Strangelets - 2011 - Summer Forever EP

Dream Pop

[FOR FREE]

http://strangelets.bandcamp.com/album/summer-forever-ep
http://strangelets.bandcamp.com/album/heavy-is-the-heart-ep

• 9 songs across 2 EPs to download
• You name the price (min 0,-)
• You get the link if you register your email address
• Listening recommendations: New World, M I Lie, Soul Of Time

Impressions

Another band that shows me that I should devote more time to actually listening to the stuff I bookmark. I grabbed this back in 2011 and the band already made another EP since then. I'd seriously love for them to have more time and money to focus on their music, because they have incredibly great potential and show an interesting array of variety on these 2 EPs, but it is also quite apparent that neither of these EPs shows a completely coherent and consistent concept yet. Both records contain standout tracks that I'll definitely keep in my rotation, for example the rough, bleak and fantastically executed M., I Lie, which evokes a sound reminiscent of the songs of the Bright Eyes, the incredibly dreamy and lovely Soul of Time as a touching love song or Majenusa, which shows their take on a more neutral and catchy Indie Pop style. The problems here however, are that they jump sometimes too harshly between certain styles even if the individual songs are great it itself, with Alumbras being the main offender with a genre and language switch, and that some songs are far from reaching the bar that the above mentioned songs set. Heavy is the Heart, as one example, is neither lyrical nor musically anywhere as interesting as the other tracks, and seems more like a B-Side track compared with the other higher quality songs.
Even with some weaknesses here and there, thankfully the majority of these tracks are interesting, varied, recommendable and highly enjoyable. Nothing is rushed here, every step and sound is carefully chosen to mesmerize the listener and draw them into a world of dreamy pop sounds to soothe the occasional occurence of a heavy heart. Its a shame that bands like Strangelets are having the recognition and publicity issues that they tend to have, but even if this is just a small blog and certainly not much recognition, here is to you and I hope you'll find the time to further improve your craft until you manage to fulfill your potential, which I certainly think you are capable of. *clinks glasses*

Das Machine - 2014 - Red Sky

Post Rock

[FOR FREE]

http://amachinesdeath.bandcamp.com/album/red-sky-ep

• 4 songs to download
• You name the price (min 0,-)
• You get the link if you register your email address
• Listening recommendations: Ghost

Impressions

It was only a matter of time until bandcamp delivered unto me the first new post rock album of 2014 worth listening to and recommending. I wasn't expecting it so quickly, I freely admit as much, but Das Machine's second release of the year[!] (the first of new material) certainly sets the bar high enough for any other bands in this genre to try and clear. Sadly it's only four tracks, because a full length would be glorious to sit back and revel in. Machine has got the slow burn build-up down to a science, a churning guitar-driven rock and roll science, that may be a deterrent to some, I'm able to plop down and enjoy. Something about the wailing on "Ghost", and the atmospheric, dreamy nature on "Time Turns Tomorrow into Yesterday", with its just barely there AM radio hiss (well until the fade out anyway). I'm a sucker for music that can elicit a bit of nostalgia for reasons unknown, and both those tracks did just that. The first minute or so of "Ghost" paints a desolate picture, that would indeed be punctuated by a red sky, like the ones light pollution here create in the winter. Strikingly beautiful, but in the back of your mind, there's a niggling that something isn't right. That isn't to say the music is somehow 'bad' (I kind of went of the rails there for a minute), far from it. The production is clean, the guitars are allowed to shine and play off each other in a vast post-rock playground while the low end is dutifully heavy - the drumming is all around excellent really - really letting those skins know who's in charge. Of course everyone chills the 'eff out come 1972, the drums are reduced to simple high-hats and bass basically sits back and lets the guitars call out for each other in a vast dark space on this one. Perfect headphone track. Definitely one for fans of the post-rock oeuvre, check out Das Machines Red Sky.
Also, check out the odds and ends record they put out last month if you get a chance, why not. 

Floorist - 2013 - Invisible Names EP

Pop

[FOR FREE]

http://flooristmusic.bandcamp.com

• 4 songs to download
• You name the price (min 0,-)
• You get the link if you register your email address
• Listening recommendations: Elixir Vitae

Impressions

This release is very intriguing; and I’d like to review it for its unsettling quality. Now, as with most reviews, I tend to change my opinion about whatever I’m talking about and typically like the album/EP/demo more than when I had made up my mind about it. This is because I get more comfortable around it, and predictability allows for warmer proximity between a listener and music. Such is the case with Invisible Names, and here’s why.

The unsettling quality I had mentioned is ever so in-your-face, it made it almost hard to listen to this all the way through. Its trip-hop and glitchy drum beats made it perplexing and sort of confusing. It’s like being drunk while trying to do math problems in your head. Who wants to do that? However, the appeal slowly settled in, which would be the ambient lo-fi instrumental combo. It’s snug. The chords and riffs played are catchy in a sweet way; and innocent in a Beach House way. The vocals are also pleasantly calming. Will Maimonis has a pretty nice voice, and resembles wind during Spring. The reverb is there, and throw on a lo-fi blanket and you have some pretty lie-down-and-lay-back vocals.

So what’s the problem? It’s when you mix both of them together that things get a little shaky. It’s awkward to follow along to a particular rhythm, which is what is encouraged by the way everything is mixed. The inability to follow along made it a bit frustrating for me to listen to. The reason to listen to Invisible Names is to mellow out, and just enjoy an experimentally poppy drum/guitar combo for a few minutes. Cool in theory.

To wrap this up, I’m all for experimenting, but I don’t consider this to be something I’d listen to on a regular basis. I believe as a composer that Floorist has a lot of potential, but this is so far only an experiment.