Best In Indie, Post-Rock, Electronic & Misc.
Yes, I do realize that it is April. Whatever.
Enjoy.
1.)
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - "Dig Lazarus Dig"
Despite the fact that
Dig Lazarus Dig was a 2008 release, I acquired the record very late in 2007, and even included it among my favorite albums of 2007 in one of my prior journals. However, my appreciation of the album was not complete. Over the course of a year the record has grew on me immensely. Moreover, after witnessing an unforgettable live performance where many of the songs were brilliantly performed by Nick and the Bad Seeds (in PDX on Nick’s birthday) I cannot think of a record that is more deserving of my number one slot here in this journal.
Dig Lazarus Dig is an superb combination of rockers, ballads, and experiments while also being among the most challenging listens in Cave’s entire discography. The release is beyond rewarding not only musically but lyrically with standout tracks being “Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!,” “Night of the Lotus Eaters,” “Hold On To Yourself,” and “Midnight Man.” Excellent album.
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds Info:
Homepage:
http://www.nickcaveandthebadseeds.com
MySpace:
http://www.myspace.com/nickcaveandthebadseeds
2.)
Peter Broderick - "Home" & "Float"
Brilliant.
Peter Broderick deserves to have two records atop my list. It’s virtually unheard of these days for artists and bands to release more than one record a year, let alone two releases that match the quality and depth of Broderick’s
Home and
Float. Each release is quite different from the other, with
Float being one of the most emotive and beautiful modern classical albums I have heard in recent years.
Float, primarily comprised of Broderick’s poignant delivery on the piano and complimented with layers of subtle and despondent string sections effectively conveys a myriad of airy and melancholic sensibilities that are entirely beautiful and mellow. Perhaps what I enjoy most about
Float is that it captures a forlorn and beautiful elegance that is mysteriously entrancing but never presumptuous or pretentious in its delivery.
Personally, I enjoy Broderick’s
Home more than anything I have ever heard from
Iron & Wine,
Bon Iver,
Jose Gonzales or any other similar artists for that matter. While the utterly captivating
Float would have been enough to consider 2008 a great year for Broderick, he followed it by releasing
Home - a mesmerizing, serene and creative folk experience on par with the greatest that
Nick Drake and
Jeff Buckley had to offer and like no other release I heard in 2008. With
Float and
Home, Broderick, at the young age of twenty-one is poised to become one of the most important songwriters of his generation.
Peter Broderick Info
MySpace:
www.myspace.com/peterbroderick
3.)
Déclassé - "Silos"
With this outstanding sophomore release, the Finnish Déclassé have built upon the rich and dark electronic beats of their debut
Remain Still to fashion a stylish and out of the ordinary record that is criminally underrated.
Silos is a shadowy and even mysterious record that conveys a sense of mechanic urbanism while still providing a foundation of rhythmic and stomping electronica that is entirely addicting. Tracks like the
New Order-esque “Default Values,” the up tempo “She’s A Raver,” as well as “Broken Strings,” and “A Man Of Instant Boredom” were among the finest songs I heard in all of 2008. If people come to their senses, Déclassé is a band that we will be hearing a lot more about in the future. I can’t wait for their third record since I have basically spun their first two into the ground. Finland’s Finest!
Déclassé Info:
Homepage:
www.declassetheband.com
MySpace:
http://www.myspace.com/declassetheband
4.)
Subheim – “Approach”
Great debut!
Subheim is Kostas K., an electronic music composer and a visual artist, originating from Greece and entering the international music scene.
Approach is one of the most captivating and significant ambient/IDM/downtempo releases I have heard in quite sometime. Kostas was able to create a truly remarkable soundscape comprised of delicate vocals, unanticipated string sections, and a plethora of multifaceted rhythm compositions using both the tribal and natural sounds of real drums and the electronic glitches of reverb and bass. The ambiance throughout is genuinely personal, intimate, and if listened to closely transports the listener to an entirely different world.
Approach is an evocative, memorable and moody release and is relaxing, rewarding, and impressive for a debut album.
Subheim Info:
Homepage:
http://www.subheim.com
MySpace:
www.myspace.com/subheimmusic
5.)
God Is an Astronaut - "God Is An Astronaut"
God Is An Astronaut is the single best post-rock band in existence. Yes, I said it. In my mind, with their self-titled fourth release they have undoubtedly proved this yet again. Every single mesmerizing and crescendo-soaring track is of the utmost quality and is head and shoulders above most of their post-rock peers. What is arguably most astounding about this brilliant Irish band is that they are able to maintain such a level of excellence and continue to release relevant, inventive, and absolutely captivating post-rock with each successive album. This is undoubtedly a superb record that should be in your collection now.
