Sofa Club - Ruby Red (2011)

Bandcamp

9.6

/Synth pop, Alternative pop, New Wave, Electronic pop, Alternative dance/

Comment: A fantastic mix of New Romanticism and New Wave, which more concretely does hint at lacing of catchy synth harmonics with uplifting dance-appealed cadences and all-round colourful luster. Yet, it might hide more than you are able to figure out at the first sight. There can be detected for some similarities with the timeless aestethics of Ariel Pink, for instance. All in all, it is one of the best keyboard-based albums during the last years. Indeed, it pretends to sound like dance music in the discotheque of a flying spaceship in the future sometime. Really retrofuturistic - the future is actually now.

The Sunshine Factory - Sugar (2011)

BFW Recordings

8.7

/Shoegaze, Alternative rock, Noise rock, Fuzz pop, Psychedelia, Dream pop/

Comment: Honestly, after the first listening time this publication of 10 tracks did not satisfy me - it seemed to be way too superficial and easy and at times incomprehensibly strange with those unexpectedly cutted off songs showcasing itself like a sort of demo-like songs. However, I decided to listen to it further and general perspective of the album started to better with each time. Beyond the incorporating of dizzy guitar noise impetuses similar to Isn`t Anything and Loveless respectively, the album starts out to fall into convincing psychedelia via noiseful walls spiced up with a handful of electronic sentiments and danceable rhythms. Indeed, it is a strong output from Alabama, USA.

Sturqen - Episode 07 (2011)

Radius

9.0

/Noise, Minimal, Experimental electronica, Drone noise, Abstract electronica, Microtonal, Avant-garde, Conceptual, Sound-art/

Comment: Cèsar Rodrigues and David Arantes do conjure up machine-determined sonic shamanism where abstract droning/drilling noise meets somewhat monotonically stomping cadences at times. Lots of shards of noise, hisses and shades can be met around there. By a more conceptual aspect, Portugese radio transmissions were exploited as initial source material for the track which was created separately of each other. Those 18 minutes can be compared either to Pan Sonic or Autechre, or both of the legends of electronic music.

Rodzmatos – Untimely Music (2011)

PandaFuzz

7.4

/Improvised music, Jazz, Cool jazz/

Comment: This silentfully rolling set of 5 long-running (or very long-running) tracks resembles of the workouts by Miles Davis from the ending part of 60`s (his collaboration with Gil Evans) except as if the trumpets were replaced with string instruments and cool jams. At times beautiful, at times a little bit boring and predictable, during most of its course it is consistent yet - such kind of salon music.

Thomas Truax - Free As Fireflies In May (2011)

Bandcamp

9.0

/Experimental indie, Indie pop, Alternative pop, Singer-songwriter/

Comment: I fell in love with this velvet-like and harmonic-loaded single. This rings out like a crossroad between mellow Sonic Youth and jangle pop glimpses. Thomas Truax is an experimental indie musician who started off in 90`s. First of all, he is known through loads of self-mastered instruments like Sister Spinster, Mary Poppins (sic!), Mini Sister Spinsters, Mother Superior and some other ones. By the way, during this year he has released one single per month via Bandcamp. So please stay tuned on this cult musician.

Wingclipper – Recursion (2010)

Share Free Music

8.7

/Instrumental hip-hop, Trip-hop, Lo-fi, Sound collage, Crossover/

Comment: This 8-track issue is a patchwork of diverse styles - from instrumental hip-hop and trip-hop, down-tempo-backed rhythms to witty samples, mutanted sonic effects and arid lo-fi attitude. Sometimes it used to be hypnotically floating, at times nervously stomping and abrasive. It reminds of the workouts by the Canadian label Neferiu Records. By the way, the coverprint reminds in a funny way of the sleeve of Love`s Forever Changes (1967). However, the album seems to be the kind of grower.

Frame - Visions (2009)

Enough Records
Lastfm

8.6

/Psyambient, Electronic pop, Big beat, Crossover, Goa trance, Chillout, IDM/

Comment: Although the album kicks off with dark-hued, spaced-out electronics, it later develops into mainly chill-y mid-tempo electronic pop, which is embellished with glossy IDM and brooding psybient/Goa trance and thudding big beat-relied rhythm characteristics or containing the elements of all of them at once. A solid set of 10 tracks from Portugal.