YT//ST - Yamantaka//Sonic Titan [psychedlic rock/experimental art]

A beautiful album yes yes. Canadian experimental and performance art collective with an album that sinks deep into the ocean. Anthemic waves of sound and voices turning over and over itself, a smooth and well-formed expression of subtle things and just-out-of-sight things; a packaged pulse that opens up like a flower, but then seals itself as if being clogged. Would like to listen to this album tumbling down from the stratosphere.

Favorite songs: Queens, Reverse Crystal // Murder of a Spider, Hoshi Neko

Failure - Fantastic Planet [Alternative/Space Grunge]

Like many other snake people, the last five to ten years or so have been a gradual rediscovery of the 90s for me - I used to hate Smashing Pumpkins, wasn't big on Nirvana, wouldn't go near the R&B scene, and the electronics and graphics cultures being mined recently for vaporwave A E S T H E T I C seemed tacky and useless. That being said, I rediscovered the sad, bittersweet, heavy, and distorted sounds of alt and grunge bands (among other things) and it really scratched a good musical itch. But by now I naively thought I had juiced the 90s and early 2000s for everything I wanted until I found this album. It's one of those serendipitous records that fills a psycho-emotional desire that had been scraping around inside me all this month.

I first listened to "Another Space Song" and I immediately fell into it - the bass growling and elevating the guitars and vocals into a wide and washed out soundscape swirling around your head like a heavy opiate. The vocals are perfect, that bittersweet whisper resigning at the end of each phrase, but still gently holding onto the note like an abandoned wild animal.

More so than any album out of this genre and decade I've heard, Fantastic Planet, completely fills my ears and mind - slow, plodding, reflective, complacent, visceral, and just absolutely thick. What makes it more impressive is: 1. They're a three piece band, and 2. Ken Andrews and Greg Edwards produced this album (as well as their previous two) on their own. To me the album is excellent, and three songs on it - Another Space Song, Saturday Savior, and Stuck On You - absolutely floor me.

If you haven't already heard, or if you're in a somewhat sad mood, take a lil listen...

cTrix - A for Amiga [Chiptunes/90s]

Inspired to supply musicological discourse once again by the powerful retro force that is A for Amiga. Australian musician and producer cTrix has clearly mastered a long lost art within the fuller spectrum of chiptunes; as opposed to emulating early Nintendo or Atari sounds, cTrix uses that OG desktop computer - the Amiga 500. The 500 was used to digitally process and produce a lot of electronic music during the 90s, and cTrix milked the Amiga for all the nostalgia it had. Not only did he use original Amiga trackers but also ran the audio through several vintage outboard hardware racks, and then dubbed each track on 2" tape, giving the album as heavy a 90s analogue sound as you'll hear in 2014. A for Amiga came out in December of 2013 but cTrix was writing and producing material that eventually became A for Amiga since 1993.

Each track is rich, catchy, jamming, nostalgic, and just plain refreshing - please to be listen!

Phurpa - Trowo Phurnag Ceremony [Tibetan Ritual Music/Throat Singing]

"Bon," is, at least in the context of Tibet, an ancient religious practice that is said to extend its history to well before the existence of Buddhism (17,000 years ago), but is now considered one of the two main types of Tibetan buddhism today. Either way the music is haunting, exactly the kind of music you'd expect from ancient shamanistic rituals: long pulsating drones, strange tweedly wind instruments, big drums, and completed by some damn wizard outfits. I believe the music speaks for itself, but it just goes to show how history and religion can lead you to some pretty interesting music.

Here's a little bit of "HUUUH HUUUUUUUUH HUUUH"



And here's a little bit of "HOOOOOOOOO fweedleedleed HOOOOOO"

More Recent Trends in Music

Again after a somewhat large hiatus, I return providing a lot of the music that's been on my mind recently in short succession.

Most recently, two absolutely brilliant mixes just came out within the last few weeks on Diplo's radio show Diplo and Friends. Namely the RL Grime (aka DJ Clockwork), and the Norweigan DJ/Producer Cashmere Cat. Both mixes are superlatives in modern trap music, seamless and expansive, both of which can be found below.




In addition to this, I've been fawning my way through the world of blues, R&B, and soul - as they are all interrelated in such a beautiful way unique to culture from whence they came, and there is so much to be understood about the role emotion plays in music just by listening. I can't really give you a good example of the entirety of the genre, but the best way to get into it is to study the whole lineage, and to just jam out...

