Gray Things (Thomas Cooper), part of the Cats Purring music collective (Dent May, ILLLS and Bass Drum Of Death), has just dropped this sparse and haunting track “I Want To Live”. This is from an upcoming EP out on Make Mine on November 19th.
Here’s another:
He is also responsible for this masterpiece.
Australia’s Castratii are a deep cinematic shoegaze wonder that takes me back to listen to my parents’ Cocteau Twins and Eurythmics tapes. Eora, their new LP out now via Time No Place, turns the lights out quickly and takes you down that unknown tunnel echoing back industrial strings and reverbed stomps.
mp3: Castratii – “Limits”
New York via Berklee/Boston’s Faust Ghoul pushes some sweet psyched out experimental electronics on his recent release Umbra. He’s also a part of Boston’s Nue Collective which also features Skeleton Zoo, Tristan Allen, and Gossamer. Stream/Download Umbra via bandcamp…meanwhile:
mp3: Faust Ghoul – “Nest”
Baltimore’s omoo omoo‘s new LP nha’ has manage to pass by my ears a few times barely disturbing me. It’s a quiet, meditative, guitar excursion that doesn’t call attention to itself in the least bit…and that’s the beauty of it. The melodies are soft, the windows are open, and the volume is right. It’s Wednesday and I need this.
I don’t know how I’ve failed to stumble upon Baltimore’s Lovers & Reflections…but I have…and I’m sorry. Lovers & Reflections is the duo of singer/songwriter Regan Rebecca and producer Chris Moore. Moore’s synth filled rivers take me back to early Depeche Mode…and anything that does that is put on a higher pedestal. That being said I would be lying to say that the real knock me down factor of L&R is Rebecca’s soul rattling vocals. Seriously crazy good. In June they put out a two-songer that deserves every ounce of your attention. Stream it below (buy them on bandcamp):
Also they just did a super sweet remix of Alice Cohen:
Out of the last place you’d expect dre-funk hip-hop flames fanning – Tucson, Arizona – comes Isaiah Toothtaker, lead rapper of Machina Muerte going solo for a free Anticon release, Sea Punk Funk. This is some dirty funk heated with rap that sounds more like straight outta Compton than the midwest…then completely burned from end to end by a revenge driven tech/mech cyborg. The release is a collaboration between Isaiah Toothtaker and Halifax, Nova Scotia’s Sixtoo (aka Prison Garde) with guest appearances from Murs, Antwon, and more. A bizarre chillwave vs. Parliament medley from two places not known for hip hop like this. Love it. Download it via Bandcamp.
Philadelphia’s Arc In Round released their debut S/T LP last month and I’ve recently found the time to really take in the full sound. The band consisting of famed philly producer (Kurt Vile, War On Drugs, etc.) Jeff Zeigler, co-songwriter Mikele Edwards, bassist Josh Meakim and drummer Matt Ricchini puts together a dense shoegazish rockish sound that is just plain solid. The shift from darker broodier songs and brighter pop vibes, which I attribute partly to the two different vocal styles of Zeigler and Edwards, on the album really make the whole LP and enjoyable listen. Get the vinyl via La Societe right here.
