Corduroi, the solo electronic effort of Austin resident Cody Wilson, is a project that sits pretty close to my heart. He was one of the first artists to work with Chill Mega Chill and since that time he has been growing by leaps and bounds. His latest EP Jangala is a surprising and hugely satisfying step forward for the young producer and it shows that he is more than capable of standing out in an already crowded field.
Jangala showcases a wide range of styles and influences and Cody sews them together with an expert touch. Take, for example, the opening track “Mainomai.” It’s a peppy 2-minute number that crams a lot into a small timeframe. Sticking with his usual head-bobbing beat skeleton Cody then throws elements of chiptune into the mix before centering the middle section of the track around a heavy, looped metal riff. Like, what?! The track then ends with a beautifully orchestrated string instrumental. And that’s only the first track. Throughout its six track runtime Jangala evidences the fearlessness of an exciting young artist who is not afraid to try anything and more importantly has the skill to make it work.
Oh, and did I mention that you can buy the EP on a USB trading card? Dude’s next level.
Big thanks to Jordan Caulfield (High Pop,Kid/Astro) for sending this my way. His roommate is in this experimental audio/visual project called Moth Vegas (check out their site for the visual half, I guess). Jordan says that “words can’t really describe their sound. Other than psychedelic. It’s electronic, but also not.” Listening to it I can see hear exactly what he means. It’s like the guys recorded these wonky guitar pop jams and then force-fed them through a janky old computer. Random, weird samples run rampant; the vocals sound like they are bubbling up through a crusty aquarium; and the more I try to wrap my hands around it the more it slips right through my fingers.
It’s weird. It’s cool. It’s free to download (thanks to Analog Candle).
It’s been quite a while since I’ve shared anything from Kyle Lambert (over a year! gee whiz!). The Philadelphia noisemaker turned producer known as Boy Scout of America has been plenty busy in the meantime though. Molting layers of noise and watching them blow away down the street, Kyle has emerged on the other side a more than competent producer; and yet he still retains the gnarled edge of his earlier content.
Although I’m not really a connoisseur of electronic music, Bad Dreamer is really scratching the occasional beats ‘n bass itch for me. On it Kyle manages to combine elements of mangled noise, industrial, and hip-hop into an amalgam that’s all his own. Even though there are so many great tracks on the album, the easy standout for me is “Say It Out Loud”, a collaboration with b.u.i.l.t. (Lord knows how much I adorethat guy). I mean, come on, once Burke’s vocals crashed the party I was emphatically sold on what was already building up to be a great album.
Oh, and if you’re the sort that likes free stuff you can grab Bad Dreamer for free for a couple days (or until Kyle changes his mind).
The internet is a strange place, guys. Where else could something like this exist? I mean, I can’t even pretend to understand exactly what this is and frankly I don’t really want to either. Released on the vibe-alicious label Ailanthus Recordings, Waikiki Kosmos is an amalgam of sample-collaging and internet drone that does its best to defy description. So bear with me, I’m going to try and somehow squeeze this into my box of understanding.
According to the label’s bandcamp page, AFRIKA PSEUDOBRUITISMUS operates two different soundcloud pages. One puts the project in Morocco, the other Spain. The project’s blog is a collection of bizarre collage work with accompanying soundcloud and youtube links. It’s this sort of messy ambiguity that defines the music as well as the overall aesthetic. Misplaced samples run rampant, interwoven into pools of watery, era-ambiguous, droning synths. It’s like the byproduct of a pseudo-tropical pool party hosted in ReBoot’s Mainframe City. Hands up if you know what I’m talking about.
Take a look at the cover artwork for mnttaB’s latest EP Rocky 4,2 and 3. I mean take a really good look at it. Now try your best to compress all of that information down into a musical representation of what you are seeing. Chances are that whatever you are dreaming up in your mind is pretty close to what this Australian band actually sounds like.
The band displays an impressive knack for chaos with an industrial edge that will have people citing Suicide before you even have a chance to blink. Riffing on math and noise rock in a way that would make Lightning Bolt proud, mnttaB emits a jarring punk rock energy that will leave shards of metal and broken glass strewn across the common area. Suffice it to say, you had best watch your step.
There is always music to look forward to, but seldom are the times when I find myself so eagerly anticipating an album that I can barely stand the wait. Solar Bears’ forthcoming Supermigration is one of those times.
One of the things that I love most about the Irish duo’s music is that it is a perfect companion piece to my love for genre films. They create this perfect hybrid of different styles that at times reminds me of horror film scores of the late 1970’s or early 1980’s (John Carpenter, Ennio Morricone, Goblin) while other times their sound is more reminiscent of sci-fi. But wherever the band is pulling influence from, you can always guarantee that the result will be dense and atmospheric arrangements.
Take a listen to this cut from Supermigration that John sent me called “Cosmic Runner.” It’s about as deep space as the title would suggest and it shows that the band is back and in top form as well.
