Pigeons: Live at Black Dirt.

07 Oct 2011 — Henning Lahmann

Our favorite chamber pop duo (now four-piece) Pigeons are gonna release their forthcoming album They Sweetheartstammers via Soft Abuse next month on November 8. Before embarking on a brief tour over here in Europe (tonight they'll be playing at Newcastle's Tusk Festival, and in Brussels at Micro Marche on October 12), the group performed a couple of tracks at Upstate New York's Black Dirt Studios. The set contains four songs, three of which are gonna appear on They Sweetheartstammers. Take a listen below. Pigeons - Live at Black Dirt by Soft Abuse Read more → Our favorite chamber pop duo (now four-piece) Pigeons are gonna release their forthcoming album They Sweetheartstammers via Soft Abuse next month on November 8. Before embarking on a brief tour over here in Europe (tonight they'll be playing at Newcastle's Tusk Festival, and in Brussels at Micro Marche on October 12), the group performed a couple of tracks at Upstate New York's Black Dirt Studios. The set contains four songs, three of which are gonna appear on They Sweetheartstammers. Take a listen below. Pigeons - Live at Black Dirt by Soft Abuse

Oh, Oh, Ecstasy: “Ocean City Boardwalk”.

06 Oct 2011 — Henning Lahmann

I do know what you're thinking now. "Hey, somebody has been doing something like this some two years ago!" And sure, you're right. What's more, I've actually found one of the dudes' Last.fm profile and of course among his ten all-time favorite albums are records by Real Estate, Beach Fossils, and Ducktails. But seriously, who cares given a song that is as damn fine as "Ocean City Boardwalk"? This three-, occasionally four-piece from NYC named Oh, Oh, Ecstasy, from what I understand consisting of insanely young members, really has a knack for beautiful, distinctly lo-fi pop songs that coincidentally make us think of New Jersey. The band has just released the debut EP Vista Cruiser, and it's up for free on bandcamp. After all, who said you had to reinvent the wheel all the time? Thanks to my dearest bordelaise friend Mathilde for the heads-up. Oh, Oh, Ecstasy - Ocean City Boardwalk Read more → I do know what you're thinking now. "Hey, somebody has been doing something like this some two years ago!" And sure, you're right. What's more, I've actually found one of the dudes' Last.fm profile and of course among his ten all-time favorite albums are records by Real Estate, Beach Fossils, and Ducktails. But seriously, who cares given a song that is as damn fine as "Ocean City Boardwalk"? This three-, occasionally four-piece from NYC named Oh, Oh, Ecstasy, from what I understand consisting of insanely young members, really has a knack for beautiful, distinctly lo-fi pop songs that coincidentally make us think of New Jersey. The band has just released the debut EP Vista Cruiser, and it's up for free on bandcamp. After all, who said you had to reinvent the wheel all the time? Thanks to my dearest bordelaise friend Mathilde for the heads-up. Oh, Oh, Ecstasy - Ocean City Boardwalk

Wanda Group: “Stomach Interrupter”.

06 Oct 2011 — Henning Lahmann

Not sure on which release by Dem Hunger's new project Wanda Group this cut is gonna be (if any at all, but the artwork above would make up a great cassette cover), but in any case "Stomach Interrupter" got me with its new age-y, swirling and crackling synth pad, occasionally interspersed layers of synthesized strings and a simple, steady and slow, like really slow beat. Instant contemplation. Wanda Group - Stomach Interrupter Read more → Not sure on which release by Dem Hunger's new project Wanda Group this cut is gonna be (if any at all, but the artwork above would make up a great cassette cover), but in any case "Stomach Interrupter" got me with its new age-y, swirling and crackling synth pad, occasionally interspersed layers of synthesized strings and a simple, steady and slow, like really slow beat. Instant contemplation. Wanda Group - Stomach Interrupter

Skies Falling Through: a Solar Bears mix.

