music
ts hi-fi#11
Jul.26.07
It's been a while I know! So what has been rolling
around on my music players as of late? Turns out in
the nearly two months (!) since I have last written
one of these I have found all sorts of amazing music.
Because there is so much I will hi-light my favorite
recent albums as well as list a few others that have
made their way into my head as of late. (You could
always check out my twitter feed which I use to post
songs that I may be listening to that catch me at
that given moment as being a standout.)
Gonzalez - Solo Piano
Who would have known that a hip-hop producer could release such a compelling album of classical piano pieces? I actually heard this music before his other releases and I am happy that I did because I did not really like other things I have heard from him. From what I understand there is a close tie between him, Feist, and Peaches. Something about how they used to be room mates or something of the sort. This album is really pretty amazing through and through and although most of the pieces are fairly short running they still manage to pull you in. I hope that he continues to explore this side of his music in the future. (itunes link)
_______________________
Mice Parade - Self Titled
In the past I have never really enjoyed Music by Mice Parade all that much. I have tried and tried but nothing ever really clicked in my mind. With this release I have found an album full of songs that I keep coming back to and it has quickly become my go to album over the past couple of weeks. There is a typical indie rock feel to the album as a whole but just enough diversity with the guest appearances to keep it interesting. (artist link)
_______________________
Ryan Adams - Easy Tiger
I fell for Ryan adams first album, heartbreaker, a couple years ago and since then have been searching for music from him that hit me in the same way but have yet to find that spark in his more recent albums. From time to time I have found newer songs by him that pulled me in but nothing ever really stuck with me the way his first album did. From what I read around the web, a lot of people feel the same way. My favorite releases from him since Heartbreaker would have to be when he got together with The Cardinals for a couple of albums and while they were not as intimate as his solo work I did find that the collaboration produced some great music. So on comes his newest solo effort, Easy Tiger. When I first put on this I listened to it all the way through and was somewhat disappointed. It felt over produced like a little to much effort had gone into its creation. It was not until giving it a second chance that I had realized that many of the songs felt immediately familiar and it slowly began to grow on me somehow. At any rate, worth checking out if you enjoy a bit of americana here and there. (itunes link)
_______________________
Susumu Yokota and Rothko - Waters Edge
Discovering this album helped fill my need for something calm and ambient these past few weeks. Four tracks of wonderful melodic ambience. I will defiantly be looking for this on vinyl sometime soon. Thats about all I can say about this at the moment, just really beautiful stuff and you should definitely check it out. (artist link)
_______________________
White Stripes - Icky Thump
I have had a back and forth thing going on with the White Stripes for as long as I can remember. Their first album drew me in when I first heard it back shortly after its release. I can't even remember how I discovered it in the first place but I do remember getting sucked in by the catchy hooks and rawness of the recording. I tried getting into their other albums but they never really hit me in the same way as their first until I heard the song Icky thump. I was at first skeptical that I actually liked what I was hearing but quickly found that I was really enjoying the whole album. It was really unexpected and throughout the release you will find it taking all sorts of twists and turns through sound and ideas. Really great stuff... (itunes link)
_______________________
The Tuss - Confederation Trough / Rushup Edge
And the last thing I will write about in detail here is this amazing pair of EP's by the mystery group The Tuss. From what I have read they could very well be yet another secret release by none other than Richard D. James aka. Aphex Twin which would make sense because of the obvious similarities between the style of the music and recent RDJ releases. I really dont know what to think about all the speculation, all I know is that I really love these EPS. Amazing and solid all the way through. If your a fan of aphex dont pass this one up! (not so informative artist link)
_______________________
There are other releases that I have been listening to as well as of late, and for the sake of saving some time I am going to list what else I have been listening to below, the links will either take you to iTunes or to the artists website...
Electrelane - No Shouts, No Calls \ indie rock girl band, great album that grew on me with time
Emilie Simon - Self Titled (french site) / great french artist with a rough electronic edge to somewhat calmer songwriting
Julie Doiron - Désormais / beautiful somber album
M. Ward - Duet for Guitars #2 / m.wards first album was re released recently and although it is not as developed as his later material it has quite a few gems hiding inside
Matthew Herbert - Score / al sorts of varying ideas and styles here, classical to electronic
Mr. Oizo - Analog Worms Attack / brilliant head nodding beats
Puzzleweasel - Exo-Grid / my idm fix as of late, almost like the child of autechre and richard devine...
Skeletons and The Kings of all Cities - Lucas / wild experimenting indie pop like album that takes you places you may not have been while listening to music, really solid album
Tibetan Buddhist - Tibetan And Bhutanese Instrumental And Folk Music / strangely hypnotic and great for relaxing to something not so polished and modern
Tigerbeat 6 - Lets Lazertag Sometime / party mix album from tigerbeat
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Isis EP / im not a huge fan of the band but this ep has gotten my attention
Xela - Tangled Wool / wonderful peaceful electronic with acoustic guitar. everything on type records is so good...
Gonzalez - Solo Piano
Who would have known that a hip-hop producer could release such a compelling album of classical piano pieces? I actually heard this music before his other releases and I am happy that I did because I did not really like other things I have heard from him. From what I understand there is a close tie between him, Feist, and Peaches. Something about how they used to be room mates or something of the sort. This album is really pretty amazing through and through and although most of the pieces are fairly short running they still manage to pull you in. I hope that he continues to explore this side of his music in the future. (itunes link)
_______________________
Mice Parade - Self Titled
In the past I have never really enjoyed Music by Mice Parade all that much. I have tried and tried but nothing ever really clicked in my mind. With this release I have found an album full of songs that I keep coming back to and it has quickly become my go to album over the past couple of weeks. There is a typical indie rock feel to the album as a whole but just enough diversity with the guest appearances to keep it interesting. (artist link)
_______________________
Ryan Adams - Easy Tiger
I fell for Ryan adams first album, heartbreaker, a couple years ago and since then have been searching for music from him that hit me in the same way but have yet to find that spark in his more recent albums. From time to time I have found newer songs by him that pulled me in but nothing ever really stuck with me the way his first album did. From what I read around the web, a lot of people feel the same way. My favorite releases from him since Heartbreaker would have to be when he got together with The Cardinals for a couple of albums and while they were not as intimate as his solo work I did find that the collaboration produced some great music. So on comes his newest solo effort, Easy Tiger. When I first put on this I listened to it all the way through and was somewhat disappointed. It felt over produced like a little to much effort had gone into its creation. It was not until giving it a second chance that I had realized that many of the songs felt immediately familiar and it slowly began to grow on me somehow. At any rate, worth checking out if you enjoy a bit of americana here and there. (itunes link)
_______________________
Susumu Yokota and Rothko - Waters Edge
Discovering this album helped fill my need for something calm and ambient these past few weeks. Four tracks of wonderful melodic ambience. I will defiantly be looking for this on vinyl sometime soon. Thats about all I can say about this at the moment, just really beautiful stuff and you should definitely check it out. (artist link)
_______________________
White Stripes - Icky Thump
I have had a back and forth thing going on with the White Stripes for as long as I can remember. Their first album drew me in when I first heard it back shortly after its release. I can't even remember how I discovered it in the first place but I do remember getting sucked in by the catchy hooks and rawness of the recording. I tried getting into their other albums but they never really hit me in the same way as their first until I heard the song Icky thump. I was at first skeptical that I actually liked what I was hearing but quickly found that I was really enjoying the whole album. It was really unexpected and throughout the release you will find it taking all sorts of twists and turns through sound and ideas. Really great stuff... (itunes link)
_______________________
The Tuss - Confederation Trough / Rushup Edge
And the last thing I will write about in detail here is this amazing pair of EP's by the mystery group The Tuss. From what I have read they could very well be yet another secret release by none other than Richard D. James aka. Aphex Twin which would make sense because of the obvious similarities between the style of the music and recent RDJ releases. I really dont know what to think about all the speculation, all I know is that I really love these EPS. Amazing and solid all the way through. If your a fan of aphex dont pass this one up! (not so informative artist link)
_______________________
There are other releases that I have been listening to as well as of late, and for the sake of saving some time I am going to list what else I have been listening to below, the links will either take you to iTunes or to the artists website...
