Tag Archives: TOTW

TOTW: Bjarki_ Sprinq 3-2

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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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TOTW: Synkro_Realize

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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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TOTW: Alex Cameron- Far From Born Again

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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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TOTW: “⣎⡇ꉺლ༽இ•̛)ྀ◞ ༎ຶ ༽ৣৢ؞ৢ؞ؖ ꉺლ” _ ” ʅ(ƟӨ)ʃ ꐑ(ཀ ඊູ ఠీੂ೧ູ࿃ूੂ✧✧✧✧✧✧ළඕั࿃ूੂ࿃ूੂ”

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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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TOTW: Aldous Harding- Zoo Eyes

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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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TOTW: Jay Som_Crown

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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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TOTW: Floating Points_ LesAlpx

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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

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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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TOTW: King Crimson_ 21st Century Schizoid Man

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It’s the 50th Anniversary of King Crimsons debut album “In The Court Of The Crimson King”. 50 years is a long time in music, and there may be many people who haven’t heard this record. To put it quite simply if you’re a fan of music, and haven’t heard this album, you owe it to yourself to give this your attention and time.

One of, if not the first “prog rock” record. “In The Court Of The Crimson King” manages to hold my attention more than many of the works in the genre that preceded it for the next two decades.

The genre went on to become bombastically bloated in complex solos from incredibly talented musicians. But what it gained in technique it lost in emotion. On the other hand King Crimson’s first record manages to be compiled of fantastic tracks that happen to have amazing solos in them. They serve a purpose rather then being the purpose, an important distinction.

The album opens with probably their most known track “21st Century Schizoid Man”. A track that works as a calling card for the record. Very few recordings have ever demonstrated a band this talented or tight. The syncopated harmony’s between each musician is a feat of dexterity and timing that can only come from incredible musicians with a near telepathic connection. When i first heard this track it was literally breathtaking.

I sat there, slack jawed and shaking my head in disbelief. There have been a handful of times in bands where I’ve felt truly “locked in”. Where every musician is working together as a whole and for a few minutes it no longer feels like your reciting music from your memory but a group consciousness.

King Crimson take this feeling an place it on record with a musicianship that elevates to a new plane entirely. It’s a pure joy to listen to and is one of the many reasons “In The Court Of The Crimson King” is so highly regarded. I’ll let you find out the other reasons in your own time:

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TOTW: Loscil_ Endless Falls

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Sam A good friend of mine recommended I give the album “Endless Falls” by Loscil a listen and I’m glad I did.

Minimal in style the album focuses on subtler elements to weave a patchwork of emotion throughout. The opening and title track “Endless Falls” starts with a field recording of rain. It sets a calming mood that the looping drones and pads enhance before a repeating collection of string instruments create a highly, emotionally charged melody.

The technique of mixing field recordings with instrumentation has interested me for many years and has been the center of much of my own music. The way a well selected piece of field recording can set tone is often faster and more direct than composition. But in it’s directness it removes some of the ability to stir up emotion in the listener. It takes a lot of skill to blend both melody and recordings together so they feel like a complete entity. Loscil demonstrates that skill throughout the record and on this track particularly:

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