Twine – Girl Song
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rl7tJ6qAcSU?rel=0]
I actually wanted to put a different Twine track but couldn’t find it on Youtube. They released one album on Ghostly, as far as I know. A lot of their stuff has the ambience of Gas or the Sight Below, but with a much more over-processed texture. Lots of distorted drum machines and that. That sounds terrible written down but it works really well on their tracks. They have a very delicate approach to it all.
A Made Up Sound – Shortcuts 03
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZ11_oqulKk?rel=0]
This album is bizarre. A bunch of oddly metered beats and not much else. It’s got a really playful and effortless feel to it, even though it’s very minimal. I don’t like this guy’s later stuff as much, be it A Made Up Sound or 2562, but this album, yeah, it’s good craic.
Cloudland Canyon – Holy Canyon (Vanquish)
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdWjZPGjLpg?rel=0]
Holy crap this track is unreal. Like, just listen to it. Mental. Another weird psych album, as far as I remember this is one of the few tracks with a beat on it. These lads love their bird noises and all that, but know their way around a melody when they get into one. Their album with Lichens is also a great listen.
Byetone – Grand Style
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svZHWEd0pQQ?rel=0]
Jim recommended me this album and told me to listen to it as I walked around the city at night. That may sound like twaddle but when I did it, I really “got” this album. It’s really deep and pristinely produced, like much of the Raster Noton stuff, but it also has this almost house-ey funkiness.
Paavorharju – Uskallan
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCyGFhi-VNE?rel=0]
What is this stuff? Aren’t they Amish or Mennonites or something? I don’t know, the album is a load of field recordings and guitar loops, with some creepy folk singing over it. Some of the pieces stray into absurd euro-pop territory, but there are also times like this one that sound like 10 ancient homemade tapes being played at the same time. Or something like that. I’m crap at analogies.
Ben Frost – I Lay My Ear to Furious Latin
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=og_jw5FcAHA?rel=0]
I’ve been a big fan of Frosty since I heard Theory of Machines, god knows when. This track is from an earlier album, Steel Wound. It’s a lot more sedate than his recent work, mainly just layers and layers of guitars. Some points are really beautiful, in pretty sharp contrast to the more intense shit he’s putting out these days.
