January : : February : : March
← Late 2024 : : Media Diary Index : : Lamuya @ RYM



January

Time Is Away : : Honey from a Weed

Strange yet familiar and comforting. Like forgotten tools your great-grandparents might have used. Features spoken word, mostly about nature, activities like building a fire, cooking, picking fruits; the ever beautiful &lquo;Hana” by Asa-Chang & Junray is featured near the end of part one and fits just right, first looping in the background at a low volume while fire crackles, taking its time before finally unfolding.

The first mix focusses on music with spoken word as an accompaniment, I think it’s great; the balance gets a bit thrown off in the second mix, which has a bit too much spoken word and less memorable music, but if you liked the first one it’s worth getting as well.

▷ Soundcloud (Part 1)
▷ Soundcloud (Part 2)
▷ RYM (Part 1)
▷ RYM (Part 2)

Time Is Away : : Edits

… And I like this even more.

These edits also share a warm and mysterious air — music that smells like wheat, an attic, a distant wood fire. But electronic this time, and the repetitiveness of the beats and loops is hypnotizing in a very pleasant way + contrasts beautifully with the samples of unknown origins. Half-dreaming on a train travelling through beautiful unfamiliar places, hearing other people speak in unknown languages.

▷ RYM

Marina Herlop : : Nekkuja

Another take on folk × electronic — folk songs with a lush pastoral mood, lovely vocals that take inspiration from traditional music (&lquo;a technique inspired by Carnatic music of Southern India” according to liner notes), electronic sounds and very contemporary production (this was released on PAN).

▷ Bandcamp
▷ RYM

Ivan the Tolerable Quintet : : Water Music

Playing with / blurring the lines between post-rock, psychedelic rock, dark jazz and ambient, with some really cool sounds and gestures. Water Music is concise but complex and elusive, easy to enjoy and difficult to fully grasp (this kind of album always rewards repeated listens well); Black Water / Brown Earth is also very good, with more straightforward rhythms and melodies, longer too. Which one I prefer depends on my current mood!

▷ Bandcamp
▷ RYM

Nicolás Jaar : : Archivos de Radio Piedras

To call this intimidating would be an understatement. A 2½-hour radio drama in Spanish, followed by 2½ hours of extra tracks (which I expected to be the instrumental version of the play, but have almost as much spoken word)? Yet it’s also one of Jaar’s best works, with a deeply melancholic and often unsettling atmosphere — darker than anything else I’ve heard by Jaar, fitting the story and themes. I like that it’s a long work too, with interesting world building and references to our current world. I think I like the play better than than the individual tracks even though I don’t understand Spanish, but if the length puts you off Piedras 1 & 2 also exists and is shorter.

▷ Bandcamp
▷ RYM

3776 : : The Birth and Day of the Universe Through Mount Fuji

A dazzling super high-energy seamless J-pop cycle about exactly what the title says! Very fun and impressive, it’s a lot to take in but there’s always something cool to guide you through this journey.

▷ RYM

Teto Preto : : Fala

Colorful post-industrial queer dance beats from Brazil! I don’t understand a word (are the lyrics available anywhere?) but I think I’m in love with this band, this one is a lot more vivid and aggressive than Pedra Preta (which was more elegant and almost brooding, great as well).

▷ Bandcamp
▷ RYM

DJ Trystero : : Null-A

Dub techno that doesn’t sound like any dub techno I know — it’s mechanical and a little fuzzy, but high contrast and with an interesting brightness as well. (Am I making sense at all? Probably not)

▷ Bandcamp
▷ RYM

Poppy : : Negative Spaces

You probably know Poppy better than I do (it’s the first thing I hear by her and I haven’t seen any of her videos yet), and I don’t really have much to say about this, but I like it for similar reasons I like DOLL$BOXX High $pec (Japanese trance metal EP)

▷ Bandcamp
▷ RYM

The Cure : : Seventeen Seconds

I’ve known this one for a long while now, but it took me a long while to warm up to it too. Like it wanted to be cold, aloof, forgotten. My teenage ears couldn’t find much there to hold on to, only little hints here and there that it would be worth revisiting; even now, I rarely listen to it — mostly when I feel cold and sad. But it has its place in my heart.

▷ RYM

Alex Kassian & Nummer : : Détente aux Enfers 10.06.20

If you ever need the music equivalent of a long hot bath or a walk outside in the sunshine, you know. It really does good.

