by: Paul McEldowney
Oneohtrix Point Never - Replica – (Software)
While I am recovering from the deep nostalgia of listening to the Sigur Ros live album that came in this week, I am reminded of how nostalgia functions as romantic subconscious selective memory and how much that can kind of suck. There's a way in which memory and nostalgia is really cut and paste, intellectually emotionally confusing, and reality shaping. Nowadays people are criticizing nostalgia as a sign of someone's ability to move on and just get with the times. In my mind (hehe), Oneohtrix Point Never's newest argues that such criticisms ignore the implicit nostalgia that goes on in everyday life. And I'm not just talking about how the present is tied to the past, but the fact that there is this weird collective sub-consciousness and seemingly self-damaging (but rather self-progressing) cut and paste, ironically driven by the new technologies of the time, which pervades the cultural vernacular. In any form of cultural artifact production It's weird how things and trends just pop up unnoticed and gets shuffled around with everything else that is getting produced which produces significant emotional and intellectual confusion. Nostalgia is almost regulatory, disruptive, and activist in this way. Even as a critique, Replica is entirely accessible and playful, ironically baring little resemblance to his older ahistorical new-age Vangelis synthscapes.
Thee Oh Sees - Carrion Crawler/The Dream – (In The Red)
Second record this year from face-melters Thee Oh Sees. It's a double EP documenting their transition into more jam-bandy to the point of being a little krauty like Neu or Can. Much different from their earlier release this year, it's less psych-pop and more heavy spacey garage droney stuff. As usual it's all killer, destructive, and immediately compelling psychelic garage-punk in a way that only Thee Oh Sees can pull off. And if you get a chance to see them live, take it up and prepare for a baptism of your own doing.
Sigur Ros - Inni – (XL)
Live album by seminal hauntingly beautiful and spine chilling post-rock band that we all know and love. Probably one of my favorite bands from high school, and this is bringing me back hard.
Quilt - Quilt – (Mexican Summer)
Delicate, kaleidescopic, and intertwining organic psychelic krauty prog-pop with multilayered spiritually charged yet elegant alt-church choir type vocals. It's like a sit-down internal commune orchestra, or summer camp delusional hymns.
Raleigh Moncrief - Watered Lawn – (Anticon)
Producer/Engineer for bands like Dirty Projectors, Zach Hill, and Youth Lagoon makes bizarro spirit crushing avant-hip hop meets Dave Longsteth type soul inflections. It's totally mystikal. Let me remind you that Mystikal hasn't released an album in over ten years and is playing at the Gathering Of The Jugglos in 2011. He did the hit 'Shake it Fast'! Embrace it!
Ty Segall - Singles 2007-2010 – (Goner)
Like Jay Reatard, Segall's put out tons of singles, EPs, and Cassettes that sold out super quick. This new comp collects a bunch of these rougher around the edges sassy, and harder to find recordings of Segall's young but fruitful and impressive career as one of the most interesting garage punk bands around.
Eddy Current Suppression Ring - So Many Things – (Goner)
Compilation of Australia's best lo-fi psychelic anti-structural garage punk band's singles and demos. It's super dissonant, abrasive, challenging in ethos and presentation but compelling in its rawness and down-to-earthness.
The Spits - The Spits V – (In The Red)
Newest record by Seattle based weirdo low-budget horror doom-punk buzz-saw-to-skull romantics The Spits. As usual with The Spits, the music is intoxicating, showcasing their unique ability to put out consistently good records year after year.
Darkness Falls - Alive In Us – (HFN Music)
Baroque twangy and dreamy fall and winter soundtrack folk-pop with electronic beats, gratuitous harpsichord, and seasonal melancholy.
Sea Lions - Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Sea Lions, But Were Afraid – (Slumberland)
Naive teen dream classic C86 mixed with surf infused twee twang.
Orchestra Of Spheres - Nonagonic Now – (Fire)
Cestial and ritualistic poly-rhythmic sonic post-futurity. I remember reading an Excepter review on a CD in the library that said they sounded like if the zombies from 28 Days Later played dance music. This is like if those zombies became more technologically advanced, making the zombie society and norms more complex and structured. This would be like the 'new wave' or common vernacular of their society. In more grounded terms, it is drum and bass driven 'eastern' influenced warbly psych ragas mixed with atonal battery drained synth washes.
Canyons - Keep Your Dreams – (Modular)
Booty bumping atmospheric psych-disco that goes all over the place with guest appearances by members of Tame Impala and Nite Jewel.
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