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JAGWAR MA
Howlin

Sometimes, a band being unsure of who they want to be is definitely a good thing. So long as they can pull this off with confidence, they’re all set. Just ask Jagwar Ma. Their debut album in influenced by everything from the sort of psychedelia that their countrymen Tame Impala are proficient in, to 90s rave culture, the Madchester scene, and impressively focused dance-pop. It’s all over the place, broadly speaking, but it works extremely well. Jono Ma and Gabriel Winterfield came together over a passion for melody and experimental beats, and these things are essential parts of the Jagwar Ma sound. The duo find ways to keep things interesting even they’re at their most straightforward, and it’s this that makes Howlin such a fascinating album.

ARTIST: Jagwar Ma
TITLE: Howlin
LABEL: Marathon Artists
RELEASE DATE: June 10, 2013
TIME: 48:36 min.
WEB: https://www.facebook.com/JagwarMa
PURCHASE: special offer – ONLY 7.99$

01. What Love [03:54]
02. Uncertainty [04:03]
03. The Throw [06:44]
04. That Loneliness [02:52]
05. Come Save Me [05:15]
06. Four [06:32]
07. Let Her Go [02:57]
08. Man I Need [03:37]
09. Exercise [04:05]
10. Did You Have To? [02:59]
11. Backwards Berlin [05:38]

PREVIEW: Jagwar Ma – Exercise

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RS VIDEO OF THE WEEK – #161
NOSAJ THING – Eclipse / Blue

ARTIST: Nosaj Thing (feat. Kazu Makino)
TITLE: Eclipse / Blue
ALBUM: Home
WEB: YouTube

directed by Daito Manabe

SIGUR RÓS
Kveikur

Kveikur is Sigur Rós‘ first release on XL Recordings worldwide. The record, which was self-produced by the three members of the band: Jón Þór Birgisson, Georg Holm and Orri Páll Dýrason, sees the band shifting towards a more direct, aggressive sound. Sigur Rós, now recently diminished to a three-piece with the exit of longtime keyboardist Kjartan Sveinsson, are swiftly hurtling into their twentieth year together. Kveikur sees them potentially delve into a different territory for the first time. It’s plagued by shadows, complex textures and frantic will-o’-the-wisp rhythms that dart and weave through the music. It’s unsettling, chaotic, vengeful, astounding, invigorating and forces you to feel a plethora of cacophonous emotions concurrently. It’s their loudest record. It’s their darkest record.
If it will be the best, it’s up to you.

ARTIST: Sigur Rós
TITLE: Kveikur
LABEL: XL Recordings
RELEASE DATE: June 18, 2013
TIME: 48:13 min.
WEB: http://www.sigur-ros.co.uk/
PURCHASE: price – 9.99$

01. Brennisteinn [07:45]
02. Hrafntinna [06:23]
03. Ísjaki [05:03]
04. Yfirborð [04:19]
05. Stormur [04:55]
06. Kveikur [05:55]
07. Rafstraumur [04:58]
08. Bláþráður [05:12]
09. Var [03:44]

PREVIEW: Sigur Rós – Yfirborð

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BOARDS OF CANADA
Tomorrow’s Harvest

The idolized and enigmatic Scottish duo is back. After considerable speculation by their rabid fan base (not to mention the media following every step of the way), Boards of Canada have revealed their new album Tomorrow’s Harvest entrusting its launch to a small viral campaign: a couple of teasers (one of them directed by Neil Krug) and to the controlled spread of six vinyl during the same day, filled with encrypted codes, already matter for collectors. Inside Tomorrow’s Harvest, every aspect has been carefully played, expertly placed within the context of Boards of Canada‘s career which refusing to become introverted. Stylistically, the album veers away from the treated guitars of The Campfire Headphase and moves back to the pure electronics of Music Has the Right to Children. The much discussed post-apocalyptic themes are apparent throughout, explicitly through the song titles, implicitly through the sounds of grinding machinery and lifeless wind. Not only an album: a universe which will surely take much more than one listen to fully explore.

