Monday, September 28, 2009

Midori - あらためまして、はじめまして、ミドリです。


Midori (ミドリ) are a Japanese four-piece that bounce between spastic-punk freakouts and playful jazz numbers, complete with unique and intense female vocals.

'あらためまして、はじめまして、ミドリです。(Hello everyone. Nice to meet you. We are Midori)' is the band's major-label debut from 2008.

Go get satisfied.



あらためまして、はじめまして、ミドリです。
+++++++++++
mind the graves



Thursday, September 24, 2009

All India Radio


All India Radio are an Australian electronic/down-tempo group active since 2000. The band generally operates as a chilled out, lo-fi unit with accompanying female vocals.

I've been listening to '
Fall' (2008) and 'A Low High' (2009) lately -- the former being more trip-hop influenced. Dreamy beats, ambient synths, nice vocals, and enough edge to keep it from being stagnant.
Good stuff.



Fall
+++++++++++



A Low High
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mind the graves



Monday, September 21, 2009

Catfish J. Rivers, esq. III - The Afterbirth of Cool


Catfish J. Rivers, esq. III is a prolific young musician from New Jersey.
He released a solo output in 2006 for free-streaming called 'The Afterbirth of Cool'; his intention for the album was to blur the line between organic instruments and sampled instruments/computer manipulation. With strong influence from the likes of Boards of Canada, Black Dice, and Tortoise, Rivers created an impressive solo-work that reflects his influences as much as it expands/detracts from them.

Pretty neat stuff, whether his occasional melding of post-rock'd glitch or fusion electronica, you'll likely enjoy the surprise.


The Afterbirth of Cool
+++++++++++
mind the graves


Thursday, September 17, 2009

Band of Skulls - Baby Darling Doll Face Honey


Band of Skulls are a rock trio from England consisting of two vocalists (Russel Marsden: guitar/vox, Emma Richardson: bass/vox, & drummer Matt Hayward).

The band was founded in 2008, with their debut album '
Baby Darling Doll Face Honey' released earlier this year.
Marsden and Richardson alternate the writing process, but often come together to meld their penchant for blues-rock; think a sort of meeting point between The White Stripes and Supergrass.

Some tracks could be argued filler, but for the most part the better bests the worse -- especially on standouts like "Death By Diamonds & Pearls" and "Patterns".

Also recommend checking Brooklyn's The Big Sleep for another quality rock-variant.


Baby Darling Doll Face Honey
+++++++++++
mind the graves


Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Itta - 11

Itta
I stumbled upon South Korean musician Itta through her work with laptop/noise artist Marqido, who share a project together called 10. Both musicians have solo work as well, which is how I came to find Itta's debut full-length, '11'. Itta instantly appealed to me with her child-like carefree spirit; the early vids I watched with her and Marqido left an endearing mark, even if the music itself was often scattershot.

Marqido

And scattershot is a good way to describe Itta's solo music -- she plays basically any instrument she can get her hands on, including a sizable number of toys and oddities. Itta sings as well, a sort of adolescent innocence that holds together the other spontaneity of her music. '11' is ordered & separated in such a way that the album gets progressively longer with each song; the earlier moments of the album leave you with little surprise -- but when Itta gets more room to play so to speak, even the most critical of listener will feel Itta picking the locks with her unconventional approach. Might not be for everyone, might not click after one listen, but I'd be surprised if Itta's lasting impression is anything but endearing.

"Iyagi (Talking)"

11 +++++++++++ mind the graves

Friday, September 11, 2009

Ras G & the Afrikan Space Program - Ghetto Sci-Fi


Ras G & the Afrikan Space Program is all about the future, but not necessarily the glossy hi-tech future with flying cars and robots...
'
Ghetto Sci-Fi' pretty much speaks for itself -- Ras G showcases an ode of respect to the past while moving the guidelines into the future, creating a fresh meeting ground of new & old. The electronic fabric of the album weaves between the grimey, funk-filled rhythms, like a lively slum in the realm of Blade Runner.

Or something like that. You might not know
where exactly, but Ras & the Space Program is def launching you somewhere, and hopefully before the ship breaks down.
Again
.


Ghetto Sci-Fi
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mind the graves



Tuesday, September 8, 2009

DJ Krush - MiLight


Soon after my previous post, a friend of mine returned from his visit to Japan..
As we caught up, I decided to play '
Ki-Oku' for some downtime -- moments later he explains seeing DJ Krush live just days before in the land of Godzilla(s).

He said it was a great experience, so of course I was jealous, just a little -- but he hooked me up proper and shared most his entire discog that he bought at the show.

Among these was 1997's '
MiLight', another quick-favorite following 'Ki-Oku' & 'Jaku'.
The track lengths are relatively short and it keeps the album fresh, moving at a steady pace..
Just a tight mix of guest-spots/straight instrumentals.



MiLight
+++++++++++
mind the graves


Saturday, September 5, 2009

DJ Krush & Toshinori Kondo - Ki-Oku


Japanese collaboration between longtime godfather of trip-hop DJ Krush and respected avant-garde trumpeter Toshinori Kondo.
DJ Krush lays down his usual dark, downtempo atmospheres for Kondo to accentuate and brighten into a nice contrast..
Perfect kick-back/rainy day material.



Ki-Oku [1999]
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mind the graves


Thursday, September 3, 2009

Various Blends - Levitude

Eb.F

Various Blends are a fairly slept-on hip-hop group from the Bay Area.
Originally consisting of three members, Various Blends solidified as a duo with MC/producers Friz-B and Eb.F.
'
Levitude' was the group's first full-length, distributed in 1999 -- eight years after the group's inception with MC Rasco.

The album was well-received for those it reached, taking note of the trippy and inventive production techniques. 'Levitude' featured guest-production from Peanut Butter Wolf (whom Rasco worked with after his departure), as well as other iconic solo-artists like Del tha Funkee & Saafir.

Any hip-hop head should hear this...
Guaranteed you'll hear something you haven't heard before in the realm of hip-hop - all without resorting to that beat
less/trend-bender bullshit that nasal-ites have been exploiting lately.


Levitude
+++++++++++
mind the graves


Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Encre - Flux


Encre is the musical project of kora-player/multi-instrumentalist Yann Tambour, prior to his Thee, Stranded Horse output.

'
Flux' is a bit more free-form than his work in T,SH -- with layers dissecting/building through the tracks by means of cello, violin, kora, piano, xylophone, and Tambour's hurried vocals.
Fans of
T,SH will probably enjoy, but it def stands as an independent outlet for the unfamiliar alike.


Flux
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mind the graves