Engendered from Divine Breath

Jacques de Villiers More Wind For Lonely Suburbs EP (2010, Jacques de Villiers)

2010-10-13T18:13:00.000-07:00

The sophomore album of Jacques de Villiers, an ambient musician from Cape Town. More Wind For Lonely Suburbs is the fine follow-up to Sleepsongs, having embraced a drift between gorgeous harmonies and microtonal noise, reminiscent of Tim Hecker`s works 6-8 years ago. Compared it tightly to his previous work, the elements of drone and shoegaze are invisibly disappeared and the piano chords up to do carry over the room and the subtle undercurrents of borealic digital noise give a broad way to emotions to be opened and dilated. However, only 3 tracks are represented here: Oceanic Preamble, Written For You After You Left Us ning Wednesday, 18 July 1945 (A Perfect Winter's Day).

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9.6

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

2010-09-17T18:35:00.000-07:00

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 more than 40 000 times (not included the other download sites and servers). Vox populi vox dei. Although five years have passed since the release date Teoh`s sounds 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 (cult) popularity to date as well. Teoh is obviously one of those most ardent musicians I have had the privilege to listen to. No doubt. 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 from 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 as 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 may 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. We miss you, Bryan!

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Teacups - Songs about Yarn (Rack & Ruin)

2010-09-07T18:13:00.000-07:00

Rack & Ruin Records is certainly one of the fewest labels which has the ability to astonish the melomans at times. The album of 16 tracks gets involved in interesting aspirations. The main feature is to "mess up" the sounds of chiptune/8-bit and orchestrated sound/chamber pop, this is actually the reason why you can hear naivistic and rough electronic music approaches alongside with lucid symphonic sounds. The last mentioned ones are based on violin loops and tehnique of modifying some octaves and the first named are conjured up from old game consoles such as SNES and N64. Although almost all tracks are instrumental and have short duration, nevertheless, the picture will not get fragmentized yet. There are 2 exceptions, though - Knitting for your Resume (SNES) is a beautiful indie pop bob with singing. Also, it would be unfair not to mention the main and longest track Songs About Yarn in B-flat which does come forward through blithesome soundtrack-alike milieu. Listening to Songs about Yarn is a really worth experience, mainly by 2 aspects - solidness and extraordinariness.

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9.4

Nodding by The Fire Nodding by The Fire EP (Bandcamp)

2010-09-04T01:08:00.000-07:00

Nodding by The Fire is a Spanish trio comprising of Javier Ordàs (guitar), Carlos Puente (bass, guitar, Casiotone, flute, harmonica), and Jacob Gonzalez (percussion) does offer a delicious set of 10 tracks. Their music is instrumental without exception, which presents itself as a blend of alt-folk and springing melancholic and sentimental mood music. The album starts as intro for Short Fanfare, which runs on as the gales of psychedelic folk of the 1960s. On the other hand, El Monte swirls around a fantastic assemblage consisting of brass, mandolin, and harmonica accompaniment (however, who is able to achieve such a pilotage, deserves much recognition in any case), and Summer in the Air which is a joyful example of happy-go-lucky whistling. Guitar arpeggios and mandolins around here are to keep continue weaving shroud of progression, where inbetween you can find some fragments of mariachi (guitar) tunes as well. Besides figuring out that the harmonica is a sexy instrument, you can perceive more clearly that the intentionality of this release is directed toward seductive moodiness. Very solid, consistent, and captivating indeed.

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9.7

The Goner Bitemarks EP (DFBM/Bandcamp)

2010-09-01T00:02:00.000-07:00

The Goner, a five-piece collective from Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, has released 3 albums (Halartrallar; Hind Hand; Haven) in the recent years. Bitemarks is the first EP seen the sunlight by them. Psychedelia, improvisation, gothic/noir, drone and the approach of minimalism are here to be blended into a organic universe via folk music algorithms. Again, neofolk/dark folk, the output of traditionally sounding folk, and some psychedelic milieus are around here to come finishing it off in the joint area and to stand at each one`s side. The middle age, past and today will be wrapped in one restricted conception. The violin parts - which are played as a collaboration act by Emma Wahlgren, and much praised by the band itself -, organ passages getting more massive step by step, clearly articulated guitar chords, and the last two minutes at Oakmulgee Creek, the ending track, are filled in by the found sounds/natural sounds. To get a example of the relatives hereof, I cant`t go around without to mention Espers and Anahita (strong medieval music tendencies), Six Organs Of Admittance (epic progressive tendencies), Death In June (airy dark-sounding viscosity). Congratulations for the suggestively impressive coverprint as well.

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9.3

Felipe Casey Cardona Casio Nightlife (Noise Horror)

2010-08-27T22:29:00.000-07:00

Having a speak about Felipe Casey Cardona`s 4-track cassette single Casio Nightlife it is not realistic to ignore Ariel Pink`s low-tech doings in the middle of the 00`s being attracted so many attention and hence giving a launch to one developing musical scene, named as chillwave/glo-fi/stargaze nowadays, which relies on a blend of the roughness of the do-it-yourself aesthetics and dreaminess of the bedroom music. However, the situation is changed 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 more 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 forward from the start to the end. The opening and self-titled track seems to be a tribute to the erotic music, the finishing one Subjective Paradoxical Argument is a deep inner space noir. Two tracks in between do conjure up naivistic synth chords and merely discernible distorted backcloth, by having the singing in English and in Spanish. Prevalently he does drift in a lucid and high spirited mood, yet, in the ending phase his conception is used to seem a little bit monotonous and equable. But he is a talented guy anyway.

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7.7

The Victory Park False Silence (Radio Hand)

2010-08-26T17:19:00.000-07:00

The debut album from a trio coming from Moscow does reflect a quite similar effect to the likes of Franz Ferdinand and Interpol, however, their output imposes even more on its roughness. I have listened a lot to The Victory Park in the recent days, being still not tired of them. Their music is uncompromising, seemingly having no intention for somewhat calculation regarding objects of utility, also lacking the annoying hermetics proper often to the studio walls and the producers of kind of I-know-which-is-the right way-to-record. It is personal anxiety and pessimism, which encourages those musicians to struggle on with their fights. Obviously it is inspired by post-punk and proto-indie forerunners (Joy Division, The Cure, The Chameleons, Durutti Column) came about from the end of the 70s and early 80s. Infused with the verbal side sustained by the pessimistic philosophy of life, and obscure moods. Inspite of darksidedness the guitar chords are played up to the glare and dinstinct flash and overdriving riffs do conduct a trip sometimes even further, crossing the boundaries of post-punk, of coming to the territory of shoegaze music (a la Swervedriver); beyond of that there is given importance to the neurotic drums and some pinch of electronics with the purpose to get push up this desired and obligatory dark appealing. A worth album mentioned in by many bloggers from around the world.

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9.3

Fourteen Twentysix Lighttown Closure (Mine, All Mine!/Wise Owl/Bandcamp)

2010-08-26T03:02:00.000-07:00

Expanded from the Songs From To Forget EP, being released 2 years ago, Chris van der Linden`s conception has acquired more grandeur deliveries. Indeed, Fourteen Twentysix is a bombastic giant which size is really intanglible and unfound over the first listenings, which, in fact, might be a sign of good music. The diversity of guitar patterns wrapped up by dark-sided electronic timbres and rhythms, and cello orchestrations at times, will be culminating in the last track Lashes, having progressed into the epic chaos of the rolling and swirling stringent instruments. Some natural sounds here and there around and in early days recorded live drums somewhere in the shed by the countryside do add organic and vitalic feeling to the release. By Linden`s velvety timbre with it comes quite close to the music of such crafty pop luminaries like David Sylvian and Mark Hollis, which comparison, though, is the plaudit by all odds. Lighttown Closure is a fine example of the bombastic yet deep issue, without being leaned on by empty gestures.

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9.3

Okinawa Lifestyle - Lazy Friend You Move So Fast EP (haaa00a00a0a/Bandcamp)

2010-08-25T02:21:00.000-07:00

Having reviewed their previous release Naha I expressed strong hope of mine that the melomans all around the world would get a lot of issues from this crafty Tbilisian duo in the future again and again. Their sonic alchemistry is a good example of balancing between magical harmonies and edge-y strobo rhythms around.

However, a new EP does continue walking on in the steps of the previous album. All of those funky electro strokes and through the filters of club music roving electronic pop tunes are previously blended intensively with exhilarating chillwave/glo-fi aesthetics, for instance, being as close to The Neon Indians for instance, as they have never done it before. This music can seriously be described as contemporary indie dance, or even post-house sometimes.

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9.3

Kämmerer Rhodes to Wisdom (Jamendo)

2010-08-23T22:58:00.000-07:00

Rhodes to Wisdom is the sophomore album of Kämmerer, a musician from Gothenburg, Sweden. In fact, he is earlier used to get involved in other acts as well (Cliffhanger; GroovydracuLinda; Alphadog). Sir Agent Chill was his debut release, which was issued approximately 3 months ago under Jamendo, was played on exhilarating atmospheric and caustic synth lines, having an assuasive effect, being describable as "chillout" or "lounge".

The recent album within 40 minutes and 10 tracks have entrenched deeper into the Black music tradition showing up the undercurrents of funk, rhythm and blues, and soul vibe as much as it is possible to talk of introducing of new directions. By a technical side, shimmering acid synth sequences are sit in for the velvet-alike sounds of the Rhodes (electric piano). However, Rhodes to Wisdom is a modern record, chatting up with club dance rhythms, eventually reminiscent of nu jazz/acid jazz, and downtempo tunes.

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8.4

W Physalis EP (Elpa)

2010-08-22T19:43:00.000-07:00

The choice of anonymity is an ethical statement, actually. Indeed, especially in the recent reality show era, when the purpose of the TV is to offer dull stripped-down plays and the chance to get some cheap fame to the manipulated ones and thereby humiliating a person`s humanness in a broader sense as well.

However, I was looking for the artist background called W, though, getting no word at his/her Myspace or on the Elpa label page. I even thought to get contact with the musician, but I found this idea unneccessary at the last moment, yet. Have there been any other musician, whose identity, being revealed, thus became better? This is the case of pseudo-problem actually. Let´s music to speak.

In fact, a four-track EP, issued under the Latvian label Elpa, says much more than some stilistically similar, though 2-3 times longer releases. This item does dwell on the examples of ambient, downtempo, IDM, broadening sometimes into the shadows of Kosmische Musik and New Age on here. Besides, there is also an example, which is densely dominated by digital sound processing - indeed, the ending track épiphyte seems sound like the perfection on behalf of glitch-y sonic ruins. In any case, the main emphasis is built up on the organic tonality of synthesizers, although those tend to move through various patterns and shades, reminding by its effects of such electronic artists like Lackluster, Myrakaru, Younnat, and Electricwest. More exactly, pulsating electronic keyboards, occasional vocal bits, and even some jitter of pop/rock shot (the title song), and sharp sonic tissue at times do make sense.

An intriguing, emotionally awakening whole, which synth-based music (of obviously influenced by the 70`s) meets intellectual techno ideology of the last two decade.

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9.0

Chappaquiddick Chappaquiddick (Noise Horror)

2010-07-29T02:23:00.000-07:00

An excellent blending of art-punk, fusion, avant-garde, progressive rock, improvised music, and a bit of hardcore. The more I listen to this trio from Florida the more it might be it reminds me of a mix of Soft Machine and one of the members, Taylor Ross`s parallel project Witchporn, and his label mates The Moon Runners. By the way, avant-prog/experimental rock master Gianluca Missero aka Hox Vox from Venice gave me the solid feedback, saying that during his living in the northern part of the USA he had not chanced upon such a organically wrapped up ensemble, though, he was being well aware of similar acts (he signified this genre as "clean psychedelia eclectic mix-up"). At last I want to ask is it a new sign of the rise of new American underground music through tape labels?

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10.0

Moon Runners Full Enough (Rack & Ruin)

2010-06-12T04:07:00.001-07:00

Duo Danny Natter-Jake Jones comes from Olympia, USA, the city with decent musical traditions, launching an inspiring art/avant-punk line. Music which is a mixture of motorik patterns, blues, garage, math-rock, post-hardcore, surf rock, and psychedelic seeds. 11 tracks within circa 45 minutes do show some affinity toward The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Times New Viking, The Fall, The White Stripes, the 80`s end Sonic Youth, Big Black, and The Stooges as well. The tracks have relatively short duration, averaging two and a half minutes out, which is sufficient enough, to deliver a spicy and noisy sonic depeche. The opening track All Cops Are Murderers does open up through exhilarating surf-y blues refrains while opposing to it primitivistic declamations to have created an intriguing contrast. My Name Is Not Mud strikes with Mark E Smith-ian cynism, and the clash coming out from guitars and drums. Indeed, all what regards Natter and Jones noise doings it is completely targeted and refined. In the track Wolf Shirt all is about to speak in the terms of very harshness, accompanied by a minimalist electronics (compare it to The Fall`s Perverted By Language). I Want to Say No is also driven by similar bass-synth outlines - still edge-y and psychedelic ones. The ending track Death Tunnel can be considered as exceptional - an nearly 17-minute long colossus, which provides the opportunity to have some experiments with form and content - after the intense hits of blues and noise rock you can hear atmospheric and reversed upper sonic sentiments, which is apparently the case of minimalism. One of the best.

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9.7

Foxes In Fiction Swung From The Branches (Orchid Tapes)

2010-06-12T04:05:00.001-07:00

Warren Hildebrand, an youngster from Toronto has gradually beefed up his position in the powerful (post-rock/ experimental folk/experimental indie/ambient) music scene in the North America. His debut album Swung From The Branches - the talk of which will be coming about now - will be soon released under the label Moongadget which is better known by the artists of such as Hella, Casino Versus Japan, Benoit Pioulard, Praveen, Dykehouse (though, the last three names are related through some compilations). However, he bears the course, and the indie bible Pitchfork dedicated an relatively lengthy introduction to the forthcoming event.

Swung From The Branches was firstly published by the Canadian`s own tape label Orchid Tapes. What makes his sound special? Certainly one of the (technical) premises is a dense blending of analogue and digital technology. Indeed, the sounds are recorded onto tapes , on the other hand, the use of digital reverb machines gives it another dimension. Having integrated different sonic waves into an organic whole it can only hints at a musician`s cleverness. The album of 19 tracks can be divided into two parts. First section is introduced by hilarious ambient/atmospheric post-rock numbers, in which you can hear tape hisses in a positive way, sometimes even pastoral primitivism evoking from somethere. Above all, it reminds me of the Fort Collins scene`s doings, especially M. Pyres` ambient experiments in some albums. However, the middle tempo rhythms, spoken word/storytelling, but first and foremost giving to the soundscape faster move, and the new phase started. The musique concrete-embedded items are subtly added to open-felt electro-acoustic environments, there are also viewable some experiments with pitch-effects, and various volume intensities. New Panic Cure is the first indie number demonstrating instantly, why the great hopes are set upon him; Jimi Bleachball does recall My Bloody Valentine, in particular, through Hildebrand` s vocal manner and timbre, which is getting really close to Kevin Shields himself (compare it to Off Your Face, and Moon Song). The title song is opened window/door laptop folk, which contains a lot of tape manipulations, and psychedelic vowel textures. Though Shields was mentioned herein, the closest of Hildebrand`s contemporaries is obviously Bradford Cox. In the same context one of the highlights of the album is 15 Ativan (Song for Erika). Dynamic indietronica/poptronica simply pushes the serotonine to flow to higher levels. One of the masterpieces of the year!

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10.0

[Live Session] Live at WFMU on Brian Turner's show, 5/4/2010

2010-06-12T04:02:00.000-07:00

The French duo/love pair Nafi aka Scott Serpent, and Armelle aka Bisoubisou remained me first time with the excellent single pair on label Beko DSL (though, it wasn`t their first release yet). The duo mixed avant-punk and no wave creating an astonishingly ecstatic milieu around the listeners.

9 tracks within 36 minutes provide a way out set of post-punk, no wave, dub, reggae, and the world music, in-between filled by monotonous shamanism (Intro / Reggae 1 / Rising Son), exploiting in the primitivistic way programmed synths and electronics, sheer psychedelic layers and noise walls. The most remarkabale it is their ability and ratio to realize their conceptual sketches to bring ideas into an end - into a real apotheosis (Reggae 2; Tropique du Cancer). All of those nihilistic shifts and vectors, though uncompromising ones, are mere instruments to fill this purpose. The band is ruled by democracy (or should I say rather anarchy?) - sometimes sings Nafi, sometimes Armelle, sometimes they sing in unison. By speaking about parallels and legends it reminds of the early PIL, The Clash, The Slits, The Screamers, Karen Cooper Complex, Sonic Youth, even Elastica, and from nowadays it is a bit reminiscent of Gang Gang Dance. However, it does not make sense to think The Dreams could somehow to be the bastard of one of them. Listen and enjoy, and if it is for purpose you could take a lesson for to be aware of how practicing punk music in the `adequate` way.

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[Old but important] Ashbrg Music for Cats (Hamsterloco)

2010-06-12T04:01:00.001-07:00

Actually the first premise is very promising anyway - Aleix Pitarch `s music is without any doubts always liked by me, and secondly, the cats are always enough cute to be welcomed and dedicated something to them. However, can we expect the new turns regarding artistic freedom, i.e playing with various forms and genres?

30-year old Catalan has released a bunch of personal issues under his own Hamsterloco label, many of whom have been re-issued recently. Indeed, Music for Cats, consisting of 17 tracks and enduring merely 32 minutes, was initally brought to an end in 1998 having revealed his unconventional approach to 8-bit/tracker music. On the one hand, all of those acid synth lines, bewildering and quaint sonic layers and mutated samples, and on the other side, it is all blended into a weird mix with a lot of diverse references - drum and bass, big beat, downtempo, ambient, and chilltronica. Even indie tunes are represented here - actually red eyes does bid bass sequences which, indeed, are probably one of the best moments on it. Also, there are quite a lot primitivistic sound collage as well, which conceptually is immanently concomitant with 8-bit music anyway, though, it seems the Barcelonan is used to involve to trying to magnify even more differencies and gaps to bring forth interesting contrasts between its parts. In any cases, though, psychedelic undercurrents are the corpuscles of his bloodstream. There are some very eccentric tracks too - for instance, country phone, does it belong more to the Kenny Rodgers`universe, or the Bruce Haack/The Jackpine Savage`s weird one, though? Will it be playlisted in Country music radio shows? Another example, flinser, is a hauntingly rumbling one, or spy which is built up on a sample of a sufi song, or empty going on a fly and disappearing into endless desolation. However, if you are being aware of Pitarch`s favorite artists (David Bowie, Cocteau Twins, The Residents, Deerhof, Scott Walker, The Cure, Yellow Magic Orchestra) it does not surprise you, though.

No doubt, it is one of the top releases in the 8-bit/tracker music universe.

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Hox Vox Mjöllnir (Jamendo)

2010-06-11T02:33:00.001-07:00

45-year old Gianluca Missero have reached its sixth album yet. More exactly, `Mjöllnir` means Thor `s hammer, and all the songs, except one, bear the names of the gods of the Vikings. At the peak of the last year was released curious club beat-driven Hurry Up Harry - Part 1 which in spite of all promises have yet not found a sequel - instead of it the Venetian is generally back to his old habits, exploring and discovering new angles of avant-garde and progressive rock. As he himself has pointed it out his purpose is to melt together sacre and profane. Therefore, Missero as a great creator has much aspects to add to his diverse yet excellent discography. The Italian does open some burning doors being never opened before. On the other hand, it shouldn`t be surprising at all, because Mjöllnir is titled as `zeuhl`. Indeed, in the conceptual heart of the album there are brittle bass undercurrents, scratchy guitars, the drum cascades by rote, enough interesting entries into symphonies, theatrically obscure keyboards, and classically overwhelmed mannerisms. Chaos and order - on and off, and softness and roughness do change its places as well. Even the pomp elements are used to have influence on you to get your hands up. Crafty, decorous, enjoyable, and consistent. Unquestionably one of the best publications from the RIO/avant-prog field altogether I have had the honour to know.

