Monday, February 28, 2011

EIC'S10Q'S w/Julianna Barwick

"..very fluid, extremely pretty, pitch-perfect/harmonious, ..and perhaps most importantly, it's wonderful to fall asleep to.."


Julianna Barwick
Seraphic Felicity

Julianna Barwick Bio:
Louisiana-bred, Brooklyn-based recording artist Julianna Barwick crafts ethereal, largely wordless soundscapes, all of which are built around multiple loops and layers of her angelic voice. Barwick, who credits a rural, church choir upbringing for her unique sound, begins most tracks with a single phrase or refrain, then uses a loop station and the occasional piano or percussive instrument to build the song into a swirling mass of lush, Ambient Folk. She released her first two collections of songs, the full-length "Sanguine" and the EP "Florine", in 2007 and 2009, respectively, before issuing her Asthmatic Kitty debut, Magic Place, in 2011.



Hello, how are you?
I'm great! I'm on a Bolt Bus to DC. Need more coffee.

What are you currently listening to?
M I A just came on the ol' iPhone shuffle. "The Turn".

What prompted you to begin writing the music you create?
A great friend of mine let me borrow his guitar pedal, it had a loop feature on it, and I kind of got addicted to it. I made "Sanguine" with that pedal. And on from there.

What is your favorite song you have written so far?

Hmmm. I can't pick a favorite. I really like "Bob In Your Gait" from the new record. It's a bit different in sound, it reminds me of being a kid wrapped in a blanket looking out the window and singing, til I made myself cry. Does anyone else do this or did it as a kid? it seems weird to me now to think about it but I have always done this.

What is an instrument you can't live without and why?
I'd have to say the RC-50 loop station. I use it to perform and record. I'm so used to it it's almost like playing the piano and I don't have to look down at my fingers every second.

I'd like to hear a project between you and Grouper, what are the chances of that happening?
Liz and I know each other. I would love to do that someday. She's one of my absolute favorite musicians. I think we're both pretty independent/ solo-y but I would definitely love to do a track or something together.

Got any funny/weird touring stories?
Last year had it's highway mishaps for sure. When I was on tour in April with Roberto Lange I was driving and the thing went down to one lane and I tried to move over into the other lane but this crazy semi truck driver sped up and I started knocking the cones over and I thought we were going to die. Later, the driver saw us in his rear view mirror and slowed waaaay down and was flipping us off and we thought he was going to kill us. We moved quickly by him and everything was ok.
In May I was with my friend Charles, who was playing in Eluvium, and we were driving from Detroit to Chicago and got rear-ended. I felt like I was right on the cusp of blacking out. I didn't feel like my brain was making much sense, my head hit the headrest. Charles's arm got pretty wrecked. but the car was totally ok. We drove the rest of the way to Chicago and when we got there we had lots of beer.

Whats your least favorite thing about music?
Imitation

You can only keep/listen to ONE album for the rest of your life ..which album would it be?

Oh my lawd. Um. I used to say this one record but I don't think that's the one anymore. It might be kind of cheating, because it's really long, but Joanna's "Have One On Me". I probably listened to that for half of 2010. Always hear new stuff in the songs. So inspiring.

Are you living your dream?
Yes. after I went to Lisbon and London late 2007 I thought, this is the best thing in the world, playing my stuff, seeing new places, eating delicious food in said new places, and making new friends.. I don't see anything wrong with that at all!

Thanx Julianna!

Julianna recently released her newest album "The Magic Place", make sure to get that NOW!

REVIEW: Julianna Barwick - The Magic Place

8.25 out of 10

Somewhere deep in a mystical forest a monk choir is harmonizing gloriously. They may be a bit of ways away from you. You don't know how far exactly, or where it's coming from, but their voice rings with so much heavenly clarity that you can't ignore it.. Everyone has a preferred way to fall asleep, I like music sometimes. One of the most common artists I go back to when I'm in the mood for a soothing lullaby is Julianna Barwick. Her angelic voice is something I want/need in my life every once in a while. Her method is quite simple, extremely effective, mysteries, and absolutely stunning.

