Ethereal, spacious, and diverse, Elliot Moss’ style is a combination of minimalist, echoed beats layered with acoustic delicacies, veering into grunge and electro-pop. Moss may be only 21, but the up-and-comer is already his own performer, producer, and mixer and has toured with Cold War Kids and made a SXSW appearance last month. His upcoming full-length, Highspeeds, the album impacts on April 28th. Look for the chameleonic performer to hit the stage at this year’s first-ever Eaux Claires festival, run by Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon, to whom Moss’ vocals have been fairly compared.
Sounds Like: If Jamie xx supplied some modest backbeats, laid over the tricked-out vocal stylings of Ben Howard, James Blake, and Justin Vernon.
Where to Start: In the mood for more of a James Blake-inspired, mellowed-out track with ashy vocals? Check out title track “Highspeeds.”
Posts Tagged ‘Electronic’
ELLIOT MOSS – ” Highspeeds “
Posted: April 10, 2015 in MUSICTags: Electronic, Elliott Moss, Highspeeds
ICKY BLOSSOMS – ” Living In Fiction “
Posted: April 9, 2015 in MUSICTags: Electronic, Icky Blossoms, Saddle Creek Records
Icky Blossoms’ “Living in Fiction” reminds me of the Faint—which makes sense, since Icky Blossoms hail from the same Nebraska state that the Faint did, and they’re releasing records on the label the Faint did as well, Saddle Creek. This tune is a little sweeter than the Faint’s corroded electro-punk, but it still has plenty of bite. It’s from the band’s new LP, Mask, out May 14th. “‘Living In Fiction’ came about in the summer heat of 2014,” the band told us. “We were playing around on an acoustic guitar on Nik’s roof in Omaha, NE when out popped the melody. A weirdo pop jam for cruising around, messing around, night swimming, and ______. You ever get the feeling you’ve been cheated?” All the time, Icky Blossoms—all the time.
ACTIVE CHILD – ” Never Far Away “
Posted: April 2, 2015 in MUSICTags: Active Child, Electronic, Vagrant Records, You Are All I See
Electronic artist and singer Pat Grossi, more commonly known as Active Child, has been rather inactive musically since the release of his pivotal debut album “You Are All I See” back in 2011. However, Pat is readying for his triumphant return on to the scene with his upcoming sophomore effort Mercy, which is set to be out on June 16th via Vagrant Records. Last month he released the delicate first single off of the project entitled “1999”, and today he has decided to follow it up with the second single “Never Look Back”.
This track is a bit more upbeat than “1999” but is just as emotional. His brand of atmospheric R&B is just as potent as it was 4 years ago, as Pat effectively blends bits of distorted guitar licks and faint drums seamlessly with his airy falsetto resulting in a poignant collage of sound.
ZIBRA – ” Heartache ” and ” Chlorine “
Posted: April 1, 2015 in MUSICTags: Electronic, North London, Zibra
ZIBRA with their debut EP 1000 is available now , Their break out track “Heartache” is a moody ‘80s synth-rock track full of pulsating beats and lots of bass that makes me imagine this is what it would sound like if Nine Inch Nails teamed up with The Bravery. It’s a super catchy single with a chorus that instantly sticks in your head, leaving you singing “you could be my heartache baby” for the rest of the day. The video showcases the band’s love for making their own VHS-looking music videos, which is reflected in them having their own production team called Youth Hymns. The infectious slice of electro pop is the product of two men living and working out of Broadwater Estate in Tottenham, North London. Recently formed but already in possession of enough songs to constitute a year’s worth of work,
Their latest single “Chlorine” also features another self styled DIY video, but this time they guys have a underwater “tropical” thing going on that I totally love. The track itself is bouncier than “Heartache,” as it features an uplifting drumbeat, shiny guitars, vocals and pounding drums slowly build up until breaking into a whirlwind of sparkling guitar and energy. If you liked what you heard, then head on over to the band’s Facebook page and show them some love and support!