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9.4

Least Carpet Least Carpet (Dying For Bad Music/Bandcamp)

2010-06-10T11:42:00.000-07:00

Marko Martini aka Least Carpet `s debut album has epithets such as `psychedelic` and `experimental`. Indeed, it`s expressively psychedelic, and in this regard the magic of his music has already been attributed to some sort of mushrooms and weed. However, it is unlikely that the necessity arises at all, so far as this kind of music for the projection is not needed to show up by decisive pictures or fictions. Although being a conception of the folk, it is quite far from the well-known folk tradition. The German man`s concept is instrumental not being subordinated to any statements or visions. Just expandingly streaming sounds, the harmonies in movement, non-traditional instrumentation (a bouzuki, a melodica, flutes, guitars, cymbals, a Jew`s harp). Certainly, Least Carpet neither does deliver the extravagancy or ecstasy of freak folk, nor it is the part of the Eastern and Central European traditional music movements - as opposed to what is being mentioned in their home label website, except for Old Wedding Song, which treats the Hungarian folk music with some rhythmic influences from the Balkan Peninsula. The experimental side is primarily reflected through growings from harmonies into long droning keys, and skilful using of guitar and its effects within ethnic instrumentals. All of those who are being familiar with the Children Of The Drone (and its adjacent projects), and Six Organs Of Admittance, however, it will constantly be telling you of belonging intrinsically to the Indian music tradition. And the parallels can also be drawn with Charalambides` dragging psych lines. In most cases, very beautiful, it is like the opening of a lotus flower (A Narrow Path (Part II); Leaving) ). I am being remembered it is already the another great album in the vein of experimental folk from Germany in few months (after gillicuddy The yaouhl! Mashups).

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9.6

A Warmth Hearth (Rack & Ruin)

2010-05-19T04:18:00.000-07:00

A Warmth is Robby Massey, formerly known as dessktop, whose previous project could be considered like CocoRosie`s little brother - his truly primitivistic approach to pop conceptions which was partly based on folk, on electronics, on lo-fi, and on found sound aesthetics. To evoke new sounds the pans and pots were involved in action as well.

However, the new project will run the same traces the more and less way - through those 5 instrumental tracks presented here having based on a minor-key synth play, sporadic glockenspiel riffles, feedback choppiness on the background, even some orchestrations are melded into a whole one. Bulky melodies will start sometime, having some development and finally getting a more impressive outfit. Actually it all is concentrated on small details to have defined the release goodness. Even if Hearth don`t pretend to be your favoritest issue it is exciting enough to be listened again and again.

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8.3

Okinawa Lifestyle Naha (haaa00a00a0a)

2010-03-31T22:53:00.000-07:00

Georgia's duo Okinawa Lifestyle consisting of David Datunashvili and Gigi Jikia who is yet a little known to date, though undoubtedly one of the most shimmering pop acts nowadays originating from the borders of the former U.S.S.R. Their music can be classified as part of chillwave/glo-fi movement, being this way as an earmark in the running of the aforementioned style on popularity all around the world. In fact, the Tbilisians, however, pushed already off their debut Roswell Crash EP one year ago. Are they as one pair amongst the first pioneers of chillwave music actually? It might be right this way.

Speaking about the 12-track LP, it is built up on profuse chords exchanges and the evocation of the groove and velvet-alike harmonies. However, in accordance with duo`s previous release the new is more concerned about disgressions and mood swings. For example, the main harmony of the opening Rouge à Lèvres comes out from the middle of abrasive electro industrial chaos. Levan runs through the prism of beatific and glamorous sounds, enough to be regarded as one of the central pieces on it. Tbilisi Presents does offer a hybrid of the noir mood-ish Pulp (Seductive Barry, Weeds II, My Legendary Girlfriend), and Ariel Pink-ish tunes. Actually it is hard to imagine how the pop music could sound even the better way! But you should never say never. Little Place is a blend of funky electro, hip-hop, and rock riff hooks. Goblin Dance mixes sentimental atmospheric layers with a bit of "garbage" sound. Nightwalk and the Sunrise Club have entered into an area of electronic pop music influenced by club dance jitters,which, by the way, is reminiscent of some of the songs from the Estonian cult band Borax on the album Mikroraion (1999). Emotional Experience is used to be to find some balance in-between lounge music and deep house. Ninenda is just a fine track to be ended up with positive mood.

Indeed, it appears it`s very happy time we are living in being sorrounded by so much beautiful music. Hopefully we hear about this Georgian band soon once again.

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9.8

[Compilation] New Weird Australia, Volume Five (NWA005)

2010-03-23T21:06:00.000-07:00

In a relatively short period of time the New Weird Australia compilations have already reached the fifth piece in a row, which probably does testify the fact that the Australian underground scene has enough power and vitality to subsequently set up the steps to permeate over the world.

Indeed, all around of it is ebulliently colourful. Speaking about any kind of so-called New Weird- movements, for instance about New Weird America or Finnish forest folk, you can find out the connection with folk music. In fact, to find out the link with folk music in Australian counterpart it is actually a bit harder task, though. For example, there is represented the music of Alex Yarbley aka Dot.AY, who have acquired enough notoriety in chiptune/tracker music circles in the last years. Another example and pleasant surprise is meet to Gail Priest, who is known by her confident sound art characteristics and methodology (in the recent case, the minimalist vocal drones are flavoured with spare electronics). However, the other projects are also far from (alt-) folk tunes - a primitive noise (Justice Yeldham, who is described by the Wire journalist Bruce Russell as one of the interesting artists after Iggy Pop to date), Ship Caught has a gothic blend of psych-punk and shoegaze to boom out, as if Joy Division had a very special wish to make acquiatence with the specifics of the Wall Of Sound; indie psychedelia (Crab Smasher), a sort of electronic primitivism (Ripple), a kind of Glass Bead Game with cut and paste formality (Kate Carr), a vanguardistic bunch of glitch-electronics, space rock, digital noise/ambient (Blake Freele, / / / ▲ ▲ ▲ \ \ \). Further, even in the recent context Mookoid`s structure seems to be innovative (Hex River Valley). My personal fancies are the Peace Out!`s psych-electro space noir mania (Running the Sand), so you can label it as `modern` without you could sound ridicolous somehow; and Burning Palms` noisy psych-rock with loudly ringing echo drums (Mockery). Third favorite of mine is The Atlas Room`s Iris , which is used to be similar to Burning Palms, though, having more emphasis on motorik sequences and rooting out the borders between different styles.

In short, Volume Five is a fabulous collection of ideas and sounds. If you want to get some excellent examples of contemporary avant-garde rock music, you should certainly listen to this compilation. Aboriginal spirits have got up to the machines to groove themselves out.

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[Artists] Momoko Pins

2010-03-23T20:53:00.000-07:00

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[Old but important] ART ABSCONs Spektral Magik (ParaLucid)

2010-03-22T19:42:00.000-07:00

In my mind, `dark folk` (also, `neofolk`, `apocalypse folk`, `folk noir` as a genre has got to stay as one of the honest in its own. Ever since all of those acts, and some of them especially, which established the borders of the aforementioned styles approximately 20-30 years ago are intended to have stayed on the top level to date. Non/Boyd Rice, Death In June, Ataraxia, Current 93, Werkraum. Unlike black metal music, neofolkers have avoided to get devaluated, maintaining their severe, grim and often politically incorrect image. Indeed, for all of those people who have not had experiences with this sound yet should be get apprised that this music has nothing to do with ordinary folk music, except by the word`folk`.
Spectral Magik is the first and since the last release by a mystical German musician called Grandmaster Abscon ( by the way, who is supposed to use a mask). The album which consists of 7 tracks is probably one of the best - maybe even the most outstanding - I have found within this mysterious world since. Naturally, widely sprawling high arches as the obligatory element sketched by acoustic guitars and atmospheric synths are represented here. Besides that, the mysterious side as well. The first row of the lyrics will say much about it:

//Ich komm zürück aus fremden Welten/Seelen/von einsamen Hören/von verlassenen Tränen//

As confident and credible as by the side of its main elements it is also remarkable by its unusual digressions coming forth distinctly. For instance, Somnium III is fringed by the lightness of organic French estrada music. More specifically - there is no doubt anymore that the leitmotiv is loaned from the evergreenish Love is Blue which was popularized by Paul Mauriat and his orchestra. In true, the track does gradually evolve towards medieval music sentiments. Somnium IV is a stunningly synchronized one of relying on man-woman vocal lines sung in French. Obviously one of the most beautiful ones I have ever heard. Somnium V is getting approach to Einstuerzende Neubauten `s album Silence Is Sexy and its oeuvres recorded in German. Actually, a follow-up will move with Bargeld`s aesthetics arm-in-arm. The last track - as you even yourselves figured it out already - Somnium VII - descends to Gregorian-alike vowel experiments/ethereal sonic layers, neoclassical dark wave structures, impenetrable spoken word declarations.

A sort of mysterious universe. Comparable to the same degree, as the entire Spektral Magik is mystical in its vast goodness. The masterful act really worth for to be discovered by more music fans.

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[Artists] The Red Crayon Aristocrat Club

2010-03-22T18:26:00.001-07:00

The Red Crayon Aristocrat Club
Zorch Factory Records
Myspace
Lastfm

Yoko Absorbing Museum Of Modern Chaos (Clinical Archives)

2010-03-21T21:12:00.000-07:00

Mikhail Lezin and Evgenij Kharitonov are back in business with their dizzy sound experiments again. This time they are accompanied by two another musicians - Konstantin Guro on saxophones and drums and Alexey Karmanov on rhythm guitar. While their last album Vinyl was shaped through sharp cut-ups and sonic fragmentality ,though, Museum Of Modern Chaos directs its focus toward chaotic moments in lush way. It is constituted conterminously conjuring up vivid visual highlights, and indirectly blurring the boundaries between the styles and genres. Guitar improvisation/experimental rock seems to be as a lone house in the middle of an electronic whiteout, which is exciting enough to give it constant try and attention to follow for. At times the conception is fringed by piano music (Opening Museum), and jazz elements (Free Future) either. Duo`s soundscape has aptitude to expand into mechanic (King Of Surf 1) and electronic horror ambience (Museum Of Modern Chaos (Script Type). Another Hemisphere is metallic ambient music riding on gravelly guitar riffs.

Museum Of Modern Chaos is a fascinating album for sure. Also, if you are intended to make up the contrast with this one you should listen to Yoko Absorbing`s another gem Roughly Gently & Special Lowbit Release (2008, Microbit-Records).

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9.0

a27 z archiwum.G (pitu pitu recordz!)

2010-03-15T00:17:00.000-07:00

A27`s sophomore album z archiwum.G consists of 6 tracks having the overall longitude up to 10 minutes. The main assumptions of mine? If you've ever had some experiences of experimenting with the sample unit you might probably assume in which way all of this rubbish happened to be recorded. There are stored different rhythms and natural sounds (floating water falling down from the tap, vowel experiments/groans), and some samples dragged out from brass and jazz music at that. Then all of this kaleidoscope is laid on the rhythm function and being mutated through the slice effect mode turning actively the effect control buttons besides it. The result reflects a random array of sounds. The scales being formed of the pairs of the opposites - sparse-dense, anonymous-suggestive, spastic-flowing, relaxing-psychotic, dilettante-skilful. But certainly the most important thing is that the listener will not be bored on this. However, the conceptual premise is a modern case after all, concerning the topics of the `error´ (and the choice of freedom), also representing chaos inside the heads of certain individuals (Golarz Filip and his genious son, Adolf, as it is said on the pitu pitu recordz!`s site). The human being loves to speak to the machine, the robot will mirror it to the others, though, in an inconsistent way. The revel of intellectual machines, which, though, obviously is not intended for dancing.

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8.2

[Artists] Bark Bark Disco

2010-03-08T20:42:00.000-08:00

Bark Bark Disco
Myspace
Lastfm

Juanitos Soul Africa (Jamendo)

2010-03-08T19:42:00.000-08:00

Ever since the early days of the 1990s under the leadership of Juan Naveira, the man as a perpetuum mobile, Juanitos has experimented with almost all kinds of the Latin American rhythms, exotica pop, lounge, rockabilly, surf pop and psychedelia evoking a stylistic melange and dizziness in the heads of the listeners. Fabolous brass orchestrations, a rampant shooting through different harmonies and diverse chords. However, at this point I even did not take into account the frontman`s side projects (Limbo deluxe; Miss Emma), the focus of the first is being directed upon the creation of a colourful ska/lounge/ pop/punk/disco hybrid, and the second upon lollipop tunes.

The recent title - Soul Africa - refers to the people of African descent who have found their domicile elsewhere outside the Black continent, having invented new musical styles (dub, reggae, samba) therein, and on the other hand it is not impossible to see the tunes of afrofuturistic soul funk, paying tribute to Fela Kuti who is being the main legacy of the reverences in most times anyway, though. For those who are accustomed to Juanitos`s aforementioned mad wassail may be boxed through a delimited concept at the first sight. I would have to listen to it 5 times before it started to reveal in my soul and heart. Indeed, you need a little patience to get access to that solid album.

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8.6

[Artists] adamned.age

2010-03-06T12:41:00.001-08:00

adamned.age
Myspace

Nameless Dancers Morning Touches (Bump Foot)

2010-03-06T11:07:00.000-08:00

Behind Nameless Dancers has himself hidden Evgenij V. Kharitonov, one of the main figures from the depths of Moscow underground culture as because he is known as a writer, a poet, a curator, a cultural journalist, who has put himself into practise through such musical projects like Microbit Project, EugeneKha, Yoko Absorbing, and under his own name, either. If you are searching for someone who would be the embodiment of any kind of musical diversity, no doubt, he is a musician by God`s grace. Avant-garde rock, experimental electronics (glitchtronics, lobit/drone), ambient, noise, downtempo, chillout, sound-art, sound collage, spoken word/voice experiments. In a word, experimentalism in a generic sense.

Nameless Dancers `s first album Rain Coffee (2009, 45RPM-Records) was a delicious blend of the rhythms of (disco) house and drum and bass, the moods and colours of lounge music and easy listening as well. However, Kharitonov would not be Evgenij V. Kharitonov if there had no intention to drift the base core of the center outwards.

However, in comparison with the debut album Morning Touche has a lot of examples of having more strong accents on certain sounds. The Russian musician does not make a secret about the fact his project is presented in a way to move outside the present. The music is inspired by showy and glamorous graphical design of the end of the 80s in the Soviet era. Actually all of his music which is inclined somehow to watch back and get some advantage to foresee for future thereby being able to prevent a present nervousness. In recent album is a glamorous transformation over time realized into sound in solid way. Disco house beats are replaced by cinematic rhythms, generic sentiments have reached more timelessness, too. Sound collage schemes are boldly fixed up. You can hear the Soviet time organ grooves, atmospheric future pop, italo disco, by the big bands played light-blue sounds of the Mediterranean area, and latin rhythms as well. Sometimes his soundscape gets up to such a degree of naivity rolling further on easiness. While giving the listens of it the air was fulfilled with fresh breath of the spring being matched with it in an excellent way. Indeed, the the main issue of the rhythms of the spring is embodied in the array of constant change in unexpected directions.

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9.5

[Artists]starstarstar/***/ringostar

2010-03-04T20:55:00.000-08:00

starstarstar
starstarstar
starstarstar

Blues for spacegirl Drifting into open (Jamendo/Bandcamp)

2010-03-04T18:06:00.001-08:00

A project named Blues for spacegirl (probably named by Thurston Moore`s ambient drone track), headed by Thomas de Bauw, started in the midst of 2008.

His debut album Alice Springs was fringed by acid-filled bubbling walls. It was followed by impressive Theme for August, and Orchester dans le lac du Roi gelé Hiver as well.

The brand new one relies on looped tape recordings in the amount of 70 per cent, approximately. As the result, you can hear less or more loud sounding guitar drone in the background. De Bauw`s conceptual point is directed upon digital editing revolving around generation loss in the data, treating noise as signal.

Concerning more precisely on tracks my first opinion is Needless in Seattle which through its overgrowing layers and the aesthetics of minimalized digital chaos is getting close to such a concept which is tightly related to some borealic wonder. Warm inside yet being in the midst of a whiteout. Also Lost in I Ching, Violet currents, and saffron winds are those tracks which arise above an average niveau. Lathe of Heaven, on the hand, crawls in the vein of the first album, which caustic pattern and some amount of quavering sphericness don`t convince me at all. On the contrary, it is a quite annoying try. The rest tracks of being unnamed is getting have better shapes, though, a thorough moving milky sonic array ushers in tautological mediocrity being so habitual for the most ambient musicians nowadays. Comparing it to Jacques de Villiers`s and slept.`s debut albums, slept, Fennesz`s and Tim Hecker`s works, Eluder`s Drift or Thomas de Bauw`s own Theme for August this acedia will come forth more distinctly. On the other hand, inspite of it the current music has a lot of sonic references regarding grandeur shadows of the aforementioned albums. However, unfortunately the last gig is only there not to be done.

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7.7

[Artists] Moya

2010-03-03T02:42:00.000-08:00

Moya
Myspace
Lastfm

[Old but important] Mu. Arecibo Psycodelic Classics 17: Abortos Musicales (Headphonica)

2010-03-02T20:46:00.000-08:00

Before starting to review the first curiosity of the recent year - Ergo Phizmiz`s colossal, more than 14 hour long (sic!) album The Faust Cycle , it is time for a little stop to give credit to another album released under Headphonica, too.

Although the Puerto Rican drummer Nomar Díaz`s aka Mu.`s album Arecibo Psycodelic Classics 17: Abortos Musicales (2009) have the longitude of 35 minutes (within 14 tracks), it is informatively a fair-sized work. An amusant fact is that the album consists of the sounds which mainly are recorded with the microphone built up on the details of cell phones, and a ball of aluminium foil as well.

Because of having no precise visual review about this process details, I just will have to focus on song structures of it. Generally, I am being quite dubious about those artists who like to bling-bling with curious elements in their creating process as if it would be a new source for extraordinary sound, for instance, browsing Heidegger`s books - as one famous nu-jazz musician described his methodology in the interview for Wire 3-4 years ago. However, does it in fact add any kind of audible meaning to the sound? It is believable and meaningful some kind of metaphysics coming forth from accomplished song structures rather than by wrapping it around something to get some sophisticated or mystical output.

Given that there are some elements of free jazz, it is not just likely jazz, it is more avant-garde, though. Díaz, - there are some helpers too - plays drums and is mainly in a process of crossing samples over natural sounds - the snaps of the Native American shaman dirges and piano chords meet with metallic electro-acoustic beat cascades, thrill and bass, freeformfreakout and electronic layers. There is even one place where he prefers to wring his hands over ethnic drums. Moreso, there is also a true-blue hardcore rock (Demi Moore) presented - though its psychedelic incline. Indeed, the first part of the title, too, seems to suggest to psychedelic hangover, and the other concerns on interrupted song structures. However, I can`t agree with the second part, though. Notwithstanding the array of diverse sounds, the song structures will be clearly articulated and finished off. There are no moments I could think of them in another way. My favorite example is Loubriel's Psycodelic Odyssey, which is based on the array of abrasive synthetic sounds, lone and stubborn bass sequence, slight drumming, and synth passages in the ending part.

