Month: November 2015

Art Angels by Grimes

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Grimes - Art Angels

You open your eyes. You’re floating upwards through the air, while all around you time is frozen. You pass through pillowy clouds and emerge into the light of a full moon and endless stars. You ascend further, somehow protected from the natural elements, until your home planet below appears minuscule. You slowly lose momentum and come to a halt. All is quiet. The stars surrounding you begin to shine brighter, and project melodies from other worlds . . .

It’s here. It’s finally here; my most anticipated release of 2015, and it just might be my favorite record of this year that also happens to contain my favorite song of the year. Is that enough gushing for ya’ll? Art Angels is the newest full-length from the illustrious Claire Elise Boucher, under her Grimes moniker. She’s sealed her fate with this one, because from now on her phone will be ringing off the hook with songwriting offers.

This is Boucher’s opus; fourteen perfect songs filled with euphoric melodies and upbeat, dance floor-dominating rhythms, each more irresistible than the last. It’s undoubtably pop music, but it’s a new species of pop entirely conceived by the uniquely creative mind and talents of Boucher. There are a multitude of ear worm hooks spread across this entrancing record, and they’re all accompanied by lush, subtly intricate instrumentation.

The record contains “Flesh without Blood,” 2015’s songwriting peak in my opinion. The composition encompasses Boucher’s unparalleled vision for her sound, and it stands as a firm testament of the talent of female artists and their ability to take control of the pop landscape without aid from male counterparts. It’s the most fun release of the year, and the most authentic. If you’re seeking euphonious, progressive pop, this album is for you.

– stasi (@stasisphere)

Art Angels by Grimes

Elaenia by Floating Points

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Floating Points - Elaenia

You step off the crowded dance floor and stumble out into the club’s back alley, ears ringing profusely. The downpour must have ceased recently. Every surface glistens with a reflective sheen, and the smell of damp asphalt hangs heavy in the air. A man enters one end of the narrow corridor and begins walking towards you. You call out, with no response. He’s close. Your body tenses with fear. He passes directly through you, and continues walking . . .

Jazz is a genre that thrived with innovation throughout the 20th century, and retreated from mainstream appeal near its end to exist on the fringes of music taste. Cue the 21st century and the widespread permeation of electronic instrumentation, which lends itself perfectly to jazz experimentalism, and the genre’s reborn. Elaenia is the newest full-length from Floating Points, helmed by UK producer, DJ, and musician Sam Shepard.

This is one of the most sonically dynamic records I’ve ever encountered. It spans the divide between sparse, whispered ethereality and colossal storms of intricately woven guitar, bass, drums, and keyboard, all dwelling within a dreamy, gorgeously atmospheric world. This is jazz improvisation, electronic composition, and progressive ambience coming together seamlessly to create something entirely new and captivating.

Much of this record is so quiet that one might question whether or not their listening device is defective. There are subtleties that only reveal themselves when one consciously blocks out all else and commits to a focused listening. Sam Shepard is a compelling artist, and his Floating Points project is evidence that electronics breed innovation. If you’re seeking ambient, electronic-influenced jazz, this album is for you.

– stasi (@stasisphere)

Elaenia by Floating Points

Bad Neighbor by MED, Blu, & Madlib

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MED, Blu, & Madlib - Bad Neighbor

You duck under low-hanging objects that droop into the shady alley through which you walk. You’ve been following the faint sound of a beat that thumps through the frigid night, and you’ve finally arrived at a large metal door. You knock upon it, but the beat continues and there is no response. You knock again, much more loudly this time, and the beat stops. The door slides open to reveal a circle of people surrounding one individual, all passing a mic . . .

I can’t be the only one that feels a tinge of hesitance upon seeing a tracklist stuffed with featured artists. What if there’s a weak link? What if the vocal performances don’t mesh with the music? Fortunately, this record laughs at these concerns. Bad Neighbor is the newest collaborative full-length from rappers MED and Blu, and legendary hip-hop producer Madlib. This album is a party, and all of their talented friends are invited.

