It's been a while I know! So what has been rolling around on my music players as of late? Turns out in the nearly two months (!) since I have last written one of these I have found all sorts of amazing music. Because there is so much I will hi-light my favorite recent albums as well as list a few others that have made their way into my head as of late. (You could always check out my twitter feed which I use to post songs that I may be listening to that catch me at that given moment as being a standout.)


Gonzalez - Solo Piano

Who would have known that a hip-hop producer could release such a compelling album of classical piano pieces? I actually heard this music before his other releases and I am happy that I did because I did not really like other things I have heard from him. From what I understand there is a close tie between him, Feist, and Peaches. Something about how they used to be room mates or something of the sort. This album is really pretty amazing through and through and although most of the pieces are fairly short running they still manage to pull you in. I hope that he continues to explore this side of his music in the future. (itunes link)
_______________________


Mice Parade - Self Titled

In the past I have never really enjoyed Music by Mice Parade all that much. I have tried and tried but nothing ever really clicked in my mind. With this release I have found an album full of songs that I keep coming back to and it has quickly become my go to album over the past couple of weeks. There is a typical indie rock feel to the album as a whole but just enough diversity with the guest appearances to keep it interesting. (artist link)
_______________________


Ryan Adams - Easy Tiger

I fell for Ryan adams first album, heartbreaker, a couple years ago and since then have been searching for music from him that hit me in the same way but have yet to find that spark in his more recent albums. From time to time I have found newer songs by him that pulled me in but nothing ever really stuck with me the way his first album did. From what I read around the web, a lot of people feel the same way. My favorite releases from him since Heartbreaker would have to be when he got together with The Cardinals for a couple of albums and while they were not as intimate as his solo work I did find that the collaboration produced some great music. So on comes his newest solo effort, Easy Tiger. When I first put on this I listened to it all the way through and was somewhat disappointed. It felt over produced like a little to much effort had gone into its creation. It was not until giving it a second chance that I had realized that many of the songs felt immediately familiar and it slowly began to grow on me somehow. At any rate, worth checking out if you enjoy a bit of americana here and there. (itunes link)
_______________________


Susumu Yokota and Rothko - Waters Edge

Discovering this album helped fill my need for something calm and ambient these past few weeks. Four tracks of wonderful melodic ambience. I will defiantly be looking for this on vinyl sometime soon. Thats about all I can say about this at the moment, just really beautiful stuff and you should definitely check it out. (artist link)
_______________________


White Stripes - Icky Thump

I have had a back and forth thing going on with the White Stripes for as long as I can remember. Their first album drew me in when I first heard it back shortly after its release. I can't even remember how I discovered it in the first place but I do remember getting sucked in by the catchy hooks and rawness of the recording. I tried getting into their other albums but they never really hit me in the same way as their first until I heard the song Icky thump. I was at first skeptical that I actually liked what I was hearing but quickly found that I was really enjoying the whole album. It was really unexpected and throughout the release you will find it taking all sorts of twists and turns through sound and ideas. Really great stuff... (itunes link)
_______________________


The Tuss - Confederation Trough / Rushup Edge

And the last thing I will write about in detail here is this amazing pair of EP's by the mystery group The Tuss. From what I have read they could very well be yet another secret release by none other than Richard D. James aka. Aphex Twin which would make sense because of the obvious similarities between the style of the music and recent RDJ releases. I really dont know what to think about all the speculation, all I know is that I really love these EPS. Amazing and solid all the way through. If your a fan of aphex dont pass this one up! (not so informative artist link)

_______________________

There are other releases that I have been listening to as well as of late, and for the sake of saving some time I am going to list what else I have been listening to below, the links will either take you to iTunes or to the artists website...

Electrelane - No Shouts, No Calls \ indie rock girl band, great album that grew on me with time

Emilie Simon - Self Titled (french site) / great french artist with a rough electronic edge to somewhat calmer songwriting

Julie Doiron - Désormais / beautiful somber album

M. Ward - Duet for Guitars #2 / m.wards first album was re released recently and although it is not as developed as his later material it has quite a few gems hiding inside

Matthew Herbert - Score / al sorts of varying ideas and styles here, classical to electronic

Mr. Oizo - Analog Worms Attack / brilliant head nodding beats

Puzzleweasel - Exo-Grid / my idm fix as of late, almost like the child of autechre and richard devine...

Skeletons and The Kings of all Cities - Lucas / wild experimenting indie pop like album that takes you places you may not have been while listening to music, really solid album

Tibetan Buddhist - Tibetan And Bhutanese Instrumental And Folk Music / strangely hypnotic and great for relaxing to something not so polished and modern

Tigerbeat 6 - Lets Lazertag Sometime / party mix album from tigerbeat

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Isis EP / im not a huge fan of the band but this ep has gotten my attention

Xela - Tangled Wool / wonderful peaceful electronic with acoustic guitar. everything on type records is so good...

So much good music has fallen into my lap recently I dont know where to begin. In an effort to keep these posts a little shorter I may hold off on a couple of things until next time. Anyways, on with the show.


Elliott Smith - New Moon

I would have to admit that an Elliott Smith album was what made me love music so much. I can't even remember how long ago it was but the album that turned me was his album XO. At the time I listened to music but did not really know of this world of music below the surface of the magazines and TV, well, not aside from They Might Be Giants but thats a whole different story all together. XO ended up being my gateway drug to a long standing addiction of seeking out the the best music I could find and through the years I have learned so much and heard so many wonderful songs. But my connection with Elliott's music digs a little deeper than this. His music has always somehow connected with me in a way that extends beyond simply hearing a good song. Myself along with countless other Elliott Smith fans have found peace in his song writing and presence as a musician. Well, years go by and I end up buying and listening to all the music by him that I could find and even had the chance to see him live a couple of times before the dreadful day that he took his own life in a way I still have trouble imagining happening, stabbing himself in the chest... Before he passed he had been working on an album which was finished and released and many wondered if that was the last they would ever hear of his music. Fans, using the internet, connected and shared bootlegs of shows and occasionally found old demo recordings of unreleased music. In comes New Moon. This album is a collection of unreleased music and alternate versions of songs that many people have been wishing for for the past couple of years. The music is mostly from his best years as a songwriter and its a beautiful collection of music weather you are a fan of his music or not. Don't miss out on this two disc collection. Also, it may be good to note that sales of this album generate money for charity...

Sweet Adeline (the official unofficial Elliott Smith site for years now) iTunes link here.

_______________________


Feist - The Reminder

For a good week or two I found that this was all I could listen to. On first listen I didn't really like it at all but after my friend Val mentioned to me that she liked it and thought it was good I decided to give it another go and listened from start to finnish and found that I loved it from start to finnish. Im not sure why I was hesitant at first. The music explores all sorts of different territory and goes from more upbeat songs with a band to very minimal slower songs. The singing and lyrics are what drew me in when I started to listen closer. I would write a "for fans of" thing or something here but I hate those things, good music is good music and does not need to be compared to other things. The only reason I could think of to do it would be to give you an idea of what to expect but why would I do that? These days there are countless places to preview music, even buy a single song and see if you like it soooo. That said, here are some links.

Official Site. iTunes link.

_______________________


Matthew Dear - Asa Breed

After getting into Mather Dears other project, Audion, these past months I noticed a new album by Matthew Dear appear on the iTunes store and thought I would give it a go so I did what any person with plenty of money lying around that he knows he shouldn't be spending (trying to get to europe this year) should do, I bought the album. At first I did not know what to make of it, It seemed kind of empty and half way finished but I gave it more of a chance and there were a couple of songs that sank in and opened the whole album up for me. Those songs were Don and Sheri and Pom Pom. Don and Sheri I think is just genius and Pom Pom found its way into my liking because of his talk of how tricky love can be. The lyrics all started to click and I started to find that he happened to be a pretty good songwriter. The music is all pretty dance based but minimal in production like most of his music is but I find that it really works. So this album has been on repeat for the past couple of weeks now and I still cant seem to get enough of it. My only complaint is that some of the songs feel bit short and at least a couple have fade outs which is a pet peeve of mine, I just think its a cheep way to end a track. Still though, the great music makes up for this mino detail.

Artist site / iTunes link
_______________________


Cornelius - Sensuous

I had been waiting and waiting to get my hands on this release and I finally have it. Ever since falling in love with his album Point I have wanted more. With his newest album (which has actually been available in Japan for a year already) he has not taken his music an any dramatic new direction. I find that this album is like a more calm, focused Point. There is some great music on here, lots of acoustic sounds but with an electronic musicians sensibility (haha, such a fancy reviewers word there...) To get an idea of the music on here you must hear my current favorite track from the album which is called "Music." In fact, here, try it on for size, it just happens to be the sample track on the labels page for the album. Another album you dont want to miss...

artist site. iTunes Link

The Cinematic Orchestra - Ma Fleur

I got my hands on an advance copy of this somehow and will be buying it the second its available. Its a new direction for the Cinematic Orchestra and its really wonderful. I have mentioned the song To Build A Home on here already and the rest of the album is equally impressive relaxed and certainly worth anyone checking out. Its just good music plain and simple. I only wish there was more of it. Do not let this one pass you by...

official site

_______________________


Ezekiel Honig & Morgan Packard - Early Morning Migration

This is one that has been out for a while now but I just recently got my hands on it and Im glad that I did. It is full to the brim with great minimal ambient works that hide subtle melodies, field recordings, and the occasional rhythym if you are looking in the right places for it. If you are into ambient music then give this a listen because its really, really good. Sorry, I know im not a profesional reviewer or anything, just suggesting some good music, so im sorry for the boring reviews...

artist page

_______________________


Lusine - Podgelism

I have talked about lusine in the past somewhere on this site I am here again to talk about his newest release which is a remix album. The idea of a remix album is so fascinating to me because electronic music is often already remixes of sounds and the idea that musicians get together and rework each others music is a testament to the community that surrounds the genera. I guess you cant go around covering aphex twins songs but what you can do it take the music and add your own subtle touches and feeling to the music. Im not sure if I know what im talking about here but hopefully you understand. At any rate, this is a great album, very relaxed danceable music that would fit in all sorts of places in your life and if you are looking to get an extra bounce in your step during your day then check out this album. (eesh, again with the odd reviews.. maybe iI should just stick with a basic run down of albums, what do you think.. maybe next time)

artists page

_______________________


radicalfashion - Odori

This was released on hefty records recently and I finally decided to grab a copy of it and I am happy that I did. It's a beautiful mix of ambient electronic that does a fasinating job of brancing out all over as far as style. You will find yourself listening to a lovely piano like piece and then be left with a nobukazu takemura like glithch ambient piece and then get cought up inbetween these things. I found myself in many different places while listening to this record but most of all I found myself loving the smooth sound and relazing approach to the music. I know these words dont even really describe the music all that well but thats all ive got so follow the link below to find out more.

radicalfasion's page on hefty records site.

_______________________

(oh, and i got my hands on an advance copy of the new/old Elliott Smith album New Moon and it is really wonderful, more on this after its oficial release...)

I am taking a different approach to this hi-fi. It has been simmering on a low heat for a while now and been reduced to a select amount of top notch songs for your discovery. A mix tape in its essence but more an overall look at what music has been playing in my life recently. I will talk a little about tracks that have really been my favorites below the main list here.

1. The Cinematic Orchestra - To Build a Home
2. Panda Bear - Comfy in Nautica
3. Battles - Atlas
4. Tycho - Dictaphone's Lament
5. Amon Tobin - Kitchen Sink
6. Benoit Pioulard - Together and Down
7. Gordon Lightfoot - Beautiful
8. Michael Glasso - Ankor Wat Theme I
9. Battles - Leyendecker
10. Julie Doiron - Don't Wannabe / Liked By You
11. John Frusciante - Forever Away
12. Nat King Cole - Quizás, Quizás, Quizás
13. Marumari - Casino vs. Japan (remix)
14. Machinedrum - 911
15. Surgeon - Whose Bad Hands Are These? Autechre Remix
16. Tim Koch - disantamount

There is a lot of good music on that list. Starting off with a new song by the Cinematic Orchestra which is a total departure from their earlier work but I think its a great song all the same, very quiet and peaceful like a perfect sunrise or something of the sort. The Panda Bear song is a crazy droning song that seems to stick in my head any time I hear it and reminds people of the beach boys when i play it for them. Because of the melodies I think. The two songs by Battles are amazing and are from their upcoming album. The song Atlas is just amazing and I can not stop listening to this one right now. The Tycho track is a beautiful melodic journey similar to Boards of Canada in its subtle down-tempo existence that I find really brilliant. Amon Tobins new album, Foley room is a really moody album that I felt could have been better than it was but it does sound pretty amazing when heard through a nice set of headphones or speakers. The Gordon Lightfoot song and the John Frusciante song are from a soundtrack to a film by Vincent Gallo that I have heard pretty strange things about but the music is just amazing on the sountrack, really lo-fi acoustic songs as well as some great jazz cuts thrown in. I feel lucky to have a copy of this as it was only released in japan and goes for 30 or so bucks online. Speaking of soundtracks, the song from Nat King Cole and the one from Michael Glasso are on the soundtrack from the movie In the Mood For Love which was a really beautifully shot film that I hear was shot without much of a script at all. Julie Doiron has a strange voice that some people compare to Cat Power which I find totally ridiculous, I find that I like her songwriting. The Casino vs. Japan remix is a pretty typical Casino vs track but I really enjoy it all the same and wanted to include it because i keep playing that song from the Marumari remix album it is on. The Machinedrum song is from his upcoming album and I found it as a download online somewhere or another on one of his sites. Its a great track, really subtle hip-hop vibe as he does so very well, cant wait to get my hands on that full length. Then there is the Surgeon song that Autechre remixed which is a really straightforward dance track but there is something about it that I really like, not sure what it is though. Maybe its just the Autechre aesthetic over a dance song like this that I like. Last but not least is a song from a Tim Koch album that I really enjoy, its a great record that seems to go pretty un noticed in the places I read about or hear about recent electronic music releases.

