F.S.Blumm/Lucrecia Dalt – Cuatro Covers (2011)

La bèl

9.3

/Folktronica, Cowbell indie, Avant-folk, Krautrock, Experimental folk, Chamber folk, Dream folk/

Comment: This collaborative act between F.S Blumm and Lucrecia Dalt is just more than mesmerizing - it is quite hard to search for a more proper sentence to describe the result. One`s can detect for elaborated guitar chords, semi-tones and fully fragmented light, adjacent to the organic electronic imprecation which is brought forth through repetitive loops (moreover, acquiring even krautrock-ish characteristics at times) and gently rising progressions, all of that reaching out from the subtle glockenspiel touches to noiseful guitar explorations, from quasi-orchestrated developments to drowsy fingerpicked magic. In a nutshell, a subsequent folk-related instance under the La bèl label.

Fescal - Into The Atmosphere (2011)

Test Tube
Lastfm

9.5

/Drone, Minimalism, Avant-garde, Dark ambient, Epic, Microtonal, Sound art, Soundscapes/

Comment: Fescal, a UK-born but now in the South Korea residing musician provides an astonishing set of 5 tracks relied on the profound explorations of droning soundscapes. Indeed, it is quite hard to realize out where reality could be distinguished from possible fictive vistas. As Fescal`s brand used to be to date, all is enveloped with a tight mass of tape hisses, making all the content ring out really subtle and organic. If to try to convert the recent impression into rock music and to find out the equivalent for it, however, it might be considered dream pop, for instance. In any cases, such kind of dreamscapes cannot be transcended upon the frames of time and space. It is rather a kind of mental level, though.

Mobyl - The Pact EP (2011)

17 Sons
Jamendo
Lastfm

8.5

/Minimal techno, Tech-house, Avant-techno, Experimental techno, Bubblegum techno/

Comment: As we know very well one of the intentions by the French-based label 17 Sons used to be releasing catchy techno music among other genres. However, I really get involved in listening to this 4-track EP, which is a crossroad of Autechre-like intellectual techno (dynamic breaks seem to be a bit corroded and angular) and bubblegum-mish yo-yo-tech-house appearances. There can be perceived for propulsive up-and-down filtered cadences, drilling machine-like grooves, swelling-squealing sonic effects. Less is more - this would be a motto of the issue. It almost sounds like someone`s life observed through the spectrum of a stroboscope.

Good Dangers - Brasilia

Cinchel - glitch.dump (2010)

Bandcamp

8.8

/Glitch noise, Glitch, Noise, Microtonal, Avant-garde, Experimentalism, Sound-art, Repetitronica, Experimental electronica, Crossover, Sound-art, Abstract/

Comment: Cinchel is a musician from Chicago, Illinois, USA and glitch.dump is his sophomore album after Drone.Dump and before friday.destruction and practice.dump, respectively. As you can assume from these titles, his music is heftily experimental, exploiting diverse concepts and sonic narratives on his workouts. However, 7-track glitch.dump is filled with a speck of glitch, microscopic tonality, static or dynamical sonic effects, rhythms, hardly audible (micro) rhythms, subtle noise (more or less minimal) and much more. Indeed, Cinchel does have an astute ear to create inspite of a sparse number of (signal-alike) particles vigorously emotive soundscapes (which at times do ring out truly eargasmic), remaining compelling throughout the course. Most of the time it seems to be likely a ghost from the past, from those times when the pioneers of electronic music embarked on with their experiments. Highly recommended.

Mumble Mumble Mumble - Blank (2011)

Brlog

8.7

/Doom drone, Avant-metal, Crossover, Post-metal, Experimentalism, Electro-acoustic, Trance metal, Psych-music/

Comment: This is the sophomore release by a duo from Turin, having 11 tracks within 18 minutes only. Besides the abbreviation of the tracks (compare it to 8 notches within 21 minutes) they have changed their soundscape into more restraint, using basically a subdued bass guitar-drums interplay. In a more concrete way, thuddling bass incantations and the using of the drum plates are impressively variegated with onyx-hued electronics and barely audible moaning in-between of it. Indeed, in comparison with their self-titled debut album, the whole seems to be a more convincing, running mainly on doom drone slightly embellished with a sort of electro-acoustic veil around of it. Sometimes it reaches with its slowness and suggestive treated electronics and vast synergy the very boundaries of trance/exorcized music.

Various Artists – Dub Tentacles Vol.3 (2011)

Fresh Poulp

8.7

/Dub, Electro-dub, World music, Tribal music, Crossover, Big-beat/

Comment: This is a compilation of 13 tracks, by various artists who do come from different countries (Malta, Croatia, Canada, Uk, Italy, Poland, France). Fresh Poulp is known as a label promoting ardently the vibes of dub music, this time dub is rung in with diverse styles (big-beat, ethnic/tribal music of the Middle East, electro). Some of them are instrumental, some of them are harmonica-led. Altogether, it is a solid miscellany indeed. The feature track of mine is Ackboo`s Holy Mount Zion (feat. Steve Steppa).