Stendeck - Scintilla

Some quality IDM from this year, which, if a little fat were to be trimmed, could quite easily be in the top few releases of the year. But let us not dwell upon these things and indulge in these 72 minutes of gorgeous beats instead.

Taking obvious cues from the early Warp crew, especially Autechre, and also a lot of recent trends in the more emotive and atmospheric electronic music, Scintilla is a night-time journey through the various side-streets of IDM. What makes the length a little easier to digest is the variation on offer. As with most good electronic music of this nature, it sucks you in and takes you somewhere else (the cover is pretty suggestive).


Scintilla

Charles Bradley - No Time For Dreaming

With this being released on Daptone Records, you can pretty much tell straight away how this will sound: like it was recorded about 40 years ago. Sounding like a cross between James Brown and Otis Redding, and backed by the Menahan Street Band, Bradley screams his way through an assortment of revivalist soul as if his life depends upon it. Fans of the aforementioned artists, Sharon Jones, Lee Fields, or any other Daptone artist, enquire within.


No Time For Dreaming

Kevin Drumm - Imperial Distortion

Very minimal, yet dense tones from Chicago-based noise/drone musician Kevin Drumm.

This album is a great example of using the most minimal materials to startling effect, as the majority of it is made up of ambient drones. While this may seem excessively simple of the surface, the slightest ripple caused by a change in timbre or tone leads to the texture being altered (un)dramatically. These drones are like slowly moving monoliths, exposed to the elements and changing at an almost unnoticeable pace. The deep and complex textures only reveal themselves more as you give yourself over.


Imperial Distortion

Wraiths - Plaguebearer

Industrial horrors manifested in otherworldly drones. A condensation of pain and paranoia, in noise form.


Plaguebearer

XX. Strings

I know, hardly any posts over the last couple of months. And it's not even like I have gone and gotten a life or anything.