::Robosexual::

Deerhunter - Cryptograms

Sometimes you listen to an album and you think, "This... is an achievement."  You think about all the work that went into it and how the end result is as good as it is because of the planning and careful execution.  The Appleseed Cast's Low Level Owl is a great example of this.  But sometimes, you listen to an album that makes you think that music just flows naturally from some people and all they did was hit record.  Deerhunter's Cryptograms is one of these albums.  This music is exciting to me because I can feel about ten more good albums coming from these guys - because all they have to do is buy more tape.

This is a fantastic album, to begin with, but it sounds so natural, so effortless.  This is the sound of creative people in their stride.  It's also the sound of a band that doesn't care what you think.  Entire tracks are spent on abstract, meandering soundscapes you'd never even hear on college radio.  But then they spin around and in the space of a few beats have established an entire song before you realize what's happened.  They simultaneously channel and surpass The Kallikak Family, The Rapture, and Landing, and that's just on the first three tracks.  The Liars, The Shins, The Clientele, everyone ends up in the crosshairs and falls.  And yet it's totally their own sound.  The bass lines are strong and active, the drumming precise and catchy, and the guitars could cut diamond.  Many tracks blend seamlessly into each other, giving you the feeling of songs being part of a suite despite their wildly different styles.  Some other, less good-looking reviewers will tell you that the second half of the album is more accessible.  This is true, but misleading; the second half is more conventional.  It is more accessible, but it misses the sublime frenzy of the first half.  Throughout, though, they pay attention to details - little modulations of the pedals, extra sounds thrown in, guest instruments, and all that - it's all there, which may clue you in (though it failed to do so me) that this was in fact an album long in the making, with as much care as abandon.

This album reminds me of the Boredoms' Vision Creation Newsun.  Partly it's the spastic brilliance, the nonstop metamorphosis, but really it's the feel I described at the beginning of this review.  It's the sound of talented, creative people just opening the floodgates and letting the music pour out.  This is an album which no one who loves music can afford to miss.

Here's "Cryptograms," and here's "Octet," by Deerhunter.  Both awesome tracks.

note: the ID3 tag on "Octet" reads "Octet-Stream." I'm not sure why, but the former is the correct one.

The For Carnation

Slint is a well-known name for a good reason.  Spiderland is one of the earliest and most classic indie/post-rock albums, and the various members, with all their talents, moved on to play parts in many excellent bands.  Tortoise, Palace, Papa M/Aerial M, and a few more all featured a Slint member, and many more bands were seriously influenced by Slint's dark, elaborately constructed songwork.  The For Carnation is one of the splinter bands, formed by guitarist Brian McMahan.  When you press play, it's hard not to be surprised by the ... quietness of it.  But then, Slint's best songs featured a prominent quiet-to-loud component, and the quiet parts were just as well crafted as the loud.

Now, don't expect a Slint record - it's more like what Kepler would be like if the songwriter was evil instead of disaffected.  And I mean that in the best way.  The songs are very carefully done, the instrumentation is sparse but well-chosen, and the vocals, when they're there, are whisper-quiet but menacing and full of import.  The first track is a little slow to start, I'm afraid, but if you stick with it, it hits a nice groove.  "A Tribute To" is one of the best tracks, exemplifying the confident, restrained sound this album has.  "Being Held" is a sort of creepy instrumental led by a looped bell of some sort, good but not worth a mention outside this sentence.  "Snoother" put me off by its false start (sounds off-key) but it soon gets into beautiful territory, as does the final track, "Moonbeams," which grows slowly but nicely and was originally my favorite track.  I'm not sure what to think about "Tales (Live from the Crypt)" which has a totally different sound - well, not totally different, but using more twiddly knobs and a little vocoder.  It's still good, but I wonder if it shouldn't have been left on the cutting room floor.

In summary, this is an excellent album, but not for everybody.  It's great songwriting but it's pretty slow and might make your friends think you're depressed - or planning something.  Don't worry about them, though.  Just download this, it's a fantastic song from a great album.

Here's "A Tribute To," by The For Carnation.

p.s. it comes to my attention that The For Carnation has at least two other albums.  I'm definitely checking them out now, and you should too.

Mouse On Mars - Idiology

Electronic music - it certainly comes in all shapes and forms.  Sometimes you can't even tell whether it is or not.  That's kind of the best, because sometimes, you know, square waves can be distracting!  So, on the front line of semi-electronic music you have the obvious dudes like Four Tet and DNTEL (who I recently heard in a Cadillac commercial? Say it ain't so.), then you have somewhat lesser known outfits like Tape and Fonica.  Well, to be honest, I don't know where Mouse On Mars fits into that continuum.  But I am confident that they are on it somewheres-abouts.  In any case, this isn't even a new album so they could have risen to stardom or fallen into obscurity by now (someone tell me).  But all that is just fluff - what about the music?  Well, it's good.

The closest reference points I can think of are perhaps Daedalus and Minotaur Shock, whose Playing Parties and Maritime give me similar synthesized pleasure.  All three are playful in their songs while keeping an eye on the actual quality of the thing, and not letting the nonsense get out of hand, the way so many electronic artists do.  To be honest, there are plenty of spots I don't particularly like - for instance, the faux-hip-hop backbeat sound works all right on "Subsequence," but "Introduce" falls flat, lacking real substance.  The most interesting tracks are the ones with orchestral samples, like "The Illking" and "Fantastic Analysis," which use the orchestral swell to excellent and varied effect.  "Catching Butterflies With Hand" is sheer boppy joy, and even a weird little track like "Paradical" grows on you because of its unique, Oval-esque sound (if you wait around for about 45 seconds, anyhow).  So check this out, it's a great, weird little album with a fun, irreverent sound and a lot of genuinely original and enjoyable tracks.

Here's "Catching Butterflies With Hand," and "Paradical," by Mouse On Mars.

Lupine Howl - Sometimes

Yes!  It's another single-song post from the Audiogalaxy era.  This post will be short as I am totally ignorant of the artist and their discography.  All I know is that "Sometimes" is a great song.  Falling somewhere between Yume Bitsu and the Comas, this is some excellent, multi-layered space rock.  there are tons of guitars, effects and nonsense going on, but the overall sound is cohesive and sounds great.  Of course, there are 3 distinct sounds in this song - yes, it's one of those segmented songs, a sort of space-rock suite.  The first is laid-back and spacey, the second is faster and builds up a bit, the last is a sort of instrumental rock-out coda.  It's a really fun song, and although I remember reading a pretty damning review of their album (The Carnivorous Lunar Activities of Lupine Howl) this song makes me want to check it out anyway.  Their single "Vaporizer" was okay, but this song was too cool for school, I guess (or probably just too long), so you'd never have heard it on the radio when it was released in 2001.  Basically this is just a great space-rock song that you should all have.

Here's "Sometimes," by Lupine Howl.

Fursaxa - Lepidoptera

Fursaxa burst into prominence about a year and a half ago, I'd say, along with Devendra Banhart, Vashti Bunyan, Animal Collective and a few other so-called "freak-folk" acts.  Not that these people hadn't been around for a while - some for several decades - but the spotlight shone upon them as the genre of the month.  This isn't necessarily a bad thing - as always, these genre vogues work to introduce a lot of people to a lot of new music.  In my case I scored with Vashti Bunyan and Fursaxa, most of the others not being to my taste.  And now, gentle reader, if you don't have it already, I'm giving it to you.

There are a few bands I've recommended before that I say transport me.  This isn't necessarily a high compliment, it's just a description of the music.  I've said it about Charalambides and Espers, both part of the folk set (though by no means new).  The style of music is one you might expect at a gypsy witch doctor's (or something) - ethereal yet taut with content, deceptively complex though occasionally sounding simple to the ear.  If you let it, it will take you away - and sometimes even if you don't let it; Espers has a way of making me stop whatever I'm doing.  "Purple Fantasy" is the perfect example of this - jangling bells, an echoing flute, and a sound like a sea of bones command your attention although there is really no songwriting to speak of.  It's a sound that's original, foreign, and difficult to describe.

Other songs on the album have more structure - they sound like heathen singalongs, and you can almost hear the bonfire crackling.  When it is her intention to do so, Fursaxa is also capable of beautiful vocal harmonies, as evidenced by "Moonlight Sonata" and "Pyracantha."  Many tracks sound semi-improvised - wandering guitars, emotive wordless vocals, and no particular  starting or ending point.  "Poppy Opera" is the best of these, involving more sounds and more evolution within the song than the others.  The last two tracks highlight her drone-guitar abilities - they sound like Charalambides covering Growing, or vice versa.

So basically the album isn't your first choice for breaking into the recent folk-splosion - to be honest, I like Espers better across the board - but it's a good album nonetheless.  So if you like the sound of the two tracks here I'd go for the whole cookie because there's more wherefrom they came.  Enjoy...

Here is "Purple Fantasy" and here is "Pyracantha," by Fursaxa.

Shadow of the Colossus - Soundtrack

I don't know how many readers will be familiar with Shadow of the Colossus.  It's a game, for the Playstation 2 - and it's one of the best I've ever played.  I won't waste time describing or praising the game - you can read a review, or simply click on the picture there to get the gist of the game (here's a hint: you're not the big guy).  Among other ways, the game differed from many others in that it had a quality soundtrack by a real composer (Kow Otani - sure, it's not Chopin, but it sure ain't Nintendo music either).  Now, I'm not trying to say the entire soundtrack is solid gold here, but I downloaded it because I thought it'd be nice to hear a few of the tracks occasionally.  They're very evocative of the stark landscape you traverse during the game.  There are many themes, but the ones you'll be hearing the most (and the ones I enjoyed the most) were the opening theme and the music that happens as the colossi collapse.  I'm going to provide those here, but it seems you can get the whole soundtrack here if you're patient - there are ads and stuff but the content appears to be there.

