Brainwashed Radio: The Podcast Edition

Aurora Borealis image from California by Steve

Look up

Music for gazing upwards brought to you by Meat Beat Manifesto & scott crow, +/-, Aurora Borealis, The Veldt, Not Waving & Romance, W.A.T., The Handover, Abul Mogard & Rafael Anton Irisarri, Mulatu Astatke, Paul St. Hilaire & René Löwe, Songs: Ohia, and Shellac.

Aurora Borealis image from California by Steve.

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Edward Ka-Spel, "Dream Logik Part One"

Ka-Spel's latest is a labyrinth of hallucinatory hallways in which the exit is frequently obscured by mirages and wrong turns. Half-remembered voices and snippets of forgotten songs lure the unwary ever deeper into the maze, only to be ambushed by unexpected noises and hushed whispers that offer no hope of escape.
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O Yuki Conjugate, "The Euphoria of Disobedience"

The early pioneers of what has become known as "ambient" return after a decade long silence with a fascinating new work that shows the collective staying true to their roots, but at the same time exploring more grimy, less ethnic textures. 
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Merzbow, "Coma Berenices"

This is another work that does not have a specific identifiable "theme" regarding its sound (i.e. no focus on guitar, psychedelica, drums, etc), but there is a distinct dark, nihilistic feel to the work as a whole.  The overall sound is augmented by the packaging, which depicts Masami Akita in front of a demolished building, all tinted dark and such like.  Surprisingly, this darkness manifests itself in the music without pushing it to abnormally harsh or violent realms (by Merzbow standards, of course).  Quite the contrary, for a noise work, it is relatively mild and listenable. 
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Felix Kubin und das Mineral Orchester, "Music for Theatre and Radio Play"

Like the title explains, this disc collects music Felix Kubin has done for two theatre plays, including one based on a short story by Nabokov, and a radio play by Xentos Bentos of The Homosexuals. Despite having no idea as to how this music was integrated into the respective performances, Kubin's sense of playfulness makes it an enjoyable album on its own.
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Githead, "Art Pop"

Githead's debut Headgit EP and subsequent full length Profile brought angular post-punk at a time when, quite frankly, everyone else was doing it. That Wire frontman Colin Newman served as its voice and postmodern lyricist did surprisingly little to differentiate it from the fresher crop of youngbloods. Both releases had their respective moments of memorable majesty, such as the subdued tech-house of "To Have And To Hold" and the slogan expropriating screed "Option Paralysis," though neither produced the anticipated excellence of a collaboration between Newman, his wife Malka Spigel, and Robin "Scanner" Rimbaud.  With Art Pop, their latest for the Swim ~ imprint, the trio (now a quartet) finally delivers, taking their sound to a level that demands attention from indie rock dweebs and PBR-guzzling hipsters alike.
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Pan Sonic, "Katodivaihe"

After a long delay the new disc from everybody's favorite Finnish duo has finally arrived, but without much fanfare and only in a notably limited amount of shops. It's a shame as this could easily be their best full-length (single) album to date.
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Doubled Yellow Swans, "Global Clone"

Another of the current crop of US noise projects, Yellow Swans focus more on establishing mood and texture as opposed to full out sonic assaults, and while still an acquired taste, here it's a bit easier to swallow.
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Colleen, "Les Ondes Silencieuses"

I have been infatuated with Cécile Schott's work as Colleen since first hearing Everyone Alive Wants Answers. Its collages of toy instruments and found sounds juxtaposed bit melodies and textures in a unique and oddly touching manner. This new album finds Schott playing all acoustic instruments this time and focusing on songwriting that unfortunately loses some of its charm in its stateliness.
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Flower-Corsano Duo, "The Radiant Mirror"

This release with Mick Flower on Japan banjo and Chris Corsano on drums is their first recording after less than a year of live performances. It illustrates why those shows have received such deserved praise.
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Z'EV/David Linton

Released in November of 2006 to commemorate their first joint appearance, Z'EV and David Linton each contribute an original track and a remix of the other's work to form this intriguing and unusual album.
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