What Else Is There?

..:: James Blake - Life Round Here ::..

One of the UK’s most buzzed about electro-r&b producers, James Blake, recently dropped his second full length album. Lead single “Retrograde” takes a simple hum and builds it until it cracks open and unleashes a flurry of strange beauty, but there is another track on Overgrown that’s equally as breathtaking. The ingredients to “Life Round Here” are simple - a single set of reverb-laced ascending notes, an r&b snare/kick backbeat, and James’ continued insistence that part time love is the only kind round here - but combined together, they form something greater than the sum of their parts. If you don’t mind feeling a bit moody and letting some rainy day spirit fill your consciousness, this song is a pretty good experience.

..:: The Knife - Raging Lung ::..

For their fourth album Shaking The Habitual Karin Andersson and Olof Dreijer set out to create an experience where listeners would not be able to tell if the sounds contained within were produced with a computer or real instruments, and on that note, I do believe they succeeded. Take my favorite song, “Raging Lung”, for example. Throughout, we’re bombarded by a plethora of noises; jangling chime-like noises, warbling bass-like noises, a few amber-tinged noises that may or may not be steel drums, and after awhile some sort of squawking noise takes a solo. The only thing that we can be sure of is that Karin is the one on the mic, as her occult-laden voice is unmistakable. Eventually she fades away and another set of noises (one of which has equal chances being some sort of strange bowed stringed instrument, broken machinery, or a dying animal) take over to jam things out. But regardless of how “Raging Lung”  really was composed, if you’re a fan of The Knife and their ever morphing brand of mysticism, this song is for you.

..:: Yeah Yeah Yeahs - These Paths ::..

You gotta love it when artists keep their ear to the ground instead of resting on their laurels after getting a few successful albums under their belt. Yeah Yeah Yeahs have been doing a good job of mixing things up with each release; their debut had them bounding out of the gate with high energy garage punk, album two was a bit folkier, number three brought the synths, and when it came time for number four things have gotten rather dark. It seems like just like the rest of us, Karen O and company have been diggin’ on some new stuff like Grimes and Purity Ring. This influence is most apparent on the end of “These Paths” where we get a bit of a jam with that dark/screwed vocal sample. Of course, that’s after riding through a few minutes of an eerie, rotating squeak (that moment when it suddenly does three full rotations) and Karen’s increasingly disturbing suggestions (that moment when she hops up into some hair-raising falsetto). Of all the musical paths listeners have to choose from these days, Yeah Yeah Yeahs continue to be a good choice.

..:: How To Destroy Angels - Welcome Oblivion ::..

For some reason I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for bands comprised of couples. Arcade Fire, Mates Of State, Peaking Lights, and hell, even The White Stripes (even though they were divorced and claimed to be brother and sister for a majority of their run) are a few groups I’ve been into that are centered around a pair of lovebirds. Well now it looks like there’s a new band that I can add to that list. Trent Reznor, the mastermind behind Nine Inch Nails, has recruited his wife Mariqueen Maandig for vocal duty on his latest project, How To Destroy Angels. The title track “Welcome Oblivion” doesn’t have a driving industrial beat but instead relies on backdropping Mariqueen’s anxious voice with ominous bass and creaking synths to create Reznor’s trademark feeling of impending doom. It’s one of those songs that may not pop out at you while listening on laptop speakers, but plug in your soundsystem or over the ear headphones and you’ll be blown away by the sheer sonic force that comes pumping out.

..:: Bonobo - Cirrus ::..

The North Borders is the fifth LP by Bonobo who just so happens to be my favorite downtempo artist of the 2000’s. The British producer has a knack for crafting competitions that sound both electronic and organic at the same time. “Cirrus” begins with a simple set of bells that rattle and scatter around before the song winds up and blooms into a full, lush arrangement of warm tones and fuzzy bass. And while I don’t hype music videos anymore (as I feel they can steal thunder from songs that don’t have one) the animations put together for the song by Cyriak are just so perfect that it would be criminal to let them go without mention.

Music Video

..:: Millionyoung - Lovin ::..

It’s no secret that I’m a sucker for some chillwave, and my love of the genre often compels me to mine 2nd tier acts just in case there any hidden gems worth digging up. In this case, the payday is the second track on Millionyoung’s new album Variable. “Lovin” has all the staples of a good bedroom dream pop track: lazy, floating vocals draped over delicate, fuzzy synths that leave us in a strange space that feels both nostalgic and fresh. Recommended for early mornings, late nights, or anytime your life needs a bit more of that soft sparkle.

Music Video

..:: Justin Timberlake - Pusher Love Girl ::..

It looks like JT took a break from acting and getting married and sticking his dick into boxes to finally record a follow up to Futuresex/Lovesounds. And while it may not top his 2006 smash, it definitely has its share of moments. JT’s teamed up with his favorite producer Timbaland once again, and while the latter’s production tends to stand out more on other tracks, “Pusher Love Girl” (at least until the coda) is mostly Justin. Sure, likening that feeling you get from being in love to a drug is nothing new, but for some reason it doesn’t sounds stale here. Justin croons about his latest and greatest infatuation on top of a bare-bones backdrop of strings and “ba-doops”. Of course, once we DO get to that coda, Timbaland takes advantage of the moment to chop Justin’s voice up and fade it backwards while JT goes through a list of all the substances his girl can stand in for. Now if only there was a reliable way for the rest of us get a fix of this stuff, we’d be all set.

