Ten Million Sounds – Finding Time
We’ve been featuring fewer and fewer electronic-based trip hop artists on BB lately, a fact that I’m confounded by. I don’t know if I’ve set the bar a bit too high, or if the genre simply doesn’t interest me as much as it used to. I’ve been reluctant to give a good hard listen to even Emancipator’s...
Monogrenade – Tantale
Monogrenade made their case the first time I stumbled into the “Intro“. The beauty of the band’s expertly realized atmospheric demeanor became increasingly apparent as Tantale unwound, a trait that contrasts many of my most revered albums. The more I listened, the more I realized that this Canadian quartet doesn’t bother beating around the bush....
Raycord – Ruban-Ruban
Seemingly simplistic in its presentation, Raycord‘s debut album Ruban-Ruban makes a strong case that nothing is ever how it appears. On first glance, Ruban-Ruban puts on a good show – slow, trip-hop beats chug the rhythm along, while electronic glitches and blips help to accent the atmospheric overtones. It’s all par for the course in...
Shipwrek – Journal
Dramatic, gripping soundtracks aren’t reserved only for great films or video games. As Shipwrek‘s debut album teaches us, they can just as easily find a home in our everyday lives. Journal is just that, a log of events frozen in time and translated into music. The album began as a simple project used to chronicle...
Darren Korb – Bastion Soundtrack
Bastion is a single player adventure game featuring some classic gameplay with a new-age twist, and is complemented by an eclectically original soundtrack. On its own, the game stands as one of my favorites of the past few years. Combining the gameplay with the soundtrack’s obscure mixture of folk, trip hop and blues; however, made...
Dirty Art Club – Hexes
Dry, dusty dub is alive and well in the Dirty Art Club. Composed by producers Madwreck and Matt Cagle, Hexes is the duo’s second release on the slick Phonosaurus Records (Berry Weight, Astrid Engberg). The EP, while replete with seething electronic undertones, sports a refreshing fusion of instrumental hip-hop, lounge and cinema. Hexes swallows you...
Mokhov – Perfect Dream
Mokhov’s Perfect Dream marks his second atmospherically infused electronic effort (atmospherica?). Add in the fact that it was released less than a year after his debut record, it’s safe to say that this musician is nothing short of prolific. Overall, Perfect Dream successfully avoids the dreaded “sophomore slump” by expanding on what makes Mokhov’s music...
Søren Andreasen – Barefoot Memories
The intro to Barefoot Memories serves as a warm welcome to a thought-provoking journey through Søren Andreasen‘s musical mind. It conjures visions of times past, layering subtle string arrangements over electronic percussion and haunting female vocals. Over the course of the seven-song cerebral expedition, Barefoot Memories cleverly blends some glitchy, ambient beats with Søren’s trademark...
The Symphony of Science
Artists trying to bridge the gap between entertainment and anything remotely educational put themselves in a precarious situation, whether intentional or not. Allowing one to eclipse the other can throw the entire project into an indescribably nebulous realm – is it strictly educational, trying to be cool, or is it edu-tainment? In any case, it’s...
