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
I’ve had this fucking post sitting in the queue since before new years and I just lost interest in the futile act of writing, so it sat. Though we’re now into shorts weather here in Atlanta, it’s still not too late to celebrate a few of the best songs of last year:
M83 – Midnight City
I do love this song, despite a few major complaints.
1. Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming and much of M83′s catalog in general suffers from a bit of Manic Pixie Dream syndrome. The faux vintage haze of idealism gets under my skin after a while.
2. That fucking sax solo. I think this single is amazing, right until the worst trend of 2011 slaps me in the face…and still it deserves a place on the list.
‘Midnight City’, when it works, showscases the spacey soundtracks to adolescent daydreams they’ve nearly perfected over the years. Despite the melodrama, the highs are dizzyingly high. See also: Kim & Jessie.
Sabrepulse – Close To Me
Probably the best man in Chiptunes, expanding his sound into a more polished realm. Worthy of repeat. Click the graphic above and buy the album. Keep some money in his pocket so that he can continue to evolve his sound. Plus, the download comes with a few great remixes.
Yuck – The Wall
Nostalgia for the 90′s doesn’t really appeal to me, as I suffered through most of the highs and lows of that decade. Despite leaning heavily on the playbook of many early 90′s staples, Yuck manages to create something simultaneously forward looking and seeped in the right notes of the past.
Phantogram – Don’t Move
Eyelid Movies was one of my very favorites of 2010 and this cut off their newest EP holds great promise for what’s to come. Shaking off a touch of the gloom, “Don’t Move” remains moody, yet catchy and just the right tempo for swaying along.
The Joy Formidable – Whirring
This song reminds me, in all the good ways, of the stomp and harmony of Pretty Girls Make Graves, all while offering a meatier, layered guitar sound. Ritzy Bryan’s pummeling coo floats perfectly above the noise, just as Leona Marrs & Andrea Zollo’s voices did in PGMG.
Eric & Magill – You Make It So Good
I don’t usually find this kind of indie-psych-folk at all appealing, but there’s something amazing tucked into this hypnotically mixed song. The spiraling blend of vocals and crisp drums just sinks in perfectly. However, I can’t make heads or tails of the video.
Stream All Those I Know on Eric & Magill’s bandcamp
Taking the mood from their previous video, Scarlet and dosing it in a thick layer of fog and theatrics, director Jeppe Kolstrup has created a swirling mess that is a perfect backing to the song’s tumbling urgency.
May 28th will see the band release their full length debut on Fat Possum Records. The 10 song album was recorded mostly by Mercury-winning producer Rob Ellis (PJ Harvey) and mixed by the Alan Moulder (Smashing Pumpkins, Nine In Nails). Without a doubt, once this record is released…2012 will be the year this band breaks out.
UPDATE: Boo, he took it down. Long story short, it was an mp3 of silence. The soundcloud comments all were adoring each nuance and “sick drop” of the satirical “remix”. This post likes “theoretical quotes”.
Nosaj Thing has produced what I can deem the most conceptual April Fool’s gag. Today saw the release of his remix of John Cage’s legendary 1952 minimal performance piece. This is probably the only moment in time when Sound Cloud’s usually godawful comment system plays perfectly into the joke.
It’s been a while since I’ve seen any good John Cage jokes, since the fake youtube copyright claim gag perpetrated by Married To The Sea author @drewtoothpaste
Get it?
On one level, I love a good John Cage joke, but on at the same time, I wish people would educate themselves to the playful history that Cage brought to the world. It’s easy to dismiss some of his contributions, as they feel old and simple, but put yourself in the context of the time and the magic is easy to see. Long ago, I read John Cage Explained, but it seems now out of print. Text gave a great sense of context to his life and work, so I highly suggest it.
Now I want to read John Cage books. Any recommendations?
Equal parts WTF-ery and electro-majesty.
Though not proper album tracks from the forthcoming, as yet untitled album, but a handlful of new songs have bubbled up. As part of a contest of sorts, the blog We Fear Change has requested users create videos and photos with the winner’s reward being a song composed for you. You can check out all the Golden Ticket Winners here.
My favorite thus far:
As well, Yoni recently put up a single announcement video that’s somewhere between walking freestyle vlog and doing peyote in the 90′s. The biggest fact to take from the psychedelic pastiche is that they’re releasing a new single in about 6 weeks.
Take a look:
If you’re lucky enough to be in NYC or Boise, ID go see them live:
03/16/12 New York, NY Le Poisson Rouge
03/23/12 Boise, ID Treefort Music Fest (Main Stage Outside)
Picture unrelated.