cruiser - sunshine woman tape (2009)

RIYL: Hella, early Deerhoof
It took a long time for me to come to terms with the fact that the Hella I loved (of Hold Your Horse Is, Total Bugs Bunny on Wild Bass, and Bitches Ain't Shit But Good People) ceased to exist years ago, replaced by a festering undead version of Hella whose corpse grows more bloated and unsettling with each subsequent album.  Imagine then the ecstatic sense of relief I felt when I heard this, a two-piece from Portland whose mathy, frenetic and propulsive rock fills the niche that Hella used to inhabit!  And then consider the crushing disappointment when I learned that Cruiser only released a tape and a CD-R, both long out of print, and called it a day.  Sunshine Woman Tape is exhilarating and FUN, unceasingly moving forward in dizzying zig-zags, stopping and starting, throwing everything AND the kitchen sink in, and it's a shame that we'll never get anything more from them.  Although definitely derivative of early Hella (and sure, I guess, other like-minded math rock duos), Cruiser pull it off incredibly well and this will please anyone left high and dry by Hella's recent output.

Trentemøller - Harbour Boat Trips 01 - Copenhagen

(16) [Suicide] Ghost Rider by elpretentio2

(04) [I Got You On Tape] Somersault by elpretentio2

This here is one extremely solid rock comp. Released in the middle of last year, it's the first in the Harbour Boat Trips series of compilations by the electronic producer Trentmøller.

It does something that eludes many an artist/DJ when putting together a mix: accomplishing a perfect balance of variety, depth, and consistency. The sounds range from folksy indie rock, to electronic synth rock, to new wave, and even back to some ambient electronic tracks. The artists that contributed all have their own pretty distinct sound which amps up the overall quality tremendously (compared to your average mix) and make it interesting.

As some of you might know, my specialty is electronics. So it's no small feat for a record made up of mostly rock music to impress me. But the real distinction there between this and the average indie-hack production that bores me is that this is music made by what i consider to be real musicians with an actual, well-trained musical ear. All throughout this mix, they demonstrate how to produce strong melodies while also adding rhythm to their arrangements in such a way that gives what would otherwise could have been average songs some weight and drive, making each respective track that much more compelling. The difference is subtle but crucial, and this hits the mark.

Again, the real key here is how well balanced it is while serving up a nice dose of variety. It just 'fits'.

But i digress. Just give it a listen if you're so inclined... It's engaging and easy on the ears. (As it should be)

Tracklisting!

tracklist:

01. Grouper - Heavy Water/I’d Rather Be Sleeping
02. Gravenhurst - I Turn My Face To The Forest Floor
03. Emiliana Torrini - Lifesaver
04. I Got You On Tape - Somersault
05. Beach House - Gila
06. The Brian Jonestown Massacre - Anenome
07. The Raveonettes - Aly, Walk With Me (Nic Endo Remix)
08. The Hypothetical Prophets - Back To The Burner
09. Suicide - Cheree
10. Muscleheads - Phosphorescence
11. David Garcet - Confidence (New Wave Mix)
12. Rennie Foster - Devil’s Water
13. Caribou - Melody Day (Remix)
14. The Raveonettes/Trentemoller - She’s Lost Control
15. A Place To Bury Strangers - I Know I’ll See You
16. Suicide - Ghost Rider
17. Khan - Fantomes
18. Trentemoller - Vamp (Live Edit)
19. Two Lone Swordsmen - Kamanda’s Response
20. Copenhagen Collective/Soft Cell - Copenhagen

ELECTRONIC music. (Part I) From the distant past that is 2009...

I'm basically at a loss for words for what an amazing year 2009 was for virtually all types of electronic music. I don't think I've ever witnessed such an intense creative burst within any other scene of music. It was a truly epic year. Live, on tape, and on record.

It was led by an amorphous seven-headed monster known as dubstep, a genre that is essentially defined by nothing other than a requirement for a snare drum hit on the third beat and some syncopated rhythms. And bass. Lots and lots of bass. But the great thing is that that broad definition left a ton of room for experimentation.

