EP Grab Bag vol. 105

Been meaning to get this one up for a while. Got lazy or forgetful or whatever, who cares really? It's here now. Anyhow, I am late in the sense that all the album art seems very well geared for Halloween, which I missed by a week. Oh well, better luck next year.

To be had here:

Peixefante - Lorde Pacal EP (2015)

Another EP I was sent from my Brazilian friend Barbara. Her impeccable is apparent in this awesome psychedelic indie/electronic pop outfit from Goiânia, Brazil. The songs possess a wonderful ethereal quality, just a touch spacey, but at their core they are wonderful modern psych tunes. They remind me of my favorite modern Brazilian psych-rockers, Supercordas, yet bent more toward pop music. An incredibly alluring EP, not to be missed.

Seamus O'Muineachain - Blood Apple (2015)

The songs of an Irish songwriter. Minimal in composition, ambient in tone, and folksy in style they are lovely instrumental songs. Done largely on guitar and piano they songs are a finely interwoven tapestry of those instruments, though a healthy level of percussion is used as necessary. It's as if that sort of acoustic music you've doubtlessly heard played in a coffeehouse could carry many times it's weight by utilizing more musical avenues than the bare guitar playing. So much so it is more sedimental than many lyrically based compositions.

Waylon Thornton and the Heavy Hands - Black Pudding (2015)

This Floridian outfit has routinely sent me music over the years, though I have failed to always post it. I am sloppy like that. However, I did take the time to hear this seven-track release and found myself enjoying even more than I already imagined I might. The songs are short garage rock jaunts. And I mean short, not any of them top the two minute mark. All upbeat lo-fi with howling singing reverb in the vocals and great distorted guitars. Check them out and look into their admirable catalog while you're at it.

The Dyna Jets - The Calling (2015)

Recently I posted the Fizz Pops, a garage pop band from Capetown, South Africa. Well, two members, Johnny Tex and Warren Fisher, of that band also have another project called the Dyna Jets. So here is the EP they put out this summer and I somehow missed until a couple of weeks ago. Two-piece garage rock as it should be, markedly fuzzy and playful, has a very surfy tone in the guitar playing. Four brief songs that left me eager for more. I Hope there will be more, under whatever name the choose to use next time.

Enema Noise - manual pouco prático do desapego (2014)

Back to Brazil, this time to the capital city of Brasilia. Lo-fi rock for sure, though of a more intense sort than the prior two EPs of this Grab Bag. Post-hardcore, which is a genre that is hit or miss for me overall, but there's not a doubt in my mind that Enema Noise is anything other than a hit. This release is absolutely exciting. The speed, intensity and excellent musicianship engaged me from the very start. I would love to hear them play in a dirty basement for sure.

Lê Almeida - Paraleloplasmos (2015)

More Brazilian music, just can't get enough it if lately. This is another one I was turned onto by my Brazilian friend, Barbara. She knows all the good tunes and in many cases the musicians themselves. So here we are all lucky enough to benefit by getting hear this most amazing guitar rock from Rio de Janeiro.

The album is relatively minimalistic, though there's use of effects especially in the vocals and the introductory seconds of tracks that'll make it appear otherwise. Mainly, it is guitar and drums though, focusing heavily of the talented experimentations in the guitar playing. Lo-fi and fuzzy these songs very quickly won me over. They're hazy, quick, fairly simple without being dull (in fact they're rather riveting overall). The guitar playing is a combination of psychedelic, prog and surf. Flashy and impressive while not being rushed, able build a movement up, and very full of reverb. There are some absolutely outstanding tracks to be heard on Paraleloplasmos such as epic "Câncer dos Trópicos" and catchy "Ester" that it would be a shame for any pilgrim to miss.

Lê Almeida is both a music and the operator of a music label, as he runs Transfusão Records. If you've been following the blog you'll certainly recognize that name as I've posted Chapa Mamba who are on this label. Moreover, I plan to sprinkle more in, especially into upcoming Grab Bags.

To be had here:
Lê Almeida - Paraleloplasmos

Junya Nishimura - Between Dream & Real (2014)

I picked up a slew of Burger Records tapes during a  recent sale, so my tape deck has been pounding away with garage rock goodness this last week. But you need a break from sweat jams from time to time. With a cup of tea and a copy of Nietzsche's Genealogy of Morals in hand, I sit with my demonic cat and let Japan's Junya Nishimura provide the soundtrack to this moment. I have a soft spot for minimalist piano explorations, and composer has some of the best lo-fi classical on the market. Far from noodling, these are short compositions that have a clear focus and direction. By the time Petite Valse II makes its rounds, the path is cleared to the crashing waves ahead.

This is a free download, but it deserves a physical release. Highly recommended.

