29.12.12

On An Ocean Amp - We Are Now Growing Fast


Band / Artist: On An Ocean Amp
Year: 2005
Genre: Electropop, Glitch, Electronica, Experimental, Powerpop, Electro, Synth-pop

My Review:
One day, back in 2003, I'm sitting in a bar watching a noise show and drinking with a girl I had a crush on, when this guy I had started to make friends with walks in with a cardboard box filled with cds under his arm. He's Dan. He started a record label, and some random band from japan had signed to release their first album with him. It was for sale at $10 apiece, and this was what it looked like.

On An Ocean Amp? What? Well, I wanted to support Dan, and I'm all about a random band with an interesting album cover. Its like an adventure in a disc, you never know if it'll be amazing, or shit.

So when I played it on the ride back home, I was completely unsure what I was listening to. Its like an experimental electropop band with a cutesy japanese girl voice over the whole thing. Its like childhood packaged into synths.

Years later in college I emailed their website (now defunct), and got an email back later in the day. The guy in the duo, Mike McGuire, was super friendly and we ended up chatting for a few years. He sent me this album before it was done, as well as his own solo album, which I hope I can post here later on.

Well the band broke up pretty much as this album was being finished up, and what he said was enough for a 2 disc album ended up as this, a great album of strange Japanese influenced IDM/Electropop with a very good spread of tunes. I wonder how he is doing, and if either he, or Kaori are doing any new music projects. Rest assured, I'll let you know the moment that I find out.

Here is a review for the album.

http://www.japanator.com/album-review-on-an-ocean-amp-we-are-now-growing-fast-7847.phtml

It links to the post from Mike here.

https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=2468652165631826408&postID=3825017337283596744

Here is a direct repackaging of the album in case the original fails. I fixed up all the ID3 tag info, and even made an unofficial cover since it never got an official one.



On An Ocean Amp - We Are Now Growing Fast


Alright, assuming I don't find any juicy tidbits in the next day or so, this should be the last transmission till the new year. See you on the other side.

26.12.12

The Bouncespot presents... New Orleans Christmas BOUNCE!


Band / Artist: Various artists
Year: 2012
Genre: Bounce

My Review:
Enjoy some saucy crazy bounce to make your shit happen for Christmas. Of all the music that you could possibly imagine being outside of the really irritating Christmas music that you have had to hear in EVERY place you ever go, this definitely is a great way to go.

http://www.nola.com/holidays/index.ssf/2012/12/shake_it_like_a_sleigh_bell_do.html#incart_m-rpt-2

Christmas Bounce
1. Christmas Tree - DJ BlaqNMild & Sess 4-5
2. Shake That Jingle Bell - Kris Baptiste (ft. Kourtney Heart)
3. Under The Mistletoe - Block Burnaz (ft. Mr. Meana)
4. This Christmas - Roca B (ft. Ya Boy Big Choo)
5. This Christmas - Big Freedia
6. Merry Christmas (New Orleans Bounce Mix) - R. Kelly
7. Christmas In New Orleans (remix) - Dani Wright

https://soundcloud.com/thebouncespot/new-orleans-christmas-bounce

24.12.12

Nick Vanderveldt - The interview extravaganza!

Band / Artist: Nick Vanderveldt,
Year:
Genre: Experimental, Interview, Prog Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Blues, Funk

My Review:

Jumbly: It's nice to meet you. How are you doing this week?

Nick Vanderveldt: Good. Very busy working on a couple of projects with people, but I
like to be busy.

Jumbly: So, when did you start making music?

Nick: I've been writing solo material since I was a teenager, but never in any capacity that I felt would be presentable to people (mostly electronic experiments). I sort of made a leap in 2007 and said, well, what the hell, I'd like to share what I've been doing with some friends. So I recorded an album with a buddy's USB mic, and my newly acquired pawn shop acoustic. That album led to my first real band endeavor with other people.

That really morphed what I was doing, because it forced me to be a better musician and learn how to play with other people. We would argue all the time about how a song should go, who should do what where, why this muther-fucker over here needed to turn the fuck down, or turn up etc... Overall I felt like it was very positive, our arguments were never mean spirited, it was all about having dialogue and working for the music.

When I left that group, I was pretty sad, but I tried to take everything I learned and take it to the next level. Just recently, I've gotten together with some friends to play music that is primarily my own, the band is called Harq al'Ada, and it's sort of a mask for me to wear in public, and a psuedonym for my co-conspirators to hide behind. Plus it beats the hell out of putting my own name on hand-bills and posters.

Jumbly: Where are you from?

Nick: I live in St.Louis, Missouri right now, I moved here about a year back from Olympia, Washington.

Jumbly: Do you find it influences your style and your music much?

