Erik Nilsson - Recollage (2011)

Luxus Arctica

9.3

/Folktronica, Modern classical, Chamber folk, Art-pop, Dream folk, Electronic, Psych-blues, Avant-folk, Organic electronica, Baroque folk, Avant-folk, Experimentalism/

Comment: Erik Nilsson`s album starts out with an obscure but majestic snippet as if were brought forth from GYBE!-like space somewhere, which soon will be followed by glitch-pieced micro rhythms and folktronic overthrows being surrounded by modern classical shadows around it. In fact, the following tracks will continue running on the similar template, at times adding some glockenspiel embellishments and more and less bouncing cadences. During its course permanently changing guitar timbres and chord sequences are getting close to flamenco and psych-blues guitars, Some tracks on it used to remind in its breathtaking of Oskar Hallbert`s touch or gillicuddy`s experimentalism. For instance, the last two notches are genuinely odd experiments with elliptical loops on electro-acoustic and psych-folk mode.

The Bilinda Butchers - Regret, Love, Guilt, Dreams (2011)

Bandcamp
Lastfm

9.8

/Shoegazetronica, Dreamwave, Hypnagogic pop, Dream pop, Chillwave, Post-pop, Electronic pop, Glo-fi, Experimental indie/

Comment: In any cases, The Bilinda Butchers` album was very expected for. The first experience of mine related somehow to the duo`s music was their single under the Beko DSL wherein they mesmerizingly covered the Panic At The Disco`s track This Love Is Fucking Right!. The other part of it, Tulips, is represented on this 6-pieced set as well. However, the San Franciscans` recognizable sound - consisting of strumming guitars and chillwave-ish synthetic layers - reflects upon itself as one of the most masterful progressions in the vein of MBV`s Loveless. Moreover, as Kevin Shields used to warp guitar sounds and pitch buried vocal lines, Michal & Adam used to bend particles into sublime chords and sexy moods surrounding dreamily a listener`s ears, however, balancing craftily between the old and new tradition. One of the albums of 2011 for sure. The closest relative to them? Memoryhouse, of course.

Iszen - Informal EP (2011)

Vermella

8.7

/Experimental electronica, IDM, Downtempo, Experimental electro, Glitch techno/

Comment: Iszen is a musician by the southern side of the American continent, obviously from Argentina, however, who is prone to offer originally touched vibrant IDM/mellow electronica-driven music which is variegated with slo-mo/downbeat undercurrents and rusty, cut-up glitch-esque beats (the last characteristic is distinctive at Fuerzas Teluricas). De la mano gets at least half of its inspiration beyond the borders of electronic music, however, incorporating baroque-esque layers wrapped up in a kind of electronic-mashed production. It rings out like Skipper (1995), a oeuvre by Daniel Figgis.

Gramatik - So Much For Love

Alland Byallo - Club Soda & Salt (2004)

Epsilonlab

9.7

/Dub-tech, Tech-house, Deep house, Electro-house, Avant-funk/

Comment: Alland Bryant Byallo aka Hall Monitor, is a DJ producer and label owner from California, issued his debut, 4-tracked piece in 2004 on Epsilonlab (most of the publications on this label should be recognized as classic ones today). This EP does have 2 dimensions on its own - the first of them consists of deep tech-house, shimmery electro-house, and at times dub-tech, which, at the second stage used to seamlessly expand into an instance of irresistible funk and techno disco streaming - it can be mentioned as a predecessor of the tunes of nowadays future funk. By the way, the starting track Good Touch is remixed by Éloi Brunelle.

Wreck And Reference - Black Cassette (2011)

Bandcamp
Lastfm

9.7

/Avant-metal, Psych-metal, Experimental metal, Lo-fi, Doom, Psychedelia, Post-rock, Crossover, Avant-rock, Epic/

Comment: This is a very appearance of frenzied, tortured metal music. Actually I am not able to acquire a clear-cut idea about its ideological standpoint and source - more concretely, is it either an offspring from the GYBE!/A Silver Mt Zion-like otherworldly abrasive obscureness or springing up from experimental metal? Or is it a child of the psychedelic, Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd? More importantly, all those 6 progressions are filled in with mesmerizing energy and cleaving aesthetics, stomping and being destructive at every moment and for every rock and metal genre. But after the agreement that it is a kind of metal-based occurrence the album can be considered the best metal album in 2011 so far.

Chris Forsyth + The Paranoid Cat Band - Live on WFMU's The Long Rally with Scott McDowell 3/18/11 (2011)

Free Music Archive

9.2

/Psychedelia, Drone rock, Improvised music, Avant-rock, Rockabilly, Crossover, Trance rock, Experimental rock/

Comment: This is a set of 3 improvised, long-running jam units by Chris Forsyth and 4 of his fellow musicians. Altogether, you can call it just trance rock, for instance. The first, 20-minutes notch involves the similarities with Spaceman 3, and Spiritualized through artistic guitar playing (relied on elusive arpeggios and repetitions and such kind of "dry" chord progressions reminiscent of the string magic by John Fahey) accompanied by Don Bruno`s incessant phase changes of organ`s droning. The second track might be considered as a modified, more experiment-appealed version of Blur`s Tender. The third notch mixes up sheer psychedelia with free form rock and distinctive undercurrents of rockabilly. Indeed, the whole seems to be rational that is the reason of why it is impressively accomplished.