ki††y c▲t - hold on (2011)

Bandcamp
Lastfm

9.3

/Avant-electronica, Witch house, Dubstep, Haunted house, Drag, Experimental electronica, Trianglecore, Dark Wave, Crunk shoegaze/

Comment: this is a set being a part of the witch house/drag/newbreed/haunted house scene coming out from Russia. The issue comprises 8 tracks spreaded out over 22 minutes. However, the publication is full of flourishing higher chords and gritty, exorcized beats and seamlessly infiltrated noises in between it. Flickering dark wave and shoegaze mixed layers (reminding rather of the likes of Lycia, and Scarlet Leaves) used to conjure up ghastly milieus and hollow yet sensitive (i.e pertaining to horrifying senses-topics) outlets. For instance, by using synchronic translation to build up a track on it. Or are there the seeds of black metal craftily veiled with other more dominated styles and endeavours? By the way, as you know Russia is home for another enthralling witch house artist referred as ~▲†▲~.

[Teaser of the day] Yall - GUM

I/DEX - Tetrapolar (2003/2009)

Foundamental
Lastfm

9.4

/Ambient, Glitch ambient, Soundscape, Organic electronica, Ambient dub, Chill out, Experimental electronica, Minimal/

Comment: the Belarusian artist Vitali Harmash provides a handful of tracks which main templates can be described as being homogeneous ones on its own, yet, the listener can detect a loads of elemental turbulences (read it: subtle miscroscopic glitches and sample bits patly consisting of the snippets of spoken word and concrete sounds) permanently ascending from these infiltrated surfaces. Indeed, Garmash`s soundscape is gritty and lush conjuring up many elusive moments aimed at soothing of the listener`s senses. At times he is disposed to be more borealic, at times to be rather warm and longing in his still life-tinged incantations but always he is being highly convincing. His oeuvre can be compared with the likes of Joel Tammik, Loscil, Sidharta, Vladislav Delay, Jacques de Villiers, Tim Hecker. The album is released on an excellent Belarusian label/webzine, called Foundamental Network. A superb outlet.

Elite Gymnastics - Is This On Me?

ELITE GYMNASTICS :: is this on me? from ben sifel on Vimeo.

The Sbirros - Hits From The Crypt (2011)

Kill Mommy

9.0

/Punk rock, Alternative rock, Psychobilly, DIY, Rockabilly, Noise rock, Lo-fi, Garage rock/

Comment: a joyous set of punk/and psychobilly-induced torrents within a concept compiled of the scaffolds of dashing/garage-y rock and roll, the influences of B-category horror movies, DIY aesthetics, Tarantino and Rodriguez produced Mexico-related killsplotation motion pictures. Let`s check out some titles of notches represented there - Teenage Vampire, I Married A Monster From Outer Space, The Toxic Avenger and the meloman can draw parallels upon such Russian combo as Messer Für Frau Müller/Messer Chups who also used to love mixing up obscure themes with a batch of funny topics. These 11 tracks are fronted by Sheena, a shouting and shooting fury who is assisted by Mass, Nitro, and Igor Mortis. This Italy-based collective does not exist anymore being replaced to Female Troubles now. An appealing stuff indeed, the kind of grower, especially the track I Was A Teenage Mutant Rocker where the ensemble exploits the effects pulled out from a theremin.

Abstract Greens - Electric Adonis EP (2010)

Bandcamp

9.0

/Madchester, Indie dance, Remixes, Alternative dance, Baggy, Dance rock, Alternative pop/rock, Leftfield/

Comment: old school dance rock/baggy/Madchester vibes in the embodiment of two versions of an original track and a remix version of it. Behind Abstract Greens is Rob Mulvey, a musician from Edinburgh, Scotland, UK who is being associated to a small local label called Lone Head Records (The Wordsmiths, Commercial Malcolm, The Cherry Action, Knicker Boy, Red Sonya, Haircuts From Mars). In a word, listen to hirsuit guitar chords-riffs backed up with ragged beats.

~▲†▲~ - ~▲†▲~ (2010)

Bandcamp
Lastfm

9.6

/Drag, Avant-electronica, Experimental electronica, Newbreed, Crunk Shoegaze, Avant-electro, Witch house, Trianglecore, Avant-industrial, Haunted house/

Comment: in the wake of a powerful hype the witch house movement has already grew out of the borders of the United States as its birth place, and so you should not be surprised a tthe moment at all to discover the band names referred via different sorts of (symmetrical or non-symmetrical) magical symbols (mainly crosses and triangles) from somewhere else in the world. On the other side, all this vast bunch of stylistic tags ascribed to this genre to date, is growing with every new day. "Drag", "witch house", "crunk shoegaze", "screwgaze", "ghost step", "zombie rave", "witch wave", "broken-clash", "newbreed", "rape gaze", "okkvlt", "haunted house", "trianglecore". And "noirgaze" as well - the last mentioned stylistic restriction is invented by my side. Further, it is quite thinkable that lots of band titles in future will not be expressed in words (because it is impossible to enact it into clear intention), but instead of it the names will have been described just by zig-zagging (or drawing lines) with fingers. It would be similar as the making of the Sign of the Cross.

It is impossible to find out some information about a project symbolized out as ~▲†▲~ except his/her residing place (Moscow, Russia). A set of 6 tracks of obscure soundscapes, which are obviously influenced by dark wave and shoegaze legends (My Bloody Valentine; Lycia) and sustained by murky, EBM/industrial-infused cadences and buzzing low-end synths, besides it having a joint point with the chillwave music through blissful kind of fluorescence leaped out from the noisy crests. Altogether, the release seems to be one of the best sonic results in the fictive realm of dark-hued world throughout th etear 2010.