So that was a bunch of type all squished together and maybe that was not really the best way to do it but I wanted to try and do something different all the same. I will make links out of all the songs to where you can hear them or buy them. Some are itunes links some are bleep.com links and one i think is an amazon link... (ppsst... email me and convince me well enough and i might send the mix to you but you would have to promise me you would buy anything you really like from it if you can to support t he music)

So I just caught wind that there will be an album released on Kill Rock Stars released in May featuring Elliott Smith rarities! A two disc set that is filled with songs from back in his Either/Or days. Looking through the tracklist I find that I have heard many of these songs before that I have found on various websites or anywhere I could find music of his like this but it will be nice to have an official release with decent sounding recordings because most of the odd mp3s of these songs that I have come across are all of terrible quality.

So I am really happy to see this getting released and I just had to write up a quick post to let you guys know because Elliott Smith is one of my very favorite musicians and I really miss seeing new releases from him.

Here is a link to the original article on Pitchfork

It has been way to long (2 months!) since I have posted a music post so here we are with another episode in the endless search to find the worlds best music. The past couple of months have brought a LOT of really really great music so I will do my best to concentrate on the best of the best. Right, so lets get on with the mini reviews of my favorite recent albums...


Menomena - Friend and Foe

For some reason when I first heard this album I didn't think to much of it. I have no idea how this happened because at this point I have listened to it a number of times and I can not get enough of it. The more I listen to it the more I find hiding inside the amazing compositions they have crafted with this release and I have found myself enjoying this even more than their first album which was hard to beat as much as I loved it back when it came out a couple years ago. I remember finding them on iTunes of all places and was impressed that it was on their as a self release which you don't see much on iTunes. Anyways, long story short I fell in love with the music and bought both the cd version and the amazing vinyl version as well.

The music is indie rock and is by far much more interesting than most indie rock records coming out these days. Have you heard the new Shins? Eesh, what a disappointment... anyway, If you enjoy music then you owe it to yourself to at least give this great album a listen and if you do end up buying it I would suggest picking up a copy of the album with the physical cd artwork which is really wonderful and puts a really creative use to die cuts in the printing and illustration.

Menomena website: www.menomena.com

_______________________________________________


PostPrior - Touched Pilot - EP

Here we have a really fascinating release by a duo composed of electronic musician Midwest Product and the drummer/singer  Michael Kuzmanovski. I think these two have created a masterpiece of modern music, at least in my humble opinion. I can not really put my finger on what draws me into their music but there is some sort of brilliance within it that is hard to describe. It is seemingly simple on the surface with its synths drums and vocals but it is wonderfully produced with a really tight sound that has a lot of subtle details within its production that I love. It is like IDM Pop music or something like that. a Genera that I'm sure has some sort of other name but thats what I call it and it seems to be Ghostly International's favorite new thing to release which I welcome with open arms. This release is PostPrior's first EP and is a digital only release and I can not wait until a full length...

Ghostly International: www.ghostly.com/digital

_______________________________________________

Read More...

It's that time again kids, fire up those ears and get ready for some new tunes. I have been listening to a few really good albums recently and as with anything involving music here on the site I can't wait to share so here we go...


Tussle - Telescope Mind

So some of you may not be as into electronic music as I am but you know you love music that gets your body moving from time to time and so today I present to you a solution which is a band called Tussle. I have been loving these guys for a few years now it seems and they just released their second full length album and it is sooooo very good. Here you will find a four piece group with bass and live drums leading the way to the dance floor or bedroom floor depending on where you may be at the time. You will find a touch of electronic in there along with some funk and dub influences. All in all you can't go wrong with this music when you need a pick me up or something to toss on during your next late night dance session. Artists website link.


Quinoline Yellow - uchel001 & Colour Index 47005

So now that you acoustic lovers got your groove on with Tussle I have something for the fans of real electronic music. You know, the stuff that is fueling the indie rock, hip hop, and pop music community right now. The kind of music being made by musicians that are pushing music somewhere different and new and although the instruments are electronic the soul of the musician can still be found in every note. Quinoline Yellow is doing a great job of keeping a classic IDM sound within his tracks that you remember hearing years ago when you were just discovering how good the Richard D. James album and/or lp5 really was. Those of you who know what I am referring to will surely know what I mean when you hear Quinoline Yellow. These two ep's are both similar and I am not really all that sure why they were not released as one full album but I have been enjoying listening to them recently. Any of you who have manage to sit through my rambling review here and are even a little interested should head over to bleep using the link below and see what you have been missing out on.




Marsen Jules - Les Fleurs

This is another electronic music album but not one for head nodding. This one will be more well suited for a rainy day. The album is full of beautiful melodic ambientish music that will add a nice somber touch to any grey day. Full of strings, bells, and echoing reverbs it leaves you with that feeling you feel after taking a nice lung filling deep breath of cool winter air. Really nice stuff. Artist site link.


Laura Gibson - If You Come To Greet Me

Taking a break from the electronic albums for a minute here we find ourselves with this wonderful bit of song-writing from a new Hush Records artist named Laura Gibson. This album is full of sweet fragile songs just waiting to be played during a quiet night at home. Artist site link.


Califone -Roots & Crowns

Califone have been friends with my ears from the first moment Heroin King Blues hit my eardrums. One of my favorite albums from last year. I have since picked up copies of their older albums which furthered my love of their music. In this new release they dont disappoint. I think that Roots and Crowns one of their best albums to date. I love the play between found sound and their wonderful style of instrumentation (if that makes any sense to anyone other than me). The album is full of dirty blues songs in my opinion and the production of t he album really adds a warmth and rawness to the songs. I recently had the chance to catch their live show which was a great one that I would relive if given the chance. This is not one to pass by, and at least check out the tracks 'The Orchids' and 'Black Metal Valentine'. Artist site link.


The Blow - Paper Television

What can I say about the blow? I first heard them when they released the album Poor Aim: Love songs and have been a fan since. This time around they have taken the production to a completely electronic level and I think they pulled it off really well. I bought this album on vinyl only and so most of my listening time is at home and it is the most commonly placed piece of vinyl on my turntable. I'm not sure what to say to describe it so I suggest checking out for yourself, just think, female vocals of an indie rock variety over IDMish beats. Artist site link.


Venetian Snares - Hospitality

To top (or bottom) off the list this time around I will end with something a bit more chaotic than the other albums on the list. Venetian Snares has released album after album of crazy in your face break core electronic music and as with any artist that releases albums and eps as frequently as Venetian Snares some are better than others. This album is one of the better ones that I have heard from him as of late and bridges gaps between his last couple releases really well. Venetian Snares is perfect music for blasting in the car stereo as you speed down the interstate. Artist site link.

Note: I feel that from time to time I should mention this. A public service announcement. I think online music/mp3 sellers and sites are all fine and great and I use them sometimes because of the convenience of them but whenever possible I buy music directly from the artist at a show or through their website or their labels website. This gives the bands the biggest cut of it and they deserve it don't they? So if there is music that you really enjoy and listen to please try and buy from the artist when possible.

Note2: Done you just hate the RIAA? Thats all, I had to throw it in there.

It's been a while since my last hi-fi post so I thought I would throw one together. Lately I've still been stuck on a lot of the music from the last ts hi-fi because there are some albums that have stuck in my head that I just can't stop playing. My music listening has been torn recently because there has been a whole lot of great music to come along recently that I just cant shake off. This year has been pretty slow for music in my opinion but suddenly here in the fall things have really started to come together and a lot of really great music is getting released. So anyways, without further mess...


Alva Noto + Ryuichi Sakamoto - Viroon

Everyone has times in live where they need nothing more than to sit down with a pair of headphones, close their eyes and meditate with some sort of forgiving, easy on the ears, not so distracting music. Recently that need has been met by a pair of releases by Japanese composers Alva Noto and Ryuchi Sakamoto. The album above is the one I picked for this list simply because I got it fairly recently. The other release is called Insen and I think edges out Viroon overall. Within these sound waves you can expect to hear some of the most beautiful ambient piano music you have ever heard from Ryuchi which is perfectly complemented by Alva's gentle electronic edge. You just cant beat these releases. They come highly recommended. Here it here (itunes link)


Arovane - Lilies

I featured Arovane's first full length album here on the first hi-fi a month or so ago and this time around I am adding his newer album called lilies to the mix. Although his music is not all that groundbreaking it is very very good. He has a great since for subtle, simplistic melodies that drift through his music. There are a few samples in here from a trip to Japan that he took if I am remembering right from reading about this record on the labels site which fit nicely into his style. If you check this album out at least listen to the track Tokyo Ghost Stories which I find gorgeous and haunting but what do I know, right? Hear it here (itunes link)


FourTet - Remixed/Remixes

This is the latest album from the now infamous FourTet Is a double album. One disc is full of songs that he has remixed and the other are remixes by other artists of his own work. At first listen I could take it or leave it but the more I listened to the remixes side (remixes he has done) the more it becomes clear to me that he is one of the best electronic musicians remixing music today. Being an electronic musician myself I can say that it is one thing to be good at making music on your own terms but to take another musicians music and make it your own while still letting the soul of the original track live on is a tricky balancing act that I feel that he has mastered. There are a ton of great remixes on here some that I have head and some that are pretty new to me. The disc of other artists remixing him has its moments but I feel as though his own remixes are where the real treasure in this release are.


Jeremy Enigk - World Waits

I remember years back I used to listen to Sunny Day Real Estate a lot. They were one of the first indie rock bands that I really got into and what drew me in was the dynamic vocals and melodies of the singer Jeremy Enigk. I knew that he had done a solo record a year or so back and I heard it but never really gave it much of a chance. Well a couple weeks ago he released a new solo record and I got my hands on it to check out and at first listen I just kind of shrugged it off. Then one night I was sitting down going through some new music and came to this album and lay back and listened to it nearly all the way through because I found that I didn't want to stop listening. I think what did it was the second track which is called Been Here Before. It really stuck with me, the song builds up through a chorus or two and then out of nowhere breaks into this great melody played on a huge sounding pipe organ. It's just a great track and leads right into a really amazing album that I can't seem to get enough of. The song I mentioned that I like so much is on the labels website I think you can buy the whole album there as well.


Nina Nastasia - On Leaving

I first started getting into Nina's music when I heard her reissued first full length album called Dogs and loved her smooth sounding singing and the swaying rhythms within her melodies. I have since picked up her other albums and have really enjoyed all of them so I was excited to hear that she had a new one out. The thing I really like about this one is the scaled down approach to the production of the music. I like the stripped down approach to these songs. Styles seem to vary a lot between songs as well, one will sound a touch irish in a way then one will sound more like american folk and there is one song on here that I swear sounds like a quasi song. At any rate, its a great album and well worth checking out if your looking for some relaxing singer songwriter type music. Hear it here (itunes link)


The Places - Songs For Creeps

I first heard Amy Annelly when I found one of her solo albums on emusic years ago called A School Of Secret Dangers and couldn't stop listening to it. She has been called a female Elliott Smith which I only slightly agree with. I mostly just enjoy her lo-fi approach to her song writing and recording. You will often find samples of fuzzy radio stations which add to the feel of the recordings that really add to the overall mood of the albums. So other than her solo record she also has released albums with a "band" made of what pretty much seems to be other musician friends in the portland area and these are released using the name The Places. The last album released as the places was on hush records and felt a little over produced and was almost painfully slow moving. Absolutely gorgeous but very very sleepy. Songs For Creeps seems to be a perfect bridge between these two worlds. The album is riddled with new favorites of mine and I really cant recommend the album highly enough.

You can pick the album up on her website via paypal. Here you can also sample plenty of music should you be curious. Link


Squarepusher - Hello Everything

Ah Squarepusher is at it again, this time he had a lot to live up to in my opinion. After his brilliant album Ultravisitor and killer Venus No. 17 EP I was really wondering how many more tricks he had up his sleeve. I have to admit that when I first picked this up I put it on and skipped through the whole album without feeling the least bit excited and was left pretty disappointed. This is not another Ultravisitor, there is no Stienbolt on this one and I couldn't help but feel really underwhelmed. A couple of days later I came across a huge article where fans asked him questions and it opened my eyes to what he is doing with his music. He seems to release music that he wants to hear. With this album he decided to try something lighter than usual and took a more direct interest in writing melodies and synth/bass lines that he thought were fun to play a listen to and now listening back to it I find that I'm no longer comparing it to everything else he has released and started listening to it for what it is. It has really helped me get into it and I would have to admit that it's really growing on me. There is this one song in the middle called Vacuum Garden that is a 6 minute ambient song and its one of the most interesting ambient tracks I have heard in a while. Really has a distinct mood to it and overall you will find everything from his classic dnb to his jazz inspired more acoustic type tracks. Hear it here.

Im liking the free song of the week from iTunes by The Blow. I've been listening to them for a while now and the new album seems really good. Very simple electronic driven indie music to be found here. Anyways, Just thought I would mention it here because its free. Get it while the gettings good.

itunes link

Ive got a bunch of music Ive been shuffling through in the past week or so and it's all been really good so be sure to check out some of the music featured here this week...


Clark - Boddy Riddle

First up this week is (Chris) Clark's newest album. I mentioned here at some point a while back about his free tracks leading up to this album and here it is and it is really amazing. For some reason other people and reviewers seem to always compare his music to the likes of aphex twin and to me thats like saying that an apple tastes like an orange. Clark has definatily taken a space of his own. His production has improved ten-fold over the years and his sound is as gritty as ever. If i were to say any other artist has influenced him with this album id only point out that his dynamic volume stucture within his compositions and some of his new melodies could be Ultravisitor era Squarepusher inspired and the second to the last track is like a gritty remix of the last song on Aphex Twin's Windowlicker EP.. Id say if you were a fan of any of the electronic music on Warp records then it's a pretty safe bet that this belongs in your music collection.