SALT CATHEDRAL – ” Travelling In Paris “
Posted: March 29, 2015 in WE LOVETags: Brooklyn, Electronic, Oom Velt EP, Salt Cathedral
Salt Cathedral is a Brooklyn-based experimental pop duo who originally hail from Bogotá, Colombia, Their name references a Roman church built in a Colombian salt mine. The title of their recent EP Oom Velt, on the other hand, is a phonetic corruption of the German word umwelt. Since we don’t sprechen sie Deutsch, we’ll take Salt Cathedral’s word that the term means the “individuality of experience” like how you and I could watch the music video for their previous single “Holy Soul” together but never get the same thing out of it. At the end of the day, we’re all on our own planets, man. Travelling In Paris is taken from Salt Cathedral’s ‘OOM VELT’ EP released 2014
“Holy Soul” has an ethereal, spacious quality with echoing vocal refrains that sound like a ghostly being talking to itself. The video was inspired by the lyrics “I am a holy soul in a foreign land,” says co-director Bradley Tangonan: “The main character feels like an outsider, both at home and at the country club where he works. In the time he spends at his job, he imagines he belongs in this strange place as a way to escape.”
I BREAK HORSES – ” You Burn ” and ” Faith “
Posted: March 16, 2015 in MUSICTags: Bella Union, Chiaroscuro, Electronic, I Break Horses, Remixes
I Break Horses is the musical project led by Maria Lindén. From her Stockholm base, the Swedish artist delivered an extraordinary debut album in the shape of ‘Hearts’, released by Bella Union in August 2011. Forward two years, and the arrival of an eagerly awaited follow-up, entitled Chiaroscuro, is upon us. The latest chapter in I Break Horses’ much celebrated songbook is everything fans could wish for and more. In the words of Lindén: “My only aim when starting to write this album was to ignore any possible second album expectations.” The result is a more confident and evolved sound with a more dramatic expression.
With ‘Chiaroscuro’, I Break Horses have created a fully-realised and utterly captivating tour-de-force. New sonic terrain is compellingly explored by Lindén, where electronic beats and synth-pop soundscapes replace the more shoegaze based-sound of their debut. As a result, there is a marked immediacy and directness to the new songs. As Lindén states: “I found myself writing almost all the sketches on the piano this time.” The music was recorded, mixed and produced by Lindén, with first lp wordsmith Fredrik Balck providing lyrical ideas from the images he derived from the music. Finally, Lindén and Balck would finish the lyrics together.
The title of ‘Chiaroscuro’ – meaning “light-dark” – serves as the perfect embodiment of Lindén’s sonic creations, where an atmosphere and mood is created that evokes innermost feelings and thoughts residing beyond the surface reality of the material world. Affecting ballads such as ‘Heart To Know’ and ‘You Burn’ are wrapped in fragile beauty. ‘Denial’ and ‘Medicine Brush’ are sublime synth-pop odysseys whose pulses guide you to new horizons. ‘Faith’ is a dance anthem complete with hypnotic beats, swirling synths and the mesmerising looped vocals of Lindén. “I let myself write both the happiest songs but also the saddest, and then I put them together”, states Lindén. This arrangement of light and dark forms the essence of ‘Chiaroscuro’.
‘Ascension’ is rooted in a gorgeous 80s synth-pop sound, where Lindén’s vocals melt into the lush sonic tapestry. The song deals with love and forgiveness. An irresistible groove lies at the heart of ‘Disclosure’ where a divine purity is distilled in the intricate array of instrumentation. ‘You Burn’ is perhaps the album’s centrepiece, as well as being the opening track, where a brooding darkness envelops the surrounding human space. The delicate piano chords drift magnificently amidst Linden’s searching lyrics. I Break Horses are one of those rare bands capable of conjuring up raw emotion through a sound that is ultimately something life-affirming.
FYFE – ” Veins ” and ” Polythene Love “
Posted: March 6, 2015 in MUSICTags: Electronic, Fyfe, Paul Dixon
Fyfe aka Paul Dixon from London. The background: Fyfe is the new name being used by 23-year-old Manchester University graduate Paul Dixon, was originally known as David’s Lyre. DL’s credits included one excellent song, “Tear Them Down”, a spate of cover versions (of Ellie Goulding, among others), remixes of tracks by Marina and the Diamonds and Everything Everything, and a debut album, Picture of Our Youth, which was self-released via Bandcamp in February 2012 after Dixon got dropped by his major label, despite rave reviews.
