Atma Cult

Thesis, antithesis, synthesis

2011-02-21T16:31:00.000-08:00

My terrible mashup...please indulge...

My response to the previous response of my previous post, I don't have much to write, that is time right now, to think and write other than in school and career development things that aren't related to music.

A mash-up of the bro-step power-ballad that is Nero's "Innocence" with Burial's "Fostercare".

I didn't have time to actually try to remix these. This is a very primitive youtube program at youtubedoubler.com. Though the different periods at which each piece repeats make the combo interesting when you let it run over 10 mins.

Here are the youtube's for reference if you have a better outlet...please share (note the disparity in hits). Also increase the burial track's volume twofold to what you set nero's track volume to:

That is all...

Boxing in Dubstep

2010-11-01T09:11:00.000-07:00

ScratchaDVA - A legit Dub-step sound

So in the late 2000s, a style birthed from the UK scenes of grime, garage and jungle came about that took many indie kidsters by storm. It is called dub-step, and is hailed as the new sound of electronic music...that is pushing the edge much like IDM did in the 90s. Well, while I may not believe it and what many people are calling dubstep these days just sounds like tired-ass jungle, so I'm going to gripe a bit...

First, there was really no dubstep until 2004, when the Hypderdub label first came out. There may have been a sound before then, mixed in the aforementioned genres that embodied this dark, paranoid and intense urban music that tries to get at the deeper meaning of being a city-dweller and dodging all of the dodginess there is in the UK urban cores, especially in the estates. I think most folk that listen to dub-step can't really appreciate poverty, government housing and the per diem living conditions these musicians draw from as inspiration. It's a really unique voice and I find imitators are easily spotted. In fact, I'm sure that some may feel betrayed that Burial is a music school alumnus of the Elliot School in London, noted for such bourgeois acts like the XX and Hott Chip...well they're at least not producing music that's a product of poverty.

And I suppose it's a matter of sincerity. Can people without the experience make sincere music? I don't know if Bevan admits to anything, as his anonymity is outed, but he's still very private. But damn is his stuff dark, and well crafted despite it's organic, dynamic, noisiness.

Anyway, the crux here about Dub-step, is that it should be a genuine sound. When I come across DnB, passed off as jungle like the stuff I hear from Mt. Eden Dubstep...I get kinda pissy. It's not dark, it's not urban, and it's got no edge. It's just raver-candy.

Video of Mt. Eden's Remix of Bat For Lashes Daniel

Now compare that with Boxcutters "Brood".

I just don't think there's much comparison...using a "2-step" beat and some bass wobble doesn't make you dubstep. Bassnectar, Mt. Eden, Dee Jay Mee, Pendulum, Datsik and yes...even Caspa, calling you out that your stuff ain't dub-step (same goes for my crush, Joy Orbison)! Now don't me wrong, I actually like some of these folk, but riding hype, ain't the way to make it. Like if I called some whacked out and distorted fruity loops ditty I just made Witch House...

Would just be dumb...and and probably worse...disingenuous. Burial, you're legit! Happy listening!

Not Mystery Tapes...Not Woods...

2010-10-12T08:30:00.000-07:00

Can't stop listening to this Kevin Bacon free piece of polymerized plastic I picked up recently.

In a world where everyone's making chill and psyche music, it's nice to see one with a beautiful, deep and rich musical narrative.

I present to you, a track from "Mystery Tape EP" by the Woodsmen.

It's like I'm an eagle soaring over the rockies, getting giddy over rising thermals and watching lovers have sex by glacier lakes at sunset.

It's a beautiful thing...

Embrace the Sufjan Machine!

2010-09-28T12:23:00.000-07:00

Sufjan's lovely little site is letting us see him communicate with a machine mouth, with a theme more ethereal than a Christmas postcard of Good King Wenceslas.

Art by Royal Robertson, who inspired the album...

Age of Adz is going to be a great 2010 release. The new decade seems to be a new age of sexuality, love and hope despite the apocalyptic themes. Seems the apocalypse comes from those who would eradicate the heathens, fornicators, the sodomites...at least from their hateful and fearful mouths.

I welcome the new decade with an open mind...can you?

Like forgetting about Sufjan's 50-state project.

Ritmo Mundial Afrocaribe

2010-09-10T08:25:00.000-07:00

I've been obsessing all day yesterday over the complete high quality stream of El Guincho's new album on Drowned in Sound. Must have played it for at least a couple hours.

Granted there are a few out there who don't like the authenticity to Guincho tracks. Spain has produced what I've been searching for...which may come under attack as not being latino music. But what is latino music, other than a localized dialect of the african rhythms brought over to the western hemisphere through slave-trade?

Ejemplo: Prende La Vela (de Colombia)

So what, if it's produced in Spain?!

What I really like about Guincho's work is that it transcends the staid (IMHO) confines of latino big-band dance music (salsa, merengue, cumbia, bachata) and latin pop (Enrique Iglesias, Carlos Vives, Shakira etc...). It's rooty music, but it's not trying to be a journey of academic ethno-musicology or a cheesy house remix that punches some latino rhytm loops.

Album cover for "Pop Negro"

El Guincho's solid as hell follow up to the amazing 2007, "Alegranza!" breakout, goes deeper into the carribean, and touches the shores of central and latin america. From this you hear clear echoes of West Africa and Mali. And of course, it seamlessly blends the rhythm and melodic elements from these roots with a modern take on loopy music production. His voice is also clear. It's not a cry, or a whisper, but a steady character, like a good, reliable friend. He doesn't slather in schmalz, or sleez it up in sex-talk, but expresses the alegria de ser vivo!

Though it does suffer superficial comparisons to Animal Collective and Os Mutantes (which I don't get at all...i think it's just cause it's latino sounding and has some psych-synthpad elements) on the blogosphere, it's not freak-out meets tropicalia. This is El Guincho! And he's come with open arms with this new release for all people of all kinds to enjoy...and dance to!

El Guincho's "Bombay" from "Pop Negro"

Granted, I do have a dearth of spanish-language music (I think I have more brazillian tropicalia in my collection than I have tracks of latino performers). I am happy to snap up all I can from this guy. His "Pirata de Sudamerica, vol. 1" EP is also great, as it showcases "traditional" songs from latin america. It's a bit more laid back, but amazing to have it followed up so quickly by "Pop Negro". I'm excited for more artists to come forward, and embrace new technology and sound-generation, melding them with traditional latino cultural music. I feel more comfortable with this music, than dealing with the full-frontal assault of some salsa, like that of Celia Cruz.

