Month: October 2015

Beach Music by Alex G

Justin Anastasio, Leave a comment

Alex G - Beach Music

You sit in your recliner chair, watching TV like any other normal evening. You’ve been staring at the screen for so long that the pixels have begun to blur together, and now they appear to be melting. Is it just your mind, or are the projected images really dripping onto the dirty carpet? The room begins to fill up with the fluorescent liquid. You close your eyes just as it reaches your neck, and when you open them you are sitting on warm sand by an ocean . . .

To posses a unique voice is paramount in the creation of captivating music, but something extraordinary occurs when a talented artist communicates through multiple unique voices. Beach Music is the newest full-length from Alex Giannascoli, a Philadelphian with a penchant for crafting melodious indie rock submerged in worlds distorted by studio experimentalism and narrated by a diverse cast of characters.

Alex G utilizes a substantial amount of pitch-shifting to contort his own singing voice to fit the specific environment and lyrical script of each song, sort of similar to the vocal styles of Ariel Pink or Ween. Contrary to the humorous goals of those two acts though, Alex G succeeds in producing compellingly potent songwriting, with instrumentation that sounds as though it’s torched around the edges and dipped in warm molasses.

Some of the more atonal moments also bring to mind the deceptively sloppy stylings of Pavement, in that what appears to be loose and formless is actually purposefully intricate upon closer inspection. This is a record that sounds alien initially, but dazzling melodies and hooks will be revealed to those with the tenacity to find them in the darkness. If you’re seeking experimental, idiosyncratic indie-rock, this album is for you.

– stasi (@stasisphere)

Beach Music by Alex G

Safe by Visionist

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Visionist - Safe

Splash! You gasp for air and flail your limbs as you descend into the murky depths. you struggle desperately to swim upward, but you are pulled deeper into the darkness by an unseen force. You are thrust to the left, and fall through an opening. You can breathe, and you’re no longer immersed in water. The wall of dark liquid soon passes, and you see that you’re surrounded by a vast cave system inhabited by ghostly beings, and they’re singing . . .

Grime is a genre typically known for emphasizing the “machinery-pummeling-in-cold-abandoned-factories” element of electronic music, but this artist is giving a new voice to the scene and progressing the sound in ways that will captivate newbies and long-time enthusiasts alike. Safe is the newest full-length from London producer Louis Carnell, AKA Visionist, and it might be the most “human”-sounding grime record I’ve ever heard.

A poignant narrative underlies the record: the songs place a microscope on the progression of a panic attack, and are billed as a “personal portrait of anxiety.” Pitch-shifted vocal stabs and samples, both harmonically euphonious and eerily dissonant, weave together to form ghostly compositions as chill-inducing as they are eyebrow-raising. Dwelling underneath are the familiarly mechanistic, piston-like rhythms.

The feeling that I had after my initial listening of this record distinctly reminded me of how I felt after hearing Machinedrum’s Room(s) for the first time; the level of innovation that Travis Stewart infused into the genre of footwork with that release is akin to the caliber of refinement and variance that Carnell brings to the grime table on Safe. If you’re seeking melodically captivating, progressive grime, this album is for you.

– stasi (@stasisphere)

Safe by Visionist

Berkana by Golden Void

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Golden Void - Berkana

You walk along the cragged earth, between streams of flowing lava and burning structures of all sizes. The sky is filled with black smoke and the wind stings your face, but you continue to follow a faintly glowing orb leading you through the chaos. You come to the edge of a cliff, and the orb ascends into the smoldering sky. The thick fog parts, and a platform descends down to you. You step onto it, and you’re off into the air at high speed. You listen . . .

Guitar riffs haven’t sounded this tasty in quite some time. That’s how I choose to begin this “review,” simply because no other thesis statement would suffice. Berkana is the newest full-length from Golden Void, a band of inventive San Franciscan psyche-rockers that know damn well how to immerse listeners in a glowing fog of distorted, fuzzy bliss. This is a record one can get lost in, and who would ever wish to find their way out?

