Tony Jay - Knife Is But A Dream

 

Taking an aural trip through Knife Is But A Dream is like one of those pleasant afternoon naps where you shift between semi-awake daydreams, actual dream-filled sleep, and that fuzzy, gauzy space in between -- pleasing and rewarding, but ephemeral and just beyond your grasp. And interspersed with those moments are hushed lullabies, all brought to you by San Francisco musician Tony Jay. Mixing his gorgeous guitar tones and intimate vocals with ambient soundscapes, he delivers 15 tracks of inner space brilliance, simultaneously warm and mysterious. It must be said that he can't take all the credit, as his cat is said to have provided some guitar muting, keyboard playing and background vocalizations (we will have our paralegal check to see if "Penny" is credited on the copyright paperwork).

Tony Jay is Michael Ramos, who also participates in other Bay Area projects, including Cindy and Flowertown. Knife Is But A Dream is out now via Paisley Shirt Records, Slumberland Records, and in Japan by Galaxy Train.

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Paisley Shirt Records'' Bandcamp (digital/cassette)

Galaxy Train's Bandcamp.

Goliath - The Garden EP

 

We can't tell you much about Goliath, but we think the Scottish band's recently released Garden EP deserves your ears. We are particularly taken by their lovely cover of BMX Bandit's "Serious Drugs", but there are other delights as well.

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Islet - Eyelet

Islet makes music like no one else. And that is a bid sad, because the world certainly needs more music like Eyelet, the Welsh trio's new album. But on the other hand, its rarity makes this album that much more of an extra special journey of discovery. It is experimental indie pop, but that label drastically fails to convey inventive spirit, the breadth of ideas, and the sheer beauty of the music. Inspired by literature, history, politics and personal events, the album is, in turn, inspiring for the listener. You may not have heard of Islet before today, and that is OK. Just don't let tomorrow dawn without having heard their music.

Islet are Emma Daman Thomas, Mark Daman Thomas, and Alex Williams. Eyelet is out now in vinyl, CD, and digital formats via Fire Recordings.









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Brace! Brace! - Brace! Brace!

Brace yourselves, because Brace! Brace! may challenge your assumptions about French pop music.  This Parisian four-piece bills themselves as shoegaze and dreampop, but our ears prompt us to consider them more punk pop/noise pop/experimental.  But regardless of the genre boxes you are tempted to check, their new self-titled album is a terrific listen.  Rhythmic, with a great sense of space and an appealing tendency to build tension over the course of a song, the music is reminds us of a more sonically adventurous Beat Happening, absent Calvin Johnson's baritone.  Get out of your groove and give Brace! Brace! a chance -- it may make your day.

We are advised that the members of the band are Thibault Picot, Cyril Angleys, Antoine Barbier, and Simon Lapillonne.  Brace! Brace! is out now as a digital release via Howlin' Banana Records.










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Aquaserge - Laisse ca etre

If you have adventuresome musical tastes, Laisse ca etre may be your delight of the month.  The latest work from Aquaserge, a collective from southern France, blends together ideas from jazz, French films, folk, Krautrock, psychedelia, progressive rock, vintage pop and other elements from around the globe.  With a cinematic feel that would slot in nicely as the soundtrack for an indie film, the songs sprawl generously with a variety of concepts and plenty of delightful left turns.  But despite the rapidly shifting rhythms, time signatures and instrumentation, the band has a breathtaking ability to perform with absolute precision.  This is pop music with a brain, a heart, and the spirit of a global backpacker.  Climb on, it is a wonderful ride.

Including members of Tame Impala, Stereolab and Melody's Echo Chamber, Aquaserge was founded by Julien Barbagallo, Julien Gasc and Benjamin Gilbert, and now includes Audrey Ginestet and Manon Gilbert, among others.

Laisse ca etre is out now via Almost Musique in France and Crammed Discs in the rest of the world.










