Blog: aurgasm

uneasy minimalist folk The awkward emotive voice of Ellekari Larsson rattles inside your head. You question what beauty sounds like. A piano and cello creep in with slow trepidation. The song's lyrics strive for a warm emotional intimacy, but yet the instrumentation and vocals feel almost frigid and aloof. This raw power of this gem, 'Closer', hit me immediately when I sampled it from Fat Planet and continues to addictively reel me in. An intimately disorienting ballad from a trio in Stockholm. The Tiny [...]

sultry female vocal jazz Earlier this week it was unbearably hot outside. Although not soon enough, the rain came and drenched absolutely everything. Now the heat is seeping out of the ground and the water evaporates into a sweaty steam that delivers that sweet summer rain smell right to my nose. Lizz Wright's music fits in perfectly with this smell and humidity - an undercurrent of warmth and passion simmering beneath a blue-gray soundscape. Each element is recorded with killer clarity: her voice, the guitar plucks and strums, the deep double bass string rattle. [...]

pop-rock -> somber indie -> big-band swing The most satisfying covers are those that transform the song into a completely new setting. Today, you're getting two unique covers of the Oasis classic 'Wonderwall', easily my favorite track from the Gallagher brothers. Ryan Adams (who's coming out with two more albums this year) presents a slow but deliberate guitar and reverbed vocal track. From the subtle voice crack to fingertip-string treble to his emotional howling, Ryan's cover emotes a clear and true representation of the song's meaning. On [...]

downtempo // jazzy electronica My ex-girlfriend gave me Baby Mammoth's Seven Up for my birthday one year, after we had broken up but before the novelty of remaining friends with your ex had worn off for her. If that sounded bitter, it probably was, but only because it's irreparably tainted the easy-going charisma of an otherwise extremely appealing album. Downtempo, chilled electronica in the same vein as 9 Lazy 9 and Fila Brazillia (with whom Baby Mammoth shared a label for a time), Seven Up starts with a [...]

dynamic indie electronica David Edwards, the man behind Minotaur Shock, comes across as a geeky soccer-dad. However, his music bears no relation to his looks and comes at you with such dynamicism and polish that you'd think a collective of eight Berklee grads was behind it. His sound has been in demand, last year being commissioned for the remix of Bloc Party's 'Tulips' - a keeper for hipster DJs everywhere. Minotaur Shock's upcoming release on Melodic, Maritime , is a impressive array of solid tracks - 'Vigo [...]

pastoral pop // instrumental ambient folk The Memory Band's self-titled debut made it onto my Best of 2004 list, and received raves from a Who's Who of mainstream music journalism - Mojo, NME, Q, etc. And yet, inexplicably, they remain under-exposed and under-appreciated (if their Audioscrobbler results are anything to go by, anyway) . The two tracks here are beguiling gems, but are only a shade better than the rest of the album, which is full of earthy grace and delight from start to finish. I particularly like [...]

vocal brighton downtempo // big beat The starry-eyed look of love. The romantic dance under the lantern-lit tree. The music swells and supports that perfect moment, amalgamating the texture of her dress, her soft fingers curling around your nape, her breath combing down your cheek. Mint Royale, a duo that was once mistook as a pseudonym for Norman Cook, traditionally leans on the more brash party big beat sound, but in "Little Words" they deliver a soulful ballad of calming intent. It fits the perfect soundtrack moment where two strangers fall for each other, [...]

acoustic instrumental // film score A month ago, I was taking a drive with my friend Christin who was in town. She was visiting her boyfriend, however after a three days of together-time, they were arguing non-stop. During our ride, she went on and on about her boyfriend and how much of an petulant asshole he was and all that. And then right in the middle of it all, she paused. I thought something was quite wrong. But Christin waited a beat and said, "I really like this song." That's exactly what 'Tarnation' will [...]

acoustic mandolin // progressive bluegrass I don't spend too much time watching CMT - probably 10 minutes total in my life. But the first time I paused on that channel was when I heard Nickel Creek - beautiful rural bluegrass instrumentation matched with resonating vocal harmonies. Chris partnered with the Watkins' siblings (Sean & Sara) to release their impressive self-titled album. Later, as part of the one time collective, Mutual Admiration Society, he released "Laurie De' Tullins" - a bucolic tune of soothing string plucking. Halfway through, a deep [...]

ambient electracoustica // german electronica For those of you who like Aqualung, but think that Matt Hales is neither sufficiently electronic nor sufficiently German, you might consider Tesri , the quirky little album from which the below track is taken. There are definitely shades of Mr Hales in the sparse rhythms and doleful keyboards, though the similarity shouldn't be overstated. The joy of Aqualung comes from its rich acoustic texture, whereas Morgenstern & Lippok aren't afraid to throw the odd electronic buzz or pop at you. Thankfully, though, they're not the sort of [...]