Paul Dixon is still backwards about coming forwards – he covered his face in the Tear Them Down video with a mask and now he’s being photographed either from behind or the side, seemingly with his hair slicked back with a lick of paint. And it’s still proving hard to categorise him. When we wrote about David’s Lyre we filed him next to Wild Beasts and Associates – with purveyors of the ornate and full-blown, bands whose music can’t easily be tied to one genre. This time, there have been comparisons with everyone from electronic/folk singer-songwriter Patrick Wolf to Miike Snow, the Swedish production team behind Britney Spears’ Toxic who, when they make music of their own, sound, well, nothing like Britney’s Toxic.
In the interests of full disclosure, when we heard the tracks on Fyfe’s debut EP, Solace, we didn’t recognise them as the work of Paul Dixon, but now that we know it’s him, we must admit, there is some similarity. A certain florid approach to arrangements and an atmosphere that could perhaps be described as overheated. Words such as “grandiose” have been used in reviews of Solace and now of new track St Tropez. Solace features Strawberry Fields Forever mellotron (with an attendant “living isn’t easy” reference in the opening line) and a reverb-y guitar figure, and it builds, via some quasi-choral keyboards, towards a lush climax. St Tropez showcases Dixon’s unusual high voice – almost a crooner’s voice, only more quixotic than that sounds. The backing is sparse to start, with “ooh-oohs” that tug at the heartstrings, before becoming more rhythmic and symphonic, with swelling horns as part of an already busy mix. Final track Lies is evocative, strange, like a glitchy Michael Buble. But maybe not that strange – early indications are that Fyfe is going to cross over in a way that David’s Lyre didn’t, with high Hype Machine placings and 100,000 plays of each of the EP’s main tracks on SoundCloud. And that’s before Dixon gets a plugger or a manager, and ahead of his first live show in April. A mix of folk-electronica with a moody vocal that builds to a stunning climax.
MALKA – ” Let It Go “
Posted: March 5, 2015 in MUSICTags: Electronic, Malka, Marching to Another Beat, Tamara Schlesinger
Ahead of her new album “Marching to Another Beat” not released 1st June 2015 Tamara Schlesinger AKA Malka releases a new single ‘Let It Go’ With tribal beats, electronic flourishes and a teasing vocal Malka’s latest offering is rather more upbeat and buoyant than her previous single ‘Into the Night’ which addressed themes of insomnia and night terrors. ‘Let It Go’ sees Malka at her most playful, with it’s insistent melody, and thumping inventive beats ensure this song stays in your head long after it’s finished. It’s addictive, engaging and more layered than it may initially appear, with Schlesinger playing all the instruments herself on the record as well as co-producing the album.
SOAK – ” B A Nobody ” Womans Hour Remix
Posted: December 22, 2014 in MUSICTags: Electronic, Ireland, Remix, Soak, Womans Hour
For such a young artist SOAK still in her teens a confident, exuberant, ebullient performer. These are all traits which seem to effortlessly transfer to her studio projects.
New single ‘B A NoBody’ is out now, a gorgeous piece of songwriting with lyrics that display a rare sense of maturity. With her sweet voice and nagging melodic hooks, ‘B A NoBody’ isn’t perhaps the most obvious choice to gain the remix treatment.
However Woman’s Hour have stepped into the breach with a re-work which adds something truly new. SOAK’s vocals seem to fall into a bubblebath of synths, the Kendal band applying some gorgeous electronics to her sparse arrangement.Quite distinct from the original, it displays another potential direction for the Northern Irish singer to follow.
Silken-voiced 17-year-old singer-songwriter Soak (aka Bridie Monds-Watson, from Derry) has found her Cat Powerish crooning feted by Chvrches – who signed her to their Goodbye Records label ahead of her current deal with Rough Trade – and lauded as the next phase of Beach House-style chillwave.
ANNA of the NORTH – ” Oslo “
Posted: December 20, 2014 in MUSICTags: Anna Of the North, Electronic, Norway
Up-and-coming Norwegian artist Anna of the North made a swift impact earlier this year with downbeat, pensive pop track “Sway”, its sparkly instrumental and echoed Scandi-accented vocals earning her dedicated listeners from the offset. Anna’s vocals, each line punctuated with a shortness, the syllables swirling in echoes over a gradually swelling grainy synth drone.
The Fat Angel Sings 