pilole 2015 aprile/maggio

APRILE 2015	MAGGIO 2015
ALVA NOTO "Xerrox 3" Xerrox Vol. 3 arrives five years on from the second Xerrox full-length. As the series' name implies, it sees Carsten Nicolai making samples of samples to alter the source material beyond recognition. Nicolai says he drew inspiration for Xerrox Vol. 3 from films he watched in his childhood, like Tarkovsky's Solaris and La Isla Misteriosa y el Capitán Nemo, a mini-series based on Jules Verne's The Mysterious Island. [ file under: experimental techno ]		BERNARD + EDITH "Jem" This debut album is a multi-faceted jewel, from the lush Cocteaus-shiver of Crocodiles to the exquisite Eastern climes of China and the R&B twist of Poppy. What unites all 13 tracks is a beguiling fusion of intimacy and sensuality with something more mysterious and spectral. [ file under: trip-hop ]
BOB MOSES "All in all" Bob Moses, the duo comprised of Jimmy Vallance and Tom Howie, release All In All, a collection of their previously released singles. The 11 songs on All In All encompass the duo’s output to date, combining their 2 previous EP releases on Scissor & Thread and the recent A/B side on Domino, I Ain’t Gonna Be The First To Cry / Grace. [ file under: dub electronic step ]		DANIELE BALDELLI "Cosmic drag" Utilizing the same exotic array of influences and beats, Baldelli's own productions are meant for both the club and headphones. His first release for the Japanese Endless Flight imprint, Cosmic Drag sees Baldelli drawing from the influences of his personal collection of 65,000-plus records. Indeed we find Baldelli at his cosmic peak, as cascading synths pump over 808s pulsating with arpeggiating bass and handclaps. It all makes for a heady slice of cosmic disco and electro funk that will undoubtedly appeal to fans of everyone from Daft Punk to Carl Craig. [ file under: baia degli angeli ]
COLLEEN "Captain of none" Colleen is French multi-instrumentalist Cecile Schott, who uses her voice and the treble viola da gamba, to weave intricate stories about the human mind and heart. Captain Of None is the most melodic album in her repertoire, with fast-paced tracks rooted down by prominent basslines and assorted percussive effects. It is also an album that breaks new ground for Colleen in terms of production. While previous works centred around sample-based or looped, minimal compositions, now Schott significantly changed her approach, setting her viola and her voice as focal points. [ file under: experimental ambient ]		GEORGE FITZGERALD "Fading love" The British DJ and producer, who is now based in Berlin, has previously released his polished fusion of house and bass music via various labels. Fading Love was recorded in both London and Berlin. According to a press release for the album, the title refers to “the disintegration of a romantic relationship”. [ file under: dub electronic step ]
GO! TEAM "Scene between" After a four year hiatus The Go! Team is back! Specifically principal songwriter Ian Parton is back with a foray into melodic pop that sounds similar to a science experiment. Parton has composed roughly forty minutes of charming glittering jittering pop and has hired no less than a half dozen female crooners to bring it to life. [ file under: indie uk ]		LAURENT GARNIER "La home box" Laurent Garnier is back on F Communications for La HOME Box, a brand new album from Laurent Garnier and the first new music on F Communications in 5 years. The album heralds a new direction as yet unseen in Garnier’s discography. It contains a collection of tracks released over the last year on five very different labels, originating in five different countries. There are also brand new unreleased tracks. [ file under: french house ]
NOVELLER "Fantastic planet" Fantastic Planet is the soaring, evocative new album from Noveller, the solo instrumental venture of Austin-based composer and filmmaker Sarah Lipstate. The LP is a journey through eclectic sonic terrain, blending rich waves of synth with soaring cinematic guitar lines, guiding the listener through Noveller's most diverse and compelling release to date. [ file under: ambient drones ]		HOLLY HERNDON "Platform" Holly Herndon returns with her second album and joins the hallowed ranks of the 4AD canon. Finding it's suitable home, Platform is a program of wistful, intricate rhythm and subdued, digital pop. [ file under: experimental ambient ]
PALE BLUE "Past we leave behind" Mike Simonetti (Italians Do It Better) inaugurates his 2MR (Two Mikes Records) label with this lush debut double slab as Pale Blue with vocalists Liz Wight (Silver Hands) and Jana Hunter (Lower Dens). The vibe gauge is set to heartfelt from the outset, strafing component elements of melodic techno, dream-pop and disco with a dancefloor-honed sense of motorik trance momentum and romance. [ file under: synth pop ]		LAKKER "Tundra" Lakker beautifully find their voice in this eagerly awaited 2nd album. Working with vocalist Eileen Carpio on four out of ten tracks, they considerately expand their soundworld to encompass bludgeoning techno alongside elaborate IDM structures and vicious noise tear-outs, realising the most dramatic and perhaps definitive statement in their catalogue so far. [ file under: electronica ]
