Telebossa – Telebossa 9.0

                Rarely do I stumble across a group as enjoyable and unusual as Telebossa. A mixture of electronics, bossa nova, and chamber music, it is a real treat. Chico Mello and Nicholas Bussmann infuse a great deal of heart into these seven songs. I haven’t heard anything this inspired for quite some time.

                Bossa Nova is considered a rather ‘conservative’ genre musically-speaking. Usually the greats like Antonio Carlos Jobim, Joao Gilberto, Stan Getz, etc. are mentioned, referred to, and not expanded upon much. Having such a refreshing approach to a style I already adore is fantastic, and they succeed on expanding the palette of sounds without ruining what makes bossa nova enjoyable. 

                “Feltro No Ferro” begins things off slowly: with a treated piano before flowering into a full song. Nicholas Bussmann is responsible for these subtle electronics and cello. Chico Mello provides the vocals and guitar. Few others join them, excluding some restrained drums. You’re basically left with these basic elements for the duration of the album.

                Only occasionally are you reminded of the fragile state of these few elements. Chico’s voice gets heavily stretched on “Eu Sonhei Que Tu Estavas Tao Linda” with all other sound removed. For a moment you’re left at the edge of your seat as you’re completely uncertain as to where they’re headed. After this things take a darker turn musically and you again hear the stretched out vocals but this time with accompaniment.  

                The grooves feel warm, tactile, and alive. Somehow they are able to play off chamber and electronic music’s precision with the relaxed nature of bossa nova. “Amoroso” exemplifies this patient approach. It takes its time in building up to a fully satisfying whole. 

                During the entire duration of the album, you’re reminded something is always a little off with the recording. Pops appear in the mix for rhythm. Vocals are stretched, treated and slightly mangled. Bossa Nova needed these changes. Don’t think of Telebossa of a revolution of bossa nova, think of it as a much needed evolution of a usually staid genre. This is a beautiful album.

How Glenn Beck’s show REALLY ended

               When the Doors sang about “the ghosts crowd the child’s fragile eggshell mind” in the song “Peace Frog” they might have been singing about Glenn Beck. Some people just happen to have a lot of ghosts whispering crazy things into their ears. For a while now people have been heaping scorn on him just for being himself on TV. People have to be true to themselves both on and off of TV. That’s why he carries a chalkboard and a 5^th grade history textbook wherever he goes. 

                After the latest announcement, it seems he will be true to himself off of TV. Fox News is letting him go. No doubt this will make him even more unstable; something which is going to take a great deal of work on his part. I mean, the guy really is the poster child of crazy by this point. How could he go crazier? Is it even possible?

                Here at Beach Sloth, we’ve tried to help Glenn Beck. We made a MIX CD for him, to help calm his nerves after anything happens to him. I’m sure all those drugs he took for a decade and a half didn’t help his mind. Though many would say he brought this on himself due to his barely coherent ravings and crying, I’m not so sure there isn’t a conspiracy afoot, one bigger than all of us where George Soros is involved in some way. 

                On Glenn’s show, he often discusses conspiracies. While many call these insane, how do you explain Glenn’s dismissal right as he was explaining the new world order? It seems pretty suspicious he’d be let go after he talked about the Marxist-Islamist cabal operating out of Babylon for the coming of the caliphate. Yes, he knew it all. Progressives were out to destroy America. Economics no longer made sense, as agribusiness was in bed with Dutch Royalty to ensure grain prices would be fixed. Finally, global warming was a joke created by a former KGB agent who went by the name of ‘Sparky’ who just happens to work installing energy-efficient light-bulbs in the Boston suburbs. How convenient. I’d like to explore this further, but the conspiracy is so vast and all-knowing that it isn’t safe. For they kicked Glenn off of his show, who knows what they could do to my blog, perhaps troll it? Perish the thought. 

                Glenn went too far. By revealing this intricate and improbable web of deception, he had taken the red pill. Going down that rabbit hole has its problems as he discovered. Like Neo he was taken to be a fool. But what kind of fool was given a prime slot on Fox News and advertised gold? Well, I’d say a genius kind of fool if you ask me.