06 Oct 2011 — Tonje Thilesen

Our friends in the electronic duo Solar Bears made us a little mix taken straight out from a little space odyssey, complete with everything from the 'lesser-known' Mono/Poly to the German legends of Tangerine Dream. Listen to the whole thing below. 1. Dorian Concept - Her Tears Taste Like Tears 2. Mono/Poly - Needs Deodorant 3. Aphex Twin - Logan Rock Witch 4. DJ Shadow - Building Steam With A Grain Of Salt 5. Moderat - A New Error 6. Tangerine Dream - 3 A.M. At The Border Of The Marsh From Okefenokee Read more → Our friends in the electronic duo Solar Bears made us a little mix taken straight out from a little space odyssey, complete with everything from the 'lesser-known' Mono/Poly to the German legends of Tangerine Dream. Listen to the whole thing below. 1. Dorian Concept - Her Tears Taste Like Tears 2. Mono/Poly - Needs Deodorant 3. Aphex Twin - Logan Rock Witch 4. DJ Shadow - Building Steam With A Grain Of Salt 5. Moderat - A New Error 6. Tangerine Dream - 3 A.M. At The Border Of The Marsh From Okefenokee

M. Women: “Tense Hands Talk”.

05 Oct 2011 — Henning Lahmann

Superb vibes coming directly from the beauties of the Rainy City, and indeed everything here is deeply entrenched in the Pacific Northwest's rich rock music tradition. M. Women is an incredible three-piece emerging out of Seattle's still thriving underground scene, definitely one of the most interesting shameless shredders of late. I'm particularly stoked on "Tense Hands Talk", the opening track of M. Women's debut LP Faithful, a relentless wall of noise that's hiding an immensely catchy pop song, something that will stay with you all day long. Pretty early 90s-dripping yet in no way retro, simply a fresh, perfect banger. Highly recommended. Faithful is out October 15 on Seattle's Couple Skate Records. Pre-order now over here. M. Women - Tense Hands Talk Read more → Superb vibes coming directly from the beauties of the Rainy City, and indeed everything here is deeply entrenched in the Pacific Northwest's rich rock music tradition. M. Women is an incredible three-piece emerging out of Seattle's still thriving underground scene, definitely one of the most interesting shameless shredders of late. I'm particularly stoked on "Tense Hands Talk", the opening track of M. Women's debut LP Faithful, a relentless wall of noise that's hiding an immensely catchy pop song, something that will stay with you all day long. Pretty early 90s-dripping yet in no way retro, simply a fresh, perfect banger. Highly recommended. Faithful is out October 15 on Seattle's Couple Skate Records. Pre-order now over here. M. Women - Tense Hands Talk

Exclusive: Sweat Lodge Guru’s October releases.

