Mid-Air Thief - Crumbling (2018)

 

Here's a record that was, from what I understand, fairly huge in South Korea but is much less ubiquitous in the US. 

This is an electronic pop album, or folktronica as their Wiki page states but that's a word that makes me want to barf. Showing my age, I guess. If the blending of acoustic instruments with electronic instruments makes something folktronica, the description is apt, however reductive. 

The gorgeous melodies of this album, in the exchange between girl/boy vocals, and the playfulness of the dynamics.. the parts of the album that whisper and then swell into a prism of sound.. these are the things that earned this record Best Dance and Electronic Album of the Year at the 2019 Korean Music Awards (there's really no element of dance here, however). 

The acoustic bits, and the rhythms in part, are actually quite Brazilian. I'm not well versed in the genres of Brazil but I think I'm correct in saying this album is part electronica and part bossa nova. Maybe not throughout the entirety of Crumbling but it's definitely there. 

I stumbled on this album exactly one year ago and over the year, it's been my happy place. It got me through a bout with Covid, through hot summer road trips, and eased my anxious mind to a restful place. 

11/10.

Mid-Air Thief - Crumbling

Zapaska - KONTUR (2014)

Zapaska is a Ukrainian duo from the capital city of Kiev. Their music is both beautiful and mysterious, drawing on elements of rock, 90's club, Ukrainian folk, and hip hop -- all under the umbrella of electronic pop. A veritable smorgasbord of genres, which I'm a huge fan of because it keeps the ears stimulated and I get to use the word "smorgasbord".  Speaking of Swedish things, Zapaska's music reminds me a little of Swedish bands like Whale and The Knife, in the female/male vocals of the former and the occasional, strangely processed vocals of the latter. Some really great beats are present on KONTUR, the group's third release, and with the melodic guitar work and decidedly lo-fi production value, the output of English producer Bibio also comes to mind.

There's an overarching melancholy to Zapaska's music. Not depressing, but almost a fun melancholy -- like a Ukrainian version of the Portuguese "saudade".  And while I'm not sure what the songs are about, in an interview, member Pavel Nechitailo spoke to the emotion of the Ukrainian people and Zapaska's music, "It's as if there are special pylons everywhere, giving off radio waves that herd people together with misery... and since I'm a native son of these lands, I sing sad songs."

Well, shit.

I find this album has been a great companion to rainy Portland afternoons, and I look forward to playing it during my upcoming DJ night. You're all invited, by the way.

18 tracks:

Zapaska - KONTUR (2014)

Saint Julien - Cosmic Shimmy Blues (2012)

Thank fuck I've finally got a spare hour to sit down and listen to some music. Retail workers should get to celebrate holidays in January or something, I haven't had a moment to hear anything new as I've been working six days and week for next to nothing and seeing my family whenever not at the store. However, now that I got my gripes out of the way we can focus on what we're all here for, so new songs to ignore this world with. For a random pull of the over-flowing inbox, this is a pretty spectacular album. They described it as folktronica to me, which is about as apt a genre as I'll be able to label it. Getting more particular the sound goes from a very Strange Boys-esque quirky blues with more electronic effects to a dreamy indie pop. Although being among the adjectives I heavily over-use on this blog, I think they're charming as all get out. So hope this is a good one for y'all to begin to relax here in January as it's proven to be for me. And here's to hoping I can process this deluge of submissions better.

To be had here:

Saint Julien - Cosmic Shimmy Blues

Happy Daze - Ghost Tales (2012)

Although it mightn't be the most common thing in North America, I hardly ever bathe using my shower. I prefer the bath tub, which I understand is a bigger time commitment and some folks weird out about unnecessarily for "hygienic" reasons. While accepting it isn't for all I thoroughly enjoy the experience each after riding back from the sweltering bookstore where marching steps and lifting stacks of hardbacks are routine. Thereby I can simultaneously do several of my favorite activities: drink a beer, cleanse myself, and listen to music. 

It is like a pause after which I can reset my day according to my own needs and wants after serving another for a paycheck the previous eight hours. But I'll say not everything is suitable tub-time listening. It's gotta have a certain degree of mellowness, can't be flopping around with excitement in a water-filled basin after all. Ambient and folk, that aren't in short supply in the submission inbox at any time, are rather good material for the this period of the evening. And it was during just such a time I took in Happy Daze's Ghost Tales.

Longtime readers may recall that I've posted the music of Happy Daze before in an EP Grab Bag quite a few months back, which was a collection of early recordings. Here we're privy to more polished release, a full-length album fitted with 13 tracks of lovely guitar-styled folk songs. Wouldn't surprise me if the songs where written with the moniker in mind, for they surely have got a cheerful and dreamy mood. If stripped down to elements its basically an acoustic guitar, sweetly sung lyrics and some craftily done computer added effects, but this is no knock against what I've found to be some delightful composed material. A fine think to hear the evolution this musician and I hope he continues in this route.

