Good evening and welcome to another edition of Crow’s Nest. I’m your host and thank you for tuning in. Let’s get started.
As many of you know it is (or soon will be) the first Friday of March, already, somehow, which means today is the day independent music platform Bandcamp waives its share of revenue and passes it along to the artists, to help support them through the pandemic. Consequently I’m writing this issue to highlight some records from my wishlist I’ve enjoyed from the past month, but have not blurbed in previous or upcoming issues. I detailed this a bit more in Issue #6 if you’re interested.
This issue skews towards more well-known groups, primarily as my opinion on these records developed after my last issue. I hope you find something you enjoy within and, if you’re able to, can spend a little cash on as well.
British/French art rock group Stereolab released the 4th installation of their Switch-On singles compilation series last week, Electrically Possessed, the first newish release from the group since reuniting a few years ago (and first in the series since 1998). Generally I’m not a big fan of the group’s later work as it got smoother and the lounge influence heavier, but I have to admit I’m pleasantly surprised by how good this whole album sounds. It does feel fairly cohesive and there are some hidden gems and experiments not pursued further here. If the meme/dream known as Fully Automated Luxury Gay Space Communism had a soundtrack, this seems to fit the bill in many ways.
I’m no longer the same 17 year old I was when this-now Ohio indie rock institution released its first Steve Albini-produced album Attack on Memory back in 2012, nor have I recently found myself wallowing in the soundtrack of my younger years like many of my peers seem to be, so I can’t say I’m super excited about Cloud Nothings’ new album. It’s not trying to re-capture that same energy—there are no attempts at repeating Wasted Days here—and it’s not at all a bad record. Guest appearances from OHHME’s Macie Stewart and Brett Naucke on synth (who has his own record out today) help give this album some pleasant variety.
This is a short EP of outtakes from last year’s No era sólida sessions. It mines similar liminal territory as that record and is a worthy companion piece to it.
Indie rocker Porridge Radio put out this standalone single a few weeks ago as a drip feed or work following last year’s Every Bad continues. Of the two, I’m particularly taken by Strong Enough despite the irony of the main lyric in light of the instrumentation.
Dale Cornish, a bit of a mover and shaker in the underground from my understanding, has released a compilation of remixes from last year’s Thug Ambient. I need to give that another go soon. object blue, The Soft Pink Truth, Happa (as Blademir) and more are included here.
I always keep an eye on Tilburg, Netherlands label New York Haunted, as it releases a flood of experimental-leaning dance music at a torrential pace. It outpaces my ears frequently but it’s the type of outpost whose back catalog is stuffed with recognizable names. This EP from Oscar Wyers is heavy on the title genre and a nice spin.
Montreal institution Constellation Records posted (w)hole (back catalog) to Bandcamp this week, seemingly as a soft launch to the announcement of a new record from Godspeed You! Black Emperor, which seems poised to be an Important Cultural Document of These Uncertain Times. Among the individuals titles that got emailed out and not the big catalog/merch dump one that I will definitely, certainly get back to and listen through was this mischievous, new-to-me release from GY!BE member Aidan Girt’s project One Speed Bike. The name fluctuates in a Yellow Swans/Caroliner/Silver Mt. Zion manner, and it seems lockdown has been a productive time for Girt as well, based on the recent catalog editions.
I also took 2004 label compilation Song of the Silent Land for a spin, which is a good snapshot of where the label has been.
This is a very pleasant, comfy cover of Grouper. Enjoy.
UK producer Scratchclart aka Scratcha DVA released this banging EP last week that would’ve gotten into the last issue had I gave it an affirmative second spin before publication. These are some bright, funky tracks that hopefully can get some play this summer once it’s safe to do so.
I’ve been struggling to grasp what’s happening with the latest album from venerable production duo Mouse on Mars. Digging deep into artificial intelligence practices, the album lurches across genres and styles, polished to the core kuduro and batida one moment, something akin to Jay Glass Dubs/Leslie Winer collab YMFEES soon after. The “voice” of collaborator Louis Chude-Sokei on the record is actually an AI model of his voice. Everything feels coated with a thin yet durable layer of reflective, artificial goo.
Years of high school Spanish and some passable sightwork at my job leave me unequipped to read the blurb for this album from Peruvian producer Julio Cafarena. I’ve not thrown it into a machine translator, but I will say that this is some of the most disorienting, arresting electronic work I’ve heard in a moment since blasting the last “ambient” album from Hieroglyphic Being. It’s not binaural but the effect seems similar. The capital-A Art references feel appropriate.
The subtitle of this compilation is a bit of a giveaway as to what’s within but it appears to be a good survey of the contemporary Armenian diaspora’s music scene. I really enjoyed Deradoorian’s LP last year and Lara Sarkissian’s now-defunct CLUB CHAI label/party was always worth paying attention to. The rest aren’t familiar to me though I certainly have a fair amount of exploration to do from this and most everything about Armenia as a whole.
A bit like NYH if instead you were outside the warehouse in the murky night of a rougher part of town, Newcastle Upon Tyne label Opal Tapes is a similar treasure trove of experimental electronics (Sote, Huerco S., E-Sagglia, Clouds, Russell E.L. Butler, the list goes on). The most recent highlight for me is this album from Phoenix producer Terminal 11, who after 20 years has shifted from producing with trackers to modular synths. The results of this and what’s to come are definitely worth it.
Lisbon label Black Hole Time Warp released this EP from the multimedia artist. It’s billed as an outgrowth of his day job developing modular synth modules in Lisbon. It’s a very fitting label name for such a release.
And with that I’m calling it for this issue. If you’re here, thank you for reading and I hope you discovered something you enjoy within. @embirdened on Twitter, here’s a photo from a walk yesterday that kind of encapsulates how you may be feeling right about now:
Until next time.