DOLTZ. / Final Trace [2026]
4 days ago
on Saturday, 6 December 2008
I find it really quite amazing that each year some of my favourite albums are those that are made freely available on non profit net labels, over the last few years wonderful free albums have appeared and wowed, occasionally stunning, not least in the case of French Teen Idols Enlightened False Conciousness, all three Bosques De Mi Mente albums and the groundbreaking dreamscapes of Encephala's We are the Dreamers of Dreams along with worthy mentions of the Archaic Horizon roster boasting the healthy releases of Boards of Canada-likes Gabriel and the graceful Future Dream by Statedlife.This year has been very much the same and though there are probably a thousand albums i haven't heard, two artists that i have been fortunate enough to cross paths with are Cantaloup and Trondheim.
Cantaloup being the project of Thomas Peters is dreamy and ambient, twinkly songs falling between post rock and electronica, arriving not a million miles from French Teen Idols sound but taking it to the next level with the aid of Eva Pauls beautiful voice who features on several tracks that bring a slight folk element to the equation. I cannot recommend Cantaloup highly enough.
Last FM: Cantaloup, aka Thomas Peters, who lives in Marburg/Germany has been producing music since 2003. He decided to use the resources and experiences of bedroom production studios to create music which tries to take listeners on journeys, on which sound evokes images in warm colours. The bigger part of the songs and spheres are played live with instruments, supported by Eva Paul who brings her beautiful voice into a few songs. These fragments - with the little help of some fx - merge to an extraordinary overall view, whose appeal lies in its own form of slowness and in a reduced perception on small things of everyday life.
Trondheim on the other hand is more beat driven and classically inf
luenced, occasionally borrowing from the text book of Detektivbyrån but bringing an altogether more techno feel to the proceedings with stuttering beats complimenting gently played pianos and keys and on tracks like Der heimliche Star des Abends bringing back memmories of Random Number at their best.Last FM: since pianos fit into laptops, one can finally set them up pretty easily in a small flat without losing one’s bedding. they also get along pretty well with some other wonders of digital technology, while accepting some downsides as well of course. trondheim is ansgar seide, hailing from münster (germany) and produces fragmented electronica with lots of melodies
Cantaloup - On a Hill Not Far Away (full album zip)
Cantaloup - Tonight It Shows (full album zip)
Trondheim - Zum Abschied Album Zip
Trondheim - der erste widersacher und sein untergang
Trondheim - entweder terence hill (full zip)
French Teen Idol - Enlightened False Conciousness (full album zip)
Bosques De Mi Mente - Lo-Fi (full album zip)
Bosques De Mi Mente - Trens De Juguete (full album zip)
Bosques De Mi Mente - Ruido Blanco (full album zip)
Encephala - We Are The Dreamers Of Dreams (full album zip)
Gabriel - Good Old Days (full album zip)
Statedlife - Future Dreams (full album zip)
Aerotone Net Label
Earstroke Net Label
Archaic Horizon Net Label
Lost Children Net Label
on Thursday, 4 December 2008
Today I sat at work listening to Tim Heckers Radio Amor and though I have no doubt that he is a great artist just occasionally it all seems too difficult, too much time between crackles of static and too much straining. it made my head hurt, on the other hand The Fun Years have been drifting in and out of my ears pretty regularly. I think with drone music you have to be in the mood and the right environment, The Fun Years defy the rules creeping in and blending in to your brain before you know it, static sounds that dreamily drift quite beautifully.
With one musician (Isaac Sparks) using turntables and effects, and the other (Ben Recht) on baritone guitar The Fun Years have produced one of the albums of the year.