Songs not to miss on here are Ted, which is just brilliant and one of my alltime favorite electronic music tracks, Vengeance Drools, just wait till around the 2:00 mark when it starts breaking down crispy, and the first track, Herr Bar.


_______________________________________________


Beck - The Information

So I hear that this album is a mix up of various music he has been writing over the past 6 yers or so and it shows. The songs all have moments that give away what time period he wrote them in. I found this album a little hard to get into but it is starting to grow on me the more I listen to it. Although at times it feels like he is simply going through the motions there are some great new songs on here. I hope that one of these days he ditches all of the samplers and heads back up to K records and does another album with those guys but the chaces of that seem pretty slim...
_______________________________________________


Damien Jurardo - And Now That I'm In Your Shadow...

It's hard to believe that more people have not heard this great songwriter. He has released some really amazing albums in the past and this release is no exception. In fact I would go as far as to say this is my favorite album from him. Full of heartbreaking mellow songs that have really stuck with me at a level beyond them just being pretty songs. Really great stuff and well worth picking up. I have been listening to an advance copy of the album and am all set to pick up the vinyl as soon as I can...
_______________________________________________


Little Miss Sunshine - OST

I picked this up in Nashville and couldn't be happier with it. OK OK, I could have done without the totally random two songs from the fashion show at the end of the movie but otherwise there is a lot of great material on here with a really smooth memorable europeanish feel. I honestly don't know how to describe this style of music, please leave a comment if you can help me out here. Be sure to check out the last song on the album called How It Ends by Devochka, really really nice. Follow this link to download a free live in studio version of the Devochka song, How It Ends. just stumbled across it..
_______________________________________________

zach's misc songs

3 songs from Zach Braff things (scrubs and the last kiss) I know he can be a bit a over the top and cheesy from time to time but he has a good ear for emotional music, not as in emo but music with a bit of depth somewhere buried down in it. Three songs from the albums pictured above have been rotating on my ipod for a long while now. Imogen Heap has a song that has been a big seller on itunes called Hide and Seek and for good reason, its an amazing acapella song soaking in a harmonizer. At first I didn't care much for the heavy effects on the voice in the song but the more I listened the more I heard all of the subtle layering and found a huge amount of detail within the production of the song. The Collin Hay song is called Overkill and its about nights im sure everyone has had at some point or another, nights full of restlessness from an overactive mind. The third song is just beautiful, it's a song by Jeff Buckley called Hallelujah. It's not a cover of the classic religious song, he simply uses the word as a celebratory statement. Thats the best way I can think to describe it.

Till next time...

Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - The Letting Go

Bonnie 'prince' billy is one of those musicians that is hit or miss for me. There are a number of his many many albums that I do enjoy and those tend to lean towards the minimal guy and his guitar singing out on his porch with a mic sitting near by material. With his newest release "The Letting Go" he has released a gem of an album. (hows that for reviewer slang, gem. eesh) Full of slow whispering songs it has sucked me in and made it to my weekly list here.


Corrina Repp - The Absent and the Distant

I have been Listening to Corrina Repp for what seems like quite a few years now. Her releases on Hush records have been nothing but an inspiration in my life. She takes a super minimal approach to the singer song writer genera and plays songs that feel oh so fragile but shine through with their strong lyrical backing. She has written some of my favorite music in the past few years and so I am really excited to have a copy of her newest release "The Absent and the Distant" which was released on Mark Kozelek's newish record label, Caldo Verde. With this release she has stepped out of her bounds slightly and introduced a somewhat fuller sound by her standards with drums and layers of other instruments. All in all another beautiful release that I can not recommend highly enough.


Audion+Ellen Allien - Just a Man/ Just a Woman

My dance album pick of the week is this EP from Audion and Ellen Allien on Ghostly's 'other' label Spectral. Together for a classic split EP one song each and one remix each. At least thats what I can gather from what I know. If you are looking for some nice subtle dance tracks that are almost more calming then energizing then check this release out. It would be great for a late night dance party or for times when you may need something steady but not in your face.


Susumu Yokota - Sakura

One more this week, I had some others pulled to feature but decided to stick to just a few this time around. I stumbled across this on emusic I believe and I have no idea why I have not heard Susumu Yokota before now. This is a brilliant album full of warm ambient songs and the occasional subtle beat thrown in.

OK so I have decided to change the name of my weekly music recap from 'In Rotation' to the twistedsun hi-fi. There have been some great new music all of a sudden after a year of so-so releases so there has been plenty of new music around to listen to...


Early Day Miners - 'Jefferson at Rest'

This album was on last weeks list and it is making it's second appearance simply because it is such a great release. Think post-rock meets Low meets al around great song writing. Why have I not heard these guys before? I have a copy of their newest release that just came out and will check that out when I can. As with most of the things I list here it comes highly recommended. (be sure to at least listen to the amazing track, Awake)


Viva Voce - 'Get Yr Blood Sucked Out'

Some of you that have been following the site for a while may remember be posting a Viva Voce song as a favorite and I always meant to post the whole album as a review but never got around to it. The album im talking about is called The Heat Can Melt Your Brain and it is one of my all time favorites, something about it really clicked with me and after seeing them twice live I could safely say that I was a huge fan. So here we have a new album by the group and at first listen I was not to sure if I liked it all that much and was somewhat disappointed but the more I listen to it the more and more I love it. Check out the first song 'Believer' its a head nodding hand clapping good time!


Catfish Haven - 'Tell Me'

Catfish Haven is another group that just kind of snuck up out of no where and really impressed me. The group is somewhat tricky to describe. Kind of like Black Keys but more soul roots than blues. Whatever you want to call it its a great album and I cant get enough of it.


Ellen Allien & Apparat - 'Orchestra of Bubbles'

Moving back into electronic music land I have come across this album co-produced by Ellen Allen and Apparat. Although there are a handful of tracks that I find myself skipping over the good ones are really amazing dance tracks that lean more towards the IDM side of dance music. Clean production and hard hitting bass really give it a stand out sound and it has been my electronic album of choice the past week or so.


Tom Yorke - 'The Eraser'

I will mention one last album this week and that is Tom Yorke's new solo album The Eraser. The first song I heard from it is called Black Swan played during the credits of A Scanner Darkly and it is easily my favorite song on the album. The song does have explicit lyrics for those of you keeping tabs on that but it's a really really great song. The rest of the album took more time to get into but I am starting to like it more and more. For fans of Radioheads Kid A and beyond days when they stopped being so much of a band. It sure would be nice if they would take a stab at another rock record one of these days. They were so good at it you know?

Thats it for now, till next week...

I have been a fan of Chris Clark since his first record out on Warp Records years ago which set him up as one of the most unique IDM musicians out there. He has defiantly crafted his own sound among electronic musicians with his crunchy sounds and his playful, danceable compositions. In preparation for the release of his next full length he will be releasing three free mp3 downloads as teasers for the full album due in october. So far two of them have been released so far and you can download them here.

I realize that my music reviews have all but dropped to zero in the past couple of moths and as I think I have mentioned before that is because I simply don't have the time to make the site as huge and mega as I wanted it to be when I expanded it a year ago. So as a compromise I have decided to start up a weekly feature on the music I have been listening to that week. Sometimes it will be something new and I may write specifics about it and sometimes it will be a simple list of albums that I have had on a lot in the past week. Either way it should be a good way to explore some new music for those of you who are as hooked on the never ending quest to find all of the best music out there today and then proceed to listen to your favorite bits until each chord and tweak of a sound is embedded into your mind. Or who knows, it may spark conversations in the comments. We will just have to see how it goes to find that out now wont we. So without further introductory ranting I bring to you what music has been in heavy rotation in my ears in the past week.

Whenever I am in a hurry to get somewhere and I need a pick me up of some kind I look no further than a good song to get my blood moving. It seems like I always have one on my ipod that I know I can go to to get this going and currently that song is a track off of Kid 606's latest EP, Pretty Girls Make Raves called Meet Me at the Bottom. Although, like the rest of the ep, it is a pretty simple dance track it really gets me going for whatever reason. It's one of the smoothest dance tracks I have heard in a long time. On a side note, the EP as a whole seems like Kid 606 just wanted to put something out for the sake of releasing something. It's not nearly as polished and well produced as most of his music is and only has a couple tracks that I really enjoyed. Maybe thats the idea but as a whole I was somewhat disappointed with the release, especially after the album he released last year, resilience. Even still, I can't wait to see what he pulls next, I have to give him respect for his ability to put out such a wide variety of tracks under one name where most other electronic musicians seem afraid to do that and release different types of music under all sorts of different pseudonyms.

So at any rate, if you need a bit of a pick me up on that long monday morning trek to work be sure to grab a copy of the Kid 606 track Meet Me at the Bottom.

iTunes link:

...an album that I recently acquired called Eingya by the musician Helios. the only other thing I have heard from him was his release on Merck records which was a subtle masterpiece on it's own and so I was excited to see that he had a new album out. With this release he has taken a step towards using a more solid groundwork in his songs. They all have beautiful dreamy ambient beds that put you in a state of mind perfect for working or anything that you need to relax a bit while doing you know? Many tracks break out to have some nice downtempo beats which adds some nice head nodding rhythm to the mix. I know there are some other electronic artists out there trying to use more traditional instruments in their sound but a lot of the time this feels forced. Helios does a great job tossing in some acoustic guitar and piano within some of the tracks and it really works for his style. I would recommend anyone in the mood for some fresh music to relax to check out this great release.

link for more info

If you are in the mood for some music for a long car ride that will give you something to reminisce about how funny life can be at times then I would recommend this brilliant album from Jason anderson. I think he's a brilliant songwriter that you should not pass up hearing at least once. I know that some of you may not be into the Indie Rock scene but give it a listen and see where you get. I would also recommend anyone that likes this album to pick up his other solo album called The Wreath which is a little more rocking but still just as brilliantly written.

iTunes Link:

Sparrow is easily one of my favorite songs of all time and I consider it one of the best IDM tracks ever written. I know thats a pretty bold statement to make but I stand by it. There was something about it that drew me in the first time I heard it years ago and it never let go. Listening to it today I still get the same feel as I did the first time I listened to it which was on a Warp Compilation called Routine which was a US only release and as far as I know is out of print at this point. Thanks to the wonder of Warps download site Bleep.com it is still available and will remain so, the Routine comp that is. Sparrow was originally on Mira Calix's first album called One On One. That said, anyone who is a fan of any electronic music owes it to themselves to pick up this song if not the whole album.

I picked this up after mixing sound for one of the shows on Marks most recent tour. It was an amazing show. For those of you who are not familiar with this name, he is the leading force behind the indie rock classic, The Red House Painters. He has also recently done work under the name Sun Kil Moon. This album features nothing but AC/DC covers which I think is really interesting. He recently did this under the Sun Kil Moon name with his latest album full of Modest Mouse covers and like that release What's Next to the Moon takes the original songs and breaks them down into their rawest of forms. It showed me that there is more to AC/DC than you may have thought. turns out they are pretty amazing song writers hiding behind their hard rock attitude. So I would not let the whole album of covers thing scare you off, this is definatily not one to miss. Its a brilliant collection of songs that I just can't seem to stop listening to so check it out!

iTunes link:

This great EP should not go un-noticed. I bought this on a whim when a local record shop was having a sale and after a few listens I relay grew to love it. It is an electronic music EP that, as with many electronic musicians these days, follows the trend of adding live instruments into the music which I think was done in a really subtle and effective way with this release. I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for some great new beats to put on in your car for those days that you just want to drive around with all the windows down and enjoy the drive.

iTunes link:



this is also available on emusic, follow the link to the left if you want to sign up and get it free. (and yes, it does help me out with the site should you choose to do so but i do love emusic and have used it for at least 3 years now. its easily one of the best online music stores out there today.)

I feel as though this is one of those albums that can stand up to the test of time and it will be just as amazing of a record 20 years from now as it is today. For the most part I like to think of this favorites category as a place to house albums with this quality. Heartbreaker really strikes an amazing balance between rock and country and holds tracks that will get you up and moving but the album also hides within it some of the best song writing I have every heard. Its just a beautiful record. So what kind of music is it anyway? It is hard to pinpoint, it holds a nice folk kind of a feel in many of the songs but with a rock music edge to it if that helps at all. I guess the americana term could be used. OK, so now I feel like I am just rambling on here. I just wanted to point this album out for people that have not heard it before. It's just so damn good that you could at least check it out. Hows that for a professional sounding opinion?

iTunes link:



This is also available on emusic which means you could get it for nothing should you decide to plunge and get their trial offer of 50 mp3s... Heres an emusic link

OK so this is not technically music but its close enough id say. It's a comedy record that is a recording of one of comedian Jim Gaffigan's stand up routines. I just wanted to toss this in here because I enjoyed it so much. Anyone that is a fan of stand up comedy or anything funny for that matter should defiantly check this out. There is a lot of talk about food here which is such a simple subject to talk about but he somehow makes the topic so incredibly funny which I suppose is what comedians do now isn't it? One of my favorite bits on here is one where he goes on and on about cake, it just must be heard and trust me, anyone in their right mind would find at least some of this funny so head over and check it out!

iTunes Link:

This is the second internet only release in a series from Ghostly International and it shows to me that these releases are going to end up being a series that you don't want to miss. If you think about it distributing albums like this online only is brilliant because there is no overhead with manufacturing costs. I would not be surprised if we started to see more and more of these types of releases in the near future.

