Cold Snap over in jolly ol' England. But thankfully my man Celadon has finally got around to knocking out his latest release, which as the title says should provide me a little bit of audio warmth when I'm waiting for the train in the early morning frost tomorrow. I've probably said enough about Celadon at this point but for those not in the know, tune in for some Plone-esque indie electronic stuff, kinda like some Bibio stuff too come to think of it. It's even on spotify too if you wanna listen on the go
-Claude Van Foxbat
Showing posts with label indie electro. Show all posts
Showing posts with label indie electro. Show all posts
Wednesday, 30 November 2016
Saturday, 22 October 2016
Submithub Roundup, Vol. 7
Another week another roundup or two, starting this week with a very smooth number from Torin Bell, I haven't had much in the way of this style of thing in my feed which is a bit of a shame, especially because I'm about to embark on another down-tempo adventure. I'd love to see a more IDM approach with this kind of sound from them, I could certainly parts of this merging well with it. As it stands though, it's a lovely self contained experience, which would make sense given its description of "finding peace in a time of turmoil".
More ammo for my electropop drought relief again, this time from a little further east in Moscow. It's their first ever single release to boot, the artwork is solid (but then again I do have a soft spot for glitch) and for a first proper single it's very well done. I do always find covering first releases tricky simply because I don't like to be too critical while they're discovering their sound, but these two seem like they have a good idea where it's heading, so my only very minor complaint is I'd love to hear more of the production side shine through in parts, the tiny break at around 1:50 makes me smile every time.
More sufficiently spooky tunes for all hallows with vverewolf whose name may or may not have made me check my kerning settings. I dig the overall sound and all but I feel like they'd get a lot out of incorporating some more intense sounds into the mix, thinking along the lines of Carpenter Brut, the retro style's already there after all, or maybe something a lil more industrial like Trent Reznor's cover of Immigrant Song, maybe even Massive Attack's Butterfly Caught too. That's not to knock the tune itself though, they certainly have their sound pretty nailed down and it's a solid listen.
-Claude Van Foxbat
More ammo for my electropop drought relief again, this time from a little further east in Moscow. It's their first ever single release to boot, the artwork is solid (but then again I do have a soft spot for glitch) and for a first proper single it's very well done. I do always find covering first releases tricky simply because I don't like to be too critical while they're discovering their sound, but these two seem like they have a good idea where it's heading, so my only very minor complaint is I'd love to hear more of the production side shine through in parts, the tiny break at around 1:50 makes me smile every time.
More sufficiently spooky tunes for all hallows with vverewolf whose name may or may not have made me check my kerning settings. I dig the overall sound and all but I feel like they'd get a lot out of incorporating some more intense sounds into the mix, thinking along the lines of Carpenter Brut, the retro style's already there after all, or maybe something a lil more industrial like Trent Reznor's cover of Immigrant Song, maybe even Massive Attack's Butterfly Caught too. That's not to knock the tune itself though, they certainly have their sound pretty nailed down and it's a solid listen.
-Claude Van Foxbat
Tuesday, 18 October 2016
Submithub Roundup Vol. 6
Back again with another round, normally I don't pay attention to the artist namedrops in the tags because in my experience they've been way off base. I gave this one a pass for two reasons, first beign the artist namedrop was Little Drgon and I don't think I've seen anyone else do that and second is that they're Swedes, which is home to some of my all time favourites including the aforementioned Little Dragon. The tune itself is a lovely listen, there's some lovely smoothness going on underneath that driving beat, and the transition into the second half from the midway breakdown is fantastic. Looks like I've found the means to fill the Au Revoir Simone shaped hole in my collection.
Some undestated art for the next one, which is quite fitting given the intro. Another smooth addition to this post too, quite catchy when the chorus hits for sure and makes me perhaps a little nostalgic for BBC Radio 1 circa 2009 or so. After listening to the original and this I feel like it'd be nice to give it the All Is Full Of Love treatment Björk did back in '99 and have a bunch of varied takes on the same tune, Tanis' vocal contributions seem like they'd fit that model well.