The Fun Years on Last FM
Boomkat: Finally back in stock. Ever wandered what a cross between GAS, Tim Hecker, Mogwai, My Bloody Valentine, Stars of The Lid and Philip Jeck would sound like? If so, you're in luck, for this utterly incredible album from 'The Fun Years' ticks all the above boxes and emerges with a 50 minute listening experience that's left us gasping for breath. There's a dense crackle and frayed balance to these recordings that makes you feel like the whole thing could disintegrate at any moment, pulling you in to a sound-world formed by broken instruments, the crackle of battered, old vinyl, the edgy ambience of the great outdoors in the middle of the night and, quite suddenly, an amplified wall of sound playing tricks on your senses. Each of these tracks begins with the fizz and snap of looped and popped vinyl and ends with a devastated, tumultuous re-arrangement of sounds, but it's the process from A to B that's almost impossible to fathom in one sitting. These kinds of aural tricks that make use of manipulated found sounds, turntablism and affected acoustic instruments are hardly new, but 'The Fun Years' mark themselves out with a brilliant disregard for generic templates and accepted convention, imperceptibly realigning sonic boundaries in the process. That seemingly effortless transition from one sonic methodology to another is what makes this album so special, just listening to the opening track 'My Lowville' takes you from a Philip Jeck style crackle to a reverberating acoustic strum, towering processes reminiscent of Tim Hecker and finally an opaque catharsis transmitted from deep inside Wolfgang Voigt's famous forest. By the time you reach the end of the album you're left astonished at this band's ability to create a sound that's at once so gorgeously warm and familiar, yet so confidently removed from the confines of precedent. Definitely one of the albums of the year - an absolutely essential purchase.
on Wednesday, 3 December 2008
Aus
So you love Two Lone Swordsmen, you like the Boards of Canada but wish they played pianos instead of washing machines and whatever they use to make that wonderful wonderful musicn and most of all you love crunchy electronic beats and glitchy rythyms, look no further than Aus the brainchild of the wonderfully named Yasuhiko Fukuzono who at the age of four was made to attend piano lessons and how grateful i am that he did. Starting at the age of 13 to put together simple electronic music he now at the age of 25 has five albums under his belt. Beautiful and demanding your attention.
Stream Tracks on Last Fm
Its been too long, yet again i've been snowed under with all sorts and three weddings in five weeks, two family members (obviously not marrying each other) and a close friend.
I have heard so much good music of late i really don't know where to start...
Firstly with some good old pop music i guess
Noah and the Whale have been making me smile for some time, a husky voice not a million miles away from Shady Bard but a whole lot poppier, i've mostly been won over by the horn led Shape of my Heart regularly soundtracking my short drive to work and putting in a fine mood, well for a short while at least. Just lately the two preceeding tracks have been firmly routing themselves in my subconciousness, the wonderful Jocasta and the lyrically sublime 2 Atoms and One Molecule. Lovely Stuff.
And if love is just a game
Then how come it's no fun?
If love is just a game
How come I've never won?
I guess maybe it's possible I might be playing it wrong
And that's why every time I roll the dice
I always come undone
But now I look at love
Like being stabbed in the heart
You torture each other from day to day
And then one day you part
Most of the time it's misery
But there's some joy at the start
And for that, I'd say it's worth it
Website
Noah and the Whale - Shape of My Heart mp3
Source: Music For Ants
For full on Elephant Six esque pop look no further than The Smittens who have recently released a great album on the legendary Happy Happy Birthday To Me Label, bringing back memories of one of my favourite pop bands ever Fablefactory and the adorable Essex Green, no bad thing if i may say so myself.
The Smittens - The Interstate mp3
Source: False 45th
More Soon...ish
on Wednesday, 17 September 2008
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – Come Saturday (Fortuna Pop!)
A lovely blast of summery noise pop, contagious as pop music gets with its ooooo-ee-oooo’s and its laid back slacker cool attitude. With the melodic charm of the Lucksmiths getting covered by the Shop Assistants this is a summer classic certain to bring a smile to your face and have you dancing your socks off at every indie disco you attend between now and forever.
A lovely blast of summery noise pop, contagious as pop music gets with its ooooo-ee-oooo’s and its laid back slacker cool attitude. With the melodic charm of the Lucksmiths getting covered by the Shop Assistants this is a summer classic certain to bring a smile to your face and have you dancing your socks off at every indie disco you attend between now and forever.
El Ten Eleven - These Promises Are Being Videotaped
Dianogah – qhnnnl
A refreshing pair of “post-rock”ish bands, perhaps both veer more towards math rock. El Ten Eleven remind me of two of my favourite discoveries, back in the day when I’d purchase albums simply based on how much I liked the look of the cover, State River Widening & 33.3. Simple and understated, staccato melodies picked out on deep strings.