Nick: I think it's sort of odd that it does. I lived here between ages 7 and 14, and a lot of things like, the way people speak, sank into my musical thoughts. I think all over the world, people have different
ways of phrasing music as a direct result of using language differently. Alternately, the visual and auditory aspects of everyday life sink in too, sometimes I'll find myself trying to imitate the way
an insect moves, or trying to reproduce oppressive heat and humidity with feedback.

Jumbly: What way do you think is best to enjoy your music? Would you consider it good date music, driving music, chillout music, etc?

Nick: I think it's best to just clear your head, and do nothing but listen. Close your eyes, drink some beers, get a little out of your head, that sort of thing.

Jumbly: Do you like giving away your music for free? Do you hope to continue or would you rather move to a pay system?

Nick: I like to give things away. It's ideal because I know not everyone can afford to pay, and I make it for people to enjoy it.

Physical copies of stuff will always have a price, because I simply can't cover the overhead costs, but I plan on continuing to give away my music digitally until it becomes too costly to do so. I really prefer the pay-what-you-want model, because then everyone is happy.

Jumbly: Do you have any sounds/ bands/ or pieces of art that you admire or wish you could emulate with your music?

Nick: Yes. Tons. I'm surrounded by things I wish I could turn into music. I'm a big fan of Isaac Asimov, and Frank Herbert, really just science-fiction in general, movies included. I used to read books and make-up music in my head that went along with each scene. I still hum along sometimes.

There are countless bands I've taken ideas from as well; Ravi Shankar, Davy Graham, Led Zeppelin, Miles Davis, Can, Sun Ra, RL Burnside and Omar Rodriguez-Lopez are the big ones for me I
think.

Jumbly: If anyone wanted to do a collaboration with you, would you be interested?

Nick: Of course. I admit I'm not always the easiest person to work with though.

Jumbly: How should they get in touch with you?

Nick:  Anyone is more than welcome to message me on facebook or soundcloud.

Jumbly: What kinds of projects do you really want to do in the future?

Nick: I'd like to do a hard-funk record. Something like Funkadelic's Standing On The Verge Of Getting It On, or Free Your Mind and Your Ass Will Follow, except I want a bunch of twinkly effects, and sync it to Conan The Barbarian.

Jumbly: What bands on here have you been listening to? What do you think about them?

Nick: The Killimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble. I think it's cool as hell. Even though I have no idea how to classify them. Post-Rock maybe?

You also recently posted a link for a voto latino mix CD which is pretty awesome. Rodrigo y Gabriella have a track on there that is great, and I honestly can't enough those two.

Jumbly: What would you like to see more from the blog?

Nick: I think it's great so far, and I appreciate what you're trying to do. I'm not terribly constructive when it comes to critiquing I'm afraid...

I do like the format quite a bit, every 5 days a new album update. It might be cool to see some video reviews, that kind of thing always seems to grab folks attention.

Jumbly: Do you know any other great sites that people should check out? What about any other bands?

Nick: Yes. http://www.moosickrevoos.com/ is awesomesauce.

Also, if you don't know about The Difference Engine, you chould check them out here:
http://differenceenginestl.bandcamp.com/ (shameless plug for another band I'm in completed)
Also you need to check out a band called LOGOS from St.Louis http://logosrock.com/, and a band called The We Shared Milk, from Portland, Oregon http://thewesharedmilk.bandcamp.com/.

Jumbly: Thanks a bunch for sharing all you music, I'm hoping people love it.

As a parting, I have one last question. Siracha, yes or no?

Nick: Yes. It goes on everything. It's especially good with vodka.

Jumbly: That sounds pretty great. I'm gonna have to try it.

So there we go. Here's all of his albums. Hope that you enjoy them.


Nicholas Vanderveldt - Gypsies, Hounds, and Vagabonds

Some really nice blues, classical ballad, and soft grunge guitar work. It has a clean, simple, lo-fi sound that really fits it together well.

Unicorn Porn - Condensation

This one sounds through and through like an old psych rock album you'd get out of the 70s. Some of it was shiznitty-bam-zipzap-snap. I'd love to hear the same thing, with some modern synthetic goodness layered in.

Nicholas Vanderveldt - اختراع

This one has a deeper Indian flavor, that also definitely fits into that psych rock sound. There are layers of sitar and flourishes of tabla amidst a lot of progressive guitar work.

Nicholas Vanderveldt - Poco A Poco

Another short guitar work album. The main track is kind of like a mini-album all in its own right. It utilizes field recordings, acoustic guitar, and a little bit of studio treatment. Its not bad music for drinking a beer and playing pool or poker with friends on a quiet night.

Beet Oven - Beet Oven

Blues rock. Funky classic guitar rock.

 Harq al'Ada - A Puck, A Bodach, and Bloody Bones

A great one-track release, with synths, and electric guitar, and vocals. It's funky and soulful and trippy and about 20 minutes long.

