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Kuvatud on postitused sildiga 2005. Kuva kõik postitused
Kuvatud on postitused sildiga 2005. Kuva kõik postitused

5/06/2023

Salam – Salam (2005)

 
 
  • African folk 
  • World music 
  • Ethnic music 
  • Live
 
Puhastav ja värskendav 5-looline taies Senegali triolt, kes mängib kitarre ja pärismaiseid trumme. Laividel osalevad ka külalisesinejad, kelledest üks mängib käesoleval viiulit. Üle instrumentide kaigub sugereeriv jõuline meesvokaal, millede koosmõju tekitab kuulajas habrast transsi. Nende muusika on kantud mandinka ja diola hõimukultuurist, lauldes hinge ja südame ühtekuuluvusest ning armastusest; teisalt teavitatakse meelemürkide laastavast mõjust. Ka hõigatakse välja maailmarahu soov. Kui rääkida Musta Mandri muusikast, siis transs on ankurdatud rütmi, kuigi siin on see varjatum, tulles esile pikemal kuulamisel – see väljendub nii rahulikus tempos siuglevas trummeldamises kui helifraaside kordamistes. Nõnda see aus kraam välja destilleeritakse. 
 
8.0 (7.5-8.5)

4/27/2023

Wouter Van Veldhoven – Muziek oorspronkelijk bedoeld voor twee piano's (2005)

 
 
  • Glitchtronica 
  • Avant-electronica 
  • Abstract 
  • Micronoise 
  • Art pop 
  • Experimental electronica 
  • Post-classical 
  • Musique concréte 
  • Improvised music
 
Tollase utrechtlasest bioloogiatudengi debüütalbum ilmselt ei püüdle ei müütide ega klišeede poole. Selleks on 6-looline teos salvestatud liiga õhinapõhiselt – palju ideid, palju helisid, palju võimalusi, mille vahelt tavalisest vabamalt valida. Kuigi jah, siin on nii nukrutsevat lauluvada ja kaunimeloodilisi arpedžosid kui teravatipulisi ja sakilisi mürakaskaade. Alati ei tundu helid olevat otse salvestatud – on tajutav teatud distants, mis lisab tervikule omapära ja võlu. Lisaks genereeritud helile võib siin-seal paralleelselt tajuda konkreethelisid, lisades tervikule orgaanilisust ja avarust. Samuti avardavad kõlapilti naturaalpillid, mis omandavad valentse kõlakambrites, mis on liikumine klassikajärgses traditsioonis; rõhutades seda järgsust veelgi mürapahvakutesse sukeldumisega. Tore kuulamine igati. 
 
8.0 (7.5-8.5)

8/11/2022

Liquid Stranger – Spores EP (2005)



  • Electro pop 
  • Synth pop 
  • Electronic music 
  • Sampledelic 
  • Ambient trance 

