Neon Ghosts In A Sea Of Triangle Waves
Neon Indian: Era Extraña– When I first heard Neon Indian‘s first record, Psychic Chasms, I had a difficult time really getting into it very much. I appreciated the experimentation with electro that he was doing, but I thought the album just had too many songs that were too washed out by fuzz or just weren’t organized into palpable songs enough to really keep my attention for very long. But as long as he kept his experimental integrity intact, there wasn’t any reason to ignore this album. And in fact, its a good thing that I didn’t because though some of lo-fi tendencies that seriously plagued his debut are clearly here, they compliment far more than they hinder. Much like a lot of chill wave, theres a delicate balance that needs to be struck between lo-fi and electro that perfectly compliment each other. With Era Extrana, Neon Indian has found that balance and ran with it. This isn’t exactly a dance record, but then again, most chill wave isn’t meant to be danced-to. So the result is a record that perfectly fits its genre’s namesake. The songs are well thought-out, complex and above all, catchy for all the right reasons. Great, great record…9.2/10
Mogwai: Earth Division EP– I’ve enjoyed Mogwai‘s music for a long, long time. If theres one thing I was anticipating from them it was probably this record. For those who’ve heard this album, thats probably not what you expected to read from a guy like me, but then again, you may not know Mogwai as well as you thought you did. For those of you who have no idea how this sounds, let me set the stage for you: Imagine Mogwai minus the drums, replaced by violins and cellos with the somewhat occasional piano being more of a focus. Also, unplugged with mostly acoustic guitars. Why did I see this coming? Well, after hearing the soundtrack they did for Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait and the admirable job they did on it, I pretty much figured they’d revisit that style again. So while this particular EP wasn’t entirely unexpected for me, if it came as a shock to some of you, thats why they’ve done it so well: They’ve had practice. Overall, this is Mogwai yet again proving why they’re as well-rounded and relevant today as they were at their beginning. A beautiful and sullen EP with potential dramatic soundtrack written all over it…8.2/10
Owen: Ghost Town– After hearing Owen‘s 2 previous releases, The Seaside EP and New Leaves, I wasn’t exactly sure what this record might sound like. New Leaves was a decent record, but I thought the more electric songs weren’t as good as ones from the past. And the The Seaside EP… well, I won’t say I hated it, but lets just say I was thoroughly underwhelmed. I recognize a few of these songs from the performance I attended last week and I have to say that I really, really enjoyed the full versions of those songs on this record. A lot of these songs and the general way it sounded felt a lot like his At Home With Owen album from 2006. As it turns out, this a good thing because I think that some of his best work is culminated on that record. This album has a lot more acoustic guitar-based songs than his last couple of releases and there are plenty of violins and cellos to go around that highlight a few choruses without overpowering the songs themselves. When its all said and done, this record is one of the best he’s done in years and one that’ll be in heavy rotation in my future…9.4/10
Pallers: The Sea Of Memories– This is Labrador Records‘ first truly ambient artists and of course, they’re another one of those labels whom you can pretty much trust to release only talented and interesting artists… even if they are only exclusively Swedish bands. Which begs the question: How the hell do you find this much talent in such a small country? That aside, this is Pallers‘ debut record after a couple of teases over the last couple of years. I don’t review a lot of ambient music mostly due to the fact that they tend to bore me. But then again, most aren’t as technical as Pallers, either. In front of a backdrop of smooth synths, bouncy beats, and lightly spoken vocals, Pallers craft ambient songs that are moody and beautiful in their simplicity. Rarely did I find myself anticipating the end to a song due to tedium, but instead they pretty much gave the song a lift anytime it needed it. This is by no means an upbeat record, ambient records rarely are, but listening to this at times, you could have fooled me. All in all, this is a beautifully written record that comes just in time to get you through the grey days of fall and winter without adding to your misery…8.6/10
Teeel: Amulet– I know this album came out at the beginning of the year, but I feel like its worth coming back to even though it escaped me until just recently. As much as I talk about good electro and chill wave here, I always have room for another if they really amaze me song after song and thats exactly what Amulet does. Teeel doesn’t just take 80s-influenced new wave and give it more dance-able beats, they’ve carved out their own niche with creative keyboard work that stays with you hours afterward. Add airy vocals and you have all things Teeel. The only problem I had with it are the times that the vocals went a little flat on a couple of songs. The thing is, I think they meant to do it and the more I listened to it, the more charming it became. Instead of conveying a lack of polish, you begin to hear it conveying a depth of emotion… which makes me like this album even more. It reminds me of what Joy Electric likes to do with his vocals and if you think about it, it almost sounds like what Ronnie Martin(Joy Electric) might do if he decided to experiment with chill wave. All in all, this is one of, if not the best records I managed to overlook this year…9.7/10