Alright, so thats all there is. Merry Crimmis

20.12.12

Magazine - Live show recording

So I'm having a nice relaxing Pseudo-maybe-end-of-the-world-but-probably-not day and decided that I'd share a video with everyone. This is the band, Magazine, doing a live show back in 1980, recorded then and played back to you now in high definition. Its some nice punky stuff.



Here's a blog post where I got it from.
http://dangerousminds.net/comments/post-punks_nabokov_howard_devoto_and_magazine_live_from_berlin_1980


Alright. well. I'm going to go help neighbors with their house, and come home to work on some project that I hope to be able to share with you in the future. Hope everyone is doing well, and if not, I hope you are soon.

19.12.12

Lüger - Concrete Light


 Band / Artist: Lüger
Year: 2011
Genre: Krautrock, Psychedelic Rock, Space-rock, Prog Rock

My Review:
This one is a crosspost from Moosick, because it was far too good to skip. It has some incredibly catchy parts, with some crazy breakdowns in some areas of their songs, and a really trippy mix of sounds. A good visual description of their sound is in their band photo.


I'll have to admit that i'm not particularly well versed in the krautrock scene. I've looked into it but so far I don't know much. I'm more surprised at how widely the descriptor is used. They have a sound like Jefferson Airplane, Muse, Battles, and Jesus Jones all together in one. A spanish krautrock band, that just incites a chuckle. Here's their facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/dieluger

Its 6 tracks long, and pulls from indian music, drum heavy alt rock, space rock, prog rock, powerpop and a ton of other stuff. The tracks are driving and vibrant, with enough grit and balls to really build up some testosterone, and enough trip and bounce to bring up the party. I'm keeping it.

Lüger - Concrete Light

14.12.12

Blake Market - Polynesia-town


Band / Artist: Blake Market
Year: 2009
Genre: Dubstep, Breaks, Dub, Downtempo, Trip Hop

My Review:

This one is very close to dubstep, just not your skrillex kind (pretty sure that one is known as Brostep now. Fitting.). Dubstep is such a bitch to pin down, like IDM was back in the early 2000s, because it has such a loose definition. 



Blake Market is also known by Anti-Man, Black Market, Blake Markle, Blakkar Noir, and Zark Behida, But I'll be damned if I couldn't find his REAL name. He has no website, and nearly every moniker he goes by has only one release. From hunting I did figure out that he has been releasing music since at least 2006.



Anyhow, I liked this one enough to keep, and it has had a few return rotations in the year I’ve had it. A lot more focus on the melody in this than the baseline, so it isn't quite as dance oriented, but it was still enjoyable.

Blake Market - Polynesia-town

11.12.12

Free Single - Brenmar - Bf / Gf


Band / Artist: Brenmar
Year: 2012
Genre: Tribal House, Deep House

My Review:
This artist has a really interesting sound, and he has some new experiments in art that he's working on. Here's his twitter page.

https://twitter.com/BBRENMAR

He's out of Chicago, and he specializes in crossing over genre boundaries with his music. The media people at SXSW said this
Take a pinch of Mannie Fresh snares, a handful of DJ Rashad toms, a dose of basslines from the UK, a generous portion of Hot 97 vocalists, poach it all in a synthesizer broth, and garnish with some Timbaland sheen.
 Anyhow, this is a simpler track of his, but I still enjoyed it, hopefully you do as well.


Brenmar - Bf / Gf

9.12.12

K.Flay - MASHed Potatoes


Band / Artist: K.Flay
Year: 2009
Genre: Hip-Hop, Indie Electronic, Rap, Mixtape

My Review:
Everything I hear from this girl is interesting. This one starts with a chopped up version of “Under the bridge” from Red Hot Chili Peppers, turned into a great beat for a rap track. A handful of the tracks crib rhymes from the songs she samples, and plays with them to make a more fun narrative. The whole thing is a full length album, sampling some really interesting songs and making out some really solid quirky rhythms to build it up.
Man I would love to hang out with this girl for a day and just talk a ton, she seems like a really interesting person, and her musical edge is so engaging to me. 

K.Flay - MASHed Potatoes

6.12.12

Josh Garrels - Love & War; B-Sides & Remixes

Band / Artist: Josh Garrels
Year: 2011
Genre: Breakbeat, Folk Pop, Jazz Rock, Modern Classical

My Review:
A soulful mix of acoustic guitar, waves of orchestral instruments, electric guitar, Brass instruments, and a backing chorus, that all rise and soar together to make this mans voice sound transcendant.

There are elements of breakbeat, funk, classical, jazz rock,and a bunch of other shit going on.

