Errors- Have Some Faith in Magic (2012)

Posted on by

Turns out Errors have a new album out, entitled Have Some Faith in Magic. I’ve been accompanying my uni work with their album for a few days now, and I must say it’s definitely a keeper.

The overall vibe, for the uninitiated, is sort of an electro melting pot but with a alt. rock drum and guitar. I hate to label, and that description doesn’t do the album justice. You really need to listen to it. In terms of synths, there’s bleep-bloopy 8bit style synths, classic buzzsaw keys and oscillating thereminesque parts. And it’s all held together with often scorching drum parts and a heavy guitar/sparkly guitar almost reminiscent of Mogwai’s early stuff. 

Indeed, Errors’ signing to Rock Action is not the only similarity the two share. In fact, the more keyboard-laden approach that we saw the boys from Glasgow create on Hardcore Will Never Die… is also similar in tone to some of the parts here, albeit toned down. But that’s not to say that they sound exactly the same or anything. Goodness no, pigeonholing them in that way just wouldn’t do this album justice

There is a lot of tonal variation on Have Some Faith in Magic, and surprisingly for a synth-laden album (but not entirely synth-based), it doesn’t sound hokey at all. If it wasn’t for the ethereal vocal tones on Blank Media, you could almost be listening to an updated Kraftwerk for 2012. And that’s definitely a good thing! Perhaps it’s the live drums at the heart of it or something. Never does the album barrel into nostalgia-ville full tilt.

Lead single Pleasure Palaces gently segues into the album with a more electro version of Chemical Brothers’ Star Guitar vibe. Very much a travelling song, in my head at least. But then halfway, it changes into a delightfully bubbly arpeggiated line that just rises out of the blue. Accompanied by a toy piano/stars twinkling line, it’s just heavenly. And that’s not something that I can say about a lot of things I’ve heard recently.

Magna Encarta (see what they did there?) has a distinct Boards of Canada sound to it, but a bit more upbeat. Again about halfway through there is a delightful transition into a fanfare of guitar and ethereal vocals. Each track is a bit like a present on this album- you never know what’s inside the box you initially hear.

Caveats? Well if you hate electronica (i.e. keys and synths) this’ll probably not do much for you. Having said that, the laid-back feel of a few of the tracks might surprise a few who don’t normally attend the churches of Roland and Casio. It’s definitely an accessible album.

Autechre – Tri Repetae : A review of a landmark electronic album

Posted on by

Tri Repetae

I came to know of Tri Repetae rather late. I only started listening to electronic music in earnest around 1995 when a friend sent me a tape of Orbital’s Snivilization. I started going through the Autechre catalog one at a time somewhere around 2009, and came to Tri Repetae in 2010. By then, it was 15-year old music, but it did not fail to impress me; electronic music was moving fast in the 90s, so this alone says something about it.

I had given both Incunabula and Amber (the two preceding albums) plenty of time to understand them, since I was aware from my readings that Tri Repetae was a significant leap beyond them, and I wanted to feel that. These are both solid works, and I recommend them in their own right.

There are some albums that you know are special within five or ten seconds; this is one of them. As soon as the opening bass pulse of Dael finishes a cycle or two, you think you’re in for something different. Fortunately, the album does not fail to deliver on its first promise.

Continue reading →

Alex Tedesco – Pretty Lies (2012)

Posted on by

Alex Tedesco is from Livonia, MI.  I had met him at the university that we had formerly attended and quickly became good friends. We had spoke and shared interest in creating our own music and he had shown me all of the projects he had been working on/involved in (The Toad Disco, Half-Pairof Trios, Hosts, etc). I was quite amazed at the many different genres that had inspired him to create music, especially since a lot of them had shown through and melded together within his own work. The intimate nature and soul-energy delicately tuned had always been a staple in the music that he has created.

What I will be sharing with you his is (part of his) newest masterpiece that has been in the making for quite some time now (up to three years). After many revisions, his work of art, “Pretty Lies”, is finally ready for sonic consumption and is begging for a label to pick it up. With intimate and carefully constructed pop methods combined with weird samples, beautiful noise melodies, and instrumentation layered intricately throughout this album, you shouldn’t be surprised if you are found humming a few melodies encased in this album after listening.

Continue reading →

Look Mexico – Real Americans Spear It

Posted on by

Five songs clock in under fifteen minutes.  Real Americans Spear It is the most recent release from Look Mexico, and yes it is fresh.  These guys formed the better part of a decade ago, and while they have seen quite a few members come and go, the current line-up sounds like they’ve been playing music together for the better part of two decades.

This entire thing is just a pleasure for your ears (in particular, the brass in the latter part of the opener).  As a whole they have a knack for keeping pace with one another, keeping things sounding as tight as possible without sounding tired.  Four EPs and two full-lengths is a solid amount of material in their seven year bandspan, but if this EP is any indication, expect more good things from these guys.

No slop, all style.

Buy 10″
Buy 10″ bundle (LP + poster, stick, and Adeline Records shirt)

Discuss here

At the Drive In – Vaya

Posted on by

Since At the Drive In is all in the news n shizz I felt like sharing my personal favorite album. I’ll be the first to admit that I hadn’t been following these guys since they were first formed (it seems a lot of people were >_> ) and my first exposure to them was seeing them play live on MTV2 in the summer of my sophomore year in high school. You know something hits you right when you remember exactly where you were when you saw/heard it. Anyway, Relationship of Command had just come out and was all the rage but I wasn’t a huge fan of that album and instead preferred Vaya and In/Casino/Out. Oh well. If soundcloud leaves these tracks up then listen to them. I’ll probably replace them with youtube versions (yuck).

Discuss here.
Buy here.

