25 posts tagged “jaklumen”

I'm sure I've mentioned this before, but during my time as a writer for W♥M, I got in contact with Massive Music, which had promoted one of the albums I was reviewing.  Since my musical tastes are rather eclectic and odd, they were a perfect fit, and I have been the exclusive writer here at W♥M for the independent music they help produce ever since.

The latest album they have sent me is called Fear of the Forest by a Brooklyn-based artist called Teleseen, produced under the Percepts Records label.   The music is a mixture of dub and reggae genres with experimental electronica, and was released August 25th.

My first impression (and gut reaction, actually) was that the experimental electronica parts were fairly familiar to me, with technobass beats and carefully crafted electronic tones and textures.  What stood out immediately is when hip-hop elements appeared, such as Jah Sight's featured vocals on "Black Monday", filtered through electronic reverb effects, or Billy Wood's rap on "Chikurubi".  So at first, I thought I was not hearing anything too remarkable until it came right out and smacked me, so to speak.  I've listened to electronic music for a really long time, and in many different genres, from New Age to New Wave.  Although one of my music professors suggested I go into musicology, which essentially is about the history and evolution of music, it's really hard sometimes to pick out all these individual elements, and pinpoint their origins.  So I repeat, again, that it's mostly the vocals of which I mentioned which are different about this album.  I'm aware that dub has particular roots, but to be honest, any dub elements blend in pretty well with the electronic soundscape.

And often times, although I was primarily an instrumentalist in my music studies, the music I've reviewed often times is blended smoothly like Fear of the Forest-- even the mashup music I've covered.  I don't know how to explain it well, really, save when it works, well, it's not immediately noticeable.  So maybe that is what I will say is the weak part of this album; that the vocal parts, by contrast, don't mesh quite so well.  And that's not from lack of selection, really.  Billy Wood might have chosen a rap style that was more singsong, such as the G Funk style of the U.S. West Coast in the 1990's, rather than one that harks more to the roots of lyrical and slam poetry.  Perhaps the choice is more authentic; after all, hip-hop and rap has roots in Jamaica, where dub and reggae originate.  And perhaps the slight dissonance is more intentional, to jar the listener to pay attention.

Sometimes I quote directly from the press release just so I can convey what the intentions really were.  I try to do it sparingly; for often, press releases have very flowery and fanciful descriptions.  I want listeners to decide for themselves.  I have written "this is music to be experienced" or "listen for yourself" in many of my reviews, but will sometimes quote, especially to quote other artists and critics, just for comparison.  And sometimes, material written about an earlier effort seems to fit.  For example:

Pitchfork has called him "an electronic MC Escher" and the Wire called WAR "A Zen slap to the back of the head"

Teleseen has fast become one of the leading producers on the vanguard of combining dub and reggae with experimental electronic music, without falling into the narrow genre ghettos defined by dubstep or so called "dub techno".

and in this case, I think they illustrate what I heard pretty well-- for a while, it seems to flow so naturally together, until something comes along that made me think, "Does that element belong there?"  [Note: WAR was Teleseen's debut album.]  My first reaction is to say that it does not seem to fit there very well, but these are things that would lead me to go back and listen again, just to be sure.  Some music is that way, and the seeming clash grows on you after several listens. eventually fitting more and more each time you listen to it.  And so again, I say: listen for yourself.  I also say again: this is unlike most anything else you've heard.  I'm not sure if I would describe Teleseen as "an electronic MC Escher", but it is engaging, it is different, and it is, as I have said about so many music I've written upon of late, it is music that can be actively danced and listened to.

Legion Within is a dark rock band hailing from Seattle, WA, combining industrial and darkwave to create their own distinctive sound.  Mouth of Madness was released today (6/16/09) on KDFDM Records and is their fourth album, following 2007's the empty men.  The band was formed in 2000 by singer-songwriter William Wilson, and their current lineup includes Wilson (vocals, guitar), Shannon Cole (guitars), Erica Butler-Branch (bass), Aaron Nicoles (percussion), and Jasyn Byrum (synthesizer).

The album took two years to complete and apparently was creatively wrought from the personal tragedy and upheaval the band members experienced during that time.  This isn't a bad thing, as industrial and darkwave music have connections in the goth culture, e.g. topics of romance, tragedy, escapism, dark humor and other subjects covered in this album are definitely part of the territory.  Of course, goth-punk culture enjoys a fairly comfortable spot in their hometown environs of Seattle.  Legion Within has opened for acts such as Peter Murphy, Collide, Voltaire, Audra, and God Module; they will be opening for the namesake of their record label, KDFDM, in the fall of this year.

