The lovely Brazilian singer Ceu‘s new album Tropix will be out March 25, 2016. You can see the video for the first excellent single, “Perfume Do Invisivel,” below. It’s a beautiful single combining bossa nova with electro as Ceu does better than most.
You can pre-order Tropix on Ceu’s Bandcamp page.
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Brother-sister duo Afterdawn (Hannah and Daniel Evans) has come together to create a brilliant three-song EP of electro music that’s as bright as their namesake – Midnight (a clever name for a record by a band named “Afterdawn.”).
“Blank Page” opens the EP like the burst of a sunrise, and Hannah Evans’ vocals mix very well with the dazzling synths behind her. The title cut is perfect chill-out music for the car ride between parties and sounds like something the Cranberries wish they could make. The keyboards and precision drum machines mesh well with the secretly sad reverbed vocals. “Scream” has touches of Portishead (the synths), Everything But the Girl (the vocals), and M83 (the beats).
This is one of the most impressive debuts I’ve heard in a while, and you can get it for free (although I hope you’ll tip at least the recommended two bucks – They have to eat, you know.). I hope Afterdawn gives us a full album soon.
Keep your mind open.
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The Raveonettes, ever the innovators, have decided to create an “anti-album” by creating and releasing a different single every month of 2016. The first, “The World Is Empty (Without You),” is now available and it’s a neat electro cut they describe on their e-mailing list as “our take on an 80’s Freestyle beat.” Go to their site, subscribe to their e-mailing list, and you can partake of each track as it becomes available.
Keep your mind open.
The fifth annual Spring Awakening Festival of electronic dance music is coming to Chicago for the first time. The festival will be held June 10-12 in Chicago’s Jackson Park. Three-day passes are already on sale for as low as $191.82 (that includes all taxes and fees).
Like many other cool festivals, Spring Awakening offers a layaway option for tickets with a down payment of $47.25 and three payments after that spread out over three months.
This will be the biggest EDM festival in Chicago since the North Coast Fest (usually held in September). A three-day music festival for under $200.00 is hard to beat.
Keep your mind open.
[Rewind Reviews are reviews of albums over a year old that I haven’t heard until now.]
You know a John Carpenter film score as soon as you hear it. His themes for Halloween, Escape from New York, and The Fog (among others) are unmistakable. He, his son, Cody Carpenter, and his godson, Daniel Davies, all got together without interference or input from any film studio and put together Lost Themes – an outstanding collection of instrumental music ideal for films never made.
The album’s opener, “Vortex,” is perfectly titled. Its mournful piano, synths beats, and electro bass pull you down into something dark and brooding. Don’t have this on your iPod during the zombie apocalypse. It will cause you to panic and make some stupid decision like opening that door to see what’s making that weird noise.
“Obsidian” is keyboard-heavy, or perhaps I should say the keyboards bring a heavy of paranoia to the room. They build to frantic pitches as prog-rock guitars snake around them, and then they drop out and become something you’d hear inside a theatre during a Dario Argento film. You can’t miss Carpenter’s love of Goblin (Argento’s frequent composers for his films) and their influence on him throughout this record.
“Fallen” is something from a sci-fi film Carpenter has rolling around in his head. The synths and bass are perfect for a spaceship landing sequence and the exploration of the creepy landscape outside the ship. “Domain” keeps up with the sci-fi groove and races at a pace best suited for a post-apocalyptic action film until it turns into a spaghetti western theme for a moment.
“Mystery” opens the second half of the album, plunging you into some frightening place where a masked killer the size of King Kong Bundy is stalking you and not one person is answering as you run down the street banging on every door. “Abyss” is strangely upbeat for the first half, with almost New Age piano and more progressive rock drumming, and oozing with menace in the second half. You could put this at the end credits of nearly any action or sci-fi film in the 1980’s.
“Wraith” conjures up images of its namesake as it moves around you like some ethereal creature. The synths on it are otherworldly and mix with bass that seems to come from an opening dimensional portal. “Purgatory” might be something you’d hear there as you stroll down dark halls and through madness-inducing mazes. The drumming on it is some of the heaviest on the record as the synths hiss at you.