El Guincho's "Frutas de Caney" from "Piratas de Sudamerica, vol. 1"

But to be frank...I must admit this entry is a bit personal. I confess, that I've always felt a little "on-the-outside" when it came to my own latino roots. El Guincho's work gives me inspiration; as well as a relaxed, unpretentious setting with which to enjoy the music, and not get caught up in my own self-image and identity issues. I've always felt really self-conscious and judged when trying to dance to salsa, merengue or cumbia with others. El Guincho just seems to tell me "Escucha la musica!" and forget how people will judge me.

Don't get me wrong, I love latino music (in spite of my staid comment). Especially the Andean folk:

Juan Manuel "Vasija de Barro"

Historia Naturalis

2010-09-08T09:44:00.000-07:00

If you see this...DRINK IT!

So when I went to Sacramento again recently, I decided to be crazy and drive over 2 hours to the bay area, just to get to the town of Santa Rosa, CA to experience the beer known as Pliny the Elder. Toted by the Zymurgy Magazine and Beer Advocate as one of the greatest beers in the world, and me having a penchant for a tasty brew, I figured it would be worth the trip.

So yes, it is the greatest IPA I've ever had. Which is sad, because I had though Bell's Two Hearted Ale was my favorite, and is much easier to get a hold of, not requiring a trip to CA...or even a trip up to Philidelphia. Sadly the scenery of Napa and Sonoma counties were shrouded in nightfall, as the only the time I could go was after work, and then to the red-eye flight back home...

Did I mention this was the best IPA I've ever tasted? The balance of mouthfeel with the hoppy character, which never bit hard, but swirled with iridescent characters of pine, grapefruit, pineapple, hyacinth, chardonnay and a hint of strawberry and grass showed a penchant for a deep knowledge of how hop-species play together. That, and their name alone, took me on a journey of history that I had no idea was the origin of a lot of my scientific background. The origin, would be his Historia Nautralia, a monumental compendium which tries to condense all of the roman scientific knowledge and and his field observations into a tome for all time. And which most relevantly, does he identify the lupus Salictarius, "The Wolf of the Willows," a.k.a the beloved hop plant.

Pliny's wiki article alone is a fascinating read. In fact, the type of eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, Pinatubo, Mt. St. Helens and the like, where you have the explosion of the caldera into a mushroom cloud is called a Plinian eruption, in honor of this great scholar.

So I recommend on this journey, crack open a fresh bottle and then tune into this fantastic song by local Northern Virginia artist Meredith Bragg called "Plinian ". Below are the lyrics to the song provided in the link...no youtube vidya this time.

When the stones rained down and smoke rose above the clouds

Dodging debris, my uncle put his fleet to sea

And as he waved and turned away, set his sails across the bay

Who could ever guess, my dear Tacitus

The gods were so enraged

And the lightning arched, and dust turned the daylight dark

And the helmsmen cried, wondered it they’d survive

But through the thickening smoke, they found the harbor choked

Still he urged them on while he stayed calm

And the ash fell like snow

And the mountain ground, tearing the buildings down

And for two dark days, fires lit the Naples Bay

When it came for them leave, there was no escape by sea

And his body fell as the vapors swelled

They say he died as if asleep

On a lonely ridge, a couple focus in

Their lenses trained on smoke and fire and flame

And in unison they rise as the plume reached greater heights

While around the bend a grey cloud descends

That’ll be their demise

And with blinding speed they’re both killed instantly

And the Island roars, boiling the ocean floor

Though their bodies disappear, mingled with the earth and air

They will echo on through the work they’ve done

Projected through the years

Meredith has created something really special here, using only the guitar and mastering effects to produce this haunting narrative as told by Pliny's beloved nephew to the roman historian Tacitus. What I find fascinating, besides the limitation of using only guitar to make this piece, is the penchant for the classics, and delivering it with an emotional force to make the centuries old story relevant today, with romance, love and wistfulness that stands the test of time.

If only, Meredith were more famous...and his tumblr site more detailed...and he had more videos on youtube. His label is Kora Records. Who I invite you to peruse for other gems, like Fredrik.

Video Song "Viskra" by Fredrik

Draggin Fire

2010-08-31T08:15:00.000-07:00

A good example of the "drag" aesthetic. Work done by Fiji Moonstone

Just showing off my latest chill gift. Fiji's a forum friend of mine who is offering her artistic vision up for grabs to those that want to genuinely participate. My signs are the California Speckled cat, the Hop (looks like the Mount Hood, smooth-cone variety), and the seal of ALALALABAAAL in the upper right corner...which is suspiciously similar to that of a gated diode.

These are the vision quests she creates from the elements that come to us mortals, beyond the pale veil of life. Definitely has a California bend to it...cause that's where I got inspired when I saw a cat hunting ground squirrels in the heat of the afternoon, in the shade of a pine tree line, through the chaparral. I knew then, that the cat was successful and it's family will be fed, and then it can chill and nap for a day...and everything is right...poor ground squirrel though. Beer is my magic potion and circuits are the arcane mysteries that allow my career to progress, as we engineer better things, that require electrical power.

Here's a song in memoriam of the squirrel, the California chaparral, the redwoods and the amazing beer at the Russian River brewery...can't wait to go back!

"Shine On You Crazy White Cap" by Teen Daze

Hunting for Witches

2010-08-14T15:04:00.000-07:00

I should have known M.I.A.'s album /\/\/\Y/\ would be a portent to all of these producers calling their du jour genre witch-house...or at least that's what the blogosphere is calling these unicode monikered DIY producers. We seem to no longer be in the era of chill-wave, where juggernauts like Neon Indian, Pictureplane, Toro y Moi and Memory Tapes graced our presence with fuzzed out, 80s inspired, psychedelic electronic music that seemed to bend everything from circuits to genres. They dared people to classify them. But it wasn't dark enough for the witch-house artist. Like Goth being a response to Glam rock, it seems that Chill-wave/day-glo has got its response with the dark filled witch-house outfits cropping up all over the US (and a finger-full abroad from what I've seen).

