Short Cut: Woodkid

Short Cut - новая рубрика, в которой нет, кажется, ничего лишнего, только пара вопросов по делу и всего один - не к месту. Первым ответил на свои вопросы Woodkid.

Если вы понятия не имеете, кто это, короткая справка: Йоанн Лемойн (да-да, это еще один one-man band) раньше был известен в основном как клипмейкер, после чего решил заняться музыкой - и сорвал куш с песней "Iron". Вообще-то это один из лучших треков года, и если вы его не слышали - надеюсь, вам тепло в вашем танке. Собственно, зачем зря терять время - вот и короткое интервью с Йоанном.

Что сподвигло вас заняться музыкой?

Мне всегда нравилось петь и играть на инструментах. Я думаю, что тот На самом деле, я начал свое увлечение музыкой с того, что записывал себя на магнитофон. Когда я был маленьким, я пел в хоре, затем несколько лет учился игре на пианино. Моя семья очень музыкальна — мой дядя был учителем музыки, мой кузен, с которым я рос вместе, играл на виолончели... Так что все это всегда было вокруг меня.

Что для вас музыка? Это нечто вроде хобби или что-то большее?

Сейчас это что-то, что я все еще пытаюсь понять, и чему пытаюсь найти в своей жизни подходящее место. Это немного странно, потому что это все еще хобби, но оно становится все более серьезным. Я начал давать концерты по всему миру, и в этом году музыка заняла в моем расписании больше, чем съемки, и для меня это очень необычное и волнующее чувство.

Почему вы решили выпустить ЕР, а не альбом?

Я хотел попробовать различные направления и посмотреть, как люди отреагируют на них. С "Iron" мы решили сыграть по-крупному, и, думаю, не прогадали. Сейчас это именно то, чего люди ждут от меня! Кроме того, для меня это не просто альбом или ЕР, а, скорее, арт-проект, ведь для проекта картинка, имидж, так же важны, как и музыка.

Есть ли у вас люди, чье мнение для вас особенно важно?


Да, это мой менеджер Пьер. У нас с ним установились отличные отношения, он понимает меня и я уверен, что он знает о проекте больше, чем кто-либо другой.

Какой ваш любимый персонаж детской книги?

Забавный вопрос; вообще мне нравится Тинтин!

"Iron" EP вышел весной этого года

Lil' W. Abortion: Wavepool Abortion and their unbridled energy of pop-punk

Wavepool Abortion is russian duo from Moscow. Their music is reckless, energetic and powerful - there are a lot of bands like WA in the world, but for our country it sounds a little bit unusual. Their debut cassette was released through american DZ Tapes label, so I decided to write guys and took some answers from one of the band members, Matvei. Check it right now.

Your debut cassette was released on DZ Tapes, American independent label, how it had happened?

Pyotr has family who lives in Washington, DC. His cousin knows a friend who has DZ Tapes and he likes our music. So we e-mailed with him, and he asked to use our music for a tape, and we were very happy to have him release the tape. He made 100 tapes, and I think they are selling very fast on his website.

Lo-fi is necessary for you, it's a part of a genre?

Lo-fi I think sounds cool, but it is also necessary for us to record this way. I have a Korg PXR4 recorder that me and Pyotr used to record these songs, it's good but sometimes it doesn't sound clear. In America there is lots of cool lo-fi music, and that is maybe why they like Wavepool Abortion.

Your album had been recorded for 2 years, why it took so long?

Some of the songs we recorded when we were 15, songs like "Real Blood" and "I Want to Die." Since then we recorded 50 songs, but we don't like many of them, so it took 2 years to make 14 songs that we really like. Also me and Pyotr were in school so we were busy.


"Real Blood", one of the first WA songs


Can you say that there is some underground community in Moscow, that you're in?

We have many friends in Moscow, and we all like playing music and skating together. Lots of young people in Moscow are starting to listen to punk music, lots of American underground music. We call ourselves The Art of Pain, but it's not very organized for us, we don't wear uniforms or have meetings. We just hang out and listen to music and go skateboarding. I think there are lots of young people like us.

There is a clear influence of shitgaze in your music, is there any other more unusual influences on your music?

Sure, we like lots of American bands that are playing shitgaze. One of my favorite bands from America is Lightning Bolt, and they have a sound that is very shitgaze. Maybe a unusual influence is the band Atom & His Package from America. They are not shitgaze, They are more funny and electronic. We use a drum machine sometimes but we are don't do electronic music.