Josh Garrels - Love & War; B-Sides & Remixes

4.12.12

Sunny Side Up - Sunny Side Up EP


Band / Artist: Sunny Side Up
Year: 2011
Genre: Ska, Punk, Ska-Punk, Ska-Rock

My Review:
I've been on the internet for far too long. I laughed pretty hard at that cover.

Sunny side up is a ska band living it up in the OKC (Oklahoma City). There's probably a good chance that you did the same thing I did when reading that. You thought "Holy shit, I haven't thought about ska since the 90s". WELL GUESS WHAT, YOU! YOU'RE GONNA LISTEN TO IT!.. well I guess you don't HAVE to, but you would be missing out. I may have some predisposition to enjoying this band, since I grew up through that 90s positive punk and ska movement, and have a love for eggs.

So here's their facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/SunnySideUpSka

Somewhere between a punky sublime and the mighty mighty bosstones. Its really fun, and good too. There are some more reggae moments a few tracks in, and a moment or two of collegian white boy spoken word/rap. If you were a trustifarian, you'd hate this. If you're a huge old school Jamaican ska puritan, you might find it a little too active for your tastes. But if you don't often label yourself with either of those, then you should really give them a chance.

If I ever pass through Oklahoma City, I'm going to have to try to catch them playing live.

Sunny Side Up - Sunny Side Up EP

3.12.12

Free Single - Eddie Condon and his Orchestra - The Eel

 
Band / Artist: Eddie Condon and his Orchestra
Year: NINETEEN THIRTY-THREE
Genre: Jazz, Big Band

My Review:
So yeah, How does old jazz just have SO much soul, while so much modern jazz is about as engaging as plugging headphones into a bucket of beige paint?

Maybe it's the New Orleans slowly seeping into my bloodstream, but you can always tell the older blues and jazz to the new stuff. Just listen to this song and tell me it doesn't tug you somewhere deep inside, like a friend or a lover trying enthusiastically to pull you out onto a dancefloor from your seat.

Anyhow. I just had this treat sitting here, and couldn't see any reason to wait and put it into a singles pack post (Those are being collected up so I can release bigger sets of them once a month, starting in January).

Hope you enjoy the track, something else thats fun and filled with brass instruments is coming for you later tonight.

 Eddie Condon and his Orchestra - The Eel

29.11.12

Canary Girls - Everything is changing


Band / Artist: Canary Girls
Year: 2012
Genre: Indie Pop, Synth Pop, Electro, New Wave, Chillwave

My Review:

IT'S SO 80's/90's POP. this one is great, because it does have that old sound but still manages to feel pretty fresh. They are a band from Buffalo, who are possibly named after the women's shellmaking fleet in the UK during WWI. I love the name, especially after finding the history behind it. Their website looks smooth, but doesn't seem to work very well. It made it kind of hard to figure out more info about the band. Nonetheless, here it is.

 http://www.canarygirls.net/

I'd say that they took from all of the old New Wave/Pop sounds of radio hits back in the day, and found their own way to streamline all of those influences and inspirations into this really nicely packaged sound, that still manages to have this unique indie pop flavor. Tracks come together really nicely as an album.

Canary Girls - Everything is changing

28.11.12

Freebies from latino artists

As well as being a hardcore music fiend, and an artist, I'm also very politically active. I support VotoLatino as one of the many civil rights organizations and non-profits that are out there pushing for social change. They specialize in trying to help fight against Latino-American abuse and help with a lot of other things that I'm sure you can find out if you're interested.



Some time yesterday they emailed out a promo code for a free 2 CD albums worth of tracks downloadable from iTunes. The bands in the list are all kinds of genres, mostly Latino, and for the most part in Spanish, but not in all cases.




I don't much like iTunes, or their DRM policies in music, but these are free, and I can legally keep the ones that I want, and convert them to a DRM free format.

Here's the tracklist.

