Tuesday, June 7, 2011

WARBLE AND SHIMMY

Where has SIMIAN been? Many places, children. Many places. But he's here now and has come bearing music. On to that

MUSIC
The banjo isn't just for Steve Martin and Kermit the Frog anymore, accomplished musicians though they may be. Jess Williamson's thoughtful songs use this often pigeonholed instrument as a means to string intricately emotional, holistic little moments in to narratives that are dreamlike both in their relation to each other and their scope. The lilt and purr of the vox is almost enough to make you ignore the more ambient approach of some of the backing instruments, but the latter, manned by Austin, TX's own Matt Simon, Jason Chronis, and Eli Welbourne, help make this EP feel much larger than its 5 tracks. Don't take my word for it: get ye to Bandcamp


Even with the soap opera on its last legs, telenovelas live on with Mexico City-based outfit ÑAKA ÑAKA's latest track, "FANTORAMA DRAMA PLUS." This gritty lo-NRG track wraps synth fuzz around your head and leaves it there to smother you in its VHS quality drama. When salamanders start showing up, don't question it. You can enjoy more, including a really amazing mix on Souncloud

Lastly, Wooden is quickly becoming a reliable go-to for chill out music that doesn't make your skin crawl after 5 minutes. Yellow Pipes of Eternity incorporates acoustic instruments into the usual heavily affected/effected loopscapes, yielding a sound that's at once familiar and bizarre. This isn't music that resigns itself to the background, it's music that runs there as quick as it can and owns it. Certainly not pop, but it is, in its own way, quite accessible. WITNESS more on Bandcamp.