There were so many inventive offshoots and reworkings of whatever original dubstep sound might have existed, that it was basically impossible to keep up with them all. It almost seemed as if the best artists out there were creating their own sub-genres, not just their own sounds.

This is a list carefully put together by someone with a fiery romance-novel-like passion for this type of music, so I really hope you enjoy it. Within it there are some obligatory dubstep bangers, a whole gang of variations on the sound, and a whole other set of sounds that I can hardly define. But either way, Happy new year everyone. Here's some excellent music to welcome you into the future.

****First up is an initial set of artists that I think had the most original and captivating sounds of the year. There'll be more artists of the same calibre in the next entry, along with a list (and samples) of tracks that were totally essential from some less important but still pretty amazing people. Oh and of course this music must be listened to at extremely loud volumes. it must!


Eskmo

I decided to start the list off by reppin' the best town on the best coast: San Francisco.

This guy Eskmo has one of the crunchiest, craziest sounds I've heard in quite a while, and certainly one of the most original. You can hear an extended version of his sound on his Colorbrain Mix on Flying Lotus's Brainfeeder site. Or you can download either his Hypercolor EP or the Let Them Sing 12". But for now, here's 'San Francisco'.

Eskmo San Francisco (The Rhythm) uploaded by elpretentio


Joker

Joker is brilliant, that's about it. I could post any track he's released this year and it would be impressive. Like a lot of artists in his field his releases were mostly singles or 12"s, but if you want to understand his sound for 2009 just look to his and Ginz's DataTransmission Mix.

Zero 7 - Everything Up (Joker Remix) uploaded by elpretentio

Mount Kimbie

Mount Kimbie I discovered while making this list and I'm extremely thankful that I did. The two EPs they released were Sketch On Glass and Maybes, both nearly perfect. After track after track of intense bass up the wazoo all year, it was incredibly pleasant to sit back and relax over something more subtle. I don't know how many more synonyms I can keep coming up with for original and brilliant, but they are certainly both those things. I'm just going to be quiet now and let you listen.

Mount Kimbie - Taps uploaded by elpretentio

Mount Kimbie - Maybes uploaded by elpretentio

Egyptrixx

Egyptrixx is pretty new to the scene as far as I know. At least he's just getting started. And what an awesome start it is. He's got a perfect handle on the heavy wobble sound (his has it's own Toronto twist), but also knows how to open it up like a psychedelic window. 'Godzilla' is a perfect example of a 'dubstep banger' done right. And 'Hexagon Ya', which for the life of me I could not find an actual copy of online (which is why it's ripped from a mix), is the dubstep equivalent of taking DMT. The space-time continuum gets torn apart and a gang of 5th-dimensional elves manifest spontaneously to teach you the nature of language. That's basically what it sounds like.

Egyptrixx - Godzilla uploaded by elpretentio

Hexagon Ya (Ripped from a Starkey Podcast) uploaded by elpretentio

Zomby

Zomby and Joker have one major thing in common: they can do no wrong. Zomby relentlessly put out single after single, EP after EP, and they were all great. One big reason for that (which is true for Joker also) is that they did a brilliant job, from the outset of their career, of developing an iconic sound. Zomby's is playful, sinister, lush, and spritely. The One Foot Ahead of the Other EP is his major release for 2009.

Aquafresh uploaded by elpretentio

Zomby - Digital Fauna uploaded by elpretentio

Nosaj Thing

Nosaj Thing has carved out a definite space for himself in the musical landscape. His LP: Drift was solid without a doubt, but his true talent lies in his ability to put on a show. His Visual Show at the Downtown Independent in LA was truly a breathtaking spectacle. The visuals were minimal but perfectly suited to what was playing through the speakers. The effect of that combined stimulation gave me chills on the back of my neck. It was awe-inspiring. For an extra dose of NT's stylings, check out his XLR8R Mix.




