Spring Cellar

2010 statistics

2011-01-08T15:42:00.003Z

This is the traditional time of year for "best of" lists covering the past 12 months. This blog is quite orthogonal to trends, so let's steer clear of a list touting how much of an early adopter I can pretend to be. Instead let's examine actual data.

Last.fm has a somewhat inaccurate reflection of my listening habits, due to their filtering out some legitimate plays. This especially affects incessantly repeated plays of tracks that are not yet in the Musicbrainz database, resulting in Vaxadrin, Too Wonky Traktors, and Space Heroes of the People appearing much lower in the list than they have a right to. Even so, there are 31 free tracks in the top 100, 13 in the top 40, and one of the top 3 is free, so it seems reasonable to conclude that roughly one in three tracks I've listened to during 2010 has been free music.

The top 100 spans tracks going back to the Brian Eno track The Big Ship from 1975, while the top 500 goes back to 1927's Potato Head Blues by Louis Armstrong. The top six tracks are from 2007, 2005, 2008, 1993, 1994, and 2008. To qualify for the top 500, a track had to have been played at least 12 times during the year. Over the next few years some of the 2010 appearances in the top 500 should reappear in higher positions, for instance artists Four Tet (Kieran Hebden), Drivan (Swedish poptronica), and Com Truise (the most recent name used by Seth Haley, who also has recorded as Sarin Sunday).

According to Last.fm my top free track for 2010 was Boreal Network's Wetland. My iTunes playcounts show that the mysterious Vaxadrin EP actually was played more often.

Blanketed by melody

2010-08-06T08:51:00.005+01:00

Closing skies want to
wear autumn's clothes. Aurora
will wait for next time.

Pixieguts has listened to a lot of Adrian Carter over the years. Their joint tracks, for instance Black River, feature hazy vocals evoking the edge of consciousness. Right now that is the wrong mood to be tapping into, much as I'd love to be on the river punting. This track jumped out, seized my ears, and won't let go. It's an epic bleepfest from 2006, just right for late summer productivity.

Adrian Carter: Abattoir Saws

Late one evening

2010-07-17T21:14:00.004+01:00

Flying, turning, stop.
Graceful wings, joyful cries. Light
fades slowly up north.

Too Wonky Traktors spent a year coercing two instances of Ableton to talk to each other. This collaborative setup leads to subtly layered tunes, built from eclectic source material. I'm not very fond of genre classifications, but wonky does seem appropriate here. This track is quite minimal, but has the polished edge of something finely wrought. I look forward to catching them live.

Too Wonky Traktors: Summer Blossom Chat in The Park

Vaxadrin mystery EP: Life After Math

2010-07-05T22:43:00.005+01:00

This is a little odd. I found an EP on my hard disk, apparently downloaded in April 2008 and lost among all the great free music that I'm still digging through. The MP3 release is tagged as by Vaxadrin, and is called "Life After Math" (of course it could be mistagged and may actually be the EP Vaxadrin by Life After Math). Could someone provide a pointer to what this is and where it could be located? My Google-fu fails to locate a source; there is no such artist at Musicbrainz or Discogs; Archive.org knows nothing. My puzzlement about the lack of trace of artist or release on the net is that this is rather excellent music, and it would be great to spread the word! But it is a bit odd to be forced to say "I found these great tracks on my hard disk, sorry I have no idea of their status". Please help!

The five tracks are listed as:

Starry Sky
Know Yourself
Mythical Creatures
Wall Of Sound
Breathing Deeper

Three of these are worth heavy-duty listening, and I would wholeheartedly recommend this release for anyone keen on lush melodic electronica with pop sensibilities, a dose of minimalism, a dash of glitch, and a nod to dubstep. Alas, no links until I have worked out the status of these tracks...

Summer tufts

2010-07-01T14:09:00.004+01:00

Many things to do.
Cool breeze, riverside picnic
Ants in the grass? Smile.