                Now the progressives who are destroying America are broadcasting this from the liberal media, which in Glenn’s opinion is everyone. Even Glenn gets a little progressive now and then, quoting Kermit, a well-known member of Germany’s Green party. Kermit describes his involvement in Germany’s Green Party by stating how “It’s not easy being Green. Destroy Capitalism.” But I digress. 

                MSNBC announced the news of Glenn’s departure as they hid their erections behind the news desk, much like a teenager hides theirs behind a Math Textbook. CNN asked viewers to tweet their responses and proceeded to read the tweets as they were happening live for an hour, in order to give the illusion news was happening. On Charlie Rose, Glenn got interviewed in soothing tones surrounded by pitch black. In this environment, Glenn feels the most comfortable when there aren’t any distractions, otherwise his ADD starts acting up. 

                By letting him go, they’re letting the genie out of the bottle. Now he has no restraints in what he says. Can he out-crazy Charlie Sheen? Should he? What I think he should do is end his show on a positive note. Ending his show with a certain degree of levity will help people cope with his loss. Might I suggest Glenn singing with Mike Huckabee’s band the hit Billy Joel song “You may be right”

                You may be right

                I might be crazy

                But it just may be a lunatic you’re looking for.

                Glennspeed You! Beck Emperor.

Moritz Von Oswald Trio – Horizontal Ascent 8.9

                   Whereas their last album shot up and away, this one lingers in the mind. Part of that is due to the sheer length (70 minutes as opposed to the previous 40 minute Vertical Ascent). There’s a whole lot they’ve learned since their last outing. Listening to this in giant headphones helps, as the sound is enormous, enveloping virtually everything in its path.

                For one thing, there are new elements added to the mix. Bass (by Marc Muellbauer) and guitar (Paul St. Hilaire, also known as frequent collaborator Tikiman) add new sounds, allowing for an even greater moodiness than what existed before. Having seen the group at Le Poisson Rouge in New York City last year, it sounds like they’ve embraced some of the smokier, deeper sounds from their live show on this particular album to their benefit.

                I don’t know how Moritz Von Oswald does this, but he manages to loosen up the playing. Compared to the previous album, this one feels a lot more open. Perhaps it’s the ever changing nature of the sounds, or how the electronic mixing feels even more ghostly. Somehow these guys manage to bring together vastly different genres yet again, though this time things are far more spacious than before. A tropical vibe is prevalent throughout all five tracks.

                Like their previous outing, all the tracks are untitled. The first one barely sets into a groove before morphing into another unknown structure. Following close after is Paul’s great guitar work, which feels perfectly limber. Moritz’s keyboards are well-complimented by these small sounds. Our third track has the most active guitar work as the bass is heavily felt. Perhaps this middle track is the most accessible track on here. By track four, the twenty minute beast, they are able to create a frenzied kind of tension with the percussion as delicate keyboards shift surprisingly quickly. Finally, we’re lead away by track 5’s ambience.

                Truth be told, it is an improvement from an already good point. Note this is a grower, so multiple listens really suit it best.  Moritz has done a great job of being a cult-like figure, a status which only continues to grow with strange, unclassifiable products such as this one.

Brave New World – Impressions on Reading Aldous Huxley 8.4

Four Germans (Reinhart Firchow, Dicky Tarrach, Herb Geller and Lucas Lindholm) and two Irishmen (Esther Daniels and John O’Brian-Docker) came together to make an album based off of their experience reading Huxley’s famous book “Brave New World”. I believe that Brave New World is the best book ever recommended (read: required) by a school, so I entered this album with an open mind.

                This may be a concept album, but the songs are instrumental, allowing you to ponder what parts exactly inspired them to create the sounds. With “Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon…Ford” I wonder which parts exactly. Sure, I can picture little humans being decanted with that organ swell. More progressive rock should be this good, each part of the song, the flexible bass and the wonderful flutes make it an early highlight. It is so tasteful, I rarely adore certain segments but about 1:40 into the song you’re treated to something so smooth. Echoes of bands created long after these guys come into my mind.

                Flutes are all over the album. Most of the musicians seemed to be experts with them. Woodwinds aren’t a thing used as often on albums, but judging from this recording, I doubt many could do them the same level of justice. Just alone, the flutes create a dialogue far richer than someone simply reading lines out of the book. It is wonderful. 