▷ Soundcloud (free download)
▷ RYM

Genesis P-Orridge & The Hafler Trio : : Dream Less Suite

… Okay, a vinyl-only, expensive, limited double LP released after Gen’s death, without sound samples, with a title referencing one of h/er best albums? I was skeptical. Knowing Mr. McKenzie, this could have been anything from an unreleased masterpiece to a worthless cash grab like so many posthumous releases are.

I have to admit though, this is pretty good. Not essential. Only for fans. If you’re not familiar with both artists yet, forget about this and check out their other projects first (Psychic TV Dreams Less Sweet, The Hafler Trio Kill the King and Throbbing Gristle Part Two: The Endless Not are among my all-time favourites, one could add many more worth checking out). But if you are a fan already, the hypnotic rhythm stemming from cut-up CD glitches building up to a full-fledged trance on &lquo;E-am-E” and the evil drone of &lquo;NOW<------->NOW” really are impressive (and they’re 20+ minute each). The previous tracks are a murkier industrial/noise fare, sometimes forgettable but usually good: &lquo;רדאמשענ” stands out despite its very lo-fi recording quality as a strange, interesting ritual, occasionally featuring feral screams from Gen.

▷ RYM



February

PÖ : : Cociage

Post-industrial beats, deep bass, traditional Ugandan music elements and vocals that range from clean to genderbending and demonic — weaving nightmarish distortions and searing through them. It’s a short, often uncomfortable listen, definitely not for everyone — you never know whether you’re going to get a rhythmic, entrancing track, beautiful vocals or pure monstrous antagonism. But it’s pretty powerful.

(+ If you like: Pan Daijing Lack 惊蛰)

▷ Bandcamp
▷ RYM

Ishikawa Yugo : : Nurikabe

A short, moving supernatural story about a strange wall-like yokai. 30 pages. I love the last panels, they’re beautiful!

▷ Mangadex (English translation)

Confield Corrosion Crew : : 17/04/21

No climax in this mix but no weak points whatsoever either, this is just consistently interesting and perfectly balanced between complexity, danceability and atmosphere. (Contains no Autechre, despite the name)

Thanks to rtdx for the discovery!

▷ Soundcloud
▷ RYM

Mylène Farmer : : Anamorphosée

Throwback to 90s pop — electric guitars, pop hooks, a little trip hop or something on a couple of tracks, all good!

I’m glad I like Mylène. Most of the time, I neither know nor care who else listens to the music I listen to (everything is decontextualized on the internet), but I knew she was popular with people I liked — teenagers then, queer people now, apparently nostalgic millennial women like her too. I remember a couple of lesbian artists who liked her (I wished I were this cool) and a repeater in middle school who was bored and started stripping his winter coat belting out &lquo;Déshabillez-moi” (the only song I don’t like on Ainsi soit je..., but his performance made me laugh out loud). (My music teacher hated her but he was an arsehole.) I only realized recently how &lquo;Sans contrefaçon” is a bona fine trans anthem too (released in 1988, how cool is that?)

So why did it take me so long to actually listen to her? I think I was too young and angsty as a teenager — looking for harsher, more confrontational sounds. I kinda looked down upon the French pop and chanson that aired on the radio. Snobbishness was probably part of this, though I also wanted to build my own personal world, separate from this one. The other reason is kinda dumb, but I care about cover art too much and Mylène’s album covers are almost all terrible (the only one I like is her latest), which made me think her music would be just as cheesy. Oh well. Better late than never!

▷ Mylène.net (French fan site)
▷ RYM

Jordan Peele : : Get Out

I don’t get people who say this film isn’t scary — the ending relieves that tension in such a way &lquo;scary” isn’t my last impression, but I did feel genuine fear and discomfort as things progressed before that. Georgina’s facial expressions were especially creepy, props to the actress (Betty Gabriel) for nailing that — though Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) is just as memorable.

I also love how the film changes genres and tones as it progresses, how fun and over-the-top it gets at the end despite being built on real horrors and fears.

Ethel Cain : : Perverts

How different this is from Preacher’s Daughter! Both are good but this one speaks to me a lot more. Love how the songs and dark ambient complement each other, I’m glad to see more artists embrace very long atmospherics and instrumentals on otherwise song-driven albums like this. At times Perverts is simply gorgeous (&lquo;Punish”), at other times it’s so sparse and atmospheric it feels like the emptiness itself is speaking. And &lquo;Pulldrone” on speakers is eerie as hell.