Kraftwerk'i vaim on kõikjal ja eikusagil. Isegi kui üks või teine artist ei too otseselt Düsseldorf`i nelikut esile, kõnetab nende muusikas peitunud kõnelaad läbi kollektiivse alateadvuse. Kõik need realiseeritud võimalused ja inspireerivad võimalikkused said teoks järgmistel kümnenditel. Ei tohi unustada, et Kraftwerk alustas eksperimentaalansamblina, kelle üks algusaja laivesinemisi ("First Techno") näitas publiku vastuvõtu osas olevat jagunenud eri sektoritesse. Monotoonne, üht nooti järjepanu prääksuv nuudeldamine, milles pulssi hoidis tulevane Neu! liige Klaus Dinger, kitarrisüntesaatorit mängis Ralf Hütter ning flöödil soleeris Florian Schneider. Umbes viis aastat hiljem oli olukord kardinaalselt muutunud – pealtnäha kardinaalselt, kuna koosseis oli muutunud ning ansambli muusikasse olid lisandunud harmooniad ja meloodiad. Ent Kraftwerk'i meloodiad ei olnud kunagi banaalsed – olid kas wagnerlikult ülendavad või naiivsed. Nojah, robotite värk. Ei banaal ega banaan. Erinevalt käesolevast teosest ei olnud neis tehislikku-tööstuslikku aspekti – kui paradoksaalselt ka see ei kõlaks. Siin on kalkulatsioon – on kõike eelpoolmainitut, ent see ei kasva loomuldasa. On natuke siin, näpuotsaga on seal. Halvim ongi, et kalkulatsioon rasvase jäljena kumab helindis. Teisalt veiderdav huumor nagu jalaga tagumikku naljad. Algul ehk ongi naljakas, ent õige pea enam mitte. Saksa nelik tuli modernistlikust traditsioonist, mil usuti (lõputusse) arengutrajektoori; postmodernism halvimatel juhtudel ilmneb buliimia ja oksendamisena. Algul ehk on šokeerivalt efektiivne, ent õige pea visiseb tühjaks poosiks. Rootslane Martin Stääf aka Liquid Stranger kobab ja aeg-ajalt ka eksib, ent kokkuvõttes pakub enam-vähem elamuse. Postmodernismis – ehk koguni paradoksaalselt – on hindamislävend kõrgemgi kui modernismis, kus arusaam tehnika ning muusika lõputust ja lineaarsest arengust on asendunud lõpuleviiduse ja kõige kohalolekuga; mistõttu ühe või teise valiku tegemise aktile omistatakse suuremat (eetilist) kaalu. Näiteks tagantjärele hinnates tuleb üllitis tõsta ajas tahapoole, konkreetselt tänapäeva, kuna paljud lood kulgevad stiliseeritud nostalgilises voolus, mida hakati nimetama Soviet wave' ks (paradoksaalsel moel paljud nimetet žanri viljelejad pärinesid Ukrainast), ent arusaadavatel põhjustel paljud ei taha sellest enam midagi kuulda – isegi kui lapsepõlv jäi sellesse aega. VäidetavaIt (roiskuva maailma) biitleid ja Iron Maiden'it fännavad roimarid on selle nostalgia tülgastavaks muutnud. 

7.0 (6.0-8.0)

9/17/2021

Nero – The Uncertain Orchestra (2005)



  • Techno 
  • Electro pop 
  • Alternative pop/dance 
  • Electronic pop 
  • Synth-pop
  • Dance pop 
  • Art pop

/Oh Manchester so much to answer for/. Arvake ära, kellelt ja mis laulust see fraas pärineb. Kuigi laul vihjas ühele sadistlikule perioodile – lastetapjatele; ning Moz manas sellest perversse kujutluspildi –, tulevad selle fraasiga ennekõike meelde MES ja The Fall, Tony Wilson ja Factory Records, Joy Division, Durutti Column, Madchester; ja iseenesest mõista The Smiths ka! Aga sealt pärineb ka paar olulist netileibelit nagu BFW Recordings ja Hippocamp. Viimatinimetatu oli ilmselt olulisem, kuna oli viljakam ning äestas välja seal, kuhu meinstriim hiljem jõudis – õigupoolest tahtis jõuda. Jutt käib ennekõike nullindate esimesest poolest ning klubimuusika ja popi puhvriala loomisest. Kuigi tehes seda loomulikumalt ja efektiivsemalt kui tänapäeva muusika pasatööstus. Rämedalt piinlik on vaadata tänapäeva artistide imagoloogilist poolt – pärdikud kujutavad ette, et on tulnukad või? Võlts silmavaade ning jobu kehahoiak – oi ma'i või! Nero oli keiser, kes viiuldas katusel, kui Rooma põles. Nero oli kõvem muusik muuseas kui nood eelpoolmainitet olendid. Tänapäeva Nero mängib muusikat, kus elektroonika otsib väljapääsu rütmi ja bluusi ning soul'i portide kaudu. Aga elektroonika on siin analooglopsakas, olles happehausi ja -tehno sohipoeg. Samas on see produktsioonilt piisavalt tuhm ja räpane, et kohitsetud sagedus(t)ega Ableton apnoepopist olla kaugel-kaugel.