Speaking of nostalgia, Dr. Snus here is prescribing me another replacement dose for Pretty Lights this time, only this time with more shelf wobbling sine waves in the mix. I have a pretty mixed opinion about the Pretty Lights album this reminds me of, Filling Up The City Skies, they're both going for the same kind of sound, but I think Snus' is more cohesive overall. A few very very minor complaints with it, I feel like the ending fade being a little long for one, and I'd like to hear a little more of the instrumental experimentation going on but like I said very minor. A promising introduction regardless, and another one to follow on my books.
-Claude Van Foxbat
Some undestated art for the next one, which is quite fitting given the intro. Another smooth addition to this post too, quite catchy when the chorus hits for sure and makes me perhaps a little nostalgic for BBC Radio 1 circa 2009 or so. After listening to the original and this I feel like it'd be nice to give it the All Is Full Of Love treatment Björk did back in '99 and have a bunch of varied takes on the same tune, Tanis' vocal contributions seem like they'd fit that model well.
Speaking of nostalgia, Dr. Snus here is prescribing me another replacement dose for Pretty Lights this time, only this time with more shelf wobbling sine waves in the mix. I have a pretty mixed opinion about the Pretty Lights album this reminds me of, Filling Up The City Skies, they're both going for the same kind of sound, but I think Snus' is more cohesive overall. A few very very minor complaints with it, I feel like the ending fade being a little long for one, and I'd like to hear a little more of the instrumental experimentation going on but like I said very minor. A promising introduction regardless, and another one to follow on my books.
-Claude Van Foxbat
Saturday, 3 September 2016
The SubmitHub Roundup, Vol. 2
Wasting no time getting stuck into more things I'm picking up from Submithub. The first offering this time is on point, As I'm sure you've seen many a time I go seeking out more indie electronic stuff in the vein of Au Revoir Simone and Lykke Li. Well this not only scratches that itch, but also has just a sprinkling of funk and a smidgen of disco throughout, think a little like Breakbot or Chromeo. Another thing about my submithub experience so far is that I have yet to see bad artwork accompanying a submission too, which is a real change from the soundcloud trawls of old. It's just a shame I had to come by it on a rainy day.
The strings make a return again (although not for as long as last time), being replaced around 40 secs in by some almost Rusite-esque backing. It does kinda lose me with the dubstep style drop but I can chalk that mainly up to going to way too many student parties and being far too exposed by that sound. It does manage to bring it back around afterwards tho, the breakdowns between are solid, so props to the producer for not banking on the dubstep to carry the rest of the tune, and I'd definitely be interested in more of the more sedate sound from them.
Speaking of funky bits however, Bluberry Spy has everyone so far beat. It had me from the very start with that bassline, and those little splashes of organ throughout are giving me major Nightmares On Wax vibes in the best way. It's actually something that's been sorely missing from my daily audio diet, and only by hearing this did I realise that. Still, at least I have an outlet for that now, will definitely be keeping tabs for when I need to get my fix.
The strings make a return again (although not for as long as last time), being replaced around 40 secs in by some almost Rusite-esque backing. It does kinda lose me with the dubstep style drop but I can chalk that mainly up to going to way too many student parties and being far too exposed by that sound. It does manage to bring it back around afterwards tho, the breakdowns between are solid, so props to the producer for not banking on the dubstep to carry the rest of the tune, and I'd definitely be interested in more of the more sedate sound from them.
Speaking of funky bits however, Bluberry Spy has everyone so far beat. It had me from the very start with that bassline, and those little splashes of organ throughout are giving me major Nightmares On Wax vibes in the best way. It's actually something that's been sorely missing from my daily audio diet, and only by hearing this did I realise that. Still, at least I have an outlet for that now, will definitely be keeping tabs for when I need to get my fix.
