In Continuum.

Foley Room by Amon Tobin 
If you cut Amon Tobin open and look inside with a magnifying glass, you are going to find that this Brazilian electronica artiste is really made out of nano-bots. At least that would be the conclusion I'd come up with, if I were to judge him by the kind of music that he makes. His materials are not from Earth, that alone I am pretty sure. It does sound like something made by a super computer, with sounds that I have never heard before. What he does is a technique called sampling, whereby he takes existing recordings from other genres of music, and then manipulated them to create a brand new music. The result is this strange music that combines elements of, well, everything. The only reason why anybody would call this an electronica album is because nothing was produced live. Everything in this album was somehow manipulated or created by a computer, and nothing sounds like the conventional type of stuff you would hear, even in the indie music standards. To me, it's just pretty out of this world, and I love this album so much that I got myself his other two albums, Supermodified and Permutations. I do think that the other two albums are much better, since he focused a lot more on melodies rather than trying to manipulate existing sounds into a semblance of a song. I suppose Foley Room is more of an evolution album, an experimentation that requires an acquired taste (I must say though, that Esther's is such a good song). I'd highly recommend his other two albums, though. They are superior albums to a lot of electronica materials that I have myself, and should be checked out by any music lovers out there of this type of alien music. 

Albums by the artiste:

1. Adventures in Foam [1996]

2. Bricolage [1997]

3. Permutation [1998]

4. Supermodified [2000]

5. Out from Out Where [2002]

6. Chaos Theory - Splinter Cell 3 Soundtrack [2005]

7. Foley Room [2007]

The Camel's Back by Psapp
I love Psapp, I even love their band name. First and foremost, I cannot wait for them to come to Singapore for the Mosaic Music Festival happening in March next year. With that said, their new album delivers the same kind of musical fun as their previous two outings. Psapp is known for their so-called "toy-tronic" music, in the sense that they are still working with a computer, but they also use music and sounds created by toys - yeah, toys. Remember those toy guitars that we used to play around with, or those little pianos that only have like six keys? That's what they use as a part of their musical ensemble, and I am just a sucker for creativity and innovation in music making. As long as you put in the effort to create new sounds, I am there. Like most of their music videos, their music always gives me the fun vibe, and you just feel like you are in some cartoon of sorts. The Monster Song really isn't a scary song at all, and everything just feels like this giant fairy tale. I especially love Mister Ant for some reason, and it is probably the strange instrument I keep hearing as the percussion in the background. It kind of sound like something being pulled out of a tube, though I am not sure what it is. Anyway, I love this new album of theirs, and I will be there first in line to buy tickets to their gig! 

Albums by the band: 

1) Northdown [2004]

2) Tiger, My Friend [2004]

3) The Only Thing I Ever Wanted [2006]

4) The Camel's Back [2008]

Peace Orchestra, self-titled album
I am new to the Peace Orchestra, I am not entirely sure of their musical history. It is the brainchild of Viennese trip hop producer, Peter Kruder. Like most readers should already know, I am a sucker for trip-hop and down tempo materials. This one follows a more familiar route for me, though that is not necessarily a bad thing. You can't really go wrong with trip-hop, unless you go overboard with the reggae elements, like certain songs in the Thievery Corporation repertoire. Peace Orchestra seems to be a lot more sparring with the vocals, and they focus a lot more on the music rather than depend on anything else. They are probably the most famous for their contribution to the Animatrix soundtrack with the song "Who Am I". If I have the habit to meditate, they'd probably be on my playlist for sure, because they are just that good. It is my type of "zen music", so to speak, and it just takes you to a different state of mind, somehow. Like I mentioned, I am not familiar with this band at all, but it is very exciting to find out more definitely. In the mean time, I am going to hang my head loose to the killer beats and the melodies that take me to places I hardly remember after coming back. It's like drugs, but without the drugs. 

Albums by the band: 

1) Peace Orchestra [1999]

2) Reset [2002]

Bring Me the Workhorse by My Brightest Diamond
I remember blogging once about women in the rock scene that I love. If I am ever going to blog about something like that again, I am going to add Shara Worden to the list - she is just so hot. In fact, she probably falls right under Karen O on the list, because I just love the image of a girl with an electric guitar going crazy onstage. Even better, Shara does it alone at times without her band. You can check out the song Golden Star, which I have posted a few entries below and the video embedded. I fell in love with her watching that video, especially towards the end when her voice goes off the register and tickled my spine. Given, she doesn't put a disco ball on her head or to eat a microphone like Karen O, but she is still pretty "out there" if you ask me. Her music, too, is more subtle and beautiful in a melancholic way. Something Of An End is powerful and vulnerable at the same time, and her deeply registered voice suits the tone of the song so well. Dragonfly is haunting, with the strings in the background and her voice piercing through the lyrics. She is like Bjork, but with a crazy range and a lot more talents with the instruments. I mean seriously, she has this vibe about her that tells you not to mess with her, and I just love girls like that. Her latest album is a little too minimal and subtle for my taste, but everything else has been a great delight to listen to. Do check her out! 

Albums by the artiste:

1) Bring Me the Workhorse [2006]

2) Tear It Down [2007]

3) A Thousand Shark's Teeth [2008]

Flight of the Flynns by Kunek
If the band that you like cannot be found on Wikipedia, you know that you are in way too deep. You can try looking for the band Kunek, but you won't find it there anytime soon. I am new to Kunek, like I am with Peace Orchestra. Still, it didn't take long for me to be drawn to this peaceful band. I mean, the album artwork screams of peace and serenity, what more could I ask for? After doing some research on the Internet, Kunek is really a band of six multi-instrumentalists, and that is about all I know about that. Yet, if one can be judged by the music that they make, they are some really awesome people indeed. This album definitely blows me away, the way that a lot of Sigur Ros albums do. Yet, this isn't necessarily post-rock, but such a wondrous blend of instruments that you cannot help but smile whenever the piano and the guitar kicks in together with the drums. I currently have the song "The Swell" on, and the music just swells towards the end of the song and lifts you up in a way that only the most brilliant music could. I am very new to this band and their music, but everything sounds promising so far. It is even most exciting to know that this utter brilliance is merely their debut album, and I do hope that they do not suffer from some kinda sophomore slump. They are too good for that, really. 

Albums by the band:

1) Flight of the Flynns [2008]