Soundpool - Dichotomies & Dreamland

Back in 2006 NYC’s Soundpool completely came out of nowhere with their excellent debut On High, which was some sort of masterfully executed danceable shoegaze…at least that’s what I suppose it could be called. Wasting hardly any time the band have returned here in ’08 with their follow up Dichotomies & Dreamland released this past March through Aloft Records here in the US and through Quince in Japan.

While it’s hard to determine whether Dichotomies & Dreamland will change the minds of anyone that disliked the first record, I can say that fans of it will notice a few favorable changes here. The songs have been scaled back a bit from the full bore bouncy pop rhythms that were fluent throughout On High. Instead here we receive a much more ambient and mood driven version of Soundpool, loaded with textures, guitar effects, and a number of songs that are dictated by slow burning crumbles of feedback. Jumping between variations of the two easily works in their favor. The electronic side of the band has also taken on a greater importance, giving them a sound that resembles at times a sped up Bowery Electric or a fuzzier Boards of Canada or Broadcast.

Fans may not fully embrace Dichotomies & Dreamland at first, as it’s not as instantly catchy as their previous effort. However, it’s definitely a further advanced and accomplished album in that it doesn’t lean too heavily on one aspect of the groups sound. With multiple listens it easily proves to be the clear winner between the two in the end.

Soundpool – Do What You Love [MP3]
Soundpool – Lush (What Becomes You) [MP3]

For those looking to pick up Dichotomies & Dreamland then head on over to Tonevendor and pick up this fine addition to the expanding list of fine 2008 releases. Soundpool are one of the bright spots amongst the rapidly growing shoegaze resurgence.

Keith Canisius - Ferris Wheel Makeout

Some might remember back to 2007’s year end list for the blog and one of the records ranked somewhat highly on the list was an album by the Danish shoegaze/dream-pop group Rumskib. It was very nearly my favorite shoegaze related record of the year, only being barely beaten out by Airiel’s excellent full-length. Well one of the main creative forces behind Rumskib, Keith Canisius, has emerged early this year with his debut solo album. The record, which is titled Ferris Wheel Makeout, was just released this past February on the Japanese label Quince and has since been released digitally through Darla Records in March making it their very first digital release.

Unsurprisingly Ferris Wheel Makeout shares a bit in common with Rumskib. However, there is a notable added element of electronic drum programming here that loosens up the songs a bit and allowing Canisius to not have to completely rely on pushing the melodies to the absolute limit like on the Rumskib album. Although I quite enjoyed it, I think that was one of the main criticisms of that record from other listeners, which was understandable. The added electronics do a nice job of giving this album a slightly different feel and probably a satisfying outlet for Canisius. Helping him out somewhat on the album with some of the programming was Jonas Munk (Manual), which for the most part Ferris Wheel Makeout falls comfortably within that Manual and Ulrich Schnauss mold. In the end Canisius’ solo debut comes off as a solid midway between the hazy/ambient qualities of the aforementioned artists and Rumskib’s heavily Cocteau Twins synth influenced dream-pop. It’s definitely worth checking out for anyone that is already fans of any artists/bands mentioned in the post or just this style of music in general.

Keith Canisius – Far From [MP3]

For anyone looking to pick up the CD version of Ferris Wheel Makeout, then head on over to the excellent Tonevendor or Darla to do so. Anyone that would prefer the digital version can get it from the usual suspects of Emusic and Amazon.

Closedown - Nearfield

Closedown were an early American shoegaze band that released the album pictured to left called Nearfield in 1994 though the ambient/electronic dominated label Silent Records. That could possibly be a small reason as to why this album isn’t better known than it is among shoegaze fans or just music fans in general. There is a fair amount of chill electronic/ambient material throughout the album, but in a few ways Nearfield reminds me of the brilliant album Quique by Seefeel that managed to be successful in being sort of a crossover success among the underground. Nearfield isn’t that type of album, but it shares a few similarities between it that I think is neat. The album takes on the same approach using waves of light distortion off and on throughout it, slowly and meticulously introducing layer upon layer. One of my favorite tracks off the album, “Red Oval” even comes close to matching the same type of powerful pulsing monotonous beat that eventually lulls you into a trance like state after awhile and then seven minutes have just flown by. Pretty solid stuff if you ask me. Nearfield is sort of an album of halves though, partly made up of slowly rising mood driven ambient pieces and then the glisten and sparkle of something similar to that of Slowdive, which they do very well I might add. I definitely recommend this to fans of that dreamier type of sound check this out.