Some foreign music blogs have written about you - is it important for you? What's next?

Yes, it's important that foreign blogs write reviews about us, because sometimes people in Russia don't understand our music. This is why we wanted to do this interview in English, even if it is harder for us! I think the foreign blogs are very interested in our tape, and me and Pyotr want to go out of Russia to play some concerts this year.


"Snuggle & Die", epic ending of WA cassette

Are you catmen or dogmen?

Very good question! The song "Chloe" on our tape is about Pyotr's cat named Chloe. You know we make the cat noises on that song. But I am maybe more of a dogman.

Wavepool Abortion debut tape is avialable for buying here

Wild River Dance: chushi and his own inner world

chushi ("four rivers" in Chinese) is hip-hop instrumentalist from Dmitrov, Russia. There is nothing known about him, but in the process of interview I've known that his name is Alexander. His music sounds like wonky made by Madlib (with his jazzy samples), or instrumental hip-hop made by The Field (acknowledged master of total sampling). I wanted to understand something in chushi's music — and I had some questions, so I asked them to chushi himself. Enjoy the reading.

Chushi is one-man band, duo or something more? Is there some setup on anonymity which is discussed so much nowadays or it happened with no reason?

There is only one person under chushi theca, it's me, and my name is Alexander. You know, I've never thought about that anonymity, this project is about half a year old and all this time I'm thinking only about its details, entrails, what it's look like and how it tastes.

Instrumental hip-hop is genre where so many things are already thought out and created, why you chose it? How you own style, that strikingly differs from well-known ways, was born?

Years and years ago I fortuned on a track by turntable crew Beat Junkies, "Rockin' With The Best" and it was my first goosebumps. I began to search all the threads passing through these guys and listening to it all. Headphones in my ears were most of the day.
Hip-hop played a big role for me, but at that moment I didn't make a music like that one I'm creating now. And over the years and started to closer and closer tend to my rhythm. Now there are a lot of genres in me, I never mind about frameworks for a long time, listening only to the music that gives you an opporunity to think relaxedly, to plunge with interest in the world that was created by authors. Someone like to read books and I like to read music.
The main thing is not to limit yourself by common standarts, search and find only your, not abberant, feeling.

What's the world of chushi looks like? Seeming chaos is assumed by author?

Chushi's world is a place of total mess when I don't see all details, but can feel them. In every created track I take one of the details, inspire by it, put it back and trying not to touch it anymore. Chaotic state, perhaps, is the main notion and it makes clear an essence of the track.

It's also a reason for shortness of the tracks? Your unusual technique when alien elements of vocal invade in habitual detail and create something new, new melody — is it denote something?

Perhaps, I can't give an exact answer. It happens, something short, something long. Maybe one 20-second track has more sense that another one several times longer. "Invasion" makes track more interesting and gives an understanding of your limitless freedom. When you're walking around you can hear any sounds, whistles, voices — they create the atmosphere of life. Same melodic elements I'm trying to express in my world.
I like to depart from the frameworks as far as possible, to experiment, search and find something. 

To what leads your experimental way? What gives a soil to your new ideas?

To new ideas, opinions. It's nurtured from another music, art, games, clothes, cartoons with very off-gauge humour. I'm feeding on something new and trying to tell it in my way — for me it's one of the main elements making a ground for self-expression.

Who's your favourite cartoon hero?

I don't have a blue-eyed boy, just admire the work of animators and laugh simultaneously.

chushi @ bandcamp

Parks and Recreation: Parks, Squares and Alleys and his music of inner romantic

Parks, Squares and Alleys is one-man band from Khabarovsk, Russia. His genre changes from romantic indie-pop and folk to warm noise (and all of these tracks are filled by youth, beauty and lo-fi). His noise tracks rip something from the deep of the heart like Oneohtrix Point Never sketches and pop and folk songs are remind me something from childhood when all was so sweet and cheerful. His new EP will be released somewhen soon and I decided that it's good reason to make an interview with Sergei. So here it is.
UPD: Check the link for his new EP in the end of the post.


Why you took this band name? Is it connected with fact that your music could be described as "cityward"?

There were times when project has name "Walrus Meditation", I was huge fan of "Sonic Youth", and once I was looking through their discography and stumbled on "Hits Are For Squares" compilation and decided to take new band name by analogy. It's also an association with parks and squares of NY — bands from Big Apple always were my inspiration source. I've never been to New York but I really want to. Partly, I was trying to transmit atmosphere and sounds of that city in my noise tracks.

