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

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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