These Promises Are Being Videotaped, the latest offering from El Ten Eleven sees a move towards dance, like Justice covering Tortoise, and is a successful attempt at pushing the boundaries of “instrumental” music. Both their previous albums are less beat driven but come highly recommended.
Dianogah’s strangely titled qhnnnl is a dreamy autumnal album, some tracks are more “Alternative/American Indie” but the unusual core set up of two basses and a drummer makes for an interesting listen. When they are instrumental they are at their strongest particularly on the gorgeous Andrew Jackson, don’t be fooled by the Always Look on the Bright Side of Life intro, this is a dreamy number with delicately arranged strings that add the garnish to an already superb musical offering. On A Breaks B they could be mistaken for the Delgados, which is no bad thing in my eyes. Sprinter is lovely too, easily the best of the vocal tracks, again reminiscent of the Delgados Emma Pollack, though please don’t expect a new Delgados album of smooth Scottish pop, this is definitely “instrumental” and “math-y” but tuneful and upbeat in its approach, maybe in the same way that the aforementioned Scots always had a lovely bass line holding their songs together.
Certainly two bands well worth your careful attention.
Source: The Line of Best Fit
And finally a mention of two rather welcome returns, guitar shredder Marnie Stern and indie pop anarchists Los Campesinos...i like them both rather alot :) :)
Marnie Stern - Prime mp3Source: Cannibal Cheerleader
Source: Certain Songs
on Thursday, 28 August 2008
Parenthetical Girls – EntanglementsSomewhat more loveable than Patrick Wolf and coming on like Final Fantasy if he re met all his childhood friends only to find out they had formed a string section to accompany his somewhat awkward tones and quirky lines. Like Danielson, fun, euphoric and almost nursery like at times yet always with a healthy supply of pomposity on show. Like the Magnetic Fields writing the score for a beautiful ballet, pitchshifted vocals and a healthy regard for all things Magnetic Fields. This is the kind of album that deserves a touring theatre group to pen a play to.
Growing – All The Way
The sound of Growing is one that's hard to explain, i did try just a few posts back before the excitement of finding out they have a brand new album on the way. I'm sure it will not be to everyones taste but i can't help but instanstly adore them. Their sound is like half concious visions of the future, blurred and scant of detail but giving enough for you to put your own twists and interpretations to it. A hazy morning hungover F Buttons, their batteries running low, energy waning. A great introduction to the world of drone and noise, a beautiful cover too.
A Lily – Wake:Sleep
"sweet, meandering melodies, caught somewhere between sleeping and waking. childrens' voices echo incoherent and lively; electronics, accordian, drums and glockenspiel drift in and out."The Wire
It’s taken me a long time to get into this and I wonder why, it’s so perfectly me, perhaps it’s those final two tracks, far too long for my short attention span, too droney and uneventful, maybe they just don’t fit the rest of the album, the latter being 30 plus minutes in length, perhaps on my way to sleep I would welcome them into my ears but following on from the glorious six tracks that precede them, i’m not interested. Maybe if this is available on vinyl the label will have been discreet enough to have tracks 1-6 on side A and 7 & 8 on the flipside, they seem that far removed.
The album comes with a story...( "In his solo project A Lily, James Vella creates willowy instrumental dreampop whose pitter-pattering beats, chiming melodies, softly murmuring voices, and fluttering guitars sound like they're emerging from behind a translucent scrim. Inspired by his girlfriend Leanna, Wake:Sleep is a valentine set to music created by the Canterbury resident and Yndi Halda guitarist using primarily computer and electric and acoustic guitars, but also accordion, piano, drums, glockenspiel, bass, and pretty much anything else within reach.)...and its every bit as beautiful as the sentiment, six pieces of glitchy goodness, skittering beats and gently whispered sampled laments, like múm if they only shopped organically and avoid e numbers, like a film dropped on the floor before developing, stained half recallen memories of good times, the light that awakens you day in day out, reliable, bright and persistent. Children’s voices reminiscent of Boards of Canada and Isan, twinkles and chimes so soothing on the brain that remind me of I am Robot & Proud, each song slowly turned inside out as if to reveal the inner person, the secret person of the heart. A special special album.