In conclusion, after the title it could be supposed that the main corollary of Arecibo Psycodelic Classics 17: Abortos Musicales was to come forth its concomitant feeling of freedom. After the end of the album, it is clear that the sounds were merely a means to achieve it.

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[Artists] Cldscp

2010-03-02T02:15:00.000-08:00

Cldscp
Myspace
Lastfm

edPorth Saying vamos and thinking let's go (Inglorious Ocean)

2010-03-01T20:47:00.000-08:00

All experimental rock music roads lead to Rome, paraphrasing that byword of which adequately describes the recent case. Indeed, Patrizio Piastra aka edPorth has a lot to offer on his debut album Saying vamos and thinking let's go. In which way could the borders of his sound be dumbed down? If you have listened to Seefeel`s dystopic sound cocoons, you have got the ideas to be already along the half-way of truth (or even a little bit more). Even better results it is possible to reach if to arrive back in time to mùm`s first two albums, though, the man from Rome is intended to have, as it seems to me, a little broader aesthetical ambitions on his pavement. For instance, the title song, which is fringed by delicious harmonic layers in the vein of IDM/indietronica/post-rock/ambient glitch. In the place of Meeting at the utility he is ready to continue on the runways of the British legends - a certain kind of somber tonality will acquire abstract shapes over time, in turn, a lot darker shades swivel around them, though, it is mainly relies on inside higher chords while synth paces will unbashedly getting close to the past of new wave/new romantic bands. Indeed, this is carried out by electronic music of 101 percent yet subjected to the methodology of post-rock music. Though, however, there are a couple of exceptions (with guitars). Eighteen degrees below the horizon is built up on guitars, booming bass lines and massive violins, and Kreuzberg and the sun does crossover glitch beats and guitar chord transitions - the latest ones are just fabulous, working out as a kind of mood trigger let out. Similarly, angelic voices has an important role to play, which more clearly will be cropped out at Kadievka. Your sand does usher in as a kind of crossover of nu-jazz and Balkan rhythms, which getting develop and landing in the networks of glitch and vague scratch effects . Despite of variability all around seems to be congealing. Terminating Long Exposure offers wide-sounding orchestrations, being also one of the highlights on Saying vamos and thinking let's go.

Epic, soothing, masterful, dreamy, timeless are being the first adjectives come up to mind. However, besides our main figure, mùm and Seefeel I recommend listen to Echelon Effect, Monokle, orange crush, and Patrizio Piastra`s compatriots port-royal and The Japanese Gum, and also the brothers-sisters of him on the Inglorious Ocean label as well.

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9.6

[Artists] Cagey House/Dave Keifer

2010-03-01T04:46:00.000-08:00

Cagey House
Myspace

Chad Golda Dance Session (Rack & Ruin)

2010-03-01T04:17:00.001-08:00

Chad Golda, a golden boy is back. His stunning debut album (Golda CHAD'S ALBUM) was one of the albums in the year 2009. Abrasive electronics/psychotic dance monster met with (freak) folk music. It was the case as if Mika Vainio had produced starstarstar (formerly known as ***, and ringostar), the band he is involved in. All of those hollow bass sequences opened up new dimensions for the listeners. Now I listened to it after a long period of time again and I discovered even some similarities with electronic tracks (Lions; Unfinished Monkey Business; Deep Pile Dreams) on Ian Brown `s unforgettable debut album Unfinished Monkey Business, and within Golda`s hazy long accords at times it reminds a bit of Angus Maclise`s bewitching drones under the roofs of Nepali pagodas during the 1970s. The phenomenal release, which by its infectiveness, effectiveness, and cutting edge sharpness as well achieved more than Animal Collective have ever reached.

In fact, my moving toward his sophomore album didn`t start well, actually, listening to it 3 months before the official release day. All of what I can remember about it I wasn`t able to listen to Dance Session over two times. Despite of the fact the album's length was shortened to 30 minutes, it seemed to be something by which I really felt myself disturbed. On the other side, no doubt, partly the impact of the first album overwhelmed it.

Indeed, listening to it again is my purpose to get the results for my unanswered questions. Writing does usher in the gig, which in fact continues through the lines of the previous album - motorik electronica/(neo)krautrock finds immediately the recipient, brain chemistry will brim over. The follow-up Two helps me to figure out why I had some complicatons during first listens. It just seemed to be a bit light-minded. Just to take a well-known and well working melody, and lift it up over caustic electro-beats. The sense of humor finally reached me yielding an enjoyable experience ultimately. It was time approximately 40 years ago when Perrey & Kingsley, the space age/lounge pop luminaries, played on analogue synths timeless upbeat melodies. This track is a home for both oddity and familiarity. The end of this one would be a wet dream for any kind of space rockers/krautrockers. 9-minute long Guitars is based upon a monotonous guitar melodic sequence which will is fringed and will be undermined by a sort of destroying electronic music. Sound walls are getting wave and collapse - everything around is going mad! Aging begins with loudly thirling electro tingles - electro-motorik tunes so habitual by the side of Kraftwerk is turned into wickedly sounding nightmare. Not unreasonable, evil is not inherently evil on its own, as behind that you can see Golda`s spooky smile. In the other way - the essence is sustained by an epic drone ghost which enlarges the inner space and add the credibility. A bit more smirk on the American`s pale again can be seen in the ending track Boom That which relies on 2-3 naive notes delivering some kind of primitive electro quarterstaff sometimes changing this course a bit, just as much as to arrive back to repeat button again.

My first assumptions about Dance Session were wrong. The album drifts between a weird sense of mind and enchanting levels of alternative pop music. He did it again!

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9.5

[Artists] Totally Nebular

2010-02-27T22:59:00.000-08:00

Totally Nebular
Myspace
Lastfm

Stereo Moon Like The Morning Sun Does (Kill Mommy)

2010-02-27T21:21:00.000-08:00

Behind Stereo Moon is Emm Smith, a self-taught musician from Ontario, Canada. A singer-songwriter from God`s grace. The album Like The Morning Sun Does was already recorded at the end of the 90`s, except the opening track I Would For You Dream. The first time Like The Morning Sun Does was published 5 years ago, while at the moment it is issued under the Sicily-based label Kill Mommy which main focus has set up on a mix of blues, lo-fi garage, rockabilly, and alt-folk.

All of those 24 tracks aligned here are recorded with help of loaned 4 and 8-tape trackers. As so usual to the singer-songwriters the lines of acoustic guitar and vocals are the main instruments upon which the excitement is established in suggestive and diverse song manner. Although guitar sound is paramount, it does not sound in the anemic way just not being a decorating and forgery one - a drowning into tape hisses does add some kind of confidence and charm; moreso, there are also presented some electronic-experimental angles and weird out-of-context samples. A rough yet warm soundscape. As you even know the North Americans have been insurmountable in their credibility within this area. Smith does use natural room reverbs, though, there are 2 tracks (Everybody Love Someone; Read Between The Lines) for which Emm Smith locked himself into the bathroom to put guitar strings against the edge of a sink, and letting float out the sounds of pure gold. By the way, he even regretted more songs would have recorded in there.

By checking out Emm Smith `s blog you can see the successive keywords of his concept in the title: love, be loved and trip out. Anyway, the lyrical side will fix upon it. This lyrics seem to be about longing, escapism, love and lovelorn varying with weed topics. Moreover, this subject was going for something that would heighten his blissful experience. Because of this he tried to fill up those tracks with as many ideas he could. The lyrics are undoubtedly on the ball - beautiful, inside-watching, sometimes mysterious and downtrodden (Grow Up is going up to illustrate the collision between the memories of past and recent situation).

However, my purpose is instead of any kind of intoxicants to promote music, especially good one, only. Like The Morning Sun Does is undoubtedly a DIY/home recording masterpiece. There are a lot of excellent examples - some of them will especially scratch your soul and bear upon your consciousness, replacing some truths and clichès, on the other hand, I am not intended to shout them out - everyone ought to find out for him/herself the gems of the talented hippie musician. In fact, it is true, Emm Smith has more stunning moments to yield in comparison with (early) Devendra Banhart, for instance.

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9.3

[Artists] Hox Vox

2010-02-25T19:31:00.000-08:00

Hox Vox
Hox Vox
Myspace
Lastfm

Clinker Open See EP (Opera Dog Productions)

2010-02-25T18:37:00.000-08:00

Europe faces against immigration problems nowadays. Refugees from the Third World, mainly from Africa, are searching for new living places by different reasons. For the Europeans have not been left anything but to choose between the two sides - to be for it or against it. Having been in to express empathy or showing up their dislike. On the other hand, we must take into account the fact it has mainly been the side effect of the White World expansive foreign policy and the weight of colonial history alongside with all kind of related rewards - the ruination of economic situation, the mutilation of natural environment, severe local wars during the Cold War in purpose of encompassing a larger part or reshaping the spheres of interest. The basic needs of the native people have been suppressed by the secondary needs/wishes of the Western peoples. Indeed, the recent situation can be seen as if a karma wheel is inevitably getting upon us - the cause-effect relationship is still being relevant.

Peter Jordan & Co. have made their firm decision in favor of empathy. Open See EP is inspired by Jim Goldberg`s photo exhibition of the same name, which main purpose was to reflect the experiences and sentiments of asylum seekers. Clinker uses even the phrases of the refugees in their lyrics. In comparison with their previous oeuvres Londoners have increased part of the wind instruments and backing vocals, though, while diminishing the role of synthesizers and electronics. The 4-track issue is wrapped with heartsore undertones of indie soul/soft rock and epic chamber pop numbers while nothing lose about their angular songwriting. Clinker has always shined with such albums containing of grandeur numbers - One Hell to Another and Will This Never End (Ood Song) will for sure complete this list.

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9.2

[Artists] Dereleech

2010-02-24T20:47:00.000-08:00

Myspace
Lastfm

Garden On A Trampoline Life Of The Mind (CLLCT/Grey Noise Media)

2010-02-23T23:21:00.000-08:00

One of the passants regarding an important, mainly USA-based environment Collective Family (CLLCT), James Eric decided last year to abandon the role of a singer-songwriter diminishing the chorus-based concept instead of introducing himself to more innovative-oriented music. In the first place, as a sign, he compiled the best of album We Got This Far - Best Of Eric James and chose out a quake-referencing name. The new self-named album of G.O.A.T was sharply set up against his previous, mainly smoothly driving indie pop. Such a behavior does not seem peculiar in similar situations because of huge attempts by the artist to make up a clear distinction between the two projects, between the past and the future. The 31-year-old Chicago musician did play with diverse genres. Dominated by the moulds within electronic pop and downtempo, which were a little variated by post-rock and ambient sequences. Some infiltrations of sound collage techniques shined through, though, as well. His soundscape was tumultuous, sometimes swinging mood music, a pleasant kind of muzak. Some sporadic DIY-overthrows only built up DIY-near natural attractiveness.

In the beginning of this year Eric released with Patrick Ripoll the joint release I Split On Your Grave (CLLCT) and issued the set of his B-side songs named Found Sounds: B-Sides 2009. Both of albums revealed the American in the wake of his excellence. The first was demonstrated by melancholic grip on barely perceivable post-rock tunes and the second was acoustic indie pop moving more close to the middle of more pop structures and his previous designation too (by the way, the guitars got back their previous dominant positions).

However, Life Of The Mind is back in the wake of his first album tracks. However, the recent one has a more circumscribed shape, all of those distinct structures have obviously less concern on creation of an electronically bleary milieu which gathering around the listener. Though, it abounds even in more diverse directions. Piano accords and glockenspiel will lead up into the following 10 tracks, and 42 minutes as well. Mannerism is hemmed by an epic rock concept. Next Dreams Are Real Good (you can rest now) is a mixture of spoken word, sound effects, stomping bass sounds, ambient, post-rock, and electronic pop/downtempo at that too. A kind of clumsiness and enchanting mist move hand in hand, underbearing the overall impression. Help is a modern classic number through its grandeur poses. I Can`t Sleep So I Dream Of You will continue in similar vein of the previous tracks which is accompanied by dreamy trumpet flows (in the embodiment of Tim Bales`s live recordings) in accordance with Miles Davis`s spirit though not for any long interval - it will be ended by a fine electronic introspective. By the way, the track contains of a noise sample by Isis. Not Young, But Restless is one of the highlights - the sounds which coming from remote distances, while creating powerful and convincing synthetic sound walls - which are conducted by a dateless motive - will make up your day. It is followed by an solitary acoustic track (Now I Sleep Tonight). Interplay between a guitar and a piano. The one and a subsequent one as being silent interludes do make little impact in the background of this concept which will set up the consciousness of the listeners getting wait for sheer experiences more and more. The Next Day Looks Brighter Than The Last is a beautiful melodic instrumental rock. The Night Is Awake will also be on similar path, although having a greater emphasis set up on a modern classic arrangement. In the ending track (NB! The tracks within the zip-folder at Mediafire do have different order of succession) The Reverse the synths, a bouncing drum rhythm and a spoken word line will be lifted up to the forefront conceptually nearing very close to the aesthetics of Holy Fuck, Fuck Buttons, Errors, The Octopus Project, and other similar artists as well. Undeniably one of the albums of the year.

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9.4

[Artists] Momoko Pins

2010-02-23T19:17:00.000-08:00

Myspace
Lastfm

[Artists] Joxfield ProjeX

2010-02-22T20:14:00.000-08:00

Joxfield ProjeX
Joxfield ProjeX
Clinical Archives
Myspace

[Old but important] Vlor sacred places in the city (Silber)

2010-02-22T09:49:00.000-08:00

Brian John Mitchell and Russell Halász introduced their musical activity in 1992 while covering Bauhaus and The Cure songs on acoustic guitars, after which soon followed their first hiatus. Brian John Mitchell started with his new project Remora which more exactly did mean concentrating on guitar drone experiments, which obviously influenced Vlor`s subsequent aspirations in experimental vein.

Lavished EP was released in 1997 and luxate EP a year later (today the EP`s are offered as a joint album). Because they had no money at first to afford yourselves delay and reverb generating devices they were strained to use natural ambiences. For instance, a racquetball court. In short, it was solid shoegaze music with a fringe of loud reverberation reminding of some My Bloody Valentine`s most atmospheric and epic moments ( (When You Wake) You're Still in a Dream; No More Sorry; Moon Song) and experimental moments (Touched) as well; on the other hand it drives and impresses on a darker sequence and some sparsenss in rhythm or even lack of it aside as well, approaching in that way to the soundscape of another legend Lycia (by the way, Lycia`s Mike VanPortfleet is part of Vlor nowadays).

While having been the last joint record session sacred places in the city is a symbolic release first of all. Thereafter the closest friends have each other felt out (the situation which is comparable to Spaceman 3, isn`t?). Vis-à-vis with their previous publications the reverb effects have been more reduced for it. Guitar arpeggios have distinctly been roughed out.

Although the release is minimal by instrumentals and soundscape on there it is full of mood music as yet. There is no difference after all, in which way this 33-minute long set should be characterized anyway - shoegaze, post-rock, darkwave. On the other hand - while it is still far away from any of pop centres by its minimalist approach, it can be considered as one as being quite close to academic guitar approach, this album could have had a broader audience. Great music, great muscians.

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[Artists] Gnomefoam

2010-02-21T16:24:00.000-08:00

Gnomefoam
Gnomefoam
Myspace
Lastfm

Sakura Pups Carving You With An Electric Chainsaw Carving = Going Green (Dramacore)

2010-02-21T07:23:00.000-08:00

At the moment in Arizona residing Trevor Osborne is being musically an active man for a while. He has been part of numerous musical groups and projects as the likes of Homemade Abortion Kit, Famous Halos, Cyanide Theodicy, Tre [Too] Silent, Yung Slug, Megalodon,? Hred, Kids Talk Trash, The Attention Deficits, Myst of Despair, Silent Heroes.

Carving You With An Electric Chainsaw Carving = Going Green is the sophomore album of the 23-year-old American under the name Sakura Pups following to The New (est) Black issued on DEXANDTHECITY 2 years ago. Indeed, these two ones are official albums - in fact, the list of Sakura Pups unpublished albums is at least twice longer.

In fact, Osborne is an angry guy at that as well. The mills of Sakura Pups are grinding at full capacity - he mixes cybercore and grindcore, a metal and electronic scrap each other. Fast paced electronic beats at times acquire even the parameters of rave music. A metallic vocal is full of anger, sweat and madness sometimes expansing and acquiring sludge stench (Beaten By A Moth!, which in its own start reminds of one of Suede `s (?!) tracks from the album A New Morning). Indeed, there are some sophisticated overthrows. I do mean of those unusual elements being incorporated into this extreme concept - some piano clinks, a few spoken words here and there about getting some piquancy upon the main stream of a concept. However, notwithstanding this the tracks of having an average of circa 2 minutes, the album is diversed by frequent changiness in vocal manners and rhythms.

I am not able to think otherwise that for the followers of electronic extreme metal would have these 21 minutes as a cup of pleasant surprise for.

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8.3

[Artists] Adrian Aardvark

2010-02-20T18:44:00.001-08:00

Adrian Aardvark
Adrian Aardvark
Myspace

Guezos Oito Destinos (Aregueifa)

2010-02-20T10:18:00.000-08:00

From the Galician region, Spain, coming a 7-member ensemble demonstrates its flavour in compliance with the label Aregueifa which in turn reflects the tendencies of their native county. If you have already made acquaintance with Xurxo Romani, Xera PROJECTO [TREPIA], or Fanny & Alexander you can`t be wrong in your speculations about possible directions in songcrafting of Guezos. You do not actually need to do it - Guezos have been active more than 10 years and issued some albums as well. Their ethnic pop - as well as another native-minded bands from the Galician/Asturian region can`t be without demonstrating their Celtic roots - is mixed with psychedelic organ sequences and hard guitar riffs. However, the album contains of very unexpected yet pleasure elements at the first sight. The opening track Guezada 69 does crossover ethnic rock with acid dance rock tunes. It sounds as if the fairies have arrived to a madchester-music party and since the subsequent fete will little by little be taken over by those supernatural creatures. Acción-Reacción drives through impressive loud-sounding psychedelic shoutings in the choruses. Vals do Regueiro is a blend of downbeat, hard rock tunes and the sounds of local bagpipe gaita. Actually all of this stuff on the album are pushed elegantly up to the top and sustained therein by catchy organ grooves and gaita strokes. Todo Perfecto is the only one which does not symphatize for me. Even though it starts with a delicious Yann Tiersen-alike accordion motive the track will be evolving into quite lame latin estrada pop. The harmonies-melodies arisen from there even reminds of the criminal/platnoi songs from the former U.S.S.R. My favorite track is obscure Benvida a Terradentro - through its very brief longitude and introspective nature, yet, it is rather meant as an interlude or introduction to the ending track Terradentro (2009).

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8.1

Jacques de Villiers sleepsongs (Jacques de Villiers)

2010-02-18T19:09:00.000-08:00

Although in Cape Town (The South African Republic) residing Jacques de Villiers is yet a musician of unknown size amongst the (ambient) musicians the specifity of his roomy soundscape is comparable to a view as if it would take a look to the ocean at the Cape of Good Hope.