As I could see, now your tracks are moving toward lo-fi folk direction — your new EP will be in this genre?

Mostly, yes, but I don't want to depart from my main stylistics. I like to don't stop on something definite and always have a desire to make some experiments with my sound. There will be not only folk on my new EP.

Your lo-fi records is tribute to genre, to favourite bands or, in addition, necessary need? Do you have some wishes for work in studio?

It all began from "Let It Die" by Feist — I liked unusual, lo-fi, but charming sound. First experiments in sound recording didn't go very well: mic was broken and noised so much. I didn't know how to use music soft, what mixing and mastering means. I was afraid of studio work idea, I didn't understand how to record a correct sound in a studio. When my music became noticed I was proud that I'm independent lo-fi artist. Maybe I had some desires for studio but just couldn't afford it. It's easy for a group to get some money but not for me. Now I have a chance to record in the studio for free and I will take it but don't really know how it will works. I doubt that I will stop my home recording.

From what began your passion of music? How you came to Feist and Sonic Youth?

It all began from pop-punk. When I was 13 I've heard Blink 182 — it was my sudden jump from pop to rock. As far as I can remember myself, when I was listening to music I thought that I want to do the same. When I decided to create a band I couldn't even play a guitar but had a desire to be a rockstar. From pop-punk I jumped to an alternative music, then was my Slayer period, afterward came back to punk and was listening to Misfits, Dead Kennedys and Casualties. In that times these bands were popular among skateboarders, I was one of them and liked to watch skate videos. In the one of the profiles I've heard "Incinerate" by Sonic Youth. That's how I sold my soul to the indie rock. There was no one who listened to SY in our city and not so many people heard about them, I downloaded all the discography and listened to tatters and smudges every song (I'm not taking into account their earlier works) and then I came to noise. After Sonics I moved to Dinosaur Jr., I was impressed by their dirty sound, that's when I found an article about lo-fi music and started listening to Logh, Belle & Sebastian and Feist, for sure.

Is there something in new music that hooked you and seems interesting? Do you have a feeling that best music is completely created?

Frankly, a couple of times I had a somewhat like crisis of ideas and I was depressed because of a thoughts that there's nothing new to create but it passes quickly and new songs came to my head. From new music I hooked by new Pompeya album and last work of Toro Y Moi. Now I'm listening to chillwave, but don't want to do it by myself.

Is there some message in your compositions?

Ealier I've made only music and haven't seen importance of lyrics and now I want from people to get their attention to a texts. I'm trying make sense in all of the lines and to switch on imagination of listeners, to paint pictures in their head. I'm trying to transmit my thoughts, my ideology in songs.
I'm singing about loneliness and the fact that all people are inevitable going to die, that's why we should not to waste our youth on something trivial and do what we want and have some fun while we have a time to do it. Very often my relationships with my girl reflect in music, so recently I started to write about love, breaking up etc. I'm a cheerful person but my melancholy romantic nature may appear in my music.

If you're making interview with anyone, who it will be?

Likely, it will be Morrissey. I love that guy.



PSaA @ Last.fm
New PSaA EP Sad Daydreams is available for download here

Japan Pressing: Nipponese music in '87

Foggy Japan by unknown painter

We're starting new series of playlists, "In The Year Of" - most interesting and most popular music from one country and one year. Our starting point is Japan, so let's get started without any delays - you'll see that this music is not so crazy and nicer than you could thought.

Japan Expo '87 by gnazzz

Mild and Honey: Honey and his variety of genres

Honey portrait by Arina Darata

Honey is one-man band from the Kaliningrad, Russia. His new beat tape, "Hoyden" reminds of jazzy instrumentals of El-P and piano pieces of Michael Tariverdiev as if they were mixed with Toro Y Moi lo-fi pop and early Madlib works. But it turned out that instrumental hip-hop it's only tip of the iceberg and there are a lot of genres in Honey discography: post-punk, witch-house, folk, chillwave, minimal techo, etc. That unusual way of material's presentation and good quality of all genre samples literally forced me to make an interview with Maxim. Read it after the jump.

For how long you're making music and why you take that alias, Honey? Not every your track can be described as "sweet" and "dulcet".

I've began to make it at 14 and now I'm 19. Why "Honey"? Don't really know, it's just short, simply and memorable.

Your eclecticism, variety of genres — it's conscientious attitude, constant search of new ways of self-expression or something else? When I listened to your tracks I had the feeling that I'm listening to the radio — it's hard to imagine that it's works of one man.