05 Oct 2011 — Henning Lahmann

Mitch Putnam of our much adored Sioux City, Iowa-based label Sweat Lodge Guru hit us up with a whole bunch of exciting news, no less than three incredible tapes coming up from the imprint's ever-expanding roster today. First, it's finally time for As Loud As The Sun, the long-anticipated debut cassette by Colorado outfit Moon Tides, a wonderfully twee-infused excursion into summery guitar pop, with the group's distinctive male/female vocalization and beautiful melodies all along. Take an exclusive listen to the dreamy "No Time" below, once again splendidly visualized by Moduli TV's Frank Ouellette. Moon Tides - No Time St. Petersburg, Russia's enigmatic Nocow has been haunting the blogosphere for a good while now and we're more than happy that someone has finally stepped up to put out his dark and eerie electronics on a physical medium. As regards Ruins' standout "Moonlight Flit", as pointed out by more or less everyone else, some Burial comparisons are indeed appropriate considering the vocal manipulations and the slow-burning, drawn-out beat, and the fact that we're not at all annoyed by the obvious resemblance speaks in Nocow's favor, we'd say. And because that guy seems to be on fire at the moment, Frank Ouellette has contributed a pitch-perfect, aptly anguishing video collage for this one, too. Nocow - Moonlight Flit Back in February, San Diego's Range Rover surprised us all with the wonderfully lush psych-pop anthem "There's Nothing For Me Here", one of this year's best tracks. However, the psychedelic thing seems to be worn-out already, as their self-titled four-track cassette for SLG takes a heavy turn towards, well, something between ambient and minimal techno. Quite odd and definitely unexpected, the tunes are nonetheless an intriguing listen, though it may take a few spins to sink in eventually. Range Rover - All Is Bliss All cassettes can now be ordered via Sweat Lodge Guru's website. Read more → Mitch Putnam of our much adored Sioux City, Iowa-based label Sweat Lodge Guru hit us up with a whole bunch of exciting news, no less than three incredible tapes coming up from the imprint's ever-expanding roster today. First, it's finally time for As Loud As The Sun, the long-anticipated debut cassette by Colorado outfit Moon Tides, a wonderfully twee-infused excursion into summery guitar pop, with the group's distinctive male/female vocalization and beautiful melodies all along. Take an exclusive listen to the dreamy "No Time" below, once again splendidly visualized by Moduli TV's Frank Ouellette. Moon Tides - No Time St. Petersburg, Russia's enigmatic Nocow has been haunting the blogosphere for a good while now and we're more than happy that someone has finally stepped up to put out his dark and eerie electronics on a physical medium. As regards Ruins' standout "Moonlight Flit", as pointed out by more or less everyone else, some Burial comparisons are indeed appropriate considering the vocal manipulations and the slow-burning, drawn-out beat, and the fact that we're not at all annoyed by the obvious resemblance speaks in Nocow's favor, we'd say. And because that guy seems to be on fire at the moment, Frank Ouellette has contributed a pitch-perfect, aptly anguishing video collage for this one, too. Nocow - Moonlight Flit Back in February, San Diego's Range Rover surprised us all with the wonderfully lush psych-pop anthem "There's Nothing For Me Here", one of this year's best tracks. However, the psychedelic thing seems to be worn-out already, as their self-titled four-track cassette for SLG takes a heavy turn towards, well, something between ambient and minimal techno. Quite odd and definitely unexpected, the tunes are nonetheless an intriguing listen, though it may take a few spins to sink in eventually. Range Rover - All Is Bliss All cassettes can now be ordered via Sweat Lodge Guru's website.

Compilation: Visage Musique Vol. 1.

04 Oct 2011 — Henning Lahmann

Ever since listening to the first seconds of Bernardino Femminielli's amazing tape Carte Blanche Aux Désirs we were guessing that Canada's second city must have a thriving minimal wave scene. Turns out we were correct: Montréal's own boutique imprint Visage Musique just released their initial roundup compilation Volume 1, a compelling introduction into the city's hidden places of cold wave, italo disco, and related strands of early 80s-informed synth music. The ten-track collection features new songs by Femminielli and the recently loved Brusque Twins alongside other exclusive contributions by the excellent Gold Zebra, Police Des Moeurs, and Tony Cops. All very promising stuff indeed. Listen to two standout tracks below, "Hotel Suite" and "What Else Is There to Say?", but make sure you treat yourself with the splendid whole that's up for free over here. Femminielli - Hotel Suite Brusque Twins - What Else Is There to Say? Read more → Ever since listening to the first seconds of Bernardino Femminielli's amazing tape Carte Blanche Aux Désirs we were guessing that Canada's second city must have a thriving minimal wave scene. Turns out we were correct: Montréal's own boutique imprint Visage Musique just released their initial roundup compilation Volume 1, a compelling introduction into the city's hidden places of cold wave, italo disco, and related strands of early 80s-informed synth music. The ten-track collection features new songs by Femminielli and the recently loved Brusque Twins alongside other exclusive contributions by the excellent Gold Zebra, Police Des Moeurs, and Tony Cops. All very promising stuff indeed. Listen to two standout tracks below, "Hotel Suite" and "What Else Is There to Say?", but make sure you treat yourself with the splendid whole that's up for free over here. Femminielli - Hotel Suite Brusque Twins - What Else Is There to Say?