Music

Disco Inferno – D.I. Go Pop

/ David James / 5 Comments

This is not your mother’s disco. It’s one of the most innovative yet short lived bands in the last 20 years!

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Disco Inferno are pretty much the definition of “post rock” – though certainly not in the mould of nearly any band currently saddled with the oft-abused label.  DI made records truly beyond the rock idiom in nearly every way, and paid the price of an untimely death with slim recognition and anemic sales.  Of course now, in the internet age, they’ve been somewhat resurrected… for another generation to ignore.  I’m trying to rectify such a musical travesty.

D.I. Go Pop was the band’s second LP, issued after a string of increasingly brilliant singles and EPs which took them from the humble roots of post-punk also-rans to the heights of rock experimentatation.  Although the title begs otherwise, this is probably the most ‘challenging’ DI release.  However, it’s not a reaction against pop forms.  These 8 songs feel like someone broke the model for modern rock and, after forgetting how it originally went together,  decided to assemble the pieces into something new and different.  They don’t simply de- or reconstruct it, but fashion something more ambiguous, personal and interesting.  I won’t try to describe the sounds other than, generally speaking, they were far ahead of their time in the use of sampling, presaging everything from Matmos to The Books to Animal Collective‘s later albums.

[grab this truly worthy yet well-hidden gem at amazon]

Cornelius – Fantasma!

/ David James / 1 Comment

Cornelius is the music pseudonym of pop wunderkind Keigo Oyamada, a true maverick and leading light of his nation’s music community.  He was first, unfortunately, tagged as the “Japanese Beck” – unfortunate because he’s so much more than this reductive catchphrase could encapsulate.  He initially traded in pop-sound mashups and collage song structure, as Mr. Hanson did, but most similarities end there.

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One reason the Beck comparison fails is simply that Cornelius was working within a music scene he helped create – shibuya-kei.  Starting with his group Flipper’s Guitar, and popularized by Pizzicato Five, the sound thrived in Japan throughout the 90’s and is still the basis for many new projects – everything from Buffalo Daughter‘s trance-rock disco confections to the utterly sublime Katamari Damacy game soundtrack.  [Which reminds me, I’ll be writing about that strange treasure of an album soon.]

Since you’re here about the album, I’ll get to it.  Fantasma is considered by most fans to be the crown jewel of Cornelius‘ recorded output.  As a lover of Point, I’m personally on the fence, but there is no question that this is the place to start if you’re curious about the man and his amazing work.  Imagine a musical genius being exposed to all manner of 20th century music – from the bleeding-edge avant garde composers to the purveyors of sixties pop majesty – all at once, with no distinctions drawn between ‘art’ and ‘fun.’   Then imagine him fusing everything he hears into a cohesive shape, focused through a lense of 80’s hiphop irreverence and carved with a DJ’s ear for pacing and transition.  Then imagine he makes a record with the ambitions of Pet Sounds-era Brian Wilson.  You’re close.

Now, play this album and realize that Keigo Oyamada shares not only the ambitions, but talents of my favorite Wilson brother.  This is no mere cheap analogy:  Repeated close listens to the nuanced and fractured pop ecstasy he’s made reveal the truth in my words.  He may never be as lauded, much less well-known, as those Beach Boys he worshipped as a youth.  But he deserves it, and this album is Exhibit A in making the case.

[grab this at amazon or for only $8 from matador themselves.]

Billie Holiday – Lady In Satin

/ David James / 3 Comments

billie-holiday-lady-in-satin

Billie Holiday is a true-blue goddess. This is not debatable opinion; it is straight fact. Her interpretations and originals are some of the most enduring recordings in modern popular music. Her voice lacerates soul and body alike and has been known, on occasion, to reduce grown men to tears. Her spirit is defiantly eternal.

Her final recorded work is Lady in Satin.

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Seefeel – Quique

/ David James / 6 Comments

Seefeel Quique

Seefeel are an extraordinary, epoch-defining band, a group which one often finds name-checked in the write-ups of other essential music. Their debut album is a groundbreaking masterwork that exists far outside of time.

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Terry Riley – A Rainbow In Curved Air

/ David James / Leave a comment

I’ve previously referred to this compositional wizard.  Finally, an elucidation:  Terry Riley is one of the founding fathers of modern minimalism and, more subtly, inspiration to myriad genres and generations of popular music since his first groundbreaking compositions.  I’m here to share my love for A Rainbow In Curved Air

So I’m sharing this landmark recording.  The title cut is an unequivocal masterpiece.  Anyone speaking otherwise is obviously ‘out of their element’ and should, by all means, give it a listen.  There isn’t much to write in the way of a description, other than noting that this recording is analogous to a profound dream:  deeply affecting, nuanced, beautiful, yet devoid of concrete meaning.  The feelings evoked are an end unto themselves.  These sounds are subconscious and natural.  This composition is eternal.

Just listen.

[purchase at amazon and rejoice.  thank me later]

Tanlines

/ David James / Leave a comment

Tanlines are sort of a mystery to me. But these aren’t the kind one gets from passing out on the beach – this one makes indellible instrumental sunny tropical dance music like so:

New Flowers

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Basically, these two songs are uplifting, energetic, summery, and addictive.  Short on time, these tracks are tall on feeling and instinctually catchy rhythm.  Give it a spin and see for yourself.

And Tanlines, to give you more info (available on their myspace), have remixed tracks by the likes of Telepathe, El Guincho, and The Tough Alliance.. if that gives you a hint.  Hopefully it also whets your appetite.  This is a good discovery waiting for you to make it.

[purchase these tunes at Boomkat, and be sure to tell them how much you enjoy the fun sounds.]

Bullion – Young Heartache + Get Familiar

/ David James / 1 Comment

Bullion.   Are you familiar?

If not, it’s imperative you become so.  Because this guy is going to blow up big time, I guarantee.  The reason?  He is quickly becoming my favorite new producer, and I’ll relate why.

First of all:  the Young Heartache EP

young-heartache

Simply put, these four tracks will blow your fucking mind in less than 15 minutes.  There’s no other way about it.  Weaving in lush classic pop-tinged (and -sampled) melodies through a romantic vibe reminiscent of early Daedelus, he hints at the impression of none other than a true successor to the Avalanches‘ definitive (and only, so far) LP.  Maybe I’m getting ahead of myself, but I haven’t felt this way about a record since, well, Since I Left You.  This is not to say Young Heartache is on par with my all-time Desert Island record;  rather, the potential bursting through every second of this release is unbearable.  I cannot wait to hear what he has in store next.

Fifteen minutes is insufficient time with such talent, so with that in mind I present: Get Familiar 7″

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Just two tracks and a remix, this will get your heart pumping faster than the previous EP in all likelihood.  Spinning a more beat-oriented sound inside of a space-vaccuum atmosphere of spindly synth stabs and trebly claps, the title track slams in such a way that the question, “Why hasn’t some mainstream rapper used/abused this already?” is nigh unavoidable.  Next with “Rude Effort,” Bullion absolutely shakes the listener to his core with a calamitous bass shuffle, fist-pumpingly anthemic keys and percussion which leaves absolutely no mystery about the reason behind its title.  If nothing else, this track will convince you that I’m not just high when I proclaim forthcoming popularity with this guy.

Of course, it’ll help if people are actually listening and buying these nuggets of pure 24k brilliance.  So put on the headphones, drop him a line, get familiar.

[and of course, help make my prediction reality by purchasing his work HERE at Boomkat]