Tag Archives: Abstract

Out Hud – S.T.R.E.E.T. D.A.D.

by ·

★★★☆☆ = Good!

Sounds like?

spacey instrumental electro dance punk

Moods

Psychedelic dance music

Thoughts

Two of the members went onto major things with !!! And LCD Soundsystem. This LP has the jam band sound without the jamming. It's music made by a traditional rock quartet but as if their trying to sound like a spaced-out electro project with dub sounds and house goodness weaved in. There's a 'raw' element here that provides a nice character, feels very human. It's key as instrumentals acts like this can someone's feel a little too clinical or impersonal without the vocal touch.

I'd be really interested in seeing Out Hud live as there are so many jumping off points for jam noodling. As a studio thing it works and it's interesting hearing it so many years later as their sound has gone on to influence lots of other bands from the disco biscuits to pretty much the entire DFA roster.

More Info

https://www.discogs.com/Out-Hud-STREET-DAD/release/229420

Listen!

Youtube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XJ_qx0CkRs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cRe_GduF_g

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wImsKpTBuH8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFHWjR_D-bI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0zLOcRzQT4

Spotify


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Out Hud – S.T.R.E.E.T. D.A.D.

Description: Album Review of Out Hud – S.T.R.E.E.T. D.A.D.


Rating: 3 out of 5

 

Koushik – Be With

by ·

★★★★☆ = Quality release and suggested listening

Sounds like?

60s psychedelica with a hip hop bend

Moods

hauntology psychedelica

Thoughts

There's an effort here to make this sound old with vinyl record crackle and surface noise as well as low fidelity mics. It's effective and compliments the scattered instrumentation to create a spectral hazy psychedelica that's interesting and true to original influences (not the watered down modern 'chill' stuff).

Works well, rivals caribous early catalog who does a very similar thing ( honestly you could've told me Dan snaith made this as it's a dead ringer to some of his work).

More Info

https://www.discogs.com/Koushik-Be-With/release/484910

Listen!

Youtube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bs1inZNRlKw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqZCiW5pGlM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FikemItj6tI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsVy6a7dl7I

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxfz8TmJ8gs

Spotify


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Koushik – Be With

Description: Album Review of Koushik – Be With


Rating: 4 out of 5

 

Sam Gendel, Sam Wilkes – Music For Saxofone & Bass Guitar

by ·

★★★★☆ = Quality release and suggested listening

Sounds like?

Abstract bedroom smooth jazz

Moods

Hangs around like steam rising after a summer downpour.

Thoughts

Bunch of rough ambient sax and basic supporting sounds like a drum machine or bass line. At times it's like they're boiling modern r&b to its most basic form with looping finger snaps or whispery beatbox. It's a bunch of sketches, not really an album. There's a lot of ambient background noise, effective as another texture like burial. Has an improv vibe.

Gendel is a good sax player, really hear his rich sound on the solos ( track one is a good example).

More Info

https://www.discogs.com/Sam-Gendel-Sam-Wilkes-Music-For-Saxofone-Bass-Guitar/release/12194261

Listen!

Youtube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enX9Fr-I8MA

Spotify


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Sam Gendel, Sam Wilkes – Music For Saxofone & Bass Guitar

Description: Album Review of Sam Gendel, Sam Wilkes – Music For Saxofone & Bass Guitar


Rating: 4 out of 5

 

Boxhead Ensemble – Quartets

by ·

★★☆☆☆ = Eh, fine

Sounds like?

effect-laden modern classical

Moods

Cerebral

Thoughts

I can't tell if it's because I listened to this with ear buds or if it's recorded in a certain way but it felt very much 'in my head'. These tracks have space and build tension at times as well as create feelings of intimacy. Reminds me of an indie version of the Kronos quartet.

On second listen I was especially bored, just OK.

More Info

https://www.discogs.com/Boxhead-Ensemble-Quartets/release/198661

Listen!

Spotify


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Boxhead Ensemble – Quartets

Description: Album Review of Boxhead Ensemble – Quartets


Rating: 2 out of 5

 

James Ferraro – Far Side Virtual

by ·

★★★★☆ = Quality release and suggested listening

Sounds like?

vaporwave (new age synth and computer Muzak with a cynical twist)

Moods

A vaporwave classic, I'd like to logout now please

Thoughts

I'm not a vaporware historian but I appreciate the genre and it's cultural critique: taking the soothing elements of Muzak and warping them into this anxious soundtrack. This is a definitive vaporwave album and representative example of the genres aim. With just the right amount of maddening cheese, it doesn't feel like it's deliberate satire (well maybe on wifi sushi which is almost laugh out loud funny). He really captures the excitement that once existed about globalization's limitless possibility unlocked by the consumer. In hindsight we can see growth in corporate culture has just led to disappointment and further inequality, revealing an entirely new interpretation of this music.