..:: Disclosure - White Noise ::..

Brothers Guy and Howard Lawrence make up the UK house duo Disclosure and after a year or so of opening for acts like Hot Chip and SBTRKT they’re poised to really break out out on their own. “White Noise” is a collaboration with another up and coming artist AlunaGeorge (who just recently released an incredible single in “Attracting Flies”) and even though we’re only a few months in, I’m pretty confident this one will be still be considered one of the best dance floor bangers of the year come December. The brothers lay down a 90’s retro styled beat (Wait, is 90’s retro now? This is making me feel old) while Aluna does what she does best. The boys know exactly where to keep the beat flowing, when to fade it back, and when to spin it in big, arcing circles around our heads.

Music Video

..:: Starfucker - Malmo ::..

I’ll admit it. I’m not really that crazy about Starfucker. Starting with the terrible, attention grabbing name (which is only slightly better when truncated as STRFKR) and ending with the fact that a majority of their music is just incredibly generic. On multiple occasions I’ve heard one of their songs and while recognizing it, I wasn’t able to place the artist without looking it up. That said, they DO have their moments (like when they expose their audience to some Alan Watts). Their latest contribution that’s worth checking out is track 3 on their new album Miracle Mile. “Malmo” is your standard, bouncy, electro-pop song, and Joshua Hodges half-hearted voice is unassuming as ever. But something about it - perhaps the mid-song bass-filled build, or the end where we get a few abrupt start/stop dealies - makes the song stand out from the rest on the album, and that’s just enough to let me recommend that it get a few spins.

..:: Tegan And Sara - I Was A Fool ::.

Twin sisters Tegan And Sara have been singer-songwriting indie pop gems for years now, and although they’ve been hinting at a genre shift with their previous two albums, their latest album is where they’ve finally gone and traded in their guitars for synthesizers. Yes, Heartthrob is a full on synth-pop album, but that doesn’t mean the girls have lost any of their ability to weasel their way into my heart. Lead single “Closer” is a hell of a karaoke jam, but “I Was A Fool” is my favorite moment of the album. Tegan tells us that familiar story of being completely unable to do what your brain is telling you when your heart is in charge while Sara occasionally drops by to lend a backup voice. Those 3rd and 4th “I was a fooooool’s” in the chorus totally peak out like none other. Don’t worry about the haters ladies, you can genre-hop all you want. Your true fans aren’t going anywhere.

..:: Autre Ne Veut - Play By Play ::..

I’ve been enjoying the direction electro-R&B has been going in lately. Earlier in the year we were treated to some that included an infusion of Toro y Moi’s signature chillwave, and now we’ve got Autre Ne Veut coating the genre in buckets of glam on his second album Anxiety. “Play By Play” kicks off with an extended intro that includes cascading chimes and Arthur Ashin choking us out by dropping “baby” after “baby”. But eventually we get to that payoff in the second half of the song, it’s all made worth it. Arthur and his background singers drop us off the peak after that slow climb to the top and let us ride those “play by play (by play by play)’s” off into the sunset.

Music Video

..:: Doldrums - Lesser Evil ::..

It doesn’t take long after hitting play on the title track of the latest Doldrums album to realize you’re in for quite a sonic assault. Ribbons of bass throb and pulse, synths squelch and vibrate, and tribal percussion rattles everything within earshot. Airick Woodhead is the man behind this madness. At times, when the din dies down for a second and his voice fills the gap, “Lesser Evil” reminds me of the dystopian world of Clinic. During others, while in full psych-freakout mode, things can resemble the chaos of Animal Collective. Despite these similarities, Airick’s sound is still his own, and if you enjoy pulling strange beauty out of densely stuffed packages, “Lesser Evil” is probably a trip you’ll want to take.

..:: Atoms For Peace - Default ::..

Atoms For Peace is a new collaboration including Radiohead’s Thom Yorke, Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea, and producer Nigel Godrich. And while I can’t really tell what Flea’s contribution to the project is, “Default” is one of the best tracks Thom has managed to create in a long while and it’s definitely a product of his deepening love for IDM. The beat sounds like it was crafted by recording a handful of possessed marbles clanking around in a box, and the incessant bleeps and mourning synths paired with Thom’s falsetto do an excellent job of drowning us in unease and mysticism. A worthy a successor to “Black Swan”? I’m thinking so.

..:: Emancipator - Minor Cause ::..

While it’s true that a lot of Emancipator songs put me to sleep, the first track on his newest album actually has a bit of fire under its ass. As usual, he lays the groundwork by pairing a collection of hazy piano and strings with a trip-hop beat, but the moment where that main melody crests the hill is what we’re really waiting for. It’s a great tune to backdrop a brisk, blustery night, and even if it’s not snowing where you live right now, if you put this song on and stare out the window hard enough, I bet you could get it to start.

Music Video

..:: Ulrich Schnauss - Borrowed Time ::..

Don’t be put off by the fact that he has the most German sounding name ever, because Ulrich knows how to string together some hair raising noises. I first discovered him when I found the song “Clear Day” at the tail end of a week long Boards Of Canada bender and the best moment on A Long Way To Fall is almost as good. “Borrowed Time” starts out innocently enough; some echoing bleeps here, some hazy atmospheric clouds there, yeah yeah, whatever. But wait, what’s this at 1:40? That buzz!? Yes sir. Those ascending bells? Sign me the fuck up. Ulrich, you bastard, you’ve done it again.