▷ RYM

Bug bus piano : : Shall Be Saved, Exportedrecordedrecovered

I didn’t care much for this one on my first listen; felt like it did too little, a collage of almost-nothings on tape. Then one day I was in the right mood (grey sky, low energy, I just wanted a little sound) and I really got into it. Distant instruments and drones and surface noise. If you’re receptive to it (being into drone and reductionism helps), it brings a sense of place, distance and interiority, aloof but human.

Try Putting All the Pieces Together could be an easier introduction, I don’t know, I liked it too and it felt more accessible. alans_gingerale wrote a discography review/guide which I should check out!

▷ Bandcamp (free download)
▷ RYM

Tuu : : One Thousand Years

More recent editions have a different cover art with a new-agey picture of ruins in the forest (+ tacky computer effects), but I like this one a lot more — striking and elegant, not immediately obvious, with an illusion of depth. I expected post-punk because of it though.

It’s pretty typical tribal ambient, but it’s good!

▷ Bandcamp
▷ RYM

Laurence Vilaine : : La Géante

Un roman assez court sur la montagne et quelques personnes qui y vivent ou y passent, chacune solitaire ou isolée à sa manière. Ça parle de maladie grave et de distance aussi, il y a une certaine âpreté dans ce texte mais l’écriture est vraiment belle !

▷ Zulma
▷ Babelio

Sutekh : : Incest

The first records I’d heard by this artist were techno as Rrose and automatic piano minimalism as Seth Horvitz; this is the artist’s microhouse project and it’s just as interesting, perhaps even better. Rooted in microhouse (a genre that’s pretty experimental and open to begin with) but expanding from there using acoustic sounds, at times forgoing beats to focus on pure sounds or atmospheres, sometimes turning into glitch. Incest is not a live album but was played as such then edited, and flows almost like a DJ mix (a good thing). Fell is also good if you prefer a more conventional album!

▷ Bandcamp (CD version)
▷ Bandcamp (vinyl version)
▷ RYM

Atom Heart : : Shellglove

I’m never going to check out all of Uwe Schmidt’s records, but he’s got some excellent ones. This is one of the best I’ve heard so far, with intense fast beats contrasting with extremely soft ambient techno and a bit of dub towards the end — really smooth and pleasant throughout.

▷ Bandcamp
▷ RYM

Tourette : : Matière arrachée

Does this still count as noise or drone? It feels more complex and dynamic than either, with great sound design, even some melodies — while still being more abstract and wilder than electronic acts like Ben Frost or Aho Ssan. Gets better with each listen too.

▷ Bandcamp
▷ RYM

Theodora : : BAD BOY LOVESTORY

Mixing genres and attitudes: flashy + candid, upbeat but with an underlying melancholy in several tracks (even a little brooding in a few?), also I know bouyon exists now — but the main reason why I like this is because it’s good pop

(Apparently &lquo;Kongolese sous BBL” is a viral hit in my country, I wouldn’t know because I live in a cave in the woods — it’s far from the only good track here though, my favourites might be &lquo;Fashion Designa” and &lquo;Mon casque”)

▷ RYM



March

Flare : : Grip

Ken Ishii's Sleeping Madness is a long-time favourite of mine — sleek futuristic techno with clean, elastic sounds and plenty of energy.

Flare is his more experimental side project, and while Grip shares similar beats and sound design, it goes to weirder places — there's quite a bit of dissonance (microtonality?) here, sometimes harsher metallic sounds, strange loops, an obliqueness which keeps things consistently interesting and surprising. Both albums feel like cruising on a future spaceship, but Grip features some alien technology on board too.

▷ Bandcamp
▷ RYM

Two Lone Swordsmen : : Tiny Reminders

Ooh, squelchy bubbles! Sparks! I love it when I get surprised at the sounds coming from my new headphones. Texturally this album is super neat, it's also IDM that hasn't cut off ties with its techno roots (acid techno + ambient techno), which I like.

▷ Bandcamp
▷ RYM

wasting shit : : was+e +ape volume 3

Classic French digicore — rhythmic and catchy but with a lot of vulnerability and despair in the lyrics (CW drugs, depression, suicide) in a seamless series of short tracks that never loses steam. Keeping the machine running even as one's heart is sinking and everything going to waste.

▷ Steaming + free download links
▷ RYM

Connor Wright : : Chlorine

Deep bass, tropical notes (dreamy, mysterious), bright arpeggios or reeds, good compositions that take their time and keep each track interesting throughout. According to the liner notes, Connor Wrong is classically trained, I wonder if that helped? He's got a good ear for beats in any case!