Described as a "dark mosaic of musical genres and styles", Mouth of Madness is slated to be the group's breakthrough release, and I can confirm it covers such a wide variety, from gothic ambience on one side to driving industrial on the other.  This seems to be a band best enjoyed live, however, which also seemed to be indicated in the press release for this album.  So definitely check them out at a concert if you're up this way.

To illustrate my point, here is their "teaser trailer" for "Somebody's Speaking": 

This was the introduction to the press release information, and I thought it was very interesting because Cimmorene told me she thought it sounded like "adventure music", that is, using it to set the atmosphere for an adventure story or game. At times she was intrigued and others she was creeped out.

TROUM hails from Bremen, Germany and is comprised of Stephan "Baraka[H]" Knappe and Martin "Glit[S]ch" Gitschel. The two were previously active in the ambient industrial group MAËROR TRI, and hence, TROUM is sometimes considered to be the follow-up project. Knappe is also the founder and owner of Drone Records.

Eald-Ge-Streon was released on Beta-Lactam Ring Records May 30th, 2009.

Troum means "dream" in German. The group also uses it as an acronym for Tiefenmusic Reaching Our Unconscious Minds. Tiefenmusic roughly translates to "deep music." What's implied (at least, again, in the press materials) is that the sound is a central manifestation of the dreamworld and the unconscious mind, and a gateway to a realization of that primal and unformed essence. But to be more direct, I will be blunt: the sound is out in some heavy backwaters of instrumental music. The influences include industrial, drone, and doom metal genres. Researching their origins and comparing them to the mess of descriptive labels also mentioned in the press release leads me to say once again that this is simply music you must listen to yourself, and listen to actively (preferably with headphones, if you can). If you are intimately familiar with the history of electronic music, many of these labels (including minimalist, experimental, ambient, and noise music) make more sense but for the average listener, again, I say that mere attentive listening is key.

What I can say that is probably more helpful is that TROUM eschews digital sources such as samplers or computerized tone banks in favor of more organic, tangible, and analog sound sources. The list (which is by no means exhaustive) includes guitar, bass, voice, accordion, balalaika, flute, mouth-organ, melodica, gong, field recordings, pre-recorded-tapes (some 8-track), and "sound objects". The album is also not even laid out in conventional, familiar means. What I received was two CDs, one with a long track about 30 minutes long ("Abhijna", the bonus CD, according to the Troum website), and another 6 tracks totaling about 45 minutes. The liner notes suggest that the tracks have names, but there is no indication of which track is named which either in those notes or the printed labels on the discs. If any of you are familiar with Savage Republic's "Procession", one of the tracks is a cover. (Any idea, Vu?) I can only assume that the order in which they are listed is the order in which they appear on the CD.

Fresh off the heels of the Flashlights EP, Austin's Loxsly emerge from the lab with their third LP, Tomorrow's Fossils (Little Mafia/Texas Heat, May 2009). This newest and perhaps most ambitious edition to the Loxsly discography retains the band's signature synth pop sensibilities while revealing a darker layer. On one level it's a concept album about science gone wild, about conflicts between technology and humanity. But each song stands strong on its own and takes on new meanings within the context of the album, giving Tomorrow's Fossils remarkable depth. With this latest LP, Loxsly continues to showcase danceability, but this time out the lights are dimmer, the club's air denser, the faces more somber. That isn't to say the band takes themselves too seriously. (Recently on a live radio show for Austin's KUT they performed a lovely rendition of Kermit's "Rainbow Connection.")

Taken from the press release, I thought this would serve as a nice introduction. At any rate, it's a nice change of pace from what I have usually covered (instrumental electronica, that is). Tomorrow's Fossils, to use a few metaphors, goes down like smooth indie pop with strange and odd highlights. The sound is vaguely like '70s space rock, and yet it sounds contemporary. I found it interesting that the press noticed that blend of different elements; NPR said, "Loxsly often blends familiarity and new ground within the same song," and Flagpole Magazine wrote, "Loxsly has managed to balance seemingly opposing aesthetics to create an odyssey of experimental pop." The result is music that is very easy on the ears and yet will engage the active listener. At the risk of repeating myself from other reviews, this album is also something that should be listened to with headphones on.