The closer is “Night,” and it’s a horror doozy. It brings to mind gritty dark streets, trench coat-clad vampires, and hideous shapes lurking in shadows. The guitar work on it seems mistuned low, giving it a weird vocal-like effect. The synths invoke images of a setting sun that brings dread instead of wonder or amazement.
Carpenter has announced Lost Themes II will be out April 16th of this year. It’s already high on my must-own list, as this should be on yours.
Keep your mind open.
Tamaryn Brown (hereafter known as Tamaryn) Tweeted last year that she felt 2015 had been her least sexiest year ever. I beg to differ because she gave us a lush, sexy, and excellent make-out record in 2015 – Cranekiss.
The title track opener sounds at first like a 45rpm record being played at 33 1/3rpm. The synths appear to be have been recorded at the bottom of a lake and Tamaryn’s lovely vocals appear to have been recorded in an empty YMCA pool. The Cure-like bass make the track something that should be on every “Summer 2015” mix tape.
“Hands All Over Me” immediately counters Ms. Brown’s “non-sexy 2015” Tweet, because I’m sure it’s gotten hundreds of people laid since its release. It’s full of gorgeous keyboards, lyrics about kinks and going for a couple rounds, and a near-industrial feel (especially the ending). It’s one of my favorite singles of 2015.
“Last” is a song by that one early 1980’s New Wave band that has haunted you since you heard it once on a college rock station as you were traveling to your aunt’s house for Christmas. Here it is, full of thick bass, strong synths, powerful and ethereal vocals, and that certain attitude that made you remember it for years. It’s a song about waiting for a lover, so it’s only natural you’ve been waiting to hear this.
“Collection” is bouncy and full of more great synths while “Keep Calling” slows things down and curls around you like incense smoke. It reminds me of early Love & Rockets records. “Softcore” is a genre of adult films, so I again am not buying Tamaryn’s claim of an unsexy 2015, especially when her torch singer voice rubs against you like a purring cat before the track turns into something you might hear in a dark and, ahem, exclusive club.
I think “Fade Away Slow” was recorded in the Black Lodge because it seems to come from another world where time moves slower. The guitar work on it is almost drone metal, but it’s sprinkled with crisp tones that would make Sergio Leone smile. The bass is menacing, the drums simple and effective, and Tamaryn’s vocals rise up around you…or perhaps you sink into them.
I love the guitar work on “I Won’t Be Found.” It has that excellent reverb / shoegaze effect that calms down everything around you, and the pace of the track only helps. This is, again, prime make-out music. Don’t blame Tamaryn if you aren’t getting some by this point on the album, because she’s made it especially easy for you with this track. I mean, for heaven’s sake, the next super-lush track is called “Sugarfix.” How much more help do you need?
Cranekiss ends with “Intruder (Waking You Up).” I can’t help but wonder if it’s about a one-night stand ending in a quick smooch and a thank you for a fun time and the coffee. The fuzzy and echoing guitar increases the “Wow…that was a crazy night.” mood and Tamaryn’s vocals seem to indicate she’s considering not leaving after all.
I know I don’t want to leave this record. It’s like a blissful weekend of good food and drink, late night cocktail lounges, and a lot of sex. If Tamaryn thinks she wasn’t sexy in 2015, then a record of her feeling frisky would probably melt my stereo.
Keep your mind open.
British house / techno gods Underworld have released “I Exhale,” the first single from their upcoming album Barbara Barbara, We Face a Shining Future. The track is an immediate club hit and brilliant in its simplicity of booming bass and synths, stream of consciousness lyrics, and dance beats. It’s an instant cure to seasonal affective disorder.
You can pre-order Barbara Barbara, We Face a Shining Future (the band’s first album in six years) now. They’ll also be playing Coachella this year, so don’t miss them if you’re out west.
I haven’t picked up a dark wave record in a long while. The last record that might come close is a Bauhaus collection, and that’s actually a goth record. Chelsea Wolfe’s Abyss is a great way for me to get back into the dark wave game. It’s a stunning, sexy, scary debut.
