What really puzzles me is how this guy could escape my undivided attention for such a long time (good thing though that apparently this happened to others as well), as the music of Seattle's Norm Chambers aka Panabrite is seriously amazing, driven by analog synthesizers, slow-burning drum machine patterns, oscillators, effects and some excellent, thrilling guitar elements and even a few field recordings. After a split tape with Hobo Cubes on Hobo Cult Records last year, Chambers has now re-released some of his earlier material from 2009, and it is available for free via his bandcamp (his 2010 releases are up there as well for a very reasonable amount of money). This is highly recommended stuff, some of the finest synth ambient music I've come across in quite a while.
Panabrite - Parallel ZonesPanabrite - CanyonRead more →
What really puzzles me is how this guy could escape my undivided attention for such a long time (good thing though that apparently this happened to others as well), as the music of Seattle's Norm Chambers aka Panabrite is seriously amazing, driven by analog synthesizers, slow-burning drum machine patterns, oscillators, effects and some excellent, thrilling guitar elements and even a few field recordings. After a split tape with Hobo Cubes on Hobo Cult Records last year, Chambers has now re-released some of his earlier material from 2009, and it is available for free via his bandcamp (his 2010 releases are up there as well for a very reasonable amount of money). This is highly recommended stuff, some of the finest synth ambient music I've come across in quite a while.
Panabrite - Parallel ZonesPanabrite - Canyon
Some very smooth notes here to ease your Tuesday morning, Toronto, Ontario artist Crowns makes nice and easy ambient tracks with rather classic rock instrumentation plus some sampling and effects, music that kinda grooves along friendly but also lets you turn around once more to leave your eyes closed, pretending to still be asleep, for just a little bit longer. Fine. And now get up, seriously.
Crowns - At The Old HouseCrowns - InsideRead more →
Some very smooth notes here to ease your Tuesday morning, Toronto, Ontario artist Crowns makes nice and easy ambient tracks with rather classic rock instrumentation plus some sampling and effects, music that kinda grooves along friendly but also lets you turn around once more to leave your eyes closed, pretending to still be asleep, for just a little bit longer. Fine. And now get up, seriously.
Crowns - At The Old HouseCrowns - Inside
It took the nice fellas who wanted to submit this tune no less than three mailing attempts before it finally reached my inbox safely yesterday, but since then (only interrupted by my even more obsessive Beko DSL/La Station Radar addiction) this absolute gem has been on an almost absurd repeat on my headphones, with its more than infectious, highly sophisticated and 80s dripping synth works that perfectly undermine the vocalist's (positively) cheesy mourning. I think I haven't even grasped this in its entire gorgeousness, but a first guess would put blame on this insanely fine melody that makes me coming back to this one again and again.
Casa del Mirto's debut effort 1979 will be released by Mashhh! sometime in January, and apparently the whole thing will come with a bonus remix album, and thank God or whoever that they've asked the glorious Welcome Back Sailors to add some of their flavors.
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It took the nice fellas who wanted to submit this tune no less than three mailing attempts before it finally reached my inbox safely yesterday, but since then (only interrupted by my even more obsessive Beko DSL/La Station Radar addiction) this absolute gem has been on an almost absurd repeat on my headphones, with its more than infectious, highly sophisticated and 80s dripping synth works that perfectly undermine the vocalist's (positively) cheesy mourning. I think I haven't even grasped this in its entire gorgeousness, but a first guess would put blame on this insanely fine melody that makes me coming back to this one again and again.
Casa del Mirto's debut effort 1979 will be released by Mashhh! sometime in January, and apparently the whole thing will come with a bonus remix album, and thank God or whoever that they've asked the glorious Welcome Back Sailors to add some of their flavors.
2011 officially kicked off last night when the stellar folks from across Old Father Rhine, French labels Beko DSL and La Station Radar, joined their mighty forces to bless the world with a ridiculously excellent compilation. Eleven tracks with some of the finest stuff underground pop has to offer at the moment, ranging from the twisted sweetness of Ela Orleans and Terror Bird to Wet Hair's and Jeans Wilder's weirdo approach to pop music and the impending darkness of the psychedelia by Skitter or Archers by the Sea.
My personal highlight - people who've been reading these pages for a while now might have guessed so - is Phrenesia by my long time obsession Holy Strays aka Sebastien Forrester, a marvelously captivating track that might mark a slightly new artistic direction for my favorite psyched-out Parisien, as his music apparently has silently stepped out of the dark and sultry tropical forests of his previous work on Hyperion and into realms of a still gloomy yet slightly glamorous world of sleeky synth madness with some rad touches of dark wave. Absolutely intriguing.
Check out Phrenesia and Terror Bird's wonderful Can't Tell What's Real as well as the amazing video for Ela Orleans' Black and White Flight below, and then head over here to download the whole thing for free right now, cause musically, 2011 possibly can't get any better than this.
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2011 officially kicked off last night when the stellar folks from across Old Father Rhine, French labels Beko DSL and La Station Radar, joined their mighty forces to bless the world with a ridiculously excellent compilation. Eleven tracks with some of the finest stuff underground pop has to offer at the moment, ranging from the twisted sweetness of Ela Orleans and Terror Bird to Wet Hair's and Jeans Wilder's weirdo approach to pop music and the impending darkness of the psychedelia by Skitter or Archers by the Sea.
My personal highlight - people who've been reading these pages for a while now might have guessed so - is Phrenesia by my long time obsession Holy Strays aka Sebastien Forrester, a marvelously captivating track that might mark a slightly new artistic direction for my favorite psyched-out Parisien, as his music apparently has silently stepped out of the dark and sultry tropical forests of his previous work on Hyperion and into realms of a still gloomy yet slightly glamorous world of sleeky synth madness with some rad touches of dark wave. Absolutely intriguing.