Electrelane - No Shouts, No Calls \ indie rock girl band, great album that grew on me with time
Emilie Simon - Self Titled (french site) / great french artist with a rough electronic edge to somewhat calmer songwriting
Julie Doiron - Désormais / beautiful somber album
M. Ward - Duet for Guitars #2 / m.wards first album was re released recently and although it is not as developed as his later material it has quite a few gems hiding inside
Matthew Herbert - Score / al sorts of varying ideas and styles here, classical to electronic
Mr. Oizo - Analog Worms Attack / brilliant head nodding beats
Puzzleweasel - Exo-Grid / my idm fix as of late, almost like the child of autechre and richard devine...
Skeletons and The Kings of all Cities - Lucas / wild experimenting indie pop like album that takes you places you may not have been while listening to music, really solid album
Tibetan Buddhist - Tibetan And Bhutanese Instrumental And Folk Music / strangely hypnotic and great for relaxing to something not so polished and modern
Tigerbeat 6 - Lets Lazertag Sometime / party mix album from tigerbeat
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Isis EP / im not a huge fan of the band but this ep has gotten my attention
Xela - Tangled Wool / wonderful peaceful electronic with acoustic guitar. everything on type records is so good...
|
On the Hi-Fi #10
Jun.01.07
So much good music has fallen into my lap recently I
dont know where to begin. In an effort to keep these
posts a little shorter I may hold off on a couple of
things until next time. Anyways, on with the show.
Elliott Smith - New Moon
I would have to admit that an Elliott Smith album was what made me love music so much. I can't even remember how long ago it was but the album that turned me was his album XO. At the time I listened to music but did not really know of this world of music below the surface of the magazines and TV, well, not aside from They Might Be Giants but thats a whole different story all together. XO ended up being my gateway drug to a long standing addiction of seeking out the the best music I could find and through the years I have learned so much and heard so many wonderful songs. But my connection with Elliott's music digs a little deeper than this. His music has always somehow connected with me in a way that extends beyond simply hearing a good song. Myself along with countless other Elliott Smith fans have found peace in his song writing and presence as a musician. Well, years go by and I end up buying and listening to all the music by him that I could find and even had the chance to see him live a couple of times before the dreadful day that he took his own life in a way I still have trouble imagining happening, stabbing himself in the chest... Before he passed he had been working on an album which was finished and released and many wondered if that was the last they would ever hear of his music. Fans, using the internet, connected and shared bootlegs of shows and occasionally found old demo recordings of unreleased music. In comes New Moon. This album is a collection of unreleased music and alternate versions of songs that many people have been wishing for for the past couple of years. The music is mostly from his best years as a songwriter and its a beautiful collection of music weather you are a fan of his music or not. Don't miss out on this two disc collection. Also, it may be good to note that sales of this album generate money for charity...
Sweet Adeline (the official unofficial Elliott Smith site for years now) iTunes link here.
_______________________
Feist - The Reminder
For a good week or two I found that this was all I could listen to. On first listen I didn't really like it at all but after my friend Val mentioned to me that she liked it and thought it was good I decided to give it another go and listened from start to finnish and found that I loved it from start to finnish. Im not sure why I was hesitant at first. The music explores all sorts of different territory and goes from more upbeat songs with a band to very minimal slower songs. The singing and lyrics are what drew me in when I started to listen closer. I would write a "for fans of" thing or something here but I hate those things, good music is good music and does not need to be compared to other things. The only reason I could think of to do it would be to give you an idea of what to expect but why would I do that? These days there are countless places to preview music, even buy a single song and see if you like it soooo. That said, here are some links.
Official Site. iTunes link.
_______________________
Matthew Dear - Asa Breed
After getting into Mather Dears other project, Audion, these past months I noticed a new album by Matthew Dear appear on the iTunes store and thought I would give it a go so I did what any person with plenty of money lying around that he knows he shouldn't be spending (trying to get to europe this year) should do, I bought the album. At first I did not know what to make of it, It seemed kind of empty and half way finished but I gave it more of a chance and there were a couple of songs that sank in and opened the whole album up for me. Those songs were Don and Sheri and Pom Pom. Don and Sheri I think is just genius and Pom Pom found its way into my liking because of his talk of how tricky love can be. The lyrics all started to click and I started to find that he happened to be a pretty good songwriter. The music is all pretty dance based but minimal in production like most of his music is but I find that it really works. So this album has been on repeat for the past couple of weeks now and I still cant seem to get enough of it. My only complaint is that some of the songs feel bit short and at least a couple have fade outs which is a pet peeve of mine, I just think its a cheep way to end a track. Still though, the great music makes up for this mino detail.
Artist site / iTunes link
_______________________
Cornelius - Sensuous
I had been waiting and waiting to get my hands on this release and I finally have it. Ever since falling in love with his album Point I have wanted more. With his newest album (which has actually been available in Japan for a year already) he has not taken his music an any dramatic new direction. I find that this album is like a more calm, focused Point. There is some great music on here, lots of acoustic sounds but with an electronic musicians sensibility (haha, such a fancy reviewers word there...) To get an idea of the music on here you must hear my current favorite track from the album which is called "Music." In fact, here, try it on for size, it just happens to be the sample track on the labels page for the album. Another album you dont want to miss...
artist site. iTunes Link
Elliott Smith - New Moon
I would have to admit that an Elliott Smith album was what made me love music so much. I can't even remember how long ago it was but the album that turned me was his album XO. At the time I listened to music but did not really know of this world of music below the surface of the magazines and TV, well, not aside from They Might Be Giants but thats a whole different story all together. XO ended up being my gateway drug to a long standing addiction of seeking out the the best music I could find and through the years I have learned so much and heard so many wonderful songs. But my connection with Elliott's music digs a little deeper than this. His music has always somehow connected with me in a way that extends beyond simply hearing a good song. Myself along with countless other Elliott Smith fans have found peace in his song writing and presence as a musician. Well, years go by and I end up buying and listening to all the music by him that I could find and even had the chance to see him live a couple of times before the dreadful day that he took his own life in a way I still have trouble imagining happening, stabbing himself in the chest... Before he passed he had been working on an album which was finished and released and many wondered if that was the last they would ever hear of his music. Fans, using the internet, connected and shared bootlegs of shows and occasionally found old demo recordings of unreleased music. In comes New Moon. This album is a collection of unreleased music and alternate versions of songs that many people have been wishing for for the past couple of years. The music is mostly from his best years as a songwriter and its a beautiful collection of music weather you are a fan of his music or not. Don't miss out on this two disc collection. Also, it may be good to note that sales of this album generate money for charity...
Sweet Adeline (the official unofficial Elliott Smith site for years now) iTunes link here.
_______________________
Feist - The Reminder
For a good week or two I found that this was all I could listen to. On first listen I didn't really like it at all but after my friend Val mentioned to me that she liked it and thought it was good I decided to give it another go and listened from start to finnish and found that I loved it from start to finnish. Im not sure why I was hesitant at first. The music explores all sorts of different territory and goes from more upbeat songs with a band to very minimal slower songs. The singing and lyrics are what drew me in when I started to listen closer. I would write a "for fans of" thing or something here but I hate those things, good music is good music and does not need to be compared to other things. The only reason I could think of to do it would be to give you an idea of what to expect but why would I do that? These days there are countless places to preview music, even buy a single song and see if you like it soooo. That said, here are some links.
Official Site. iTunes link.
_______________________
Matthew Dear - Asa Breed
After getting into Mather Dears other project, Audion, these past months I noticed a new album by Matthew Dear appear on the iTunes store and thought I would give it a go so I did what any person with plenty of money lying around that he knows he shouldn't be spending (trying to get to europe this year) should do, I bought the album. At first I did not know what to make of it, It seemed kind of empty and half way finished but I gave it more of a chance and there were a couple of songs that sank in and opened the whole album up for me. Those songs were Don and Sheri and Pom Pom. Don and Sheri I think is just genius and Pom Pom found its way into my liking because of his talk of how tricky love can be. The lyrics all started to click and I started to find that he happened to be a pretty good songwriter. The music is all pretty dance based but minimal in production like most of his music is but I find that it really works. So this album has been on repeat for the past couple of weeks now and I still cant seem to get enough of it. My only complaint is that some of the songs feel bit short and at least a couple have fade outs which is a pet peeve of mine, I just think its a cheep way to end a track. Still though, the great music makes up for this mino detail.
