aboombong amnemonic (Bandcamp)

First off, it is quite hard task to figure out in which way should aboombong`s new album/third album in turn be classified up to. However, it is a creatively destructive blend of diverse styles in the middle of it the prefix "post" is set up. Yet, JC Thorne`s music, even when you are used to be familiar with different sorts of musical genres, but despite of some closeness it sounds like the science fiction in real time. JC Thorne is a resident from Seattle, who has played in a dozens of ensembles during last three decades, though, it is very little known something about him. In the same way, some analogy can be drawn with Swedish krautrock/space rock/experimental rock outstanders Joxfield ProjeX, which is obviously curated by the two 60-years-old men.

The opening Cheshiahud Loop sounds like a smog-buried and neurotically repeating Holy Fuck. From Cracked and bloodied Fingers deepens further to increase the smog consistency while shoegaze and space rock frames do catch fire and begin to melt and seemingly slide away. More concretely, over 10 minutes of pure ecstasy can be discovered from here. Cromsby Grovernor Worthington's Jujujaiponmolam is played out through a very wide range of musical instruments (including shitloads of ethnic music drums and bells), yet, the very result is based upon a ticking loop of a hypnotic guitar gear in space rock/krautrock regime. 18-minutes of elemental enchantment, which could easily be considered the 21st century Hallelujah (CAN`s Tago Mago), or Krautrock (Faust`s IV). The epic alchemy, the way how to come over to my opinion essentially. Jiang Qing, Zhang Chunqiao, Yao Wenyuan, & Wang Hongwen in Dahomey does acquire monstrous dimensions via demolishing drums and scratching guitars while retaining its majestic façade. The anxiety and anger on the track could almost cut with a knife. The album will be stopped off after Noon which is billowy/expanding/spasmic ambient drone metallic refuse, thereafter the whole can be summed up as a monster hovering above everywhere. This is a kind of eclipse of the sun, played up with an experienced know-how and outrageous energy swoop. In fact, one of the most astonishing releases of 2010, for sure. Enjoy and take care of it.

Listen to it here

10.0

[Artists] Echoes de Luxe

Echoes de Luxe
Myspace
Lastfm

[Old but important] Etrethn EP (Tavern Eightieth)

By concerning on for listening to music this very purpose is not only related to wholly hedonistic consideration to be enjoyed. Its side task is to discover small music communities and movements within the vast music business circuit, acknowledge them and integrate them into a broader system of the music community. Nowadays, because of the expansive popularity of different virtual social environments (Facebook, Twitter etc) it is not only the task and straining of the music critics anymore.

Maybe you can remember for I had overviewed such a Leeds-based vanguard dream folk musician as Michael Waters aka Model Warships recently, who is known by his uncountable collaborations and side projects and his constructive relationship with certain labels like Tavern Eightieth and BeatIsMurder as well.

One of such cooperations by Waters is Shi Toys with Edward Trethowan (also the British) whose doings are concerned on the likes of Anva, An Insection, and Etrethn (yet obviously misunderstood by myself how to spell it, though). Trethowan`s action with Etrethn can be viewed on the one issue only. However, merely named as EP (of 6 tracks within 29 minutes) it is really worth to pay much attention for it. As the basic processing peak, a fine and calculated interplay between noise, kinds of pulsations and psycho-acoustic ambiences, and throbbing industrial-alike rhythms can be detected here. By my opinion, as a speculative exercise the EP might be divided into two sections, correspondingly, consisting of first five tracks, and the last (and the most extended) one Shackracing.7, which is an omnipotent case of magnificient, epic ambient noise/cadencic space rock/ambient techno monstrum.

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Sturqen Radio Inoculation (Vacu Sessions)

Vacu Sessions is a sound art/sound design environment/community/label/blog, offering gently live sessions, mix sets, and uncommon DJ-gigs. Obviously it is located in Finland somewhere. Their slogan is as clear as the following one: heavy or light, new and old, predictable or totally unknown: the important here is the dynamic of the music. A continuous exploration of sound.