Get it here:
Junya Nishimura - Between Dream & Real (2014)

Micromelancolié - Ensemble Faux Pas (2014)

Here in the California Bay Area, a large storm has hit forcing me to bundle up in my cave rather than brave the highways. As the rain pelts my window and slips through the cracks, I find myself looking for some meditative music to help conjure the old gods that once inhabited this earth. You can see them reaching towards the dark sky from the nearby woods, and one of my new favorite cassette labels has brought just the right soundscape to pull them closer.

A Giant Fern is a Portugal based cassette label well versed in the minimalist experimental genre. Sadly, I was not quick enough to get the physical tape itself (tapes being the best format for conjuring old gods and demons), but the digital file will suffice. Two long, drone-like tracks from this Polish artist great the cold like an old friend, then collaborating to bring a fear and wonder to my already tired existence. It is hard to decipher what is coming from the music and what is bleeding in from the storm outside. I slip deeper into the mix, and now find myself lost in its design. There is no escape.

Get it here:
Micromelancolié - Ensemble Faux Pas (2014)

A Big Silent Elephant - Sonne (2014)

Sonne has a fragile sound. A low fidelity and bizarre instrumentation of this psychedelia causes sound like it on a stiffening magnetic tape, ready to break and leave you wondering at the songs you've missed out on. It is like were lucky to have found these delightful, weird songs at all, which even if they are a digital release that's infinitely reproducible. Surely it is thanks to the internet that something like this could even find such a wide potential distribution.

The songs are mesmerizing in their minimalistic states. Often there won't be much more than enchanting lyrics, sung in a irreverent or ghostly choir-esque style, over acoustic guitar, simple percussion and various key and chimes that sound as if they could pass for child's playthings. This isn't to say the songs lack in any profoundness, they are moving in their own strange way, being very relaxing yet surreal. Perhaps the best example of this is "Oh Acid" but I would also suggest "Junk & Poison" and "Kollapsed" as fucking amazing tunes to have a beer and stop worrying about life to. Overall, I would highly recommend this album to fans of Nate Henricks or IL CULO DI MARIO, as while neither of these are quite the same style, they share a mood.

A Big Silent Elephant is a new moniker for an Italian musician sometimes known as Mauro Da Re, who's become a reoccurring presence on Spacerockmountain. He previously went by a Man with a Broken Piano, having put out a few EPs under that name and a collaborative effort with the Turkish musician called Beyza. This new full-length from Poland's Resonating Wood Recordings was previewed in the Starlight 7" release of two of the track through the same label.

To be had here:
A Big Silent Elephant - Sonne

Sonaluna - Face Down in Fabulous (2014)

I happened to miss a friend's wedding in India recently, much to my regret. I have never been to the place, and I am sure it would have been a wild ride both at the event and in any related travel through the country. Along with China, India is often considered a rising force in world politics and culture, with media outlets increasingly looking to make a buck in said countries by appealing to various tastes in music and film. However, not enough time has been spent finding new, youthful projects from the underground that may be making the next big record. Sonaluna's newest release is not that, but it is an interesting glimpse into the electronic music community of Mumbai.

Sonaluna has been making music for soundtracks and films for some time, and has had small bits of fame for her compositions. Minimalist in nature, many sound like a young woman putting proper musical training to work behind newly acquired synthesizers and sequencers. This may not be groundbreaking stuff (though I especially dug the EP's title track), there is enough interesting elements to separate it from its competitors and warrants a listen or two.

Get it here:
Sonaluna - Face Down in Fabulous (2014)

Lullatone - Melody Design Library (2006)

I am big on film scores, and have a soft spot in my heart for folks who make their own lo-fi symphonies for films that don’t exist. Most film scores and soundtracks have to be minimal in nature as not to take away the audience’s attention from the action on the screen, but still help set the tone and mood of the moment. Lullatone from Japan fits this mold perfectly.

This release, made up of small snippets of music made with creaky toy instruments and a fondness for sublime melodies, is just what any inspiring director would look for in their piece of film. Even if not attached to a film, Lullatone’s music is great music to score your personal life as you go about your daily business during this holiday season.

Get it here:
Lullatone - Melody Design Library (2006)

Ali Helnwein - Strange Creations (2012)

Ali Helnwein’s music is great Halloween fodder when you have exhausted your trashy garage-rock collection, and are looking for your own private backing track as you drift through your neighborhood half drunk and hopped up on candy. Released on cassette by Spring Break Tapes, this is probably the only tape I own from an artist that can boast that they have earned an Emmy. All that respectability permeates from this release!

Strange Creations calls to mind Danny Elfman’s Tim Burton soundtracks, as Ali weaves minimal string arrangements to perfectly fill an empty space. Tracks like “Greed” are whimsical yet sinister, reminding the listener that once the sun goes down, familiar places take on a baleful quality. As much as I enjoy Black Metal and Drone cassettes, this is the first tape I have played that my girlfriend also enjoyed, and I can sincerely say that this release should be in as many hands as possible.