Today's "super chill" track (or otherwise, lush melodic instrumental electronica) is by James Kirsch (a.k.a. General Fuzz). The beats and careful arrangement stop the piano and strings from pulling the composition over into the abyss occupied by Andreas Vollenweider. As a wee lad I did spend far too much time down there, but I'm much better now. Take a journey to the land just a shade this side of Easy Listening, but be careful of the edge.

General Fuzz: Second Thoughts

Midwinter plains

2010-06-27T19:09:00.005+01:00

Long-distance skiing:
cutting new tracks, exhaustion.
Also, elation.

The midsummer heat brings forth nostalgia for coolth and winter light. Last year I posted about Boreal Network's track Cloud Map, but turning down the brightness seems key to long term resonance. As a brief look at my Last.fm profile confirms, another track from Aviation Weather turned out to be the long term stayer. Cole Johnson has been rather prolific since this album. I mentioned Bikehigh USA 2 a while back, a new EP Phase With The Moon is in the pipeline, and there are four other releases in between! If you liked Paramnesic's Last Breath or The Night Before, this lives in the same nostalgica territory.

Boreal Network: Wetland

Dazzled by sunlight

2010-06-24T11:52:00.007+01:00

It's not complicated: dance!
Do it now, do it.

Oxford's Space Heroes of the People tap into the Soviet-nostalgia of their name. Track names such as "Cosmodrome", "Motorway to Moscow", and "Steam Driven" evoke a slightly rusty but perfectly functional sort of proto-steampunk. The link between Soviet tech and the glories of the freewheeling DIY spirit was perhaps first made in the English language by Bruce Sterling and William Gibson in their 1983 story "Red Star, Winter Orbit". (Let's not worry here about the less glorious aspects of living in such a society.)

On this deeply happy track from the 2007 EP "Motorway to Moscow", minimal electronica meets New Romantic pop sensibilities. The hooks are simpler than most lullabies, and the approach is certainly sparser than others fishing in the same waters, such as MGMT. The strong use of repetition hammers home the singalong tune. This skips us right past irritation and over into fascination with the blocks of sound from which the song is constructed. In low earth orbit, you must dance with Colonel Korolev!
Space Heroes of the People: Shiny Shiny

Cycle trail

2010-05-09T14:35:00.002+01:00

Clear skies, gentle breeze.
It's a good day to ride fast,
Alongside green fields.

A while back I wrote about Boreal Network's Aviation Weather. Changing modes of transport, Cole Johnson returned late last year to a cycling theme. Bikehigh USA 2: Nettles Revenge is a sequel to Bikehigh USA, from 2007. These new tracks somehow didn't make an impression while the skies were grey in late 2009. But now, with some kind of spring finally in progress, pumping, crunchy electronica beckons with a happy grin. Get on your bike!

Boreal Network: Regional Trail

Gee skweee

2010-03-04T12:38:00.004Z

Bleep, bloop, bleep again
Casiotone in a loop,
or essence of sound?

Minimal electronica is not usually my main beat. I like walls of sound, analogue distortion, and Moog melodies. So nostalgica, and more generally melodic electronica, are my staple subgenres. However, I really liked the sounds of Rymdreglage's 8-bit trip, and DJ Mujava's Township Funk was part of any definitive 2009 experience, so it seems time to re-explore this part of the landscape. I'll try to avoid thinking about Plastikman and my past bafflement with it all.

This is rather catchy, from an album released earlier this year. Thanks to Karl for the pointer!