To be had here:

Happy Daze - Ghost Tales (2012)

Conductive Alliance - Water Glyphs (2010)

This is one of those groups that sent me their album and I have actually gotten around to listening to. It is remarkably pleasing, but hard to describe for me. If I was forced to make a comparison I'd say it was something along the veins of Le Loup or Animal Collective, but certainly retaining their own sound. In particular I liked the vocals, which sadly are the undoing for most bands the give me their work. The singing is ethereal yet not to the point of Icelandic post-rock or anything, and as I guy who cares more about how you sing than what you're singing about it was a pleasant surprise. Seems like these kids have something worthwhile, and I should mention they're touring (look at the myspace or something). I sure bet I would have liked if I promoted that earlier this summer. Anyhow, if they came to Detroit I must have missed it in my zombifying night work, so you let me know if you see them as I am most curious.

To be had here:
Conductive Alliance - Water Glyphs [192 kbps]

Mexican Institute of Sound - Piñata (2007)

Watching at least two out of the three World Cup games a day has put me in an international mindset. Accordingly, I matched my recently passion for mildly aged electronic music with a foreign country I saw playing match, resulting in the Mexican Institute of Sound. However, outside of my strange selection process for this album's posting, it is a genuinely good listen. Piñata is actually the second album released under this moniker, which is really Mexico City native Camilo Lara. The sound of the album is best described as electronic beats combined with the instrumentals and vocals of more traditional Mexican folk music. I know this doesn't seem very unique but his fella is really good at it, which in my opinion makes up for any lack of originality in the overall concept. Maybe it is tailored better for those who like poppier tunes than someone seeking club-like or technically powerful electronica. I like it and that is enough to get it on this noise-spout.

To be had here:
Mexican Institute of Sound - Piñata [320 kbps]

Kuupuu - Lumen tähden (2009)

I might not have ever explained on here that in my spare time I like to make alcohol. I haven't been at it for terribly long, but I do find making wines out of fruit to be one of the easier and in the case of bananas one of the cheaper. However, when making fruit wine one can not leave enough room in the fermentor, leading to it bubbling up through the airlock and onto the ground, potentially ruining the entire batch. I am pretty fucking sure when I found this had taken place this morning that it is a metaphor for two things, one of which I am prepared to share with you. The sugary banana booze to be that is running on Spacerockmountain floors is another Finnish band. Kuupuu is the name of this solo act by Jonna Karanka. She's played in some good Finnish groups, but this work on her own is well worth a listen in any of the previous Finnish music I shared caught your ear. It is very much along the same lines, but the electronics are veiled a bit more, appearing mostly as loops and altered vocals to create an ethereal sound.

To be had here:
Kuupuu - Lumen tähden [320 kbps]

Sleep In - Pyramid (2009)

It was a long time that I didn't share my e-mail through my blogger profile. Because of this I'd never receive bands requesting me to review their albums. I actually never even thought somebody would even want me to, seeing as I am giving them out and my reviews aren't anything amazing. Nevertheless, I was proven wrong and here is a fella that asked me to share his album with you. Now, I don't want to set a precedent that'll post on anything I'm sent, for I am way too lazy and far too big an asshole for that shit. Moreover, believe you me if it sucked I'd tell you and most likely would not even bother sharing it. However, this guy really did make some pretty damned good music. It is an eclectic album to say the least. At first I thought it'd be folktronic and then a few minutes later I thought I was listening to metal guitar and then it went into drone-like electronic rambling. The artist described it was electronic shoegaze and I do suppose that is as accurate as anything I might come up with. You're just gonna have to trust me that I'd have shared this even if it wasn't sent to me.

To be had here:
Sleep In - Pyramid [192 kbps]

Woodcraft Folk - Trough of Bowlands (2005)

I think I found these guys prowling somewhere on last.fm, but I do say it was an excellent thing to stumble upon. Woodcraft Folk is tramps through a middle ground between folk acoustic folk of something like the Skygreen Leopards and the electronic sounds of Detektivbyrån. At different times they'll more heavily land in one of two camps, and sometimes I almost feel like they're a keyboard loving Six Organs of Admittance. I recommend it to thee. Additonally, beloved pilgrims, another comrade of ours has began a blog that is very prime, take a gander at HEY MY BOY YEAH.

To be had here:
Woodcraft Folk - Trough of Bowlands [192 VBR kbps]

Talkdemonic

Talkdeomonic gets called many things, but I've never heard a negative one yet. Experimental at its core, two minds that make up Portland's Talkdemonic are Lisa Molinaro (viola and synths) and one Kevin O'Conner ("drums, synths, pianos, programming beats, bass, accordion, banjo, guitar, rhodes, wurlitzer and everything else sounds" as last.fm puts it). Nothing about the experimentation in their work has a crazy-as-all-get feel, just a uniquely new and wonderfully harmonious mixtures of sounds. Both albums are decidedly mellow but not so slow to be ambient, which is really exactly what I'm looking for often enough to have enjoyed listening to them repeatedly. Have fun hear what instrumentation they picked for each song, they never seem quite the same. This is further bolstered in importance by the lack of voacls throughout Talkdemonic's releases. Enjoy the audio bliss.

To be had here:







Mutiny Sunshine (2004) @ 192 kbps











Beat Romantic (2006) @ 160 kbps