Artist site / iTunes link
_______________________
Cornelius - Sensuous
I had been waiting and waiting to get my hands on this release and I finally have it. Ever since falling in love with his album Point I have wanted more. With his newest album (which has actually been available in Japan for a year already) he has not taken his music an any dramatic new direction. I find that this album is like a more calm, focused Point. There is some great music on here, lots of acoustic sounds but with an electronic musicians sensibility (haha, such a fancy reviewers word there...) To get an idea of the music on here you must hear my current favorite track from the album which is called "Music." In fact, here, try it on for size, it just happens to be the sample track on the labels page for the album. Another album you dont want to miss...
artist site. iTunes Link
twistedsun hi-fi #9
May.05.07
The Cinematic Orchestra - Ma Fleur
I got my hands on an advance copy of this somehow and will be buying it the second its available. Its a new direction for the Cinematic Orchestra and its really wonderful. I have mentioned the song To Build A Home on here already and the rest of the album is equally impressive relaxed and certainly worth anyone checking out. Its just good music plain and simple. I only wish there was more of it. Do not let this one pass you by...
official site
_______________________
Ezekiel Honig & Morgan Packard - Early Morning Migration
This is one that has been out for a while now but I just recently got my hands on it and Im glad that I did. It is full to the brim with great minimal ambient works that hide subtle melodies, field recordings, and the occasional rhythym if you are looking in the right places for it. If you are into ambient music then give this a listen because its really, really good. Sorry, I know im not a profesional reviewer or anything, just suggesting some good music, so im sorry for the boring reviews...
artist page
_______________________
Lusine - Podgelism
I have talked about lusine in the past somewhere on this site I am here again to talk about his newest release which is a remix album. The idea of a remix album is so fascinating to me because electronic music is often already remixes of sounds and the idea that musicians get together and rework each others music is a testament to the community that surrounds the genera. I guess you cant go around covering aphex twins songs but what you can do it take the music and add your own subtle touches and feeling to the music. Im not sure if I know what im talking about here but hopefully you understand. At any rate, this is a great album, very relaxed danceable music that would fit in all sorts of places in your life and if you are looking to get an extra bounce in your step during your day then check out this album. (eesh, again with the odd reviews.. maybe iI should just stick with a basic run down of albums, what do you think.. maybe next time)
artists page
_______________________
radicalfashion - Odori
This was released on hefty records recently and I finally decided to grab a copy of it and I am happy that I did. It's a beautiful mix of ambient electronic that does a fasinating job of brancing out all over as far as style. You will find yourself listening to a lovely piano like piece and then be left with a nobukazu takemura like glithch ambient piece and then get cought up inbetween these things. I found myself in many different places while listening to this record but most of all I found myself loving the smooth sound and relazing approach to the music. I know these words dont even really describe the music all that well but thats all ive got so follow the link below to find out more.
radicalfasion's page on hefty records site.
_______________________
(oh, and i got my hands on an advance copy of the new/old Elliott Smith album New Moon and it is really wonderful, more on this after its oficial release...)
twistedsun hi-fi #8
Apr.04.07
I am taking a different approach to this hi-fi. It
has been simmering on a low heat for a while now and
been reduced to a select amount of top notch songs
for your discovery. A mix tape in its essence but
more an overall look at what music has been playing
in my life recently. I will talk a little about
tracks that have really been my favorites below the
main list here.
1. The Cinematic Orchestra - To Build a Home
2. Panda Bear - Comfy in Nautica
3. Battles - Atlas
4. Tycho - Dictaphone's Lament
5. Amon Tobin - Kitchen Sink
6. Benoit Pioulard - Together and Down
7. Gordon Lightfoot - Beautiful
8. Michael Glasso - Ankor Wat Theme I
9. Battles - Leyendecker
10. Julie Doiron - Don't Wannabe / Liked By You
11. John Frusciante - Forever Away
12. Nat King Cole - Quizás, Quizás, Quizás
13. Marumari - Casino vs. Japan (remix)
14. Machinedrum - 911
15. Surgeon - Whose Bad Hands Are These? Autechre Remix
16. Tim Koch - disantamount
There is a lot of good music on that list. Starting off with a new song by the Cinematic Orchestra which is a total departure from their earlier work but I think its a great song all the same, very quiet and peaceful like a perfect sunrise or something of the sort. The Panda Bear song is a crazy droning song that seems to stick in my head any time I hear it and reminds people of the beach boys when i play it for them. Because of the melodies I think. The two songs by Battles are amazing and are from their upcoming album. The song Atlas is just amazing and I can not stop listening to this one right now. The Tycho track is a beautiful melodic journey similar to Boards of Canada in its subtle down-tempo existence that I find really brilliant. Amon Tobins new album, Foley room is a really moody album that I felt could have been better than it was but it does sound pretty amazing when heard through a nice set of headphones or speakers. The Gordon Lightfoot song and the John Frusciante song are from a soundtrack to a film by Vincent Gallo that I have heard pretty strange things about but the music is just amazing on the sountrack, really lo-fi acoustic songs as well as some great jazz cuts thrown in. I feel lucky to have a copy of this as it was only released in japan and goes for 30 or so bucks online. Speaking of soundtracks, the song from Nat King Cole and the one from Michael Glasso are on the soundtrack from the movie In the Mood For Love which was a really beautifully shot film that I hear was shot without much of a script at all. Julie Doiron has a strange voice that some people compare to Cat Power which I find totally ridiculous, I find that I like her songwriting. The Casino vs. Japan remix is a pretty typical Casino vs track but I really enjoy it all the same and wanted to include it because i keep playing that song from the Marumari remix album it is on. The Machinedrum song is from his upcoming album and I found it as a download online somewhere or another on one of his sites. Its a great track, really subtle hip-hop vibe as he does so very well, cant wait to get my hands on that full length. Then there is the Surgeon song that Autechre remixed which is a really straightforward dance track but there is something about it that I really like, not sure what it is though. Maybe its just the Autechre aesthetic over a dance song like this that I like. Last but not least is a song from a Tim Koch album that I really enjoy, its a great record that seems to go pretty un noticed in the places I read about or hear about recent electronic music releases.
So that was a bunch of type all squished together and maybe that was not really the best way to do it but I wanted to try and do something different all the same. I will make links out of all the songs to where you can hear them or buy them. Some are itunes links some are bleep.com links and one i think is an amazon link... (ppsst... email me and convince me well enough and i might send the mix to you but you would have to promise me you would buy anything you really like from it if you can to support t he music)
1. The Cinematic Orchestra - To Build a Home
2. Panda Bear - Comfy in Nautica
3. Battles - Atlas
4. Tycho - Dictaphone's Lament
5. Amon Tobin - Kitchen Sink
6. Benoit Pioulard - Together and Down
7. Gordon Lightfoot - Beautiful
8. Michael Glasso - Ankor Wat Theme I
9. Battles - Leyendecker
10. Julie Doiron - Don't Wannabe / Liked By You
11. John Frusciante - Forever Away
12. Nat King Cole - Quizás, Quizás, Quizás
13. Marumari - Casino vs. Japan (remix)
14. Machinedrum - 911
15. Surgeon - Whose Bad Hands Are These? Autechre Remix
16. Tim Koch - disantamount
There is a lot of good music on that list. Starting off with a new song by the Cinematic Orchestra which is a total departure from their earlier work but I think its a great song all the same, very quiet and peaceful like a perfect sunrise or something of the sort. The Panda Bear song is a crazy droning song that seems to stick in my head any time I hear it and reminds people of the beach boys when i play it for them. Because of the melodies I think. The two songs by Battles are amazing and are from their upcoming album. The song Atlas is just amazing and I can not stop listening to this one right now. The Tycho track is a beautiful melodic journey similar to Boards of Canada in its subtle down-tempo existence that I find really brilliant. Amon Tobins new album, Foley room is a really moody album that I felt could have been better than it was but it does sound pretty amazing when heard through a nice set of headphones or speakers. The Gordon Lightfoot song and the John Frusciante song are from a soundtrack to a film by Vincent Gallo that I have heard pretty strange things about but the music is just amazing on the sountrack, really lo-fi acoustic songs as well as some great jazz cuts thrown in. I feel lucky to have a copy of this as it was only released in japan and goes for 30 or so bucks online. Speaking of soundtracks, the song from Nat King Cole and the one from Michael Glasso are on the soundtrack from the movie In the Mood For Love which was a really beautifully shot film that I hear was shot without much of a script at all. Julie Doiron has a strange voice that some people compare to Cat Power which I find totally ridiculous, I find that I like her songwriting. The Casino vs. Japan remix is a pretty typical Casino vs track but I really enjoy it all the same and wanted to include it because i keep playing that song from the Marumari remix album it is on. The Machinedrum song is from his upcoming album and I found it as a download online somewhere or another on one of his sites. Its a great track, really subtle hip-hop vibe as he does so very well, cant wait to get my hands on that full length. Then there is the Surgeon song that Autechre remixed which is a really straightforward dance track but there is something about it that I really like, not sure what it is though. Maybe its just the Autechre aesthetic over a dance song like this that I like. Last but not least is a song from a Tim Koch album that I really enjoy, its a great record that seems to go pretty un noticed in the places I read about or hear about recent electronic music releases.
