The Answer Is In The Beat

Ghost Train Orchestra: Book of Rhapsodies Vol. II (Accurate Records, 2017)

November 10, 2017 at 8:27 pm | Posted in Reviews | Leave a comment

Ghost Train Orchestra are an incredibly tight, vibrant ensemble who perform obscure compositions from the first half of the 20th century. This album leads off with a Raymond Scott tune, but it sheds more light on lesser-known composer Hal Herzon, in addition to others such as Alec Wilder and Reginald Forsythe. Basically, if you’re a fan of early Raymond Scott, you will thoroughly enjoy this. It’s fun and kind of cartoonish, with lots of unexpected twists and turns and mood changes. “Hare and the Hounds” is incredibly joyous and nutty, with rollicking drums and double bass as well as stunning violin work from Mazz Swift (also of Hear In Now), and also jaw harp! Several of the selections feature a narrator introducing them, giving this a feel of a concert or radio broadcast rather than just an album. Songs like “Deep Forest” and “Walking Home in Spring” are less perky, but still sophisticated and splendid. “Deserted Ballroom” is a spooky little hall of mirrors, with ghostly vocals and perhaps a musical saw, as well as a sort of sleazy guitar-driven section near the end. Most of the songs feature vocals by an adult choir, including a few Orchestra members, but there’s also a Langley Schools-inspired children’s choir on the tune “Kindergarten Flower Pageant”, as well as a solo vocal by Gita Drummond on the self-explanatory “A Little Girl Grows Up”. All of this is an absolute blast to listen to, and should not be missed by fans of strange, obscure delights from the distant past.

Caracoa: End of Kings CDr (Inam Records, 2017)

November 8, 2017 at 11:18 pm | Posted in Reviews | Leave a comment

The third CDr from Caracoa this year consists of three pieces and two longer techno tracks. “Electric Air” opens the album with two minutes of suspended distortion, and then “Time in Reverse” is over 9 minutes of flickering, thumping drone-techno reminiscent of The Field but hazier and more monotonous. It eventually leads to a shimmering end, and then “A Warning Ignored” is a short burst of rhythmic static with a somewhat fearsome ending. This sets the stage for “Last Year on Earth”, the release’s other techno epic, and a piece of chilly ambient techno on par with any of the best work by Gas or The Sight Below. I’m serious, it’s that fucking good. I want it to go on forever. It seems so simple, it’s just a bright drone and a steady 4/4 thump, but there’s still some subtlety to it, like how there’s an off-sync pulse near the end. I can’t get enough of it. If this was released as a limited vinyl 12″ and someone at Resident Advisor found out about it, people would be selling it for hundreds of dollars on Discogs. “End of Kings” concludes the album with another short, regal drone. The release is ominous without being overwhelmingly full of dread. It’s also serene, but not entirely soft and light. It’s not overtly emotional, but it still manages to convey a lot. I think it’s absolutely incredible.

Don Gero: Wizarding tape (Crash Symbols, 2017)

October 28, 2017 at 3:33 pm | Posted in Reviews | Leave a comment

Throw your sorcerer’s cap on for this one. This artist constructs heavy, locked-in rhythms encased in some oscillations, which never obscure the power of the drums. It sort of reminds me of a more straightened out Black Pus, and there’s definitely some Boredoms in there too, especially the parts with screaming. The pieces are all named after elements, or implements of destruction or force relating to elements, and they’re all in 3 parts. The “Rock” ones are some of the heaviest ones, of course. Definitely a good companion to the Do Pas O tape on Hausu Mountain from this year.

Darshan Ambient: Lingering Day: Anatomy Of A Daydream (Spotted Peccary, 2017)

October 27, 2017 at 9:55 pm | Posted in Reviews | Leave a comment

Michael Allison has been releasing music as Darshan Ambient since the era of MP3.com (which is absolutely ancient history now, but important to anyone who was following and especially making independent music during the late ’90s). His music, obviously, fits into the ambient (and sometimes new age) category, usually with calm, comforting pianos and string pads. He does branch out a bit, however, and the first few tracks on this album stretch towards the grandeur of post-rock, but without the exhilarating crescendos. The only song with lyrics is “Arc of Angels”, a Peter Gabriel-esque splendor-ballad. Some of the tracks hint towards IDM-ish beats, especially “Mover”, which is easily my favorite. But the more purely ambient tracks are good too, such as the floating, rippling “The Seven Sleepers”. “Bee’s Fade” has some tricky overlapping rhythmic patterns, and “Hand in the Clouds” has some steady flickering among its foggy drifting. “Kissing Crust” has light, slightly rainy dance beats. The album’s title gives you an indication as to how relaxing, meditative and free of pressure this album is, but in terms of its construction, it’s not lazy or basic in any way.

Luurel Varas: Leisure Time tape (Crash Symbols, 2017)

October 27, 2017 at 8:51 pm | Posted in Reviews | Leave a comment

Estonia’s Luurel Varas crafts beats which playfully smack. His sound is relaxed but not too laid back; it’s not as loungey as someone like Monster Rally. It’s lush but not too pillowy. It’s also quite busy, but it’s never hard to follow. Basically, he sounds like he could easily be from L.A. or Detroit, but he holds his own against producers half a world away from him. Opener “Fantasia” has a nice quasi-chiptune skank to it, and he folds in some smudged voices which shout out to Detroit. “Leisure Time” samples some old educational film or record, and has a funny sample accusing some kid of being mopey, but he says he isn’t. After that, other songs on the album feature sparkling tones and shimmering easy listening strings, but the producer knows when to rough things up a bit. The strings will glitch out unexpectedly, or there will be an extra few cymbal crashes before you expect them. Sometimes the tracks start out sounding cerebral, but then they end up more googly-eyed. The second side throws in some sillier samples as well as some dreamier ones (such as those R&B vocals that pop up halfway through), and at times it suggests a faster, more banging version of the Clams Casino sound. This one just becomes more comforting and joy-inducing the more you listen, but there’s enough of a creative edge to it that it doesn’t just seem like a standard (yet nonetheless dope) beat tape. And also, it’s satisfying as an actual album rather than just a collection of beats.