Tag: albums/eps

[album] No Age – People Helping People

acute.pop

Not many ongoing bands are as consistent as No Age. They really are the masters of their craft. For more than 15 years, this creative duo of two musicians (Randy Randall & Dean Allen Spunt) goes strong, releases one great album after another, and successfully tours the world. Their lo-fi/noise rock music has always been impressive and has never stood still, but on the new release People Helping People they reach a new level.

No Age live at OFF Festival’18

This album is 33 and a half minutes long and includes 13 songs, many of which sound quite experimental and unexpected from the duo (in the best possible way). Of course, it is impossible to say that this is a big surprise for the listeners and fans of the band. On previous records the duo tried and tested many interesting ideas as well, but for the first time the concentration of songs in a free and such unusual form is so high.

In some places it is a brooding ambient (“Andy Helping Andy”, “Blueberry Barefoot”, “Heavenly”), in some — psychedelic no wave (“You’re Cooked”, “Compact Flashes”), and in a couple of tracks there are the usual elements of melancholic and melodic indie rock with a touch of noise pop (“Tripped Out Before Scott”, “Plastic (You Want It)”). But every song is unmistakenly No Age, and the LP overall is a real blast.

Listen below and purchase the record here, out now via Drag City.

[album] Gabe Gurnsey – Diablo

acute.pop

Last week Gabe Gurnsey (Factory Floor) unveiled his second solo record Diablo, which is out now through Phantasy Sound. A brilliant follow-up to PHYSICAL was created by Gabe together with his girlfriend, Tilly Morris, whose role is that of both muse and collaborator.

It is the best electronic release we heard this year — an absolute must-have album for everyone who likes big, ravey and bombastic sound. It has the spirit of the latest Factory Floor records but is massively boosted by Gabe’s own acidic style and charm.

Diablo is a long album, clocking in at around 53 minutes, but it passes so smoothly that it is impossible not to put it on a constant repeat. It is full of hooks that put the listener in a trance-like state and it is an appropriate record for all settings, whether it’s a solo listening at home, on the road, or at a noisy party. A pure and grandiose masterpiece.

Check it out below and purchase the LP here.

[ep] Signals Feed The Void – Монумент

acute.pop

Signals Feed The Void is a post-punk band from the south of Ukraine (Kherson/Odesa), and they have just shared a new short EP. It consists of two songs about different emotional states: in the first song the hero is looking for strength to move on in life, and in the second lives one day at a time.

The group recorded tracks before the war in the country, and they are sharing it with the following note (below is an excerpt, the full version is available on Bandcamp):

“Two songs are very strongly correlated with what is happening around right now. Old monuments will fall, and new ones will appear in their place. The systematic distortion of reality has to be stopped, and the arrival of new must be accelerated. Destroy the bridges! And those who slow down the fall of old monuments, let them jump into the abyss of the past themselves and remain there forever”.

Stream below and get the release here.

[album] Various Artists – VA. NOTATOK 1

acute.pop

Liky Pid Nohamy is a brand new record label from Ukraine, which has just released its debut compilation. Titled VA: NOTATOK 1, it is a fundraising album that contains compositions by musicians from Odesa and Kyiv, performed in various genres and styles: from bedroom jazz and herbal ambient to piano diary and Cossack Duma.

The idea behind the experimental release is a psychotopographic delineation of once familiar but still half-forgotten territories that have undergone unexpected transformations. The label’s creator, Viktor Konstantinov (aka Polje) has shared the below statement in the press release:

“The idea of creating a label has been in my head for a long time. It pops up from time to time, for example, when I accumulate material that can be published, or when I once again realize what talented people surround me. But this idea became especially acute after the beginning of the full-scale Russian military invasion, the first month and a half of which I spent in the house in the center of Odesa, in which in 1917-1918 the Ukranian People’s Republic activists Ivan and Yurii Lypa lived. Once I came to visit my friend, Volodymyr Chyhrynets (presented in the compilation under the pseudonym Vichnyj Gandzh) and told him about this historical fact, to which he replied that he had recently come across Yurii Lypa’s book “Ліки під ногами” (Ukranian: “Medicine underfoot”) on the Internet. As you can see, I liked this name very much, and then everything somehow pulled itself together.

The compilation “VA: NOTATOK 1″ includes 8 tracks from musicians from Odesa and Kyiv, the number is small, but the overall sound turned out to be quite coherent, despite the variety of genres. A big thank you to everyone involved in this release and the launch of the label as a whole”.

80% of the proceeds from the sales of this collection will be transferred to the accounts of several volunteer organizations that help the Ukrainian military and civilians affected by the war.

Stream below and buy the album here.

[album] Gemma Cullingford – Tongue Tied

acute.pop

Tongue Tied is a second album from electronic songwriter and producer Gemma Cullingford (also one half of electronic post-punk duo Sink Ya Teeth). It follows last year’s Let Me Speak and sounds absolutely brilliant.

The record combines many electronic styles and is fully loaded with dance rhythms and cold new wave aesthetics, which are masterfully complemented by Gemma’s ethereal vocals.

The sound here is dark and truly timeless, and it would perfectly appeal to the listeners who grew up on A Certain Raio, New Order and Cabaret Voltaire and at the same time also to fans of such contemporary bands as PVA, Workin Men’s Club and Nation of Language.

Check it out below and buy the LP here.