Closedown – Red Oval [MP3]
Closedown – Sunangel Summer [MP3]

Anyone interested in obtaining this fine album can do so by heading over to Amazon. There are still a few albums floating around on their marketplace, and I imagine there are number of other places online that still have copies of this too. Anyway, definitely check it out if you’re a fan of shoegaze and/or dream-pop.

Gouédé Oussou - Nothing Matters

Continuing with the increasing amount of new material that I’ve been listening to lately in order to squeeze in as much as possible before years end leads me to this new record by Gouédé Oussou called Nothing Matters. The album vaults itself into the territory of late 80’s/early 90’s noise-punk and industrial, to which has consistently found itself falling further into obscurity so it’s both interesting and very refreshing to hear an album like Nothing Matters these days. The late part of the 80’s and early 90’s saw great bands like Godflesh, Terminal Cheesecake, Head of David, Cop Shoot Cop, and a ton of others all sort of emerge with a noisier and abrasive take on industrial music, giving it a bit of a metal flair whilst still reveling in the trashy cold sensibilities that made it so wonderful in the first place. Gouédé Oussou has created a record in Nothing Matters that draws a lot of influence from this time period and kudos to them for doing so. Full on with schizophrenic beats and loads of samples to boot; the disc rips through twenty tracks (five of which are remixes) that drench themselves in a hollow distant slow burn of distortion while jumping back and forth between countless eerie vocal tracks and samples that blend in very nicely with the overall vibe of the disc. In fact, one of the many highlights of the disc is a cover of John Carpenter’s theme for Assault on Precinct 13, which is a perfect choice as Carpenter’s compositions for his movies were fairly chilling in a heartless/lifeless sort of way as it was.

As I mentioned before, the disc contains five remixes done by Terminal Cheesecake, Cheju, Karhide, Living Tissue, and Puff Tube filling out a full twenty tracks that clocks in at about 80 minutes worth of psychotic noise

Gouédé Oussou – Human Cuisine [MP3]
Gouédé Oussou – Assault on Precinct 13 Theme [MP3]

For those interested in picking this disc up, you can do so by heading over to Gibbon Envy Recordings or it’s available through CD Baby for those that prefer that method. Either way, definitely pick this up if you dig the tunes above, much more where that came from.

Immovable Objects - Hoping it Stays Just This Broken

For Matt Gagin, the only way to truly create the music that he wished was to go the solo route. After spending years playing in bands from his late teens to his mid twenties the idea of being in a band just wasn’t something he wanted to deal with anymore. After departing from his last group, shoegazers Waterline Drift, he was able to start work on his solo project Immovable Objects. A little over a year in the works, Gagin has just released his debut album under the Immovable Objects moniker called Hoping it Stays Just This Broken currently out on Hawnyawk Records.

Gagin’s musical past lies somewhat in hardcore music, however spending time in those types of bands it made him realize that melody and texture was what he wanted to focus on in his music. While touching upon this a bit in his previous band, Gagin takes his vision and pushes it a bit further as Immovable Objects adding electronic elements to it creating an even more delicate and swirling mixture of sound. One noticeable difference here though is that instead of focusing completely on creating a wall of sound, there is more emphasis on the electronics here that often times remind me of some of the better moments in Mum’s catalog. Having this accompanied with Gagin’s soft vocals and the subtlety paced build of shimmering guitar work throughout the songs seems to have worked quite well for him. Not bad at all for a record that Gagin says wasn’t even meant to be created in the first place. Thankfully for fans of shoegaze and/or dream-pop, Gagin followed through and completed Hoping it Stays Just This Broken as I am sure it will be enjoyed by most who give it a listen.