Beem: Automan

Shoulder of Orion

2009-11-20T11:50:00.002Z

Vocoder lyrics should be irritating. For some reason, these slip past my hot buttons, instead providing the girders for an atmospheric soundtrack. Is this from the replicant hit parade?
sp00: Secrets

Monster mash

2009-11-14T00:41:00.003Z

"Raiding the 20th century" was DJ Food's hour-long exploration of the late 20th century (mostly all about the origins of modern popular music, via tracks that themselves sample other sources). This is archived at UPenn and worth listening to several times.
DJ Food: Raiding the 20th Century (Words & Music Expansion)
There is also an earlier, rawer, 39 minute version that went out on XFM in 2004, but its legality is even more dubious.
Strictly Kev: Raiding the 20th Century - A History of The Cutup (tracklisting and more info)

I'm personally rather partial to several of the mashups referred to in the mix, and it would be nice if one could buy them!

The Raiding mix is quite strange, because of the limitation on only using mashups, bootlegs, cut-ups, and cut-ins as source material. While I agree that mashups are a valid and important form (and that in some sense much art is of this form), I disagree with Strictly Kev's apparent contention that it is likely to become the dominant form. That is, unless one uses a very broad interpretation of "mashup".

I do agree with him that the Kylie Minogue live (but possibly mimed?) performance at the Brit Awards 2002 was one of the sublime peaks of pop music, and a great mashup. But I also think Cat Power's performance of Wonderwall is sublime, and this is pretty far from a mashup unless one includes it in the category because of its structural elements or because it is a cover.
Kylie Minogue: Can't get Blue Monday out of my head (live)
Cat Power: Wonderwall

Here Minogue, whose output is in my opinion generally fairly lacklustre, performs a generic pop song to the backing of a great piece of music, and does so in a way that perfectly captures the mood of the times. (Given the date of this performance, I'm thinking Nero fiddling here...) On the other hand, Marshall takes a piece of music performed by a band I do not like in a way that is irritating and self-conscious, and shows just how great the song can be with a dose of focus and honesty.

I've found that there are many noteworthy snippets in the Raiding mix, and that it repays repeated listening. I especially recommend The Tape-Beatles and Steinski, who both crop up several times, and The Grey Album.

Many Tape-Beatles tracks are available for free download from UbuWeb. I love the track Stress from Music with Sound.

Three wonderful mashups of Beatles tracks are squirrelled away at Steinski's web site. Some of his best known work is also now available to buy as the "What Does It All Mean?" retrospective. Presumably these have now been cleared, or at least someone is prepared to absorb the potential flak.

The Grey Album is now de facto official, as the record companies appear to be leaving it alone. It probably helps that it may have significantly boosted the sales of both The Black Album and The White Album.

Dams have side effects

2009-11-13T23:43:00.004Z

Kristin Hersh has been putting her works in progress up for time-limited free download for about two years now. As far as I can tell, touring and donations has provided a better income for her than relying on record companies to distribute her work. Her current track (which may be replaced with another soon, it has been up for several weeks already) is called Flooding. Unexpectedly, given my fascination with the off-centre use of guitar in most Hersh tracks, my favourite here is the bare piano stem. I suspect there is potential to build a quite different piece from this element of the track, one that should be rather special. If you remix this, please post a link back to Kristin Hersh: Read-Write. The complete track is also excellent, it seems one of Hersh's most memorable (which is meant as high praise).
Kristin Hersh: Flooding (piano stem)

Resistance is futile

2009-09-17T18:08:00.002+01:00

My knees melting,
a pool of sweet bliss remains.

This second track from Dissociative should carry a health warning: may lead to obsessive listening. I myself succumbed, racking up well over a hundred plays within a few months in 2007. It has held up well, and still brings a smile to my face, so let me share the secret.
Paramnesic: The Night Before

Squeeze that juice

2009-09-16T03:54:00.003+01:00

Fuzzy calm, essence
distilled. Nostalgica is
the right genre here.