God Is An Astronaut Info:
MySpace:
www.myspace.com/godisanastronaut
6.)
Lights Out Asia - "Eyes Like Brontide"
In 2007, I thought that Lights Out Asia’s brilliant sophomore release
Tanks and Recognizers was underrated and unappreciated. Things haven’t changed that much with their third exceptional album
Eyes Like Brontide. Like God Is An Astronaut, LOA are able to fluently convey a mellow and yet ornate sense of solitude and beauty that few artists can contest.
Eyes Like Brontide is a richly interwoven release of crystalline and succinct beats imbedded in airy layers of guitars, reverb, and epic string/synth sections. Chris Schafer’s soaring and emotive vocals compliment the musicianship on breathtaking tracks like “Raders Over The Ghosts Of Chernobyl,” the moving “If I Die, I Wish You A Horrible Death,” the dreamy trip-hop of “Psiu! Puxa!” With
Eyes Like Brontide the band have arguably achieved their most monumental and epic moment with the track “Six Points Of Fire.” While I admittedly enjoyed
Tanks and Recognizers a bit more, this is an outstanding and beautiful release by one of my favorite post-rock bands.
Lights Out Asia Info:
Homepage:
www.lightsoutasia.com
MySpace:
www.myspace.com/lightsoutasia
7.)
Matt Elliott – “Howling Songs”
If you are not already familiar with Matt Elliott then I would highly recommend the rest of his discography, in particular
The Mess We Made, and the exemplary duo of
Drinking Songs and
Failing Songs. Elliott happens to be one of the most unique and interesting songwriters I have heard in recent years, and his forebodingly experimental folk is something that I ritualistically enjoy with each new album. There is a certain Balkan-esque despondency, perhaps even a self-deprecation and personal anguish on each of his records. Yet, with
Howling Songs Elliott pushes his maelstrom of folk and the coalescing of electric guitar, strings and acoustics even further. When listening, his music provides a distressing and cerebral portrait of antique urbanism in early twentieth-century slums and the stories they have to tell. I am never bored listening to a Matt Elliott record, and his newest offering is no exception. However, this record probably isn’t for everyone.
Howling Songs emanates an unambiguous and unsettling energy that must be heard to truly appreciate and understand what Elliott is attempting to achieve with his latest masterwork. Excellent release.
Matt Elliott Info
Homepage:
http://www.thirdeyefoundation.com
MySpace:
www.myspace.com/mattelliotandthethirdeye
8.)
The Foxglove Hunt - "Stop Heartbeat"
Great debut!
This is an exceedingly enjoyable listen. The Foxglove Hunt’s
Stop Heartbeat is brimming over with influences from the 80’s New Wave movement, electronic and synth-pop outfits, namely the
Pet Shop Boys,
New Order, early
Depeche Mode and
Joy Division. Yet, while the band wears its influences on its sleeve, they also succeed at creating imaginative and catchy danceable tracks that would sound at home on
The Breakfast Club soundtrack. Standouts on the album include “A Concealed Weapon,” “The Pure In Heart,” a great cover of “Love My Way,” and my personal fave “The Life Highrise.” Fun stuff.
The Foxglove Hunt Info:
MySpace:
www.myspace.com/thefoxglovehunt
MySpace:
www.myspace.com/lightsoutasia
9.)
Bohren & der Club of Gore - "Dolores"
Bohren & der Club of Gore is one of the most out of the ordinary and unusual bands writing music today. There is a stunning and harrowing cinematic beauty in their ambient, dark-jazz and avant-garde approach that is quite simply like nothing else I listen to on a regular basis. While each of their records present a creepy and elegant ensemble, one that is reminiscent of works by
Angelo Badalamenti and that makes it feel as if you’ve stepped into a David Lynch film,
Dolores is undeniably the bands most sophisticated recording to date. The album is littered with an ominous but almost sexual film noir-esque saxaphone complimenting a vibraharp, strings, and the cavernous and lonely ambiance they achieved on prior releases like
Gore Motel and
Black Earth. Minimalistically bleak, hauntingly desolate, and very nearly apocalyptic, Bohren & der Club of Gore are at the top of their game. Fascinating record.
