Raindeer Raindeer EP (Bandcamp)

Raindeer does consist of three lads - Charlie Hughes (vocals, synth), Devin Byrnes (synth), and Beau Cole (guitar, bass) - coming from Baltimore, Maryland, a town being once home for Animal Collective. Vis à vis with Collective, besides the trio`s aesthetical heritage originating from similar (post-)psychedelic breeds and DIY-based conceptions and lo-fi-infused common ground their start, however, is not a less impressive opening at all compared to the very launch by Avey Tare-Panda Bear circa 10 years ago, more concretely, being soaked in a rousing mix of electronics and indie pop and subtly nudging at their boundaries and zones. Yet, those 6 tracks of the debut issue are remarkably more extrovert and pop-oriented encompassed by broad yet intelligent postures and caustic keyboard (under)currents, the kind of reminiscent of those played up by the English innovative pop group Space in the last years of the Britpop-era (the track The Green Lights), and MGMT as well. Of course, there can be found out some similarities with the later-era Animal Collective, which drove some obduarate Collective`s fans to despair (Dark Place). On the other side, fortunately, Raindeer is able to avoid this kind of ostentatious artistical shelves cranking out of emotions being anchored at a subject`s genuine sensitiveness. No doubt, the trio is able to master crafty pop numbers, for instance, the ending This Is My Last Transmission which at the outset is intentionally restrained to come off into a catchy even hysterical explosion.
A solid debut, indeed.

Listen to it here

9.2

[Artists] Cody England

Cody England/Bandcamp
Rack& Ruin Records
Myspace
Lastfm

Ghost Dance Elkan (Ghost Dance)

Ghost Dance (not to confuse it with the same-titled gothic rock band from England in the 80`s) is a two-piece ensemble from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Chris Corrao (guitar) and Tyler Taglieri (drums) play up a decent joint of math rock and noise rock with an intense touch of experimental rock. Being influenced by the likes of Tera Melos, Hella, Lightning Bolt, the duo`s 6-track debut release is managed to showcase seriously sheer and rough ornamentics of repeated motives driving mainly on up-and-down drifting abrasive guitar riffs embellished by more light-radiant, progressive rock-like keys, and at times massively hammering rhythm combinations too. Sometimes Ghost Dance`s soundscape is quite laconic by building up the way on arid chord bows and even drone-shaped glimpses. Sometimes all of that seems to be thoroughly composed, the another time quite loosely related, yet. All in all, it reminds of a kind of gestalt rock manifesto playing out in a mode of improvised, jazz-like music applying a vague control upon it. Undoubtedly it is a vital issue, yet, which circumscription needs lots of listen times for the access to be allowed.

Listen to it here

8.8

[Artists] Botanic Project

Myspace
Lastfm

[Concert] Low Live at Eindhoven (Low)

The legendary, Duluth-based slowcore trio Low (Alan Sparhawk, Mimi Parker, Steve Garrington) known by its mesmerizingly creeping soundscape has issued a 4-track live release being shot at St. Catherina Cathedral in Eindhoven on January of 22, 2009, joined by lots of local guest musicians and instruments - a full, 5-piece choir, analog synth, Hammond organ, piano, and vibraphone. The gig included such tracks as Monkey, Silver Rider, July, Laser Beam. So the two tracks taken from the Things We Lost In Fire (2001, Kranky) and the another two from Great Destroyer (2005, Sub Pop), respectively. As they introduced yourselves in as a new approach in the North America-based indie scene approximately 2 decades ago their power is lost nowhere to date - the gig is suggestively slow and blissfully hypnotic, reminiscent of the milieu of silent time at the end of a year being closely related to the forthcoming Christmas time and lots of huge snowdrifts. So let`s enjoy it and waiting for the trio`s brand new heavy C`mon.

Listen to it here

[Artists] Archana

Archana
Archana/Bandcamp
Myspace

Steven Porter Vacu Sessions 3 (Vacu Sessions)

The first and last time when I reviewed an artist (Sturqen) under the label/blog/community Vacu Sessions, I mentioned then the label is "obviously from Finland". Actually it is the Portugal-based label, having been offering solid help for soundscapes classified between music and non-music (or a peripheric side of music) to be surfaced again and again.

Steven Porter is an artist`s pseudonym behind which are hidden Yuji Kondo, and Katsunori Sawa from Kyoto, Japan. Lots of things will be happened in those 27 minutes of one track recorded in Honen-in Temple. The issue is fulfilled with a lot of turns, breaks and variable gears shifting forward and back and having its irritating outputs through effervescent facets, however, thereby it is not wrong to be considered the whole a kind of radiophonic art, for instance. More detailly, besides the chopped-and-cut-up singing at the beginning the entries of opera singers and baroque-esque wraiths are intentionally represented here, bringing forth an emotion-loaded side. On the other side, the basic core is carried along on musique concrete-infused electro-acoustic overthrows which side-effects will be developing and channelized into broadening yet intense buzzscapes and desolate industrial ambiences. In a word, it is an interesting, open-minded construction through the forging of diverse genres and evoking of wide-scale perceptions.

Listen to it here

9.2