EICV7" No. 59 - Soft Lighting

"All art constantly aspires towards the condition of music." ~Walter Pater

Next release comes out January 19th

 

EICV7" No. 59 - Soft Lighting ..coming soon!

EverythingIsChemical Virtual 7" No. 59 - Soft Lighting comes out January 5th!

  

"The future starts today, not tomorrow." ~Pope John Paul II

(hopefully you checked out the last v7"?)

 

EICV7" No. 49 - Fever 103

"I'm disappearing, avoiding most things." ~Syd Barrett

 

Next release comes out September 1st.

EICV7" No. 49 - Fever 103 ..coming soon!

EverythingIsChemical Virtual 7" No. 49 - Fever 103 ("ex-White") comes out August 18th!

  

"August, the summer's last messenger of misery, is a hollow actor." ~Henry Rollins

(hopefully you checked out the last v7"?)

REVIEW: Deadbeat Synesthete - I Dream Of Graphemes

7.25 out of 10

Find it here(nyp/free!).

A lot of us fell hard for Neon Indian's sound when it first surfaced. There have been countless acts trying to rip his sound off (most of them not even trying to sound original at all) + there have been tons of spin off sounds that have resorted because of Alan (NI) and.. I'm (for the most part (and have been) over them. With the warmer season here, my brain is urging me to reconsider/be a little more lenient now.. With that said there are exceptions to this rule. Is it the right season? And of course; it's one thing if you're just going to rip off another persons sound, it's another if you pay homage while keeping some originality of your own in the mix. Deadbeat Synesthete is here to deliver the goods, Steve (DS) has officially renewed my faith in Glo-Fi Chill Wave.

There are a range of genres on "I Dream Of Graphemes"; from Glo-Fi to Chill Wave to Space Pop to 80's Electro to Dark Synth Pop to Chip-Tune to everything in-between, overall an excellent use of synthesizers if you ask me.  In-fact, when Deadbeat Synesthete's "debut" LP starts off you may think you're in for an Indie Acoustic Lo-Fi release of some sort, ..just hold on. In-fact the intro to this album is quite the parallel juxtaposition for the rest of "I Dream Of Graphemes" sound. When track two begins you're throttled face-first into a rocket powered sound heading straight through a galaxy of bizarre colors and playful sounds. Once you reach your destination, track 3, you are immediately swarmed by warming pixelated-martian bleeps. Soon apathetic/seductive vocals (as if being played on a radio in the background of the galaxy somewhere far far away) come in, and then (if you're not already in Space bliss) a few guitar riffs which are layered perfectly with some simple-effective drum beats come in. Some songs are instrumental and some are with vocals, they all flow perfectly together. Nothing too evasive, mostly laid back, great for warm weather, Space-Synth Nerds rejoice. I promise you there is at least 2-3 tracks on here that you're gonna love.

Not bad for a Neuroscience major..

Standout Tracks: Summergone, Cubic Zirconias, Red Dawn (yum), Megalove, Tides, Nobody, On And On, Cobweb Hotel

Check into (x2) Deadbeat Synesthete and Flint Kids..

&

I recently stumbled across Deadbeat Synesthete from this really terrific (FREE) compilation called 'Ingwaz'. DS's sounds are somewhere between classic/catchy Space Gaze meets modern/synthesized Chill Wave. Flint Kids are an Electronic duo driving Power Noise head first into some Dark IDM. This is exactly how I like my "noisy meets mechanical". Both of these artists deserve your full attention right now.

REVIEW: Teeel - University Heights

7.75 out of 10

Find it here.

Back when "Chill Wave" was arising there seemed to be too many bands doing it and only a few doing it right. One of the said talented-elite few was/is Teeel, his (Jim Smith) debut album 'Amulet' crept it's way onto EIC's 2011 year-end list at #29. And still to this day when people tell me they're tired of "Chill Wave" and all of it's brother/sister sounds I tell them give Teeel a go, if that doesn't do it for you, it's safe to say sexy-retro-futuristic Synth music just isn't "your thing" (this makes you lame in my book). Only a year later Teeel is back at it again with his latest (self)released (check out his awesome label here) album 'University Heights', which takes the concept of "retro-homage Synth Pop" and pushes it into a whole other direction.

The formula, although simple perhaps, always sounds just right betweeen my headphones; synths + synths + more synths + on top of a few more synths with a dash of guitar and smooth vocals (+ synths) = "audial agree-a-mental toe-tapping yes-ness". While few of those words aren't really words at all I'm sure you know what I am getting at.. Most tracks are upbeat/catchy, never too somber, mostly made via synthesizers/Chill-Wavy, and really awesome foreground/background music for any occasion (should be pretty user friendly). On 'University Heights' Mr. Smith takes the same format from his last release ('Amulet') and gives it a punch of Synth Rock. Now, don't get me wrong, this isn't  "Rock N' Roll", it's Synth-Rock/heavier sounding Electronic Pop Music with a darker/crunchier edge (such as "R N' R"), but it's still mostly Electronic Pop music. This album kind of reminds me of the mid-late 90's Alt-Rock Industrial sound (one of my fav eras actually) MEEETS/as seeen through the eyes of a modern-day Chill Wave composer. It also (at some points) reminds me of a lost soundtrack to your favorite NES racing game via the 80's. It's a little darker & heavier than 'Amulet', but 'University Heights' should definitely keep the Teeel fans happy as well as seduce/indulge an entirely new scene (quite possibly-maybe). You guys really are missing the boat by not fully knowing Teeel by this time.