To be continued...

top 10 2009 edition

Destroy-the-scene mentioned this in his top 10, but man, was this just not a great year for music or what?  There were a lot of albums that I'd call really solid and happily listen to again and again (Converge, Blues Control, Dirty Projectors, Antipop Consortium), but which were not exactly mind-blowing.  Every time I've sat down to make this list, I've just ended up feeling kinda down and uninspired.  Maybe it's because I listened to more music this year that wasn't new- or maybe I just did a poor job of seeking out the exciting and ground-breaking music that was made in 2009?  At any rate, there were definitely at least a few standouts this year.  One last note before we get started: the ordering of this list is fairly arbitrary, and based more on my passing whimsy than a intentional declaration of ranked superiority, so don't take the numbers too seriously.  Here's what I ended up liking best:

10.  Garage/Lo-fi

With apologies to Mr. DPW (who has a preference for logically-numbered lists) I couldn't find 10 proper records to round out this list and so I'm gonna fudge it on the first couple of these.  So yeah, "garage/lo-fi" isn't a band, but actually a wide swath of music I dug this year.  Apparently a lot of other people did too, given the ever-changing "hip/not hip" status of some of these bands.  There were great records this year from Blank Dogs, Thee Oh Sees, Ganglians, Vivian Girls, Wavves (ha ha man did this dude ever take in the nuts this year, critically speaking), Eat Skull, Dum Dum Girls and more.  I can't really talk about this type of music without mentioning what an incredible source id reverberations (RIP, kinda?) was on this front.

read the rest!

9. Dubstep
Another genre that I dug a whole hell of a lot this year was dubstep, not exactly a scene that produces a lot of full lengths- so I'll just say "uh....dubstep, in general".  In particular though, I'd say Joker definitely had the stand-out year- "Digidesign" and "Do It" got more play around my place than almost anything else.  I also really, really loved Zomby, Guido, Appleblim, Hudson Mohawke, the most recent Mary Anne Hobbs mix, and the free live concert series put on by a car company that doesn't need to be named.

8. Tonetta 777
I keep trying to get people to pay attention to this dude but feel like no one is listening.  Is there something about a middle-aged Canadian man, a total acid casualty of indeterminate sexuality, gyrating provocatively and lip-syncing to his own bizarro lo-fi jams that people find off putting?  Try "DRUGS DRUGS DRUGS", "A Beautiful Dream" and "$$ VIRAL $$" before you make up your mind.

7. Micachu & The Shapes - Jewellry
Destroy-the-scene did an excellent job of reviewing this album earlier in the year, plus this album made his list, so I don't have too much to add, other than this is one of the few truly original-sounding records I heard this year.

6. A Place to Bury Strangers - Exploding Head
I have a soft spot in my heart for APTBS' (as well as APTBS-related bands, Skywave and Ceremony) gothy take on shoegaze, and I feel like this album is definitely by far the most solid release from any of these groups.  You could make the case that this record is derivative and is standing on the shoulders of older, better artists; you'd probably be right.  Nevertheless I really enjoyed "Exploding Head" and found myself coming back to it again and again.

5. Ducktails - Ducktails
Looking at my playcounts, it would seem that I might've listened to this dude more than any other act this year.  This is, in part, because he already has a fairly sizable body of work (most of it really good!  some of it, not so much).  This release, though, is probably the best distillation of the relaxed, summer-time vibes that he does so well.  His live show, however, was kind of a weird one- loud, dissonant and punishing rather than chill and laid-back(??).

4. Om - God is Good
Look, basically any year an Om album comes out, it's gonna be in the top 10.  Even if every Om album sounds like the last Om album (save a new drummer, some extra instrumentation, a slightly varied vocal style, other subtle differences).  This band rules so hard and everyone should be listening to them.

3. Absu - Absu
I reviewed this earlier in the year, and I'm still way into it.  Really focused, memorable black/death metal- what this record might lack in intensity (particularly compared to my next pick...) it more than makes up in songwriting.  I maybe would not have ranked it so high if I had been familiar with this band's back catalogue prior to this year, but I wasn't, and this was a hell of an eye-opener.