                Pieces of folk pop up here and there, particularly on the tracks “Soma” and “Malpais Corn Dance”. Of course, you can find everything that ever happened on the album in the massive finale “The End”.

                Even with the level of quality seen in the previous tracks, “The End” ups the ante. Parts of this song reach such great heights. Flutes introduce the songs, easing you into the chaotic journey. Organs and flutes mesh together to form a sort of complimentary theme, a grandiose send-off. A tragic guitar appears out of nowhere. Tempos increase and decrease, jazzy elements are brought in, and a dark drone comes in. When I first heard this drone, I stopped everything. It just overwhelmed whatever it was I was doing. Yes, it is that powerful. Flutes are played as quickly as I think is physically possible.

                Dig it if you have it. Sadly they only made one album. Nevertheless, this is a wonderful experience through progressive rock way ahead of its time.                

CD_Slopper – SaskieWoxi 3.8

                A duo of Florian Hecker and Oswald Berthold (from Farmers Manual) come together to create a rather strange album. Consisting entirely of jagged pieces of digital garbage and noise, it completely confounds the listener’s expectations of what sound should do. Some parts of this get extremely loud, and conjecture up images of an extremely unstable molecule. Unfortunately, the lack of coherence or a unifying theme besides random chance makes it hard to enjoy or digest.

                By no means are Hecker or Berthold strangers to an unorthodox approach to music. Usually though their experiments, as obtuse as they can be, do generally have a purpose. With this, it appears pure chance music. While that gives it a certain appeal, it lacks the sort of rigor Hecker puts into his project or what Berthold adds to Farmers Manual.

                Instead, you’re presented with 44 tracks of digital debris. Combining this with another, more unifying theme, like what Mark Fell gave to his “Ten Types of Elsewhere” might have helped in making this more approachable, enjoyable, and interesting. Even putting various similar sounds or suites might have helped in making this a better album.

                Pieces and moments exist on here which point to greater things, but they are never elaborated upon. Instead, you’re even a giant stream of data incoherently presented. That’s unfortunate, as usually these two artists have much to say.

Moritz Von Oswald Trio – Vertical Ascent 8.6

Meshing together dub (a longtime favorite of Von Oswald’s), techno, and jazz into a tasty morsel. Really this could have ended up being one of those tacky cross-pollination wannabes, case in point ‘acid jazz’. Deftly avoiding this pratfall, this is an extremely tasteful affair. 

The percussion comes across crystal clear. Vladislav Delay provides the percussive elements, expanding his palette to include glasses and other unorthodox items. By using these sounds you get a very tactile feel throughout the entire album. It allows for a more relaxed feel. 

Keyboards are used minimally. Moritz plays it, and plays it well. Whether it is the first track’s emotive swells or the stately chords on the third, they fit into place with the percussion. Tones are arranged and mixed by Max Loderbauer. 

Overall, this might be Moritz’s reaction to the clinical techno sound he in part pioneered through Basic Channel, Rhythm and Sound, etc. The austere approach taken by so many artists probably bothers Moritz, like they took his style in vein. What he appears to be doing now is trying to make electronic feel alive by infusing it with a slight amount of jazz. 

Rarely does tasteful and techno ever belong in the same sentence. I really hope he continues with the project, and seeing them live is truly a sight to behold.  

How to write a Goosebumps Story (with Bonus Feature: My Own Goosebumps Story):

              R.L. Stine is best known for his groundbreaking book series: “Goosebumps”. Single-handedly, he created a genre on par with cheesy romance novels for the sex-starved. Each book follows an extremely specific guideline of at least several of the following:

1. The protagonist has a pesky brother/sister who is always playing pranks on them, which leads them to toss concerns about what’s going on around them to the wayside.

2. Recently they’ve moved to a new house/location, where things are not always what they seem (I feel a bunch of these plot lines seem to be a rip-off of the underrated cult show “Eerie, Indiana” but with less humor or originality.)

3. Someone buys a new object and realizes its true power. Eventually they are forced into a situation where they have to resist the evil or throw it out, which should’ve been fairly obvious from the get-go. 

4. Mocked for far too long, they vow to get revenge but the revenge nearly engulfs them and those they care about most.

5. It is poorly written and succumbs to the idea that children are unable to comprehend complicated plots or sophisticated ideas. 