Yasahi – When Earth Fell On The Moon EP (2005)



  • Electro pop 
  • Synth-funk 
  • Ambient techno 
  • New wave 
  • Synth-pop 
  • Post-disco 
  • Italo disco 
  • Ambient 

Kui Maa kukkuks Kuu peale, siis saaks inimene esmakordselt Kuu pinda tunda. Nali naljaks, kuigi ma ei saa aru, miks sageli võetakse seda isiklikult, suhtudes agressiivselt neisse, kes Kuu külastamist eitavad. Mul on sellest täiesti ükstaspuha, kas ollakse seal käidud või mitte. Kaugemale nagunii ei suudeta sõita, räägitagu nii suuri sõnu kui tahes, müüdagu nii kalleid tuusikuid kui tahes. Kust see arutu illusioon inimlooma pähe on sugenenud – ilmselt ulmekaid kriitikavabalt lugedes ning entroopiabarjääri mitte tunnetades. Tee tööd ja siis jõuad Marsile? Ei suudeta viirushaigustestki jagu saada. Yasahi on soomlane Jarkko Hietanen, kelle 17-minutiline omnilugu sisaldab viit osa. Vahet ei ole sellest teadmisest, kuna asi kõlab orgaaniliselt ja ühtselt. Algus on segu põrklevatest funk-rütmidest, uuelainelikust poptunnetusest ja itaaliadisko sünteetilisest dünaamikast. Hiljem muutub asi jahedamaks tänu hõllanduslike kihtide lisandumisele, millele sekundeerivad õrnalt kriipiv digitaalmüra ja murtud rütmid. Lihtne ju! Lihtsa ent kauni mõtte jagamisse on panustanud Sublogic Corporation`i all-leibel Flow.

7/24/2021

Nole Plastique – The Disharmonization Of Primitive Thoughts (2005)



  • Electronic music 
  • Post-psychedelic electronica 
  • Improvised music 
  • Industrial music 
  • Avant-electronica 
  • Experimental electronica 
  • Lobit 

Kas (inim)mõte on midagi sellist, mida on eraldi vaja disharmoneerida ehk prügistada? Samas eeldusel, kui mõte on primitiivne, kas siis seesuguse mõtte disharmoneerimine ei muuda mõtet hoopis tõsiseltvõetavaks? Sarnaselt negatiivsete arvväärtuste korrutamisega võiks tulemuseks tulla positiivne (arv)väärtus. Üldisemas mõttes on paljud avangardistid ja muusikud (nt industriaalliikumises) püüdnud mõtlemist alla suruda ja pigem intuitsioonile toetuda. Tegutsedes talupojatarkuse piirides on viljastav, ent ideoloogiaid ratsionaalsusega segades muutub tulemus hävituslikuks. Kui vaadata pop- ja antipopmuusikat teleoloogilises ehk eesmärgipärases tähenduses, siis esimese ratsionaalsus on vähe(m) viljastavaid tulemusi andnud. Kaasanist Tatarimaalt pärit muusik Roman Kutnov on tegelenud muusikaga ebatavalisi produtseerimisviise ja helisagedusi kasutades. Ei kasutanud ta (vähemalt algusaegadel) sekventserit ning käesolev viielooline põhineb ülimadalal et mitte öelda prügisel 20 bitisagedusel. Vahet ei ole, mõtet Kutnov'i looming igatahes stimuleerib ja jätab lõpuks igati positiivse tunde. Siin on peamiselt esindet eksperimentaalne elektroonika ja industriaalne karedus, ent koht on ka omamoodi kidramuusikal. Selle on üllitanud 20kbps Records.

4/18/2021

Azeda Booth – Sundances (2005/2015)



  • Indietronica
  • Post-rock 
  • Avant-pop/rock 
  • Art pop
  • Experimental pop/rock 
  • DIY 
  • Glitchtronica