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Sneaks - It's A Myth

Sneaks is a delightfully fresh project.  The brainchild of Washington, D.C.'s Eva Moolchan, it offers an intriguing blend of post punk, experimental pop, and hip hop.  And you can experience it all in less than 20 minutes!  Yes, you read that correctly.  It's A Myth contains ten tracks with an average run time of less that two minutes per track.  The beauty of that approach is each song concisely delivers the musical message, and then gets out of the way for the next song to audition its wares.  Unusual? Yes.  But remarkably entertaining and captivating.

As for the content, it is indie pop, electronic, synth pop and hip hop, and it is none of those things.  That description may make no sense to you in the abstract, but spin the album and you'll understand.  It won't take much of your time, and the rewards far exceed the time spent.

It's A Myth is out now via Merge Records.









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Kelly Lee Owens - Kelly Lee Owens

Last year I was sent an EP by a Welsh-born Londoner named Kelly Lee Owens.  I was impressed, but very busy and didn't get around to writing about it.  But I made a mental note to pay attention to her future solo work, so I dutifully listened to her self-titled debut album this week.  The verdict, for those of you who don't like to wait for the bottom line, is that Kelly Lee Owens likely is the most adventuresome yet fully accessible electronic album you'll hear this year.  Oh, sure, its only the end of March, but the album really is that good.  In fact, I thing that I could broaden my statement to last year and next year  and have a decent chance of not being wrong.

The songs are based in techno, but transcend to broader dance modes, electro pop, electronic, dreampop and experimental pop.  At times it is airy and subtle (but never shy), other times sensual and stylish, and yet others pulsing and throbbing.  But it always has a purposeful and very forward drive.  As an artist, Owens is bold and clever, but also very sincere.  She is on the voyage with her audience, trying to please others by pleasing herself, and willing to take risks to do so.  I'd like to think she is a big fan of this album, and given her talent, that is good news for all of us.

Kelly Lee Owens is out now.  See the Bandcamp link below for details.






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Bloody Death Skull - The Haunting of Bloody Death Skull

When the artist's name is Bloody Death Skull, you would expect a Halloween release date.  And you would be correct.  You also would expect the feature of the release to appear on that date.  But you would be wrong.  Perhaps you have us confused with real, professional music journalists.

The facts are that Halloween was a blur of sugar-induced semi-consciousness, near alcohol poisoning and silly costumes.  We call it "Monday".   So you read about The Haunting of Bloody Death Skull a couple of days later.  However -- and quite accidentally -- the journalistic malpractice is not as bad as we feared, because it really isn't a ghoulish album.  The themes can trend to the dark side at times, but overall this is a delightful bundle of retro girl group, doo wop and garage stylings sung in a girlish voice by the talented Argentina to Florida to Columbia University to California Daiana Feuer and supporting conspirators, including Gerard Olson, Beth McSelf, and Donna Bummer.  The tunes are snappy, sweetly bittersweet (yes, that's a thing), slightly shaggy and very fun.  A bit of punk attitude and some toy instruments give it a delightful extra edge.

The Haunting of Bloody Death Skull is out now as a self-release.  See the Bandcamp link below for this EP and previous releases.




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Pikelet - Tronc

What is a Pikelet?  It is synth-based art pop with an experimental scope and a romantic heart.  For new album Tronc, all parts are played and voiced by founder Evelyn Morris, who seems equally bent on entertaining and challenging the listener with her brand of weirdo pop.  But unlike some experimental pop music, it is undeniably engaging.  It may come from left field, but it welcomes you into the fantastical world rather than creating a wall.  One of the reasons I think it works so well is that Morris is a masterful songwriter and disciplined performer.  For all of the bells, beats and tones, the compositions are focused and efficient.  And for our money, after spending nearly forty minutes letting Pikelet paint with bright colors inside our heads, the only thing we want to do is press "repeat".

Tronc is out now in cassette and digital formats via Chapter Music.  You can stream Tronc in its entirely at the Bandcamp link below.





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Young Fathers - White Men Are Black Men Too

While refining my list of notable albums for end of the year awards, I discovered that one of the albums in my likely top 20 list had not been featured.  I suspect the reason is that I received my copy while recovering from an accident, but I nevertheless feel that the omission should be corrected, so here it the belated feature for White Men Are Black Men Too, by Young Fathers.