Yeah, it's my concept. I wanted to make something all-purpose, because I'm many-sided person and for me it's difficult for me to follow some definite genre, that's why i'm trying to choose genre for every new tracks release (Honey put his tracks in web as soon as he finished it — FY). Every release include something new in it.

Honey - Way Out by gnazzz
Postpunk instrumental from the vast Honey discography

From what depends future track's style? What influence you on new ideas?

For some reasons it's 00s. I think that it were times when every genre was specific, indie rock, house, hip-hop, etc. There was something in that time, maybe because at that time I got access to satellite TV and it coincided with beginning of my interest to music. For me it left some music in store from what I'm pushing off.

Occasionally I inspire by new artists and bands. Once I made a witch-house tracks for fun.

Sometimes it came from weather or even TV programme theme. Inspiration could be founded anywhere — it's just important to catch some detail, thought. Details are significant for me, because my music usually grows from a little detail or an idea and then ramifies as tree.

Existance Music by honey10
Honey's rework of Toro Y Moi "Existance Music", part of his "Witch-Chill" series.

If we will talk about your music roots, what influenced you from old music and what's in your player now?

From old music — Sean Paul, RDJ2, progressive house which had been played constantly at my brother's when I was a child, just everything that had been shown on MTV in a period from 2002 to 2008. Besides that, Canadian and Aussie music, they have some specific sound in their blood. My player's favourites: Bear Hands, Teenager, Cities Aviv, Gauntlet Hair, Boyz & Girl, Wiz Khalifa, Mujuice, Wintersleep.

I can't but ask about Mujuice – I observe that he's present in varying degrees in your tracks – did you like his last album, "Downshifting"?

I think that every artist has his own ideas and thoughts about music and they couldn't be the same. As a child grows, musician becomes new person. That's why "Downshifting" is a great example of new level of artistry. It's differ from his other works, but it's very well-judged and perfect. So, yes, I liked it very much.

!!! by honey10
"Creamals" ("!!!") based on Mujuice's vocal sample

 Let's continue to speak about your works – did you have any desire to do some kind of best of, selection of works?

By the way, it's a good idea, but I think that for big guys like Guns of Roses, RHCP or Wu. I don't think that there will be so much listeners for my best.

Your new beat-tape, "Hoyden", has a concept? I think it's like one day in a life of a girl from a cover and a name suggests it.

Initially, I just had written instrumentals for fellas from South Pakistan (hip-hop group from Kaliningrad – FY) and it hadn't gone very well, because I hadn't dealt with this earlier. And this summer I bought an AKAI and met one girl, she was a painter – she did the cover of "Hoyden". Then a muse came to me and I kinda learn it. "Hoyden" it's a word for girl and I'm like hoyden-boy, it's about me. Somewhat like new style.

Black magic by honey10
"Black Magic", fresh and fine cut from "Hoyden" beat tape

Your music gives an impression of something for folks, for private use. You don't chase for success, but your music is trendy and modern. Didn't you have a wish to become more known to people?

Yep, it's very private. But I want to go beyond circle of friends. For me, the main thing is to give some feelings to people. My dream – to heard my tracks on the big stage or in the club. It would be awesome even if someone include it in mix. I just want to know that people has my music in their players and that they know some guy who sits at home and writes music just because he wants it.

Frankly, I'm a little bit afraid of a stage. For a long time I want to create a band and make a good album with their help. But it's too early to think about gigs. I think I'm not ready for this. When you're Justin Bieber, you're not worried about it all – you just do what what managers told you to do and when you're alone it's a little frightening.

 Do you have some future directions, new genres?

 If I can't create the band, I'll stay in instrumental hipster-hop. But if I'll find people for work – I don't really know. But honestly – I have no idea and it's not so important for me.

And the last question – what do you think about new anonymous musicians?

 I'm tired of them – it's difficult to download it.

"Hoyden" beat tape is available for download here

"You Should Be Dancin'" discotape is available for download here
Honey @ Last.fm

Come, Moscow, it's time to get up: Fucked Up gig in Moscow

Fucked Up logo - illustration by March Hare

There is no much to tell you about Fucked Up Moscow gig. It was truly outstanding and amazing, believe me. But I have some good news for you - Damian told me that they're really working on Red Stockings's record (and work goes pretty well) and they're thinking about Animal Man stuff.

Here's some videos from concert - including excerpt of surprising "Common People" cover.

