Aurgasm

Orchestral // Jazz // Dark Ambient

Overtures creep towards you bearing ominous insight. A ravenous beast of symphonic scale lurks behind every measure; its teeth a menacing discord that devour your surroundings presence. Henryk Górecki could be leading The Cinematic Orchestra through such a place, yet the scourge of blaring horns and thunderous storms resemble unknown regions. This elegant, brooding ardor bleeds from The Netherlands as The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble; a project originating with Jason Köhnen and Gideon Kiers to recreate scores for classic movies like Nosferatu and Metropolis. Angelic offerings scarcely appear to cradle your stay, but whirlwind strings and industrial plight will have their say. Aching with beauty and purpose, Here Be Dragons is a story I do not want to unhold. A modern-day masterpiece.

Arrangements for Hallows’ eve.
The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble - Caravan!
The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble - Embers
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folktronica // swedish experimental

Fredrik Karlsson, a.k.a. Solander, a part of Aurgasm-featured Fredrik, has his own solo project and it’s the one project you were all waiting to hear about, without even knowing it. Similar to Fredrik’s compositions, Solander’s debut Since We Are Pigeons (2009) carries a distinct Scandinavian, unique yet familiar sound. The album infuses hushed vocals, fragile strings arrangements and warm electronics with just a hint of experimentalia. In “Looking For Gold” Solander slowly builds up the mood by layering off-beat guitar with beautiful orchestration and hypnotic vocal harmonies. Definitely one of the most promising indie projects coming from Sweden this year.

Strong, captivating melody.
Solander - Looking For Gold

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electro-funk // grimey synthpop

Maneuvering brainwaves routed by intricately synthesized polymers of Moloko and Phon°noir familiarity, Frances Noon and Lazlo Legezar have materialized an undulating ecstasy that voyages vital force and bites at your feet. His surreal chorus of extravagant noises deploys a fulgent realm for her iridescent vocals; fluently shifting between sinister and saccharine to timid and giddy. As their motley, crystalline wisped sounds are consumed, a subterranean purlieu emerges. In a carnival’s bygone mystique of bright lights and smiles since ceded to a hitchcock bale, are mad hatters absconding to unite with strawberry shortcakes, rampantly dissolving the absurd, unwanted, depreciating rationalities that impersonate rainbows and he-man transgressions of societal laste. Where We Are threshes trip-hop’s quintessence into dizzying bits and pieces then coalesces to form a twisted treat of enigmatic, aural candy.

Trip-Hop in the age of Twitter.
My Toys Like Me - Superpowers
My Toys Like Me - Bats
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indie pop // experimental

Josh Ottum, a Seattle-based musician and songwriter, has been making his tiny-bedroom-music for 4 years before composing his debut album Like The Season (2007). To put it in his own words, Like The Season is a twelve song journey into the hallways, bedrooms, dining rooms and garages of popular music. Josh’s “The Easy Way Out” evolves from sweet, coherent and easy-on-the-ears harmonies to a rhythmically driven complex production. With layered arrangements of multiple drums, repetitive piano, catchy horn lines and quirky phrasing Josh builds “The Easy Way Out” to a charmingly dynamic indie-pop song.

Whimsical songwriting, complex instrumentation.
Josh Ottum - The Easy Way Out
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swedish folktronica // experimental

Fredrik, a six-piece Malmö-based ensemble, embodies some of the finest Scandinavian experimental pop aesthetics: captivating melodies, rich layered arrangements and complicated charming instrumentation evoking the sound of Sigur Ros and Efterklang. Without overloading the compositions, Fredrik builds layer upon layer of atmospheric, melodically overpowering and somewhat mystical soundscapes. The title track of the album “Na Na Ni” ranges from warm waves of melancholy and hypnotic repetitive chanting to haunting harmonies.

From quiet to powerful experimental arrangements.
Fredrik - Na Na Ni
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electronic // hip-hop // downbeat

Organic, soulful, electronified and good-feeling vibes, freely shared by Colorado producer Derek Vincent Smith. Nearly four hours of this Pretty Lights sound is available for free on his website. It’s a vivid collage of continuity, enriched with robust beats, eloquently laced vocal samples that range from nostalgic to serene, both compelling and entertaining, with a diverse selection of instruments all aimed towards enjoyment.

All about the good vibes.
Pretty Lights - Solamente
Pretty Lights - Maybe Tomorrow
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electropop // experimental

When asked to describe their sound, Highland Park’s Fol Chen said, “You know that mysterious black object that the creepy family is staring at on the cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Presence” album?” (Yes). “Fol Chen sound like that.” Cryptic descriptions aside, Fol Chen’s recently released Part I: John Shade, Your Fortune’s Made, is a dramatic debut. Their complex layers, which include strings, horns, multiple vocals and the requisite drum machine, are captivating. “Cable TV,” one of the standout tracks on the record, is a pounding, tongue-in-cheek dedication to cheap weekend escapes.

Cryptic, dark and danceable.
Fol Chen - Cable TV
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hip-hop // experimental

Look at the picture accompanying this post and imagine how it might sound; that’s likely what you’ll hear in the debut album by Exponential artist Diego Chavez. Recording as Aether for this outlet, Diego somehow invents spare time for graphic design when not producing music as his other alias Otic Angst, with A.M. Architect, or for the hip-hop group Lotus Tribe and rock band The Panic Division. The amount of diversity woven into Artifacts is mesmerizing and breathtaking; clearly the work of a very talented and driven individual. Combining grit with vibrance, molding casual, assured flows of conscious tranquility, while also keeping a dynamic and youthful essence is a lot to consider, let alone craft well and fully deliver. His label says it best when describing this as a lovingly sculpted expression of beauty, love, tragedy, hope, and everything that makes us human.

Human elements of abstract hip-hop.
Aether - Orfeu Negro
Aether - Makeshift Sanctuary
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bedtime beats // pajama pop // indie folk

Shawn James Seymour and Yoshimi Tomida make up the husband and wife duo, Lullatone, from Nagoya, Japan. Lullatone’s first album was comprised of lullabies written by Shawn for Yoshimi, and their freshly recorded album is a collection of new lullabies for their child, Niko. Their appropriately self-dubbed “pajama pop,” is a playful blend of whispered vocals, unique instrumentals and carefully spaced beats. For the album, The Bedtime Beat, they mixed the ambient sounds of bedtime rituals, such as splashing bathwater and gentle snoring. Notably, in the song “Goodnight Train” they used a xylophone played with a violin bow to imitate the chug-chug of a train. Conceptual but not distancing, their comforting and alluring sound is far from boring. Rather, Lullatone’s songs are delightful gems that capture the familiar essence of home.

Sweet homemade lullabies.

Lullatone - The Bathtime Beat
Lullatone - Goodnight Train
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classical // experimental

Let me go where you take me - childhood’s hour of bewildering delight. A pause only for concerns lasting moments already forgotten; where radiant lights and sounds shimmer all haphazard perfections into play. Harmonious adventures in remarkable surroundings, subsisted by slight glitter, and twitter, from flitter placed upon piano strings; lifting you like a carousel’s jubilee. Volker Bertelmann’s forthcoming album, Ferndorf {Distant Village}, begins with improvised unlockings of the wonderful journey that ensues. At times a piano may tiptoe your way along hidden paths, as violins portray swaying leaves, and barely visible electronic trees branch into recognition. His memories shared; unraveled beside nourishing cellos in a summer’s warm, gala dream.

Recalling youth with esoteric, aural pleasure.
Hauschka - Heimat
Hauschka - Alma
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