If you haven't played the game, I'd say go get it now.  If you have, well, here you go!
Here's "Prologue - To The Ancient Land," and "The End Of The Battle," from the Shadow of the Colossus Soundtrack.

Amalgamated Sons of Rest

[Classic Robosexual, updated with a download]

So when people heard that Will Oldham (Palace Music), Alasdair Roberts (Appendix Out), and Jason Molina (Songs:Ohia) were getting together to make an album, their fans practically fainted.  These guys are each very accomplished in their own right, all in the field of sort of dark folk and songwriting.  The idea that they were going to form some kind of supergroup was shocking in its implications and people expected whatever resulted from the group would be some kind of century-defining, absolutely brilliant album, greater than the combined oeuvres of all three men and their contemporaries.  Of course, that didn't happen.  Instead, they released an EP of sea shanties.

Well, they aren't really sea shanties, but the topic at hand is whaling and seafaring, and there is a certain... salt air about the whole thing.  There are five songs officially and one secret track which I confess I have not heard.  I haven't spent much time peeling apart the writing credits and such, so I'm not sure who did what songs and such, and I think it's better that way.  There are obviously different styles at work here, and different voices, but it's hard to discern them when the sound of the record is so anachronistic and foreign.  These are the songs you might expect to hear sailors' lonesome wives singing to themselves as they hang up their laundry to dry in the wind, or perhaps a lone strummer in a darkened wharf bar is commanding all the old mates' attention with an old song they know by heart.  "Maa Bonny Lad" and "My Donal" seem more the former, and "The Last House" and "Major March" the latter.  Either way, they all have a very authentic feel to them - I find it hard to believe that the first two tracks aren't actually real mourning songs sung by those lonely wives, and the songwriting of the rest of the album is period-perfect, not breaking the spell either.  That said, I feel that "Gypsy He-Witch" is a bit of a misstep, sounding a little out of place among the longing and whale-oriented other tracks.  It sounds a little too much like regular Songs:Ohia.  That is not a bad thing in itself, but when listening to this I like to think I'm there in that dirty hovel, hearing some cracked-voiced local bard telling the story of his lost love whose bones are not buried facing west.

Here's "My Donal," by Amalgamated Sons of Rest.

Fred Astaire - Steppin' Out With My Baby

If you haven't heard of Fred Astaire, well, you have no indie cred, friend.  He's the hottest new thing out of Brooklyn, been getting a lot of buzz on the blogs, and I hear labels are lining up to produce and distribute the upcoming album.  Oh, wait - sike.

Anyway, this guy could dance, and he could sing, and while I'm actually quite ignorant of his history, discography, filmography, and so on, I know I have a few songs of his.  Whether they're from early 30s talkies or actual releases I don't know, but they have a great, warm sound and the guy has an absolutely classic voice.  I wish I had more music like this, and I wish you guys would tell me what to look up.  Feel free to leave any recommendations you have on other prewar piano jazz and dance masters.

Here are "Steppin' Out With My Baby" and "Putting On the Ritz," by Fred Astaire.
They're kind of low quality, but what did you expect?  These mp3s were encoded onto punch cards by Enigma machines in the 40's.  They didn't even have bytes then, they had to use stacks of bits.

[edit: thanks for the suggestions below - also check out "Footlight Parade" with James Cagney.  Got to see it on the big screen - more showtuney but still awesome]

Califone - Roots and Crowns

I believe this album may have already made the rounds in the blog scene, but it wouldn't be the first time I recommended something everyone already has.  In any case, if you've heard about it and are on the fence about picking it up, you can rest easy - it's a solid album.

For some reason, I've always gotten Califone confused in my head with Luna and some other band, which is ridiculous because they are apparently nothing alike and their names are totally different.  Anyway, I'm sorry I ignored the band for as long as I did, because they've got a great sound going on.  It's subtle but not sparse, and full-sounded without being dense.  I see them as a sort of cross between Wilco and Sin Ropas, which is certainly a compliment.  The instrumentation is interesting - you'll hear it from the first track: creative percussion, carefully tweaked guitars, and a layer of extra effects, electronic or otherwise, that add a lot of atmosphere to the tracks.  The sharp, noodling guitar providing a sort of call-and-response accompaniment to the verse on "Pink and Sour" is a great example - and when it's not there, there are keyboards or electronic samples buzzing around making the music bigger and more complex.  The singer has a relaxed drawl that works well with the music, and they are careful to make it work as a harmonic element as well - not like the Beach Boys or anything, mind, the guy's voice just works like a piano, softly accentuating but doing its own thing as well.

Now, I have to say that even if the rest of this album were garbage, I would still be making a single-song post about "Sunday Noises."  This is an absolutely stunning track.  The guitars sound great, playing around each other over sparse percussion and light organ, while the vocals stick in my head for days, and I can barely tell what the man is saying.  It's the best track on the album, in my opinion, but it's not the only good one by far.  The opener is great, and "The Eye You Lost In The Crusades" is practically like a Sin Ropas B-side.  "A Chinese Actor" shows a heavier side of the band, and they pull it off well, while other tracks make more use of electronic elements or whatever else they feel like doing.  It's a versatile album, but the sound is definitely recognizable on every track and even at their most experimental they're still doing solid songs.  There are little freakouts here and there, but with an ambitious, contemporary artist you have to expect that (Yankee Hotel Foxtrot was studded with them) and anyhow they're perfectly enjoyable.

This is a great album, and worthy of the praise it's receiving in its many reviews.   It's mostly pretty laid-back, so it's not for party time, but it could be good for reading time or sexy time.  Do yourself a favor and pick it up, or at the very least check out these excellent highlights.

Here's "Sunday Noises," and here's "A Chinese Actor," by Califone.

Papa M - I Am Not Lonely With Cricket

Papa M's Live From A Shark Cage is an excellent instrumental post-rock landmark.  David Pajo, also of Aerial M and Slint among other bands, is a very skilled player as well as songwriter, and Live From A Shark Cage is probably my favorite of his albums.  It has a nice variety of stuff, from the menacing "Drunken Spree" to the beautiful "Arundel," and in between them is the mesmerizing and expansive "I Am Not Lonely With Cricket." I was never sure how it was made, but recently I'm of the opinion that a Loopstation or some handy delay pedal work puts this track right in the doable category for a single musician.  How much of it was improvised, and how much was planned, I'm still not sure, but whatever the proportion of each, the end result is the same: fantastic.  The guitar echoes and harmonizes endlessly - sometimes, as in the early portion of the song, its multiple loops and layers become dizzying. But my favorite part is around halfway through, where the key is rising, the melody is simpler, and it repeats hypnotically.  It's one of those clarion musical moments where you have to listen with your entire head - it doesn't last too long, but it's a standard to which I still compare songs to this day.  So clear your schedule, download this, and put on the visualizer - or maybe just close your eyes.

Here's "I Am Not Lonely With Cricket," by Papa M.

[Robo sez: glitchy... had to repost this.  Sorry to whoever got their comment nixed.]

Colleen - Everyone Alive Wants Answers

Colleen's The Golden Morning Breaks was a subtle affair.  Bells, music-boxes, a little organ and some light guitar were the main ingredients, resulting in a spare, but intensely dreamy 50 minutes.  Robosexual previously reviewed it here, and you should check it out if you haven't already.  Until a little while ago, I was under the impression that Everyone Alive Wants Answers was Colleen's new album, but it is in fact her old album - I made the same mistake with Castanets' What Kind of Cure, at least partially for the same reason.  This album doesn't feel older, or simpler - maybe a little more sparse, a little more focussed on loops, but it actually feels a little more cohesive than her newer one.  Maybe I'm just making that up.  In any case, it's great, and you should have it.

I couldn't tell you what instrument it is that starts off the album, but it has a very singular sound - it sounds kind of like piano wire, or maybe like a lyre or something?  Do lyres even exist any more?  Anyhow, it stutters beautifully in layers over bird noises and introduces the album well.  Next, "Ritournelle" lets a little repeating theme grow, vary, and fade away nicely, then "Carry-Cot" has a sort of Climax Golden Twins sound due to the scratchy recording of a child.  The next few tracks follow a theme, a sort of sample/loop base being twisted, added to and accompanied in different ways.  You get the feeling that Colleen falls in love with a single sound, and then structures an entire track around it.  It works because the songs are short and beautiful, but you can become conscious of the idea that they may become tiresome if they lingered for longer than 3 minutes.

Not the case, however, with the the stunning, simple "Babies," which uses this instrument (Colleen described it to me in an e-mail but which I can NEVER remember the name of) that sounds much like a music box but less metallic and more porcelain.  "A Swimming Pool Down the Railway Track" sounds like a drone-y Rachel's track, and is very pretty too.  The final track uses that music box again but the melody isn't as compelling this time around.  Different atmosphere, though, and it still sounds good.

I class Colleen in the same wide musical vein as Tape and to some extent Fridge - which is to say "organic electronica," a term as ugly-sounding as it is paradoxical, but there you go.  It's real instruments, real music, but arranged and tweaked to be more than it was - a sort of cyber-orchestra.  If you're not already experienced, check out those two as well, plus maybe Rachel's, Max Richter, and Eluvium for more excellent laptop chamber music.

Here's "Everyone Alive Wants Answers," and here's "Babies," by Colleen.

edit: Man, after almost 200 posts I finally forget to put up the album art on a review.  It's there now, obviously.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Some Loud Thunder

I believe we are watching the creation of a great band.  Unfortunately, I also believe they are in a larval stage at the moment.  Clap Your Hands Say Yeah's self titled debut was a fantastic album - incredibly solid, with an original sound yet with a catchy punch that made them nearly irresistible.  They deserved all the hype and fame they got, despite becoming a sort of punching bag for heartless indie-deniers who didn't want to admit they were having fun listening to "Is This Love?".  Well, the new album is here and I'm afraid it's nowhere as good.

