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This +70 minute doublerecord (one CD) set marks Trans Am's finest effort. Not too heavy onthe rock, not too heavy on the electronics and not to heavy on thevocal tracks this album combines it all. From the very beginning, youknow something intense is about to happen. And it does! BANG! The albumdelivers phenomenal songs from track to track featuring a Blue-ManGroup-esque drumming bit, a David Pajo style guitar piece, even a deadringer for a Suicide tribute! There's loads of distortion, deepelectronics and very fun and catchy melodies. While the song stylesdiffer each track, the production is solid and the "concept" (whateverthat may be - the jury's still out to lunch) carries strong,flawlessly. samples:
- Let's Take the Fresh Step Together /I Want It All
- Play in the Summer
- Where do You want to Fuck Today?
- Diabolical Cracker/I'm Coming Down
- Slow Response
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Ther new CD (out this week) is alien and furiouswith the cover translated into many languages for your choice of whichone to display! This time around the production skills and soundfuckery have possibly even matured from last year's EEVIAC, electing togo slightly more daring, but keeping a hold on the surf-noise-rockelements as much as they can. A live show (as always) will no doubt beone of the best rock shows when they hit the roads. A fun timeguaranteed for all. Just be careful your idiot dorm roommate with notaste doesn't swipe it from you. Should they do this you have fulllicense to break their "Legend" or "Joshua Tree" CD into tiny littlepieces. I said so.samples:
- Song of the Two-Mile Linear Particle Accelerator Stanford University, Santford, California
- Many Pieces of Large Fuzzy Mammals Gathered Together at a Rave and Schmoozing with a Brick
- A Simple Text File (yes, it's a dot matrix printer)
- Obligatory Part 2 Song In Which There is No Presently Existing Part 1, Nor the Plans to Make One
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Harris sent material to Spybey, who was residing in The Netherlands at the time, to add to and finish along with the help of friend Niels Van Hoorn(blower) of The Legendary Pink Dots. It's difficult to tell where exactly Harris ends and Spybey begins (or vice versa) here as both share a predilection for a variety of beats, sounds and atmospheres. "Bad Roads.." is literally littered with all the above. Beat and bass rhythms are prevalent throughout most of the 64+ minutes in a range of tempos and styles, from infectiously off-kilter funkiness to deep minimal hip hop to firecracker drum 'n bass. "Good Way to Start a Bad Day" (which takes several attempts to get the motor up and running) and "Dschungel B-216" are top notch while others are good but not quite as interesting. Along the way are a handful of essentially beat-less sound composition speed bumps that combine electronics with other sounds such as a sax blare resembling a car horn and the ringing of a telephone. "Aeper" is a brief, distorted orgasmic scream while "Waaal" gently caresses with a steady sonic ambiance and inaudibly altered vocals. Van Hoorn's sax adds a blare, drone or riff to several tracks, moreso here than on the latest Dead Voices album. "Muffel" and "Misery Gote" in particular sound as if all three men are in the same room jamming. All in all "Bad Roads.." is a fine album that finds and takes advantage of the collaborative sweet spot amongst the talents of those involved. Look for Mick Harris & Ambre next, probably early next year ...samples:
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Fumble seems to be the more whimsical and playful side of Massel as most everything here is just so gosh darned cute from the cartoon like artwork to the handwritten track titles to the happy tunes. Half of the 8 tracks have me scratching my head as to the difference between Fumble and Senking since they're basically interchangeable with those on Senking's "Ping Thaw" cd. "Saft?" and "Fumble King" are by far the best of those four with their slowly building low end grooves. The other half, however, are different. They too are minimal electronic pieces with a digital dub influence but they're also more loose and fun with an expanded sound palette that includes watery pops, some mechanical samples and simple, almost child-like melodies. "Fumble Valley" is the most structurally accomplished while "Sleepy" is the one most likely to make you laugh or smile. Fumble is not exactly mind-blowing stuff but it is pleasant nonetheless. Though I can't help but think of how I could make just 1 really good disc compiling tracks from "Ping Thaw" and this album, especially when considering the $15+ import price tag for each. Hopefully Massel will do the same next time ...samples:
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"Jonif they're in town, check the show out." I did and was quite pleased.The band only consists of three members: drummer, bass guitarist andkeyboardist. The music the band makes sounds like techno club stylemusic (live progressive breakbeat house they call it). The toolsthey're using to create this are not the midi clock sequencedpre-programmed Roland and Korg toys, but the simpler instruments thathave graced recordings for years and years. The band improvises mostlybut are tight and never seem to lose awareness of each other or thefeel of every song. On sale that night was their full-length CD, "Thisis Live" and their EP, "Live: Portland, Maine".
