5 Years of NFOP

Come celebrate with us: Urban Spree, May 24, 4pm

Listen to the NFOP Radio Show on Berlin Community Radio

Every Friday at 4pm CET

From the other side of the looking glass

09 Nov 2010 — Tonje Thilesen

It's an unfortunate truth that remix albums often tend to end up being dull or inconsistent, but once in a while we are lucky enough to stumble upon soundscapes that works extremely well together, such as :papercutz' Do Outro Lado Do Espelho ("From the other side of the looking glass"). Together with his live band, musician and producer Bruno Miguel from Portugal explores the ambient space through binoculars, leaving us feeling incredibly small, but at the same time curious about what lies beneath these dreamy ambient and experimental pop tunes.

While his second album Lylac is a perfect piece in its own way, Do Outro Lado Do Espelho (Lylac ambient reworks) takes the sound to the next level, perhaps a more cinematic one, bringing the genius Helios as well as other, less known musicians to be a part of this big picture, creating tunes that slowly varies from the underwater-sounding ambient, to trip-hop or at times even the more melancholic electronica. Don't forget to check out the incredibly beautiful video of the Helios remix below.

:papercutz - Lylac (Helios remix)
:papercutz - Do Outro Lado Do Espelho (Taylor Deupree remix)





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It's an unfortunate truth that remix albums often tend to end up being dull or inconsistent, but once in a while we are lucky enough to stumble upon soundscapes that works extremely well together, such as :papercutz' Do Outro Lado Do Espelho ("From the other side of the looking glass"). Together with his live band, musician and producer Bruno Miguel from Portugal explores the ambient space through binoculars, leaving us feeling incredibly small, but at the same time curious about what lies beneath these dreamy ambient and experimental pop tunes.

While his second album Lylac is a perfect piece in its own way, Do Outro Lado Do Espelho (Lylac ambient reworks) takes the sound to the next level, perhaps a more cinematic one, bringing the genius Helios as well as other, less known musicians to be a part of this big picture, creating tunes that slowly varies from the underwater-sounding ambient, to trip-hop or at times even the more melancholic electronica. Don't forget to check out the incredibly beautiful video of the Helios remix below.

:papercutz - Lylac (Helios remix)
:papercutz - Do Outro Lado Do Espelho (Taylor Deupree remix)





Trailblazer.

09 Nov 2010 — Henning Lahmann

Pretty much blown away by the mesmerizing fuzziness of Lexington, Kentucky's Coleman Guyon aka Trailblazer. Gut Reaction and Mallard are instantly captivating with their blend of primitive yet impulsive drum patterns, some indistinguishable wash of several guitar layers and indistinct electronic devices, and Guyan's raspy and distorted voice somewhere behind the wall.

Trailblazer's 7 inch containing the two tracks is out now on Moniker Records. Order one of the 300 copies here.

Trailblazer - Gut Reaction

Trailblazer - Mallard

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Pretty much blown away by the mesmerizing fuzziness of Lexington, Kentucky's Coleman Guyon aka Trailblazer. Gut Reaction and Mallard are instantly captivating with their blend of primitive yet impulsive drum patterns, some indistinguishable wash of several guitar layers and indistinct electronic devices, and Guyan's raspy and distorted voice somewhere behind the wall.

Trailblazer's 7 inch containing the two tracks is out now on Moniker Records. Order one of the 300 copies here.

Trailblazer - Gut Reaction

Trailblazer - Mallard

Warmy Girls.

08 Nov 2010 — Henning Lahmann

Moon Glyph's Steve Rosborough recently sent over Velvet Davenport's upcoming LP Warmy Girls, which will be released November 16. The record is going to be the band's third offering via our favorite Minneapolis, Minnesota imprint, and it's another step ahead for their beautifully jangly psych pop that is so pleasantly reminiscent of The Kink's best offerings. Minneapolitan Parker Sprout and the five other musicians he has gathered around him manage to deliver an incredibly warm and harmony-dripping album, every tune is stuffed with catchy guitar and organ hooks. Of course, not only the band's abstract influences, but their sound itself goes way back, which on the one hand leads to a palatable coherence among the single songs. On the other hand, this very coherence is probably also the record's only downside, as you might occasionally find yourself glancing at your player's display, double-checking if a new song has already started. Which will mostly be the case actually, only two tracks extend the three minute mark, the classic sound barrier of popular music. But all in all, Warmy Girls is nothing less than a strong and convincing effort: Velvet Davenport sure know how to play their game, and a fine game it is.

