MUSIC FAN'S MIC//

Silver Swans - House of Blood In the midst of a war of words...

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 14:01:00 +0000

Silver Swans - House of Blood

In the midst of a war of words about Lana Del Rey and her lofty ambitions, when a ‘Video Games’ cover arrives in your inbox, the only reasonable response is to hit the delete button and banish the perpetrators of this desperate ploy from all existence. Silver Swans don’t owe me an explanation. They’ve helped me to forget about this criminal act of opportunism, through an exceptional debut full-length in the form of ‘Forever’. It follows on from the ‘Secrets’ EP, building beautiful structures of tribal drums and dreamy vocals. It’s the sound of an innocent group of travellers running full speed through the Amazon rainforest with not a care in the world. Few songs sound as free-spirited as ‘House of Blood’.

[via Sound Injections]

Havelok Grim - Chopped Tube/ Church Road Brighton-based producer...

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 09:45:12 +0000

Havelok Grim - Chopped Tube/ Church Road

Brighton-based producer Jake Turner has recently compiled a series of recordings made under a former alias, ‘Cunthoof’. If the old name wasn’t enough indication, Havelok Grim’s tracks aren’t seeking major label love or non-stop radio airplay; his jazz-infused, experimental efforts all demand every inch of attention available. Elements of glitch, Flying Lotus-inspired beat-work, together clash heads, forming an impressive portfolio of talents through what appears to be a throwing together of old tracks. Listen to these two back to back if you want the full experience.

Alpha Waves - Analog GirlLike most unhygienic, spotty teenage...

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 09:21:30 +0000

Alpha Waves - Analog Girl

Like most unhygienic, spotty teenage boys with a fledging passion for music (at the time, for me, this was only the music of Radiohead), I found myself in a couple of bands. Again, most of the music we made was meant to channel Thom Yorke. This was never as easy as one might’ve hoped. My biggest regret, band-wise, is not forming a big, brash guitar band with friends. A love of No Age ought to have prompted it but nope, without the garage space and without the lo-fi-loving pals, it never happened. Alpha Wavez are another in a long string of jealousy-inducing youngsters who played their cards right. ‘Analog Girl’ is a gradually building, shoegaze-indebted throwing together of every influence within a square mile: My Bloody Valentine, No Age, every Captured Tracks signing under the sun. And it works. If these guys get signed, I’ll know I chose the wrong path in life.

Sam Flax - Child Of Glass As if Selebrities’ ‘Night...

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 10:16:27 +0000

Sam Flax - Child Of Glass

As if Selebrities’ ‘Night Heat’ wasn’t doing enough of a deed in lifting me up from my spinny-chair and taking me to 80s discos with shootouts and dance-offs, Sam Flax’s ‘Age Waves’ does the same job to an even grander extent. Dark wave/ Disco wave/ Lust wave/ whatever you want to call it, ‘Child of Glass’ contains every fruitful element that the best 80s pop tracks could boast: muted guitar lines, synthetic handclaps and a gigantic chorus. Even if you’re the most pathetic of dancers, it nigh on forces you to “bust some moves”.

Mister Lies - MorganYesterday I wrote about how no music out...

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 08:58:00 +0000

Mister Lies - Morgan

Yesterday I wrote about how no music out there is currently capable of sending me into a trance-like state. I’ve been proved wrong. ‘Morgan’, with its early-Burial soundscape, encompasses everything I love about downtempo electronic music. All the components are there: The rich, sweet-tongued vocal sample; the creeping, evolving synths. It’s hard not to fall in love with this track upon first listen. It’s even harder to resist hitting repeat. Chicago producer Mister Lies will have achieved something remarkable if ever he tops this.

Check out the equally superb ‘Cleam’, while you’re at it.

Falcon Lake - Shores & The House Falls Down A rare week or...

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 09:18:00 +0000

Falcon Lake - Shores & The House Falls Down

A rare week or so of regular sleeping patterns, lack of coffee, not too much beer, has left me feeling strangely balanced. I no longer drift off into a sleep-like state when on public transport. No longer can a song like ‘Shores’ sent me into that sort of trance. All the same, it works brilliantly as a first-thing-in-the-morning glow, an incentive to get outside and explore. Leon Piers’ most recent efforts drift gorgeously between downcast slumber and upbeat, popping excitement; like my past week, they’re strangely balanced numbers.

Beat Culture - Belong (ft. Steffaloo) At 17 years old, Sunik Kim...

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 08:56:38 +0000

Beat Culture - Belong (ft. Steffaloo)

At 17 years old, Sunik Kim has gained the respect - no, adoration - of almost every aspiring producer who bases their work on Soundcloud. If ever you needed evidence of the Platform’s benefits and its ability to break an artist and help build a steady career for them, this is it. Steffaloo features on virtually every relevant producer’s work but on ‘Belong’ she sounds fresh, new to these ears: Completely enthused to be featuring on ‘Belong’. If the ‘Goldenback Weaver’ record felt like a breakthrough, this tops the triumph. An elated, potentially seminal example of the producer’s early years. Quite phenomenally, he can go even further than this, if he chooses.