His debut album sleepsongs consists of 5 tracks which deliver the listeners experimental ambient music in its best own - ordinary ambient structures are mixed with drone, shoegaze and noise, though, these side effects are rather (vaguely) perceiveable. For instance, the beginning of Moon Ballad/Improvisation for Trevor/Shine a Light on Every Room (part 2) is a bit painful to listen to it through the headphones. After it is followed by melodic sequences and lone piano clinks to be ready for the epic parametres to be set up in its beauty. The ending The Dying Song/Mon Ami does trash around in its inner agones - a loose, even down-and-dirty bass tumult meets the vague sounds resounding far from unknown distances creating an impressive output which is far away from the dullness of usual ambient. Subsequently, sleepsongs is without mediocre symptoms - without any anemic paleness. Indeed, it is truly epic music being comparable to the picture as if seeing a ship sinking silently in a far distance. These tracks are like beautiful dreams, which actually do not have happy endings.

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8.9

Memoryhouse The Years EP (Arcade Sound)

2010-02-18T01:31:00.000-08:00

Well, it is time to continue with zeitgeist music. With sounds which are really hot and are being distributed and promoted first of all on the blogosphere all around the world at the moment. It seems to me that mainstream media unfortunately are unwilling to act along with, touching them only with fingertip (Neon Indians). It is much important for them to review some Neil Young`s and REM`s live sessions or `hidden` tracks being played thereabout 25-30 years ago than give more credit to unknown musical groups. The melomans of the recent generation don`t really care about it. It would be even sufficient if they had enough time to listen to classical pop albums (Neil Young`s and R.E.M`s ones as well).

Chillwave, hypnagogic pop, glo-fi, futurecore pop. Indeed, good music does have many names. And there have been around many bands as well - The Bilinda Butchers, Wonder Wheel, Sore Eros, MILLIONYOUNG, Dizzy Jaguars!, Death And Vanilla etc. Memoryhouse is coming from Ontario, Canada, and consist of Evan Abeele and Denise Nouvion who took the name after the famous work (2001) of German modern classic/electronic musician Max Richter. Their doings with music do have a very pragmatic explanation - to escape the paralysis of winter. Some living practices may sometimes acquire peculiar and beautiful raciness as it demonstrates 4-track The Years EP. The associations emerging from the first of a pair listens are very similar in their pleasure to those which cropped out while listening in the first time Cocteau Twins and Slowdive. Indeed, these names are not coincidental. Memoryhouse does charm through the ethereal sentiment of the Scottish trio and switches on the links related to Halstead & Co`s guitar ambient bewitchery. It can even account for why such music gives rise to nostalgia. On the other side - you should not think about it as the like of retro - basically this music is targeted toward the future. Their main basis contains of the element with whom you are already being familiar but the soundscape is rebuilt in a new way. Not very differently, though. How could it even be possible, isn`t? There is no chance to transcend the past, for the synthesis anyway. In fact, this movement started with similar aesthetics played up by Atlas Sound and Azeda Booth a couple of years ago and added by its own side marginal elements on DIY at that.

However, the guitars are commissioned by synthesizers (and not vice versa). The Years EP sounds as if Asobi Seksu or the Moscow Olympics would lack string instruments pushing synthetic elements to forefront. However, a cheap synth only sometimes illustrates the pace of a rhythm being mostly carried out by intense harmonies and melodies, which in turn are confined by angelic vocal sequences. I saw somewhere an message their next EP will come out soon in the spring. In the light of the recent EP a new one it is really welcomed. Is it yet possible to rise upward and upward?

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9.6

Hangin Freud Sunken (Sinewave)

2010-02-16T23:03:00.000-08:00

The São Paulo/London-based duo Hangin Freud started with their musical operations in the year 2005. In the same year was released the same named debut album which appealed at first sight with a blend of music noir, dark sounding shoegaze/darkwave, powerful indie, and slowcore as well. Scratchy guitars, gothic vocal mannerism, via obscure corridors of delay effects thronging sound, closely intimate spaceness. The music which was designed for people who are obsessed with thick curtains and red light beams. The next issue Continental didn`t add nothing to the concept of their debut one. On the contrary - the emotional aspect expressed through voice and instrument settings was pushed down sounding in a quite dry and passionless way.

However, first of all, Hangin Freud is a sapient duo who is able to learn from their own experiences. While still following a narrow conception of their sound (by its conceptual narrowness it is similar to Stereolab or Broadcast), they have designed their moulded parts and less audible details into much more formidable ones. On Sunken does Freud Hangin sound as their music was described somewhere on the Internet - claustrophobia, pigeons, suffocation, dry lips, nail bits, white walls. In comparison with Hangin Power herein are no such tracks based on intended sheer loudness anymore. Recent sound is full of crawling and dark blue-colored phantoms, which even flow sometimes. Paula Borges`s voice is a blend of burnt-out and resigned feelings and at times even more commissioned senses. Because of the restraint of the soundscape the part of vocal lines is more dominant on it. However, less than a half-hour ongoing Sunken is full of great numbers - Swamp was probably written in such a way seeing only the minimal song-writing composition as the ideal for it in the mind, thereafter to become itself as a template of minimalist dark pop sketch. A barely audible noisy hum in the background gives evidence of duo`s ability and sage to dally on human consciousness through sound manipulation, the title song (of short duration) introduces a journey full of enchanting fantasies. We Are Not hits with old piano sound generating strange dimensionality, which may seem plausible coming from the 1920`s-1930`s. Its hidden compulsive effects enforce the listeners repeat it over and over again. The ending song In The City is a mixture of atmospheric shoegaze and darkwave and would be a suitable yonder track for speculative film narrating the stories about ghost cities. Indeed, there is left enough room for imaginations - I am quite sure by reading simultaneously Edgar Allan Poe`s short stories (Berenice; Ligeia) aside it would give the listeners some metaphysical dimensions at that.

Sunken is a grandeur album which actually is getting better with each listen. No doubt, it is one of the musical peaks from the year 2010. The album is mandatory for every serious dark music supporter, hype-disdainful indie fan or uncompromising meloman.

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9.8

Josef Nadek to infect and persist (TVK)

2010-02-15T16:56:00.000-08:00

Behind the pseudonym as Josef Nadek hides himself/herself an eccentric musician from Innsbruck, Tirol, Austria. As it is quite usual to almost all of those orthodox artists involving in the genre of avant-garde/industrial/illbient/dark ambient/noise, their specific task is to strip down the human spirit in its rotten nature and being full of hatred of humanity. More specifically - Josef Nadek is designed as a mould-infested spiritual cesspit, dedicated to compulsively explore and document various degrees of human degeneration, eradicate necrotic tissue and reflect each putrid core. Note that Josef Nadek is an utterly artificial character. Nevertheless no vile piece of filth about those in charge behind the scenes is of any significance. Josef Nadek spins his own yarn.

It is also noticeable greyish and black & white background imageries have been dominated in his visual side being actually so habitual to the old school industrial music. There is one peculiarity which was amazing in the most - by investigating the download ratings of his/her three albums under the labels such the likes of VJG, Bleak, and The Vegetable Kingdom (TVK), I noticed his/her marks have reached the results getting closer to 40.000 (in the curse of less than a year) , surpassing the next ones about 100 times! These parametres would we a kind of proudness for any of such a kind non music artist. No doubt, there is a huge fan base behind Josef Nadek`s back.

To infect and persist Vol.1 is compiled of various singles and tracks derived from different compilations, published over the previous year. This is Josef Nadek `s second album in this year - even in recent days, if to be precise. I have to assume Girone Della Merda issued under Format Noise was too pale, to get a full-fledged impression from it. On the other hand, under TVK anything is all but mediocrity. In the first place, the cover illustrated here is all but a joke - a woman imagined on it represents the decay of a human being - in its illness, slackness, and vulnerableness as well. It is actually the sequent level on its continuing degringolade pathway. By practising destroying yourselves and first at all another people the age of those TV-disciples and hedonistic jerks is destined to fail in itself.

The album begins in a very strange and unexpected key – the 60`s space age pop is mixed with country music being strictly in the vein of avant-garde music, more exactly reminiscent of some activities of legendary Bruce Haack (aka Jackpine Savage). It is followed by Coercion which gives the listener a hit by the side of noise drone. The Sayers of the law is based on a minimal string arrangement which will be digitalized thereafter. If you think, the rest of 6 tracks will continue combining with the elements of the previous tracks, you are failed to encompass it. In addition to the opening track my favorite ones are Hymn – a kind of vowel waving within weird haziness, which is fringed with abrasive digitality, and Monolyth & Cobalt, which exceeds low-end electro sentiments with cosmic music layers. Repentance of Midnight does succeed ambient structures into bombinating desolation.

`To infect and persist`, says Josef Nadek. Lets go on, hoi polloi!

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8.8

Weird Ribs Tubes (CLLCT/Bandcamp)

2010-02-11T02:45:00.000-08:00

I suppose Joseph Cox is still better known as Fragile Battleships, by his previous project, through the course of 4 albums, in which he generated interesting ambient music. The 20-year-old British musician offered intense soundscapes with solid variability and impressive credibility - atmospheric soundscapes, restless glitch rhythms, the elements of musique concrete and modern classic, subtle orchestrations, low frequent bass booming, freeform sonic effects.

Although quite different, the direction on Weird Ribs wasn`t actually a very surprising turnaround drifting into a new realm - his spirit of open-hearted inventiveness promised to abound almost in everything. An new middle place is set around krautrock - around music without or within the sound of a few guitars, concentrating on creating electronic music with space odour, so-called kosmische musik. However, you know all of those names - Cluster, Conrad Schnitzler, Manuel Göttsching, Harmonia, The Droids, Cosmic Jokers and many others.

Stereo effects initiate Tubes – from one channel to another moving electronic loops are joined by synthesizer drones pumping thereafter up high chords - maybe it sounds even more Cluster than Cluster itself was able to do it. Goodnight Sweetheart is full of clashing digital sounds which at first glance, though, are quite remote from positive acceptance. Maybe even Cox itself is a bit frightened about it, turning on the previous gear. Leave is one of the highlights on the album - a kraut/synth-based sublime symphony which gets growing and meets the expectations of listeners` perception in the degree of 101 per cent. It might seem to be sound in a way as if Harmonia is circulating with Penguin Cafe Orchestra in the CD-player in the same time. The ending of this is an unexpected offering of Gang Gang Dance-alike vanguard tribal rhythms while a counterpoint in the embodiment of digital noise moves up to an intensive background whistling having some similarities with Cox`s previous project sounds, though, having more outbursting and destroying output. One of the best songs of 2010 to date. Pitter Patter is shaken through tectonic quakes while moving through cosmic spheres. All this enchantment of sounds is being captured from vintage analogue synths and epic tanpura-based long-lasting chords and will be set up a new metaphysics - the castles of old peers will be made up again.

On Tubes modern sense meets retro spirituality, epic meets sound manipulation, old school electronics meets recent technology, dance sentiments are infiltrated into psychedelic chaos. Moreover, as Joseph Cox has also mentioned the likes of Fuck Buttons, and Growning as influences amongst others, this conception will nicely be wrapped up. However, by my opinion his closest musical soul mate is still Dominik Jansen aka Cidulator from Cologne.

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9.3

gillicuddy the yaouhl! mashup (Clinical Archives)

2010-02-10T01:17:00.000-08:00

Andreas Rohden aka gillicuddy is of East Frisian-descent, now in Bochum residing a singer-songwriter. He has issued as the sum of 4 albums, all during one year and a half, on respected labels such as Resting Bell, Merzbau, and Clinical Archives to date. Rohden`s music can be characterized as influenced by North American roots-driven pop music and minimalist song composition. Through his restraint approach he is getting close to delta blues and the string music derived from the years of the 1920-30`s. By continuing to go onwards in time it all reminds me of John Fahey, Leo Kottke, Phil Reavis, Lou Barlow, and of contemporaries the likes of Ben Chasny, early Devendra Banhart, (Carlo), Barbagallo, James Blackshaw.

Rohden`s deliberately a bit rough even primitive songs do reflect the truthfulness of the eras of the past decades (especially the album music for moles). In fact, the similarities with John Fahey do have common point in the shortness of the tracks not often reaching a couple of minutes. On the other hand, Rohden `s music has always been a bit too cagey to label it simply as roots music in itself (for example, it is as the same as to consider Wilco or The Silver Jews could it to be). His cutting edge-ness does arise from the fountainhead of the recent time (by the way, he has himself compared his music as if with “living together with the ducks and squirrels”). It is not possible to forget he is yet living in the midst of one of the main European industry complexes. His music would seem as an escaping far away from today and an urban jungle around.

His sonic inventiveness is vividly and broadly demonstrated on his latest release the yaouhl! mashup. In accordance with the spirit of Clinical Archives it does sound in a modern way (no matter how anachronistically this sentence would even sound!), being far away from the sleekness of buttoned-up chart music. However, all those songs establish an excellent bunch. The gambit i know starts with beautiful sonorous overdrives and will be continued by almost 8-minute long adventurous (post-) grunge sound. Indeed, de mannetjesolifant gaat op reis naar de oostzee sounds like grunge music in a way it could ideally to be. The track is compiled of sequences and details which are obviously not very ordinary at all. For instance, one of those sound layers is drifted by tape (speed) manipulation effects, though, the full story will be ended by background hisses coming from the (Baltic) sea. Sh-da is a marvellous blending of avant-garde/indie/post-rock, which main attention are focused on tumultuous structure consisting of the symbiosis of usual instruments and digital audio. Instrumental # 2 does approach a concept of the previous albums, but, yes, ... just moving nearer. Sme. li. co. is likely to move up into underground folk of the 60`s. What does it mean “Sme.li.co”? Therein are explaining sentences:
/ too many people on the subway train to tell people smell like cock / Why do the people under the subway train smell like cock /. In this way? Definitely.

the yaouhl! mashup demonstrates an ingenious and skillful balance between sound experimentation and solid song-crafting. There is actually one thing I am concerning about. Why are all of those song titles and the project title itself as well initiated without capital initial letter? By my opinion one of the best albums of 2010.

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9.5

[Old but important] An Elephant Never Forgets An Elephant Never Forgets (Upitup)

2010-02-08T17:58:00.000-08:00

Indeed, the elephants never forget and can probably remember better as many people do. It is also believable that so much shit gathered together inside our brains which would be better forget or think off isn`t actually the matter of the elephants. On the other side, it is quite surprising to suggest that so few artists are paid `tribute` to the largest terrestial animal by integrating their name into groups` ones. Moreover, the elephant have been symbolized strength and durability.
Indeed, nowadays are being more popular all kind of `bears`, and `cats` - though, I ought to admit, over the times - as well. For real, over the previous decade In the USA existed the Elephant 6 movement have subsequently added the proper and symbolic intention to the `elephant` name in music. No doubt, bands such as Neutral Milk Hotel and Of Montreal have strongly influenced the (USA) altenative music scene.

An Elephant Never Forget is also coming from the same continent – from Montrèal, Canada. Dave Landry and Jim Angelillo, who are only known by this act, came in for to leave thereafter. Though, they were also represented by one song on the compilation of Upitup Records, which released their debut album thereafter. This publication could be shown as a peculiar case because of their in that music entered inside the borders of Upitup's cutting edge electronic music desert. However, the duo demonstrated tumultuous spirit and energy of the music from their home city combined with aesthetics similar to Upitup`s artists using huge cluster of influences for. Given that the jacks within the local indie and post-rocks scene are closely related to each other and take into an account a clue that (Le) Fly Pan Am changed quite dramatically the direction on their last album vis a vis their previous outputs it gives us a theoretical basis to suppose that An Elephant Never Forget has maybe even strongly influenced (Le) Fly Pan Am`s album N` Ecoutez Pas (2004, Constellation) - one of the greatest albums from the last decade.

All those diverse elements are nicely represented on the album - musique concrete elements (street sounds, water murmur), ecstatic outbursts (tracks Expl; Analogie – does it reminiscent of Arcade Fire`s ecstatic hystery thereabout 3-4 years later, isn`t?) It will be given a break by hypnotic rock conception (Nippon), electro-acoustic fulminations, slowly expanding minimalistic ambient rock (Essence). Spoken word. Digital noise does find his home within the borders of high-pitched guitar hums. Also laptop folk - as the later brand of Montrèal scene - excellent shimmerings yield great monumentums here (I recommend listen to another duo Simon Trottier-Nicolas Bernier too). The album will be finished off by their label mate Isocore `s masterful psych-electronic remix Poor Corporation.

An Elephant Never Forget is full of sounds which are worth to give a listen, worth to be discovered now and sometime later again. One of the benchmarks of experimental rock music.

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Prinss Mind, Body & Soul: 200% (Jamendo)

2010-02-07T20:29:00.000-08:00

Mind, Body & Soul: 200% is the debut album of a quintet coming from Monterrey, Mexico. The album is compiled of 10 tracks, which are filled with recent urban sounds. The broad accents are put on digi funk, electro and r`n`b arrangements. In a lesser measure there are also presented soul and hip-hop sentiments. However, solid song settings, varying melodies, lush electronic orchestrations, modern tuned synth sequences, the effects pushed through sonic filter devices. The tightrope of vocal activity is actually the matter of women who are singing in Spanish and in English (it can happen in the same song as well). I checked out their musical influences - Michael Jackson, Keri Hilson, Alicia Keys, Chris Brown. Actually the only element which disturbs me a bit on the issue derives from the latter three named musicians - I was a bit bored of vocal settings permanently running on autotune effect mode. Though, I ought to admit, into the middle section all those robot-alike vocals are being quite ok but thereafter I was getting a bit tired. Yes, a bit indeed. Despite of that little peccadillo Mind, Body & Soul: 200% goes on and will reach the glorious ending. My favorite tracks are NO Es FaCiL ft AD - crackling sounds and subtle moods reminiscent a bit of Kraftwerk`s classic harmonic signatures, and Necesito de ti does touch me with its roomy and emotionally affecting soul music sentiments. Good album, what else could I report.

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8.3

Henrik Jòse The Little Things EP (23 Seconds)

2010-02-06T21:27:00.000-08:00

Henrik José is the producer from Malmö, whose musical curse, cognition, and development is obviously reminiscent of another (and more known) Scandinavian musician Esa Juhani Ruoho aka Lackluster from Finland. Between 1997-2004, the Swedish musician had been known under alias as Bliss. He started as the part of demoscene/bitpop/chiptune/8-bit, specifically contrasting by making psychedelic tracker sound. His later developments had stood on the shifts toward downtempo and electronic pop direction. His musical lexicon includes such headwords like nu-jazz, jazz funk, funk soul, deep house, disco (house), roomy orchestrated music. Regarding the intensity of sound and diversity of genres he is thereby close to samplecore/plunderphonics-movement. All those acid keyboards and autotuned vocals were very up to scratch. For instance, take a listen of the track Making Bomb (1998) which is...mhhh... the bomb, indeed. His music has been issued under Kahvi, Monotonik, and Fairlight Music (once again, having an overlap with Lackluster). His musical subtlety is probably related to his main influences, including the likes of The Smiths, Sigur Ros, Murcof, Pink Floyd, Cocteau Twins, Boards Of Canada, Radiohead, Björk, Aphex Twin. It`s partly seems like an old school indie thug rustling around behind electronic devices.

The recent album is a follow-up to Henrik Jose 2007 in which guitar music was infiltrated into sometimes tricksy electronics, whilst it liked to take a view into inner space, being even a bit narcissistic in its own. The Little Things EP rejects the introspectiveness and seems musically to be much more upbeat and explicit. Also all those guitars are abandoned now. This album is full of electronic tunes. However, Jòse`s 15 years-period of permanently involving in music business does afford a kind of confidence. In the first place, this album is a solid example of his professional musical experience. My favorite tracks are Pinpointing The Problem, and the title song as well, with its tache-throwing harmonies similar to Azeda Booth-esque futurecore pop. However, the ending track We Own This Thing sounds like a tame M83, though.

In the next time I`d like to listen to an album with a bit more longitude.

