You know that tape label I rave about every time I do a sundry commentary, Keep it Together Records? Well, it’s soon to be no more. Today is the last day you can snag amazing albums like A Garden Overgrown’s “The Lost Art of Conversation”, LITE’s “Installation”, and Saisa’s “Aftermath”, which I wrote about earlier this month. His site is easy to navigate, mobile friendly, and he’s a really cool dude who’s just moving on to different things. My only worry is my future source for japanese mathrock on cassette. Maybe Topshelf will start printing Toe on cassette. Maybe Denovali will press the Té Collection on a triple cassette release. Who knows. Maybe the cassette will finally die… again.
As for more current music, there’s been a surprising amount of singles that have caught my attention. Here’s a few that show promise for future releases:
- You Are An Explorer – “Translations”
It’s really difficult to say a lot about one song that I haven’t already said about their Self-Titled EP. I’m not entirely sure if it’s a single for being a single’s sake, or if it’s a sample of what’s to come. Either way, it has everything I love about YAAE, and I continually look forward to hearing more from them.
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- We Came From The North – “Ruseman’s Lightning +5”
“More of the same” is perfectly fine with me it retains its brilliancy. Personally, I wish they’d do a split LP with The Shaking Sensations more than anything else, because I’m still reeling from ‘From Which All Things Depend’. There is a bit of a ‘fuzzy demo recorded in a toilet’ vibe going on, but I think it might actually be deliberate. These guys just announced a new EP to be released soon, and the release show will be opened by…
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- A Sudden Burst of Colour – “Yume”
This British band actually surprised me with their talents as I was muddling through the new releases tagged as ‘post-rock’. You would not believe how much folk music and hip-hop is tagged as post-rock, it’s ridiculous. But these guys not only belong there, they are better than most other post-rock acts there. There’s only two singles and an EP available, but they’re all solid, and they’re all name your own price for digital. Plus you might wanna check them out, since they’re opening for We Came From The North.
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- Dora The Destroyer – “Turing’s Machines”
Aside from having one of the best band names in the history of ever, they really bring the noise in a post-metal sort of way. Excellent single overall, I can’t wait to hear more from this solo project. He’s released a few singles, I think he should really acquire some patience and make an album, get his name out there.
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- Haison – 少し眠る & 思い上がり
Very interesting ambient/acoustic/electronica combination. I like to listen to these when I’m in a funky mood. Check ‘em out if you enjoy unique ambience.
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HUGAR. Frikkin Hugar. I don’t have the time to write what I want to say about this album, because that article would be far too long. This is just a tad too aggressive to be considered ambient, but the aggression in this music isn’t the type of music to get your blood pumping… if that makes any sense. The neo-classical tendencies with the strings, piano, and brass really make this album stand out to me. I find myself brooding in a dark corner of the room whenever I listen to this, it’s so thought-provoking.
KAZUO was another surprise in my quest through newly tagged albums. It’s melodic ambience was very refreshing, after so many tolkien inspired space drone pieces. (Yeah, apparently that’s a thing.) It’s not a very long album, so don’t worry about spending a whole afternoon listening to it. The intimate field recordings bring a sense of humanity to the table, something I haven’t heard often in this genre. Highly recommended for enjoyment during the quieter moments during the day. If you do like this EP, check out Lu_Shush’s “In Person” EP.
THE ATLAS AMP actually contacted me via Twitter, telling me they liked my Foofer Fridays, and sent me a download code for their ‘Oscillator’ EP. I always listen to the music that bands send directly to me, and for once, I actually liked it. Lots of potential in this band, but not too amateur, either. Very solid EP, though I can’t find enough words to give it an article of its own. Sorry, guys.
THE GOOD PACK is to musicians as The Humble Bundle is to gamers. Sounds awesome, right? The Good Pack features 5 bands from the Pacific Northwest that you pick the price for, or free if you choose. Any proceeds go towards Pacific Northwest-based charities aimed at homeless youth. The genre ranges from everything, just as long as they’re from that general area. Not really post-rock, but I think it’s awesome and deserves attention.
FOR ASTRONAUTS AND SATELLITES is something unique. I mean, unless you can show me another chiptune post-rock band. Yeah, didn’t think so. It’s definitely chiptune first and foremost, but the composition just screams post-rock. It’s something I’ve been playing a bit more than normal, you should definitely check it out if you’re into downtempo electronica, or chiptune music.
If you end up finding something you like, please let me know via twitter @Foofsies. Those sort of messages always give me that warm fuzzy feeling in my stomach.