Been banging pretty heavily to this new, two-song EP by Portland, Oregon outfit Hausu who first conquered my aural organs back in November with their rough and serious early 90s throwback The Haze, and now the band's moving even a little further back in time, with guitar styles over their basic punk patterns that feel very new wavey, and the singer's crooning heavily reminiscing some late Ian Curtis or early Robert Smith. Head over to Hausu's bandcamp and grab their other new tune Weaving Spiders, too.
Hausu - She's A BabeRead more →
Been banging pretty heavily to this new, two-song EP by Portland, Oregon outfit Hausu who first conquered my aural organs back in November with their rough and serious early 90s throwback The Haze, and now the band's moving even a little further back in time, with guitar styles over their basic punk patterns that feel very new wavey, and the singer's crooning heavily reminiscing some late Ian Curtis or early Robert Smith. Head over to Hausu's bandcamp and grab their other new tune Weaving Spiders, too.
Hausu - She's A Babe
Autumn is the legendary minimal wave project of Peter Bonne and Geert Coppens, two Belgians who started experimenting with the potentials of analog synthesizers during the late 70s until they put a band together in 1980, quickly becoming one of the true visionary groups for the emerging synth scene in Europe. Despite coming from the experimental/underground branch of wave music, Autumn had a "modest summer hit" with Synthesize in 1982. I Say You Hello is even more amazing, a plain and simple vocal hook, kinda meaningless yet insanely catchy, an incredible bass line and some mind-melting analog patterns is all it needs to completely persuade me.
With the Synthesize LP, there's finally a record that features a selection of Autumn's best material. It's gonna be out later this month on - of course - Brooklyn's outstanding experts in the field, Minimal Wave. Highly recommended.
Read more →
Autumn is the legendary minimal wave project of Peter Bonne and Geert Coppens, two Belgians who started experimenting with the potentials of analog synthesizers during the late 70s until they put a band together in 1980, quickly becoming one of the true visionary groups for the emerging synth scene in Europe. Despite coming from the experimental/underground branch of wave music, Autumn had a "modest summer hit" with Synthesize in 1982. I Say You Hello is even more amazing, a plain and simple vocal hook, kinda meaningless yet insanely catchy, an incredible bass line and some mind-melting analog patterns is all it needs to completely persuade me.
With the Synthesize LP, there's finally a record that features a selection of Autumn's best material. It's gonna be out later this month on - of course - Brooklyn's outstanding experts in the field, Minimal Wave. Highly recommended.
"I like to think about musical discovery as an astral voyage", Caitlin King of Planets Around the Sun told Jakob Battick in a recent interview for the University of Southern Maine's official student newspaper, The Free Press. And indeed, the first image that immediately comes to mind when listening to one of the group's meandering sonic explorations is that of a trip - not necessarily through space though, it could just as well be through deepest woods or across endless plains somewhere on the North American continent, or indeed simply deep into your inner self, but the idea of traveling in and of itself is certainly connected to the music of Planets Around the Sun.
For the group from the state of Maine that at its core consists of Ian Paige, Caitlin King and Matthew Lajoie (of Herbcraft and Cursillistas), improvisation consequentially plays an important role - it's about exploring in the first place, and not necessarily about getting somewhere in particular. Still, the densely arranged psychedelic folk efforts never appear to loose focus, even if the end isn't found before the twelve minute mark has been reached, as is the case with the gorgeous piece Slow Horse from their latest offering Tower which has been released on cassette via Matt's own L'animaux Tryst last month. The tape is already sold out, but you can listen to/download it in its entirety over at their bandcamp.
Up next will be an LP entitled Ram of Heart and the Earthen Chariot, a "double record concept album" that is composed equally of "messages" (i.e. songs) and "explorations" (i.e. improvisations). There is no label yet, but below you can already have a look at the appropriately psyched-out video for the marvelous LP track Sunshooter, which I'd include in the "messages" category.
Planets Around the Sun - Slow HorseRead more →
"I like to think about musical discovery as an astral voyage", Caitlin King of Planets Around the Sun told Jakob Battick in a recent interview for the University of Southern Maine's official student newspaper, The Free Press. And indeed, the first image that immediately comes to mind when listening to one of the group's meandering sonic explorations is that of a trip - not necessarily through space though, it could just as well be through deepest woods or across endless plains somewhere on the North American continent, or indeed simply deep into your inner self, but the idea of traveling in and of itself is certainly connected to the music of Planets Around the Sun.
For the group from the state of Maine that at its core consists of Ian Paige, Caitlin King and Matthew Lajoie (of Herbcraft and Cursillistas), improvisation consequentially plays an important role - it's about exploring in the first place, and not necessarily about getting somewhere in particular. Still, the densely arranged psychedelic folk efforts never appear to loose focus, even if the end isn't found before the twelve minute mark has been reached, as is the case with the gorgeous piece Slow Horse from their latest offering Tower which has been released on cassette via Matt's own L'animaux Tryst last month. The tape is already sold out, but you can listen to/download it in its entirety over at their bandcamp.