ARTIST: Boards of Canada
TITLE: Tomorrow’s Harvest
LABEL: Warp
RELEASE DATE: June 11, 2013
TIME: 60:55 min.
WEB: http://www.boardsofcanada.com/
PURCHASE: price – 10.99$

01. Gemini [02:56]
02. Reach for the Dead [04:49]
03. White Cyclosa [03:14]
04. Jacquard Causeway [06:32]
05. Telepath [01:32]
06. Cold Earth [03:44]
07. Trasmisiones Ferox [02:16]
08. Sick Times [04:22]
09. Collapse [02:44]
10. Palace Posy [04:06]
11. Split Your Infinities [04:29]
12. Uritual [02:00]
13. Nothing Is Real [03:52]
14. Sundown [02:16]
15. New Seeds [05:40]
16. Come to Dust [04:07]
17. Semena Mertvykh [03:16]

PREVIEW: Boards of Canada – Cold Earth

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RS VIDEO OF THE WEEK – #160
SUUNS – 2020

ARTIST: Suuns
TITLE: 2020
ALBUM: Images du Futur
WEB: YouTube

directed by Sabrina Rattè

IAMAMIWHOAMI
Bounty

iamamiwhoami is a daughter of the internet. So we guess we should thank the internet. But that’s a long-boring matter. Let’s jump to the conclusions by listening to this new Bounty, which, actually, isn’t so new. Bounty is the prologue to last year’s Kin, and brings together in one place/object the previously released multimedia series that had surfaced before Kin was released as iamamiwhoami’s first album proper. Between 2010 and 2012, beneath a cloak of anonymity and all kinds of mystery, iamamiwhoami released what could best be described as music videos onto YouTube. Anticipation built as a debut album came ever closer to a release, and an equal amount of frustration brewed as it was continually pushed back. Eventually, Kin was released: an album of previously unreleased material, well received by just about everybody. That’s it: in a few words, Bounty is a sort of official release for what came before. The music, then. It’s unmistakably Scandinavian: think of Fever Ray, and then track several shades paler, less oppressive and prettier. iamamiwhoami is just as weird, but it’s a different weirdness. Bounty is wonderfully idiosyncratic: the whole thing holds together in an indefinable way that ultimately comes down to iamamiwhoami sounding far more like themselves than anybody else. But the music, even if truly able to stand for itself, in this case maybe isn’t enough: Bounty is an album designed for listenwatching. So listenwatch.

ARTIST: iamamiwhoami
TITLE: Bounty
LABEL: To Whom It May Concern
RELEASE DATE: June 3, 2013
TIME: 43:09 min.
WEB: http://towhomitmayconcern.cc/
PURCHASE: special offer – ONLY 8.91$

01. B [03:31]
02. O [06:39]
03. U-1 [02:41]
04. U-2 [03:43]
05. N [04:37]
06. T [04:41]
07. Y [06:39]
08. ; John [06:41]
09. Clump [04:27]

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JON HOPKINS
Immunity

If you came to love Jon Hopkins from laid-back electro releases, then be warned: this is not more of the same. Immunity might be the most dance-focused album Hopkins has ever produced. It bursts with techno beats that jump wildly from deep and dark to bright and euphoric. As an album, Immunity takes you everywhere, while, track by track, you have your pick: from something to get everyone dancing, to the soundtrack of the sun rising over a perfect night. But beware: Immunity is a powerful, multi-faceted beast, packed with the most aggressively dancefloor-focused music Hopkins has ever made.

ARTIST: Jon Hopkins
TITLE: Immunity
LABEL: Domino
RELEASE DATE: June 4, 2013
TIME: 60:05 min.
WEB: http://www.jonhopkins.co.uk/
PURCHASE: price – 9.49$

01. We Disappear [04:50]
02. Open Eye Signal [07:49]
03. Breathe This Air [05:30]
04. Collider [09:22]
05. Abandon Window [04:58]
06. Form by Firelight [05:45]
07. Sun Harmonics [11:54]
08. Immunity [09:57]

PREVIEW: Jon Hopkins – We Disappear

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AUSTRA
Olympia

After three years of non-stop touring following the release of 2010′s debut Feel It Break, when it came time to record Olympia, Austra had evolved into a collaborative effort between its six members and presents a quantum evolution in the Toronto-based band’s sound, structure and style. Produced by Austra with additional production by Mike Haliechuk, the album also features vocal production by Damian Taylor (Björk, The Killers), engineering by Bill Skibbe and Leon Taheny and was mixed by Tom Elmhirst (Adele, Erasure, Hot Chip).