Sunday, 28 August 2016
The SubmitHub Roundup, Vol. 1
It should come as no surprise to frequent readers that I sometimes meander when it comes to getting things done. Whether its making posts to remind me that I still need to check out certain artists, or even posts in general sometimes I wouldn't exactly say I have an amazing track record. But alas, the soundcloud drought was getting to me and I was itching to find new ways of finding things, enter an email I got back in may.
Submithub is the name, and cutting out my legwork is its game. Instead of crawling soundcloud feeds we get people coming to us, which can be a bit of a burden but it's been smooth sailing so far. Serving up the first proper submission was the above, which is giving me that early Pretty Lights hip hop style nostalgia, and will feel right at home between the other "You"'s in my collection from Bibio and Gold Panda.
One thing I'm also learning to be is less cynical. It kinda naturally happens after years of email bombardment for whatever promo list has scrubbed your deets that week. Having a visual helps (even if it is still, and it's also I'm a massive sucker for the old cyan/magenta scheme). Not too hot on the treatment of the vocals here but I'll be damned if the frantic piano stabs and noodling around 2:10 don't take me right back to the early 00's dance days.
You also get treated to some pretty unusual stuff too, and not in a bad way either. Much like me father before me I do like for there to be some strings in my electronics. It's something we've covered a little before, Admittedly it's usually in the form of Venetian Snares' Rossz Csillag Alatt Született or SomethingALaMode which we covered way back in 2010. Certainly wouldn't mind more experimentation with the sound, moody Trip Hop and strings are a match made in heaven.
And there you have it, as such expect more frequent updates with this kinda thing now that I am free of the shackles of soundcloud digging. Expect the usual programming with a few of these sprinkled through out, now to see about sorting the next big project - the site redesign, stay tuned!
-Claude Van Foxbat
Submithub is the name, and cutting out my legwork is its game. Instead of crawling soundcloud feeds we get people coming to us, which can be a bit of a burden but it's been smooth sailing so far. Serving up the first proper submission was the above, which is giving me that early Pretty Lights hip hop style nostalgia, and will feel right at home between the other "You"'s in my collection from Bibio and Gold Panda.
One thing I'm also learning to be is less cynical. It kinda naturally happens after years of email bombardment for whatever promo list has scrubbed your deets that week. Having a visual helps (even if it is still, and it's also I'm a massive sucker for the old cyan/magenta scheme). Not too hot on the treatment of the vocals here but I'll be damned if the frantic piano stabs and noodling around 2:10 don't take me right back to the early 00's dance days.
You also get treated to some pretty unusual stuff too, and not in a bad way either. Much like me father before me I do like for there to be some strings in my electronics. It's something we've covered a little before, Admittedly it's usually in the form of Venetian Snares' Rossz Csillag Alatt Született or SomethingALaMode which we covered way back in 2010. Certainly wouldn't mind more experimentation with the sound, moody Trip Hop and strings are a match made in heaven.
And there you have it, as such expect more frequent updates with this kinda thing now that I am free of the shackles of soundcloud digging. Expect the usual programming with a few of these sprinkled through out, now to see about sorting the next big project - the site redesign, stay tuned!
-Claude Van Foxbat
Sunday, 21 August 2016
Belated Sunday Service
I done fell off again. There's been a few bumps to the usual routine in general, but man this soundcloud drought is real and is messing up my usual MO. Luckily I can count on our boy Celadon City to consistently provide on that front. Admittedly it's only a one track one this time but come back in a couple of days because I'm lining up a good old fashioned ilictronix two part post! Until then, have an easy Sunday with the always smooth (if slightly downtmepo this time) Celadon City.
-Claude Van Foxbat
-Claude Van Foxbat
Friday, 16 October 2015
HexLove
Remember a few days ago when I mentioned that flylo mix keeping me sweet until the next Rustie release? Well thanks to old friend of the blog Cloudfill and his label I may have even more ammo to see me through. The latest release of theirs is by far and away the most suiting of the 'sugary sweet' label I like to throw around tracks like these. The watercolour-y cover is lovely to see too, among a sea of often all too generic cover designs it certainly stands out.
