After many recommendations to check this album out, this has been by far the standout track for me. I really like it because it reminds me of Beach House, before they consumed too much of themselves with their two albums from last year. It’s a slow, fierce burner of a track. Really smooth, really goes down well.
Recommended Albums of May and mid-year lists coming soon.
Thanks for reading & listening.
April came and went the fastest out of all the 2016 months, leaving some really great music along the way: gripping electronic music from Andy Stott, Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith & Tim Hecker; lovable indie rock from Frankie Cosmos & SALES; and some folk & country jams from Kevin Morby & Sturgill Simpson. Had a few surprise releases that were not so great, but that surprise new James Blake album will definitely be in my May list. I wonder if Radiohead will be? We’ll see, but for now let’s get into what April had to offer.
March seemed to be a little lighter than January and February, but still kept 2016 on track to be another great, memorable year in my musical timeline. We saw a good amount of really great experimental electronic music from Amnesia Scanner & Mikael Seifu, an incredible collection of odds & ends from Kendrick Lamar, a nice balance of hard and light bangers with Baauer & The Range and a few more killer releases that will undoubtedly be on my top lists for the year. However, April has already been absolutely mind blowing in terms of quality, so let’s put the wraps on March now so April can fully strut its stuff. Here are my favorite releases from March 2016:
Amnesia Scanner is going to be one of those names electronic music fans are going to see everywhere later this year & in 2017. I sure hope so, anyways.
This song came to mind today and I haven’t been able to get it out of my head. Kelela’s Cut 4 Me is still one of my all-time favorite pop albums – can’t wait for her follow-up!
February was pretty great. Here are some albums that I like a bunch:
AMTHST – Euphoria EP
The unlikely pairing of synth pop seductress Nite Jewel and Bay Area rapper Droop-E has resulted in some of the sexiest & silkiest music of 2016 so far. Like its album cover, the whole thing has a purple edge draped over the instrumentals, which for the most part are similar to modern contemporary jams, draped with consistent fog & pierced with bright lasers. It’s all about texture & atmosphere on this project, which is makes just an EP a perfect length for this collaboration, so that the mood doesn’t get stale.
Charli XCX – Vroom Vroom EP
In the past I’ve been a fan of Charli XCX, specifically her first few singles (“Nuclear Seasons,” “Stay Away,” “You’re The One”), but nothing since then has caught the same amount of attention. Until now, of course. Charli’s immediate pop charm parading over electronic necromancer Sophie’s demented pop monstrosities is such an obvious fit, it’s nuts that these two haven’t collaborated before. It’s deliriously dark & fun pop music that brings out the best in both parties involved.
El Guincho – Hiperasia
After six years in the making, Spanish musician El Guincho has released Hiperasia, a drastic change from his bright, tropical-infused style to one that’s more electronic/vaporwave & hip hop influenced. The change came from El Guincho’s discovery of Madrid’s Asian market district and other urban environments, which caused his sound to sound more modern and city-obsessed as opposed to the easy, breezy vibes from Barcelona & the Canary Islands. Tracks here are bright, hard-hitting and sound like commercials for crazy, futuristic products flying directly at your face. It’s certainly a unique trip to start off 2016.
Kedr Livanskiy – January Sun EP
Kedr Livanskiy lives in Moscow, but sounds like she’s been holed up in a Brooklyn or Chicago basement for years, analyzing the sounds of the assorted underground dance floors and morphing the textures and formulas into something totally new. There are strains of lo-fi house, IDM, drum & bass/jungle and so much more on here. This is easily one of my top favorite releases of this year just because it sounds like nothing else – it’s unnerving, hypnotizing, relaxing and upsetting all in one go. The lyrics are all in Russian, but the clarity of Livanskiy’s pop songwriting sensibilities are here. Get on the hype train now! Choo choo!
Matmos – Ultimate Care II
Ultimate Care II is an “experimental techno” album made entirely out of sounds from a washing machine’s wash cycle. That much becomes clear right from the start, when someone turns a knob and water starts flooding into the chamber, thus starting the journey. It’s truly an incredible auditory experience that is as therapeutic as it is blood pumping. But this isn’t new territory for Matmos, who have made songs comprised of samples of plastic surgeries, bovine uteruses & crawfish brains. Truly an inspiring piece of music for experimental musicians.
Mothers – When You Walk A Long Distance You Are Tired
Mothers’ much buzzed about debut When You Walk A Long Distance You Are Tired shows much promise for this young band’s future. With delicate yet strong vocals similar to Angel Olsen and folk-leaning art rock instrumentals, Mothers create songs that are slow and deliberate, each line painfully spread to its limit. There are some seriously heartbreaking moments on here, which occasionally grow tiresome over the course of the album, but overall the intricate songwriting and obvious musical skill that the band possesses shows that they will be a band to watch with their sophomore record.
