Slipped Discs December 2011
Discs you may have missed | by John Noyd
Not quite down for the count, 2011 concludes with a burst of resolve. Check out one-man band and eighties doom-metal maestro DWARR’s re-mastered manifesto, “Starting Over,” knob-twiddling dance-master THE JUAN MACLEAN’s rekindled robotic remixes and refurbished trance-disco out-takes, “Everybody Get Close,” and glacial gazers ACTORS & ACTRESSES’ reissued EP, the sublime, astral-seismic, We Love Our Enemy.” It’s never too late to make amends as the year ends in optimistic admissions.
Band of Bees
Every Step’s A YesRecord Label: ATO
Review published: November 2011
Deep-shag folk-pop and chameleonic conga lines meander through cosmic jukeboxes extolling unburdened bliss powered by boundless curiosity as, “Yes,” nets leisurely achievements for Britain’s drowsy dabblers. Speculating over cavernous psychedelic jug-bands and subtle Afro-Cuban dueling, The Bees’ poppy-field jamboree gracefully conjure a splendid blend of humble, hummable campfire head-trips subverted into tropical daydreams drizzled in unhesitating harmonies and fretful tenderness.
Reader Votes: 0
Canyons
Keep Your DreamsRecord Label: Modular
Review published: November 2011
Suave parties spark rubbery jungle constructions, strobe-lit vertigo splattering after-hours pow-wows, Canyon’s jet-set experiments indoctrinates simmering techno rampages via spooky rock-arena cool, lighting glossy proto-soul raves from cyber-forged heartbeats, posh pop-rock and braying sax. Raving mad house music labs streaming dark, creamy sequences, moody mosh-pit encryptions secreting elastic pre-programmed spasms, “Dreams,” redeems laser-beam nostalgia with ever-ready grooves and mind-altering tunes
Reader Votes: 0
Blackout Beach
Fuck DeathRecord Label: Dead Oceans
Review published: November 2011
Cave-dwelling rebellions breath visceral visions from ghostly oceans, sociopathic passengers decipher slow-boiling coils of queasy frequencies, “Death,” catches digital crickets in yawning melancholy. Post-victory aftermaths reenact tawdry odysseys with desperate absolution, slithering in withering synths and eviscerated electronic evangelism. BB’s shackled tabernacle harvests karmic ghouls, harsh guitars, fading aid and wheezing pulses dissolving in transistorized sighs and grimy sine-wave mysteries.
Reader Votes: 0
Goldmund
All Will ProsperRecord Label: Western Vinyl
Review published: November 2011
Sparse yet uplifting, soothing yet prickly, the raindrop rhythms Goldmund’s competing leads of pensive piano and poised acoustic guitar dance to music-box canters born from grandfather-clock logic. Revived Civil War melodies give rise to surprisingly warm ambiance as, “Prosper,” polishes off hobbled foxtrots resonating faith, hope and charity, incremental instrumentals soldiering forward to poignant appointments, sun-kissed rivulets and untroubled comforts.
Reader Votes: 1
Los Campesinos!
Hello SadnessRecord Label: Arts & Crafts
Review published: November 2011
Licking delicious wounds, consuming outmoded empires, “Sadness,” greets everyday ennui with frank angst and heart-wrenching contempt lined in retreaded memories, invective conjecture and randy candor. Gawky jockeys chasing traceless impatience, LC!’s sharp, carping lyrics explode into wiry brain-knots, mating anxious drums and twitchy indie-rock to hopeful odes nursing regressed regrets, slicing open societal secrets through flag-waving saviors and pop-singing trail-blazers.
Reader Votes: 0
Devon Sproule
I Love You, Go EasyRecord Label: Tin Angel
Review published: November 2011
Sizzling in idyllic pixie mischief while tumbling in wonder, Devon’s roots, truths and remedies house home-spun charm cast in funky country, toddling jazz and twirling bohemian folk. Rural musical beauties croon twang-spackled happiness inside sweet breezy chords and friendly piano chats, “Easy,” seizes translucent blues brewed in intimate calico sympathies for proud, crowded celebrations, reflective confessions and sophisticated road-warrior boogie.
Reader Votes: 3
Final Thoughts
Cold nights hold bright stars whether from the folk world represented by the fifty-year who’s who, “Live from the Old Town School,” or the electronic stratosphere where TRENTMOLLER’s, “Reworked/Remixed,” manipulates UNKLE, Modeselektor and Efterklang. From Neuromancer GARY NUMAN’s edgy, daring, “Dead Son Rising,” to techno-pop pioneer THOMAS DOLBY’s clue-riddled, star-studded panorama, “Map of the Floating City,” older stars blaze winter skies with sonic explorer KATE BUSH’s heavenly, “Fifty Words for Snow,” gracefully awakening sumptuous thrills and story-teller TORI AMOS’ Deutsche Grammophon debut, “The Night of Hunter.” engaging incredible chamber arrangements.
