OPM: Eclectronica and a Whole Lotta Rock

Particle Dogs – Juniper Pools

Lo-fi electronica that draws inspiration from dungeon synth, chillwave and electro. Some tracks sound like a lost soundtrack to a CD-ROM era DOS game, others could pass for a funky electro B-side from a white label 12” circa 1993. 

You might also hear elements that remind of you of jazz freakouts, early Berlin School tracks or thunderous post-rock blowouts – maybe even in the same track. It’s an eclectic and engaging mix of intriguing influences cemented into a singular whole that is full of surprises and satisfying turns.

(Listened to the entire EP)

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Years for Months – Bite the Hand

Dark, muscular and moody rock and roll grounded in the alt-rock/grunge sound of the ‘90s. Probably most reminiscent of something between Alice in Chains and Stone Temple Pilots, without sounding all that much like either of those acts. The production is clean and solid without being overly polished, which is important for this style. 

More importantly, the guitars are suitably chunky, epic and distorted – key if you’re trying to grunge things up. It’s not all ‘90s inspirations tho –  “Op-Ed” is more like the dancy, post punk indie of Franz Ferdinand ( it even reminds me a bit of “Take Me Out”),  and also has some nice psychedelic guitar tones and FX, while the last is much closer to the brooding heavy rock of certain mid 00s indie bands than anything that happened in Seattle. 

(Listened to the entire EP)

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Ladder Logic – In the End

Distinctive and unusual guitar-driven pop that doesn’t fit neatly into any genre category. The albums songs are particularly hard to categorize – they’re definitely pop songs, with the usual verse-chorus-verse structures, but the aesthetic isn’t anything that is immediately familiar. 

There’s a bit of New Wave in there and maybe a touch of the sophisticate downtempo pop of The xx or the like, but then those elements will be paired with guitar lines that wouldn’t sound out of place in vintage art rock, or even prog. The instrumentals are slightly easier to pin down, falling into a somewhat familiar shapes of breakbeat/Big Beat. It’s an interesting and idiosyncratic mix that might not have a ready-made audience but definitely deserves to find one.

(Listened to tracks 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 9)

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Lucia – Só

Tight, angular post-punk pop, reminiscent of Wire or Gang of Four. The lyrics are in Portuguese (I assume; the artist is Brazilian) so I have no idea what the songs are about, but the moods hit right! Anger, frustration, disdain and humor are all evident, and that’s the core of the post-punk vibe.

Some really nice guitar work and plenty of hooks will hold your attention despite the language barrier, so don’t sweat that. The best of these tunes would have sounded right at home on late ‘80s college radio, and that kind of material will always find a place in my heart.

(Listened to the whole EP)

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Mark Matthews – Soul Purpose

Lushly produced, folk-tinged pop-rock that would sound at home on the soundtrack to a hip romantic dramedy. You could draw comparisons to any number of things – it reminded me at points of Badly Drawn Boy, Coldplay, and even Fleet Foxes – but Matthews manages to carve his own niche out of familiar elements. 

This kind of stuff – extremely polished, smart, heartfelt pop based in the rock idiom – used to be everywhere. Even 10 years ago I’d have placed long odds on it ever losing its dominant spot in the pop cultural zeitgeist, but these days, while it’s not nearly so rare as hen’s teeth, you do have to dig a bit to find it. So if you’ve found this – and it’s your bag – well, lucky you.

(Listened to tracks 1 thru 8)

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