Catch-22: Miiisha and his debut, "22"

 

not the actual cover art, illustration by Daria Smorodina, inspired by "22" album

We can't tell you much about Miiisha, mostly because little is known about him. His alias — Misha Otter, he lives in Moscow and he's 22. Hero of his songs — we can't actually say that it's real Miiisha  — is bright young romantic (as he has positioned himself in his songs), who's watching with interest over the life around and trying to resist the society's misunderstanding (with varied success). His attitude towards society has a tinge of contempt, but not for all: best people are those who are near.

Miiisha's lyrical hero came from new moscovite's generation — self-confident, open-minded, creative and recalcitrant people. Now you can find such youngsters anywhere — but bustling Moscow is giving them special energy and we can feel it in his songs. There is only one and a half ballads ("adventure" can't be called a song at all, it's an interlude), and the rest of the album sounds like rollercoaster ride — it's fast, it's fun and it's marvelous. For Russian music, "22" doesn't have any analogues: Miisha is Lil' B of Russian pop. Any global compares? Imagine rush and power of M.I.A's "Born Free", tension and insanity of Crystal Castles, rhythm and vivacity of N.E.R.D's songs (such as "Brain") and sincerity of Kanye’s deeds, mix them together and you will get a formula of "22". By hooks or by crooks Miiisha's trying to make the utmost from his music skills — and it works. His songs are memorable and lyrics easily get stuck in the head.  God is in the details, and "22"'s full of them — but it may be unnoticeable for the first look. His rules of life simple but have logic and sense — we should live in the present, fight for our rights and feelings (as the personages of "Weapon") and nevermind about the world if you have reliable companions. Finally, his main law was formulated 25 years ago — we will do what we want and now we want to dance. On the abandoned palaces, in Antarctica, in the athmosphere — absolutely anywhere.

"22" is not only very intimate album about love in variety of manifestations and conditions, but also exact replica of life, thoughts and dreams of one person, though it states about the whole generation, perhaps, more than the author wanted to. Miiisha’s opinion about generation, however, not the best – he thinks that it’s worst generation ever. From this point of view, “22” is music for the jilted generation.

Further, it's just album from another, better Russia — the country of tasteful and artfully invented pop music. Russian music history has few examples of records that could change it, but they didn't cope because they were ahead of their time. "22" is one of them — it's too good to be made here and that's why alien on the cover looks like sad reproach to the reality.

"22" will be released in September. 

Crystals Don't Cry: New Bjork song

Her new song is better than anything this year. It's more natural than "Oceania", more fragile than "Coccon", stranger than whole Medulla album, better than whole Volta. Simple beat, gentle bells and memories about Goldie times - truly amazing. It's real track about nature - crystals, nebulae and sparkles. Let's wait some time till the album - but this one is so great. The Queen is back.

I Might Be Wrong: New Wilco single

Actually I don't like style which called "americana", but between two maitres of the genre, who were big things in 00s, I, perhaps, choose the second one. Their new song is terrific - fast and rapid, hard to believe, that they're working on their eighth album. Hope you're enjoyed "I Love My Label"-joke (band has their own label, where they're release the next album). Maybe the main problem of group is that they're still trying to break our hearts and to build that majestic building from Yankee Hotel Foxtrot cover, but don't catch a sight that it's dissolve into the blue like on the front of their new single.

I'm From Barcelona: New music from spanish city

Band with dear name (for Russians and Dostoevsky fans) plays troubleproof joyful noise pop, more looks toward The Pains of Being Pure At Heart than No Age. Nevertheless, they're not as simple as they look - drummer loves offbeat and he's a jewel of duet, they're sing about gags in the mouth, subversive methods, vital strategy and night vision (if we can believe to mechanical translations). Anyway, impression is complacent - the main song there called "heavenly noise" and it's the best appropriate characteristics for Grushenka's music.

Fitzroy North with all their look (rather name and cover) show that it's the suburbs music (for remark - it's not bad). Their EP consist of progressive electronic, something between wonky and skwee, simply - wonky is rustling music and skwee - squeezed. Both genres don't have a georeferencing, thet's why their music depersonalized, it's unclear what is all for, but easy to imagine on some party like in the Skins. However, the main problem there as in the whole skwee genre - of this music quickly you becomes tired.