Here is one of a number of music videos that were produced for the album, this one being for Battalion:

Apparently, the music videos illustrate the concept of the album, and serve to complete the experience. More can be found at Baeble Music or at the band's MySpace page.

I'll admit it, I'm not much of a rocker. I'm much more into music with an electronic groove. And not too long ago, mixing the two was almost considered heretical by some fans. It's fallen in and out of favor-- out first with the anti-disco backlash of the early 1980's, and then out again with the backlash against the synth-soaked pop of that decade, and the resurgence of garage band rock. Perhaps the combination is coming back into style again with Our Inventions and How They Fail Us, the debut album of a post rock band called The Project_Pale, released on the Ohm Resistance label.

Its front man, Jason Selden, is known to drum n bass audiences as Glitch from the Chosen. Bass duties are covered by another Ohm Resistance artist, Submerged. Completing the group is Sensi*star (a.k.a. Phillia Kim Downs), who provides vocals. Their sound is a merging of hard elements of rock, including metal, with synthesizer electronica, complete with Vocoders, dubs, and drum n bass reece lines. The album explores a variety of styles, some reminiscent of Pink Floyd, some classic metal, and blended together with night club electronica grooves.

The sound is personally not to my taste, but perhaps for the very reason it makes it worthy of consideration. By my experience, metal and electronica audiences are very separate (save maybe common roots in geek culture, but nevertheless), therefore, the pairing of the two is jarring and foreign enough to me that I would be so bold as to call it avant-garde. As I have written before, I suggest listening for yourself.

There is artistic work that is not so much simply seen, heard, felt, smelled, or tasted, as much as experienced.  Hence it is something you must take in for yourself, and a critical review simply falls short.

These have been my thoughts reflecting on Zodiac Dust, an album by Loop 2.4.3, set to be released June 16th on the Music Starts From Silence label.  I would be content to simply write, "I cannot say much more; hear for yourself;" but fortunately, I do have an artist biography and other online articles to help me frame my perspective about this album, to describe what went into it, and give some background on this artist.

On my first listen, I found that the album is experimental, with a broad representation of percussive instruments.  The instruments used are listed in the liner notes, and reading them I found also the cello and violin, played by guest artists Ari-Lin Bardin and Michelle Lee Elliot, respectively.  Most of the instruments are various percussion instruments I remember from my high school and college years (few, if any, that I actually played, as I was playing tuba most of those years), but there were two that I did not recognize: the eLog and Rose Echo.  I had to look them up.  Orange Alert's interview last week of Thomas Kozumplik and Lorne Watson, who comprise Loop 2.4.3, had the answers.  Watson explained that both are custom electro-acoustic instruments created specifically for Zodiac Dust, the eLog being a sort of log drum run through a Fender Twin amp, and the Rose Echo as an "acoustic wood" instrument passed through a guitar effects unit.  He did not describe it further than that, but I am guessing that the "Rose" in Rose Echo might refer to it being made of rosewood, which is used by guitar luthiers to make classical guitars as well as being used sometimes for percussion instruments, such as the bars on a grand marimba.  Rosewood has a very characteristic sound that is warm and mellow, and if I can imagine a "guitar effects unit" being anything like the famous Moogerfooger effect units made by Moog Music (yes, the same folks that produced the venerable Moog synthesizer), well, than I can appreciate it being a well-crafted sound.

As I was saying, some music must be experienced.  Loop 2.4.3 was once a purely live act, and their first album, Batterie, was recorded as a one-take, one-hour session with no editing for Sonarchy Radio in Seattle, WA.  With Zodiac Dust, they simply added a few more sonic effects in the studio than they would normally be able to do live.

Taking more from the OA interview, this is Kozumplik's explanation on how they came up with their name:

The name refers to a group, (loop) of friends and a room where we all used to create great music. It was when we were involved with The Robert Hohner Percussion Ensemble in Michigan. It was a great time, and we are still close to all the past members. It is a great support group, and filled with great musicians.

