RECORD OF THE WEEK

Condre Scr – You Are Genius

Condre Scr has been off the radar for the last few years, but that doesn’t mean they have been inactive.

With their unique blend of harrowing harmonies and delicate melodies, You Are Genius is a fitting follow-up to Jar Marsen . They remain true to themselves and their sound, the album is a winding path between hope and darkness. In a beautifully hand-made packaging, this is an album that belongs in the collection of anyone that considers music to be an artform and not an item destined for commercial consumption.

RECORD OF THE WEEK

Yellow6/Egsun – Worth Wasting Time

This split release on the Greek label Somehow Ecstatic record label has two tracks by Yellow6 and 5 tracks by Egsun.

The record label prides itself on releasing music they love and with special handmade  packaging  and also limit the numbers of CD’s produced. For this release it is 300.

The first two tracks of the split feature Yellow6 who has been on this label before, in fact it was on their previous release by Masturbation Goes Cloud as Yellow6 collaborated with them on the last track. But he is flying solo on these two tracks, titled Concorde and The Start Of Our Decline. The first track is classic Yellow6 while the second track brings in more instruments like keys and some percussion which I think gives the music more depth and a different feel to it. He has used other instruments  in previous work.  The track The Start Of Our Decline is as good as any Yellow6 track that I have heard.

Egsun, who is the bass player from the band Masturbation Goes Cloud contributes 5 tracks to this split. It is a really nice contrast to the music of Yellow6. The tracks mainly consist of cello or guitar over music box sounds which sound like they have been processed slightly.  Looping, minimal sounds are the main ingredient of Egsun’s sounds and it is all done so beautifully.  The mixture of stringed instruments with musical box/glockenspiel is always a great combination and Egsun doesn’t disappoint with these tracks.

Somehow Ecstatic records haven’t release that many albums, but the albums that they have released have been high quality. Long may that continue with this excellent label.

RECORD OF THE WEEK

Canyons Of Static – Farewell Shadows

A five track digipack, Farewell Shadows blends well-known and perfected aspects of Post Rock into a tapestry-like picture of intricacy, it proves that Canyons of Static are into their music for the sake of their music. Honest and straight-up tracks that don’t sucker punch the listener, friends of the genre as well as newcomers will find this a highly accessible release that keeps them coming back for more while keeping delicate sounds and tones for future listens.

Canyons of Static is an instrumental quintet that blends the distorted melodies of shoegaze with the intensely emotional aspects of post-rock. With no central songwriter, the music evolves from a collective process of experimentation challenging the boundaries and forms of traditional rock music. They self-released two ep’s in 2006 and their first full-length album, The Disappearance, in 2008. Canyons of Static continues to grow their audience through a dynamic live show. Performances feature homemade abstract films projected onto multiple screens creating a unique experience of sight and sound.

RECORD OF THE WEEK

Mooncake – Acoustic

Mooncake – the leader of Russian instrumental and post-rock music scene – releases its newest Acoustic CD & DVD on Fluttery Records.

Mooncake is a Russian post-rock band founded in Moscow early 2006. Since then Mooncake has been permanently performing at top Moscow clubs and festivals, toured Russia, Ukraine, Baltic countries and shared stage with such bands as God is an Astronaut, Explosions in the sky, Caspian, Russian Circles and finally became number one of Russian instrumental and post-rock music scene.

In five years time the band have released three EPs and one full length album, which were warmly welcomed both by listeners and critics all over the world.

The newest Acoustic (CD and DVD) is a live Mooncake’s show performed on Rain TV in 2010. The video contains five tracks in pretty new acoustic arrangements. The release will be available through Fluttery Records not only in DVD format, but in CD Audio and digital as well.

Mooncake is sometimes compared to Pink Floyd or Mogwai but the band has made a name for itself having developed its own style and became quiet popular among connoisseurs of genre both home and abroad. Catchy melodies, atmosphere, the ideal balance between rapture and grief: all this has always been Mooncake’s distinctive feature.

RECORD OF THE WEEK

The Northern Hemisphere – Jupiter Protects You

This is the fourth release from Terrence Drew Miller aka The Northern Hemisphere. I don’t know any of the previous three releases but going by the music on this release, I will be seeking out his other music. This album is 14 tracks long coming in at over 74minutes long. Track lengths vary from just under 2 minutes to over 11 minutes in length.

This project took about 1 year to complete, and he describes this release as an abstract year old experiment to create soundscapes and miniature soundtracks for things that would otherwise not include sound. The sound certainly is varied throughout the album starting with the downtempo, minimal 1st track Dinner At The Movies. The album meanders along with electronic tracks with nice beats and a slight sprinkling of IDM for good measure, the more ambient tracks he produces are also very nice as he throws in a slightly different effect to keep the music alive and breathing. I like the mix of sounds that he creates, mixing piano with electronic sounds and beats and ambient soundscapes. He also throws in a fair amount of different percussive sounds which keep the sound very interesting.

He lists his influences as Imogen Heap, Sigur Ros, Enya, Brian Eno, Coldplay, Air and The Album Leaf. But I think the main influence is himself with the time and effort that he put into this release.

RECORD OF THE WEEK

Bridges Of Konigsberg – Five Colors 

This is the first full release from Chicago based  Bridges Of Konigsberg. This is a follow up to the awesome 4 track EP, We Have Many Faces which was released in 2010. There is a rich mixture of sounds and textures throughout the album. Some great post-rock, ambient, keys…they do seem to be carving out a nice sound for themselves. It is an album of two sides in a way, the instrumental tracks and the tracks with vocals. Although the tracks with vocals often lead to more instrumental passages of music rather than being bogged down with said vocals. Its a formula that works, and it works really well.

They have offered this release as a pay what you want release on Bandcamp, as seems to be the way with a lot of releases these days. They are also offering a CD, which you can buy for $10 in a very limited edition of 100. Make that 99 now as I have my copy in the post. And as with all Endless Field Studios releases the physical copy is a first class package. I would jump on this physical release before they sell out, and I don’t think that will take long.

A Celebration of the music that has been played on Fade To Yellow in 2011.

No top 10 or top 20 but just a track or two from each month the show has been broadcasting on KOOP. 

Thank you for your support and here is to an equally awesome 2012!!

RECORD OF THE WEEK

www.obfusc.net

“Midnight Dome” is Obfusc’s third album release, offering a development of sound and style from his previous albums ‘Internal Countryside’ and ‘Cities of Cedar’, with a flowing fusion of tracks and ambient elements.

The album is a progression for the artist in terms of both production and presentation. Each track segues perfectly into the next, enhancing the listening experience with a seamless flow that meanders between more concrete beat-based melodic tracks and ambient washes and textural interludes. In the artist’s own words:

Working ambient interludes into the sequence, building them from field recordings of fragments of memory — friends laughing on a beach at night, stomping down volcanic rocks in Iceland, rough takes of guitar recordings from who-knows-when — makes it much more of a personal experience for me. I like to be able to tell someone I care about, “Remember the sea lions that we stumbled upon in Oregon?” That sound is buried deep, but it’s there. It immortalizes some of my favourite moments of the last couple of years, a period of intense personal growth and self-realization.

The packaging that the Obfusc CD came in was very different to anything that I had previously seen.

From the Obfusc website : packaged in laser-cut acrylic cases designed/fabricated by the inimitable David Tagg (of Install Sound/EED fame), hand-assembled by me. I wanted the physical release to feel special. I think this route accomplishes that and more

RECORD OF THE WEEK

www.northendmusic.com

Review to follow