Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Check into Kigo..


In-case this album wasn't enough for you this year.. Kigo (a bedroom producer out of Brisbane) makes some of the best Fuzzy-Warm-Loud Shoegaze around. Chances are if you like MBV and/or Astrobrite you're already obsessing over this release. There's a lot more where this came from too.

Quality Mixtape find..



Tracklisting:
1. Pandit Pran Nath – 21 VIII 76 NYC Raga Malkauns
2. Omit – ReTainer (Live)
3. Jon Hassell – Blues Nile
4. Brian Eno – Lizard Point
5. Werkbund – Rungholts Verklärung
6. Rinus Van Alebeek / Luc Ferrari – Tape 1, Side A
7. Steve Roden – Airria (Hanging Garden) Second Version
8. Takami – Dark Woods

Great mix to relax to (from a great mix series), really love the choices here. Speaking of greatness, ..I would love to hear a new LP from these guys **hint-hint, wink-wink**..I feel this day is coming soon though;] (it has to be right?)

Cool Video Funtime #392 - Skies


Monday, July 29, 2013

EIC's 10Q's w/ Agent Side Grinder

".. a blend of Aggro-Industrial "EBM" meets Experimental/Jangly Krautrock Jams w/ a dash of Analog-Electronic playfulness.."


Agent Side Grinder
Manufacturing Vex

Agent Side Grinder Bio:
Sweden's Rocking Electro behemoth Agent Side Grinder burst onto the scene in 2008 with their eponymous debut album and since then have not looked back. The music is an uncompromising, never-before-heard blend of Industrial, Post-Punk, old style EBM and Electro topped with the apocalyptic crooning of singer Kristoffer Grip. British music fanzine 20JazzFunkGreats called them a "sensation of uncomfortable pleasure" and genre forefathers Suicide invited them as a support act.  In recent years, Agent Side Grinder has moved towards a bigger and more textured sound. Their latest record Hardware sees the band once again stepping into their musical time-machine, while having a rendezvous with old masters such as Kraftwerk, Einsturzende Neubaten and Depeche Mode. The result is a reckless, rhythmic journey into a bleak future with zero compromise.


Hello, how are you?
J: Very good thank you.

What are you currently listening to?
J: Mostly new ASG demos, but I really enjoy 'V' by Kite and the latest Daft Punk. Back to the future, that's our motto too.

What’s the story behind the band name?
P: It’s actually a name I came up with long before we even started the band. The name was in Swedish first, but it sounded even better in English.

When did this project come about and did you have a planned sound you were going for?
J: ASG was founded back in 2005 and we have released three studio albums so far. The goal was to make brutal electronic music with a punky attitude as a reaction to all laptop bands. We were seen as lunatics back then, nobody did music that way.

Care to shed some light on your latest LP; theme, favorite track, etc?
J: 'Hardware' came out last year in Europe. It’s just now been given a North American release by Artoffact Records. The idea was to make a dark and brutal record similar to our earlier stuff, but with more focus on melodies and arrangements. My personal favorite is the track “Mag 7”.

Will you be touring extensively for said release?
P: We have done about 50 concerts since 'Hardware' was released. We got some European festivals coming up this summer. If enough people in US or Canada want to see us, we’ll pack our gear straight away.

Got any other projects we should know about?
J: Well, I should mention 'SFTWR', the ASG remix album, which comes as a bonus disc on the Artoffact release. It has some really cool interpretations of our songs on it.

What movie would work best on mute while listening to you music?
P: There is a movie called 'Children’s island' directed by Kay Pollack, a very important movie that also inspired the final scene of the Swedish masterpiece 'Let The Right One In'.

You can only keep/listen to ONE album for the rest of your life ..which album would it be?
P: Without doubt, it’s the album 'Amok Koma' by the German band Abwärts.

Are you living your dream?
P: To have the opportunity to play concerts in exciting cities all over the world for people that are deeply into what we’re doing, is truly amazing. So probably yes..

Thanx Johan/ASG!

Agent Side Grinder recently released THIS, do yourself a favor and check that out now...

REVIEW: Agent Side Grinder - Hardware (SFTWR Included!)

8 out of 10
Find it here. 

