VIOLENS : AMORAL (2010) & V

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genre: hype immediately!

I have a new band crush. Their name is Violens and they're 4 New Yorkers from Miami. I would describe them myself, but their last.fm info does the job perfectly already:

"Their music imagines a place where The Zombies & The Byrds meet Wire & The Violent Femmes, and Crass meets Angelo Badalamenti & Prefab Sprout."

So much genre melding going on with Amoral - from poppy to psychy to some fast shoegazing on Another Strike Restrained and a little post-rocking on Generational Loss - I'm melting I'm melting! Also, I think there's a didgeridoo playing for a few seconds at the beginning of "Could You Stand To Know." They're so cool (I assume... not like we're close personal friends) and such a great change of pace from all the shit I've been listening to lately.

That's right. Officially dropped off the chillwave and ditched my chillboard, at least for the time being. One second my friend and I were driving around and he was telling me how much he loves Tame Impala, and the next second their music was blasting and I just had this thought:

This shit is kinda boring/repetitive and I've had enough!!!(?)

An inexplicable sorrowful rage filled my body. I asked him to change the music, and when he didn't I seriously considered cashing his face via my fist, but then I remembered that I weigh about 100 lbs, so instead I went home and listened to Violens.

Hope you liked hearing my life story and hope you like their music!

MIMICKING BIRDS : S/T (2010)

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genre: folk, singer-songwriter

Mimicking Birds began as the solo bedroom recordings of Oregon native Nate Lacy and eventually expanded to include close personal friends Aaron Hanson (drum) and Tim Skellenger (guitar). The music itself is very minimalist with simple rhythms and sparse arrangements, but what really sets it apart is Lacy's delicate vocal delivery.

I have a natural bias against most singer-songwriters. In my experience, they tend to lean on power chords, sing in cliches, and have massive egos. This is not the case with Lacy. You can hear a certain hesitancy and shyness in his voice as he fingerpicks through cyclical melodies. He's not a rockstar, he's just charming and talented. Plus, his voice reminds me of a less whiny hybrid of Okay and Electric President's vocalists (don't kill me for picking that adjective, I love both those bands).

Although most reviewers seem to favor the song "Loops," my personal favorites are "Burning Star," which is easily the most confident and structured song on the album, and "Cabin Fever."

P.S. sorry for getting this to you so late :c

BEAST : BEAST (2008)

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genre: hip-hop/trip-hop, electronic

at some point, i downloaded the song "devil" by beasts and then proceeded to never actually listen to it. today it came up on my shuffle and i was floored. i immediately looked up the rest of the album and was similarly impressed. combining elements of dark cabaret, trip-hop, and funk, Beast melds both the electronic and the acoustic to create a unique musical experience that is equal parts Grace Jones and Anticon darling, topping the entire affair with alluring French-Canadian accents.

CLOUD NOTHINGS : TURNING ON (2010)

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genre: lo-fi, noise pop

Don't be fooled by the minimalist album art, there is a lot of mysterious hot fuzz going on in this album. I could (and have) listen(ed) to Hey Cool Kid all the livelong day. What are the lyrics??? What are they SAY-ing?? No one knows! But it sounds super rad, so who really cares anyway.

RAINDEER : EP (2010)

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genre: lo-fi, prog-pop, post-chill

I have to admit I was unsure about these guys pending my first listen. The playfully misspelled name, the bedroom-recording vibe, the boy/girl duo tag... it seemed a little much. Fortunately, I got over myself and gave it a chance, and it's really grown on me. They're quirky, they're a tiny bit sugary, they're like/loveable. I dig after all.

PET MILK : DEMO (2010)

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genre: noise-pop, shoegaze

Pet Milk features members of a few beloved Philly acts, namely Pink Coffins, Brown Recluse, and Paint it Black. Beyond the fantastically hazy first track (my personal favorite), the rest of the demo puts me strongly in mind of the early K records lineup. This is the first decent demo I've heard in a minute.

SPARKLEHORSE TRIBUTE ALBUM

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omigawd omigawd

high five france, you have made an awesome cover album.

in fact, this may be the first and/or only time i've ever liked a cover album.

shame on me for not getting this to you sooner.

track listing:

sunshine by band of ghost //
heart of darkness by recorded home //
weird sisters by david fakenahm //
piano fire by mechanism for people //
sick of goodbyes by laudanum //
sea of teeth by centenaire //
dog door by tycho brahé & polder //
eye pennies by jullian angel //
hammering the cramps by sunday sunday //
more yellow birds by tis// sea of teeth by pumuckl//
gold day by b r oad way //
it's a wonderfull life by hopen // all night home by pokett //
almost lost my mind by montgomery //
king of nails by cyrod //
saturday by angil //
someday i will treat you good by we only said //
homecoming queen by fi_cel (featuring elfya) //
artwork by sebba//