Madlib can simply do no wrong. These trunk-rattling instrumentals are stacked with the studio warlock’s trademark funk influence, sample-contortions, and woozy rhythms, and each is custom-built to suit the unique flows of MED, Blu, and a plethora of choice guests, including Anderson .Paak, Aloe Blacc, Dâm-Funk, MF Doom, Mayer Hawthorne, and more. It’s the conceptual, recorded equivalent of the most epic cipher session ever.

There’s a vital message tucked within this seemingly casual listening experience, and it’s just that; there’s nothing wrong with “casual,” because some of the most brilliant sparks of genius are ignited in low-pressure environments. Madlib plays the role of chemist, and his ability to catalyze disparate elements to form artful coherence is masterful. If you’re seeking loose-flowing, intricately produced hip-hop, this album is for you.

– stasi (@stasisphere)

Bad Neighbor by MED, Blu, & Madlib

Clean by The Japanese House

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The Japanese House - Clean

You’re driving towards the ocean. The windows are down, allowing the warm breeze to swirl around in the car. You reach the beach just as the sun splashes into the water, leaving behind a sky of glowing embers. You park and take your hands off of the steering wheel, but the vehicle continues onto the sand. A sound of shifting metal, and the car splashes into the ocean. As you journey deeper, you look out the windows and see bright lights everywhere . . .

A full-length runtime isn’t necessarily required in order to convey a significant creative statement. In fact, it can be accomplished within a quarter of that amount, as this artist has shown. Short, sweet, and anything but simple, Clean is the newest release from UK artist Amber Bain, AKA The Japanese House. Bain has steadily built a hefty following on SoundCloud with a stream of singles, but this record offers a complete artistic vision.

A delightfully unpredictable element of malleability permeates through these aqueous compositions, as if the song structures themselves were breathing with vibrant life. Foggy swirls of synthesizers, guitars, samplers, and vocoders weave together over polyrhythm grooves, creating watery worlds that expand and contract with organic beauty. Bain adorns the instrumentation with glistening, cascading vocal harmonies.

Every inch of sonic space is teeming with refreshing, compelling ideas that are as inventive as they are euphonious, and everything is blanketed in an atmosphere of warm comfort. Bain has set the bar high with this one, and the release of a full-length by The Japanese House now resides near the top of my Most Anticipated list. If you’re seeking aqueous cascades of soulfully melodic songwriting, this album is for you.

– stasi (@stasisphere)

Clean by The Japanese House

Making Time by Jamie Woon

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Jamie Woon - Making Time

You lean on the balcony’s railing, looking out into the vast universe. The DJ’s music thumps through the doors behind you, filling the time between acts. It’s Velvet Night at the most happening satellite orbiting Hyperion, meaning that the smoothest artists have journeyed from across the galaxy to display their individual brands of aural seduction. The music dims and applause grows. You turn around and walk through the doors. The lights go down . . .

The smoothest of the smooth. That’s exactly what this record is, and it’s also a firm contender for my favorite album of the year, so far. Making Time is the newest full-length from British singer, songwriter, and producer Jamie Woon. This artist has remained somewhat quiet since the release of the also-excellent Mirrorwriting in 2011, but I’m happy to report that the extended hiatus has only refined Woon’s soulful songwriting.

The brand of downtempo soul on display here brings to mind the minimal, IDM-influenced compositions of James Blake, but Woon replaces Blake’s abstract electronic experimentalism with smooth-as-silk grooves and vocal ad libbing. The sound design is warm, the instrumentation is tastefully intricate, the hooks are undeniable, and Woon possesses one of the most charismatic voices in music. It’s a glorious concoction.

Each song is a masterstroke, but the closing one-two-punch of “Skin” and “Dedication” is almost overwhelming. The former starts from nothing, and utilizes lurching, evolving vocal harmonies to set the elegant stage for the latter to envelop the listener in angelic synths, strings, and a chorus/refrain combo that’s sublime. I can’t recommend this one highly enough. If you’re seeking smooth-as-silk soul, this album is for you.