When you read about this band (Agent Side Grinder) some of the more notable comparisons are: Kraftwek, Einsturzende Neubaten, and Depeche Mode. When I read about things like that I personally become very aroused in the ear pants. With pairings like that you'd have to be pretty awesome right? (Yes, yes you would.)

'Hardware' was originally released in Europe about a year ago, in 2013 Artoffact Records re-released "the US edition" WITH bonus album 'SFTWR', (which has some great remixes btw). Side note: I'm always elated to see/hear someone bring music like this over in the states, not enough people do;] Agent Side Grinder's sound is a blend of Aggro-Industrial "EBM" meets Experimental/Jangly Krautrock Jams w/ a dash of Analog-Electronic playfulness. Catchy bass lines, great drum beats/loops, really terrific keyboard riffs, ALLLL of the great things a hardcore (early era) Wax Trax fan would dig;] Dark & Menacing tones, but very catchy/toe-tappin' as well as suited for a sunnier happier day, yet also probably cool for a late night drive as well.. Honestly, I dare you not to find at least one truly amazing/catchy track on this beast*. (*hint: you can't.)

I'll keep it, you should too.

('Hardware') Standout Tracks: Sleeping Fury, Rip Me, Wold Hour, Mag 7 (i imagine this sounding particularly amazing live), Bring It Back, Stranger Stranger (on l∞p)
('SFTWR') Standout Tracks: Stranger Stranger (Dodens Lammungar), 010-195 (Th. Tot MX), Life In Advance (CCIS Dub MX) (also on l∞p)

Sunday, July 28, 2013

EICV7" No. 48 - Peasants ..coming soon!

EverythingIsChemical Virtual 7" No. 48 - Peasants comes out August 4th!
  
"You'll find that empty vessels make the most sound." ~Johnny Rotten

(hopefully you checked out the last v7"?)

Saturday, July 27, 2013

[[EIC Mixtape: № 15 - August '13]]

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Blithe Field - Dissolve & Reform
FIND IT HERE.
2. Mr.Kitty - Uncarresed
FIND IT HERE.
3. Noah23 - Eater Of Souls Ft. Blam Lord
FIND IT HERE.
4. Similarobjects - 4MuM
FIND IT HERE.
5. Rivka - Gone
FIND IT HERE.
6. Kitty - Barbie Jeep (Prod. Hot Sugar)
FIND IT HERE.
7. Nouvul - Myita
FIND IT HERE.
8. Hodgy Beats - Bullshittin
FIND IT HERE.
9. Dead Folk - Under Ice (Happy Memory)
FIND IT HERE.
10. Similarobjects - RitualFeelings
FIND IT HERE.
11. Ram Hoss - Heart
FIND IT HERE.
12. DJ Overdose - Suck Chain
FIND IT HERE.
13. TV Girl - Melanie
FIND IT HERE.
14. Ersatz Window - Beam
FIND IT HERE.
15. Lucca (a.k.a. Slow Head) - A Return To Shadow Forest (Chrono Cross)
FIND IT HERE.
16. Mr. Muthafuckin' Exquire - Tomorrow's Gone Ft. Danny Brown, Nacho Picasso & Flatbush Zombies (Prod. By DJ SicksentZ)
FIND IT HERE.
17. Femme En Fourrure - Watcher
FIND IT HERE.
18. Swing Delux - Fluorescent Lines
FIND IT HERE.
19. I'lls - Mine's Here Or My End's Here Or Nineteen
FIND IT HERE.
20. Afraid - Your Dealer
FIND IT HERE.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
Thanx for listenin';]

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Monday, July 22, 2013

REVIEW: Misfit Mod - Islands & Islands

7.25 out of 10

From what I understand Misfit Mod's debut LP 'Islands & Islands' took a little over 4 years to assemble & fine-tune. During most of that time Sarah (MM) was bouncing back and fourth between different continents. If I had to guess, this probably has sometime to do with title of the album, it also (if I had to guess) probably had a huge influence (due to all the different natives and their land) on the different variety of sounds that are on this release. If more bands would take their time and be patient with their sound until it finally evolved into what it needs to be, they may release a strong debut just like Misfit Mod has.