ARTIST: Austra
TITLE: Olympia
LABEL: Domino
RELEASE DATE: June 18, 2013
TIME: 45:56 min.
WEB: http://www.austramusic.com/
PURCHASE: price – 9.99$

01. What We Done? [05:01]
02. Forgive Me [03:20]
03. Painful Like [04:00]
04. Sleep [04:33]
05. Home [04:16]
06. Fire [04:43]
07. I Don’t Care (i’m a man) [01:11]
08. We Become [04:23]
09. Reconcile [03:32]
10. Annie (oh muse, you) [03:48]
11. You Changed My Life [03:12]
12. Hurt Me Now [03:57]

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SIN FANG
Flowers

Among jangling bells, lush keys and playroom electronica, Sin Fang’s Sindri Már Sigfússon begins his third album with a “ooohaaaah” chanted line and the most straight-down-the-line pop chorus he’s ever attempted. Having worked with Sigur Rós and Jónsi producer Alex Somers, his time round the sound is bigger, almost bombastic, yet retaining a whimsical, bright outlook. Flowers is easily the Icelandic singer’s most accessible, prettiest record to date. This album is incredibly easy to listen to with a fast rhythm and a string section. Sin Fang has created a piece to show the rest of the world just what Iceland has to offer. It’s a great amalgamation of everything that Björk and Sigur Rós don’t show. The music is experimental and the lyrics are erudite, but the accessibility and musicality are not sacrificed for it. Sin Fang is unafraid to say that music that is easy to dance can be made with an orchestra and that clear music can be thoughtful.

ARTIST: Sin Fang
TITLE: Flowers
LABEL: Morr Music
RELEASE DATE: February 19, 2013
TIME: 39:34 min.
WEB: http://www.heysinfang.com/
PURCHASE: price – 8.99$

01. Young Boys [03:35]
02. What’s Wrong with Your Eyes [04:51]
03. Look at the Light [03:40]
04. Sunbeam [03:26]
05. Feel See [05:18]
06. See Ribs [02:54]
07. Catcher [04:18]
08. Everything Alright [04:09]
09. Not Enough [03:28]
10. Weird Heart [03:55]

PREVIEW: Sin Fang – Young Boys

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RS VIDEO OF THE WEEK – #158
PVT – Vertigo

ARTIST: PVT
TITLE: Vertigo
ALBUM: Homosapien
WEB: YouTube

directed by Clemens Habicht

THESE NEW PURITANS
Field of Reeds

Brand new album from These New Puritans. In a way, it was completely unexpected. Pigeonholed as promising but limited indie rock types, These New Puritans decided to break down these barriers with their second album: released back in 2010, Hidden was a torrent of ideas, a stunning mixture of free jazz and left field rock, all delivered with an orchestral sweep. Since then, the band have played some very special live shows before heading back into the studio. And now Field of Reeds is born: a new path of flared and dilated indie-rock, inspired songwriting and, of course, nothing taken for granted.

ARTIST: These New Puritans
TITLE: Field of Reeds
LABEL: Infectious
RELEASE DATE: June 10, 2013
TIME: 53:13 min.
WEB: http://www.thesenewpuritans.com/
PURCHASE: price – 9.99$

01. The Way I Do [03:03]
02. Fragment Two [04:35]
03. The Light in Your Name [06:05]
04. V (island song) [09:18]
05. Spiral [06:05]
06. Organ Eternal [05:03]
07. Nothing Else [07:51]
08. Dream [04:16]
09. Field of Reeds [06:27]

PREVIEW: These New Puritans – Fragment Two

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PORTFOLIO
We | Humans

Brand new EP from Reggio Emilia-based post-rockers Portfolio, featuring two unreleased tracks plus Beth Gibbons e Kim Novak, taken from their debut The Standing Babas, but here nicely re-worked. The first remixed by Silent Panda | Deadly Panda (a.k.a. Luca G from Julie’s Haircut), who plays guitars also on James Horses Chariot and Sion. The second one shows a wonderful different skin with less electronics and the introduction of a string quartet. An appreciated appetizer while waiting for their second full-length, sweetly enhanced by Laura Loriga‘s (Mimes of Wine, Giardini di Mirò) voice.

