Podcast 14

Welcome, welcome. There's some cracking songs in Sleephouse Radio this week - even if I do say so myself...

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Sleephouse Radio - Podcast 14 by sleephouseradio

Tracklisting:

1. Lido Pimienta - 'Mueve'
2. Twin Sister - 'I Want A House'
3. Papercuts - 'White Are The Waves'
4. Matthew Young - 'Objects In Mirror'
5. Benge - '1975 Moog Polymoog'
6. Frightened Rabbit - 'Fun Stuff' (Demo)
7. Nina Nastasia - 'You Can Take Your Time'
8. Tape - 'Come Madellena'
9. Mountains - 'Choral'



Further illumination on this week's music...


1. Lido Pimienta - 'Mueve'


It's not often you come across an artist as instantly impressive as Lido Pimienta - a Colombian who currently makes her home in Canada and quite obviously makes tremendous music there.

I'm on shaky ground of course, as I have no idea what she's singing about - but it's difficult not to get swept up in the blooming euphoria of this song. In fact, I dare you not to love it. The ever-so-slightly warped brass interludes are a particular treat.

Lido Pimienta, one to watch then - in big neon capital letters!

Find out much more about this one women creative powerhouse by visiting her MySpace here - and by reading this great blog about this song. I believe a self-released EP is in the works.


2. Twin Sister - 'I Want A House'


A delicately woven piece of blissed out daydreaming - that strangely puts one in mind of Barry White's Love Unlimited Orchestra - signals the arrival of Twin Sister.

They seem to be offering the whole mini album that this track comes from over at their website for free download. And, while I'm not so sure that is a good idea, there's no doubting the impressiveness of this New York band.

Plus, you can always buy it from iTunes too. I suggest you pay them a visit then:

http://twinsistermusic.com


3. Papercuts - 'White Are The Waves'


Papercuts released a great album last year, an album that quietly bubbled under, garnered a bit of praise but never really broke through. Now they're back with this excellent single and I'm frightened the same thing will happen again. Don't let it.

Download or buy the 7" right here >>>>


4. Matthew Young - 'Objects In Mirror'


When a man wants to make a record with hammered dulcimer, banjo, Casio synth and drum machines - he should bloody well be allowed to. If he wants to take the lyrics "verbatim from a couple of car manuals", I would also fight to the death to maintain his right to do so.

Such was the genesis of this cracking 1986 self-released curio from Matthew Young, which is now being re-issued on Yoga Records.

You can read more about Matthew at the Yoga Records website here, download their $4 dollar sampler album from Other Music here, or - if you don't live in the States - download just this track from iTunes right here.


5. Benge - '1975 Moog Polymoog'


A real gem from 2008, when Benge released a record called 'Twenty Systems' which charted the history of the modern synthesiser and did it beautifully all on one beautifully presented CD.

That's 20 tracks, showcasing 20 different synthesizers, one from each year, and covering the period 1968-1987. "From the first commercially available systems in the late 1960s to the introduction of fully digital systems in the late 1980s. What you hear on each track is the pure sound of an individual instrument."

For more on this record - read an excellent interview with Ben Edwards (or Benge) right here at the fine online magazine The Quietus.

Plus - check out the packaging of 'Twenty Systems' right here!

Benge's Twenty Systems MySpace


6. Frightened Rabbit - 'Fun Stuff' (Demo)


7. Nina Nastasia - 'You Can Take Your Time'



A bit of a label showcase here - from the ever reliable and frequently drop-dead amazing FatCat Records.

Both these two tracks (and much more besides) are featured on a free 13 track sampler which you can download for free if you sign up to the label's mailing list. Click here to do it now! The offer is only on for a month.

I could tell you more, but the quality speaks for itself - besides the folks from FatCat will tell you everything you need to know, direct to your inbox.

Frightened Rabbit MySpace
Nina Nastasia MySpace


8. Tape - 'Come Madellena'


9. Mountains - 'Choral'



Tape are a pastoral instrumental band from Sweden - Mountains are an ambient duo who release on Thrill Jockey. Both are currently on tour with each other in the States. If you are lucky enough to live near any of the shows - which you can see right here - attendance is surely a must. An excellent evening of music surely awaits you.

What's more - the Tape song is a Ennio Morricone cover and you can download it right here for free - and listen to the original right here on Spotify.

Tape MySpace

Mountains MySpace

Issue 13

Welcome to the first real edition of Sleephouse of 2010...

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Tracklisting:
1. Vic Thrill - 'Brevia Buzz Storm'
2. Here We Go Magic - 'Fangela'
3. Sam Amidon - 'How Come That Blood'
4. Fourtet & Burial - 'Wolf Cub'
5. Mount Kimbie - 'Maybes'
6. Skriet - 'Fåglarna'
7. Mount Eerie - 'Ancient Questions'
8. Loscil & Destroyer - 'Certain Things You Ought To Know'
9. Loscil - 'Union Dusk'


Or a fuller explanation...

1. Vic Thrill - 'Brevia Buzz Storm'

Photo: John Brassil

Marc Riley's 6music show is more and more filling the gap left by John Peel's profound absence, especially when he drops lunatic stuff like this right out of the blue.