PORTICO "Living fields" The new album from Portico, Living Fields, featuring vocal collaborations with Joe Newman (alt-J), Jono McCleery and Jamie Woon is out now on LP and CD. The record, which The Times dub 'a bold and wholly successful reinvention, is a truly electronic album; a unique blend of the sublunary and the celestial, of reverb drenched piano, swathes of studio noise matched with a score of superb vocalists. [ file under: electro pop ]		LEISURE SOCIETY "The fine art of hanging on" Fourth album from The Leisure Society. First pressing of the CD in limited bookpack format. LP is gatefold 180g vinyl + download code. [ file under: indie pop ]
CRISTINA QUESADA "You are the one" You Are the One is the debut LP by Spanish indie pop singer Cristina Quesada. A relative newcomer to Spain's thriving twee scene, the young Quesada signed with Madrid-based indie Elefant Records in 2013 to release the Pineapple Princess EP. Beginning with a very genial cover of the Jesus and Mary Chain's Just Like Honey, Quesada gingerly works her way through Spanish folk-pop, bubbly French synth-pop and onto a bossa nova cover of ABBA's Canto sung in Brazilian Portuguese. [ file under: pop elefant ]		NOVELLA "Land" In 2015 there are more bands doing the dreamy-pop thing than there are clouds in the sky on a rainy spring afternoon. To break free of the pack, a band has to be either very distinctive or very good. The London-based Novella are both. While they touch on all the same inspirations and influences as '90s bands like Pale Saints, the paisley underground and of course, the great psychedelic groups of the '60s, they do a couple important things to differentiate themselves. [ file under: shoegaze ]
NADINE SHAH "Fast food" London-based songwriter Nadine Shah brings back her signature dark and soulful voice on brooding new album, Fast Food, out on April 7. The somber songstress’s first release since 2013’s Love Your Dum and Mad, again produced by Ben Hillier (Blur, Elbow, Depeche Mode), draws you in from the first striking instrumental while highlighting what really gives Shah’s music its power, the monstrous capability of her voice to growl and thrill. [ file under: alternative indie ]		ANDREYA TRIANA "Giants" Soulful Londoner Andreya Triana returns with the release of her highly anticipated album, Giants. A melting pot of styles, sounds and themes effortlessly brought together by her distinct vocal style. [ file under: new soul ]
SOFT MOON "Deeper" Deeper is the third full-length studio recording from American post-punk band The Soft Moon. It was released on March 31, 2015 by Captured Tracks. The album track Black was released as the first single and was featured as a Best New Track by Pitchfork. [ file under: post-punk revival ]		VILLAGERS "Darling arythmetic" Darling Arithmetic is the follow-up to Conor O’Brien’s debut, Becoming a Jackal, and its successor, Awayland - both hugely acclaimed and each nominated for The Mercury Music Prize. It’s a breathtakingly beautiful, intimate album entirely about love and relationships. [ file under: indie pop ]
SUFJAN STEVENS "Carrie & Lowell" Carrie & Lowell is the seventh studio album album by American musician Sufjan Stevens, released through Asthmatic Kitty on March 31, 2015. Unlike Stevens' last studio album, the electronic The Age of Adz, Carrie & Lowell is sparsely instrumental and marks a return to the performer's indie folk roots. [ file under: indie lo-fi ]		RYLEY WALKER "Primrose green" “With Primrose Green, Walker has developed into a thoughtful singer-songwriter following a tangled thread, one picked at by the likes of Tim Buckley, John Martyn, Van Morrison…” – NPR Music [ file under: alternative folk ]
VETIVER "Complete strangers" Complete Strangers marks the Easy Sound debut for Vetiver. Crafted once again with producer Thom Monahan, Complete Strangers is a stunning collection, at once beautiful and fragile, sweeping and delicate, haunted and hopeful. Current Carry is a soft-lit indie pop gem simultaneously reminiscent of 70s AM gold and startlingly current. Likewise, Loose Ends is a straight ahead power pop anthem sure to be welcomed by Vetiver fans new and old. [ file under: folktronika ]		KAMASI WASHINGTON "The epic" The Epic is a 172-minute, three-volume set that includes a 32-piece orchestra, a 20-person choir and 17 songs overlaid with a compositional score written by Washington. Pulsing underneath is an otherworldly ten-piece band, each member of which is individually regarded as among the best young musicians on the planet, including bassist Thundercat and his brother, drummer Ronald Bruner Jr., bassist Miles Mosley, drummer Tony Austin (of course there are two), keyboard player Brandon Coleman, pianist Cameron Graves and trombonist Ryan Porter. [ file under: avant-garde jazz ]