"This is Live" is calculated and varied. It showcases the band'stalents to write and play beat heavy music with a jazz conscious mind.Downtempo and upeat tunes make the disc interesting enough to listen tofor the entire +70 minutes herein. "Live: Portland, Maine" is theirfirst EP in the live series they're releasing and contains four trackswhich total just over 35 minutes. This CD captures the live sound butthankfully it's a short disc and doesn't get terribly monotonous.Here's a band to watch grow and progress over time to find out justwhat they're planning to do to keep it interesting.samples:
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No titles, just times listed in this tasty electro pop(and click) collection. Dat Politics features members of Tone Rec andthis CD release is a reissue of the LP-only version that came out ontheir own Ski-PP label.samples:
Nextup, Baltimore-based 18 yr old Rjyan Kidwell releases his first fulllengther as Cex, aptly titled 'Role Model.' Kidwell's style is bumpyand groovy with charming melodies taking center stage. It might be hisfirst full-lengther, but it's hardly an amateur production. Kidwell'smastery of machinery and understanding of melodic elements andinstrumental balance are far superior to most cats twice his age. Thedisc never gets tedious, predictable and is always enjoyable. Kudos,Rjyan, you're my role model.samples:
Finally, the release from Medicine frontman Brad Laner and his jumpinto the laptop musician scene with his full-lengther as ElectricCompany titled "Exitos." Laner's motives explore the deeper, moresubliminial spectrum of electro glitch. He demonstrates that a minimalnumber of instrument sounds results in the magnified importance of eachsound as an individual element. Lost? Well, listen to this on a big setof speakers and you'll understand my point. The style on whole seems tochange rather erratically between each song, as if this was acollection of pieces almost thrown together, but every bit has placehere on the 60+ minute long gem. Perhaps he's been listening to thelikes of Mouse on Mars, Kim Cascone and Ryoji Ikeda and found his ownway to create things he likes in each.samples:
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Good Looking Blues collects 12 songsMargaret and Guy have been pulling together since 1998's "Sounds of theSatellites." More intense than anything they've released, this albumleaves the ambient subtlety of the last album in the dust. The spaceyechoey keyboards are still here, but this time a full band backs thegroup up with rich rhythms and organic percussion. Organic instrumentsjumping into the mix this time around include trumpet, bass clarinet,congas, turntables, flute and tamborine. Martha's voice never getsburied in an incredible production job pulled together from sessions athome and in various studios. The band should be touring this fall,don't miss it! samples:
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Disappeared is thefirst brand new full-lengther with all-new material to surface however.I guess it's taken this time for Thirsty Ear in the USA to catch up totheir European output... Regardless, the depths of their music hasexpanded in range over the last few releases. This CD of all-newmaterial has carried over their fondness of organic instruments (bothlive and sampled) and jazz rhythms but has left the overused samplesand pre-programmed sound synths behind. No longer is this the "drum andbass" band it used to be, with a collection of 4-8 minute songs justtossed together. Conceptually, this album flows and moves like an albumshould, with songs appropriately placed - mixing up songs of bombasticbeats between songs of deep introspection, flowing naturally into eachother rather than sounding like a collection of 12" singles. After afew more listens for myself, this will definitely become one of thosememorized instrumental albums—where you always know what's coming next.samples:
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NYC's Marc Gartman has pieced together a one-offensemble to complete the pictures on his first full-length CD. Thepackaging that showed up at my door had the disc housed in a paintedtyvek sleeve with plastic printing and a hand-printed image of afactory looking thing, a neat fastener was glued onto the back to keepthe sleeve closed when not in use, but it sure is uncomfortable in theCD collection next to everything else. The music itself could easily bea session of seasoned jazz musicians playing a tribute to Louisville.Improvisational while introspective in nature, not afraid to play quietand meaningful. Instruments showcased include violin, melodica anddouble bass alongside acoustic guitar, drums and piano. LookoutRachel's! Through more investigation, I find out this ensemble as itexists on this disc will most likely never happen again. It's a shameas I would love to hear this incarnation live. The production isastonishing for a homemade release. Added effects on certain tracksinclude crickets and possible gunshots in the distance. Hard to believethis is a NYC based collective, as it could easily be music conceivedwhile sitting on a back porch at twilight, staring out into the fields,watching fireflies in the sunset! I'd love to flood this issue withmore sound samples, but hopefully three will be enough. For moreinformation (including how to get your very own copy), check out www.pushpinmusic.com.samples:
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Remember listening to what was to bethe final Skinny Puppy insult, 'Last Rites' for the first time, andthat incredible piece called Download that at the end drifted off intoelectronic drones you wished could go on forever? Whether they'reconscious about it or hate Skinny Puppy, I finally feel like this hopehas been somewhat fulfilled with this album. Precious electronic dronesand soundscapes wash over this disc, and unlike other discs of dronea'la electronique, these songs start and end without going on way toolong. Sublime and dreamy, chimes and echoes play wonderful tricks withyour mind late at night with all the lights off. The titles make mecurious, however, with all of them sharing titles with popular classicrock hits of the 70s. It leads me to wonder if the originals providedinspiration or sound source... Drop an email to samples:
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