Be sure to give 'Fill some love, check Hexmania on Soundcloud for more, and if you're feeling the releases on offer you can cruise on over to The Bandcamp and scoop them for a moderate fee of your choosing. -Claude Van Foxbat
Be sure to give 'Fill some love, check Hexmania on Soundcloud for more, and if you're feeling the releases on offer you can cruise on over to The Bandcamp and scoop them for a moderate fee of your choosing. -Claude Van Foxbat
Sunday, 4 October 2015
Smooth Sundays
Hello all, just dropping by with some more bits from my feed as per us. And once again I'm starting off with Celadon City, but this time it's quite a bit different from his usual sugary sweet summer vibes, much more sedate and pretty much all acoustic. Admittedly it's a few months off from Valentine's Day and I should really save it for then but I can't help myself, I'm a well known sucker for a nice vocoder, and this has it in spades.
Second comes from someone I was meant to cover this time after seeing a few of his tunes reblogged. I went onto my soundcloud today to find out he'd actually followed me! not bad to say I only put up weird ambient and drone experiments. I've been digging Vigliensoni's output as of late, I was in love wih the sounds regardless, but the vocals are giving me serious Sébastien Tellier vibes, which is something I have been lacking as of late.
And finally, a little something I found just above all that. FlyLo's Puppet Talk was a bit of a wildcard from him being a solo piano piece and all. I was curious as to how a remix of it would work and I got my answer. I know the whole Beats things has had its moment and gone, but I still love a lot of the stuff in that style like FlyLo's own Massage Situation for example. And this has the right combo of compression and super sweet synths to keep me satisfied until the next Rustie release.
-Claude Van Foxbat
Second comes from someone I was meant to cover this time after seeing a few of his tunes reblogged. I went onto my soundcloud today to find out he'd actually followed me! not bad to say I only put up weird ambient and drone experiments. I've been digging Vigliensoni's output as of late, I was in love wih the sounds regardless, but the vocals are giving me serious Sébastien Tellier vibes, which is something I have been lacking as of late.
And finally, a little something I found just above all that. FlyLo's Puppet Talk was a bit of a wildcard from him being a solo piano piece and all. I was curious as to how a remix of it would work and I got my answer. I know the whole Beats things has had its moment and gone, but I still love a lot of the stuff in that style like FlyLo's own Massage Situation for example. And this has the right combo of compression and super sweet synths to keep me satisfied until the next Rustie release.
-Claude Van Foxbat
Wednesday, 23 September 2015
Belated Soundcloud Roundup
Oops I have forgotten to post. Well lets fix that once again with a quick visit to my soundcloud feed shall we? My man Celadon has been far too kind with the releases as of late, here is is with yet another free edit for download that will warm the cockles of your heart as fall approaches.
I've been subsisting on a steady diet of Tangerine Dream and the Analord series, so synths are kinda my bag ATM. I've mentioned Abbrev.'s previous forays into almost acid territory but this one is by far and away my favourite, something about the combination of those airy synths and the bouncy bass that comes in just takes me back to all the weird electronic I found in my dad's cassettes that made me fall in love with electronic music in the first place.
And finally something I found thanks to the friend-of-a-friend reblogging that I like to dive into now and then, a group(?) from France called mechanical television. There's more than a smidgen of influence from both IDM and Post Rock in their work and thinking about it I'm surprised the two don't go together more often. Regardless, this track might not be for everyone once it gets going, but once gain I absolutely adore that intro.
-Claude Van Foxbat
I've been subsisting on a steady diet of Tangerine Dream and the Analord series, so synths are kinda my bag ATM. I've mentioned Abbrev.'s previous forays into almost acid territory but this one is by far and away my favourite, something about the combination of those airy synths and the bouncy bass that comes in just takes me back to all the weird electronic I found in my dad's cassettes that made me fall in love with electronic music in the first place.
And finally something I found thanks to the friend-of-a-friend reblogging that I like to dive into now and then, a group(?) from France called mechanical television. There's more than a smidgen of influence from both IDM and Post Rock in their work and thinking about it I'm surprised the two don't go together more often. Regardless, this track might not be for everyone once it gets going, but once gain I absolutely adore that intro.
