Eclectic and International: Imaginary Mixtape 2/3

            This is the 2nd imaginary mixtape on this blog.

            For this week's imaginary mixtape, I'm going to break with style a bit, and showcase some songs that don't fit in the genre I've been focusing on.  Next week, I'm delving back into the overarching shoegaze/alt-rock theme, but for this week, you can check out some great tunes from other styles.
            As usual, there are loads of great bands from all over the world, and many of them are largely undiscovered, so I hope this post helps, even if only a bit.  So get ready for another installment of the imaginary mixtapes, this time, from across borders, musically and physically.
            Here's my TBT:

            1. "Someone With My Face And My Name, But Not Me" by Portabot, from There Must Be A Sunrise In Every Ending (2009).

            This is a heavily ambient/shoegaze/psychedelic/microglitch/electroacoustic instrumental.  As you can see, it almost defies genre description, but fortunately, what it lacks in similarity to other songs, it makes up in what sounds like pure distorted sound created straight from the mind.  It starts out with a calming cinematic under-sampled melody, which sets up the almost 8 minutes to come, well.  There's harmony and dissonance at once, crushed through under-sampling distortion which gives it a kind of hypnotic and meditative effect.  Loops alter throughout, and the song changes face after the 3 minute mark, to eventually include what sounds like glasses being played musically, and synths overtop the ever-changing crushed sound.  It's hard to decide what the sounds actually are, but I'm guessing reversed acoustic guitar.  Needless to say, there aren't enough words (in English, at least) to accurately describe the sound without getting ridiculously technical, but I highly recommend it (and the entire There Must Be A Sunrise In Every Ending by Barcelona's own Portabot), especially in headphones, when you're in that space between waking and sleeping.  Portabot has since released a few newer songs available at the same link (http://portabot.bandcamp.com/)

            2. "With Our Eyes Closed" by Prevrat, from Symbols (2013).

            "With Our Eyes Closed" starts with a strange and modern analogue-sounding loop.  There are definitely dream-pop influences in the track, but it's mainly an indie-pop/synthpop track.  Vocals are fed through a soft vocoder, and loads of addictive synths, drum samples, and harmonies create a cold yet upbeat atmosphere.  "We walk through the world with our eyes closed" is an awesome lyric.  It also has a bit of a video-game sound to it, like some of Yoshito Hirano's and Yuka Tsuhiyoko's compositions.  There are some intricate compositions of notes in the track that transcend ordinary video-game music as well, and retain a kind of strange welcoming alternativeness.  (http://prevrat.bandcamp.com/)

            3. "Ophelia (among the flowers)" by What,Really? from s/t Promo 2013 (2013).

            To shake things up a bit, here's a power pop track from Italian band What,Really?.  "Ophelia (among the flowers)" begins with a bandpassed guitar, and then hits the mark with sharp drums, indie-rock-style guitar, and a great following bass.  Vocals fit so well in the sound What,Really? is going for, with nice harmonies, and an easy-going attitude, lyrically and tonally.  It's upbeat, and catchy like the Dickens.  There's a catchy energy like songs the Newglads release, Here There Anywhere Like You (which I reviewed earlier in the year), but it reaches the ears in a distinctly different way.  Once again, music from across the sea holds its own against the sea-like swarm of pop-rock/power pop bands from my own continent.  (http://whatreally.bandcamp.com)

            4. "Ol Rudy" by Euphoria Again, from Bedroom tapes part 1 (2012)

            "Ol Rudy" is a great lo-fi track.  The thing about lo-fi that I really love is the ability to create a certain organic mood, without overusing instrumentation, and this track is no exception.  A sleepy, emotionally worn-out sound comes through, in a nice low-frequency range; with the sound of soft double-tracked vocals, beautifully (and deceptively) underplayed acoustic guitar, and a southern/indie twang of an electric guitar fed through a quiet-sounding amp.  John Forrest Klein's name for his project, Euphoria Again, is a perfect description for the mood both musically and lyrically.  There's almost a kind of sarcasm of the track, but it also sounds at least equally honest.  Relaxing, bittersweet, and folky; lo-fi euphoria again.  Euphoria Again has since released a new compilation of remastered versions of the bedroom tapes releases available at the same link. (http://euphoriaagain.bandcamp.com/)