6. One of the following has to be included: a werewolf, mummy, monster, blob, or vampire. More commonly, he has an ordinary item possessed with some demonic spirit. Among the other items that have been possessed, he includes: house, street, unincorporated village, headphones (from “Music can be Murder”), stapler, half-eaten can of Pringles (Tagline: Once you pop the death don’t stop), camera, watch (from “Time to Die” Tagline: Your Time is Up), fortune cookie, leftover bean dip, lamp (from “Turn off the Bright Light”), pint of ice cream (from “Ice Scream”), paper clip, condoms (from “Attack of the Killer Condoms” also his first book published in Germany), and Faberge egg (from: “Being Rich is a Bitch”) among others. 

                Having said all that, I’d like to offer a blurb from my upcoming contribution to R.L. Stine’s fine literary pantheon. Called “The Haunted Toilet” with the tagline: ‘It doesn’t want to take your shit anymore’ I’m sure it will become a best seller. Here’s a taste:

                “Moving to Muttontown thrilled me. Finally my parents could afford to move to a town so obscenely wealthy. Now if I or my brother ever got in trouble, we knew our parents had more than enough money to pay off various law enforcement officials. 

                The house sat on the very top of a hill. An old house, my parents soon realized most of the house was a ‘fixer upper’. During the process of fixing it, my lame brother (Jeff the Jokester he likes to call himself) kept on playing pranks on me, making me think a mask could be haunted or something ridiculous like that. I didn’t believe in the supernatural then. I know better now.

                When my parents got a new toilet installed, I grew worried. Going to the store with them, I met the creepy old man who sold it to them for a bargain price. At first I thought he was creepy because he sold toilets. I soon learned otherwise. 

                Each night I heard terrifying sounds coming from the bathroom, but I thought it might have been one of my parents passing a gall stone. Once I entered the bathroom late at night, I saw the toilet glowing green with weird chants coming out of it. After I told my parents about this, my dad simply laughed and said “That’s because I took such a huge dump.” No one in my family believes in unnecessarily flushing, since it saves water. My whole family started laughing at me. Jeff even went so far as to prank on me with no mercy.

                Distraught, I went to bed early. I woke up in the middle of the night to see the toilet consuming my brother. Since I thought he was joking, I laughed at him. Looking into his eyes, I saw pure horror. I tried to save him by pulling on his arms, but it was too late. 

                Running out late at night, I found the place where we bought the toilet. Speaking to the creepy old man, I learned the toilet was made from human bones. We had desecrated it by not flushing properly, he told me.  It usually ate people from the ass up, which is why my brother was in such pain. He said I could defeat it through the power of love, and that I needed to become more mature than my younger brother in order to save him.

                By morning, I had saved him and we both went to sleep. I explained to him what had occurred before we slept in. Upon waking up the next morning, my brother and I were horrified to see my parents had just bought a bidet from the same store.”

                If I could be a famous writer, I wouldn’t want to be Mark Twain. I’d want to be R.L. Stine. Not only did R.L. Stine have the foresight to properly manage his money (Mark Twain had serious money issues throughout his life) Stine is guaranteed money for the rest of his life. Plus, having written nothing even remotely of value (sometimes he wrote a book a month) means there’s no stress on having to meet anything remotely close to standards. 

                Certainly I hope to have this great book published someday.

Swayzak – Dirty Dancing 6.4

I think this album solidifies my credentials as someone who hung out with too much Eurotrash. Yet, despite its humble origins of wanting to be trashy dance music, it actually works on another, darker level. This is music to listen to before you do your dirty deeds. Hell, it is virtually the soundtrack of bad behavior. 

                “Make Up Your Mind” doesn’t give you an idea of the album at all. It is a misleading opening track; a better introduction would’ve been “Buffalo Seven”. No worries, none of these songs will make you think. That’s not their intention. Rather, they want to capture what happens when someone’s in a bit of a foul mood and has had one too many to drink.

                Yeah, the lyrics are definitely the low point of the album. Avoid absorbing their general cheesiness. The construction of each track is the real draw, how the layers are so well done, so smooth. Pace is the trick, the timing is right. Songs like “Celcius” avoid the awful lyrics. 