Of course, as usual I'm late to the party. The articles below are great primers on the genre, that will reduce redundancy to this post and introduce contradiction and pretentiousness, as well as nuggets of awesome:
Expatriarch's blogpost
The mothership (Pitchfork)
Drowned in Sound's Forum Post

Also here are the oft quoted distribution outfits that push the sound out into the internet:
Disaro
Tri Angle

Better that there's some sort of outlet, because many of these names are impossible to google or get all hype-machiney with all their unicode triangles and crosses. It's as if they obnoxiously chose impossible to spell and pronounce names to keep themselves away from the internet hive-mind (google). Was this an attempt to keep the music pure? Or at least the intent. Because it definitely borrows, perverts and drags from genres I know intimately, or at least obsessed over at one time or another in the 90s.

Por ejemplo, ///▲▲▲\\\ is now called Horse Macgyver, probably because nobody could spell or pronounce the band name correctly. I'm not convinced though of the legitimacy of its witchyness though, very much has a Salem vibe.

So let me offer some perspective. We have the godfather of witch house, which emphasizes the hip-hop slant to the genre.

Get Crunk! (with Salem)

And the other flag-bearer to listen to is of course Balam Acab

But what really separates these folks from low-fi hip hop producers? Here's some White Ring for refreshment:

White Ring's lxC999

My conclusion is very little in technique (sampling/beatbox/MC). But the replacment of rap's urban edge by this lust for the occult and the nostalgic makes it very different. And this lust, I find is paralell, yet perverted from the lust for lost-youth and nostalgia that permeated day-glo (which is probably all spun out of control from M83).

But, witch-house does seem to demand some codes of conduct, in order to call yourself "witch-house". Mainly, that you must have a DIY attitude, which is where a lot of the name shenanigans came from, and so many of the people getting signed even by the smallest of record labels have probably transcended the witch house label. The above example by White Ring is a monumental example of the genre. Not much new, other than you're fuzzing it the hell out and a woman's voice is leading the charge. This is rare in music...really. Women are often not making genuinely dark music to begin with...as it often morphs into anger like Otep.

That and fuzz the hell out of your production, because within distortion are the happy accidents that cast your magic spells.

So are these nods to the likes of the Cocteau Twins? You can definitely pick up on Shoegaze & Goth everywhere in the witch-house scene. And of course the worship of vintage horror sensibility, for reference, Goblin:

The title track to Suspiria is kinda like, the root of all Witch-House IMHO

The unicode symbol names, the DIY video art, the overt references to the occult, and more jokes inside their hermetic circles than there are punk bands in NYC add up to a lot of pretentiousness in. God warriors beware, this shit's definitely dark-sided. Though admittedly, it's all really tongue-in-cheek and about as serious as the movie Warlock. It can be a lot to process though. Rather, let the music sublime into you like burning incense and let the ghosts do their thing to your brain. It's often best not to try to fight them anyway, or you'll probably end up like the dude in Paranormal Acitvity.

Here's some homemade vidya art by oOoOO: Note the use of triangles, trees and lightning along witht he traditional reaper representation and many nods in the music to the 80s and 90s.

Forcing the TRON Hype, Stopping the Noise!

2010-07-30T12:59:00.000-07:00

I am dissapoint!

This track...we had high hopes for:

This Tron link was a fake track apparently...oh people trying to achieve a singularity point of greatness, but the fake ended up sounding pretty good.

Ah well, here's some real class by Thomas Bangalter for a great Gaspar Noe film (not for everyone).

See? Everyone thought we were getting Irreversible quality stuff from Daft Punk (though Irreversible was just the Thomas Bangalter half of the duo). Cool little perversion of Beethoven's 7th isn't it? However, the images are questionably SFW.

The tracks for the TRON ST that have been officially released are kinda instrumental...like with an orchestra, more so than that used in Irreversible...a Disney orchestra per se, so it's probably something akin to the metropolitan symphony or the london one.

Time will tell if the 6 tracks released on you tube by STNTronLegacy (the seminal stop the noise bloggers) are all that's in the movie. While interesting in a minimalist sense, you're not getting anything along the lines of Koyaanisqatsi here either.

Plus, you're definitely not dancing to this sound track, like you could with a couple tracks from the Noe Film like:

But at the very least there will be some more exposure for Daft Punk with their Disney film venue...and one can hope to see a new album from them soon...

Swimming with Goldman & Andrew

2010-07-28T12:50:00.000-07:00

New project from the seminal DC area producer and UMD alum Ari Goldman with Andrew (Vulture Voltair from Food for Animals), Beautiful Swimmers promises us kids some kickass white-label 12"s and hopefully some club dates in and around.

This is some tight italo-disco inspired work. I feel like I need sunglasses for the neon signs to reflect off after the sunset on the beach. Big thumbs up to the duo and a definite boogie production house. "Swimmer's Groove" is an instant favorite, but the rest are sweaty and ready for a dip in the big salty wave pool! There's a heat wave, didn't ya hear?

Disco is just a state of mind, not an era. Shine your patent leather up and get your groove on!

Cults Making some Lila

2010-07-28T12:12:00.000-07:00

Too Cute!

Cults has been on hipster radars since their single "Oh My God" hit airwaves on Adult Swim (via Kia funding BTW). Adult Swim seems to have a good handle on the pulse of scene, at least as updated as the Pitchfork Mafia.

"Oh My God"

And in the spirit of free, they've released their first EP for free, on the web, in as coded as you want it (for you lossless freaks!). How the hell can free hurt?!

Thanks to Stereogum, Adult Swim & Cults. Good summer jams this year! Kinda reminds me if Metric went dayglo. It's a great journey to jaunt on for free, with positive tunes, a little fluff to take the edge off and plenty of delicious arpeggio salad.

Another Reason to Love Baltimore

2010-07-26T10:34:00.000-07:00

Much maligned Baltimore, known to music lovers as one of the best cities around has produced another band, generating a good bit buzz lately.

So in the tradition of Wye Oak & Beach House and me being one step behind Stereogum, presenta Lower Dens!

Here are some delicious vidyas of their work! "I Get Nervous"

Live vidya that doesn't suck or look like it was made on a cheap cell phone. "A Dog's Dick"
Shit just got REAL!

Looks like the Delaware River Bridge to me..."Hospice Gates" 410 represent!

I'm not saying they're shaking the earth like "kewl" new band Animal Collective, but I find it pleasing to my ears and look forward to their album.