-Claude Van Foxbat
Thursday, 3 September 2015
Animation Blues
About finished up my latest video project, and got time to get stuck into a project that stuck out in my inbox about a week ago. Now some introduction: the worlds of Jazz and electronic music may seem like odd bedfellows, but there's plenty of influence to be seen: from the Lounge meets Drum & Bass combo from the E-Z Rollers, combined with more of a trip hop feel from Red Snapper, the often frantic bass guitar work from Squarepusher to the more experimental parts of Flying Lotus' Cosmogramma, and again on the Ideas+Drafts+Loops tape.
Why do I bother setting that up you say? Well this is exactly more of that, albeit leaning more on the jazz side than the electronics. There's a lot of piano work on here too, but if it's good enough for Aphex Twin then it's good enough for Mr. James (And if I could play I'd make use of it too).
Maybe a little out of leftfield for our usual posting, but there's some highlights to be sure. Tracks 2 & 3 show off some lovely Downtmepo/Trip Hop and Indie-ish electronic respectively, and I'd recommend you start there for a perfect summary of the vibe here. (Also be aware the player starts on track 6 from some reason) I can definitely see some good stuff coming out of Mr. James' camp in future, particularly if he takes it in a more Hip Hop / Tip Hop direction but then again I am biased. Regardless, get stuck in, and I'll see you in a couple days!
-Claude Van Foxbat
Why do I bother setting that up you say? Well this is exactly more of that, albeit leaning more on the jazz side than the electronics. There's a lot of piano work on here too, but if it's good enough for Aphex Twin then it's good enough for Mr. James (And if I could play I'd make use of it too).
Maybe a little out of leftfield for our usual posting, but there's some highlights to be sure. Tracks 2 & 3 show off some lovely Downtmepo/Trip Hop and Indie-ish electronic respectively, and I'd recommend you start there for a perfect summary of the vibe here. (Also be aware the player starts on track 6 from some reason) I can definitely see some good stuff coming out of Mr. James' camp in future, particularly if he takes it in a more Hip Hop / Tip Hop direction but then again I am biased. Regardless, get stuck in, and I'll see you in a couple days!
-Claude Van Foxbat
Saturday, 22 August 2015
Soundcloud Roundup 4: Revengeance
Droppignby with another rundown of my feed, this time a more downtempo contributions than previous. Starting out once again with recent pals Mississippi Jones heading it up with more stuff from their forthcoming release, this time much more sedate than anything I've shared of theirs previously. Way back when I mentioned I couldn't see the Portishead comparisons being drawn with their work but it turns out I wasn't looking deep enough. Mississippi is almost a slightly less moody Beth Gibbons here.
Speaking of flexibility, Abbrev. is back with a flurry of new tracks in a variety of styles, a highlight of this being this psuedo-acid house number. Around halfway through there's an unexpected change in sound from the bleepy not-quite-acid to the kind of sugary sweet synths you'd hear from Rustie slowly come up from the background, and it changes to be a more housey number and it's so nice.
And finally, some more reposted goodness from Celadon City. I'm always game for more stuff that is like his, and of course his reposts are a solid source for this. I know I've said it a bunch about him before, but this sound is pretty much a modern Plone which was a gap in my library for a long time. I almost want the vocals to be vocoded like on Plone's Plock, but frankly I'm fine with it as is.
-Claude Van Foxbat
Speaking of flexibility, Abbrev. is back with a flurry of new tracks in a variety of styles, a highlight of this being this psuedo-acid house number. Around halfway through there's an unexpected change in sound from the bleepy not-quite-acid to the kind of sugary sweet synths you'd hear from Rustie slowly come up from the background, and it changes to be a more housey number and it's so nice.
And finally, some more reposted goodness from Celadon City. I'm always game for more stuff that is like his, and of course his reposts are a solid source for this. I know I've said it a bunch about him before, but this sound is pretty much a modern Plone which was a gap in my library for a long time. I almost want the vocals to be vocoded like on Plone's Plock, but frankly I'm fine with it as is.