Buy it here:
Ali Helnwein - Strange Creations (2012)

Eric August - Wake Distance Future (2011)

I'm pleased to say this was sent in as a submission. Eric August is an electronic music that has previously Psychic Attack of the Psyduck. I have some of his work from under that moniker but never posted it (think I got from Somatose or something). So it is neat to get his message that he wants me to share his new release here. Though I haven't posted much of it lately, I do enjoy a well-made electronic album and August has experience and willingness to experiment that enables him to produce some top-of-the-line minimalist electronica. Found myself getting lost in Wake Distance Future 20 tracks while doing my more nerdy activities, such as reading Star Wars comic books or playing Medieval Total War II. I got down time; unemployment isn't the worst thing ever. Regardless of what you fancy doing when listen, this shit is a refreshing electronic wind for the brain.

To be had here:
Eric August - Wake Distance Future

Laurie Anderson - Big Science (1982)

The debut album by Laurie Anderson, an experimental / avant-garde musician from New York, someone I'd known and read about for a long time but never actually listened to until recently. Interestingly enough, she married Lou Reed in 2008.
This album features a lot of experimental electronic music that in minimalistic in nature with lots of spoken word excerpts mixed with vocoderized vocals. Features the 8 minute centerpiece 'O Superman', a pseudo loop-based track about technology, the comforts of Mom and Dad and attacks by American planes. Lots of dark undertones in the themes that repeat themselves throughout this album that work perfectly within the context of the cold electronic instrumentals.

DOWNLOAD: Laurie Anderson - 'Big Science'

Duncan Ó Ceallaigh - Distant Voices, Still Lives (2007)

A very brief post tonight. i've gotten myself behind, this is just what I was listening to last night. Some decently well done minimalist ambient music. The name is really Irish looking, for he is from Scots-Irish stock, but lives in Germany on the Baltic Sea. The album isn't too long, certainly worthy of listening. Take it or leave it. Suggested for all those that are fond of ambient tunes.

To be had here:
Duncan Ó Ceallaigh - Distant Voices, Still Lives [320 kbps]

Kazumasa Hashimoto - Euphoriam (2007)

An exceptionally talented composer of electronic music from Japan, Kazumasa Hashimoto has release some marvelous albums over the last decade. Euphoriam is merely his most recent in a line of interesting albums, but shows that with time his skills on songcrafting have only increased. The sounds are absolutely charming, and much more calm in mood than his fellow countrymen of famed electronic talents like World's End Girlfriend and Cornelius. To be honest, he works remind be of Talkdemonic or a more masterfully made Cinq. Really do give this guy a try if you haven't heard him before, space pilgrims.

To be had here:
Kazumasa Hashimoto - Euphoriam [224 VBR kbps]

Matthew Dear - Leave Luck To Heaven (2003)

Ann Arbor-based electronic musician Matthew Dear is a fella that knows how to produce a fine album. I can even forgive that he's originally a Texan and only a Michigander by way of University of Michigan. His is the tale of the a DJ gaining respect to the degree of release some decently successful albums. Now, I've never been to a club in my life, and if I've got any say it I'll die this way, but I might just be tempted if I knew music of Mr. Dear's caliber was playing. However, I don't think he made this album for the club, but rather for people like us with some nice headphones and time. Very minimal, the songs are stripped just to what is necessary for the beat and mood. Leave Luck To Heaven has got both instrumentals and vocals so there's a nice balance. Dear does a good job at singing to boot. I think this is amongst the finest quality of microhouse made in these United States.

To be had here:
Matthew Dear - Leave Luck To Heaven [160 kbps]

Shogun Kunitoki - Tasankokaiku (2006)

Shogun Kunitoki is a name that is borrowed from villain of the 1987 game The Last Ninja for the Commodore 64. These Helsinki gentlemen have been messing around with computer sounds since the latter part of the 90s but only in this decade have the released anything substantial, which occurred with their transformation into a slightly more traditional, multi-instrumental make-up. The movement back towards more tangible instruments is something they've taken pride in, with their own wobsite proclaiming "a mission to help electronic music regress back to a more human state." Sometimes described as minimalist, Tasankokaiku lacks nothing in instrumentation in my opinion. There's no singing whatsoever, and I hardly feel it could add to it if there was. "Montezuma" is a galvanizing track that one feels completely comfortable with right off the bat. The entire album keeps a steady flow yet can move from more eerie songs like "Tulevaisuus-Menneisyys=1" to more joyfully composed ones such as "1918-1926." Thus I say next time you want some interesting electronic music, look no further until you've tried Tasankokaiku.

To be had here (192 VBR kbps):
Shogun Kunitoki - Tasankokaiku