★★★☆☆ = Good!
hip trapping with elements of vaporwave and hip hop mixed in
2020 Urban city headphone music
Engaging and accessible due to a forward energy. Trap at its heart, he flirts with modern electro styles but never commits, leaving this fresh and varied.
https://www.discogs.com/Greyscalesound-Hologram/release/6393753
Spotify
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★★★★☆ = Quality release and suggested listening
wide open ambient made with modular synths and winds
Observing water shimmering on a wall
Quality ambient with a relaxing atmosphere, reminds me of masters like Eno. A patient listen (or as background, it's ambient after all) is engaging through movement, both in individual songs and on the album as a whole. Ambient while generally pleasant can often feel monotonous and stale, she finds just the right balance.
https://www.discogs.com/Emily-A-Sprague-Water-Memory/release/12014380
Spotify
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★★☆☆☆ = Eh, fine
an accordian being drawn out over an hour
A strange horror soundtrack
I guess there's something here. Definitely different. Feel like the limits of avant-garde are stretched to a place I'm not interested in going.
https://www.discogs.com/Pauline-Oliveros-The-Roots-Of-The-Moment/release/2853717
Spotify
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★★★★☆ = Quality release and suggested listening
String acoustic sample electro experimental
There's a creative thread here that's awesome to watch unravel, I love revisiting this album
I've come back to this album a lot over the years, why? Partially because it sounds lovely: an intimate folk album that incorporates just the right amount of sample based electro elements. I particularly love the first few songs but always find myself staying for the entirety.
The primary reason I keep coming back is due to an inspiring feeling that isn't easy to capture in music. It's almost as if you can feel the creative push at work, forcing themselves to explore new territory.
https://www.discogs.com/The-Books-The-Lemon-Of-Pink/release/196682
Youtube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiXpi5u5Vu8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiuC8A8eKu4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FC0jSezdwTU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1irbhY_dgY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ku-g3LiBxmg
Spotify
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★★☆☆☆ = Eh, fine
A group of guys playing 'grandiose' 80s new age synthesizer
Welcome to the machine
I felt I spent most of the album waiting for something to happen. Things finally kick-in on the title track and gets a nice groove going.just not something I really feel like revisiting as a whole
https://www.discogs.com/Michael-Shrieve-with-Kevin-Shrieve-and-Klaus-Schulze-Transfer-Station-Blue/release/508465
Youtube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDsfacgTnXY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhMZ57BNxU4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7w9jlVKAAiE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4Rpx_tfwn4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkwTGBWFMt8
Spotify
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★★★★☆ = Quality release and suggested listening
Modern atmospheric jazz rock with electronic textures
Live at pompeii for spiritual robots
A modern spiritual jazz-rock record. Effective use of synths modernizes things and adds an interesting texture. Perhaps the only true rock element is the percussion which feels like it keeps things moving forward in rock fashion. Couple of highlights:
Fall into water- spacey and patient.
High szun maybe a bit more rock oriented. Certain tension is maintained with a noisy keyboard layer. Works while patient solos build around it.
Quite enjoyed this release.
https://www.discogs.com/Szun-Waves-New-Hymn-To-Freedom/release/12494167
Youtube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAO60apkxEo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNEmFHrdNdA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdaHQESTu4U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R12-Qn4g72Q
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Txraa21q8FQ
Spotify
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★★☆☆☆ = Eh, fine
Experimental middle eastern based electronic music with spoken word raps
Bandcamp experimental
Ring the alarm is damn good. The rest has a militant vibe I couldn't really get into, didn't really fit the Spacey future bass electro production.
https://www.discogs.com/700-Bliss-Spa-700/release/12072616
Youtube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCRU9UWGKys
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=De9WWPYy1Wo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3b677kvS0g
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvTAmiZY9ZQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhpJ5ILMRzc
Spotify
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★★★☆☆ = Good!
trip hop, dub and ethereal electro ( both and neither ) with strings and noise
Feels like a slow sick day off work where your head is congested and words sounds like their filtered through a cotton ball. But you're warm and cozy with a comforter pulled up to your chin. Everything is bathed in bright white winter light so it's easy to see the dust floating around your room. The stillness is a welcome change of pace, might not be a perfect day but you know it'll pass.
~ Shadowy positiveness.
Reminds me of yo la tengo quiet moments. I can't imagine a whole lot of times when I'm going to put this on in the future but I enjoyed it. The tempo is slow, crawling at times, so this does requires a certain patience or mindset; it's a rewarding listen if you're in it however.
Lyrically tracks like ‘melt’ and ‘lighthouse’ capture a certain beauty in their directness. The production is beautiful, extremely well crafted with strings, ambient , bits of static noise for warmth (reminds me of burial).
https://www.discogs.com/King-Midas-Sound-Fennesz-Edition-1/release/7573156
Youtube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pf1DO_SIHTM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MC3hXI_nVoM
Spotify
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★★★★☆ = Quality release and suggested listening
Dark distorted ethereal electronic rock
One of 2018s best
They've taken that distorted sound that borrows from industrial (yeezus, arca, SoundCloud rap) and turned it into something poetic. I think it's best as the succinct ep disarray but it's all good stuff.
Apparently a lot of the sound is credited to producer BJ Burton. There's a playlist on Spotify that samples some of his productions, worth a listen to and someone I'll be keeping a lookout for.
https://www.discogs.com/Low-Double-Negative/release/12988816
Youtube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1m31A4ZGss0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ob0CILJ93bA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvEozu4Obfs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5Enxzh-O9Y
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzMo-EpWcPA
Spotify
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★★★☆☆ = Good!
Dense heavy psychedelic punk
Protesting
Distinct heavy rock with astute protest lyrics. Perhaps too dense for regular listening, I appreciate what's happening here. It's groovy and biting with a passion that's executed well.
https://www.discogs.com/Tropical-Fuck-Storm-A-Laughing-Death-In-Meatspace-/release/12457187
Youtube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYWHjfVtoSM
Spotify
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