I think I have mentioned before how much I love the idea of an EP and how focused they are as a release. There is no filler, no messing around just a few really good songs and the Swamp EP is no exception. Midwest Product releases music that is technically electronic but sounds more as though a band has performed it. Its like Electro-Rock or something. It took me a while to really get into their music but at this point I find myself really enjoying their vibe. I would suggest anyone that is a fan of good instrumental post rock, or fans of electronic music that is not to abrasive to listen to. The Swamp EP will now wear you out listening to it which is a good thing so do yourself a favor and pick this album up now.

It is available both on iTunes and emusic (which you can find a link to in the sidebar to the left)

iTunes Link:

I recently re-discovered this gem of an album. This has got to be one of my favorite alt-rock albums to come out of the 90's. Not unlike Nirvana, Local H, The Gin Blossoms, and other 90's rock artists that were big in the heyday of grunge rock Failure was one of the best bands to be born of that era and Fantastic Planet was their best album in my opinion. They were not to big over in the US which was most likely due to the fact that they were a British group (I think). This album is such a solid collection of songs I would say that this is a must for anyone into the 90's rock scene and for any fan of good music in general. It's a classic in my mind and I highly recommend you check this one out!

Note on the link: Unfortunately this album is not available on iTunes but two other albums of theirs is available and you should check them out to get the general idea of what they sound like. The other albums of theirs are great too but I would keep an eye out for Fantastic Planet at your local cd shop. It's not one you will want to miss!

iTunes Link:

OK kids, heres what we are going to do this time around. Dig through your records and find some old acid, you know, classic sounds of the genera and body moving beats. Now dig up a bit of modern day IDM, maybe a little dancehall and ambient to spice things up. Now head out into the yard and get a bucket of mud. Take these ingredients and head on into the kitchen. Get out your blender or food processor of choice, today I will be using the VitaMix Professional Series. Take the records and cram them in, don't worry to much about them, trust me here. Once you have the records in the blender go ahead and set it to high and turn it on. Let them get nice and silky smooth, and then turn the blender down to a medium speed. Now that the mixture is thoroughly blended take your mud and measure out 3 full cups. Slowly add the mud and grime and let this blend for a full 20 minutes.

The result should be the delicious mixture of an ep called Throttle Furniture. OK, so if you don't feel like destroying your old records to get the album I would suggest you head over to bleep.com and check out the store bought variety of this delicacy.

Clark, aka. Chris Clark, has been releasing music on Warp records for a while now and I have been a fan since his first album on warp years ago. With this new EP you can see that he is evolving and he is taking his unique gritty sound to the dance floor but he still leaves in plenty of off kilter moments to try and throw the groove that he put you in. I believe this was a limited run of mini cds that was also released on bleep just to give people a taste of what's to come and I can tell you now, I can't wait.

If you are ready to hear one of the most original sounds in electronic music today then head over to bleep and get pick up Clark's newest EP. You can preview the album and link to it on bleep below. (check out track 3 or 4, my favorites at the moment.)

I found this while looking through a few imixes on the itunes store. There was a couple of the songs from this album that really stood out in my mind and when I heard the whole album I found so much more to it. This is a beautifully written record with melodies and singing that would best fit into the folk genera but it has a nice indie rock feel that smoothes it out. There is both a male and a female singer (Deb Talan, and Steve Tannen) in this duo and they trade off from song to song both lending their voice to the overall feel of the music which all falls together almost effortlessly.

The Weepies seem to take a simple approach to recording which I think helps give the song writing the attention it deserves. This album has some really obvious stand outs in my mind. The great opener to this album, 'Take it From Me' starts everything off leaning more towards the indie rock side of things but it has a beautiful pop melody and layered vocals that accent points in the song and thicken the overall mix. The album rolls right on into one of my favorite tracks of the album, the brilliant folk kissed story that is 'Gotta Have You.' This song gets stuck in my head and seems to hang on there all day long. It's lyrics speak of life and love and although this might sound a bit mushy for some I can safely say it is one of my favorite tracks to surface in the sea that is the music scene today. The album does not let up there though and falls right onto the third track of the album where Steve settles into the scheme of things and sings a beautiful ballad of time and its grip on all of us. It's another recent favorite and really shows the groups ability to write a damn fine song.

The album spins on and holds a number of stand out tracks that all hold on their own among the album as a whole. I could go into detail about every track on here but I dont want to drone on, I think that the music will easily speak for itself. I do wan't to point out one other of my favorites though which is the amazing song that speaks of a finding hope within being alone in life at times.

So for fans of indie modern folk of any kind or those of you who aren't afraid to let music have some real feeling sometimes I would highly recommend this gem of an album!

P.S. - Check out their website and read the about page for some history on the duo.

iTunes Link:

Man did this album pop up out of no where. While browsing a local used cd store full of just about everything but electronic music I came across this little gem of an album. I have heard cylob in the past but not like this. The only music I have heard from him was a couple of songs that were brilliant pop/electro songs with computer voices singing lyrics to the songs. This time around he still brings a healthy dose of electro to the table but really mixes it all up with his apparently self programmed instruments and bits of inspiration from all over the electronic music spectrum. There are all sorts of off key wobbly melodies and a wide variety of beat crafting. If you come across this album at any point don't miss the chance to pick it up.

The label it was released on is called Rephlex records which is run by Richard James aka. Aphex Twin and they don't appear to have much in the way of digital released I could like you to but check out their site to get more info.

Ghostly International, as part of a monthly series, has released this EP by Cepia called Peal EP. I find that I prefer a solid EP over a full album at times and this is no exception. In my mind an album has the tendency to drag along sometimes and it feels as though artists sometimes stick a lot of filler in albums to round them out just for the sake of having a full albums worth of songs. Don't get me wrong here I love a good full length as much as the next guy but recently I have really liked having these little mini albums around. It always seems like they are just the right length. OK, I think I've rambled on long enough about that...

The Pearl EP is the best that I have heard out of this artist yet, its full of some really tightly produced IDM that I can't get enough of recently. I have really been into this minimal clean electronic music as of late. Well, there are the times that I prefer something a bit more lively but for whatever reason I never get around to reviewing them here. It's always hard to pinpoint a good way to describe electronic music releases without getting into mindless comparisons to other artists and name dropping every trendy sub genera that has popped up recently. This album at times feels like a more organic sounding Autechre if you could imagine such a thing. It has enough of a rhythm in the beat so you wont get lost in the sounds which is good for those looking for something danceable.

So thats all on this album. Hopefully I didnt ramble on to much. Please leave a comment should you feel compelled to do so. Your feedback it what helps fuel the future of this site. In the mean time check out this EP! It is only available through a digital download so check it out! If you are a Ghostly fan then don't let this one pass you by.

iTunes link:

I'm really just not that into house/dance music but from time to time the 4/4 steadiness that that genera is based around is a nice change of pace, especially when its surrounded by really tight production and subtle compositions that leaves you with a smile on your face throughout every track as you nod your head or take steps to the beat as you walk or work along. This album by Broker/Dealer is just that kind of album and brings a great relaxed yet dancy groove that feels good at any given moment in your day. I find that this album is easily one of the most listened to of all of my electronic albums recently. You just can't go wrong with this release!

iTunes link:

I got my hands on the newest album / ep from the now infamous Prefuse 73 and I thought I would hop onto the review blog here and let it be know what Scott has been up to recently. It's nice to see that he seems to be taking a turn away from his hip-hop collaboration phase and moving slowly back into the somewhat inventive, explorative side of his musical abilities.

I remember how much I loved his first record on warp and how fresh it seemed at the time. Nuno was the greatest thing of the moment and I had high hopes for the future of this newly discovered musician. I saw him live down in his hometown of atlanta and remember being somewhat disappointed by his performance but I bought an advance copy of the cd that night anyway and it was in the player for at least half of the 6 hours back to Greensboro. (I also saw Autechre, Tortoise, Nobukazu Takemura, and Mr. Lif that night. All of which put on a better show). He did redeem himself the next time I caught him over in Chapel Hill when he put on a great show that proved to be one of the more energetic electronic music shows that I had seen.

So, getting back on track here, lets talk about the new ep. Thankfully the only collaborations on this album was a mix when Fourtet steps up and helps add a bit of depth to the classic Prefuse formula and a track with someone from TV on the Radio which also works pretty well. With some of the tracks on this release it would seem as though he is moving away from the expectation that his music should be labeled as HIp-Hop and he throws in some more feeling into the mix. It's as though his work under t he Savath and Savalas name is finally melting into the Prefuse pot and making some mighty fine smelling stew.

If you are a fan of his past work I would defiantly check out this release, I can only hope that he does not decide to give the 'I wanna be a Hip-Hop producer' thing another try because the result when he tried that left me scared and wondering if he would ever redeem himself in my mind.

Heres to a hopeful future for Mr. Scott Herren.

iTunes link:

This is a beautiful collection of reflective gritty sine tone melodies, distinctive textures, echoing guitars, and laid back beats that glide across the music like a bird soars across the surface of a lake. It is a great album that never seems to be inappropriate because of the neutral, calm mood it holds throughout. For fans of music that calms and moves your body all at once. Maybe I am a sucker for this kind of ambientish moody electronic music. Don't let this one pass you by!

iTunes Link:

I'm not sure just how big Machine Drum's fan base is, sometimes it seems pretty vast but other times it seems like no one has heard of him. I thought I would take a minute here and reccomend my favorite albums of his.

Bidnezz is an album that is pushed as a hip-hip record as far as I have seen but I have seen it more as an IDM album personally. It really shows his progression as a musician. He has the ability to take such simple ideas and make them really polished and tight. This is by far his more minimal record under this name, his pas efforts were much more hip-hopy than this. I just love this record for its diversity and the fact that he has started to really take on his own character with this release which is very cool. I have heard some of his newest work and you should look out for that because its just amazing. He has an album coming out on Sublight soon which I am really looking forward to. So for a great all dancing/ all minimal hip-hopDM then look no further than Machine drums, Bidnezz.

iTunes link:

This is such a wonderful album for so many different reasons, it holds so many great ideas and sounds so good in the process. It's an experimental indie-pop masterpiece and no one should live there life without at least giving it a listen. I think thats all that needs to be said about this one. Check it out!

iTunes link:



P.S. - There is a great dvd full of videos for the songs on this album and I would recomend any fan of this album do a bit of looking around for it. It is well worth the money!

Well 2005 brought us quite a handful of great new music and I wanted to get a list of my favorites from the past year all in one place. This list is not a top ten or anything specific, its just a list featuring the music that I enjoyed the most and the music that was found being played the most during the year. I will let you know which ones, in my eyes, are the must have albums from the year. There was a lot that I cut from the list in the end but it left it showing what were my very top favorites from the past year, heres to another great one in 2006! So lets see here, where to begin... in alphabetical order:


Artist: Akron Family/ Angels of Light
Album: Akron Family/ Angels of Light
Description: I first heard this record while I was setting up for a show at a local cd shop that used to have a lot of in store concerts and I would always bring in a PA and run it. The owner, Andrew, gave me an advanced copy of this album to play before the show and I was instantly hooked. The music on here is amazing rock / folk / sing along music that is playful yet well crafted and has a really unique sound that is over all pretty hard to describe. Check it out to see what I mean.
iTunes Link:






Artist: Autechre
Album: Untilted
Description: Ignore the silly name of the record here and trust me when I say that this album holds as always a sound that leads the way for many leading IDM artists. Autechre has always had their little spot among electronic music fans and it seems like any time they release an album there is more than enough debate on why the new album sucks or why it is their best yet. It seems like their fans are always really divided on which albums are amazing and which are just terrible. I never really could figure out why this is the way I see it, Autechre's albums have all bounced off of each other pretty logically in my mind and like any developing artist they have shown that they still have a good bit of creative thinking in them even after releasing album after album over the years. For those of you who are not familiar with their music, think minimal electronic music that will sometimes have you bobbing your head and other times leave you scratching it wondering how to react. All in all this release holds fast to all of the classic Autechre stereotypes while still introducing some new tricks and rhythms that I just can't seem to get enough of. HIghly reccomended for anyone looking to try something different.
iTunes Link:





Artist: Beck
Album: Hell Yes EP
Description: Im Sure many of you are aware of Becks newest full length from 2005, Gurerro, and I really enjoyed that album a lot but I found that looking back on the year I liked this EP more then his full length release. Although it is not as varied in sound and is only four songs long I really love this EP. The whole 8-Bit remix thing going on on this whole release really worked well and once I heard the Original versions of these songs I was somewhat disappointed because I was so used to hearing these 4 songs and I had come to love to listed to them so much. And just look at that cover, how could you pass that up?
iTunes Link:




Artist: Ben Folds
Song: Late
Album: Songs for Silverman
Description:While I am not the very biggest of fans of Ben Folds music I do like some of his tracks and when they are good they are really good. I had heard this song as a bootleg from a live show after reading about it somewhere online a while back. The reason I have decided to feature this song is because of it's subject matter which is the late Elliott Smith. Elliott's music has held a place in my life that has not been able to be replaced by any other artists music and this song is a wonderful nod to his career as a songwriter.
iTunes Link:





Artist: Bonobo
Album: Live Sessions
Description: This is one of a few albums featured in this list that I have reviewed on this site and at the moment I have no way to link directly to that review but that will change in the coming weeks so sit tight for that ability. At any rate I would have to say that this is one of the single most played albums that I bought in 2005. It has a really amazing mood that never seems ill placed in any situation. The mood that is put forth with this music can be stretched to fit any moment in life, it holds a really nice somber feel for quieter moments but holds enough of an upbeat kick that lets you get your groove on at any given moment. (I can't believe I just said "get your groove on") Anyone and everyone could find something to like in this short but sweet release.
iTunes Link:


Artist: Des Ark
Album: Loose Lips Sink Ships
Description: These guys have been around for a good while now here in the local scene in NC and have finally recorded a proper album. This record brings this edgy two piece rock group to the comfort of your own home. I remember catching them live here and there at shows around this area and I was always impressed with their ability to draw the audience towards them making every show I've seen of theirs an amazing show. It's hard to find intimacy within music that gets so intense at times but they manage to pull this off both at their live shows and on this record. Wonderful song writing and inventive compositions can be found on this record so check out this amazing release!
iTunes Link:





Artist: Dixie Dirt
Album: Pieces of the World
Description: As far as my favorite albums or 2005 go I would have to place Pieces of the World up on the top of that list. As with a few other albums on this list I have reviewed this album on this site already and I suggest you check that out to get a few more details. This was one of my very favorite records to be released in 2005 hands down. There is something in these songs that moves me to listen to them over and over and I simply can not get enough. I was really disappointed to find an article online speaking of how they have since broken up as a band. Hopefully this will be a temporary break? At any rate I would highly suggest you check out this album as well as their first release. Simply wonderful music all around. this is not to be missed!
iTunes Link:





Artist: Electronic music Composer
Album: Abandon Music
Description: I love electronic music and I wish that I had more access to some of the more obscure acts putting out music today but It's hard to come by in this area so in the past years I have mostly been exposed to labels that are easier to find being the ones who are either available online, have decent distribution, or things I have picked up while traveling. I have come across all kinds of great new electronic music in the past year but a lot of it was not released in 2005 so it's not going to come up here on the list. So anyways, this year there was a few electronic music albums that stole a good but of my life as far as listening time goes and this is one of them. If you do a bit of digging you will find that this artist (Kenneth James Gibson) has released a huge amount of music under all sorts of various aliases each of which carry their own style. I cant think of to many musicians doing this as well as he is. This album is a wonderful venture into the more experimental side of IDM which will have you both nodding your heads as well as smiling at the tight control he has over his sound.
iTunes Link:





Artist: Gorillaz
Album: Demon Days
Description: This has got to be the most commercially successful album on this list and that should not deter you from giving it a listen. It's a great album all around and full of really great ideas. Apparently the group is really just two british guys, one of which is a former member of blur. This album reminds me of a good beck album in the way that it covers so much ground within the music. It has the low end head nodding aspects of hip hop, the get stuck in your head melodies of pop, and the edginess of indie rock. Easily one of my favorites this year.
iTunes Link:





Artist: Great Lake Swimmers
Album: Bodies and Minds
Description: I love a good relaxing album full of gentle acoustic ballads and this fits right in there with this years best. I'm not sure that "ballads" was the best word to use there, you know what I mean though, a guy sits down with his guitar sings gorgeous songs about life and the intricacies within it leaving you at peace while listening to it. I mentioned this record in the favorites section of the site and it is very much a favorite. Simply put its a beautiful piece of work which was recorded in a church that gave the album a really warm tone. Fans of this kind of music should not pass this one up.
iTunes Link:





Artist: Jamie Lidell
Album: Multiply
Description: For more on this brilliant album dig though the reviews from August and read about one f the years secret hits. This record is simply amazing and really gives Jamie a chance to get the attention he deserves. It's not quite soul music and its not quite dance music but it really tight and a lot of fun. Makes for a great party album, nothing but gold can be found in these songs so check it out!
iTunes Link:





Artist: Jose Gonzalez
Album: Veneer
Description: Man did this album come out of no where! I just happened upon it while browsing through iTunes one day and I am really happy to have picked up a copy of it. From what I understand this was released a few years back but just now got a proper release in the US and Im glad it did. I can only hope to hear more from this wonderful musician soon.
iTunes Link:





Artist: Kid 606
Album: Resilience
Description: This marked quite a milestone for electronic musician Kid 606 because nearly all of his albums prior to this were really quite elaborate dance/IDM albums and most were really edgy and full of loads of energy. There were moments of ambient poking through this fog of his reputation as a noisy producer with albums like the soccergirl ep and the two P.S...Love... ep's. With this album he took a step away from his traditional approach and released a brilliant album of slower and much more simplistic jams all of which have a nice warm analogue feel to them. My favorite track on here has to be the track Short Road Down which I featured here on the favorites page.
iTunes Link:





Artist: M. Ward
Album: Transistor Radio
Description: This was another surprise this year which I discovered through my local record shop. The record holds a diverse bit of what many would classify as americana but I would simply call indie rock. It holds a Lo-Fi warmness that makes for a good listen on a cold winter night. Tracks on the record range from calm acoustic songs to fun electric guitar rock songs. It was one of the most played albums this year on my record player because it always puts me in such a good mood whenever I hear it.
iTunes Link:





Artist: Magnolia Electric Company
Album: Trials and Errors
Description: This is now officially out of print but you can still buy it over on iTunes thankfully because this is one of my very favorite albums by musician Jason Molina which now as a new band and a somewhat more bluesy sound called Magnolia Electric Company. It is really similar to his past efforts but it really shows that he has a full band backing him now. I really love these recordings. There are a few songs that also appear on their new full length but I prefer these versions of the songs by far they just feel more honest. For fans of indie rock fused with a somewhat classic feel if that makes any sense.
iTunes Link:





Artist: Matt Sweeny and Bonnie Prince Billy
Album: Superwolf
Description: I really enjoy most of Will Oldom's (Bonnie Prince Billy) music and I prefer his more scaled back personal work. This album is a wonderful collaboration and for a while this past year was all I was listening to. The record has a raw feeling about it that I really like. Its gritty style and the almost odd song writing on this album really draw me in. It's not for everyone but I would at least give it a listen if you are looking for some great acoustic song writing with a really unique almost dirty touch. It feels like it came from somewhere out in the country or was at least inspired by it somewhat if that helps describe the sound a bit.


Artist: Quinoline Yellow
Album: Dol-Goy Assist
Description: I had been a big fan of this artists previous two eps on skam records and I was really excited to see that he was releasing a full length and it was worth the wait. This album has a really classic IDM feel and it brought my mind back to remembering why I got into the genera in the first place. Quinoline Yellow's music still feels like a cross between Autechre and Aphex Twin. I remember loving every song on his ep's and here on a full length album I can see that he was stretching it a bit with a couple of these songs but over all it's a fantastinc release that deserves much more attention than it got.
Buy it on Bleep


Artist: Sun Kil Moon
Album: Tiny Cities
Description: Sun Kil Moon's first record really really impressed me and I can not get over just how much I enjoyed it so I was overjoyed to hear that he was releasing a second album. I remember seeing him play live before this was released and all of the songs he played were so familiar for some reason. I did recognize that he had covered a couple of songs during the show but it wasn't until later that I realized just how many of them were covers. Turns out this whole album is a cover album and they are all covers of Modest Mouse songs! I love his versions of these songs because it gives a good bit of respect to the wonderful song writing of Modest Mouse. Check my full review for more on this great album.
iTunes Link:





Artist: Venetian Snares
Album: Rossz Csillag Allat Szuletett
Description: And Last but not least, an electronic music epic by Venetian Snares. Inspired by Hungarian orchestral music and laced with classic Venetian breaks this album will not disappoint, it will leave you catching your breath. The whole album is nothing short of amazing if not simply because it's so nice to see him trying some new things with his music. Take classical music and combine it with breakcore and you have got this albums feel in your head. Having trouble imaging it? have a listen and see for youeself! You just cant beat track 3 with its amazing composition and use of Billie Holiday's singing. The song he had chosen that she sung is perfect for this song and his additions make it all the more dramatic and epic in scale. If you do some research on the song (Gloomy Sunday is the name of the Billie Holiday song I am referring to, which she did not write by the way.) you will find that she added a verse to the end to make it less depressing and that verse has been left out of what he used in this song. So at least pick up that song if nothing else. It is a lot different than the other songs on here but fits right on in. Sorry this is a scattered little review, it really is pretty hard to describe so just check it out for yourself and see what I mean.
iTunes Link:

Lets say you just got out of a busy day at work or your leaving a hectic party or show and your mind is fried and needs a break from the world. If you were me you would reach for the iPod (or whatever music player) and look for something to calm your nerves. Well this is that something that you need. Distance by Marconi Union is a wonderful EP that is full of ambient guitar goodness with this hint of a post-rock edge.

From start to finish you simply can not go wrong with this release, the opening track is a great example of this with its subtle use of guitar, synth, and swirling electronic sounds to put the mood on auto pilot for the next half an hour. As with a lot of my favorite music I just happened upon this one day and I am so very glad it did.

If you are ever in the need of something san-words but full of emotional landscapes of sound then look no further than this EP.

iTunes Link:

I am a huge TMBG fan and have been so for a long long long time. The first album that I ever bought (and i dont mean just TMBG albums, I mean my first cd ever) was the album Flood and since then I've never gone back. They have released an amazing out of material over the years and I have yet to hear an album of theirs that was not amazing through and through. I thought that it would be good for me to take a moment to feature one of their older albums here. I have chosen the album that seemed in my mind to be a big crossing point for them. Before this album they had been known as a band with two members, John Linnell and John Flansburg, but with this album you notice a huge change in pace. There was now a full band backing the two John's. When I first heard the music on this record I heard it at a live show. The first of many times I have seen them live through the years, and I loved it. Looking back now I can see that they were obviously simply maturing as a band. Years later after watching their documentary called Gigantic I found that there was a huge amount of unrest with in the fans of TMBG because they were breaking away from their roots because they now had a backing band. In my mind John Henry is one of their best albums and probably my personal favorite. I see this as one of the best written albums by the band. They have always had this amazing ability to write these goofy little pop songs that hold this secret meaning buried beneath them. Often if you pay enough attention to some of their songs you will find an entirely different way to look at their music. I would suggest anyone who loves well written indie pop music pick up this classic as soon as possible.

link to iTunes:

I know that this is not really much of anything to review seeing as its just a seven inch single but I just thought it was worth writing about here in the reviews section because it's just so good. For those of you who are not familiar with Cat Power and you are a fan of powerful female singer songwriters then do yourself a favor and check out some of her music. I would suggest checking out her last full length on matador called You Are Free. I personally really dont like a few of the songs on that album that try to be more electric and rocking because I really don't think that she does that well at all. The majority of the music on that album is simply amazing and the best tracks are those which she takes a more simple approach to the production side of things and lets her powerful song writing really stand out and that is exactly what she does here on The Greatest / Hate.

The title track is a gorgeous new song that seems to be showing her progression as a musician. Although similar to her last full length you can really feel her music maturing. It has this haunting, slow swing to the song which causes her voice to tread oh so lightly over the rest of the instruments leaving you listening a little harder to catch what she is saying in the song. Maybe I'm being to specific here but in a way, it kind of takes away from the lyrics but gets leveled out by the the way it graces the rest of the instruments in the song.

The b-side here called Hate is a tighter song and that is simply due to the fact that it's just her and her guitar. Well, that and a dusting of reverb for mood. I love this song! It is the kind of track that all the indie kids that follow her music would call her best work because any self respecting singer songwriter needs to stick with his or her roots right? Kidding here. I really do enjoy the song though, it's always nice to hear a musician be able to hold up well with a full band but still be able to sit down with a guitar and stop everyone in the room with her mind controlling confidant singing that leaves you feeling all warm and fuzzy inside.

So heres hoping that her upcoming full length featuring this single will hold up to my, and every other cat power fan's expectations. "We would all be free"

iTunes Link:

Here is another bittersweet acoustic album for everyone. This is a great record through and through. It has this amazing, gentle reverb that blankets each song which is due to the fact that this was recorded in a church that was set up as a temporary studio to record the album. It's a wonderful album for a cold winter night which I am starting to see plenty of around here. It's a sit around the fireplace and relax album that would make a nice addition to anyones music collection.

iTunes link:

Recently Schematic Records came out with some pretty big news kind of out of the blue and that was that they were going to release a bunch of records as download only releases via the mp3 download site bleep.com. Some of the records have been in the pipeline for quite some time and I was pretty excited to find that they would finally see the light of day. The first one that I purchased from the lot was a release that I have been waiting for a long long time to get my hands on and that is the Glen Velez remix album.

Scematic re-released an album by the well respected hand drummer Glen Velez called Internal Combustion a couple years back and I fell in love with it. It was an amazing release that held multiple parallels to the world of IDM and experimental music in general and it seemed like a logical step to take this and curate a remix album based on the release. It was well worth the wait!

Right off the bat I knew that I was in for a slew of good tracks with a wonderful remix by Atom (TM) which I have not really heard to much. It was a little on the short side but made for a great opener for the rest of the album. The second track which is a remix by Richard Devine seems like an extension of the first track and moves the album right along with his trademark tempo and rambling glitches that fill out the track. From what I heard he played a lot of the drums on the song and tried to keep the programming to a minimum on this one which was a pretty cool approach seeing as he is known for being such a good sound designer/ tweakaholic and it was a nice change of pace for him in my eyes.

Many of the remixes on this record seem to fit right into the aesthetic that Glen Velez laid down with the release that inspired these remixes which I think is pretty cool to see in a remix album. For the most part I think that the remixes tried to build onto what was originally achieved in the source material rather than just loop some samples from the original and create a new track. It really feels as though most of the tracks on here were really well thought out and I can really appreciate what the artists did with the songs.

The album really works well as a whole which is also nice to see in a remix album like this. You will find all sorts of totally different approaches to remixing the music on here. Chris clark offers a great remix that carries his trademark grittiness and makes for a really solid danceable track. Otto Von Schirach takes the sounds well away from the original and is one of the only tracks on here that really depart from the sound of the original. I do however feel that it fits right in with the other remixes. Its some of the tightest programming I have heard from him in a while.