                “I dance alone” is the highlight. Here, you get decent enough lyrics (they don’t make you shudder) and the buildup is excellent. A groove forms and the beat is such Eurotrash yet oddly likable.

                By no means is this essential. It isn’t ambitious at all. As a guilty pleasure, you could do far worse. Just please try your best to tune out those dreadful lyrics.

Antonelli Electr. – Love and Other Solutions 6.5

There’s an unfortunate effect for a lot of electronic music: it ages. What might have seemed hip and cool once it first came out doesn’t anymore. Instead you’re left with something someone labored over that might now be quite stale. Here Stefan Schwander’s album is one such example.

                Now it doesn’t completely fail. Songs like “Augustine” still sound surprisingly good 8 years on. Others like “Waiting for You” are partly ruined by those violin plucks, a feature never really lovely. Violin plucks ruin the melody, making it much cuter than it needed to be. Had some similar elements been excised from the album it might be sweeter. My request would be for the clicks to have been removed, as they reek of the time (remember cuts and clicks on Mille Plateaux? Yeah, I didn’t think so.)

                Overall though, this isn’t terrible. Had Antonelli focused more on the bass side of things (which is admittedly a big draw of the music) it could have aged better. Nonetheless it is still a fairly likable album, even with its flaws.      

Ekkehard Ehlers – Plays 8.9

Sometimes, good things happen. “Plays” effectively demonstrates how sampling doesn’t have to be some crass affair but rather an entire new way of looking at performance. Ekkehard Ehlers has made albums similar to these since, but this one has a sweet spot in my heart. Each two songs serve as dedication pieces, so that adds to the emotional resonance. 

The Cornelius Cardew pieces are very airy, the first one being a brightly colored drone, and the second having a darker, angrier feel to it. Perhaps this was reflecting how Cardew started out with his idealism in music, only to go out into left-wing politics. Or it could be acknowledgement that his life was tragically cut short. 

“Hubert Fichte 1” opens up with one of the most abstract beginnings. With only a high pitched tone sustained other elements are eventually added, making for violently churning bass. The second part is probably my favorite thing on the whole album. A weird, smoky jazz coalesces, complete with jazz guitar and lazy horn. Even without an actual melody or core to relate to, it works well in its free form. Who knew that a German author could have such a wide range, from abstract to emotionally close? That’s at least what I get out of these two pieces, of a person spanning the worldly and other-worldly. 

A mellow core appears with the John Cassavetes work. Easily the most recognizable reference here (it being the only internationally well-known figure), it has a cinematic quality to the sound. Both pieces share a similar tone of happiness and contentment. Out of all of the pieces, these two are the most accessible, containing well-done melodies and easy to follow outlines.

Brooding occurs through both Albert Ayler tracks. These are the darkest moments of the entire album, acknowledging the difficult life he had, the disappointment, and being the only person on the album to have killed themselves. Dark tones emanate without phrasing any melody. Rather, the tones interact with each other to create a sense of movement. 

Robert Johnson has probably the weirdest treatment. For the first track, you hear various distorted guitar chords. It sounds like the guitar player has gotten a little drunk (what eventually killed him was a poisoned bottle of alcohol). Sadly, as interesting as the first track is, the second kills the mood. Robert Johnson 2 is simply a dance track, which feels extremely out of place considering all that came before.

Despite that poorly fitting closing track, it works. This is a great album, filled with true dedication for each of the artists mentioned.  

True Love Waits: Tao Lin and Megan Boyle

Tao Lin remains a perennial favorite here at Beach Sloth. What he does interests me. I apologize then for the lateness of this post, but I figure this might help others cheer up in their search for their significant other, whether alt or not. 

                Wishing upon a star, Tao hoped and pleaded to have a girlfriend to truly understand him. Apparently the star read “Richard Yates” so the wish came true. That star must have also seen the interview with Alexi Wasser, of “Imboycrazy.com”. Alexi delved into Tao’s inner most wants and thoughts, he wanted a girlfriend. Not just any girlfriend, mind you, but one who read his books, wanted to do drugs with him and one who could laugh together with him.