            5. "Machines Fall Apart" by Tree Wave, from the EP Cabana (2004)

            This is an interesting alt-pop/dream pop crossover track.  It starts with strange and wonderfully warped electronic sounds (likely made from some sorts of archaic synths), and then an old-school 808-reminiscent drumbeat leads the song forward.  More layers of synths, and great vocals that sound like they're sung by a slightly-more-awake Bilinda Butcher (shoegaze in-joke) make it both alternative and poppy, but as the track goes on, the sound evolves into a structured and serious yet upbeat melody, similar to Billy Corgan's amazing solo album, TheFutureEmbrace.(http://archive.org/details/os034)

            6. "half open" by The Bilinda Butchers, from Goodbyes (2012)

            From sounds like Butcher, to named after Butcher, here's the 6th track of this imaginary mixtape.  This is a dream pop band I've been wanting to mention for some time.  No, it's not Bilinda Butcher in some new solo project, but it is a dream pop band with some great tones.  "half open" is a bit poppy, and has some mild Eastern-stylized synths as well as loads of other ones.  Vocal "ahhs" are in a great amount of reverb, and the melody is catchy and greatly sung.  The layers of different synths, drums, vocals, and guitars, give it an overall modern style, even though there are some definite '80s sounds in there too.  The instrumental ending is like listening to an epitome of something not yet named.  Oh, and don't be freaked out by the sounds at the end; they're part of the track, not actual radio interference near your ears.  (http://thebilindabutchers.bandcamp.com/)


            7. "Community College" by LAKE R▲DIO (feat. PIXEL GRIP), from Hypnagogia (2013)

            "Community College" is a laid-back instrumental with house influences by LAKE R▲DIO (Caden Moore), featuring PIXEL GRIP.  There's a lot of reverb in all the right places, and a synth solo that's analogue-yet-new-sounding.  Vocal samples turn into blips, and the track brings a slow style to the electronic music scene, that doesn't rely on bad writing, vocal trills, or ambient loops to make it sound that way.  Slight hip-hop influences also come through, and it sounds just as good when sped up at time and a half (I like to experiment with music on my computer).  (http://lakeradio.bandcamp.com)

            8. "I'm Not Perfect, Are You?" by The Silence of a Whisper, from The Past, The Future, The End (2011)

            This is a moody and pensive instrumental track from Swedish artist The Silence of a Whisper (Jerome Engström).  It reminds me of the kind of dusk when it's getting dark-blue outside; like a rainy day spent in a tub surrounded by the atmosphere, and a soft yellow light.  As much as that isn't in musical terms, it really defines the sound to me.  "I'm Not Perfect, Are You?" is one of the slower and non-distorted tracks off the largely post-rock/metal The Past, The Future, The End.  Starting with a deep bass drone, and soft nostalgic melodic electric guitar fed through reverb, the track takes on a beauty reminiscent of Sigur Ros, or some of the softer early Pumpkins tracks ("Luna" comes to mind a bit).  Drums are as evocative as the rest of the track, and the whole track has a kind of relaxed, resolved sound that is almost completely unique.  The Silence of a Whisper has since released 2 new singles, available at the same link (http://thesilenceofawhisper.bandcamp.com/)

            9. "Downtown" by The Shipyard [single] (2012)

            This is a nice nighttime-ish alt-rock track from Polish band The Shipyard.  This track is upbeat and catchy, as well as being sophisticated and mellow to a point.  Great lyrics and singing are complimented by perfectly equalized and processed drums, loads of heavily melodic guitars, a chorus-processed bass, and synths that sound like a new beginning for popular music.  "Downtown" has the great quality of being moving without being overdramatic, and catchy without being annoying; it's a slight chillwave influence on top of a post-rock/pop-rock style that seems to do the trick.  And the ending is just how I wanted it to be, before I heard it.  It's also featured on the new album by The Shipyard, We Will Sea, under the name "Downtown 2012". (http://theshipyard.bandcamp.com/)

            10."a smoothie robot for my moon mansion" by Ricky Eat Acid, from (2011_demos) (2012).

