Blog: taking tiger mountain

Maps & Atlases have let loose a cryptic trailer for their upcoming release Beware And Be Grateful . Not entirely sure what it means...if we're looking at a concept album or what, but I do hope there will be more of these shorts. I'm liking the album's crossed arrows logo, as well the snippet of new material at the end of the video sounds awesome...a fuller sound than I'm used to from the band. Beware and Be Grateful will come out on April 17th 2012.

I get why Skrillex is derisive, but why the whole genre? Sure the most popular elements of the genre are like a bowl of Frosted Flakes and Lucky Charms over coffee but I think the core American fanbase that's probably ruining dubstep for the world. Either way, racist or not...Michael Richards was a great physical comedian. Right? We can stop talking about dubstep now.

In the long ago days that we called 2006, the stars aligned, money appeared and I secured a press pass to Iceland Airwaves. I flew alone to Reykjavik and took in the festival. It's always a well curated affair that takes over most of the small 101 district. The charm lies in the close proximity of all the venues, the beauty of the city and the kindness of the locals. The first night I met a couple who offered up great conversation and a couch to crash on, as my hotel was a bit of [...]

Despite the unfortunate title, Diaper Island is an amazing, heady mix of reverbed mood woven with a voice that at times seems barely strong enough to sustain the weight of the sometimes sad words sung. I had somehow missed the boat on finding him through any of his previous three releases, but I'm more than happy with what I've found. The album is a tender mix of beautifully paranoid and touching songwriting, all articulated with a delicacy that few can match. Though off of 20082s Soft Airplane , the tremendous 'Rabid [...]

I don't have a strong opinion about Das Racist, every so often someting pops up from them that you can't deny the slacker brilliance. I grabbed Heems's recently released mixtape 'Nehru Jackets' on a whim and was pretty impressed. More than a few tracks are built around awesome chopped samples of Indian vocalists paired with some quite decent beats. As well, the mixtape has guest spots from the likes of Danny Brown, Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire, Das Racist's Kool A.D., Action Bronson, Childish Gambino and Despot. 'Nerhu Jackets' is retty good for a guy who broke onto [...]

While I'm not a massive fan of Joanna Newsom's last two albums, but I have a deep affection for her debut The Milk Eyed Mender . This week's episode of Austin City Limits features her... and Fleet Foxes, but who cares about them . Newsom's vocal style has softened over the years, but the melodies in 'Bridges and Balloons' are still gorgeous. I'd imagine if she continued to pummel her vocal chords like she did in the past, she'd be out of the game by now. Check out her episode airs this Saturday and will be [...]

I can count on one hand, the number of times that I listened to Isam this year but it still deserves a place on this year-end tally. The album is a solid listen, best with a nice pair of headphones to appreciate the intricacies of the production, but the best way to experience the album is in a far less intimate context: live. The limited tour cycle for Isam landed it showing at 20112s Moogfest and the fact that this was part of the lineup was my primary reason for attending the festival. [...]

The halting stumble of Bowser's beats combined with the cryptic chip melodies makes for a complicated but rewarding listen. Born out of LA's Low End Theory scene, the album encompasses the best of the electronic weird and serves as a great example of the genre recently tagged as 'futurebeats.' The highlight of the album is the track 'Andrew' which mashes layer after layer of voice synthesis with crisp headnodding beat. Perfect soundtrack to the endless boss battle that is daily life.

Though Galactic Melt suffers from touches of sameness, when it connects...everything bleeds together beautifully. It comes off like the Blade Runner soundtrack siphoned through a stack of records by Gary Numan and Flying Lotus. Crystal clear snares shuttle around on beds of dystopian synth stabs, presenting something that feels both sterile and warm at the same time. His sound is unique, you don't often mistake a Com Truise track for the work of anyone else. Com Truise - "Brokendate" from Ghostly International on [...]

It's nice to see a video that probably had a 3 sentence pitch and the result is just a joy to watch. The dancers seamlessly wander through a variety of styles in an effortless way that just inspires jealousy in uncoordinated folks like me. The song is equally impressive; a joyously weird stomp bolstered by a bristling chorus that just begs to be put on repeat. 'Two Cousins' is the lead single off Paradise , which was released on 09/16/12 via Moshi Moshi . Buy the album through iTunes .