-Claude Van Foxbat
Sunday, 16 August 2015
Oops
Apologies for the lack of posts, I keep not doing them because me and Adam are working on something to hopefully get both of us more consistent, and something that we think will spice up the blog a lil'. As my apologetic gift have this album that came up in my feed thanks to my man Celadon. As you'd expect, the sounds he digs are equally as lush as the ones he makes, and this one is a full albums worth. So get stuck in and I hope it tides you over until we figure out this super secret project very soon!
-Claude Van Foxbat
-Claude Van Foxbat
Wednesday, 12 August 2015
Releases for Days
Remember how I just said that people I've been following recently have been destroying it with releases this year? Well, time to add another to the list heres recent but long time bud Celadon City with his latest EP.
As we've come to expect its chock full of lovely sounds to get you feelin' all fuzzy inside, the first track on this list is giving me serious Flashbulb vibes, but with less IDM going on. The smoothness of track 3, pictureperfect is also a highlight,. Celadon consistently kills it with lush sounds and this one is no different. I'm loving those arpeggios too.
If you like it be sure to pick it up on his bandcamp, and you can always find more stuff on Soundcloud, as well as keep up to speed with what he's up to on Twitter or Facebook, but until then I'll keep hanging on for more sweet tunes.
-Claude Van Foxbat
As we've come to expect its chock full of lovely sounds to get you feelin' all fuzzy inside, the first track on this list is giving me serious Flashbulb vibes, but with less IDM going on. The smoothness of track 3, pictureperfect is also a highlight,. Celadon consistently kills it with lush sounds and this one is no different. I'm loving those arpeggios too.
If you like it be sure to pick it up on his bandcamp, and you can always find more stuff on Soundcloud, as well as keep up to speed with what he's up to on Twitter or Facebook, but until then I'll keep hanging on for more sweet tunes.
-Claude Van Foxbat
Monday, 3 August 2015
Lush Monday
Slight lapse in posts b/c I was gone for the weekend but no matter, my good pal Celadon City was nice enough to break the soundcloud feed drought I've been suffering from for a good time now. And I couldn't think of a better compilation for him to appear on than this one, given the title.
And of course he again knocks it out of the park with the brand of dreamy electronic goodness we've come to expect from the man. And I must say I am totally in love with those quivering synths towards the end. Hope this one'll tide you over for the start o' the week, and I'll see y'all again soon!
-Claude Van Foxbat
And of course he again knocks it out of the park with the brand of dreamy electronic goodness we've come to expect from the man. And I must say I am totally in love with those quivering synths towards the end. Hope this one'll tide you over for the start o' the week, and I'll see y'all again soon!
-Claude Van Foxbat
Thursday, 11 June 2015
Out In't Garden
Recent music buddy of mine Celadon City finally got around to putting out his latest release deal. And it's pretty gorgeous. You know how every time I posted a tune from Icarus I've been saying it's instantly in my summer playlist? Yeah they're all well and good through the day but Mr. City here, much like Pretty Lights before him, makes tunes for a more homey environment. Or as the man himself pus it: "garden-party electronica"
But wait there's more. Even with the cold breeze plaguing us here in England at the minute, these tunes are doing their bit and making everything feel a little bit more toasty. I'm in love with the second half of this one, it's chock full of little flourishes and gorgeous sounds.
Not to say there's nothing on offer here if you're lookin' for more upbeat dancy stuff. There's also a remix of the title track that gives it a little house injection that does actually sound a little like the Icarus stuff I've posted. I was skeptical at first (as I am with 90% of remixes) but it's a very nice compliment to the sweetness on offer here.
Find more Celadon City on:
Twitter
Soundcloud
Facebook
-Claude Van Foxbat
But wait there's more. Even with the cold breeze plaguing us here in England at the minute, these tunes are doing their bit and making everything feel a little bit more toasty. I'm in love with the second half of this one, it's chock full of little flourishes and gorgeous sounds.