They're playing the Metro Gallery on the 1st of August. See you there? Seems like they won't sell out the place in a minute like Sleigh Bells would...like I think they're the ones that moved all of the Virgin Mobile Fest Tickets away from me...I'm not bitter.

I'm Living the Arcade Fire Dream?

2010-07-21T08:02:00.000-07:00

Neon Bible view of the status quo...
we're still here though.

So it seems the internet has leaked nearly the entirety of the new Arcade Fire album (out 8/2/2010)...well a lot of it was from recent "dark" shows around Canada. I couldn't hide my anticipation and anxiety over hearing the new sound. Ever since Funeral, I've been a ravenous consumer of the Arcade Fire's style. I love their full on assault on music with their simple, dancy rhythms and loud blending of the multi-instruments and voices. At once both punk and big-band folk, kinda like the hoe-downs of yore. The Suburbs offers more of the same sound you love with as much depth, introspection and power in lyric and music.

Compare this track to the arcade fire...and how so many instruments were blended from bigband jazz, to honky tonk in the early 20th century. Big Band is probably one way to describe the arcade fire sound, as the cacophony is allowed to crescendo past all of the solos being played. ...and of course that driving swing rhythm.

Vidya of the "CowBoy Stomp" by Bob Wills

However, as hard as people try to describe the sound of the Arcade Fire, it's hard to pigeonhole these innovators. They pulling from everything they can for this new album. It's probably the album from them I've heard (previewed) with the least amount of aural cohesion between tracks, as in, they don't really borrow much from each other musically, just thematically. Though you can hear sounds that we've previously heard from "Funeral" and "Neon Bible". This is of course, a strength of the album in my opinion.

Vidya of "We Used to Wait"

We're no longer in the Bush administration's apocalypse, but returning to the dream, drama and nostalgia of life in the suburbs. Many of us middle class kids grew up there, some of us eschewed the cul-de-sac for the edge of city-life. Some of us then return to the suburbs to have kids and raise a family...and what I like is basically the question that the album poses is "what do the suburbs mean to you?". Which is at once deeply personal, and at the same time demands reflection as suburban dwellers continue to be demonized for their use of cars, they expansive, uncontrolled destruction of wild-habitat and farmland re-appropriation, larger per-capita use of power and consumption of goods and services than urbanites etc...

"Ready to Start" is a wonderful example of this. Superficially, seems to be a introspection of a suburban dweller who's being drained by his business-job and a breakup with their romantic partner. Then it turns toward the within with introspection; that personal liberation of having an open mind, and understanding the delusion of romance, the illusions of freedom in the physical realm, and the joy and happiness one can have by being content. We often need these little moments of near-regret and self-isolation before we have the satori that we're actually ok with our life...that and of course losing your partner.

Vidya of "Ready to Start"

There's no "Powers-Out" statement of social injustice here. It's just thought provoking and sublimely beautiful. I like my vegetable garden...and my house...and I sorta talk to my neighbors...with big words like...

Burbs...with delicious parkland and tech-parks

Vidya of "Roccoco" by the Arcade Fire

Sacramento Mythologically Glaciated

2010-07-10T22:45:00.000-07:00

My business trip to Sacramento California last week ended up being one of the better field events I have attended. That being because of several reasons:

1. California has no idea what humidity is. You can give me 110 F on the tarmac any day, as long as the breeze and shade is going to cool me off! It was very very pleasant, even in the July heat. I would take the exposure of the desert to the miserable heat and humidity of the New Jersey fen or the Maryland estuary. Californians complain if there are clouds in the sky...

2. UC Davis has one of the best free-form radio stations, with an FM reach that went from Yuba City, to the Eldorado National Forest. How do I know this? I took an amazing drive/loop up to Chico for the Sierra Nevada Brewery, and then drove and did mini hikes around the Tahoe National Forest, Lake Tahoe area and the Eldorado National Forest. The vistas are great, and the shade/altitude provide a nice respite from the dry heat, replaced with even more pleasant breezes.

3. Emma's Tamales along with good sushi and a good Persian restaurant have made my gastronomic stay top notch compared to other areas I've been to.

This blog is about how awesome KDVS is...cause I'm done singing Sacramento's praises. Not only is the radio station top notch, with extremely diverse programming, where I've heard everything from pitchfork-indie rock, to psych-out, noise, drone and freak-folk, to old school punk, to modern classical, to traditional songs of Brittany, to... Pretty much one of the best stations I've heard. Plus they get Pacifica Radio and Free Speech Radio Network news feeds. These are so in depth that I got asked several times if I was listening to a podcast...nope, just "extremely liberal," well thought out and written radio news. Not to mention they organize shows in normal venues, and have a strong network of house-show venues, that all seem networked and passed-on generationally to KDVS DJs, like the DAM-HAUS. From this great network of people and venues also springs a well-kept, updated and loved listing of all shows in the sacramento metro area called undietacos. Undietacos is to sacramento DIY music scene as to what Pheer.com was to DC. Of course, because the DC music scene is what it is..Pheer is no longer in existence. And it seems all the good house shows are word-of mouth only...and I seem to have lost touch with the house-show clique that would organize any of this anyway :(

Aside from the fact that many sacramento residents hate it here, especially in the south with apparent reports of bad schools and high crime, or at least...that seems to be the perception. I have to say I really enjoyed my time here...especially if you can escape to the Sierra Nevadas for a little RnR.

Sacramento's "Ziggurat"

Along with all this, I just want to name drop two bands I got turned onto because of KDVR. Sadly, their stuff is only on tape/CD-R/Myspace cause I guess they're just starting out...not even grooveshark can help here...

GLACIER SAINT

First is Glacier Saint out of Seattle, Washington. The group really needs to put out a release. I enjoyed the genre smashing and mutli-textured production of this group. First blush, reminded me of Cocorosie, but the lead singer is a bit more ethereal. Apparently what got played on the radio was a Tape produced at a house-show. The sound was really nice. Unfortunately the sessions I heard on youtube from "Carousel-Fest" weren't as good. Singer sounded nervous...and of course, you're not going to hear all the textures if the sound-guy isn't balancing the electronic and acoustic instruments well...partially due to bringing in your own amps and recording off mics. Definitely a group to look out for, if they want to to take it anywhere that is... I recommend starting with Synthsete.