Most of the songs on 'I & I' are sweetly saturated Left Field Electro Pop songs of which perfectly utilize minimal arpeggiated synths, layers & loops of (mopey meets angelic) vocals, simple drum pad beats, and just the right amount of on Avant Garde Art vibe. A little bit of a slower jam, but a good head-nodding track here and there. I'm gonna go ahead and pretend to write one more sentence to make this review look longer, OR instead you could just click away now and get an opinion of your own..

An impressive debut, I'm looking forward to Misfit Mod's next move.

Standout Tracks: Cars (I), Valleys, Unreal (R. Gonzalez meets J. Barwick?), Pool House, Cars (II)

EIC's 10Q's w/ Misfit Mod

"..just the right amount of on Avant Garde Art vibe.."


Misfit Mod
Electric Saccharin

Misfit Mod Bio:
At the crossroads of art, music, and DIY culture, you’ll find Misfit Mod, the moniker of London-based Sarah Kelleher. With icy electronic beats, wet synths, and a hypnotic voice (one that veteran BBC host Tom Robinson said gave him goosebumps), Kelleher’s music radiates a technicolor fantasy full of understated strength and late-night whispers.  Growing up in New Zealand—a country famous for its idyllic landscapes as much as its dreary working-class conservatism—Kelleher spent most of her time as a child absorbing whatever caught her interest. Hanging out with her brothers and friends, riding around on her highlighter orange BMX, and singing along to her father’s records was as much a part of shaping her imagination as were da Vinci and Giotto, TLC and Boys II Men.  Part aversion to tribes, part artistic manifesto, Kelleher resisted taking instrument lessons or studying music theory, allowing her instead to cultivate a refined and cultured naivety that expresses her sense of musical purity and artistic individualism. Not interested in replicating what’s already been done, Kelleher combines her intuitive take on melody and vocal layering with a technological approach to the production of sound: in addition to being a serial autodidact, she is also one of New Zealand’s few certified female audio engineers.  Kelleher’s aesthetic is built on the juxtaposition of art and sound. A former gallery curator and art history graduate, Misfit Mod’s music and attitudes reflect this philosophy: teaming up with Swedish fashion designer Josefin Arnell, Kelleher created the live score for a fashion, music and performance-art hybrid; and at a recent show in London, Kelleher worked with mixologists to invent a cocktail that mimicked the feel and taste of her music (crushed lavender, violets liquor, sweet cherries).  In 2007, still in New Zealand, and following a string of shitty events that Kelleher would rather not talk about, Sarah began spending most of her nights in a makeshift studio in a small corner room of an apparel factory. For 6 to 8 hours every day, Kelleher would go to her office and record, eventually laying the foundation for Islands & Islands, a record she would continue obsessing over for years. Escaping New Zealand in 2008, Sarah would spend the next couple of years traveling across Northern Europe, tweaking beats in Oxford and Amsterdam, writing and rewriting her lyrics in Paris, polishing her vocal melodies in Berlin.  Sharp and precise, Misfit Mod has built a collection of songs that cut straight to her aesthetic core. From the rich and chocolatey ‘Sugar C’ and mantra-like ‘Cars’, to the unearthly “Ghost Me’ and sun-blurred ‘Valleys’, Islands & Islands is an album of subtle variety and aching beauty. For all of those who are misfits too, Islands & Islands forms not the vanguard of some new tribe, but the spear tip of one artist’s journey into a raw, eclectic, and vivid interior world.


Hello, how are you? 
Hi. Good thanks.

What are you currently listening to?
I’m listening to a lot of Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Mykki Blanco, Lauryn Hill, Jib Kidder, The Knife and the new Kurt Vile record.

When did this project come about and whom were your biggest influences for said project?
Oh it came about over quite a long period of time. I hadn’t really thought too much about actually releasing the album but my friend Mark and a few other people who I had shared it with were like ‘Sarah! What are you doing with these songs?!’ Mark asked me if I would like to release it through his record label Stars And Letters and I said, yes. I always like to work with my friends on projects and creative things so it seemed like the natural thing to do. I wasn’t inspired too much by anyone in particular. I actually stopped listening to most music while I was writing a lot of this record. I really wanted it to feel of it’s own, I didn’t want to be too inspired by others. At this point it was more about finding my own way of doing things.

