On EP “Whites 024” Anunaku focuses on percussion to make three great dance tracks.
Its opening track “Temples” features a break beat mixed with elements of “world” percussion which adds flair to an already strong formula.
A dark and brooding reese style Bass line gives the track an edge and the use of eastern scales in the melody adds further excitement and verity taking the track in a different direction from its more traditional roots:
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This track is from the Uboa album “The Origin of My Depression” which on the most part is an intense and relentless listen. It blends styles and experimental walls of sound to create a tracks that at times can feel almost suffocating.
“An Angel of Great and Terrible Light” starts in a lighter direction with the darker elements bubbling under the track like feelings of self doubt. As the track continues they try to take over and derail the track by the 5 five minute mark they stop being sporadic and the distortion works it way into guitars that are not only aggressive but also regimented. They don’t just take over the track but also take control of it driving it forward. By the end even they can’t keep control or order. The track falls into chaos as static and distortion drowns out all melody before finally subsiding to a synth/vibraphone melody.
This Track condenses the albums entire theme into its run time and is a great place to start with it because if you like what you hear you’ll definitely like the rest. A bold and provocative piece of work that encapsulates is subject matter almost perfectly:
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A good friend Jon Taylor recommended I listen to the Bjarki ablum “Happy Earthday,” and I’m glad I did.
There’s clear influences of the warp acts Boards Of Canada and Aphex Twin throughout the album, but its the more experimental flourishes on the tracks that take the music away from imitation and towards a sound uniquely identifiable as this artist.
This type of sound is right in my wheelhouse anyway, so I was always going to enjoy it, but I’ve listened to it repeatedly due to its unique eccentricities. A stand out among these is my track of the week “sprinq 3-2”.
The track only hints at the percussion that’s in the majority of the album. Instead, it builds and releases tension with large synth pad swells. These layer over elements that sound close to organised radio static to create a wistful, emotive piece that works on its own and as part of the album flow.
So thanks Jon for a great recommendation and I hope by passing it on you’ll get the same enjoyment out of the album as I have:
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Synkro’s album “Images” merges atmospheric ambient soundscapes with bold drum production.
Realize is one of my favorite tracks from the album. A staggered opening drum pattern flourishes into wide synth pads that layer up to create huge expansive textures, which the percussion aggressively pokes its way through.
The album creates a modern twist on electronic ambient music from the early 90’s. By adding modern production techniques to one of my favorite periods and styles of electronic music, Synkro has created a great listen that deserves a track of the week mention.
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I’ve really enjoyed Alex Cameron’s album Miami Memory. On this album, his wry and often witty lyrics describe characters and build stories around them.
Far From Born Again is a positive take on a woman working in different areas of the sex industry. The novelty of the subject matter makes for a refreshing uplifting track that is only enhanced by its backing music with is well and truly routed in soft rock.
This blend of a genre that has always been safe, to the point of it being almost considered “bland,”mixed with the more raucous subject matter, adds a levity to that track that wouldn’t be there otherwise.
Being able to write tracks that empathize with other people’s perspectives has always been a key part of music, and Alex Cameron manages to do do it brilliantly on this track and on the record. But its his turn of phrase and delivery that truly elevates the record into something I have put on repeatedly. A clear and unique vision that manages to take varied and unusual subject matter and make it an easy and fun listen:
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This Four Tet side project is intentionally obtuse. With the name of the artist and all tracks being in the Webdings font its virtually impossible to find internationally.
I first heard the track “/ , ҉ ҉.·๑ඕั ҉ ̸ ̡ ҉ ҉.·๑ඕั ҉ ̸ ̡ ҉ ҉.·๑ඕั ҉ ̸ ̡ ҉ ҉.·๑ඕั ҉ ̸ ̡ ҉ ҉.·๑ඕั ҉ ̸ ̡ ҉ ҉.·๑” through streaming aggregation. But on first listen before I was aware of the tracks heritage i knew it was made by a producer with a clear vision and talent.
