Sonics XVII
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Sonics XVII
Desire Lines by Meanderthals
This album is one of those albums that took me forever to find. I remember the first time I came upon it on the iTunes Store, it was one of those albums that were on preview or something, and was yet to be released. As a result, I had to wait for it to be released before any hint of it could be found on the internet at all. Of course, me being the resourceful person that I am, have finally gotten my hands on this little gem of an album, and let's just say that it is probably one of my favorite chill-out albums. I like how the album has a variety of genres to it, and never really sticking to a formula at all. You can tell from the first track to the middle of the album, that you are not getting an album with a kind of fixed style of theme to it. While a theme is sometimes welcomed in an album, it does not necessarily mean one without a theme is bad. Desire Lines clearly does not follow any well-drawn lines, and it deviates off the tangent and goes its own ways at many times throughout the record. It is a great album to play when you have a party or a gathering, the kind of music that really gives a very interesting tone to an environment, I'd say. Though, a point to note, there is another band called Meanderthals, and I think they are some metal band or something. This is not them, so take note.
Lykke Li is a Swedish indie rock singer who has this unique style that I became so drawn to the first time I heard this album. There are some album that takes some time to get used to, and I am usually very particular about vocals. There are bands out there which I do not listen to because of the vocals. Not that the band or the vocalist is bad or anything, but it is difficult to find a voice that sits well with me most of the time. Lykke Li, however, is one of those voices that instantly clicked with me the first time I heard it. She is like a very beautiful combination of Adele and Lily Allen, but better. I mean, I like the above two mentioned artistes, but Lykke Li just feels like she is in a different stratosphere altogether. They play in different leagues, but you can kind of hear the same quirks and vocals in the singers I've just mentioned. I do prefer Lykke Li, because she doesn't seem like she is trying to stand out, to make a stand, to change something about the music industry. She is just different, weird, and in all the good ways. I mean, you really only need to check out her live performance of I'm Good, I'm Gone to know how different she is from everything out there. She is like the younger sister of Bjork or something, and I suspect it has something to do with the fact that they are all from Northern Europe.
Prefuse 73 is not for everyone. Seriously, Prefuse 73 is not for everyone. There are some of his albums which I don't get either, but I still consider myself to be quite a fan, especially after their last album that I reviewed called Preparations. Anyway, this time around, Prefuse 73 has dished out yet another full-length album that borders on musical oddity. It is stuck somewhere between weird and very weird, which is a realm that I usually visit anyway. This album, however, feels more like a giant collage of clips somehow. Most of the songs don't last more than thirty seconds, and there are a whooping twenty-nine tracks in this album. They are small little snippets of sounds and melodies, kind of like a bunch of b-sides thrown together. Though, that is not to say that the materials here are not handled with much care. Prefuse 73 has the ability to churn out some of the most wicked beats that I have ever heard. It's like, you listen to a song and you start to wonder how it is possible for him to fit those beats into the tempo. But hey, he does it, and he does it well. This album isn't for everybody either, and it takes some time to get to the abrupt and seemingly nonsensical arrangement of the songs. But take a listen when you are high, it works really well that way.
Desire Lines by Meanderthals
This album is one of those albums that took me forever to find. I remember the first time I came upon it on the iTunes Store, it was one of those albums that were on preview or something, and was yet to be released. As a result, I had to wait for it to be released before any hint of it could be found on the internet at all. Of course, me being the resourceful person that I am, have finally gotten my hands on this little gem of an album, and let's just say that it is probably one of my favorite chill-out albums. I like how the album has a variety of genres to it, and never really sticking to a formula at all. You can tell from the first track to the middle of the album, that you are not getting an album with a kind of fixed style of theme to it. While a theme is sometimes welcomed in an album, it does not necessarily mean one without a theme is bad. Desire Lines clearly does not follow any well-drawn lines, and it deviates off the tangent and goes its own ways at many times throughout the record. It is a great album to play when you have a party or a gathering, the kind of music that really gives a very interesting tone to an environment, I'd say. Though, a point to note, there is another band called Meanderthals, and I think they are some metal band or something. This is not them, so take note. Albums by the artiste:
1) Desire Lines (2009)
Youth Novel by Lykke Li
Albums by the artiste:
1) Youth Novel (2008)
Everything She Touched Turned Ampexian by Prefuse 73
Prefuse 73 is not for everyone. Seriously, Prefuse 73 is not for everyone. There are some of his albums which I don't get either, but I still consider myself to be quite a fan, especially after their last album that I reviewed called Preparations. Anyway, this time around, Prefuse 73 has dished out yet another full-length album that borders on musical oddity. It is stuck somewhere between weird and very weird, which is a realm that I usually visit anyway. This album, however, feels more like a giant collage of clips somehow. Most of the songs don't last more than thirty seconds, and there are a whooping twenty-nine tracks in this album. They are small little snippets of sounds and melodies, kind of like a bunch of b-sides thrown together. Though, that is not to say that the materials here are not handled with much care. Prefuse 73 has the ability to churn out some of the most wicked beats that I have ever heard. It's like, you listen to a song and you start to wonder how it is possible for him to fit those beats into the tempo. But hey, he does it, and he does it well. This album isn't for everybody either, and it takes some time to get to the abrupt and seemingly nonsensical arrangement of the songs. But take a listen when you are high, it works really well that way. Albums by the artiste:
1) Vocal Studies + Uprock Narratives (2001)
2) One Word Extinguishers (2003)
3) Surrounded by Silence (2005)
4) Preparations (2007)
2) One Word Extinguishers (2003)
3) Surrounded by Silence (2005)
4) Preparations (2007)
5) Everything She Touched Turned Ampexian (2009)
LP3 by Ratatat
Ratatat is full of fun, and you can tell that from the name of the band itself. I mean, the name of the band sounds like the sound of a machine gun or something. You know that a band with a name like that is going to be a lot of fun. Their previous two outings, Classics and their self-titled album, has a running tone to it. You can feel the continuum in those two albums, and they flow very well from one album to the other. This album, however, feels like the band has departed from their comfort zone and dived into something that is different from their usual styles. Previously, the band seems to be all about funky tunes and funky beats. They were fun, but now they are tuning in to the more serious side of their style I suppose - which isn't necessarily a bad thing. It still amazes me how much you can accomplish with a guitar and a synthesizer, and this band does it so very well. In the previous two albums, you get a lot more focus on the guitar part of the music, and you can tell that it plays a heavy role for the most part. This album, however, allows the synthesizer to really shine through, and the guitar really takes a step back and plays a lesser role this time. The instruments still blend in so well together, and this is an album that seems to be an evolution in the right direction.
Ratatat is full of fun, and you can tell that from the name of the band itself. I mean, the name of the band sounds like the sound of a machine gun or something. You know that a band with a name like that is going to be a lot of fun. Their previous two outings, Classics and their self-titled album, has a running tone to it. You can feel the continuum in those two albums, and they flow very well from one album to the other. This album, however, feels like the band has departed from their comfort zone and dived into something that is different from their usual styles. Previously, the band seems to be all about funky tunes and funky beats. They were fun, but now they are tuning in to the more serious side of their style I suppose - which isn't necessarily a bad thing. It still amazes me how much you can accomplish with a guitar and a synthesizer, and this band does it so very well. In the previous two albums, you get a lot more focus on the guitar part of the music, and you can tell that it plays a heavy role for the most part. This album, however, allows the synthesizer to really shine through, and the guitar really takes a step back and plays a lesser role this time. The instruments still blend in so well together, and this is an album that seems to be an evolution in the right direction. Albums by the band:
1) Ratatat (2004)
2) Classics (2006)
3) LP3 (2008)
Lilies by Arovane
OK, I am still on my first rotation of this album, which kinda goes to show how new this album is in my library. I literally just downloaded the album a few hours ago, and this is really my first time listening to it. But, like all of the albums that I have downloaded over the years, I do filter them through the previews first before going about finding them. Let's just say that this album really caught my attention the first time I heard it. I am unfamiliar to Arovane's work, or rather Uwe Zahn's work. I suppose his style can be categorized as being ethereal, organic and ambient all kinda rolled into one. There seems to be a great influence from Japane in this album, with song titles named after cities like Osaka, Tokyo and Nagoya. I'm not sure why that is the case, but this album really has a thing going for it. I need a few more listens to really nail it down, but I can say that I am really going to be listening to this album in the days to come. It's just such a relaxing album to listen to, the kind of music you kind of want yourself to come home to. Just imagine yourself unwinding while you are making a simple dinner for yourself or something - it works. So far, I really love the whole "bedroom" feel to this album, if you know what I mean. Not necessarily related to sex, but just an album I'd like my room to be filled with.
OK, I am still on my first rotation of this album, which kinda goes to show how new this album is in my library. I literally just downloaded the album a few hours ago, and this is really my first time listening to it. But, like all of the albums that I have downloaded over the years, I do filter them through the previews first before going about finding them. Let's just say that this album really caught my attention the first time I heard it. I am unfamiliar to Arovane's work, or rather Uwe Zahn's work. I suppose his style can be categorized as being ethereal, organic and ambient all kinda rolled into one. There seems to be a great influence from Japane in this album, with song titles named after cities like Osaka, Tokyo and Nagoya. I'm not sure why that is the case, but this album really has a thing going for it. I need a few more listens to really nail it down, but I can say that I am really going to be listening to this album in the days to come. It's just such a relaxing album to listen to, the kind of music you kind of want yourself to come home to. Just imagine yourself unwinding while you are making a simple dinner for yourself or something - it works. So far, I really love the whole "bedroom" feel to this album, if you know what I mean. Not necessarily related to sex, but just an album I'd like my room to be filled with. Albums by the artiste:
1) Icol Diston (2002)
2) Atol Scrap (2000)
3) Tides (2000)
4) AER (Valid) (2001)
5) Lilies (2004)
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