24 Horas - Los Inolvidables - 03 - Te Sorprenderás
Akwid - Payaso de Ojos Tristes - Single - 01 - Payaso de Ojos Tristes
Ana Tijoux - Shock - Single - 01 - Shock
Beatriz Luengo - Bela y Sus Moskitas Muertas - 05 - Lengua
Bostich & Fussible - Nortec Collective Presents Bulevar 2000 - 02 - I Count the Ways
Brownout - Aguilas and Cobras - 07 - Olvidalo
Carla Morrison - Mientras Tú Dormías... - 03 - Suciedad
Ceci Bastida - Veo la Marea - 08 - No Me Conocerás
Céu - Vagarosa - 04 - Bubuia
David Garza - Dream Delay - 06 - Minority Boys Got $
Diego Garcia - Laura - 09 - All Eyes On You
Domino Saints - No Me Digas Que No - Single - 01 - No Me Digas Que No
Eric Bobo & Latin Bitman - Welcome to the Ritmo Machine - 02 - Maestro
Girl In a Coma - Exits & All the Rest (Bonus Track Version) - 08 - Hope
Jiggy Drama - Nerdside - 12 - El Culpable
Kat DeLuna - Bailando (Radio Edit) - Single - 01 - Bailando (Radio Edit)
Los Cuates de Sinaloa - El Shaka - 11 - Enamorado al Millón
Los Lobos - Tin Can Trust - 02 - On Main Street
Los Rakas - Chancletas y Camisetas Bordada - 01 - Vengo De Panama
Los Tigres del Norte - Uniendo Fronteras - 07 - Somos Mas Americanos
Luisa Maita - Lero-Lero - 04 - Desencabulada
Maleco Collective - Respira (feat. Malverde) - Single - 01 - Respira (feat. Malverde)
Mariachi Divas De Cindy Shea - Orale' - 13 - Orale'
Mariachi El Bronx - Mariachi El Bronx (II) - 01 - 48 Roses
Miguel - All I Want Is You - 06 - Girls Like You
Ocote Soul Sounds - Taurus - 03 - En el Temblor
Ozomatli - A Better Life (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) - 19 - El Jardinero
Paulina Aguirre - Abrazame - Single - 01 - Abrazame
Pilar Díaz - Pilar Díaz - 07 - Ilegal en Estyle
Pitbull - Planet Pit (Deluxe Version) - 12 - Something for the DJs
Rodrigo y Gabriela - 1111 - 01 - Hanuman
Shaila Dúrcal - Así - 04 - El Día Que Me Fui
Vicente Garcia - Melodrama - 04 - Yo Robo
Ximena Sariñana - Ximena Sariñana - 11 - Wrong Miracle
Zoé - MTV Unplugged Música de Fondo - 05 - Labios Rotos

So 35 tracks that you can pick and choose from in case you like any of them. If you're interested, then go to the link before Dec 15th, when the promo code expires.

http://www.votolatino.org/holidaygiveaway

27.11.12

Free Singles - How To Destroy Angels - Keep It together

So I just wanted to share this listening chance, as well as a link to a free download of the first track off the new EP from How To Destroy Angels. The album sounds really good, and if you haven't got a clue what that is all about, it's the band that Trent Reznor paused Nine Inch Nails for. The other members are, his wife Mariqueen Maandig, his common partner in crime, Atticus Ross, and ever faithful art director, Rob Sheridan.


An omen EP_ (2012) by howtodestroyangels
 
Well hopefully that played properly for you. I'm really enjoying the direction that they are going, although I am a fairly die-hard fan of NIN, and most of the creative ventures connected to them.

Heres a link to the opening track, which you can get for free.



How To Destroy Angels - Keep It Together

As well as 2 remix versions.

How To Destroy Angels - Keep It Together (Dave Sitek Remix)
How To Destroy Angels - Keep It Together (Factory Floor Remix)


If you never got a chance to hear their debut EP, then go ahead and download it for free at the bottom of their store page here. It's worth hearing.





http://store.destroyangels.com/


24.11.12

Chance McCoy And The Appalachian String Band - Self Titled

Band / Artist: Chance McCoy
Year: 2008
Genre: Folk, Bluegrass, Americana

My Review:
I volunteered for more than 2 years with a historic fort in Savannah, GA. I got paid nicely for my time, had my own confederate uniform (it was slightly more comfortable than the Yankee blues), and got to teach/yell at middle school kids. If you ever want to know about civil war river defense and communication, as well as history about Sherman's march to the sea, I'll talk to you for an hour.

But that's not really here or there. The point is, that historic American music is not very often heard these days. My general distaste for modern country stems from their disregard of the instruments and skills in their own history. But this release does none of that. Mr. McCoy knows that history, and he holds true to it. This is no small album. He plays out 19 tracks with his companions, and he does it with skill and with heart. That fiddle, banjo, acoustic guitar, and bass all meld into a sensation that's incredibly hard to describe. Here's his website.

http://wildhogintheredbrush.com/

This brings be back to bold sunsets, hot humid days, the stink of black gunpowder and burnt flour, biting sand gnats, the taste of Brunswick stew and drinking a beer with my coworkers after hours, and the muddy water of the river flowing past the reeds on the bank. If I ever find anything that gets closer to that, I'll post it without haste. I hope you enjoy.

Chance McCoy And The Appalachian String Band - Self Titled

19.11.12

Neutral Bling Hotel - In my G4 over da sea


Band/Artist: Psychosis
Year: 2012
Genre: Bastard Pop, Mashup
My Review:
There was a band back in the 90s called Neutral Milk Hotel (NMH) that made the album “In An Aeroplane Over the Sea ” in 1998. It was a sleeper hit with a fair cult following, and if ever you mention this band not being great in the presence of one of the followers, they'll call you a fool and a plebeian with no taste for music, or maybe threaten to kill you. (I'm moderately a fan, but I like other stuff far more.)