“Carrion Flowers” slides into your ears with bass and drums you might hear from the armies of Mordor as they cross the Misty Mountains. It grabs your attention and won’t let go. “Iron Moon” moves from Wolfe’s near-lullaby vocals to some of the heaviest doom metal riffs you’ve heard since your last trip to Norway. “Dragged Out” is a great title for the third track, as the bass and pace sound like some…thing dragging itself out of the primordial ooze to bellow at the moon. “Maw” opens with Wolfe’s Dario Argento film-style vocals before floating into a pretty space that reminds me of cathedrals and dust seen in the light through stained glass.
“Grey Days” introduces some cello to excellent effect and keeps the album from having too much low-end guitar as the main force behind Wolfe’s vocals. “After the Fall” could be about a fallen angel. It definitely belongs on the soundtrack to that new Lucifer show because it’s dark and brooding.
“Crazy Love” seems to be Ms. Wolfe’s tribute to Mazzy Star. Her vocals curl around the track like clove cigarette smoke and the instrumentation reminds me of a creaking haunted tall mast ship. “Simple Death” is another quietly disturbing, yet lovely track that shows off Wolfe’s vocal talents. It needs to be on the soundtrack for the Twin Peaks relaunch. “Survive” might be the most haunting song on the record. Wolfe’s vocals are often layered in reverb as the drums and synths build to ritualistic fervor.
“Color of Blood” pays tribute to another woman who has obviously influenced Ms. Wolfe – Siouxsie Sioux. The song is like a snake in a dark corner – dangerous, menacing, and mysterious. The title track closes the record, and it’s complete with creepy, slightly out of tune piano that’s right out of that creepy clown dream you have at least once a week.
The Abyss is a great name for the record, because it’s easy to fall into it and get lost. Wolfe has spoken openly about her struggle with sleep paralysis and how this record is her exploration of her affliction and dreams. It’s like pitching over the edge of the Marianas Trench – terrifying at first and then strangely peaceful as you let it consume you.
The fine folks at the Levitation Music Festival have released their show schedule (as in who is playing which dates, set times will come later) and full line-up for their Chicago festival March 10-12 at Thalia Hall. Tickets are only $95.00 (plus tax) for this three-night festival, and that’s a steal when you check out who’s playing there.
I’ll highlight the bands I’m most interested in seeing as the festival gets closer, but my must-see list is as follows:
Thursday: Vadaat Charigim, Gary Wilson, Health, Oneohtrix Point Never.
I missed Vadaat Charigim (an Israeli psychedelic band) at Levitation Austin last year, so I don’t want to miss them again. Gary Wilson is a legendary recluse and experimental music creator who is one of Beck’s biggest influences. Health create crazy electro that borders on noise rock. Oneohtrix Point Never is considered to be an ultra-hipster darling by many, but his new album is supposed to be mostly dark electro. He’s also performing at Levitation Austin in April (which I’ll also be attending), so I won’t have to check out his set there if I don’t like his set in Chicago.
Friday: Nite Fields, Blanck Mass, Ryley Walker, Lightning Bolt.
Nite Fields make fine dreamy shoe gaze that sounds like it’s from the late 1980’s. Blanck Mass is another act I missed in Austin last year and a great electro performer. Ryley Walker is an excellent guitar player, and Lightning Bolt make some of the craziest noise rock on the planet.
Saturday: Natural Information Society & Bitchin’ Bajas, Night Beats, Earthless, Chelsea Wolfe, Faust.
A great night right there. Natural Information Society & Bitchin’ Bajas team up to make cool world music-influenced psychedelia. Night Beats are one of my favorite bands, and they make great blues-dipped psych rock. I’ve seen them twice at Levitation Austin and will see them at any opportunity. Earthless blew my mind with their cosmic stoner rock in Austin two years ago, so I’m sure another set from them will be just as good. Chelsea Wolfe is a new act to me, but she makes fine dark wave music. Faust is a legendary krautrock band who has inspired many.
See you there?
Keep your mind open.