Ocellot plays psychedelic pop, which little bit sounds like Animal Collective in times of Campfire Songs, but their favorable difference - besides the guitars, there we can hear strings, horns and flute and the sound is very dense. In addition it's (maybe allegedly) field recording - here and there nature sounds may be heard, for example, a brook is gurgling. It would seem that this music not hip, but Spanish do this crusty genre better, maybe because of their sincere and bright songs. It's gratifying that not all go in funeral orchestras trend.

Further we should pay attention to another orchestra - it's not EP at all, just a preview, but I can make an exclusion. Evripidis is Evripidis Sabatis, incomer from Greece who came in Spainat least 5 years ago, when his first single was released. The immersion of them is quite pleasant - for someone is not a recommendation, but maybe others will not averse to brighten their hedonistic summer with these songs. With a look at the cover where band meeting looks like relaxed party in serene day, and, moreover, with a look at Sabatis, who reflectively stands in the middle of the room with a cigarette, I bethink not about Antiquity but about Oscar Wilde heroes.

And finally, new track by Versatile, in its place would be their demo-EP, but I saw in time that it came in September. They plays kraut-rock, and don't stand still - when I heard their first EP i thought that they sounds like Neu! on the first song and other songs don't sound like kraut at all. But there is all in the canon - gloomy and grim rhythmic music.

All your need is love: New song by The Rapture

Brief introducing - The Rapture, one of the best and group of 00s, main band of disco-punk, will release their new album, The Grace of Your Love, this September. Now we can hear first single from it - How Deep Is Your Love? Well, all the songs are about love, you know, but what's about the track? It's totally epic, 7-minute long slapping song, full of recognizable The Rapture's sound. Blood on the dancefloor and all is full of love. So, open up your heart to it and listen. Wake me up when September begins, can't wait for it.

DFA White Out Sessions - How Deep Is Your Love? by The Rapture from DFA Records on Vimeo.

Girls sing: New music with female vocal

Twin Sister - an ideal name for twee-pop band. Stop, it's not twee? Gorgeous. Their new song sounds like disco jam - not only psychedelic, but strawberry, so tasty and sweet. And yep, that was Animal Collective reference.
Twin Sister - Bad Street by DominoRecordCo
First and the best Diplo-produced song in that post. You must remember Girls Aloud and their hits, such as… Ouch, hope yours memory's better than mine. So, it's solo song by Nicola Roberts, one of the group. Sounds like Major Lazer remix of La Roux song produced by Justice, and it's awesome.

Every year we had a candidate for the position of new Bjork. It were Emilie Simon, Joannna Newsom, Ida Maria - no one took the place. But god bless the polars - looks like we have a winner! Olga Bell, nee Russian, grown in Alaska, now she live in New York, but her music still holds icy calm of the north. Her debut album, Diamonite, is full of cold, but touchy electronics. It's clash of pagan and urban mythologies, ice desert and built up areas. The peak moment of the album - "Charlie", long and hypnotic northern poem. This album is beautiful as nature itself - as diamond, as boundless ocean, as aurora borealis.

Bodies of Water is the most 70s band of our days and the most Swedish band from California. And yes, it was allusion to ABBA - honestly, I don't really know more about 70s pop. It's sounds like famous quartet, but as if all the existential sadness of Sweden band break through cheerful melodies and smiles. As if Belle and Sebastian will see this world in a serious way. It's nostalgic music about something irretrievably lost and something that you can find only there - in the music.
Bodies Of Water - Open Rhythms by design_t
I know that it's not fair but I've decided to do this short review. I really appreciate her work and I think that there are only two real songstress in the mainstream pop right now - it's Beyoncé and Lady Gaga. I don't like the Gaga way - she's too pushy, and that's why I've waited for Beyoncé record. And I wasn't disappointed - "4"'s precious album. There's no big hits, all given to ballads and some experimental tracks - and besides it, it's beautiful. Sometimes I even think that she's the voice of all women - why not? She's the woman who sings, she just comes in and says about things that worry many of us. The-Dream on the backs, brilliant cameo of Andre 3000 - the album is superb in details. So, who's run the world? Beyoncé.

Fragile of two: New Balam Acab song

Last year we argued about Balam Acab - is it witch house or not? Now we're confident - certainly, not. His fragile new track sounds like James Blake remix of Bjork "Submarine" - so underwater, delicate and dense. Maybe a bit infantile, but... bloody perfect. Oh, why, how lovely.