[Taken from the LYFSTYL compilation, ‘Dreams’]

Paleman - Sun Dance Manchester producer PALEMAN has apparently...

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 09:12:00 +0000

Paleman - Sun Dance

Manchester producer PALEMAN has apparently spent the entire weekend listening to the new Burial EP, but I’ve had to put that work on hold, such is my complete and severe addiction to ‘Sun Dance’, Calum Lee’s latest track. A jazz influence exists within this guy’s work, but its scarcely applied on this occasion, with sharp, stinging beats taking centre stage, atop a grizzly combination of industrial synths and tick-tick percussion. A suitably excitable way to start the week.

[via Bitzl R/ DDW]

sends - Terminal A rare weekend post indeed, but Andrew Fusca...

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 14:52:00 +0000

sends - Terminal

A rare weekend post indeed, but Andrew Fusca has constructed a musical cocktail worthy of curing every heavy head on this frosty Sunday afternoon. ‘Terminal’, taken from a forthcoming, yet to be titled EP, combines ice-cold house beats with breathless vocals and a shimmering guitar backdrop. The track conjures up a vivid image of glistening disco balls and enraptured crowds; so in many ways it’s perfectly suited to this - and any other - weekend.

1981 - Ramas Caidas Maximiliano Pietroboni aka. 1981 likes to...

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 12:49:45 +0000

1981 - Ramas Caidas

Maximiliano Pietroboni aka. 1981 likes to make songs that play up to their title. ‘Ramas Caidas’ translates as “Fallen Branches”. And the natural bursts of mellowed-out energy give out a suitably autumnal feel - in fact the song works perfectly as a soundtrack to the snowy view from my bedroom window. It’s a gorgeous backdrop to get lost in; an instrumental work of many hidden paths and beautiful twists and turns.

Bug Machine - Sympathy The synths are chunky enough to leave...

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 09:01:00 +0000

Bug Machine - Sympathy

The synths are chunky enough to leave dents in the wall, the vocals smooth enough to seep through the subsequent cracks. Bug Machine combines harsh with resonant; gentle with aggressive, on his ‘Disconnect’ E.P. “We have selfish needs”, the anonymous vocalist claims atop a towering wall of sky-reaching synths - indeed, my desire is for this guy to be played on the radio as I drive in blistering temperates through the heart of the Australian outback, but we can’t have it all. This guy deserves a hit single though, so someone ought to at least grant him that wish.

[via Citr]

TOPS - Turn Your Love Around Sometimes I worry about just how...

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 09:33:00 +0000

TOPS - Turn Your Love Around

Sometimes I worry about just how many superb full-lengths pass the average music fan/blogger/critic/whatever by. I hadn’t heard of TOPS until today (despite the Pitchfork, No Fear of Pop recommendations) but it turns out in just under two weeks, they’ll be bringing out an entire record’s worth of Twin Sister-esque soft rock, on February 28th. ‘Tender Opposites’ would appeal to virtually every Twin Sister fan going, just like 95% of Bon Iver fans would fall head over heels in love with Flights. A minor music blog is unlikely to be to push in the right direction that TOPS deserve, but here’s to hoping, because this track is gorgeous.

Tezeta - A Night Capturing the racing heartbeat of every single...

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 12:59:00 +0000

Tezeta - A Night

Capturing the racing heartbeat of every single club at 4am on a Saturday night, ‘A Night’ is the euphoric, breathtaking work of Canadian Joe Roth (aka. Tezeta). Like a concentrated mixture of all of M83’s best moments, it steers a gorgeous vocal sample into unchartered territory, blending tropical guitar hooks with a pulse-like, throbbing beat. Totally stunning.

[via Cruel Rhythm]

Chen and the Hoax - Flagg Staff A few years back when I was in...

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 11:23:29 +0000

Chen and the Hoax - Flagg Staff

A few years back when I was in my early teens, I was planning on saving up good money for a quality microphone. This was to go towards the recording of my world-class Franz Ferdinand cover album (which unfortunately never surfaced). Had I known that the USB mic that my Mum brought back one day from the Pound shop (or to our American readers, the 1 dollar (?) store) would have sufficed, I’d have taken up my chillwave project there and then. Chen and the Hoax make delightful music, with ‘Flagg Staff’ of a particularly willing nature, showing off shifting guitar structures that gradually evolve as the track progresses. The vocals, however, must have been recorded on a minimal budget. Yet it remains a fine specimen. A lesson to all fledging musicians: Keep the cash firmly in your pockets.

Grand Resort - Microscopic A typical trait of music bloggers is...

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 10:45:05 +0000

Grand Resort - Microscopic

A typical trait of music bloggers is to envy every other artist they end up writing about. Not only is Andrés Pichardo not going to have to endure a hazardous walk into campus this morning, over a thin sheet of ice that’s laced the pavements, he’s also a 19 year old Massachusetts resident who has the fine art of producing escapist pop music down to a T. Forget the (quite magnificent) Madonna Superbowl routine, sometimes you just wanna see a scruffy kid hit the stage with one guitar and a friend to play drums. ‘Microscopic’ is heavenly in style and near-perfect in its execution.