So for any fans of any of the remixers, hand drumming, or music that takes you well away from the norm as Scematic releases always do so very well then head over to bleep.com and check out this great release.

Unlike iTunes, bleep lets you preview whole tracks which is very cool in my opinion and they offer web tools so blogs like this one can have little preview players right on the page soooooo here it is! (you can even alter the colors to match your color scheme!

Now here is one amazing album! It has been a while since I have put it on to listen to but coming back to it I love it just as much as when I first heard it well over a year ago. It is a beautiful rock album that leaves you in a trance. Through part of it there is some really subtle singing that feels more like another instrument among the band which in my mind is a wonderful feat. I'm sure anyone that has been folowing the music section of this site know that I am a sucker for this kind of dreamy well produced music. Don't let that comment cheepen this feature here, this is a really amazing album that I would love to see get more attention so check it out!

iTunes Linnk:

I've been meaning to review this album for a while now. The review has kind of been sitting there in the back of my mind waiting to be written but I am just now getting the chance to sit down in a moment where I remembered to write it. I remember getting it a few weeks before it's release and being somewhat underwhelmed by the album as a whole. I remember wanting more.

I'e been listening to BOC since their first major release on Warp Records. I had immediately fell in love with their sound which at times made me want to dance and other times it did a good job of calming my nerves a bit. The best part of their music has always been the intricate ambient textures that would seem to be their trademark sound. My favorite album of theirs is actually not even a full album, it's the ep called In A Beautiful Place Out In The Country. In my mind it is the most well balanced and delicate work they have ever done. So onto the album at hand...

I have developed kind of a love/hate kind of relationship with tis release. As I mentioned before I really did not care for it at first. This may have been because I didnt really give it a fair chance and only skipped through the album impatiently. Maybe I just was not in the right mindset at the time to get into it. Who knows. When I started to listen to it al the way through I found myself liking it more and more and I eventually gave it a closer listed to catch onto what kinds of things they were doing differently this time around.

First off and probably most obviously, they have started to use acoustic instruments, mainly guitar, in there music which seems to make since if you think about it. Im still not sure weather I really like this or if I don't care for it. The little 30 secondish mini tracks are all still here but unlike on there previous releases, they are not any where nearly as focused. I had always seen these little songs as ideas that were so simple and complete on their own that they did not need to flesh them out into complete tracks because they worked so well as little statements that pulled there own weight. The ones on this release seem to be just kind of thrown in there just because thats what they do. Some of them seem all to familiar. I would also like to mention the production quality on this release. Part of what made me get lost in their older releases was the way the tracks always felt like they were all born into existence to be what they were. All of the layers within a song felt so fused together like some sort of an organism that was a living thing. There rich sounds really made the music come alive. On The Campfire Headphase I find that the songs feel thin in comparison to there past releases but in a strange sort of way that I'm not sure is a good thing or a bad thing. The quality on the production side of things has done nothing but grown over the years and there is no doubt about it, this album is there best sounding album. I know it may seem like I just contradicted myself there so let me elaborate just a wee bit. I think that it sounds thin simply because the production is so clean on this record. That magical fusion of sound that I love so much about BOC is somewhat lacking on this album. Each layer within the song is very crisp and has its own space within the track and generally this would be equated with a good quality mix but because everything is mixed right up front like it is I am not finding as many hidden little details as I listen to the songs. I guess when I see it written out like that it'd hardly a criticism at all.

It's still the same BOC that I know and love but it's just not quite as intimate as I am used to with their work you know? If you have heard their Beck remix that was recently released then you should be able to clearly draw parallels between the sound of the remix and this album. The remix would have fit in this album really well. Just thought I would mention this.

So overall I really enjoy this album but in a different way than I enjoy their older albums. This one feels like I'm listening to a radio friendly version of BOC that to me feels a bit foreign when I remember that I am listening to them but I guess it's a natural progression for one of the best electronic music producers putting out music today.

Sorry for writing such a vague review of the album, I would suggest anyone and everyone pick up a copy, get together with some friends, put this on, and enjoy a nice cozy party in front of a warm fire. At least thats what I envision when I hear it. So till next time....

Link to iTunes:

A couple of months back I got to see/ Mix a show by Mark Kozelek of the Red House Painters. I was familiar with his first solo release under the name Sun Kil Moon and absolutely loved it so I was pretty excited to see this show. During the show I knew so many of the songs were very familiar for some reason but I couldn't quite figure out why that is, until I found it out just recently that he had covered a lot of Modest Mouse songs during the show. While I was browsing through emusic yesterday I came across a new album by Sun Kill Moon called Tiny Cities and was immediately really happy to see that he had released some new music and went ahead and downloaded it. I then discovered that it was an album full of Modest Mouse covers!

I find the whole Idea really interesting because he is such a gentle musician where Modest Mouse has so much more of a quirky upbeat kind of a feel to it. The cool part about this release is that these covers are almost entirely different from the original songs. This album is more of a reworking of the original songs and to some extent the only part that remains of the original tracks are the words and the melodies to some extent. It's a pretty much a bizarro remix album.

There is a documentary called Gigantic that is all about They Might Be Giants and in the movie there are a couple of scenes where there are a few miscellaneous celebrity fans reciting the words from TMBG songs and this was one of the coolest parts of the movie because it was really cool to hear the lyrics read like this in such a stripped down form. When listening to the original songs you get caught up in the catchy melodies and upbeat nature of the songs that make TMBG who they are but when they are spoken out loud like that it really settles in how great their song writing really is. I thing that the approach that Mark has taken with these songs have a similar effect. By slowing down the tempo a bit and scaling back the production you almost forget you are listening to a song that was originally written by Modest Mouse. The lyrics really get a chance to shine and I really like that about this record because that is one of the things that make Modest Mouse so amazing in my mind.

So if you are a fan of Modest Mouse or anything Mark Kozelek has done in the past I would recommend checking this out because at its core its a really great listen. Standout songs in my mind are Tucker's Atlas, Jesus Christ Was An Only Child, and Never Ending Math Equation but all of them are great!

Link to the album in iTunes:

I would recommend the whole ep that this is from but I don't really like the other song all that much. This track however is really amazing, it does drag on a good bit towards the end when it switches into an all out jam and it gets pretty crazy for a while. You can't deny how the song can drive you to dance. Check it out to see what I mean.

Link in iTunes:

A few months back I got pretty excited when I caught wind of a new artist that was being signed to Warp Records and his name is Jackson and he brought along his computer band to form Jackson and His Computer Band. !!! (chk chk chk) or one of the members of that band saw him live at some point and passed his music onto the guys at warp and voala! It's just that easy I guess you just have to know people that know people. That excitement was somewhat fulfilled when I got my hands on the record. At first there were a few stand outs on this release but overall I felt kind of, eh, about it. Come to think about it for a minute or two, I still do.

There is some really great music on here and it adds another really solid release to warps catalogue but I cant help but feel as though I have heard this before. It seems as though he is a big fan of Warp Records artists. His beat production constantly reminds me of Chris Clark which is great because Chris is one of my favorite electronic musicians. Smash carries the glossy IDM sound that all of the other warp artists have with top notch production and that ability to make music that is just different enough to draw in the indie kids and just listener friendly enough to appeal to a wider audience.

I know that I don't really give overall ratings but I think it might be appropriate in this review. I just don't want people not to check this out because Im not giving it a glowing review. I really like this album, it's just not as good as I had hoped. That said Ill give this a 4 out of 5. Almost there but not quite perfect. Ta.

itunes link:

Here is a review of an album (meathole by venetian snares) that I wrote for the college radio station that i dj at:

for those of you who may not be familiar with venetian snares he is one of the leaders in break-core electronic music today. he has released album after album of crazy cut up breakcore which in essence can be compared to drum & bass only its a lot more fun. think squarepusher thrown into a blender. many times his albums have some sort of coherent theme or sound to them but all hold a similar aesthetic which is his mastery of the break beat and pushing that sound to its limits. in one of my favorite albums of his he took music from some hungarian (i think) symphonies and transformed it to one of his best and most memorable records. his use of samples and strange but interesting themes is what generally sets his music in a place of its own. (i find that a lot of people who are into metal like his music)

be prepared for a really fast paced intense sound that will add a moment of something wonderfully different to your show. 

i would suggest tracks: 
1 (classic vs) 
4 (a bit more tame with actual drum samples and some other great orchestral stuff thrown in the distance) 
5 (for fans of squarepusher and just a touch of afx, note: kind of has a little fake ending but kicks back in)
6 (more classic vs, trying to be dramatic with big ambient breakdowns and ending with a smattering of acoustic guitar)
7 DO NOT PLAY 7 ON AIR
8 (brilliant track imho but on the long side at 9min)

link to album on itunes:

Pieces of the world is an amazing record by a group out of Knoxville, TN called Dixie Dirt. I had seen them twice live when I was mixing sound at Gate City Noise here in Greensboro and I found that their songs were getting stuck in my head for long periods of time. The second time that I saw them live I realized just how much I loved their music. The name of the band actually does a pretty good job of describing what you might expect in their sound. Pieces of the World is a gritty rock masterpiece that I cant seem to stop listening to as of late. The songs are all so haunting and captivating that I cant help but want to hear it again and again. 

A lot of the songs are strung together seamlessly as the album moves along and this makes it easy to loose track of time as you listen to the album. The vocals are stretched thin over the music of the band and match the feel of the music perfectly as it breaks into almost a cry at times. The pieces of the songs that get stuck in my head always seem to be the bits with the haunting melodies. They really carry their own unique sound and feel that stands out from all of the other music that I listen to within the rock music genera. It makes me feel good to listen to it in a strange sort of way. It is not necessarily optimistic or cheerful music but its uplifting all the same. It will drift back and forth between quiet, intimate moments and somewhat more aggressive rock bursts. 

Although every songs works so very well together I do have a few favorites that are each easily some of the best music that I have heard in the past year. The first three tracks on this album are absolutely brilliant, So Good So Bad, Pieces Of The World, and Badlights are just amazing and really get the album moving along. These three songs are the three that caused me to fall in love with the music that they make. My other favorites on here are also amazing songs. Dance Song has this ending sing along style of a melody with its la de da's that gets stuck in my head all to easily. Appetite is a longer track at just under 10 minutes but it has a really solid, steady progression that caries you along.

All in all I would recommend this to anyone looking to hear a wonderful, well rounded rock album with bittersweet lyrics and amazing, memorable melodies that will likely get stuck in your head for days to come. 

ITunes link:

I don't know enough about the artist and the back story to give a full review of this record but I did want to at least feature it here because I think that it's a really amazing hip-hop record. It is loosely based on Cartoon Networks Sunday night series Adult Swim and features content from the characters of the show. Im not even sure what to say about the record, its funny and has some brilliant production. Its a fairly short record but every minute of it is soooo good. If you are looking for a great, fun new hip-hop record or are a fan of the Adult Swim series than I would defiantly recommend this great album.

iTunes link:

this is an amazing compilation from warp records that marked the 100th release by the label which has come and gone for a while now. i wanted to mention it here before but i thought that it had gone out of print so i hesitated to do so. well i recently came across it on itunes and thought i would mention it now that it is easy for you guys to check it out.

the album is really amazing all the way through and it is a great reminder of how great warp records was in what i consider to be its best years as a label. the comp features all exclusive tracks by many of the labels classic artists. you can not get any better than this. autechre is still in its ep7/lp5 aesthetic, plaid was still fun and not so drowned in cheesy reverb, and there is an aphex/squarepusher track that is amazing!

head over to itunes and check it out! heres a link:

This week I have the pleasure of reviewing a cd by an unsigned musician who, a few weeks back, contacted me about the possibility of reviewing a cd that he had recorded independently here on twistedsun.net. His name is Alex Farran and the album he is releasing is called Amphetamine Kisses To The Night. After hearing a few streaming tracks he had online I as very excited to get a copy of the cd to review. Well a few weeks passed and there was a mishap with the mail service somewhere or another and I didn't get the cd as soon as I had hoped but thanks to my .mac account he simply uploaded the songs for me to hear and I am even more excited to review it now that I have heard the whole album!

From what I know talking with him he is currently living in Nottingham, England and he recorded this whole album in his home studio there in the UK. This is pretty impressive considering how lush the album sounds. He has been playing music since he was 5 years old and it shows! Its hard to believe that this young musician(just 20 years old!) releasing his first solo work to the world has created such a well crafted album! His influences span far and wide and include the likes of Elliott Smith, Sigur-Ros, Aphex Twin, Bjork, Tom Waits, Smog!, Four-tet, and others. The diversity of his influences really shine through as you listen to the album. Being a huge Elliott Smith fan myself I could immediately see a connection there which I am not pointing out as a bad thing. He shows his roots in a way that is very subtle and pulls little bits from all of his various influences. The melodic mastery of Elliott, the dense well produced atmospheres of Sigur-Ros and Aphex twin, and a bit of the edgy semi low-fi drum production of four-tet. He does all of this but also carries his own weight as a unique voice among these types of influences.

The album spirals around your ears as you listen to the music. Its kind of a surreal dreamy sounding album with layers upon layers of rich content that never conflict with each other. All in all its a very detailed approach that seems to flow naturally out of his mind and into the music.

