Happy Cyber Monday to all of those who partake. We’re assuming that our in office internet woes today were due to all the deals deals deals. Anyway, better late than never, here is today’s tune to get your week started. Who says you can’t start the week at the end of the day Monday? Not us. From the UK we have Guild Theory and their tune “Cackled Smile.” The duo of Rob Lewis and Matt Smith (probably not the Doctor Who one, but who are we to stifle your imagination while listening) have crafted something along the lines of Deftones minus the heavy parts. Does that work though? All that brooding tension without release? Yes. Yes it does. Melodic and, well not sinister, but certainly a tad dark, it’s a hypnotic feel that stays with you. I guess what we’re trying to say is it’s cool and it’s perfect for coming out of the gluttonous haze of the weekend and/or looking over your credit card statement next month.
Week Starter – Guild Theory
Wordless Wednesdays
Wordless Wednesdays is our column where we spotlight the best new instrumental tracks.
We’ve all lived through the lead up to the mid-term election and all the yadda yadda blah blah that comes with it and we think you deserve a break from words both true and not-true-but-pretending-to-be-true. Kick back with the latest from 1104 Millions, As Clouds Form and Sebastian Müller.
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Wordless Wednesdays
Wordless Wednesdays is our column where we spotlight the best new instrumental tracks.
Today we have not one, but two thousand instrumental tracks for you. Wait, that’s not right, we have two. Just two but two are all you need when they’re this good. Check out the latest from Xena Glas and lostlemming after the jump.
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The B-Side: Annie Sumi x Brava Kilo
“Chattels” by Brava Kilo & Annie Sumi feels a bit like a reboot of the classic Laurie Anderson model. Abstract spoken word over experimental electronica but with a decidedly fresh feel making it sound youthful and contemporary. Like Anderson’s best work, the disjointedness is balanced by a dominating positive vibe, smoothing the whole thing out. That’s particularly impressive given the story of the song, taken from Kintsugi, a new anti-racist, interactive, multi-disciplinary art installation which reflects on racial identity, healing ancestral trauma, and the fragmented history of the Japanese Canadian internment. “Chattels” is inspired by archival documentation which listed their ancestors’ belongings that were confiscated and auctioned off during that period of time. Heavy stuff, but heavy stuff that makes replaying of the song mandatory as you sit with various items listed and think about what they meant to the families.
Friday 5×5
Brevity is next to levity and we keep it frothy with these brief write ups on new music from Jimmy Beach, Alex Hellcat, Retrograde Conversations, Marmalade Mountain and Sound Science after the jump.
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The Midweekly – Dog Fashion Disco
The Midweekly is our column from Mike Jeffers; lead singer of Chicago punk stalwarts SCRAM, music junkie and all around righteous dude.
Sometimes it’s a haunted house, or a freakshow. Could be a kinky burlesque, or a twisted carnival act. No matter the flavor of this variety show the house band will always be Dog Fashion Disco. Close to 25 years ago this experimental hard rock group oozed out of Maryland, and after a few lineup changes and a hiatus, they are still creeping and crawling. Cult Classic is the latest album from DFD. It’s nine tracks of metal riffs, circus organs, and ska horns, with complex structures and infectious hooks. Todd Smith, singer and the only member who’s been a constant in the band, whispers, roars, and croons out images from horror, sci fi, and other dark corners of pop culture, with some of the cleverest writing found in this genre. In these tunes there’s a lot of smirking, and poking fun at the way we view the macabre. Long time fans might notice this record lacking a bit of the more exploratory elements from DFD’s past releases, but they haven’t lost their edge. As long as the reptile woman is still strip teasing for the pagan ghosts, DFD will provide the soundtrack.
Friday 5×5
Holy hell, is it Friday again already? Time keeps on slipping, but this music does not. Check out our micro-reviews of new music from MOWESBY, Jake La Botz, Adee Gershon, Shrill Carder and Robert PM after the jump.
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Tuesday Tip-Off: Ringhold
It’s the end of the world and Ringhold feel dark and vibey as hell. On “Latest News” the Estonian duo lay down a bewitching minimalist groove via Kalle Tikas reverbed out electric guitar and eleOnora’s vocals – which give us everything from Nico to Beefheart, often within a single passage. If it all feels a bit fatalistic, well that’s because it is, with lyrics focusing on ecological extinction and an experimental vocal passage in the middle that sounds first like animals dying and then humans dying (it works, trust us). If the end is nigh, and lately signs point to yes, there’s nothing that says we can’t have a great soundtrack as we ride into oblivion.
Tuesday Tip-Off: Emma Ladji
When someone describes their song as “a tulip inside an orgy of bees” it successfully grabs the weary, heard-it-all-before music blogger’s attention. When the song actually lives up to such a unique pitch? Well that’s something special indeed. “Tulip” by Emma Ladji starts with a Laurie Anderson style minimalist electronica loop before blossoming (sorry, couldn’t resist) into a layered vocal sound bath, and eventually a slinky experimental jam not unlike FKA Twigs or Solange’s more esoteric work. It’s a different type of sexy than what we usually get in an r&b jam, more buzz and pollinate than bump and grind, but still steamy none the less.
Play Listy For Me – Experimental, Instrumental & Ambient Vol. 4
Tune in and bliss out with this collection of compositions existing beyond the dimensions of your “pop” and “rock” or “roll.”