With a wide scope concept of pop music, versatile compositions, tons of ability and an insistence on delivering their art on their own terms Young Fathers are, in my opinion, one of the more exciting bands indie music.  Previously, the Edinburgh trio released two EPs (Tape One and Tape Two) and an LP, Dead, which won the Mercury Prize.  White Men Are Black Men Too finds the band continuing to tighten their musical expression while testing boundaries, both musical and thematic.  The lyrics are clear-eyed and direct.  The breadth of possible musical cousins, if not influences, such as TV On The Radio, Arcade Fire, Dirigible Planets, R&B and neo-soul illustrate why Young Fathers confound those who would put them in a genre box and try to explain their music from a single perspective.  It seems to me that all one can do is let the music wash over you and tell the world what you hear.

And what you hear are strong pop melodies, aggressive bass and percussion and plenty of frills filling in at the higher register.  Each song is like unwrapping a present, unraveling at its own pace and in its own unique way.  As a whole, it is a big sound born of big ambition teamed with breathtaking talent.  The best pop music is made by having something to say, and then saying it well.  Based on this album, Young Fathers are near the head of the class in pop music.

For those unfamiliar with the band, they call themselves Young Fathers because each of them is named after his father.  Based in Edinburgh, Graham 'G' Hastings was born in that city, while Alloysious Massaquoi is from Liberia via Ghana, and Kayus Bankole grew up in the United States, but his parents were from Nigerian.










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The Jean-Paul Sartre Experience - I Like Rain: The Story of The Jean-Paul Sartre Experience

I Like Rain: The Story of The Jean-Paul Sartre Experience is one of the most welcome collections I have ever owned.  It ticks all of the crucial boxes for such compilations: Very good but criminally underexposed band; hard to find material; comprehensive collection; and appealing package.  Most importantly, the set demonstrates the incredible versatility and the sheer quality of the music of The Jean-Paul Sartre Experience.  The New Zealand band, named in honor of a flatmate's struggles with his philosophy studies, was signed to the iconic local label Flying Nun.  But their music didn't fit neatly in the jangling retrospective (and not entirely correct) image of Flying Nun bands.  More likely to display a harder edge, a jazzy arrangement or a blues riff, the songwriting was adventurous and idiosyncratic.  Over their short performing life of 1988 through 1993, the band added elements of US college rock and grunge, and a fair it of psychedelia (check out "Into You" below).  That their evolution included increasingly more complex approaches and sonic experimentation may have presented a challenge to their existing fan base.  But in the rear view mirror afforded by I Like Rain: The Story of The Jean-Paul Sartre Experience, one's appreciation only is enhanced by the band's positive growth.

Yes, this is a big package and it is priced accordingly.  But music like this is rare.  And given that this material was out of print and Fire Records spend six years, and I expect a sizable amount of resources, to license the over 50 songs from Flying Nun, remaster them, and create this box set, you may not get another chance.  You could even buy it and wrap it for a Christmas present to yourself, but who the hell would want to wait that long to listen to this great music?

The Jean-Paul Sartre Experience was Dave Yetton (vocals/bass), Dave Mulcahy (guitar), Jim Laing (guitar), and Gary Sullivan (drums).  This box set is available in CD and vinyl formats.  The vinyl has original sequencing with bonus material available as a digital download.















Fire Records page for release

Introducing: Emily Reo

Emily Reo hasn't formally released "Spell", but her performance of the song has been captured on video by Daniel Dorsa, Nivan Yahaghi and Eric Littmann in a Session for Portals Music.  We watch as Emily records layers of vocals and effects and loops them to create a soaring pop feast.  Stay with it, it builds wonderfully.



You can listen to more of Reo's music at the Soundcloud link below.  Here is "Birds of Paradise".