Azeda Booth alustas nullindate esimesel poolel ja nende tegevus soikus kümnendate algul. Nad jõudsid anda välja ühe paljukiidetud stuudioalbumi (“In Flesh Tones”) ning posu EP-d. “Sundances” on nende esimene üllitis, mis vihjab lähiminevikus juhtuvale. Vihjab – tähendab seda, et Calgary punt kõlab käesoleval neljaloolisel natuke teistmoodi kui tulevastel reliisidel. Siin on veel postrokki ja vähem IDMlikke rütmikõveraid, rohkem lo-filikke elektroonilisi katsetusi ja vähem prõgisevat-krõmpsuvat mikro/abstraktelektroonikat, kuigi jah, eks see mõõtmine ole rohkem maitseasi. Oluline on, et asi mõjub, asi töötab – asja ei ole hermeetiliseks junniks keeratud ja steriilseks kakaduuks nikerdatud. Vaimliselt võib neid lugeda eksperimentaalindipuntide Seefeel`i, Bowery Electric`u ja Moonshake`i tõrvikukandjateks. “Sundances” on veel loodud asutajaliikmete Morgan Greenwood`i and Jordon Hossack`i poolt (aasta hiljem lisandus neli muusikut).

11/23/2020

VOLKSWHALE – Our Finest Disasters (2000/2005)



  • Punk rock
  • Dada music 
  • DIY 
  • Post-punk 
  • Deconstructed pop 
  • Sampledelic 
  • Plunderphonics
  • Comedy pop 
  • Freeformfreakout 
  • Lo-fi 
  • Synth-punk 
  • Industrial music 
  • Electronic 
  • Psychedelic
  • Spoken word 

Punk on punk; veel pungim on laamendada pungi kallal; samuti punk on kaaperdada poplaulukesi, andes neile obstsöönse maigu või nende natuuri ja osutust rohkem või vähem moonutades. Efekt on tagatud igatahes. Võib põhjustada kõhulahtisust – nagu ühes loos hoiatatakse. Nagu ütleb pealkirigi, on tegu õnnetustega. Tahtlikult esile kutsutud õnnetustega, vääramaks hetkekski eksistentsiaalset tühjust, mis täidab inimhinge jõudehetkel ja keerulistes tingimustes (millest väljapääsu ei näikse olevat). Siin ei ole kohta maitsetusele ega maitsekusele; ei ole kohta kohatusele ja kohasusele – kõik tava ja moraaliga seotu on muusikalisse (meta)eeldusesse lisatud, mistõttu igasugune moraalne eristamine või selle varjundid on tasa lülitatud. Vastandus on välja lülitet. See vist ongi kokkuvõttes üks suur õnnetus. Aga kunstiakt ei saa olla õnnetus, kui see just ei ole (labase) propaganda, raha ja poliitika huvidesse rakendatud. Siin on erandeid juhul, kui labane šabloonide rakendamine on kõrvale heidetud. Kõike eelpoolkirjeldatut ja helilist provokatiivsust ning performance-aspekti arvesse võttes ei saa üle ega ümber Negativland'i, Big City Orchestra, The Residents'i ja COUM Transmissions'i mainimisest. Ning fragmenteeritud, hüplev absurditaju viitab Kanada legendile Bruce Haack'ile. Selle kolmekümne kaheksa loolise kogumikalbumi (mis võtab kokku pundi tegemised vahemikus 1989-2000) on üllitanud Wheelchair Full of Old Men ja Lost Frog Productions (viimase alla kuuluvad muuhulgas DIY-taadi R Stevie Moore'i kolm albumit). Muuseas selle albumi kohta on keegi öelnud, et see olevat halvim album, mis eales tehtud... . Täpsustaksin, et halvim muusikaalbum ei saa kunagi halvim olla.

10/18/2020

Deluge – Metapop Complex (2005)


  • Deep dub 
  • Deep house 
  • Synth-pop 
  • Club dance 
  • Electronic music 
  • Electro house 
  • Dub house 
  • Tech-house 
  • Remixes 
  • Dub techno
 