2. Liturgy - Renihilation

I detailed the reasons I love this album last week, and I don't have too much to add to that.  But this was one of the few albums I listened to this year that really, really grabbed me.  The energy that this record possesses is immense, and it captivated me in a way that no other album this year did.  Just thinking about this record makes my head spin.

1. Neon Indian - Psychic Chasms
I guess the whole "chill-wave" "glo-fi" "whatever" backlash is in effect now, which serves to remind me why I don't bother reading music reviews anymore.  I really dug this album, and it got a lot of play time around my apartment and on roadtrips.  While I think the record improves significantly in the second half, it's a really fun album throughout, catchy and breezy and light.  Neon Indian put on a great live performance when I saw them too, transforming a somewhat insubstantial bedroom pop project into a compelling, dancefloor-moving show.  I've reached the point where I'm pretty burned out on this album, and I think it'll definitely be a "2009" record that is more tied to this specific time, rather than something I'll return to frequently, but I'm OK with that.  I don't think there was any other album this year that was more present in my life.

show review: nadja @ vacation vinyl/ nadja @ synchronicity space

nadja @ vacation vinyl

Monday's in-store appearance from Nadja took place at Vacation Vinyl, which is only a half-hour's walk from where I live. The weather recently had taken a turn for the gray, so I grabbed an umbrella, stopped for some coffee, and trekked to Hollywood and Vermont. Upon arriving, I was immediately greeted with bad news- Skeletonwitch had played an in-store the day prior! FUCK!! I have the worst luck with that band. They played a "secret show" in the bar I worked in, and NO ONE TOLD ME, and I missed it!! I didn't have time to dwell on my misfortune, though, because Nadja started their set just as I arrived. The store seemed pretty cool, although small - about the same size as Aquarius Records. I took a spot right up front, next to one of the speakers, and although Aidan Baker was given permission to turn the volume up from the store clerk (owner?), it still wasn't loud enough to necessitate ear plugs. Over the course of half an hour, Nadja played three songs (I think), without breaking for applause. I recognized only one, though I'm not sure which release it was from. While it wasn't as loud as I would have liked, and although Nadja is not a particularly "theatrical" band, it was still a great performance, and perfectly suited for the overcast twilight outside the store.

synchronicity space

The following night, Tuesday, was the official show. It turned out that my friends who were planning on coming were otherwise occupied, so I ended up going to the show by myself. I didn't mind though- I think that small avant-garde art gallery shows are pretty ideal for solo attendance. I showed up at the official start time, but the show was a little late in starting. The gallery owner/curator was playing Oval side-project So over the speakers, which is a great album. I was glad for that. Outside, rain came and went intermittently.

aiden baker

Aiden Baker did his solo ambient set first, and everyone took seats cross-legged in front of the stage. Much like the show at Vacation Vinyl, the volume was just loud enough for me to try putting in my ear plugs, but not so loud that I felt I needed them. The music was beautiful, melodically droney, and reminded me of Cliff Martinez's score for Solaris.

pedestrian deposit

The next band was Pedestrian Deposit, who set up their equipment on the ground in front of the stage. I hadn't heard of them before the show, but ended up enjoying their set. The object you can see placed on the white stool was pretty interesting- it was something like the head of a broom made out of iron, or a miniaturized Stonehenge set in tall metal reeds. There was some sort of receiver placed on the underside, and the girl playing it plucked the rods, tapped the mini-obelisks and even used a bow to play it. The sounds it made were interesting, and created a feeling of cavernous disquiet over the thick background ambience. Equally compelling as the music were the extremely loaded glances that the members of Pedestrian Deposit exchanged throughout the duration of their set. The non-verbal interplay between the two seemed important, although I couldn't guess what it was they were communicating to each other.