So that was a bunch of type all squished together and maybe that was not really the best way to do it but I wanted to try and do something different all the same. I will make links out of all the songs to where you can hear them or buy them. Some are itunes links some are bleep.com links and one i think is an amazon link... (ppsst... email me and convince me well enough and i might send the mix to you but you would have to promise me you would buy anything you really like from it if you can to support t he music)
New Moon
Feb.14.07
So I just caught wind that there will be an album released on Kill Rock Stars released in May featuring Elliott Smith rarities! A two disc set that is filled with songs from back in his Either/Or days. Looking through the tracklist I find that I have heard many of these songs before that I have found on various websites or anywhere I could find music of his like this but it will be nice to have an official release with decent sounding recordings because most of the odd mp3s of these songs that I have come across are all of terrible quality.
So I am really happy to see this getting released and I just had to write up a quick post to let you guys know because Elliott Smith is one of my very favorite musicians and I really miss seeing new releases from him.
Here is a link to the original article on Pitchfork
twistedsun hi-fi #7
Feb.14.07
It has been way to long (2 months!) since I have
posted a music post so here we are with another
episode in the endless search to find the worlds best
music. The past couple of months have brought a LOT
of really really great music so I will do my best to
concentrate on the best of the best. Right, so lets
get on with the mini reviews of my favorite recent
albums...
Menomena - Friend and Foe
For some reason when I first heard this album I didn't think to much of it. I have no idea how this happened because at this point I have listened to it a number of times and I can not get enough of it. The more I listen to it the more I find hiding inside the amazing compositions they have crafted with this release and I have found myself enjoying this even more than their first album which was hard to beat as much as I loved it back when it came out a couple years ago. I remember finding them on iTunes of all places and was impressed that it was on their as a self release which you don't see much on iTunes. Anyways, long story short I fell in love with the music and bought both the cd version and the amazing vinyl version as well.
The music is indie rock and is by far much more interesting than most indie rock records coming out these days. Have you heard the new Shins? Eesh, what a disappointment... anyway, If you enjoy music then you owe it to yourself to at least give this great album a listen and if you do end up buying it I would suggest picking up a copy of the album with the physical cd artwork which is really wonderful and puts a really creative use to die cuts in the printing and illustration.
Menomena website: www.menomena.com
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PostPrior - Touched Pilot - EP
Here we have a really fascinating release by a duo composed of electronic musician Midwest Product and the drummer/singer Michael Kuzmanovski. I think these two have created a masterpiece of modern music, at least in my humble opinion. I can not really put my finger on what draws me into their music but there is some sort of brilliance within it that is hard to describe. It is seemingly simple on the surface with its synths drums and vocals but it is wonderfully produced with a really tight sound that has a lot of subtle details within its production that I love. It is like IDM Pop music or something like that. a Genera that I'm sure has some sort of other name but thats what I call it and it seems to be Ghostly International's favorite new thing to release which I welcome with open arms. This release is PostPrior's first EP and is a digital only release and I can not wait until a full length...
Ghostly International: www.ghostly.com/digital
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Read More...
Menomena - Friend and Foe
For some reason when I first heard this album I didn't think to much of it. I have no idea how this happened because at this point I have listened to it a number of times and I can not get enough of it. The more I listen to it the more I find hiding inside the amazing compositions they have crafted with this release and I have found myself enjoying this even more than their first album which was hard to beat as much as I loved it back when it came out a couple years ago. I remember finding them on iTunes of all places and was impressed that it was on their as a self release which you don't see much on iTunes. Anyways, long story short I fell in love with the music and bought both the cd version and the amazing vinyl version as well.
The music is indie rock and is by far much more interesting than most indie rock records coming out these days. Have you heard the new Shins? Eesh, what a disappointment... anyway, If you enjoy music then you owe it to yourself to at least give this great album a listen and if you do end up buying it I would suggest picking up a copy of the album with the physical cd artwork which is really wonderful and puts a really creative use to die cuts in the printing and illustration.
Menomena website: www.menomena.com
_______________________________________________
PostPrior - Touched Pilot - EP
Here we have a really fascinating release by a duo composed of electronic musician Midwest Product and the drummer/singer Michael Kuzmanovski. I think these two have created a masterpiece of modern music, at least in my humble opinion. I can not really put my finger on what draws me into their music but there is some sort of brilliance within it that is hard to describe. It is seemingly simple on the surface with its synths drums and vocals but it is wonderfully produced with a really tight sound that has a lot of subtle details within its production that I love. It is like IDM Pop music or something like that. a Genera that I'm sure has some sort of other name but thats what I call it and it seems to be Ghostly International's favorite new thing to release which I welcome with open arms. This release is PostPrior's first EP and is a digital only release and I can not wait until a full length...
Ghostly International: www.ghostly.com/digital
_______________________________________________
Read More...
twistedsun hi-fi #6
Dec.02.06
It's that time again kids, fire up those ears and get
ready for some new tunes. I have been listening to a
few really good albums recently and as with anything
involving music here on the site I can't wait to
share so here we go...
Tussle - Telescope Mind
So some of you may not be as into electronic music as I am but you know you love music that gets your body moving from time to time and so today I present to you a solution which is a band called Tussle. I have been loving these guys for a few years now it seems and they just released their second full length album and it is sooooo very good. Here you will find a four piece group with bass and live drums leading the way to the dance floor or bedroom floor depending on where you may be at the time. You will find a touch of electronic in there along with some funk and dub influences. All in all you can't go wrong with this music when you need a pick me up or something to toss on during your next late night dance session. Artists website link.
Quinoline Yellow - uchel001 & Colour Index 47005
So now that you acoustic lovers got your groove on with Tussle I have something for the fans of real electronic music. You know, the stuff that is fueling the indie rock, hip hop, and pop music community right now. The kind of music being made by musicians that are pushing music somewhere different and new and although the instruments are electronic the soul of the musician can still be found in every note. Quinoline Yellow is doing a great job of keeping a classic IDM sound within his tracks that you remember hearing years ago when you were just discovering how good the Richard D. James album and/or lp5 really was. Those of you who know what I am referring to will surely know what I mean when you hear Quinoline Yellow. These two ep's are both similar and I am not really all that sure why they were not released as one full album but I have been enjoying listening to them recently. Any of you who have manage to sit through my rambling review here and are even a little interested should head over to bleep using the link below and see what you have been missing out on.
Marsen Jules - Les Fleurs
This is another electronic music album but not one for head nodding. This one will be more well suited for a rainy day. The album is full of beautiful melodic ambientish music that will add a nice somber touch to any grey day. Full of strings, bells, and echoing reverbs it leaves you with that feeling you feel after taking a nice lung filling deep breath of cool winter air. Really nice stuff. Artist site link.
Laura Gibson - If You Come To Greet Me
Taking a break from the electronic albums for a minute here we find ourselves with this wonderful bit of song-writing from a new Hush Records artist named Laura Gibson. This album is full of sweet fragile songs just waiting to be played during a quiet night at home. Artist site link.
Califone -Roots & Crowns
Califone have been friends with my ears from the first moment Heroin King Blues hit my eardrums. One of my favorite albums from last year. I have since picked up copies of their older albums which furthered my love of their music. In this new release they dont disappoint. I think that Roots and Crowns one of their best albums to date. I love the play between found sound and their wonderful style of instrumentation (if that makes any sense to anyone other than me). The album is full of dirty blues songs in my opinion and the production of t he album really adds a warmth and rawness to the songs. I recently had the chance to catch their live show which was a great one that I would relive if given the chance. This is not one to pass by, and at least check out the tracks 'The Orchids' and 'Black Metal Valentine'. Artist site link.
