Oneohtrix Point Never- Replica

Highly anticipated new release, at least in hipster music circles, by Brooklyn, NY electronic/ambient purveyor. Daniel Lopatin's music is sort of an organic answer to Tim Hecker or Christian Fennesz,  incorporating found sounds and piano into his kaleidoscopic keyboard works. He's not reinventing the genre but he certainly makes it sound inviting.

Buy this record for that aquarium road trip you're planning.

www.pointnever.com

Odd Nosdam & Matthewdavid- Swedish Fish

NO VIDEO AVAILABLE

Two sound collagists have patched together a split EP that's being released in cassette-only form by Leaving Records. Odd Nosdam created trippy beats as a founding member of both the rap group cLOUDDEAD and its label Anticon, and has lent his talents to The Notwist, Boards of Canada, and a host of others. Matthewdavid is an LA-based music producer who runs the Leaving Records label. Both artists have a penchant for found sounds and atmospheric pieces. The lion's share of Nosdam's contribution to Swedish Fish comes in the form of "Swedish Tapes", an 18 minute live offering, from SF's Swedish American Music Hall, full of droney, industrial mind fuck that would have served the interrogators at Guantanamo Bay well. Matthewdavid appears to be the invested artist in this project, serving up four cuts of pulsing, distorted, ambient goodness. Think Fennesz with more emphasis on overt keyboard notes, but with none of the guitar work that has marked Fennesz's later releases. Matthewdavid doesn't build his pieces to a crescendo, but rather mutates and manipulates a central theme with tape hisses, rattles, vocoded synth passages, etc. Nosdam leads you to a prison of his own making while david lets you create an otherworld of your choosing.

Buy this record if want to split the personalities.

www.leavingrecords.com

Aucan- Black Rainbow

Not sure what to make of this band, one second they're playing spaced-out laptop dubstep with twee female vocals, the next second they break out this spazzy Lincoln Park inspired electronic music with half-hearted raps, then while your ears are still sorting out the jumble they hit you with prototypical Euro club circuit fare. To top it off they throw in a traditional Japanese instrumental with biwa, piano, and backward looped notes? So yea, it's safe to assume that this band isn't quite sure what it wants to be. I guess this is how they roll in Italy.

Buy this record when you're not sure if you want coffee, tea, or a milkshake.

www.myspace.com/aucan

SBTRKT- SBTRKT

Down-tempo electronic laptop dance music that's basically a cross between 70's disco and electronic dubstep, with nods to Roisin Murphy and Matthew Herbert. It has my 3 year old shaking her stuff on the guest bed. Most of the vocals come courtesy of Young Turk label mates Sampha and Jessie Ware. Sampha's is a cross between the soulful crooning of Jamie Lidell and the twee quiver of James Blake. Ware's vocals are understated, and breathy, but provide a nice compliment to Sampha's. Swedish singer Yukimi, of Little Dragons, lends her voice to "Wildfire", a trippy, beat heavy paean to lust in the digital age. "Pharoahs" jittery keyboard notes, accentuated by vocals by Roses Gabor, create a dance vibe tailor made for the candy-flipping club scene. This is the sound that is dominating the London club scene now, and it's appealing to toddlers.

Buy this record when you need to replace the wallpaper with vinyl siding.

www.sbtrkt.com

Borden, Ferraro, Godin, Halo & Lopatin- Frkwys Vol. 7

NO VIDEO AVAILABLE

Seventh release in the Frkwys series by NYC label RVNG Intl. featuring modern artists and their mentors, in this case Dan Lopatin of Oneohtrix Point Never and David Borden of Mother Mallard's Portable Masterpiece Co. (a band Borden started in the 60's with Bob Moog, yes that Moog). They're joined by accomplished NYC keyboardist, composer, and producer Sam Godin, as well as electronic recording artists Laurel Halo and  James Ferraro. The music has an aura of natural ambience and none of the artists step on the other's toes, leaving plenty of space for the various keyboard ebbs and flows to work into their corners and angles, gently nudging as they glide past and through each other. Laurel Halo even takes a run at Kate Bush style vocals on "Just A Little Pollution", the closest approximation to a structured piece and the only song in the set with vocals. The rest of the album contains subtle improvised mood shifts that are alternately uplifting and doleful. The six tracks on Frkwys 7 were recorded in just two days and subsequently edited down to create this final released version. It was a productive two days for sure.

Buy this record when you wake up in the desert with a drink in your hand.

www.igetrvng.com

Washed Out- Within And Without

All the indie girls are fluffing their pillows, preening for a transformative night with the Georgian boy called Washed Out. He plays infinitely danceable, dreamy snyth music with an 80's nostalgia appeal, similar to Cut Copy, and he's good-looking. It's not just the girls, he's also a PR firm's wet dream. I'll leave it to the blogosphere to pontificate.

Buy this record so you know where to look for a date when Washed Out comes to your town.

www.subpop.com/artists/washed_out

Bombe & Mr. Caribbean- James Blake Mixtape

Producers produce a collaboration between super-hyped British electronic dub performer James Blake and super-hyped Canadian hip-hop artist Drake. Sounds like Bon Iver making dub music on heroin for an episode of Basketball Wives. Blake's music is atmospheric to a fault but Drake pumps some energy into the mix. Scenesters will be name-throwing this around like glow sticks at a rave party.

Buy this record if you got home from the club and the ecstasy is wearing off.

www.jamesblakemusic.com
www.drizzydrake.org

Babe Rainbow- Endless Path EP

Note: Above video is from Babe Rainbow's previous Shaved EP.

From the Warp label comes another one-man ambient electronic laptop band out of Vancouver, BC. Canadians seem to be proudly insulated from any modern trends. I remember meeting a rugby team from Edmonton, Alberta in the mid-90s and they were just getting into Twisted Sister. This record reminds me of that meeting. Could easily work as library music (see my Various Artists: Space Oddities review) for sci-fi movies and it's only 6 songs long so it wasn't a big waste of my time. You may impress a few electrical engineers with this?

Buy this record if you don't like hockey but need a Canuck fix.

www.baberainbow.tumblr.com