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New Youth Lagoon video for "Raspberry Cane" from Wondrous Bughouse, Fall Tour Dates

Youth Lagoon released Wondrous Bughouse back in the spring (WYMA review here)... at the time, I noted the whimsical atmosphere inspired by the song "Raspberry Cane". Here's a video that was directed by Stephen McNally - and in addition to whimsical, I'd perhaps use "fantasmic" or some such term to describe it. Themes of the album include some pretty heavy metaphysical concepts, and there's definitely an otherworldly quality to this animated short film:



And touring all around the world:

09/05 Portland, OR - MFNW @ Pioneer Courthouse Square
09/06 Seattle, WA - Neumo's
09/07 Missoula, MT - Monk's Bar
09/09 Boulder, CO - Fox Theater *
09/10 Omaha, NE - Waiting Room *
09/11 Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall *
09/12 Milwaukee, WI - Pabst Theater *
09/14 Detroit, MI - Laneway Festival
09/16 Washington DC - 9:30 Club *
09/17 Cambridge, MA - The Sinclair *
09/19 New York, NY - Le Poisson Rouge *
09/20 Pittsburgh, PA - Mr Small's *
09/21 Cleveland, OH - Grog Shop *
09/22 Lexington, KY - Boomslang Festival
09/24 St Louis, MO - Plush *
09/25 Columbia, MO - Mojo's *
09/26 Indianapolis, IN - Deluxe *
09/27 Cincinnati, OH - Midpoint Music Festival
09/28 Champaign, IL - Pygmalion Festival
09/29 Kansas City, MO - Record Bar *
10/02 Phoenix, AZ - Crescent Ballroom *
10/04 Los Angeles, CA - First Unitarian Church, Los Angeles *
10/31 Dublin, Ireland - Whelans
11/01 London, UK - Islington Assembly Rooms
11/02 Paris, France - Pitchfork Festival
11/05 Tel Aviv, Israel - Barby
11/07 Barcelona, Spain - Razz 2
11/08 San Sebastian, Spain - Iglesia de Zorroaga
11/09 Madrid, Spain - But
11/10 Santiago, Spain - Capitol
11/12 Orleans, France - Astrolabe
11/13 Strasbourg, France - Laiterie
11/14 Fribourg, Switzerland - Fri-Son
11/15 Berlin, Germany - Prince Charles
11/17 Oslo, Norway - Parkteatret
11/18 Stockholm, Sweden - Debaser Medis
11/19 Gothenburg, Sweden - Pustervik
11/20 Copenhagen, Denmark - Pumpehuset
11/23 Utrecht, Holland - Tivoli
11/24 Brussels, Belgium - Botanique/Orangerie    
*With Pure X

Youth Lagoon at Fat Possum

REVIEW: Adam Stafford - Imaginary Walls Collapse

I am fairly certain that Adam Stafford has only one head, which is surprising only because of the number of hats he wears.  Outside of recording his own music, he is a filmmaker and heads a label (Wiseblood Industries).  As a recording artist, he displays a range of excellence encompassing post-punk, experimental, and soul pop styles.  He creates interesting, layered rhythmic and melodic patterns with loop technology, reverb and beatboxing, while adjusting his vocal delivery to match the material.  But I think that the key element that makes Stafford's music compelling is his ability to craft and deliver songs of melancholy, sadness and other tricky aspects of life in a thoroughly entertaining fashion.  And in what I believe is his finest work to date, it is on display via his new album, Imaginary Walls Collapse.  Perhaps the more convincing than my words, would be a listen to the album's second track, "Vanishing Tanks".



Interestingly, Stafford was reputed to be prepared to quit music recently, but was persuaded to continue with this album.  I find that background relevant because it makes the bold result even more surprising.  This is an artist who seems fully willing to be judged on his art, with nothing held back in the cupboard.  I'm thinking he gets an A.  Are you still on the fence?  Perhaps you'll like the moody southern soul of "Please".  To me, this track sounds like what you would have heard in a Memphis club in the '60s after the doors had been locked, most of the lights turned out, and the band wound down the evening with a gentle song.  Try it out tonight with a good beverage and the lights out and you'll see what I mean.



In the adept combinations of Americana, folk, electronic pop and post punk, there is an energizing sense of playfulness.  You can almost feel the sparkle in the eighth track, "The Sound of Fear Evaporating" and "His Acres".




