Calexico – “Inch by Inch”
Aerocalexico
This is a short but sweet track off of Calexico’s self-recorded tour LP — whenever I hear it, it always captures my attention, but it’s so short that I always think I missed some of it.
Earthless – Cherry Red
Rhythms From A Cosmic Sky
This absolutely stunning album is equal parts Don Caballero, Van Halen, and Dead Meadow. The virtuosity on display in the two 21-minute epics making up the rest of the album is ear-breaking. It’s indulgent, insane, and technically impressive — and I’m betting their live shows are bananas. This shorter track encapsulates the sound, but you should really get the whole record to feel the expansiveness of this psych-rock masterpiece.
Seven That Spells – Quetzalcoatl
Future Retro Spasm
My friend Jeremy (who also sent me the excellent Peach Pit) is now in this band, though he didn’t play on this album of wildly kinetic prog. This is the shortest and most succinct of the tracks on the record, which barely gives you time to breathe except during the spacey epic “The Abandoned World of Automata.” Personally, I think it could use a little less horn-wankery, but it’s chock full of ideas and some great sounds — the guitars at 1:25 through 2:06 remind me of the very best of Earthless’ superb Rhythms From A Cosmic Sky. (band site)
Green Palm Radiation – “Rachel Brook”
Green Palm Radiation
This psych-rock album calls back to Jesus & Mary Chain style heavy guitars and atmospherics, though inexact vocals tend to hamstring some of the songs. This, the closing track, brings it to a beautiful and hazy conclusion, with shades of Charalambides’ INCREASE and the more ambient cuts from Sunset.
Dirty Three/Low – “Down By The River”
In The Fish Tank
This fruitful collaboration seemed to me at first to be a strange match-up. The personal, immediate songwriting of Low struck me as a poor match for the itinerant chamber improvisations of Dirty Three — but as it turns out, they supply each other’s wants quite satisfactorily, as this rendition of “Down By The River” demonstrates. Low occasionally wants atmosphere, Dirty Three occasionally wants direction. I hear a lot of both in this song, though many will disagree.
Tame Impala – “Island Walking”
Innerspeaker
Saw these guys on Pitchfork and thought I’d give them a go. It’s pleasantly surprising — with the feeling of both a throwback and a modern album. This is one of the more modern songs, an instrumental with shades of Tortoise and maybe even a little Mogwai. But the rest of the album sounds a bit like psychedelic-era Beatles meets Japandroids or No Age. That’s way too many name drops already, so I’m just going to stop.
Broken Social Scene – “Meet Me in the Basement”
Forgiveness Rock Record
While I doubt BSS will be returning to the supreme glory of You Forgot It In People, one of my favorite albums of the last decade, this new album is at least better than their muddy and directionless self-titled sophomore effort. They haven’t let go of the terrible vocal harmony style they introduced on that record, though, so this instrumental track makes for a nice break. Dynamic, punchy, and triumphant, this reminds me of the fun all-out jams they used to break out into during live performances.
Field Music – “Precious Plans”
Measure
This is a track which, like “Darker Still,” seems to slip by and be done before you realize you’ve been listening. I couldn’t even really describe “Precious Plans” to you, but it’s really easy to like, and keeps elaboration to a minimum. (insound)
Tricky – “Pumpkin”
Maxinquaye
Like many people, I had a trip hop period – during which time I only listened to Tricky, Massive Attack, and… that’s pretty much all. Dark days indeed. It didn’t last long, but the early 2000s were a golden age for the much-maligned genre. Maxinquaye would have caught my attention regardless, with tracks like “Pumpkin” and “Hell is Round the Corner” to its credit. Maxine’s voice in the former, making nonsense syllables out of actual lyrics, is so smoky and mysterious that it completely overshadows the slightly underwhelming backing track.
Flying Lotus (ft. Laura Darlington) – “Table Tennis”
Cosmogramma
If you like this track, a kind of dreamy cross between Manitoba and Stereolab, be aware that the rest of the album doesn’t really sound like this at all. It’s all over the place, really — but there there lots of high points like this which don’t seem to correspond to each other at all. Delicately plucked guitar gives way to drill and bass in a moment, and then segues into a choppy Thom Yorke vehicle. It’s all a bit weird, but interesting the whole way through. Plus: awesome cover art. (insound)
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)
Morton Lauridsen – “O Magnum Mysterium”
Lux Aeterna
Choral music gets better the louder you play it. My neighbors probably think I’m a very religious man. Performed by the Los Angeles Master Chorale.
For Stars – “Calm Down, Baby”
It Falls Apart
This album is pretty melodramatic, but when it’s not being overwrought it can be pretty charming. “Calm Down, Baby” is great for the most part, though you’ll probably understand my objections right off the bat — “Frieeends again. I’m just your… friend again.” The lyrics are about a 7th-grade reading (and emotional) level, but if you’re feeling indulgent, it can be compelling music.
The Ivytree – “The Book Of Job”
Winged Leaves
This album is beautiful from start to finish, and in a murmured, lo-fi fashion that few artists are able to effect. When people talk about Bon Iver isolating himself to make For Emma, Forever Ago, I think: sure, that’s what it sounds like when you leave and you come back. But what if isolation is your natural state? That’s what I’ve always felt must be the case with The Ivytree and other bands that share its members. I spent forever trying to decide which track to put up; just get the album, I guarantee you’ll cherish it on some lonely, rainy day not long from now.
Crime in Choir – “Women of Reduction”
Trumpery Metier
Let this be your theme song tonight. I feel like if the scene from Blade Runner where that replicant is running through the glass displays was three minutes long, they would just have this for the background music. I love me some Crime in Choir. (insound)
Tulsa Drone – “Chiaroscuro”
No Wake
It’s past midnight and you’re driving alone on a rural highway with a body in the trunk. This is what’s playing on the radio. (more)