[Old but important] e.p hall the edge the middle (CLLCT)

e.p hall has been one of the queens on the Bloomington-based CLLCT alongside with iron like nylon (Meghan Lamb) and Shelby Sifers. By avoiding to be a target by possible feminist attacks, however, I don`t feel myself internally hindered for to get name her as one the excellencers on the New Weird America scene as well. Moreover, she has been active since the first half of 00`s (the first demo was recorded in 2003), relatively long before the starting point of CLLCT. Listening to her home recorded 6-track album (2006) again after a while, after being on a year-long interval away from it I shall have to admit her conception works previously very good out. She is a musician who loves driving on acoustic guitars, mingling its mellow chords together with emotive, sometimes dream-alike voice and some synth currents and gurgling electronics. Indeed, at times e.p hall is used to be changed herself into an acutely flaming fur by putting acoustic guitars down or throwing them to the background and letting machine-inflected and electricity-filled sounds overlap and conquer the record`s backbone. For instance, That Letters and Numbers make is an epic maelstrom having lots of turnings up and down, getting quite close to the noise/shoegaze ensembles at times. A classic touch indeed.

Listen to it here

Crouching_World Wasted Time (Bandcamp)

A Chicagoean quartet consisting of Jober, SNuffy, Paragus, Sabez, Kevin K, is ready to give out a follow-up (of 3 tracks) to their great debut issue Passed Out, which offered a refreshing touch to a kind of open-ended experimental music compiled of the burden of drone, noise, psychedelic, electro/psychoacoustic lines, effect-loaded voice and electronics (reminding of the early, academical music-based sonic experiments), altogether having brought forth a resonating, DIY-soaked blast. Surely the kind of overtly psychedelic, lo-fi-esque approach has always been pointed out in a fine way. This is an example by the post-psychedelic electronica-relied tradition, indeed. By beavering away on KORG Electribe MX, KORG microKORG, Manipulated Thumb Drum, MacBook, Guitar, mad pedals, microphone + vox, however, the sophomore release continues partly with the similar desires, on the other side, in the title named track its sound seems to be more clear, even blissful, channelized into a gazing, even trance rock-ish spot. Yet, such sorts of tendencies will be abandoned at Killing Time Pt. 2 which is played out with a more improvisatory outlook, fringed by abrasive, even nihilistic synth pulsatings and rough blasts. This album is obligatory for everyone who is involved in cutting edge-touched, improvisational music.

Listen to it here

9.2

Power und Beauty The Gnome EP (Peppermill)

Behind the Spokane-based, Washington, US-quartet Power und Beauty are four women (Anna Collins-Wakeman, Sarah Moyer, Karli Fairbanks, and Caroline Fowler) playing up an interesting, New Weird America-esque folk conception on 4 tracks by using more or less conventional musical instruments (a battery sustained second hand keyboard, tambourine, vegetable steamer(!), glockenspiel, accordion, guitars, tambourine, shakers), yet basically being actualized via at times magnificently glee vocal harmonies, conjuring sublime overtones as well, for instance at Author Of The Spring, the strongest notch on the issue, accompanied only by some sparse guitar fingerpickings. The opening track Beggars and Felons, on the other side, is a whimsical, accordion-backboned groove outlook, and the following one, Lavender, is a light run of fast-paced progression on the accordion, having made out the impression with the help of barely heardable yet affectively touching shaker shuffle on the backdrop. Peaches is a (more) synth-chorded, half-droned folk occurence. A fine workout indeed.

Listen to it here

8.7

[Artists] Fatal Injection

BPM Front
Space-Time Continuum/Altered Existence
Lastfm

Helado Negro Pasajero (Asthmatic Kitty)

Helado Negro is Roberto Carlos Lange, a musician from Florida being part of the famous Asthmatic Kitty roster. Those 8 tracks, only 2 of them are the kind of original songs, represented here are up to a mesmerizing mix of contemporary indie music influences and Lange`s Latin (Ecuadorian) roots. In addition to the Latin-based rhythms and catchy melodies he sings in Spanish at times being assisted by Isaac Lekach (voice, guitar), Julianna Barwick (voice), Jason Ajemian (banjo), Jacob Champagne Wick (Trumpet), Jamie Reeder (violin), Shannon Fields (clarinet, accordion). By filled in to be astonishingly suggestive, sometimes even down to heartbreaking, longing-infected baroque pop tunes which initially were intended to be a gift for Lange`s parents. In fact, all the set of minutiae do make the full range sense, particularly because of austere yet sublime electronic undercurrents. Besides covering the songs of Los Iracundos, Eduardo Mateo, Roberto Carlos, and Leo Dan, he gives a new and modern touch for Pink Floyd`s Goodbye Cruel World. All in all, this set is a great example of how sexy could the Latin music be played out actually. My heart is gone indeed.

Listen to it here

10.0

[Artists] Candle Light

Candle Light/Bandcamp
Lastfm

Tunguska Electronic Music Society Ellipsis II: Tundra.Ambient.Dreams. vol.2 (Jamendo)

The Moscow-based Tunguska Electronic Music Society (TMS) can be admitted as an umbrella organization which embraces lots of musicians, producers, dj's and composers, who work in a profilic way from the beginning of 2007 in "Tunguska Music" style. Moreover, TMS is also a net of network music distribution labels and a net of little bars and cafes. Its branches are known under such names as Tunguska Chillout Grooves, Tunguska Music Society, Tunguska Project, Tundra Ambient Dreams, Tayga Feeling, Transsyberian Express, Nikola Tesla Tribute, etc.

Before the listening to the Ellipsis II: Tundra.Ambient.Dreams. vol.2 I made acquaintance with the previous ones by the likes of Ellipsis II: Tunguska.Across.Sphere. vol.2, and Ellipsis II: Tunguska.Shaman.Vimana. vol.2, which were more dominated by chillout-esque electronic music being interchanged via smooth jazz themes and mindtouching, atmospheric-fried electronic approach, respectively.

However, the collective fills in the Tundra-titled album with a different point of view being kicked off proceeding in an epic mix of ambient, drone, ethnic drums, wherein Kosmische Musik-alike acid-hued synth swirls are permanently zipping over vast landscapes, which progression later involves the elements of space rock/space synth, unleashing the flow of metallic shards and fluttering, atmospheric sonic arrows over to the space around to be expanded and conquered. In principle, it does recruit a quite austere sonic statement, it is even minimally designed out, on the other side, it does not afford minimalism-close attacks for itself, offering enough propulsions and warbles on its own. Sometimes the whole does acquire peculiar dimensions via weird, even dystopic sonority as if those frogs and insects living in the futuristic, robot-dominated world, would have been mutanted via genetic changes, respectively resulting in croaking and chirping out mechanical sounds hardly discerned. Moreover, any signs about the presence of human being are long dismissed. Still at the closure some resurgent, chant-esque vocals will be appeared to get evolved into a few patterns, yet, getting no dominant reference within the soundscape. For the nature-based concrete soothings as forthcoming concrete sounds in the last tracks, however, are much more importance reserved.

In the conclusion, I really wish to express affectionate hope that the epicness is a universal chracteristic and hence allowing for the 13 tracks within 75 minutes to actualize great touches and milieus for any kind of listeners.

Listen to it here

9.4