The tracks on this album seem to be one of two things: too much like the old album, or too awkward a step in a different direction.  The "oldie" tracks are okay, but seem alien and isolated away from their natural habitat, the self-titled album.  As for the new sounds, well it's not that they're getting into trip-hop or anything - it's more of a tonal change - but it sounds wrong and, strangely, out of tune.  Whichever way they go, it sounds like a misstep; the drunken piano of "Love Song No. 7" sounds as out-of-place as the slightly dance-punk "Satan Said Dance,"  which overstays its welcome and has to be asked to leave.

No, this isn't their Kid A equivalent, nor is it their White Album, although the latter is a closer fit.  Some Loud Thunder's scatterbrained creativity is like adolescent experimentation, and while the results are not really bad, they seem like they're only half-baked, yeasty and moderately poisonous to consume.

So why am I hopeful?  Why do I think there is a great band twitching in this sophomore slump cocoon, waiting to burst into flight upon glorious platinum wings?  Well, their first album for one thing - but also, there are two songs that make me hold out hope here.  The first is "Emily Jean Stock," which has been available for a while, and the second is "Five Easy Pieces," the final track.  These tracks show not just experimentation, but growth - an understanding of their sound, their strengths, and what they can do with them.  But if you listen, they are unlike anything on the previous album.  Listen to the drum kit, the samples, the little flourishes... this is how it should be - new, different, and better.  I think this is reason for optimism. So go ahead and pick up the album, you can get it now at their site, but for your consideration, here are what I think are the two best songs on it.

Here's "Emily Jean Stock," and "Five Easy Pieces,"(fixed) by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah.

Edit: Damn, my "Five Easy Pieces" was all messed up, and super big too!  I've repaired the file and it's ready for you to download now.  I should have noticed that, 15mb for a 6 1/2-minute song?

Mice Parade - Organic Reproduction Attempt

So!  This was one of Mice Parade's earliest releases, the ones till this point being quite limited; this EP, My Funny Friend Scott, is the first listed in Fat Cat's Mice Parade section.  This song, quite long by the artist's standards, is nonetheless a good introduction to the style of music Mice Parade represents.  As I so often complain, it's difficult to describe, and I resent any categorization of something this diverse.  I'd say it's sort of a groove-based instrumental organic electronica, but that's a mouthful in addition to being a completely awful description (sorry).  You'll have your own term by the end of the week.

The EP included two other songs - the title track and "A Dance By Any Other Name," which for some reason I can't find and subsequently can't describe.  Nevertheless, I know this track's the best, because it's great.  The loops, the bass, the little whispered noises, the fiddly drone, the multilayered percussion, it's all excellent.  It may be a little long, but to me it doesn't feel like it - it's the kind of music that disappears from your attention just enough that you know something good is happening to your ears but not so much that you forget it afterwards.  Enjoy!

Here's "Organic Reproduction Attempt," by Mice Parade.

Kinski - Be Gentle With the Warm Turtle

I just saw one of the guys in Kinski at a record store so I thought I'd write about them.  Kinski is a Seattle band that's been around for several years creating nice, loud music in what I suppose I'd call a psych-rock vein.  It should be noted, though, that I consider them to have gone downhill since the moment I started listening to them, their first album (this) being their best, and the subsequent albums decreasing in quality.  I say this, but they are also kind of a live band, good at improvisation and just generally making delightful noise.  I got to see them jam with Acid Mothers Temple about a year and a half ago and it was unholy.

This album is great, solid all the way through but in my opinion stronger at the beginning.  The opening trio of "Spacelaunch for Frenchie," "New India," and "Newport" is pretty much solid gold.  The warm, droning opener gently initiates you into their world, before crushing you with the enormous "New India," which sounds bigger than an elephant storm.  This second song starts out pretty loud, then it gets louder, then louder, and every time you think "how could they possibly be adding more guitars?  Are there this many guitars in the world?" and it's good, too!  "Newport" has a more songy sound, mainly because of the powerful drumming and the presence of a few lyrics.  It has some really raw sounding guitar parts, and manages to keep the steam going on full for its duration.   "One Ear in the Sun" sounds like a Yume Bitsu B-side (which is good), and  "That Helmut Poe Kid's Weird" is like newer Mogwai, though it predates Rock Action, its closest reference.

Anyway, it's a great album, I find as I listen to it again now that it's better than I remember even.  You'd do well to pick this up right away, I consider it a classic album in instrumental psych or post-rock, along with Do Make Say Think's Goodbye Enemy Airship, the Landlord Is Dead and Explosions In The Sky's first LP.

Here's "Newport," by Kinski.

Loscil - Submers

I got me some Loscil off Audiogalaxy back in the day.  The album, his first, was called Triple Point, after the thermodynamic concept of a point on a pressure/temperature plot where a substance would theoretically be solid, liquid, and gas all at once.  The music was claimed to be representative of those processes involved in thermochemistry, but that's not really my field.  In any case, it was cool, but somewhat monotonous if I remember correctly, and it was with some apprehension that I picked up his next album, Submers.

Fortunately for us, his sound had matured and complicated, and what I got was a heavier, more complicated affair, but still stark and original.  It's another concept album; each track on this one is named after a submarine, and while I can't say I recognize the sounds of these various plate-iron sea-unicorns, the overall effect is certainly one of submersion.  Muted and soft in general, with sharp percussion like the noise of parrot fish biting coral, and the occasional sonar blip (naturally), you really do get a nice deep blue marine feeling from the album.  The closest reference point I can come up with is Pan American, though that's much more jazzy.

If you like electronic music, you should certainly give this a shot - it's pretty low-key, but it's too experimental-sounding to fall under the "chill" category.  Basically, it's the perfect thing to listen to while reading "20,000 Leagues Under The Sea," which is exactly what I was doing when I decided to post this cool album up here.  Also, I misspelled every word in that book's title as I was typing it - "20,000 leauges uner teh seas" indeed!

Here's "Mute 3," by Loscil.

Days of Heaven - Soundtrack

I recommended Malick's "Days of Heaven" as one of the first posts on Robosexual, when I was attempting to cover music, film, games, books, and everything else under the sun.  It's an amazing movie, and it is accompanied by a beautiful soundtrack, done by none other than the man himself, Ennio Morricone.   The sound is very evocative of the movie, especially for the scenes which are marked by a lack of dialogue and only scored.  Morricone's trademark palette of strings, horns, and guitar is in full effect here, but it's much more subdued than, say, the theme to "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly."

There isn't much of it, though, only 26 minutes, but it was a short movie and much of it was quiet anyway, with only the sound of wind blowing through grass or a weather vane creaking as it turns.  I'm giving you my favorite tracks,  one a recurring theme of the movie accompanying the harvest, and the other which occurs only one one occasion in the film and was instantly memorable to me.  If you haven't seen the movie, go get it, but also check out the soundtrack here.

Here's "Harvest," and here's "The Return", both by Ennio Morricone for "Days of Heaven."

Oval - Ovalcommers Track 1 (Untitled)

So I already covered the long-format Oval-description thing before (here) as well as his collaboration with Japanese artist Eriko Toyoda ("So," here).  But this is a single song post and this song is all we care about today.

The first track of this CD, which I listen to far more frequently than the rest of the album (you can only handle so much), is absolutely a masterpiece of abstract electronic music.  Now before you think, "Wow, what a dubious distinction," know that I am including Aphex Twin, Autechre, Boards of Canada, and all sorts of noise bands as well as crossover acts like The Wind-Up Bird, Daedalus, Along and others.  It's actually quite a large field!  And Oval is a sort of black sheep/superstar in it.  His music (which he prefers to be referred to as "audio" - fair enough) is utterly unlike anything else and he deserves credit for that even if it weren't totally awesome.

Its initial, robotic stutter gives me shivers every time, and the nameless, processed instruments which accompany it are freaky and beautiful.  It starts abruptly and ends even more so, and it's hard to say whether the song would be better off being shorter or longer.  In any case, it's up to you to decide, and whichever you choose, know there's a whole album of stuff just as cool, even if even I don't listen to it that much.  It's good to know it's there, anyway.

Here's the first, untitled track from Oval's Ovalcommers.

Shalabi Effect - On The Bowery

This one didn't make it into Long Song Week for some reason.  Clocking in at 13 minutes long, "On The Bowery" is no lightweight, and it actually hails from the same album that has my longest song on it, Aural Florida - reviewed here for your convenience.  The title track is a stupefying epic, employing many instruments and people and from what I hear it was improvised as well.  Not quite the case with this song, I think - this, the last song on the album, is more like a funky lullaby that devolves into a sort of round-the-campfire extended ending, which then fades out and (spoiler alert) comes back in when you least expect it.

I find myself listening to this song a lot, as it is one of Shalabi Effect's most accessible songs and also just a great song in general.  You should get your hands on this album - it's a double CD but to be honest I only listen to "Aural Florida," its intro, and "On the Bowery."  Considering, though, that they comprise 50 minutes of music between them, I'd say I made a bargain purchase.  I even got a little note from Sam Shalabi in the package!  He's on Alien8 Recordings, which has a lot of other great bands too, and you can order his CD right from them.

Here's "On The Bowery," by Shalabi Effect.

Unwound - Leaves Turn Inside You

[Uh, apparently I was tripping when I posted this, it's totally wrong.  My copy is the long one too, I think before I bought this album, I had an mp3 from maybe a single or radio cut?  I'm leaving the post up just in case anyone finds anything truthful in it, but feel free to skip it and go straight to the excellent track. -Robosexual]

The purpose of this post is not to turn you on to this album, although if you haven't listened to it already, it has my highest recommendation.  It is one of the original "post-punk" boundary-pushers and genre-benders, mixing chunky rock vibes with incredible, complex songcrafting and experimental instrumentation.  It's absolutely solid, and beat the trail for many of the acts going today.  No, I have a different reason to bring this album up.