Immovable Objects – Shut Up and Listen [MP3]

For those looking to check this out, head on over to CD Baby to pick up the album and check out the Immovable Objects MySpace for a few more tunes off the album.

All Natural Lemon & Lime Flavors...

Releasing a couple albums in the mid to late nineties, New Jersey’s All Natural Lemon & Lime Flavors for the most part went unnoticed sadly. Part of it I imagine was due to the constant criticism of them being just another MBV clone. At this point that could be said for a million bands, and as for ANLALF I honestly believe they weren’t THAT similar.

Their first Self-Titled album was released in 1996 and was later reissued on Gern Blandsten in 2001 with some extra tracks. It’s a bit different than what their follow up and final album Turning into Small would have to offer, which was released in 1998 on Gern Blandsten. Turning into Small is definitely the most accomplished of the two and for casual fans might be the only one worth checking out, however it’s extremely enjoyable in my opinion. While it does resemble MBV in more than a few ways, it’s far from a direct aping of style which some write ups of the band would lead one to believe. In actuality the band was much more focused on the manipulation of swirling electronics and synth as opposed to creating a wall of sound through droning guitar layers and immense layers of feedback. Granted, there is still plenty of feedback and the end result is more or less a nice sheet of melodic noise, but instead of being completely blissed out and taking the ethereal dream-pop route the band often treads into space rock territory using tones that seem otherworldly and a bit disorienting. They’re really a band that got pigeonholed for really no reason, which is too bad. They were in my opinion doing something quite innovative with the sound. After the band had already split, they released a compilation of singles and rarities in 2001 called Straight Blue Line on Gern Blandsten which is also worth taking a look at as well. Anyway, definitely check out the tracks below and decide for yourself.

All Natural Lemon & Lime Flavors:
All Natural Lemon & Lime Flavors – Muffin 57 [MP3]
All Natural Lemon & Lime Flavors – Saturn Jig [MP3]

Turning Into Small:
All Natural Lemon & Lime Flavors – You Can Never Tell [MP3]
All Natural Lemon & Lime Flavors – When Things Come Falling [MP3]

Straight Blue Line:
All Natural Lemon & Lime Flavors – Exploded View [MP3]
All Natural Lemon & Lime Flavors – That Familiar Look to You [MP3]

After the band broke up members went on to form the bands Jett Brando and Ifwhen. Most of All Natural Lemon & Lime Flavors’ albums can still be found on Amazon, so definitely check those out if the music is to your liking. As always, enjoy!

HEALTH - HEALTH

Yeah, I have been slacking with the blog lately, well…sort of. I took the past couple days/nights to emerge from behind this desk and step outside and participate in some social interaction with friends. I know, it’s amazing, but I felt it was time. Seriously though, stuff came up and that sort of takes priority over the blog, as much as I hate to admit it. But now I am back to doing nothing and that means turning full attention back on here.

There have been a whole slew of new releases that I’ve managed to get my hands on this week, one of them being the new self-titled album from LA’s HEALTH. I’ve been hearing more and more about this band over the past year or so after hearing a single or two and their ’06 Tour only EP. Not until maybe the past couple months did I fully begin to realize that they were starting to draw quite a bit of attention. I started getting slammed with e-mails about their split with Crystal Castles, which is quite good by the way, and then it pretty much just started to accumulate from that point on. But anyway, I imagine it all makes sense as these guys are coming from the same LA scene that so far includes bands like The Mae Shi, Captain Ahab, BARR, and Abe Vigoda.