MYTHS

Next is Myths out of Vancouver, Brittish Columbia. Granted, I may a little obsessed with noise-dance currently...But I really enjoyed the likes of Adult and Dandi-Wind back in the death-throws of electroclash in the early 2000s. I recommend starting with Deadlights. Both myspace songs are pretty similar in quality though.

I have to wonder...where's all the buzz. Sounds like these guys have it going on, at least as far as the zeitgeist is concerned. I guess they need to promote to Pitchfork to get themselves out there. Then again, could be a West Coast vs. East Coast style of doing music...that seems to avoid all the "east" venues. Maybe the Myth's show via "Death by Audio" will get them some exposure...or maybe people will pass them off as poseurs, just copying a sound that's done and gone.

Time will tell... In the meantime, I will just daydream of awesome weather, and beautiful lakes and mountains waiting for my flight back to DC...did I mention that Sacramento Airport has free Wi-Fi?

Blue Hawaii - Chill-wave Crash, or Overstimulated Recession?

2010-06-28T13:18:00.000-07:00

Also, if you want some free & legit dayglo/chillwave, goto:

http://www.arbutusrecords.com/

I don't think it's past it's prime as an art-form...but I wonder if the dayglo noisefilter has gone over people's ears nowadays...

Just give it a whirl! I don't think you'll be disappointed. I like this track...and I may catch them on tour...

A Festival I May Go To This Year and Not Spend $1000

2010-06-28T13:06:00.000-07:00

SHAME ON ME!

I'm a terrible Baltimorean music lover...

I did just get a record player from True Vine in Hampden. When I first went there a week ago, I was disheartened to see that the storefront it once occupied was empty...but Oh! it moved! But it lost Ian Nagoski...but still has a part of Leprechaun Catering.

But I totally forgot to keep in touch with Wham City...the fine purveyors of Floristree...the place that gave birth to the first time I saw Beach House & Dan Deacon...and many more less known acts like Nautical Almanac, Prurient, Sun City Girls and Double Leopards.

Yes, it's been about 4 years since I've been to a show there...

And they're having this amazing festival called WhartScape in about 3 weeks. (July 22-25)

All I gotta say is that a line up including (so many good Vidyas!):
Lighning Bolt

Xiu Xiu

Health

Wye Oak

Dan Deacon

and No Age

Along with tons of local acts and other artists...I would highly recommend going...that is if you have time and money...I'm hoping to get a little of both for something...

Of course Sleigh Bells sold out that same weekend at both their Baltimore & DC locations :P

Well...if I can't make this...gotta try to get to High Zero 2010!

Anybody going?

Nearly Half through 2010...

2010-06-25T14:47:00.000-07:00

...and I've totally missed this release:

CocoRosie - Lemonade

Always pretty original. Always very recommended, but only to those that can tolerate their eccentricity. Grey Oceans is pretty nifty. Nearly all tracks are on youtube, so I'd check it out there and see what you think. I really enjoy how they just do their thing, no holding back, just making their music and keeping their genuine and positive vibe.

And as predicted, Sleighbells sold out. According to something I may or may not have read on Ilxor.com, they sold out the Rock and Roll Hotel in 2 days of the tix going on sale. It's kinda predictable...but sad. I guess I can wait until next year for a festival. I wonder if "mother indie" is being kind...or is this truly, a man-made indie disaster.

Keeping it on a re-cap of the year so far, I'd have to say some of my heavy rotation currently from 2010 are, in format Artist - Album:

Anais Mitchell - Hadestown
Beach House - Teen Dream
Joanna Newsom - Have One on Me
Vampire Weekend - Contra

and of course

Sleigh Bells - Treats

But there have been a lot of fantastic releases so far that either I don't know about...or I haven't listened to on heavy rotation, or I just haven't gotten around to it (like I'm pretty excited about Golden Filter).

What do you recommend so far from this year? ...so I stop missing things...Like the Klaxon's new joint...this pic just CRACKS me UP! And yes...I frequent i can has cheezburger a little more than any sane person should!

E.D.M. Then and Now

2010-06-15T09:51:00.000-07:00

Just short and sweet this time...

I tried to wrack my brain a little bit to understand what has happened to the beloved genre of electronic dance music.

Traditionally, this movement out of the experimentation, disco, pop and anti-pop-counterculture of the 80s bred this strain of music that was compelling and demanded the most personal and intimate of dance.

There wasn't an emphasis on the coordination and choreography, rather it was your personal interpretation, enjoyment and exploration of yourself through the music and it's associated dance. I believe, fundamentally, that's what rave culture was initially about.

Fundamental 90s EDM sample: of Prodigy's "Out of Space"

Well that and taking ecstasy...(The Shamen)

However, in the later years of the 90s came the reverence of the superstar DJ. Keoki, Oakenfold, Tiesto, Benasi, Darude and the like became more and more stylized, and more and more hyped. The music was very similar to the roots, but stylized to incorporate more overt sexuality, and electronic dance music was now oriented towards the DJ, spinning in a club. Nightclubs, of course being places for people to check each other out.

But not only was it the social aspect...this came with it an aire of exclusivity and fashionability. Dress-codes enforced, and sometimes, hotness-codes too, where you have to line up on the velvet rope whether in Miami or Mayorca to experience the hottest show in lights, 4-on-the-floor and of course sexiness.

Example of the 00s club culture: Tiesto's "Elements of Life"

Maybe it's just me...but I really get annoyed by how electronic dance music pushes this. It pushes this sexist and sexual agenda of a hyper-sexed aesthetic, of exclusives of airbrush make-up models with the greatest bodies need only apply. Whatever happened to enjoying the music?

Which is why I suppose Basshunter went from amazing trance-based songs about nerd-life to re-hashing his shit to front about girls, sex and clubs.

Basshunter's "Now You're Gone" from 2009.

Maybe I'm just jaded and should just go back into a dark room and listen to Dub Step on headphones...as it's the perfect music to express isolation and loneliness...or at least getting snubbed.

The dub-step scene, brought to you by London's Hyperdub label, Burial's "Ghost Hardware".

Sleighing the East Coast Ticket Sales

2010-05-17T19:18:00.000-07:00

So by now, you should have heard of Sleigh Bells.

Embedded YouTube vidya for Sleigh Bell's "Holly"

They've been tearing it up across the blogs, through the circulatory system of Pitchfork, the CMJ and the Williamsburg scene.

