The Answer Is In The Beat

Blochemy: Da Mear (Clean Error/Sun Sea Sky Productions, 2016)

June 12, 2016 at 11:56 pm | Posted in Reviews | Leave a comment

i’m honestly really glad that there’s still people putting out IDM releases that sound like this. Very tightly programmed beats obviously inspired by Autechre but not as overwhelmingly intense, paired with light refreshing melodies. Some of the other Sun Sea Sky releases are closer to the more chillout BoC-but-not-as-weird style of IDM, but this has a bit more bite to it (as well as mostly nonsensical track titles) while still being a smooth, enjoyable listen. A lot of the melodies are kind of cut from the same cloth, there’s more variation to the beats, but it’s nothing to complain about. Like a nice sparkling beverage to go with the summer weather.

Lunapark: Gefangene Vögel LP (Blow Up, 1982/reissued by Dark Entries, 2016)

June 12, 2016 at 11:41 pm | Posted in Reviews | Leave a comment

So I recently discovered that I’m really into NDW (German new wave). Bands like Palais Schaumburg and Grauzone are totally up my alley now. I know nothing about this group other than that this 1982 album was the only one they put out. Not sure if it’s some sort of cult classic or anything, but listening to this reissue, it sounds fantastic. Lots of minimalist synths, shadowy German vocals, and some more upbeat post-punk moments (“Dieser Tag”). “Lederhosen” seems like the requisite silly German synth-pop single, but other songs here go a lot deeper. Good stuff.

P. Morris: Low + Teeth (Bear Club Music Group, 2016)

June 12, 2016 at 11:20 pm | Posted in Reviews | 1 Comment

Very unconventional, confusing beats and edits from LA. The producer refers to his sound as “goombawave”. Seems like very abstract hip-hop production, but a lot of times it just seems to stop and start up again like a trick candle. “Hot Life” is a bit more of a conventional rap track with a verse by Haleek Maul, but then it ends and goes into a sad string passage called “Blood King”. “Great Expectations” is a minute of sad pianos with cartoonish strings poking out here and there. “Bad Habits” has traces of that Al Bowlly sample used in White Town’s “Your Woman”, mashed up with horns and some beats and vocals reminiscent of early James Blake.

Teeth is a literal continuation of Low, even beginning with the same samples. It’s also even more fractured and scattered, with plenty of long silent pauses between explosive beats, short tracks that don’t seem to have a clear beginning or end, recurring samples, orchestral bombast, heavy snapping bass, MORE FIRE, and moments that seem to fall flat on the ground only to be back in the swing of things seconds later. And while it all might sound like a random collage, the release ends with the entire work performed live at Low End Theory. It’s clearly all deliberate. Very strange, and something that encourages many repeated listens. Also, these are both the tip of the iceberg, as there are many more recordings on Bandcamp dating back several years.

Damian Schwartz: The Dancing Behavior 2LP (A Harmless Deed, 2016)

June 12, 2016 at 11:02 pm | Posted in Reviews | Leave a comment

Super diverse set of tracks from the long-running Madrid-based producer. A lot of the expected Detroit and Chicago dance influences are present, but it goes further beyond dance music. There’s trippy vocal and sample manipulation, and some blippy/buzzy synths which recall some of Raymond Scott’s electronic inventions. There’s spacy electro, there’s proper house, there’s oldschool IDM type melodies. “Minor Moves” is more downtempo but with crazy Squarepusher rapid bass tones. Lots of ground covered on this one. Super nice.

Moby: Long Ambients 1: Calm. Sleep. (self-released, 2016)

June 12, 2016 at 10:44 pm | Posted in Reviews | Leave a comment

Real talk: this is Moby’s best album in 20 years. Possibly ever. It’s 4 hours long and the shortest track is 17 minutes. It’s a return to the dark, droney, non-commercial ambient side of Moby’s work. This is the Moby that gave us “hymn.alt.quiet.version” and “Reject”. This is the type of Moby music creates for himself, not advertisements. It’s intended for sleeping, and I’ve certainly listened to it for that purpose (I can’t say I’ve listened to the whole thing while awake), but it’s so much deeper than just merely a sleeping album. It’s not “chillout” ambient. It’s dark blue, it’s nocturnal, it drifts and flows in slow waves. It does have some incredibly serene moments, but it’s way more spacey than anything else he’s ever done. I am serious, if you are a fan of the most deep-space ambient music and/or you’ve written off Moby a long time ago, this is a must-listen. Best of all, it’s completely free.

Shantih Shantih: Winter In September LP (Wild Honey Records/Dusty Medical Records, 2016)

June 12, 2016 at 10:18 pm | Posted in Reviews | Leave a comment

All-female group from Atlanta lead by Italian native Anna Barattin (ex Vermillion Sands). Slightly haunted Southern gothic indie rock, a little bit of a folk stomp to it but it’s clearly rock music. Some reverb on things, guitars are mostly pretty taut and thin. “Tell Me I’m Wrong” has ooh-la-laing backup vocals, but the lyrics are a little more sinister than the happy-sounding music (“you’re in my head let go of me”). Some of the uptempo tracks seem vaguely cowpunk-ish (I think? do I even know what cowpunk sounds like?). “Ruby” is a nice ethereal retro ballad with lots of angelic glowing echo. Overall, a bit friendly but also somewhat sinister. Listen on Bandcamp. Just as a warning if you get the vinyl LP, the center hole must be smaller than usual because it took a bit of effort to remove the record from my turntable. Maybe that’s just a trick to encourage repeated listens!

Super Thing: self-titled (self-released, 2016)

June 12, 2016 at 9:29 pm | Posted in Reviews | 1 Comment

First album by an Ypsilanti-based psychedelic noise rock band who have mostly (entirely?) relocated to Chicago. Highly influenced by stoner metal, grunge, and Krautrock, but it doesn’t really stick to one thing, even within each song. Vocals are present, but they’re mostly just to emphasize certain parts of the song, or otherwise guide the tracks along, rather than provide lyrical structure. Lots of guitar soloing, and lots of splashy drumming. “4-LOM” is a bit closer to the group’s grunge side, specifically the vocals. “Baba Yaga” is long and hypnotic, and almost sounds like Nirvana covering Neu! “Lazer Puke” is a bit more explosive and math-y, and seems to be instrumental except for maybe some screaming in the middle (or is that just the guitar talking?). “Pandemonium” starts out as sort of a desert traveling groove, then pauses before turning into an evil swirling doom track with Satanic lyrics. “Untitled improvisation about selling weed” seems more noisy and unhinged than the other tracks. Fred Thomas recorded, mixed, and mastered this, but the extra studio sheen doesn’t distract from the intensity of their performances. I think this CD is limited to 100 copies and I’m not sure if it’s available anywhere yet, I guess just check their Facebook.

Bichkraft: Shadoof (Wharf Cat, 2016)

June 12, 2016 at 8:38 pm | Posted in Reviews | Leave a comment

Second album from an Ukrainian electro-rock band. Kind of frantic indie rock which feels a little like it’s falling apart, but it’s upbeat and urgent. More arty than catchy, but it doesn’t seem indulgent. Drums seem mostly/entirely electronic, and there’s some nods to techno and drum’n’bass in the tones/beat patterns, but it still sounds clearly like a rock band. Vocals seem kind of flat and out of tune, but it’s not like you’ve never heard indie rock dudes sing this way before. “Fashion According to Macbeth” is a bit more of a dark post-punk thing, some of the other tracks are brighter, especially “Blu” and “Rawness”.