You can place Ms. Barwick anywhere between Ambient Folk (Grouper) & Dream Pop (Lovesliescrushing). What Scott Cortez does for guitars (and voice too I suppose:) Julianna does with her voice (record voice, loop said voice, record voice, loop said voice, record voice, loop said voice..) and a touch of a few other sounds. On "The Magic Place", an ode to a special place in her childhood, Julianna dives head first into a pool of her own sustained/looped & repeated vocals. Throughout each song's buildup of (more and more) layered vocals, elements of white noises/found sounds, and sparse piano keys are added. It's a really gorgeous thing that many performers can't pull off all that well. But with Ms. Barwick's work you could almost swear there's an entire choir there. Very fluid, extremely pretty, pitch-perfect/harmonious, ..and perhaps most importantly, it's wonderful to fall asleep to.

Fans of structure-less structure can't resist feeling a sense of comfort wrapped in these heavenly walls. RECOMMENDED.

Standout Tracks: Keep Up The Good Work, Cloak (♥ the piano), Vow (♥ the bass), Bob In Your Gait (yummy:p), Prizewinning (kind of reminds me of RxGibbs:), Flown ..so yeah, all of them.

Saturday, February 26, 2011

EIC Premiere: Rotten Tropics - S. Fever



EIC Virtual 7" "No. 6 - Rotten Tropics"

03.13.11

Jakub asked me what I thought about the idea of Throbbing Gristle in space..

If only I lived here..

This may be THE best (definitely most eclectic/left field) Electronic festivals I've ever heard of.

A song sooo good, one might call it "ear crack"..

"Squanity Twix" is my favorite song (one of the best tracks I've heard this year)
..but really this entire (F-R-E-E) EP is worth obsessing over...




If you go to Mr. Goon's site you can find this EP, plus two other (terrific) albums for free! You should buy THIS ONE (highly underrated album..).

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

REVIEW: Nicolas Jaar - Space Is Only Noise

9.25 out of 10
Find it here.

Meet the newest Electronic prodigy on the block, Nicolas Jaar. You've probably heard of him by now? At the young age of 20 he's already mastered what's taken many of his influences years to accomplish. His debut full length (about 6 years in the making) is wowing reviewers left & right and is guaranteed to be on many year-end lists (..probably somewhere in the top 20). So what does his music sound like?

OK, I'm gonna mention three artists that Mr. Jaar reminds me of. You should know, these artist I'm gonna mention tend to have obsessive fans. You either obsess over these bands or you just don't care for 'em. "Space Is Only Noise" is of it's own sound, but when comparing it to contemporary leaders in the same field, it could easily be placed next to Matthew Dear, Coil, and/or DJ Shadow. Now that you've heard those names (and you've possibly widened your eyes at the thought) you should probably know what to expect. If those names (unfortunately) mean nothing to you... Nicolas Jaar makes Electronic Pop music mixed with hints of Jazzy seduction, Classical sampling, and a few very weird tones. In-fact, if you pay close attention to the title "Space Is Only Noise" you may know what to listen for, is it the space between his noise, or the noise between the space? Every second on Nicoals' debut is filled with an interesting/pleasing note, sound or beat. I don't know, I just don't see how there could be a better Electronic album this year ..is that crazy to think?

Fans of the Kompakt or Ghostly family will definitely swoon over this. Actually, everyone should get this, I'll buy your copy if you dislike it. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. One of the year's best albums (maybe THE).

Standout Tracks: ALL especially; Colomb, To Many Kids Finding Rain In The Dust (sounds exactly like Coil -- :), Keep Me There (love the horn samples at the end), I Got A Woman (can't get this song out of my head), Problems With The Sun (sooo catchy), Balance Her In Between Your Eyes (LOVELOVELOVE the vocals on this one), Specters Of The Future (sounds like an "Endtroducing.." b-side)

The NEW Moby EP...