Musically they have taken their unpredictable noise making and kicked it into high gear for their first full-length album. Featuring 11 tracks in just under 30 minutes, they run the gamut of free form noise, chilled beats, world music, dance-punk, and much more. A song like “Tabloid Noise” goes from buzzing electronics and pounding drums to a shimmering guitar line that hums in the background momentarily before the sonic assault is unleashed back onto the listener. HEALTH continues to display this sort of controlled freak out through the entire album and it pays off greatly. While I want to say it’s what I could have imagined it sounding like, there is no way I can honestly do that as that’s part of HEALTH’s game and they succeed in it quite easily all the while giving the listener something of substance to take in.

HEALTH – Crimewave [MP3]
HEALTH – Tabloid Scores [MP3]

Their debut just came out this week so, if you’re into the tunes above head on over to Amazon and pick it up. There is also a limited release of 200 for a cassette version of the album, which is being done by DNT Records for those interested. If so, obviously check out their site to order that.

Sleepy Eyes of Death - Streetlights for a Ribcage / Jatun - Jatun

Two releases I want to talk a bit about on here today. Yeah, that’s right…two. I rarely combine things on here, but both releases sort of share similar qualities to them and it seemed like a good idea to just post about both of them.

Anyway, first up is the debut LP from the Seattle based Sleepy Eyes of Death, which have one EP already under their belts and their debut, Streetlights for a Ribcage, was just released this past Tuesday in stores and online download sites such as iTunes, emusic, etc. Their bio states that they take a bit of influence from My Bloody Valentine and Kraftwerk, which is probably a fairly accurate way to describe their sound too. The band uses a number of keyboards and periodic guitar effects to create a very large sound but never to the point of overwhelming where it seem like it may be reaching the point of overkill. No, these guys pretty much know what they are doing and have made good use of every instrument and effect that they employ. It often reminds me of M83, which is actually stated in their bio too so I’m not actually that clever nor the first person to think that obviously. However, it shares that very textural and lush sound that some of M83’s earlier material contained. Not to slight the Sleepy Eyes of Death in any way, because this album is great, but it almost feels like it picks up where Dead Cities, Red Seas, and Lost Ghosts left off except a bit more delicate and at times even more epic. It’s just genuinely inspired and moving music that I imagine shoegazers out there will enjoy heavily. I know I am.

Sleepy Eyes of Death – Mean Time Till Failure [MP3]
Sleepy Eyes of Death – Cells Divide [MP3]

For those interested in picking up Streetlights for a Ribcage, it can be had online over at Sonic Boom Records.

The second album comes from the Portland duo Jatun, which consists of members Scott Worley and Alan Grosvenor. The two have been making music together since ’04 and just this year released their debut Self-Titled album through Other Electricities. As you might have guessed by this point, Jatun are another group that relies heavily on electronics to create their lush and textural sound. However, Jatun are a bit more rooted and influenced by actual electronica as opposed to completely focusing on the sweeping melodies and dreamy atmospheres that are often captured within their songs. The duo seamlessly mixes in scattershot beats here and there to help liven it up where need be. The result comes off as very fresh sounding. Jatun’s music won’t hit you immediately, as it isn’t aiming to create that “raise your fists in the air” type of explosiveness; however the thirteen songs included on the album float by gradually enveloping the listener in their soft fuzz tinged melodies. By the end it leaves one feeling practically otherworldly and throughout hints at feelings of melancholic nostalgia. I included the song “Bee Bee” on the mix for May awhile back and I’ve included it again below because it’s honestly one of the best pieces of instrumental music, electronic based or not, that I’ve heard this year and really I feel it captures more or less what Jatun do best.

Jatun – Bee Bee [MP3]
Jatun – Move it or Lose It [MP3]

Jatun’s debut is available now through Other Electricities, so head on over there and pick it up if you’re digging the songs above.

Bowery Electric...

Formed in 1993, as the duo of Lawrence Chandler and Martha Schwendener, Bowery Electric released three great albums, a remix album, and a handful of singles before apparently calling it a day after the release of their last album Lushlife in 2000.

