Hong Kong In The 60s Places (Bandcamp)

Hong Kong In The 60s is a London-based trio, lined up by Mei Yau Kan (vocal, guitar, keys), Christopher Greenberg (vocal, guitar, keys), and Tim Scullion (vocals, guitars, keys). Their 8-track sophomore Places EP - the follow-up to the Willow Pattern Songs EP (2009, Proper Songs) is full of mesmerizing, chillout/easy listening-soaked shards, dominantly loaded with the space age pop and exotica pop sensibility. Indeed, they are deeply get involved in mighty psychedelic grooves to draw upon kinds of moods and shades popularized by Jean-Jacques Perrey, Gershon Kingsley, Mort Garson, and the Barrons approximately 4 decades ago. As you have figured out yet, indeed, a set of simplistic and robust yet catchy, a bit dreadful, altogether full-blown, synth-based melodies-harmonies and burbling cadences can be expected for. Almostly, though. One of the two exceptions is A Bad Night Out which is into the exploiting of vintage-looking, downbeat-drenched Latin rhythms (of course, mingling it with electronic effects). The second feature is Disintegration The Advisory Circle Reshape, as the title admits, it is not their own creative output, playing out a notch of contemporary indie electronica/indietronica/poptronica/glo-fi. By the way, the release name of this Sean O`Hagan-afforded group is obviously used to be a hint at their vast scale of their nowadays and previous residing places/countries (The UK, Hong Kong, Brazil, Japan, Spain, Africa). In a nutshell, without some exceptions, as it is noticed above, it is an excellent quasi-retrospective/retrogard-ish outlook.

Listen to it here

9.8

[Artists] Expendable Friend

Bandcamp
Upyourlegsforever
Myspace
Lastfm

Atlas Sound Bedroom Databank Vol. 2 (Atlas Sound)

This release is my personal favorite exemplar of the 4-part Bedroom Databank series. 16 tracks do show up a crafty balance between strumming, guitar-relied pop and computer-processed electronic experiments, or thirdly, a mix of both which, more detailly, reminds on its fluctuant approach of Deerhunter`s Weird Era Cont. (2007, Kranky). No doubt, Bradford Cox is a hero between so-called established, commercial music and free webaudio world. Moreover, his special juxtaposition to those realms does not even make so much sense as much of his workouts under the moniker Atlas Sound and Deerhunter-related deeds which can be considered as one of the most essential hallmarks on contemporary indie music. Obviously his later profilic approach occurred in letting out music from his old tapes might closely be related to his health condition. By having managed to push down more musical fingerprints over into the present, past, and forthcoming future, by this point of view, his action may have a metaphysical and religious background. As I noticed above the album is a fluctuant integration of both electronics and natural strings realized off into a warble, merry-go-round-alike whole, being at times folk-ish, the second time blues-infected, on the other hand, the last track Here Come The Trains is an embarassing cosmic blues-y, krautrock-heeled notch.

Listen to it here

9.2

[Artists] JAck FiDo

JAck FiDo
JAcK FiDo
Jamendo

Wyrm In The Hills, The Cities (Bandcamp)

Actually quite much is changed since Wyrm`s previous, 2-track release We Cannot Hear The Stars (2010). Indeed, the US-based project has abandoned their minimal, low-frequencied noise vibrations (The Unknown Is Infinity), and secondly, partly, electronic-infused post-rock concept (We Cannot Hear The Stars). Or the way round, a new, also 2-track album can be dealt with as the sequel and progression of the last named track on We Cannot Hear The Stars, making out difference in more epic, static guitar-riffed appearances. More concretely, the wide, potent-buzzing basic layer is fringed by a few elements, for instance, loosely pulsating rhythms at times, moreover, which are almost unheardable and at the closure of the issue seem to be just the set of vibrations of the album`s integrated, seamless parts. Notwithstanding its radical drone/drone doom/drone metal/drone doom metal husk, and regarding its almost invariable, almost endlessly emitting drone-based soundscape, indeed, by the very minimalism-esque type of conceptual approach it has managed to get into much bigger joint area with minimal music composers like La Monte Young, Terry Riley, and even Steve Reich, rather than ordinary metal bands. No doubt, Wyrm`s issue has very pragmatic sense and field of application - it is might be directed for individuals who are searching up for help to fix up his/her minds. Indeed, it is a very relaxing trip into the infinity.

Listen to it here

8.9

[Artists] Serifs

Serifs/Bandcamp
Asthmatic Kitty
Lastfm
Alfred Brown
John Valenti

[Artists] Electric Rainbow

ELECTRIC RAINBOW-ELECTRIC FLAVOUR

Electric Rainbow | Myspace Music Videos
Jamendo

ELECTRIC RAINBOW-THE STARTING POINT

Electric Rainbow | Myspace Music Videos
Myspace
Lastfm