Ma olen alati imetlenud house-muusikute kindlameelsust ja kannatlikkust püsida ühe või paari žanri piirides. Veel enam siis, kui on aastaid või suisa aastakümneid seda viljeletud. Vahel on tekkinud tunne, et muusikaprogrammi või riistvara on tahtlikult piiratud, et mitte nišši ületada. Meenutab koroonatingimustes kodutrenni tegemist – hantel võib-olla eksisteerib toanurgas, samas kõhulihase-, triitsepsi- ja biitsepsi harjutused saab ära teha põrandat, voodireformi ja tooli kasutades. Siht ja järjepidevus loevad. Tegelikult on (näiv) piiratus hea, kuna kvaliteetset house-muusikat ja selle ristandeid sugulusstiilide techno ja dub`iga tundub alati vähe olevat. Siin kümneloolisel albumil – mille on üllitanud legendaarne Saksa plaadifirma Thinner – on stilistilisi rõhuasetusi ja žanrilisi seisukohavõtte eelpoolmainitute piirides küll ja küll – vahel riivates ka elektrot ja süntpoppi –, aga lõppude lõpuks loeb kvaliteet, atmosfäär ja vaib. Deluge on Jean-Sébastien Roux, samuti tuntud kui Tlon (album sisaldab ühte remake`i selle nime all ja teine töötlus on leibelikaaslase Daniel Zax'i tehtud).

4/05/2020

Songraphie – Toys (2005)



  • Glitchtronica 
  • Primitive music 
  • Electronic music 
  • Toytronica 
  • IDM 
  • Experimental techno 
  • Experimental electro

Comment: At Lastfm site of Songraphie it is said they are Ilya & Paul Bocharov, two young Russian producers who enjoy dismantle the structures of electronica cliché…the puppeteers of a toys theatre made of glitches, heavy compressed beats, low frequencies, and an incredible quantity of talent. Secondly, Toys was released on Zymogen, a first-rate Italian imprint being a dwelling place for such artists worldwide as Alessio Ballerini, offthehesky, Muhr, Nicola Ratti, Nicolas Bernier, Simon Trottier, Bacanal Intruder, D`incise, Takeshi Nakamura if to name approximately a half of the roster. From glitched-out electronic incantations and profound ambient looming to mischievous (electronic) folk and soporific fog-drenched modern classical music. Given that it must hint at the presumable quality of the Russian duo`s issue. Indeed, I have no objections at all by enjoying this 9-notch issue where over-reaching combinations in sound and rhythms are adeptly entwined with a tongue-in-cheek attitude. From exquisite IDM glass bead games and churning electro/chiptune gears and enchanting techno explorations to downstroked shuffles and iterative infantile loops which chime at times either in a primitive or funny way. After you have gotten a hand on its dimensions you can admit the outing is a splendid one.

10/05/2019

Miami Vice – Lew, Czarownica i Nowa Huta (2005)




  • Alternative rock 
  • Progressive rock
  • Psych-rock 
  • Art rock 
  • Humour 
  • DIY 
  • Lo-fi 
  • Sovietwave

Comment: by speaking about Iron Curtain-area combos either from the USSR or in Eastern Europe countries they really cannot be understood in terms of Western music and terms. Firstly, all the ideological stuff was managed by the Communist Party and intelligence services, by banning stubborn ensembles and also bringing artificially forth ones to influence the respective musical scenes and peoples` mind in general. Secondly, most countries were Slavic countries and there had been a remarkable inclination toward ethnic related stuff (partly aesthetically and partly politically) and with different temper. Thirdly, even if there had been a bit simplistic understanding of those combos as naive and out of date, however, one can find out lots of great combos from the area. If to mention just some of them, Arsenal, Keldriline Heli/Väntorel, Yuri Morozov, Zodiac, Kino, Suuk, Collage, Teisutis Macasinas, Argo, Czeslaw Niemen, In Spe, Exodus, Zvuki Mu, Władysław Komendarek, Akvarium, Nochnoi Prospekt, Kaseke and punk and indie scenes coming to the surface during the 80s (Propeller, J.M.K.E., Röövel Ööbik, Jim Arrow And The Anachrones, Vennaskond). Of course, the situation was tragic and humorous at the same time given that there were periods when using electricity in guitars and keyboards was forbidden and musicians were arrested or heavily beaten even on the streets (frequently by crooks who in turn were blackmailed by intelligence services). The positive thing in the middle of this chronic lacking in things and diversity of food was people's often incredible DIY ability just because of necessity (not because of ethical stance). Instead of equality Communist (party) leaders lived like Olympic Gods even if they called you a "comrade". The mainstream was predominant with Estrada music (in the USSR) where the only criterion to get attention was to sing mediocre ditties devoid of catchy harmonies and melodies in a shrieking manner. The more high chords you were able to reach the more attention you got nonetheless your vocal cords became finally damaged. On the other side, there were some great composers for film music soundtracks like Eduard Artemyev, Aleksandr Zatsepin, and Sven Grünberg. A Polish group called Miami Vice comes out of from a later era after Eastern bloc was collapsed. However, there is up artsy kind of music, there is up humor in words and compositions. It is from feedback-trodden hard rock outbursts to synthesised orchestrations, from primitive electronic threads to sleazy balladry. All of that seems to be done with a tongue-in-cheek attitude, it is mostly provoking by mocking decent pop song structures and employing the cacophonous elements of noise and guitar (mis)treatment and presenting unstable mental conditions through frantic singing-shouting-chanting. That's honest. However, the aforementioned temper and touch (and music coming out today from the Eastern Europe countries and being influenced by the Communism-era heritage is called Sovietwave) are finely imbued in these 14 tracks. One of the songs has been managed by using the liturgical speech of Eastern Orthodox Church. The outing is a bit in the discography of Far From Showbiz. Let's call it mock rock.