BALAM ACAB - Oh, Why by TriAngleRecords

Summer Night City: Debut Jamie xx single

 

I've been waiting for it for 6 months or more. Finally, Jamie drops new single, and it's truly amazing record. Here's two tracks that convey the essence of big city life, hustle and bustle of megalopolis. Here we can see his own sound, maybe even unique. It's the music of concrete jungle, music of the night. The sound is warm and cheerful, it's refreshing like a sip of cool water in the heat, in short - the best music for the summer night. Looking forward for the next record - sure it will be incredible.

Jamie XX - Far Nearer (Single Version) by gnazzz

Поколение без памяти

Сперва я подумал — он чертовски похож на брата. Потом, конечно, понял — глупая мысль была: брат-то трагическая, по сути, фигура — промелькнет, конечно, немного света у него, но это всё так, только штрих к его истории. А он — ну он другой, заметно это. Живой совсем, не в плане попрыгать-поскакать, а вот ты сразу понимаешь: есть в нем то, чего у других нет, весь он словно напряжен, весь он из мышц, сердце его исправно стучит. Оба депрессивные до жути, конечно, этого не отнять, но это как-то по-человечески понятно всё, старшой-то он потеряшка такой, вот правду говорят, потерянное поколение, вот он в его главе и встал, а младшенький — хотя что сразу младшенький, ну год же разницы между ними, погодки же, к чему такое различие — он больше не про потерянность говорит, а как бы выразиться точнее, про разрыв какой-то. Вот начался этот их милленниум — вот и приехали, здрасьте. Понятно стало, что все поменяется — а к черту такие перемены, думаешь сейчас — а как, не знал никто. Вот он-то в будущее и смотрел. Брат его — он был нулем таким больше — ничего плохого, Боже упаси, просто ни в будущее не смотрел, ни в прошлое, чистый слепок настоящего, как есть. Про брата говорили — глыба, махина, камень столбовой, в списки ставили какие-то, ну он старался как-то соответствовать — что-то вырисовывалось в нем с годами, а с чего эта его плевотина в вечность пошла, не знает уже никто, молвил один словечко, все и подхватили. И при этом никто же не делал для него ничего — сам по себе рос, оценивали только его, ни фотографий никаких не было, наверно, загадочность все это и породила. Но довольно о брате, довольно.

Его-то самого по достоинству оценили, но с братом, конечно, равняли — да и я лишку хватил сейчас, каюсь, грешен. А ведь разные они совсем. Вот какой он, такое и десятилетие оказалось — слово-то какое, "нулевые", ишь, все в раздоре с самими собой ходили, вот он о том же вещал. О том, что уже не знаешь, где место твое и что делать тебе теперь, очень уж он неприкаянный. И вот ходит он так, то взад, то вперед, места не находит. О чем же еще? О природе, наверно, такой уж он живехонький, сейчас всё толки идут, биофилия, биофилия, а он сейчас, наверно, в сторонке стоит и посмеивается, раньше всех он эту песню завёл. И имя-то у него было такое — amnesiac, страдающий амнезией, значится, а вот намедни, вчерась, точнее, 10 годков ему было.

