Cave – “Gamm”
Psychic Psummer
The rest of the album is harder to recommend, but “Gamm” proves that instrumental psychedelic rock has plenty of life in it. Good all the way through. The closer of this album, “Machines and Muscles,” is also excellent (and totally different).
Bear in Heaven – “Beast in Peace”
Beast Rest Forth Mouth
It’s true what you’ve heard. This album is pretty great, and the opener is proof of that. They’ve got the vocals and instrumentation down pat, the drums (a non-standard kit) are big as hell, and they’ve got a self-interrupting song structure that really works. Man, the drums in this track really are just off the charts.
Arthur & Yu – “1000 words”
In Camera
The shortest song on the album, and possibly the best. Beautiful and straightforward, and perfectly representative of the best these two can do. “Lion’s Mouth” is great as well but this one seems more — I’m not sure, actually. Somewhere between the naivete of innocence and the innocence of naivete. Whatever the case, it’s a wonderful little song.
Minotaur Shock – “(She’s In) Drydock Now”
Maritime
The playful, yet accomplished nature of this album is very evident in this song. The silly plucking and synths are balanced by really interesting drums and instrumentation, plus little throw-away details you don’t notice until a few listens in. You get the feeling that everything is exactly the way he wanted it to sound.
Howard Hello – “Television”
Howard Hello
This self-titled debut EP endures as one of my absolute favorite albums, and one of the most compelling arguments that much good music exists between established genres. It most closely resembles a sort of organic electronica, but its hypnotic tone and beautiful female vocals propel it beyond most of its genre-mates. I almost always listen to this entire album straight through.
Sybarite – “The Fourth Day”
Nonument
Sybarite is one of the electronic crossover bands that sometimes is a little too downtempo for me – like Arovane’s Tides, much of Nonument fades into the background. But “The Fourth Day” is a great song that has compelling melodies and quite a lot of layers. One part Four Tet sound collage, one part Savath + Savalas murmured melodies, and then a bit of Sybarite’s own excellent sense of rhythm.
Fred Astaire – “Steppin’ Out With My Baby”
My “getting ready” music. If I could have this playing in my head on every night I wear shiny shoes, I’d probably be a lot more smooth.
Dan Deacon – “Build Voice”
Bromst
This is a really, really weird album. But it has a completely unique sound which is amazing as often as it is frustrating. Deacon’s penchant for high-pitched cartoon voices basically ruins a few songs, but ones without, like this first track and the next, “Red F,” are must-listen. It takes about a minute to really start so have patience.
Real Estate – “Beach Comber”
Real Estate
I think this album has generated some hype; I saw it here and there and it’s easy to see why. It’s very infectious, fun, and jangly stuff. This first track strikes me the most, but I’ve really only given the album a couple listens. Good bouncing around getting stuff done music.
Tarantula – “Rail”
Tarantula
If you’ve ever listened to Esmerine, you probably have a good idea of what Tarantula sounds like, though they certainly have their differences. They both, however, are sort of chamber music unbound – cello and violin and glockenspiel mated with drumming and guitar. “Rail” is a good introduction, but hardly all that’s worth listening to from this self-titled album.