I could be wrong, but I see big things on the horizon for Jim Smith. Recommendeeeeeed.

Standout Tracks: Moogwai, 88Mph, Wraith, Shadowbrook Road

A song sooo good, one might call it "ear crack"..

Swarms - Pandora

I'm in-love with this track. "Pandora" has the atmosphere of an Ambient Cocteau Twins track dabbling in Chill Wave and/or Space Pop. Actually, the entire EP is really amazing as well, the songs sway back and fourth from moody Electronica to Hazy "Nu R&B" to gorgeous Ambient bliss etc. Do yourself a favor and join me in my addiction?

Check into Rhubra..

 

"..Rhubra is a collaboration between singer/songwriter Graham Hamaker (New Orleans) and producer/composer Fabian Luttenberger (Graz, Austria), which started in November of 2011 in New Orleans. There is one EP out entitled "Slow Noise". Live shows within the next couple of months.."

Give em' a listen... I've done it about 10x since less than a week ago (and still I'm not tired of 'Slow Noise'). Rhubra emit the same gorgeous/chill tones as Sinner DC + Teeel. I'll always be a sucker for shiny-modern meets attractive bliss.

REVIEW: Fotoshop - Lifeforms

8.25 out of 10

Find it here.

I can't remember when or how I stumbled across Fotoshop, but I'm certainly glad I did. So far Fotoshop (aka Jarno-Erik) has this album and an EP under his belt, both are pretty much equally amazing, but I lean towards 'Lifeforms' because it has more ..and I'm greedy for good sound:)

I guess Chill Wave is the quickest way to explain Fotoshop's sound, but don't pigeonhole him yet. The music has a really strong Pop sensibility to it that at some points kind of reminds me of Duran Duran. Fotoshop, to say the very least is pretty catchy, like REALLY catchy actually. A few other bands Fotoshop sort of resembles are; Sinner DC, Teeel (#29), and Radio Dept., so all that + catchy = awesome for you. 'Lifeforms' is a "Bright & Futuristic" journey through a "Hazy Dream Sequence". The mood can range from upbeat midnight techno drive scores to 80's Radio Friendly "ballads". All done on a computer, all you (computer composed melody) haters out there need to recognize. Wrrd.

A really strong debut, I can't (and hopefully won't have to) wait to hear more from this artist.. Definitely Recommended for the masses.

Standout Tracks: Do I have to? They're all pretty awesome to be honest, but if I HAD TO; Too Little Too Late, Speed Vs Distance, Summer, The Door

EIC's 10Q's w/ Fotoshop

"..bright & futuristic journey through a hazy dream sequence.."

Fotoshop

Reverie Reformed & Restructured

Fotoshop Bio:

Heavily disoriented synthethizers, basslines and beats, not unlike in Shoegaze, Trip Hop or Techno combined create the atmosphere of Fotoshop. Mostly everything, from composing, instruments, vocals, programming, mixing, mastering to graphics and some videos is made by Jarno-Erik at his home studio (a macbook and, well, not much more).

Hello, how are you?
I'm good, thanks for asking. Right now recording vocals for a new track. I'm not sure yet when it's going to be released.

What are you currently listening to?
I got excited about At The Drive-In when I heard about their comeback. So that and Jonsi from Sigur Ros. And always Elliott Smith!

What's with the band name?
I'm sorry about it (*laughs*). I don't really know, I thought it would be clever. Maybe it suited better the direction I went with my old demos. I use Photoshop a lot though. If I'm not making music, I'm making some retro sci-fi artwork.

Did you know what kind of sound you were going for when you began writing for it?
Sometimes. But mostly it evolves while I'm working with it. I love to try out different sounds and atmospheres.

What do you do when you're not being a musician?
In addition to artwork, I love to follow scientific publications and new studies. Psychology and space exploration, I'm very excited about the speed of new planets being found. I guess it's just a matter of few years until we have found a big number of planets that could be supporting life. And let's not forget what they are doing in laboratories testing their theories in quantum physics.

When should we expect another album from you?
This year, no doubt. Maybe I'm going to do an EP first.

If you could choose any 3 artists to remake/remix the album whom would you pick and why?
Caribou, because it's so lovely! Damon Albarn, because I have listened his sounds for a long long time. Com Truise would be cool too, I like his synths very much.

Got any other projects we should know about?
Helsinki has some very nice things going on right now. I should mention at least French Films which is getting pretty much attention already, Zebra and Snake is really good, and I love the sound of Aves.