Diplo - Mix for SwayinInTheMorning (Trap/New Release)

Diplo does not disappoint yet again with the most recent mix he did for Chicago-based radio show SwayinInTheMorning about two weeks ago. Maybe I haven't been keeping up with Diplo enough, but I'm pretty sure that he just started releasing trap tracks - usually producing moombahton and neato world music mashups. But he has bought into the mainstream at this point, and if I were to analyze this latest mix like it were a book, it would be a brilliant satire. The genre of trap itself is absurd and I believe that it exists only to get people pumped up and encourage sex on the dance floor.

The word trap actually originates from Atlanta, Georgia meaning to acquire wealth in the context of drugs. This on its own is interesting because of course trapping, beyond the slang, refers to laying down traps to catch small game. Specifically I find it interesting that the drug dealing culture would be as whimsical to adopt this term for selling narcotics. From this, it only makes sense that the genre would be very whimsical.

And although the linguistics are interesting, just listen to it and realize that you're not really supposed to think about it.

Miniature Tigers - Tell It to the Volcano (Indie Rock/Pop)

This could very well be one of the catchiest albums I've ever listened to. I've known about this Brooklyn based Indie band for a while, but it's become clear to me only recently what this band really specializes in: making catchy songs. They have a really effective formula that is to say - it's all very upbeat, sing-song, and rhythmic; the lyrics are goofy and catchy, fun to sing along with and just listen to; and its full of chromatic twists and turns that give it almost a Broadway feel. I haven't actually listened to any of their newer albums, but I'm always very intrigued when an album fills a specifically niche so perfectly. I've also found that because of simple and accessible tonalities of all the melodies that this whole album is great for practicing singing harmony.

Give it a listen, memorize the lyrics accidentally, find yourself humming it all the time:

We Butter the Bread with Butter - Der Tag An Dem Die Welt Unterging [German deathcore]

I have a suspicion that most deathcore bands don't actually take things seriously, they're just full of energy and happen to like deathcore - not necessarily depressed and evil people like some might believe. We Butter the Bread With Butter is a good example if you didn't already gather from their name alone. Originating in Lubben, Germany, We Butter the Bread with Butter combines traditional deathcore elements with melodic, electronic music characteristics. In fact, the band originally started with only two people as a joke, but gradually grew into a serious project and added enough members to make a full band. They now have several albums out, although mostly in German, there are a few Western gems like World of Warcraft and I shot the Sheriff. 

Although this probably isn't exactly an entry-level deathcore band, if you find yourself intrigued by the undeniable irony, try listening to this song Der Kleine Vampir, which means "The Little Vampire" in German and is named after a series of popular children's books.

John Cage, Infected Mushroom, and Sounds (John Cage, Electronic)

I realized something recently, in my month long hiatus of packing, vacations, and assorted activities, which is music is fundamentally about something simpler than harmony or rhythm - and that is sound. Music is, of course, the various ways of organizing various sounds, which means that any sound is musical: the sound of a car turning on is musical, the sound of clothes rustling, the sound of a door slamming, or a distant splash of water. This is where a lot of musicians that seem so esoteric and frightfully post-modern seem to draw their some of their brilliance - in the use of sound as an elementary constituent element of their music.

John Cage explicitly believed something similar - his music is all rich with various klings, klangs, beeps, and buzzes. The turning of a dial on an old radio to hear the varieties of static, as well as banging cans together and dropping various instruments into other instruments. Similarly, the Israeli electronica group Infected Mushroom uses all sorts of amazing and specially constructed electronic sounds. They work in a specially designed studio so that there is almost 0 Db of background noise; they put all their computers in soundproofed cabinets and the walls are lined with spiked foam to absorb sound. They infuse a lot of Hebrew and Eastern European melodies into already very solid electronic dance music, and then they really make it their own style by hand crafting each bass kick, lead synth, and stab etc. into a very engaging and trancey musical experience.

It seems to me that the successes of these two, among which I have to cede Cage as the superior, is due to their attention to sounds at the start. And, especially in the case of Cage, how this can be an almost philosophical statement about music. So the next time you hear something you think is pretentious and stupid, think about how those pretentious hipster snobs actually created all those random boings and chongs and you'll perhaps find something worth listening to in that.

http://grooveshark.com/#!/artist/Infected+Mushroom/2590 - Check out anything on Army of Mushrooms
http://grooveshark.com/#!/artist/John+Cage/5422 - Take a look at any of his Constructions

My trends in music

Today happens to be my 365-day non-death anniversary, so in honor I'll share some of the various new things I've been listening to a lot lately. Generally, I like to plunge myself into another world of music until I really, fully understand it, and consequently, enjoy it to the fullest.

