Vector Lovers: Afterglow

I got this album almost year ago, fell in love with it, and then shelved it for some reason (problem of being a music junkie (too much music, too little time)). My Second Go with this album is really, really nice. It is like rediscovering why ice cream tastes so good. The album starts off minimal and ambient, almost expecting a more "Tim Hecker"/"Biosphere" release. Then all of a sudden, the second track hits, entitled "Far Side of the Tracks"... The sound reminds me of a mixture of the Melodic IDM artists such as "Proem" and "Lusine ICL", but with the emotive and production quality of the electronic artist "Trentemoller". For the most part it goes back in forth between structural and abstract tracks. Sometimes even vocals are inserted in there, the track "Hush Now" comes to mind; it has an indie sensibility about it, but keeps true to the overall tone to the album. The thing I like most about this album (which, ironically, is maybe why I almost forgot about it) is that it doesn't try to prove anything or work to impress you. It is just there. If the artist behind "Vector Lovers", "Martin Wheeler", wants to give you a house-inspired, indie-inspired, or IDM inspired he will... but with his own flavor added to it to keep the overflow theme of the album consistent. Sometimes with artists (Moby comes to mind)... they try to do some serious 'genre-bending' in an album and it just does NOT work. The album here is definitely an exception. I believe the artist is aware of this fine line of varying influences and is able to skate along it very carefully.

» album @ emusic
» artist profile @ last.fm

Arc_Lab: The_Nineteen_Floors

I can't get enough of the crop of "Melodic IDM" that has been coming out over the last few years. This release is definitely no exception. The album starts of with "Qwert_Ameliorate" (Why do IDM Artists find it necessary to name tracks nonsensically?), it starts with a really nice conservative slinky bass and the typical sound of plucked synths to create a counter balance to the melody line created by the bass. The drums are less prominent in this album that you might here in other artists along the same vein. It is a nice departure to deviate from the Rhythm heavy sound of this genre and focus more on the melody. In no way does this mean, however, that drums are not utilized heavily. You will notice in the Second track "Sveta" that mid way through the drums are quite aggressive, but they are slightly filtered and lowered in the mix. For the most part the album carries this formula throughout. I don't know what to feel about the track "Slow_Down" on this album, for the entire feel deviates and brings in a sampled acoustic guitar and vocals. The overall sound is similar to what Mum does but with the lush sound of the other (more electronic instrumental) songs and the mediocre voice, I could live without it. Thankfully, he doesn't deviate long and head right back to his much more apt sound in "Process_Blocks" and carries on for the rest of the album.

» album @ emusic
» artist profile @ last.fm

John Beltran: Ten Days of Blue

I decided today to showcase an album that came out in 1995 by John Beltran. This album really captures what I loved about the mid-nineties Electro-ambient explosion (look at all the Warp and Astralwerks release during this time frame). The first track "Flex" start with the chorded pad reminiscent of "B-12" and "Black Dog Productions" but with a much more aggressive rhythm along the lines of early "Aphex Twin"/"Autechre" work. The second track "Collapse of Dreams" has a sublime plucked intro with more soft pads and leads from that era. The rest of the album goes along the lines of the second track with plucked synths and gentle pads creating alternating melodies. The most 'dancey' of the tracks here is "Deluge" utilizing the "ambient house" sound made popular by Alex Patterson from "the Orb", though the dance beat is used only sparingly in the middle of the track for only a couple minutes before flowing into ambience. For those looking for some nice relaxing electronic music, this is definitely it. As far as production goes, it is not as innovative as what "Orbital" or "Aphex Twin" was doing at that same time, yet the end result is still a really nice listen and worth checking out.

» album @ emusic
» artist profile @ last.fm

Xurba: Eidetic Visions

This release came last year from the net label "Kahvi". From the first listen, you can't help think of artists like "Boards of Canada" since Xurba seems to really enjoy the same chord progressions and blippy analog feel in the backdrop of the album. The album can be slighly inconsistent in terms of production quality. The tracks "Backouter" and "In Darker Places" have a very polished feel (they are my favorites on the album) and then some tracks such as "X-interstruct" and "Ennui" have an almost preset quality to them. Don't think, however, that due to the almost rushed feel of the production that the tracks are not enjoyable to listen to; the structure of the songs and melodies are still really good. One selling factor to give these guys a fair shake is that you can download their album for free (see link to kahvi.org below) so it is a low risk listen. Definitely check out the other artists on the net-label, There is some really nice chill stuff there.

» album @ kahvi.org
» artist profile @ last.fm

Recue: All the Wrong Places

This album came out in summer 2008 through the Rednetic label. Once you click play (do we "press" play anymore?), it starts with lush, well crafted melodies and textures and doesn't let up at all. The artist, Riku Annala, really has a great grasp on tonalities and full spectrum of sound. For the most part he follows the formula to create good melodic electronic IDM music. Let's go through the list: Glitchy analog beats with sprinkles of 64th beat (really fast) hi hats and glitch in place of hi-hats (check), rolling deep slinky melody driven bass lines (check), ambient pads filling the spectrum throughout each track (check), and interesting counter melodies of the bass played by monophonic leads drenched in verb (check). In other words, if you like artists like "Proem" and "Diagrams of Suburban Chaos", you will not be disappointed in the least bit. The album lacks slightly on innovation, but makes up for really capturing what makes this genre (if you can call it that) one of my favorites to listen to. Standout tracks include "Gbliss" and "Savant". In order to get a copy, you go the label's site for download and then pick the album. You can get his other album (really good too!)Here for free!

» artist site
» album @ rednetic
» artist profile @ last.fm