3/16/2019

Numbersix – Secret Journey (2005)




  • Synthwave 
  • Indie rock 
  • Art pop 
  • Alternative pop 
  • Sophisti-pop 
  • Ambient pop 
  • World fusion 
  • Crossover 
  • Synth-pop

Comment: in the last two weeks we have gotten sad news about Keith Flint, and Mark Hollis. The last of them was a legendary cult musician who did start with a synth-pop outfit but later progressed into an artsy outfit. The Rome, Italy-based Numbersix's 10-notch whole is something as if a crossover between the starting and finishing Talk Talk. At times the ghost of Ian Curtis appears to haunt us in a monotonous and laconic yet appealing way. Electronic elements are closely intertwined with ambient, even pristine space and sophisticated pop progressions which in turn are mixed up with concrete sounds and at times with the singing of indigenous people. At times the issue is getting into a lethargic dream based on buried improvisations and veiled lo-fi noodling. In a word, although it can be considered eclectic it is not a bad content at all. There is also up one track for reminding of Dark Side Of The Moon. Furthermore, it is inevitable and in the first place it is a decent crisscrossing. The release is an example within the discography of Camomille Records.

2/25/2019

Mark Hamn – Function Buttons (2005)




  • Avant-garde 
  • Folktronica 
  • Alternative 
  • Experimentalism 
  • Ambient 
  • Glitch-folk 
  • Glitchtronica 
  • Post-folk 
  • Organic electronica 
  • Sampledelic

Comment: Mark Hamn is the pseudonym of an Italian musician, Francesco Giannico. It starts off like a music example of having lost its gravitation and as if coming out of a sinking car audio. Later on, it is filled in with succumbed shrieks, intense rattles, microscopic noises, thick bass frequencies, drawn-out sonic effects. And then a guitar comes in sometime to provide more anchored pinpoint for this 6-notch release under Maetrixsolution, Complementary Distribution (and temporally the Canadian Nishi imprint). By the way, by talking about Canadians, especially about these ones coming out from Quebec province I have to mention such artists as Simon Trottier, Nicolas Bernier, and Vincent Fuguere (Muhr) who also like to endeavour at crossroads of glitched-out electronica, folk and modern classical compositions. However, Francesco Giannico likes to play with the format and possible deviations and artificial errors within it. It is like an elegant standing against the form and pressure of a correct conversation and sterile creative process which are the obvious sources of killing our natural sense of (self-)expression. We just used to act in a way because we are teached to act in that way. Regarding what we should or must do, in fact, we do not have a comprehensive, experience-based understanding at all. We are like digitalised creatures with a narrow middle spectrum of frequencies if to be compared to the analogy of the sound. Just be ready to take one detail, then another and start to combine. Yet Francesco Giannico by standing in the middle of scattered sonic chaos will ultimately create blissful monumental spans and flashes. In a word, it is an exquisite listening.

