Album “Reviews”

Hauntologists by Hauntologists

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Hauntologists - Hauntologists

Welcome to The Haunt! This centennial party is held to commemorate the galaxy’s lost spirits and provide a night for them to peak out from their slumber, and boogie if they so choose. An elegant residence is chosen years in advance, and prepped in true haunted house fashion; sticky spider webs, gangly skeletons, and other various grotesque oddities adorn the walls and rafters. Who knows with who, or what you might find yourself dancing tonight . . .

Eerie grooves ahead! Hauntologists is the newest full-length by Berlinese producers Jay Ahern and Stefan Schneider. These ingenious artists take something as inherently fun and sanguine as house, and calibrate all the components so they’re all on bizarre settings. Instead of being superfluously glossy and upbeat, these tracks creep in the dark corners. These songs are uncanny, but they’ll get you up and movin’.

That last part is important; the propulsive beats and subterranean bass lines were devised to get people on their feet. There’s a clearly meticulous level of detail put into the manufacturing of each tasty loop, and these guys are aces at dressing each loop with subtleties that enhance and magnify their best qualities. I wouldn’t be surprised (but rather delighted) to hear this in a humid, smoky club deep into the night.

It’s the enigmatic degree of mixing and those subtleties I mentioned that grant this record its originality. The sounds submerge the listener in darkness and oddity, surrounding the foundational rhythms with ghostly bleeps and sunken terrestrial synths that mystify. It’s abnormal, but it’s also lively, catchy, and remarkably enjoyable. If you’re seeking refreshing house music from the darker fringes, this album is for you.

– stasi (@stasisphere)

Hauntologists by Hauntologists

Sonic Praise by Ecstatic Vision

Justin Anastasio, Leave a comment

Ecstatic Vision - Sonic Praise

A sudden movement to the right jolts you awake, and you quickly upright yourself. You’re sitting in the back of a convertible traveling dangerously fast. Two hooded individuals occupy the front seats, their clothes torn. Something keeps you from inspecting their faces. One of them spares your curiosity and faces you, but only a dark void and two luminous yellow eyes exist where a face should be. It turns back around and cranks the volume on the radio . . .

I’ve been aching for some significant rock ‘n’ roll. Sonic Praise is the newest full-length from Philadelphia shredders Ecstatic Vision. Straight up, this roaring monster of a record exists to get you high; on life, substance (specifically of the green variety, by which this particular group and album are heavily influenced), and the sweet, psychedelic sounds of a band successfully channeling the ferocious spirits of Hawkwind and Black Sabbath.

This album is a colossal mountain of wailing guitars, booming organ, and throat-shredding vocals reminiscent of a more-awake Sleep (puns!); and the best part is that it’s catchy. More than a few guitar riffs on these songs rival Tony Iommi’s best, and I would never state that lightly. Maybe the best example of this is during the three part epic of “Astral Plane,” which is so jam packed with golden melodies that it’s mind-boggling.

Although being merely one of the best psychedelic rock records released in recent memory would be enough, these visionaries don’t stop there. These songs contain strains of subtle experimentation; squawking saxophone, glowing synths, and an expansive collection of percussive odds and ends augment everything. It’s captivating, and it’s wild. If you’re seeking immense psychedelic rock, this album is for you.

– stasi (@stasisphere)

Sonic Praise by Ecstatic Vision

Presentism by Conforce

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Conforce - Presentism

A metal monolith of a door glides from the floor into the ceiling, and you step through the opening left in its absence. It’s dark, with a dim, solitary spotlight illuminating the words “GRAVEYARD OF TECHNOLOGY” on the wall opposite you. Containers adorned with plaques surround you completely. This is a mausoleum of steel, and you’ve heard that the tenants speak their stories to visitors. You walk to the middle of the room, close your eyes, and listen.

Surrender to the robots! Presentism is the newest full-length from Conforce, a producer that crafts and releases music at such an astonishing pace that he’ll probably have something new out by the time I finish writing this. The highly adept sound designer specializes in constructing aural landscapes that envelop the listener and invoke subtle, gradually evolving imagery over extensive periods of time. It’s truly entrancing stuff.

