Mar 14, 2015 | Elisa Luu Reviews, Reviews
The six tracks of Elisa Luu’s Enchanting Gaze are mosaics made of fractures. Each piece is more than cohesive enough to stand as a composition, like the string-inflected “Sabadilla,” with which the collection opens, or the pluck’n’drone of closing track “Bro…” — but within each piece the source segments stand sturdily alone, so much so that the compositions themselves threaten to fall apart, to fall into parts. This isn’t a criticism. Quite the contrary, it’s the very solidity of the source material from which Enchanting Gaze is constructed that gives it strength. Luu refers to the work as “post-ambient.” Others might cite minimalism, whose rigor the work reflects, event if it favors tonal phrasings and occasional rhythmic whimsy, as on the creakily industrial “B.P.M.,” over overt patterning. This is a phenomenal set.
Mar 9, 2015 | Brother Earth Reviews, Reviews
Brother Earth are a collaboration between former Guided By Voices, Circus Devils and Kramies multi-instrumentalist/producer Todd Tobias and The Library Is On Fire vocalist Steve Five. GBV were renowned for racing through songs in double-quick time and Brother Earth perform similar magic here.
The songs within ‘Positive Haywires’ were recorded between 2008 and 2013 and as such the album is all over the place stylistically and apparently sequenced accordingly. ‘Sunny Side Of The Street’ and ‘Cortez The Cuddler’ proffer psychedelic rock and roll in a similar vein to White Album-era Beatles. There’s also ambient pop (‘Lady Of The Lake’), space rock (‘Hidden Valleys (Of Tomorrow)’,’City Of Gold’) and thrilling dEUS-like curiosities to behold (‘Girl With the Crystal Tears’, ‘Claustrophobic Headspace’).
Yet for all the invention, the slower songs perhaps merit the most attention. The first single, the creepy, menacing ‘Out Like A Lion’ makes the spine tingle with its simple brooding melody and Five’s sinister turn. For the similarly eerie likes of ‘When I Have Fears That Cease To Be’, ‘Candles On The Beach’ and ‘Both Meeting Somewhere We’ve Never Been Before’, the twosome’s slow burning tension clearly benefits from the longer song format too.
‘Positive Haywires’ keeps the listener on tenterhooks with its almost disorientating shifts in genre. Yet beneath all the weirdness and experimentation, Tobias and Five find common ground to find music which successfully mines psychedelic gold from both the past and the present.
Mar 9, 2015 | Involved Reviews, Reviews
Informed by four decades of electronic music and aiming to “curate fresh sounds” from the genre, Maryland’s Joe Dorsey and Korea-based Reivilo Enoignor have set their targets high on their first album as Involved. What follows is fifty minutes of soundtrack-worthy material which demonstrates two composers finding fertile common ground via their remote connections.
In an early statement of the dark cinematic feel to the record, ‘Ingress’ introduces shadowy synths and rolling piano and ends with a Kraftwerk-esque melody, then the single ‘Machiavella’ augments the consistently lush keyboards with ghostly female vocals samples and motorik beats. Yet just as the album starts to feel slightly flat after the subdued, morose ‘Radiation Leak’, ‘Inner Spaces’ and ‘Angular’ locates the perfect space between busy electronica and a sense of light and optimism. Further special moments follow, in particular the chilling title track, populated by subtle but seductive key changes and enigmatic ambience; fully justifying its nine minute length. Meanwhile, ‘Patient’ is as suitably epic and energising as the finale ‘Egress’ is soothing and elegant.
‘Revolving Maze’ isn’t quite as dynamic as the title suggests but every moment here is appropriate filmic. Unusually, the more complex and intricate the track is, the more memorable (not to mention involving!) it becomes. So it’s another worthwhile cross-continental collaboration then.
Mar 9, 2015 | Chloë March Review, Markus Mehr Reviews, Reviews
I post a lot of things from the australian imprint hidden shoal, because i like the way they work (they are super open minded and helpful to artists) and the dreamy, high quality music they consistently release. this project is interesting as it is a classic ‘vs’ EP…two artists in the hidden shoal stable remixing each other’s tunes.
here, singer chloe march takes on ambient soundsmith markus mehr, and it’s an auspicious pairing. his feel for sonic textures is a great match to chloe’s instrumental sensibilities and gossamer voice, which is unique and beautiful (i’ve written about chloe a few times and i think i’m running low on adjectives for her special instrument). especially cool is when she steps into markus’ tune ‘bouy’. her voice inhabits the spaces he creates.
Mar 9, 2015 | Kramies Reviews, Reviews
I featured the wonderful EP The Wooden Heart from Kramies here last year and now the Cleveland born singer/songwriter is back with a new single release before he heads to France for some tour dates. Kramies Windt enlisted the production help of both Todd Tobias and Grandaddy’s Jason Lytle for The Wooden Heart and this new single is again a collaboration with Lytle as he produced “The Fate That Never Favored Us”.
At its heart, this new track is an acoustic guitar ballad but it’s enhanced by Lytle’s trademark flourishes, from the eerie synth sounds to the various electronic effects under the surface. Floating above all of it is an affecting vocal by Kramies. If it’s a dreamy folk/pop sound you’re seeking, be sure to add this song to your collection and Kramies has made it easy as it is available as a free download.
Mar 9, 2015 | Chloë March Review, Reviews
“We here are more than a mite distressed to find that we’ve somehow mislaid an email received from Chloe March pointing us in the general direction of a new single for I believe – that is if memory serves me right – the much loved Hidden Shoal imprint. Described as ‘sensual dream pop’ – a description so perfect we’ve struggled to better, ‘Orpheus Head’ is one of those rare sublime occasions where the configurations collide and converge in elegiac grace to craft something both enchanting and spellbinding where sophisticat night pop blended upon the distantly vague vestiges of folk, soft soul and down tempo electronica gather to arrest and seduce, for here elements of Linda Perhacs, Serafina Steer, Musetta and Stereolab intertwine with the emotional hush of a youthful Goldfrapp to engage something truly captivating, celestial and magical. Utter bliss in a word.”We here are more than a mite distressed to find that we’ve somehow mislaid an email received from Chloe March pointing us in the general direction of a new single for I believe – that is if memory serves me right – the much loved Hidden Shoal imprint. Described as ‘sensual dream pop’ – a description so perfect we’ve struggled to better, ‘Orpheus Head’ is one of those rare sublime occasions where the configurations collide and converge in elegiac grace to craft something both enchanting and spellbinding where sophisticat night pop blended upon the distantly vague vestiges of folk, soft soul and down tempo electronica gather to arrest and seduce, for here elements of Linda Perhacs, Serafina Steer, Musetta and Stereolab intertwine with the emotional hush of a youthful Goldfrapp to engage something truly captivating, celestial and magical. Utter bliss in a word.