1/12/2019

Roto Visage – Der Golem (2005)




  • Post-industrial 
  • Avant-garde 
  • Spoken word 
  • Experimentalism 
  • Dark ambient 
  • Illbient 
  • Drone 
  • Noise

Comment: Golem was an artificial mystical monster having been created by a Prague-based rabbi to protect Jews from their bullies. It was closely related to magic and something which could be called a certain sort of programming. The US-based artist Jason Popejoy aka Roto Visage conveys a mystical and frightening ambience which very well provides the topic. The listener can hear the growling and moaning of the monster, the rattling of the chains, ominous sounds running throughout corridors and basements, chainsaw reminding intense sounds. Frequently these fragments are mixed up into each other thereby constituting a cohesive view. Indeed, it is a highly exquisite stuff with ever-changing soundscapes and penumbras. With purpose to magnify the contrasts within it one can hear even serene ambient developments and swaying spoken word snippets. The enchanting 12-notch issue is a part of the discography of Kikapu.

1/06/2019

Take Pills – Consumer Drones (2005)




  • Experimentalism 
  • Electronic music 
  • Krautrock 
  • Motorik 
  • Experimental electro 
  • Minimal synth 
  • Avant-garde

Comment: undoubtedly the US-based Andrew Cauthen was one of the most interesting artists along with Cagey House, Amitron 7, starstarstar, The Japanese Gum, Children Of The Drone and Joxfield ProjeX whom I had discovered while embarking on with my blog 10 years ago. The visual trademark of him used to be a bicycle on the cover print of every issue. Musically his sound is still mind-blowing, for example, the recent one is a convergence of krautrock-driven motorik beats a la Neu, and on the other side it is a mix of ambient plateaus and droning phases. In truth, he does away with guitars. Earlier, I guess, five years ago I would have considered it an example of pure electronic sound, however, today it chimes to my ears at least partly like a solid German experimental rock project from the 70s. Additionally to Neu! as already mentioned above the minimalist influences by Konrad Schnitzler can be heard on this 8-track outing. Of course, one can also draw parallels upon the electro sound from Detroit but the seminal impulse came from Germany. However, the latter point is not the most essential but it is a very fine listening experience. In a word, let's consume it.

12/17/2018

Botânicos – Os Botânicos (2005)




  • Krautrock 
  • Psych-rock 
  • Experimental rock 
  • Avant-rock 
  • Improvised music 
  • Live session 
  • Free jazz

Comment: Botânicos is a project by the Brazilian musician Fabio Oliveira aka Frithlang who is supported by 4 other musicians on this 4-notch issue. The compositions are long-running ones three of them reach more than a 10-minute mark. It was recorded live at Ateliê Ana Cohen in February 2005. The issue is a part of the discography of Menthe de Chat. Yeah, the whole trace is trippy and without rush and accelerated tempo, every chord seems to be delineated, magnified and accentuated within the tropical environment. I feel jungle fever within it. Mostly the mood is sultry for yet at times those improvisations and free jazz-inflected propulsions turn into abrasively shrieking whirlpools and weird elliptically shaped forms. Sidharta embarks on very similarly to Radiohead's Paranoid Android yet soon it is headed by wah-wah effects, intriguing vocal mixing, a clockwork-alike instrument, fragmented keys played on a flute and saxophone. One can perceive some sort of controlled madness which will come and go by injecting invigorating impulses to the mix. It may be considered a peculiar kind of New Age music due to its floating nature and oocasional interruptions. And so it goes on to the final and victorious point. In a nutshell, the result is impressively expressive.

7/21/2018

The Sand – Deck Honey (2005)




  • Plunderphonics 
  • Alternative dance 
  • Sound collage 
  • Mashup 
  • Sampledelic 
  • Electronic music

Comment: it is a real pleasure to be back by one of the reincarnations of Chenard Walcker who is here to exploit the voice of Helen Merrill and her album A Shade Of Difference (1968) and mingle it with rough yet funky electronic beats, propulsive brass sections, and Motown-led male voices. In truth, a theme called My Funny Valentine has been one of the most well-known themes worldwide for years being created by Richard Rodgers, and Lorenz Hart in 1937. Yeah, I am sure you will get your rocks off on that handful of tracks. Of course, similarly to a very huge part of his other issues the release is a part of his own imprint Free Sample Zone (some albums or tracks are related to such imprints as WM Recordings, Comfort Stand Recordings, and Laboratoire Moderne). In a word, look for a Valentine. For example, yesterday I looked at My Bloody Valentine.