infinite body

I had run out to my car to check on something, and missed the beginning of Infinite Body's set (although I think not by much). His set-up was as unique and interesting as Pedestrian Deposit's had been- it seemed that most or all of the sounds he was generating were through a microphone, and heavily tweaked and modified. He would forcefully exhale or sing into the mic, and the results sounded almost like a bizarre melodica. His table was surrounded by colored lights that were set up to pulse and fade with the music, leaving the stage in darkness before exploding into illumination with the swelling drones. Infinite Body played two long songs, but declined to play a third- I was grateful, since my feet were asleep and I needed to go to the bathroom.

nadja

Finally, Nadja took the stage, set against a visual backdrop that showed Aurora Borealis-esque lights, vibrantly colored stalactites, psychedelic rapid-fire Rorschach tests, and cryptic runes. The result was mesmerizing, and I found myself spacing out for long, long stretches of song. Unlike the Vacation Vinyl store, there was no mic for vocals, and the volume was much louder. One again there were no breaks in between songs, and the heavy, body-vibrating drones seem to exist timelessly. By the time the show ended and the lights came on, I felt dazed, and staggered back out into the rain.

tim hecker - an imaginary country (2009)

I love Tim Hecker. I love that, throughout the course of his career, he's taken "ambient" as a starting point, and used it to craft very enthralling and emotional musical pieces. In some way, past Hecker releases were not ambient in the most absolute sense, because they were far too engrossing and demanded too much of your attention to be truly "ambient". That's not to say that they were loud or bombastic in any way; they were as quiet, fuzzy and delicate as any other ambient music. But they were engaging, musically and emotionally, and rewarded attentive listening. Over the course of a single song, you might have found yourself at first lulled into a sense of quiet peacefulness, then taken by driving, swelling chords to dramatic heights, before again returning to pacific tranquility. Yet on An Imaginary Country, Tim Hecker has smoothed out some of the emotional peaks he would have previously reached for, or perhaps merely hidden them better, presenting them in a more patient and subtle guise. None of the tracks here are as engaging as "I'm Transmitting Tonight" or "Song of the Highwire Shrimper" from Radio Amor, or "Dungeoneering" from Harmony in Ultraviolet. The album is still very moving, especially when compared to other ambient artists, but when viewed against Hecker's back catalogue, the highs are not quite as high, the lows not so low, and certainly never occurring within the same song. What does this mean? Is this meant to represent Tim Hecker refining his craft, trying to add subtlety and nuance over immediacy and intensity? Or has he settled into a comfortable sound, and ceased to push himself in new directions? The result, either way, is a less gripping, though not necessarily less satisfying experience. Taken as a whole, An Imaginary Country is indeed a very moving and emotive work. It seems, though, more content to adhere to a more traditional concept of ambient, rarely calling for too much attention, and more content to reveal itself patiently throughout the course of the album.

Tim Hecker - Sea of Pulses
Tim Hecker - Borderlands

six organs of admittance - luminous night (2009)