The Blow - Paper Television
What can I say about the blow? I first heard them when they released the album Poor Aim: Love songs and have been a fan since. This time around they have taken the production to a completely electronic level and I think they pulled it off really well. I bought this album on vinyl only and so most of my listening time is at home and it is the most commonly placed piece of vinyl on my turntable. I'm not sure what to say to describe it so I suggest checking out for yourself, just think, female vocals of an indie rock variety over IDMish beats. Artist site link.
Venetian Snares - Hospitality
To top (or bottom) off the list this time around I will end with something a bit more chaotic than the other albums on the list. Venetian Snares has released album after album of crazy in your face break core electronic music and as with any artist that releases albums and eps as frequently as Venetian Snares some are better than others. This album is one of the better ones that I have heard from him as of late and bridges gaps between his last couple releases really well. Venetian Snares is perfect music for blasting in the car stereo as you speed down the interstate. Artist site link.
Note: I feel that from time to time I should mention this. A public service announcement. I think online music/mp3 sellers and sites are all fine and great and I use them sometimes because of the convenience of them but whenever possible I buy music directly from the artist at a show or through their website or their labels website. This gives the bands the biggest cut of it and they deserve it don't they? So if there is music that you really enjoy and listen to please try and buy from the artist when possible.
Note2: Done you just hate the RIAA? Thats all, I had to throw it in there.
Tussle - Telescope Mind
So some of you may not be as into electronic music as I am but you know you love music that gets your body moving from time to time and so today I present to you a solution which is a band called Tussle. I have been loving these guys for a few years now it seems and they just released their second full length album and it is sooooo very good. Here you will find a four piece group with bass and live drums leading the way to the dance floor or bedroom floor depending on where you may be at the time. You will find a touch of electronic in there along with some funk and dub influences. All in all you can't go wrong with this music when you need a pick me up or something to toss on during your next late night dance session. Artists website link.
Quinoline Yellow - uchel001 & Colour Index 47005
So now that you acoustic lovers got your groove on with Tussle I have something for the fans of real electronic music. You know, the stuff that is fueling the indie rock, hip hop, and pop music community right now. The kind of music being made by musicians that are pushing music somewhere different and new and although the instruments are electronic the soul of the musician can still be found in every note. Quinoline Yellow is doing a great job of keeping a classic IDM sound within his tracks that you remember hearing years ago when you were just discovering how good the Richard D. James album and/or lp5 really was. Those of you who know what I am referring to will surely know what I mean when you hear Quinoline Yellow. These two ep's are both similar and I am not really all that sure why they were not released as one full album but I have been enjoying listening to them recently. Any of you who have manage to sit through my rambling review here and are even a little interested should head over to bleep using the link below and see what you have been missing out on.
Marsen Jules - Les Fleurs
This is another electronic music album but not one for head nodding. This one will be more well suited for a rainy day. The album is full of beautiful melodic ambientish music that will add a nice somber touch to any grey day. Full of strings, bells, and echoing reverbs it leaves you with that feeling you feel after taking a nice lung filling deep breath of cool winter air. Really nice stuff. Artist site link.
Laura Gibson - If You Come To Greet Me
Taking a break from the electronic albums for a minute here we find ourselves with this wonderful bit of song-writing from a new Hush Records artist named Laura Gibson. This album is full of sweet fragile songs just waiting to be played during a quiet night at home. Artist site link.
Califone -Roots & Crowns
Califone have been friends with my ears from the first moment Heroin King Blues hit my eardrums. One of my favorite albums from last year. I have since picked up copies of their older albums which furthered my love of their music. In this new release they dont disappoint. I think that Roots and Crowns one of their best albums to date. I love the play between found sound and their wonderful style of instrumentation (if that makes any sense to anyone other than me). The album is full of dirty blues songs in my opinion and the production of t he album really adds a warmth and rawness to the songs. I recently had the chance to catch their live show which was a great one that I would relive if given the chance. This is not one to pass by, and at least check out the tracks 'The Orchids' and 'Black Metal Valentine'. Artist site link.
The Blow - Paper Television
What can I say about the blow? I first heard them when they released the album Poor Aim: Love songs and have been a fan since. This time around they have taken the production to a completely electronic level and I think they pulled it off really well. I bought this album on vinyl only and so most of my listening time is at home and it is the most commonly placed piece of vinyl on my turntable. I'm not sure what to say to describe it so I suggest checking out for yourself, just think, female vocals of an indie rock variety over IDMish beats. Artist site link.
Venetian Snares - Hospitality
To top (or bottom) off the list this time around I will end with something a bit more chaotic than the other albums on the list. Venetian Snares has released album after album of crazy in your face break core electronic music and as with any artist that releases albums and eps as frequently as Venetian Snares some are better than others. This album is one of the better ones that I have heard from him as of late and bridges gaps between his last couple releases really well. Venetian Snares is perfect music for blasting in the car stereo as you speed down the interstate. Artist site link.
Note: I feel that from time to time I should mention this. A public service announcement. I think online music/mp3 sellers and sites are all fine and great and I use them sometimes because of the convenience of them but whenever possible I buy music directly from the artist at a show or through their website or their labels website. This gives the bands the biggest cut of it and they deserve it don't they? So if there is music that you really enjoy and listen to please try and buy from the artist when possible.
Note2: Done you just hate the RIAA? Thats all, I had to throw it in there.
twistedsun hi-fi #5
Nov.04.06
It's been a while since my last hi-fi post so I
thought I would throw one together. Lately I've still
been stuck on a lot of the music from the last ts
hi-fi because there are some albums that have stuck
in my head that I just can't stop playing. My music
listening has been torn recently because there has
been a whole lot of great music to come along
recently that I just cant shake off. This year has
been pretty slow for music in my opinion but suddenly
here in the fall things have really started to come
together and a lot of really great music is getting
released. So anyways, without further mess...
Alva Noto + Ryuichi Sakamoto - Viroon
Everyone has times in live where they need nothing more than to sit down with a pair of headphones, close their eyes and meditate with some sort of forgiving, easy on the ears, not so distracting music. Recently that need has been met by a pair of releases by Japanese composers Alva Noto and Ryuchi Sakamoto. The album above is the one I picked for this list simply because I got it fairly recently. The other release is called Insen and I think edges out Viroon overall. Within these sound waves you can expect to hear some of the most beautiful ambient piano music you have ever heard from Ryuchi which is perfectly complemented by Alva's gentle electronic edge. You just cant beat these releases. They come highly recommended. Here it here (itunes link)
Arovane - Lilies
I featured Arovane's first full length album here on the first hi-fi a month or so ago and this time around I am adding his newer album called lilies to the mix. Although his music is not all that groundbreaking it is very very good. He has a great since for subtle, simplistic melodies that drift through his music. There are a few samples in here from a trip to Japan that he took if I am remembering right from reading about this record on the labels site which fit nicely into his style. If you check this album out at least listen to the track Tokyo Ghost Stories which I find gorgeous and haunting but what do I know, right? Hear it here (itunes link)
FourTet - Remixed/Remixes
This is the latest album from the now infamous FourTet Is a double album. One disc is full of songs that he has remixed and the other are remixes by other artists of his own work. At first listen I could take it or leave it but the more I listened to the remixes side (remixes he has done) the more it becomes clear to me that he is one of the best electronic musicians remixing music today. Being an electronic musician myself I can say that it is one thing to be good at making music on your own terms but to take another musicians music and make it your own while still letting the soul of the original track live on is a tricky balancing act that I feel that he has mastered. There are a ton of great remixes on here some that I have head and some that are pretty new to me. The disc of other artists remixing him has its moments but I feel as though his own remixes are where the real treasure in this release are.
Jeremy Enigk - World Waits
I remember years back I used to listen to Sunny Day Real Estate a lot. They were one of the first indie rock bands that I really got into and what drew me in was the dynamic vocals and melodies of the singer Jeremy Enigk. I knew that he had done a solo record a year or so back and I heard it but never really gave it much of a chance. Well a couple weeks ago he released a new solo record and I got my hands on it to check out and at first listen I just kind of shrugged it off. Then one night I was sitting down going through some new music and came to this album and lay back and listened to it nearly all the way through because I found that I didn't want to stop listening. I think what did it was the second track which is called Been Here Before. It really stuck with me, the song builds up through a chorus or two and then out of nowhere breaks into this great melody played on a huge sounding pipe organ. It's just a great track and leads right into a really amazing album that I can't seem to get enough of. The song I mentioned that I like so much is on the labels website I think you can buy the whole album there as well.
