joshuatxuk

Holy shit this better be true!

This is the first Aphex Twin track, or hell any RDJ track, I ever listened to. It was probably the most overwhelming experience I've had listening to anything. Even after listening to everything else in his discography, this is still my favorite album. Someone mentioned it's well paced and I agree. I don't have much to add, though I have to say To Cure a Weakling Child is one of the most brilliant recordings he's ever made. The breakdown in the middle is mind-blowing, where the percussion imitates the melody. Logan Rock Witch is an odd closer, but I've always had the version with the Girl/Boy EP tracks, so it never bothered me. I remember a thread once were someone was asking what "genre" had tracks that sounded like LRW, and I thought it sounded like freak folk...maybe... Girl/Boy EP Girl/Boy (NLS Mix) - Just flat-out epic, the strings and beats are each great in their own right, and the composition itself is more sincere than any other song I've heard of the breakbeat + orchestral melody formula in breakcore and IDM. Milkman - gimmicky, but really pleasant track to listen to, a lot more restrained than the other "drill n' bass" tracks. INKEY$ - way too short! Girl/Boy (£18 Snare Rush Mix) - percussion is kind of Luke Vibert-y or like that remix of Die Fantastischen Vier off 26 remixes for cash. Really dig changes in tempo during this track. Beetles - easily the most "childlike" track off either release. Dey come out and dey eat...in da 'heat. Girl/Boy (Redruth Mix) - nothing too special, love the vocals after the music.

I'll just post my favorites that haven't been mentioned yet: Another great John Williams OST... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SS6JyNQepAQ Music at end of this clip... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cE2t6Sg_H74 Very 80s stuff: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Csk4uHLOD5g http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlbtVLJJi2M Good electronic stuff: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIuc1_Qg4A8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlD-9uwHA40

Washed Out is playing with Beach House in Austin, I'm pondering the idea of going. CD-R's are lame...it's kind of shock to me because he's big on selling limited edition cassettes with exclusive tracks, which is at least novel. Toro Y Moi looks like dull in general. I read Memory Tapes blows live, watched some video of it and agreed. It was him on guitar, a drummer, and a lot of out of key loops. A good live show is apparently Neon Indian's one undeniable strength, probably since he's an experienced musician and not a bedroom producer.

Geez, I guess I'm lucky in the fact that my fiance shares my appreciation for much of the electronic and IDM music I listen to, or at least tolerates it. She also rather listen to something like Apparat than most of the stuff in this thread.

And just for the record, can we not agree Neon Indian sucks? (or is at least immensely overrated)? I've listened to about everything else supposedly related to, um, the "Chill Murry" scene and I can't figure out why the hell he's the most hyped. (I just read he's opening for Massive Attack, which I kind of find insulting. Like Flashbulb opening for, I dunno, Kraftwerk or something...and no I'm not saying Kraftwerk or Massive Attack are equals, for the record)

It's an apples n' oranges comparison for sure. And yeah, scene kids/hipsters will persist for all time, albeit in new forms. Like Dr. Who or that immortal IDM jellyfish. lolz, sadly you're probably on to something...

Yeah, that's what concerns me. That's why I'm always so skeptical of punk or lo-fi. Bands like Wavves or Vivian Girls for example, people defend the hype by saying there songs are catchy. Well fuck that, so are songs by Nickelback, Ke$ha, and P Diddy, and they aren't doing anything new with novel sounds or musical progession and neither is the average hipster band. I like a lot of it, but I can't say the same, because I was thinking the same thing with dubstep years ago and look what happend there: a made up 'scene' of similar music going from from very exciting to extremely predictable with a few exceptions (thank god for the steadfast experimental and independent-thinking artists). Palomo (Neon Indian) said on pitchfork: "I really hope the medium by which someone writes a song isn't the only thing the song has going for it." Well fuck that, he took a formula, crapped some songs out, and it's likely a ton of copycats will do the same. And I'm sorry, if there is better production out there, I prefer it. It's not snobbery either, doing lo-fi shit on purpose is more pretentious than effort in making something sound good, it's not 1980 anymore.

I'm always interested in Simon Reynold's take on anything, thanks for the link. So the Wire calls it hypnagogic pop and I think hipsterrunoff called it chillwave. I have no idea who added to the pile of shit with the "glo-fi" term. And I will note my use of any term is for discussion purposes only.

I'm in agreement about the genre name and supposed scene. It's another example of a genre label which probably started as a smart ass comment amd turned into a destructive template. Personally, I actually like a lot of Memory Tapes/Cassette/whatever because it's in the same vein as BoC without emulating the same method of beat-making or sampling. Like, it touches on the same emotions that BoC does for me, but it's a different musical palette. I don't think it's any of these are really BoC ripoffs. And lastly, I'm relieved at the general dismissal of Neon Indian. Here's why: I've known about him for awhile in the Denton and Austin TX scenes. He's only the most popular (judging that by last.fm) because he was on Jimmy Fallon and NPR. Personally, I think he jumped in on this bandwagon because other projects, Ghosthustler (some cheesy, Nintendo homage 8-bit electro stuff) and VEGA, didn't quite blow up after being buzzed on various sits and blogs. Hell, Ghosthustler literally appeared after this band called dance-punk duo called Ghostland Observatory (of Austin, TX) almost blew up in 2007. I think he's an opportunist; Washed Out and Memory Tapes were bedroom projects that were recorded long before they were properly released in 09, and Neon Indian, with a backing band and all, showed up right after they began getting hyped. Supposedly he's better live...but I think that's irrelevant when every other "chillwave" artist simply sounds better produced.

So this genre/scene has been hyped on all the indie blogs, at mega-music fest SXSW, and seems on the verge of imploding into true fad status or exploding into some shitty dubstep-esque sea of crappy bandwagon artists. It's already have become an in-joke amongst hipsters. Here's a supposed list of chillwave artists. And, even though it's introverted, nostalgic indie pop, they all seem to have themes of beaches, acid, and shitty 80s synth-pop. And some of it just kind of reminds me of Black Moth Super Rainbow... That said I actually like what I've heard so far, with some exceptions. I really like Memory Tapes/Cassette, whose kind of the first guy to get hyped and easily makes the best composed stuff. I've enjoyed what I've heard from Toro Y Moi, Washed Out, and MillionYoung. I don't like Neon Indian for some reason...the tracks are alright but I have a feeling it's a bit forced with the lo-fi sound and that he's the first guy to make stuff to fit the genre. Enough of my ranting though, anyone else here check this stuff out at all? I'm curious what WATMM thinks...

You are a wise man Agreed.

I really dug Belbury Poly's from An Ancient Star. Great label, I read the last book from C.S. Lewis's space trilogy, which has a locale called Belbury, before I started checking it out. Before that I read some pitchfork review about the Ghost Box compilation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GM3MwpkVYKQ&feature=PlayList&p=8C524D44E4CD9203&index=0 Great game and great OST.

Any Will.i.am.

It was the use of "kinda" that killed me.

A Top Gear Episode 2 weeks ago featured the beginning of Windowlicker while they were showcasing some new Aston Martin GT car. You'd think they could use a more recent song. I know I shouldn't of expected another song, but any analord or tuss song would of been cool. Damn production crew.