Here is a track from Sturqen, called Radio Inoculation, specially recorded for RadiaLx 2010, an International Radio Art Festival. With the longitude of 27.58 it seems to be an endless journey via sound exploration and observant knob-twiddling manipulation. Actually Radio Inoculation do tallow our visions and preconceptions about sound art as a kind of. Undoubtedly Sturqen`s conception is rigid, minimal and doggedly insensitive. Imperative even malicious signals, digital crackling of brown noise, throbbing monotonous drone lines and spacious layers are the agents up here presenting their very role to enact an intriguing conception between music and sound design, between a kind of music and non-. In fact, it does mean that there are even some little edges for warm feelings as well. What else can I add to for you - take your time and check it out for the more releases on Vacu Sessions. It is sometimes quite purposeful to listen to it for purifying of your mind.

Listen to it here

9.0

[Artists] Billie the Vision & the Dancers

Billie the Vision & the Dancers
Bandcamp
Myspace
Lastfm

Oathless Standing Where Our Paths Shall Meet (Hawk Moon)

For sure, the British have been having a proud tradition of ambient music veered from the conceptions of Brian Eno and David Toop to the later and recent works by the Caretaker, Cousin Silas, Phillip Wilkerson and Simon Housley. Simon Housley is a young musician from Stoke-on-Tent having been releasing music since 2007. His first tracks were played out as spacey neofolk/chamber folk-drenched pieces, which soon evolved into a more melancholic space music approach, completed strongly with the ingredients of modern classical/symphonic progressions and dark ambient/dystopbient, and infused layers of musique concrete as well. Besides an array of singles, however, Housley has self-released three albums being as an obligatory task for every serious ambient music lover to be listened here and now. Those issues are Seen Through Reflection, Lambent Amber Winds, and Zephyr.

No doubt, his new release of 8 tracks continues to move along those aforementioned ambient characteristics. In principle, it is slow, minimal yet extensive, and hypnotic based upon the phase changing-alike methodology. Though it is an austere sonic example it does evoke a lot of emotions, for instance, extraditing the sense of still life, as if foretelling us about the forthcoming cold and snowy winter. In fact, the season is arrived exactly in such kind of embodiment and the emotion is mightily up here to be became much more dinstinct. Vis à vis with Housley`s previous releases it does seem to be a bit more solemn yet remaining its status as a somehow joyous oeuvre, though.

Listen to it here

9.1

Vincent Lillis The Singularity (Rack & Ruin)

The last album of the Rack & Ruin being overviewed on this blog was Teacups` Song about Yarn, an off-kilter blend of magnificient chamber pop/baroque pop and abrasive chiptune beats. Thereafter my spot has drifted away from the doings of the label involuntarily and unfortunately. Now it is time to come back again, and hopefully having no possibilities for further apologizes anymore.

The irishman Vincent Lillis is an extraordinary young musician, having released his third album in two years already. His previous albums Purple Magpie, and Neb Nub offered a off-the-wall blend of artistic guitar music with a kind of alternative dance appeal. You could hear The Fall-esque skidding bass strokes, Ian Brown`s electronic touch, kinds of inbalanced and unfixed somber backdrops, even some world music elements which altogether was being perceived a bit arty-farty in some sense. In any cases, it did need quite much attention to hold up your concentration to be fixed upon this.

The Singularity seems to be his most mature release (read it: purposefully channelized one) to date. The opening Mind Your Mind is a loud cacophonous track with heavy drum breakbeats, gorgeous bass pulsatings, and a funny sunbeam-named looping synth effect, all in all it recalls Primal Scream`s the 90`s second half/00`s beginning (albums Vanishing Point; Xtrmntr). However, the following tracks continue to drive on similar way in principle, besides it recruiting tabla drums, dynamic bass lines, spacey vocal chants, programmed beats, also finding the support from the 70`s post-punk movement as well. The tightness of ambience under and around the conception is an interesting matter to follow, for instance, discovering some underpressure-overpressure fluctuations at times. Consequently the result underlying spiderwebbing mesh work seems to function per excellence. Indeed, an solid alternative dance/madchester/baggy set evoking pleasant memories of good old times. A nostalgic slap, in fact.

