[P.U.T] My Sun Is Dying EP (2010)

Archive.org

9.2

/Sludge, Avant-metal, Experimental metal, Noise, Industrial, Crossover, Remixes/

Comment: This is a great single/EP from a Brussel-Paris-based experienced trio, which does blend high-energized, monumentum-filled sludge hammering and mud devouring vocal lines with the glimpses of experimental electronica and solid sonic effects. The issue includes a remix by Garlic.wav as well which by any means does add propulsive, slightly mutilated jungle rhythms to it. A superb workout indeed.

Taiga - Aralar (2010)

Jamendo

9.2

/Drone doom, Ambient drone, Dark ambient, Soundscape, Minimal, Post-rock, Post-metal, Ambient rock, Guitar ambient, Sound-art/

Comment: Taiga is a Spanish-rooted project having directed its spot on manipulated guitars and synths on several issues. The recent case is wrapped up into a peculiar form wherein one of 7 tracks lasts approximately 1 hour on its permanent variation. It altogether makes out about 100 minutes of atmospheric soundscapes, tremulously fluctuating guitar chords and spacious, slightly rocking environments and post-metal-esque stomping and creeping septums-infiltrations. A potent and beautiful accomplishment indeed.

Talkative - Strange Luxuries (2011)

Bandcamp

7.9

/Anti-folk, Alt-folk, Experimental folk, Free folk, Singer-songwriter, Lo-fi, DIY/

Comment: This is another open contexted recorded album from USA which by its sonic feats is based on acoustic guitar strummings and strange synth sounds in the backdrop, moreover, including even radiowave manipulations and sunshiny samples from a track of the golden age of disco within it. This workout by its aesthetical approach could freely be a part of the Indiana-based CLLCT.

Pretty Lights - Unreleased 2010 Remixes (2011)

The Pretty Lights

8.7

/Hip-hop, Electronic pop, Funk, Urban music, Remixes, Club dance, Live session/

Comment: The cult dance music figure Derek Vincent Smith from Colorado is back again, more detailly, this time having joyously remixed the luminaries such as Pink Floyd, Jay Z, Kanye West, James Brown and others during a gig in the end of 2010 in Chicago. No doubt, this live session was fulfilled with hypnotic gear frequencies, cinematic samples, psychedelic synth cores and fluttering digital funk frames, as the final result, the album only strenghtens his reputation as a magical beat wizard.

The Home Stretch - The Home Stretch (2010)

Giant Manilow

Lastfm

8.4

/Lo-fi, DIY, Alternative pop, Electro-indie, Experimental indie, Avant-garde, Psychedelic/

Comment: Ben Churchill-headed project and by his friends (Gentle Friendly; Noise Jordan) assisted record is a quite weird output consisting of prettily flowing AOR-pop and lo-fi/DIY-esque guitar strumming and at times primitive pop approach over to electro-pop drives and J-pop glimpses. Besides all of those described above, however, the album does have more obscure and vanguard-ish, into darkness sinking and elemental noise-infiltrated characteristics as well. A convincing result.

Syd Lane - Hypatia (2011)

Quixodelic
Bandcamp
Lastfm

9.0

/Dream folk, Alt-folk, Drone folk, Noir folk, Singer-songwriter, Psychedelic, Slowcore, Experimental folk, Indie folk, Folk indie, New Weird Europe/

Comment: Firstly I shall have to express my bewilderment about how underrated have the issues by this fairy-alike singer-songwriter been so far. Yet, she has released 8 albums during past 7 years and got 365 listening times at Lastfm to date, yet, her songs are not a kind of arty-farty posing but solidly built-up oeuvres. In true, her side projects (with Jeremiah James) like The Loaded Whispers and Chansons De Geste have been a bit more successful ones. However, this time she has been assisted via some guitar solos and mastering by Jason Raspa (Frogville) and the recent release reflects upon diverse aspirations (as it earlier used to be as well). For instance, from the organ-backed slow motion a la Beach House and rigid, organ-droning folk conceptualization a la Fursaxa to slightly psychedelic yet heartbreaking, growing folk songs a la The Wind Whistles and the borders of noir folk will have crossed many times in her contemplative sadness as well. In a nutshell, the concept makes obvious withdrawals from the realm of urban life to be drowned into omnipotentious bucolic idyll for.

Beko_ lsr 01/10/11 (2011)

Beko DSL

9.2

/Neokrautrock, Chillwave, Lo-fi, DIY, No wave, Avant-pop, Experimental indie, Electronic pop, Poptronica, Psych-pop, Ambient/

Comment: This is a hilarious compilation by Beko DSL, including the artists like Dirty Beaches, Wet Hairs, Gremlinz, Jeans Wilder, Terror Bird and other ones. Those 11 tracks are an example of riding on the beauty of imperfectness, searching for a tight connection between lo-fi/DIY-esque experimental-biased aesthetics and gorgeous melody hooks and harmonic sense. Lots of hints at diverse genres and (innovative) pop eras are presented here, yet, first of all, this is an idiosyncratic brooding of nowadays angst in a nutshell.