REVIEW: .gif - Saudade EP

8.25 out of 10

Find it here. 

.gif (pronounced 'dot jif') are an up and coming duo (Chew Wei Shan & Nurudin Sadali) based out of Singapore. Their sound is reminiscent of "yesterdays Trip Hop" meets a few of "today's" modern sounds.

'Saudade' (a deep emotional state of nostalgic or deeply melancholic longing for an absent something or someone) is the duo's first official release. Coming out out during the tail-end of 2013 (and for free!) via .gif's bandcamp, there is something almost tragic about how possibly overlooked this album may be. The vocals are smokey-seductive, sometimes reminiscent of CocoRosie's and/or Natalie Beridze, the music is a meshing of pitch-perfect weird/organic samples + soothing beats and exotic undertones. From what I understand this project is more of a side deal than it is a main focus for the artists involved, but apparently there is also a full length on the way, so we've at least got that to look forward to as well.

My only hope is that this duo doesn't disappear into obscurity like a lot of fellow bandcampers do. There is something really special about this release that should appeal to the masses (IMO). Highly Recommended.

Standout Tracks: All..especially; Good Night, Green Light, 11:59

EIC's 10Q's w/ .gif

"..reminiscent of "yesterdays Trip Hop" meets a few of "today's" modern sounds.." 

.gif 
Intimate Nostalgia

.gif Bio:

Pronounced |dot jif|, .gif is an Electronic duo comprising of Weish and Din. Being frequently occupied with other musical projects, they treat .gif as a space of freedom, respite, and honesty. They strive to make music that is intensely personal, and hopefully, meaningful. More HERE.

Hello, how are you?

We're doing great! A lot of work, but also a lot of play. Life is good.

What are you currently listening to?

We're quite different, so we're going to take this question one by one. Weish is currently obsessed with Hiatus Kaiyote. Din's playlist right now is full of Boards of Canada and Trentemøller.

What's the story behind the band name?

Well, a gif (graphics interchange format) is essentially a loop of an image or moment, and our music is generally structured around loops. In terms of theme, our lyrics also very much involve recurring images or memory, too.

When did this project officially start and was there a specific sound you were going for when you began writing for it?

We can't recall exactly, to be honest! Sometime in late 2012? There definitely wasn't any sound we were going for, we were just playing around and just kind of started writing and playing shows all of a sudden. HAHA!

Love your first EP, any word on the next release?

Weish: Gee, thanks!

Din: We're aiming to release a full-length album hopefully sometime in the middle of this year. With an emphasis on "hopefully". Heh.

Got any other projects we should know about?

Din: Weish has her own solo act, she just opened for Tegan and Sara when they came to Singapore last year, and played at the F1 Grand Prix. And she also plays in an experimental/progressive band named Sub:Shaman.

Weish: Din is a great DJ, but is too lazy to DJ nowadays and mostly helps the rest of us out a lot with production, sound, and tech when we play live.

What movie would work best on mute while listening to your music?

'Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind'.

You can only keep/listen to ONE album for the rest of your life ..which album would it be?

Din: 'The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me' by Brand New

Weish:  'An Awesome Wave' by Alt-J

Are you living your dream?

Not yet. ;)

Thanx Din and Weish!

.gif recently released their debut EP, get that (for F-R-E-E) right H-E-R-E...

REVIEW: Yöri - In Dreams EP

8 out of 10

Find it here. 

I've only just recently begun my adventure into Yöri's audial dream world. In-fact, since September I have been listening to Yöri's music on repeat. The first release 'Capsule' (a name your own price album;) was something I found very hard to put down. The wait in-between that release and this one; 'In Dreams', was very short, I found it nearly impossible to give either release all the full attention and time they really deserve. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining, I just feel like if the rest of the music world could just pause for one moment while we let Yöri do her thing amongst the silence..something magical would happen.

My previous comparison of "Bjork does Witch House" still stands, only on this release however Yöri focuses on even stronger (Electronic infused) compositions that almost lean toward (a familiar-sounding) Trip Hop territory (think early-mid 90's) which makes 'In Dreams EP' sound more about the mystical than the sinister. A proper follow up indeed though, between this release and her last I'd say Yöri has her sound down, and it definitely doesn't hurt that H3X3N produces. I'm eagerly anticipating the first official LP.

One day (soon maybe) lots of people will be talking about Yöri's music. Why not just start your obsession from the beginning? Highly Recommended.

Standout Tracks: Indigo, Bad Wolf, Limbo Lounge

EIC's 10Q's w/ Yöri

"..amongst the silence..something magical would happen.."

Yöri

Trip Hop's Orphic Eulogy

Yöri Bio:

Yöri is an electronic musician from Kópavogur, Iceland. With no greater beauty, no greater purity first martyr in war for the new reality..