Mt. Si – Limits EP
This little EP is made from some big components of the modern LA synth pop scene, featuring members of Superhumanoids, Kisses & Classixx – a true supergroup going on right here. On Limits the supergroup comes together and grants us some pretty magnificent slices of dream pop perfection. Every song has a similar feel, but each has its own fantastic hook to help distance the feeling of monotony. Just sit back, relax and let these bubbly tunes exfoliate and cleanse all the bad vibes you collected throughout the week.
Pinkshinyultrablast – Grandfeathered
If you’re looking for incredibly noisy shoegaze/dream pop from 2016, look no further. This thing is draped with a thick mat of distortion & feedback, which occasionally cuts out to reveal glistening & jangly pop instrumentals underneath with a slight math rock edge. Drums are pretty high in the mix, always adding a complicated rhythm to the mix, along with an extra melody guitar to shake things up. Prepare to get blown away, sonically and metaphorically.
Porches – Pool
My stance on this album came as I was driving to my partner’s house after a long day of work and a two and a half hour train commute. This was going to be the last time I would see her for four months. I listened to this album on the way over, and when paired with the dark expanse of the highway, the groggy residue from train travel, anticipatory love pangs, and the streetlights rhythmically illuminating the way forward, the album hit a sweet spot. I think it’s an album that’s as much about feeling isolated as it is about feeling in love. As much about deep introspection as it is movement towards something bigger. To cut myself off before becoming a complete conceptualized ass, Pool is the album I need in my life right now.
Sarah Neufeld – The Ridge
Sarah Neufeld is most well-known for her work in Arcade Fire, but I hold her to the highest regard with her 2015 collaborative album with Colin Stetson Never Were The Way She Was. Here we see her virtuosic violin playing shine, which for the most part flies solo aside from some accompanying percussion & vocals to augment the atmosphere. There are many moments of intensity like on the title track, but there are also moments of sublime elegance, like on the closer “Where The Light Comes In,” which is one of the most beautiful pieces of music I’ve heard in since Aphex Twin’s “Aisatsana” in 2014.
Other Notable Releases:
Moons is or was an Atlanta-based project and “Waves At Night” is the b-side of the only 7″ that they ever put out, as far as I know. The a-side, “Bloody Mouth,” sounds absolutely nothing like this. It’s closer to Phoenix if anything, which is interesting because the only other thing I’ve heard from Moons besides this 7″ is a remix of DIIV’s “How Long Have You Known.” It’s sonically closer to this, so when I heard “Bloody Mouth” I was pretty surprised.
“Waves At Night” is an ethereal slice of dream pop perfection with robotic, distant vocals and glittering synths populating the background. There’s a simple, constant drum machine beat that’s characteristic of the bedroom pop at the time (circa 2009-2012, based on my calculations) and there’s also lovely female vocals that are just high enough in the mix to hold their own, but not too in your face. Everything on this track meshes extremely well, which is why I’ve probably been so enamored with it for the past four years.
Songs like these are the treasures of the music blog era. Songs that were one-offs or little projects that gained notable attention in a few circles after being posted as a free download, but then faded into oblivion. I just love that! Mostly because I know that there are people like me out there that are still waiting for new material from an artist four years later. That’s my relationship with this Moons musician. If you’re out there – hope you’re doing ok.
If you aren’t ready to get real sensual, then please prepare yourself. AMTHST is comprised of rapper Droop-E and singer Nite Jewel, a rather unlikely pairing that has yielded extremely luxurious results.
“Where The Light Comes In” is the last track on Sarah Neufeld’s great new album, The Ridge, and it leaves the album off on a slightly melancholic but overwhelmingly peaceful note. The instrumental song carries an air of closure, easily willing the listener to close their eyes and breathe deeply without the use of overt language or gimmicks. This feeling of relaxation is especially relevant after the emotional turmoil the music went through during the first seven songs on the record, which for the most part are blistering fast displays of speed & skill.
This is without a doubt some of the most sublime music I’ve heard this year. The Ridge is a treasure in 2016. Definitely check it out / support the artist when you can.
Holy smokes! This is a brand spankin new track. I really don’t know a lot about this guy, but I feel like all you need to know is how hard this track slaps. So yeah, just go ahead and get sucked in. I bet we’re gonna start seeing this guy’s name around a lot more in 2016 and 2017.
Warm Visions 