▷ Bandcamp
▷ RYM

FKA twigs : : Eusexua

Magdalene had taken me some time to get into (soft, many-sided and difficult to grasp though very rewarding); this one though is an instant favourite. Is it my favourite by her yet? Perhaps — or at least it shows a facet of her I hadn't heard before, is a new take on some of my favourite genres (especially trance) and is solid throughout, so yeah, I'm impressed again!

▷ RYM

P.O.S : : Never Better

His previous albums were rawer and more brutal but this one is more accomplished. Catchy beats with abrasive industrial rock guitars, rapping that packs a punch despite being more often introspective or brooding than in-your-face this time; the relentless tension and brutal release of “Drumroll” are exhilarating but many of the highlights here are melodic and emotional, like “Low Light Low Life” (I always like Dessa's vocals) and the bittersweet but rhythmic “Goodbye”. Solid album and honestly P.O.S could be one of my favourite rappers.

▷ Bandcamp
▷ RYM

yeule : : altar ♱ electronica

Brutal and sensitive — there is some pop in there, but mostly a lot of deconstructed club, some industrial techno, even trance beats. Love it as much as some of their releases and that's saying something.

▷ Soundcloud
▷ RYM

Uromancist : : Pyroerotic

Weird little 8 kbps ambient release, sounds like microorganisms doing stuff in a primordial soup world. Not essential but cool to have.

▷ Archive.org (free download)
▷ RYM

Kenzo : : Flower Ikebana Indigo

So I got a sample of this for free; I hadn't really been interested in perfume before so I just forgot it in my rainbow bag for a couple of days until I noticed some round ant-like bugs crawling around my bag. I remembered about the sample, smelled it, found it nice, tried it and — I might have found a new interest?

I don't know anything about perfumes, this is my first one so my judgement doesn't mean much, but: Indigo is mostly iris (heart note, especially sharp and beautiful when just sprayed though it remains very nice for a while after that) and vanilla (base note, which complements the iris without taking over nor being too sweet). There's also a blue ink head note, which I can pick up but it's subtle and vanishes quickly. I think it evokes the colour pretty well! Soft, elegant, not overpowering but comforting.

I went back to the store, tested a bunch more perfumes and got a couple more free samples; a thing that surprised me is the sense of space, how some fragrances instantly rushed towards me while others remained more distant. Not sure if this is sillage or something else, but it's different from just faint or strong smells. Anyway, Indigo is my favourite so far but I also like the original Flower very much and my other favourite would be Alien (jasmine and amber, more assertive and pretty constant over time). I haven't noticed any bugs following me yet!

▷ Parfumo (yes this is a Rate Your Perfume website, Fragrantica is better known but apparently it's run by far-right people so)

Defunkt : : Thermonuclear Sweat

As full of fire and energy as the title and cover art, if you're into this kind of 80s jazz-funk-rock sound!

▷ RYM

Wata Igarashi : : Agartha

A surprisingly original fusion of ambient techno and Berlin school — which I know doesn't sound that impressive on paper, but the fiery psychedelic vapors rising above the solid beats makes for a really pleasant effect. Or perhaps it's another genre entirely, which borrows sounds from both?

▷ Bandcamp
▷ RYM

The The : : Dusk

Really, if you like Soul Mining, or just any kind of rock album that sounds nocturnal, you should check this out.

As always with The The, there's anger, bitterness and a fair bit of torment and toxicity in this, but what it boils down to here is melancholy; it's more introspective, partly inspired by the death of his brother and has a heartwarming piano rock, harmonica, city lights mood. What makes it especially good is that it's not any mellower — it has just as much energy as before, only now with a heavier heart.

I don't know if it was intentional or not, but Soul Mining, Infected, Mind Bomb and Dusk form an arc — from youthful overflowing energy and frustration to social and political observations to the more mixed feelings of adult age — or just more generally of having been through some shit. And so, as Soul Mining featured “This Is the Day”, an easy, memorable hit that still had candid optimism behind the bittersweetness, Dusk has “This Is the Night” which is just as good but sounds a lot more heavier and bitter — that songs tastes like drowning your sorrows, fears and regrets in whiskey. And as the album ends on a beautiful and surprisingly hopeful note, I can't help but feel like it's deserved after all this, and I just want to feel that way too.

▷ RYM



← Late 2024 : : Media Diary Index : : Lamuya @ RYM
January : : February : : March