Up next will be an LP entitled Ram of Heart and the Earthen Chariot, a "double record concept album" that is composed equally of "messages" (i.e. songs) and "explorations" (i.e. improvisations). There is no label yet, but below you can already have a look at the appropriately psyched-out video for the marvelous LP track Sunshooter, which I'd include in the "messages" category.
Planets Around the Sun - Slow Horse
Of all the tracks of the excellent Clan Destine x Beko DSL compilation that dropped last night, the one that instantly stood out and took over my aural synapses today - apart from that marvelous, otherworldly beautiful tune by our long-time fav Ela Orleans - was Channel the Body, the contribution by a certain Petra Schelm; and though I'm not really sure how to endorse the fact that Columbus, Ohio resident Mollie Wells of Funerals chose the name of a misguided young girl that had joined the predecessor of the infamous, faux-marxist terrorist collective Red Army Fraction, ending up with a bullet in her forehead after speeding through a police roadblock in Hamburg on July 15, 1971, for her solo project (there is some explanation by herself here), at the same time it's hard not to admit that the choice perfectly fits the music: darkest wave driven by Wells' guitar play, with lots of empty space that drenches all sounds in an overwhelming, captivating surge of reverb, and her ethereal voice that all in all place the songs neatly between the genre's all-time classics from the 80s, Zola Jesus and Chelsea Wolfe. Simply put, absolutely incredible stuff all along.
Petra Schelm's debut, a split tape with Portland, Oregon's Warm Hands, is out now on Clan Destine Records. Below, listen to the compilation track (and make sure to grab the whole thing) as well as to Buried Deep which you'll find on the cassette.
Petra Schelm - Buried DeepPetra Schelm - Channel the BodyRead more →
Of all the tracks of the excellent Clan Destine x Beko DSL compilation that dropped last night, the one that instantly stood out and took over my aural synapses today - apart from that marvelous, otherworldly beautiful tune by our long-time fav Ela Orleans - was Channel the Body, the contribution by a certain Petra Schelm; and though I'm not really sure how to endorse the fact that Columbus, Ohio resident Mollie Wells of Funerals chose the name of a misguided young girl that had joined the predecessor of the infamous, faux-marxist terrorist collective Red Army Fraction, ending up with a bullet in her forehead after speeding through a police roadblock in Hamburg on July 15, 1971, for her solo project (there is some explanation by herself here), at the same time it's hard not to admit that the choice perfectly fits the music: darkest wave driven by Wells' guitar play, with lots of empty space that drenches all sounds in an overwhelming, captivating surge of reverb, and her ethereal voice that all in all place the songs neatly between the genre's all-time classics from the 80s, Zola Jesus and Chelsea Wolfe. Simply put, absolutely incredible stuff all along.
Petra Schelm's debut, a split tape with Portland, Oregon's Warm Hands, is out now on Clan Destine Records. Below, listen to the compilation track (and make sure to grab the whole thing) as well as to Buried Deep which you'll find on the cassette.
Petra Schelm - Buried DeepPetra Schelm - Channel the Body
Now this is an interesting sound. Dudes Die from Austin, the heart of Texas reminds me of Shimmering Starsin a way, especially with its folk-garagy, laid back sound. The more characteristic (and slightly 80's sounding) layer of backing vocals, however, gives the melody a particular new touch that makes them differ from other bands in the same genre. They've got several free-to-download EPs via their blog, while the most recent release, Internet Party, can be picked up for $7 from bandcamp. And please forgive me for the short post, but sometimes music speaks for itself. Right? Right.
Now this is an interesting sound. Dudes Die from Austin, the heart of Texas reminds me of Shimmering Starsin a way, especially with its folk-garagy, laid back sound. The more characteristic (and slightly 80's sounding) layer of backing vocals, however, gives the melody a particular new touch that makes them differ from other bands in the same genre. They've got several free-to-download EPs via their blog, while the most recent release, Internet Party, can be picked up for $7 from bandcamp. And please forgive me for the short post, but sometimes music speaks for itself. Right? Right.
Golden Birthday has been present in Chicago's synth underground scene for quite a while now, yet since their 2008 debut Infinite Leagues, it has been rather quiet around the illustrious project that has included half of the Windy City's musical avant-garde in the past, with members such as Adam Griffin of Night Gallery and Beau Wanzer of Streetwalker (who we had on these pages earlier this week), among musicians of Cave, Mahjongg, and Lazer Crystal, all gathered around creative mastermind Ryan Sullivan.
This year Sullivan will finally be back with two new releases, an EP named Illusions on Florida's Aural Pleasures soon, and later in 2011 with Golden Birthday's sophomore full-length Blue Island on Chicago's own Rainbow Body Records, the label that had blessed us with Night Gallery's terrific Constant Struggle LP last year.
While the upcoming Illusions will again contain some full-band collaborative efforts, the EP track below is one of the pieces that Sullivan has done all by himself, but there's clearly nothing missing in Missing Person, an upbeat yet strangely slow-burning wave monster made up of thick layers of washed-out synths and a driving drumbeat that just keeps going on and on over the course of almost eight minutes, an amazing track all along that is less about blowing you away and more about creating a certain kind of atmosphere than the works of his prominent contemporaries like Gatekeeper, and that will surely secure Sullivan's unique status in Chicago's rapidly emerging synth wave scene.
