Architecture In Helsinki - Places Like This
Filed under Electronic, Experimental, Music, Pop, Rock.
I don’t think there’s any band that has as much fun as Architecture In Helsinki has. The six headed Australian indie pop group in known for their eclectic over-the-top feel-good musical style.
Although I like their previous album In Case We Die more, Places Like This delivers more song structure and a wider range of influences, without diverting too much of their original sound and joyous approach to making music.
This is definitely recommended to everyone as it’s catchy and easy listening, even Bruce Willis is a fan.
Psychedelic, danceable and rich easy listening melodies crafted by talented multi-instrumentalists, what more do you want.
MP3: Architecture In Helsinki - Heart It Races
After the jump you can find 3 music videos already from the new album: Heart It Races, Debbie and Hold Music. Enjoy.
Kieran Hebden and Steve Reid - Tongues
Filed under Electronic, Instrumental, Jazz, Music. | Comment (1)
I like a good percussion project from time to time, and did I love Post rock band Tortoise’s Bumps project at Stonesthrow from a few months back.
Time for something new, actually Tongues is not a new release either but I never really got a chance to listen to it closely.
Kieran Hebden, better known as Four Tet, joins jazz drummer Steve Reid for a third time, after 2 live recorded improv EP’s.
Hebden’s epileptic kicks and electronic samples sound very well next to Reid’s laid-back drums. While some people might rate this very low for the lack of song structure, I applaud that thought, cause it’s not meant to be that kind of record. It’s more of an improvisational experiment and I think they’re just trying to show off their skills and let us know how great they work together.
Not for everyone though, also it might take a few listens to really appreciate it.
I do think at times Hebden went a little over the top with his electronic hums and clicks, but overall they succeeded in making a very enjoyable record for the novice jazz listener.
Kieran Hebden & Steve Reid
Domino Recording Co
Hebden’s Myspace
Múm - Go Go Smear the Poison Ivy
Filed under Electronic, Experimental, Music, Pop.
Múm is an Icelandic musical group which brings a very chaotic and unpredictable, yet melodic style of experimental electronica.
This is Múm’s first release after the departure of singer and founding member, Kristín Anna Valtýsdóttir, to compensate the band added a couple to make it a 7 piece band.
With those changes comes a shift from the group’s traditional style. Without deserting their distinctive sound of high pitched tones and their affinity for organic repetition of electronic glitches, there are noticeably more live instruments like bells, whistles, the piano, violin and more.
Unlike Pitchfork, I think it’s another stellar album by Iceland’s finest. I don’t know why it is but I really dig the Icelandic music scene with artists like Sigur Rós, Björk, The Album Leaf. There’s just a lot of talent out there and they all have a fresh never-done-before “experimental” sound, or maybe it’s just my kind of music.
As always, you can check 2 music videos from the new album, “They Made Frogs Smoke ‘Til They Exploded” and “Rhubarbidoo” below. Two very fun videos which perfectly resemble the kid-like vocals and high pitched tones in their songs.
Caribou - Andorra
Filed under Electronic, Music, Pop, Rock.
Andorra is the 4th full length from Dan Snaith recording under his Caribou moniker (formerly known as Manitoba – but that’s a whole ‘nother story). Andorra has more of a full band feel than some of Caribou’s earlier studio efforts. It’s still just Dan in the studio creating his singular magic, but the extensive touring that Caribou did for his last album, The Milk of Human Kindness, definitely left its mark on the arrangements. The sound is more expansive and more blissfully psychedelic than ever, which explains why Pitchfork noted the album as Best New Music. -Merge Records
Through the years Dan Snaith strongly evolved in musical styles from his Four Tet like glitch-electronica with Manitoba to this 60’s psychedelic electro-pop with Andorra.
As a longtime fan of Caribou/Manitoba I can say that Andorra might be his best work yet. His tightly structured multi-layered electro-pop songs have established him as a great singer/songwriter with an eccentric warm breathy voice.
Definitely a killer album you shouldn’t miss.
Be sure to hit the jump for the music video of the first single Melody Day and the video for Yeti off of the previous album.
Aphilas - Instrumentally Ill EP
Filed under Electronic, Hiphop, Instrumental, Music. | Comments (2)
Aphilas is a producers duo from Finland, Helsinki. There isn’t a lot known about the duo only that they make some very interesting electronic organic instrumental hiphop.
Apparently they had some problems with their record label, they used to be on merck, which before the release of their debut album was shut down.
They released the “Instrumentally Ill EP“ which was well received in the blogosphere. The EP is a fantastic piece of work. They use their sample based sounds in such a gentle soulful and wonderful way, overlayed with soft hiphop beats, that it floats you away into other atmospheres for the next half hour.
If you like Rjd2, Boom Bip or Four Tet to name a few, definitely don’t hesitate to download the EP completely free over at archive.org and streamable at Last.fm.
I feel like the album “Prisoners of the Planet” is kind of an extension to this EP, more of the same, in a positive way I mean.
The album got released in some way but it seems to be very rare, so I can’t link you to it. I don’t even know where to contact Aphilas. I also looked everywhere to buy the album without luck, so I got my copy in a not so nice way, sorry Aphilas.