Listen to it here

9.3

Dark Souls Day X-Lives (Af-Music/Jamendo)

I have listened to the Thessalonikian (Greek) band Dark Souls Day`s debut album X-Lives for a while having really been enjoying it. On the first place, because of being stilistically categorized as gothic/dark rock its topics and characteristics are inevitably common to the abovementioned genres consisting of dark-sided lyrics, low-key guitar chords and extended riffs, exhilarating combinations of post-punk-esque rigid bass and full-packed drum cadences, and dark-shrouded synth figures. Besides it, Nikos`s lead vocal (reminiscent of Peter Steele) is thoroughly resignated but not only driving on monotonous gears and wheels though, offering enough key changes and dark-spirited variations. Secondly, when the roles will be inverted for the sake of Pepi`s singing times then the accents will be getting up otherwise, finding out closeness to hardcore-alike indie/alternative rock (The Breeders, The Pixies, Dinosaur Jr etc). No doubt, you can hear a watershed having drawn alongside the borders of post-punk and alternative rock, the 70`s ending/80`s beginning and the 80`s second half/90`s beginning. Yet, it has no disturbing effects. Outspoken in advance, the album is fulfilled with great numbers, though, the special favorite of mine is epic Electrify, one of the best songs of 2010 on an album being one of the finest examples in the gothic/post-punk area during last years.

Listen to it here

9.3

Felipe Casey Cardona Casio Nightlife (Noise Horror)

Having a speak about Felipe Casey Cardona`s 4-track cassette single Casio Nightlife it is not realistic to ignore a nowadays musical situation, this kind of which was rooted by Ariel Pink`s low-tech doings in the middle of the 00`s having attracted so many attention and (re-)launched a new home recording wave, developed mostly into chillwave/glo-fi/stargaze, or witch house/drag/haunted house music nowadays, which relies on a blend of the roughness of the do-it-yourself aesthetics and dream-alikeness of the bedroom music. However, the situation is greatly changed to date and the greatest of them (Ariel Pink, Devendra Banhart, Wavves) are being signed up by well-known labels, moreover, the aforementioned artists have managed to move on toward the centre of pop music, though.

Cardona takes his path in a direct and downright way. Low-end synths and noir-alike vocal sequences with some sense of violet-y colorings are ready to be instantly thrown to the forefront from the very start to the end. The opening and self-titled track seems to be a tribute to the erotic music, on the other way, the finishing Subjective Paradoxical Argument is a deep inner space noir. Two tracks in between do conjure naivistic synth chords and merely discernible distorted backcloth, by having the singing in English and in Spanish. In fact, he does prevalently drift in a lucid and high spirited mood, yet, in the ending phase his conception is used to seem a little bit monotonous and weary. But he is a talented guy anyway. Lets wait what will the sophomore issue bring with.

Listen to it here

7.7

[Old but important] 8bit Betty Too Bleep To Blop (Hippocamp)

If to check out for the legendary Manchesterian label Hippocamp`s (being on hiatus at the moment) download rates at Archive.org you can see Bryan Teoh`s album Too Bleep To Blop sharing bravely the second place with more than 40 000 times (not included the other download sites and servers to this sum). Vox populi vox dei, as it is used to say nowadays. Although five years have already passed since the release date, however, Teoh`s magic powder have been very refreshing up today yet. 7 tracks, based prinicipially on the numbers of chiptune/8-bit/chipbreak/tracker music, being part of this (those) genre (genres), within it recent computer music was started off approximately two and a half decades ago, and maintained previously (cult) popularity to date as well. Teoh is obviously one of the most ardent musicians I have had the privilege to listen to. Indeed, ablaze breakcore rhythms, subtle pace changes, great harmonic sweetness coming forth through autotuned vocals and elements of lollipop and shibuya-kei - even more else, the echoes of indie/shoegaze music can be heard therein. The American's ante is performed on the covering of 8bit`s very technical nature with a lot of emotions and life sense. If to mention all of those extraordinary tracks like And I Know That You're Happy (Ballad of the Lonesome Spaceboy), Reading Rainbow, Nikoma's Theme (Extended Mix) Spooky Loop, the Green Kangaroo, Blast Off!, it might be viewed as a tautological array because Too Bleep To Blop consists actually of 7 tracks only. Teoh`s comeback with his new releases would be very recommended in any case.

Listen to it here