See, the album kicks off with an series of unidentifiable noises, beginning with a twist and settling into a beautiful, layered harmony.  It turns out that it is an e-bow resting on a guitar, and the noise at the beginning is simply the recording track spinning up to speed.  Cool, huh?  It's a great sound, but it only goes for maybe 10 seconds and it's done - time for the track to start.  But in fact, the original track had this trance-inducing tone for about 2 full minutes, and for some reason or another they had to cut out most of it, possibly because it alienated casual listeners.  A few versions of the album went out with the long track, though, and I managed to get one (online - my hard copy is the short version).

So. I'm giving you guys this track so that you can augment your Leaves Turn Inside You and make it into the album it was meant to be.  It really is a great noise, and I think it improves the track and sort of prepares you for the avalanche of great music about to come your way.  Check it out.

Here's "We Invent You," by Unwound.

Mugison - Mugimama, Is This Monkey Music?

As usual, I am unaware of the amount of fame possessed by the artist I am recommending.  I think I saw a review on like the BBC, though, so it's possible you've heard of Mugison, and I understand they are quite popular in their native country - wherever that may be.  For my part, I got the album on a tip from a friend, listened to it once and promptly forgot about it.  A week ago I saw it in my playlist and decided to give it another chance after a few months cooling off period.  And it's great... and weird.

My best shot at summing it up is that it's like Menomena's I Am The Fun Blame Monster meets Tricky's Maxinquaye meets Cyann & Ben.  The style is different in each song, from almost Black Keys-ey blues-rock on the opening track to mind-unraveling spoken-word lap pop ("The Chicken Song") to plaintive, gossamer harmony ("2 Birds").  The songwriting is interesting - it's hard to say how serious it is at any particular moment, but there is a sense of humor throughout - consider the guy's girlfriend whispering with a sexy accent in "The Chicken Song": "See, the chicken is one of very few birds that never can flaaah...but even with his head chopped off, he'll still give it a hell of a traaah."  On the other hand, the songs themselves are very well-made so that is an indication of him being at least partially serious.

The sound varies immensely, as I've said.  Even when it's not a full band, though, it never seems bare - the guy is a great guitar player and fills the air with notes, especially on "Murr Murr," which is good except for its guitar break, which is fantastic and the only thing I remembered about the album after the first listen.  Aside from the traditionally instrumented tracks, you have a trip hop feel in "The Chicken Song," a full orchestra in "Salt," an occasional piano, and many miscellaneous pieces of sound thrown in for ambience.

I recommend this album to any parties interested in an extremely varied folk-rock album (for lack of a better term) or who are just bored.  It's very interesting and slightly strange, although songs like "Murr Murr" and "2 Birds" are solid enough to be appreciated by anybody.

Here's "2 Birds," and here's "murr Murr," by Mugison.

Glissandro 70 - S/T EP

It sometimes happens that there is an element of a band's music that really grates on you.  For me it's often the voice of the singer, which explains why I listen to so much instrumental music.  In some cases this problem is insurmountable, as is the case for me with Modest Mouse, Antony & the Johnsons, and most music from the 80s.  Sometimes, though, I can get over it and love it anyway, like with the Wrens (emo voice, gag me) and the Pillows (in Japanese, which is incredibly distracting).  Glissandro 70 manages to overcome its weak link, which happens to be an aggravating vocalist, never content to let the music speak for itself.  It's comparable to !!!, but instead of mumbling cliches, this guy or guys feel the need to voice the rhythm of the song, and usually it doesn't work out well.  If you have to make your voice comprise the body of the song, make it good, like Spiritualized's "Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space."  Because otherwise people are going to laugh.

Aside from this crippling deformity, Glissandro 70's music is pretty good.  It's a first release and it's on Constellation, so you can't expect too much polish, but you can expect some originality and earnest experimentation.  The first track is a Volta Do Mar-esque, mathy and slightly discordant guitar theme that builds on itself and breaks into a nice little funky tune that is interesting if not catchy.  The next track is pretty much a skipper, take my advice and don't bother with it.  "Bolan Muppets" sounds shorter than it is, possibly because it's a really great song.  It has an insistent little rhythm guitar that gets built on for a while, and if you ignore the "EEEEYAAHHHHH....YOOOOLAAA" that starts in around the 2-minute mark you can sort of mentally transport yourself to the third and best part of the song.  Here someone sings sweet nonsense, and does it well - although I don't know the words and I'm sure they're insane, I find myself humming it constantly.  It has the kind of natural beat and rhythmic sound of a good poetic line, and it's a bit hypnotizing.  "Portugal Rua Rua," similarly, contains a bothersome and insistent vocal part, and although you tune it out after a bit, it would be better had it never existed at all.  The track improves, anyway, and becomes hypnotic and enjoyable once again.  The final track is more ambient, and while it contains most of the same components of the other tracks, it feels thinner and more spread out - less a song and more a 13-minute weirdo improvisation.

I can't in good conscience recommend this to everybody, but if you consider yourself a tolerant listener, this is a rewarding EP.  I think it has an original sound, which is great to hear these days, though I'd consider this EP more of an indication of good things to come than an accomplishment in itself.  Also consider that you're really only getting three solid tracks (out of only five, but still), so if you can find it used or in a bargain bin, that's your best bet.  In any case, check out this song and you'll get a better idea of the music than I can give you with my feeble descriptions.

Here's "Bolan Muppets," by Glissandro 70.
later: What the hell, 15 megabytes for a 7 minute song?  Time to check some settings.

Don Cabellero - World Class Listening Problem

What an awesome album.  I want to tell you how awesome this album is, but first we need to get the definition of "awesome" straight.  Dark Side of the Moon is not awesome, it's "amazing."  OK Computer is "incredible."  Antennas to Heaven is "unbelievable."  But none of those albums are awesome, except maybe for little bits.  Let me tell you what is awesome.  Starship Troopers is awesome.  Reigning Sound is awesome.  Metal Slug is awesome.  Awesome is where you are watching, listening, reading, and saying to yourself the whole time, "Man... this is awesome."  It's a special and specific sensation, awesomeness.  And Don Caballero nailed it with World Class Listening Problem - or at least most of it.

This band has been around for a long time, but the lineup in the early 90s was completely different than the current one; only the drummer remains, but that's a good thing in my opinion.  I got some of their tracks off Audiogalaxy maybe 7 years ago, and they were, as math-rock bands often are, baffling and disharmonious.  So I thought that it was a mistake when Mike told me the awesome song he was playing was Don Caballero.  Not a mistake at all - Don Caballero hadn't just gotten good, they'd gotten awesome.

The music makes a real impression - and you can't really figure it out at first.  But as it turns out, it's the drums.  They're fast, they're complex, and they're doing things you didn't think they could.  Hey, what's that time signature?  I don't know, I'm just a guy - but it sure sounds awesome.  The first track is a little noisy, but the second basically bites you in the solar plexus with how great it is: "Sure We Had Knives Around" changes course several times, making you think it's longer than it is - and by 2 and a half minutes it's already covered more space musically than the entire last Godspeed album, bless its anarchic little heart.  The next track starts out good, trips a little, but then catches itself and becomes awesome again all within 2 minutes.  The rule by which you should listen to this album is "just wait": songs usually salvage themselves if they drop into sludge or wankage.  I can say, though, that some songs are way better than others, mainly because they all have totally different sounds.  You'll swear you're listening to a Motown bassline in "Palm Trees in the Fecking Bahamas" and a Tool one in "I Agree... No! I Disagree!" and they're both awesome.  The final three tracks, by comparison, are pretty weak and sound more like the old, careless Don Cabellero than the new, awesome one.

Anyway, it's ridiculous to try to describe the music when you should just hear it.  I dare you not to furrow your brow and say "Dude" once.  Ha, good luck!

Here's "Sure We Had Knives Around," by Don Caballero.
Wow, that's a big file for a 5 minute song.  What the hell?

Eluvium - When I Live By the Garden and the Sea

Here's a nice new offering from your favorite modern-classical composer at Temporary Residence records. I immediately recognized the first song on this EP as one of his openers when I saw him play with Mono and Pelican earlier this year.  All the kids there to see Pelican didn't know what was happening - some guy was playing piano really loud, and then there's all this noise coming from his guitar, and what's that thing he's holding against the strings?!  That's an e-bow, kids.  You should get one.  But anyway, this little album seems like a set of B-sides from Talk Amongst the Trees, though they're almost certainly new.  They would fit in fine on that album, though - floating, swelling keyboards and distant guitars wrapped in reverb - it's that kind of record.

If you're not familiar with Eluvium, this is a good a place as any to start, really... though you might just go chronologically if you need a system.  Start with Lambent Material and don't freak out when An Accidental Memory In Case Of Death is only piano.  Stick with it, listen through "Taken" all the way on the next album, and before getting this one check out his contribution to the Travels in Constants series as well.  It's a solid discography and you'd be doing yourself a favor listening to all of it.

I'm giving you two tracks: the one I knew and the next one, a more shimmery affair with a clip from "The Burbs" at the beginning.  What the hell?

Here's "I Will Not Forget That I Have Forgotten" and "As I Drift Off," by Eluvium.

Sparklehorse - Dreamt For Light Years In The Belly Of A Mountain

I wasn't familiar with Sparklehorse before this album - or rather, I knew there was a band so named, but I only had encountered it as a "featuring Sparklehorse" on a Radiohead b-side - a "Wish You Were Here" cover that's actually pretty good.  I never listened to their older album, which is supposed to be good, but I will.  In the meantime, I found this one.

I was in my usual cafe and I heard what sounded like a Labradford song playing - instrumental, airy, and tremolo-ey.  It kind of tripped me out because Labradford is one of my "private" bands - ones usually only I know about.  I asked the barista and he told me it was Sparklehorse.  It was good, so I got it - and although only one track is Labradford-esque, the rest of the album was impressive.  I guess it's a long-awaited effort, postponed by breakups, rehab, that sort of thing - kind of like every Spiritualized album.  I'm not into taking that kind of of context into consideration, so we'll just toss it right out the window and focus on the music.