Check out Phrenesia and Terror Bird's wonderful Can't Tell What's Real as well as the amazing video for Ela Orleans' Black and White Flight below, and then head over here to download the whole thing for free right now, cause musically, 2011 possibly can't get any better than this.
Nature's Kid, the moniker of Ryan Solomon from San Diego finally finished his volume 2. of Loops, which we for the first time covered in October last year. All though going pretty much in the same direction as earlier with his glitchy electronic pop, his sound also seems more refined and polished since the last time I checked on him.
Free download from bandcamp.
Nature's Kid - Changin' My MindRead more →
Nature's Kid, the moniker of Ryan Solomon from San Diego finally finished his volume 2. of Loops, which we for the first time covered in October last year. All though going pretty much in the same direction as earlier with his glitchy electronic pop, his sound also seems more refined and polished since the last time I checked on him.
Free download from bandcamp.
Nature's Kid - Changin' My Mind
Even though they already put out their first EP back in June on bandcamp, the New Zealand based two-piece Glass Vaultsstill somehow managed to pass my radar unheard. Had I only listened their Glass EP a little earlier (thanks to Shore Patrol for the tip), it might've even hit my top 50 of 2010, which I think says something about the quality of this. On the other hand, the importance of this isn't whether you're the first one to discover the music or not (as we all should know by now), which is exactly why I decided to post this anyway.
Like a more ambient Animal Collective, Glass Vaults takes us out on a unforgettable journey through overlapping tunes and droney synths often leading us into a more psychedelic and mysterious landscape — upon layers of diving colours drifting away into the black, ocean-like sky. Flourishing with life and shape-shifting figures, the music of Glass Vaults is like a never ending dream while in half-asleep, and somehow I can't help but almost feeling small and naked under this astounding soundscape.
There guys are just about to make it real big, I can assure you this. Download the EP for free from bandcamp, or order the 12" here.
Glass Vaults - New Space
Even though they already put out their first EP back in June on bandcamp, the New Zealand based two-piece Glass Vaultsstill somehow managed to pass my radar unheard. Had I only listened their Glass EP a little earlier (thanks to Shore Patrol for the tip), it might've even hit my top 50 of 2010, which I think says something about the quality of this. On the other hand, the importance of this isn't whether you're the first one to discover the music or not (as we all should know by now), which is exactly why I decided to post this anyway.
Like a more ambient Animal Collective, Glass Vaults takes us out on a unforgettable journey through overlapping tunes and droney synths often leading us into a more psychedelic and mysterious landscape — upon layers of diving colours drifting away into the black, ocean-like sky. Flourishing with life and shape-shifting figures, the music of Glass Vaults is like a never ending dream while in half-asleep, and somehow I can't help but almost feeling small and naked under this astounding soundscape.
There guys are just about to make it real big, I can assure you this. Download the EP for free from bandcamp, or order the 12" here.
Glass Vaults - New Space
The Norwegian duo Thinguma*jigSaw(meaning something like "a nameless puzzle/a mistery beyond the realm of language", hence the title) describes their music as splatter folk, which is supposedly a combination of the darker parts of American, British and Scandinavian folk music mixed with art music. According to their bio, they are inspired by anything from horror films and Fiodor Dostojevskij to 80's lo-fi cassette albums and experimental theatre. However, don't get me wrong: the music of Thinguma*jigSaw is far more beautiful than it is brutal. By using the power of silence as one of one of the main keys in their music, they manage to build up mysterious and witch-like soundscapes that belongs to a world where anything can happen if you don't watch your steps.
Order their 2010 album Ghoul's Out from Tigernet (Norway only) or purchase it via iTunes store here.
The Norwegian duo Thinguma*jigSaw(meaning something like "a nameless puzzle/a mistery beyond the realm of language", hence the title) describes their music as splatter folk, which is supposedly a combination of the darker parts of American, British and Scandinavian folk music mixed with art music. According to their bio, they are inspired by anything from horror films and Fiodor Dostojevskij to 80's lo-fi cassette albums and experimental theatre. However, don't get me wrong: the music of Thinguma*jigSaw is far more beautiful than it is brutal. By using the power of silence as one of one of the main keys in their music, they manage to build up mysterious and witch-like soundscapes that belongs to a world where anything can happen if you don't watch your steps.
Order their 2010 album Ghoul's Out from Tigernet (Norway only) or purchase it via iTunes store here.
Philly's friendliest and most talented babyboy Yohsuke Araki aka BAnanas Symphony casually dropped this excellent gem on his tumblr last week, a song that instantly left me grinning in sheer excitement with its swinging, reverberated rhythmic guitar loop and the deliberately heavily distorted percussion and bass sections, some jangling and Yohsuke's sweet voice above everything else. This is all strangely twisted, but most of all, this is perfectly uplifting.
(Photo)
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Philly's friendliest and most talented babyboy Yohsuke Araki aka BAnanas Symphony casually dropped this excellent gem on his tumblr last week, a song that instantly left me grinning in sheer excitement with its swinging, reverberated rhythmic guitar loop and the deliberately heavily distorted percussion and bass sections, some jangling and Yohsuke's sweet voice above everything else. This is all strangely twisted, but most of all, this is perfectly uplifting.
(Photo)
Some very smooth notes here to ease your Tuesday morning, Toronto, Ontario artist Crowns makes nice and easy ambient tracks with rather classic rock instrumentation plus some sampling and effects, music that kinda grooves along friendly but also lets you turn around once more to leave your eyes closed, pretending to still be asleep, for just a little bit longer. Fine. And now get up, seriously.
Crowns - At The Old House
Crowns - Inside
Read more →