I grew up with Jean-Michel Jarre as one of those odd things occasionally happening in the background. Thought nothing of it at the time. Now, all that Oxygène exposure is coming back to haunt me, and I can't stop listening to Brandon James in his Paramnesic guise. One way to explain Paramnesic is as JMJ for a newer generation, although Boards of Canada crashing into a bank of warm synths might be more accurate. This is my pick from the Dissociative album; there are other gems in there too.
Paramnesic: Last Breath

Hope it heals just fine

2009-05-25T08:40:00.004+01:00

I saw and listened to Kristin Hersh live this week. She delivered a nearly note-perfect performance even with a damaged left thumb, including great solo guitar interpretations of several fiendishly complex Throwing Muses songs. Catch her on tour now!

Kristin's album Speedbath was released for free download early this year: please donate if you like it. To choose but one track, Rubidoux has the form of one of those Appalachian lullabies that seem to be part of Kristin's bloodstream. It is wrapped in just a few chords from her Les Paul, but picked repeatedly, like a pernicious scab. Ooooh, that hurts.
Kristin Hersh: Speedbath (link to album)

Twinkle in your eye

2009-04-03T14:40:00.002+01:00

Orange Crush released Autumn Reflections about two weeks ago. It's the usual warm washes of nostalgic melodies, but for some reason many of the tracks have fairly prominent drum machine tracks, and not especially interesting ones at that. The drums are a bit incongruous, but the album is definitely still worth a listen, and maybe they will grow on me. Here is a track to put a smile on anyone's face.
Orange Crush: Quiet Skies

Expectant calm

2009-03-31T14:00:00.002+01:00

A pregnant pause, wait...
melody of fulfilment,
anticipation.

Boreal Network released Aviation Weather in June 2008. It's a gentle trip through synth wash territory, soothing and calm. This track covers the same joyful bleep landscape of Röyksopp's recent track Happy Up Here (which isn't free, but the video is worth watching nonetheless).
Boreal Network: Cloud Map

Sunday in the sun

2009-03-29T16:33:00.003+01:00

Sing along, can you
resist? Twisted melody,
analogue synths: bliss.

Standout track from the new Sarin Sunday release The Path Before Us. Perfect for a Sunday afternoon reflecting on life.
Sarin Sunday: Tear from a cloud

Magic mosaic

2009-03-22T16:12:00.004Z

Australian artist Pogo has released Weave And Wish, an EP built from movie snippets with a magical theme. This particular track uses fragments from The Sword in the Stone, a 1963 animated film from Disney, and comes with a very watchable video.
Pogo: White Magic

Pogo is probably best known for a track made with samples from Alice In Wonderland, a 1951 animated film from Disney. The video is cute and is no doubt helping to fuel interest in the upcoming Tim Burton movie of the same name.
Pogo: Alice (video)

Speed is of the essence

2009-01-28T09:45:00.006Z

A digression into music that is not free, and the conundrum it poses.

Recently I tried to listen to Kanye West's previous album, Graduation. It was underwhelming, like a stoner reading of the news. For instance, Tyler Fedchuk's 1/2ALIVE remix of Stronger, sped up to a less glacial level of activity, is the version that should have been receiving attention. It brings the well-crafted and clever lyrics into snappy attention, and sends the flabby original off for a workout. The result is a classic, but one that seems destined to remain underground. (In contrast, last year's 808s & Heartbreak album has crisp production and shows a more obvious dance influence. I approve.)
Kanye West: Stronger (Tyler Fedchuk's 1/2ALIVE remix)

An exercise along similar lines is a remix by Pocketknife from last year (thanks to Carl for including it in Like Hearts Swelling). This puts a wry smile on a dreary lament, with foot-tapping suggested. Nice job.
Iron And Wine - Each Coming Night (Pocketknife's Rooftop Telescope Remix)

Finally, ripping out the completely generic indie rock vocals on the Mystery Jets single Two Doors Down results in some very tasty sounds. Duke Dumont is the creative spark here, and the result is a dancefloor classic.
Mystery Jets: Two Doors Down (Reconstructed by Duke Dumont)

I would have been quite happy to pay for all of these tracks. Yet they cannot be bought: the first was available for a while from Fedchuk's blog and now has been removed. The second was on Pocketknife & Cousin Cole's (bootleg?) album Tambourine Dream, now out of stock and hard to find. The final track was released on a DJ-only promo in June 2008, with no official release as far as I can tell.