Bohren & der Club of Gore Info:
Homepage:
www.bohrenundderclubofgore.de
MySpace:
www.myspace.com/derclubofgore
(no more reviews…)
10.)
Nachtmahr - "Feuer Frei!"
Killer release!
Feuer Frei! is one of the finest records I’ve heard in this genre in quite sometime.
Feuer Frei! is the second album from Nachtmahr, which is the brainchild of Thomas Rainer. Thomas is previously known for his work with L’ame Immortelle and Siechtum. He takes the hard hitting energy, programming experience, and vocal style from his other projects and directs it into his very own Nachtmahr. Following the success of Kunst Ist Krieg, Nachtmahr’s debut release, this proper full length for his solo project has definitely hit the ground running.
Two tracks were carried over from Nachtmahr’s debut release onto this full length album. One of those tracks happens to be the title track and the other one, “Deus Ex Machina”, is very much a stand out track on the album. This project is a very well executed combination of Rhythmic Noise and Modern EBM with an emphasis on energy and danceability. “Nachtmahr”, “Feuer Frei!”, “Opferzeit”, and “Deus Ex Machina” all have very infectious vocal hooks in the chorus and are the stand out tracks featuring vocals on the album. The vocals are of the distorted variety, much in the vein of Thomas’ vocal work with L’ame Immortelle. Of the “instrumental” tracks “Karusell” really grabs me with the driving and pulsing bassline that’s coupled with a somewhat airy synth line. Another stand out “instrumental” track is “Endzeitstimmung”, the bassbeat in this track could fit just as easily into a high-energy dance track by Underworld. “Endzeitstimmung” is also reminiscent of work by THIS MORN’ OMINA or S.I.N.A.
Feuer Frei! is an album that can find a home on the dancefloor, in your car, on your iPod, and anywhere else there’s need for a driving beat. Definitely pick up this album if you get the chance, it’s well worth many spins.
Review:
http://poweredbynoise.com
Nachtmahr Info:
MySpace:
www.myspace.com/nachtmahrprojekt
11.)
Ladytron - "Velocifero"
Fantastic album. With each successive release Ladytron seems to refine and improve their sound. Loved it.
Forget predictions of war torn landscapes, space suits and hovering personal transportation. For Liverpool's Ladytron, the future is now. On “Velocifero,” the band’s fourth full-length studio album, rough but solid beats pound and Mira Aroyo’s edgy monotone vocal delivery while warring with the soft side, Helen Marnie’s sweet voice offers a cool contrast. With the help of notable producers like Vicarious Bliss and Alessandro Cortini (Nine Inch Nails), Ladytron show that futuristic does not have to imagine 50 years down the road in some desolate world.
Ladytron offer unexpected treats with “Black Cat” and “Kletva,” where Aroyo delivers Bulgarian lyrics in a steady but mesmerizing robotic monotone over swirling synthesizer melodies. The band shows off a harder sound, especially on "Black Cat," that dares you to cross Aroyo. Marnie, meanwhile, takes control with her smooth and sweet vocals, flying over the pounding beats of “Predict The Day” and the heavily thumping bass on tracks like “Runaway” and “Ghosts” while still giving it a light, sugary coating. The duo’s vocals join on “They Gave You A Heart, They Gave You A Name,” with Aroyo backing Marnie up.
Since their inception in 2001, Ladytron have quickly garnered attention and praise from critics and fans alike, due in large part to their relentless touring worldwide. Ladytron confidently show off why they are so hotly tipped on “Velocifero” as they manage to deliver solid songs that still sound unique and original. On “Velocifero,” Ladytron layer lush electronics and instrumentation that jumps out at you with its depth and tone.
Review:
http://www.pluginmusic.com
Ladytron Info:
Homepage:
http://ladytron.nettwerk.com
MySpace:
www.myspace.com/ladytron
12.)
M83 - "Saturdays = Youth"
Yet another homage to the 1980’s, M83’s newest album was without a doubt my favorite in their entire discography. Excellent!
The artwork for M83's excellent fifth album, Saturdays=Youth, features photos of sun-dappled teenagers trying on a half-dozen varieties of rebellious Caucasian beauty. The girl in the picture paired with the lyrics for lead single and album standout "Graveyard Girl" is a dead ringer for Molly Ringwald circa Pretty in Pink. The photo provides support to M83 auteur Anthony Gonzalez's description of the song as a tribute to John Hughes movies—support that comes across as slightly gauche, since the song is perfectly capable of speaking for itself. An ode to the precocious self-involvement of that sweetly storied stereotype, the goth chick, it's awash with post-punky electric guitars and a curiously not irritating children's choir cooing "yeah yeah yeah" at the edge of the mix. It's the kind of work strong enough to be bolstered by a breakdown featuring a female voiceover that concludes, "I'm 15 years old and I feel it's already too late to live. Don't you?" And it's certainly the most typically, successfully pop moment this difficult, often transcendent act has ever produced.
