Most indie female songstresses use breathy, pixiesh vocals to disarm you. But on Indian Summer’s “Shiner,” guest vocalist Missy from Ginger and the Ghost drops eerie vocals that are pulling double duty: scaring you while luring you in for more. Indian Summer has been grinding it out as producers for the past few years and has found a unique sound with their latest piece of work. “Shiner” starts off like a ghost in the shadows and then the bass drops, shattering the ground at your feet. I’m hooked. Enjoy.
I’m typically not a fan of remixes but when a few of my favorite electronic producers put a spin on a Destiny’s Child song, it’s almost impossible to resist. Cosmo’s Midnight, the duo that expertly chopped up Aaliyah’s “Are You That Somebody” into the synthesizer blasting “The Dofflin” has set their sights on Beyonce and the gang with their fizzy version of “Say My Name.” The track starts off like some 80s aerobics theme with vocals shooting out at breakneck speed. Where the song really pulls you in, though, is when it grinds to a slow jam at the chorus, putting a lush spin on a track that we never even knew needed it. If this is the start of some R&B remix trend for Cosmo’s Midnight, then it looks like I’ll be posting a lot more remixes than I ever planned. Enjoy.
I’ve thrown around the word “haunting” in posts before, but never has it been as perfect a description of a song as it is for “I Hold,” by UK singer, Sivu. With the fragile voice of indie folk singer, Marika Hackman, making an appearance and the eerie synths perfectly echoed by Alt-J producer, Charlie Andrew, “I Hold” will send shivers down your spine. Sivu and Hackman exchange dark, murky verses with a delicate ease that pretty much demands these two to give us more duets as soon as possible. Enjoy.
According to those who specialize in dream interpretation, seeing a koala in your dream represents your link to the physical world, the subconscious, and the spiritual realm. Listening to the music of 19-year-old parisian, Yndi Ferreira, it seems only natural that Dream Koala would be his stage name. Over the past two years, Ferreira has released some of the most hypnotic experimental chillwave/electronic music, each track more effective than any sedative on the market. His newest single, Odyssey, continues the trend, and has a depth that is greater than his past releases. According to Ferreira, “It’s a track about deception and the fear of death, the fear of never accomplishing your goals.” Man, that’s some heavy stuff. Enjoy.
It wasn’t all that long ago that we visited Cosmo’s Midnight and their luxurious, chillwave debut single, “Phantasm.” The Australian duo returns with their second single, “The Dofflin,” which shows the band’s flexibility, relying on southern rap beats and using just about every electronic sound effect imaginable. Cosmo’s Midnight’s sampling is as on point as their skill with a synthesizer, cutting and infusing parts of Aaliyah’s “Are You That Somebody” randomly into the track which smooths out any rough edges created by the sharp electronics. “The Dofflin” is proof that every single artist needs to sample Aaliyah at some point in their career. Enjoy.
Words? Where we’re going, we don’t need words. All we need is Broke for Free a/k/a Tom Cascino. This solo electronic musician has been releasing albums and EPs about every 3 1/2 minutes since April of 2010, all leading up to Gold Can Stay, his breakthrough EP from this past December. Gold Can Stay finds Cascino relying more on real life guitars than any of his prior releases, creating a more tangible dimension to his music and contrasting perfectly with the chillwave synths he lays down in the background. If Gold Can Stay is a sign of things to come, Cascino will have to change his stage name pretty soon. Enjoy.
Side note: Cascino’s work recently appeared in a GQ special video segment featuring the Khaleesi, Emilia Clarke, which I was watching totally for research on this entry. I swear.
It’s hard to tell whether Slow Magic is dream pop, chillwave, or some marriage of the two. Either way, Triangle, the 2012 debut instrumental album by Slow Magic, lives up to both labels, matching trancelike beats with gleaming synths to create relaxing, transcendental music. While I would love to tell you more, the individual behind the music is a mystery. According to Slow Magic, “The main reason for hiding my identity is to make music the main focus of the project. I think it is important that people notice the music first instead of a face or a location.” Maybe he has a point, because when I listen to Triangle, all I can think about is where the music is taking me, instead of who is taking me there.
Best Tracks:
Toddler Tiger
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Feel Flows
When & Where:
When you need something more therapeutic (and a hell of a lot cheaper) than seeing a shrink.
I wish you the best of luck finding out any information on No Ceremony///, the Manchester band that, as a byproduct of their unwillingness to sell personality over music, remain mostly a mystery. No Ceremony/// has yet to partake in social media, leaving us net addicts a bit confused (as if the three backslashes alone wasn’t enough). What is clear is that their most recent single, FEELSOLOW, is a soft, entrancing electronic track that makes us quickly forgive and admire their reclusivity. Hopefully, No Ceremony/// will let us further into their world but if they don’t, FEELSOLOW is enough to keep me satisfied…for now. Enjoy.
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Check them out and download FEELSOLOW for free here
There are very few albums that you come across which leave you speechless. Shrines by Purity Ring is officially among them. Released on July 20, 2012 by the Edmonton, Alberta duo of Corin Roddick and Megan James, Shrines is a meticulously and masterfully orchestrated synth pop album that layers deep and sparking electronic sounds and melodies while borrowing southern hip-hop beats to give the album a slow burn. In 2011, Purity Ring released the single, “Ungirthed,” which brought the indie world’s attention to a mysterious band with a smoldering stop-and-go melodic delivery and infectious, crystal vocals by then unknown songstress, James. Shrines has solved all mysteries and ushers in a complex pop band that has created one of the best albums of the year with eleven seductive, provocative songs that could never adorn the jewerly for which the band was named after. The symbol of chastity is shattered as the first line of the album first track, “Crawlersout,” sets a tone which dives into sexuality and the human body in raw and honest form (Sea water’s flowing from the middle of my thighs).
Best Tracks:
Crawlersout has a winding synth melody and the sexuality of the lyrics sets the perfect tone for the album.
The deep, stuttering beat for Fineshrine seems like it was jacked from a Rick Ross album. James delivers lines like My little lips around you with an innocent, gentle, heavenly tone.
Ungirthed is enchanting with incredible vocal hooks, the stuttering beat and warped synths pulsating in the background.
Belispeak is a menacing track, with a darker melody coupled with James’ terrifying lyrical protestations.
Lofticries starts with a electronic southern drawl and leads to buzzing synths underlying pixied vocals.
When & Where:
For those cryptic nights where anything is possible and the shroud of night intimidates but intoxicates you.
If the things that go bump in the night were music fans, odds are they’d be listening to Radiation City. The Portland quintet released their impressive debut album, The Hand That Takes You, in 2011 and just released the atmospheric Cool Nightmare, a 7-track EP, on April 10, 2012. Organist Elisabeth Ellison and guitarist Cameron Spies share singing duties while haunting reverberated melodies and an aged piano creep into the background. At times, harps and churchlike chants help guide the songs in unexpected directions, making you question whether these songs are actually occurring while you are awake or in the middle of a dream.
Best Tracks:
Find it of Use is the first single off Cool Nightmare. At first, the softness is enchanting, and once you are disarmed, the pianos and drums thunder in and twist the song into something more sinister, but always alluring.
Eye of Yours balances distorted vocals with an infectious pop melody shifting tones from desolation to comfort and playfulness.
Hide from the Light starts out like something that would be played during an Addams Family dinner party but weirdly yet seamlessly shifts into a 50s bubblegum pop chorus.
When and Where:
Cool Nightmare is an EP that should be played when you want to set an ominous mood. It is perfect for a nighttime drive alone in a place you’ve never been before…or can’t keep away from.
August 28, 2014
adamkazansky
everythingwehear 