Every song on this album contains a plethora of captivating riffs more tantalizing than the last, due to Isaiah Mitchell (Earthless) reconstructing the instrumental prowess and psychedelic blues exploration of his other band into soaring, euphonious melodies more suited for the dreamy hard rock that this group produces. This is music to move to, but the head-banging energy is infused with dynamic progression and harmonic beauty.

A distinct doom influence pervades this record at its slower points, but I also found my ear recalling The War On Drugs and last year’s flawless Lost In The Dream. Although Golden Void maintain a much heavier, mountain-razing intensity in their sound, there are those same chills-inducing moments when every sonic elements works in gorgeous congruence. If you’re seeking euphonious psychedelic rock, this album is for you.

– stasi (@stasisphere)

Berkana by Golden Void

Foam Island by Darkstar

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Darkstar - Foam Island

The grey sky is drizzling down on the towering buildings below. You exit the city and start walking across a massive bridge, so massive that you can’t see the other side or to where it leads. You walk for a long time before voices begin clouding your mind: “I wish I could have followed that, but I haven’t,” “I don’t think I’d like to leave,” “My friendship group, my family. I do think there’s future here.” The words hang in your mind, and you turn around . . .

An attachment to a cherished place and a willingness to infuse the cultural influences of said place into music can greatly enhance the significance of the sounds created, because it anchors the abstract in something tangible. Foam Island is the newest full-length from Darkstar, made up of Aidan Whalley and James Young. The duo hail from the North of England, which happens to be the locational muse for this stunning record.

Whalley and Young traveled to Huddersfield, and absorbed the perspectives and stories told by the residents. Samples of these local monologues form the skeleton of this album, and bookend the dreamy experimental pop songs with intimately melancholic testimonies. The record plays like a call-and-response between the the voices of the town, and the voices of Darkstar, creating a dynamic, multi-layered environment.

The production is ornate, and the duo utilize a minimalist approach while maintaining an atmosphere of lush beauty. The tracks are a smidgen reminiscent of the icy, entrancing compositions of James Blake, and the ethereally rhythmic instrumentation is in a similar vein as Brian Eno or Radiohead, but Foam Island is a wholly unique work of art. If you’re seeking lush, melancholic electronic pop, this album is for you.

– stasi (@stasisphere)

 

Foam Island by Darkstar

Me by Empress Of

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Empress Of - Me

You walk down a long, narrow hall with mirrors covering both walls. A blinding light shines from the end of the corridor, but you can’t discern its source. A glimpse of something passes quickly through your right peripheral, but you look only to see yourself staring back. Another flash of something, this time on the left and more prominent. You turn, and again you’re met with your double. You turn back to look at the light, and a woman stands in front of you . . .

Long has pop music carried the connotation of catering exclusively to the masses, to the herds just looking for the next piece of radio fodder to mindlessly consume. However, a rare breed of artists are mutating the term with ingenuity and inventive ideas. Me is the newest full-length by Empress Of, helmed by New York-based, Honduran-American singer-songwriter Lorely Rodriguez, and a prime example of this unique musical genus.

Rodriguez isolated herself at a friend’s home in central Mexico while she wrote this record, and the seclusion has led to her penning candid songs of deep introspection and intimacy. The lyrics read like a diary, chronicling vivid moments across a tumultuous relationship, while the polished, diverse instrumentation enhances her soaring vocal melodies with flavors of r&b, house, and a healthy amount of pop experimentation.

This is one of the most accessible releases of this year, and it also happens to be one of the most imaginative. Rodriguez paints her musings in such a masterful way that the intricacies contained melt into blissful, euphonious hooks that anyone can enjoy. It’s a record that’s effortlessly consumable, and reveals new treasures with each subsequent listen. If you’re seeking superbly melodic, innovative pop, this album is for you.