Side note: Did you guys see the trailer for Beyond the Black Rainbow yet? The aesthetic that Solar Bears have honed over the last few years (and of which “Cosmic Runner” is a perfect example) is almost a perfect match to the vibe and the look of the trailer. It’s almost eerie! Check it out!
Title: Wakeup CallArtist: Diane Kensington Devotional Band332 plays
Diane Kensington Devotional Band // 34 Wordless Mantras
In all honesty I don’t even know where to start with this one. Today has been a very strange day for me and I didn’t really feel like sharing anything, but then I remembered this double-album (I guess you can call it an album) and it just seemed to fit whatever I was going through. I mentally just refer to it as 34 Wordless Mantras when in fact the complete title is: 34 Wordless Mantras For Augmented Ascension Meditation And Silencing Your Inner Monologue NOW! Vol. 1: Deep Listening Party + 32 Wordless Mantras For Augmented Ascension Meditation And Silencing Your Inner Monolgue NOW! Vol. 2: Immersion In “Secret Harmon. So yeah…suck on that, Fiona Apple.
Created by the same mind(s) that brought us Zonotope™ (which is strange enough in its own right), Diane Kensington Devotional Band is an outlet for subconscious expression and sci-fi romanticism. The entire release is a whopping 66 tracks long and they are currently all sitting pretty in my iTunes. I have yet to make it through the whole thing but the decent chunk I have digested has been bizarre yet intensely listenable. Silky tones and pastel colors run rampant and there is so much to dig into here. It really runs the gamut as far as sound experimentation so if you aren’t digging a particular track then just wait a few moments because everything will mutate from top to bottom.
You can purchase the double-album either on cassette or digitally from the bandcamp site. I can’t guarantee that you’ll like it, but hopefully you’ll find it as curious and endlessly fascinating as I have.
I’m not gonna lie. When I am introduced to acts from Austin, Texas I typically picture clouds of smoke that dull the senses enough to allow the laid-back vibes to slide right into my psyche. This is not the case with the duo Zorch however. If you didn’t pick up hints that these guys were different just from the band name and album cover then the music might be a bit of a surprise. If there was a way to melt Skittles down, convert that into noise mush, and then pour it directly into your ears then that might come close to what Zorch does.
Now I am not saying that their music is overly sugary, because it’s most definitely not. Rather it is super upbeat and manages to reach out into a million different directions grabbing influences and pulling them in together like a spastic octopus. The cassette single for “Cosmic Gloss” is a thing to behold, but prepare yourself for 16 minutes of crazy pop business. And while “Cosmic Gloss” is a fantastic track, I really dug the heck out of the b-side “E.M.F.” It’s a blaring example of a band with an infinite amount of ideas and enough energy to pool them. It’s a 6+ minute track that reaches hyper speed right out of the gates only slowing down a handful of times to let the listener catch a breath.
Unfortunately the cassettes are all sold out (late to the party again!), but you can still acquire it digitally from Insect Records. I’d recommend checking them out, they’re a pretty good time.
**Stephen from Siberian Summer pointed out that I missed the guys’ bandcamp page where you can actually get both tracks for free. So do that and then follow Stephen’s blog. He’s got good taste.**
Here is the brand spanking new video for Pressed And’s new single “Blue Noun” created by Stephanie Cafarella (whose collection of vids is pretty impressive). While I think that the whole found footage music video thing is definitely played out, I can honestly say that I enjoy this video as well as Stephanie’s others. Instead of just random clips seemingly thrown together, the video for “Blue Noun” features footage from what looks like a 1960’s B-movie. And if you should know anything about me it should probably be that my love of genre film rivals my love of music (and maybe eve trumps?). It’s campy sci-fi vibe is perfectly suited to the music so make sure you check it out.
As far as the Pressed And boys go, these fellas are seriously top notch. They recently released their latest EP Imbue Up on Crash Symbols (a label I don’t plug nearly enough). I’ve been listening to it a lot at work recently and it is stitched together really well. It’s mostly ambient electronics delivered at a very intentional pace. It can be very slow and deliberate, but once it takes hold it’s like a good solid crack to the skull. Nabbing a cassette is highly recommended.
I’m home sick for the second day in a row and this stuff just shook the snot right out of my nose. So yeah, listening to this an entire EP is quite the experience. I’m posting the track “Basement Song”, but that song is not even close to giving you an example of what the EP holds in store. “Basement Song” is an expertly crafted sunny pop jam with the boy/girl vocals playing tag the whole way through. But if you listen to the whole EP then don’t let this clever ruse fool you, because the five tracks that follow don’t sound anything like “Basement Song.” In fact, none of the songs really sound all that similar to anything else on the release.
Now I could easily see how this approach would be off-putting, but I don’t hold anything against DDIILLIIAANN for the sole reason that every genre that is dabbled in here is done really, really well. Whoever this Brooklyn resident is, they manage to tread these waters without once sounding amateur. It’s an intensely bizarre experience but one that I definitely enjoyed (although I feel a little funny looking back on it). Now if you are brave enough to take the plunge then I’d direct you to DIILLIIAANN’s website (which is just as jarring/disorienting) where you can download this thing for free. Now go!