Although the album is wonderful all the way through there are a couple of songs that stand out in my mind as highlights. The first track called "Misery Loves Company" Is a beautiful acoustic song with subtle hints of vinyl static and the dreamy atmosphere that sits behind the music and gives it its thick feel. I am a firm believer in having a great song to open an album and this is a wonderful pick because it's not to much all at once but its also not to quiet either. The next track called "Voyeur" starts to show off some of his ability to layer tracks of audio to a point that makes it rich and thick but not to overbearing. The interlocking melodies work very well here. "Defining Anomalies" is just an all around killer track that I find new favorite moments within it each time I hear it. "Paint me a Parachute" is another wonderful acoustic track that lets his subtle singing and song writing shine through... The further I dig into this album the more I realize how much I really like it! Now that I am sitting down and reviewing it as a whole I am having trouble pointing out favorites because each song brings something different to the table. For instance "Immolation Blues" is a wonderful indie pop waltz and "Everything Sounds the Same" is probably my favorite track on here. I remember listening to that song for the first time and getting totally lost in the song and the words and when it ended I was sitting there in silence for a while before I realized that it had ended. I then hit play again to experience that again... and again. The album continues on and leaves me impressed as each song comes to an end and the next one rolls along behind it.

I really cant recommend this highly enough. The more I hear it the more I want to hear it again. Its been a good while since I have come across an album that takes me as many different places as this one. Im getting distracted listening to the album as I write this because it kind of draws you in. I know that this all just seems like a bunch of biased praise and I must be nuts or something to enjoy a record so much but this is what I love about music. This is what I love about a good solid record. The ability to put it on and get lost in each track without getting bred or having to skip songs to pass over filler tracks. Its albums like this that remind me why I am such a music addict. So, that said, I am going to draw this to a close and sit back to listen a bit more...

If you are interested in getting a copy of the album you can email him at Smogfalls (at) aol.com. He is in talks at the moment to get the album released properly on a record label so look out for that and I'm sure that after all of this praise that some of you are curious to hear some of the music and you can by heading over to this site to hear some streaming files.

p.s - ha, my dad keeps asking me what I am listening to... seems as though we have another fan on our hands... also, check out this weeks podcast when i post it for audio clips from the album as well as the spoken version of this review. That will most likely be landing sometime this weekend...

This song is one of the most beautiful ambient songs ever written. You would be hard pressed to see electronic music feel this emotional. Some of you may recognize this song from the movie 28 Days Later. The album that it was originally taken from is not really not his strongest ambient album. There is a couple other really amazing tracks on there but this song is simply amazing. You have to hear it to believe it. Trust me and check it out!

iTunes link:

In the mood to relax, meditate, and reflect on something? Well let me introduce to you an amazing ambient record by Tim Hecker. Some of his other work is heavily laced with a noisy side but this album is really very simple yet detailed in a lot of ways. Its wonderful production leaves your eyes getting heavier and heavier as the music plays on. I will recommend some more ambient over the next few days, its always a great way to unwind. Till then have a look at this great release.

Itunes link:

I reviewed this on my podcast but it wasn't much of a review in the end because I was in a weird mood. It's kind of funny really so if you want to hear a little bit of the music and a kind of sort of review check out the podcast. It was recorded with this amazing new mic that I have access to which is exiting. So anyways, heres a link so you can get the album and enjoy it for yourself. It's an amazing simple acoustic folkish album not unlike the last review here. Sooooo, right, heres that link:

Damn what a great song. It's a classic early 90's track that I came across via the soundtrack for Lost In Translation. I just can not get over how this song crawls under my skin. There is something about it's slow melodic noisy presence. I am not really all that knowledgeable when it comes to early 90's rock music but I know what I like and this song just feels like one of those songs that stands out from the rest in my mind. It would make a wonderful addition to any mix so check it out:

Ah, back to favorites here after a few days break. I have got one of my all time favorite songs for you today. It is a song by the amazing indie rock group Viva Voce from their album Heat Can Melt Your Brain. The song I am featuring here from this album is called 'High High's" and it is a wonderful hip hop tinged track that i can not hear enough times. Its just sooooo smooth and well worth a look. It must be heard to be believed so if you have iTunes loaded up then click the link below to check it out.

José González is an artist that I stumbled upon in the iTunes store while poking around in the folk section and boy did this come out of no where. I can't say to much about the artist himself because I haven't really looked into is music aside from this one album. I can say, however, that the album I am reviewing here called Veneer is absolutely amazing. The whole less is more approach is used all to well with this album. In it's essence it is an acoustic, singer songwriter album and its one of those albums that seems so fragile and quiet that it could fall apart at any moment, not unlike albums like Nick Drakes 'Pink Moon' and Iron and Wines 'The Sea And The Rhythm.' His voice hides behind his guitar as it plays simple picked melodies. This is matched perfectly with the scaled back production quality of the songs which makes it all the more hypnotic with its lo-fi sounding recording and subtle reverb.

His song writing is what drew me in with its dark and thoughtful lyrics about the world. At first glance at his name I had almost expected the music to be sung in spanish but it is all english. Again, I don't really know anything about the artist which is kind of nice really. It leaves this anonymous feeling to the record as I listen to it which is nice sometimes. The music on here seems perfect for any relaxing moment in life. I walked through a busy downtown street listening to this and as I listened to it the world around me seemed to slow down a bit which was a welcome change in the middle of a work day. It's uplifting in one of those quiet secretive kind of ways, you know what I mean?

For anyone looking for a chance to close their eyes and relax for a while I would suggest you check out this amazing album.

Heres a link to the album in iTunes:

So far I have yet to mention any hip-hop favorites here and today thats going to change. I like a lot of hip-hop music but I can be pretty picky about it. I like it when it's actually a departure from the bling bling, bust a cap style of a lot of mainstream and hell even the majority of indie hip-hop that i come across. I like creative production and well written lyrics. To me this whole Kanye West craze and praise is not my thing. It's cute and all that he got Jon Brion to hop on and help with the production work but when it comes down to it thats all it feels like to me, a gimmick. (not that I don't love some of Jon's work) I really like it when a story is told in a hip-hop song. Right so anyways, I've decided to feature an artist that I've loved since way back when he was still part of the classic indie hip-hop outfit The Anti Pop Consortium. There is no one else out there with his characteristic swing that lies in all of his flows. His solo work has taken a very minimal yet damn funky approach and could be seen as weak and under developed but I feel as though its really amazing how it breaks the music down to its core. I will most likely be featuring more of his albums in the future because he is really amazing to me. This little ep that I am featuring is a newer set of songs and is a pretty simple intro to his style so check it out if you want to hear something new.

Heres a link to the ep in iTunes:

At it's heart this is a house album through and through with it's straightforward 4/4 time measures but it goes much deeper than that. I am not really all that into straight up dance music plagued by that wretched 4/4 thud that defines the genera but this is one of those albums that sneaks under my radar of annoying dance music and had landed, somehow or another, in a pretty distinct place in my mind. I hold this as one of the best electronic albums that has come out in long while. As I looked more into its origins I came up pretty dry. I can't even find a good place to recommend you pick it up at to check it out which leads me to believe that it is an album that only received a small run. Sometimes when you get into these obscure independent releases you find that some of these releases are hard to come by.

This record is solid all the way through. From what I understand with this project the artist would listen to FM radio and pull samples in the morning and then use the rest of his day constructing tracks from his favorite bits. It's great production work and well balanced mix make for a wonderful sound and it's irresistible to want to dance to this stuff.

So head out to your local shop or dig around online because it will be very worth your while to pick this up!

I reviewed Bonobos new Live Sessions ep and I had mentioned how wonderful his last two albums were and so I thought I would post them in the favorites section here. They are amazing relaxed electronic albums that have a wide range on influences. There are some amazing moments on both of the records full of some amazing bits of instrumentation. There are to many favorite songs to mention here so just follow the links over to iTunes and check them out.

Dial "M" for Monkey:


Animal Magic:

This week i have decided to review, as always, one of my recent favorites. This time around I have set my sights on a new mostly live ep by a musician that has, up until now, has released only electronic albums. I'm not to sure how long he has been around but I will have to say that his past two full lengths are really amazing as well and I have posted over in the favorites page a little snippet about those albums as well as links so you can check them out yourself. Bonobo is one of those electronic musicians that is fairly easy on the ears and I could see people from all sorts of musical preferences enjoying his music. Now, when I say easy on the ears I don't mean to cast out an insult. I am just saying that his music is so good that I feel as though a lot of people could really get into it. Right, so anyways, the album I have decided to review is a fairly new album called Live Sessions and as the name implies, it is an album full of live recordings. Well, almost full of live recordings. There is one studio track as well as a remix by four-tet.

The thing that makes this ep unique is the fact that the live material on the ep is played by a full band. The live tracks that are on here are from past Bonobo releases and are essentially covers of songs that were originally electronic songs but have been reworked and preformed live. At first, after being so used to hearing the original songs, I didn't really enjoy the ep all that much but as I gave it a chance and listened to it more it started to really grow on me. The songs performed translated strikingly well into this new format which housed a nice jazz feel to these reincarnations of electronic songs. The band seems to be right on with the songs they played and even leave room for a good bit of improvisation to liven up the mix a bit. I have seen other electronic musicians try this whole 'take your electronic songs and play them with a real band so i can get more respect in the indie rock world' approach and I have yet to hear a more solid attempt as this. Boom Bip had tried this on his last tour and I was pretty underwhelmed by the whole idea after hearing that. Bonobo has shown me that it can be done really well though and changed my views on the whole idea.

My only complaint about this ep is that it's so short! Four live tracks is just not enough. It makes me wonder if maybe these four songs are the only ones that were actually preformed live with a band. Its such a tease if you think about it. Maybe it's short because they wanted to use the type of cd they used to manufacture the cd. It is the size of a normal cd but only the middle of the disc is actually silver and contains data. Outside of this little silver ring the plastic is transparent and looks pretty slick. Im not to thrilled about the artwork and I feel like it was a waste of a cool idea that probably wasn't all that cheep to get manufactured but thats the designer in me saying that. Im just thankful that they didn't use those awful little mini cd's that are cute and all but oh so inefficient due to the fact that any slot loading cd drives such as ones in cars and some computers can not read these discs.

So onto the last couple of tracks which are a couple of b-side like tracks that seem to have been tossed on there to make the ep seem a bit more worth it. As I mentioned, one song is a new Bonobo track and one song it a remix by Four-tet of one of the live tracks I believe. The Bonobo track is a great song! Some of his finest work in my opinion. I remember when I first bought the album and was not all that into the live tracks so I just skipped ahead to this track because it was almost worth getting the ep to me. Maybe I'm making it sound better than it really is. The remix is pretty mediocre and its not at all four-tets finest moment. It is not however a bad song. Just not a stand out track. He seems to be remixing everybody these days!

So if your looking for a nice solid ep of instrumental semi electronic music look no further than 'Live Sessions' by Bonobo.

Check it out on iTunes:

This time around I have decided to review an amazing indie rock album by Des Ark called Loose Lips Sink Ships. This album is not one to be missed!

Des Ark is relatively local to my area (chapel hill area) and I remember seeing them play a show around here for the first time a couple years back and being really taken aback by how damn good they were and how much they could rock with simply guitar and drums and they played on the floor in front of the stage so there was this comfy feel to the rock show as all of the various locals crowded there little spot and moved there heads to and fro to the sound of the rock.

Although this is a pretty aggressive band at times they never lose control of a song and its always very tight yet just loose enough to give it a really raw feel. On the album they have taken there simple little set up and turned there music into a huge, lush sounding record stuffed full of long yet well composed ballads for the world. I remember hearing some of these songs on an older recording and ill have to say that they have come a long way since then.

I should mention that the guitarist is a girl and she can rock the guitar like you won't believe. Not that girls can't rock as much as guys can at all, I'm telling you this as proof that they can rock just as much as anyone. The drummer picks up and fills in tracks with a huge hard hitting style that is always right on. You can tell on the record and at there live shows that they have been playing together for a long time and have come a long way with there sound since I saw them in that little club years ago.

The melodies and guitar riffs are all very recognizable as there own creation and seem to come from all sorts of various influences to come together and form something very unique and memorable. Some of these tracks were stuck in my head after hearing them live and I didn't even realize it until I had heard them on this record. Each song has this feel to them that I can't seem to really put into words for whatever reason. Listening to them feels as though you are listening to a story of some sort and there is this progression in the songs like reading a novel with different chapters to listen through and explore. It all comes complete with a subtle drama that lines the whole album. Its a rock album at heart, a punk rock album at that but Des Ark does a great job of breaking it up with their efforts to make some really unique compositions. Also if your not looking for something too aggressive then check out the first song called Some Are Love, it is a really amazing opening track that shows that they can rock the acoustic guitar as well as they can the electric.

So if your ready for some amazing music plop down a few dollars (only eight bucks in iTunes!) put it on and turn it up.

Here is a link in iTunes:



Also, I was poking around and found what appears to be a description of the band written by the band and I found it pretty interesting so I thought I would throw it down here at the bottom of the review:

"The Des Ark Liberation Front and the Days of Prole Workers Coalition :: As a two-piece, guitar/drum duo we work hard to break down the confines of what is expected, or considered the norm in Independent music. With the mentality that absolutely nothing is sacred, traditional song structures collapse, standard tunings are made obsolete and the elitist dynamic of Performer/Audience relationship is made a little more equal by considering the implications of, and thusly refusing to, place ones self on a pedestal or stage. Des Ark absolutely refuses to rely on their past accomplishments for status or cred, Des Ark will never be one of those x-members of bands. What's done is done and the past is dead and gone leaving us only with the lessons we were given. Drawing on the past for a sense of accomplishment or worth will inevitably lead to complacency."

I have found myself considering this song as my favorite song on the latest album by kid 606 called Resilience which I have a full review for in the reviews section. It always puts me in this amazing state of mind because of the way it seems to make you glide through the world like liquid. I'm not speaking in some silly hippy talk or anything of the sort, well, reading that again, maybe I am but thats not how I mean to come across at all. It's just a really solid very very chill song and I think that if you buy just one little song from this album then you should grab this one!