Shadowcaster – Visions of Zosimos

Posted on by

It doesn’t take an occultist to identify with and appreciate the works of the Denver-based Justin Larwick (aka Aleph.Null). Larwick’s project, Shadowcaster, results in some genuinely nasty melodies, supported by pulsing beats and calculated dissonance.

Larwick’s Visions of Zosimos achieves a calming yet irreverent tone with astounding ease, perfectly conveying his intending influences of ancient ritual with a modern twist. Each track melds easily and completely with all others in the set. The whole of the album is something spectacularly unsettling, if not downright malevolent.

Almost as intriguing as the music itself is Larwick’s focus on the relationship between his music and performance art. Each set is developed to accompany a single live performance art piece and is not repeated in the live setting. The live sets often feature occult-based rituals, often involving gore and human suspension, a perfect visualization of Larwick’s brooding sounds.

Not for the faint of heart, ShadowCaster’s Visions of Zosimos is a memorable compilation of tracks, driving one to believe in the presence of something truly evil, even if only for the 24 minutes and 56 seconds of the album. Though I have no alignment with the occult, I consider this set to be nightmare and a treasure – one that will enter my listening rotation on a regular basis.

This review was written by sosoconsistent.
Discuss here.
Purchase/Download music here.

Vladimir- Vladimir EP

Posted on by

I picked up a copy of this five-track EP at a gig where Dundee band Vladimir supported The Twilight Sad in November (reviewed Here).  Unfortunately I missed them live, but thought it’d be worth picking up a copy. Upon a bit of light new year’s cleaning I happened upon it and thought I’d give it a listen. 

EP opener On My Wall opens with a driving growl of bass and guitar that brings to mind the racecar-inspired Black Sunshine by White Zombie. Big, distorted guitar hits are the order of the day here, and it’s an enjoyable track. Vocalist Ross Murray’s double tracked vocals are all -encompassing and fit well with the driving rock ethic.

I Fight Fire and Passing follow a similar mould and are similarly enjoyable tracks, with the vocal style coming much more to the fore. The drums in particular shine on I Fight Fire with a nice spring echoey guitar line and heavy, mildly psychedelic vibe. It sounds a bit like a bad trip. In a good way.

For me though, Mellow really stood out. Alternating between a mellow post-rock/shoegaze calm and a full-on driving rain guitar assault, it works well. It’s nice to hear the bass take the lead, with an atmospheric seismograph-line guitar adding texture. The vocals on the chorus do verge on being a bit overly ‘shouty’, but that’s really a question of taste.

Album closer Untitled showcases further sonic possibilities, with static guitar and a series of un-nerving obscure movie samples. The drums beat hard amongst the guitar lines before a final explosion of feedback and cymbal crashes. 

Vladimir showcases an almost embryonic band that could evolve in any of many directions. It’ll be interesting to see where they go from here. I am definitely gutted I didn’t turn up in November earlier.

Discuss Here

 

Tera Melos – Tera Melos

Posted on by

Tera Melos

I caught these guys on their (what I assume was) their 1st foray into Arizona at the Trunkspace, in Phoenix. I remember going to see someone else but they canceled (I think) and ended up being pleasantly surprised. Of course there were only like 8 people there and that obligatory kid that knew all about them but regardless I was still impressed and purchased a cd right away. They came out said 2 words and then stormed the venue. Anyway, this band has consistently been good and are kinda funny assholes (you know the type).  Listen listen listen!

Discuss here.

Purchase stuff here.

Mogwai- Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will.

Posted on by

Released about a year ago, Mogwai’s seventh studio album had a bit of a lukewarm reception. I don’t think it isn’t an album of merit. It’s just a little schizophrenic in its approach- attempting a new direction whilst still keeping that Mogwai identity.

Album opener White Noise is perhaps a little gentle, but it gradually crescendoes into a flourish, laden with guitar fanfares. To me, it brings to mind train journeys into the city- gradually increasing dynamics as one travels deeper into the metropolis. It plays a little like a more polished version of previous album opener I’m Jim Morrison, I’m Dead. 

I would argue that Mogwai’s strongest tracks are opener/closers- Consider Auto Rock & We’re No Here, Yes! I am a Long Way From Home & Mogwai Fear Satan. Unfortunately, HWNDBYW‘s opener is a bit lacking. It just never breaks out. 

Continue reading →

Steve Hauschildt – Tragedy & Geometry (Kranky 2011)

Posted on by

Steve Hauschildt - Tragedy & Geometry (Kranky 2011)

After three years of having albums released through small run tape labels, kosmische revivalist Steve Hauschildt finally gets a proper release for his mind bending work.  Being one third of the Ohio zoned out giants, Emeralds, his solo work could be easily overlooked.  ”Tragedy & Geometry” is an album with focused energy on shorter compositions rather than the long form style of his earlier releases.

The aura of this album generates feelings of a mature nature, completely packed with lush synth zones and melancholic, meandering arpeggios.  The opening track, “Polyhymnia”, is a representation of just that.   The fourth track and one of my favorites on the album, “Already Replaced”, starts off with a delicate arpeggio quickly being met kindly by airy, melancholic undertones to give the intention that you or something else being replaced.  Shimmering, high toned synth calms that melancholic smoke by dancing a melody around it.  ”Music for Moiré pattern” is the only slow burner on the album clocking in at a comfortable 11 minutes and reminds me heavily of his work with Emeralds.  The quasi-distorted synth that comes in two thirds of the way through is reminiscent of Mark McGuire’s fret board magic and trails off for the rest of the track.  The last track, “Stare into Space”, brings everything full circle.  As the track hones in on friendly arpeggios again, it really smooths out into a suggestive soundscape relating to the closing of the album.

BUY

Below is a mix of previews throughout the album in track number order.

Discuss here.