                Of course, like all romantic comedies it ends up being the person who is closest to you. Or, in Lin’s case, that person you beat up while on Ecstasy. I’m talking about the beloved and wonderful Megan Boyle, his cohort in crime up until this point.

                Facebook made it official, they were in a relationship. Some claimed to have ‘called it’ but can anyone really predict where Cupid’s arrow will go? The answer is: No. Love is a beautiful, unpredictable thing that I hope one day to experience, so I wish the young couple well.

                Each of them helps compliment the other: Tao has an exciting career as a starving writer writing for the alt-o-sphere; Megan has an exciting career as a starving writer writing for the alt-o-sphere. Together you see them smiling together, both having abandoned neutral expressions for allowing their true passions to shine through.

                I wonder how Tao will introduce himself to Megan’s dad. Below is probably a ‘good way’ he could introduce himself:

                “Hello Mr. Boyle, I’m Tao Lin, a famous writer for alt people. I manage my own vaguely unprofitable Publishing House (Muumuu House). I wrote the successful book "Richard Yates". Your daughter has done cocaine off the head of my penis.”

                That’s the best way he could do it, never mind how two poverty-stricken writers managed to afford cocaine. Honestly, I’m certain that Megan’s dad, after reading her piece called “Everyone I’ve had Sex with” is a pretty difficult person to shock in general. After all, when he sees how cute the couple looks together, his heart will surely melt. 

                Perhaps some of Tao’s facebook followers are right: maybe it is a chill ass publicity stunt. But aren’t all attempts at love just chill ass publicity stunts, meant to help you soar to that greater height of enlightenment. Having followed Tao on facebook, I’ll now have to get on top of following Ms. Boyle as well (metaphorically on top, not literal. I’m sure that Tao is ‘literally’ on top, though he might not be. To be honest, I’m not sure what their relationship dynamic is like.)

                Reading and seeing how happy they are warms my heart. I wish sometimes that I could find my other alt piece (of ass!). Will this even be possible, should I stick through it like Tao did, being single until the perfect one arrives? Or did it take time for their love to blossom. Perhaps while in the midst of their many drug-fueled films (MDMA films) they realized how perfect they were for the other.

                Alt means alternative, but in German it means “old”. I guess that sums me up well: I continue my alternative lifestyle while I grow old, wondering if there will ever that special someone. Should I simply subject myself to normalcy, resigning myself to the fate of ‘office clown’? I just don’t know anymore, I feel so happy that others are able to experience that true, pure emotion of love that seems to constantly dodge me as if it owed me money. There might even be others who loved me and I remained too foolish to realize it, until it was too late.

                For those of you who worry about finding that ‘special someone’ the person who makes you feel metaphorically warm and gooey inside, let Tao and Megan’s tale be an inspiration to you. These are extremely awkward, hip, cool kids. They made it together without having to sacrifice any of what makes them special. Stick with it, be yourself. Take pride in who you are, others will appreciate you for it, and someday one might even love you for it.

Chicks on Speed – Chicks on Speed will Save Us All! 6.5

I have an emotional attachment with this particular album. When it first came out, I grew unreasonably obsessed with it and played it on repeat for an indefinite period of time. So bad it became that I saw them live, trying to convince others to see them with me at the Knitting Factory. They were about as art trashy as I could’ve hoped. Coming back to this, I wanted to see whether or not I still felt the same way about them. 

The music is still insanely catchy. Like, as I’m listening to this I remember some of my favorite songs clearly. But what sounded new in 2000 comes across as a bit dated now. For one, the electro clash thing they got involved in sounds a bit stale now. Plus, there’s a few more dullard tracks than I remember “Little Star” being a prime example. 

But those are minor details. A few tracks here avoid the inevitable aging process, like the mischievous “For All the Boys in the World”. No matter what happens, I’ll always adore this piece. It has some jittery melody in there somewhere, along with disemboweled vocals. 

Also, some of the ironic posturing no longer has the same feel for me. Songs like “Glamour Girl” come across as too much fluff. Yes, I know it is supposed to be sarcastic but it sounds a bit embarrassing to me. 

On the flip side, some of these songs still work the same way they did years ago. Listening to the entire album, their darker songs worked out much better. Songs like “Warm Leatherette” which is a great disturbing cover, and “Euro Trash Girl” which is pure garbage (I mean that as the highest compliment) remind me why I liked them.