Six Organs of Admittance, AKA Ben Chasney, is back with his new album, something like... his nineteenth official solo release? Not counting split albums? On Luminous Night, Chasney continues to expand the variety of sounds he incorporates into his music, this time collaborating with musicians in his new base of operations, Seattle. His last album, the excellent Shelter From the Ash, saw him working with San Francisco musicians, including members of Comets on Fire (Noel Harmonson, with whom Chasney also collaborated with on the harsh noise album NVH/CHASNEY, in addition to their work in Comets on Fire together), The Fucking Champs (Tim Green), and Magick Markers (Elisa Ambrogio, his then-and-maybe-still-now girlfriend?). This time he worked with ex-Pearl Jam and Tori Amos drummer and current session musician Matt Chamberlain, violinist Eyvind Kang (Secret Chiefs 3, Laura Veirs, guest spots on Animal Collective and Sunn0))) records), flautist Hans Teuber (who has worked with Ani DiFranco, Kayo Dot, Sunn0))) and Secret Chiefs 3), Tor Dietrichson on tabla (Diga Rhythm Band), and pianist/electronics musician and album producer Randall Dunn (who has appeared on albums by Sunn0))), Mayhem, Wolves in the Throne Room, Earth, Grails, and many more). I don't usually pay so close attention to who the guest musicians are on an album, but I tend to in the case of Six Organs of Admittance- the reason being that Ben Chasney has been performing for so long, and released so much, under this moniker, that his recent albums have each represented a new incarnation and sound for the band. While Luminous Night isn't a major departure from his older work, it continues the trend of higher production values, more varied instrumentation, and more compact songwriting (side B of the album The Sun Awakens excepted) that has been true for his Drag City releases so far. Side A of Luminous Night is probably his most streamlined, "rock" oriented release yet, although that's not saying much, and Side B definitely takes things down a dronier path. But many songs feature Chasney's vocals, and most songs are around the five minute mark; for indie rock fans who are unfamiliar with Six Organs of Admittance, this album would be a pretty good place to start. Older Six Organs fans have probably made up their mind about the direction the band has been going in over the last few years- if you're a fan of the drone and raga, solo guitar-style Six Organs, this might not be for you (although you might like the track "The River Of Heaven"). But if you've dug the last couple of albums, you'll certainly like this one.

Six Organs of Admittance - Anesthesia
Six Organs of Admittance - Cover Your Wounds With the Sky

wait what the hell

That's The Bronx, an LA based screamo/rock/punk/whatever band whose name I've seen a lot over the years, but who I've never bothered to check out. Based on the music video above, I don't really regret that decision. HOWEVER, it turns out they've just recorded a mariachi-influenced album called "Mariachi El Bronx"???



I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around this; on the one hand, this sort of cultural appropriation isn't really any more offensive than, say, Beirut, although there is the issue that Zach Condon steals from cultures thousands of miles from where he lives, whereas The Bronx (or El Bronx in this case) are aping the ethnic culture of their own city. The Bronx don't obviously seem to be playing this for the "LOL we're white playing mariachi!!" factor, either. And the song isn't so bad. So... uh.... cool, I guess?

Hudson Mohawke EPs & Singles (2009)

I've been listening to a lot of dubstep recently, and have been trying to get a handle on what exactly "funky" and "wonky" are. And during my efforts to learn more about "wonky", this guy came across my path. My first impression on hearing the name "Hudson Mohawke" was, "If this lousy pun represents the level of creativity this guy operates on, this is gonna suck". And then I heard claims of his being Glasgow's answer to Flying Lotus, and my eyes rolled so hard I temporarily went on a journey to the center of my mind. "Yeah right" I thought, "like Glasgow could possible have anyone like Flying Lotus. I'm pretty sure hip-hop doesn't even exist in that corner of the world". BUT!!! This completely blew me away, no exaggeration. The last time I remember being initially so impressed about a hip-hop/electronic music hybrid is probably the first time I heard One Word Extinguisher, six years ago. Maybe I'm just in a good mood today, though. The album pictured above- Polyfolk Dance- is Hudson Mohawke's (sometimes known as Hudson Mo or Hud Mo) debut EP for Warp, and his most recent release. The overall sound is dense and hazy, glitchy, very multilayered, and brings to mind not just Prefuse 73, but also Four Tet, Daedelus and yeah, Flying Lotus. The omnipresent vinyl crackle that Flying Lotus and J Dilla put to such good work is here, but so too are an array of synths and other inorganic sounds. But the combination never feels strained or forced. I think so far this year, this is the most exciting hip-hop-related release I've heard.

Hudson Mohawke - Polkadot Blues
This is an older release of his, and I think his first proper release, the "Ooops! EP". It's his only release so far that features actual rapping on it, although as far as I know, all of these songs are remixes of older songs- the titular track is a remix of an R'n'B song from 2002 (about masturbation! daaaaaang). I generally prefer rap to instrumental hip-hop, so I'd love to hear Hudson Mohawke make more work like this or even produce some original beats for a rapper. Short, but great. And "Jelly 'n' Jam" makes me miss hyphy.