ARTIST: Portfolio
TITLE: We | Humans
LABEL: This Is the Land
RELEASE DATE: May 06, 2013
TIME: 24:54 min.
WEB: http://www.facebook.com/portfoliothesound
PURCHASE: special offer – NAME YOUR PRICE

01. James Horses Chariot [06:08]
02. Sion [07:17]
03. Kim Novak (with strings) [04:09]
04. Beth Gibbons (silent panda | deadly panda remix) [07:20]

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MOTORPSYCHO
Still Life with Eggplant

Roughly one year after the ambitious, orchestra-assisted collaboration with Ståle Storløkken entitled The Death Defying Unicorn, Norway’s most renowned psychedelic/hard rock act, Motorpsycho, delivers their 18th studio effort, Still Life with Eggplant. The music is almost as random as the title sounds, as the band is known for constantly shifting styles from one album to another. However, Still Life with Eggplant is one of their most accessible works, consisting of ideas Motorpsycho wrote in the past 3 years, but couldn’t find their place on their last year endeavor. As a result, there are various jazz traces, but most of material here has its’ roots in the hard rock sphere. The songs all aim for slightly different directions, none of them classifying as filler, while the melodic, sing-along vocals are usually catchy and memorable. This time, Reine Friske (Elephant9) was added as the second guitar player to the line-up to add some boost. Still Life with Eggplant is an enjoyable 45 minute ride that doesn’t consume the listener, it only wants him to sit back, bang his head to it and have a good time.

ARTIST: Motorpsycho
TITLE: Still Life with Eggplants
LABEL: Stickman
RELEASE DATE: April 12, 2013
TIME: 45:04 min.
WEB: http://motorpsycho.fix.no/
PURCHASE: price – 9.99$

01. Hell (part 1-3) [09:47]
02. August [04:53]
03. Barelycorn (let it come, let it be) [07:19]
04. Ratcatcher [17:10]
05. The Afterglow [05:57]

PREVIEW: Motorpsycho – The Afterglow

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RS VIDEO OF THE WEEK – #156
THE KNIFE – A Tooth for an Eye

ARTIST: The Knife
TITLE: A Tooth for an Eye
ALBUM: Shaking the Habitual
WEB: YouTube

directed by Roxy Farhat

LETHERETTE
Letherette

If there’s one thing occasionally lacking in the current crop of electronic wonders, it’s fun. Fun is what sets Letherette apart, what makes them more than just another act in electronica, and what makes their self-titled debut a classic album. Letherette is, dare we say it, a classic of “dance” music generally. The young duo from Wolverhampton have won hearts, minds and feet with four EPs, stunning remixes for Machinedrum and Bibio, and exuberant live shows. It’s easy to see why they inspire such enthusiasm: they understand the cutting edge without feeling afraid to let themselves go, and their music is all the better for it. Letherette explores mood confidently, taking in introspective, melancholic moments as well as upbeat drive and lending their debut extraordinary depth.

ARTIST: Letherette
TITLE: Letherette
LABEL: Ninja Tune
RELEASE DATE: April 16, 2013
TIME: 56:43 min.
WEB: http://ninjatune.net/artist/letherette
PURCHASE: special offer – ONLY 8.99$

01. After Dawn [04:29]
02. D&T [03:14]
03. Restless [04:07]
04. I Always Wanted You Back [03:18]
05. The One [04:46]
06. Gas Stations and Restaurants [05:55]
07. Cold Calm [05:49]
08. Warstones [04:36]
09. Boosted [04:36]
10. Space Cuts [04:06]
11. Hard Martha [05:24]
12. Say the Sun [06:23]

PREVIEW: Letherette – Space Cuts

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SØLYST
Lead

As the rhythmic powerhouse between krautrock/electronica/post-rock fusionists Kreidler, Thomas Klein has proved his chops as one of the most accomplished and creative drummers in the German music scene, and now he comes to the fore with his dub and techno-influenced solo debut as Sølyst. If krautrock as a movement was about taking organic, instrument-created sounds and building them into angular, avant-garde sonic tapestries, then Klein’s reinvention of the template simply does the same with digital technology and sounds. The dub influence slows the pace to a narcotic, undulating throb through echoing percussion with multi-faceted, bubbling synths. Understated and avoiding wilful experimentation in favour of smooth, rounded compositions, Lead is a strong debut from Klein.

ARTIST: Sølyst
TITLE: Lead
LABEL: Bureau B
RELEASE DATE: April 16, 2013
TIME: 47:20 min.
WEB: http://www.bureau-b.com/solyst
PURCHASE: special offer – ONLY 8.99$

01. Pierobourg [07:17]
02. Glass Danger [05:10]
03. Polar [04:53]
04. Lead [02:15]
05. Magellan [05:00]
06. Melancholia [05:20]
07. Spiegel [04:28]
08. Kristall [02:17]
09. Euphorica [04:57]
10. Schnee [05:43]

PREVIEW: Sølyst – Schnee

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