Moby - Be The One EP

..AMAZING! And it's FREE! Please, please, please, please, please get this!!! And in the middle of May sometime look for his next full length "Destroyed"!

Check into Nash Smith & Ganges..


Nash Smith & Ganges - Kill The Lights

It's no hard to fall in-love with NSG's version of Psychedelic Slow-Core/Dream Pop ..especially during these gray days.

If only I lived here..

I know, how surprising, yet ANOTHER awesome SXSW show? Who would''ve thunk it?

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

New Space Ghost EP..



I'm constantly surprised by this guy's sound (highly overlooked), this is exactly how I like my "Sci-Fi IDM". Hopefully you checked out the last Space Ghost album??

Check into I Am XCI..



I Am XCI is an up and comer from America. XCI is the Roman numeral for 91 (yep that's when he was born). He's kind got his own sound here/maybe a cross between Witch House and The Knife I guess?

Cool Video Funtime #228 - Amen

Monday, February 21, 2011

EIC'S10Q'S w/Chelsea Wolfe

"..sparse/nihilistic themes poking and prodding there way up from the bowels of enormous/ominous-gorgeous vocal talent (seriously this girl has a set of pipes on her), Folk-Psych to Rock sounding guitar tones, piano compositions, and a "ghostly" atmospheres that are unique to the artist.."


Chelsea Wolfe
Beautiful Gothic Contaminate

Chelsea Wolfe Bio:
Chelsea Wolfe is a singer/songwriter and eponymous full band out of Los Angeles, California. Inspired by the dark state of the world and the strange connection between all things, she creates a unique musical blend of Goth-Folk, Experimental Rock and spiritual realm funeral songs. Ask Chelsea how to describe her live sound and she will say, "Psychedelia without the drugs." Ask her - if a song could be a soul mate which would you choose? - and she will reply, "Koni Priviredliviye by Vladimir Vysotsky." With influences ranging from the great minds of Ingmar Bergman and David Lynch, to soviets and end-times literature, her songs conjure visions of other dimensions, claustrophobic echo-rooms and parking garage cathedrals. Wolfe has recorded two full length albums, "The Grime and the Glow", out December 28, 2010 on limited vinyl through Brooklyn's Pendu Sound, and her latest record, (Apocalypse), currently only available on bandcamp. Compared to the likes of Nick Cave, Siouxsie and the Banshees and PJ Harvey, Wolfe's music is rooted in truth but reaches beyond the horizons.



Hello, how are you?
I'm well.. I had some hectic dreams last night though so my head is a bit fuzzy today.. How are you?
(I'm great! Thanks for asking:)

What are you currently listening to?
Suicide, Burzum, Marianne Faithfull, Son House, 1920's and 30's music..

What do you mean by "The Grime And The Glow"?
I'm into making honest music that exposes the horror and the beauty of the world at the same time.. and as I was finishing the album I was reading Celine's 'Death on the Installment Plan' .. "The Grime And The Glow" was a description in the introduction to the book.. we had similar objectives I guess..

Can you please explain the type of sound you were going for when writing for this project?
When I first began making music years ago I always recorded alone, on my analog 8-track, but when I started playing out, everyone had their own ideas of how my music should sound, and I was very naive then so I let people take me in and take over my sound, lengthy studio sessions, clean production, boring boring - It was a mistake and it made me decide retreat from music for a little while after that..
Anyway, so when I decided to make a new album to release with Pendu, I made it on my 8-track and recorded it myself until I was happy with the sound. There were collaborations with other artists but I was in control of the recordings. I needed it to feel intimate, I needed to capture the feeling of the space and mood of the moment, I needed something that came from inside. That said, I do tend to fluctuate between sounds.. and it isn't the influence of others that causes me to try new things these days. I always love to try new ways of recording and making music.. and I have many more songs in me.

