Memoryhouse – The Years February 16, 2010
Posted by gwyoung in Album Reviews, Music, Music Videos.Tags: electronica, memoryhouse
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Artist: Memoryhouse
Album: The Years
Release: Self-released, 2010
Genre: Electronica
RIYD: Grouper, Washed Out, Joanna Newsom
When I first read about Memoryhouse, I thought to myself: “Haven’t we had enough of all this lo-fi, chillwave, Memory [insert random word here] bullshit?” Well, in this case the answer is no. Though Memoryhouse does indeed have a lot in common with Dayve Hawk’s shapeshifting Memory Tapes/Memory Cassette/Weird Tapes musical project, it’s not just another uninspired addition to the beachy surf music trend that began last summer. Memoryhouse, the dreamy electronic duo of Denise Nouvion and Evan Abeele, works within the framework of this musical movement to produce almost the exact opposite feeling, focusing on the chill of wintry hibernation instead.
The so-called glo-fi genre has so far been dominated by young males making mainly mellow, laid-back tunes that lack deep emotion or substance and are usually about drugs or the beach, with few exceptions. As such, you can imagine my surprise when Nouvion’s crisp and fragile vocals broke through the dreamy haze of opener “Sleep Patterns”, immediately drawing more attention to the voice than the genre has ever done before. This lyrical focus becomes even more clear on “Lately (Deuxieme)” which begins with the line “Lately, I’m not sleeping, I’m not breathing, without machines” and ends with the repeated “Shut me off” and along the way proves to be a devastatingly emotional piece from the perspective of a comatose patient. Here Memoryhouse evokes acts like Grouper at their best moments as Nouvion’s vocals emerge from the murky, repetitive mix of gentle guitar strumming and distant static to become painfully clear.
Fortunately, the rest of The Years is less of a downer. “The Waves” and “To The Lighthouse” have more of the traditional lo-fi beat, courtesy of Abeele’s pristine production, and end the short-but-sweet EP on a more optimistic note, though not so optimistic as to make a clean break from the sense of sadness captured earlier on. Nouvion’s vocal performance is just as powerful on these tracks and in the end is what makes the EP so elegant and unique when compared with the rest of the genre. Though The Years only spans a little over twelve minutes, it shows more promise than any full-length debut I’ve heard in a while, and with the imminent release of the seven-song Looms Of Youth scheduled for this spring, this may be a big year for this little duo.
You can download the entire EP for free at Memoryhouse’s myspace page. Below are some interesting unofficial videos for “Lately (Deuxieme)” and “To The Lighthouse”:
The duo also did an incredible cover of Grizzly Bear’s “The Foreground” from last year’s Veckatimest, so here’s that as well:
Symphony Of Science – “The Unbroken Thread” February 13, 2010
Posted by gwyoung in Music, Music Videos.Tags: electronica, symphony of science
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Symphony Of Science is an ongoing music project from producer John Boswell that transforms scientific television shows and documentaries into beautiful pieces of mellow, sample-based and beat-laden electronica. They take clips from notable episodes of famous physicists, chemists, and biologists and auto-tune their speech to create verses and choruses that attempt to explain and make sense of the world in which we live. The visual accompaniment consists of footage taken directly from the original recording, so breathtaking images of life from the microscopic level to the grand cosmos are interspersed among video of the scientists explaining their theories, synchronized with the auto-tune melodies and, of course, complete with their trademark host personalities and physical gesticulations.
The first installment in the series was called “A Glorious Dawn” and featured vocal contributions from Carl Sagan and Stephen Hawking, including the famous line “if you wish to bake an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe.” I had been overexposed to the video by a couple of friends who couldn’t get enough of it, so I guess I didn’t really appreciate it that much at first. But it was only recently that I found their three other videos, including the most recent and best, “The Unbroken Thread” featuring Goodall, Attenborough, and Sagan. The audio and visuals are both equally excellent, and science has never looked or sounded so good. Watch and listen below:
You can see all the videos and download mp3s of the tracks at the Symphony Of Science website. You can also read up more about the project, find interesting remixes and instrumentals, and learn about what’s in store for the future.