This record's focus on adolescence is somewhat ironic, because as an artistic statement it's M83's most mature yet. The band's previous albums often eschewed lyrical coherence and formalist pop structures in favor of dense compositions that layered synthesizer tracks ad infinitum. These usually progressed to orgasmic instrumental crescendos, and the effect was often beautiful yet wearying, the aural equivalent of a majestic vista's necessary uphill climb. Saturdays=Youth doesn't take as much work to appreciate. Although many songs still build toward walls of synth that flirt with white noise, the trademark crescendos are both leavened and deepened by being recast as textural objects and woven into lyrical pop songs. "Kim & Jessie," a sweet evocation of the innocence of kids who "have a secret world," restrains its third-act maelstrom particularly effectively. And when the intimately ethereal ballad "Too Late" pulls back from a swell of glittering synthesizers in favor of gentle acoustic piano, it's like hearing lightning bottled. In the context of a fully coherent song cycle, even more traditional long-form exercises in keyboard freakout like the polyrhythmic set piece "Couleurs" evince surprising depth.
Co-producers Ken Thomas and Ewan Pearson (who've respectively chaired efforts by touchstones the Cocteau Twins and Tracey Thorn) lend the proceedings a certain 1980s air, especially by emphasizing the tense low end beneath all the skyscraping melody. And though analog synthesizer remains definitional of the M83's sound, they open the arrangements to include more naturalistic instrumentation as well. The approach allows this band named for a galaxy to seem more grounded, and yet more universal, than ever before.
Review:
www.slantmagazine.com
M83 Info:
MySpace:
www.myspace.com/m83
13.)
Digitonal - "Save Your Light For Darker Days"
I stumbled upon this record by accident, and I am exceedingly thankful that I did. Digitonal have created a stunningly beautiful record that I kept returning to over and over again. I cannot wait until their next release.
London electronica outfit Digitonal, comprised of London-based producer and instrumentalist Andy Dobson, Egyptian session violinist Samy Bishai and new member, producer Josh Doherty, release their second full length record, 'Save Your Light For the Darker Days', on Just Music Records.
Album opener ‘Ana Kata’ is like something from a movie soundtrack; it particularly reminds me, in parts at least, of Clint Mansell’s track ‘’Lux Aeterna’ from the 'Requiem For A Dream' original soundtrack – and that’s no bad thing, let me tell you! It doesn’t quite reach the dramatic heights of that particular piece of music (which is not a criticism – ambience is the watchword, here), but it’s pretty stirring, nonetheless, and a gripping introduction to the album as a whole.‘Save Your Light for Darker Days’ will appeal to fans of electronica (obviously) but also to those who enjoy the dramatic soundscapes of the likes of Sigur Ros and Mogwai. In fact, the only reason I can think that you wouldn’t like this album is if you have an inescapable need for vocals, because you won’t find none here, friend.
‘Silver Poetry’ is a particular favourite track for me; it builds and builds from tentative strings and percussion into a soaring, blissful high, before slowly breaking back down to silence, piece by piece. I like a track that takes you on a journey, and this one takes you somewhere really nice, like Chessington, or the zoo. I really, really like this album, I think because it reminds me of Tortoise’s 2001 masterpiece, 'Standards', which is one of my favourite records. The other tracks I would point to as the best are ‘Nothing Left to Say’, of which the above comparison is most accurate, and ‘A Lighter Touch’, which has a really great, celebratory feel about it.
Coming into the last third of the year, there’s nothing better to compliment the autumn period than a bit of ambient electro, and on that basis may I heartily recommend Digitonal’s 'Save Your Light for Darker Days' as the soundtrack to your September.
Review:
www.pennyblackmusic.co.uk
Digitonal Info:
Homepage:
www.digitonal.com
MySpace:
www.myspace.com/digitonal
14.)
Mar – “The Sound”
While I enjoyed Mar’s debut
The Silence, I did not think that they would follow it with such a splendid and creative release. Mar is a super-group of immensely talented musicians, and I am certain that they have only scratched the surface of their potential. I love
The Sound.
