Grails – “Doomsdayer’s Holiday”
Doomsdayer’s Holiday
Though slightly terrifying, this is a great opener. The slow-burn east-west fusion of Burning Off Impurities is completely absent, replaced by monolithic riffs and crashing cymbals. The off-kilter arrangements return in the next track, but “Doomsdayer’s Holiday” is a great shock to the senses; it makes you pay attention, because you’re afraid the music might reach out and strangle you at any moment. (insound)
Air – “Modular Mix”
Premiers Symptomes
Although Air has pretty much completely abandoned the sound of their early days (this collection of singles came out in 1997), this is still my favorite album of theirs. And “Modular Mix,” their first single, is one of their best songs. It’s funny how I can dislike much music that is superficially similar to these tracks (Thievery Corporation comes to mind) — but the difference in quality really is there, in my opinion, even if the laid-back vibe is identical.
Yellow Swans – “Our Oases”
At All Ends
Only noise fans need apply. At All Ends is a surprisingly approachable album, like a very noisy hybrid between Growing and Tim Hecker. It’s still abrasive and loud as hell, but in songs like “Mass Mirage” you have periods of unexpected calm and a current of melody running beneath the whole thing. Definitely a must-listen for fans of drone and noise. (insound)
The Clientele – “K”
Strange Geometry
The singer for the Clientele obviously had it bad for a girl known only as “K,” who has (we are informed in the first track) gotten over him, resulting in the strange geometry of the album title. The music doesn’t depart much from the hazy, gossamer, reverb-drenched style they nailed in The Violet Hour, but it’s so pleasant that you can never really have too much. This track is a bit different from the rest, being shorter than the rest yet sporting an extended intro. (insound)
Nest – “The Twelve”
Retold
Nest’s self-titled album was the last thing I wrote about on my old music blog. At the time, the label (Serein) was all-free and all-digital, which has since changed, though I’d like to think the experiment was a success. At any rate, this new album from Nest is a rerecording of the old EP, plus several new tracks, and is well worth a purchase. The calm, cinematic beauty of almost every track is refreshing, and “The Twelve” is a perfect representation of the way Nest allows the arrangements to breathe. The closest comparator I can come up with is Chopin crossed with Labradford.
Spoon – “I Summon You (Cool)”
Get Nice!
This alternate version of the Gimme Fiction track has a fun one-off feel, as if it were a remix by the Notwist or something. I think the little electronic warbling is a nice counter to Britt Daniel’s rough vocals. It’s only a minute and a half long, rather short of the four minutes of the album version, but I like it that way.
So – “Track 2”
So
The So project, a collaboration between Japanese songstress Eri and the enigmatic noise/electronic pioneer Markus Popp (Oval), is a strange, beautiful, and unpredictable affair. Eri’s warblings are layered and distorted so as to be nearly unrecognizable, but Popp still crafts them into coherent songs… when he feels like it. Track 2 is the strongest, I think, but 1 and 4 are also nice, and although the overall texture remains steady, there is a lot of variety on the record and it’s well worth exploring for any fan of electronic music. (insound)
Charalambides – “Tea”
Our Bed Is Green
Charalambides is one of the more mysterious artists out there, and Our Bed Is Green is only one of several mystically dumbfounding albums. The irregularity and variety on display give no indication of their later, more minimal Internal Eternal or the monolithic, droning INCREASE. More than perhaps any other artist I know of, it is infernally difficult to represent them with a single track. So I’ve just picked a good one.
The Fiery Furnaces – “I Lost My Dog”
Blueberry Boat
Although the majority of this 2004 album is still far too weird for me, the density of musical ideas on this and other tracks is simply too incredible to ignore. Clearly unable or unwilling to edit themselves, The Fiery Furnaces have certainly created a unique sound — but one that is nearly impenetrable to newcomers. “I Lost My Dog” is probably the most accessible song, and even at a relatively short three and a half minutes, the sound is changed up more times than on many full-length albums. If it strikes you, you might consider embarking on the full album, but consider yourself warned. (insound)
Cul de Sac – “Dust of Butterflies”
Death of the Sun
This fascinating album (with its beautiful album art by Corot) falls under the same mystical category as Charalambides and Black Forest, Black Sea. “Dust of Butterflies” is the opener, and a lovely opener it is — more Tape than jammy post-rock, just as the rest of the tracks defy easy categorization. Some as twinkling and rich as early Tarentel, some more sound collage than song. The only way to know is to listen — so listen. (insound)