Bowery Electric started out as a sort of down tempo or almost ambient group that relied on thick sheets of guitar distortion to fill out their sound behind the drive of sluggish drum beats that for their debut Self-Titled album in 1995 was provided by a live drummer. It would be easy to label Bowery Electric as a shoegaze band, especially in their earlier stages as it was evident that they were definitely inspired heavily by the sounds of Slowdive and the like. However, as they grew older their sound progressed with them, which by the time their second album Beat rolled around a year later in 1996; they had started incorporating sampled beats into their sound. Beat, to me, is their most accomplished release. The use of distortion has been lessened to a minimal slow burn as on many songs it fades in and out along with the hypnotic drum beat that continues to pulsate behind it creating a much more spacey and almost psychedelic sound. The tempo throughout the album remains very much the same, rarely straying away from a simple beat and the churning drone of guitar, making Beat almost like one long ambient piece to be taken in as whole. The duo’s final album Lushlife was once again a step forward. Now with a full grip on the idea of being able to manipulate their sound, they became almost a full-fledged trip hop outfit, relying much more on a low end heavy sound and many more programmed beats and samples. However, as to be expected with Bowery Electric they do manage to squeeze in enough spacey and ambient texture to keep things interesting.

Bowery Electric:
Bowery Electric – Next to Nothing [MP3]
Bowery Electric – Deep Sky Objects [MP3]

Beat:
Bowery Electric – Empty Words [MP3]
Bowery Electric – Fear of Flying [MP3]

Lushlife:
Bowery Electric – Floating World [MP3]
Bowery Electric – Deep Blue [MP3]

All of Bowery Electric’s albums are available over at Amazon still, whether it is used or new you prefer. Regardless, at least pick up Beat if you’re feeling the tunes above. Enjoy!

Ulrich Schnauss - Goodbye

What a weekend. I hope everyone had a good weekend as well. Sorry about the scattershot updates through the past week and the start of this one as well. I am shooting for normal updates for the rest of this week. I’ve been in sort of a funk to where I didn’t want to really write about anything and nothing was really making feel compelled enough to write about it on here anyway. I guess I could say it’s some sort of dry spell, who knows.

Anyway, for the belated start of this week is the latest album from German ambient/electronic artist Ulrich Schnauss entitled Goodbye. I wasn’t really familiar with Schnauss’ work until his 2003 release A Strangely Isolated Place, which ended up being one of my favorite albums to come out that year along with it being possibly one of the best albums ever to just cruise home with the windows down on a warm summer night. It’s absolutely the perfect music for that in my opinion. Schnauss isn’t some newcomer to the ambient/chill/electronic genre; he has been releasing material since 1995 under various different names. It wasn’t until his 2001 debut Far Away Trains Passing By that he began to release music under his own name. Over that span he has become a fairly popular figure amongst fans of the genre.

On Goodbye Schnauss continues in the direction of the lush sounding layering of keys and synth that made his last album such an amazing listen. It’s pretty evident that he has a large amount of respect and love for shoegaze, as the blissful and melodic qualities of it are often very visible within his work. Schnauss’ work is often compared to MBV; however Schnauss himself has developed a Kevin Shields like obsession with manipulating and adding countless numbers of layers to create the serene melodies that are commonly found throughout Goodbye. And to no real surprise, Schnauss’ production work has taken a nice leap forward on this album as well. Everything is incredibly crisp and the album soars along effortlessly because of it. It’s really a wonderful sounding album.

Goodbye was easily one of my most anticipated albums for this year, although there are still a number of albums that are yet to come out that I am eagerly waiting on. I’d feel very fortunate if they all delivered in the way Goodbye has. Schnauss has matched his last album and quite possibly surpassed it. If you’re already a fan, then Goodbye will definitely not disappoint.

Ulrich Schnauss – Never Be The Same [MP3]
Ulrich Schnauss – Stars [MP3]

The album will be out here in the states on Domino come July 10th. For the time being it came be pre-ordered over at Amazon. If you’re a fan of ambient/chill with a very blissful/shoegazy feel to it then I can’t recommend Goodbye or any of Schnauss’ work enough. Do pick this up when it comes out.