Some remixes February 12, 2010
Posted by gwyoung in Music, Track Reviews.Tags: bon iver, charlotte gainsbourg, downloads, remix, small black, the xx
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Here are four killer remixes that I’ve been pretty much obsessed with as of late, in the order in which I discovered them:
Charlotte Gainsbourg – “Heaven Can Wait (Nosaj Thing Remix)”
Nosaj Thing is known for his sparse yet intricately detailed arrangements of electronic clicks, beeps, and whirs, and they sound especially good when backing the already excellent duet between Charlotte Gainsbourg and Beck. download mp3
The xx – “Islands (Delorean Remix)”
I’m a sucker for remixes by Delorean, as you can tell from my year-end track list for 2009. I’m also a sucker for remixes of the xx since their originals are so devoid of instrumental backdrop. Basically, this track was a match made in heaven. download mp3
Small Black – “Despicable Dogs (Washed Out Remix)”
I had the original “Despicable Dogs” on repeat for quite awhile toward the end of last year, so it was a very pleasant surprise when I discovered that Washed Out’s remix might be even better. download mp3
Bon Iver – “Re: Stacks (Tomas Barford Remix)”
An extended, dubby house mix of Bon Iver? I was worried that this might be a bit much, but Barford’s gentle loops only serve to accentuate the best parts of Justin Vernon’s voice and song. download mp3
These New Puritans – Hidden February 11, 2010
Posted by gwyoung in Album Reviews, Music, Music Videos.Tags: experimental, these new puritans
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Title: Hidden
Artist: These New Puritans
Release: Angular/Domino, 2010
Genre: Experimental
RIYD: Creepy things, dance-y things, Steve Reich-y things
A lot of excellent music has been released lately, with artists like Beach House, Four Tet, Hot Chip, and Vampire Weekend delivering the best albums of their careers. And though each of those albums was definitely a treat for the ears, none of them really caught me off guard: I expected them to be great, and they were. The sophomore album by These New Puritans, however, was in a different boat entirely. I don’t usually listen to music in the dark and somewhat demonic style produced by TNP and their peers, Hidden grabbed me on the first listen and held my attention for several repeated listens after. Described by frontman Jack Barnett as a “dancehall meets Steve Reich” musical fusion, the album draws inspiration from various different styles but still manages to retain an incredibly unique and innovative sound.
Essential to that sound is the darkness mentioned above. They definitely weren’t kidding when they said that this album would contain a sample of a melon being smashed by a hammer to simulate the sound of a human head being crushed. But they didn’t stop there, they also added knives being sharpened, warbled angelic voices, and a boy’s choir chanting choruses like “We want war!” and “This is attack music.” Needless to say, this is one fucking creepy album.
It’s only once you get past the gothic veil, though, that Hidden reveals its true genius: its rhythmic center. These New Puritans have crafted a dance album with their second release, albeit a disturbing one. Taiko drums, rapid woodwinds, and heavy beats propel the album forward, serving as a sturdy backbone for the tribal chanting and electronic embellishments that float and pulsate around it. The Reich and dancehall elements both shine through, taking the listener alternatively between minimalist, repetitive percussion in some interlude tracks and the call-and-response sing-speak of verses and choruses. The balance of the two is one of Hidden’s greatest strengths, providing much-needed respite between some intense and lengthy bouts of morbidity. The tracks themselves also shift in pace, melody, and tone at unexpected moments throughout, creating an analog to the build-up and release of tension that characterizes most dance music. These New Puritans’ version is just a bit more horrifying.
I suspect that this album will garner even more attention in March when it hits the U.S., and it certainly deserves all the praise in its future. These New Puritans did well with Hidden to stand out among the first great albums of the new decade and have basically asserted themselves in the music sphere as a unique and powerful presence. To all the rest of the bands releasing new material this year, the ball is in your court.
Check out the appropriately dark video for “We Want War” below:
safer in the dark 