A trick of the horizons, Dreamhub corners us against the thought provoking realities that are so ever present but often elude us on a daily basis, branching out to touch our emotions as soundscapes delve into the layers that exist in the world around us. Three minutes and forty-four seconds into “Horizon 1” I could sense the philosophy that Dreamhub, aka Kim Pedersen, tries to embrace with his alias. In his own words "Well, why not create a kind of a ‘hub’ where dreams can flow freely, minds can relax – and maybe for a moment or two – souls can find inner peace and a feeling of being safe and welcome on this earth." I can only imagine what it would be like to experience his once a month concerts at The National Cathedral of Denmark, where anyone can come and listen, and enjoy the serene landscapes his music creates. Not unlike some of Keith Fullerton Whitman’s best work Soil Horizons is sparse, hypnotic and revolves around minimalism. The notes and patterns seem almost perfect and thought out but at the same time feel completely organic and even improvisational.
Soil Horizons is Pedersen’s fifth studio album and is composed of seven tracks that all stretch past the seven-minute mark. The songs are named in numeric order. This makes the most sense as this album could have easily not even have been separated into different songs. The album starts with the hypnotic "Horizon 1" in which the strongest instrument is the arepegiated synth in the beginning of the song, as beautiful clumps of white noise make themselves known and the soundscape changes a number of times always introducing nuances that are subtle but so effective. The first track alone can produce a state of tranquility and even euphoria. "Horizon II" felt like I was an organism in its embryonic state waiting between the netherworlds. The track is magical and creates an entire soundscape that the listener can indulge in. The remaining tracks continue to take you on a journey that you have to experience to enjoy. The album ends with the centerpiece "Horizon VII" which feels like the end to a journey as it creates a state of homeostasis for the listener. After listening to the last track I felt a sense of tranquility and peace that one might feel after meditating (it felt like Dreamhub created a hub just for me). Soil Horizons is an experience; an experience that pulls back the layers of the universe that surrounds us and reveals the awe and peace that lies underneath.
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"Take these words we spoke with grace" whispers UK-based Sarah de Warren on Dust, beginning a four-track EP with a gossamer piano melody. It's a delicate, spacious song that isn't totally indicative of de Warren's musical personality as a whole. For example, the out-of-rhythm singing style in the eponymous track is decidedly tougher, with lines like "I'm not in because I need revenge" that contrast, both musically and lyrically, with the little-girl lost image de Warren just constructed. The song displays more instrumental variation and as such boasts a bigger sound, giving much-needed confidence to the wounded vocals. At this point you realize this is something like a breakup record and you can make your own conjectures as to how much you'll enjoy it. But you're already halfway through so why not see what else the young bird has to offer? "I Dared" is an even mix of the previous two songs, with the same slightly off-beat lyrical delivery walking along piano notes. An even chorus hears de Warren accusing somebody (you? me, the reviewer?) of shutting her out because she "dared to shine.” And shine she does on the last track, "Watching Lights,” a summer evening pop number with various electronic trickery and de Warren using a more breezy, collected delivery than previously displayed. I'll be frank, I'm not a fan of this sort of music, the solo female artist who softly plays piano and sometimes other instruments (and yah, at this point it's its own genre). But de Warren has enough patience and talent to pull off tried and true methods to make them sound fresh. It's the small touches I appreciate the most; the word "dust" echoing out of existence during "Dust", the lounge-music percussion on "Tear It Up" and the fluid guitar solo toward the end of "Watching Lights.” It's those talents she'll have to exploit to make it big in this music-saturated world, though she's been playing since she was 12 so she knows what she's doing. She does need to watch out for production value; her voice hits high notes all too frequently which get in the way of the lyrics, and I'll never fault an artist for moving drums to the forefront of a song. I'll might never listen to her again, but she's cool in my book, and if she becomes the next big thing, you know where you heard her first and who from.