"sweet, meandering melodies, caught somewhere between sleeping and waking. childrens' voices echo incoherent and lively; electronics, accordian, drums and glockenspiel drift in and out."The Wire
It’s taken me a long time to get into this and I wonder why, it’s so perfectly me, perhaps it’s those final two tracks, far too long for my short attention span, too droney and uneventful, maybe they just don’t fit the rest of the album, the latter being 30 plus minutes in length, perhaps on my way to sleep I would welcome them into my ears but following on from the glorious six tracks that precede them, i’m not interested. Maybe if this is available on vinyl the label will have been discreet enough to have tracks 1-6 on side A and 7 & 8 on the flipside, they seem that far removed.The album comes with a story...( "In his solo project A Lily, James Vella creates willowy instrumental dreampop whose pitter-pattering beats, chiming melodies, softly murmuring voices, and fluttering guitars sound like they're emerging from behind a translucent scrim. Inspired by his girlfriend Leanna, Wake:Sleep is a valentine set to music created by the Canterbury resident and Yndi Halda guitarist using primarily computer and electric and acoustic guitars, but also accordion, piano, drums, glockenspiel, bass, and pretty much anything else within reach.)...and its every bit as beautiful as the sentiment, six pieces of glitchy goodness, skittering beats and gently whispered sampled laments, like múm if they only shopped organically and avoid e numbers, like a film dropped on the floor before developing, stained half recallen memories of good times, the light that awakens you day in day out, reliable, bright and persistent. Children’s voices reminiscent of Boards of Canada and Isan, twinkles and chimes so soothing on the brain that remind me of I am Robot & Proud, each song slowly turned inside out as if to reveal the inner person, the secret person of the heart. A special special album.
Hayman, Watkins, Trout & Lee - Hayman, Watkins, Trout & Lee (Fortuna Pop!)I wonder where he finds the time, where he finds the inspiration, this being the umpteenth release this year from the wonderfully honest and analytical Darren Hayman formerly of Hefner, one of my all time favourite bands. Darren has the ability to put feelings into words, everything you want to express, all those frustrations you’ve felt, all the sideways glances, all the thoughts you never thought you’d tell into flipping good pop songs. With Hayman, Watkins, Trout & Lee there is a diversion from the normal sound this being a bluegrass project, which would normally be enough to turn anyone off, however alongside Dave Tattersall of the Wave Pictures the Hayman magic shines through as ever.
Hesitation Blues will have you strutting around your kitchen and dosey doe-ing your loved one whilst your kettle boils, Jameater Blues will have you flinging open your windows on even the coldest days and make you eat jam straight from the jar without a care in the world. High Blood Pressure cannot fail to make you smile, alternatively it may just inspire you to go watch O Brother Where Art Thou?
Go embrace Hayman, Watkins, Trout & Lee, let some light heartedness into your life.
Source: Nu Wave
The Mountain Movers - We've Walked In Hell And There Is Life After Death (Fortuna Pop!)With a title like that of an over ambitious post rock band or a survivor from the lost island writing his autobiography you’d be forgiven for expecting something pretentious and overblown. It won’t help their cause when I tell you that all the songs are about death, the devil and the afterlife.
You’ll be pleased to know however that instead of being some death metal disaster, the kind people at Fortuna Pop! Are treating you to 12 songs as laid back and splendid as everyone’s favourites, The Butterflies of Love.
Bubblegum Lemonade – Ten Years Younger EP 
Strawberry Whiplash – Who’s In Your Dreams EP
A lovely couple of releases straight out of Glasgow from the ever reliable Matinee Records. Bubblegum Lemonade are very JAMC and very Creation but loveable all the same. Ten Years Younger is a brilliant shoegazey pop song with an almost Aislers Set/Black Tambourine stomp to it especially as it resurrects itself so brilliantly j
ust before the three minute mark. That Thing You Do! Sounds like something i’ve heard before, it’s nothing new but it’s exceptionally well done. Highly recommended.