Care to tell us a little bit about your latest release 'Islands And Islands'?’
Yeah, sure. It’s a very minimal record. I think it feels quite insular and underwater-y.  I’m addicted to melody and harmony so that’s a really big focus for me. A lot of the songs were written while I was traveling around which meant I didn’t have a huge amount of access to gear. I think that partly attributes to the minimal feel of the album. It’s very bare bones.

Any plans to tour for said release?
Yip, there are a few things in the pipeline. I’m working on a live set at the moment. It would be great to go over and hang out with my label in New York and do a few shows. That’s the idea but nothing is super firmed up yet. So keep an ear out for news!

If you could choose any artist(s) to remix your work, whom would you choose and why?
Fatima Al Qadiri would be cool. Though I don’t know if she’d be into it. Haha. Her music is kind of like the opposite of mine. I think that’s why I’m attracted her work. It could be an interesting combination. It would either be a total disaster or completely amazing. I like the idea of that.

Got any other projects we should know about?
I’m working on few interesting collaborations that I’m really excited about and can’t wait to share. And I'm hoping to release an E.P a little later in the year as well.

What movie would work best on mute while listening to you music?
I’m sure the perfect match exists but I’m not sure I’ve seen it yet.

You can only keep/listen to ONE album for the rest of your life ..which album would it be?
Wow, hard question! Maybe, Fleetwood Mac's 'Rumours'. Stevie Nicks is the best!

Are you living your dream?
Sure. I have rad friends, making music I love and doing things I love. I feel like that’s pretty dreamy. 

Thanx Sarah and Matthew!

Misfit Mod released her impressive debut LP this year, I strongly recommend you give it a listen...

Sunday, July 21, 2013

EICV7" No. 47 - Tazmanian Tiger


"The best musicians or sound-artists are people who never considered themselves to be artists or musicians."~Richard D. James
 
Next release comes out August 4th.

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

(FINALLY) NEW Mazzy Star on the way..!

Mazzy Star's 'Seasons Of Your Day' comes out Spetember 24th via the band's own Rhymes Of An Hour imprint.

15 years in the making.. I can only hope for no disappointment (what MS does best). Judging by the first single I think we're in for some seductive ear candy;] +How great was that last Hope Sandoval release? (a: see #2)

EIC's 10Q's w/ Image Circle

"..chill as f^(k meets peculaiar-angelic.."


Image Circle
Vertiginous Refinement

Image Circle Bio:
Image Circle is Slow Head & Moon Mirror. Their debut release 'Mecca' came out October 12th, 2012.


Hello, how are you?
Fine, thank you. How are you?

What are you currently listening to?
We listen to a lot of nature sounds. We try not to draw influence from other music that's out there because we like our sound to be unique to us.

When did this project come about/how did you guys meet?
We met on hdghettos2 in march of 2012.

What's with the band name?
Good one, huh?

Care to tell us a little bit about your latest release 'Mecca'?
'Mecca' was a labor of love. It's a mix of recordings made digitally and also using tape. We currently have an un-mastered version of the whole album available for $2 download on bandcamp.

Is Image Circle a one-time deal?
No way, we are way too into it.

Got any other projects we should know about?
We're working on our follow up album now, but we aren't rushing things and we're taking time to really develop our sound.

What movie would work best on mute while listening to you music?
Pretty much any nature documentary.

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

Are you living your dream?
Is that a euphemism for smoking weed? if so then YES.

Thanx IC!

Image Circle is currently working on a follow up to their debut LP 'Mecca'...

REVIEW: Image Circle - Mecca

8 out of 10

Image Circle is a new "side" project featuring Slow Head and Moon Mirror. On 'Mecca' (their debut) IC come across as a narcoleptic Grimes meets Aphex Twin meets Telefon Tel Aviv.

There are LOTS of layers of great samples & loops on IC's debut LP (not quite sure what the analog to digital ratio is); most of these layers & tones in-vein of Shoegaze meets Industrial meets Ambient meets IDM, which collide & glide in-between heavenly (slightly reverb-drenched) vocals. The overall vibe is "chill as f^(k meets peculiar-angelic".. Just give it a listen, you'll like what you hear.

Highly Recommended stuff here (ESPECIALLY if you like any of the names mentioned above). I can't wait to hear where this project takes it's sound in the future. (and yes, more music is coming;)

Standout Tracks: Wings, Pink Fox, Hooded Clone, Spheres (♥)