[Old but important] Replicast The Wallstreet Compound (Obliq/Cryptophonics)

Replicast, Colorado-based octet`s (one of the persons behind it is Eric Allen, also known as a member of The Apples In Stereo) sophomore album, being released in the end of the previous year, reveals the next steps after the debut album Replicast-X. The follow-up, consisting of 9 tracks is full of mixed music (recorded in live and made without overdubs), i.e krautrock-esque hazy jams (remembering CAN`s early period loosely-leaded session sonority), tingling guitar glides, meditative rhythm sections, extending guitar riffs, eager experimentations with drum kits, and all of it is hardwired to a caustic soup of psychedelic Oberheim synthesizers. In a nutshell, this is a huge improvisation set, except Radio Nippon sounding like a tribute to Sonic Youth, though. The whole is mostly instrumental, hovering between outer space and earth, spinning up a lot of every kind of dust on variable sonic elements. No doubt, it may at times be seem as a bit inbalanced or swaying plateau, however, not because of being somehow imperfect, instead of it rather searching for new sonic possibilities through dense interplay of certain instruments, thereafter changing them and finding out for new combinations with others.

Listen to it here

[Old but important] Single Bullet Theory SBT: 1977-1980 (Artifacts/yclept/FMA)

I really love the 70`s music because of not only I was born then (being a part of it 5 weeks, though). It was time when music found itself through very different tendencies and appearances, forming up into decent mainstream pop, innovative crossover areas and shitload branches of blasting avant-garde styles. But it also remained as a decade for a lot of music to be discovered nowadays yet.

Undoubtedly, Single Bullet Theory was such a kind of ensemble from Richmond, Virginia. The band was established on the ruin of the likes of Big Naptar, Grossbreed, and X-Breed, being influenced by garage rock and punk currents, and getting even some highlight glimpses by having shared the stage with Ramones, Patti Smith, and Talking Heads, and found out its way onto MTV, and Billboard chart.

Frank Daniel, Dennis Madigan and Michael Maurice Garrett (along with their soundman Z plus some guest musicians) do offer a solid set of 11 tracks, sounding at times as a soft (or half-soft) version of Talking Heads through its bubblegummish bass hooks and vivacious cadences, and on the other hand, getting very close to new wave/synth pop bands through its distinct synth wisps and gears. Thirdly, you can perceive the influences of fusion and progressive rock (for example, some similarities with King Crimson), and tricky soft rock issues with strong southern rock influences. Or just a kind of entertainment pop rock is proudly represented here. The especially favorite examples of mine are Das Madchen, Miss Two Knives, There is the Boy, and Rock Around the Apocalypse. So listen to it and let`s figure out your favorite figures from this honest and very strong album.

Listen to it here

[Artists] rngmnn

rngmnn
1798
Enoughrecords
Supersupersuper
Grundruck
Lastfm

Tiny Fireflies ePop005 (Eardrums Pop)

By concerning on every kind of single labels around us I have mostly referred to Beko DSL, yet, there are other akin records as well, definitely enough worth to pay much attention. For instance, the likes of Club 7, Bad Panda, and Eardrums Pop are the names to be rememebered in the first place.

In fact, the last named record was previously known by its sizable indie pop compilations (13 compilations in total), having acquired a kind of magnificient quality the better you are hardly able to find out from somewhere else (indeed, your obligation is just to listen to those ones!). However, the last notches of its discography are exclusively the matter of singles, having a geographical stretch from Indonesia to The United Kingdom, from Finland to the United States. By stilistical approach it might be compared to the sounds of the legendary The Slumberland Records, and The Best Kept Secrets. Indeed, mellow indie pop, consisting of jangle pop and twee pop shadows, yet, having a nowadays touch via poptronic elements.

The Fireflies`s 3-tracks single set is the first missive, signifying the departure from the array of compilations. A duo (Leslie and Kristine) comes from Chicago, having been sharing their duties at Very Truly Yours, and proceeding their solo projects (Tiny Microphone; Fireflies) as well. One of those beatific tracks is a cover of Skeeter Davis` hit The End Of The World, inspired by Claude Longinet`s interpretation of it, and another (Holding Pattern) exploits a sample by Serge Gainsbourg`s La Horse. As it is said yet, it sounds really beatific reminiscent of chillwave oozings and sighs, getting quite close to Memoryhouse (Kristine`s hyper dreamy timbre and vocal manner turns/ascents tend to be similar to Denise Nouvion). On the other hand, a kind of slow(core) movement with the help of drum machines and cathedral-alike organs conveys a decent cue toward Beach House, though. Or hinting at the beautiful coverprint (by Minkee) could have it be named as "lovewave" instead of? A great music, no doubt.

Listen to it here

9.4

[Artists] Etrethn

Tavern Eightieth
Myspace
Lastfm

Atlas Sound Bedroom Databank Vol. 1 (Atlas Sound)

Nowadays (experimental) indie music golden boy Bradford Cox is back again. No doubt, he was one of those remarkable newcomers - besides the tandem Avey Tare-Panda Bear, and Ariel Pink - whose conception poisoned profoundly the understandings of music lovers throughout the previous decade. At first, with Deerhunter, as the singer of the Atlanta-based quintet (now quartet), he has been evolving a blend of art-rock, noise rock, space pop/ambient, and shoegaze, all wrapped up in expansively psychedelic ambience. As Atlas Sound, his one-man-band, he is used to exploit the most of the abovementioned stylistic elements while showed up more electronic and laptop-based approach as well. By the way, besides the extraordinarily lank look he is also known by his exclusive songwriting method via stream-of-consciousness.