The new album from Duvid entitled Chill sounds exactly as you would expect it to if you looked at the album cover first. The cover shows a picture of two people in the distance looking at a lake and who seem to have no worries whatsoever. It’s an album that sounds like Brian Eno took a stab at contemporary music while listening to elevator music for two weeks straight. Chill is a very minimal album that utilizes sparse instrumentation and space to create music that feels like it should be playing in the background during a yoga session, or on floating speakers as you take a leisurely stroll through the park. It’s very sparse and non-confrontational. Duvid uses bass, piano, acoustic guitars, and synths, and the occasional drum kit to play songs that are as fleeting as the seasons. The album opens with “Hi” which for this album is one of the more percussive heavy songs on the LP. Keys provide the melody as I was drifting to sleep at about the 2:00 minute mark. Now, I’m pretty sure the artist would take this as a compliment as the album is titled Chill and he even categorizes his music as relaxing on his Bandcamp page. The appropriately titled “Elevator Music” condenses a slow bass line, strings, and keys to make a coked-up hipster light a couple of candles, take a bubble bath and slowly submerge himself. The main problem with “Happy Sad Song” is that I felt neither of these emotions when I was listening to the song. Instead I picked up the copy of “Sound and Sound” that was on the table beside me and started reading it. The interesting thing about this album is that Duvid is making the exact type of music he set out to make. With that fact in mind I can’t help but be somewhat impressed that Duvid made an album that is the epitome of what relaxing/new age music should be.
J.S. Epperson released his first album in 1993 on the Monroe Institute's Hemi-Sync® label. Since then he has created nine albums, which led to starting his own label in 2009 with Higher Music. Higher Music (just to give you a preview) is not your average record label. They specifically concentrate on one objective, to heighten your state of mind; whether it’s a form of deeper sleep, meditation, focus or relaxation. You could call Epperson a real musical scientist. He’s collaborated with Professor Barbara Bullard, which was the first project that embedded Beta frequencies to enhance concentration and focus.
Ascension is the act or prospect of rising to a higher enlightenment or level. Well J.S. Epperson has a concrete idea that is surfaced among the conversion of binaural and monaural beats. These are frequencies that take us to a state of mind, which more than likely we couldn’t reach on our own, unless we decided to move to a Monastery in Tibet. Epperson’s newest release Ascension has his songs titled in Phases that will sure have you traveling at a different pace. Being able to multiply a database, triggering the forethoughts of our ideas, is considerable when we try on our own. But as I see it, with technology and the use of beats at a soothing rate, it will allow our being to hang on to the future. Without the use of drugs, which is usually how one would get their musical progression across, Epperson has used science the art of hearing to transpire a whole new realm. Opening with Phase 1, crossing into the territory that soon becomes Phase 2, into Phase 3(the longest of the tracks, racing towards 15 minutes) where you can easily picture being in the desert at night, surrounded by what they usually call Montana sky country. As futuristic as this seems, it has an incredible Earth-based approach. If you were to put your ear to the ground, and listen close enough, you would hear magnetic plates moving, underground rivers rushing and a volcanic core corresponding with the solar flares of the sun. Lucas Chong, the vocalist for this five-man punk band, is not from Los Angeles. I thought he was, but he and the other members of Gladstone are from Melbourne, Australia. It's not a compliment or insult, just something I thought. Considering a good deal of Gladstone's forebears, whether they want to admit it or not, hail from L.A., I'd take it as the former. Granted, screaming doesn't exactly lend itself to cultural or geographic specificity (except Japanese 70s hard rock, WHOO!) so maybe I'm just a sucker for L.A. punk. These guys are not suckers. Bear Bones is Gladstone's debut EP, seven post-anything core tracks of Chong's anti-everything lyrics, drummer Steve Rogers nearly breaking his wrists on the set and heavy but not too-heavy stringsmenship from the other guys. The biggest draw on all the tracks is Rogers' drumming, which is very prominent and I'm not even sure it was meant to be mixed that way. A bit of a slight is Michael Chen on bass; Rogers sounds like a key player on every track while Chen sounds woefully underappreciated on them, which is weird for a rhythm section. Gladstone notes they recorded in a week in such a way as to capture their live sound, and I'll say this, throw some crowd shouts in there and maybe just a bit of static and I'd have trouble telling the difference between this and a recorded show. The music is good and its players competent, but the band needs to craft a more distinct sound. You can hear influences of jazz, metal and more melodic rock in some of the songs. "Patron Of Lost Causes" and "Whitney, We Have A Problem" are standout tracks thanks to their versatility but for the most part the band seems to have trouble developing their own style. It is not a good sign when one of the best moments on the EP is a sample from The Slammin' Salmon. Still, they pick themselves up; Chong sounds enraged during the closer "Here Endeth The Lesson,” and despite the musical lull it represents the band at their best. When he screams "WHY CAN'T YOU WHY CAN'T YOU STOP (couldn't understand)", you want to keep doing whatever you're doing so he'll scream at you some more.
