Yeah, I know. The title for this entry is a pretty awful pun. But if you can look beyond that, you should really and truly check out Tycho's second full-length, Dive. Five years on since Past Is Prologue (released on Merck), Scott Hansen has finally delivered the goods. Actually the greats. Tracks like opener "A Walk" and "Daydream" have some of the same whip-crack percussive pulses and atmospheric keys that Ulrich Schnauss has perfected - at once insistent and forward-moving while still ethereally light.
Check out "Hours" below (or visit Ghostly International's page where you can download the mp3 for free).
A vast majority of the tracks clock in at over five minutes in length, giving Hansen an opportunity to stretch out and build his sonic ideas slowly rather than forcing them at a rushed clip. Languidness isn’t usually a virtue, but he manages to make it so. The shorter tracks (“Melanie,” “Epigram”) come across as sketches in contrast to the longer works – half-formed ideas that hint at what they could become, given time. In a way they remind me of the difference between this and this.
Normally I associate music like this with sun-dappled summer days, but looking out the window and seeing the snow fall, Dive still seems like the perfect accompaniment.
Friday, November 18, 2011
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Rocking the Blocks
Goddam.
This album came in the station's mail today, and like I always do when I get something from Blocks Recording Club, I gave it a spin.
And another spin.
And then another spin.
And then yet another spin.
Of course at only 17 minutes long, Close To The Bone, is easy to play over and over - it would fit snugly on one side of a 12-inch. But length isn't the reason I keep hitting repeat on this record - quality is. Carmen Elle and Andy Smith have crafted five electrifying, electrified rock songs with an insistence and a bravado that challenges listeners to face them head on. Elle's raw voice practically grabs you by the ears, looks you in the face and sings "listen to me."
So, you know, listen to them:
Great stuff, right?
From the looks of the video below, Army Girls live is no less electric an act. I can't wait to hear more from this duo, but for the time being I'm content to keep listening to what I've got.
You can grab the album on their Bandcamp page, and for more info on Army Girls, check out their Tumblr.
This album came in the station's mail today, and like I always do when I get something from Blocks Recording Club, I gave it a spin.
And another spin.
And then another spin.
And then yet another spin.
Of course at only 17 minutes long, Close To The Bone, is easy to play over and over - it would fit snugly on one side of a 12-inch. But length isn't the reason I keep hitting repeat on this record - quality is. Carmen Elle and Andy Smith have crafted five electrifying, electrified rock songs with an insistence and a bravado that challenges listeners to face them head on. Elle's raw voice practically grabs you by the ears, looks you in the face and sings "listen to me."
So, you know, listen to them:
Great stuff, right?
From the looks of the video below, Army Girls live is no less electric an act. I can't wait to hear more from this duo, but for the time being I'm content to keep listening to what I've got.
ARMY GIRLS - THE POWER from untold city on Vimeo.
You can grab the album on their Bandcamp page, and for more info on Army Girls, check out their Tumblr.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