Sparklehorse is a bit hard to nail down, apparently - from track to track the band varies from ephemeral, depressing folk - "Return To Me" and "Morning Hollow" - to tight, catchy pop-rock - "Ghost In The Sky," "It's Not So Hard" - to the final, title track, an extended and minimalistic dirge layering synth, ghostly guitar, and punctuated by a life-support beep.  So any attempt to categorize the band will fail.  Nevertheless, they are surely being listed as "indie rock" in Spin or something as I write, that catch-all term that describes everything from Sufjan Stevens to, apparently, the Killers.  In any case, forget about all that, and just listen to the music.  It's all high-quality, and if I heard correctly many tracks are collaborations with other musicians, including DJ Danger Mouse of all people.  The production is good and it's worth listening to on good headphones or speakers, because there are little additions and tweaks that would be lost otherwise.

Your best move is to either just get the album, because I can say with confidence that you'll at least like probably half of it, or get the tracks here and decide whether it's worth your time.  It's a good album, built to last and full of pleasant surprises.

Here's "Return To Me," and "Knives of Summertime," by Sparklehorse.
Also, in honor of long song week, here is the title track,
"Dreamt For Light Years In The Belly Of A Mountain."

Tarentel - From Bone To Satellite

It would be ridiculous to do so, but I could really put up this whole album for long song week, since the five tracks range between 11 and 18 minutes each.  It's an excellent album - I reviewed it before, but removed the review when I couldn't find any way to put up one of those huge songs.  Well, I worry no longer, and I'm giving you my favorite Tarentel song.  "Ursa Minor, Ursa Major" is its name, and I think it epitomizes the "old Tarentel" sound.  Really, the entire record does, but this one more than its brothers and sisters.

All the tracks are long, instrumental, well played and planned-out.  They have a structure to them, a little more than a simple "grow and fade" - but not that much more.  The music is relatively simple technically but extremely good, like they tapped into a secret vein of goodness and poured a little into each song.  They're a hard band to describe (especially since their more recent offerings, which frankly baffle and sometimes frighten me) so I'll let the music do the talking.  Really, though, you should be getting the whole album.  You can get it for 12 bucks at their (excellent) label's site, Temporary Residence, and it's worth it.  They also have samples from Tarentel's other albums... so what are you waiting for?!

Here's "Ursa Minor, Ursa Major," by Tarentel.

Sir Richard Bishop - Howrah Station

When I reviewed Sir Richard Bishop's excellent album "Fingering the Devil," I wanted to give you this song.  But it's just so... long!  So what better time to bring it back than during Robosexual's official long song week?

Those of you who read my review and/or have listened to the songs I gave you will have a general idea of what to expect.  One man, one guitar, and probably like five cans of Red Bull from the sound of it.  Where the rest of the album was content to culminate in simply urgent or heartfelt strummings, "Howrah Station," the last track on the album, surpasses all of them by actually calling up a demon from the pit, who possesses Mr. Bishop and wears his fingers down to nubs playing those strings.  Well, not really, but this track is far more insane than any of the others, mainly toward the end, where I am honestly amazed that none of the strings on the guitar broke.  His lightning-fast gypsy-flamenco style (and much of it improvised, I understand) describes the same sort of melody throughout the track, but at the end he flips out.  I really don't understand how he can play so fast, I'd have to see him in person for my mind to wrap itself around the feat that is the final few minutes of this song.

Okay, I'm going to stop raving about this song and just give it to you.  I'm listening to it right now - and I think that probably you've never heard anything like this.  If you have, please tell me.  Because 14 minutes of it is not enough.

Here's "Howrah Station," by Sir Richard Bishop.
is that link OK?  It did something weird when I uploaded it.

Pelt - True Vine

I have a collection of Pelt tracks on my playlist, salvaged from the albums, which are incredibly spotty.  This was the lone survivor from the double album Ayahuasca, which apart from this song was, really, just a little too much for me.  The one exception is Pearls From the River, which is excellent all the way through (all three tracks).  It seems that Pelt is an outlet for Jack Rose's more abstract compositions and improvisations, while the more sober and structured songs go under his name as solo albums.  Pelt generally has a couple of instruments going on, and occasionally even percussion.  This particular song, though... sorry, none of that.  What we've got here is one of the creepiest songs I have ever heard.

Move over, Wolf Eyes, because Pelt's "True Vine" gives me more shivers than Dead Hills and Slicer put together.  Basically the first note you hear is the one you'll be hearing for the next 16 minutes, but it's so  good.  I know, you think I'm crazy, but listen first!  I class this song as "mystical" and "forbidden," alongside Charalambides' Internal Eternal and Espers' "Hearts and Daggers."  I once had it on as the background to the night scenes in the insect documentary Microcosmos and it was a revelatory experience... watching a baby mosquito emerge slowly from the water as this ungodly music raged in the background, my eyes were watering because I'd opened them so wide.

Look, this song is just freaky and awesome, and I fully guarantee it's unlike anything you've ever heard.  If it is, feel free to return it.  Oh, and better stock up on peyote.

Here's "True Vine," by Pelt.

P.S. If anyone finds better album art, drop me a line (what's above is what's on the label's site, I can't find anything bigger).  Shame cause it's a cool-looking cover.

Yume Bitsu - The Frigid, Frigid, Frigid Body of Dr. T. J. Eckleberg

Yume Bitsu is not a band known for their short, concise pop songs.  No, their songs, with names like "Where Fog Blurs and Covers, Emptiness Prevails" and "Untitled," occupy a vast amount of seconds, happy to float and echo and hum as well as crash and thunder.  This track, the final song on Yume Bitsu's self-titled 1999 release, clocks in at 18 minutes and 29 seconds by my count, making it the longest one I have by them by a hair (Track 6 on The Golden Vessyl of Sound is 16 seconds shorter).

If you're familiar with space rock, nothing on this track will come as a surprise, really, except that it is really good for the entire 18 minutes and change.  The vocals are right on, the melodies are great, the guitars are big and thick and occasionally soar... it's basically the ultimate space rock track, in my humble opinion.  After a few minutes of normal-sounding song (Not Gatsby-themed as far as I can tell, but I haven't read the book in years - Eckleberg was on the billboard, right?), Yume Bitsu break into an incredibly long instrumental passage that grows for about 8 minutes, then coasts and finds a sort of stride for another 6, fading out slowly.  I don't mean to make it sound as if nothing happens that whole time - it goes all over the place and generally sounds awesome, but what am I going to say?  "There's this one part where the delay is so long and there's sooo much reverb!  And then they totally change the key!"  No.

So if you're familiar with Windy & Carl (on the ambient side of things) or Spiritualized (on the space side of things) or even Yume Bitsu themselves, do yourselves a favor and nab this song.  It's definitely one of their best, and despite being quite long, it sure as hell ain't boring.

Here's "The Frigid, Frigid, Frigid Body of Dr. T.J. Eckleberg," by Yume Bitsu.

Mono & World's End Girlfriend - Palmless Prayer/Mass Murder Refrain

Those gentle giants of tender thunder, Mono, are back again.  And this time they're going easy on you.  To relax after/before their extensive tour, I suppose, they teamed up with co-Japanese-musician World's End Girlfriend.  I haven't heard of this guy before, but clearly he exists and is great, because he's kicking it with Mono and making five-track 75-minute albums with them.

If you're familiar with Mono already, pretend I did the "Yeah, those guys are good" nod at you just now.  This record, however, is slightly different from their previous outings.  You might recall that Under the Pipal Tree, One More Step and You Die and so on had a sort of "really loud" quality to them - a certain"deafening wall of sound" aspect.  Well, if you think harder, there were quiet parts between the loud parts, and they were pretty good, too.  What they've done on Palmless Prayer/Mass Murder Refrain is extended those quiet parts and expanded upon them, with some extra ambience from World's End Girlfriend.  The result is pleasing for the most part, and reminiscient of A Silver Mt. Zion's first album, except a little heavier.  Layered violins and ghostly, unidentifiable vocals make for a creepy time on the first and second track, with quiet guitars making brief appearances.  The third and fifth tracks are my favorites, partially because they are the loudest.  The whole album is basically a long-ass song; melodies are shared, disappear and come back as the music wanders about, and the third and fifth tracks are the two climaxes.  I'll be giving you the former only because to give you both would be bandwidth suicide, especially with my new, tenebrous setup, and also because the last track is a great capper for the whole album.  It feels like the whole record has been building to that point, and while it is, to be honest, only perhaps 3/4 as loud as a loud Mono song, it's far louder than any other part of the album and makes for a very satisfying conclusion.

If you're a Mono fan, don't be put off by the quieter nature or the fact that it's a collaboration - this is a great album and it belongs in any "post-rock" type library, for lack of a better identifier.  Fans of A Silver Mt. Zion or Esmerine, or others in the modern-classical-with-a-twist genre should also give Palmless Prayer/Mass Murder Refrain a shot.

Here's "Palmless Prayer/Mass Murder Refrain, Part 3," by MONO and World's End Girlfriend.

INFINITE Robosexual CRISIS

My filehost suddenly changed all the rules by remodeling and then not allowing the files I put there to be downloaded.  Furthermore, they resampled the mp3s I had up there (the last 20 posts or so) into tiny, crappy sounding files.  What the hell?!

Does anyone have any recommendations for a really cheap webhosting service?  I was paying $30 per year for 5 gigs of space and unlimited bandwidth.  I suppose it was too good to be true.

Think of it: I upload an mp3, and they offer only streaming hosting, or a full download - at like half the bitrate!  Yeah, that's what I paid for!

Long song week!

This week is all about nice, long songs.  I like them, so there will be several - and the downloads WILL be large.  But don't fret, they're worth it.  And isn't it time you got a nice external hard drive anyway?

