundscapes. (And other billions of strange and funny combinations of the puzzle-pieces of my life - as he says himself) 11 tracks do search for their place and borders hovering between folk music, cowbell indie, sub-IDM beats, chamber music, dream pop, child music, even the classical approach of minimal, sometimes really minimal sonic palette (which is not suprising because of Coronas` conservatory-related background). Of course, the easiest way to chart the whole it would be tagged as "folktronic music", and indeed, this is correct on its own - at least partly. For example, fabulous tracks Anna Lisa goes to bed, and The magazine dream. On the other hand, all of those slowly progressing chamber music lines built up to half-evolved crescendos, intimate sonic insights and introspections, a lot of key changes, subtle minimal electronic and glitch-y ghosts-infused undercurrents are up for to eliminate stylistic walls around its concept and allowing to bring forth a lot of transcendental feelings for a subject. Listening to this I can remember (or it is remembered by) for some soul mates - Oscar Hallbert (Sweden), and Thuoom (Finland). Altogether, a great composition indeed.

Listen to it here

9.7

[Artists] Difondo

Difondo
La bèl
Myspace
Lastfm

d.Forma mecanica de fluidos (Format Noise)

Format Noise is such a kind of label which has not been very keen to issue a lot of music. Thereby some albums having released per a year are really expected for. A lot of (good) artists I have discovered for my great pleasure are often be found from here. No doubt, d.Forma (from the USA) is a pro-sided project as well, with a long tenure yet, having released its first outbursts in the first side of the 00`s.

6 tracks, having their drive through noise-infused industrial and EBM beats. Experimenting with various pace speed changes-effects, on different levels of uncompromising hard beat intenseness, d.structed and nihilistic electronic structures and gloomy neoclassical ambiences behind it do make up a lot of impressions from the start to the very last seconds. The favorites of mine are the starting track Eight, and Mine. In a nutshell, this is the music on the ground of pop periphery while it is enjoyable enough.

Listen to it here

8.7

[Old but important] Children Of The Drone Compilation no. 8 (COTD)

In fact, the Exeter-based musical group of 10-20 members should be a legendary one, not only having some cult reputation among dedicated music lovers. COTD is through its line-up closely related to the other collectives and projects as well (for instance, A Tiny Window; Ail Fionn; Dongas The Tribe). Their soundscape is involved in hypnotic jam sessions, impressive pictures of art-y folk music, having the closeness to natural and organic soundscape and depthness inbetween and beyond the layers, playing up a lot of meditative psychedelic circuits, thereby constituting up as powerful uniqueness and intelligent variety finally. The array of Exetrians` instruments is similarly impressive one, including the music-oriented instruments, and artifacts as well. However, if you take some time to getting enjoyed them you shall have to reserve a couple of hours, because the most of sessions are up there into this tendency. And the UK-based collective is not limited to the sound conception only - I strongly recommend to you to visit their site and read their argumented views about many phenomena and manifestations (including music business). Let`s them speak and you'll definitely get some (self-) reflection.

Unlike the most of their experiments these are not usually filled in very surreal, darksided feedbacks and echo effects which by the side are injected with gorgeous mystical attitude. But it is the case of Compilation 8. You can meet some free form improvisations, electro-acoustic ambiences, and psychedelic sonic conceptions. And indeed, over a long period some low-end (and shamelessly undervalued) electronic keyboards and electronics/sampling units have been exploited. If Kemialliset Ystävät`s frontman Jan Anderzèn expressed once devout hope that his music would be in certain way to be related to the outer space having its very goal in this way while it can be said that obviously by Matthew Watkins` curated band sounds into the universe for sure. A seemingly simple journey on the one hand, it expresses a static (or in a minimal way sounding) sonic trance on the other hand, within the borders of the high-level articulatedness the progressions of sonic algorithms are getting even more visible with coming to the end. In fact, it does not create any kind of tensions or frictions while flowing into transcendental meditations. In a more concrete way, through comparisons, here is a link of kinship with Six Organs Of Admittance, and Spiritualized to be found, although, in a much deeper embodiment. An astonishingly deep stuff.

Listen to it here

Microcobra Micropopcorn in our heads (XLR)

Microcobra is a 8-bit/chiptune activist-musician from Tallinn, Estonia who had previously released three albums under the labels such as Qulture Production, RUSZUD, and Drill. Micropopcorn in our heads is released under the Estonian label XLR and shows up his affinity toward retrodelic music and old game consoles, also being very keen to samples of such kind of tracks having their origin date from the 90`s or the Soviet era. However, you can sight of drifts having a fuelled drive through smart, camp-y and sometimes slippery taste as well. But it is not the matter in the first place actually - his progressions toward agressive rhythms including some flirt with jungle-paced feeling resulting up in some good impressions (8 Serdec (Telliskivi Hard Mix) ). In fact, though, in the ending part I get a bit of tired riding on it. No doubt, his first release Please, play with me (2008, RUSZUD) is used to sound as his best one continually.

Listen to it here

7.4

[Compilation] 30 Seconds Of Time (Silber)

Silber Records came up with the idea of this compilation from a few angles. People have short attention spans, people love ringtones. Most songs are too long. So they put together this collection of songs 30 seconds long & made them available as ringtones. Some of the usual suspects for their compilations, some new friends, plus where else are you going to hear 46 tracks in 23 minutes. So you have no need to push the skip button to get round to the next tracks. You can imagine and handle it as a weird kind of mash-up album, moreover, mash-up artists are usually not interested in such ambitious experimental rock and indie music, they prefer more to be into easy and supeficial sound, though. The artist roster is Electric Bird Noise, Zanzibar Snails, muscle mass, Pacific 231, Ben Link Collins, Rollerball, Thorn1, Promute, Irata, Charles de Mar, Small Life Form, Notorious Jet Set, Lullabier, The Undermasks, Drekka, Sibyll Kalff, Vestirse, Bryce Clayton Eiman, slicnaton, Miss Massive Snowflake, Subscape Annex, Remora, Moodring, IANTH, mwvm, The Collinses, The Velveta Heartbreak, Fires Were Shot, Yellow6, Mahlon Hoard, & Peter Aldrich.

Listen to it here

[Artists] Radius System

Radius System
Lost Children
Several Bleeds
Myspace
Lastfm