Highlights From The L.A. Monomeet

Posted on January 6, 2012 by Cody

I’ve always wanted a monome, but well, they’re damn expensive. A wonderful alternative is to watch smart people be terribly clever with using one. Daedelus, the preeminent king of the Monome linked to this great highlight reel from December’s Interface LA hosted meetup for users of this magical box. The standout for me was Anenon’s warping live sax into some beautifully bizarre textures. Bonus points to Merbert Moover’s name being an awesome reference to MTV’s The State.

I don’t often miss LA, but when I do, it’s mostly because of the amazing, glitchy corners of their music scene. Not being able to be around stuff like this and Low End Theory regularly claws at my heart.

Best of 2011: Wildlife – Strike Hard, Young Diamond

Posted on January 3, 2012 by Cody

Technically, Strike Hard, Young Diamond came out in November of 2010, but it occupied much of my listening during early 2011. When this site was more active and I got more random e-blasts from bands, I did my best to sample a bit of each I received. Wildlife was a find through some successful PR assault; offering up a few song sampler via their bandcamp. At a quick glance, I was content enough in the fact that lead singer Dean Povinsky’s voice has a similar tone to Sunset Rubdown’s Spencer Krug. There’s also similarities to Apologies To Queen Mary-era Wolf Parade, something dear to my heart. For those reasons, I gave the full album my attention and found that it’s gleeful, exuberant stuff that admittedly strays at times into flourishes of melodrama, but I love it still. Sometimes a band like this can ride so much on the energy that bristles through their music, carrying the listener along on the cacauphious rush.

Check out the live version of “Stand In the Water” below, though the standout track of Strike Hard, Young Diamond is “Brand New Weapon” which you can listen to here.

WILDLIFE – Live at Steam Whistle – Stand In The Water from Mitch Fillion (southernsouls.ca) on Vimeo.

Best of 2011: Tim Hecker – Ravedeath 1972

Posted on December 21, 2011 by Cody

Every so often the blog world gloms onto something minimal and I’m pretty content with 2011′s idolatry of Hecker’s fantastic Ravedeath 1972. I personally have a long and sorted history with drone and minimalsim, spending much of my late teens immersed in it, though little in recent years has caught me. I got pretty excited for Blanck Mass, but didn’t find much to cling to upon digging in. Ravedeath, 1972 initially skirted my love as well, until I had the chance to take it in live. Experimental music is a sincere challenge in a live context, minimalism posting an even grater challenge than the harder stuff. Asheville’s Moogfest provided me with a chance see him perform, slotted before Amon Tobin’s immersive Isiam. Hecker’s visual presence was the stark opposite with Hecker barely visible enshrouded by gear and monitors on the massive civic center stage. Musically, the sounds of Ravedeath 1972 came to life, revealing layer after layer of lush undulation. Variation is key to the sustained enjoyment of experimental music and the strata of Hecker’s music bristled with energy in the live context. Ravedeath, 1972 stands as one of the best of the year; an opulent mass of resonance that is worth the time to explore.

Best of 2011: Araabmuzik – Electronic Dream

Posted on December 20, 2011 by Cody

For a rising hip-hop producer to position himself as Araabmuzik has done with his debut Electronic Dream, is a very questionable move. Taking the hard edge sound he’s cultivated in the tracks produced for Cam’ron & Busta Rhymes and melding it with a bizarre fetish for rare trance gems looks on paper like a a disturbing mess, but somehow Araabmuzik manages to make it coalesce. The hybrid concoction of razor sharp beats and cooing 90′s trance hooks makes for something wholly unique and strong enough to sustain repeated listens. The odd sandwich of sound will probably draw ire from fans of his previous production and struggle to find a good public venue to be played loudly, but the strength of his identity pours through each track. Should all else fail, he’s still doing killer live sets that draw from even odder source materials: muddling the same crisp beats with chopped samples of even more out of character metal riffs from the likes of Cannibal Corpse and occasionally slipping into pure abstract noise. Either way, his skills on the MPC are unrivaled and whatever he chooses to do next will be worth listening to.

Kathryn Calder – Who Are You?

Posted on December 6, 2011 by Cody

New Pornographer Kathryn Calder has a new single and video for “Who Are You?” that I struggle to find issue with.

Her album Bright and Vivid was released Oct. 25th, 2011 on File Under: Music,

And Thus, Was The Internet: All of Slayer’s ‘Reign In Blood’ Simultaneously

Posted on November 28, 2011 by Cody

Please file this under “Things you didn’t know you needed till they were presented in all their glory on your doorstep by the internet”:

If youtube is to be used as a judge, this is a minor trend. Searching A WHOLE ALBUM AT THE SAME TIME yeilds a variety of weird metal and non-metal results.

Here’s a few choice selections:

Cannibal Corpse

SunO)))

Dragonforce

Miley Cirus