Wizconzin '95

Remember when Boys Noize remixed Feist earlier this year? Well they'll be releasing their debut LP pretty soon. The first single, &Down, was released a little while back, and while the song is pretty good, it's the bonus track that makes it worth the purchase. A little bit like Justice, but different enough for them to establish their own identity.

Boys Noize - Wisconsin '95.mp3
[From the &Down single, out now on Boysnoize Germany]
Boys Noize myspace

Edit: Fixed link, sorry for the mistake!

Babies In My Arms

I really love these guys. And not just because they're from one of my favorite cities in my home-state.

MV + EE - Poor Boy.mp3
[From Mars Delta, out now on Child Of Microtones]

Hyper-Accessible Indie-Pop

I've been hitting you pretty hard with psych-folk, noise, etc. for the past few days, so here's some hyper-accessible indie-pop. Accessible doesn't mean crappy, in this case, you should remember. Vaguely reminiscent of Dan Bejar.

Matty Pop Chart - Rainy Season.mp3
[From Everybody Does Everything, out now on Plan-It-X]
Matty Pop Chart myspace

Classically-Influenced Experimental Noise-Drone Folk

Noise is too crude a term for Charalambides latest album, Electricity Ghost, I'm sure. But what else can I call it? Psych-folk? Doesn't touch it. Experimental noise? Redundant. Classical noise? Paradoxical. If you've ever heard Charalambides before, particularly their 2004 masterpiece, Joy Shapes, you'll understand my dilemma. When I think noise, I think constant, randomly placed noise blocks, organized in only the loosest sense of the term. But that description could never apply to Charalambides. No, everything on Electricity Ghost is placed exactly where it should be, and was done so with the utmost precision. Recorded during the Joy Shapes sessions, Electricity Ghost echoes its predecessor in all the right ways; increasingly menacing female vocals and spine-bursting climaxes create an experience every bit as beautiful and disturbing as one could wish for. A stunning throwback to darker days.

Charalambides - Electricity Ghost II.mp3

More Barn Owl

It's barely been a week since I told you about Barn Owl's Foxglove debut, but they've already released their sophomore album, Bridge To The Clouds. It's just as good as their first, with more druggy psych-rock and burnt-out vocals. This one's self-released, so it's release is even more limited than the first. Only about fifty copies, total, so grab this ASAP.


Barn Owl - She Swims In The Clouds.mp3
[From Bridge To The Clouds, self-released and out now]
Barn Owl myspace

r u nekkid? :o

Great minimal techno from Israel, in the vein of The Field.

Guy Gerber - Are U Naked.mp3
[From Late Bloomers, out now on Cocoon]

Assorted Randomness

So, now that I've finally absorbed the final episode of one of my favorite HBO series, I decided it was time to look for a new show to fill that Sopranos-shaped hole in my brain. I ended up choosing The Wire, after hearing so many good things about it over the past few months. Like any self-respecting TV-geek, I started out from the beginning. I've watched about six episodes now, and I'm not disappointed. The only bad thing I have to say so far is that Dominic West's character is a little cliched (an alcoholic Irish cop who plays by his own rules? I've never seen that before!) and annoying, but the rest of the cast is strong, and the story seems suitably intelligent. I especially taken a liking to Clarke Peters character, Lester Freamon (I guess cliches are more tolerable when they're quiet), so I was pleasantly surprised to hear a Miles Davis tune playing in the background during Peters first major episode. I can't find any info about The Wire's music, but unless my hearing has started to fail me at an extremely premature age, I'm sure what I heard was from Kind Of Blue. So here's my favorite track from that album, 'Blue In Green'. Oh, and in case you haven't heard, On The Corner is getting seven-disc box set reissue next month. Be sure to pick it up if you happen to have a small fortune just laying around, collecting dust.

Miles Davis - Blue In Green.mp3
[From Kind Of Blue, released 1959 on Columbia]