Henry McMinn, one-half of that twosome, is now back as Tele Mori, and backed by a full band. Not only does that added help grant depth and a richer sound to his programmed melodies, but the resulting disc, Sounds from a Broken Music Box, is more accomplished. Whereas a good chunk of Funktion’s tracks sported […]
Electronica
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Colin Nance — Warmth
The aptly named “Dream Cove” launches the effort with an expertly arranged froth of synthetic washes, cavernous percussion and his wistful, measured vocals. The following “Awakening” is more playful, bouncing with Casio beeps and a more vivacious melody that soars at the chorus; had this song come out 30 years sooner, I’m certain it would […]
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The 2 Bears — Be Strong
Hot Chip backup vocalist and synthesizer-er Joe Goddard started The 2 Bears with Raf Rundell in 2009. Their debut, Be Strong, offers a unique variety of styles ranging from dance to pop to country, all segued by the subtlest of transitions. It’s an impressive balancing act, one which maintains the attention of the listener without […]
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Two Suns — Dream Familiar
While it might be tempting to write this enterprise off as another of many Radiohead tributes, the album’s far too nuanced and interesting to squarely categorize. After “Not the End”’s shoegazey, textured drumming and “Nostalgia”’s chiming Americana, “Dirty Industry” slurps and sizzles with guttural, low-end bass and synths that approach learned dubstep. Davidson’s songwriting isn’t […]
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Justice — Audio, Video, Disco
Well, the bigger they are, the harder they fall. While injecting prog-rock instrumentation into electronic dance music (Justice specializes in house) isn’t entirely novel, it’s definitely better when Kanye West cuts it, screws it, then raps over it, as he did on last year’s “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.” Incorporating prog meant that “AVD” had […]
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Neon Indian — Era Extraña
Case in point: “Era Extraña.” After 2009’s laughable, infectious debut album, “Psychic Chasms,” Palomo’s dropped into minor keys, thickened the wall of sound and reinforced his drum machines for greater impact. All signs in this description point to some bizarre, electronic-Goth-dance hybrid, but I’ve left out one important sonic quality that turns that on its […]
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Washed Out — Within and Without
The end products, discovered on his MySpace page by excited bloggers, established Washed Out as a distinct house beat-driven sub-style in chillwave, contemporary to the likes of Toro Y Moi and Neon Indian. They also earned Greene a deal with Sub Pop. So not long after the former dropped his excellent “Underneath the Pine” and […]
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Two Suns — Two Suns EP
That structural approach to songwriting puts the emphasis on the vocals. The unusual male vocals are sheathed in gentle reverb (not garage rock’s canyon-esque echoes), and fall just above “coo” on the intensity level. The voice is not immediately arresting, but when paired with the pulsing, shifting tunes, it becomes the final piece to pull […]
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Dirty Vegas — Electric Love
For one thing, it’s not dirty-sounding at all. Sayonara, sense of foreboding. As the lead track “Little White Doves” makes perfectly clear with beats of shiny, sunny optimism, this disc equally aims to put a smile on your face as it does to move your feet. Subsequent songs live up to this promise of positive […]
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Dam Mantle — First Wave
The glitch-heavy production only serves to enhance the feeling of life within the tracks, which is the first time I’ve heard that herky-jerky stops and starts have worked that way. The winner here is “Movement,” which I featured here. A symphony orchestra gets the chopped-up treatment, with the breaks and jumps only serving to make […]