            The final track of this imaginary mixtape is a somewhat ambient track, with a sweet beat, and beautiful piano, accented with delays, and other soft synths on top.  It's a rich atmosphere of contemplative melancholic contentment, as uplifting as it is nostalgia-inducing.  An instrumental, it reinforces the power of instrumentals to evoke the same amount of emotion that non-instrumentals do.  The track sounds like Air, but mixed by someone like Brian Eno, maybe with help from Nigel Godrich, and a lo-fi/chillwave producer as well.  Beautiful sums it up well.  (http://rickyeatacid.bandcamp.com/)

            Overall, this is an eclectic mix of genres, from different albums, from different countries, and they all bring great sound to the table.  Now just see how that can work, physically.

We Saw the Moon: A Starry Night

            This is a review of the EP We Saw the Moon (2013), by Swedish duo Hearts of Black Science, and the tenth review here on Track-By-Track.

            Though almost half-a-year old, this EP was new to me when I heard it recently.  It’s a lot like deservedly well-respected bands meeting equally talented lesser-known bands, musically.  Observer Drift (whose latest album was my first review on this blog) definitely comes to mind, as well as electronic artist Liars, goth staples The Cure, and U2, among others.  The EP is engineered, performed, and written, like a band at the top of their game.  And that’s exactly what they seem to be.
            What really surprised me was the ability that Hearts of Black Science -- the Gothemburg-based duo of Daniel Änghede on vocals and physical instruments, and Tomas Almgren on production/mixing, digital instruments, and more-than-fitting album art -- has of blending goth tones and themes with lighter and more atmospheric genres.  It’s really the combination of Almgren’s and Änghede’s two different perspectives on music that makes We Saw the Moon not only unique, but uniquely enjoyable.  This is a release that lulls and swells with mood and emotion, and mixes a nighttime atmosphere with different takes on that theme.  Great music conveys emotion, and this is a softly-lit warm reminder.
            Get out your candles; here’s my 10th TBT:

            “Winter In Tar Garden” starts the EP, with a decidedly chilly atmosphere.  A pleasantly dark track, with processing all over electronic bass, piano, and a modern drumbeat.  It reminds me of milder songs from the ongoing genre crossover (and continual miscategorization) of black metal and shoegaze, but done properly with wafts of electronic and mildly ambient tones.  There’s enough time to get the atmosphere of the track through instrumental breaks between the sparse vocals, and the vocal-lyrical combination give it a whole other level of mood.  The vocals are processed to perfection (in the alternative-music sense, not the pop-music sense), and great synths are just loud enough to almost totally mask some great guitars.  This obscuration somehow makes the track better than if the guitars were at the forefront, like the generally obscured or low-volume vocals in shoegaze proper.  Synths bring out a dark atmosphere, but in a way that's like a dark Van Gogh, rather than a depressing or unpleasantly dark movie.  It reminds me a bit of Curve's song “Coast is Clear”.

            “College Dreams” comes next, and it’s a definite 80s-style hit.  It’s probably my favourite on the EP, and it has loads of glo-fi with some hints of dream-pop throughout.  Great synths, and vocals with classic lyrics are sung, processed, and harmonized, like a collaboration between U2 and Duran Duran at their best.  It sounds nostalgic, and there’s definitely a chillwave sound to the track.  Drums are in that addictive eq, and guitars are very 80s.  Though on first listen, I wasn’t huge on the mid-range-bandpass-equalized vocal cuts, by the second listen, I was looking forward to them like a long-overdue release from The Postal Service (as if such a thing were ever announced).  It’s heartening that such a happy-sounding track has mildly foreboding lyrics, such as: “For now we’re young and we’ll never die”.

