Blog: the lost art of found sound

I hate to marginalize large segments of my potential audience by catering to inherently regional interest, but when I saw this, I simply couldn't resist.On October 10th, Terminal 5 in Manhattan will play host to Italain virtuosos Crookers and 2009's hype of the summer Major Lazer, alongside the dubstep stylings of Rusko, and a whole host of other Mad Decent friends.This could be massive. From the

It's so weird to think that July is on the downhill, another summer past its apex. There's been some interesting things afoot in the industry over these last couple of months, and this fall is shaping up to be one of the most exciting release seasons of recent memory (that is if Brand New actually makes good on their September release date!)It's also rather weird to see how my tastes have changed

2009Mush RecordsBuy7.5/10To those of us whose introduction to prolific British producer Stephen Wilkinson's Bibio came with Ambivalence Avenue's 'Pitchfork Best New Music' ambience, it might come as a bit of a shock to hear that said album is a drastic artistic departure. Want proof, Sherman? All you've got to do is wake up Mr. Peabody and set the Wayback Machine to five months earlier...(Read

2009Mush RecordsBuy7.5/10To those of us whose introduction to prolific British producer Stephen Wilkinson's Bibio came with Ambivalence Avenue's 'Pitchfork Best New Music' ambience, it might come as a bit of a shock to hear that said album is a drastic artistic departure. Want proof, Sherman? All you've got to do is wake up Mr. Peabody and set the Wayback Machine to five months earlier...(Read

So apparently I've been snoozing for the last two years, but I stumbled across a three part Dutch documentary on the birth of hip-hop in the South Bronx, and I've gotta say, it's pretty interesting. Hell, maybe even worth a viewing or two?(Documentary, entitled Big Fun in the Big Town, courtesy of VPRO.)***The first part focuses mainly on Grandmaster Flash, as he explains and demonstrates the

So, it's been pretty apparent that something's been preoccupying me of late. My posts have again fallen into a rather irregular schedule, reviews and songs of the week have been neglected in favor of some unknown distraction. Well, this is what I've been working on - a nice summer mix to help celebrate this website's one year anniversary.Maybe in another year's time it'll actually be profitable?

2009Statler & WaldorfBuy6.5/10With its eclectic backgrounds, lush accompaniment, and murmured vocals, IO has all the makings of an indie classic. It could have been the next You Forgot It In People. Instead, Danish band Antifilm has come up with something more along the lines of Feel Good Lost: a great first step, but not quite there...(Read more at the Silent Ballet)

I guess I missed the boat that everybody else in the DJ world got on a year ago, and that is Ricardo Villalobos. Holy shit, this guy's awesome.Here's a quick offering of what he's got. Enjoy!***

Farrah Fawcett, eat your heart out. So ends one of the most tragic sagas in American pop culture. Rest in peace, the King of Pop.***Thriller - Michael Jackson (The song by the man that changed everything)

So, uh remember Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles? You know? That one band? Released the best album of 2008? Ringing any bells? No? Come onnn!Well, regardless, there is an interview with them over on a somewhat mysterious website called "Five Questions" that might be of interest to all you fans of obscure, up-and-coming post-rock.Nothing really revealing in the interview though: no news of the

Michael Jackson, 1958 - 2009Thousands of people converged upon Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles this afternoon to pay tribute to the recently deceased King of Pop, Michael Jackson. But you already knew all of that, and frankly, if you want news, I'd suggest you try CNN before you come here.Nah, what you come to people like me for are pretty pictures, videos and sounds. So, here's some of

Michael Jackson, 1958 - 2009Thousands of people converged upon Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles this afternoon to pay tribute to the recently deceased King of Pop, Michael Jackson. But you already knew all of that, and frankly, if you want news, I'd suggest you try CNN before you come here.Nah, what you come to people like me for are pretty pictures, videos and sounds. So, here's some of

Michael Jackson, 1958 - 2009Thousands of people converged upon Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles this afternoon to pay tribute to the recently deceased King of Pop, Michael Jackson. But you already knew all of that, and frankly, if you want news, I'd suggest you try CNN before you come here.Nah, what you come to people like me for are pretty pictures, videos and sounds. So, here's some of

• » Chris_Read_MICHAEL_JACKSON_THE_LEGACY_MI....mp3

2009Shoreless RecordingsBuy6.5/10At its most banal, A Prayer to False Gods sounds like the jarring hum of unshielded stereo wire. But when bvdub (San Francisco disc jockey Brock Van Wey's nom de guerre) hits his stride, the result is nothing short of sublime...(Read more at the Silent Ballet)

I guess I missed the boat that everybody else in the DJ world got on a year ago, and that is Ricardo Villalobos. Holy shit, this guy's awesome.Here's a quick offering of what he's got. Enjoy!***

Farrah Fawcett, eat your heart out. So ends one of the most tragic sagas in American pop culture. Rest in peace, the King of Pop.***Thriller - Michael Jackson (The song by the man that changed everything)

2009Self ReleasedBuy7/10All the Different Deaths...and Rebirths does not break very much new ground as standard genre fare. But Nicker Hill Orchestra, given the confines in which they work, provide enough embellishment to - however incrementally - advance the post rock sound a few steps into the future...(Read more at the Silent Ballet)

A few months ago, as I was travelling the world of breakbeat music in search of fun tracks, I stumbled upon a neat drum and bass outfit called Boxcutter.So this morning, as I was perusing that other website I write for, I was very pleasantly surprised to see that name, "Boxcutter", under the list album reviews posted this morning. Lo and behold, it was the same DJ as I had heard previously!

Ah. Summer, while not "officially", is officially here. Hazy, hot, and humid - with the reliable afternoon thundershower. Don't you love Florida summers?***songs of the week #251. At Least I'm Not As Sad As I Used To Be - fun. (This is an awesome track from the after-project of the Format and Anathallo)2. Nothing Pure Can Stay (Live) - Audrye Sessions (Hell yeah)3. Kids (MGMT Cover) - The Kooks (

Ah. Summer, while not "officially", is officially here. Hazy, hot, and humid - with the reliable afternoon thundershower. Don't you love Florida summers?***songs of the week #251. At Least I'm Not As Sad As I Used To Be - fun. (This is an awesome track from the after-project of the Format and Anathallo)2. Nothing Pure Can Stay (Live) - Audrye Sessions (Hell yeah)3. Kids (MGMT Cover) - The Kooks (