Human components based on the electronic and DIY movement have found a home with Erik Saak. Based out of Oklahoma, Saak has been a musical prodigy since he was 10. Composing on the piano, then on guitar and strangely yet sufficiently he transferred his craft to electronic based productions. He mixed and mastered his EP Aural Motion in his own home. While Saak describes that he is still working on the nooks and crannies of producing music out of your home, it has nonetheless been a worthwhile experience. While he's been congratulated on a John Lennon Song Writing award for his song "The Longest Journey," and being a husband and father, he has also been working in the graphic and retail-designing department during the day. This man is a true day and night shape shifter. The Ep starts with "Through The Myth" which is held down by a basic drum beat that leaves room for the airy, often persian sounding synths to swirl in the air. "Machine Dreams of Flying" is a bit more crammed and has a bit more going as synths, bells, and other noises compete for space within the frequency spectrum. The most ethereal song on the album "Float" utilizes cascading piano to differentiate itself from the other songs. Closing the album is "Above The Below" which had the most memorable melodies on the EP. Involving myths, dreams and ending his EP on a high note, this euphoric (yet to be critically acclaimed) release has the perks to be a close representation of the great master, Brian Eno. Although this instrumental set could be classified as ambient, I just feel that there is another genre to be found that could represent this even more so. A hint of dark and light, wanting to rage against the very thought of night and day, seems to be what "Above the Below," registers. If this is what can be completed and dreamed up in a household, I could only bear to think what could be constructed if Saak used the resources of a studio outside of his home. The results could be spectacular and yet a few collaborations might be in mind. Trust in DIY, that movement is what will save our musical knowledge and Saak is often ahead of the rest
Despite the name, despite what you think a band will sound like the moment you read the band's name, whether you are the type of person to judge a book by its cover, Dead Orchids’ album Things From the Fire Pt. 2 will have you at the edge of your biting tongue. Fires burn even after someone tries to smother the flames. Whatever Denver, Colorado is burning up, this four-piece band made up of Danny K, Robyn H, Joe Hodgson and Joe Jennings, from the past to the present, this mixture of post psychedelic, pure rock n' roll blues devils has nothing to fear. Nothing. When you wish as a music listener to come across a new discovery, we want a sound that will get us at the edge of our seats. We want an album that holds up, besides just the standard single that rotates on the radio. Dead Orchids delivered that type of album. Besides being divided between whether or not you should go out and get some sun, or spend the day playing this record as loud as you can from your house, I must comment on Danny K and his guitar playing as well as his mixing of the album. I can only offer my applause since this album sounds better than most high standard recordings. But who wants crisp and clean anymore. Rock n' roll in essence is making a comeback, but honestly it has always been hidden, just waiting for the right individuals to come together and to make the sounds break through. Evergreen Studios in Denver sure saw a hell of a lot of talent while Dead Orchids unleashed their grip on “Blue Elvis,” which become a favorite track of mine on this album. A track that combines gritty guitars, explosive drumming and infectious vocals. A song like "Goodbye" explodes with a visceral explosion that made we wonder how awesome it would be to see these guys live. The anthemic "Black widow" is one of the strongest tracks on the album which could be considered a little slice of merica as the song soars with power and energy. A polished Louisiana blues brings a clear vision to the track titled “The Wolf.” If teeth could be sucked into a vinyl groove, you'd promise to wager a bet on who could finish the deed to satisfaction first without breaking a sweat. What I like most is that this band is not afraid to show that this is an emotionally driven album. That's exactly what music is about. Throwing in emotion to make the listener embrace the effects you've put forth and therefore creating the presence of brilliance should be recognized.