<--I know, it looks like a farewell picture.  It isn't.

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Search WWW Search robosexual.typepad.com

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Red Sparowes - Every Red Heart Shines Toward The Red Sun

It's the new one.  The songs are longer, and their names are way longer, but other than that it's familiar territory.  Red Sparowes haven't shown themselves to be shapeshifters like Do Make Say Think, nor have they given themselves over to atmosphere like Saxon Shore, nor descended into black and inescapable madness like Tarentel.  I think I knew what I was getting into when I got the album, and I'm glad to have it.  It's different from the first in mostly superficial ways, which as far as I'm concerned is a good thing.  It does, however, show a bit of the "sophomore slump" phenomenon - it's necessarily not as fresh, being a second album, but it seems that these songs were the result of work instead of inspiration.  There are fewer surprising and exhilarating moments than on At The Soundless Dawn but that is not to say there are none at all.  This album, at the risk of sounding pretentious, feels more like the soundtrack to a destroyed world than the soundtrack to a world being destroyed.

I won't bother you with the track names - they're unbelievably long.  Like novella long.  You can find the names here in their entirety - they're being cropped for bandwidth purposes.  "The Great Leap Forward..." is a sweet opener.  They get a great start off with the hard-to-soft-to-hard structure that they're so good at.  The guitars really soar and when it gets quiet, it doesn't sound forced.  "We Stood Transfixed..." is, unfortunately, a stumble.  The main melody doesn't sound right with the bass or the accompanying guitars, and they end up sounding like an amateur parody of themselves.  It takes off during the chorus section but then dumps you right back into the weak travelling part of the song, and pretty much flops.  "Like the Howling Glory..." is a bit long to start, but has a relatively solid growing sound.  The next few tracks are pleasant but not noteworthy, though the second half of "A Message of Avarice" is especially good.  The final two tracks constitute their own movement, really, and it's pretty filthy.  "Millions Starved..." has kind of a false start but then kicks ass after finding its way.  The last track isn't quite as strong, nor is it as epic as the final track on At The Soundless Dawn, but it's pretty good nonetheless.  It's like a kid with ADHD - too much going on and not enough focus, but plenty of heart so we'll give it a B.

I like the album, and I'm sure it will grow on me as the previous one did, although probably not quite as much.  So if you were hoping for a complete reinvention of the post-rock-instrumental wheel from these guys, or even a significant revision of their original sound, you're out of luck, bud.  However, if you enjoyed their last album and wish it was twice as long, or liked half of it and want to swap out some tracks with something just like it, you're golden!  Hope you like these two tracks, anyway.

Oops.  Had dead links here for like 3 months.  Sorry to whoever tried to download them.  I'll get some files up soon.

Dissolve - Sunflower Search Engine

I'm pretty sure I got this song off Audiogalaxy, maybe 6 years ago, and I've rediscovered it and a couple others by Dissolve at least once a year since then.  And yet, I've never bought or even downloaded any of their albums.  What the hell?  Well, I'll fix that on my next trip to Amoeba.  It's from "Third Album For The Sun," a super-early Kranky release from 1997 - Dissolve's second and final album.  It's got a real floaty, spacey sound, lots of guitars with wah and reverb all over the place.  The chorus on this song gives it a kind of Spiritualized feel (well, not really), but the backing track could just as easily be an unusually active Windy & Carl song.  If you're a fan of, say, Landing or Yume Bitsu, or any of those other space-rock and shoegazer type bands, Dissolve is probably a good bet - and this is old school, too.  People will say, "Oh, is that the new Slowdive? (or whatever)" and you'll say, "What, dude?  This song is almost 10 years old.  I used to listen to it at recess behind the backstop of the kickball field."  See, now that's some serious cred.

Here's "Sunflower Search Engine," by Dissolve.

Ambulance LTD - Straight A's

This was a track off the Heavy Lifting EP, which I believe came out a little after their excellent self-titled album.  If it's a B-side from the self-titled, I can understand why it was left out - it has a different feel, a little lighter and more upbeat than most of the songs on that album, light and upbeat as it was.  But "Straight A's" has great vocal harmonies and a nice, catchy little melody pervading it.  I often find myself whistling the opening licks of the song.  The lyrical content I can't vouch for, but in my opinion Ambulance LTD were never especially strong on writing - overall songwriting is their forte, but if you don't think too hard about it, the words still sound good - in your ears.  Enjoy.

Here is "Straight A's," by Ambulance LTD.

Golden Arm Trio - The Ship At The Bottom Of The Sea

Introducing a new feature at Robobobosexual: the single-song post.  Hey, everyone else is doing it!  So this is the first of many posts where I'll be selecting great songs and recommending them without the rest of the album - out of ignorance, usually.  So, if you like the song, say so, and if you know the album and like it, also say so!  Without further ado, here's a random good song.

I don't know much about Golden Arm Trio, but as you will find out in the song, the music they make is of the small chamber orchestra type.  This song is easily recommended to anyone who likes A Silver Mt. Zion, Dirty Three, Rachel's, or Esmerine.  It's very minor key, but not quite as unrelentingly mournful as ASMZ's first album, nor as active as Rachel's or Esmerine.  It's very beautiful, and I have some other tracks which are also good, but this one is my favorite.  Good modern-classical music is getting easier to come by with such people as Max Richter, Eluvium, and such, but it's good to have all sorts to choose from when you feel like a classical freakout.  Apparently the main guy in Golden Arm Trio is doing the soundtrack for A Scanner Darkly, so keep an eye out for that too.

Here's "The Ship At The Bottom Of The Sea," by Golden Arm Trio.

Update: I've listened to the album and it's way weirder than I thought it would be.  But it's tight.  You should check it out, it reminds me of Tin Hat Trio now more than Rachels.  There's some weird piano/horn action going on.  Here's another track, using the same melody in a different way.  Here's "Swift Ship Sailing."

Sonna/Sybarite/Lilienthal - Make Shift Carousel Split EP

Lilienthal is a mystery to me, so we won't talk about them/him/her/it.  I had a mixed experience with Sonna before this CD - their album (We Sing Loud) Sing Soft Tonight was underwhelming, but sounded like just a phase in their discography. I'd heard of Sybarite from their song "Killing the Moonshine" from the Temporary Residence "Thank You" CD, and from "Sanctuary," which I heard haphazardly somewhere.  So, when I saw this little EP, I had to pick it up - it promised to tie up too many loose ends.

The style is sort of electro-acoustic, in the vein of Fridge, Four Tet, Tape, and so on.  There is more beat than in Tape, but the same sort of sound otherwise, acoustic guitar crossed with controlled dissonance.  Sometimes the rhythm is basic and straightforward, other times, like in the second half of "Carousel," it's multilayered and kind of insane.  The guitar has its beat, the keyboard another, the noise another, and of course there are the actual drums - and then little drum snippets just to throw you off.  But it ends up as constructive interference, and the whole sound is more than the sum of its crazy little parts.  Taking the material from Sonna, Sybarite mixed one track, Lilienthal another, then the final track is a collaboration of all involved.  Sybarite's track has more of a groove, and a great catchy finish that sounds so natural you'd swear they had a deal going with Sonna beforehand.  Lilienthal's track is a little more spastic (described above) but sprawls more and has more of a variety of sounds.  The last track is more ambient and changes up constantly, losing whole sets of samples suddenly and picking up others without looking back.

In my opinion, this CD is pretty much suited to anybody who can handle even a little bit of noise - like Kammerflimmer Kollektief, they use noise and freakiness breaks prudently and to the music's advantage.  So enjoy these tracks, and if you like this kind of music, you really should just browse around at Temporary Residence's site; they're one of my favorite labels, consistently putting out music that fits my tastes almost exactly, and occasionally challenges them as well.  With Tarentel, Eluvium, Mono, and practically everyone I mention in this review releasing for them, as well as the excellent pan-label "Travels in Constants" EPs, they may be the best independent label out there.  Readers should know that I have little belief in labels in general, so please do not take this recommendation with a grain of salt.

Here's "Makeshift," by Sonna and Sybarite, and "Carousel" by Sonna and Lilienthal.

Remora - Enamored

Sometimes when you listen to an band, you get the feeling that whoever is behind the amp is an accomplished, skilful musician.  The technical precision of every chord and beat is unquestionable, and it's clear they practiced for years to become so good.  Remora's not that kind of band.  Let's say music has among others 2 axes, skill and quality - not intimately connected, but not mutually exclusive.  The Mars Volta, to take one example, is clearly high on skill and, in my opinion, medium on quality due to spotty, overindulgent songwriting.  Kepler would be medium on skill and high on quality - no complicated guitar riffs there.  Remora, now, would probably be low on skill and high on quality.  This music is not complicated by any means, but the musician has an innate sense of how to make it sound good.

Take the first song, "The One I've Been Waiting For."  This song is extremely repetitive - that guitar part you'll hear doesn't change at all the whole time.  I could play this song on my guitar, and I'm terrible.  Of course, that didn't stop the song from being stuck in my head for two months while I was travelling and didn't have it.  The music is just kind of raw and basic, like an apple - and there are times when I would prefer a delicious apple over a savory feast.  The rest of the album certainly follows this example - simple, repetitive, but beautiful and sort of primally engaging.  Some of the songs are instrumentals, which Remora have more practice with if their discography is any indication, and they're very nice.  "Sorry" is a great example, a sort of cross between Frost and a sinister Windy & Carl.  The other tracks with vocals are hit-and-miss; I like "Kill My Way Out Of Here," but another could just as easily despise it for being sort of over-the-top Tom Waits wannabeism.  The singer doesn't have a particularly good voice, but when he uses it correctly it sounds fine, and anyway the vocals have no great claim to the music - they're there, but they're not primary.

