Honeydrum: “Stranger Calls”.

16 Mar 2012 — Jesse Thompson

While trying to piece together some words to describe the music of the New Brunswick, New Jersey "food court-core" pop band Honeydrum, I couldn't seem to string together anything as oddly poetic as what their current label, AMDISCS, wrote to describe the origins of their sound: "[it rides] under layers of coconut-colored zinc and drift[s] along the bubbly, wet walls of Jerzzy's (new) hypnogogic sea." Listen to "Stranger Calls", the A-side off of their upcoming 7" release, and you'll probably get a better idea of what that means. Of course, you can draw a quick and fitting style comparison to the lo-fi catchiness of some of Ariel Pink's hookiest tunes, but in listening to more of Honeydrum's music, I think they're embracing the aesthetics and musical affinities that they share with the L.A. lo-fi pop icon and turning them into something of their own. Check out their enjoyable AM radio styled jingle "Let's Make A Holiday" and speculate for yourself. AMDISCS is currently putting together a four song combo package of a 7" and CD titled "Do u Party" that should be available in six weeks. Honeydrum - Stranger Calls Read more → While trying to piece together some words to describe the music of the New Brunswick, New Jersey "food court-core" pop band Honeydrum, I couldn't seem to string together anything as oddly poetic as what their current label, AMDISCS, wrote to describe the origins of their sound: "[it rides] under layers of coconut-colored zinc and drift[s] along the bubbly, wet walls of Jerzzy's (new) hypnogogic sea." Listen to "Stranger Calls", the A-side off of their upcoming 7" release, and you'll probably get a better idea of what that means. Of course, you can draw a quick and fitting style comparison to the lo-fi catchiness of some of Ariel Pink's hookiest tunes, but in listening to more of Honeydrum's music, I think they're embracing the aesthetics and musical affinities that they share with the L.A. lo-fi pop icon and turning them into something of their own. Check out their enjoyable AM radio styled jingle "Let's Make A Holiday" and speculate for yourself. AMDISCS is currently putting together a four song combo package of a 7" and CD titled "Do u Party" that should be available in six weeks. Honeydrum - Stranger Calls

Paco Sala: “Gifts of the Bloom”.

15 Mar 2012 — Henning Lahmann

This gem was dropped into my inbox almost a month ago and I'm not quite sure how I managed to ignore it for so long. "Gifts of the Bloom" is the first single from Ro-me-ro, Paco Sala's forthcoming LP on Digitalis. Paco Sala is the side project by Konntinent's Antony Harrison, who was recently joined by vocalist Leyli. The result of this encounter is a truly marvelous affair, a restrained yet lush pop tune that starts out slowly and almost carefully until Harrison's looped instrumentation and Leyli's multiply layered, crystal-clear vocals intermingle, lift off and eventually vanish into ethereal, otherworldly spheres. In related news, Harrison seems to be an utterly busy man these days, as apart from the above and furthermore this, British imprint Hibernate will release another Konntinent full-length on March 30, named Kiruna, and if we can trust what "Hayashi Drag Track" hints at, and we'd think so, then splendor just won't stop. Sublime synth vibes that build an enormously mesmerizing, gently meandering wall of sound, a deeply satisfying ambient exercise by a truly great artist. Highly recommended. Read more → This gem was dropped into my inbox almost a month ago and I'm not quite sure how I managed to ignore it for so long. "Gifts of the Bloom" is the first single from Ro-me-ro, Paco Sala's forthcoming LP on Digitalis. Paco Sala is the side project by Konntinent's Antony Harrison, who was recently joined by vocalist Leyli. The result of this encounter is a truly marvelous affair, a restrained yet lush pop tune that starts out slowly and almost carefully until Harrison's looped instrumentation and Leyli's multiply layered, crystal-clear vocals intermingle, lift off and eventually vanish into ethereal, otherworldly spheres. In related news, Harrison seems to be an utterly busy man these days, as apart from the above and furthermore this, British imprint Hibernate will release another Konntinent full-length on March 30, named Kiruna, and if we can trust what "Hayashi Drag Track" hints at, and we'd think so, then splendor just won't stop. Sublime synth vibes that build an enormously mesmerizing, gently meandering wall of sound, a deeply satisfying ambient exercise by a truly great artist. Highly recommended.

Kelpe: “I Felt Fuzzy”.

15 Mar 2012 — Henning Lahmann

Very decent, sample-heavy beats all the way from Anglia by this fine fella named Kelpe, whose "I Felt Fuzzy" is the right way to end this working day with his delightful production somewhere between Avalanches (as Abeano notes) and Brainfeeder's roster (as the label suggests) and, well, yeah, why not, we'll just go on enjoying this groove for a bit longer. Kelpe's I Felt Fuzzy EP will be released April 16 via Svetlana Industries. Read more → Very decent, sample-heavy beats all the way from Anglia by this fine fella named Kelpe, whose "I Felt Fuzzy" is the right way to end this working day with his delightful production somewhere between Avalanches (as Abeano notes) and Brainfeeder's roster (as the label suggests) and, well, yeah, why not, we'll just go on enjoying this groove for a bit longer. Kelpe's I Felt Fuzzy EP will be released April 16 via Svetlana Industries.

d’Eon: “Transparency Part III”.

