Category: Ambient (Page 7 of 8)

The Octopus Project: Golden Beds EP

August 7, 2009 / David Medsker

Patton Oswalt joked that Austin was one of those cities that lives in a magical bubble that protects its residents from the chaos and the muck that surrounds them (“You mean I can’t pay for a sandwich with a song?”), and this five-track EP by playful electronic enthusiasts Octopus Project, their first effort since 2007’s Hello, Avalanche, bears that out. Leadoff song “Wet Gold” rocks a Theremin and boy-girl vocals to a beat that Stereolab would have killed for, but the band launches a full-on guitar assault on follow-up track “Moon Boil.” They finish the EP with three instrumentals (!), ranging from trippy (“Rorol”) to pogo-tastic (the Death Cab-esque “Wood Trumpet”). It’s the work of a band with a love for all things pop but a healthy disregard for all things popular. Lord knows we could use a few more bands like that these days. Peek-a-Boo 2009

Octopus Project MySpace page

Ambient, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Electronica, Instrumental, Pop, Rock

Austin Golden Beds Golden Beds EP Golden Beds EP review The Octopus Project The Octopus Project CD review

Patrick Pleau: Hype-Moi

May 1, 2009 / David Medsker

The power pop community is still abuzz over Catnip Dynamite, the second proper solo album from Jellyfish co-founder Roger Joseph Manning Jr., which makes one wonder what they will do when they hear Hype-Moi, the new album by Montreal multi-instrumentalist (and Manning sound-alike) Patrick Pleau. Our guess is that more than a few heads will explode, because Hype-Moi is the French equivalent of Catnip Dynamite, only…better? An argument could certainly be made in Pleau’s favor, considering his tendency to let the music do the talking and to know when enough is enough. The songs are huge, mind you – swirling, psychedelic jangle guitars, triple-decker harmonies, hyper-treated keyboard effects and Moogs abound – but compared to the absurdly over-the-topness of Catnip, Pleau is the model of restraint. The irony of ironies is that Hype-Moi sounds like a long-lost collaboration between Manning and French ambient synth popsters Air (particularly “L’écran Bleu De La Mort”), who have worked together on multiple occasions but have never put a meeting of the minds to tape quite like the one Pleau does on their behalf. You don’t need to speak French to appreciate the beauty of this record. (Orange Music 2009)

Writer’s Note: I don’t speak a word of French, so I cannot comment on Pleau’s lyrical prowess. Based on the complexity of these melodies and arrangements, though, I am pretty sure that he is not a moon/June guy, nor is he talking about date rape, incest or murder. At least I hope he isn’t.

Patrick Pleau MySpace page

Ambient, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Electronica, Pop, Power Pop

Air Hype-Moi Hype-Moi CD review Montreal Patrick Pleau Patrick Pleau CD review Roger Joseph Manning Jr

Ian McGlynn: This Is the Sound

March 27, 2009 / Mike Farley

Every once in a while, an artist’s music has this way of striking us in our musical pleasure center. Singer/songwriter/pianist Ian McGlynn’s second full-length album, This Is the Sound, is likely going to have that effect on you if you are a fan of dreamy alt-pop. McGlynn’s tenor and some of his melodies will remind you a bit of John Lennon, but his songwriting leans more towards a cross between Ben Folds and Aqualung, and the production on this effort (it’s self-produced with help from songwriting partner John Mosloskie) bring the songs to life in powerful fashion. Much of McGlynn’s material has a cool underground vibe, but some of the tracks on This Is the Sound stand out. In particular, “Night Driving” paints a vivid picture with its dark yet melodic feel, and “Memorial Day Parade” is as close to straight-up pop as McGlynn gets. And he takes things up a notch on the opening track “Play Dead,” which is haunting, beautiful and able to stop you from whatever it is you were doing before you started listening. McGlynn’s music has been placed in both independent and major motion pictures, and whether or not you have heard him before or think you may have, he’s well worth seeking out. (LABEL: Bailey Park)

Ian McGlynn MySpace Page

Alternative, Ambient, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Pop, Rock

Aqualung Bailey Park Records Ben Folds Ian McGlynn John Lennon This is the Sound

Steve Kilbey: Painkiller

March 13, 2009 / Mike Farley

Aussie alternative rock band the Church began making music almost a quarter century ago, and while that band perfected the art of lo-fi before lo-fi was even a term anyone used, it was singer, songwriter and front man Steve Kilbey who mostly dominated the creative aspect of the Church. Kilbey’s first solo effort in eight years, Painkiller, was released in Australia in 2008 and just recently in the U.S. on Second Motion Records. But Church fans should be hesitant at best to grab this or any of Kilbey’s solo work – not because he isn’t talented or that his hypnotic vocals aren’t as spot on as they were in the ‘80s, but because it sounds like Kilbey puts his these songs together in a musical lab. There’s just a lot of weird experimentation going on, with melody and cohesion being after-thoughts. Kilbey’s poetry background is evident in some of these tracks, in particular the opener “Outbound,” which sounds like a spoken-word piece with musical backing. “Celestial” and “Crystalline Rush” are dark and somewhat palatable, as is the catchiest track, “Oenone.” But when Kilbey breaks out the test tubes and beakers, as he does on the 12-minute instrumental track, “File Under Travel,” or on the (gasp) 31-minute long “Not What You Say,” you just might fall asleep before you realize what’s happening. (Second Motion)

Steve Kilbey MySpace Page

Alternative, Ambient, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Indie Labels, Instrumental, Pop, Rock

Australian rock bands Second Motion Steve Kilbey The Church

Dana Falconberry: Oh Skies of Grey

February 5, 2009 / Mike Farley

Sometimes new artists come out of nowhere to brighten our day and sometimes they help by painting beautiful images in our heads with their music – be they bright, or be they cloudy and drizzly as Dana Falconberry does on the aptly titled Oh Skies of Grey. Falconberry is an Austin Texas singer/songwriter who moved from her hometown of Dearborn, Michigan a few years back and has been hanging around the camps of Patty Griffin, Peter Buck and Alejandro Escovedo. What you’ll hear in Falconberry is equal parts sultry folkster (Griffin), rainy day alt-popster (Suzanne Vega), and bombastic arrangements that give her songs incredible character (think Laura Veirs). All of this is wrapped up in a neat package and delivered with authority on Oh Skies of Grey, and it’s the kind of moody fare that you stick in your CD player and forget about for a while, or at least until the sun starts peaking through. The best tracks among 12 varied and well-crafted ones are the shuffling, hauntingly sexy “Love Will Never Leave You Alone” and “Flourescent” as well as the unofficial title track, “Blue Umbrella.” (2:59)

Dana Falconberry MySpace Page

Alternative, Ambient, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Folk, Pop, Rock, Rock Babes

2:59 Records Alejandro Escovedo Alternative Austin Dana Falconberry Folk Oh Skies of Grey Patty Griffin Peter Buck singer/songwriter