The Answer Is In The Beat

Hills: Alive at Roadburn (Rocket Recordings, 2017)

June 30, 2017 at 10:50 pm | Posted in Reviews | Leave a comment

Swedish psych explorers Hills (not to be confused with White Hills, who are far more prolific) present an album recorded at the infamous Roadburn festival, held every April in the Netherlands. All four tracks come within a minute or two of 15 minutes, and they don’t take long to launch into mystical heavy grooves. At times it sounds like there’s tamburas droning away along with the distorted guitars, and hints of desert melodies or rhythms. Also, while some of the group’s previous work was instrumental, this one has shamanistic vocals which seem possessed by a dark spirit (at least on the opening track “National Drone”). “Master Sleeps” has a very entrancing rhythm and ends up with some head-spinning patterns of echoed wah-wah guitar. At the end of the set, someone in the band remarks that they were supposed to play 6 songs but they only had time for 4, indicating how heavily engrossed the band are when they’re playing music.

Duot & Andy Moor: Food LP (Repetidor, 2017)

June 30, 2017 at 8:47 pm | Posted in Reviews | Leave a comment

Spanish improv duo Duot meet up with the legendary guitarist Andy Moor (The Ex, Dog Faced Hermans) for this bracing set. Tracks typically start off quiet, but get jagged and abrasive. Tumbling drums, serrated guitar, wheezing sax. “Arrebato” is probably the most immediate piece. “It’s Your Business” starts off sounding kinda like a mutated version of the “Blister in the Sun” riff. “Gudi” feels like being crushed against the pavement while rapid wolves are hissing at you (but somehow not biting you).

Jib Kidder: New Works For Realistic Mixer (Care Of Editions, 2016) + Pay 2 Play (Lamb Life, 2017)

June 18, 2017 at 1:06 pm | Posted in Reviews | Leave a comment

Following his poppiest album (2015’s Teaspoon To The Ocean), former WCBN DJ Jib Kidder released possibly his most experimental album. Instead of dense sample collages or trippy pop songs, this one was made entirely with a mixer and a drum machine. The cryptic, nonsensical track titles point to this being his IDM album, and the songs are a bit glitchy and noisy, filled with jagged, piercing tones and dripping beats. Lots of rusty, metallic feedback twisted into strange shapes. In a weird way, this was more accessible than I expected, but it’s not exactly melodic and the beats are far too abstract to dance to. Somehow the album’s weirdest moment is when a sample of a baby’s voice swoops in during the second to last track. It seems to be a perfect example of the humanity of this album, even though it appears cold and robotic.
Pay 2 Play is entirely different, and a return to sample-based psych-pop. This contains some of his most bizarre, densely piled-on sample collage work yet, along with sly, strange songwriting. The album comes with a thick booklet containing stories and surrealist drawings as well as the songs’ lyrics. Just in the first few songs, we hear samples of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, doomsday cult speaking-in-tongues, pan flutes, country guitar, IM notifications, etc. I think I heard the coughing from “Sweet Leaf” somewhere in there too (possibly in reference to a certain WCBN PSA?). “Field of Dreams” is an easygoing groover based on a bagpipe sample. The second half of the album seems to be devoid of samples, however, and it goes into more of a soft rock mode, but in a somewhat strange way. “Fortune Presents Gifts” is a Dead Can Dance cover, and a faithful rendition of Tori Amos’ “Cornflake Girl” appears later, with backup vocals during the chorus that I thought were a sample of Tori herself at first.

Shigeto: Detroit Pt II 12″ single (Portage Garage Sounds, 2017)

June 16, 2017 at 9:41 pm | Posted in Reviews | Leave a comment

Local hero Shigeto started a new label called Portage Garage Sounds with his brother Ben Saginaw (of Ritual Howls). This is its first release, which was limited to 500 copies and is already completely sold out! Shigeto’s recent tracks have been way more club-friendly than the IDM/hip-hop hybrids he’s often known for, and this is an immersion into straght-up deep house. Warm keyboards, thumping beats, echo-covered tenor sax from Marcus Elliot, as well as softly spoken vocals which come back to the word “Detroit” (as does all modern dance music). The “I-94 Mix” on the B-side is more low-key, fixating on the groove, with just a bare amount of dubbed-out sax floating over the bumping beat. There’s reportedly more from Shigeto forthcoming in this vein, possibly on a label owned by a certain WCBN DJ (no, not me!).

Graeme Miller & Steve Shill: The Moomins original soundtrack (Finders Keepers, 2016)

June 9, 2017 at 6:56 pm | Posted in Reviews | Leave a comment

This is the previously unreleased soundtrack to what looks to be a very bizarre children’s television program from the early ’80s, involving a variety of felt creatures which look like hippos. The music was made in the U.K. by post-punk musicians experimenting with synthesizers and cheap instruments, and it’s as playful and creative as the program looks, but also a bit dark and sinister. The opening theme song is a nice jaunty little ocarina-driven number which will get stuck in your head, and you’ll probably be ok with that. “Travelling Theme” is a slower, dubby groove which isn’t too far from Adrian Sherwood. “Moomins Partytime” is suitably bubbly and gleeful, with more whistling melodies and lots of excited cheering. The album gets a lot darker after that, though; “Midwinter Rites” sounds like it’s some sort of evil ritual taking place in a cave filled with flesh-eating beasts (but it still sounds festive). “Comet Shadow” is five minutes of solemn skygazing. This is the type of curious retro-futuristic release which couldn’t have a better home on any other label than Finders Keepers, and it’s simply delightful.