I try not to sound elitist writing this, but some of the press quotes were just a bit amusing to me.  NPR's Fresh Aire says the group "reinvents percussion" and, describing Batterie as "like part of a well-thought-out tradition, only the tradition has never existed until now."  The Lansing State Journal says "that only two guys beating on things could sound so orchestral will be a revelation to some listeners… “  Really, this was not all that unusual to me, because, compositionally speaking, I was familiar with percussion solo and ensemble works in my music studies.  I could not find the LSJ article, but a closer look at NPR's review by Milo Miles was fairly revealing:

Loop 2.4.3 is Thomas Kozumplik and Lorne Watson, and while the two have worked together as a unit only since 2001, they have an extensive background with numerous ensembles, notably Kozumplik's quartet, Clogs. But what jumped out at me is that Loop 2.4.3 is in residence this fall at the Harry Partch Institute. Partch was an outsider classical composer who invented his own instruments, most of them exotic percussion tools. He also wrote incidental music for plays.

Not coincidentally, Kozumplik has worked for film and theater. And that's as close as I can come to describing Loop 2.4.3's style — if Partch had been warmer, more linear and had a better sense of dramatic narrative, he might have made music like this.

I had to admit Miles was right.  Thinking back, most percussion-only performances I can recall were not always very accessible.  To be more blunt, my teenaged mind thought "weird" or "bizarre".  He also said "About the only constant in the last 50 years of popular music is that it's become more and more aggressive with rhythms," and yet, I also remembered reading dismissive consensus of such music as "just music to dance to" by the music snobs I crossed paths with in cyberspace over the past 15 years.  So I think "dramatic narrative" is probably spot on.  I have yet to listen to Batterie as of this writing, but Zodiac Dust could also be described as telling a story as well.  Please, have a listen.  This is very different than probably most anything you've heard.

(Oh, and by the way, Music Starts With Silence also is offering a manuscript of a solo version of Underground, the third track of the album, for marimba at their store, which I am listening to right now.  Never seen something like this, either.  Definitely a good thing.)

Jeans Team is an electronic band based in Berlin, Germany, comprised of Franz Schütte and Reimo Herfort.  They got their start in 1995 and took their name from an old abandoned neon sign that they found hanging in front of a cheap clothing shop in the Wedding district.  The idea was that they were filling up the empty logo with new content, like a hermit crab moving into a new shell.  This sign is often part of their stage setup and appears to be the basis for their logo. Schütte and Herfort were also co-founders of Galerie BerlinTokio, a very influential underground club of the '90s, which gave rise to the band's first rehearsals, live performances, and recording sessions.

I admit I had not heard of Jeans Team, although "Keine Melodien" from Ding Dong (2000) was a worldwide hit.  Peaches covered the song on the US release of "Teaches of Peaches"  MJ Lan made a remix of the song as well, which is featured on this self-titled EP.  Describing their sound is easier for me to do in the context of where they started and continue to create their music; Wedding is one of the most impoverished areas of Berlin, and low rents in the district have encouraged a vibrant community of artists.  The Nadel Eins Studio Berlin is located there and has more or less become home and headquarters for the band when they are not touring.  Nadel Eins is also the name of their label, which they also created.  Quoting Montreal Mirror, which described their sound as "minimal electro-pop and synth rock anthems" also gives perspective:

"If you are picturing plastic coated machine men with disc drives for mouths, keyboards for backs and knobs for, um, knobs, I hate to shatter your Kraftwerkian illusions, but Germany's Jeans Team are made of flesh and blood."

I thought this was pretty amusing since I was reading a lot of comparisons of Kraftwerk to the duo.  To be honest, I'd say a comparison to the early synthpop scene of the early '80s in the UK and Europe is a little more fair, but with a retrospective twist-- not nostalgic, but a new take on an older genre.  Think Depeche Mode when Vince Clarke was still a member, with their early performances at Croc's (now the Pink Toothbrush).  Add a heavy dose of DJ house party energy in the Europop style with some old discotheque flair, and I'd say that's a much closer approximation.  While Depeche Mode at that time was categorized as part of the Futurist scene, and Jeans Team seems to be more retro in flavor, I'd say the working-class roots of both DM in Basildon and Jeans Team in Wedding have some parallels, if only to describe a connection from past and present.

At any rate, this EP was received pretty favorably in my home.  Soon after I popped the disc into the player, the other day, my son started dancing  and smiling in his high chair, and Cimmorene walked through the door and said "Ooo, what is that?  I like that."  When I played it again moments ago to start writing this review, she later suggested that everyone should get up and dance.  While none of us speak nor understand a lick of German (and hence none of us understand any of the German lyrics in some of the songs), we all enjoyed it very much.