Recorded in a cabin outside of Eureka Springs, Arkansas, the new album by Mar is much more upbeat than their debut and features Bright Eyes’ violinist Anton Patzner and celleist Zoe Keating of Imogen Heap (and, earlier, Rasputina). In contrast, their debut was recorded in Iceland and featured Jimmy Lavalle of The Album Leaf and Black Heart Processional and also Samuli Kosminen of MUM.
I’ve always heard that Iceland has one of the highest rates of depression among residents and maybe the results of this new album by Mar proves that recording in the States instead has made it a lot less somber than their previous release. Either way, the string arrangements on this album are beautiful, no matter how it happened. In fact, the haunting fragility of these songs adds to their beauty and Mar is able to carry off the songs’ delicate power like pros, although the vocals don’t impress me as much as I would have hoped. Nonetheless, you will be hearing a lot about this band. Be prepared to fall under their spell.
Review:
http://rockandrollreport.com
Mar Info:
Homepage:
http://www.ringroadrecords.com/
MySpace:
http://www.myspace.com/silenticeland
15.)
Mono in VCF – “Mono In VCF”
Great debut!
Mono In VCF’s debut was one of the most rewarding listens of 2008. I have heard very few records that were able to capture such a cunning genre coalescing and retro-ambiance with such clever and ingenious tact as Mono In VCF have done. Highly original, the band melds
Grace Slick and
Nancy Sinatra with a distinctive New Wave elegance. This band has an extremely bright future.
On its debut self-titled album, Tacoma, Washington’s Mono In VCF creates a mammoth wall of sound that Tom Scanlon of the Seattle Times describes as “drifting leisurely in space somewhere between psychedelic Beatles and Massive Attack.” The sound is a haunting and orchestral brand of pop derived from various influences traced back to the decade of recording experimentation: The psychedelic 60s.
Songwriting duties belong to guitarist/organist Hunter Lea. Lea taps bassist Jordan Luckman for his own music and bass lines multiple times on the debut album. The two have been creating art together for the past five years and discovered singer Kim Miller in 2006. In reviews, Miller’s voice has been likened to Dusty Springfield, Madonna and Nancy Sinatra.
With roughly half the album tracking done at the VCF home studio in Tacoma, the band went into Jupiter Studios Seattle in May 2007 with British producer Martin Feveyear signed on to produce with Lea. In the past, Feveyear has worked with R.E.M., Queens of the Stone Age and Mark Lanegan among others. In the mixing stage, the two utilized discreet panning proven successful by George Martin and the Beatles but rarely used on modern albums. This gives the record an elaborate space and helps to make Mono In VCF one of the most defined debuts in recent history; an anomaly for the modern pop music landscape. Lea and Luckman recruited their idol, Canadian pop legend Terry Jacks (“Seasons in the Sun”, The Poppy Family) to contribute backing vocals on two songs on the debut record.
Influenced by film, composer scores, cinematography and Rod Serling almost as much as old Delfonics and Lee Hazlewood vinyls, the band creates a sound and mystique that pays homage while turning the classic sound and vision into something brand new and entirely refreshing. With roots deep in 60s psychedelia and soul, Mono In VCF sets forth with a debut album full of heavy and ethereal moods. These are pop scores made for the dark.
Review:
http://cdbaby.com
Mono In VCF Info:
MySpace:
www.myspace.com/monoinvcf
Honorable Mention:
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Alaska In Winter - "Holiday"
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Piano Magic - "Dark Horses" EP
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Russian Circles - "Station"
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Talkdemonic - "Eyes At Half Mast"
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Fleet Foxes - "Fleet Foxes"
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Blitzen Trapper - "Furr"
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Calexico - "Carried to Dust"
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Black Keys - "Attack and Release"
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Veil Veil Vanish - "Into A New Mausoleum" EP
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Tzolk'in - "Haab'"
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The Notwist - "The Devil, You + Me"
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The Helio Sequence - "Keep Your Eyes Ahead"
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Klimt 1918 - "Just In Case Well Never Meet Again"
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The Dresden Dolls - "No, Virginia"
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Mirror - "Mirror"
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Gentle Touch - "In Memory of Savannah"
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Maps - "The Wick And The Fire"
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Detektivbyrån - "Wermland"
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Steven Wilson - "Insurgentes"
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Blackfilm - "Blackfilm"
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Shearwater - "Rook"
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Viarosa - "Send For The Sea"
Detektivbyrån