This captivating record is a deep dive into the shadier fringes of ambient techno, with pulsing, subterranean beats carrying the tapestries of twinkling, rhythmic synths. Some songs are more active than others, but each one illustrates a growing world with living (albeit still robotic) inhabitants. Melodies peak out from under veils and quickly plunge back into the shroud. The best descriptors are “lush,” “melancholic,” and “cinematic.”

Presentism is the concept that only events and entities that occur in the present exist, and this record successfully embodies that doctrine. These songs don’t force any specific emotion, but rather meander beautifully and leave space for the listener to examine every sonic detail, both major and miniscule. Not only does it sound great, but it also cleanses the mind. If you’re seeking subtly-expansive techno, this album is for you.

– stasi (@stasisphere)

Presentism by Conforce

EarthEE by THEESatisfaction

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THEESatisfaction - EarthEE

You enter the Gloom Room, one of the most beloved and trendy music venues this side of the Andromeda galaxy. A heavy fog pumps through the chamber and clouds all the feet in the space. Mechanical arms protrude from the walls, still and grasping instruments of all sizes, shapes, and origins. It’s unusually dark, with only a few twinkling lights on the ceiling like tiny holes in black paper. Two women take the stage, and the arms come to life . . .

What could be better than grooving in space? EarthEE is the newest full-length from Seattle vocal duo THEESatisfaction, made up of rapper Stasia “Stas” Irons and singer Catherine “Cat” Harris-White. Take all the best elements of r&b (sweet-like-molasses rhythms and melodies), hip-hop (deep, potent lyrics and trunk-rattling beats), and soul (soaring vocal performances), and stuff ’em in a rocket. Welcome to this record.

Potentially the most alluring aspect of this album is its stream-of-consciousness element. These songs were made by two highly seasoned artists; so experienced, in fact, that they don’t even need to conceptualize things like lyrics or melody prior to hitting the record button. These strange-but-satisfying progressions and off-the-cuff vocals give the release an alien vibe that still manages to maintain pleasant familiarity.

These are more akin to compact rituals rather than traditional songs. The foundational beats are always introduced early on, taking hold of the listener’s pulse. Cat and Stas then proceed to braid their voices together in cascades of melody that breathe innovation and brilliance. It’s more than a great record; it’s a smart record, too. If you’re seeking intelligently-conceptualized soul music, this album is for you.

– stasi (@stasisphere)

EarthEE by THEESatisfaction

Primrose Green by Ryley Walker

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Ryley Walker - Primrose Green

An entwining world of greenery surrounds you. Lush growth envelopes all that you can see, but it twists and contorts to mirror your body’s shape as you traverse the overgrown realm. In the distance you spot a glassy surface catch a glimmer of light, and you quicken your pace. Your flourishing guides writhe one last time to reveal a pristine lake and a boat anchored at the shore. You step onto the boat and push off into the center of the lake, and you listen . . .

Let’s journey back to the unbridled 70s. Primrose Green is the newest full-length from singer-songwriter/guitar virtuoso Ryley Walker and his compilation of accomplished studio musicians. This brilliant artist isn’t shy about channeling an enigma of influences, from Pentangle to late 60s/early 70s era Van Morrison, but it’s the unification of multiple prodigious instrumentalists around Walker that puts this record in a category all its own.

Within a cramped instrumental guitar scene, Walker’s style and spirit stand as potentially the most organic. His compositions are sophisticated and tangled, but they never come across as overly cluttered. Dozens of exquisite melodies peak out for only a few moments in each song, bearing new sonic fruits with each subsequent listen. This is the kind of group that can jam for hours and produce something stunning in each minute.

The level of versatility is maybe the most astounding thing about this record. Walker and his superbly talented band (including collaborator Daniel Bachman and a selection of Chicago jazz masterminds) slither through pastoral acoustic daydreams and frayed electric blues with equal degrees of success. Musicians and enthusiasts alike will be dazzled. If you’re seeking profound, 70s-tinged guitar music, this album is for you.