Nina Nastasia - On Leaving
I first started getting into Nina's music when I heard her reissued first full length album called Dogs and loved her smooth sounding singing and the swaying rhythms within her melodies. I have since picked up her other albums and have really enjoyed all of them so I was excited to hear that she had a new one out. The thing I really like about this one is the scaled down approach to the production of the music. I like the stripped down approach to these songs. Styles seem to vary a lot between songs as well, one will sound a touch irish in a way then one will sound more like american folk and there is one song on here that I swear sounds like a quasi song. At any rate, its a great album and well worth checking out if your looking for some relaxing singer songwriter type music. Hear it here (itunes link)
The Places - Songs For Creeps
I first heard Amy Annelly when I found one of her solo albums on emusic years ago called A School Of Secret Dangers and couldn't stop listening to it. She has been called a female Elliott Smith which I only slightly agree with. I mostly just enjoy her lo-fi approach to her song writing and recording. You will often find samples of fuzzy radio stations which add to the feel of the recordings that really add to the overall mood of the albums. So other than her solo record she also has released albums with a "band" made of what pretty much seems to be other musician friends in the portland area and these are released using the name The Places. The last album released as the places was on hush records and felt a little over produced and was almost painfully slow moving. Absolutely gorgeous but very very sleepy. Songs For Creeps seems to be a perfect bridge between these two worlds. The album is riddled with new favorites of mine and I really cant recommend the album highly enough.
You can pick the album up on her website via paypal. Here you can also sample plenty of music should you be curious. Link
Squarepusher - Hello Everything
Ah Squarepusher is at it again, this time he had a lot to live up to in my opinion. After his brilliant album Ultravisitor and killer Venus No. 17 EP I was really wondering how many more tricks he had up his sleeve. I have to admit that when I first picked this up I put it on and skipped through the whole album without feeling the least bit excited and was left pretty disappointed. This is not another Ultravisitor, there is no Stienbolt on this one and I couldn't help but feel really underwhelmed. A couple of days later I came across a huge article where fans asked him questions and it opened my eyes to what he is doing with his music. He seems to release music that he wants to hear. With this album he decided to try something lighter than usual and took a more direct interest in writing melodies and synth/bass lines that he thought were fun to play a listen to and now listening back to it I find that I'm no longer comparing it to everything else he has released and started listening to it for what it is. It has really helped me get into it and I would have to admit that it's really growing on me. There is this one song in the middle called Vacuum Garden that is a 6 minute ambient song and its one of the most interesting ambient tracks I have heard in a while. Really has a distinct mood to it and overall you will find everything from his classic dnb to his jazz inspired more acoustic type tracks. Hear it here.
Alva Noto + Ryuichi Sakamoto - Viroon
Everyone has times in live where they need nothing more than to sit down with a pair of headphones, close their eyes and meditate with some sort of forgiving, easy on the ears, not so distracting music. Recently that need has been met by a pair of releases by Japanese composers Alva Noto and Ryuchi Sakamoto. The album above is the one I picked for this list simply because I got it fairly recently. The other release is called Insen and I think edges out Viroon overall. Within these sound waves you can expect to hear some of the most beautiful ambient piano music you have ever heard from Ryuchi which is perfectly complemented by Alva's gentle electronic edge. You just cant beat these releases. They come highly recommended. Here it here (itunes link)
Arovane - Lilies
I featured Arovane's first full length album here on the first hi-fi a month or so ago and this time around I am adding his newer album called lilies to the mix. Although his music is not all that groundbreaking it is very very good. He has a great since for subtle, simplistic melodies that drift through his music. There are a few samples in here from a trip to Japan that he took if I am remembering right from reading about this record on the labels site which fit nicely into his style. If you check this album out at least listen to the track Tokyo Ghost Stories which I find gorgeous and haunting but what do I know, right? Hear it here (itunes link)
FourTet - Remixed/Remixes
This is the latest album from the now infamous FourTet Is a double album. One disc is full of songs that he has remixed and the other are remixes by other artists of his own work. At first listen I could take it or leave it but the more I listened to the remixes side (remixes he has done) the more it becomes clear to me that he is one of the best electronic musicians remixing music today. Being an electronic musician myself I can say that it is one thing to be good at making music on your own terms but to take another musicians music and make it your own while still letting the soul of the original track live on is a tricky balancing act that I feel that he has mastered. There are a ton of great remixes on here some that I have head and some that are pretty new to me. The disc of other artists remixing him has its moments but I feel as though his own remixes are where the real treasure in this release are.
Jeremy Enigk - World Waits
I remember years back I used to listen to Sunny Day Real Estate a lot. They were one of the first indie rock bands that I really got into and what drew me in was the dynamic vocals and melodies of the singer Jeremy Enigk. I knew that he had done a solo record a year or so back and I heard it but never really gave it much of a chance. Well a couple weeks ago he released a new solo record and I got my hands on it to check out and at first listen I just kind of shrugged it off. Then one night I was sitting down going through some new music and came to this album and lay back and listened to it nearly all the way through because I found that I didn't want to stop listening. I think what did it was the second track which is called Been Here Before. It really stuck with me, the song builds up through a chorus or two and then out of nowhere breaks into this great melody played on a huge sounding pipe organ. It's just a great track and leads right into a really amazing album that I can't seem to get enough of. The song I mentioned that I like so much is on the labels website I think you can buy the whole album there as well.
Nina Nastasia - On Leaving
I first started getting into Nina's music when I heard her reissued first full length album called Dogs and loved her smooth sounding singing and the swaying rhythms within her melodies. I have since picked up her other albums and have really enjoyed all of them so I was excited to hear that she had a new one out. The thing I really like about this one is the scaled down approach to the production of the music. I like the stripped down approach to these songs. Styles seem to vary a lot between songs as well, one will sound a touch irish in a way then one will sound more like american folk and there is one song on here that I swear sounds like a quasi song. At any rate, its a great album and well worth checking out if your looking for some relaxing singer songwriter type music. Hear it here (itunes link)
The Places - Songs For Creeps
I first heard Amy Annelly when I found one of her solo albums on emusic years ago called A School Of Secret Dangers and couldn't stop listening to it. She has been called a female Elliott Smith which I only slightly agree with. I mostly just enjoy her lo-fi approach to her song writing and recording. You will often find samples of fuzzy radio stations which add to the feel of the recordings that really add to the overall mood of the albums. So other than her solo record she also has released albums with a "band" made of what pretty much seems to be other musician friends in the portland area and these are released using the name The Places. The last album released as the places was on hush records and felt a little over produced and was almost painfully slow moving. Absolutely gorgeous but very very sleepy. Songs For Creeps seems to be a perfect bridge between these two worlds. The album is riddled with new favorites of mine and I really cant recommend the album highly enough.
You can pick the album up on her website via paypal. Here you can also sample plenty of music should you be curious. Link
Squarepusher - Hello Everything
Ah Squarepusher is at it again, this time he had a lot to live up to in my opinion. After his brilliant album Ultravisitor and killer Venus No. 17 EP I was really wondering how many more tricks he had up his sleeve. I have to admit that when I first picked this up I put it on and skipped through the whole album without feeling the least bit excited and was left pretty disappointed. This is not another Ultravisitor, there is no Stienbolt on this one and I couldn't help but feel really underwhelmed. A couple of days later I came across a huge article where fans asked him questions and it opened my eyes to what he is doing with his music. He seems to release music that he wants to hear. With this album he decided to try something lighter than usual and took a more direct interest in writing melodies and synth/bass lines that he thought were fun to play a listen to and now listening back to it I find that I'm no longer comparing it to everything else he has released and started listening to it for what it is. It has really helped me get into it and I would have to admit that it's really growing on me. There is this one song in the middle called Vacuum Garden that is a 6 minute ambient song and its one of the most interesting ambient tracks I have heard in a while. Really has a distinct mood to it and overall you will find everything from his classic dnb to his jazz inspired more acoustic type tracks. Hear it here.
iTunes free track
Oct.31.06
Im liking the free song of the week from iTunes by The Blow. I've been listening to them for a while now and the new album seems really good. Very simple electronic driven indie music to be found here. Anyways, Just thought I would mention it here because its free. Get it while the gettings good.
itunes link
twistedsun hi-fi #4
Oct.12.06
Ive got a bunch of music Ive been shuffling through
in the past week or so and it's all been really good
so be sure to check out some of the music featured
here this week...