This album pays homage to it in the way that Dangermouse's Gray Album pays homage to Jay-Z and the Beatles. That, or it just bastardizes it over some hiphop. Personally I like it a lot more than the Gray Album, because the mix incorporates the vocals from the original songs throughout the mash, which always irked me about Dangermouse's work. Parts of it were pretty interesting, whereas a couple other parts fell a bit flat, which mostly depended on the rap track being used in each song.


So since there is a really intense love-or-hate thing going on around NMH and their music, it seems that this album is equally loved or hated so here are two reviews, one way, and the other.
Psychosis is another of the bastard pop musicians out there, but he hasn't done a whole lot yet. His first album is listed from here as well, but I didn't much care for it. Gotta start somewhere though, right?

15.11.12

(Free Single) Kyson - Ocean Tides (Henrik José Remix)


Band / Artist: Kyson
Year: 2012
Genre: Ambient-pop?

My Review:
This is a remix of the song off his new album, Blackstone.It sounds kind of like rain hitting the sidewalk outside your house, made into a beautiful melody.

http://www.beatport.com/release/blackstone/984407

It was remixed by a guy who I'll be sharing with you very shortly, Henrik Jose.Since i'm going to showcase him soon, i figure that it'd be alright to skip him today. I have to get on the road really soon anyhow. Its time for the thanksgiving trip.

Here's his Soundcloud as well.
http://soundcloud.com/kyson/sets
There is a lot to listen to and download on there. Alright, everyone be safe for the turkey day.


Kyson - Ocean Tides (Henrik José Remix)

14.11.12

Guizado - Calavera


Band/Artist: Guizado
Year: 2010
Genre: Jazz, Jazz Rock, Psych-Rock, Brazilian, Electropop
My Review:
This album is so good. The way all the instrumentation comes together seems so fluid and effortless. Listening to this, I hear Kula Shaker, Black Moth Super Rainbow, Audioslave, Beck, Franz Ferdinand, and a bunch of other psych and indie rock blended with brass instruments and a heavy groove. SO MANY STYLES, and they really pull it off.

I've searched and tried hard to figure out any info that I can, but I know little about this band aside from the fact that they made this album and its awesome.

*UPDATE* I found out more. Yay! Okay so link first, talky after.

Link!

Guizado is the name of the trumpet player and beat programmer. So the band is kind of like Santana, in that Senor Guizado is the star, working with collaborators throughout the album. He is the premier trumpet player of Sao Paolo right now. His website is dead, but hopefully he's still making kickass music in Brazil.

9.11.12

Para Halu – Beats & Pieces


Band / Artist: Para Halu
Year: 2012
Genre: Breaks, Dub, Psytrance, Techno, Trance

My Review:
Apparently, if you want psytrance, the only place to go for it would be the middle east and surrounding parts of eastern Europe. Thats it. Nobody else seems to be able to do it.

So this is Para Halu. He's from Hungary. Here's a website for him.
http://www.parahalu.net/

10 years ago, he started up making music, and 5 albums later, he's still at it. He decided to honor that anniversary by releasing a free album of 7 long-lasting psytrance tracks. Its a great thing.

So the review of this would probably be something along these lines. If you enjoy early Infected Mushroom, music from Juno Reactor, 1200 Micrograms, or Alien Project, then you'll enjoy this. It has a pretty clear psytrance feel, with some minor experimentation in it's presentation, bringing in breaks and ambient elements as well as some new agey synthpop sound and field recording in the final track. Its a good one for exercising to.





Para Halu – Beats & Pieces

7.11.12

A moment to reflect.

WHEW. So much stress and tension in the states this last week, today feels like a release of all of it. I stayed up all night trying to write, and today I feel tired, but overall, so stress free for a day.

I won't mention political leanings or anything, but isn't it nice to have that all finished? So today i'm gonna post a few great chill things to help everyone relax for a couple days, and relish the moment where we all get back to seeing the bigger issues that we should care about (Like helping hurricane victims in the New England area, please donate something if you can).

Anyways here's a short recording for everyone. Consider it sleepytime music, or a moment of reflection.

The winds of Ocean Breeze lament Staten Island's dead from finitor on Vimeo.

4.11.12

The Womb - The Fourth Wall


Band / Artist: The Womb
Year: 2010
Genre: Alternative Pop, Indie Electronic, Indie Rock

My Review:
So it was labeled as pop, but the category would better be described as mid 90's alternative pop. WOO PIGEONHOLING GENRES! Alan Driscoll is the name of the head of the band, and apparently their style changes a lot from album to album.

I found this about him/them on a failed IndieGoGo Project.