funky house // disco house [Guest post from D. Laster today] The repetetive bass kicks and hi-hat snarls of house music will never cease to create the perfect late-night dance club moment. Dutch producer Olav Basoski uses a signature blend of hard hitting house beats, filtered disco breakdowns, and perfectious timing to get bodies moving with every track. Basoski has an extensive discography, including commisioned remixes for Moby, Bob Marley, and James Brown. He recently started Rootz Records with DJs Alex Romano and Silverius where he has released a series of [...]

female vocal electronica // orchestral folktronica An eerie glockenspiel speaks. A xylophone answers. With the sound of streaked glass, Emilie asks of you, 'Won't you open for me, the door to your ice world?' "The Frozen World" is a beautiful concoction of shivery sounds - the most subtle and crippled samples tense you up while Emilie holds the bass entry till nearly a minute into the song. She manages to hit the right combination of warm bass, swells of strings and her voice to the point where your [...]

dancehall // pop reggae My commute home, like yours, is a time to unwind and forget your day's stresses. Luckily, Boston's WERS has a daily reggae program ( Rockers ) that helps me out huge. Listening for the past week, a couple gems stand out: the drop leaf riddim and this dynamic track "Sunshine Girl" by Capleton. Featuring Bob's second son, Stephen Marley, "Sunshine Girl" erupts with life; a playful bassline gives way to a gets-in-your-head chorus. Stephen's innocent voice sings the killer hook and Capleton covers the [...]

hip hop // political rap Common has been the influential uncle of the hip hop scene. But even though he's got some of the most sophisticated lyrical technique, his sales haven't come close to your typical hip hop juggernauts. Jay-Z even addressed this disparity between substance and sales, rapping in "Moment of Clarity": Truthfully, I wanna rhyme like Common Sense/But I did five mil/I ain?t been rhyming like Common since . But later this month, Common releases Be , which critics are tipping as [...]

acid jazz // jam band // electric funk Britain's answer to the Greyboy Allstars , Corduroy are an impossibly retro blend of Gat gun drums, chilled-out keyboards, and wah-wahed guitars that swoop and distort like a funhouse mirror. Dad Man Cat , their debut, swings effortlessly from laidback foot-tappers to frenzied, all-out blasts that squeeze dance moves from the most reluctant of limbs. 'Ponytail' is a good example of the former, with a theme like beer at a sunset barbecue; 'Money Is' showcases the latter, a driving melody from a [...]

acoustic guitar // tranquil indie rock Interstellar are a Toronto duo, much like the classic team of The Skydome and The CN Tower (only less architectural). Their music is an odd blend of synths, vaguely manipulated vocals, and a soft, acoustic sensibilityguitars, crickety cymbals, and well-rounded chords. I got hold of a promo of theirs about a year ago when their last album was released, because Sean from Said the Gramophone was getting ready to move to another country and was trying to jettison the heaps of CDs he had [...]

hip hop // breaks 'n beats // downtempo In '98, I spent the summer on a ladder scraping dry blue paint off an ugly house. Albeit a shitty job, I had a 2X CD-R drive at home that birthed a hiphop mix including The Herbaliser's "The Blend" featuring vocalist What What. One of my co-scrapers (from ghetto Hartford) dug the track so much that he replaced his prized Nas CD with the Herbaliser. I never saw that CD again. Now, the hip-hop powerduo is releasing their latest album, Take London , [...]

westcoast hiphop // bounce turntablism Labeling this track "underground hiphop" or "real hiphop", although completely appropriate, would be misrepresentative in this case. "Count Your Blesings" is radio-friendly. It's production's polished. Its sound's got bounce. And it doesn't feel like most other on/under the radar hiphop because.. well, it's pop hiphop . Just a warning though, Emanon is a duo: MC Aloe Blacc keeps the rhymes sounding real and musty, while DJ Exile rolls out syncopated bassbeats that keep you shaking. Keepin' it real an keepin' it hot. [...]

nueva bossa nova // brazilian acoustic Little can put your mind at ease the way that some quiet bossa nova can. Fonseca, a producer and instrumentalist who has collaborated with Gilberto Gil , Caetano Veloso, and Bebel Gilberto, has been actively creating music since he was 12. He now is releasing Rive Gauche Rio by way of world music powerlabel Six Degrees . Fonseca has lately been working as one of the most desired producers in Brazil; his keen ear shows on this record - the [...]