What, in your opinion, is your "most favorite" song to date?
Right now I feel very close to "Halfsleeper" - there is a slow-motion painting in my mind when I play it.. For me the vision is huge, but it was actually inspired by a small dead animal I saw in the road - the bright red and pink of its insides splayed out on the road.. the colors of things like guts and fire in bright daylight always catch me by surprise..

Are you involved in any other projects at the time?

WILD EYES is my other project with Ben Chisholm (of White Horse & he plays synths in my band).. It's like, doom-electro music.. We are both very inspired by nature and try to translate the darkness of life and nature into our own type of pop music..
(HERE's another video)

What movie (on mute) would your music work best with?
A movie from the depression era.. like Freaks. My favorite films are Ingmar Bergman's.. I'd like to think songs from this album could work with scenes from Hour of the Wolf or my The Seventh Seal..
(Chelsea attached this photo)

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
If our world ends, oblivion ! Or a small, quiet town..

You can only keep/listen to ONE album for the rest of your life ..which album would it be?

Selda Bagcan's voice makes my body twist and ache in a beautiful way.. and Vladimir Vysotsky's voice makes my soul do the same - so maybe a "best of" compilation with my favorite songs of theirs..

Are you living your dream?

….. (we'll assume she's working on it:)
Thanx Chelsea!

Chelsea Wolfe is currently under the radar and shouldn't be, maybe we could help her out with that?

REVIEW: Chelsea Wolfe - The Grime And The Glow

9 out of 10

One of my favorite "new" artists of 2011 has to be Chelsea Wolfe. Her "official" (actually she's got quite a few recordings out there) debut "The Grime And The Glow" much like her previous work, sounds like a cross between Lo-Fi Indie Psych-ish Rock, bleak & ravishing Gothic overtones and experimental recording attributes only with "stronger" productions this time around.

Sometimes when listening to Chelsea Wolfe I'm reminded of a young PJ Harvey with darker sense of self and an estranged outlook on music theory. Zola Jesus also comes to mind. Here's what to expect while absorbing Chelsea's message; sparse/nihilistic themes poking and prodding there way up from the bowels of Chelsea's enormous/ominous-gorgeous vocal talent (seriously this girl has a set of pipes on her), Folk-Psych to Rock sounding guitar tones, piano compositions, and a "ghostly" atmospheres that are unique to the artist. You may also experience tingles between your ears and down your spine (maybe you won't, but you should).There may be a few parts/sounds on this release that may be harder to swallow/listen to (the "grime"), probably due to there bare-bones stripped audio production, but the parts that aren't so Lo-Fi (the "glow") tidy this package up quite nicely. Be patient, this album blossoms slowly and gracefully. Song's like "Moses" are a little darker, "sludgier", and Gothic. Whereas songs like "Benjamin" are beautiful, shimmering, and Classical sounding. They all work in unity somehow, delightfully so. I find the whole thing very addictive, I can't tell you how many times I've listened to this album this year.. ~~ Chelsea, thank you-thank you for what you have done to these ears. Come back soon please♥

Ms. Wolfe definitely has my vote the best upcoming female writer/musician this year. Her music will be grossly overlooked for a couple years more (maybe), but eventually the right person WILL notice this tremendous talent and give her the spotlight she truly deserves. Do not overlook this artist. Recommended for people who like utilizing their ears.

Standout Tracks: I like em all, but specifically Moses, BENJAMIN, Halfsleeper (I hate that this song has to end), Widow, Gene Wilder (nice piano piece), You Are My Sunsine (GREAT cover)

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Check into Candyaudioline..

Candyaudioline - Away We Go : 2011 Demos

Hand's down the best Shoegaze album I've heard this year ..and it's FREE! Fans of classic style gaze(think Slowdive meets Ride) should bewill be blown away by Candyaudioline.

If only I lived here..

HOLY rusted cog Batman! I knew this show was going to sell out (in about 24 hours).. Does anyone have any spare tickets they'd like to sell me?? I NEED to go to this.