На самом деле говорить о том, что это, пожалуй, самый недооцененный альбом Radiohead, не стоит, ведь после этого был "Hail to the Thief", но именно ему, пожалуй, не хватило той любви, которой он по-настоящему заслуживает. Всё упирается, вероятно, в некую двойстенность "Kid A/Amnesiac" — некоторые и вовсе считают это одним альбомом, не без аргументации, надо сказать — но, как уже было сказано выше, это совсем иная история, просто так совпало, что песни были записаны в одну и ту же, хоть и очень длинную, рекорд-сессию. Если "Kid A" был про растворение в вечном вселенском океане, о некоем эскапизме, о состоянии исчезновения, приближенном к смерти, если не равному ей, то "Amnesiac" — про то, как человек возвращается из чистилища, новым, снова не знающим мира и заново его познающим, о том, что вот он — снова тут, все еще разрывающийся по сторонам, и не знающий, что ему делать, и куда ему идти — так мы прожили всё это смурное десятилетие. От старой жизни у него — только обрывки писем, что в буклете, письма теперь уже мертвого человека. Если "Kid A" был про окончательную остановку, подведением итогов — хотя кто-то может оспорить, сказав, что итоги подвел "OK Computer" — чего уж там, концом, то "Amnesiac" был про то самое гумилевское "вновь начало", так что если и считать их одним альбомом, то это, несомненно, диптих о реинкарнации. В основе названия альбома лежит поверье — при рождении человек забывает всё, что помнил в прошлой своей жизни. Рождение здесь присутствует еще и в одной небольшой деали — альбом посвящен сыновьям Тома и Фила, которые родились аккурат между выходом "Kid A" и "Amnesiac", что в какой-то степени может подтвердить эту красивую теорию. При рождении, однако, могут возникнуть мысли о смерти, и том, что идет после — отсюда и черпание вдохновения в "Книге мертвых" (тибетской и египетской) и дантовской "Божественной комедии". О музыкальных источниках и говорить нечего — еще со времен "OK Computer" сочетание Пендерецкого и DJ Shadow не вызывает изумлений, что уж говорить о Massive Attack, The Smiths и Neu! По сравнению с предыдущим альбомом Radiohead пустились в такие дали, что мы все не видали — пожалуй, это самый интимный и искренний их альбом: все здесь течет и меняется, голос Йорка как-то невероятно приближен к слушателю, он обволакивает. Это еще большая вещь в себе, чем недавний "The King of Limbs", это мир, в который ты попадаешь не сразу. Он действительно живой, и если вешать на него жанровые ярлыки, то это барочный IDM, джаз-техно, электронный психофолк (не упоминайте Animal Collective). Если с "Kid A" всё еще было несколько понятно — тем, кто послушал его не в 2000 году это могло показаться упражнением на тему "брит-поп группа послушала Autechre и еще больше полюбила джаз" — то здесь не получается нормально объяснить все его переливы, то, как он даже в абсолютно безысходной, казалось бы, вещи, такой как "Life in a Glasshouse", может повернуть ее так, что под разными точками зрения она смотрится то одой к радости, то изящной эпитафией. Альбом монументальный — каким еще может быть альбом, где поется о падении Римской империи, а оркестр взбирается все выше и выше? Монументальность, однако, воплотилась в этом хрупком памятнике рубежу всему сразу — десятилетию, веку, тысяселетию, эре, но все лавры достались более удачному предшественнику, тому, кто сразу бросался в глаза своими отличиями.

А что было потом? А потом Radohead стали постепенно погружаться обратно в глубины рока — все-таки лучше сравнить "Kid A/Amnesiac" с выходом на поверхность — а в этом году захотели вернуться обратно, выплыли, но без былого успеха, им удалось урвать всего ничего от времени на суше. Впрочем, к "Amnesiac" это все уже не имеет отношения — всё было уже потом: потом стало понятно, что песня "I Might Be Wrong", играющая в кафе — это может случиться разве что во сне Тома Круза, что альбому не удастся повлиять на кого-либо в музыкальном плане (Земфиру в расчет брать не стоит), что "Amnesiac" — это пик Radiohead, яркий и очень честный. Все это тоже не особо важно — во время прослушивания альбома все словно бы замирает и становится вне времени. И вот уже тогда — there is nothing to fear, there is nothing to doubt.

Open publication - Free publishing

Put Your Hands Up In The Air: New Coldplay Song

They're back. They're sound like U2, yep, again. And here the synths came, and there's no piano! Oh, I forgot about bagpipes, Peter Allen sample and this solid wall of sound. Not the best group's song, but - whatever - pretty. Catchy, frisky, enjoyable - best call for the summer song. Thanks for not copying Radiohead, Chris. And God bless Brian Eno.

Death On Two Legs: Zomby's Dedication

There is no revelations in new Zomby album - it liken with Tyler's Goblin, where the two most awesome tracks already were heard. It certainly don't sounds like dedication to folks and lovers, tracks titles are like in witch house. However, it begin with mad chirring of crickets, "Witch Hunt"'s the most experimental track on the album. LP doesn't look like rave memories of "Where Were You In '92?", but something different, new, don't emerge. It all sounds like drips and drabs, like mosaic from the last track. Besides "Natalia's Song" and "Things Fall Apart" we can find another two cool things: sensual and mature "Digital Rain" and dance of arabian robots, "Resolve". "Basquiat" is also not bad, but it's to a hair's breadth like Aphex Twin in the times of "druQks". The rest of it not brought to mind, and don't sounds very original - no alarms, and no surprises. Zomby's trying to look like Guy Fawkes of new electronic, but he's more like anonymous troll. And finally, Actress already did it better.

Hot'n'Cold: Lo-fi, hypno and chill russian summer

A bit of russian hypnagogic, chillwave and lo-fi hip-hop/rock/pop. An ideal soundtrack for the summer. Hope you will enjoy it.
Hot'N'Cold by gnazzz

Let's begin

Новая музыка by gnazzz