Cosmos Laguna - Karma Cleaner (2011)

Trash Can Dance

9.1

/Industrial electro, EBM, Industrial trance, Synth industrial, Alternative, Dark synth/

Comment: Cosmos Laguna is a brooding industrial electro act with apparent dodges by the side of trance and dark wave/synth music. Of course, the reference of mine must not be misunderstood. The album has nothing to do with the kind of cheesy trance acrobatics, though, some tracks show up weird dance-appealed vibes. Otherwise massively piercing beats and drilling electro forays are surrounded by wraith-alike veil and tight murky vapour. Behind this idiosyncratic project is Alari Keskla, a 33-year-old producer from Estonia. The album is released on the Estonian underground (CD-R) label Trash Can Dance.

elektrolandmusik - automat (2010)

Bandcamp
Elektrolandmusik
Archive.org
Lastfm

9.0

/Electro-acoustic, Experimental electronica, Acousmatics, Avant-garde, Toytronica/

Comment: elektrolandmusik provides a handful of compositions, made up of natural, repetitive xylophone-alike cuts and sequences wrapped up in loose electro-acoustic environments. Indeed, at times it rings like an explorative act on toytronic music based on the sounds of a modular synthesizer. The musician`s experiments resemble of the Finnish project Thuoom`s first album.

Dadala - Dreams (2006)

Dadala
Lastfm

8.9

/Improvised music, Noise, Experimentalism, Avant-garde, Weird pop, Post-industrial, No Wave/

Comment: RDunlop is an avant-garde musician who has been active since the mid of 80`s exploring the boundaries and realms of experimental music. On Dreams he takes on a wide array of genres and sounds, veering out both natural and synthetic, running across both sparse and overloaded ambiences. However, I am wondering how he is able to change those patterns permanently and seamlessly, being sometimes very relaxing through mellow jazz/downbeat standards and, on the other side, get involved in noiseful, soil-engorging mayhems. Or how he used to mix up pitchbent layers with found sounds or being obviously subjected to improvisatory algorithms. In between those extremities you can be a witness to the No Wave-alike explorations (reminding of Tuxedomoon, for instance) and malignant ambient.

The Vévé Seashore - A Cup of Coffee for Your Fears

The Brand New Heavies - Dunk Your Trunk (2011)

Pedigree Cuts
TBNH

9.0

/Afrobeat, Nu jazz, Acid jazz, Electronic pop, Psychedelic, P-funk/

Comment: TBNH is an ensemble which needs not be introduced actually. The legends of acid jazz/nu jazz, and house for almost three decades have came back with an album made up of the samples of library music. However, in the first place, these 14 tracks do have a catchy impetus throughout all the course involving the rhythms of jazz, P-funk, Afrobeat/funk. Indeed, mostly it provides dance-appealed paces, sometimes soothing moments as well.

Holiday Friends Christmas Treasury Volume III (2011)

Holiday

9.3

/Alternative rock, Indie rock, Conceptual/

Comment: let`s continue with the Christmas theme (the previous week The Gifted Children`s Christmas album was reviewed at RMH). There are 8 enthralling indie ditties by artists related to Holiday Records, one of the best indie labels all around the world. Acorn Boys, Greater Varsa, Palms On Fire, Saints & Children, Historical Society, The Arctic Flow, Church Library, and Francis of Nome are proudly represented there.

Kid A - In A Dream House EP (2010)

Kid A
Bandcamp
Lastfm

9.4

/Poptronica, Eelectronic pop, Alternative pop, Leftfield, Electro-rock/

Comment: Anni T is a musician from Virginia who has collaborated with such luminaries as Daedelus, Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip, and Agoria, for instance. Indeed, by listening to this 4-track issue I shall have to admit her very talented musical side which is made up of arty, orchestrated poptronica, tumultuous electronic pop and intense, piercing electro-indie. More profoundly, gloomy beats are tightly intertwined with mellow singing manner of her. And of course, you can sense lots of magic permanently oozing out of the slots of song structures. All in all, you can be sure that the EP is getting grow with each listening time.