Not to say there's nothing on offer here if you're lookin' for more upbeat dancy stuff. There's also a remix of the title track that gives it a little house injection that does actually sound a little like the Icarus stuff I've posted. I was skeptical at first (as I am with 90% of remixes) but it's a very nice compliment to the sweetness on offer here.
Find more Celadon City on:
Soundcloud
-Claude Van Foxbat
Thursday, 2 April 2015
Inbox Highlights
Normally when I post Soundcloud players it's for upoming stuff from big-ish labels, and it's easy to forget there's un-mined potential out there in the indie world. Granted the market is pretty saturated these days but there's some good stuff out in that vast expanse.
It's no secret I'm a sucker for silky smooth synths. My main source for that kinda thing is mainly old school deep house just becacuse that's practically what the genre was built on. I first picked this one up from the little artwork thumbnail, but my ears pricked up too when I got into listening. I can't get enough of that Instrumentation, especially on the outro!
Alright, I admit it, this is another one I picked from the artist profile pic alone. Art is my thing alright? Anyway, this one's a bit of an odd combo. The closest touchstone I can think of at the minute is Apparat, with maybe some of The Actress Not The Character I posted a long while ago and just a smidgen of Post-Rock thrown in there for good measure. But different isn't always bad, case in point:
-Claude Van Foxbat
It's no secret I'm a sucker for silky smooth synths. My main source for that kinda thing is mainly old school deep house just becacuse that's practically what the genre was built on. I first picked this one up from the little artwork thumbnail, but my ears pricked up too when I got into listening. I can't get enough of that Instrumentation, especially on the outro!
Alright, I admit it, this is another one I picked from the artist profile pic alone. Art is my thing alright? Anyway, this one's a bit of an odd combo. The closest touchstone I can think of at the minute is Apparat, with maybe some of The Actress Not The Character I posted a long while ago and just a smidgen of Post-Rock thrown in there for good measure. But different isn't always bad, case in point:
-Claude Van Foxbat
Tuesday, 18 November 2014
You've Got Red On You
Been waiting to make this post for a long time. you know Weebl? of Badger, Badger, Badger and Amazing Horse fame? well for a long time he's been running a fictional synthpop group dubbed Savlonic. He's got a well documented love for bands like Ladytron, and the main character of the band is even based on Ron Mael of Sparks so that should give you some pointers in terms of sound.
Now it goes without saying that like all things Weebl these are essentially parody tunes, but some of them could pass for more serious ones. It's kinda a shame really cos he has a knack for catchy tunes and if he really wanted to could easily make a serious record. Still love them as they are though, there's some amazing lyricism that makes for some non-sequitur verses. Have a selection of my favourites from their recently released kickstarted album Red:
Get Savlonic's debut Red here:
Weebl's Shop
Bandcamp
iTunes
Amazon
Now it goes without saying that like all things Weebl these are essentially parody tunes, but some of them could pass for more serious ones. It's kinda a shame really cos he has a knack for catchy tunes and if he really wanted to could easily make a serious record. Still love them as they are though, there's some amazing lyricism that makes for some non-sequitur verses. Have a selection of my favourites from their recently released kickstarted album Red:
Get Savlonic's debut Red here:
Weebl's Shop
Bandcamp
iTunes
Amazon
Monday, 10 November 2014
It All Ends
Some of you in the know may have seen that my two favourite Scandinavian music folks are calling it a day, I expected it of The Knife after they went on the massive tour they were doing considering they last did it in 2006 on a way more local scale. I can deal with that, Silent Shout is one of my top ten albums and they've had a good run. But the other one is hitting me surprisingly hard...
I honestly didn't expect Röyksopp to be calling it so soon, I mean they were just gearing back up with the Late Night Tales and Robyn collab and whatnot. They're calling The Inevitable End, and wave goodbye to "the traditional album format" and they said they'll keep making music. And I certainly hope so, Röyksopp have been on my music radar since 2001 and I don't know how I feel about such a big cornerstone of my listening history to just suddenly stop, they've seen me through a lot over the years.