You'll get an idea of whether you like Remora or not pretty much from one listen.  I personally got hooked right away, but I won't be sad if you decide it's not for you.  Take these sample songs and enjoy, and if you want to check out some more, go to Remora's website where they have more songs and a free EP.

[Sorry, the files are down... I'll put these back up in a bit.  Hosting issues.]

Eluvium - An Accidental Memory In Case Of Death

No - this isn't the new Eluvium, it's... the old one.  I saw this guy live when he opened for Mono a couple months ago, and to be honest it blew me away.  His careful keyboard work, along with the guitar and loopstation stuff he had going on, it really sounded fantastic.  To be honest, I'm not sure now if his albums can live up to the live thing, but in any case this album is hard to fault.  Consisting just of piano melodies, it's a breath of fresh air after one listens to such heavily instrumentated music as Broken Social Scene or Autolux.  Like Max Richter, Eluvium takes a classical sound and subverts it slightly - these aren't new classical compositions (nocturnes and sarabandes) so much as they are modern music done on a piano.

The first song introduces a melody briefly which is returned to at the end - a haunting little thing that I find myself whistling, badly, to myself at the strangest times.  The sound of the piano is more or less consistent throughout the record - warm and sustained, with either reverb on it or maybe it's just one of those actual piano pedals.  In any case, it's nice, and sounds organic and well-played in a technical sense, but without the sort of studio sterility that occasionally accompanies piano recordings.

The songs in general are different enough from one another, but share a few characteristics - most have a one-handed repeating figure while the other hand travels and harmonizes.  Not an especially surprising development, but just so you know, that's how the songs seem to be formed.  I'm not very good at describing simple, elegant music such as this, so I'll let you decide for yourself whether this is the kind of music you want - chances are you've already decided or already have this anyway.  Enjoy..

Here's "An Accidental Memory In Case Of Death," by Eluvium.

Augie March - Sunset Studies

Augie March's Strange Bird was just that: a strange bird.  With lush instrumentation, bold and beautiful writing, and very consistent quality, it was a rare thing to find in what I can only categorize as Almost-Rock.  It was a pleasant surprise, lovely and accessible yet still challenging and serious at times - for every soft ballad my mom liked, e.g. "The Night Is A Blackbird," there was something searing and atypical like "Brundisium," and everything between was solid.  Here's the original review.  After I got that album, I sought out their earlier LP, Sunset Studies.  I think it's most accurate to describe it thus: it's the same, only less so.

The album is still good, don't get me wrong, but it's like when they made Strange Bird, they just doubled the intensity of this album and re-released it.  Consequently, while it's still pleasant, and frequently unlike most other almost-rock you hear, it's a little easier to forget.  The standouts stand out more, though, and they're great.  "The Hole in Your Roof," "The Good Gardener," "There Is No Such Place," "Heartbeat and Sails," all of these are excellent songs, and unfortunately the area between them sags somewhat.  Outside of those songs and the final one there is little adventure to be had, nice as it sounds.  There is also one kicker - "Owen's Lament," the last song, is fantastic.  Long, beautiful, and almost intolerably tragic-sounding, it is by far the best song on the album - at least, in my opinion.  I'll let you decide for yourself.  Give these tracks a listen, but if you really want the best introduction to this band, go for Strange Bird.

Here's "Heartbeat and Sails," and here's "Owen's Lament." I love that song!

Comets On Fire - Avatar

I've been aware of Comets On Fire for a long time.  I heard their first major album, Field Recordings From The Sun, was an insane ball of distortion unlike much out there.  I listened - and recoiled.  Devoid of melody and structure (to my ear), the album was, to me, unlistenable -  as I told you when I posted "Blue Tomb" a few days ago.  That song was from their second album, Blue Cathedral, and when it came out, I heard, "It's just as crazy!  But more accessible!"  And so it was... by like one iota.  "Blue Tomb" and maybe one or two other songs survive in my collection.  Then, a few weeks ago, I heard their new new album was coming out.  I had to give them credit, "Blue Tomb" was so great that it warranted my checking out their new album - that is, as soon as it comes out in August, you understand.  Well, my friends, the poisonous, spiny caterpillar has entered its chrysalis and emerged an unbelievably badass butterly.

Gone are the intimidating trappings of a noise band exploring just how noisy noise can be.  I direct you to Soft Canyon's Broken Spirit, I Will Mend Your Wings as the only other real example I can think of that creates a sound so completely foreign in time.  While the music is not really comparable, both share a love of analog sound and anachronism.  I understand Comets On Fire to be insane about their gear, building it themselves or salvaging ancient amps from dust-choked attics of former Red Krayola members.  Alas, I can't give you any reference points for what this new album sounds like other than Soft Canyon, and even then, they're only a reference because no one sounds like them any more either.

Much more than before, and more than most other bands, Comets On Fire establish an incredible breadth of sounds on the album.  The opening track, "Dogwood Rust," is reminiscent of their older albums, but somehow strikes a balance between being more orderly and melodic, and being utterly insane.  The catchy retro groove and beautifully clean guitars of "Jaybird" can only be appreciated with close listening, though an occasional blast of noise may startle you out of your seat.  And just to show you what they're capable of, what's "Lucifer's Memory" but a piano-led ballad complete with careful songwriting and vocal harmonies!  And the wail of guitars distorted beyond recognition somehow jives perfectly with the soulful climax?  I won't spoil any more for you, I will just say that this album in only 7 songs encompasses more musical meat than... well, I don't know, but the fact that we're getting things that belong in the wet dreams of Jim Morrison, Lightning Bolt, Dead Meadow, and Wolf Eyes on the same album renders my feeble analogies toothless.

I won't delay you any longer.  You need this whole album; the time to get into Comets On Fire is NOW.

Here's "Dogwood Rust," by Comets On Fire, and here's "Lucifer's Memory" to show their soulful side.

The Dismemberment Plan - Crush

At a used music store maybe 7 years ago, I found a little cd for three dollars, a split between Juno and The Dismemberment Plan with a quaint little illustration of a plum on the cover.  I didn't know who either of the bands were at the time (hardly do now, though I know they were no slouches), but the little EP intrigued me - and the price was right - so I bought it.  To be honest, I've since lost the thing and don't even remember what 3 of the 4 songs sounded like, but one was good enough that I ripped it even at that tender age and still have it.  It's a cover of Jennifer Paige's "Crush," a terrifying house/pop number from 1998, and I'm putting it up here so you can compare.

The Dismemberment Plan's take on "Crush" completely flips the style, slowing the tempo to about half speed and making it a minimal, bitter song instead of the bubblegum tornado that was the original.  It's really quite an accomplishment; I think you'll like it.

Here's "Crush," by The Dismemberment Plan.  I had the original too but now I've lost it.  If you're curious, I'm sure it's around.

Migala - Restos de un Incendio

It's difficult to juggle intensity and good pacing - if you get one wrong, it messes up the other.  Many bands forgo one in order to focus on the other, but a skilful few manage to keep both in full effect.  Bands like Kepler, Espers, The For Carnation and Migala keep the intensity high despite their generally slow pacing, and the effect is almost universally good.  Now, I'm not talking about just an overextended climax (I'm looking at you, Yanqui U.X.O.), just keeping your ears pricked because every sound is made important by careful writing, playing, and mixing.

Now, I'm not proud of it, but I confess that I was unsure about getting this album because of all the Spanish.  Not that I have anything against Spaniards or Mexicans, it's just that I find singing in other languages, Spanish included, to be distracting sometimes.  If you share my prejudice, be calmed because there is little or no Spanish actually on the album.

The music itself is, if you can picture it, high intensity but low key - a sort of passive-aggressive album.  Even when the singer is whispering slowly in his excellent, low voice, you feel like there is a crash of guitars hanging just above your head, ready to drop at any moment.  It rarely happens, but the threat feels real nonetheless.  The sound is clean and, to my limited knowledge of the man, reminiscient of Ennio Morricone.  Songs generaly switch between beautiful but incindiary guitar parts and quiet vocals, sounding like he's dying of a gut shot and telling you of his many regrets.  The best example would be "Ciudad del Oeste" and "Aquel Incendio," the central two-part song that spans the entire distance from nearly silent warbling to wailing, distorted crescendo with superb grace.  Other songs are notable: the instrumental opening track with its similar building-up of guitars, and "Tiempos de Desastre," a nice do-all song.  Some don't fare so well - mainly when the vocalist sings too hard, it throws the whole feel off; his voice sounds much better soft.

You'll know right away if this is your scene or not - the organ and guitar establish a sound that is very distinctive and beautiful, if you're into that whole lonely western feel that Morricone and Tulsa Drone love so much to cultivate.  In any case, this double song is great no matter what, so enjoy.

Here's "Ciudad del Oeste," continued in "Aquel Incendio," by Migala.

Farben - Textstar

Remember your Speak&Spell?  Well, this is what it was doing while you were asleep.  While you dreamt of MacGuyver in your bunk bed, your Speak&Spell would sneak out the back door and attend all-night mixers where other devices would drink, carouse, and with luck maybe get a hardware handshake going on - and Farben's Textstar was playing the whole night.

Or not.  All pretense and fantasy aside, this is a great album of analog electro that works just about anywhere.  It's a collection of songs from a series of EPs over the years leading up to Textstar, and while there are certainly different styles present, they are all recognizably Farben.  It's good, but as funky electro goes, it's a little too strange to find in a boutique store, and not hip enough to be on the radio.  On "Live at the Sierra Tahoe, 1973" and "Beautone," a sound is established that is pretty much unique - repetitive, heavy in the low end, limited samples, lots of analog synth, not an original set of parameters but Farben makes it his own.  On tracks such as "Bayreuth" he explores more ambient territory, albeit not without a beat.  Just throwing in a triple negative there to keep you frosty.  Anyway - on "FF" he approaches Daft Punk with a more sampled, poppy sound, and the final track is almost too smooth, at the Kruder & Dorfmeister/Thievery Corporation level though without the emptiness that usually accompanies that kind of music.