5/22/2018

The Walcker Crew – OK Robot (2005)




  • Sampledelic 
  • Plunderphonics 
  • Electronic music 
  • Psychedelic 
  • Afrofunk 
  • Alternative dance 
  •  World music 
  • Afrofuturism 
  • Crossover 
  • Mood music 
  • Easy listening

Comment: today is the birthday of Morrissey, the godfather of indie pop/rock. The icon's band The Smiths has saved my life for many times and will be doing in that way. Indeed, I have listened to The Smiths today and of course I did drink 100 grams to bless Moz and his righteous way. Indeed, I am aware of those little worms up today who have tried to accuse him to be a racist, islamophobic and so on. Screw you, you blind hypocrites. Moz is one of those few ones who deserves the status of saint in these days. In the meantime I have listened to a French samplecore/plunderphonic artist, Chenard Walcker who had towered higher than his destiny and inspite of grave disease in the first half of the 00s. Since the middle of the 00s he has been disabled to the extent not able to produce music anymore but before it he had issued a loads of albums under his own Free Sample Zone and some albums on such imprints as WM Recordings, and Comfort Stand Recordings. So his legacy is proudly up there and one should find the way to go there and honour his doings. For sure, he has been one of the symbols of the webaudio world and will stay in that status for future as well. His concept is a bit tricky, and undermining because all of that is based on the oeuvre of other artist's sound. Yet I am quite sure no one of us is able to track down the original authors of this 9-notch outing. In fact, it is a large scale of styles, rhythms and sounds. Given that it can be admitted he turned it into a state of art. I like his psychedelic Afrofunk approach, I have always liked it very much, I like his slightly clumsy rhythmic patterns which slyly work like spiderwebs to catch a listener. You can take part in moody, almost gravity-free snippets by giving you the feel. All is fine, all is consistently bound to create the drive and dreams inside you.

1/14/2018

Alpen Dynamo – Je m`ennuie EP (2005)



  • Electroclash 
  • Electronic pop 
  • Alternative dance 
  • Post-disco 
  • Electro pop 
  • Synth-pop 
  • Space disco 
  • Italo disco 
  • Crossover

Comment: what else I could say but this 4-track issue is today as relevant as it was 12 years ago while being released on Midinette Records. Catchy punk inflected electro pop propulsions and atmospheric upper layers entering into outer space are densely mixed up vowel effects and phrase repeating and singing in French. There can be drawn parallels upon the contemporary likes of Fischerspooner, Felix da Housecat, and Miss Kittin but the influences seem to hark back to 70s pop electronic examples like Space, Ganymed, and Giorgio Moroder as well. Because of that it can be said the set is ageless.

10/26/2017

Betelmire – 606 MPH (2005/2010)



  • Indie pop 
  • Alternative pop 
  • DIY 
  • Lo-fi 
  • Folk indie 
  • Drone pop 
  • New Weird America 
  • Organcore 
  • Singer-songwriter 
  • Indie folk 
  • Bedroom pop 
  • Indietronica

Comment: I would like to call this set of 8 tracks an instance of old school indie. More profoundly, I mean the music coming out from the 80s, the 90s, and the 00s by the US-based indie mavericks such as Galaxie 500, Yo La Tengo, and Low (with regard to their more restrained moments). On the other side, the issue was released in the middle of the 00s which was the heyday of the Weird New America movement. I really liked and still like such indie chicks who produce lo-fi tinged droning organ/harmonium-based indie being accentuated with blissful melodies and wondrous harmonies. The sort of music where simple elements meet complicated ones yet the flow of it is flawlessly organic and dynamic having been recorded on a 4-track cassette machine. It makes you relaxed and withdraws you from shitty topics around you for a while. It is the meditation. For instance, listen to the ending track Preston Parker which saves one`s soul due to vibrant droning and enchanting female singing. The same can be said about the rest of the 18-minute release. The issue is a part of the discography of Rain Above Records. Without any hesitation it will be added to the compartment – Outstanding music.