Later on in their career they veered a little too much towards various inside jokes. But this one, though a bit dated, still has enough to offer.  

Is Perfume’s music video for “Monochrome Effect” the most intensive exploration of love ever?

Watching Perfume’s music video, I am filled with the greatest of joys. Seeing these young Japanese women explore what is the most intense human emotion known to man is a true thrill. Often I sit at home wondering whether people even care about others the way I do. After watching this trio, I know that I am not alone in believing in true love.

It starts up with them in a brightly lit tube. The large bowties they are wearing are a clear and obvious homage to Klaus Nomi, famed German singer. Like Mr. Nomi, they have a great vocal range from cute to adorable. While they synchronize their perfect dance moves, the focus suddenly shifts to them manning a pink shark time machine. 

As they sail further back in time, they reminisce about the love they used to have. But the close-ups on the singers show that they are in fact smiling now, happy to be living. They warn the listeners to avoid Emil Cioran’s gloomy conclusions on life and death. Instead, they remark that had Emil heard their music, he would have changed his famous quote to: “without Perfume, God would be a second-rate figure” and “Perfume’s music is the only argument proving the creation of the Universe cannot be regarded as a complete failure.” 

They sing in front of a black and white background explaining how important it is to fully appreciate the present. A perky beat and a positively divine melody accompany this moodier part of the song, as they discuss loves long lost. Despite losing love, they still manage to dance on, unaware of their dancing inability. Indeed, much of the song acts as a balm, reassuring others that they are far superior dancers than they.

Shifts continue at a greater pace between the past and the present. Lyrics emphasize the importance of not dwelling on the past, but moving forward into the future. They state that the greatest love you should have is for the future and helping your fellow man. 

Referencing the experience had by the Icarians, they talk about the need to live communally and to trust others with your tender affection. A kaleidoscopic image of all of them appear, now extolling how that communal spirit was reflected in the beliefs of the late 60s, of peace and love. Their journey on the time machine continues to explore the dynamics of what can be done as a community so that these beliefs will flourish in the future.

Showing off the importance of community is the city itself. It bobs up and down behind the girls as they are raised on pedestals, as rulers of the new future. Even the moon shines on the, gently rocking back and forth, caressed by their tender words. 

Finally, at the end their words echo in the right channel of your hearing. This is a deliberate hope that you’ll realize good things can repeat themselves, whether they be Japanese pop songs or a utopian dream of the future. As the last chord dims out, they wave their hands in a great goodbye to their wonderful audience. 

PS. In case I needed further confirmation of this song’s greatness, I got it. One of my friends will be playing this at their wedding. Think I have all the proof I need.

LA Vampires featuring Matrix Metals – So Unreal 8.1

Having already been exposed to Matrix Metals and LA Vampires collaboration with Zola Jesus this year, I didn’t have high expectations. Both of those recordings left me feeling a little left out in the cold. Amanda Brown was responsible for Pocahaunted (a band close to my heart) and the man behind Matrix Metals created a favorite Outer Limits Recordings, so I felt I owed them another chance. They proved my hope was not misplaced. 

                These two play off each other quite nicely. Matrix provides the narco background, and Amanda’s voice expands into nothing with her carefully honed hipness. Each one goes on far longer than you’d expect, but somehow the length of the tracks adds to what’s going on. Upon repeated listens, bizarre goings on between the loops becomes apparent. 

                “Make Me Over” serves as the single for the group. If you can’t get through this haze, then call it a day. Most of the album follows in the same vein of drugged out lo-fi. But the real winner on here (for me at least) is “How Would I Know”, where rhetorical questions are halfheartedly asked as pieces of sound float on by. The song gets stuck in your head and will never leave. It sounds like a pop song heard while asleep, just perfectly dreamy and almost graspable.

                In case you wondered whether or not they were dedicated to the 80s, or if you needed more evidence, there’s the song “Berlin Baby”. Your confirmation has arrived, the cheesy drum hits and Germany-coolness worship is complete. Things end with the vaguely upbeat “So Unreal”.

                Not Not Fun Records did a great thing with releasing this. Listening to this, I hope they decide to do it again.