Strawberry Whiplash have a similarly familiar sound, this time more drenched in fuzz and keys, like a modern Shop Assistants, and really need I say anything further than just go discover them.
Strawberry Whiplash – Who’s In Your Dreams EP
A lovely couple of releases straight out of Glasgow from the ever reliable Matinee Records. Bubblegum Lemonade are very JAMC and very Creation but loveable all the same. Ten Years Younger is a brilliant shoegazey pop song with an almost Aislers Set/Black Tambourine stomp to it especially as it resurrects itself so brilliantly j
ust before the three minute mark. That Thing You Do! Sounds like something i’ve heard before, it’s nothing new but it’s exceptionally well done. Highly recommended.Strawberry Whiplash have a similarly familiar sound, this time more drenched in fuzz and keys, like a modern Shop Assistants, and really need I say anything further than just go discover them.
Cocoanut Groove - The end of the summer on Bookbinder roadA brilliant harpsichord drenched track of Left Banke pop with a bass line taken straight from the fret board of the Association. One for those few sunny days when you miss the old Belle & Sebastian.
Source: Absolut Noise
on Tuesday, 1 July 2008
Lucky Dragons - Dream Island Laughing Language
Goa - 3
Whereas I fear that Lucky Dragons will never quite achieve the same magic as on the wonderful Dark Falcon, one of my all time favourite albums, admittedly it will never go head to head with OK Computer or be a record collection must for the masses of mankind, it is an undeniably lovely album, snippets of lost conversations, fireworks and basic electronic, I can’t recommend it highly enough, with Dream Island Laughing Language the Lucky Dragons have come somewhere close to the perfection of Dark Falcon. For me it is too long, but I don’t think any of their albums are intended to be sat down and listened to in their entirety, some songs would stand a chance of making their way onto Dark Falcon, others exceed the quality of that and show a more tribal feel to the dragons sound, especially on highlight Givers, a wondrous almost acapella take on the one good song from Four Tet’s Everything Ecstatic disappointment of an album
. I Keep Waiting For Earthquakes & Typical Hippies follow a similar formula, electronica carved out of the most unlikely of “instruments” with lovely results.
On a similar note the album 3 by Goa is necessary of your attention. If you don’t have the patience for Lucky Dragons then Goa’s immediate Tribal Pop may be just what you’re looking for. A glorious mix of Deerhoof shipwrecked and taken captive by Erase Errata. The album draws you in with immediate 3 minute songs before it really treats you with the exceptional Fils de Lumière, a sister to the above mentioned Lucky Dragons track Givers, via Au Dessus des Nuages & 5AM Eternal, as the island moves into the night and the party begins. All this would be fairly at home on DFA given the right setting.
Lucky Dragons - I Keep Waiting For Earthquakes MP3
Growing – Vision Swim
All of the above has reminded me of the brilliance of Growing’s Vision Swim album, filter swathes of electrical current washing up and down the inside of your ear like the gently lapping waves on a deserted beach at sunrise.
Breathe Owl Breathe – Ghost Glacier EP
A lovely little EP that at its laziest is reminiscent of Bill Callahan at his most accessible, lovely country duets and a sense of humour. Sabertooth Tiger is one of my favourite tracks of late, tongue in cheek and instantly memorable. Window playful and delightful as it is fleeting. Occasional flickers of the Magnetic Fields, regular flickers of genius.
The School – Let It Slip EP 
I’ll have to admit that the School EP fell through my letterbox on probably the worst weekend of my summer, one that would make me want to listen to miserable melancholic self pitying post rock for an indefinite period of time. Alas I paid this gem of an EP little to no attention until just recently, and how I regret that, this is just the kind of upbuilding 60’s, motown drenched, handclapping, footstomping, happy go lucky pop I really needed. It draws its influence from a different part of the 60’s than Liz’s other band, The Loves, there’s no garage fuzz, instead girl group, reverb infested, upbeat songs as bouncy and smiley as the Trachtenberg Family Slideshow Players fronted by Kenickie. A summer essential.
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