Released in 2007 and surely beggin' for a re-release, this 9 minute 'Beefheart goes Bollywood' freakout just gets better and better throughout its trance-inducing duration. If you want to find out more about this Brooklyn's Vic Thrill - I'd suggest starting here.


2. Here We Go Magic - 'Fangela'




A real classic that I missed out of the end of year credits. A damn near perfect marriage of dream pop with a strangely appropriate electro underpinning.

Main man, Luke Temple oversees this song's gentle and charming cascades with a winning charm, making me think that there might be just be something in this hypnogogia, afterall.

Here We Go Magic MySpace

3. Sam Amidon - 'How Come That Blood'


The tradional folk runs strong in Sam Amidon's family, but he serves up a real fresh treat for the ears on this song, a complete reworking of an old Appalachian standard, and a song that seems to me haunted by Arthur Russell's Iowa farmboy personna.

Better still he's offering the track for free download right here in exchange for your email address. Not a bad deal, as I'm sure he'll be dropping you a line come March when the full album, 'I See The Sign', is released.


4. Fourtet & Burial - 'Wolf Cub'


It's surely official - after a string of lukewarm releases - Four Tet is thoroughly back on track. The excellent Joy Orbison remix of 'Love Cry' is doing great business and he's just unleashed a fantastic mix from his London DJ reisidency at Plastic People (you can listen to it right here).

Seems to me that Mr Hebden's brush with the dark side (i.e. his collaboration with Burial) has done his the world of good and he's returned rejuvinated from the land of shadows ready to release an album that's as anticipated as anything I can remember from Four Tet. While we wait for 'There Is Love In You''s release, let's celebrate his return to form with the my favourite side of 2009's Four Tet / Burial split 12".

Visit Fourtet.net to listen to a preview of the new record!


5. Mount Kimbie - 'Maybes'


More dubstep influenced stuff from London's Mount Kimbie, this time from the more melodic and sunny side of the genre, courtesy of Hotflush Records.

And although I'm not entirely sure this technically is actually dubstep - I'm pretty goddamn pleased that the genre has sparked a renewed interest in this kind of electronic music again. As I'm sure are these fellas.

Mount Kimbie


6. Skriet - 'Fåglarna'

Photo: Anna Sundström


My further adventures in Scandinavian music continue with this cracker from Swedish band Skriet.

In the old days, when writers had to make you listen to the song without being able to let you listen to it, comparisions with Joy Division would have been banded around. Thank god then for the internet. Just click here and listen to them for yourself and save me the embarrassement. The song title means 'The Birds', by the way.

Skriet MySpace


7. Mount Eerie - 'Ancient Questions'


When I read that Mount Eerie's latest album was "black metal" influenced, I swore I wouldn't listen to it. I softened my position somewhat, but was put off by the loud guitars on the first track when I finally got round to giving it a proper listen.

I don't even know how I came to hear the rest of the record, but somehow it's wormed its way into my heart regardless of my better judgement. In fact, I think it's Phil Elverum's best record in some time. Dammit.

Visit Pwelverumandsun.com for all things Elverum

8. Loscil & Destroyer - 'Certain Things You Ought To Know'
9. Loscil - 'Union Dusk'


After reading a few scraps of hesistant predictions and sniffing the gathering wind - I'm gonna put all my money on a pronounced comeback for drone and ambient this year. Afterall, what do I care? Even if I'm wrong I'll still get to play you some glorious records.

And we're gonna start with the very best - Vancouver's Loscil.

By day, Scott Morgan is a mild-mannered Sound Designer for the video game industry - by night he's one of the finest exponents of minimal ambient around, having released a glittering string of releases over that last decade, all of which I can thoroughly recommend.

He's also played drums with Destroyer and remains a collaborator with Dan Bejar - as evidenced by the first track, a live rehearsal recording of Destroyer's 'Certain Things You Ought To Know' that he posted on his excellent blog last year.

He also quietly slipped out the three track 'Strathcona Variations' as a digital-only release on Ghostly International in the fall of 2009, and 'Union Dusk' is taken from that. You can buy it right here.

I'm sure I've heard rumours of a full length release in 2010 too. Or maybe that's just my wishful thinking. I really hope not.

Visit loscil.ca

Issue 12: Vic Chesnutt Tribute

This issue of Sleephouse celebrates the life and work of Vic Chesnutt. A wonderful songwriter who died on Christmas Day just gone.

Click here to listen now!

Tracklisting:
1. 'Speed Racer'
2. 'Dying Young'
3. 'Guilty By Association'
4. 'Degenerate'
5. 'Bernadette & Her Crowd'
6. 'Like A Monkey In A Zoo'
7. 'Splendid'
8. 'And How'
9. 'Flirted With You All My Life'


Click here to contribute a donation to help Vic's family pay his medical debts.

Click below for the full versions of the interviews which feature in this show.

Vic's final radio interview on NPR: Songs Of Survival And Reflection: 'At The Cut' (Listen here)