The EP contains five unreleased tracks, as well as material from previous albums.  To my pleasant surprise, there are music videos to  some of the songs.  Here's the one for "Oh Bauer":

Described as "The Thinking Person's Dance Music", Drifting in Silence (DiS) is a one-man electronic band hailing from Chicago.  Comprised of the multi-instrumentalist musician and composer Derrick Stembridge, Facewithin is Drifting in Silence's second recording, and was released last month on the 21st.

Once again, I give my recommendation to listen to this music wearing headphones, or anywhere acoustically ideal where you can be drenched and surrounded by sound, such as a long drive home in the car, or a ride on your public transportation of choice.  This ambient music, driven by funk and industrial rhythms, deserves active listening, or at least a dance floor setting where the audience is paying fairly close attention to the music.  If you like deep trance, drum and bass, and other similar genres, and artists such as Skinny Puppy, Front Line Assembly, and Aphex Twin, Facewithin will fit in nicely to your DJ queue.  The album has 5 tracks with 3 remixes of the title track, so it's clearly meant to be danced to, as well as a means of sonic escape from the world outside.  Overall, the album has a somewhat mellow feel, but there are regular upbeat tempos to get you in the groove.

longthenight is a side project by Stembridge, and a self-titled album was released March 31st.  I would say this material has more of a New Age feel, with acoustic piano solos and guitar riffs set to warm electronic sounds.  It was recorded during the same session that Facewithin was, which I would say is pretty demonstrative of Stembridge's ability to explore a wide musical range.  longwithin might not appeal to all of the same audience that Drifting in Silence does, but it follows the musical tradition of greats such as Brian Eno, Vangelis, Harold Budd, and Tangerine Dream.  The music is definitely more contemplative and has a very meditative quality to it.

Both albums are on the Labile Records label and physical CDs can be purchased from their website here (Facewithin) and here (longthenight).  Music can also be purchased online through iTunes.

I like to include music videos when I can, but there were none for these particular albums.  However, this one, for the Drev remix of Chameleon, was produced for DiS's 2007 release, fallto:

"Electronica" was all I needed to know when Vu sent me the information on Zigmat.  "If you don't want to review this, I'll do it," he wrote.  "I like sweet girl vocals on electronic music."  No chance.  When I started listening, I knew I had something pretty special.  "You're too late-- after playing the video for 'Machine', Cimmorene [my wife] said she liked it," I replied.  "I really like what I'm hearing so far."

To be honest, "electronica" doesn't do enough to describe the band's sound, which strikes me as more sophisticated and mature, with a fusion of many musical genres punctuated by electronic textures.  The opening track of Sounds of Machines, "Wait", has cool jazz flavors, while "Light of the Moon" sounded post-punk influenced.  "Machine" seemed somewhat gothic and industrial.  This album is really rich, and it's difficult to separate every nuance of style as there is just so much there to wade through.  The press release describes them as "a throwback to a certain type of theatricality missing from today’s music scene," and that's probably the best way to put it.  I think they could fit in just fine on a theatrical stage as well as a more standard rock venue.

Zigmat is fronted by Monica Rodriguez and Stephen Yonkin, who met after college but had incidentally attended the same school.  Monica was already putting together a band and was looking for a bass player. The band officially launched in 2006, and Sounds of Machines is their followup to their self-titled EP. They list the Lemonheads, Massive Attack, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Brazilian Girls, Air, and Goldfrapp among their influences.  They performed at SXSW just last month, which I was unable to attend.  (I'm reading that the crowd's reaction was 'incredible'-- Vu, can you confirm?) The full biography I received is available at their MySpace page , which contains more reviews from the press, but I must say, you've really got to listen for yourself.  I've been excited about a lot of music I've reviewed so far, but I really think Zigmat has the potential to hit it big in the mainstream.  Yeah.  It's that good.

Sounds of Machines can be purchased at CD Baby here in either a physical (CD) or digital format.  

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Zigmat - Zigmat!

• jaklumen
• Apr 29, 2009 at 4:51 PM

If you're following the main W♥M blog, you may have read the review I did for Sounds of Machines.  I really like this band's sound so I picked up a copy of their self-titled EP for comparison.  Something I forgot to mention is that Monica Rodriguez drifts into Spanish lyrics with her singing, which is featured much more prominently in this EP.  Some tracks are featured in Sounds of Machines, but feature more of this alternating Spanish and English lyrics; in fact some of the tracks are marked with "Spanglish" in parantheses.

As a result, there is a fairly strong base of Latino fans, that I can see, and this may also be partly the basis for their comparison with The Brazilian Girls.