30.11.13

Weerthof - Out Of Control


Band / Artist: Weerthof
Year: 2013
Genre:IDM, Modern Classical, Folktronic, Glitch

I used to wander around the net and find out of the blue record labels to follow. I just so happened to be checking one of them on prep for my trip to DC, and found this guy from the Netherlands, Michael Van Der Weerthof.. He calls himself a songsmith, which makes sense. His website is here.
http://www.michielvandeweerthof.nl/
He also has an extensive resume on his site, so you know, if you want someone to make music for a videogame on par with katamari damacy, you should totally give him a call.

You will start this album feeling like its going to be very gentle and melodic...  And then it jumps on your table and bounces up and down for a minute, Stops, then calmly sits down, cocks its head to the side, and begins making strange music while starting at you.

It is very glitchy, wiggly music. Which reminds me of plenty of IDM bands I've enjoyed. It is a pretty Pleasant overall experience, barring the spazzy bit right at the outset. Also, you should know that physical copies of this album are available,.. in special usb sticks in the middle of scented bars of soap.














25.11.13

Max Tannone - Ghostfunk


 Band / Artist: Max Tannone
Year: 2011
Genre: Mashup, Funk, Dance, Hip-Hop

My Review:
All Ghostface Killa, all vintage african funk mixes. I shared an album from Max Tannone back last year, if you can remember Mos Dub, which is an all time favorite for me.

This album creates a really creative set of new grooves and rythms for a selection of Ghostface Killa's hit tracks, and the use of african funk tracks is so perfect, making these really chill and fresh sounding hip-hop tracks that kick ass.


If you dig this, and Mos Dub, then don't wait, and shoot back to the start of the blog, and pick up Wugazi - 13 Chambers as well. Wu Tang clan may be nothing to fuck with, but they sure are something to mash.

Max Tannone - Ghostfunk

20.11.13

MMPSUF - Retina

Band / Artist: MMPSUF
Year: 2012
Genre: Downtempo, Ambient, Acoustic

My Review:
Think about waves at moonlight. Think about alleyways in the crisp dark of an autumn night, with steam rising from vents and floating off to die in the atmosphere. Think about the asphalt spilling by beneath the beams of your headlights as you drive off to another minor chapter of your life.

This music can bring you that. It has this sound reminiscent of the Cocteau Twins (on a serious depression streak) or a softer, more droning track from Camille, and maybe even just a little bit lke some kind of experimental project by Dido. Its beautiful, and soft, and sort of sad, in an acceptant way, like the singer knows there isn't anything to do about it, but sing about how she feels.


mmpsuf live (EglÄ— SirvydytÄ—): The Rooms from mmpsuf on Vimeo.

This one is only 5 tracks long, but it unfurls itself to you so wonderfully, that I can't help but be happy for the whole thing just as it is.

MMPSUF - Retina

15.11.13

Cosby Sweater - Hey, Girl, Hey

Band / Artist: Cosby Sweater
Year: 2012
Genre: Hip-Hop Beats, Dubstep, Electro, Jazz Rock

My Review:
Did you watch old 90s anime movies, and find yourself enjoying the tackiness of the synths they used for the background music? Do you ever find yourself walking at night and wishing that somewhere off in the distance, there was a guy soulfully playing a saxophone? Did you fall in love with the wobble base noise the second you first heard of this mythical thing called "Dub of the Steppe"?

Well if you didn't answer any of those questions with a yes, then fuck you. Enjoy this band anyways.

Cosby sweater popped up in a random music search about 6 months ago. I was REALLY enjoying them, but somehow they fell off my radar and into my collection of tracks I needed to review one day. I found them again recently, and remembered why they made me so happy. There is so much going on here, that I'll let someone else try to explain it.

Everything about Cosby Sweater is catchy. From their witty moniker and humorous album covers, to the abounding funk they unleash. The burgeoning trio has established a knack for composing spellbinding numbers in the field of live electronica, fusing slick production with head-turning instrumentation on each robust release. This results is something so effervescent, so hair-raising, that even their most docile efforts could turn a dance-floor upside down
So if that doesn't tell you whats up, then I'll say a pinch more. David Embry on synth and vocals, Nicholas Gerlach on Tenor Saxophone and EWI, and Richard “Sleepy” Floyd on drums.

 
 They remind me a little of Pretty Lights,  but with these parts that remind me of old synthy anime soundtracks, glitchy triphop/dubstep grooves, and then layers of saxphone and warm flourishes over all of it.

If you don't bob your head to this, then you hate freedom.


Cosby Sweater - Hey, Girl, Hey

10.11.13

Ruby The Hatchet - Ouroboros

Band / Artist: Ruby The Hatchet
Year: 2012
Genre:

My Review:
Rock. Grunge. These are things that seem to have died as far as the radio is concerned, but from my end, I'm never happier than now with the bands I find in the grunge (or would it be neo-Grunge status now?) realm.

Ruby The Hatchet is definitely one of these. There never were enough female-fronted grunge-rock bands. This sounds strongly like Cusses, a great used-to-be-local band out of Savannah Georgia, and the Nymphs, a grungy metal-ish band from back in the 90s that only seemed like they released one album.

I have their facebook here.
https://www.facebook.com/rubythehatchet

The wonder of Ruby The Hatchet seems to be in their band dynamic. They have such a deep, heavy sound, which breaks into a solid jam-out riffs and some wonderful groaning vocals that have been dipped into a steaming cup of badass. They definitely rock you hard and steady through most all track on the album.

There are some longer drawn-out guitar solos, run through some very fuzzy filters, and some crisp, heavy drumming, and lots of vocals that raise the bar on quality, because unlike a lot of indie rock bands, they ring loudly and clearly across the top of the sound.

You like good rock? Then FOLLOW THIS BAND.

Ruby The Hatchet - Ouroboros

5.11.13

Matisyahu - Five7Seven2 Live

Band/Artist: Matisyahu
Year: 2012
Genre: Reggae Fusion, Hip-hop Alternative

My Review:
I used to listen to Matisyahu live sets that were in the live shows archive on internet archive. Because he has a certain style that works really well for studying or working on slow projects. You can just sit back and work and enjoy the soothing jams.

I'm not sure if those recordings are still there, and I guess it  doesn't matter,, since I now have a good one that he released.

Just in case you've never heard the name, Matisyahu is a Jewish Reggae and Alternative Hip-hop artist, who sings about moral struggles, politics, and religion as most of his topics. He has been a pretty well established name since early 2000's, and has been used for music in a ton of tv shows.

This doesn't seem to have any of the superstar tracks that got him his initial attention, but they are all decent tracks, and they make a good playlist.