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8.5

Crowcat Freestreet EP (Psychedelicate)

2010-02-05T20:43:00.000-08:00

The State of California is nowadays full of diverse yet cutting edge music. How much good bands I have discovered in a couple of weeks – Dizzy Jaguars!, Wonder Wheel, Testicular Manslaughter, Tan Dollar etc. All those guys and gals who is wearing beach shorts and flabby shirts may be looked out way too usual but their sound is the qualitative brand in itself. In nearly 300 years ago, a French philosopher (Montesqieu) tried to determine human characteristics by bounding them to special geographical conditions. For example, people who are living in the mountains are used to love more freedom and people who are related to the living on the plateaus are biased to despotism. All we can say about California is there is no relation between interaction of thought laziness and summer blaze. I know very well all assignments in this way don`t make sense about it at all. Certainly, (physical) environments do affect the people in a certain way, but ortodoxically categorical assignments are the case of racism actually. This gives some persons the opportunity to manipulate with half-truths to reflect yourselves better and the other groups worse than they are in reality.

However, the emergence of a sequent new wave in the southwestern part of The USA is not a case to be surprised about because California is always having been an important place in the history of innovative popular music. One great act is followed by another - The Residents, Big City Orchestra, Negativland, Cromagnon, Mike Patton, Christian Marclay, Estradasphere, Tuxedomoon, Xiu Xiu, Ariel Pink, Testicular Manslaughter if to name most well-known amongst others.

Behind Crowcat is a guy named Mike McDowell - formerly having some partakings within avant-garde scene around Orange County-area (Dollar Tan, Fadestale, The Month Long Song), and his project Sun Sound Energy. Anyone who is familiar with the latter band, can a bit conjecture what could expect from his new brainchild.

Freestreet - released on McDowell`s own label Psychedelicate Records - consists of 5 tracks within 27 minutes. Obviously it is the optimal size, because this sound is broadly stretched out of pop. All what is on the EP herein can be labelled as total-pitched experimentalism - the fringes of electoacoustic and psychoacoustic environments, mutated vocal sequences/experiments, hi-speed/low-speed passages. Above it at times you can hear soaring vague spoken word samples and Freestreet can be represented without a solid fuzz noise as well. Near conventional instruments (bass, guitar, voice, drums) are also mentioned kalimba and chair(?). Is it an electric chair actually? Is it possible that the prefix "electric" is omitted to mention indeed? Throughout the way a continuous sizzle does make important sense. By its genuine sound it recalls me about limited edition tape albums of the obscure industrial acts by the 80`s. Even nowadays in the omnistylistic era Crowcat sound in a peculiar way. More exactly, his old school industrial moving about is getting closer to some enlightening works of Big City Orchestra thereabout 25-30 years ago. However, at those moments when the string instruments getting emerge, usually bass guitar (electric guitar is being directed into effect-based madness usually), a weird crossover of psych-blues and drone will be born (Clapping Fire). Of course, it all takes place in the guide of free improvisational indulgence.

Freestreet is aesthetically an outstanding publication for sure. Although intense by its form, it does wrap itself in some kind of safety, not being suppressing by its nature. In the first place I ought to admit the EP is not designed for anybody. The listeners who do have a consistent experience regarding old school industrial music/avant-garde/noise/drone are probably witted to understand it. Otherwise it may be seen too much a case of curiosity.

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9.5

Wild Honey Epic Handshakes and a Bear Hug (Lazy Recordings)

2009-11-09T13:44:00.001-08:00

I even don`t remember how and when I discovered Wild Honey for myself. If to think about this it is quite strange for me because of being probably the most important coincidence throughout the running year. I think a chance of mine not to come across Guillermo Farrè`s project was quite possible. He is a recent indie-maverick who is releasing his music by his own and being far away from record companies and even netlabels as well.

His first self-titled EP (2008) was a twee-act, and as usual it was a standing on the shoulder of giants - of Field Mice, The Orchids, and Belle& Sebastian as well. Undoubtedly a beautiful album. The recent album has found out new directions to be flared out - musically Farrè has moved more into classical pop music, especially toward sunshine pop and baroque pop. You can feel the melodic and harmonic power of The Beatles, Beach Boys, Free Design, and The Carpenters as well. His song structures are the fragile and lambent ones. Historic dimensionality is engendered from subtle lyrics - those are nostalgic, melancholic, and sometimes with unexpected ends. For example, the track To Steal A Piece Of Art do tell about a mediocre chess player who met a famous avant-garde painter who has an idee fixe to steal and destroy with somebody his piece of art. Brand New Hairdo and Isabella do show up some haircut obsession. There are a lot of tracks what are really worth to be emphasized - 1918-1920, To Steal A Piece Of Art, Isabella, My Bride In Black Gloves, Gold Leaf, One Word Prayer. Irresistible! My friend characterized this album as a searching attempt for lost and majestic sense of life of Europe. You know all those golden days are long gone. We have no choice but you can set up your own private space-time to stay yourself.

By the way, the album is mastered and mixed under guidance of Nashville sound professionals Brad Jones and Jim DeMain. To support this act, you can purchase both vinyl and CD plus make donations.

This is heartfelt pop, deserving more than a cult audience.

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9.5

Chad Golda (CHAD GOLDA`S ALBUM) (Rack & Ruin)

2009-10-19T23:03:00.000-07:00

Do you know who is Chad Golda? If you do have no conscious of such a trio called starstarstar (previously also known as ringostar, and ***) as well, it is a bit forgiveable indeed. Anyway, Chad Golda is undoubtedly one of the recent geniuses. His debut solo album do argue into it. 7-8 years ago Animal Collective demonstrated us how it is possible to crossover post-psychedelic electronic music with (alt-) folk tunes. Paavoharju has developed this conception to the perfect state on the album Laulu Laakson Kukista (2008). Also starstarstar provided us an idiosyncratic and powerful version on the album Electric Goose and The Nylon Moose (2009). On solo album Chad Golda has forsaken acoustic guitars and vocal tunes, having emphasized mainly the electronic conception (he has himself described it as an "electronic inspired sound medium"). Yet, there are some exceptions - in the last track (original 11) you can hear how would sound weird folk/psych-folk at its best. Track 9 (original 9) do begin amidst low-sounding bass sounds and snare-hats` panoramic sounds, anyway, in the last third acoustic guitars and sound effects will be added amidst them too. Thick analogue bass incantation and pulsating topic sequences will push the album onward. Although a stihic milieu is impressive, it is hard not to see certain structureness behind it. For example, the tracks original 3, and original 8 - besides on-the-cusp running programmed bass steps there also bubble over with cosmic undercurrents and exquisitely drilling-in rustic electronic massives. This album sounds like starstarstar would be produced by Mika Vainio-Ilpo Väisänen. Or on the other way, it sounds like Sucide if Suicide would have sounded some degrees harsher than they usually used to be. Though, in comparison with Pan Sonic`s rigid borealic permafrost Chad Golda is having a bit softer soundscape, so you can even see some colours drifting amidst soundscape in a while. Yet, all those colours appeared there will soon have faded out of existence, fusing into chaotic overlay. Very impressive manifesto. One of the best albums of 2009 has yet to offer.

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9.4

Videos from netaudio Vol. 10

2009-09-28T03:38:00.000-07:00

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Joxfield ProjeX Bits And Pieces # 1- 13 (Clinical Archives)

2009-09-27T03:51:00.000-07:00

I ought to admit I do have a little knowledge about Swedish avant-garde music. Fixing the mind on this I am able to name only some examples having came from the end of the 70`s and the first half of the 80s. Early Blue Nun, Cosmic Overdose, and young Arvid Tuba as well. Recently I figured out that there have been two musicians behind the pseudonyms Oax, and Yan who have collaborated since the end of the 60`s, although Joxfield ProjeX itself was established in 2005.

Supposed that they are aged men, maybe with white long beards too, but thanks to their long-running musical experience they are still generating the sound which is far more innovate than the most young musicians are able to create nowadays. Up to 2009 they had released lots of albums on the label Tin Can Music. In the recent year all 3 albums (in fact, some days ago they issued their fourth album already!) have been released under Clinical Archives. Yes, I can`t go without spruiking them. All their albums are masterpieces in itself.

The album Picnic is dominated by ambient dub, and ambient techno tunes in a bit narrower range respectively. Homogeneous yet decorous drift of hesychastic sounds of which best days were ended up by the first half of the 90s.

Virtual Dreams & Realities consists of 2 tracks - the first of them is long of 43 minutes and divided in 11 parts. By conceptual side you can find huge similarities with Faust`s The Faust Tapes, though, by sonic facade it is more angular and schizoid. All the music presented here ranges from sound fragments of rural ambience to metronomic rhythm machine, space rock and kosmische musik as well. Faust, Gong, Canterbury scene seem to be some differentiable influences among others, as I would suppose. It might be the Finnish bands like Kospel Zeithorn, and Ester Poland are the closest kindred spirits of them nowadays. However, it is quite hard work to describe all those events happening throughout this track. The another track bases on a pulsating techno beat and vocal sample, which are surrounded by different kind of sonic and voice effects moving more or less chaotically around the basic axis.

Bits And Pieces # 1 – 13 consists of 2-3-minutes tracks, which in the context of Joxfield ProjeX does mean the tracks with shorter duration as usually used to be. 13 tracks in 35 minutes.
The artists and writers sampled here are Guillaume Apollinaire, Man Ray, Jean Cocteau, James Joyce, Allen Ginsberg, William S Burroughs, and Ezra Pound as well. Yet, it can`t be considered as a spoken word album in a narrow sense of this word. The basic essence of the album is developed into a vast threedimensionality, having conquered by flowing industrial-sounding guitar riffs and cosmic synth grooves. While the track Black Light returns to the concept of the album Picnic. Bits And Pieces... may have a surreal point of view just to open up in front of us the dilation of outer space in the form of music and nondescript incantation of those aforementioned dadaists and beatniks. Upon listening to vibrating buzz of the final track As Conceptual As... I would like to think a journey that started somewhere in the rangeland on Virtual Dreams & Realities has reached the middle point of outer space. Of course, it is my own fiction based on my choice to get bobbled the queue of three albums.

Actually it does not make any difference what kind of way will this album be criticized - face-to-face with another albums or in absolute way. The result used to be evenhandedly powerful and impressive anyway.

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9.2

Some mash-up and remix albums of the recent years

2009-09-26T09:53:00.000-07:00

Kevin McCraney - Uncleared Samples (Modicum Of Silence)
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Beastie Boys - Doublecheck Your Head (Max Tannone)
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Minty Fresh Beats - Jaydiohead - The Encore (Max Tannone)
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Minty Fresh Beats - Jaydiohead:: Jay-Z x Radiohead (Max Tannone)
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Wildahead Portibeast (Notherground Music)
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Radiohead Rainydayz Remixes by Amplive (Amplive)
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Tor /Sufjan Stevens - Illinoize (Tor)
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Cookin`Soul OJAYZIS: Jay-Z vs OASIS (mixtape) (2DOPEBOYZ.COM x HIPHOPDX.COM)
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Clinker Thru` the Fly Machine (Opera Dog Productions)

2009-09-18T09:08:00.000-07:00

Oh London, so much to answer for... . Clinker, one of the stars of the London underground rock scene is back again. The history of Clinker can be seen as one man`s struggle toward the stars. In recent past they have released the single/EP Hallucination Generation, and Pizzo Tung EP as well. Their last self-named LP was a brilliant album, undoubtedly the strongest unsigned album of 2008. Another sign of their growth in popularity emerges from frequent performing, where they have a formidable line-up consisting of 4-6 people at times.My initial thoughts about the new album are that the songs herein can be divided into at least 3 sections. As multifaceted as Clinker used to be. While some colours of the past are replaced by new ones. For instance, the head-on psychedelic tunes and intrusive baggy rhythms on earlier albums are removed from here. Through songs such as Searching for a New World, Hold Out Your Fists and Hallucination Generation, Peter Jordan has for the first time demonstrated his volition to move a bit more towards the charts of recent pop music – there’s a lot of energy, synthetic and danceable sequences roll over these fast-paced tracks. Also, there are two tracks, The Line and Mire, that are full of feedback-driven harshness. Moving fast and hit hard. Compared to the video version of Mire, the album version comes complete with a saxophone solo, having thereby an intriguing blend of straightforward noise rock and a tumultuous jazz element. Quieter moments are presented in tracks like Painted Red, and Long Way Around. Also Let`s Go Out And Get Fucked can be classified as one of those, though it is a shimmering sunshine pop track first of all. Although the last three tracks differ from each other by intensiveness and tonality, all of them show their affinity towards inward-looking dreamlike tunes. Music Gives You Power is the absolute highlight on this album though and probably Clinker’s best ever – somehow in this exceedingly epic insight there lacks many words to properly describe it. However, may be it is comparable to tracks with a divine touch like The Asphalt World (Suede), Broken Heart (Spiritualized), Holes (Mercury Rev), or Grumpus (Lambchop).

Although I can only fantasize how the next Clinker album will sound, it is thinkable that the next one, sometime in the future, would appear as the transitional album between a new life and the past in the history of the London duo. Hopefully in the meantime they will have enough luck to be the-next-big-thing in the world.

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8.4

Videos from netaudio Vol. 9

2009-09-17T08:50:00.000-07:00

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Interview with Dave Keifer (aka Cagey House)

2009-09-16T21:42:00.000-07:00

KS: Dave, you recently released your new album 1902 on the Bump Foot netlabel. What kind of position would have 1902 in your discography? By your opinion what is the main accent/line you tried to emphasize on the recent album?

DK: I started working on the 1902 tracks right after I finished The Cartoon Mouse Regards. On that one I had used really loose musical structures—almost no structures at all—and I wanted to continue exploring that angle. But I also wanted to start including vocal samples as well. So my main concern was finding a way to incorporate vocal parts (most of which were edited out of audio texts available at librivox.org) into the music without having the end result sound like an instrumental backing track with a random vocal part grafted onto it. Which was harder than I thought it would be. The track that worked out the best was Why the Long Map. The vocal parts for that were edited out of a children’s science lecture—and I was able to get the music to sort of comment on what the lecturer had just said. Ideally, in every track the music and vocals would interact in a unique way—it’s something I’m still working out.

KS: You have issued all your albums under alias Cagey House except The Cartoon Mouse Regards was released under your own name. Why did you make this kind of decision?

DK: That was really just a mix-up. When Tatsu over at Bump Foot accepted my demo, he told me that he had two designers, Jomino and XNoleet(check spellng) who could do the cover. I usually do the graphic stuff myself, but I thought it would be fun to get somebody else’s take on it, so I accepted. But I wasn't really specific about whether the album should have been credited to me or to Cagey House, and somehow it ended up being credited to my name. I could have asked Jomino and XNoleet to correct it, but the cover looked so cool I decide not to bother them. Besides it was my fault anyway for not being more specific. So it was really no reason other than my mistake that Cartoon Mouse wasn't officially a Cagey House release.

KS: Your last three albums have been based on original and sporadically very weird samples collected from here and there in many years. Your music before it was mainly programmed with the fruit loops program. What do you think are sample-based things because of their diversity harder to manage to be changed into musical composition? Are there any difference at all?

DK: This most interesting thing about gathering samples from all over the place is they’re going to be out of tune with each other. In fruityloops (or any other music program) all the on-board synthesizers are in tune with each other. You can key in a C on any one of them and it will be the same note as a C keyed in on any other.

But with outside samples—at least they way I gather them—they’re hardly ever in tune with each other. (And I should point out here that when I say samples, I’m almost always referring to a single note or chord or sound. I might use a two-note phrase, but never more than that, certainly not an entire bar.) I might have 15 or 20 instruments on a track and if I key in a C on all of them, I’ll get 15 or 20 different notes. Now if I was working with conventional song structures, and worrying about having every phrase resolve to a particular chord, that would be a big problem. Luckily, my stuff tends to be pretty free harmonically, and having all the instruments tuned differently is actually a help. It forces me to think creatively about almost every note I put in. There’s a part in Post Bugle Time Gents that sound like a guitar playing along with a flute. And it’s actually a sample of a kora voiced very far below its normal range, and a clarinet voiced very far above its normal range. It’s a neat bit, and I don’t think I would have come up with it if the two samples were in tune with each other. Another advantage to collecting a variety of samples is the diversity of sound quality. Some are recorded very well, others very poorly. Some might have lots of hiss or distortion. But if you put them together you can get all these cool and unusual sonic textures.

KS: You have said when you first started doing electronic music, you was writing fairly typical rock/pop instrumental things. Kind of like what the Ventures would have done if they'd played fruityloops instead of guitars. I have discerned the influences of the space age pop in your sonic textures as well. Which artists have been the main influences to you?

DK: It’s interesting how influences work. A lot of them, I think, are subconscious. The Space Age pop stuff from the early 60s—like the Swingle Singers, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Equivel, and Domenico Modungo, and all those guys—that’s music that I don’t really listen to all that much (except for Volare, which I’ve been listening to almost every day lately), but it’s made a huge impression on me. That distinctive early 60s sound is almost like a default setting for me. Maybe it’s because in that material the arrangement is what really stands out, and writing with a sequencer is esstially arranging. There are other influences on what I’m doing now that I’m very conscious of. When I was looking to break away from the rock/pop structures for instance, I listened to a whole bunch of music—mostly traditional stuff from Indonesia and Burma, and also avante garde symphonic music—looking for ideas. Eventually, I fixated on György Ligeti’s piece Melodien, and Karl Stockhausen’s Grupen, and under their influence found a way of getting my music to move forward without relying on riff or vamps or chord changes. So in that case, I was really seeking out influences. Lately, I’ve also been doing collage type things—where I’ll edit together bits of different tracks. Several Sad Songs from Lark was done that way. And that is very much influenced by the electric records that Miles Davis made with Teo Macero especially In A Silent Way and Bitches Brew.

KS: Undoubtedly you are one of the most profilic musicians in contemporary music. What will inspire and motivate you to create so much music?

DK: The worst thing about being an amateur musician is not having enough time to work on music. And it occurred to me a while ago, that if I did look at writing music as work, then I would never have enough time to do anything good. So I figured I would look at it more like play. Because, for instance, people who play games, always have time to play games. And that's how it worked out. If I have some free time--even if it's just a few minutes,and even if I'm tired, and especially if I'm not feeling particularly inspired--l'll write some music. Even if it's just a few bars, or just sketching out an idea. And so I end up writing a lot--which for me is necessary, since maybe one out of ten ideas that I get is any good. Also, I tend to write just for the sake of writing, without any end point or musical goal in mind. I might work a little on one track in the morning, sit down and work a little bit on another track after I get home from my job, and then work on the first track a little more before I go to bed. So a phrase that starts out one way, might end up somwhere else entirely, becuse by the time I got back to finishing it, I’ll have forgotten where it was going originally. And sometimes stray ideas make there way into songs—the riff from Iron Man (played on a mouth harp) is burried in Isn’t That Great News on 1902, for instance. So I've found that writing this way really fosters the kind of music that I like--music that's unpredictable, energetic, a little chaotic, and humorous.

KS: It is really hard even impossible to discover some traces about your gigs have ever been performed in the past. Why? Is it your conceptual decision to avoid the stages?

DK: I’ve never played electronic music live. I did play drums, a long time ago, in a rootsy punk band. And we played out a lot—we didn’t really record anything—but we played live many times. And that was a really good experience. You learn to take the quality of music really seriously when you’re playing it in front of other people. So that was a very good lesson to learn. But the music I’m playing now really only can exist as a recorded artifact. And I like that. I like that it exists almost entirely within software and circuits. I’ve always really admired Glenn Gould, so the whole idea of working in solitude seems natural.