Although hard to find and under a different name. The music from ⣎⡇ꉺლ༽இ•̛)ྀ◞ ༎ຶ ༽ৣৢ؞ৢ؞ؖ ꉺლ never sounds throw away or unfinished and could easily fit on a normal Four Tet Release.
ʅ(ƟӨ)ʃ ꐑ(ཀ ඊູ ఠీੂ೧ູ࿃ूੂ✧✧✧✧✧✧ළඕั࿃ूੂ࿃ूੂ opens the latest double tracked single release with a deep kick drum and busy shuffling hi hat sound that is one of Four Tet’s staples. Unintelligible female vocal samples and a synth provide the two main melodies that weave between each other.
It is a perfect example of what Four Tet does so well. He gets the most he can from only a hand full of elements by using clever arrangement and choosing said elements carefully.
Its this application of techniques that have become Four Tets style. Its simplicity requires a skilled producer to get it right time and time again and Four Tet has achieved it so many times its become synonymous with his sound no matter when pseudonym he records under.
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Although cryptic, Zoo Eyes’s lyrics deal with a feeling of joy in a vulnerable way.
It mirrors this musically with a sound reminiscent of 70’s British children’s TV shows. Folk music that has both a joyous and slightly sinister tinge. It dates back centuries to a time where life and death were closer intertwined in our culture and more visible in our reality.
Zoo Eyes feels intentionally dated; a throw back to the more innocent times Aldous Harding sings about. In this current day, where meta-narratives control our thoughts, Zoo Eyes provides a naive stark, relief. A respite from our current times, which I’ve really needed in the past few weeks:
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I instantly liked this piece of Low-fi pop rock. I’m a sucker for slightly detuned synth lines, and Crown opens with a great one. With its instrumentation and downplayed vocal delivery, “Crown” reminds me of Grandaddy in all the right ways. A gem of a track that I highly recommend:
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On My first listen to Floating Point’s latest album “Crush” I was slightly disappointed. On a mono bluetooth speaker “Crush” seemed like a mix of tracks that were either too experimental or traditional to work together but I decided to give it another listen due to my love of his previous work Elaenia.
I’m so glad I did. All my concerns with the record disappeared once I listened to the record on headphones. The use of Stereo separation on this album is a key part of the mixing. It adds exiting flourishes to the more traditional work, and manages to ground parts of the more abstract pieces and also provide continuity for the album as a whole.
The album also flows in a bold direction with his blend of strings and buchla synths shift genre between a spectrum of club music to neo-classical compositions.
At its halfway mark Is the track LesAlphx, which is probably the most driving track on the album, with a singular evolving bass rhythm driving the track. A refined aggression is created, and slowly gets more out of control over time.
On first listen LesAlphx is probably the most stand out track on the record. Its forward, rhythm driven production makes you sit up and notice it instantly. But I wouldn’t say it represents “Crush” as a whole. The album has a lot more subtle and melodically diverse moments that make the whole record worth your time.
Floating Points continues to mix styles in a fresh and interesting way. He blends synthesis known for use in more experimental music with classical instrumentation and whittles down some of its edges to create identifiable dance music that i highly recommend:
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TOTW: Angel Olsen_Summer
Winter is here. And in this cold weather we always crave the consumption of richness and depth. On her latest album “all mirrors,” Angel Olsen creates the audio equivalent.
To say the album has lush production would be an understatement. Wonderfully detailed textures of warm, varied instrumentation provide a comforting heart to the record. This is juxtaposed with her colder vocals, which, throughout the album, focus on detachment, both in lyrics and delivery.
“Summer” is one of the many great tracks on the album. It focuses more on synthetic instrumentation, with synthesisers replacing the string and brass arrangements that are found on other tracks.
Opening with what sounds like an ARP Solina Synth (a personal favorite of mine), it is then given a shine with forward vocals and guitar that add a levity to the deeper, darker textures. The track is then pushed along by the electric bass line. All of the instruments are mixed and produced with a warmth that can only come from some really high quality production tools and an incredibly talented engineer. It makes this track, and the album, sound timeless. It is a really great piece of work that will only get better as it ages:
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