Brooklyn Hype

I have been a little bit lazy posting new music since starting this blog several months ago, but given that I currently have nothing to do except count the days until I leave for Russia, I thought that I should pick up the slack. So here it goes :)



Light Asylum are a new post-punk/new wave duo out of Brooklyn who remain somewhat of a mystery, despite known ties to bands like 'Telepathe' and 'TV on The Radio' through previous tours and recordings. Upon first listen I couldn't help making obvious comparisons to bands like 'Joy Division' and even 'Men Without Hats' (Im sure there are plenty of others), but this is not to say that this band lacks any originality, in fact quite on the contrary. Channelling their 80's dream synth inspirations, Light Asylum are able to create the perfect amount of atmospheric emptiness that is achieved with the ghostly echoing of drums, and deep-voiced vocals that are full of contrast and emotion. I was particularly surprised, to learn that such a low sounding pitch could actually come out of a female (Shannon Funchess), further adding to my initial intrigue. The more I listened, the more I found myself wanting to listen... This is one band from which I am really looking forward to hearing an albums full of material (hopefully soon).

Light Asylum - A Certain Person (MP3)

Light Asylum - Shallow Tears (MP3)

Hidden

I finally got my hands on the first These New Puritans single off of the highly anticipated LP follow-up, 'Hidden'. This 7-minute long EPIC titled 'We Want War', is an instrumentation of dark tribal drum pounding, war chanting, distorted guitar noise, orchestral brass sections, and eastern influenced chorus lines that are combined to create one giant kick to the teeth. Scheduled for release January 18th on 'Domino Records', 'Hidden' will feature six-foot Japanese Taiko drums, a 13-piece brass and woodwind ensemble, a children’s choir, and a guest appearance from 'Salem's' Heather Marlatt, a combination that is potentially worthy of any self-respecting music eccentric.

Full tracklist:

1. Time Xone
2. We Want War (3-min Preview MP3)
3. Three Thousand
4. Hologram
5. Attack Music
6. Fire–Power
7. Orion
8. Canticle
9. Drum Courts–Where Corals Lie
10. White Chords
11. 5

RAIN MACHINE

Rain Machine is the title of Kyp Malone’s latest solo effort. The guitarist has been hard at work writing, recording and performing under a string of different aliases since he moved to New York in 2000, before joining ‘TV On The Radio’ in 2003. With the release of his self-titled album it is easy to see how much of a role Kyp actually plays in shaping TVOTR’s sound when the opening track titled ‘Give Blood’ could easily be mistaken for something off of ‘Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes’, with its rugged bass and rich over distorted guitar tones. Other standout songs on the album include ‘New Last Name’ and ‘Desperate Bitch’ on which Malone seems to take a softer and a more subtle approach, bringing his strong vocal and lyrical ability to the forefront. I would certainly recommend buying this album to anyone who enjoys intelligent heartfelt song writing.

Rain Machine - Give Blood (MP3)

Rain Machine - New Last Name (MP3)

All Things Drums (ba ba Boom)

In my growing obsession for weird and loud beat driven music I recently came across I.U.D. They are a new avant-garde project out of New York, uniting former art school companions Lizzi Bougatsos of ‘Gang Gang Dance’ and Sadie Laska of ‘Growing’, in an industrial noise driven collaboration. The unique sound present on their recently released debut album ‘Proper Sex’, can be distinguished through the thematic use of progressive non-westernized drum rhythms and often hypnotic, sexually charged vocal melodies. Lizzi’s ‘Gang Gang Dance’ influence is certainly evident throughout much of the record, however far from the pop crossover beginnings that is ‘Saint Dymphna’. This album is definitely worth a listen for anyone open to experimental music, and if song titles like ‘Goat Pussy’ or ‘Glo Balls’ aren’t intriguing enough, then how about the album cover?

The Proper Sex tracklist:

01 Daddy (MP3)
02 Glo Balls
03 Monk Hummer
04 911
05 Mary Unmargaret
06 Girls Just Wanna (Time to Have Sex)



This is probably one of the coolest clips I have seen in a long time. OOIOO are a Japanese band about which I know little except that this is one kick ass track and defiantly a new top favourite of mine. The bit where the bass kicks in really floats my boat… and hopefully yours.

OOIOO - UMA (MP3)