Since 1998, I have been releasing records as The Womb, all of which have been free for anybody to download. I work with lots of different musicians in lots of different musical styles, and while I began in England, I'm now based in Melbourne, Australia.
I want to find out if it is possible for me to make a living from music while continuing to give my records away for free. With that in mind, I would like to create an album of personalised songs, in which contributors can ask me to write a song about any topic, or serving any purpose they choose.

Honorable ideals, and hopefully he/they get there soon enough. Anyhow, back to the music.

Here is an album working to recast early to mid 90's alt pop through the contemporary indie rock of the early 2010s. The first time I listened to this was on the end of a long road trip without air conditioning or conversation and my car just would not play in the right order. I was not in the mood..

..but coming back to it when i had fresh ears was nice. It has some snarky qualities, and social commentary that seems straight out of a good 90s alternative. The sounds vary a bit from track to track, playing off of all kinds of different influences, but the whole thing still shows its unity. The tracklisting is also very nicely laid out, with the most electronic song at the end, and a bright beginner and ballad-like ender. I didn't really feel like every song on the album needed to be kept, but the one thing is for sure, they have good sound quality and they do a good job presenting themselves.

The Womb - The Fourth Wall

31.10.12

ONE MORE! BONES - Halloween Mix 2012


Band / Artist: BONES
Year: 2012
Genre: Techno, House, Electro

My Review:
ONE LAST THING. I got this one this morning, and I just could NOT help but leave the one last mix on Halloween night. I hope you guys have a great time. Here's what BONES had to say with it.

Crawling into the land of the living on Hallows eve, the creature is back. It took several necessary body parts to create this monster, and so the wait is finally over. Halloween is just the beginning, so get your haunt on for eternity with this one...

Intro - The Waiting Room
VCMG - Aftermaths (Gesaffelstein Remix - Haunted Intro Edit)
Dillon Francis -Bootleg Fireworks (Burning Up)
Valention Khan - Cigarettes
J-Trick & Reece Low - I'm So Hot
Kenneth G - Bazinga
Crookers - Bowser
Kurd Maverick - Hell Yeah
Disco Of Doom - Brown Acid
Los Ghosts - Musik
Tiger Stripes - Snake Charmer (Botnek Remix)
Novalima - Machete (Savage Skulls & French Fries VIP Remix)
LDRU - Showtime (Craig Williams Remix)
Proxy - Shut Up! (VCO Remix)
Galantis - Tank
FYOR - Thriller On Acid
Boyz Noize - Stop
The Prodigy - Smack My Bitch Up


BONES - Halloween Mix 2012

30.10.12

The Mad Tea Party – Halloween Eleven, Rock-N-Roll Ghoul, & Zombie Boogie


Band / Artist: The Mad Tea Party
Year: 2009, 2010, 2011
Genre: Rockabilly, Surf Rock, Garage Rock

My Review:
Surf rock / Rockabilly music out of North Carolina with a really uplifting yet greasy sound, that really gets that feeling of joy you get after you scare the shit out of someone, and get to laugh at  them. There's only a couple tracks apiece, but they are fun stuff for a Halloween celebration. They'd be a great band to have at a Halloween party. Since they have only a few tracks to each of their Halloween sets, I’m gonna post 3 to make sure you have enough to really jam to it.

Anyhow, here's their blog.
http://themadtea.wordpress.com/

Not only is it great for Halloween, but its  driving music for all the freaks and goths out on a summer cruise with the windows down. Hell, do your yourself a creepy little ho-down with this stuff. Some fruit-infused moonshine and some black food dye would go great with it. 

Stay classy.

The Mad Tea Party – Halloween Eleven
The Mad Tea Party – Rock-N-Roll Ghoul
The Mad Tea Party – Zombie Boogie


Also, as a Halloween gift for all of you who enjoy this, or are having a party and need some music, here is a set of Halloween mixes by DJ Doctor Toast. They are mostly oldies and rockabilly tunes.
Alright! That concludes the October Halloween music fest. Happy Fright Night!

29.10.12

Pretty Lights - Halloween Funtime Single


Band / Artist: Pretty Lights
Year: 2012
Genre: Electro, Breaks

My Review:
A little treat from Pretty Lights that he released only minutes ago.

This guy is popular as shit these days, and I count him as an unsung hero of the music industry. While people fawned over the “Pay what you want” release of In Rainbows by Radiohead, and Nine inch nails dropping their own free album, he was dropping album after album for free, and making his money from playing shows.

This one is just a single, but its still a great, fun electro track with a lot of beat, and a nice usage of the Halloween theme. Go grab it and enjoy the last large post, which should come out tomorrow .

PrettyLights - Halloween Funtime

25.10.12

Microhorror Compilation Vol. 1 Parts I, II, & III

Band / Artist: Dr. Von Pnok, Various Artists
Year: 2007
Genre: Chiptune,

My Review:
For a bit I was considering chopping this mix myself and making my own personal best of to slip in here, but I realize that my tastes on this one aren’t as important as yours.