During last years he has released a lot of concert outtakes and bedroom demo recordings of the both projects via his/Deerhunter blog. Bedroom Databank Vol. 1 compiled of 11 tracks is the last appearance in the array (in Wikipedia has already mentioned the numerical follow-ups to the Bedroom Databank). The album is stilistically a wide-scale one, extending from minimally bleeping laptop-based lo-fi electronics, and Stereolab-esque light-filled synthetic pop to harmonica-leaded introvert alt-folk/indie folk songs (though it is mostly managed to be fulfilled with every kind of electronic effects). However, by my opinion, Lanterns is an outstanding ambient track, encircled by ticking icy-tinged IDM-beats. Really profound and sensitive, remembering a bit of Pulp`s Seductive Barry. There are also two covers represented here to get coated into new appearances (Bob Dylan`s This Wheel`s On Fire; Kurt Vile`s Freak Train).

Listen to it here

8.6

[Artists] Dark Souls Day

Afmusic
Jamendo
Bandcamp
Archive.org
Myspace
Lastfm

Fescal Endorphin (1798)

This year has been busy for Fescal, a British native residing in the South Korea at the moment, having previously released some issues under Black Square (Omnia), and Bypass (Lethal Industry) AD 2010.

However, endorphin is in effect a good substance for one`s brain to lift up the mood and give a firm push for a subject`s further movings and actions. The essential question is, should it always be designed into a variegated output or might it be the matter of sparseness as well? Regarding an example of Fescal`s new one, I can admit that the last named possibility has also a solid perspective, though. 7 tracks consisting of sparse layers of ambient, throbbing microtextures, subtle tape hiss-based ingredients and darkwave-esque harmonies. Even a half-way inbetween ambient and krautrock-alike touch are conjured here (Sheep Dip), and the glass bead game of Door Cinema (with the assistance of loops, droning microsounds, and musique concrete). Indeed, by its mood the sonority of the whole at times does consist strange (dystopic) impulses of an isolated place somewhere. Here the writer says that the best tracks are the two last ones (Waltzing Nature; Frozen Time) and the first one (Hollow Spirit), finding out and acquiring mightily epic point of views.

It to estimate the album from the ideal perspective of ambient and experimental music, the result is getting proportionally close to the final end.

Listen to it here

9.3

Alessio Ballerini Blanc (Zymogen)

The privilege, the pleasure is mine... . Zymogen is back with its new notch, Alessio Ballerini`s brand new heavy album Blanc. The coverprint with a snowy mountain peak...what is it up here to be referred actually? As it is obviously known "Blanc" does mean as "white" in French, so is it possible to have somehow a reference to the highest peak in the Europe? Why not, though in fact, the album concerns on climate changes regarding the melting of the ice sheets of Greenland. 5 tracks are appeared here to be sounded really warm and comfortable, though, it is full of ghosts and ghouls, which, however, are not used to be frightening occurences. The whole one might be reminiscent of borealic space of Tim Hecker, endlessly snowy landscapes, chaotically swirling airy vectors and silent whirls of the storm. Here you can relax for listening to hiss-infused mini-orchestrations, electro-acoustic trash-y clangors, minimally sounding piano loaded modern classical pieces. Could you imagine that a kind of (beatific) shit and a piece of beauty are rolling alongside to get finally joint together, and as a result, delivering a hallmark about an exhilarating sound example in the end of 2010. By the way, Ballerini is helped by Canenero, Gianni Pavan, and Christian Fennesz (indeed, by this famous österreicher Fennesz).

Listen to it here

9.4

[Compilation] Beko DSL Beko_Fla (Beko DSL)

In fact, there is not much time passed by when I reviewed Bekos DSL`s compilation box_3 being dedicated to witch house/drag/haunted house/screwgaze/crunk shoegaze. It is another compilation, however, also subnamed as A Beko/Free Loving Anarchists Collab concerning profoundly on shoegaze, lo-fi, fuzz pop, dream pop, and post punk-influenced sound from one area/scene (Houston, Texas). Indeed, this miscellany can be dealt with as a fine indie stuff for nowadays people being seriously annoyed by the mediocrity and unvariedness of ordinary music examples. 8 tracks by projects like Rape Faction, Lois Magic, Pink Playground, Young Henry, The KVB, Virgo Rising, Wicked Crafts, Sacred Place do draft solid harmonies and catchy pace notches. The favorite numbers of mine are The KVB`s Into The Night which is an experimental drive on the level of DIY via pulsating trance-alike synth drones, and Joy Division-esque coolness; and Virgo Rising`s To Deal Without It based upon reminiscence of a track by My Bloody Valentine (find it yourself out, I guess) through a memorable synth repetition and spaced-out milieu.

Listen to it here