Conceived as an extension of William S. Burroughs‘ and Brion Gysin‘s “Third Mind” technique (wherein text or art is cut up and reconfigured at random to spontaneously access non-linear thought), Spoonbender 1.1.1 is not so much an I Am Spoonbender side project as a concentrated, immersive experiment. The live performance from which 1.1.1 originated consisted of a viewing of one film while spoken text from another was broadcast over it; the soundtrack was provided by the musicians themselves, improvised while watching a third film (hidden from the audience). The result, reproduced on this recording, is a disquieting meditation on telepathy, human emotions, and communion. Best listened to while horizontal with the lights out.”
Nobody & Mystic Chords Of Memory Tree Colored See
Tree Colored See sounds like California-dreamin‘ folkadelia smacked gently in the face with a percussive electronic backbone. Oh wait, it is! Here, Mystic Chords (Jen Cohen and Christopher Gunst) team up with Nobody (Prefuse 73 cohort Elvin Estela) for a collaboration that sounds almost exactly like you‘d expect. Dreamy to the point of horizontal, sprinkled throughout with harmonicas and twanging guitars, Tree Colored See will send you thumbing through your old Sparklehorse, Elliot Smith, and Belle & Sebastian albums without quite being able to pinpoint why you feel so darned nostalgic.
Pedro Pedro + Fear & Resilience Remixes EP
Originally released on Melodic Records in 2003, Pedro‘s self-titled debut should be familiar territory. Rising star James Rutledge ensconced himself securely into the cadre of glitch-hoppers that includes Prefuse 73 and Four Tet, though Pedro always felt muted next to the former‘s bravado and the latter‘s maniacal grandiosity. Likewise, the album‘s Stateside release three years later doesn‘t really push boundaries, but does remind us that Rutledge‘s surgical beats and fractured pastoral melodies can hold their own. But the real gem is the accompanying & Resilience EP, featuring remixes of the LP‘s best-known track by Prefuse 73, Cherrystones, Danger Mouse, and others. Home Skillet and Four Tet offer particularly amazing stuff: one dismantles the original into thousands of grandfather clocks chiming psychotically down a rabbit hole; the other pushes further with a 21-minute build that releases fragments of Pedro‘s strings and horns into a free-jazz masterpiece.
Drop The Lime Shot Shot Hearts
It‘s hardly enough to just break jungle beats and flail around punching old rave stabs and kick drums through the distort-o-matic these days. If you‘re Drop the Lime, you punch up Shot Shot Hearts with crazed, possibly semi-ironic exhortations, then leave everything on the dancefloor for a couple of tracks; and-just when that gets predictable-you haul out a slightly grimy cabaret croon, slow down the BPMs, and figure out what would happen if Leonard Cohen grew up with ragga-rave breakcore and Minor Threat on the turntable instead of Frank Sinatra.
Future Pigeon The Echodelic Sounds Of Future Pigeon
Too much sleekly machined dub-techno has left dub feeling like a relic, rather than the hallucinogenic sci-fi that spurted from the boards of 1970s Jamaica. Leave it to Future Pigeon, an LA-based soundmob, to push the form back to the future. The Echodelic Sounds has piles of signature dub effects (the influence of Scientist can be heard in every beat), but takes off into expansive realms where harsh guitars, synthesizers, and punk croons meet easy-skanking rhythms. The band is unafraid to version their own productions, with their own rework of “Wicked Man” aced by Mikey Dread‘s melodic toasts.
Shalabi Effect Unfortunately
In recent years, being a band from Montreal has often equaled instant publicity. Despite having produced some of the most forward-thinking music of the last 10 years, however, Montreal‘s Shalabi Effect has remained relatively unnoticed. The group‘s latest effort, Unfortunately, is the result of a three-day residency at Montreal‘s Arts Interculturels institute. where the songs were rehearsed and recorded in front of a live audience. “Out of the Closet,” the epic 13-minute opener, presses through walls of found sound and drone to “Pai Nai,” an exploration of surf rock and static. Similarly, a balance between haunting noise and graceful melody is explored through the strings in “Half Life” and “Vegas Radiation.” A focused jaunt through many psychedelic corridors, Unfortunately is a masterful work that will probably find hype 10 years from now, when the rest of the world catches up.
Landesvatter Lax
Lax, the second full-length from Berlin-based techno composer Joachim Landesvatter, demonstrates significant growth since 2003‘s Lava. Smoothly combining elements of minimal house, hip-hop, and jazz, the beats are complimented by warm loops. Constantly evolving, each track assumes a narrative structure, making Lax a densely moving and refined effort. From the sprawling glitch of “In.” to the jazzy undertones of “Mank.,” the record provides soothing ambiance while provoking closer examination…and it‘ll make you wanna dance.”
Guitar Tokyo
Inspired by the work of My Bloody Valentine, Michael Lückner‘s Guitar project was intended to further that group‘s ideas through manipulated guitar samples. On Tokyo, the third Guitar record (and first with vocalist Ayako Akashiba), the duo introduces an identity separate from their influences. The spirit of MBV is still evident on tracks like “Wash Me Away,” but the record also spans lush pop (“Sunday Afternoon At Tamagawa River”) and playful hip-hop (“Akiko”). Far from derivative, Tokyo is a carefully executed record that should not be missed.
Reel People Second Guess
With humble beginnings as a studio project, Reel People has blossomed over the last several years into a live band garnering rave reviews. Originally released in 2003, the beefed-up version of Second Guess consolidates the group‘s previous musical output, and then some. Talented luminaries such as Kaidi Tatham, Afronaught, and Vanessa Freeman deliver infectious grooves and top-notch vocals, moving future soul into the now. From the broken vibe of “In The Sun” to the mellow grooves of “Back 2 Base,” Reel People stand tall without looking back. Essential.
Scientist Dub 911
On Dub 911-his first album of all-new material in three years-the dude that once rid the world of evil vampires and repelled space invaders once again shows his mastery of the dub format. Layering shimmering keyboards, twinkling bells, wailing guitars, vocal washes, and various FX over a batch of familiar riddims, Scientist keeps the reverb and echo more understated than some of his peers while emphasizing overall instrumental craftsmanship. No two tracks sound alike; each is meticulously constructed for maximum drum-and-bass-driven, time-space continuum-shifting effect. Were Scientist to work outside of the reggae field, he‘d be a household name. As it stands now, he‘ll have to settle for merely being one of dub‘s most respected architects.
