Siriusmo - Mosaik (Monkeytown, 2011)

I don't think I've looked forward to a gig this much in years, but this Sunday, 1st May, sees Siriusmo play the Twisted Pepper.  Label mates (and owners) Modeselektor will also be playing a dj set that night, which is a draw in itself, but I reckon Siriusmo's live set will be a tough act to follow.  So here's a little bit about his new album.

Mozaik is Siriusmo's first full album, yet it features tracks from a number of previous releases such as The Uninvited Guest and The Plasterer of Love EPs, released in 2009 and 2010 respectively.  With that in mind, the album would appear to have been in the works for quite a while and the result is a collection of 17 astounding dance based tracks that literally come together like an aural mozaik of diverse and unexpected sounds.

The album's first track "High Together" is a dancefloor friendly IDM tune, featuring a broad range of samples and synths, from the childlike voice that chimes the words of the track's title, to slapped bass and a sampled ride cymbal that taps out the steady rhythm.  A few tracks in and "Sirimande" begins with a collection of sampled percussive instruments and some seriously dirty bass synths making the track sound like something Aphex Twin might have conceived of 15 years ago.  Half way through the track these elements fade to reveal a layer of smooth fender rhodes piano, before the track builds back up as a banging acid-techno tune.  "Bad Idea" has some even dirtier bass and dub-step rhythms that become more complex and dense as the song builds to its climax.

The second half of the CD version of Mozaik is a more melodic affair, yet retaining the dark and gritty basslines.  "Idiologie", "Einmal in der Woche schreien", "Good Idea" and "Nights Off" have some of the catchiest and bounciest melodies I've heard in many a year, especially in the context of Berlin dance music.  "Good Idea" is the highlight of the album with its interweaving basslines and melodies constructed of notes played by various synthetic instruments, the notes of each only becoming a cohesive whole when heard in sequence with the others.  In this sense it epitomises the fragmentary nature of an album made up of a seemingly random collection of sounds.

Here the album briefly descends into darker territory once again with "Peeved" and "Feed my Meatmachine", the latter of which breaks after two minutes, giving way to some beautiful 80s inspired synth-pop.  Make sure and keep listening to the last track, "Red Knob" for its hidden second half that only emerges after 3 minutes of silence.  A beautiful ending to a truly eclectic album.

Check out both the CD and the vinyl versions for a different arrangement of tracks, and see him live this Sunday at the Twisted Pepper.

Toro Y Moi - Underneath the Pines (Carpark Records, 2011)

Chazwick Bundick, recording under the name Toro Y Moi, released his second solo album in February of this year.  His first album Causers of This (Carpark Records, 2010) showed off Bundick’s skill as both a multi-instrumentalist and as a producer, giving us a collection of beautiful pop-funk songs.  The production on Causers of This offers a wealth of lush textures and airy vocal harmonies with instrumentation ranging from piano, bass and guitar to warm analogue synths and drum machines.  His second album Underneath the Pines continues in the same vein, yet offers sounds sourced from an even wider palette.

The first song, “Intro Chi Chi”, sets out a psychadelic wash of distorted guitars, cowbells, shakers, and vocal layers, before the arrival of “New Beat” which picks up the tempo with some straight up synthy funk.  The vocal melodies of “Go With You” echo those of chillwave contemporary Ariel Pink and seems to hark back to the 60s with its harpsichord, rhodes and live drums.  In fact the rhodes compliments most of the album, as it does on the beautiful instrumental “Divina”, with a smooth bass line that recalls the sound of Air’s Moon Safari.  The vocal harmonies and melody of “Before I’m Done” are reminiscent of a post-Beatles John Lennon, while other songs harmonically hint at The Beach Boys or even The Shins.  There are further upbeat moments on the album such as “Got Blinded” and “How I Know”, although the album as a whole retains a laid back vibe due to the layers of reverb and delayed sounds.

With the exception of "New Beat", the album has a far more 60s feel to it than Toro Y Moi’s earlier album which found its footing more in the sounds of the late 70s and early 80s.  If Causers of This showed off Bundick’s ability as a producer with its chopped up samples and retro drum machines, then Underneath the Pines is more an album that highlights his ability as a songwriter and musician.  The album is full of melodic pop gems and is probably more accessible than its predecessor, although personally I prefer Causers of This with its warm synths and programmed beats.  It will be interesting to hear further releases from Toro Y Moi to see how his sound develops as he is clearly a highly talented musician and producer with a lot of scope.  Until then, both albums offer plenty of lasting enjoyment and are available to buy on record and cd.