Pre-order the LP here. It is limited to 500 copies and comes on beautiful white vinyl.



Velvet Davenport - Mystery Michael

Velvet Davenport - Warmy Personal Routine

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Moon Glyph's Steve Rosborough recently sent over Velvet Davenport's upcoming LP Warmy Girls, which will be released November 16. The record is going to be the band's third offering via our favorite Minneapolis, Minnesota imprint, and it's another step ahead for their beautifully jangly psych pop that is so pleasantly reminiscent of The Kink's best offerings. Minneapolitan Parker Sprout and the five other musicians he has gathered around him manage to deliver an incredibly warm and harmony-dripping album, every tune is stuffed with catchy guitar and organ hooks. Of course, not only the band's abstract influences, but their sound itself goes way back, which on the one hand leads to a palatable coherence among the single songs. On the other hand, this very coherence is probably also the record's only downside, as you might occasionally find yourself glancing at your player's display, double-checking if a new song has already started. Which will mostly be the case actually, only two tracks extend the three minute mark, the classic sound barrier of popular music. But all in all, Warmy Girls is nothing less than a strong and convincing effort: Velvet Davenport sure know how to play their game, and a fine game it is.

Pre-order the LP here. It is limited to 500 copies and comes on beautiful white vinyl.



Velvet Davenport - Mystery Michael

Velvet Davenport - Warmy Personal Routine

The Black Tambourines.

08 Nov 2010 — Henning Lahmann

The Black Tambourines are a surf-infused garage outfit from the very southwest of the United Kingdom, and though apparently they haven't got the time or waves to improve the cliché activity to be carried out to this kind of music (though Tommy even closes with the soothing sounds of the tide coming in), their tunes wouldn't be out of place in California. The band indulges in pretty Spector-ish walls of guitar washes and an overall summery feel in their songs, which is actually quite helpful at this time of the year.

The Black Tambourines are about to release a split 7 inch with Exeter's New Years Evil, due November 29 on Art Is Hard Records, a very promising new DIY label from Plymouth/Portsmouth/Weymouth, UK, that is aiming to put the obviously thriving southwest indie scene on display. Order the single right here.

The Black Tambourines - Tommy

The Black Tambourines - I Can't Surf

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The Black Tambourines are a surf-infused garage outfit from the very southwest of the United Kingdom, and though apparently they haven't got the time or waves to improve the cliché activity to be carried out to this kind of music (though Tommy even closes with the soothing sounds of the tide coming in), their tunes wouldn't be out of place in California. The band indulges in pretty Spector-ish walls of guitar washes and an overall summery feel in their songs, which is actually quite helpful at this time of the year.

The Black Tambourines are about to release a split 7 inch with Exeter's New Years Evil, due November 29 on Art Is Hard Records, a very promising new DIY label from Plymouth/Portsmouth/Weymouth, UK, that is aiming to put the obviously thriving southwest indie scene on display. Order the single right here.

The Black Tambourines - Tommy

The Black Tambourines - I Can't Surf

Mount St Helens.

07 Nov 2010 — Henning Lahmann

Optimist Park's Jeremy Mullins recently lifted the veil off the first single of his forthcoming debut album Mount St Helens, due Christmas Eve. The Batholith is another dream pop landscape full of shoegazey guitar washes and a splendidly elaborated melody, a piece that has captivated me on first listen, simple and beautiful and ethereal. Before the record is out, listen to the single's two wonderful b-sides on Mullin's bandcamp.