So right now I've been listening to a lot of math rock/DJ entstep, pop and punk from the 90s, and American folk music from the fifties.
The first is a fast paced genre based on metric modulation, complex harmonic structure, and death metal. Often involving algorithm-based drum patterns, it's a very cool genre to me because it combines the pop-like qualities of regular progressive rock with a Bach-like precision that makes it very fun to listen to. I recommend bands Uneven Structure, Chimp Spanner, The Algorithm, and Circles.

The next is sort of a nostalgia trip for me, but I've been attempting to remove the music from nostalgia and see what it's all really about. Specifically, I've been listening to Aaron Carter, Blink-182, Simple Plan, and N*sync, as well as a few other similar such musicians.

And the last is really just things from this page http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/2691/folkessential1.jpg (thanks /mu/ essentials). My favorite has got to be Odetta, a black woman with an amazing voice. Just listen.

Special Features - You and Me (House)

Just another solid house track, comin atcha. Special Features is a London-based house and electro producer who has somewhat recently started pumping out tracks. I like this one in particular because I think that house tracks with a female-vocal lead are somewhat overdone, and this one replaces that standard, if it can be called such, with a groovy synth solo. You just can't go wrong with something this simple.



You can also download it here by giving him a like on Facebook

Star Wars: Main Theme - Dave Matthews (Funk/Soundtrack)

The funkiest hunk of junk in the galaxy, this track is seriously one of the coolest and funkiest things I've ever heard - and it isn't funky just because that's the genre, funk, but because it's also an extremely unique and odd rework of John Williams' Star Wars: Main Theme. It's almost an homage to Williams, demonstrating how strong of a backbeat he incorporated into the original classical version that only needed a little encouraging to reach this god-like funk level. In addition to just being mesmerizingly well done, it also has one of my favorite drummers, Steve Gadd, keeping time and just rocking out as well as keyboardist and arranger David Matthews (no, not Dave Matthews) who also worked with artists like Nina Simone and Ron Carter in the 70s. All around it's simply an all star team doing a lot of justice to one of my favorite soundtracks and I just had to share it.

Bela Bartok - 27 Two and Three Part Choruses, for Children's and Female Voices (Choral/Classical)

Bela Bartok is an extremely interesting Hungarian composer who is considered to be one of the most important composers of the 20th century. He was invested in folk music, which I think is very cool and beneficial in any musician, and although I know him more for his full Orchestral works, he actually also wrote a BUNCH of two and three part choruses for children and female vocals and they're pretty cool. I expected them to be somewhat atonal or harmonically unconventional, but surprisingly they have a sort of classical feel to them. Try listening to just one: Bolyongas, and if you like it you can find a pretty good recording of the rest here on Grooveshark.

Audio Bullys - We Don't Care (House/Electronic)

This one is a big blast from the past for me. Audio Bullys is an electronic music duo from London that began in 2003 with their debut album Ego War. They released another popular album in 2010 called Higher than Eiffel, and in 2012 announced that one of the two (Thomas Dinsdale) had left the group. Nonetheless, this particular track has that early 2000s, Fatboy Slim feel, and it was featured on the SSX 3 soundtrack (where I first heard it). It's a pretty good song, and the SSX games all had a pretty killer soundtrack if you feel like checking them out. Here's We Don't Care (there's a music video too, but embedding is disabled by request).

CHLLNGR - "Datter" Yalls Remix (Dub/R&B/Electronica))

CHLLNGR, Copenhagen based producer, has been rapidly rising through the ranks of producers with a slew of remixes and a debut EP entitled Haven released in May of 2011. He has a mellow and somewhat haunting sound and uses a lot of mournful samples and heavy synths layered on top of one another to produce a unique, murky feel. But to be honest, I'm posting this remix because of Yalls: I really like Yalls. Dan Casey comprises the whole of this funky, pop, ambient electronic band from Berkeley, California, and I recommend you peel open those heary things on the side of your head to both CHLLNGR and Yalls.