KS: Recently I had a conversation with an Estonian underground electronic musician, he was quite distrait and so I suggested him to set his music under a Creative Commons license. He abstained from it saying “in that case people would not respect his music anymore”. What does mean respect to you got by your music activity?

DK: I suppose I can understand what your friend is saying. Releasing stuff for free through a Creative Commons license does suggest that you’re an amateur. (Although some professionals do release tracks as Creative Commons things.) And if you have the ambition to be a professional, I can see being reluctant to doing anything that would be considered amateurish. But for me, respect has nothing to do with being a professional or an amateur, or selling your music or giving it away. What counts is the quality. I can think of many amateur musicians who are doing things as exciting and creative as any professionals—people like Pipher, Molloy and His Bike, and the Cheap Poet. And I think a lot of people feel that way. Good music is good music, that’s all that really counts.

KS: If to look forward to the future what are the next plans of yours?

DK: I have an album called Bees with Monkey coming out this fall on the Dog Eared Records netlabel. The tracks are all collages, basically — the first five are very melody-oriented and the last three are very antic, almost like cartoon music. I also have a track called Several Dawns and a Dusk coming out on a Naked Noises netlabel compilation. And I’ve got other stuff in the works. One track is made up of different kinds of whistles — factory whistles, train whistle, samba whistles. Another has a Peter Gunn, secret agent-style guitar interacting with a vibraphone playing around with Scriabin’s mystic chord. Hopefully something fun will come out of those things.

Cagey House on Myspace
Cagey House on Archive.org

Osoroshisha Nanimo Nai Wakusei (Petcord)

2009-09-16T18:02:00.001-07:00

Kasei, Dosei, Kinsei, Suisei. Mars, Saturn, Venus, and Mercury respectively. 4 empty planets in the Sun`s planetary system. What references do these 4 tracks/planets have? What does it mean the humanity in music at all? Indeed, this music is created by a human being, Tim Salden, and at first glance he seems searching for the balance between mind and spirit. By conception it is partly similar to the Kraftwerk`s one whose desire for the robots was quite ironic, and thereby human as well. On the other hand, self-sufficient robots will have to had no duties toward the people. You have to banish yourself to defend yourself and have a chance to find out your pathway towards certain directions. In fact, on the album Nanimo Nai Wakusei is no place for electro pop and ironic statements anymore. It apotheosizes the solitude as the asylum for mind to get rid itself of the degenerated phenomena of spirit possession. The music shows the human being with his loneliness, while it is very impressive and powerful state of mind anyway, and beams the light rather than devastates your personality.

This music bases on drone and ambient passages which at times are interrupted by change in intensivity, usually by shimmering and expandible synth sounds. Through its minimal approach it is much more closer to the eternity as you could experience during a journey through outer space than the apparency and inconstancy presented on the Earth. Every once in a while this sound seems like the blurred light flowing from distant stars evoking quaint visons you have never experienced before. The more to listen to this album the more it will sound dreamlike, as the ambient music you don`t have luck to meet it any day. An amazing result indeed.

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9.1

Our Subatomic Earth Infinite (Modicum of Silence)

2009-09-14T20:40:00.000-07:00

Nic Ross is a 18 year old talented man from Whitehouse, Ohio. During his short life time he has reached a bit more than everybody from anonymous masses. He has estbalished the netlabel Modicum of Silence with (another superb musician) Kevin McCraney (they have in a liaison with the project Telemetrics), and has evolved his conceptions through the project gotikplage, and Our Subatomic Earth. First of all, His three projects have given a lot of hope regarding post rock and experimental metal that these named genres could not change into a term of abuse or the synonyme of pseudointellectual flummery. Anyway, I have heard enough about how people like to show off with the likes as Mono, and Sigur Ros as the popular and "modern" ones. Beauty and powerfulness do not mean beautiful or loud-sounding opuses in any cases, especially if it has been much exploited and fallen into decay. Such a quasi pathos is actually aversive and, unfortunately, these tracks are used to be much longer than 10 minutes. It is very sad to see/listen to how some ensembles who had co-defined the post-rock genre nearly 10 years ago lost their courage to avoid transforming into a balatron compared to their spotlights many years ago.

The music of Our Subatomic Earth is very different in comparison with the one of gotikplage. Gotikplage associates with a solid blend of post rock, progressive rock, and jazz rock. Besides sporadical massive drum works and shimmering guitar lines there are also warm-sounding analogue keyboard lines which remind me of some fusion bands of the end 70`s.

On Infinite Nic Ross continues realizing the possibilities he started evoking on the first albums (Is, and Nothing respectively). This album is as well as it supposed to be. This was fully recorded, mixed, and mastered between May and June of 2009. The music ranges from post-hardcore, post-metal and screamo attacks to soothing moments of post rock and ambient. At its loudest moments it is very noisy and acute, and its silent moments it is really a blissful vibration or filled with overflowing epicness. Despite of opposing counter sides in sound the whole is an excellent balanced one. The titles are in Latin, obviously referring to the "places" somehow related to the human state of mind, or just being the man. While I know I can`t be truth because the human soul is a way too dirty locus for this fantastic music (let`s convince in that listening to the track Palus Somni, for instance). Take time for a while to enjoy one of the most extraordinary creators in contemporary avant-rock. What else I could recommend... and listen to the other artists under Modicum of Silence, and Wise Owl Records as well, the music labels similar by sound/conception and place (Ohio State).

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8.8

Videos from netaudio Vol. 8

2009-09-13T22:40:00.000-07:00

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Max Tannone/Beastie Boys Doublecheck Your Head (Max Tannone)

2009-09-13T09:57:00.000-07:00

Recently, 2 weeks ago, I got an unexpected but pleasant e-mail letter from Max Tannone (formerly known as Fresh Minty Beats) about his new project. He is an DJ and music producer from Big Apple who has got much feedback and lots of listening times through his 2 mashup albums Jaydiohead :: Jay-Z x Radiohead, and Jaydiohead - The Encore (both albums of 2009).

The current project is made in support of the Beastie Boys recent reissue of their Check Your Head album. The concept is that the Beastie Boys are mashed up with themselves, rapping over tracks sampling their own instrumentals, with all vocals and sampled elements coming from Check Your Head. Sequences from the popular hits So Whatcha Want, and Pass the Mic are also presented here. By methodical aspect this album can be seen as one possibility for future pop music. Why should the artists try to bulk out new conceptions from album to album it can hardly possible realize nowadays anyway? It is much reasonable decision just to modify the albums full of potential, and give them a new life. I would suppose the quality will mostly be guaranteed in such cases.

There is obviously no threat of legal action over this project because 4 of the tracks are also featured on the official Beastie Boys site www.beastieboys.com under NEWS section. So let`s enjoy an alternative version of the album of one of the godfathers of electro/hip-hop/rap-metal.

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8.5

Thuoom sun resonate my summer (textural healing)

2009-09-11T19:07:00.000-07:00

The attitude of the finnougrians toward the forest as such one have always disposed to positive spirit. It was the natural and affable ambience for living embodying no such an object which would have to be eliminated, or changed into the parks, for instance. Thereby it is not surprising why beautiful forest massives still exist in the Nothern West Europe area. Also, I am not surprised at all that the finns do name their underground folk movement as "forest folk" as well. On the other side, the forest is something which will hide something for, and "folk" will get defined in an implicit sense of this word. Forest folk is usually both a mix of psychedelic electronic and post-psychedelic electronic music, drone, ambient/illbient, noise and lo-fi, and folk as well. Therefore we should regard "folk" rather in an abstract way herein.

One of such artists, Tuomo aka Thuoom classifies himself as "forestelektro". All his music, 5 albums issued from 2008 to 2009, approximately in a year, had been released under the textural healing netlabel. In 2009 he has created two albums: sun resonate my summer, and its sister album summer B.

The debut album [cycles of the sleep] consists of the sounds reminiscent of such examples as if conjured from the child music instruments, and circulating sound systems so-called circuit bending. This album is fulfilled with really weird compositions which sound relatively complex to be described to. Nevertheless, besides the aforementioned delineations there are also showcased electro-acoustic sequences, and vowel improvisations as well.

The second album Aava (which in Finnish means "open sea" or "spacious") is that which actually was released under the extended pseudonym Thuuooom, having related to the first album because this sound based on a remix of Thuoom track sci. The abovementioned meanings are reflected in a diffuse yet pulsating soundscape. The sound will get dilated and constringed in the cycle respectively, while having appeared without any human feelings at all. Abstract drone will conquer your mind.

Sun resonate my summer is a follow-up to EI EP which did consist only of human voice, and its experiments with two phonemic units. Although in the embodiment of such tracks as rubicon delayed, 3000, and grilf the new album might be seemed as a followed up continuation of the previous one, there are actually much more to be enjoyed for. The intensivity and powerfulness ever so demonstrative of the drone lines on Aava will have revealed in the course of smooth reversi. The opening track 6star will have progressed from the introduction by a guitar into digital waft. Psych-folk will get poisoned by impalpable electronic jitter. Anyway, the words are not good enough to deliver a row of unexpected pleasures happened here. Sometimes it is just better stop playing with the words and concentrate on music listening. Moreover, at the moment it seems to me as the most virtuous and trenchant album released by Tuomo hitherto. By the way, Tuomo`s starting point was to create something musically that he never had tried before, mixing real sounds with computer manipulations. He just started recording some sounds and didn't know where they would lead him. All I want to believe is that he didn`t have reached his aesthetical peak yet. But I really hope that there is someone somewhere for whom it is the best project in the world. Thuoom is worth more than enough to deserve it.

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9.3

Juanitos Best of (Jamendo)

2009-09-08T19:44:00.000-07:00

Exotica, and Best of, the albums of Juanitos, are probably the best ones I have listened to after Air`s first two albums Moon Safari and Premiers Symptomes came from the French music scene.

Juan Naveira`s led ensemble have been active since 1991 and issued approximately 10 albums, including under the pseudonyms such as limbo deluxe, and Miss Emma as well.

Characterizing the sound of Juanitos, it is excellent mood music in the first place, consisting in general way of surf rock, exotica pop/and lounge, latin rhythms, indie, brass sound, and all the named styles are mixed with a tidy amount of the tongue-in-cheek attitudes. Searching for kinship souls in the present day I could name such bands as Man...Or Astroman, Messer Chups/Messer Für Frau Müller, and Manu Chao, for instance.

Best of features the tracks from 3 albums - Soul&Roots Vol. 1, Soul&Roots Vol. 2, and Crazy Vibrations. Although sonic illustrations from most of their albums are not presented here the compilation is worth to listen to. It contains a lot of fantastic even stunning tunes. The opening track Sai-k-delic Party is an enchanting track because of its powerful rocking electronic organs and a short repeating theme, falling into head-on psychedelia sometime. Anyway, upbeat will have created mainly by psychedelic keyboard sounds and brass attacks throughout the album. Glitter Bomb surprises by its unusuality - rockabilly meets brass music meets Mark E Smith-alike manifestating vocal manerism (the same is presented in the track Strange Italian Song on Exotica). Do the Cobra is a blend of mariachi trills including fantastic brass arrangements in the refrain. Supernatural showcases us how modern funk soul with a bit hip-hop elements will be burrowed by psychedelic undercurrents wrapped up in a mixture of modern urban pop and tropicalia pop/rock of the 60s. The last track Stereophonic Motor Club excels in hitting with surf riffs, and a marvellous slipping bass line. Honestly, if I would have a chance to materialize into the music I would be very pleased with to be this one.

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8.8

Videos from netaudio Vol. 7

2009-09-07T06:01:00.000-07:00

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Eluder Drift (Archaic Horizon)

2009-09-06T18:43:00.000-07:00

How would actually sound the music imaging the creation of the world?

Patrick Benolkin, a resident from Les Bois, Idaho, should not be an unknown name for the fans of experimental electronic music. Besides Eluder he is also known as Electricwest, balancing more on the blurred frontiers of ambient techno and downtempo. On the other side, the sound of Eluder is much more keen on minimalist and conceptual approach repulsing consistently the vibe of dance music. This music is designed not to be part of our body but to extend to the borders of listeners`sensibility. Its abstract patterns have very practical purpose as well, affecting the physiochemical processes in the brain. Less is more...less is much more. Stilistically as minimal ambient, abstract electronic music, dreamscape, or subtle soundfields, however, in the way as you wish to name it. This music is in kinship with the sound of such luminaries as Tim Hecker, Rutger Zuydervelt/Machinefabriek, Jim Plotkin, Janek Schaefer, or Stephan Mathieu.

Eluder`s first albums were named Warm Warning (it was re-released under Distant Recordings in the beginning of this year), and The Most Beautiful Blue (under Infraction). Drift is one of the best albums I have heard in 2009. 4 tracks in 30 minutes. The formula of ideal ambient music is hidden hither - all the synergy being here is emerged from the least minimal sounds and crafthanded displacement of those parts through sound manipulation. If to search for so-called ur-drone, or archaic horizons as well, you could find it from this album. Although pulsating drones are quite intense on Drift it is hardly discernible at most times. A demonstrated drifting would be illustrating the change of the world throughout billions of years at the light speed. You are not able to perceive it because motion is the premiss of that change. The merest change moments are set in through motion which, in turn, will be recorded into consciousness of a person, and thereby possible clairvoyance of speed will be erased in that course. The change will have transformed into a static state of mind. Indeed, it would sound a bit conflicting but the contradiction will be overcame by divine touch. This half-hour would be the soundtrack of your life what you want to exprience again and again.

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10.0

Adrian Aardvark Grunge Positive (CLLCT)

2009-09-05T02:33:00.000-07:00

Hallelujah, folks! The free music site CLLCT is back again. It is probably the best thing happened in music business in last times. The lo-fi scene worldwide, and the 3-4th wave of alt-folk and new weird america will be up on the screen again. However, Christopher Rigsbee (CR) aka Adrian Aardvark has returned as well, one of the most profilic lads in contemporary music. For instance, by avidity to experiment with the sound and expand it into unknown items he is comparable with such sing/songwriters as Russ Woods (Tinyfolk), and James Eric, the co-fellows who have released their music under CLLCT for a long ago.

Grunge Positive is the 15th album of him in the course of the last 5 years. Also, it is the sophomore album in 2009, a follow-up to Sober & Hungry (by the first intentions, the next album should be issued in the October sometime). But that intersection in the form of a year aside, there is all but nothing to see common lines between the last outputs. Regarding Sober & Hungry, it was restrained and gentle acoustic indie folk in its own, a bunch of the songs rather more concentrated on the lyrics level. On the other side, on CR`s previous albums, especially Screaming "No" To Tuna Tundra (2008), there were lots of ongoings and directions which would forecast an apoteose, such as coming of Grunge Positive happened to be.

CR said he had for Grunge Positive two things in mind at all times:

1. Make it sound like Nirvana's Nevermind was being played at the same time with Outkast's Stankonia.
2. Stay as positive as possible lyrically.

CR admitted the situation had tended to change, and the music/lyrics has turned into darker paths. The result is quite weird, if demurely to be said out.

The album is introduced by a rough yet lonely sounding violin which get more darker and strident, and soon will be accompanied with a chapter of spoken word, and in the high register played synth sequences. Beautiful is just a beatific track through its flowing soundscape, voice effects/loops, and the lyrics for to express love hangover. Love is cosmic yet thumbing electro-hop. Toaster is another hip-hop tune, where the verses are contorted down to be hardly understandable ones. Body tries to find the path back to the previous albums. It seems to be the only acoustic showcase on this album. Primitivism represented here will have broken through free spirited improvisation. Holding is partially a kind of a cappella piece already so familiar from the collaborations of Russ Woods and Meghan Lamb. What to say about Ship...mhhh. Yes, some Rigsbee`s friends do show up a bit. One of them is Chantelle Lebeau (if to decide by her name I would suppose she might be the french-Canadian). The other allusion regards the singing mannerism - they raise their voices to orgastiastic level to break down thereafter ever so reminiscent of one worldwide known indie band from Montrèal, from Quebec. Indeed, unexpected but still surprising track. Alaska will be opened up through guitar distortion/noise, digital electronic, and waving vocal effects. It clambers arduously up from the bottom of chaos through the mud toward the star gleam. Obviously the most obscure track because of scattering dark seeds on the chaotic album.

This album will not leave you disappointed. Yet, there had been some albums of Adrian Aardvark I liked more. For instance, the abovementioned Screaming "No" To Tuna Tundra, because of having more minimalist approach, thereby all those jags are much better foreseeable. It is quite usual that creating the mash-up albums by trying to encompass any stuff will often have nothing as the result. Fortunately by huge diversity of the styles, and tendentially to structure it into the songs Grunge Positive has avoided making a run on the rocks.

Besides Christopher Rigsbee and Chantelle Lebeau herein Corey Collins (the frontman of Yo, Adrian!) shared vocals on Body, Justin Passino (For the Kid in the Back) spoke on Boogeyman, and Alaska, Matt Zeppieri was on electric guitar on All Over, Andrew Settevendemio was briefly playing drums in the middle of Holding.

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8.4

[Old but important] The hirundu No Preservatives (Pitch And Putt)

2009-09-02T23:44:00.000-07:00

It is a few information and sources about The hirundu in the Internet while it is probably impossible to hunt out any traces of them from somewhere else. Although they have released more than 20 albums to date I was not able to find out some evidence about any released albums on tapes or CD`s in the past. Listening to them at lastfm it is quite ironic to see such a link as Buy CD from Amazon. Presumably lastfm is the sole place around you could get their stuff, being uploaded for free download some years ago sometime there. I could only imagine how long before it these master tapes have been coated with dustsheets on the shelf.

If to speak out "they" we ought actually to think "he", because that Blackpoolian project has been curated by John Crewdson, being the only constant member through 2 decades. The lineups have been changed in the course of times, and some albums are recorded by Crewdson on his own. He describes this beginning in the following way:

The hirundu were formed in 1987 after John Crewdson and Warwick Durnian watched "The Happy Mondays" on the Chartshow. Inspired, they decided to form a band and make the kind of music the world wanted to hear. When this failed to happen they formed The hirundu instead. The original concept for "The hirundu" was for a band so obscure, so "challenging" and so "noncommercial" that they would never play live, never do interviews and never "sell out" by writing songs. This experiment came to an end when John recorded some tunes by mistake.

One of the characteristic lines of the pop music history is to reveal its unknown chapters, though, it usually requires big delay of time. The first albums of The hirundu date back to 1989. It is hard to see parallels between them and someone else worldwide. If to bargain for Crewdson`s status as the powerful frontman, and cutting edge side of his music and the experiments of any descriptions as well we could see some similarities with The Fall in the embodiment of Mark E Smith. However, it is wrong to consider them as someone`s poor man band. Regardless of their initial idealism (of nothing to do) all the stuff Crewdson and Co have actualized in their own special way you have no chance to be indifferent to it. Their music has been ranged from nihilistic old school industrial, and cut and paste wassail to more conventional yet adorable alternative rock/pop and club dance rhythms and electronic pop. Moreover, there are some tracks (Show Us Your Ashtray; Nancy) from the first side of the 90`s which came long before Ariel Pink could enamor the listeners with his lo-fi driven timeless pop tunes. They have emphatically been anti-pop act destroying and deforming the structures of conventional pop songs while creating crackbrained outputs. Madness which is mixed with tape hisses and the lines of melody has highly purgative effect in that case. Their relation to pop music is comparable to the one of the Cynics, an group of philosophers, who have had it against the rest directions of philosophy, and the world as well.