– stasi (@stasisphere)

Me by Empress Of

Age Of Transparency by Autre Ne Veut

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Autre Ne Veut - Age Of Transparency

You sit in a pitch black room. You hear the faint sound of moving feet, but you aren’t sure how many people surround you. Gradually, the scuffling of shoes dissipates into silence, and the darkness feels endless for a long while. Spotlights hit the space a short distance from your seat, and you see that you’re within a circular room. Everyone faces the illuminated center, where a man is curled up on a red carpet in the fetal position. He unfurls and starts to sing.

Transparency is an essential ingredient in music, and the distinct lack of it is a big reason why many over-composed “pop” singles lack the depth to become long-lasting gems. Transparency grants a living element to recorded sound. Age Of Transparency is the newest full-length from singer Arthur Ashin, AKA Autre Ne Veut. With this record, Ashin presents an opus dedicated to pushing past the limits of living life out in the open.

There isn’t any other voice quite like Ashin’s, with his soulful outbursts and cascading ad-lib melodies; one could almost compare it to the improvised feel of free jazz. His singing dances in abstract shapes around the polished instrumental concoctions of r&b-tinged electronics and classical symphonic sampling, courtesy of Joel Ford and Young Ejecta. The exceptional mixture results in some gorgeous moments of frantic pop perfection.

This record is the soundtrack to an individual bearing his soul, unedited and unfiltered, for all to witness. It’s rare to find an artist willing to share this much with an audience, and it’s honestly jarring to experience initially because of the intensely authentic performances. However, once one is familiar with Ashin’s persona, one is hooked and there’s no going back. If you’re seeking soulful, idiosyncratic pop, this album is for you.

– stasi (@stasisphere)

Age Of Transparency by Autre Ne Veut

Blurse by Chevel

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Chevel - Blurse

You walk on a mountain trail aside a thundering river. The birds are chirping and it’s peaceful all around. Suddenly, you smack face first into a solid barrier, but there is nothing but the continuation of the path laid out in front of you. You extend your arm out and rest the tips of your fingers on the transparent surface. The air is sliced with an invisible blade and spreads like two pieces of fabric to reveal an entrance into darkness. You step through and listen . . .

Compelling percussion offers a substantial foundation upon which to build captivating music and, in some especially dark corners of the techno community, it’s the most vital component in a producer’s palette. Blurse is the newest full-length from Chevel, an Italian producer that revels in the granular, detail-oriented elements of rhythm, and the many ways it can serve as a principal ingredient in creative composition.

These beats are ephemeral and mechanical, existing just long enough to implant their oddball grooves into the mind of the listener before dissipating into atmospheric haze, only to slam back into the forefront with twice the intensity. Silence is something that Chevel always maintains a healthy amount of, in order to emphasize and enhance the deep synthetic ambience and sparse song structures cast against the blank canvas.

Blurse is unpredictable and deceptively sterile, but focused listening will reveal teeming worlds of lively, albeit abstract sound. Techno isn’t a genre that easily lends itself to the LP format, what with its lengthy experimental dwellings and meandering progressions, but Chevel grasps the layout and delivers a flawlessly paced record that’s exciting at every turn. If you’re seeking atmospheric, rhythm-focused techno, this album is for you.

– stasi (@stasisphere)

Blurse by Chevel

New Bermuda by Deafheaven

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Deafheaven - New Bermuda

You reach the bottom of a cliff face after a perilous descent. A frozen lake extends out in front of you, with a large glacier jutting out from the opposite shore. You walk cautiously across the brittle ice to reach the glacial monolith. At the base of it is a cavernous opening leading into blackness. A vehement howl thunders through the tunnel and shakes the earth, shattering the frigid water behind you. You escape into the tunnel, and into the roaring darkness . . .

The words “black metal” and “beauty” aren’t usually found anywhere near one another, but this isn’t your typical, everyday black metal act. New Bermuda is the newest full-length from San Francisco-based group Deafheaven, a group known for making waves in the metal community since the release of their previous album, the highly polarizing but equally astounding Sunbather. This new record towers menacingly over their last.