Title: To Love and be LovedArtist: Good Amount220 plays
Good Amount // Power
Christian Filardo is one righteous dude who really refuses to be pinned down. It was only around a month ago that he released his quite excellent album In a Quiet Way under the name Good Amount. Even though it was his second album under that moniker, Christian managed to completely reinvent Good Amount’s sound to blog acclaim. Rather than rest on his laurels though, he pushed onward to yet another album and once again turned Good Amount on its head with Power.
The difference between In a Quiet Way and Power are immediately recognizable. Where In a Quiet Way experimented with the gap between his previously vocal based compositions and glitchy electronics, Power obliterates the flood gates (heh, that rhymed) and really lets Christian’s creativity run wild. And while Good Amount has always been pretty much synonymous with atmosphere, the lengthy droning pieces on Power feel like thunderous vibrations from another world sent coursing through your body. Nothing is held back and it is all just thrown onto the canvas and allowed to drip and run into itself creating a living world of bleeding colors. If you are into drone then I highly suggest checking it out. You can download it for free on his bandcamp.
By the way, Christian is one of the hardest working dudes in the blogosphere. In addition to Good Amount, he also runs his own digital/cassette label Holy Page, he’s an amazing visual artist as seen on Habitual Glory, and he also (most recently) runs a music blog called Suave Citation with his brother Thomas Filardo.
This new jammer by Alligator Indian is off of their new EP FOOTBALL, which is out now on Bleeding Gold Records. It’s a darkwave force of nature that will invade your space and leave you in shambles only to come crawling back to it for more. After hearing the track I knew that I had to better acquaint myself with this North Carolina band right away. And that’s exactly what I did.
On their bandcamp you can pay whatever you want for the EP, and I suggest you do because this music literally does not stay in one place for more than a single song. It’s the sort of release that you cannot truly understand and appreciate until you listen to the whole thing. Cherry picking won’t work here.
They band explains that they’ve been working on this EP off and on since 2008, which explains its tendency of being sort of all over the map. It’s not necessarily a bad thing because all of the tracks happen to be really good. It’s definitely enough for me to keep them on the radar. I’d be really interested to see what the band is capable of should they sit down and pour their collective power into one definitive sound. For now though you should definitely check out the goods.
When you love someone, like truly love them, you find joy in doing things for them. Am I right? Well I love Born Gold and so I am going to rep this album, and I’m gonna rep it hard because they deserve at least that much.
In case you haven’t heard (read: “live under a rock”) GOBBLE GOBBLE has not only changed their name to Born Gold but they have also unleashed news of this, their first (and long awaited) full-length album Bodysongs. Having heard this thing in full I can assure you that their spastic brand of comsic pop has translated beautifully into a ten-track album. Bodysongs is a testament to unbridled energy and love of music-making; a masterfully crafted pop opus of the highest order. In a day when so many artists have become nothing more than a flash-in-the-pan, Born Gold has managed to rise to the top of the crop. On the strength of their live shows and infectious music they have achieved near cult-status in the eyes of their fans ensuring that, if anything, they are here to stay.
So please do yourself (and the band) a favor and order yourself a copy of this LP. Limited to a mere 300 copies, the album is being put out by Crash Symbols and Born Gold’s own Hovercraft. You’ll regret it if you don’t!
Title: Now What (feat. Bobbi Dahl)Artist: Meszahline119 plays
Meszahline // Several Beings
After making a name for himself by remixing and reworking various tracks, Meszahline (real name: Bram Ruiter) is here offering us his first real EP entitled Several Beings. Its four tracks manage to span a wide pool of styles but under Bram’s watchful eye the whole thing feels consistent and complete.
I’m assuming that he slaved over these four tracks because this EP is almost overflowing with ideas. From the ambient dreampop of the opening track “Now What” (which features haunting guest vocals from Bobbi Dahl) to the dark and gurgling “For Spencer,” this EP feels full. I can’t imagine another track fitting in anywhere without it feeling out of place. It’s a puzzle shrouded in mystery with each piece locking firmly into place with each listen.
I know that I haven’t been featuring much electronic music lately, so I’m happy to say that Several Beings has broken that dry spell. It’s a masterful and brooding release that really is begging to be heard. You pick it up for free from his bandcamp.
Here is one of two brand-spanking-new videos made by TINYLITTLEHAMMERS for tracks off of Oxykitten’s latest album The Streets Were Paved with Circuit Boards. It starts off like a knocked over film projector and then eventually takes you on a journey through human reproduction via some vintage 1960’s animation. It’s a ghostly clip that captures the darkness of the music and together they leave you feeling slightly unsettled.
If you’re diggin’ on the track and wanna hear more you can snag the beautiful cassette from the righteous dudes at Field Hymns Records. I’ve listened to the whole album and it is SICK. As the label puts it the music sounds like “John Carpenter making hip-hop instrumentals for long, sweaty nights”… Rad.
If you’re not the cassette-buying type you can stream/download it on the label’s bandcamp page too.
