Wonder Wheel - Speakeasy (2011)

Beko DSL

9.8

/Free folk, Shoegaze, Alternative, Glo-fi, Poptronica, Post-psychedelic electronica, Psychedelia, Lo-fi, Avant-pop, Primitronica/

Comment: Wonder Wheel is the brainchild of the californian Paul A Rosales, already being known as a demiurg of a great mix of psychedelia, lo-fi, glo-fi, and shoegaze. In fact, this 9-track album continues to ooze greatness out of every pore, though, this time Rosales` shoegaze element is even a bit more subdued in comparison with his usual practice (and replaced by a kind of trance-induced Animal Collective-esque repetitiveness, for instance). Yet, it does not mean it is not an example of nowadays shoegaze album at all. Exhilarating progressions is filled in with the washes of serotonine. At times it chimes like Ariel Pink meets Slumberland Records sound. By the way, some grooves of deliberately primitive dance music are made out on it as well. If you have been involved in sound of Ariel Pink, Wavves, Coolrunnings, Animal Collective, and Memoryhouse, such sort of quality is thought for you. One of the albums from the path of 2011 so far. Music is not dead yet. Fortunately.

Saur - Saur EP (2011)

Saur

Bandcamp
Lastfm

8.4

/Post-rock, Power rock, Instrumental rock, Experimental rock, Synth rock/

Comment: This is a trio from Lisboa, Portugal, and Saur EP is their debut issue. It is represented through 4 tracks (within 23 minutes), drifting between instrumental-induced post-rock-ish noise and silentful tunes, searching densely for peaks and bottoms during their sonic explorations. However, massive guitar vibrations, guitar fingerpickings, whimsical near-electro synth snippets, all of it is packaged into powerful energy and nice still life-ish contemplation respectively.

Moses Luster - I`m The Lion

Radere - Maple Drip (2010)

Rural Colours

9.7

/Ambient, Organic electronica, Sound-art, Musique concrete, Post-rock, Soundscape, Minimal/

Comment: Philly-based writer and sound artist Carl Ritger`s sophomore album consists only of 1 track (23 minutes long, though) , which is a solid wash of ambient sounds, organic soundscapes, synthetic swirls and exhilarating post-rock-ish vibrations. A kind of post-music indeed, which is filled in with lots of dreams and imaginations. By the way, the release is mastered by Rafael Anton Irisarri aka Sight Below.

Joxfield ProjeX - Hypnotic Wash Up (2011)

Clinical Archives

9.2

/Kosmische musik, Krautrock, Psychedelia, Avant-rock, Fusion, Progressive rock, Space rock, Dance rock/

Comment: One of my favs (from Sweden) are back with a brand new release...it reminds me of the first CAN`s issue I have ever heard - CAN (1979), which is used to be ashamedly underrated by the musical press worldwide. More detailly, those subtly flowing, high-ridged guitar riffs are pulled off to the frontline, slightly danceable spaced-out washes ride into a listener`s consciousness, subdued autotuned vocals, altogether making lots of sense through dynamic jamming sessions. Space-funk, kraut-fusion etc... Hipernotik.

fydhws - Fikcii, II (2011)

Bandcamp
Lastfm

9.4

/Post-rock, Drone, Krautrock, Minimalism, Experimental rock, Avant-garde, Sound-art, Experimentalism, Progressive/

Comment: This is a beautiful and irritating post-rock album simultaneously. Fikcii II does not come over to the high ridges of guitar explosions, preferring to play with other "toys", for instance, with minimalistic, very slowly progressing primal sonic atoms, threatening infiltrating drone overthrows, static krautrock effects, and a kind of sound which comes very close to the sound-art-like approach. Knob-screwers` output indeed. Could this sound be described as the progression of the cancer disease throwing its metastases over to the every angle of a body? Fydhws is an artist from Macedonia, Balkan, whose sound has been very underrated so far. So if you have been interested in such (post-rock) bands as Transient Waves, Grails and Radian, however, this group would be similar to your taste.

pous- VPLE (2011)

Noecho

/Indie-hop, Experimental hip-hop, Avant-garde, Noise-hop, Sampledelica, Rap/

9.0

Comment: pous is an experimental hip-hop guy from London, UK crossing it with indie aesthetics, cinematic sampledelica and digitally inflected hiss and noise outbursts and different overthrows. Very dense and obsessive indeed. Visiting his site at Lastfm I mentioned such tag as der beste rapper der welt (the best rapper in the world). In any cases, those 7 tracks make hugely sense.