No Preservatives was one of their first albums with Cortex Bycicle and It`s Reefer Time Kids (all of them are recorded in 1989). Avant-garde meets lo-fi meets... . All these sonic layers which consist mainly of primitive synth lines/rhythms, vocal pieces, and sonic effects (hip-hop scratches, tingled electro bleeps and whirls, vocal tricks) will create unbelievable synergy during 35 minutes. One of the bright-lines on the album is Salman Rushdie - a sunshine disco cut with ironic lyrics. The other highlights are Asteroid Belt (Too Tight) - the sounds of video game consoles are mixed with bubblegum bass lines; Funky Sexy, and Jimy In The Sky. Besides it this album is an excellent but yet an undiscovered pearl of dada lo-fi pop it is the good introduction to enter into complex world of The hirundu as well.

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2009-08-30T11:05:00.000-07:00

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Burrito Burritard (Iron Ladder)

2009-08-29T12:12:00.000-07:00

Burrito is a Russian trio coming from Samara. Burritard is their second album, and a follow-up to Fridtjof Nansen (2008/2009). It was really schizophrenic album by its intensivity and diversity of genres, ranging from hip-hop madness and obvious dada manifestos to flowingly psychedelic guitar riffs reminiscent of the play of never-to-be-forgotten Michael Karoli.

What does actually mean this word "Burritard"? Obviously it is a spoonerism with two initial words "Burrito" and "Bastard"? No doubt, conceptually and musically Burrito is a serious bastard because of spitting in the face of mainstream culture and music. Despite of the fact that this madness viewable on Fridtjof Nansen has been diminished and channelized into minimalist approach, Burritard has a bit more concentrated inner gaze to hit hard on the wrist of the listeners. Behind the restrained sound textures you can hear even denunciative evilness. Listen to the opening track Ant Gaze and you could feel in your ears how all of those sinister sonic whirls draw you in. The title song is hemmed by hard crawling trip-hop beats and experimental electronic lines. The track will have developed into powerful skirling manifesto. It sounds like some tracks of Blur from the album 13 produced by William Orbit would be re-produced through a distorting mirror by some invisible members of The Residents. All the following stuff will be continued in cutting edge thread. Every track is a little outer space in itself, engendered mostly from the combinations of pulsating drone sounds, digital hisses, silent sounding guitar passages or angular guitar raspings. Its abruptiness and coolness in the sound lines characterizing countless unexpected changeovers in different directions on this album reminds me of miracular approach of Faust nearly 40 years ago. It is avant-prog in its best sense and sensitiveness.

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8.8

Sleeping Me Lamenter (Phantom Channel)

2009-08-24T21:15:00.000-07:00

By paraphrasing a phrase from one of The Smiths songs "Oh California, so much to answers for", I want to say that Californians have had big role to answer to some important questions in the developing process of avant-garde music in the past. It is hard to overestimate the role of such band like The Residents, Sparks, Big City Orchestra, Negativland, Cromagnon, and Estradasphere, if to show up only some names among others.

Clayton McEvoy comes from California, being grew up in the vast expanse of concrete and desert. He is a modern guy, creating his soundscape from the glorious traditions of shoegaze, drone, minimal music, and ambient. His music is consisting of Slowdive`s Pygmalion-era experiments, La Monte Young`s and Angus MacLise`s cyclic and pulsating drones, and sharing a bit similarities with the guitar-driven ambient contemporaries such as Stars Of The Lid and Windy & Carl, or a bit earlier acts such as Labradford and Beautiful Machine.

I doesn`t matter how should we view upon Lamenter, a follow-up to his debut album Cradlesongs (released under Hidden Shoal), as avant-garde, or vanguardism in itself, just abandoning an obsession to draw out an abovementioned row regarding cutting edge music from California. Although the frontier between bad taste and good taste is often very fragile within the genres of ambient music just because of its huge (over)explotation and the conceptual finiteness of the genre the present album is on the right side yet. Some minor even often invisible details being on this album play very crucial part in the first place. For instance, those haunting even outwards feelings pursuing undercurrents passing through such tracks as Bleeding Riverbed, and Kinski for Halloween helping with to create genuinely powerful manifestations nowadays. Mostly Clayton McEvoy`s music is sliding and slipping uphill and downhill on foggy soundscapes herein.

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8.0

Humberto Luis Schenone Human Tracks II/Heq (Clinical Archives)

2009-08-22T21:02:00.000-07:00

In retrospect, we can just avow Human Tracks II/Heq was actually the second album released by an Argentinian musician-pecussionist Humberto Luis Schenone under Clinical Archives in this year.

On the site of Clinical Archives it is said the following:

“Human Tracks” is the name for a collection of musical works which has the intention of reflecting the history of the human journey from an alternative point of view.
“Heq” is an unforgettable and wonderful novel written by a remarkably good Danish writer called Jørn Riel which was the inspiration for this album, to whom it is dedicated as a little tribute, for the hours of pleasure his literature has generously given to the world.

The opening track Ancestors begins with tribal shamanic voices to get developed into easy orchestrated and subtle passages. It sounds like the members of Penguin Cafe Orchestra are searching the way out of the forest while adjusting to the patterns of it just in a case. These drum lines are not program-based electronic urban jungles though. The following The New Land whirls around looped vocal experiments and the sounds very reminiscent of glass harmonica. In fact, all the following tracks are based on these weird sounding instruments, running through its various phrases in different orders of succession. You can`t be wrong it you call it an album of minimal music.

I could only imagine is it a kind of music inspired mostly of the plateaus of Patagonia, of its hollow soundscapes, of cold winds and deep lakes? My feeling about this closeness to Nature herein is dredged by bird calls set in in some songs. This sound is raised aloft, being sublime, calm and soothing. Sometimes sonic milieu is very threnodial as well (Shanuq). If you are searching for the examples of untemporary music by any reason of all of this you want to you could dig it up from here.

On this album are joined a lot of different aspects with each other into unfixed rows in general intent. In fact, specific rows will be generated in the head of every listener. Yes, if this is chill-out music it is seriously in an abstract way.

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8.4

Videos from netaudio Vol. 5

2009-08-19T23:45:00.000-07:00

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starstarstar electric goose and the nylon moose (Rack & Ruin)

2009-08-17T21:52:00.000-07:00

In 2007 three mates were living together in the apartment on the bank of a picturesque river meandering through one small university town in the Michigan state. Some hours after first meeting they had shared their own music and ideas with each other and the night had been spent with a huge jam session. Their aim was to express the touch of humanity and the presence of nature through their music, in a direct way opposing to despair and fatigue in people distinctive for life in the big cities. The ideas came to reality, and the band was born. At first they had named yourself as Ringo Star, later changed it as ***, and starstarstar as well.

The first side in the name of electric goose and the nylon moose (EGATNM) refers to a flirt with electric and electronic music, and the second side to the acoustic aspect presented on this album respectively. The trio consisting on Chuck Golda, Mike McConeghy, Dylan Rogers has turned their aesthetical direction a 180 degree- a bevy of alt-folk and alt-country tunes dominated on Soul Tide released in 2008 (actually being of Ringo Star at those times) has been decreased to be changed into a bit broader spectre of the music colours and genres. Beyond doubt EGATNM is a pretentious follow-up surprising us with developments in unexpected or even weird directions at times.

Golden Glow is an exploiting opening - dynamic and dreamy indie folk is flavoured with strong ingredients of soul music. Certainly it is the best choice to introduce all the album in a tease yet beautiful way. Reciprocity is a synthetic soul funk engendered from the velvety accords of electric pianos, autotuned vocals, and shimmering sonic whirls. Although Antientam, and the ending track To Good Memories! are the ballads, yet, these cuts are without of any void and disgraceful show-offs usually so characteristics to this music genre . By vocal technical side the tracks are superb as well. With warblings of the grasshoppers, and looping vocal sequences/experiments showed up on Island even if those could indeed be reminiscent of the songs of Animal Collective, though, this feeling is strongly amiable. Fellowship grows gradually through psychedelic electronic sounds into a folktronic symphony. This is a real masterpiece in itself.

Supposing that if a lot of variety and experimentation don`t disturb the harmony and its developments it actually could only strenghten the whole one throwing in it a invisible yet endearing backcloth. Every time to listen to this from start to the end it is a little miracle. Obviously it is the best free-folk/alt-folk/weird-folk album released since Paavoharju`s insuperable album Laulu Laakson Kukista. I have a feeling that I can foresee electric goose and the nylon moose will rule the charts of netaudio in the end of the running year.

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9.8

[Old but important] Nogaro Domestic Colours EP (Tripostal)

2009-08-16T11:33:00.000-07:00

Nogaro is a one-man-project of a Belgian musician Sèbastien Wilkin who is particularly known by his previous project Tongue. He has also involved as the lead singer and composer in the doings of Silicon (alongside with David Hougardy).

Domestic Colours EP was released under Tripostal, Carte Postale Records netlabel subdivision. The music coming from that source is usually ranging from electro-acoustic compositions and ambient to post-rock and indietronica. The latest mentioned genre is well enough to characterize Wilkin`s sound in a general way. Doubtless he is a very talented musician who has a sensitive side of him to operate with appealing melodies.

The coverprint made by Jean-François Flamey consists only of different colour spectrums. It is a very felicitous locution for this album, to be visually described. It is simplistic, and schizophrenic as well. This is modern pop in the information era during which the borders have been burnt between underground and mainstream music to ashes. Winamp-player do display me some information - 7 tracks and 28.52. There do not have any long tracks to listen to. One track is followed by another in a jaunty row. Just be ready to get drowned by the beautiful music. The opening track My Head On Fire is a blend of electro-bleeps with a balmy vocal. It is a calm, moving arrangement running from the point A to B. Upon it melodic sequences will have been revealed as infectious at its best. The music has the logic of a gradual increase through lush song structures, a bit developments in sound dynamics, and changes of voice timbres. It is really restrained music - if there are any of sound experiments it is vaguely discernable yet.

Listening to this album it is a little bit nostalgic for me. It reminds me of the times when I was listening to the second and still excellent album Cafè De Flor (1996) by Estonian band Bizarre nearly every day 10 years ago. Indie music seemed so refreshing at those times... Domestic Colours provides me with the feeling of deja vu, and it is wonderful to be experienced it again and again.

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David Schombert, "Metropolis" (Jamendo)

2009-08-15T23:57:00.000-07:00

Album cover photo: by Daniel Verson

In the netlabel movement we share experiences and ideas. Due to the nature of the medium, with its download-at-home shared experiences, the music often transports us to imaginary cities of our dreams.

David Schombert's electronica Jamendo release "Metropolis" features a solid set of songs which provide us a rail pass with which to our inward imaginary city. The title track envelops its synth line in chill percussion and robust melodic pads. The result is a smooth down-tempo bit of urban melody, like a walk past tall buildings and small parks at dawn.

"Cyclus' begins with field recordings of gentle noise into which percussion elements subtly intervene. An appealing minimal groove meets a wave of slow melodic pad. A bass line joins the action in an understated way. Mr. Schombert appreciates the power in doing less and implying more. Samples and melody interact. The effect is smooth and infectious.

"Lunapark" transports the listener to a different place, in which in my mind night sounds and urban cool meld into the the fog, to be transformed."Long Step" counterplays a cinematic synth line with a robotic synth line. The effect is vaguely dancefloor and vaguely krautrock.

Although the tracks in Metropolis fit squarely in the electronica camp, each features a human element which moves beyond the machines. A woman's laugh, a chill pad, percussive electro-beats--an intersection which we feel comfortable and at home, but not bored.

"The Beat" has a retro "beats and bass and synth hits" feel about it. The song could be the soundtrack to a sleek 1980 urban detective show set in northern California.

"Trance" mingles percussion and synth elements to achieve a smooth, subtle melodic attack, as if we dined in an Italian restaurant in which the sauce is minimal but full of subtle flavor.

"This way" points us down the one-lane street into a square of bohemian shops, in which one could imagine the sound of women intoning "bon jour!" as one walks in the door, and in which the goods are hand-crafted by local students from the nearby art school.

This collection of instrumental songs transports one to a place which is an imagined Paris or Lisbon or Winnipeg or Osaka--a place in which down-tempo calms overcome the stress and fears of population density. With an mp3 player and these songs, one can walk the streets with a bit more calm, and a jaunty step forward. Perhaps a few instrumental lanes here are familiar, but the feel is "well-beloved street" and not "tired old alley". This release is a good listen, and a soothing cityscape.

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8.0

Videos from netaudio Vol. 4

2009-08-15T23:11:00.000-07:00

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If There Is Something Put Your Jacket On (23 Seconds)

2009-08-14T20:32:00.000-07:00

I love dance-vibed rock music. I think everyone who has involved in searching and listening of indie music in an obsessive way just can`t ignore it. Though all this stuff is surrounded by massive hype nowadays there are some acts quite symphatetic for me. The Rapture, LCD Soundsystem and !!! are among others. Although I am probably one of the fewest who despise the biggest - The Klaxons – the music with cheap melodies and reminiscent of demo-like production in bad sense. However, most dance rock I adore comes from 80s and the beginning of 90s – A Certain Ratio, PIL, Happy Mondays, Flowered Up. There is nothing surprising at all – all these names are the widely known ones. At those times have been made rock music keen more or less on rave and acid house anyway. Beside madchester it was time reserved for exciting crossovers as well – The Heart Throbs (the aesthetic of blonde hair indie rock was blended with dance beats and the presence of David Lynch-ian esoterics), also The Orchids and Field Mice (twee-popsters went on a trip into baggy areas at times). We can`t be without The Fall as well though I don`t share Mark E Smith`s attitude as if The Fall were the only band worth giving a try to honour them as the supreme godfathers of all alternative rockers (including dance-rockers too). Moreover, in the sound of The Fall can be heard the obvious inluences of CAN. For example, Soon Over Babaluma (1974), one of the albums of Cologne quartet, was chronologically one of the first rock/dance hybrids in the first place. Besides it would also weird to think that in a case of recent bands and musicians their would be influenced by the examples of one-two bands only.

Duo Jesper Norda & Åbi Berglund has issued their debut album under the Gothenburgian netlabel 23 Seconds. The label site proclaims that Put Your Jacket On is a true revelation. The opening track Joy Of showcases its true potential – by dazzling through the light of glitterball a journey just began. The essence of this track is specifically hidden into overdriving synth violins in refrain part. The aim of this 33 minute set demonstrates chiefly one very certain tendency – the album is a blending of 80`s and 00`s – post-punkers` monotonic drum-machine sounds and New Order-alike acid bass sequences alongside with fortrightness and electro affinity of the neoravers. These examples are illustrated by the most hit potentiality owning track Danger. I wouldn´t really be wondered about that if some listeners who haven`t immersed into this album would ask on the basis of such tracks as We Sure Aint Got It Like That, and The Word Most Common In is that any of the newest unreleased tracks compilations by The Cure? A little nostalgic stroke is never bad at all, isn`t it. No doubts, the boys are full of potential and I wouldn´t really be surprised if they would be soon as the bigshots on the groove rock/pop music scene worldwide. One of the best albums on that nichè I have had honour to listen to.

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8.0

Oskar Hallbert 1123581321345589 (Zymogen)

2009-08-12T21:06:00.000-07:00

Zymogen, the Italian-based netlabel, is very well known by its exclusiveness and high qualitative approach in describing electronic music. By offering electronic sound to people who prefer listening to the music with the headphones rather than to cover in rude beats someone`s dance floor.

1123581321345589 is the sophomore album under Zymogen in this year (the previous one was Nicola Ratti`s èsope). Oskar Hallbert (OH) is a musician who lives in the woods in the northern Sweden. His previous work Sids Apartment EP released under rain music sounded like the music played in finger-pick guitar style in the middle of the street or in a far corner of a crowded public house. This is a conceptual album on the Fibonacci numbers. He was inspired by the perspective that with the Fibonacci numbers it is possible to describe the nature, the proportion of human body and so on. In a word, the life is full of the combinations of numbers.

How could the sound be showcased in practise in reference to this theory? OH has described his initial approach as the improvisation on its own. His album seems to be consisted mainly of short 4-seconds snippets, and 89 tracks. Yet, this colossal schema is housed into 26 minutes. These very short tracks establish a thin ground where we can perceive minimal changes in the soundscape. The new album goes on a trip there where the previous one was finished. In fact, this folktronic sound will have been further developed from a placid frame of mind to overwhelming sadness. In the track 34 (not. ok) the listener will be engulfed by very funest sound sequences. Dolefulness of it will slowly spill over into your thoughts and change into depressive state of your mind. As we know as well good music can been accoutered with affinity to hurt the listeners sometimes. The longer tracks predicate mainly on mini-orchestrated and chamber music tunes. A smorgabord of modern (electronic) music is represented here - some experiments with hiss and noise, electroacoustic aspects, collage music/plunderphonics, field recordings/musique concrete, digital sound processing and spoken word. This conception and approach have beyond doubt some similarities with the works of Curd Duca nearly 10 years ago. Nevertheless, it is very intimately sounding work indeed.

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9.4

Videos from netaudio Vol. 3

2009-08-12T11:17:00.000-07:00

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Interview with Dean Birkett

2009-08-12T06:13:00.000-07:00

KS: Dean, you are running the netlabel Rack & Ruin records. Why have you chosen such a name? What kind of aims hoped you to reach with this project initially?

DB: Rack & Ruin came about by accident. A music forum where I post had a number of users posting tracks, Eps and albums, as is with the nature of forums, it wasn’t long before these said posts had vanished from the front page and into obscurity. Upon listening to a number of these artists it became apparent that this was a real shame and so I decided to set up a website which was initially going to be a placeholder for these artists to host their music. The said artists contained the likes of Jason the Swamp, Andy’s Airport of Love, Moon Runners, Dublin Duck Dispensary, America Del Sur, Tyson Brinacombe, These are Words, Billy Say, and many many others.... we collectively put our minds together to try and come up with a suitable name which could encapsulate all artists. Initial suggestions involved ’Under the bed records’, and ’Pica Owl records’ (which was actually suggested by PWRFL PWR), but it was Kelly Filreis who came up with ’Rack & Ruin’, she is an artist who has since made a number of Rack & Ruin album covers, alongside working with the likes of Dylan Ettinger on his El Tule tape label. As for how she reached ’Rack & Ruin’, I don’t really know, and perhaps strangely I don’t feel I want to know – it seems to suit that the name is as big a mystery to myself as to any listener.

KS: The music coming out from Rack & Ruin records is ranging from weird electronica to psych folk and lo-fi. What are those connective elements between all of those artists? What is the most important aspect by a band to be recruited?

DB: I touched upon it earlier but the connection is purely another music forum – despite many of the artists sounds being very different, a fairly high percentage of artists all found each other via a music forum set up for a now defunct Canadian band, The Unicorns. As the label grew and started to reach out to more people, that is when I started to receive submissions from new artists and acts that had no connection with The Unicorns forum. I also actively persued some artists, the likes of starstarstar were found on a forum for Animal Collective – I heard a couple of tracks that they did, and felt that they definitely needed to be heard by more listeners. This has also happened recently with the likes of Frost Faire, and I have no doubt will continue to play a part in how I go about finding artists for the label.

There are many things that I look for when opting to put the music out, I do try to find acts that are either going to be very accessible or interesting and different enough, who fit into a niche market. I guess this is why Rack and Ruin really fits, as you can split the name into two seperate entities, Rack being accessible, Ruin being not so accessible. Recently I think the focus has been on the Rack side of things, as there are many many netlabels that are around that feature electronica, ambient, noise, whereas surprisingly in comparison the more accessible indie sounds are thinner on the ground.

KS: You have run your records just over a year while the discography reaches more than 130 albums. What is your success factor to find out all of those artists?