The Troublez With Gender by Tyrone Macintosh has to do exactly with what the title says. The title is inspired by Macintosh’s inquiry into gender’s relationship within culture and society. The expectations that society may put on a man and the damage this may cause are only some of the questions he ponders on his latest release. His music is filled with avant-garde experimentation, which feels quite original in a day and age when being so is a feat within itself. The four songs on the EP revolve around a clarinet that provides the primary melodies of the songs which is then covered and manipulated by electronics. All the songs here are original enough to compete with the likes of a band like Xiu Xiu, Scott Walker, or even John Cage. The EP opener “A Sad Face is Good for the Heart” contains a oscillating synth as well as a kick drum, which provides a bed for the clarinet and vocals to dance together. The clarinet often trails behind the vocals creating a unique, cascading quality that was extremely unique yet enticing. What's most impressive about this song is even though this sort of composition may feel like alien territory to virgin ears there was still enough of a pop sensibility to have a hook. Underneath the experimentation was a pop song. “Are We Men or Machine” explores how culture can feed alpha male stereotypes into boys at a young age and the consequences that can occur because of that. Macintosh’s voice here is what makes the song work as he finds a way to combine singing and talking. His deep almost hypnotic voice at times slowly sprawls across the mostly ambient music. “You Made a Mistake” dismisses any sort of percussion and is similar to “Are We Men or Machine” in that his singing style is similar. My favorite song on the EP was “Judas Iscariot,” which contained piano and when combined with his moaning vocals and what sounded like a typewriter made for one haunting affair. After listening to this EP I felt similar to the way I felt after listening to A Promise by Xiu Xiu. I felt a bit creeped out and disturbed but at the same time impressed with the emotional layers that this type of music was able to uncover in me. It’s an interesting journey and will not be for everyone. With that said the music is original, often times entrancing and will leave a mark. King Friday is on a roll or maybe they are just that good as songwriters. King Friday’s previous releases This is Supposed to Be Fun and Let Him Eat Cake (Song of Birds) were lacking something. No, not incredibly memorable songs that sounded like a throwback to some of the best songwriters from the 60’s and 70’s because it had that but it was lacking one thing - drums. King Friday’s latest release entitled I Wanna Hold Your Gland” contains drums which give the songs a more of beatles-esque feel than a Paul Simon vibe that was present on their previous releases. The songs here are just as catchy, well thought and memorable as their other albums. If there is one issue I had with the album it would be that with the drums weren’t as clear as they could have been which muddied up some of the songs. I would have loved to hear these songs with the drums recorded in a professional studio. Besides that the vocals sounded clear and vibrant while the acoustic guitars sounded crisp. The songs are short but manage to feel like fully fleshed-out ideas - something that was sometimes missing in their previous releases. “Baptize My Brain” is a catchy opener that exudes a playful, poppy feel that could easily be playing in the background as older men frolic in fields. Why they are doing this, I have no idea but this song would be playing. “All Right With You” is a song that would sound right at home playing on the radio aside “Penny Lane” in 1967. It has an instant classic type of vibe that gets stuck in your head before you know it. Possibly my favorite song on the album was “Fol-de-rol,” which was a dynamic, inspired song that seemed to have an almost perfect balance of sincerity and melancholy. Another highlight was “So I’ll Be” which seemed to hit all the right points. The vocals were a standout here as the lead singer’s voice dripped with warmth and seemed to eloquently soar when the chorus hit. The album ends with “Daze” which is an introspective song but doesn't feel inappropriately heavy with the rest of the album. So after three great albums in less than a year where does King Friday go from here? If I were their manager I would suggest getting in a professional studio to polish their sound. King Friday have an undeniable talent that is far and between these days and hope they continue to impress with their stellar songwriting and craftsmanship. Sally is taken from the perspective of a lovelorn girl. Or at least for this Brooklyn-Queens based band, that consists of Kristen Gudsnuk (lead vocals, glockenspiel, melodica, and tambourine), Jordan Cooper (guitar, accordion, back-up vocals) and Will Kastner (drums and percussion. Sally’s EP We Are In A Car, details the lifelong assumptions of past relationships. To driving with your crush and you don’t want to say anything in case a car crash ensues. We’ve all had those fluttering stomach moments with its pop oriented melancholy. What I liked most was how Jordan Cooper exactly described what the six-song EP should feel like – as if you had just watched a movie or in another respect that book that somehow captured the ways we tend to torture ourselves when it involves others. Crushes, loves and foremost heartbreak, that hard conclusion is allowing ourselves to move on. “Friends and Foes” shows the more attuned side to constructing a valuable anthem. Bands nowadays don’t necessarily have the gusto to attempt a drum pounding, three-chord guitar extravaganza. Plus it’s been a while since college rock has made a bit of a comeback since the prevalence of all the dance music. The album opens with the infectious "We Are In A Car" which is just about as perfect of a summer song you could ask for. The vocals melodies draw you in almost immediately as they sound recognizable, attractive, and unpretenious. Either way I was hooked after my first listen. They obviously know their sound as the next song is entitled "Summer Song" utilizes clean guitar with simple yet highly effective chord structures. The songs on this EP never arch the 3 minute mark which is absolutely appropriate for the type of music. With that there isn't a dud on the album. The story about Sally is a pretty intriguing one, while Jordan technically wrote majority of the songs for a solo project, he felt that they more or less symbolized and would work better with Sally. So if you are into stories, concepts and the individuality of appreciating the thought process that went into making this EP, then by all means give We Are In A Car a shot. And plus who doesn't appreciate the use of multi-instrumentalists.
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