[Artists] Wake The Giant

Wake The Giant
Myspace
Lastfm

[Old but important] The Transmitters Count Your Blessings (You Are Not Stealing Music)

I can not even hesitate for some seconds that the British-rooted post-punk movement has probably offered one of the most impressive moments during the overall pop course, spawning a lot of bands with different point of views, from mocking dadaistic pop ideas to artistical endeavor for creating new exhilarating near-pop conceptions. More concretely, from industrial music-driven vanguard conceptions (This Heat) to danceable krautrock-influenced experimental punk occurences (The Magazine; Public Image Limited; Gang Of Four) were only some ways to illustrate this wave of new offsprings. There were also an array consisting of The Fall, The Mekons, Echo & The Bunnymen, The Cure, The Slits, Swell Maps, The Pop Group among others. This is music I like to consider a kind of punk music instead of so-called punk music I am used to really despise for its empty twitch (Public Image Limited pisses off Sex Pistols for sure).

Undoubtedly The Transmitters has been among the best examples of the kind of. They released three albums all in all from which the last one Count Your Blessings (1987/1989) was reissued under the Portugese label You Are Not Stealing Music in 2006. The album of 8 tracks reveals psychedelic spaced-out avant-rock environments, even the elements of world music are up here to be infused into a vibrant universe of funk rock guitars, hysteric singing/manifesting manner and detail-riched drummings, remembering the albums of CAN by the second half of 70`s. Especially outstanding number is Radio Studente, mixing burning psychedelia (of caustic synths and abrasively repeating space fusion-alike guitars) and sufi music into an exhilarating whole. However, after the hiatus of The Transmitters, the members of the band continued to make up their cult position in the line-up of Transglobal Underground, and Loop Guru.

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Weldroid Attitude Indicator (Kahvi)

I suppose, there is no question about Tamas Zsiros aka Weldroid`s ability to proof himself as an artistically established musician among the IDM-niks in worldwide. No doubt, his previous releases Stranglehold (2008, Kahvi), and Splines (2010, Soft Phase) has showcased his strength to reach off mesmerizing rhythmic patterns, playing out in abstract cadences at the one time, or keen likely to harmony-based occurences at the second time, or infused versions of the two abovementioned ones at the third time. Yet, it is not a kind of near-softcore IDM appearance, having its flow on a blend of motorik gears and electro-esque blurbing of the robot-alikeness in the style of Autechre or Dopplereffekt, respectively. In a word, based upon a sheer cutting edge conception.

However, the Hungarian`s third release (15 tracks within approximately 80 minutes) under the legendary Kahvi Collective seems to be more outstripping vis à vis with the two previous issues. Aside every kind of obligatory nucleus-based angular metallic techno beat variations around here you can detect for krautrock-alike Moog-based blurbs in the vein of Tangerine Dream or its members` solo projects (Silicon Man Extraterrestrial), deliciously malicious sonic effects, in-deep-psychedelia-poking-around synth brooding or elemental cosmic layers to overlap and spice up the whole record. One of the best electronic albums of 2010 to date.

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9.6

[Artists] FUR

FUR
Mine All Mine
Myspace

Black Tambourine black tambourine cassette (Bandcamp)

There were quite messy times about the musical situation in the Foggy Albion during the 80`s when indie music had intensely searched for its very own identity. Of course, the solid premisses were up there having been moulded via the post-punk/proto-indie blowouts, and The Smiths made its succesful enterings into top charts. To be set up into the broader meaning of a then-time occurence chain, it was appropriate time when underground music identified itself through the cassette culture movement as well. In any cases, the tape-based C86 compilation was the most influental appearance showcasing a wide and vital array of twee pop and jangle pop ensembles at the time, some of which later evolved into alternative dance/baggy form (for instance, The Soup Dragons, and Primal Scream), and some musicians (Tim Gane) abandoned/cancelled his previous band (McCarthy), replacing it with obvious purpose toward innovative pop frontiers with a new type of formations (Stereolab) to be reached off.

The aforementioned situation by the US-side was strongly reverberated by the label Slumberland, which the most golden rabbits were/are The Lilies, Hood, and Black Tambourine. The last named one was consisted of the members of Whorl, and Velocity Girl, having crossovered twee, noise pop, and shoegaze (though a bit less visible angle) elements with each other. More concretely, Black Tambourine might be imagined as a bastard of Jesus & The Mary Chain, Lush and Talulah Gosh. A great bastard, yet, having stuck in catchy, joyous, and delightful warbles.

On this compilation, 4 solid tracks/re-mixes made by Don Zientara after the mastertape of original mixes were stolen from a car are proudly represented here. The differences between original mixes and new mixes are apparently subtle in principle - doubled vocals on Can't Explain and For Ex-Lovers Only, a long feedback ending to Throw Aggi Off The Bridge, different effects & treatments (reverb, reverb, reverb) all around. The vocals are somehow buried even deeper, and the guitars sound louder. Undoubtedly a hidden pop music chapter lighted up nowadays.

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9.0

Peripherique Tiefseetauchen (Musicartistry)

Musicartistry is a label/musical environment which release frequency graphics is unfortunately getting underneath with every year. Indeed, Peripherique`s brand new heavy is the first notch under the record in 2010. Peripherique comes from Cologne, having been in music for nearly ten years and recorded a lot of issues since 2004 under Musicartistry in principle. In the beginning, though, defined as hip-hop artist he has gradually drifted into trip-hop and dub music area.

Listening to the Tiefseetauchen (of 8 tracks), however, the main spot is focused upon dub, representing nowadays stylistic currents, thereby continuing the aesthetical array of the last albums. First of all, it is all about cinematic dubstep cadences, which is interlocked with tekno and trance blurbs at times. Except the finishing track Statik, being remixed by Zengineers, which is a case of dream-alike drum and bass, having strong reminiscence of the 90`s (Dillinja, LTJ Bukem).

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8.8

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.

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10.0