Now, back to our regular programme: music that is actually free and avoids such tangles of social constructs.

Update (2009/11/20): The Duke Dumont reconstruction is now available on iTunes, as part of Global Underground Vol. 37.

Half-light melody

2009-01-21T13:20:00.003Z

Beach walk in autumn:
a half-remembered playground,
soft still northern light.
Frequent C: Gone But Not Forgotten

Chunky cliff

2009-01-21T13:12:00.003Z

Jagged scraps restrain
Undertow of melody.
Oh, that sweet drumbeat.
Fenducci: Feynman's bluff

Gongs of autumn

2009-01-19T13:14:00.005Z

This gem is tucked away inside Milieu's 2007 remix album Wasted Magic in the Sound.
Thanks to Grim on Mbient, who unearthed the track and featured it in the recent Archaic Horizon overview mix Gathering the Rise. GTR showcases many of my most-played Archaic Horizon tracks from the last few years -- highly recommended.

An oozing bell-peal forms the addictive core; hints of conversation drift around in the background.
skink: You Know That Place Well (mmx)

Aural stimulation

2008-09-13T20:58:00.001+01:00

I can't believe I just finished a porcini and pea risotto for two. Rather scrumptious it was, too. Perhaps the glass of 2006 Chapel Down Bacchus helped whet the appetite.

This track is a long term stayer, and has been one of the top played over at Pixies Palace, for good reason. Many thanks to Pixieguts for recommending it. Shimmering bliss. I dare you to play it just once.
4our5ive6ix: Un Nouveau Frisson (The Ascent)

Harp those Monday blues away

2008-06-02T21:57:00.000+01:00

Washes of synthetic harps, but it sounds nothing like Enya. Going-to-sleep music for the tired-but-wired generation.
Marsen Jules: Couer Saignant (not my typo, it's tagged that way)

Today's Slice of Sonic Bliss

2008-05-24T22:43:00.000+01:00

Can't stop playing this insanely melodic track. Takes me back to times long past listening to Bread (in my defence, it was well past their sell-by date), but without the sickly sweet production.
Milieu: Pavilion Nights

Dandelion tufts drifting

2008-05-10T15:14:00.000+01:00

It took a long time for me to get around to listening to The Fields, released back in late 2006 by netlabel Archaic Horizon. This album now feels comfortable like a well worn garment, with melodic washes of soft analogue sounds. The overall mood of lazy springtime calm (or for our southern hemisphere readers, wistful autumnal deliberation) is neatly summarized by this track.
Orange Crush: Across The Breeze

Today's Trackq

2008-05-05T16:56:00.000+01:00

Continuing the "silent q" fad, another noise-bliss number.
Venetian Snares: Peeing yelloq

Today's Track

2008-04-22T08:21:00.000+01:00

Moving leftfield, a classic Tape-beatles track from the 1990 album Music with Sound.
Tape-beatles: Stress

Today's Tune

2008-04-13T17:30:00.001+01:00

Linda Draper weaves a deceptively simple melody with acoustic guitar and voice.
Linda Draper: Shine

Ethos

2008-04-13T00:27:00.000+01:00

Right now, there is more free music available than ever before (free as in gratis, not as in fell off the back of a van). Artists and organizations that distribute music are making available individual tracks and often whole albums for download, and much of this free music is as good if not better than much of what is commercially released by traditional record labels.

As far as I have been able to ascertain, these media files are all legally and freely downloadable, at least for non-commercial use. Many are explicitly labelled with an appropriate Creative Commons licence.

Today's Track

2008-04-13T00:21:00.000+01:00

A slab of euphoric bliss, tied neatly in a noise wrapper. Yummy!

Fieldtriqp: 90 summer