Another post from the bowels of my unattended queue: Things what which didn’t merit their own post for my end of year round up, but are great none the less.
Deaf Center – Owl Splinters
Toro Y Moi – Underneath The Pine
Crystal Antlers – Two Way Mirror
Barn Owl – Lost In The Glare
Holy Other – With U
Fucked Up – David Comes To Life
Despite the unfortunate title, Diaper Island is an amazing, heady mix of reverbed mood woven with a voice that at times seems barely strong enough to sustain the weight of the sometimes sad words sung. I had somehow missed the boat on finding him through any of his previous three releases, but I’m more than happy with what I’ve found. The album is a tender mix of beautifully paranoid and touching songwriting, all articulated with a delicacy that few can match.
Though off of 2008′s Soft Airplane, the tremendous ‘Rabid Bits of Time’ was featured on the soundtrack of the 2011 film Norman and sums up all that is beautiful and fragile about VanGaalen’s songwriting:
I can count on one hand, the number of times that I listened to Isam this year but it still deserves a place on this year-end tally. The album is a solid listen, best with a nice pair of headphones to appreciate the intricacies of the production, but the best way to experience the album is in a far less intimate context: live. The limited tour cycle for Isam landed it showing at 2011′s Moogfest and the fact that this was part of the lineup was my primary reason for attending the festival. Despite being stuck in the middle of cluster of teenage drug vacuums chattering through most of the set, Isam was still one of the best live music experiences I’ve ever seen. The mix of incredible texture mapping, lush CG and body enveloping bass was nearly perfect, winding a very loose sci-fi narrative through the wordless breaks. Isam doesn’t rely purely on psychedelic overload; instead moves the music through massive space ships, broken wastelands and syncopated geometric concoctions that…I hate this phrase, but it’s true…must be seen to be believed.
If Amon Tobin ever decides to take this display on the road again, definitely go out of your way to see it.
A snippet of the show:
A look at the planning and design of Isam:
The halting stumble of Bowser’s beats combined with the cryptic chip melodies makes for a complicated but rewarding listen. Born out of LA’s Low End Theory scene, the album encompasses the best of the electronic weird and serves as a great example of the genre recently tagged as ‘futurebeats.’ The highlight of the album is the track ‘Andrew’ which mashes slivers of broken voice synthesis with a crisp headnodding beat. Perfect soundtrack to the endless boss battle that is daily life.
Though Galactic Melt suffers from touches of sameness, when it connects…everything bleeds together beautifully. It comes off like the Blade Runner soundtrack siphoned through a stack of records by Gary Numan and Flying Lotus. Crystal clear snares shuttle around on beds of dystopian synth stabs, presenting something that feels both sterile and warm at the same time. His sound is unique, you don’t often mistake a Com Truise track for the work of anyone else.
At first listen, I couldn’t find anything compelling about Active Child. I had breezed by “Hanging On”, which was offered up free as part of Adult Swim’s 2011 Singles Program, but no part of it clicked. At this year’s spectacular Moogfest, Active Child had the first slot of the final day, proceeding M83. In an effort to grab a nice spot for the second act and having maxed out the number of times I could eat at one of the best indian restaurants in existence, I swung by venue before their set. Half interested, I sat in front of the sound board for Active Child’s performance and live, the weird majesty of Pat Grossi’s voice blooms. His harp playing is certainly interesting, but the soaring banking of his falsetto is amazing. Additionally, the decision to have a live drummer playing a trigger kit added a much needed layer of complexity to the stage presence. There’s just something beneficial to having a guy assuming the role of a ‘drummer’ in the band context rather than someone punching buttons on hard to see box. (To be fair, I’m a big fan of MPC wizards like Jel and Araabmuzk, though that works best as a solo venture)
Anyhoo, after returning home, I gave the album another shot and the ghostly melodies from the show had worked their way into my brain. The album clicked and I found it was all I felt like listening to. The charm of their sound lies in the hazy atmospherics that arise when you blend Grossi’s bizarrely enchanting voice with the minimal electronic percussion and plucked harp. There are moments when I could definitely fault the lyrical content for a few moments of mopey melodrama, but it falls to the wayside when blended into the mix. Ultimately, the biggest draw of You Are All I See is one of the most interesting releases of the year and well worth the cost of admission live.
You can grab the CFCF remix of “High Priestess” from the label’s soundcloud:
And, seriously, if you find yourself in Asheville, NC for Moogfest or otherwise, please do go eat a meal at Chai Pani. It’s probably some of the best indian food in the country.