The Field
From Here We Go Sublime
2007 | Kompakt
When it comes down to electronica, which is a genre being overshadowed by lots of mash-up and generic electro-dance outfits these days, I pay close attention. It’s not the kind of music that’s easy to get into and can require some serious patience and understanding of how sampling, synths and sequencers work. There are tiny fragments everywhere and sometimes hidden bits of noise that you wish you could unearth as something real. In a simple pop-rock format you’ll never find that kind of attention to detail.
With Electronica I’m usually looking for
finesse and sounds that stir up some excitement. Like most people I
know, I end up going with my gut and think about how the artist
arranges and creates the sounds that win me over. Some people would say
it’s a limited genre that has already been dominated by the likes of
Aphex Twin, Autechre, LFO…you could name loads of other great acts. The
Field is that kind of band; only the music feels limitless. It hits
nerves with subtleties, layers, and space. From Here We Go Sublime is stunning yet completely minimal when compared to some of the best electronica ever made.
Overall,
beats pounce along and make you want to move. On the other hand there
are qualities of ambience that will make you trip out as you lie down
on your bed and take it all in. Axel Willner is the lone swordsman of
The Field. And when he lays out a menu with songs like “Everyday” and
"Good Things End” it’s hypnotic. The album has personalities of trance
and chill-out tempos, but both create their own gravitational pull. From Here We Go Sublime is consistent and devastating with dreamlike beats programmed to tackle and smother your senses.
-Scott McDonald
0 comments
The Raveonettes have delivered three very different cds from each other, each one excellent - though my favorite is still their debut, Whip it On. They’re a band I adore not only because they are great but because they try different things, and they are now touring the States just as the fundamental pair of Sune Rose Wagner and Sharin Foo. They’ll bring their unique hurricane-like force up and down the West Coast starting May 31st in Santa Barbara. I talked with Sharin at the end of April about the band’s future.
Directed by Audiocinema
Portland's Nice Boys released their self-titled album last fall on Birdman Recordings.
Marnie Stern
In Advance of the Broken Arm
2007 | Kill Rock Stars
Marnie Stern is a shredder, a very cute shredder bursting with incredible ideas and power. This is an album that sounds exciting and more on track with what I like to hear from new artists rather than the watered down indie rock that sounds like 50 average bands rolled-up into one. Stern takes chances everywhere covering epic prog breakdowns to full-on art rock blasts of noise and melody climaxing with jagged drumming. Music needs more people like Marnie Stern.
Like many solo efforts she does run into a few roadblocks, but they’re forgettable. Thanks to great tunes like “Grapefruit,” which could pass as the Yeah Yeah Yeahs if they weren’t so wimpy in the studio, the finger tapping madness of “Absorb Those Numbers” and the metal riffage on “Every Single Line Means Something” you'll feel like picking up the guitar immediately. This is an album that’s inspiring and fresh; you feel closer to the artist at the end. Marnie’s world is one that I could never even pretend to create, but she makes me want to try even harder.
Wolf & Cub's "This Mess" is from their debut album Vessels (4AD) and is out now. It's a really, really good album..for fans of DFA 1979.
A great video accompanying one of the standout tracks from Everything Last Winter.
The event calendar requires Javascript.