– stasi (@stasisphere)

Primrose Green by Ryley Walker

The Republic by Sam Prekop

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Sam Prekop - The Republic

A sky of indigo above you, a city of crystal below you. You are suspended, body incapacitated, high above a translucent labyrinth of eery corridors, humble dwellings, and lofty towers. You slowly descend, floating to the ground below, and as your big toes connect with the polished surface, a bright, circular ripple expels from your body and extends in all directions like the Big Bang. A utopia or dystopia, but you aren’t sure which. A tone grows in volume . . .

Zone out. The Republic is the newest full-length from producer/multi-instrumentalist Sam Prekop, who creates wonderful sounds with his band The Sea And The Cake, as well. The name of this record’s game is modular synthesis, and it’s a game that this artist plays incredibly well. If the words ‘ambient,’ ‘drone,’ or ‘retrofuturism’ intrigue you in any capacity, I urge you to stick around and discover what this enthralling album contains.

Prekop aims to explore the emotional capabilities of a synthesized tone, and how subtle minimalism can amplify the organic elements in electronic music. In a way these songs could be described as timeless, because even though they clearly exemplify signature aspects of futurism, they also sound like they could be a collection of highlights from the technologically-primitive 70s or 80s. It’s ethereal, reflective, and ingenious.

Fans of Nils Frahm, Oneohtrix Point Never, and Tim Hecker will have a first class seat on the adoration train for this pensive composer. The difference between him and them though, is that his music never forces the listener to feel any one specific thing; the consumer is presented with a multitude of sonic landscapes on which to paint their own thoughts. If you’re seeking minimal, meditative electronic music, this album is for you.

– stasi (@stasisphere)

The Republic by Sam Prekop

Portraits by Maribou State

Justin Anastasio, Leave a comment

Maribou State - Portraits

You lean back against spongy foam in the far corner of a large, muffled room. It’s vacant, but individuals of all shapes, sizes, and species begin filing in. They form a circle and face inward. They close their eyes simultaneously, and a few moments pass that you’d believe were hours had someone revealed it to you. Suddenly, instruments of all kinds, from many different worlds, materialize in their hands. Now it’s your turn to close your eyes, and listen . . .

Here it is, ladies and gentlemen; my new, definitive, favorite album of the year, so far! Portraits is the debut (!!!) full-length from Hertfordshire duo Maribou State. It’s a challenging feat to accurately encompass and pinpoint exactly what makes this record so wonderful, because these artists do so very many things so very right. These are two meticulously detailed individuals that utilize just about every tool at their disposal.

There’s no doubt that these guys kept the dance floor in mind during the creation of this smorgasbord of groove-filled songs. No matter how bizarre these productions get (and most are wonderfully, engrossingly bizarre), they always retain a tight sense of rhythm, and at least a couple prized melodies that are so catchy you’ll be humming them in your sleep. It’s eclectically funk, hip-hop, soul, and folk, all at the same damn time!

I could go on and on about the extraordinary sonic backdrops that these two blokes have created, but I feel compelled to dedicate some text to the marvelous performances by the featured vocalists. Pedestrian contributes sultry, heart-wrenching gold, Jono McCleery gives Sam Smith a run for his money, and Holly Walker steals the spotlight entirely. If you’re seeking eclectic, artfully-composed grooves, this album is for you.

– stasi (@stasisphere)

Portraits by Maribou State

Imagine The Future by ASC

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ASC - Imagine The Future

Heaving, pulsing, throbbing machinery surrounds you. Your eyes are clenched, for they could not witness anything even if the lids were open. You sit upon a throne of gears and metal, and your limbs are strapped down by forceful, unseen mechanisms. Something below you churns to life with a mechanical roar, and you feel yourself roaming and shifting through the robotic world. There is no light, and you are the lone organic being. All you can do is listen . . .

The robots have taken over! Imagine The Future is the newest full-length from producer/warlock ASC. The artful sound designer is primarily known for his mesmerically-enveloping ambient creations that transport the listener to new worlds, filled with alien tones and rhythms. This record is a deep dive into the dark atmospheres adored by this creator, but what’s astounding is the lofty quality of songwriting.