– stasi (@stasisphere)

Making Time by Jamie Woon

The Names by Baio

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Baio - The Names

You walk through the creaky doors of a grand library. It’s dim, the floor is damp, and every surface is caked with a thick layer of dust. You steadily pace along the sunken tile, each of your footsteps splashing and reverberating through the vast room. When you reach the center, the chamber is engulfed in light. Books begin removing themselves from their shelves and float towards you. Their pages project images on every wall. You watch, and listen . . .

Time has shown that embarking on a solo outing can be risky. It can also result in an enormous payoff, as is the result in the case of this record. The Names is the newest full-length by Chris Baio, producer, multi-instrumentalist, singer, former DJ, and bassist of Vampire Weekend. He retains his band’s clever, literary songwriting in his compositions, but apart from the lyrics this is Baio’s own unique creation from the top down.

The album is titled after a Don DeLillo novel, and that tells you pretty much all you need to know about its dense lyrical content. Baio is a mastermind with electronics, and he lets his DJ influence seep into the core of each song, so each possesses optimum dance floor-dominating potential. The house/synth pop hybrid on display is in a similar vein as Hot Chip, while the emotive vocals are a stellar tribute to David Bowie and Bryan Ferry.

These nine tracks, clocking in at a quick 38 minutes, are effortlessly consumable and contain components that any kind of music fan can enjoy. Put it on at a party, crank the volume, and watch your surroundings gain momentum; or dedicate a focused listening and unlock all of the treasures stuffed within its tightly bound folds. Good things do come in small packages. If you’re seeking house-tinged synth pop, this album is for you.

– stasi (@stasisphere)

The Names by Baio

Teens Of Style by Car Seat Headrest

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Car Seat Headrest - Teens Of Style

You’re walking along the ocean shore at dusk, when you see a roaring fire down on the beach. It burns alone, so you stumble down to extinguish it. You bend down to grab fistfuls of sand, but when you stand up the fire is surrounded by a boisterous crowd of people. They entice you to join their celebration, and you do. You dance and sing with them until the early morning, when everyone suddenly falls quiet. The light hits their faces, and they’re gone . . .

One individual’s dissonance is another’s consonance. Certain frequencies and tones that are abrasive in the hands of one artist may blend to form beauty in the palette of another. Teens Of Style is the newest full-length from Car Seat Headrest, a Seattle-based solo-project-turned-band conceived and helmed by Will Toledo. This record is a wonderful example of weaving together oddball sound design and superb songwriting.

Toledo is a bedroom-producer at heart, and that DIY-tinged charm permeates through these songs in the form of jagged transitions and lo-fi-sounding instrumentation, both of which only add to the appeal of this captivating album. This is without a doubt rock music, but it possesses distinct elements of pop with its ear-worm melodies, and the spirit of folk rings true in its euphonious vocal harmonies and potent lyrical content.

Although technically a compilation consisting of tracks stretching back to 2011, the re-recording and revamping of its compositions renders it an entirely new, surprisingly cohesive listening experience. The best news is that this stellar record exists as a precursor to Teens Of Denial, a full-length of original material that Toledo is releasing in early 2016. If you’re seeking melodically superb, lo-fi-tinged rock, this album is for you.

– stasi (@stasisphere)

Teens Of Style by Car Seat Headrest

Cory Arcane by Kangding Ray

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Kangding Ray - Cory Arcane

You walk on a narrow path submerged in water up to your ankles. The water on both sides of the subaqueous bridge is seemingly bottomless and black as a moonless night. Liquid drips from the cavern ceiling above you, piercing the silence with emphatic PLOPS! Did that most recent one carried a heavy roar with it? As you quicken your pace along the path, the surface of the water begins to vibrate with thundering bass. You start to run, deep into the cavern . . .

Concept albums come in all shapes and species; some contain narratives that are immediately apparent, and others unfold with a bit more ambiguity, opting to show the listener through instrumental embodiments of vivid experiences and thoughts rather than simply tell through clear-cut lyrics. Cory Arcane is the newest full-length from French-born, Berlin-based producer David Letellier under his Kangding Ray moniker.

