Talkative - Light Years (2011)

Bandcamp

9.3

/Psychedelia, Free folk, Post-psychedelic, Psych-rock, Experimental indie, Electro-indie, Fuzz pop, Alternative pop/rock, Psych-folk, New Weird America, Crossover/

Comment: In fact, lots of elements is added in comparison with Talkative`s first album Strange Luxuries (2011, self-issued). The trio`s previous, quite austere anti-folk concept is potently widened this time embracing exulting, Animal Collective-inspired free folk-ish chasing, post-psychedelic synth progressions and dizzy psychedelic gears, on the other side, there are made up some furry fuzz pop appearances with relieving energetic loopholes. Furthermore, Voodoo Change would be a potential indie chart skyscraper based on electro-indie and demented psych-rock/stoner grooves. Highly enjoyable indeed.

Momoko Pins - Runner-Up

Speculativism - War and Peace (2010)

Archive.org
Bandcamp
Lastfm

9.5

/Avant-garde, Dada, Cosmic prog, Anti-folk, Freeformfreakout, Psych-music, Weird, Crossover, Shoegaze, Singer-songwriter, DIY, New Weird Europe/

Comment: Peter David-Smith, a 58-years old eccentric musician of the Scottish/Canadian heritage is one of those unsung frenetic artists coming from the Foggy Albion. The Hirundu, Gnomefoam, Children Of The Drone (and countless of its subsidiaries), Clinker are the first bundle I can remember promptly for. However, PDS can be entitled as the singer-songwriter by his approach, yet, his sound functions to swerve its way in a very peculiar manner. Dada/chamber/electro/cabaret, abrasive guitar forays, blindfold hip-hop progressions, exorcized piano music, off-the-wall folk/anti-folk/DIY/shi-fi and much more. From mocking grimasses over to desperate cry (by trying to summarize it figuratively somehow). Here is even a cover of John Lennon`s the most famous solo song (it is so warped that it is quite hard to recognize it). The favorite of mine is Aldershot which is a blend of cosmic prog and shoegaze-ish guitar templates. About a dozen of albums by him still waiting to be listened to. PDS is a truesome genius indeed.

Insect Guide - Grey Sky

Parchim - Tribal Sun (2011)

DNA Production
Lastfm

8.7

/Tribal techno, Ethnotronica, Crossover, Psytrance, Avant-industrial, Big beat, Dark ambient, Experimental, Downtempo, Illbient/

Comment: This is Parchim`s sophomore album, the follow-up to Инстинкт Самоуничтожения (which can be translated as instinct of self-destruction) issued in 2009. 5 tracks within 26 minutes will create a fabulous, trance-induced scape compiled of soothing ethnic/tribal downtempo and psychedelic trance paces and stomping big beat rhythms and bristled tribal techno paces backed up with dark ambient/illbient/industrial forays and layouts. And esoteric storytelling snippets as well. Altogether, all is finely channelized and designed to create unusual ambiences and elusive soundscapes waking up far-flung memories in a listener`s mind in any cases.

Jef Barbara | DannielRadall – Cocaine Love EP (2011)

Amdiscs
Bandcamp
Mediafire

9.2

/New Wave, Art pop, Alternative, Synth pop, Disco pop, Remix/

Comment: Montrèal-born Jef Barbara delivers a highly enjoyable vision of art pop relied on a mix of New Wave/synth pop/, and 70`s gay disco a la Gino Soccio, and Patrick Cowley. Indeed, it is very nicely balanced between the rhythms and harmony whiffs. The last track is DannielRadall`s remix of Cocaine Love. Similarly to Ariel Pink`s bedroom pop aesthetic this 5-track whole seems to be out of the determined time and epochs.

Romantic States - Still Petals (2011)

Beko DSL
Bandcamp
Lastfm

9.0

/Glo-rock, Alternative pop/rock, Bedroom pop, Lo.-fi, DIY, Experimental indie/

Comment: This is a combo (Jim & Ilenia) from Baltimore, Maryland, USA who used to produce a kind of music I would entitle as glo-rock made in bedroom. The duo`s sound consists of sublimely ascending layers based on lo-fi, fuzz pop and shoegaze-ish tendencies. The favorite of mine is The Fourth which exploits the arcs of mandolines above a Bacharach-esque melody hook (more concretely, it reminds of Do You Know the Way to San Jose sung by Dionne Warwick, and Frankie Goes To Hollywood once). An enjoyable, 6-pieced EP indeed.