The skeletal components of these tracks evoke hard-hitting techno, subtly-evolving IDM, dubby drum & bass, and a wide assortment of other electronic genres, but the blood and life of the songs are what truly set this record apart from other releases within this shadowy vein of music. The melodic progressions creep up on you, and when they break open it feels as if some grand, ancient secret has been revealed to your ears.

Don’t be disheartened about the extensive track lengths, because they are integral to what ASC has set out to accomplish. Opener “Sunspots” is a primer for the record at twelve minutes, and every second is crucial for the song’s evolution. This is a record that one must enter and surrender to in order to absorb all of the strange, glorious beauty contained. If you’re seeking experimental, awe-inspiring music, this album is for you.

– stasi (@stasisphere)

Imagine The Future by ASC

If I Was by The Staves

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The Staves - If I Was

Sprawling greenery surrounds you as you tread through massive, unfamiliar woods. You spot a wild hare as it bounds across the forest floor and comes to a sudden halt just a few paces away. You take a couple steps towards it before realizing something: the hare is quickly decaying where it stands. You’re paralyzed, save for your eyes that rapidly glance around. The leaves are dying. The snow is falling. The snow is melting. The flowers are blooming . . .

Another solid contender for album of the year! If I Was is the newest full-length from sister trio The Staves, made up of Emily, Jessica, and Camilla Stavely. For those of you that eagerly await a new Bon Iver release, it may delight you to know that this record was produced entirely by cinematic folk mastermind Justin Vernon. His influence permeates through it all, but it’s the celestial Stavely harmonies that shine brightest.

Let’s discuss the instrumentation first. Fans of the diverse, theatrical production of Bon Iver’s self-titled record will be elated upon hearing this exquisite mixed-bag of songs. Opener “Blood I Bled” grows from a sparse folk introspection into a loud battle march, “No Me, No You, No More” is a heart-wrenching, harmonic monument in acapella, and “Black & White” goes full-fuzz blues rock; and that’s only scratching the surface.

Now, the vocals. The Stavely sisters are masters of crafting angelic, interweaving harmonies that trigger goosebumps on such a frequent basis that it’s shocking. Their potent lyrics will break even the hardest shells down with emotional agony, but the heavenly notes that carry those words lift the songs skyward. This is a true musical gem. If you’re seeking diverse, cinematic music with radiant harmonies, this album is for you.

– stasi (@stasisphere)

If I Was by The Staves

So Many Colours by José Padilla

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José Padilla - So Many Colours

You sit upon a narrow vessel bobbing in a damp, vast darkness. How long has light been absent from your vision? You aren’t sure of this, but you see something up ahead. You shield your eyes as you emerge from the seemingly-eternal river tunnel. The gondolier at the rear of your boat is shrouded in a black cloak and silently navigates the still waters. A city forged in gold surrounds you, and the echoes of the sun reflect off of everything, and it’s beautiful . . .

Kick up your feet and grab a cold one. So Many Colours is the new full-length from aural pioneer José Padilla, referred to as the “godfather of chill-out.” The lauded producer is known for his renowned Café Del Mar sets, and for constructing the stencils that eventually formed Balearic music. For this glowing album, Padilla worked with Barrott, Jan Schulte, Telephones, and Tornado Wallace to craft a true dance music gem.

The collaborative aspects of this album shine brightly in the form of some epic improvisational moments, but the record as a whole is surprisingly and pleasantly cohesive. These songs have beginnings and endings, and the journeys in the middle captivate with some melodically superb progressions. These tracks not only paint colorful, vivid worlds to envision, but also weave living narratives to inhabit the worlds.

This quintet of formidable influences produce a spread of tantalizing genres, including high-strung funk (“Afrikosa”), luscious disco (“Lollipop”), and even some dubby house (“Day One”). The warm, silken production is a sight to behold, but it’s the live, terrestrial instrumentation (namely Padilla’s Spanish-influenced guitar) that holds the most luster. If you’re seeking chilled-out, tropical dance music, this album is for you.

– stasi (@stasisphere)

So Many Colours by José Padilla