The tracks are woven around a fictional character and her existence on the outskirts of several giant metropolises. She contemplates the collapse of life and also embraces its chaos, while consumed in the mixtures of sounds from her headphones and sounds emanating from the cities, resulting in a record filled with nocturnally lush, rhythmically intricate techno that’s as grooving and mechanistic as it is contemplative and organic.

Confession: I was ignorant and complete unaware of the record’s underlying plot during my initial listening, and the lack of context did nothing to hinder the pristine experience of diving into this uniquely entrancing dimension. Filling in the spaces with the conceived imagery only serves as an extra component to heighten the already-captivating journey. If you’re seeking shadowy, progressive techno, this album is for you.

– stasi (@stasisphere)

Cory Arcane by Kangding Ray

Headaches by Rabitrup

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Rabitrup - Headaches

You walk through enormous doors into a grand chamber, dimly lit by floating fluorescent orbs. You see a silhouetted figure at the opposite end of the hall. The orbs explode with light, and the figure is shown to be a man wearing a jester’s outfit. The man laughs loudly, and walks slowly towards you. He stops and presses a button with his foot, and you fall into an opening in the floor under you. It’s dark, and you hear roaring machinery around you . . .

Inspiration can be found pretty much anywhere, especially if you possess a collagist mentality and don’t mind getting your hands dirty, or rather filthy in the case of this artist. Headaches is the newest release from Seattle-based producer Danny Tatom, under his Rabitrup guise. Tatom crafts musical onslaughts of dense electronic instrumentation and rapid sampling that consume the listener with captivating intensity.

After an acoustic intro of comedic self-degradation, the music takes off with relentless ferocity. This is a good thing, because every inch of these compositions is covered with compellingly intricate rhythms and seamless, blindingly fast transitions. There are distinct elements of breakcore, dubstep, grindcore, metal, and noise, and Tatom weaves all of them together in concoctions of colossal production and choice samples of chaos.

“Punishing” is a word I might use for description if I had yet to develop a fondness for discordant music, but this record is vastly different from the unyielding cacophony created by other artists in a similarly “noisy” vein. Each of these songs is enthralling, but the animalistic lurch of “Heaven’s Gate” may embody the producer’s artful brutality best of all. If you’re seeking ferocious, intricately composed electronics, this album is for you.

– stasi (@stasisphere)

Headaches by Rabitrup

Chinese Nü Yr by Iglooghost

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Iglooghost - Chinese Nü Yr

You’re falling fast through the air. All around you is blue sky, and the towering buildings below appear minuscule. After falling for a while, you look down and see something odd; a large circle with a pink, liquid-like surface has appeared directly under you. You flail to avoid hitting it, but it’s no use. You close your eyes and splash right through it. You’re floating now, and you open your eyes to see a perplexing world filled with bright colors and amorphous beings . . .

In the artist’s words, this is a “story about a gelatinous worm-shaped creature… he/she is sad because his/her existence consists of being blasted through endless wormholes into different worlds that don’t make any sense — full of floating fruit and pink mist.” You know that you’re intrigued. Chinese Nü Yr is the newest release from Iglooghost, the young, largely unidentified new producer backed by Flying Lotus’ Brainfeeder label.

These tracks spare not a second of the record’s brisk 16-minute duration, and proceed with fierce momentum that’s both chaotically sporadic and meticulously composed. There’s a plethora of influences on display in varying capacities — 2-step, breakcore, drum & bass, footwork, grime — all textured with gloss, and adorned with bubblegum-sweet synth melodies and otherworldly pitch-shifted vocals at breakneck speeds.

There’s something to be said about an artist that can pack a full-length’s worth of ideas into just four songs, execute those ideas with the grace of a seasoned professional, and do it as a semi-anonymous 18-year-old on a debut release. This record is irrefutable evidence that we can expect many more wonderful things from this fresh producer. If you’re seeking glossy, experimental electronics, this album is for you.

– stasi (@stasisphere)

Chinese Nü Yr by Iglooghost