Imaginary Walls Collapse is out now via Song, by Toad Records and Kingfisher Bluez.  It is climbing the charts in my household, I recommend it for yours.

Bandcamp (Kingfisher Bluez Bandcamp site for album)
Kingfisher Bluez
Song, by Toad Records

REVIEW: Youth Lagoon - Wondrous Bughouse

Youth Lagoon is Trevor Powers, a Boise-based one-man band with his second full-length album, Wondrous Bughouse, out Tuesday (Mar. 5) on Fat Possum. Youth Lagoon is playing psychedelic synth- and guitar-based pop music that is both languid and memorable. I reviewed his last album, The Year of Hibernation, and put it on my Best of 2011 list. I've got a real soft spot for this music, maybe because of its resemblance to other favorites of mine like Sparklehorse and Built to Spill, or maybe just because, like those artists, he's executing on a really well-conceived vision in which you can sort of lose yourself. Wondrous Bughouse is a much bigger-sounding record than The Year of Hibernation - the live drumming, in particular, gives a lot of substance to the music.

Here's the second track "Mute" - after an instrumental intro, this song fairly explodes with drums, synthesizers and, eventually, guitars.Then you hear the first lyrics on the album: "Living in a 3D world" - and later in the song, there are interludes that include found sounds you might expect from a science fiction movie soundtrack. It's not like he's showing off - the guy really just has a great imagination and a knack for being able to share it:



Here's "Dropla" - soft, sweet, sad, wistful - like much of Powers' work, it rewards repeated listening as well as listening on different levels. The music is pretty engaging on its own, and has a certain childlike quality. But the content of the song seems to be about the question of comforting oneself on the loss of a loved one - especially how a young person without much experience with such a thing might do so. "You'll never die, you'll never die, you'll never die" he repeats multiple times. The first time, it might be the kind of denial you could expect from a younger person with that particular kind of "immortality complex" that is found in the young. But later in the song, it becomes almost a self-comforting mantra, a recognition that there is a place for the soul to go:



These are two of the better songs on the record, but the quality is uniform. Even if the sound is pretty widely varied, it is wonderful throughout. Some of it is whimsical - "Attic Doctor" and "Raspberry Cane" fairly bring a carnival to life - and some of it is profound, often in the same song, and often in very close proximity. And there are songs that deliver great dream pop, songs like "Attic Doctor" that can stand on their own, but fit perfectly into the sonic landscape of Wondrous Bughouse.

Powers is an impressive talent with a delightful way with a song, and a seemingly limitless imagination. Given the level of success of these first two records and the fact that he's still only 22 years old, there would seem to be plenty of reason to hope for more music this good, or maybe better. But for now, and for some time to come, this album will keep me plenty busy. You can order or buy it at Fat Possum's website:

Youth Lagoon at Fat Possum

New Electronic Rock Discovery: Patti Yang - "I Am Ready"

Patti (or Pati) Yang is a UK-based (originally Polish) artist playing electronic rock music. After emigrating from Poland to London at 16, she released her first album at 18. She's part of the well-regarded electronic act Flykkiller and has opened stadium shows for Depeche Mode. She released two EP's in 2012, and is working on an album for 2013. For now (and for a limited time), she's made this track "I Am Ready" available for download:



This will be part of an EP with a couple of remixes (Jagz Kooner and Skylab), then an album later in the year. I really like the way this nearly six-minute track builds and unfolds, and look forward to hearing more from her.

Introducing: Haiku Salut

Gemma, Louise and Sophie, three women from the UK's Derbyshire Dales, form Haiku Salut.  Their music really is its own genre - experimental, baroque, instrumental music with folk and electronic elements.  Instruments include, but probably are not limited to, loop pedals, accordions, and melodicas.

Their album Tricolore will be out in March on London's How Does It Feel To Be Loved label.  The single "Los Elefantes" was released in January, and is available as a free download here below.  It is a gorgeous song and I look forward to the album.



The single also is the subject of this fine video --


Haiku Salut - Los Elefantes from Haiku Salut on Vimeo.