Hello, how are you?

I'm great! Feeling very fluffy as a matter of fact and I'm about to go ice skating.

What are you currently listening to?

Beyonce, as usual.

What or whom inspired you the most when you began writing music? Did you have a specific sound/genre in-mind that you wanted to tackle?

Nature has always inspired me the most. The most natural way I can make music visual for me was to compare it to elements in nature. Sound is pretty abstract and sometimes hard to explain it and talk about it, unless you compare it to something visual that everyone knows. Like comparing arpeggios to lighting bolts, choruses to viruses, etc.

Care to shed some light on your latest release; theme, favorite track(s), etc?

The theme is to stare into the abyss and have it stare back at you. It's a very personal record. I had so many songs inside me and the only way to get them out was to put myself in extremely dangeorus, vulnerable positions. So I fell in love but I couldn't help it. And that brought out a very sensitive and emotional side in me which I think comes through in the record. Ocean shifting, continent moving passion. It's about relfecting on your past and starting over. Letting go of what's gone very gracefully and moving on. The album is just one flavour, just me, here, now.

Do you plan on doing any national touring for said release?

No but I am going to start playing live soon!

Got any other projects we should know about?

Not yet but I'm working on my live set! I knew that this release would be directly what I'm about, and it's very hard to start from complete scratch with not tradition as to what you're doing. Although there were some pioneers who were trying to look at the landscape of their country and try to change what they saw and what they felt into audio, to try and translate it. And to find that voice is very challenging, it's almost like you have to invent your own roots. And that's what I'm still working on, creating my own roots.

What movie would work best on mute while listening to you music?

Space Jam

You can only keep/listen to ONE album for the rest of your life ..which album would it be?

Mariah Carey's 'Daydream'

Are you living your dream?

I dream more while I'm awake.

Thanx Yöri!

Yöri is too "under-the-radar" if you ask me, let's change that..spread the word.

REVIEW: Bavaria - We'll Take A Dive

7.75 out of 10

Find it here.

Bavaria is John Tejada + Kimi Recor. This isn't the first time these two have collaborated (back in '04 Kimi appeared on John's 'Logic Memory Center'), but 'We'll Take A Dive' is the duo's first official release.

On 'We'll Take A Dive' Bavaria sway between elements of Shoegaze, Trip Hop, Dark Electronica, and even a few Gothic undertones. IMO: Hooverphonic and/or THC (maybe GusGus?) meets Junior Boys mixed w/ HTRK*. *If you know me, you know these are pretty amazing comparisons.

For the current cold front this is quite the perfect frosty pairing. 'We'll Take A Dive' is an "I would recommend this album to most people I know* Kind-of-Recommendation". I especially mean this towards those with functioning ears.

Standout Tracks: Everywhere, Morning Blue, Silent Memory, Delicate Destroyer, When We Were Young, Persephone

EIC's 10Q's w/ Tangled Memories

"..a paradisal consolidation of Romantic-Gothc/Moody Witch House with ghostly-hazy Trip Hop, and Dark-Ambient Electronic effervescents.."

Tangled Memories

Tempting Trip Haunt

Tangled Memories Bio:

“Tangled Memories” composes Dark Ambient, Electronic, Trip/Glitch Hop under the concept of “relationship music” distancing himself from society and people he creates a dream like state of mind in a desperate attempt to reach out to his listeners and describe an illusion of being in a relationship with someone and never being able to be close enough to said person, along with everyday struggles in ourselves and our own lives.

 

Hello, how are you?
I am lost in a conscious stream of personal doubt and growth.

What are you currently listening to?
currently a playlist of the discography of Bibio and Boards Of Canada..

When did this project come about and whom were your biggest influences for said project?
This project ultimately has been a work in progress for over two years now, it wasn't until early November when I decided to break out of my solitude and release some of it. My biggest influence for my music is some of the personal experiences I've had in my own life along with the genres of music I was most drawn to for influence musically. Such as, Boards Of Canada, Bibio, The Field, Burial, Blonde Redhead, Mew, Belong, Atlas Sound, Tim Hecker, Gold Panda, and Baths. It wasn't until I showed one of my acquaintances what I had been working on and was lead on to find out about current popular artists such as Xxyyxx and Holy Other. Looking up a bio about Holy Other I was completely numb as my heard dropped in my chest to discover he as well was writing and producing albums under the concept of what he calls "relationship music" although not all of my songs are derived from the dark side of relationships that i've experienced I thought it was quite remarkable that someone following a similar path as mine, would gain so much positivity toward their music.