DB: The music forum naturally, along with submissions. It is not unusual for Rack & Ruin to receive 3-5 submissions a week, some really jump out, whereas others either do not fit in with the ’sound and feel’ of the label, or are perhaps better suited with other labels who specialise in particular sounds and genres. There are other places on the net that have helped introduce the label to new artists, the likes of the E6 Townhall, and Collected Animals, as well as of course Myspace.

KS: If to listen to Testicular Manslaughter, Ringo Star/starstarstar, The Macadamia Brothers or someone else I must admit it is really top music to be enjoyed. Maybe my logic is somehow debased but is it possible that Rack & Ruin records may be one of the sublabels of bigger (indie) labels once in the future? Has there been someone showing his/her interest toward your label?

DB: No, Rack & Ruin has evolved into a viable alternative to the more traditional indie labels, and long may this continue. The label is entirely not for profit, and in fact with hosting charges it has cost myself money to keep this project going, but I firmly believe that it is a worthwhile path to take – purely to see where it does actually lead.

KS: On the other hand, what do you think about the situation in the music business world nowadays? Regardless of many attempts to punish people who have illegally uploaded or downloaded music the situation has not been changed at all. In this vein the netlabels give people a legal chance to download files. For example, if to check out for it at archive.org some albums have showcased very high rate of downloading. Obviously it is the acting in a contrary way in reference to the logic of business. I don`t think it that CC-music will already undermine the ground under the feets of major labels while the artists under a CC-licence are very serious competitors for indie labels however. There are even a lot of cases that some netlabels offer CD`s (mostly CD-R`s) as well. What do you think will the logic of netmusic overtake the indie labels?

DB: I think that it is all about giving alternatives, and legal ones at that. Netlabels have been going on for a long time, and although I'm no expert, a lot of releases I remember listenening to years ago were fairly unprovocative electronica. Back then I may check out a track or two, and decide it wasn't for me and move on. Nowadays I find that with more labels, the niche markets are now there, so you can find netlabels who specialise (or at least have an affinity) in areas that may be of interest to the listener. This has meant that netlabels have managed to get a core group of listeners, and not just a band on the label. It is always nice to read someone posting, "Check out Rack & Ruin records", when asked for a suggestion, and not just "Check out Dublin Duck Dispensary, they're on Rack & Ruin records". I think because of this mentality the netlabels are managing to stand-up alongside a lot of the more traditional indie labels.

With regards to competing against indie labels, I don't think that is what netlabels are really about. I think that indie labels do have to concern themselves more with the business model, whereas netlabels aren't really about making money. For myself I see music as an idea that one person (or a group of people) actually have, they have the idea, they nurture it, and then this idea becomes a piece of music. With all ideas that come into fruition they are actually worthless unless you share the idea with others. Therefore music is nothing without people listening to it. I see the netlabels job as allowing people to share ideas legally, and not have to worry about punishment for listenening to someone elses ideas.

KS: You are the Englishman who is living in the Netherlands now. Most music released under Rack & Ruin records is actually coming from the New World. Are the America more enthusiastic in doings with music than Europe?

DB: Again I think The Unicorns are to blame for the most part! A lot of the core musicians are from the US, and Canada, and due to this we do seemingly get an awful lot of artists who contact us from these locations. Recently, and mainly due to the success of Dublin Duck Dispensary, we have had an influx of Irish artists putting out Eps and albums on the label, the likes of A Series of Dark Caves, Western Homes, porn.exe, and soon to be joined by Vincent Lillis.

KS: Maybe it sounds a little provocative but what are your favorite albums released under Rack & Ruin records?

DB: I'm a fan of the latest Various Hits collection, "Never mind the brollies", we wanted to put out a summer hits collection, and I really think that we managed to achieve this. I've already read on various messageboards, and I received some private messages telling me that they think the album is fantastic, some going as far as to suggest it is one of the albums of the year - which is always very nice to hear.

I also have to mention Neil Scrivin's, Twenty years on Ben Nevis. When I heard this, it was before Rack & Ruin came about, and I definitely had this in my mind when I started the label. I think it is a stunning display of 'hauntology', that wouldn't look amiss on a label such as Ghost Box. I still feel that it is criminal that I can't own a physical copy in its very own shiny dualcase.

KS: Besides you are the musician as well. As Almiqui (in collaboration with Steve Bromley aka Gnomefoam) and Sister Ruth (his own one-man-project). When will be released the first and proper LP by Sister Ruth?

DB: I don’t really have the time to work on Sister Ruth (or another Almiqui album), running Rack & Ruin takes up a considerable amount of time as it is – with site updates and promotion.

Rack & Ruin records official site
Sister Ruth on Myspace
Almiqui on Myspace

[Old but important] Paavoharju Tuote-akatemia/Unien Savonlinna (Miasmah)

2009-08-09T10:16:00.001-07:00

Talking about a finnish folk music movement, so-called forest folk, it is impossible not to see the impact of the Fonal records in reference to it. The artists who fill the roster are Eleonoora Rosenholm, Islaja, Kiila, Kemialliset Ystävät and Paavoharju amongst others. If we add some other acts like Uton, Lau Nau, Keijo, Vierivä Viiksiportieeri, Hipsu Jänis, Thuoom, Kuupuu, Keijo we can already have a talk about the New Weird Finland movement. The influence of Fonal and New Weird Finland can`t be seen only inside the borders of Finland, but certainly in broader context of the world music scene. Juxtaposing New Weird Finland with its big brother New Weird America, there can see a common part in crossing modern streams of pop music such as indie, ambient, drone, electronic music and roots music with each other. Given that NWA demonstrated that enormous potential of such music filled with inspiring vitality in the first half of 00`s, especially through the albums of Six Organs Of Admittance, Animal Collective, and Phil Elverum`s acts, yet its bucking innovative sonic conceptions have inch by inch and inconspicuously been faden away. I think, it is time for finns to conquer the world and define avant-folk at your own now. If they haven`t done it yet, I would suppose.

Paavoharju seems probably to be the more known act from the finnish scene, first and foremost thanks to their latest release Laulu Laakson Kukista (2008). Maybe the lesser known fact is it that their second release Tuote-akatemia/Unien Savonlinna (2006) was released under Miasmah netlabel. At those time it was a quite unusual behaving act by the artist, whose first album Yhä Hämärää (2005) had been acclaimed by music critics and therefore drew a lot of attention (in fact, I can`t honestly understand why Wikipedia wouldn`t be accepting it as the finns´ second album).

Moreover, Tuote-akatemia/Unien Savonlinna could in a sense be considered as their first album because it had been composed and produced between 2002 and 2006. The opening track Nuo Maisemat is an esoteric mix of digital noises and swirls, expansive sonic layers, beatific female voices (Jenni Koivistoinen) and almost burked rhythm structures. Kuljin Kauas is the one and only track on the album performed at the stage of an open air festival in Finland somewhere. Tavataan 12-07-04 sounds like breathing from Intergalactic Space gently disturbed by overriding feedback effects. Its abstract patterns and playing with motion and speed will give the best possibility to the listeners to relax into your deepest natural meditation and surpass everyday routine. Noises coming out from nowhence over time just to get spilled over into your brain and imagination. The next track The Mitä Sinä Et Ole starts off sounding with dirky dink synth pads which throughout the track get accompanied with the voice effects of Soila Virtanen and digitally elaborated sound tricks swirling overhead. Pepe is a devout “folk pop” song, however, every solid folk group having it in their repertoire would be proud of it anyway. By the way, this album is “dedicated to the Holy of the Holiest”. Also, the two last tracks will continue chalking out the traces of God as well. The brothers Ainala and co are playing game as if they embodied into sonic alchemists sometimes. They as alchemists have been more successful in their doings than any of their predecessors in Middle Ages, having respect and fame rather than in comparison to be excoriated and burnt up to death at autodafe.

Download it from here

Vanny Zero Love Is A Serial Killer (Kill Mommy Records)

2009-08-08T23:11:00.000-07:00

How to give the adequate definition to the starting point of punk music? What kind of assessment we could ascribe to it? I would be disappointed if I recognized it for myself only as a business project of Malcolm McLaren. Sex Pistols was the embodiment of this project, and they are previously remained as the prevailing part of collective consciousness of punk nowadays. In reality punk had developed into better directions. There were some groups who had artistically rebelled at the highest level – Clash, Public Image Limited, The Fall, Swell Maps. Punk is previously remained as one of the most acknowledged hype movements over decades. No doubt, nowadays it is the symbol of rebel and fatuity as well. I have heard how the punks come together in one European city at mid-day to go together shopping all this punk stuff. Ironic and symbolic simultaneously, isn`t it.

In last years I have good memories with the music coming out from Sicily. The sound which holds up the spirit of the music of Creative Commons (in a sense it is very rebellious attitude toward the music business). fracoz combo, msk, The Last Merendina, Barbagallo and Vanny Zero are some decorous names amongst others. Vanny Zero is Giovanni Calvo who runs the Kill Mommy Records, entirely dedicated to homemade music. He is also known as Darth Zero, the “zombitpop” project, which obviously has a flirt with acid and electronic pop, slightly keen on the punk music, and TV Zombie. He is also working on the first album of Lightgreen Blues Connection at the moment. He has also involved in the line-up of such projects like Marx Basement Band and Caputo Bros.

Love Is A Serial Killer is a combination of different influences. The open track (title-track as well) attacks with a mix of rough rockabilly and blues rock. Anyway, it presides over directions coming visible during this album. Probably this music is recorded without any plug-in details. Indeed, it sounds like a live recording. Through feedback-created noise it has been given another essentiality besides all possible combinations of blues and punk rock. A guitar, a bass, voice, drums are impinging on tempo. All the shouting tracks are supposed to be the powerful dynamic tunes from start to the end. Actually this is the music which needs no many words to be described. There are some exceptions which differentiate from the other tracks and reach the top of greatness. Killin` Myself Today is an amazing track where blues is crossovered with moderate psychobilly, and it`s all thanks to Calvo`s dreamy and playful voice. The finishing track No Tomorrow gives him the next opportunity to showcase his good timbreful and wide-range voice once again.

Download it from here

7.7

Videos from netaudio Vol.2

2009-08-06T00:11:00.000-07:00

Enjoy more music

Enjoy more music

Enjoy more music

Interview with Bert Vanden Berghe

2009-08-05T21:36:00.000-07:00

KS: You have been very profilic with 2 released albums Winter EP and insert coins to continue this year. When will be the next album coming out by Bert Vanden Berghe?

BVB: Well, in fact there have been released two new albums in june.
Both Passive Cable Theory albums, so not quite as accessible as brunk (that’s really an understatement). It’s loud noise and deconstructed sounds. One is called ‘non selective deposit feeder’ and can be downloaded for free at http://aurevoirrr.blogspot.com.
The other one, ‘I’m so impressed by your pop culture reference’ was released on the bleak netlabel and can be downloaded at http://www.bleak.at/index.php?iwant=arts&release_nr=bleak017.
In july, a remix a made (as ‘brunk’) from a track of belgian trip-hop band Koala, was released via iTunes. It was my first iTunes release. I’m really curious for reactions on that one.
There will probably be some other stuff too, later this year: maybe some other brunk release, and/or maybe a release of Karen Eliot (that’s an experimental improv project I’m involved with)…
Whenever there’s some news I’ll announce it on my blog http://brunkville.blogspot.com .
So you see, I’m kind of busy.

KS: You have used a lot of aliases to express yourself as the artist. By drawing the borders between your acts in that way, is it actually the easiest and most distinct method for you to keep yourself drifting between different genres?

BVB: Yes, that’s something I do make it easier for me to explain’ what I do.
Last few years I tried to make a more clear distinction between the directions of the different projects I have. Before, I did pretty much everything I liked to do or I wanted to experiment with as ‘brunk’, but that way ‘brunk’ was very difficult to explain to people: sometimes I recorded quiet and accessible stuff, sometimes it was loud and weird, sometimes it was very experimental – and that way it was harder to listen to as a whole too: too much fragmentation in styles and directions. So I started to focus more on a certain direction on each album, and somehow a more clear distinction in styles between the different projects. These days I try to do the quiet stuff with brunk, and the very noisy things with Passive Cable Theory, for instance.

KS: I have always marveled about your ability to exploit skillfully natural and electronic sounds. Are you a self-taught musician or have you some academic musical background behind you in the past?

BVB: I had studied classical guitar and music for some years when I was younger. So that gave me some technical background. But on the other hand, I mostly don’t approach things on a technical level, but one a very intuitive way. More feeling than mathematics. I do like to learn new things on the guitar though, sometimes I just learn how to play a certain song, or some new chords or techniques on the guitar, and then without really thinking of it, some things I learned sneak into some music I make – mostly in a totally different musical context, or not in a way they’re intended to be used. But I guess, that’s the way it goes with most musicians, learn a language and then write your own story with the words you’ve learned…

KS: You have used such a expression as “Brunkville”. Let`s explain it up more closely.

BVB: That’s just a funny visual way of seeing all the different musical projects I have – it’s a big imaginary town or city with all kinds of different corners, streets, buildings, atmospheres, people, stories… but they’re all part of the same city they live in. Like all this different music, all aspects and parts of who I am.

KS: Yes, let`s keep talking about brunk. It has to be said, though, in comparison with your other acts the soundscape of brunk has more affinity toward melodic and natural-sounding textures. Is it the result of using analog tehnique in the creative process too?

BVB: I think it doesn’t necessary has anything to do with technique, more an approach of keeping things honest and spontaneously. I mean, in the making of brunk music, a computer and software are involved, so that’s not really analogue, but I approach all that equipment in the same way I would approach a simple 4-track recorder. And of course there are more acoustic instruments (guitar), melody and soft melancholic lo-fi sounds involved in this music – that gives a more analogue vibe than the heavily processed sounds I often use in Passive Cable Theory or Karen Eliot.

KS: In the embodiment of brunk you have been active in dealing with experimental indie and dream pop tunes being thereby sonorously and methodically related to your contemporaries such as De Portables, or Barbagallo as well. Actually, how important is it for you those invisible connection with other similar acts?

BVB: That’s funny, it’s cool that you actually know De Portables: they’re from Belgium to, even from the same town I live in (Ghent). I like their music a lot! Barbagallo on the other hand I’m not familiar with… I’ll check them out.
To answer the question: to me, that connection is not something I’really aware of very consciously – but the music I like, obviously gets reflected in the music I create myself. A simple case of influences. And obviously, I like lots of very different things, really enjoy all those different styles.

KS: Actually, how often do you think about how would your music facade be seen from outside? What other people mean about your music?

BVB: Hmm, I only listen to the opinion on my music of people who are really close to me, like my girlfriend, my brother or some friends. Besides that, I try not to be concerned too much about other peoples perceptions.

KS: Nowadays, for all of those music which refer somehow to experimental rock, it is supposed to draw paralleels with krautrock. Indeed, what are your main influences in music?

BVB: I’m not really familiar with much krautrock. I have lots of influences, and they also evolve. I like all kinds of music from Neil Young to Merzbow, from classic to rock to fusion, from minimalism or ambient and drones to even some prog rock, etc etc… In all kinds of musical styles, you can find people who do something truly personal and creative. That’s what matters to me…

KS: Your improvising side is more perceptible in doings of invertebrata. What is the improvisation by your case? Is it deliberately manipulated process or is it just a row of sounds happened and following each other occasionally?

BVB: Some of both. I like to play with things that happen accidentally, even with mistakes, and create something emotional or musical with that. Some things just come out better this way than in a rational way.
But on the other hand I deliberately create some notes, chords, noises, progressions, layers, to achieve a certain sound, effect or atmosphere. Because that’s what really makes it my own personal thing of course.

KS: By concerning more circumstantial on the music of invertebrata or brunk, we can admit you have been a peculiar maverick in music. Are there any connections related with your convictions about freedom of expression?

BVB: Well, I can easily answer this one: it really is related with my convictions about freedom of expression. Staying true to myself and not caring about restrictions like sticking to one style or directions. It’s all about creativity, personal expression… and also having fun, of course.

brunk official site
brunk on Myspace
invertebrata on Myspace
Passive Cable Theory on Myspace
Karen Eliot on Myspace
fi_ber on Myspace
The Returns on Myspace
SkullyS LandinG on Myspace

brunk insert coins to continue (WM Recordings)

2009-08-05T13:53:00.000-07:00

Bert Vanden Berghe (BVB) is a 31-year-old Belgian (Flemish) musician from Ghent who is known by his aptitude to get embodied into many aliases. brunk, invertebrata, Passive Cable Theory are the names as the most known ones amongst his other projects. He has also appearing in the lineup of such groups like Karen Eliot (with Luther Blissett), The Returns, and Skully SlanginG. As summarized, all it is a very diverse stuff, ranging from the examples of alt-folk, straightforward pop punk and twee-pop to free form guitar improvisations and noise music.

Though Insert Coins To Continue LP has been released under WM Recordings this year, this is the old album recorded and completed between 2003 and 2006. In some sense it is a kind of trash one, because the ICTC at first started as a bunch of leftovers and unfinished ideas. For a while BVB didn't have definite plans what to do with them, they didn't fit onto any album he had worked on until then (the albums so lo so fi and none of the above are mentioned herein). He has done everything on his own, has played some acoustic parts, bass guitars, a lot of electric guitar parts, recorded and edited in all kinds of ways, using an mexican Fender Stratocaster and an modified Epiphone Les Paul, a cheap acoustic guitar, and a Squier Jazz Bass, also used some cheap dynamic microphones. Some recorded sounds and voices are also derived from TV. Some samples are taken from seven-inch vinyl recordings of some kind of library music - farm animals, car and plane sounds, weather sounds. In addition of it, there are also represented scratches, buzzes, crackling.

However, face to face with previous brunk albums it is absolutely the different one. First 20 seconds consist of a blend of defective electronica, acoustic guitar touch, spoken word and ragged guitar riffs which will predict us what will be happening next – it could describe as in a fashion of anti-manifesto per se. A kind of destructive posture in reference to his previous works as brunk. Furthermore, some song titles are also marked bellicosely, or otherwise just have a meaning referring somehow to deflexion (got it!; carcrash; blitzkrieg; mechanical errors; berror; violence on tv). At never ever ever, the blasting attack by three first tracks will be displaced and changed into dreamy mood music, as if we were back to quiet and melodic brunk again. However, shifts (a mix of heavy metal riffs and dub guitar), flipperkast dub (experimental-fashioned dub with guitar solos and wah wah effects – one of the best tunes on the album!). de wraak van de kiekens (similar to zip) is dominated by jazz guitar-alike sound and programmed beats. Indeed, it would be very good chill out track as well if it had much more longitude to come over us. The another possibility is just to push “repeat track” button on, and keep enjoying it... . There run also some floating bubblegum funk undercurrents (this should be played at high volume... preferably in a residential area!) being so characteristic to sampledelic or samplecore music that I am pretty convinced Bert Van Der Berghe has listened to Chenard Walcker and Felix Kubin a lot indeed. violence on tv reflects through its sonic aggressiveness and insane variability the meaning of the song title at its best. Furthermore, some knotty organ passages and a haunting orchestration segment have added some odd dimensions to all of it. However, in general and broader sense, the only artist who might have some reminiscence to BVB`s recent work is a Russian avant-garde combo Burrito (especially their doings and tearings around on the album Fridtjof Nansen (2008/2009).

At first sight the ICTC would probably seem to be sounding too harsh to your consciousness to get broken through to. Indeed, it is like the tzunami of overloaded information flowing on you at high speed, destroying and flushing all around you, letting you live and waiting with dread the coming of the next wall of noise. The one and only question which could be questioned is – are you able to channelize all this information into understandable form for yourself? In fact, the more I listened to it, the more I enjoyed it.

Download it from here

8.6