CCBYNCSA40 – ojdo

Welcome Home Morning Star – [2018] Nimrod

Cold as steel cinematic post rock from Portugal; calm sound yet strong atmosphere.

Steel guitars, long stretches of calm arpeggios, loud culminations in 5-7 minute long tracks; this EP by this Portuguese post-rock project knows how to satisfy genre expectations. Particular is their focus on airy, spacious sound and melancholic harmonies. So, if you crave something to accompany a chilling autumn season, there’s some auditory flavouring; as usual, found through a netlabel back catalogue (active and kicking Enough Records, in this case).

Gridline – [2014] Videogame

Pure synths (no samples) and drums lead to an instrumental or melodic techno album. Made not for dancing, but for attentive walking.

Gridline is the music project by Serbian artist Predrag Grujic. Starting in 2012, he released several albums and EPs on the two-sided Japanese label Bump Foot (Bump for techno et al., Foot for ambient, IDM, …). This is his first Bump release, and quite quiet at that. Melody lines and only subtle beats make this more (artsy) pop than dance music. Its liberal use of cold sound textures and reverb occasionally remind me of a church organ.

Wacky Southern Current – [2011] In a Realm of Uncertain Summer

Cinematic instrumental post rock. Like an alternative soundtrack to Magnolia, this slow-paced exercise in wackyness.

The inspiration taken from Air cannot be overheard, and is clearly stated in the album’s release notes. So if you like the alternative sound of the French pop duo, give this album a try on a train ride. Continue reading “Wacky Southern Current – [2011] In a Realm of Uncertain Summer”

In Vitro – [2017] Deep Hope

Minimal house. Repetitive beats and only subtle changes in harmonics introduce an element of trance (pun intended).

Japanese netlabel Bump Foot has been in “business” for over a decade now. It separates its releases in to branches: “Bump” for techno and house, “Foot” for ambient and IDM. The release presented here is more on the minimal side of the house: so if you feel like you are in for twenty minutes of carefully crafted monotony, read on. Continue reading “In Vitro – [2017] Deep Hope”

Still Pluto – [2014] Songs To Mend The Heart Once Been Torn Apart

Solid soft hard rock. Very well recorded and produced vocal rock music; hard to place on the spectrum between soft and hard rock.

Still Pluto do very conventional, very solid rock in North West Russia (Petrozavodsk, to be precise). From there, their music reached me through the catalogue indie rock netlabel Southern City Lab. So if you are tired of the umpteenth minimal techno release, give this source a try. But back to this week’s offer: Continue reading “Still Pluto – [2014] Songs To Mend The Heart Once Been Torn Apart”

Lorenzo’s Music – [2017] Cool ships and heat exchangers

(Un)conventional alternative rock. With netlabel blocSonic, it’s hard to not be impressed. I adore how they keep publishing consistently solid to exceptional albums and compilations year after year. The word conventional is meant as a compliment. Although it is not strictly correct: the use of brass instruments and synth sounds clearly is an exception to the rock band formula. Continue reading “Lorenzo’s Music – [2017] Cool ships and heat exchangers”

Rho – [2010] Cedarleaf

Unambient ambient. This release raised the bar for me when it comes to “memorizing” what it sounds like. Should I put it into the ambient category? Or eclectic electronica? Cinematic orchestrations, based on solo guitar melodies, served on a bed of electronic sounds. Not easy to classify. Listen for yourself… Continue reading “Rho – [2010] Cedarleaf”