TK Webb & The Visions – “Closed Captioned Slang”
Ancestor
One of the standouts from a surprisingly strong album, this guitar fest shows what TK Webb is capable of with electric as well as “The Devil’s a Dork (The Sea Told Me)” shows off his acoustic skills. I love the sparkling and atmospheric coda.
The For Carnation – “A Tribute To”
The For Carnation
One of the first offshoots of Slint, The For Carnation put out a few albums leading up to this one, but none, I think, effect the same fusion of menace and melody quite so well as this self-titled release from 2000. The softly-spoken vocals of Brian McMahon are indeed very Slint-like, but the pacing and subtle instrumentation are much less abrasive – though that doesn’t mean the band is incapable of bursts of noise like that at the four minute mark. An excellent album.
Fieldhead – “This Train Is A Rainbow”
They Shook Hands For Hours
Listen to it all the way through. The closest reference point I have is perhaps Arovane’s earlier and more abstract albums, Autechre’s most accessible ones, or perhaps most closely, Tim Hecker’s excellent and atmospheric Haunt Me, Haunt Me, Do It Again. Fieldhead seems hard to pin down, but it’s a thoroughly enjoyable album for anyone with the patience for, well, this sort of thing.
Jan Ladislav Dussek – Sonata for harp
Anna Lelkes, Harpist
There are other harp sonatas by Dussek (I believe), but this is my favorite. I can’t for the life of me figure out its opus number or whatever. It’s almost like an ultra-simplified tone poem — it evokes a lot of images but is light and enjoyable, not trying too hard.
Nudge – “Two Hands”
As Good As Gone
This atmospheric but slightly funky album reminds me of Rio En Medio’s Frontier, but a little less mysterious. It can be too background-y at times but I think that the flow of the music and its lack of jarring and unexpected sounds is to be credited for that.
Foma – “Seraphim Succubi”
Inverness
The best song off an uneven, but interesting album. These guys have a knack for changing their songs up subtly but meaningfully about halfway through, and this one is no exception. It’s also the song where the singer’s breathy voice and the traditional but well-wielded instrumentation hits the mark most completely.
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.