Clark - Boddy Riddle
First up this week is (Chris) Clark's newest album. I mentioned here at some point a while back about his free tracks leading up to this album and here it is and it is really amazing. For some reason other people and reviewers seem to always compare his music to the likes of aphex twin and to me thats like saying that an apple tastes like an orange. Clark has definatily taken a space of his own. His production has improved ten-fold over the years and his sound is as gritty as ever. If i were to say any other artist has influenced him with this album id only point out that his dynamic volume stucture within his compositions and some of his new melodies could be Ultravisitor era Squarepusher inspired and the second to the last track is like a gritty remix of the last song on Aphex Twin's Windowlicker EP.. Id say if you were a fan of any of the electronic music on Warp records then it's a pretty safe bet that this belongs in your music collection.
Songs not to miss on here are Ted, which is just brilliant and one of my alltime favorite electronic music tracks, Vengeance Drools, just wait till around the 2:00 mark when it starts breaking down crispy, and the first track, Herr Bar.
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Beck - The Information
So I hear that this album is a mix up of various music he has been writing over the past 6 yers or so and it shows. The songs all have moments that give away what time period he wrote them in. I found this album a little hard to get into but it is starting to grow on me the more I listen to it. Although at times it feels like he is simply going through the motions there are some great new songs on here. I hope that one of these days he ditches all of the samplers and heads back up to K records and does another album with those guys but the chaces of that seem pretty slim...
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Damien Jurardo - And Now That I'm In Your Shadow...
It's hard to believe that more people have not heard this great songwriter. He has released some really amazing albums in the past and this release is no exception. In fact I would go as far as to say this is my favorite album from him. Full of heartbreaking mellow songs that have really stuck with me at a level beyond them just being pretty songs. Really great stuff and well worth picking up. I have been listening to an advance copy of the album and am all set to pick up the vinyl as soon as I can...
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Little Miss Sunshine - OST
I picked this up in Nashville and couldn't be happier with it. OK OK, I could have done without the totally random two songs from the fashion show at the end of the movie but otherwise there is a lot of great material on here with a really smooth memorable europeanish feel. I honestly don't know how to describe this style of music, please leave a comment if you can help me out here. Be sure to check out the last song on the album called How It Ends by Devochka, really really nice. Follow this link to download a free live in studio version of the Devochka song, How It Ends. just stumbled across it..
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zach's misc songs
3 songs from Zach Braff things (scrubs and the last kiss) I know he can be a bit a over the top and cheesy from time to time but he has a good ear for emotional music, not as in emo but music with a bit of depth somewhere buried down in it. Three songs from the albums pictured above have been rotating on my ipod for a long while now. Imogen Heap has a song that has been a big seller on itunes called Hide and Seek and for good reason, its an amazing acapella song soaking in a harmonizer. At first I didn't care much for the heavy effects on the voice in the song but the more I listened the more I heard all of the subtle layering and found a huge amount of detail within the production of the song. The Collin Hay song is called Overkill and its about nights im sure everyone has had at some point or another, nights full of restlessness from an overactive mind. The third song is just beautiful, it's a song by Jeff Buckley called Hallelujah. It's not a cover of the classic religious song, he simply uses the word as a celebratory statement. Thats the best way I can think to describe it.
Till next time...
Clark - Boddy Riddle
First up this week is (Chris) Clark's newest album. I mentioned here at some point a while back about his free tracks leading up to this album and here it is and it is really amazing. For some reason other people and reviewers seem to always compare his music to the likes of aphex twin and to me thats like saying that an apple tastes like an orange. Clark has definatily taken a space of his own. His production has improved ten-fold over the years and his sound is as gritty as ever. If i were to say any other artist has influenced him with this album id only point out that his dynamic volume stucture within his compositions and some of his new melodies could be Ultravisitor era Squarepusher inspired and the second to the last track is like a gritty remix of the last song on Aphex Twin's Windowlicker EP.. Id say if you were a fan of any of the electronic music on Warp records then it's a pretty safe bet that this belongs in your music collection.
Songs not to miss on here are Ted, which is just brilliant and one of my alltime favorite electronic music tracks, Vengeance Drools, just wait till around the 2:00 mark when it starts breaking down crispy, and the first track, Herr Bar.
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Beck - The Information
So I hear that this album is a mix up of various music he has been writing over the past 6 yers or so and it shows. The songs all have moments that give away what time period he wrote them in. I found this album a little hard to get into but it is starting to grow on me the more I listen to it. Although at times it feels like he is simply going through the motions there are some great new songs on here. I hope that one of these days he ditches all of the samplers and heads back up to K records and does another album with those guys but the chaces of that seem pretty slim...
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Damien Jurardo - And Now That I'm In Your Shadow...
It's hard to believe that more people have not heard this great songwriter. He has released some really amazing albums in the past and this release is no exception. In fact I would go as far as to say this is my favorite album from him. Full of heartbreaking mellow songs that have really stuck with me at a level beyond them just being pretty songs. Really great stuff and well worth picking up. I have been listening to an advance copy of the album and am all set to pick up the vinyl as soon as I can...
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Little Miss Sunshine - OST
I picked this up in Nashville and couldn't be happier with it. OK OK, I could have done without the totally random two songs from the fashion show at the end of the movie but otherwise there is a lot of great material on here with a really smooth memorable europeanish feel. I honestly don't know how to describe this style of music, please leave a comment if you can help me out here. Be sure to check out the last song on the album called How It Ends by Devochka, really really nice. Follow this link to download a free live in studio version of the Devochka song, How It Ends. just stumbled across it..
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zach's misc songs
3 songs from Zach Braff things (scrubs and the last kiss) I know he can be a bit a over the top and cheesy from time to time but he has a good ear for emotional music, not as in emo but music with a bit of depth somewhere buried down in it. Three songs from the albums pictured above have been rotating on my ipod for a long while now. Imogen Heap has a song that has been a big seller on itunes called Hide and Seek and for good reason, its an amazing acapella song soaking in a harmonizer. At first I didn't care much for the heavy effects on the voice in the song but the more I listened the more I heard all of the subtle layering and found a huge amount of detail within the production of the song. The Collin Hay song is called Overkill and its about nights im sure everyone has had at some point or another, nights full of restlessness from an overactive mind. The third song is just beautiful, it's a song by Jeff Buckley called Hallelujah. It's not a cover of the classic religious song, he simply uses the word as a celebratory statement. Thats the best way I can think to describe it.
Till next time...
twistedsun hi-fi #3
Sep.22.06
Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - The Letting Go
Bonnie 'prince' billy is one of those musicians that is hit or miss for me. There are a number of his many many albums that I do enjoy and those tend to lean towards the minimal guy and his guitar singing out on his porch with a mic sitting near by material. With his newest release "The Letting Go" he has released a gem of an album. (hows that for reviewer slang, gem. eesh) Full of slow whispering songs it has sucked me in and made it to my weekly list here.
Corrina Repp - The Absent and the Distant
I have been Listening to Corrina Repp for what seems like quite a few years now. Her releases on Hush records have been nothing but an inspiration in my life. She takes a super minimal approach to the singer song writer genera and plays songs that feel oh so fragile but shine through with their strong lyrical backing. She has written some of my favorite music in the past few years and so I am really excited to have a copy of her newest release "The Absent and the Distant" which was released on Mark Kozelek's newish record label, Caldo Verde. With this release she has stepped out of her bounds slightly and introduced a somewhat fuller sound by her standards with drums and layers of other instruments. All in all another beautiful release that I can not recommend highly enough.
Audion+Ellen Allien - Just a Man/ Just a Woman
My dance album pick of the week is this EP from Audion and Ellen Allien on Ghostly's 'other' label Spectral. Together for a classic split EP one song each and one remix each. At least thats what I can gather from what I know. If you are looking for some nice subtle dance tracks that are almost more calming then energizing then check this release out. It would be great for a late night dance party or for times when you may need something steady but not in your face.
Susumu Yokota - Sakura
One more this week, I had some others pulled to feature but decided to stick to just a few this time around. I stumbled across this on emusic I believe and I have no idea why I have not heard Susumu Yokota before now. This is a brilliant album full of warm ambient songs and the occasional subtle beat thrown in.
twistedsun hi-fi #2
Sep.14.06
OK so I have decided to change the name of my weekly
music recap from 'In Rotation' to the twistedsun
hi-fi. There have been some great new music all of a
sudden after a year of so-so releases so there has
been plenty of new music around to listen to...
