na: electronic!
Just a quick round-up of some notable electronic stuff.
Burial – Untrue
I already talked a bit about this one here, but I would just like to note that “Archangel” is pretty much my favorite track of November. So far.
Cobblestone Jazz - 23 Seconds
Michaelangelo Matos put his seal of approval on this one via his review. I wholeheartedly agree.
The future sound of Detroit techno is in… Vancouver? Listening to 23 Seconds, the debut full-length from Cobblestone Jazz, it seems entirely possible. By themselves, Mathew Jonson, Danuel Tate and Tyger Dhula are among the genre’s most formidable — and playful — producers (see especially Tate’s recent Pushcard EP). Together, they create music of tireless delight. Throughout 23 Seconds, the trio piles tangential-seeming instrumental doodads (usually simple, sticky, clacking keyboard motifs, jazz-funk minus the ostentation) into shifting layers that build and ebb like a landscape without ever neglecting the funk-inflected groove.
The sound palette is kinda limited for my tastes, but I think if you listen to this in small doses, you’ll find it be just about one of the most idiosyncratic electronic albums released this year.
Tim Hecker - Norberg
More droning ambience from the Canadian who brought us Radio Amor and Harmony in Ultraviolet. One download, twenty minutes of music to put you to sleep. Can’t argue with that, right?
(eMusic Interview)
The Orb – Orbsessions / Orbesssions 2
Incredibly hit and miss collection of Orb rarities from the vaults. Try before you buy!
Tiger Stripes - Mad at Me
New 12″ from the Swede of the moment in the minimal techno world. It seemed inevitable after solid work on King Street Sounds and Mobilee that Mikael Nordgren would make his way to the venerable Get Physical imprint, home of Booka Shade and others. My fave is “Survivor.”
Will the full Tiger Stripes album, Safari, be coming to eMusic? 7 out of the 11 tracks are already available on the various eps. Just wondering if the other 4 will show up.
At least the Orb albums are the actual artist, unlike some albums from ‘the orb’ you will find on eMusic. Beware.
Porieux, I referenced that in the rolling miscategorsation thread so the Orb albums should be separated. The thing is, there is another artist named “The Orb”, so eMusic did have the “actual artist” before, just not the one you might have been looking for…
That’s an issue that seems to be cropping a lot now that digital sales are removing borders - artists with similar or identical names are discovered to have become established in different countries - check out The Charlatans, Nirvana, Tilt, Omar, Push, Lost Tribe, Way Out West etc. Moral of the story: always preview before downloading.
Rob: I doubt it. The Tiger Stripes thing was released a little while ago and I would assume it would’ve already dropped.
Porieux: We’re working on making The Orb’s releases here changed from artist The Orb (2) to The Orb. For now, they’re unfortunately mixed up. My guy is on vacation, it’ll be sorted shortly.
No problem guys I wasn’t confused, in fact I was one of those who wrote a review on the “Orb” album letting people know it might not be what they were expecting. I think it’s pretty unlikely that they predate the ‘real’ Orb and IMO bands have a responsibility to due ‘due diligence’ to make sure their name is available…especially easy to do these days.