The New York-based visual artist, musician and composer’s latest release is an invigorating three-song blast that’s both intensely creative and surprisingly accessible. Even the quickest glance at Brandon Locher’s CV would make any artist exhausted, jealous, or both. As a visual artist, the Johnstown, PA native’s works include – among other things – the hyper-detailed …
The Oakland based shoegaze trio There’s Talk ride some golden ratio of downcast melodies, spectral build and wash and expertly done electronic percussion and synth shadings on their single “Golden”. Olivia Lee’s vocals take center stage here, a deep and rich pull into depths where a bottom cannot be certain, her lyrics focus on “family, …
“I dreamed last night of a beautiful bar last night / and walkable neighborhoods”. Formed during the Obama years Cincinnati, that line by the Chicago-landed indie rock band Upstairs absolutely crushes me. Perhaps it’s the longing for the simple pleasures that we take for granted now. Like walking a few blocks in either direction to …
An indisputably beautiful video and track by Elori Saxl, “Wave III” is the first single from Saxl’s album The Blue of Distance out January on Western Vinyl. On “Wave III” we hear the surging drone of ambient tones played on acoustic strings crest, fall and lap with tidal movement. According to Western Vinyl, the recording …
It’s great to hear new work from the Berlin electronic / performance duo of Kathryn Fischer and Adrienne Teicher. The duo are known for pushing their forward thinking electronic music and confrontational performances into fully realized artistic expressions. On “Born from the Death” the two use snippets of conversation and the experience of working on …
HYENAZ – “BORN FROM DEATH (BAD CONSCIENCE REMIX)” Read More »
With plenty of time on his hands, the Berlin based Hans Schmerz has distilled these improvised piano lines into a fully fleshed out, slightly melancholy piano composition. “Nur Eine Phase” is the requisite soundtrack for looking out a window at barren leaves after completing a load of tasks, just slightly before the next wave of …
The story behind “Release the Pulse” is all too familiar. A ramshackle warehouse is occupied by artists to live out their well-executed anarchy. They put on shows, do their own repairs, provide studio space and build a community. This often gives the area some kind of bohemian cultural cache after years of disinvestment. On the …
AMERICAN WATERCOLOR MOVEMENT – “RELEASE THE PULSE” Read More »
The Austrian group Lyra Sound Systems have created a gentle and cleansing ambient track that crests and falls on the wave of thick ambient pads coming and receding with some kind of holy lunar tide. A beautifully composed piece with synth sounds from classic 70’s ambient pioneers and post-modern design aesthetic, Lyra Sound Systems is …
It’s always comforting to hear new work A Winged Victory for the Sullen – the collaborative project Stars of the Lid founder Adam Wiltzie and L.A. composer Dustin O’Halloran. Their new album “Invisible Cities” will be out in February, but “Desires Are Already a Memory” is the first taste of their deeply felt compositional work. …
A WINGED VICTORY FOR THE SULLEN – “DESIRES ARE ALREADY MEMORIES” Read More »
Paul Cousins is a deeply thoughtful ambient artist creating delicate arpeggios of synths against surging and lapping tape loops and a mixture of organic and digital effects that explore ideas beyond the need for a solipsistic expression. The video for “An Abstract Place” explores the following: “The accompanying video by director Edward Harber is an …