If not, welcome to the next genre bending sensation. A lot of fools try and say, "we're not defined by labels". I actually enjoy how Sleigh Bells just seem to screw all types of conceived notions and shoves up their notiony bung.

This release reminds a lot of Beck's Mellow Gold in a lot of ways. When Beck made Mellow Gold, people were trying to figure out all of the rap and hip hop influences out, trying to see where Beck got it all from...trying to make it seem like he's unoriginal.

So what if he was Public Enemy meets Bob Dylan, jilted by the church of Cobain. Beck just did it! And the music was his, he owned it.

Much like that, it seems Sleigh Bells is approaching their music similarly. People are accusing them of ripping off crunk and dirty south beats. But these releases they've made go beyond just using crunk...crunk's their beat, not the soul. Like saying Chuck Berry was unoriginal for using the "boogie".

Even their interviews were non-chalant and unpretentious...even if they made ABC NEWS and played at the NPR, CMJ, Pitchfork, IAMSOUND etc... parties at SXSW... Is this the real deal? Well, when the uppity and large word using New Yorker gives them a glowing write up, you know it's got to be the cusp of something big...like MGMT big, blowing up with hype.

(You'll never see this kind of ticket price or hand-made flyer art again...*sniffles*)

Well, it's going to be real enough that you're never going to get a concert ticket unless you've gotten it already...

Much like how MGMT sold out the 930 club in minutes of going on pre-sale when they were touring Oracular Spectacular...this is the real deal, hipster shit. Get it while it's steaming and before it gets remixed to all hell and the follow-up album sounds nothing like this ;)

(I actually like "Congratulations" a good bit...and yes honey bun, I'm enjoying Plastic Beach more and more too).

Though I would really love to hear an Alan Braxe remix of Crown on the Ground...just saying!

Youtube vidya of "Crown on the Ground" by Sleigh Bells

Cars Make the Band!

2010-05-13T20:59:00.000-07:00

So no! The Jeep Wrangler doesn't have satellite radio. However, it does have probably the most insecure measure of protecting equipment...that is the zipper-canvas top. As cool as it was taking that trail ready vehicle out on the trails of pinelands New Jersey for work and getting messy and pulling off ticks and getting bit by mosquitos despite copious amounts of DEET. There is one solace. That Philadelphia has probably the crown jewel of radio, that being WXPN. From sleigh bells at 9:30pm, to interviews with Johnny Rotten cause PiL's playing the Belagio (go figure Mr. Pistol!), this station is amazing!

That and they play The Heavy...ALOT!

Now don't get me wrong! This band kicks some real ass. Great blues vocals with a real appreciation for full frontal production (GODDAMMIT PEOPLE ARE OVER-FUCKING USING SPECTRE'S NAME!!! Shame on you all!). But who the hell would know this band if it weren't for the Kia Sorrento commercial (yes, I've driven one of those too for work; they have satellite radio usually. Nice ride though...Kia's have come a long way since I test drove the terrible Rio in 2002).

So that's what I want to talk about. Is the car commercial going to give The Heavy staying power?

Let's review a couple groups I remember from the 90s that had car commercial music...but never really made it big. In fact, so much so, that I can't find the commercials on youtube, and one Jetta track is mis-attributed to Moby of all people...

All I'm saying, is that if notoriety from car commercial could mean staying power, I suppose the aforementioned bands won't be lost to the sands of time...like it seems that Meat Beat mManifesto and Download have been (though I hear Skinny Puppy is still touring after the post-Oghr albums though Goettel Died after Furnace was made). Where's Mark Spybey? I guess he's producing now and beyond the care of band notoriety as are most of these 90s heros of post-no-wave, industrial and anti-pop.

Which reminds me...nobody would have given two shits about Alan Vega, if MIA didn't sample Ghost Rider. I just heard a track off the Alan Vega solo album played today on WXPN. That is the one with Al Jorgenson from Ministry...another industrial band no one will give a shit about one day. Why, oh why did you really play the Vega album today? Come clean! Well...it is pretty brilliant stuff... To WXPN's credit, I admire that they dig into vinyl archives to pull out gems of relevant (not to Hipster Runoff again) music.

Wipeout Beat by Alan Vega

More Alan Vega music on iLike

So much like Skinny Puppy's "Tin Omen"...does anyone remember Tienanmen Square? It all seems to fade into history...as music genres rise and fall. Their importance, and poignant message becomes dulled with time, with other distractions and the coolest, newest buzz.

Don't know if industrial will ever rise again though :(

How you like me now indeed! The "now" being key. Makes me wonder with my parent's generation...was there some underground music movement in the 70s that never saw the light of day? Psych-rock and electro-acoustic music are still going though...

Great song though...kudos The Heavy!

4chan infects my music vidyas!

2010-05-04T15:19:00.000-07:00

So MIA released her new single for 2010 just recently, and I found out about it from reading Hipster Runoff today. And wow! The music video is quite amazing:

M.I.A, Born Free from ROMAIN-GAVRAS on Vimeo.

The gore is very similar to what I've seen from Japanese and Russian films about war crimes and testing weapons on live subjects, where the gore is front and center. It's also reminiscent of the attitude of depicting gore on 4chan's /b/. It's just gratuitous...but what does it really mean? It means that the internet CANNOT BE SANITIZED like the US media. People are getting pictures from the police, and from international news sources that show that violence is real, it's disgusting, and it's fucking sociopathic to go around shooting people, chopping them up with swords, and throwing heavy objects at them...which happens all the time in the world...that is thankfully not where I live or work.

So it seems that music artists are trying to reach people, but find that traditional artistic portrayals of edgy issues, isn't enough. Granted this technique was heralded by such directors and film makers like Gaspar Noe and the like that brought the unsanitized realism of carnag, violence and crime into the lens of the camera without regard for society's perception of taste.

Now, in what was normally reserved for underground metal videos with footage of snuff films and the like has finally made it out into artists that I respect, trying to make statements.

Justice's controversial "Stress" Video by the same director/artist as the MIA vidya, Roman Garvais.

Depicts scenes of violence of Parisian youth, not dissimilar to what happened during the 2005 civil unrest in Paris....perpetuated by youth of "ethnic-descent".

Thus the transgressivism continues...or should continue. What are these people angry about? Like what does Chuck Palanuik mean when your colon gets sucked out by a pool aerator?