Optimist Park - The Batholith

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Optimist Park's Jeremy Mullins recently lifted the veil off the first single of his forthcoming debut album Mount St Helens, due Christmas Eve. The Batholith is another dream pop landscape full of shoegazey guitar washes and a splendidly elaborated melody, a piece that has captivated me on first listen, simple and beautiful and ethereal. Before the record is out, listen to the single's two wonderful b-sides on Mullin's bandcamp.

Optimist Park - The Batholith

Kaleidoscope Days.

07 Nov 2010 — Tonje Thilesen

Courtship is the bedroom-recorded project of Patric Fallon, whom released his debut EP Kaleidoscope Days for free download via Bandcamp last month. He originally sent me a link to his newly recorded track Ride, which was recently premiered on Transparent — but after listening to the utterly beautiful pop tunes of his five-track EP, I simply couldn't help but to hum along to Fallon's honest, slightly melancholic but not exactly perfect vocals (which I myself find rather charming) mixed with underwater-like guitar playing which could remind you of the post-rock genius Lowercase Noises, for instance.

Courtship - Rhiannon
Courtship - Kaleidoscope Days
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Courtship is the bedroom-recorded project of Patric Fallon, whom released his debut EP Kaleidoscope Days for free download via Bandcamp last month. He originally sent me a link to his newly recorded track Ride, which was recently premiered on Transparent — but after listening to the utterly beautiful pop tunes of his five-track EP, I simply couldn't help but to hum along to Fallon's honest, slightly melancholic but not exactly perfect vocals (which I myself find rather charming) mixed with underwater-like guitar playing which could remind you of the post-rock genius Lowercase Noises, for instance.

Courtship - Rhiannon
Courtship - Kaleidoscope Days

Solar Bears

06 Nov 2010 — Tonje Thilesen

No vocals needed.

I've been in that kind of mood lately. Give me anything dark, electronic, ambient or atmospheric, and my ears are all yours. The Irish electronic/ambient duo Solar Bears is my most recent ear crush; they've already been featured on NME and Fact magazine, both giving them splendid critics of their debut album She Was Coloured In released back in September.

As I listen through the record, flickering images appear on the insides of my eyelids as I close them. It's like watching a good movie; you haven't got the slightest idea how it will end, but when it finally does, you're stuck with the feeling that it just seems right. Kind of like solving an equation, I guess. That, my friends, is Solar Bears' strength and entirety. Close your eyes and listen carefully.

Get it here.

Solar Bears - Dolls
Solar Bears - Crystalline (be again)
Read more →
No vocals needed.

I've been in that kind of mood lately. Give me anything dark, electronic, ambient or atmospheric, and my ears are all yours. The Irish electronic/ambient duo Solar Bears is my most recent ear crush; they've already been featured on NME and Fact magazine, both giving them splendid critics of their debut album She Was Coloured In released back in September.

As I listen through the record, flickering images appear on the insides of my eyelids as I close them. It's like watching a good movie; you haven't got the slightest idea how it will end, but when it finally does, you're stuck with the feeling that it just seems right. Kind of like solving an equation, I guess. That, my friends, is Solar Bears' strength and entirety. Close your eyes and listen carefully.

Get it here.

Solar Bears - Dolls
Solar Bears - Crystalline (be again)

I’m still trying to figure it out.

05 Nov 2010 — Henning Lahmann

After a comparatively long hiatus for this incredibly prolific artist, our favorite down under guy Lavurn Lee aka Guerre is back with another breathtaking slow burner, a stunning tune that is his most intimate and fragile to date. Forgiveness is minimal soul in its truest form, five minutes reduced to vocals and beats that leave us dazed and confused and alone.

Guerre - Forgiveness

Read more →

After a comparatively long hiatus for this incredibly prolific artist, our favorite down under guy Lavurn Lee aka Guerre is back with another breathtaking slow burner, a stunning tune that is his most intimate and fragile to date. Forgiveness is minimal soul in its truest form, five minutes reduced to vocals and beats that leave us dazed and confused and alone.

Guerre - Forgiveness

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