You can only keep/listen to ONE album for the rest of your life ..which album would it be?
Then I guess I'd have to make a choice between Belle and Sebastian's 'Tigermilk' and/or Radiohead's 'Kid A'. They are so different, I'd have to let a coin decide.

Are you living your dream?
In a way, yes. But it's more of a path than a place, so it's not that hard!


Thanx Jarno-Erik!


Fotoshop is currently under the radar and shouldn't be, maybe tell a friend or two and get the word out...?;)

Check into Sobrenadar..

Sobrenadar - Physeos

From the (always impressive) Absent Fever comes another blissed out Dream Wave album from up and comer Paula Garcia (Sobrenadar).

REVIEW: Elite Gymnastics - Ruin (1 & 2)

8.5 out of 10

Find it here.

I was first introduced to Elite Gymnastics via their "Neu! 92" release, I wasn't ready for it yet. I then (now) became (re)introduced to Elite Gymnastics with their set of "Ruin" EP's. I can't/won't (ever) turn my ears the other way again.

Elite Gymnastics proclaim K(orean)Pop, LCD Soundsystem, and Whitehouse as some of their bigger influences. Honestly, when I listen to EG I feel I'm taking a stroll down memory lane.. By that I mean, Elite Gymnastics remind of an early Nothing Records artist, or perhaps one of the more "radio friendly" Industrial acts such as God Lives Underwater (meets Her Space Holiday ..kinda), maybe. I do hear the "DFA-isms", but not at all in the way you would think. "Ruin" (both 1 & 2 ..soon to be 1 full vinyl) is full of of previously mentioned sounds AS WELL AS dance, Haze/Gaze (Radio Dept.-esque), House/Break Beat, Indie Pop/K-Pop, and that mega catchy (almost unexplainable) "MGMT-like vibe". The best way I can think to explain their sound is "like a lost soundtrack to an early Greg Araki film". Hopefully that name means something to you, it should if it doesn't.

Their already on everybody else's radar, they'll soon be on yours, Elite Gymnastics will become a sensation before you know it. You (must submit) will get this (now) Recommended. PS If you were paying attention, you could've gotten this for free. Just as the band says, "you snooze you lose.."

Standout Tracks: So Close To Paradise (nope, it's there), Little Things, Here In Heaven 2 (it shouldn't end..), Little Things 2, Omamori 2 (SOOO PERFECT.)

Check into (x2) Gracie & Courtship..

Gracie - For Summer EP

&

Courtship - Eve EP


It seems like everyone is crossing genres these days (I like this concept). Both of these sound somewhat reminiscent of each other, blurring the line between a bit of Indie Pop, a little bit of "Nu-R&B", and a touch of Chill Wave. I'll just let the music speak for itself this time. Have a nice day:)

EverythingIsChemical Virtual 7" No. 11 - Bon Accord

A brief encounter with the outer universe, I hope you brought your surf board...



Next release comes out September 25th.

Check into Colin Nance..

Colin Nance - Summer Fever



Between the spacey attitude of an experienced Kraut Rocker, and the playful antics of an up and coming Bedroom Pop producer, Colin Nance delivers the goods. My only hope (ever really) is that music like this gets noticed more often. Sounds like Neon Indian meets M83? Keep it up Colin, keep it up.

EICV7" No. 11 - Bon Accord ..coming soon!

EverythingIsChemical Virtual 7" No. 11 - Bon Accord comes out August 20th!

Head in the clouds, feet on the ground, the only thing stopping you from floating away is the proper soundtrack...

(hopefully you checked out the last v7"?)

Check into Bite Marks..

Bite Marks - Swarm


Bite Marks is a bit of a mystlery ..When I asked the artist to tell me a little about him/herself/themselves, here's what he/her/they had to say..

"I'm currently trying to keep things as mysterious as possible - not out of pretense, more for the sake that I'm involved in other projects and for the time being, it'd be beneficial if my name didn't get out there for now. The artist name was picked up from an Atlas Sound song. ..I'm happy to talk about the track. It was made 2 years ago. It's a shameless ode to Chill Wave, and it was written pretty much minutes after I first heard Washed Out's 'Belong'. There's no particular reason why it's suddenly out there now and being blogged out; I'm as surprised as anyone else! In fact I've just had to scramble pack home to pick up some equipment that I haven't touched in months. ..I'll be recording a few tracks this week and seeing what happens from there."

Hmm..? Mystery always works for me, ESPECIALLY when it's backed by amazing talent and killer sounds..

Check into (x2:) Niva & Cosmotropia De Xam's Fantasia..

Niva - Ghost In My Head (this is my favorite track)

I love this band for it's simple/complex futuristic catchy vibe. For some reason I am reminded of Junior Boys meets Postal Service..

ALSO

Listen to THIS:

Gorgeous/haunting stuff isn't it?

Check into Orange Blossom Flyover..

Orange Blossom Flyover - Fast Reverse (plus a few more goodies:)

..like Atlas Sound meets Ducktails with more of Glow..