Textstar is great music and I've had it in rotation for years.  As long as you're cool with the general type of music - funky, instrumental, a little repetitive - you'll be good with this.  It's excellent and fits almost any occasion, with napping as a possible exception.  Give it a shot, and let the electronic burps and synthetic wind take you away.

Here's "Live at the Sierra Tahoe, 1973" and here's "FF," by Farben.

Comets On Fire - Blue Cathedral

I'm not going to BS you here.  This song is the only one that survived my purge of the album.  The fact is that before their current release, which is awesome, these guys were far too noisy for my liking.  Their first album was unlistenable for me, and Blue Cathedral had some good tracks but I generally found it unpleasant.  This is the major exception - "Blue Tomb" is a fantastic song, and closer to what they're doing right now.  It's heavy, it's long, it's noisy, but not too much of any of those.  For some reason I always picture a terrible melee with one guy slaughtering hundreds of others.  But that's just me.  I..

Here's "Blue Tomb," by Comets On Fire.

Growing - The Soul of the Rainbow and the Harmony of Light

Growing, Jack Rose, and Earth recently toured through Seattle, and I missed their show for some stupid reason.  My friend Mike told me afterwards that it was the only show at which he'd ever needed earplugs, and that's saying something because the guy is in a scary noise band.  Before that, however, I was intrigued by Growing's name and long tracks (which I hadn't heard at the time), and Mike said to me: "Growing is really...(long pause)...constant."  Now that I've listened to them I'm not sure whether I agree or not.  Certainly they have drones which continue for long periods, and their songs travels little over their running times, but they're not stationary.  The music moves, but slowly and under the surface, currents of melody transparent under the shimmery wall of sound.  They're prolific, which makes sense when you hear how much they like their sustain, but they're consistently good - more so than, say, Pelt, who are brilliant at one moment or on one track, then boring or offensively noisy for the rest of the album.

If anything, they are about concentration.  I don't mean to get all music critic on you, I just think that they're very serious about being fully enveloped in the sound they create.  It isn't meant to move you, it is meant to take up your entire aural space and let you drift along inside its sonic womb.  The opening track initiates you slowly, giving you ethereal butterfly kisses with the guitar before slowly raising a fluffy curtain of harmony in front of it.  It leaves and returns with a sibilant accompaniment that overtakes it - I get an image of a huge whale being engulfed by an immense school of silver fish.  "Anaheim II" comes like a slap to the face and stays loud, but isn't a very interesting track, to be honest.  The next two tracks, "Epochal Reminiscence" and "Primitive Associations/Great Mass Above" form one huge song more than 30 minutes long.  The sound is infinitely thick and hypnotic, the tone changing slowly, aqcuiring later a high, vibrating foresound that connects it with the final track - a peaceful, quiet thing with water sounds and birdsong.

I'm giving you a fat track, the second to last, but if you can't deal with it, I wouldn't try the other songs or albums.  However, if you are like me and you think it's crazy and beautiful, for gods sake check out the rest.

Here's "Epochal Reminiscience," by Growing.

 

Robosexual POWER UP

Behold! Freed from the dismal fetters of space and bandwidth limits, this blog is now mightier than Hercules.  Bounded only by my upload speed (which, alas, is quite low), I now have the ability to provide you with large files I had before only put up with great trepidation.  And how awesome is that picture of Voltron?!

The Books - Lost and Safe

The Books' first album was an enigma - a kinetic, fascinating, and obscure sound collage that lapsed into periods of beauty or total abstraction.  Their second album, The Lemon of Pink, was interesting but not as momentous as I wanted it to be.  Their latest, Lost and Safe, departs from their sound even further, although it is clear that some of the songs are cruising - it's not as inspired as Thought for Food, but I think that despite the strangeness of hearing actual lyrics and the presence of some bum tracks, it is a great success.

The opening track is excellent, though it sounds nothing like a Books song.  It's calm and quiet but well-crafted.  "Be Good to Them Always" and "Smells Like Content" aren't bad songs certainly, but they are wordy and busy without the awesome spasticity and constant changeup of songs from their first album.  "Vogt Dig for Kloppervok" strikes a more even tone, though some may dislike the buzzing, vibrating tone of the singer's voice.  "It Never Changes to Stop" is a simpler track but affecting - the samples are more consistent, a guitar lick present throughout the song, both grounding the song and driving it along its course.  The thumping buildup of "An Animated Description of Mr. Maps" is good for as long it is instrumental - the lyrics merely complicate it later.  The rest of the tracks follow a similar progression - the instrumentation and sampling are faultless, but when the singing comes in, it's a matter of taste whether you like it or not.

The Books have changed their sound, and whether you've listened to them before or not, this album deserves a listen.  It certainly strikes new chords, but at the risk of alienating their former fans.  The singing isn't bad (usually), but it's of an unfamiliar color on the canvas the Books have been painting.  Give it a shot, but if you haven't heard these guys before, start with their first album.
Here's "A Little Longing Goes Away," and "Vogt Dig for Kloppervogt."

Charalambides - Our Bed Is Green

Pitchfork reviewed either Unknown Spin or Joy Shapes a couple years ago, and their nebulous description of the band tempted me to give it the benefit of the doubt.  They have since become one of my (admittedly many) favorite bands.  That was before the current "folk" explosion, and really any attempt to connect the two is doomed to failure, despite very minor similarities.  This is not Devendra Banhart, or Vashti Bunyan, or even close to Espers. Charalambides is a trio (once a duo) of musicians hailing from dusty Houston who have for the last 15 years been making insane trips of albums, differing from contemporary music as much as they do from each other.

This particular album was actually put out in 1992 on cassette as their debut.  It's a little shocking to me to imagine this album actually being released so long ago, but then again I feel as if most of Charalambides' music could have come out in the 4th century BC as much as yesterday, assuming they had amps back then.  Our Bed Is Green encompasses, in my opinion, the widest range of sounds on a single album put out by these guys, or almost anybody.  The tracks can be divided roughly into freaky folky dirges, freaky mesmerizing acoustic trips, and freaky freaky distortion freakouts. It's all freaky, but its also for the most part freaky good.  The opening track, "Tea," falls into the dirge category.  Some unidentifiable object provides a creaking, insistent beat, as a slow strumming accompanies a quiet woman's voice.  Behind that, a whining bowed string of some sort fades into prominence and as the percussion increases in volume, so too does the strumming. The voice sings in English but seems wordless... listening to it now I can't even make out a single word.

I should make it clear from the outset that this recording is so lo-fi as to be, dare I coin a phrase, no-fi.  It was recorded on a 4-track at home and the hiss of tape and compounded background noise is clear in every song that has even remotely quiet parts.  This is not necessarily a bad thing.  On Circulatory System's album and Frances the Mute, among countless others, the crystal-clear recording and expert channel control and production are necessary to bring each layer (of many) to its correct place.  In this case, especially on the track "Regret," the hiss simply reinforces the mystic feeling of the songs and their personal, inscrutable nature.

The title track, at the midpoint of the album, is a good example for the mesmerizing acoustic category.  Two guitars, or a guitar and a bass, each take an ear and strum it off.  It's more of a "tweener" track than the other acoustics, like "Take the Pointing Finger for the Moon," which stands on its own more as an episode, rather than a grounding force.  The latter seems like the kind of thing 3 indians might put together in a peyote-fueled improvisational concert, while the former is more like what a couple of men might be playing in their cells right before the hangman comes.

The freaky distortion ear-bleeder tracks are not too numerous but impossible to ignore.  From the schizophrenic "The Treadmill" to the cacophanous six minute climax of "Cosmic String", they mark time on the album and remind you that you are not actually present at a meeting of intraterrestrials at the bottom of a well, but in fact listening to an album that is, inevitably, progressing.

I apologize for being verbiose, but I like this band and this album a lot and it's quite hard to shut up about it, in addition to the problematic nature of describing unique music in the first place.  In any case, this album has the most songs and the most actual words of any of their albums, and is, generally speaking, much louder.  I'm not sure if it's really the best place to start listening to Charalambides, but don't let that stop you from starting in the first place.

I should also mention that I don't think I even have a complete copy of the album - the tracklist at Kranky has quite a few songs I don't know on it, and I'm ashamed to say I have not yet bought the album.  I plan to, but I'm continually putting it off in the hopes of finding it, or any Charalambides album in a used pile somewhere.

Here's "Pase El Agora"...
and here's "Regret," by Charalambides.

Black Moth Super Rainbow - Start A People

The last album I got just because of the name.  This time around I knew this was some good stuff, but I wasn't sure if it was gonna change up, or get all poppy or abstract or what.  As it turns out, it's more of the almost exact same, including a few redos of songs on Falling Through A Field.  That's not a bad thing, because as I noted before, Black Moth Super Rainbow (yeah, I know) has a sound unlike any other.  This guy's love of analog synths, old-style drum machines, and voice filters knows no bounds and it shows.  It's like Boards of Canada squared, or cubed, or times pi.

The gardeny fetish is still around - "Vietcaterpillar" makes a return along with other green-sounding sounds like "Seeds" and "Snail Garden."  It's still basement-y and lo-fi, but I think it has better production this time around - the new "Vietcaterpillar" and other songs have more presence, more bass, a chunkier sound.  Maybe he just turned the volume up, but it sounds good.  Like the previous album, the beats are pretty simple and the tone is homogenous, but it's not such a big deal because nothing else sounds like this.  If an indie rock band is simple and homogenous, well, they're out because there are other people playing guitars.  But BMSR is in a league of its own soundwise, so if you complain, all you have to compare it to is itself.  In any case, it's interesting and unique-sounding electro-analog music bites, so you should check it out.

Here's "Vietcaterpillar" by Black Moth Super Rainbow. Yeah, it's good.  Man, if you want more, get the album!  Or go to the old review.