Care to tell us a little bit about your latest release 'Untwist My Hands'?
I feel the album speaks for itself really. It's a constant contradiction of oneself trying to control everything in a surrounding environment. Along with maintaining sanity and inner peace through self destruction. The concept for "Untwist My Hands" is a complicated affair. Trying to blame someone else for things that are out of your control but when it really comes down to it, you're the one twisting your hands behind your back.

Any plans to tour for said release?
Plans are an unstable for me. I have amazing ideas, but there is only so much you can do with limited resources. I would like to try to reach more of a fan base in the mid-Michigan area before I attempt to start playing live shows again. I received Jake Rosenthal (How To Dress Well's booking agent) "POPGUNBOOKING" upon meeting him at a festival last year, so I'm planning to get into contact with him and see what he can do for booking a show for me in Chicago, or New York.

If you could choose any artist(s) to remix your work, whom would you choose and why?
I wonder what "The Field" would have to offer when it comes to remixing my music. I've always loved the progression of his tracks.

Got any other projects we should know about?
My first dive into the Ambient/Electronic genre was with my previous project "Prince Ashitaka" before I decided to include vocal samples from various places including my own. I played a lot of shows in the mid-michigan area before I stepped back and realized I had once again changed my direction. I'm a fickle musician, so far this is the longest standing project I have worked on before ultimately changing into something different. I hope to continue this project for a very long time. The two albums I released under Prince Ashitaka are available for free download on bandcamp as well.

What movie would work best on mute while listening to you music?
"Candy" (2006) a lot of my listeners would inquire "Requiem For A Dream" as well. But I think almost anything creepy would work. As far as the strong hold on "drug" related movies when it comes to synching my music is the overall concept of the emotion I put into my music. I've always thought true love to be as powerful as a drug, so it seemed to fit.

You can only keep/listen to ONE album for the rest of your life ..which album would it be?
'23' by Blonde Redhead

Are you living your dream?
Honestly, living my dream would be more appropriate if I were traveling and able to connect with established listeners. I have captivating ideas when it comes to connecting with an audience on a visual/audio level but I must keep continuing to grow and work hard for the things I desire with my music career. I've already decided from the begging that my main goal is to connect with people and if my music can help someone get through a complication in their life, that's all I'm really asking for.

Thanx Garett!

Tangled Memories just premiered his latest LP 'Untiwst My Hands' right HERE. on EverythingIsChemical.com. I suggest you take a moment to basque in it's glory;]

EIC Exclusive: Tangled Memories - Never Found Out

Tangled Memories - Never Found Out

(one more Tangled Memories related item ;) Here's an exclusive b-side from Tangled Memories latest release 'Untwist My Hands'. This track conveys a completely different style/range for this project in my opinion and I dig that.
~Thanks for sharing & keep up the amazing work Garett!;]

EIC Premiere/REVIEW: Tangled Memories - Untwist My Hands

8 out of 10

Find it here. (FREE)

I've said it before, I'll say it again.. sometimes (only sometimes) I think it's unfortunate how many Electronic composers are out there today.. There are just too many overlooked talents out there! Had Tangled Memories originally surfaced around the mid-late 90's Trip Hop/Electronic music boom I think it could have been one of THE standouts and possibly gained the audience it deserves. Since I first came across Tangled Memories (only a couple months ago) I've had all of Garett's (TM) work on repeat (seriously, check it.). Tangled Memories is a paradisal consolidation of Romantic-Gothc/Moody Witch House with ghostly-hazy Trip Hop, and Dark-Ambient Electronic effervescents.

Tangled Memories latest release 'Untwist My Hands' (Premiering today on EIC!) is one of the best releases of the year no-doubt.. Fog covered Electronics are "meshing/forming one with" gorgeous Classical elements (both the instrumental and vocal variety) which are of course skewed and Dragged out, familiar sounding/catchy beats (or loops) are laid out on top to give the listener a sense of narration, and then there's the vocals (which are either sample-based or recorded/distorted); possibly the most beautiful element in this masterpiece. To put it bluntly, 'Untwist My Hands' is near-perfect from beginning to end. Not one track feels out of place, the tone maintains a certain standard, and the music is really damn awesome. I can't think of one reason why you aren't liustening to Tangled Memories right now.

..and now, the EIC Premiere of Tangled Memories latest opus 'Untwist My Hands':

Standout Tracks: Without You, And Lust With Another, You're The Reason, Horrible Similarity, Never Came Close, Be Here Now (♥▲)

Check into Jahcoozi..

Jahcoozi - Barefoot Wanderer (Album Medley)

This is a mash up of songs from the album "Barefoot Wanderer", which comes out April 19th via BPitch. This is also EXTREMELY awesome. Like a mix between Modeselektor, Little Dragon, and Massive Attack ..(yeah)..