New Bermuda is overwhelming, to say the least. Pummeling blast beat rhythms, earth-scorching guitar solos, and George Clarke’s banshee screams meld into onslaughts of sound that are remarkably mellifluous and, dare I say, catchy. In between the aural stampedes are quieter moments of melodic beauty that contrast stunningly with the mountains of sonic intensity. You won’t find black metal more euphonious than this.

Deafheaven have ruffled feathers because they dare to innovate within a genre that’s anchored in tradition. These guys know black metal, and they know it so well that they are able to infuse the exclusionary genre with seemingly disparate influences to create something new and captivating. Submit to its awe-inspiring power, and its beauty will be revealed. If you’re seeking melodically progressive black metal, this album is for you.

– stasi (@stasisphere)

New Bermuda by Deafheaven

Obsidian by Benjamin Damage

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Benjamin Damage - Obsidian

You stand at the bottom of the ocean. It’s dark, but odd-looking fish with glowing appendages illuminate your vision. Water enters your mouth and your body accepts it as fresh air. You follow the circuitous path of glowing fish until you arrive at a clearing. In the center is a large, shiny black cube floating just a couple feet off the ocean floor. You touch it’s liquidy surface and a ripple spreads from your finger. You put one arm in, then one leg, then your head . . .

Deep down at the bottom of the ocean, there exists a style of techno so enticingly cavernous and ethereal that a listener could find themselves forever lost in it. Obsidian is the newest full-length from Benjamin Damage, a Berlin-based Brit that produces a distinctly warm brand of this kind of subterranean techno. Damage has crafted a collection of pulsing tracks primed for a dance floor at the bottom of the sea.

Industrial techno often comes in the relentless form of pulverizing beats and abrasiveness, but that isn’t the case with Damage. His music feels like a comforting embrace, with glowing synths and mind-bending pads that steadily materialize within the rhythmic haze. The progressive compositions are melodically sensitive, remarkably catchy, and possess an emotionally gripping quality that’s rare to find in the genre.

Damage spends a majority of the record’s duration in the darkness, but he emerges from the gloom with some glistening countermelodies on “Shimmer,” a ceaselessly building thrill ride with “Poly,” and a touching ballad with “Pulse Width.” It’s also flawlessly paced, making it one of the most exciting and inventive releases this year. If you’re seeking progressive subterranean techno, this album is for you.

– stasi (@stasisphere)

Obsidian by Benjamin Damage

Stations by Woolfy vs Projections

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Woolfy vs Projections - Stations

You’re on a speedboat darting around the Balearic islands. It’s a warm late afternoon, and all the boats are heading back to their harbors. As you dock your boat, you hear a muffled beat in the distance. You follow the sound to a dock in another area of the harbor, one currently occupied by a massive yacht. An inescapable feeling compels you to enter the vessel, so you open the pulsing door, stumble into the darkness, and right into a celebration in motion . . .

Balearic house is a genre that’s difficult not to love. The basis of the style is a continual focus on maintaining a “feel good” atmosphere, and this pair use it as a foundation for their compelling songwriting. Stations is the newest full-length by Woolfy vs. Projections, AKA Simon “Woolfy” James and bandmate Dan Hastie. These two are masters of the breezy, tantalizing sound, and successfully infuse it with new, inventive flourishes.

The duo paint pictures of glowing sunsets over warm oceans with aqueous synths, Latin-flavored guitar and percussion, and buoyant, bouncy bass lines. Many songs hang back in the pocket and ride more leisurely tempos, but every so often they let loose with straight-up disco. The final ingredient in the aural cocktail is the tastefully spare-but-effective singing that leaves room for the polished instrumentals to breathe.

This is the kind of record that one can put on at anytime. It’s highly efficient in the background of a bustling beach party, in the forefront of a lengthy road trip, or in the headphones of focused listener. It’s effortlessly enjoyable, melodically captivating, and loads of fun to listen to, all at the same time. It’s music that people from every shore will love. If you’re seeking melodically superb Balearic house, this album is for you.

– stasi (@stasisphere)

Stations by Woolfy vs Projections