However if this is it for albums, I do think the album is a fitting end to the project, it's the perfect blend of their vibe with just a small hint of bitter-sweetness and a bigger focus on lyrical content. Think What Else Is There? and you're about there. Now excuse me while I reflect on 10+ years of Norwegian electronic and maybe cry a little.
-Claude Van Foxbat
I honestly didn't expect Röyksopp to be calling it so soon, I mean they were just gearing back up with the Late Night Tales and Robyn collab and whatnot. They're calling The Inevitable End, and wave goodbye to "the traditional album format" and they said they'll keep making music. And I certainly hope so, Röyksopp have been on my music radar since 2001 and I don't know how I feel about such a big cornerstone of my listening history to just suddenly stop, they've seen me through a lot over the years.
However if this is it for albums, I do think the album is a fitting end to the project, it's the perfect blend of their vibe with just a small hint of bitter-sweetness and a bigger focus on lyrical content. Think What Else Is There? and you're about there. Now excuse me while I reflect on 10+ years of Norwegian electronic and maybe cry a little.
-Claude Van Foxbat
Tuesday, 14 October 2014
Automated 3: The End (?)
Here's hoping things have gotten better on my end so I can actually write real time. If not this will be the sole update for a while. Less sentimentality let's get moving!
Starting things right with an early Knife tune, got real love for their first self titled effort, a far cry from the cold electropop of Silent Shout, this one's more like an lo-fi indie electronic dealio with some dark undertones foreshadowing the direction they'd take.
More 8-bit-esque FlyLo, with a tune I like to listen to on the train because I enjoy musical irony. Leading the charge for the Pattern + Grid World EP alongside Clay, it's a bit of an oddity in FlyLo's output, but a damn good one to be sure. Still as good as when it came out.
Some more from House legend Felix here, though the album was pretty much mixed reaction from the press, I absolutely love the tracks in this style. I can't really think of anything else to compare it to, a lighter, less funky Chromeo maybe? Anyway, enjoy!
-Claude Van Foxbat
Jim Rosenquist - Croshatch And Mutations (1986)
Starting things right with an early Knife tune, got real love for their first self titled effort, a far cry from the cold electropop of Silent Shout, this one's more like an lo-fi indie electronic dealio with some dark undertones foreshadowing the direction they'd take.
More 8-bit-esque FlyLo, with a tune I like to listen to on the train because I enjoy musical irony. Leading the charge for the Pattern + Grid World EP alongside Clay, it's a bit of an oddity in FlyLo's output, but a damn good one to be sure. Still as good as when it came out.
Some more from House legend Felix here, though the album was pretty much mixed reaction from the press, I absolutely love the tracks in this style. I can't really think of anything else to compare it to, a lighter, less funky Chromeo maybe? Anyway, enjoy!
-Claude Van Foxbat
Thursday, 2 October 2014
City Series Vol. 1 - Leeds (Playlist broken as of 2020)
Putting into motion something I've been wanting to do for a while now, here's a series where we get our writing team to make a playlist for their city. Could be inspiration, could be local acts, could just be you dig the sounds - whatever. Starting with me, I'm up north in the UK in Leeds, so naturally I have to start off with LFO and their amazing Warehouse mix. There's other local flavours in there too, like Soft Cell (Fun Fact: My dad went to college with Mark Almond here), LSK and of course Nightmares On Wax.
So there you have it, tried to cover a lot of bases genre wise so I apologise if the grime/garage/dubstep turn at the end is a bit sudden. Regardless I hop you enjoy and stay tuned for the Atlanta and Chicago installments courtesy of Adam and Evan!
-Claude Van Foxbat
So there you have it, tried to cover a lot of bases genre wise so I apologise if the grime/garage/dubstep turn at the end is a bit sudden. Regardless I hop you enjoy and stay tuned for the Atlanta and Chicago installments courtesy of Adam and Evan!
-Claude Van Foxbat
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