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New Jazz "Version" Discovery: Daniela Nardi's Espresso Manifesto - Macchiato67 - Via Con Me Remix EP

Italian-Canadian singer/songwriter/producer Daniela Nardi and her project Espresso Manifesto have recently released an album of Paolo Conte songs, and to take the tribute a little further, on Feb. 14 will release a sultry, super-cool EP: Macchiato67 – Via Con Me Remix.

The EP is a collaboration with Italian DJ-Composer Gerardo Frisina (Schema/Ishtar). The Macchiato67 EP consists of 3 tracks – a Club Mix, a Vocal Remix and an Instrumental Remix.

Nardi says of her choice in working with Frisina, “I really love the Italian lounge scene and have been a fan of Gerardo’s work for some time. I thought it would be really cool if I could introduce a new generation to the works of Paolo Conte. By adding the treatment that we did to the tracks, it helps bring a freshness, new life and if anything further show how timeless Conte’s tracks are when you can make a remix out of it and it sounds like a contemporary track.”

This is a great discovery, to me - the music is terrific, but I always find it interesting and fun to discover alternative versions - a way to kind of see or hear the artist at work. And the music certainly swings.

Daniela Nardi's Espresso Manifesto Website

New Post-Rock Discovery: Ninetails - Slept And Did Not Sleep EP

From Liverpool comes math-rock band Ninetails. They're playing with precision, but also with emotion. The bass lines are propulsive, the guitar playing is strong and vocals understated, in places reminiscent of Chris Martin and Thom Yorke. The band consists of Ed Black, Jordan Balaber, Phil Morris and Jake King. They are playing a heady mix of indie rock with world beat and dance-rock elements and some unexpected twists and turns that hint, to me, of a jazz background for at least some of these guys. Their new EP is Slept And Did Not Sleep, due for release Dec. 10.

Here's the video for "Maybe We":



And here is a live performance of "Rawdon Fever" (my favorite cut on the record):



And you can stream it at their Soundcloud site:



The album will be out soon on Superstar Destroyer Records... looking forward to more from them.

REVIEW: Wild Cub - Youth

Nashville, TN's Wild Cub is a duo - Keegan DeWitt and Jeremy Bullock. DeWitt has a soulful voice, and they play a mix of beat-based electronic music and a fuller electronic pop. It's pretty engaging - in places, reminiscent of New Order, and in places a little brighter than that. After playing Bonnaroo in June, they came back to Nashville to play a few local dates and work on some videos and the release of their new album Youth (out today, August 14 on Big Light Recordings).

It's not surprising to learn that the principal songwriter, DeWitt, is a film composer, as there's a very cinematic element to the composition. Here's a new video by filmmaker Matt Jay for the song "Shapeless":

"Shapeless" (Official Video) from Wild Cub on Vimeo.

And there is a new video, for "Jonti", available at IFC.com.

You can listen and order a record, which includes a free download, on Bandcamp: These guys have a way with a song, and DeWitt a way with the vocals, that transforms this from what might be just another faceless dance-rock disc into something with a good bit of texture - check out the percussion on "Thunder Clatter", strings on "Streetlights" and the Afro-pop guitar on "Jonti". Youth sounds like it will be in the rotation a while.

They're playing an album release show in NYC tonight, then they'll be on a mini-tour:

AUG. 14 NEW YORK, NY PIANOS
AUG. 24 FLORENCE, AL BILLY REID SHINDIG (Wilson Park)
AUG. 25 NASHVILLE, TN HIGH WATT
SEPT. 10 NASHVILLE, TN THE MERCY LOUNGE*
SEPT. 28 WACO, TX COMMON GROUNDS**
SEPT. 29 AUSTIN, TX STUBBS, JR.**
OCT. 6 NASHVILLE, TN SOUNDLAND MUSIC FESTIVAL
OCT. 18 NEW YORK, NY ARLENE'S GROCERY#
* BMI Back to School 8 Off 8th event
** supporting Sondre Lerche
# The Young Giant Presents... CMJ showcase