Gramm - "Personal Rock" (2007)

Personal Rock

Treetops - "North" (2008)

This tape is as hazy as an overcast summer day with allergens floating around. A certain lo-fi grittiness in the production combined with weightless synth progressions, this one's sure to induce narcolepsy. I'm seriously a lot more tired... or just more relaxed than I was fifteen minutes ago.

Power-naps here.

Mark McGuire - "Language Barrier" (2009)

 

Mark McGuire, not to be confused with infamous 'roid-filled slugger, Mark McGwire, is a member of Cleveland-based cosmic masters, Emeralds.  Language Barrier features similar epic landscapes with guitar loops building into harmonious rhythms.  All the standard droning effects are here plus some: delay, reverb, a multi-layered blanket of riffs to warm up to when looking at the chilly album artwork.  The sun still shines onto the melting snow -- there are rejuvenating aspects of the sound here too.  Galloping delay riffs like in "Mind Games" drive the snowdrifts through the tundra of arpeggiators.  Admittedly, the electronic drone scene is overrun, and like the ballplayer, a little too synthetic to form a whole lot of respect for.  But it's about making a name for one's self, and both McGuire and McGwire have earned enough fans and have impressive enough stats/releases to realize that whatever they do in their respective focuses deserves some kind of attention.

Language Barrier

Relationships - "Greeting Cards For Tweens" (2011)

Good math rock/emo from drummer Eric Ross (of Wasp Nest Head Dress) and company, Relationships blend the jam tendencies of American Football with rhythmic spurts akin to Maps & Atlases. There is a certain grittiness to the production quality on this release... a satiating lo-fi experimentation with a certain secret to making catchy riffs. Drums pound away, yet at times retain a Minus The Bear-esque quality to the beats. Super jazzy progressions pop out of an emotional atmosphere while yells of agony can be heard in the background. The album and track titles reek of wryly, tritely written lyrics -- in a good way.

Pick it up here.

Calypso Borealis - "Ore Bowal" (2011)

 
I'm jealous of this dude's drones. Hailing from France, Calypso Borealis has an expansive catalog of tapes released by various prestigious labels including Cloud Valley, Existential Cloth, House of Sun, etc… Ore Bowal resonates the dapper aesthetic of its releasing label, Hooker Vision. Track titles reflect the foreign dialect of an imaginary rainforest, the listener evaporating into a humid atmosphere. Pollen-releasing swells and simmers carry with fluidity and craftsmanship. Also, the tape-bends on this are out of this ecosystem. There is enough playtime with this release to leave the listener satisfied, yet mystified enough to crave additional trips.

Ore Bowal

Pete Swanson - "Man With Potential" (2011)

Man With Potential was easily one of the most unique records to surface last year. Normally performing as the other half of the vibrant experimental/noise duo, Yellow Swans, we see Pete Swanson as a solo artist executing abstract minimal techno brilliantly. Odd, electronic sound-puzzles intertwined with looming drones and sporadic feedback, Swanson gracefully composes and arranges songs in a manner that shows balance and skill. Man With Potential teems with utterly fascinating textures fringed with colorful, brooding atmospheres that will definitely have a place in my rotation for many months to come.

Man With Potential

Koufar - "The Purity Of The Cedars" (2010)

Uncomfortably intense and devastating, Waddiah Chami's (Disgust, Bachir Gemayel) The Purity Of The Cedars is a must for any fan of extreme music. Extracting rhythmic circuit-abuse and frictional fuzz, Koufar's harsh electronics entity is a force to be reckoned with. Militant vocals entailing subject matter about the destruction of Islamic influence in Lebanon are barked and manipulated amidst feedback and bending static, each successive track more memorable than its predecessor. The Purity Of The Cedars sets an extremely high bar for modern power electronic artists, and is posted with high recommendation.

The Purity Of The Cedars