As art I applaud it, its effective and immediate. To sit and listen to this as you would regular pop? I'm not sure it has that appeal.

More Info

https://www.discogs.com/James-Ferraro-Far-Side-Virtual/release/7853044

Listen!

Youtube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9ndKlm-G3s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRFn97NyURM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNhP6aoP6XY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w82omu5nrkk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIvR9rqae7Q

Spotify


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James Ferraro – Far Side Virtual

Description: Album Review of James Ferraro – Far Side Virtual


Rating: 4 out of 5

 

Takashi Wada – Meguro

by ·

★★☆☆☆ = Eh, fine

Sounds like?

Ambient influenced electro with an ethereal vibe and pleasant instrumentation (percussive, acoustic guitar, keys)

Moods

A pleasant feeling provoked by a place I've only imagined

Thoughts

Floats around with an OK pleasantness on the first couple of tracks. Breaks into a rhythmic part on 28° C that really appeals. Other tracks hit all the right notes but I'd compare this to drinking Japanese whiskey: I want something more than perfect. Didn't really do it for me.

More Info

https://www.discogs.com/Takashi-Wada-Meguro/release/292056

Listen!

Youtube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjCVDE8eb5c

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4oUw8lpMtg

Spotify


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Takashi Wada – Meguro

Description: Album Review of Takashi Wada – Meguro


Rating: 2 out of 5

 

Nao Tokui – Mind The Gap

by ·

★★★☆☆ = Good!

Sounds like?

Minimal electro / tech house / ambient / IDM

Moods

Cold winter light

Thoughts

Solid minimal record. *Blips* and *bleeps*. Uses production noise like warm record hiss to create additional character and atmosphere. Not much in the way of songwriting, this is more about mood, but there's enough of a house bump to keep this moving. Things pickup with 'rotation' and ‘pine ave’, blurring the lines between ambient and IDM.

More Info

https://www.discogs.com/Nao-Tokui-Mind-The-Gap/release/176683

Listen!

Youtube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvh3u6zPmtw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DZrv_A4CPs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESrzFDBIZcA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3M7ckJyWj0

Spotify


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Nao Tokui – Mind The Gap

Description: Album Review of Nao Tokui – Mind The Gap


Rating: 3 out of 5

 

Pole – Steingarten

by ·

★★★☆☆ = Good!

Sounds like?
Dub influenced German minimal with angular noise

Moods
Womping to the beat

Thoughts

First few tracks have this cartoonish womp to them that took away from the sleekness I typically want out of minimal house. On a closer listen it’s really an incorporation of dub, almost like dub meets German minimal. Tracks are layered with lots of subtleties although on the surface things may seem straightforward. Something about this album stuck with me before I revisited it a second time.

Later tracks improve, Dusseldorf is a keeper and I like the distortion and noise that’s present on most of the record but really utilized effectively on the final tracks.

More Info

https://www.discogs.com/Pole-Steingarten/release/2807191

Listen!

Youtube



Spotify

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Pole – Steingarten

Description: Album Review of Pole – Steingarten


Rating: 3 out of 5

 

John Cale,Terry Riley – Church Of Anthrax

by ·

★★★★☆ = Quality release and suggested listening

What’s it sound like?
Experimental 60s psychedelic pop jams

Thoughts
Highly recommended and fruitful collaboration between these two legends. I’d describe this as the Grateful Dead meets the VU at their most experimental.

Top-notch instrumentation and songwriting. While it has a jam vibe it never wanders too far into noodling territory.

I need to revisit this more, seems as if it would reward repeat listening.

More Info

https://www.discogs.com/John-Cale-Terry-Riley-Church-Of-Anthrax/release/1363130

Listen!

Youtube



Spotify

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John Cale,Terry Riley – Church Of Anthrax

Description: Album Review of John Cale,Terry Riley – Church Of Anthrax


Rating: 4 out of 5

 

Blanketship – Klangwunder / The Sound Of Fun Surrounds You

by ·

★★★☆☆ = Good!

What’s it sound like?
Vintage jazz rock meets found sound DJ

Thoughts
Pretty good, forward thinking collage of lots of different sounds. The second record, klangwunder, was a bit more uneven and sporadic sounding.

More Info

https://www.discogs.com/Blanketship-Klangwunder-The-Sound-Of-Fun-Surrounds-You/release/2030041

Listen!
Spotify

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Blanketship – Klangwunder / The Sound Of Fun Surrounds You

Description: Album Review of Blanketship – Klangwunder / The Sound Of Fun Surrounds You


Rating: 3 out of 5