Is this movement now to show that transgression is no longer a bold, novel step forward? Because of 4chan, ogrish and other no-taste websites desensitizing ourselves and our internet savvy youth, to where we can vicariously see scenes of violence that other peoples of less-fortunate nations are witness to every day...maybe this is what MIA was trying to say: What if we people, had to face state-sponsored genocide on our soil. How would that make us feel? How would that look? So this is actually kind of a statement for Sri Lanka, with state sponsored genocide of the Tamil......but it may be a bit to nasty to really get the message across? Maybe it's not enough?! Note the cover is showing executions of Tamil...

Her statement's pretty legit...and much like the comfort of my suburban dwelling, I am blissfully happy there and footage of murder and rape from afar, even if afar is in US somewhere that's not near me, is disturbing, but it's blissfully far away. I suppose MIA, is trying to bring the violence and message a little closer to "home," and invade my comfort. Also, fortunately for me, the only gingers in my family are cats...but I can relate. It's genocide...but not the genocide people normally see on the news. Probably the closest we've come the MIA video is something like what happened in the former Yugoslavia (euro-white on euro-white violence).

I'm sure a few sociopaths on the internet actually really like this, in the sense that they enjoy watching violence on others.

Ah well...it's all about the sample anyway. Cause remember the lyrics of the proto-punk/proto-industrial kids:

"ghostrider motorcycle hero

bebebebebebebe he's a-screamin' the truth

america america is killin' its youth"

Ah, comics, music and world politics! Suicide was so good!

Blog Envy!

2010-05-02T09:25:00.000-07:00

So when I travel, I sometimes get a chance to listen to satellite radio. So as an avid consumer of that pitchforkmedia, top albums persuasion, and being the terribly over-the-hill at 29, I of course tune into Sirius XMU. To all its credit, it is a great venue for independent musicians, or as what has become monetized as “indie,” like when I did charts as a college radio DJ (She & Him have several commercials now that bombard me when I’m trying to watch House). But get this, I’ve listened to more unsigned bands on XMU in a day out in the field for work, than I have in all my time listening to the FM rock stations on the weekends of my youth where they did their local unsigned hours, even more than during my time at WMUC in College Park cause we had label distros…Anyway, part of the programming, that is part of the intro of this post, is a several hour program called “Blog Radio”. This where some of the major music bloggers on the internet create a nice playlist of music they want to hear, and is often representative music often showcased on their blogs (but not always, and that’s cool!)…and I’m thinking, I’m jealous…and I miss being a DJ on college radio. And yes, some of the personalities on the blogosphere are quite pretentious, or rather, they seem to extol the fact that they have clout and exclusive information and connections with the bands us indie-music lovers want to get to know. But then…is the reason we want to know because this music their playing is the latest buzz? Or is the reason we want to know is because this is the sound we’re craving and the sound we want to hear right now? Regardless, a term that is thrown around with little consequence because its staying power is so fleeting is that of RELEVANCE, almost getting its meaning diluted as much as the battered term indie (but that word has a long way to go before it becomes as bruised and calloused as “jazz”). As Heidi Klum says on Project Runway, “One day you’re in and the next, you’re out!”

So, I am jealous! I don’t, or rather can’t, really blog on the most relevant music - Or so I feel. I get my music sources from other, more connected people, who actually read their RSS feeds daily/hourly from people who actually have cell-numbers these underground deities of music on their smartphones…

Such is the way and the awesome power of the internet, where you have hundreds of millions of people, all contributing content, all contributing to our research. Of course you have play your hand close to your chest to make it WORTH anything and so your voice on the internet sounds unique, and your valuable contacts and methods of information gathering aren’t sniped by the many other ambitious people waiting to make their mark on the blogosphere. If that wasn’t bad enough, music reporting is already rife with pretention and exclusivity. Fuck if I have Beach Fossils on speed dial, or at least sending me promos and CDMs of their singles for an exclusive remix.

The truth of the matter, or what’s the matter with me is, why blog? It seems that there are a plethora of other music blogs on the internet that do a fantastic, if not much better written with more relevant content, cutting-edge and up to date with very exclusive information.

Seems like I may be able to do the same thing with a team of bloggers, with feet on the street, money in their wallets, great contacts in their iphones and an ambitious attitude at being the coolest and hippest folks, in the know and on the internet so you, the reader, clicking on adds to pay for the blogger’s concert tickets, liquor, herbal and chemical bribes can stay up to date as well. Then again, I’d rather take a daytrotter approach with live acoustic sessions in my amazing studio and fuck all care about what people think. I guess that’s why they get so many cool people to do sessions there.

There is a definite an idealization and romance to these star-music-blogs; like a movie scene where you want to be in it, blowing up the gas station, not looking back, getting in a $200,000 car with a supermodel and saying that memorable one liner that everyone will be quoting for years…basically it’s a way to make you want to care about their opinions in music. And often to their credit, they are well researched and have probably listened to a lot of music, and probably have gone to a conservatory or college music program, or at least had some art appreciation curriculum. And there’s a lot of them. Going back to blog radio, a few to highlight in the wide world of music relevance is:

Gorilla Vs. Bear – Great tracks of indie rock, always seems to get the hot promo tracks off his cds before everyone else

Aquarium Drunkard – A little more high-tech than others, and often gets exclusive show presentation…so basically promotes shows and gets gigs for bands they like, which helps build relationships. I like that business model.

Brooklyn Vegan – Well connected in the Brooklyn scene there in NYC and beyond. His parties are apparently places where you "must be seen".

Hipster Runoff – I feel a kinship with him. Often frames things in absurd and banal ways to where it seems just short of magical, cause indie artists are always just short of success and selling out.

The above all have shows on XMU :P

Brightest Young Things – Most amazing magazine out of DC, with great interviews, fashion etc…and an amazing street team. Highly respected, though they can seem to speak with a very art-star voice that Karen O screamed about in that song she did in the early 00s. Getting ahead of yourselves right? But so cool, that any miss-step is easily brushed aside.

