AUDICTIVE BUNCH - AUTUMN EDITION PT.2

the latest between the weird and the conventional

WAMPIRE : bazaar : Polyvinyl (10.10.14)
Seven: I had this argument with a friend lately where we came to the conclusion that these days, where new music is hitting you left and right by the minute, it’s already a compliment to state that the music you’ve just heard is not shit. Therefore Wampire’s new album is still a bit above the average when measured by aforementioned proposition, mainly because they don’t take themselves too seriously. 6/10
Dars: This new album by the Portland quintet sounds darkly energetic in places and delicately psychedelic in others. Anyhow, the wonderful opening track and the general dealing with distorted bass guitar grabs and dreamy synths made this one a continuous burner for the past week, let's see how long that lasts. 7.1/10

 

HUXLEY : blurred : Aus (20.10.14)
Dars: Huxley has been releasing singles since 2009, ranging from deep house to slamming 4×4 garage. The last two years have seen him graduate to more of a festival-friendly house sound, a blissed out exercise in smooth musical transitions and subtle dubbing techniques that form an engagingly delicate deep house cut! 6.6/10
Seven: True, still it is kind of remarkable, how little he seems to be interested in defining himself through a particular sound or subgenre. What you’ll get instead is a lucky bag tied together through an amazing production that’s clearly designed for the advanced dancefloors of this planet. 7.25/10

 

DEATH FROM ABOVE 1979 : the physical world : Last Gang (out now)
Dars: Terrible self-demolition alert. Not only that one does NOT need a second album by those guys, this now even sounds like Danko Jones in places. Urgh!! 2/10
Seven: C’mon, it actually isn’t that bad. Obviously, releasing a second album after a ten year hiatus isn’t necessarily promoting the creation of legends, but I kinda like that they basically neglect everything that happened musically within the last years, and simply focus on the universe they’ve created. Under ordinary circumstances one would talk about “the difficult second album“, but in this case I’m just happy that they’re back. 6/10

 

A WINGED VICTORY FOR THE SULLEN : atomos : Kranky (06.10.14)
Seven: For way too long “Ambient“ was almost considered as a dirty word, but this is eventually changing thanks to projects like Eluvium, The American Dollar, Anjou or the at hand AWVFTS. Deep and complex, this one here will catapult your mind into different spheres in no time. 7/10
Dars: Good to see the Berlin based two-piece consisting of composer Dustin O'Halloran and Adam Wiltzie broaden their own style, incorporating some more ideas that perhaps are a little bit unorthodox in ambient music. All in all a beautiful affair that feels like a real journey to me. 8/10

 

PURLING HISS : weirdon : Drag City (out now)
Dars: While their past releases have specialized in the sort of weird only attainable through the inventiveness of DIY channels, “Weirdon“ emerges as an assorted album of electric and acoustic numbers, all delivered with a sunny disposition and a constant smile on their dirty faces. 6.3/10
Seven: If upfront guitars, thundering drums and stoned soul-searching is just your thing, then “Weirdon“ - which actually turned out to be surprisingly poppy for Purling Hiss standards - will be the album that you just love to carry close to your heart this season. 7.5/10

 

ATTAQUE : on ly ou : Bad Life (24.10.14)
Dars: Very progressive and minimal stuff at times by this young British producer, the tunes to find on “On Ly You“ are absolutely infectious. When you carefully dig into the soundscapes, you'll realize it's comprised of just few elements, but in such ways that it just feels absolutely complete. 8.8/10
Seven: This one here’s an interesting one, indeed. By combining clubland with Shoegaze and a certain kind of pop sensibility, Attaque proves that he has a lot more in common with Moderat than just a similar taste in logo design. 7.5/10

 

V.A. : FRANZ FERDINAND : Late Night Tales (out now)
Dars: Franz Ferdinand is the latest act to contribute to this prolific series, with the Glasgow based quartet compiling 20 tracks representing their musical influences, inspirations, distractions and discoveries. Spanning a genre-busting mix that crosses Serge Gainsbourg, Justus Köhncke, James Brown or Boards Of Canada, it ends with a spoken word piece by Alex Kapranos and sums up as a joyful and diversified mixtape for a chilled night out. Kudos. 7.5/10
Seven: Compiled with an assured sense of style, the latest entry into the LNT-universe is actually one of the strongest, so far. The biggest (re)discovery here is American Spring, which I didn’t have on my radar since years. Time to get into some serious crate digging. 8/10

 

STEWART WALKER : ivory tower broadcast : Mundo Recordings (out now)
Dars: 11 futuristic tracks delivered by Berlin-based Stewart Walker, who returns after a six-year retreat. Effective melodica and a distinctive approach to production shapes this more subtle beast of post-punk bass lines, guitar solos and handwarm grooves, attended by a general dynamic of fear. Enriched with the incorporation of physical instruments like German zithers or Japanese Kotos, that come muffled in tension and hypnotic beats, “Ivory Tower Broadcast’“forms an abstract but mature avant-garde effort. 7/10