Ambarchi / Fennesz / Pimmon / Rehberg / Rowe – Afternoon Tea 7.9

Not your standard day of having tea with your grandmother. This tea-time is far more intense, like watching the walls melt around you. An invisible third person tells you insane things as you’re just trying to enjoy your Chai. 

If you’re familiar with even one of the above artists, that might not be enough to prepare you for what’s about to happen. Sure, most of the improvisers on here are primarily interested in the guitar, but don’t expect any of the lush beauty that Fennesz often give. Instead, expect more of Rowe’s “I can’t believe a guitar made that sound”. 

The live recordings “Live Tea 1 & 2” tend to be less dark than the studio versions. In the studio versions, the drones become more prominent and emphasis is on decay. Whereas with the live recordings, you get a sillier mood, but things are a bit more decipherable. 

Actually, the live versions were not included in the original release on Ritornell. Having the night and day versions give you a better idea of what the group is able to accomplish. These are very competent electro-acoustic recordings. It is interesting to note how even with all the collaborators, it is impossible to determine who is doing what. By listening to each other, they are able to accomplish quite a bit. 

Even with the intellectual bent of the recordings, there are some beautiful moments, particularly in the beginning of “Live Tea 2”. This is definitely worth seeking out.

Scion – Arrange and Process Basic Channel 7.8

Normally I dislike remix projects. They reek of egos run amok. Results of their egos usually disappoint, with the mixer thinking “Eh, whatever, I guess I’ll ride this guy’s coattails into fame”. Or the opposite reaction, which is worse, is when someone famous (like Thurston Moore) remixes some good obscure artist’s stuff into something far less interesting. It doesn’t sound good, it feels like charity, like aw, poor unpopular artist. Let me help you.

Scion proves that there are exceptions to the rule. Yeah, they might not be as popular as Basic Channel, but they are very familiar with their records. Part of this might be that the duo actually got released by a subsection of Basic Channel, Chain Reaction, the more accessible part of the Basic Channel empire. Together, they update and tweak each song you are no doubt obsessed with at this point. 

The mix is strong, they include a new song every 2 to 3 minutes, and it is smooth. Every transition is handled flawlessly, and the tracks are updated without eliminating that essence that made Basic Channel so special in the first place. Tempos are jacked up to a faster pace, to allow this to be more of dance music (not that Basic Channel ever discounted the joys of the dance floor).

Not only are the more obvious picks chosen (Enforcement always remained a pretty accessible track) but even that ambient joy of Radiance streams through these tracks. In fact, those two even meet to delirious effect in Part 6. 

Ultimately, this is a great mix and serves as a weird “best of” Basic Channel. Each track that made them legendary has been included. It starts out slow, builds up in the middle, and gradually eases the listener down. This is ideal for anyone intimidated by Basic Channel’s vast discography and wants a tastes of what they really are about. 

Atom TM: Liedgut 6.6

Uwe Schmidt begins his move towards less gimmicky music. For those of you not familiar, he has indulged himself heavily in the Senor Coconut moniker for quite some time. Senor Coconut takes techno and has it re-interpreted by a full band, giving it Latin American embellishments.  El Baile Aleman was interesting, but continuing the re-interpretations for a decade felt a bit of overkill.

Thankfully, with this he returns back to his roots of weird electronic music. Of course, there is a twist with this album, like he employs with all of his work. Here he focuses on the more romantic side of German music, mixing Franz Schubert with Kraftwerk (hence the robotic vocals). 

It starts off more abstract, and slowly he introduces the listener to warmer pastures. Unfortunately, some of the abstraction comes off a bit jokingly, which grates on one’s nerves. But it is over halfway through the 20 odd tracks when it doesn’t matter whether he is kidding.

“Weisses Rauschen” easily surpasses the rest of the material on here. It cleverly mixes the emotional with the clinical detachment that he’s been striving to hit the entire album. The gentle arrangement is surprisingly warm and tender; especially considering this is a Raster Noton release.

Overall, it isn’t a bad album. There’s a lot to enjoy here. But the problem I have is that a great amount of the suites are underdeveloped. And only at the end do you actually get what Uwe’s statement is supposed to be.  And without the beautiful German robotic singing (which is surprisingly touching) it would not be anywhere as lovely.