15 Mar 2012 — Henning Lahmann

Halifax, Nova Scotia-based label Electric Voice Records is about to release the Electric Voice Compilation, an 18-track pot-pourri of some of the most thrilling avant pop music out there these days, including appearances of Ariel Pink and R. Stevie Moore, Femminielli, Innergaze, Jef Barbara, Grand Trine, Horrid Red, and The KVB, alongside a host of other very worthwhile contributions. A little while back we've already shown you the video for Colours' "In the Summer", and now here's another track from the compilation, "Transparency Part III" by our favorite Montréal outré pop mainstay d'Eon, who only last week blessed us with his delightful keyboard works. The Electric Voice Compilation comes digitally, on cassette, and on limited double LP, and will be released April 8. You may download it right now over here. Read more → Halifax, Nova Scotia-based label Electric Voice Records is about to release the Electric Voice Compilation, an 18-track pot-pourri of some of the most thrilling avant pop music out there these days, including appearances of Ariel Pink and R. Stevie Moore, Femminielli, Innergaze, Jef Barbara, Grand Trine, Horrid Red, and The KVB, alongside a host of other very worthwhile contributions. A little while back we've already shown you the video for Colours' "In the Summer", and now here's another track from the compilation, "Transparency Part III" by our favorite Montréal outré pop mainstay d'Eon, who only last week blessed us with his delightful keyboard works. The Electric Voice Compilation comes digitally, on cassette, and on limited double LP, and will be released April 8. You may download it right now over here.

Avalon Emerson: “Zsa”.

14 Mar 2012 — Henning Lahmann

I know it's only Wednesday but seriously, who said you weren't allowed a decent amount of fun in the middle of the week, eh? Two pretty, rad, and pretty rad straight yet odd dancefloor bangers here by SF girl Avalon Emerson, and I can't help but quoting the incredibly apt blurb that came in the mail she sent me, "Zsa" being "a peak time acid-and-909 love-fest lacing together late 80's Belgium New Beat with modern Berghain-friendly rhythm kits". Hell yeah. Not entirely sure if I actually ever heard anything close to this at Berghain in all honesty, but if this is the way the kids are dancing at West Coast warehouse parties nowadays, damn I'll be sure to wear some flowers in my hair tonight. Listen to the equally infective "Shawty Rock" as well, both part of the John McCain & the Cybernetic Chamber Vol. 1, whatever that might be in particular. I love this. Read more → I know it's only Wednesday but seriously, who said you weren't allowed a decent amount of fun in the middle of the week, eh? Two pretty, rad, and pretty rad straight yet odd dancefloor bangers here by SF girl Avalon Emerson, and I can't help but quoting the incredibly apt blurb that came in the mail she sent me, "Zsa" being "a peak time acid-and-909 love-fest lacing together late 80's Belgium New Beat with modern Berghain-friendly rhythm kits". Hell yeah. Not entirely sure if I actually ever heard anything close to this at Berghain in all honesty, but if this is the way the kids are dancing at West Coast warehouse parties nowadays, damn I'll be sure to wear some flowers in my hair tonight. Listen to the equally infective "Shawty Rock" as well, both part of the John McCain & the Cybernetic Chamber Vol. 1, whatever that might be in particular. I love this.

Kinlaw: “Tarrant Meadow”.

14 Mar 2012 — Henning Lahmann

New tune by our favorite musical discovery from the British Isles of 2012 so far, Bristol-based beatsmith Hamish Travis aka Kinlaw. The producer continues to drop delightful jams somewhere between bass music and hauntology (not that these two have ever been mutually exclusive). "Tarrant Meadow" champions some pretty nice hip hop elements, a twisted beat, and as usual some superb, dark and gloomy sampling. In case you were wondering, those are not taken from a Boards Of Canada record. In case you were not, you're probably better educated than I am. Read more → New tune by our favorite musical discovery from the British Isles of 2012 so far, Bristol-based beatsmith Hamish Travis aka Kinlaw. The producer continues to drop delightful jams somewhere between bass music and hauntology (not that these two have ever been mutually exclusive). "Tarrant Meadow" champions some pretty nice hip hop elements, a twisted beat, and as usual some superb, dark and gloomy sampling. In case you were wondering, those are not taken from a Boards Of Canada record. In case you were not, you're probably better educated than I am.

Video: Featurless Ghost - “Sim.”

13 Mar 2012 — Jesse Thompson

The busy Atlanta duo Featureless Ghost have another super cool video available, this time for "Sim.", the last song off their most recent MindBody EP, which, as we mentioned a little over a week ago, is available via Night People Records. The video is a collage of old VHS and 1990's TV footage created by Fantastic Lands (a.k.a. Elise Tippins, a.k.a. one-half of Featureless Ghost) and works perfectly as a visually hypnotic counterpart to the song, which according to Tippins was originally "born out of live improvisation and is all hardware made." Check out the video below, and then head over to Night People's website, and snag yourself a copy of the album! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeFyc1Tc9jc Read more → The busy Atlanta duo Featureless Ghost have another super cool video available, this time for "Sim.", the last song off their most recent MindBody EP, which, as we mentioned a little over a week ago, is available via Night People Records. The video is a collage of old VHS and 1990's TV footage created by Fantastic Lands (a.k.a. Elise Tippins, a.k.a. one-half of Featureless Ghost) and works perfectly as a visually hypnotic counterpart to the song, which according to Tippins was originally "born out of live improvisation and is all hardware made." Check out the video below, and then head over to Night People's website, and snag yourself a copy of the album! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeFyc1Tc9jc