Get Causers of This on vinyl
Get Underneath the Pines on vinyl 

Baths - Pop Music/False B-Sides (Anticon, 2011)

The May bank holiday weekend is fast approaching and with it comes a host of gigs to help us kick off the summer season.  I really can’t wait for the Baths and Solar Bears gig on the 29^th April, so, with that in mind, I’m going to give a quick review of Baths’ most recent release.

Pop Music/False B-Sides is Will Weisenfeld’s second release under the name Baths.  The album is only available on digital download, the code for which can be purchased at his gigs for a nominal fee.  Weisenfeld has stated that the release is more of a collection of songs that he has made since Cerulean, and promises to begin work on a full release album later this year.  Pop Music/False B-Sides certainly feels like a continuation of Cerulean with the same down-tempo, glitchy beats that carry the dreamy samples and vocal melodies along.

On first listening to the opening track I wondered if my headphones had been damaged as the rumbling melody emerged.  But no, just a bit of playful level clipping before the track kicks off proper with a slightly more dance-influenced beat than found on Cerulean.  This is again the way on the third track “Nordic Laurel”, as a Gold Panda-style fragmented sample drives the rhythm, with a drum machine keeping time in the background.  

As with Cerulean, manipulated piano and guitar overdubs feature heavily on the album, with the likes of “Overseas”, “Tourian Courtship”, “Iniuria Palace” and the “The Vapors” being good examples of Weisenfeld’s dexterity on both instruments.  

It's not until “Seaside Town” that the hip-hop influenced beats featured on Cerulean emerge, against some washy pads and samples.  “Flux” contains the most glitchy and complex beats on the album, almost so complex as to lose any sense of time keeping, with the main rhythm being kept by the sidechained synth as it pulsates throughout.

As with Cerulean much of the lyrical content of the album centres around affairs of the heart, with lost and unrequited love being the central theme of “Pop Song”, “Iniuria Palace” and “Lovesick Synthetic”. 

“The Vapors” offers a quiet moment of melodic contemplation before the closing song, “Damnation”, draws everything to a climax, in a symphony of stuttered and distorted harmonic textures.

The album will hopefully be available to buy at the Workman’s Club on the 29^th April, 2011.  Also worth checking out are Weisenfeld’s recordings under his other monikers Post-Foetus and Geotic, and these albums are available for free download here.

Upcoming gigs - Baths, Solar Bears, Siriusmo.

This May bank holiday weekend is shaping up to be a veritable feast for fans of electronic music.  April 29th sees the Irish act Solar Bears play support to Baths, from California.  The gig is on in the Workman's Club and there are still some tickets left as far as I know.

Solar Bears are for me one of the most exciting prospects for Irish electronic music, ever.  Along with Nouveaunoise, they're paving the way for Ireland's vibrant electronic music scene.  Their music is drawn from a mix of electronic and electro-acoustic instruments, with electric guitars playing alongside analogue synth pads and leads, and beats ranging from 808s to a full on rock kit.  If you haven't heard their debut album She Was Coloured In (Planet Mu, 2010), then I'd recommend you rush out and buy it today, seeing as it's Record Store Day and all.  From what I hear, their recent gig in Cork was excellent, so I'm really looking forward to seeing them live.  If you miss them at the Workman's Club you can catch them at the Forbidden Fruit festival on the 5th June at Kilmainham.  I'm going to check out both!

After the success of his first album, Cerulean (Anticon, 2010), Will Weisenfeld, aka Baths, is touring to promote his second release, Pop Music/False B-Sides (Anticon, 2011).  Baths manages to bridge the realms of glitch hop and alternative music, with non quantized beats stuttering alongside his layered falsetto.  The music is sample based, but Baths is often sampling himself playing guitars, pianos and a range of other instruments.  Baths promises to be a great live performance, using an mpd to control his samples live.  Review of Pop Music/False B-Sides to follow.

 The Sunday night of the May bank holiday weekend sees Siriusmo play the Twisted Pepper alongside Modeselektor (DJ set) with visuals by Pfadfinderei.  Having only discovered Siriusmo in the last year or so, I'm ecstatic about seeing him live.  Siriusmo recently released his debut album Mozaik (Monkeytown, 2011), featuring a collection of songs from previous EPs as well as a host of new tracks.  The result is a brilliant and refreshing album, full of upbeat, happy-go-lucky electronica.  This is definitely one not to be missed.

Get tickets for Baths and Solar Bears here

Get tickets for Siriusmo here