            “Icon” is the 3rd track, and though it starts with a lo-fi electronic goth sound, it quickly becomes an electronica anthem.  This one has the least prominent guitars yet it fits the scheme of the EP by being smack-dab in the middle.  Guitars are mainly underneath loud bass synths and old-school drum samples, and let’s not forget the classic chorus-effected-piano, and choral samples.  The vocals once again are amazing, and emotive without fault or over-production.  There are definitely parts that remind me of The Cure (especially the better tracks of their 4:13 Dream album), and Peter Murphy’s “Cuts You Up”, among other great goth progenitors.

            “Fathoms” is the penultimate track.  Some glitchy drums and tremolo-processed synths are the perfect backing for what sounds like Slowdive meeting The Unforgettable Fire-era U2, and it interestingly becomes a goth glo-fi/chillwave track, which I never thought could ever mix , let alone so well.  The drums are slow, and guitars appear in odd places, as well as providing a great atmosphere for the vocals (in all their modulated and harmonized glory) to drift on.  Bass takes a back-seat, but still remains important in keeping the darker tone of the song.  And somehow, somewhere, a string section (or samples of) make their way into the track, and seamlessly blend with guitar through heavy reverb.

            The title track puts it all in perspective.  Although all the tracks are well-done, this is a major contender for the airspace “College” also deserves.  I must say, I wish I knew where the vocal sample at the beginning comes from, but it escapes me.  The track sounds like both a total acceptance of the night, and darkness itself.  I love anything that captures that true energy and atmosphere of a warm dark starry night, and this delves in and presents the auditory and lyrical equivalent of that feeling of walking in such a night.  It’s a bit like a stripped-down Adore-era Pumpkins song, and retains the positivity of chillwave even through its warm and slightly dark tone.  Guitars set it up, drums drive it on, “1979”-esque synths lift it upwards, bass tethers it to the ground, and vocals bring it home.  And it ends on a perfect note -- literally, like Nine Inch Nails’s “Right Where It Belongs” played by “1979” chorus synths.

            Overall, an amazing atmospheric EP, upbeat and dark in all the right places.  Almgren and Änghede have good reason to be proud of their latest fully-new release (they’ve since released their first volume of B-sides and remixes).  You can stream We Saw the Moon for free at http://heartsofblackscience.bandcamp.com, and purchase CD-quality downloads of their music at that link.  If this EP is any judge, the moon must look pretty great in Gothenburg.

Anastasia: Water and Warmth (the good kind)

            This is a review of the album Anastasia (2013) by Spirits of Leo, and the sixth review here on Track-By-Track.

            I found Spirits of Leo during a frantic and nearly-depressing search for shoegaze through the annals of the badly-keyworded and morbidly under-produced Internet.  Fortunately, I found the Spirits of Leo release, Anastasia, and was lifted out of the near-depression by its very watery and melodic shoegaze/chillwave tones.
            I was surprised by Spirits of Leo being a solo-project, though I did think the band was in surprisingly good synch, both melodically and conceptually.  California-based Ryan Santos Phillips wrote, produced, and performed the entire album.  Despite a few blips, the mastering is of an extremely high quality; and blips are barely noticeable even at the levels I poured the album into my ears.
            With that mental image in mind, here’s my TBT:

            “Woodland” is an instrumental introduction track, reminiscent of early Pumpkins, which continues to grow into a shoegaze track (Slowdive-style), with soft layered vocals and guitars.  The pitch-treated guitar is a bit like old metal intros that were too-quickly interrupted by the main parts of the songs.  I’m happy to say this one doesn’t get kicked out by drums before it’s had its chance to create ripples of emotion.  It leads into the next track.

            “The Pendant You Wear” has some deeply melodic vocals, and starts with drums like “Tonight, Tonight”, but quickly changes into a more modern-sounding, .  It’s an atmosphere with a strong hair-metal-esque beat, and abundant vocal, guitar, and bass beauty.  Vocals and the overall tone are like M83 meeting U2 and Love and Rockets.  Guitars lift, and bass glues in place, with some low-in-the-mix but equally uniform synths at the end.  Every listen enhances the enjoyment of the track to surprising heights.