[via Hearing Gold]

<a href=”http://grandresort.bandcamp.com/album/microscopic-recreation” data-mce-href=”http://grandresort.bandcamp.com/album/microscopic-recreation”>”Microscopic / Recreation” by Grand Resort</a>

O.1 - The Glass Trees Last night I chatted to Crack In The Road...

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 09:46:00 +0000

O.1 - The Glass Trees

Last night I chatted to Crack In The Road founder Josh about 0.1 and why on Earth he remained under the radar. We both came across him yesterday; he has twenty or so tracks to his name (it was virtually impossible to choose one specific song to feature, they’re all so good); he seems to be extremely prolific and yet, by the looks of it, the Australian is yet to be signed up. My aim this morning was to stop the chat and start writing about him.
For those unfamiliar with the Blue Mountains, it’s a good 50k outside of Sydney and is likely to be one of the first places that students/retired couples hiring Land Rovers will want to venture off into. 0.1 bases himself there and true to his location, each of his songs has an incredibly cinematic quality. Bold, grand offerings are aplenty and it’s not hard to imagine a jaw-dropping album (or several) being stored up in this guy’s locker. Check out ALL of these offerings below:

Caves - Didn’t I Luke Cage has picked up a guitar for his...

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 10:54:00 +0000

Caves - Didn’t I

Luke Cage has picked up a guitar for his new EP release with Absent Fever (Galapagos, Birkwin Jersey), and good lord it’s one punchy guitar. Previously he dazzled with high-pitched vocal samples, luscious layers of synthetics - the only problem with the ‘Adolescent Dystopia’ EP was that it sounded a whole lot like other artists around right now (naming no names, but they’re all on the Tri Angle roster).
’Didn’t I’ is a turn up for the books. It has a downturn New York vibe; souled-up with beautiful, tight arrangements. And it doesn’t even make the cut for his forthcoming ‘When You Were Partying, I Was Dying’ EP. That speaks volumes.

Hear Caves on the December 2011 Music Fan’s Mix

This Monday I took to DIY Radio to play 30 of my favourite mp3...

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 10:28:00 +0000

This Monday I took to DIY Radio to play 30 of my favourite mp3 finds from the past two weeks. These are often the tracks I don’t have time to share with you all on the blog - either that, or they’re a little too big to count as ‘new music’ when it comes to MFM’s strict, ridiculous standards.

Here’s the tracklist:

Summerays - Toyohashi
Sleigh Bells - Comeback Kid
Royal Baths - Faster, Harder
Swiss alps - Little Dipper
Parakeet - Tomorrow
Decks - Ghost Girl
Lower Dens - Brains
Galapagos - I Am My Love
Pictureplane - Real Is A Feeling (Grimes Remix)
Lapalux - Gutter Glitter
Bobby Champs - All Night
Becoming Real - Paramenesia
Weird Dreams - 666.66
Bear In Heaven - The Reflection Of You
Work Drugs - Ice Wharf (Selebrities Remix)
Elen Never Sleeps - Spinning Wheel
Poor Moon - People In Her Mind
Flights - Taller
Andrew Bird - Eyeoneye
Frankie Rose - Night Swim
Triptides - Cough Surfer
MOTHS - Heart (feat. Keep Shelly In Athens
J£ZUS MILLION - That Heat
Fort Romeau - Jack Rollin’
Carnivals - Absences
G∞gle - B∞m
Clark - Com Touch
Larry Gus - Her Arm Held High
The Men - Open Your Heart
Blondes - Wine

———

Listen below:

DIY Radio: Into The Blogosphere (30th January 2012) by Diy on Mixcloud

T & The Wonder - Vespa Most mornings I wake up and plug you...

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 10:12:00 +0000

T & The Wonder - Vespa

Most mornings I wake up and plug you some drone music or some weird, instrumental, abrasive noise pop, or something along those lines. But this, friends: This could be something of a hit single.
“If I had a Vespa, I would drive up to your house and I could kiss you on the cheek and then hang out for the weekend, but I don’t.”
’Vespa’ reminds me of the band Stars; innately pretty, packing songs with delicate love-notes, appealing to teenage girls’ hearts and turning teenage boys’ stomachs in knots.

The ‘Corsage/Vespa’ single is available on Bandcamp for not a single penny.

PURPLE: Loaded GunsEver since this Portugese producer first...

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:03:00 +0000

PURPLE: Loaded Guns

Ever since this Portugese producer first emerged with the melanoid imagery, the big, bold caps lock logo planted across pictures of gargoyles…It all just left me desperate to see what a live show would look like. Whether PURPLE is just one guy on a computer or three art school dicks with a good ear, I hope that somewhere out there they’re considering playing live, shooting lasers in people’s eyes and leaving audiences floored. A song like ‘Loaded Guns’, played in a dark grimy basement with smoke surrounding the band - well, it would blow people away if it was executed well. So here’s a message to PURPLE: Get off Soundcloud and come play some shows.