Early Day Miners - 'Jefferson at Rest'
This album was on last weeks list and it is making it's second appearance simply because it is such a great release. Think post-rock meets Low meets al around great song writing. Why have I not heard these guys before? I have a copy of their newest release that just came out and will check that out when I can. As with most of the things I list here it comes highly recommended. (be sure to at least listen to the amazing track, Awake)
Viva Voce - 'Get Yr Blood Sucked Out'
Some of you that have been following the site for a while may remember be posting a Viva Voce song as a favorite and I always meant to post the whole album as a review but never got around to it. The album im talking about is called The Heat Can Melt Your Brain and it is one of my all time favorites, something about it really clicked with me and after seeing them twice live I could safely say that I was a huge fan. So here we have a new album by the group and at first listen I was not to sure if I liked it all that much and was somewhat disappointed but the more I listen to it the more and more I love it. Check out the first song 'Believer' its a head nodding hand clapping good time!
Catfish Haven - 'Tell Me'
Catfish Haven is another group that just kind of snuck up out of no where and really impressed me. The group is somewhat tricky to describe. Kind of like Black Keys but more soul roots than blues. Whatever you want to call it its a great album and I cant get enough of it.
Ellen Allien & Apparat - 'Orchestra of Bubbles'
Moving back into electronic music land I have come across this album co-produced by Ellen Allen and Apparat. Although there are a handful of tracks that I find myself skipping over the good ones are really amazing dance tracks that lean more towards the IDM side of dance music. Clean production and hard hitting bass really give it a stand out sound and it has been my electronic album of choice the past week or so.
Tom Yorke - 'The Eraser'
I will mention one last album this week and that is Tom Yorke's new solo album The Eraser. The first song I heard from it is called Black Swan played during the credits of A Scanner Darkly and it is easily my favorite song on the album. The song does have explicit lyrics for those of you keeping tabs on that but it's a really really great song. The rest of the album took more time to get into but I am starting to like it more and more. For fans of Radioheads Kid A and beyond days when they stopped being so much of a band. It sure would be nice if they would take a stab at another rock record one of these days. They were so good at it you know?
Thats it for now, till next week...
Early Day Miners - 'Jefferson at Rest'
This album was on last weeks list and it is making it's second appearance simply because it is such a great release. Think post-rock meets Low meets al around great song writing. Why have I not heard these guys before? I have a copy of their newest release that just came out and will check that out when I can. As with most of the things I list here it comes highly recommended. (be sure to at least listen to the amazing track, Awake)
Viva Voce - 'Get Yr Blood Sucked Out'
Some of you that have been following the site for a while may remember be posting a Viva Voce song as a favorite and I always meant to post the whole album as a review but never got around to it. The album im talking about is called The Heat Can Melt Your Brain and it is one of my all time favorites, something about it really clicked with me and after seeing them twice live I could safely say that I was a huge fan. So here we have a new album by the group and at first listen I was not to sure if I liked it all that much and was somewhat disappointed but the more I listen to it the more and more I love it. Check out the first song 'Believer' its a head nodding hand clapping good time!
Catfish Haven - 'Tell Me'
Catfish Haven is another group that just kind of snuck up out of no where and really impressed me. The group is somewhat tricky to describe. Kind of like Black Keys but more soul roots than blues. Whatever you want to call it its a great album and I cant get enough of it.
Ellen Allien & Apparat - 'Orchestra of Bubbles'
Moving back into electronic music land I have come across this album co-produced by Ellen Allen and Apparat. Although there are a handful of tracks that I find myself skipping over the good ones are really amazing dance tracks that lean more towards the IDM side of dance music. Clean production and hard hitting bass really give it a stand out sound and it has been my electronic album of choice the past week or so.
Tom Yorke - 'The Eraser'
I will mention one last album this week and that is Tom Yorke's new solo album The Eraser. The first song I heard from it is called Black Swan played during the credits of A Scanner Darkly and it is easily my favorite song on the album. The song does have explicit lyrics for those of you keeping tabs on that but it's a really really great song. The rest of the album took more time to get into but I am starting to like it more and more. For fans of Radioheads Kid A and beyond days when they stopped being so much of a band. It sure would be nice if they would take a stab at another rock record one of these days. They were so good at it you know?
Thats it for now, till next week...
Clark is free
Sep.07.06
I have been a fan of Chris Clark since his first record out on Warp Records years ago which set him up as one of the most unique IDM musicians out there. He has defiantly crafted his own sound among electronic musicians with his crunchy sounds and his playful, danceable compositions. In preparation for the release of his next full length he will be releasing three free mp3 downloads as teasers for the full album due in october. So far two of them have been released so far and you can download them here.
In Rotation #1
Sep.06.06
I realize that my music reviews have all but dropped
to zero in the past couple of moths and as I think I
have mentioned before that is because I simply don't
have the time to make the site as huge and mega as I
wanted it to be when I expanded it a year ago. So as
a compromise I have decided to start up a weekly
feature on the music I have been listening to that
week. Sometimes it will be something new and I may
write specifics about it and sometimes it will be a
simple list of albums that I have had on a lot in the
past week. Either way it should be a good way to
explore some new music for those of you who are as
hooked on the never ending quest to find all of the
best music out there today and then proceed to listen
to your favorite bits until each chord and tweak of a
sound is embedded into your mind. Or who knows, it
may spark conversations in the comments. We will just
have to see how it goes to find that out now wont we.
So without further introductory ranting I bring to
you what music has been in heavy rotation in my ears
in the past week.
Kid 606 - Meet Me at the Bottom
Aug.21.06
Whenever I am in a hurry to get somewhere and I need a pick me up of some kind I look no further than a good song to get my blood moving. It seems like I always have one on my ipod that I know I can go to to get this going and currently that song is a track off of Kid 606's latest EP, Pretty Girls Make Raves called Meet Me at the Bottom. Although, like the rest of the ep, it is a pretty simple dance track it really gets me going for whatever reason. It's one of the smoothest dance tracks I have heard in a long time. On a side note, the EP as a whole seems like Kid 606 just wanted to put something out for the sake of releasing something. It's not nearly as polished and well produced as most of his music is and only has a couple tracks that I really enjoyed. Maybe thats the idea but as a whole I was somewhat disappointed with the release, especially after the album he released last year, resilience. Even still, I can't wait to see what he pulls next, I have to give him respect for his ability to put out such a wide variety of tracks under one name where most other electronic musicians seem afraid to do that and release different types of music under all sorts of different pseudonyms.
So at any rate, if you need a bit of a pick me up on that long monday morning trek to work be sure to grab a copy of the Kid 606 track Meet Me at the Bottom.
iTunes link:
May I recommend...
Jul.14.06
...an album that I recently acquired called Eingya by the musician Helios. the only other thing I have heard from him was his release on Merck records which was a subtle masterpiece on it's own and so I was excited to see that he had a new album out. With this release he has taken a step towards using a more solid groundwork in his songs. They all have beautiful dreamy ambient beds that put you in a state of mind perfect for working or anything that you need to relax a bit while doing you know? Many tracks break out to have some nice downtempo beats which adds some nice head nodding rhythm to the mix. I know there are some other electronic artists out there trying to use more traditional instruments in their sound but a lot of the time this feels forced. Helios does a great job tossing in some acoustic guitar and piano within some of the tracks and it really works for his style. I would recommend anyone in the mood for some fresh music to relax to check out this great release.
link for more info
Jason Anderson - "New England"
Jun.03.06
If you are in the mood for some music for a long car ride that will give you something to reminisce about how funny life can be at times then I would recommend this brilliant album from Jason anderson. I think he's a brilliant songwriter that you should not pass up hearing at least once. I know that some of you may not be into the Indie Rock scene but give it a listen and see where you get. I would also recommend anyone that likes this album to pick up his other solo album called The Wreath which is a little more rocking but still just as brilliantly written.
iTunes Link:
Mira Calix - "Sparrow"
Jun.02.06
Sparrow is easily one of my favorite songs of all
time and I consider it one of the best IDM tracks
ever written. I know thats a pretty bold statement to
make but I stand by it. There was something about it
that drew me in the first time I heard it years ago
and it never let go. Listening to it today I still
get the same feel as I did the first time I listened
to it which was on a Warp Compilation called Routine
which was a US only release and as far as I know is
ou