            “Dead Limbs of Winter”, an instrumental track, comes next, and thankfully, the gapless format of the first few tracks doesn’t end here.  It’s plaintive and pensive, and almost an ambient track.  Winter definitely comes to mind while listening to it.  Soft chorus-effected guitars, and an ambient synth landscape below, bring out and lead up to other layers.  Bass comes next, with a certain warm strength, and vocalizations and drums finish the track’s progressive etherial structure.

            “Ghost Story” is faster, with a slight chillwave influence.  It’s like an 80s track, but put through a reverb chamber.  The vocals are extremely low in the mix, but the lyrics, fortunately, are provided.  There’s a ghostly atmosphere, though the drums at times are a little loud.  It’s about atmosphere, like the rest of the album.  There’s a heart to it unseen in most songs on the modern hit channels.

            “Raccoon” is the next track, and it breaks up the gaplessness from before.  It only has four short lines of lyrics, but the upbeat atmosphere and sparse vocals make them stretch to the fullest.  Bass and guitar combine well, and the central riff is well-worthy of a Brit pop band like Trash Can Sinatras.  It’s catchy and happy, without forgetting the overall watery and warm tone.   It very slightly leads into the next track.

            “The Fog (Angels)”, the 6th track, is a slower one, with a longer intro, and clearer vocals.  I’d liken it to Slowdive, because the guitar, bass, and drum tracks have that watery, softly complimentary quality.  Short but great lyrics sung expertly through modulation give the track a sound like returning home (or a comforting place like it).  The lyrics, and the way they’re sung, have an unusual and otherworldly, yet ancient-sounding structure.

            “Idle Talk” is the hit song, despite how good the rest of the album is.  The bassline and guitars are catchy and the lyrics fit the track perfectly.  It sounds like a song to walk outside in the fog to, surrounded by neon and streetlights.  A great positive return after an emphatic lull in the track, and harmonies to the extreme bring out a kind of loving yet cold warmth.  The drums are old-school, but not simple 808s.  And the ending is classic.  Brief strange sounds lead into the next track.

            “Elysian Fields” is definitely like big ‘80s/early ‘90s pop, with some retro industrial drums forming the beat, and the fast guitar-lines often heard back then.  It transcends with vocals and synths, and later guitar, all chillwavey and Summer-style.  Santos Phillips has somehow structured every one of the songs on Anastasia to a perfect length.  It’s unusual for me to find that all the songs on an album feel just right ending where they end, and in this case, I’m surprised.

            “Anastasia”, the penultimate track, is fast and upbeat, with a nice ambient/dream pop/chillwave genre-blend.  This song lives up to its own lyrics: “You are always in your prime” is a nice description of how this track just builds and creates.  It’s like it’s in a constant state of beginning, even in the ending.  Great basslines, melodic guitar combos, sweet synths, catchy drums, and succulent processed vocal harmonies make this certain competition for “Idle Talk” in the single-field.  The music seems to flow from it, without predictability, even though it could easily see airplay on any hit radio that has the intelligence to see its potential.

            “Spirits of Leo” is the last track, a mainly acoustic track, with great vocals, lyrics, and a melody a bit like The Smashing Pumpkins hit, “Perfect”, but only enough to sound like a slight nod.  The occasional harpsichord-like notes panned far to the right give it a certain ageless quality, and it’s a perfect ending to a near-perfect album.

            Overall, it’s summed up by the first word I said after listening to the album: “Wow”.  A soft strength resounds throughout the slower tracks, and some of the faster ones are dangerously catchy, without being too simple or standard to destroy the alternativeness that makes them unique.  You can stream and download Anastasia for pay-what-you-want, and more Spirits of Leo releases at: http://spiritsofleo.bandcamp.com (Bandcamp is my preferred music-download and finding site).  I can’t imagine the people Anastasia is dedicated to being anything short of proud.