But with voices like this and much more already on the internet, I feel…washed out…

Personally, I’ve really gone through a lot of musical genres, specializations and explorations in my music consumption to get where I am today, blogging this blog. However, I feel like I’m too slow. Often the cutting edge of scenes is just crap that’s only going to last for a few fad-months: like crunk-kids perpetuated by the likes of Brokencyde and 2-Drunk 2 Drive. Or to take it back to 99, the electroclash movement in NYC by bands like W.I.T. and Fischerspooner. Much like the relevance, at the time of their height, they are all abuzz with this is the new-school, or this is the sound we were looking for. They get a showcase at a dank Austin bar at SXSW, and a side-tent/café spot at Bonnaroo, or a space on a pavilion sidewalk at the Warped Tour and they're off! So then, it’s what the kids want, and what the coolest underground DJs are playing (looking at you Will Eastman of D.C.), or the reporters on the citypaper are telling us to check out their show and it gets all sold-out in a day and the show is like some romantic-idealized situation that could be capitalized in a high-budget and sleek action film…like when industrial was cool in Blade and the vamps were sexily dancing to “Jukejoint Jezebel”, or when darkwave was cool in the “The Crow” and we were looking at well dressed, badass heroin junkies shooting up to “Golgotha Tenement Blues,” and bigbeat techno was cool in “The Matrix” like Propellerhead’s epic “Spybreak!” shootout scene in the building lobby. Nowadays, there isn’t a stable goth-dance-night in the DC area (though I hear Europe’s holding on with the alfa-matrix label!). Though I’m sure some cities are still holding on…

sic transit gloria mundi

(to quote Max from Rushmore)

The glory of the scene you were in…it fades! It becomes irrelevant.

But hopefully there will be some legacy left behind with genuine, amazing music…probably also left behind by the masses.

The reality of the situation is that the internet has created this amazing, albeit disparate community of people that can support this huge monolith of “indie” music. If only we could get our act together…then we’d probably try to make it like a label…best we stay factioned, and continue to put on our airs of pretention.

But in a way, this narcissism is fun! And I love writing about and listening to music. So I guess…I am happy to call myself one of the internet’s music bloggers…and raise a glass to anyone else who’ll do it…just don’t expect my help…well much, unless you can get me an exclusive 2-month advance promo copy, or a white-label remix…

Popipopipopo!

2010-04-13T08:04:00.000-07:00

So in the tradition of Japanese pop comes an underground sound that kinda parodies the pop-music industry of J-pop and in sacchrine matrimony takes our video-game culture's vintage music and makes this music, that's probably a little to fast to dance to in clubs, but probably great for some Dance Dance Revolution.

Below is a sampling of a several songs that I like, or rather have stuck in my head:

Drinking that Vegetable Juice... song by Miku Hatsune. Granted it's a video game, but it's exemplary

Plus Tech Squeezebox - My Personal Fav of the artists of this Genre

Though I have to say, their sound's rather diverse, ranging from the polysics to many nods to the immortal BOREDOMS!

Have a totally non-suggestive Honey Dip by MacDonald Duck Elclaire, which wins the coveted sounds good in japanese but what does it really mean band name prize

I think what the problem with this genre is that it doesn't really seem to be much of a genre, minus an era where people have been experimenting with revisting 8-bit sound generators and incorporating them into their brands of pop music. Though the wiki article kinda does it justice with their summary:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picopop

I can't help but get the feeling this is just japanese indie music...that is all. I mean, I hear the Polysics, I hear the Boredoms, I hear Towa Tei, I hear the Pizzacato 5. It's just another piece of that melange of their brand of fusion pop that borrows heavily from american and european music influence and then makes it there own.

So I don't think there's any staying power to the genre other than getting quickie ditties stuck in your head. Rather this is just an evolutionary step to modern japanese music, that isn't stuck in glam/metal like some other jap-genres I know...Or is it just all Shibuya Kei?

Joanna Made Me Cry

2010-03-26T09:20:00.000-07:00

So I saw Joanna Newsom for the first time on the 22nd of March, 2010 at the 6th & I Synagogue in DC. Discarding cliche spiritual references to the quality of the performance aside; it was the first concert I've ever cried at.

I don't think I've ever experienced someone, at a live show, who could so perfectly emote their music on stage without melodrama and just pure, genuine talent. I was in awe. And when she broke the mood with banter and when her harp string broke, it just cut the tension like a cool wave over my body, to bring me out of a dumb struck stratospheric-zone, and back to earth for a bit to enjoy her on a human level.

At the same time, she seems to have taken criticism to heart, often equating her previous work to cats, screeching vocal artistry akin to Yoko Ono, or women in pain.

An Old Favorite, but Oft Criticized Song

Seriously, she is now showing much more command of her voice and has created a smooth croon approach to this album, and approaches the singing with more tonality. But in contrast, to me, it makes all her previous work seem purposeful in their expressions, despite their lack of mass appeal. Her current voice and delivery in the album "Have One On Me" has much less of the folksy twang, youth and cracking, favoring that croon and purposeful intonation. Her emotional impact is still the same, but at the same time, much more palatable to more people on first listen than her previous work. "Have One On Me" takes into more consideration a polyphony between the harp/piano and voice, maintaining tonality vs. the previous and in my mind purposeful flourishes of atonality. Hopefully this new release and tour will build her fanbase further, as people can ignore the whimsical vocal acrobatics and cracking and indulge in her luscious, genius and intense song writing.

As a point of comparison, "California" my favorite track on the new record:

Regardless of the criticisms of her body of work, her live performances apparenlty are always consistently beautiful. If she can continue to give this much soul, on every performance...if I had the money and time...I would make every show she gives. When I saw her, the performances of California, Emily, and '81 had me weeping with how beautiful they were. Only thing I would have preferred is if the volume of the guitar amp was about a notch and half lower.

Also, I would have liked her to play my favorite song of hers:

Sawdust & Diamonds - The song she hooked me with

Haters gonna hate though...haters shouldn't listen to her music then, or make comments on youtube.

Short Form Proposal

2010-03-19T09:32:00.000-07:00

So when examining how the blogosphere works, and getting feedback from my friends, I realize that what's key to moderately successful blogs is constant update.

It's been almost a year since my last update, before I wrote the piece about the Jonna Lee viral videos. That's not really a good way to maintain a blog.

So here's what I propose, that I will post some short-form blog posts. Hopefully the feedback will be encouraging, and these posts will invariably cure the writer's block that stops me from writing my long posts anyway. That and there'll be updates that will show up...at least on Calm Canary's google reader ;)

So I leave you(myself) with this inspiration to keep at it. Afterall, I don't have to goto school anymore, so what excuse to I have not to fill up the blogosphere with my presence.

So need a remix of this!