Shit Robot creates old school electronic dance music using a large collection of analogue kit.
Pulling artists from the DFA label to feature on tracks gives the album a nice verity and with a quirky take on quite a well trodden genre the album from cradle to the rave manages to feel fresh and catchy,
Take ‘Em Up is a highlight for me:
Bat for lashes creates a great variety of music, tinged with influences from many genres and that’s what makes her albums really enjoyable. Elements from electronica, pop, avant-garde, folk and many more are looked at and distorted through Natasha Khans lens Creating some great music and fantastic albums in the process.
Laura is a slower piece that really stood out for me on the album, I’ve played it alot this week and its well worth your time:
There are tracks that connect with people. For everyone they’re different, shaped by our past experience and connections we are attracted to certain Music which latches itself to us. It can bring us back to a moment or connect to our raw emotions in a way other mediums couldn’t achieve, especially within the same timeframes.
For me finding those tracks is the golden ticket. It’s almost an addiction and I spend hours of my time and a large percentage of my income doing so.
When I originally heard the shout out louds with their first single the comeback I was hooked, their ability to write pop songs that were both upbeat and melancholic really struck a chord with me and the track was regularly on rotation way back in 2004 which was then extended by the release of their first album in 2005.
It’s the finale of their second album that I consider to be their finest work to date. Everything seems to just work for me, The instruments and vocals blend together in a way that’s so natural it sounds effortless and we get this slow progression to a crescendo of distorted guitar reminiscent of the post rock genre. This mix of effortless melody driven by a strong beat from the drums and bass really gives the track a natural feel that makes it infinitely replayable.
Hard Rain is that golden ticket, it does everything I could want from this type of music and it hasn’t worn off in the 5 years of repeat listens, I hope you can get as much from it as I do:
“And the glass handed kites” is a fantastic album. One I have listened to countless times but have struggled to put on my track of the week list. The reason for this is how it’s constructed, as a flowing suite of music rather than a collection of easily selectable tracks.
The internet has bred a pick and mix culture. We have the ability to house months worth of music on a device that will fit in your pocket, but this can result in an extended compilation player.
The cure for this is an album like “and the glass handed kites”. You go on a journey experiencing the highs and lows. From big bombastic stadium suffocating rock to quiet self reflective indie and back again. It manages to do this so well that you wont even notice it’s happened until an hour later when the album finishes.
So now it may be a bit hypocritical to suggest a single track, but I’ve tried to pick one that demonstrates the feel for the whole thing. It’s good to read a magazine but sometimes it’s more fulfilling to get stuck into a novel. Treat this track like the blurb or a quick thumb through and if you like what you hear, listen to the whole album, you wont be disappointed:
Oneohtrix Point Never makes some challenging music, It seems to come from another place and it’s pretty hard to describe. So it’s probably best to just listen to it and make up your own mind. Feel free to tell me what you think:
I know Ambient music isn’t for everyone, all of it isn’t for me. But at it’s best with its simple structures and interesting soundcapes, it can become something that connects to us in a very tribal way. The simplicity can seep its way through our concious thought and deep into our raw emotions.
Personally I find this very interesting. How little can an artist do and still have the desired affect of a listener feeling something? Does complexity in music actually act as a barrier separating ourselves from what was felt in its creation? By adding to the fundamentals of a track do you loose something?
Ambient music does a great job of asking these questions to the listener. It doesn’t reach out and grab you but at the same time It never bores you, even on repeat listens. Behaving like a pallet cleanser for your eardrums.
There are many artists that do it well and I expect to add a few over the following months to Track Of The Week. This week it goes to Aphex twin who has created some fine examples in his Selected Ambiant works albums. Through listening to them on the train Rhubarb really stood out to me. It envelops you with its rich textures and I find it deeply comforting, like waking up in bed and knowing you can lie in for an hour.
I’ve listened to the album Lonerism several times this week, It has an upbeat 60s feel that brings a smile to my face and flows very nicely. With lots of short tracks that are weaved together with little vignettes, If you like that 60s sound with phaseing drum cymbals and a classic hofner bass you will love it, Give it a try:
Well I’ve been gathering a collection of albums over the past few months to start to gear up for my end of year reviews. Over the past 2 weeks the Album Shields by Grizzly Bear has been getting a fair bit of play and its definitely growing on me.
There is a great mix of traditional and experimental which keep things fresh and the track yet again is a good place to start:
Loney Dear connects me to both wonderful and painful times in my life, There’s something about his music that can seem both innocent and full of longing at the same time. I can see that some people may find his music twee and even sickly, so I understand it may not be for everyone.
But for me it seems to talk about a void in my life I try to ignore. Which makes it powerful stuff indeed:
I know its been a while on my music front, things have been quiet and relatively slow. The new job is taking up large chunks of time and working on music has slowed down quite drastically.
I have mentioned several times on my twitter feed that some new music would come out soon, but that didn’t materialise quite as planned. This track has been in a recorded state for about two months. The problem I was having was the process of mixing down and mastering the track, something that has taken time. I have bounced it down to CD and listened to it in a collection of places several times, to see if I got it right. Each time I found a new problem with the track which made me go back to the studio and work on it some more.
I finally feel like it’s together in a way that I’m comfortable with and I hope you can get something from it.
CT