Kikai – Cities

Lushly produced and vibrant electronica with deep roots in the Berlin School and branches all thru the history of electronic music. The album starts strong with “Brighton,” a slow-build trip thru kosmische space that takes on and sheds layers of synth, FX and percussion as it goes, shifting shape the whole way. That gives way to the brooding “Durban” and six more tracks after, which all use similar techniques with different sounds, including lots of field recording/sound effects, to great effect. 

There are shades of everything from old-school academic electronic music to acid house in here but the tracks are pretty universally spacy, tripped-out affairs that put the atmosphere and vibe at the forefront – it’s hard to pin it down to any genre, but it would all play in pretty much chillout room in history. (This, and a lot of other interesting music, is also available directly through the artist at their website: https://music.audiokontor.net/ )

(Listened to tracks 1 thru 5) 

Feinstruktur – Adrift

Glacial drone ambient that creates a sense of vast space and nearly frozen time. Building slowly from minimal swathes of tone, and falling away almost as quickly, this is a subtle, almost elusive listen. It’s ambient in the truest sense – it is very easy to passively listen to it shifting away in the background, but if you give it your attention, you’ll find it rewards active listening quite nicely (and takes on a subtle edge not immediately apparent when it’s in the background). 

Together, these three tracks are a study in the maximal effect that minimal movement can have, and create a vibe that’s forbidding and cold, but warm on the inside – like watching snow fall ceaselessly out your window as you sit by the fire.

(Listened to the whole EP)

Matt Young – Wide Eyed

Epic, piano-driven pop balladry in the vein of Mercury Rev – loopy, melodic and clever. You could easily name a dozen other influences as well – everything from the classics like the Beatles and Kinks to more modern indie pop heroes like Elliott Smith. 

The singing is pleasant, and the piano-forward arrangements and vintage ‘00s production approach suit the songs nicely. If you’ve been missing smart, emotionally charged pop based in a rock paradigm, this could be the answer to your prayers. 

(Listened to songs 4 thru 7)

Elijax – “Come”

Post-industrial ambient experimentation with tight rhythm programming, inviting sound design and a restless spirit. Building and breaking itself down in unusual and surprising ways over its nearly six minute runtime, this track shifts from intricate dances of synth and percussion to periods of near silence and stillness. 

It manages these shifts in a musical, almost organic way – each rest and every build feels earned, if not inevitable. By the time it’s over, you’ll be ready to play it again – or to explore the other five tracks on the release it comes from: Intersections by Elijax.

Flavigula – Greenhouses and Other Oddities on or within the Moons of Neptune

Oddball guitar-based experimental music that deconstructs pop, post rock and more into wide-ranging rambles that defy all expectations. Pulling apart the various influences of this one is a big task, but there’s definitely callbacks to various weirdo rock experimentalists over the years, some film music nods, hints of early electronic music pioneers and lots more. It’s an album driven by a deeply personal and idiosyncratic musical vision, coupled to a playful, restless sense of experimentation and a somewhat muted and lofi aesthetic. Hard to pigeonhole, but definitely worth a listen to see if it jibes with you. (No embed on this one, you can hear it on the artist’s Faircamp site: https://faircamp.thurk.org/greenhouses/)

(Listened to the entire album)

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A final note: Running this blog/newsletter takes a tremendous amount of time and energy, and a fair bit of money (my hosting is ~$13.50/month). I don’t intend to charge for it ever, but it would be great if those of you who appreciate it would consider the occasional donation/tip. If you can spare a few dollars, maybe hit my Ko-Fi page and show your appreciation? Alternately, you could always buy some of my music


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