Videohippos - Unbeast the Leash

Hailing from Baltimore, Videohippos is the duo of Jim Triplett (guitar, vocals, keys) and Kevin O’Meara (drums, vocals, keys). The group will be releasing their debut album Unbeast the Leash through Monitor Records on June 19th and I would be pretty surprised if this doesn’t end up getting some well deserved attention soon after it’s available. My first thought was to call this noise-pop, but that doesn’t necessarily fit with Videohippos. First and foremost the melodies contained within Unbeast the Leash are just too goddamn catchy and intoxicating to simply write it off that easily. The groups sound is definitely one of the most intriguing and unique mashups that’s I’ve heard in awhile, combining a crazy amount of churning synth, feedback, and thunderous drumming. Really, O’Meara’s ferocious battery to his drum kit is a driving force on Unbeast the Leash giving the group an almost mutant like essence to their already cartoon-like sound. Surround that with Triplett’s wonderfully crafted melodies and then sprinkle in samples upon samples and you have Videohippos odd but highly tantalizing view of pop music.

Although I’ve yet to see these guys live, I am thinking that Unbeast the Leash may only be scratching the surface as to what this duo is all about. Apparently they play to a backdrop of a screen that runs video collages that run in synch with the duo’s music. I can only assume as to how much of surreal experience that would be. But yeah, I am hoping to possibly catch them when they come around here on their current tour with Dan Deacon, as should everyone else out there. Check out their MySpace for complete tour dates!

Videohippos – The List [MP3]
Videohippos – Kool Shades [MP3]

Be on the look out for Unbeast the Leash out on Monitor come June 19th.

Seefeel - Quique [Redux]

I am back from my one night stay in the tourist pit that is Branson, Missouri. The drive down and back went pretty flawlessly, although on the way back I about saw a diesel smash head on with an oncoming truck on a two lane highway. The idiot behind the wheel was trying to make a quick pass around a school bus and couldn’t have picked a worse spot to do it going down a hill and with a curve you couldn’t see around at the end. Needless to say it was a very close call when the other truck came around that corner. I’m just glad I didn’t have to witness what would have been a very very nasty wreck. And with that, on to today’s update which happens to be of the reissue type.

It’s really good to see an album like Quique get the reissue treatment this year from Too Pure. Seefeel's original masterpiece has been remastered and been tacked on with a second disc of rare material. There is some really cool stuff to be heard on that. But anyway, Seefeel was an experimental/ambient group in the early 90’s that some may not be real familiar with due to their fairly short time together and maybe the reissuing of what could be considered a breakthrough album for its time might gain it some well deserved new appreciation. Quique, for many, is an album that helped pave the way for similar bliss sounding IDM artists that are becoming increasingly popular at the present time. However, for Quique it was 1993 and at that time an album like this was pretty mind blowing. Originally Seefeel had originally dabbled within the fuzzy layering and washes of distortion, which sort of led them to the shoegaze tag. However wanting to break out of the restraints of traditional songwriting the group moved toward more of an electronic experimentation in their music, which they hit the mark with completely on Quique. The sounds they achieved on the album were something that felt as if it were out of this world if you just sat and listened to it with your eyes closed. Throughout each song it gains loops and layers which are then sprinkled here and there with a touch of distortion to wash over it. At times it’s complemented beautifully by the vocals from Sarah Peacock which contain a very similar dreamlike vibe that Seefeel’s base sound already operates on. Unlike many electronic/ambient acts operating at that same time, Seefeel made a lot of their dreamy and droning sounds by using their guitars instead of synthesizers and other electronic instrumentation. However, electronics still played a very big roll in their sound, thus making the album what it is obviously.

Seefeel – Industrious [MP3]
Seefeel – Charlotte’s Mouth [MP3]

For those that enjoy ambient/electronic music with a bit of a blissful/shoegazy touch, then I can’t recommend picking this reissue up enough. If you like what you hear, then head on over to Tonevendor and pick this up for pretty cheap. The packaging is almost worth the price alone. Definitely my favorite reissue of the year thus far. Good job Too Pure.