Hudson Mohawke - Jelly 'n' Jam
This is another older release, the "6x7" single. It's a little more downtempo and stoned than his other releases. I especially like the last track, "Star Crackout", which has a very pretty melody, and kind of makes me think of some of Aphex Twin's older and more melodic work, or Savath & Savalas.

Hudson Mohawke - Star Crackout

show: black dice, wolf eyes, sir richard bishop & earthless

black dice at the escarpment

So this was my first show since moving to LA, and what a killer line up it was. It was also in some warehouse out in the warehouse district, so it was pretty deep in the cuts. I guess the same incarnation of this show that happened in SF last night was shut down by the fuzz. No police problem tonight, though, and everyone seemed to be having a good time. Although we arrived late, Earthless had not yet started their set when we entered the cavernous warehouse. Despite the fact that there seemed to be a reasonable amount of people at the show, it wasn't difficult at all to get up right in front of the bands, so we got a good view.
Earthless played one long, grooving psych jam that was pretty fucking killer. I think the drummer was probably the best part of the group, to me; the guitar player was mostly off in his own world, and the bassist was locked into his own groove. But the drummer kept the momentum going, even when the guitar playing was getting aimless, the drums provided interesting fills and the necessary intensity.
Sir Richard Bishop was up next, and I have to admit that I was really stoked to see him play. I'm not super familiar with the Sun City Girls catalog and I've only heard some of his solo stuff, but I've liked what I've heard. It surprised me that he was playing with a full band; it was even more surprising that what he played was a south-Asian surf-guitar prog-rock sound. It was good, and fun, but pretty goofy. I was expecting something more like when I've seen Tom Carter play, who can rip it up. But this was good too. The fat kid in the Black Flag tee, who had been headbanging to Earthless, did a nice little jig to Bishop's set.
The area in front of the stage got more packed for Wolf Eyes than it did during any other point in the night. Wolf Eyes are some funny looking dudes. It's interesting to me to think that probably most of the performers tonight were 30+ years old, despite the young and hip demographic that came out to watch them. So after an extended mic check, Wolf Eyes launched into their dark and threatening take on noise. It was cool, and super fucking loud, but maybe not totally engaging. I enjoyed it mostly for it being an overwhelming aural attack, rather than being very substantial. We went outside midway through the set, and the sound outside the warehouse was phenomenal. It sounded as if a massive demon had been conjured from the dark pits of hell, and was thrashing to escape the warehouse in which it had been imprisoned.
Finally, Black Dice took the stage. The last time I saw Black Dice, if you'll recall, we spent most of the time drinking in front of the Great American Music Hall, rather than enjoying the set. I think that this performance was a lot more engaging, in part because I was not intoxicated, but also because it seemed a lot more rhythmic than last time. There was a great visual show going on behind the band, and they guys did their best to find hypnotic and grooving loops in the squall they were generating. They didn't always manage to find those moments, but when they did, it was pretty captivating. In all, it was a great show, I had an excellent time, and I'm looking forward to similar shows in the future.

team teamwork - ocarina of rhyme (2009)

so I don't usually care much for mash-ups, but god knows I love videogames and this was floating around the internet today, so I thought I'd give it a shot. as might have been expected, this ends up being better in concept than in execution... for the most part. mostly, the samples from Ocarina of Time mesh poorly, and i'm not convinced that these guys really have all that good a grasp of how to construct a beat. however, two tracks definitely stand out. the first is the Aesop Rock remix, which makes good use of the already weird and rhythmic music from the Goron Village. the second is the Still Tippin' remix, which is a great song that's easy to remix, but also the juxtaposition of the rap with the Fairy Fountain music creates a beautiful and narcotic blend. I imagine Link tripping off fairy dust while Slim Thug sips sizzurp.

Aesop Rock - No Jumpercables (Goron Village)
Slim Thug & Mike Jones - Still Tippin' (Great Fairy Fountain)