Armin Van Buuren ft. Ana Criado - Suddenly Summer (Heartbeat Remix) (Trance/Uplifting)

If you don't know who Armin Van Buuren is, you'll be surprised to learn that he's one of the most well known DJs in the entire world; he was #1 in DJ Magazine's top 100 in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, and was second in 2011, and he hosts one of the most popular radio shows in the world A State of Trance with about 15 million weekly listeners. I was certainly surprised. Of course he's also Dutch because every mega famous DJ and their grandmother comes from Europe.

Anyways, he recently released a pretty solid track that I gave a listen. I always like these European super-DJs because they consistently produce really solid jams - there's no big cheesy hook, the songs dont revolve around some massive "uber-stinky" bass drop, and they're really designed just to rock out to for hours on end. If you listen too closely though you might become a little fed up with the female vocals - drop - plateau formula, but try not to listen to closely. Here's Suddenly Summer (Heartbreak Remix):

 

Rural Alberta Advantage (Canadian Indie Rock)

This is a very guilty post for me. I hadn't even heard of Alberta Rural Advantage until today, when I heard them on the radio, plebeian I know, and there was nothing unique from the average Canadian indie rock (sorry), but I was strangely attracted to it. That's what music is all about right? Enjoying yourself? Well I enjoyed this song.

The chord progression is simple, somewhat overused, but compelling nonetheless. The vocals are mostly lazy and soft, but sometimes bore that little Creed-esque edge that fills in some emotion to the track, and the lyrics are relatable but not overpoweringly present. Lay back and listen to In the Summertime, and be not ashamed.

Rural Alberta Advantage - In The Summertime

Little Women - Throat (Avant Garde/Contemporary)

So this album has a lot of people GOING CRAZY in the music world. Some people hate everything about it and ardently posit that anyone who listens to Throat is a pretentious fuck, and some people champion it's complete and smashing brilliance in all aspects and how it'll change your life after one listen: just take a look at this, or this.

Little Women, the men behind Throat, are a quartet from Brooklyn and are the self-proclaimed weirdest band in the world, but I am simply not moved one way or the other. Yes, this music is very weird, and it is also very cool as avant-garde goes, but at the same time it honestly sounds like it could have been completely improvised - you may be surprised what trained musicians can pull out of their butts when put on the spot. But apparently a LOT of people think this album is one of the greatest they've ever heard.

And history has seen a lot of this phenomenon: Anthony Burgess said he wrote a Clockwork Orange in only two weeks trying to pick up some extra cash, and it's hailed as one of the greatest books of all time. I'm not saying it's a bad book, I'm saying that just because it's weird and different doesn't mean it's genius. And if you've read Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead, you'll recognize this social pattern immediately. In the novel, the main villain takes control of a major media outlet to promote avant-garde writing and music, similar to Little Women,  as "only for the most advanced and infastidious citizen," and people completely buy into it, which drives the overall standard for art into the ground (the villain was a communist, by the way). I feel like that's happening here, people think they're really smart and advanced for liking this sort of music, and the more they praise it, the more people will respect them for their extraordinary musicality.

Personally, I don't buy into any of it. You can check out the album on Grooveshark, because I don't have it on my computer anymore.

Hope and Social - Sleep Sound (Indie/Alt Rock)

In perusing through the musical blogs of music that I peruse I noticed a little influx in new indie rock tracks; and I listened to all of them; and I decided they were all somewhat underwhelming. But they did all, however, remind me of this 4 year old, England-based band, Hope and Social, that I think deserves a little more publicity (not implying my blog counts as publicity).

To me, they are a breath of fresh air in the indie rock world as they generally stray away from the generic chord progressions you find in a lot of the radio-alternative anthems (I-V-vi-IV). In addition, they use a lot of different vocal styles, from full choruses to five part harmonies; they don't shy away from introducing new instruments to each track; and they infuse a healthy amount of that PunchBrothers/Mumford&Sons folk feel to create a relaxing new flavor. Check out their website hopeandsocial.com, and listen to my favorite song off of their first ever album Sleep Sound below:

Hope and Social - Sleep Sound

Joey BadA$$ ft. CJ Fly - Hardknock (Hip Hop)

Instead of trying to fit in the with electro-trap, hipster-hop trends popping up in new hip hop, Joey Badass takes us back to a more old school feel. Featuring production from big names like MF DOOM, Lewis Parker, and J. Dilla, Mr. BadA$$ maintains a 90s and early 2000s feel, and I really dig it. There's no yelling, no growling, no booties, just a beat that sits way back in the pocket and decent lyricism. If you like the song below try his mixtape 1999.


Joey BadA$$ ft. CJ Fly - Hardknock