Heres a link to the song in iTunes:

This record by the seemingly underrated electronic musician Dino Felipe houses twenty six amazing tracks. As whole the album is very solid and although most of the tracks clock in at an average of 2 minutes a piece, with an exception a few longer ones, each track holds steady on its own. It's a very colorful and at various moments could be considered very experimental. There's a little here for everyone from those of you who want to dance to those of you who want to hear some really well crafted sound design work. All in all you cant go wrong with this album. Check it out for yourself and see what I mean.

Unfortunately this album is not available as a digital music purchase. You should however check out Schematic Records website at which you can buy anything they have on their label as well as related albums. Heres a link.

This is by far one of my favorite albums of the past year. It has a hard to describe indie rock thing going on. They seem to like to experiment with composition a lot which adds a really unique feel to each song. They seem to have this really simple approach to crafting their music that leaves there songs stuck in my head for quite a while. There creativity in music is also matched by there amazing packaging for there albums. You cant help but be amazed at the ideas they have come up with for there packaging. The CD version of the album is a flip book featuring four different panels of motion as you flip through to the last page where the CD is held. The vinyl version is by far the most creative packaging for any record that i have ever seen. The record opens into a giant mouth and in that mouth you will find the record. There are a couple of photos below of the record opening because its hard to describe. Not only is is cool but they hand made all five hundred copies that are out there. They had made the flip book by hand at first but they are now bound by a book press somewhere in the northwest.

So head over to iTunes and check these guys out. I have seen them live twice now and bought this album three different times because of their ongoing creativity in there packaging.

Heres the iTunes link:








p.s. - try and make sense of the web page for the band. its crazy!

This is a great album with hints of jazz and has an all around relaxed feel to it. It's good for all sorts of occasions. There is some wonderful moments on here, check out Dot Eye, Two Dedications, or Density to hear samples of some of my favorites from this album.

iTunes link:

There is a new Boards of Canada record looming about on the horizon and it is getting closer which each day that passes but for those of you who are looking for a little bit of a sneak peek look no further than bleep.com. They have posted a song from the upcoming record for purchase. I have included a little preview attachment above but if that is not working for you for whatever reason then here is a link directly to the bleep page containing the song.

(note: if you are using safari there is a little trick that i have discovered that might allow you to preview the whole track without it fading and pausing as you listen to it. try opening a new tab in the web browser and leaving it on that other tab as the track plays in the other tab. you didnt hear that from me)

Although the music on this album may seem minimal and at times repetitive I think that this is an absolutely amazing record! The music can easily lead you into a more focused state of mind because of SND's brilliantly simple approach to music. It's a wonderful album to relax and work to so check it out!

iTunes link:

Note: There was a big ol' rant here but i moved it to the misc weblog because it didn't fit here with the review at all. You can see it here if your interested in my take on music sub genres.



Where should I begin? I'd like to start by talking about his last solo album on warp which was very very different from this release. His last album called "Muddlin Gear" was a wild ride. It was full of all kinds of amazing experimental music that would take another full review to describe well enough. There is one song on there that stands out in my mind as one of my all time favorites which is called Daddy's Car. You can find that over on bleep.com if your curious. you can hear the whole album over there actually. The album is a very dense and relatively dark record. Jamie's new record is more reminiscent of his work with Supercollider which was more on a minimal pseudo R&B kick. It's very bright and it puts you in a good mood to listen to it.

The first song that I heard on Multiply was called The City which I found on a DVD that Warp Records put out that was a retrospective type collection of all of the music videos associated with the label. I fell in love with the song and went on a huge search to figure out why this was not out on a record. Well a couple of months later my questions and hopes were answered when I found out that he was going to release a new album with the song on it. (The video is amazing to by the way and you can see it on his website here. It's the link with the photo of him shaving)

To get a good idea of what the album sounds like over all I would start off with the title track, Multiply. It's a perfect example of the 'get stuck in your head' funk infused semi electronic trip that the album will take you on. When I say the word electronic don't let that scare you off. It's not really an electronic album at all. I am sitting here trying to come up with the best way to describe the album and it's harder than I thought it would be. Tell you what, I think I will do a run through of my favorite tracks on here. That should give you a better idea of what to expect. It's a fairly short record clocking in at around 40 minutes but it's such concentrated goodness. There isn't a single dull moment on the whole album and I like that a lot. Jamie talks about this a little bit on an interview over on pitchfork here.

So lets break this down here. The album starts out with a really short track called 'You Got Me Up' which is such a good opener and has a wonderful composition which progressively gets funkier and funkier as it goes on until it breaks and lands right on top of the next track which is the title track, Multiply. As I mentioned a moment ago, multiply is a good song to define the mood of the rest of the album. The next track called 'When I Come Back Around' is a smashing good time and it's simple yet dense progression leaves a feeling in your muscles that make them want to move about the room. Another one of my favorites on the album comes next which is a song that was recorded and finished in about four hours from what I've read in interviews and it starts out with a loop of him singing the lyric (which is also the song title) 'A Little Bit More.' that loop continues on throughout the song which is such a simple layered approach that also drives the core of the meaning of the song which is best descibed in his own words from the pitchfork interview, "...I had this crazy experience with this girl who was trying to get close to me and it freaked me out because she was really close to another friend of mine, and I thought, "This is a story, I'm gonna make this into a song." The album moves into a slower pace for the following couple of tracks and launches right back into the most lively track on the record 'New Me.' This is followed by the amazing track 'The City.' I had mentioned earlier that it was the first track that I had heard from the record and it happens to also be my favorite track on here. I love everything from the raw editing applied to both the beats and the vocals to the wonderfully written lyrics. The last two tracks take the tempo back down to make way for some soulfull jams that end the album on a really mellow note. The track 'What Is It This Time' is another of the standouts on the record in my mind and gives him a chance to flex his singing ability a bit.

Hopefully that gave you a better idea of what you can expect listening to the album. It really is an amazing release that no one should pass up. It has a wonderful indie feel to it yet has a universal appeal. You can check it out and pick up a copy over on iTunes for ten bucks so head on over and check it out. you wont be disappointed!

Heres a link to the album in iTunes:

Next up is the newest album by the head of the label Tigerbeat6 (and I think at least three other labels), Kid 606 aka. Miguel Depedro. A friend of mine was telling me about an interview he had read recently with Kid 606 and found that Depedro's approach to music in the past has been to look at upcoming trends in electronic music, such as his classic mash ups that seem to have garnered him so much attention a while back, and how he will record an album that would essentially be his take on that current trend. I also hear that he puts out everything he makes which I assume means that if he works on an album he doesn't sit on it, he puts it out. I can see the positives and negatives of this approach. On one hand it's good to keep up with what the people want in the area of electronic music because it seems to evolve at cutthroat speeds these days. Every time I read a review of a new electronic music cd I see some weird new sub genre listed as an influence. On the other hand I could see this lessening the true value of the music he releases because he may put out an album before it has a chance to evolve and get polished over time.



Enter Resilience. This album is supposed to be the album that he has always wanted to release. One that he seems to be willing to stand behind as being his own. If you check the liner notes you will see that it has been dedicated to his mom! So after hearing all of the talk about how he was releasing a record that was not simply a statement on the state of electronic music I got pretty exited to hear it. A few months prior to its release I picked up a 10" record of his called Sugar Coated and turns out the title track of the record was a song on the new album. I took this as a good thing because I liked the laid back approach to the song on the vinyl.

On first listen I heard exactly what I had imagined I would hear after hearing the 10". Every song on the album seemed to fit right in with that aesthetic. Simple, somewhat relaxed and for the most part very analogue feeling all around. I found myself instantly comparing the album to Richard James' (Aphex Twin) Analord series with it's warm analogue synth lines. Ill leave the Analord series for another review but for now ill just say that they were good but not amazing. I find myself enjoying this record more than the Analord work. The album is one of those that kind of seep into whatever your doing as your listening to it. By this I mean that you might catch yourself typing to the beat or getting lost in the feeling presented by the song.

The whole album is so warm and comfortable, even listening to it on the little built in speakers on my powerbook it feels lush and welcoming. Some may find that the record is under developed because of its simplistic approach but I feel as though its all very tightly knit and well thought out.

The standout tracks in my mind would have to be the smooth progression of the head nodding track "Spanish Song", the wonderfully funky synth line that was laid over "Xmas Funk", the calm jam that is "Sugar Coated", the upbeat pseudo dub track "Banana Peel", and the oh so subtle beat hiding in "Short Road Down".

Don't take that list of favorites as the only things I enjoy about the album, it works so well as a whole and every track brings it's own flavor to the mix so if your out for a nice album to put on and relax as you move to the beat, if that makes any sense at all, then this would be a good one to grab.

I need to work on my conclusions. I've always had trouble with conclusions.

Heres a link to the album in iTunes so you can preview it and purchase it if you like it:


Note: Please support artists that I mention on this site and anywhere else for that matter. Don't pirate music. It's just ridiculous if you think about it. These people are trying to make a life making music the same way you make a living at your job. They need support from the people that enjoy there music so they can continue to do so. thanks!

Welcome to my music reviews section! I do hope that everyone finds something new here to listen to or check out and if you don't then you will at least get some insight into what kind of music I listed to from day to day. So that said, let's see if we can get this started off right.



I will start of my reviews with one of my very favorite albums of the past year. It's the soundtrack for the movie Lost in Translation. It's hard to describe how this album has effected me. I'll start off saying that the movie stirred up my fascination with the idea of being lost somewhere totally new. Getting lost in something or somewhere lets your mind soak in the little things around you. It lets you separate from everything you know and feel insecure for once, giving you the chance to feel alone and totally reliant on your own thoughts to show you the way. This is why I love discovering new music, because I can have something new to surge my creative side as I dive into whatever miscellaneous project I may be working on. This feeling is somehow brought out of me as I listen to this collection of songs. For whatever reason this music always seems to find a way to let me escape my surroundings and crawl somewhere inside that feeling that I am so interested in. That calmness that feeling lost brings. Lost in thought. Lost in time. Lost both physically and mentally.

OK so maybe thats all a bit dramatic, no? Yeah, it probably was, but I think that it may give off how the album gets under my skin. Now I can take it apart a bit further and talk about the music as it is apart from emotion and all that.

The music swirls about from track to track almost seamlessly. Some stand outs in my mind would have to include oh let's say 100 percent of the album. So I've decided that the best I can do to describe the album is going to have to be a laundry list of track descriptions.

The album starts off with a short little sound collage pieced together from sounds recorded as they filmed the movie. It tumbles directly into the first song which just happens to be some of the only music Kevin Shields has released since the fall of 90's legends, My Bloody Valentine. It's a great song and it does drag on a bit if you let your mind notice but its a really pretty song all in all. Classic Kevin Shields id say. Following a short ambient piece Sebastian Tellier's track "Fantino" glides along with smatterings of acoustic guitar that glide along inside the track so effortlessly and beautifully. A lot of this album seems to contain the best tracks by a lot of the artists that appear on it, well in my opinion anyway. The song "Girls" by Death In Vegas is a good example of this. It's got to be the strongest track I have heard them put out. The Squarepusher track on here is short but it's a wonderful haunting ambient tune and one of my very favorites on this album as well as the one it was taken from, "Go Plastic". Listening to the Phoenix track you will notice that it does poke out from the rest with it's bright poppy existance and at first I didn't really care for it but it grew on me over time and ended up being a favorite. The only japanese song thats on the album is a song by Happy End and it fits right in with the rest of the album with its mellow simplicity. There was also a track taken from the My Bloody Valentine album 'Loveless' called "Sometimes" which is a brilliant track that is perfectly placed within this soundtrack. There is a song by Air on here that appears to have been thrown onto the end of there most recent album (which I didn't think fit on that record at all for some reason) but it complemented a scene in the movie where one of the main characters wandered through a garden / temple in Kyoto all too well. The last track on the album is a wonderful way to end both the movie and the soundtrack. "Just Like Honey" really is simply a beautifully written song and as with everything else it somehow melted right on into the movie with ease as if it always just kind of existed in that moment in the film.

So in that chunk of writing didn't mention one of the key elements of the soundtrack and that would be the short ambient interludes between the proper songs on the album. They are the secret stars of the soundtrack as they bridge the songs together with there delicate existence among the rest of the music and if they had been fleshed out into full tracks I think they could stand on there own quite well.

Last but not least is the secret track hidden behind the last song on the cd version of the album which is simply Bill Murray's character singing the Roxy Music song "More Than This" and I'm inclined to admit that I like him singing it more than the original which, after hearing it, didn't really appeal to me all that much.

Now I know that there has been nothing but constant praise in this review and I figured this would happen as soon as I decided to review the album but I can't really help myself. I know that some other reviewers seem to have concentrated more on the fact that Kevin Shields made this strange half comeback into making music with this album and thus seemed to ignore the album as a whole which is pretty aggravating. Why is it that journalists are so cold and ridged about reviewing cd's? Either zeroing in on what might make for an entertaining read or going off on a snotty personal attack on the artist. Even ones that try and be entertaining and clever such as the reviews over on pitchfork.com come across so elitist and unrealistic. What's the point? I mean, there's honesty in reporting and there's good conclusive reporting but where is the line drawn between personal opinions and simply glorifying public opinion by writing what the writer might think people may want to hear. I know people all have different reactions to different music, movies, books, or whatever else but sometimes people seem so damn touchy about things. Sorry, off topic here...

It's funny that I'm ranting on here barely making any viable point about what good reporting is right after going on and on about my personal feelings about an album I'm trying to review. I'm new to this and I don't ever intend to be a professional at this. I just thought it would be nice to review music in a way thats a little more personal than most. Who knows, maybe cause a bit of conversation on something here and there. Thats what the comments are here for after all.

Well I've gone on far to long here on my first review. We will have to see if perhaps I can be a bit more to the point next time around. Or is there a point?

-john