On April 2nd 2011, LCD Soundsystem played its final show at Madison Square Garden. LCD frontman James Murphy had made the conscious decision to disband one of the most celebrated and influential bands of its generation at the peak of its popularity, ensuring that the band would go out on top with the biggest and most ambitious concert of its career. The instantly sold out, near four-hour extravaganza did just that, moving the thousands in attendance to tears of joy and grief, with NEW YORK magazine calling the event "a marvel of pure craft" and TIME magazine lamenting "we may [...]

At first listen, I couldn't find anything compelling about Active Child. I had breezed by "Hanging On", which was offered up free as part of Adult Swim's 2011 Singles Program , but no part of it clicked. At this year's spectacular Moogfest, Active Child had the first slot of the final day, proceeding M83. In an effort to grab a nice spot for the second act and having maxed out the number of times I could eat at one of the best indian restaurants in existence , I swung by venue before their set. [...]

I've always wanted a monome, but well, they're damn expensive. A wonderful alternative is to watch smart people be terribly clever with using one. Daedelus , the preeminent king of the Monome linked to this great highlight reel from December's Interface LA hosted meetup for users of this magical box. The standout for me was Anenon's warping live sax into some beautifully bizarre textures. Bonus points to Merbert Moover's name being an awesome reference to MTV's The State. I don't often miss LA, but when I do, it's mostly because of [...]

Technically, Strike Hard, Young Diamond came out in November of 2010, but it occupied much of my listening during early 2011. When this site was more active and I got more random e-blasts from bands, I did my best to sample a bit of each I received. Wildlife was a find through some successful PR assault; offering up a few song sampler via their bandcamp. At a quick glance, I was content enough in the fact that lead singer Dean Povinsky's voice has a similar tone to Sunset Rubdown's Spencer Krug. There's also similarities [...]

Every so often the blog world gloms onto something minimal and I'm pretty content with 20112s idolatry of Hecker's fantastic Ravedeath 1972 . I personally have a long and sorted history with drone and minimalsim, spending much of my late teens immersed in it, though little in recent years has caught me. I got pretty excited for Blanck Mass , but didn't find much to cling to upon digging in. Ravedeath, 1972 initially skirted my love as well, until I had the chance to take it in live. Experimental music is a sincere [...]

For a rising hip-hop producer to position himself as Araabmuzik has done with his debut Electronic Dream , is a very questionable move. Taking the hard edge sound he's cultivated in the tracks produced for Cam'ron & Busta Rhymes and melding it with a bizarre fetish for rare trance gems looks on paper like a a disturbing mess, but somehow Araabmuzik manages to make it coalesce. The hybrid concoction of razor sharp beats and cooing 902s trance hooks makes for something wholly unique and strong enough to sustain repeated listens. The odd sandwich of sound [...]

New Pornographer Kathryn Calder has a new single and video for "Who Are You?" that I struggle to find issue with. Her album Bright and Vivid was released Oct. 25th, 2011 on File Under: Music ,

Please file this under "Things you didn't know you needed till they were presented in all their glory on your doorstep by the internet": If youtube is is to be used as a judge, this is a minor trend. Searching A WHOLE ALBUM AT THE SAME TIME yeilds a variety of weird metal and non-metal results. Here's a few choice selections: Cannibal Corpse SunO))) Dragonforce Miley [...]

Please file this under "Things you didn't know you needed till they were presented in all their glory on your doorstep by the internet": If youtube is is to be used as a judge, this is a minor trend. Searching A WHOLE ALBUM AT THE SAME TIME yeilds a variety of weird metal and non-metal results. Here's a few choice selections: Cannibal Corpse SunO))) Dragonforce Miley [...]

I've always been on the fence about pairing Flylo's layered snares, shuffling percussion and heady madness with any MC, but I do love to be wrong. Blu's monotone drive fits well up against the controlled chaos of both the track and kinetic clip. Video is by RUFFMERCY , who did the animation for another equally interesting video to accompany the Blu/Flylo collab "BNG". Check that out here .