So this time I’m sharing 3 albums in a set. All of it is chiptune music, made specifically for being creepy in honor of Halloween. Personally I felt some of it missed the mark, but with three of them, there is surely a full album worth that you could pull out of here for the next time you want to feel like you're playing splatterhouse in the dark by yourself as a kid all over again
Microhorror Compilation Vol. 1 Part I - The Crypt

Microhorror Compilation Vol. 1 Part II - The Lab
 

 Microhorror Compilation Vol. 1 Part III - The Graveyard




P.S....


VOLUME TWO! BizzzzZAP 

No need to thank me. I know I'm awesome.

20.10.12

Black Circle Records, TakeMeToTheMorgue!, Oddio Overplay, Silber Sounds of Halloween

Bands / Artists: Various
Years: 2011, 2011, 2006, 2007
Genre: Garage Rock, Electronic, Soundtrack, Experimental, Dark Ambient, Noise-Rock, Drone, Rockabilly, Sound Collage, Goth
 
My Review:

This one is all about the haunted house scores, although there is a BUNCH of other stuff here. Totally worth having a look.


Black Circle Records

Soundscapes, drones, score elements. This is an album perfected for playing in your haunted house that you REALLY should be making. This was probably my favorite of the creepy soundtracks I found, for how subdued and ominous it proved to be.

Apparently there are like 6 record labels called “Black Circle Records”. This one is located in the UK. I know very little more about them.

Watch out for that second to last track, its very loud harsh noise, whereas the rest of the album is most definitely not that.

Black Circle Records - Halloween in a Haunted World Remix Project


TakeMeToTheMorgue!

A lot of dark and creepy scores, and some really mean grungy techno and metal stuffs in the mix. There are a few tracks that I would cut before using the mix somewhere, but overall, this is a pretty solid addition.

TakeMeToTheMorgue! - This Dark Virus


Oddio Overplay

A good collection of creepy stuff. This one is a great halloween set, with more sound collages and classical sets in the midst of it than the others. Some of it reminds me of playing through Hell in Doom 3. You will probably want to edit some of it out and keep what you like most though.

Oddio Overplay - Calling All Fiends


Silber Sounds of Halloween 

I thought it hilarious that one of my favorite tracks from this was from a band named “Planet Cock”. This one is a much wider mix of genres, like the last one.  There is some really good garage spooky rock in here to be had, like the track from “Drats!”. Same as the last one though, I would probably go through it and pick out what you really enjoy to keep or use.
Silber Sounds of Halloween

15.10.12

The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble, No More Cocaine, Blob

Bands / Artists: The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble, No More Cocaine, Blob
Years: 2011, 2012, 2007
Genre: Dark Jazz, Dark Ambient, Jazz, Post-Rock

Overview:
Today is all about the Dark Jazz. Very little of this would fall closely to traditional jazz, be it the soulful or the modernist types. I'm sure someone out there would love to lecture me about the name and requirements of jazz, especially in all of its nuances. Jazz aficionados get their panties in a bunch way too easy. ANYHOW. It's a great choice for your front porch while handing out candy, or if you just wanted something as background music for a slightly nefarious candlelight dinner. Anyone pulling a “Hannibal” out there?

The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble

Some subdued creepy that plays out nicely over 9 tracks. They create a very interesting feeling, bringing references to a wide variety of music in history, including moments of “Gloomy Sunday”, most popularly covered by Billie Holiday long ago. There aren’t as many creepy dark moments in this as their name would have you believe, but it is still a very good album, probably my favorite for the day.

The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble - Live - I Forsee the Dark Ahead, If I Stay 



No More Cocaine


This is a band comprised of the members of King Fear & The Court of Wolves. They decided to take the music that fits a certain attitude and move it under a pseudonym. Here's an excerpt describing the project.

“No More Cocaine incorporates shamelessly many different influences ranging from Dark Jazz and Dark Ambient in to the IDM and Trip-Hop. If it's dark and laid back, it's probably somewhere in the list of influences. Primarily sounds like Dark Ambient with Dark Jazz overtones.”

This is like a darker, slower, and far less jazz oriented than the first post of the day. Still one of the most ominous album covers I could hope for.

No More Cocaine - Midnight EP


Blob

This is very modern psych-jazz. I could imagine it being used for some weird David Lynch scene in a movie, or for an acid trip scene a-la Easy Rider. It isn't as consistently dark as the others seem to be, but it is FAR more faithful to the jazz moniker, and still has some seriously ominous moments throughout. If someone were to make a haunted lounge/cocktail bar, this would sound awesome for it.

If you are a real jazz lover, then this is the perfect Halloween album for you.

Blob - Halloween