Milieu

Lanark - The Preserving Machine is an eccentric collection of interpretations, such as “Bach Bug” and Liszt Millipede”, using Philip K Dick as inspiration:

How to preserve music from oblivion:

1. Put the sheet music on the machine
2. Wait
3. An insect or similar kind of animal is produced
4. Let it live and transform
5. Put it back on the machine
6. Wait
7. A new sheet music is produced
8. Play it

Lanark blends synthesisers and traditional sounds. For example, The analog synths in Chopin Bee and Bach Bug are complementary to the material, and so are the blend of synths and traditional orchestral sounds in Grieg Roach. The sounds and performance on The Preserving Machine often sound mechanical and hence somehow modern, yet this is a departure from the classical and even baroque melodies.

I’ve been listening to a lot of Sam Hodge’s work lately, and his latest release is Songs for Psychos - part II. Hodge is never afraid to explore disturbing and ironic reflections in his music, and yet maintains a rare eccentric air which leads to unexpected territory.

Songs for Psychos - part II is twisted, touching on the darker sides of human emotions without relying on cliched oppressive synths playing minor chords. I love Hodge’s effortless drum programming, used to good effect in “Jumping” where snares and rimshots keep getting distorted and caught by effects elaborate effects processing.

One of the stranger tracks is “Leak”, in which a voice, disturbingly distorted and accompanied by sub-bass, screams “Oh my God, it just keeps pouring out everywhere!” I don’t know where this is taken from, but when I first heard it I assumed it was a victim of an unfortunate accident. I didn’t expect what followed!

There’s moments of humor and sexiness to offset the psychotic diversions, however, with amusing samples and almost dub-like basslines. “Knitting” is a good example of this, which is centred around a wonderful tremolo sound and delicate melodic meanderings.

Falling is featured Songs for Psychos - part II, the seed of another release on Webbed Hand Records.

Despite each track being quite unique, Songs for Psychos - part II is consistent, and continues to develop themes explored on previous releases. If you download the entire release you’ll notice the excellent artwork for the cover, I emailed Sam to ask who did it and he said it’s by C. P. McDill. It suits the music very well!

Abraxas - Invisible features subdued, throbbing noise, but with occasional eruptions that clamor for your attention. The output of whatever corrupted electronics Abraxas have abused falls back into sub-bass rumbles with only a memory of it caught ringing in a spring reverb.

The Harvey Girls combine a lighthearted indie sound with occasional leftfield experimentation. Their latest release is on Imaginary Records, yet another good netlabel. From the website:

Their music stands as a cross between Prince Paul’s production work and the songs of the Shangri-Las (that’s what we’re sticking with; feel free to come up with your own description).

Their sound ranges from laid back whimsical, occasionally reminiscent of the more lighthearted stoner rock bands (Parking Lot, Someone Who Looked A Lot Like, Green Light) , to simple songs backed by subtle experimentation (Rose of Sharon, Blue and Green Lawnmower, All Yr Water’s Turned to Rope). Sharp, distorted guitars sometimes support the melody, in a similar way to later Smashing Pumpkins.

Good Morning, Bubblegum is one of the strongest tracks on the album, I almost expected it to explode into something like Polyphonic Spree for a moment. Melissa’s vocals occasionally have a wonderful gentleness to them, especially in the background of Someone Who Looked A Lot Like.

Mike Verde - Hypocenter is another excellent release on the prolific Kikapu, advocators of Creative Commons and occasional CDR distributors.

The style and feel of Hypocenter is generally consistent, and high quality. Despite having obvious influences (you may catch a glimpse of City Centre Offices), it stands proudly next to the diverse experimental music I often find on netlabels. Gently detuned analog-style synths remind me of artists like Christ., however, Mike Verde’s main talent lies in his rhythm programming. The percussion sounds he uses vary from awkward clicks, to loops that remind me of rave from over a decade ago. This is evident in Gaikokujin. That’s not to say his melodies aren’t interesting.

It’ll be interesting to see what Mike Verde does next.

Here’s an eccentric, rhythmic and witty EP written by Obadia: Where dust comes from. Highlights include the amazingly funky bassline in “Cooked grind” to the sublime “Some hot lazy day”. Some of the tracks on this EP may remind the casual listener of Four Tet, but it feels somehow less restrained.

Obadia blends mellow acoustic guitars with cut-up drums without loosing the impact of either. Occasionally, the over-saturated drums and basslines hit the downbeat to produce a satisfying effect.

Vezerren vs. Bubblegone - ep2004.1, released on Cyclene, fluctuates between textual experimentation and noise, but falls back on rhythm as the framework for each piece. The rhythms are strong, yet they’re subdued in the mix. This approach is quite unusual, but it allows the sounds room to find their own space. Tracks 1 and 3 are the highlights for me.

I found the Roberto Pflech - s/t EP via the Microsound mailing list, posted by kspr:

Roberto Pflech uses real instruments like drums, piano, guitar and organ. I find the music very interesting and just thought I might share it with you.

There’s elements of Orgelappermint Targuark that remind me of Deathprod, and this is what got me listening initially. This EP gives the impression of being frozen in time, and there’s a remarkable depth to some of the material. Drums feature most prominently in the final track, and all are freely downloadable.

BRTLMN’s Fluttering Around a Core EP is the fourth release on the fledgling netlabel Earstroke, who continue to release excellent abstract electronic music.

Fans of commercial acts such as Venetian Snares may enjoy BRTLMN’s eccentric rhythm programming, and the release carries shades of WordSalad’s Earstroke release, Black Vegetables. Earstroke’s description of Fluttering Around a Core EP explains that BRTLMN is WordSalad’s brother, both share a similar aesthetic for strange and sometimes beautiful deviations.

Unlike other musicians who rely on unpredictable rhythms and breakbeats, this EP has a lot of space, allowing sounds and musical ideas to develop comfortably. This is used to great effect in “Frell“, where a haunting mood is created from subdued synth sounds, and occasionally stirred up by creeping beats.