Golden Birthday - Missing PersonRead more →
Golden Birthday has been present in Chicago's synth underground scene for quite a while now, yet since their 2008 debut Infinite Leagues, it has been rather quiet around the illustrious project that has included half of the Windy City's musical avant-garde in the past, with members such as Adam Griffin of Night Gallery and Beau Wanzer of Streetwalker (who we had on these pages earlier this week), among musicians of Cave, Mahjongg, and Lazer Crystal, all gathered around creative mastermind Ryan Sullivan.
This year Sullivan will finally be back with two new releases, an EP named Illusions on Florida's Aural Pleasures soon, and later in 2011 with Golden Birthday's sophomore full-length Blue Island on Chicago's own Rainbow Body Records, the label that had blessed us with Night Gallery's terrific Constant Struggle LP last year.
While the upcoming Illusions will again contain some full-band collaborative efforts, the EP track below is one of the pieces that Sullivan has done all by himself, but there's clearly nothing missing in Missing Person, an upbeat yet strangely slow-burning wave monster made up of thick layers of washed-out synths and a driving drumbeat that just keeps going on and on over the course of almost eight minutes, an amazing track all along that is less about blowing you away and more about creating a certain kind of atmosphere than the works of his prominent contemporaries like Gatekeeper, and that will surely secure Sullivan's unique status in Chicago's rapidly emerging synth wave scene.
Golden Birthday - Missing Person
I've wanted to write about this EPever since I got the e-mail from Mike Quigely, the guy behind the mask of NYC based Clownfacee last month. With so much music sprouting up from the earth these days (as if the spring had arrived a little early around here), it is easy to fall off the hook — something I think many of you might agree with.
Enough with that.
Winter will undress itself for you on this cold and beautiful EP with the same title: Winter. Like water running beneath an ice covered stream, the music of Clownfacee moves gently in the direction of your ears, leaving traces of beauty everywhere. Call it bit ambient, a bit indie/folk or a bit experimental if you like, but it is not so much about the genre anyway. Just don't leave it unheard, mkay? And it's free, too.
I've wanted to write about this EPever since I got the e-mail from Mike Quigely, the guy behind the mask of NYC based Clownfacee last month. With so much music sprouting up from the earth these days (as if the spring had arrived a little early around here), it is easy to fall off the hook — something I think many of you might agree with.
Enough with that.
Winter will undress itself for you on this cold and beautiful EP with the same title: Winter. Like water running beneath an ice covered stream, the music of Clownfacee moves gently in the direction of your ears, leaving traces of beauty everywhere. Call it bit ambient, a bit indie/folk or a bit experimental if you like, but it is not so much about the genre anyway. Just don't leave it unheard, mkay? And it's free, too.
Hailing from the east coast of the US, Seed Of The Transformer creates spaceious and weird electronic that came to life after discovering an 80's cassette tape featuring an audio tour of the Gettysburg battlefield in an old medicne box. After recieving one of their limited edition tapes in the mail (with the envelope stuffed with blue and red confetti) my interest was immidiately caught at the second track Lee's Army, mixing slow motion drum machine beats with blown-out synths with samples from the thirty year old cassette tape. A hipster dream, in other words. The album might get slightly repetitive in the length, but definitely contains some rather interesting sounds spread throughout its 35 minutes of spinning.
Pre-order The Gettysburg Address tapes via 16 Pound Rabbit.
Seed of the Transformer - Lee's ArmyRead more →
Hailing from the east coast of the US, Seed Of The Transformer creates spaceious and weird electronic that came to life after discovering an 80's cassette tape featuring an audio tour of the Gettysburg battlefield in an old medicne box. After recieving one of their limited edition tapes in the mail (with the envelope stuffed with blue and red confetti) my interest was immidiately caught at the second track Lee's Army, mixing slow motion drum machine beats with blown-out synths with samples from the thirty year old cassette tape. A hipster dream, in other words. The album might get slightly repetitive in the length, but definitely contains some rather interesting sounds spread throughout its 35 minutes of spinning.
Pre-order The Gettysburg Address tapes via 16 Pound Rabbit.
Seed of the Transformer - Lee's Army
Autumn is the legendary minimal wave project of Peter Bonne and Geert Coppens, two Belgians who started experimenting with the potentials of analog synthesizers during the late 70s until they put a band together in 1980, quickly becoming one of the true visionary groups for the emerging synth scene in Europe. Despite coming from the experimental/underground branch of wave music, Autumn had a "modest summer hit" with Synthesize in 1982. I Say You Hello is even more amazing, a plain and simple vocal hook, kinda meaningless yet insanely catchy, an incredible bass line and some mind-melting analog patterns is all it needs to completely persuade me.
With the Synthesize LP, there's finally a record that features a selection of Autumn's best material. It's gonna be out later this month on - of course - Brooklyn's outstanding experts in the field, Minimal Wave. Highly recommended.
Read more →
Hailing from the east coast of the US,