Jason (Nosaj Thing) had announced the video for “Eclipse/Blue” would be out in a few days and I didn’t know what to expect, partially because he doesn’t have many out for Drift. What I do know is Nosaj Thing always has great visual effects when he plays, and after support from The Creators Project, and help from Daito Manabe, takcom, Satoru Higa, and MIKIKO, it has been translated to this gorgeous music video, accompanied by a lyric dancer (MIKIKO) as a centerpiece.
The xx – “Angels”
Unless you’ve ignored social media all morning, you know The xx have released their first single “Angels” from their forthcoming album Coexist which will be released September 11, 2012. You can find the lyrics on their website. Like the rest of music listeners, I’m eager to hear what’ll come from The xx on their sophomore album and so far it’s sounding pretty damn sweet.
The xx’s Coexist Track List
Tracklisting:
“Angels”
“Chained”
“Fiction”
“Try”
“Reunion”
“Sunset”
“Missing”
“Tides”
“Unfold”
“Swept Away”
“Our Song”
Hot Sugar – “There’s a Man Waiting at the Bottom of the Stairs”
Although this instrumental may not be as “fun” as some of the other stuff I have posted on here recently (see: Skinny Friedman), it has a way of creeping up on you and making you listen over and over. Besides having one of the creepiest titles I can think of, “There’s a Man Waiting at the Bottom of the Stairs” is truly electronic instrumentalism as I think it should be: low key, full of casio, and hints of ethereal influences. Check out “There’s a Man Waiting at the Bottom of the Stairs” below, or check out Hot Sugar’s SoundCloud account.
Purity Ring – “Obedear”
Purity Ring has just released “Obedear”, featuring a hip-hop type beat and signature chopped lyrics. “Obedear” can be heard on their debut full-length Shrines out June 24th. I was lucky to catch their set at FYF Fest last September, definitely worth checking out and seeing how the vocals come together live. Hopefully they’ll be heading out on tour again soon. For now, enjoy the track.
Dirty Projectors – “Gun Has No Trigger”
Okay so I’m a bit late on this update, but the excitement is still there and that’s what counts, right? Dirty Projectors are gearing up to release their new album, Swing Lo Magellan and have released “Gun Has No Trigger” as a teaser, and what a tease it is. Said to be “An album of songs” (which, I’m not quite sure what else it would be…?), the focus of the rather large orchestration of writing, composing, and compiling songs is something that is hopeful to be present, seeing as the album has been narrowed down from 40 finished demos to just twelve tracks. Click here to see when Dirty Projectos will be playing in your area.
Listen to a song that didn’t quite make the cut for the album, “You Against the Larger World”
Dirty Projectors – Gun Has No Trigger by DominoRecordCo
Dntel – “Bright Night”
Dntel has always been on my radar ever since he did a song with Bright Eyes (my favorite artist of all time…sorry Kanye), and I was entranced by the experimental plinking, random start and stops of the beat and the heavily edited vocals. Dntel is now coming out with Aimlessness; his first studio release since 2010.
“Bright Night” is the first released song off of Aimlessness and gives us a good idea of how the rest of the album is going to be. I am a huge fan, and cannot wait for Aimlessness to hit the interwebs, but check it out for yourself. Stream “Bright Night” below.
XXYYXX – Mystify EP
I had been playing XXYYXX’s “Overdone” remix a few times a day this week waiting to hear more, so this EP’s timing is clutch. The EP itself is pretty clutch as well. In the opening track, the audio clip sounds like it’s from a ballet practice, which is an interesting audio as dialogue, but fits perfectly as a beat counter and the keyboard sounds as if it’s dancing around the voice too. “Mystify”, the title track, actually picks up the pace, incorporating more layers and harder hitting synths, giving more of a tropical vibe. “LSD Dream Theatre” and “LUV U GRL” focus on more of the post-dubstep aspects of the mixtape. They take the EP down a notch tempo-wise, but each track remains tight. “Sencha” features a soothing guitar-plucking loop, only 1:36 long, the shortest track on the EP.. Mystify is finished off with “Bill Gates”, which XXYYXX had posted to his Soundcloud a few days ago, unmastered. For the time being, I’m not sure if “Bill Gates” is the right track to close the EP with. It’s a tidy little EP, beats are layered well, good amounts of synth, definitely something worth investing in (and for $1, how could you not?). XXYYXX has been steady on releasing an EP a month for 2012, check out his Bandcamp for those.
Gem Drops Two, a Dropping Gems Compilation
S.Maharba has been on my radar ever since hearing his remix of a WU LYF song. It’s been a while since hearing from him, but recently, he posted that he was included in the new Dropping Gems compilation, Gem Drops Two. The tracklist is killer, and I’ve spent a bit of time listening to the 320kbps digital versions. I can’t wait until my cassette arrives.
If you donate $15 or more, you can choose to get a cassette, which only exist in limited print of 150. All proceeds from sales go to the American Cancer Society, and this isn’t a bad way to give and feel charitable.
Rustie – Glass Swords
I’m kind of surprised Rustie didn’t make it to the Coachella lineup but that just shows how underrated this guy is. If you’re in that new millenium R&B lazer raving sound then this is the guy to watch out for in 2012. Signed to the Warp label, his full release “Glass Swords” utilizes an old school synth sound to create an extraterrestrial vibe. A little late but this guy deserves a mention, check his album out on Spotify.
Tracklisting:
01 – Glass Swords
02 – Flash Back
03 – Surph
04 – Hover Traps
05 – City Star
06 – Globes
07 – Ultra Thizz
08 – Death Mountain
09 – Cry Flames
10 – After Light
11 – Ice Tunnels
12 – All Nite
13 – Crystal Echo
Benny Loco – Set EP
Benny Loco aka Ian Guthrie from Boulder, CO, released this Set EP, a collection of tracks in November. You can download it all for free via Bandcamp. Mostly ambient than anything but there’s touches of hip hop beats throughout. Not quite ethereal or of the streets, somewhere in between, maybe hovering over land making sense of it all.
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