Coke Weed - Volume One (2011)

Coke Weed

9.3

/Alt-folk, Americana, Experimental indie, Indie folk, Art rock, Alternative pop/rock, Indie rock, Folk indie, Alt-country/

Comment: Coke Weed is a quartet from Bar Harbor, USA delivering a set of 10 tracks which is self-released by the musical group itself. However, the notches are filled in with folk/indie pop tunes being very strongly influenced by so-called saccharine underground/cowboy psychedelia genre introduced once by Lee Hazlewood. Furthermore, similarly to the legendary musician, CW like to diversify their soundscape with female and male (baritone) mixed vocals backed up with chiming magic dust and chirpy guitar strums. For instance, listen to Sea Smoke, or Dandy, or nevermind, something else and you can get a clear-cut idea of how root-related music can be interpreted in modern way without losing the initial power and adding to it lots of new features.

Romantic States - Come Over To My House (rare bootleg) (2012)

Bandcamp
Mediafire

8.7

/Glo-fi, Alternative pop, Noise rock, Garage rock, Fuzz rock, Primitive, DIY, Lo-fi/

Comment: it is a rare, 11-track recording by Romantic States, a Baltimore-based glo-rock duo. Jim plays a guitar, synth and sings, and Ilena delivers percussion. More profoundly, the washes of rough guitar riffs are variegated with catchy synth gears and unpolished background hums and susurrant bits and rusty drum sequences. All of that is rehearsed and recorded in the duo`s upstairs room. Though the issue is an interesting listening, however, I recommend listen to Romantic States´ full-length albums in the first place.

[Teaser of the day] Elite Gymnastics – Real Friends

Shapeless Lab - Space EP (2011)

Akashic
Lastfm

9.2

/Krautrock, Psyambient, Kosmische Musik, Industrial metal, Crossover, Electronic pop, Psytrance, Avant-garde/

Comment: this is an occult but highly enjoyable record. The 4-track set holds surprisingly a wide array of sonic turns and shades, extending from krautrock-ish and psychedelic ambient/trance vibes to a more aggressive industrial metal undertaking. However, if you like NIN, Weird Ribs, Fujiya & Miyagi, Tunguska Electronic Music Society, Simiram this issue is thought exactly for you. And you have no chance to get disappointed.

Entertainment for the Braindead - Wastelands

Skai Nine - Ember (2012)

Bandcamp

9.1

/Electro pop, Alternative, Electro pop, Glo-fi, Alternative dance, Synth pop, Sampledelic, Lo-fi/

Comment: it is said that Skai Nine is a lover and creator of all kinds of electro-based music, drawing inspiration from hip-hop to the synth pop sounds of the 80s. Indeed, you can listen to lone piano chords dripping above crispy, angular-shaped cadences (the release benefits from those variable, catchy bass lines). Or you can enjoy more burbly, peeping blisstronica and instrumental electro-mixed compositions coming directly out from old school sequencers and keyboards. It is charmingly a little bit clumsy and lo-fi (or even primitive). The favorite of mine is highly groove-ish All In Together. Actually it says everything. In a word, this 4-track EP is infected with electro disco virus.

Inch Chua - Wallflower (2010)

Inch Chua
Bandcamp

9.0

/Alternative pop, Indie pop, Dream pop, Chamber pop, Baroque pop, Poptronica/

Comment: Inch Chua is a Singaporean singer-songwriter whose apparent influences veer away early Radiohead-hued alternative rock and early Cardigans-esque mellow pop, Jane Siberry-alike flirtations with more classical and chamber music standards and even jazz/downbeat whiffs. Chua`s vocal manner is whimsical and permanently changing. Some songs are more chart-appealed than others (Discern). However, there are represented 12 notches which showcase Chua`s ability to write crafty, suggestive pop examples. I felt in love with them. Grrrl power.