Tag: Lorelle Meets the Obsolete

Random Orbitings – July 8, 2020

A ton of new music is rolling through the doors of Sonixcursions HQ – and I’ve been absorbing it over the long (and hot) weekend here in the states. Most of it has been in the ambient and analog electronic vein, which seems to stretch time out even further when you’re lying in the sun.

To mark this strange season – where it’s really nice outside, yet the ominous cloud of a global pandemic and a toxic political environment make it difficult to fully enjoy – I’ve started a series of mixes on Mixcloud to offer a soundtrack to the “festivities” (more about that below).

Polypores

Take a virtual deep-sea diving session with Polypores, on Mr. Stephen James Buckley’s latest release Azure. The music here veers toward the aquatic – gentle arpeggios float along the currents, waves and washes follow the tides, echoes from undersea worlds beckon to be explored.

Constant rain during the recording sessions may have played a role in creating this bathysphere: “I was also able to immerse myself in various books, films, and documentaries related to the ocean, particularly the mythology and lore surrounding it”, say Mr. Buckley. It’s well worth the submersion.

Continue reading “Random Orbitings – July 8, 2020”

Random Orbitings – March 20, 2020

Wow – a lot has changed in the 4 weeks since my last Orbitings post. Bars and restaurants are closing, causing ripple effects in the music and arts business. We need to put our heads together and figure out ways that we can help these musicians get by during this time of uncertainty. I’ll be writing more about this in the coming days, but for today BandCamp.com is Supporting Artists During the Covid-19 Pandemic by encouraging fans to buy music today (Friday, March 20) and sending all the revenue to the artists.

From their statement: “To raise even more awareness around the pandemic’s impact on musicians everywhere, we’re waiving our revenue share on sales this Friday, March 20 (from midnight to midnight Pacific Time), and rallying the Bandcamp community to put much needed money directly into artists’ pockets.” Go forth and support these artists today (and over the coming weeks and months) because we will get through this, and we’re all gonna want to see a show when this is over.

Zelienople

It’s been a couple of years, but Chicago’s Zelienople are back with a sonic document of the times, Hold You Up – a testimony to driving ahead amidst looming uncertainty. The bleakness of some of the songs speaks to our current state of isolation, especially with the title track as well as “You Have It”. I had the chance to sit down (virtually) with singer and guitarist Matt Christensen the other day, and should have the interview up soon, but until then check out the new album as well as their deep back catalog that goes back to 2002’s Pajama Avenue. Matt himself is fairly prolific on BandCamp.com as well, with over 100 releases posted. Well worth the dive.

Continue reading “Random Orbitings – March 20, 2020”

Random Orbitings – Feb 24, 2020

Time has flown by so fast this year, that I just realized I hadn’t posted my favorite albums from 2019 yet, as I’m also in the process of making a list of top albums from the 2010s as well (which is getting interesting…). So here goes…

  1. Lorelle Meets the Obsolete – De Facto
  2. The Stargazer Lillies – Occabot
  3. Vanishing Twin – The Age of Immunology
  4. Listening Center – Retrieving
  5. Memory Drawings – Phantom Lights
  6. Yellow6 – Shifting Sands of Time
  7. Tawdry Otter – Fiction & Poetry
  8. Epic45 – Sun Memory
  9. Land Equivalents – A Straight Line With Gain
  10. Jon Brooks – Emotional Freedom Techniques

The top two were very tight, but LMTO are just knocking it out of the park at the moment and the extended jam of “La Maga” puts this one over the top.

Lorelle Meets the Obsolete

Speaking of which, Lorena and Beto of LMTO are gearing up for an EP that releases March 13. Re-Facto contains 2 remixed tracks from the album, along with 2 new ones, pressed on a limited edition translucent orange and green vinyl 12”. They’ll be on tour in the US for the month of March, so check them out if they come near your town.

Continue reading “Random Orbitings – Feb 24, 2020”

Random Orbitings – Jan 24, 2020

Heya! and welcome to a new year new decade. I’ve decided to revive a series started with the Outersound Underground blog that was once called Weekly Orbitings, compiling some latest releases and news in an easily digestible post. This is changing to a more vaguely titled Random Orbitings, publishing when there’s enough good material to post. With that, here’s some good material that’s been playing around here lately.

Last week saw a new release from Matthew Shaw, once known as Tex La Homa – with an offering called Into the Unknown. Matt has shed the Tex moniker and is going under his given name. After a few years of producing mostly ambient and found sounds work, he returns to a style that harkens back to his more structured sound from the early 2000s.

Next up is an improvised soundtrack to the silent film Nosferatu, by Argentina’s Bosques. Back in 2015, the band “had the opportunity to play live music at the sold out screening of ‘Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens’ (1922) by Friedrich Wilhlelm Murnau, during the Independent Film Festival Festifreak No. 11.” The captured performance – Cómo sanar de lo monstruoso: Música para ‘Nosferatu‘ – is finally seeing a release, and it’s a mesmerizing blend of dark and light that will definitely creep you out if listened to alone.

Meanwhile over in Manchester, the 5-piece Purple Heart Parade offer up a new EP, entitled Desolation Angel, to kick off the year. Staying with the venerable Club AC30 (who pressed a short-run of 250 copies on 180g 12″ orange and purple split vinyl), these guys continue to hone a guitar-driven sound that echoes earlier bands like (the) Verve. Here’s a video for the lead single “Petrichor”.

On Tour

Lorelle Meets the Obsolete have announced a month-long US tour with The Underground Youth, starting in early March. I’m hoping to catch them at the Cleveland stop, and they’ll also be playing shows at SXSW and the Treefort Music Festival in Boise, Idaho. The full list of dates are posted on their Facebook page.

Stay tuned for my best of 2019 list, as well as a roundup of my favorite bands of the 2010’s in the coming weeks – thanks for reading, and until next time, pleasant orbitings…

Featured Band: Lorelle Meets the Obsolete

From the moment I first heard them on the “Psych For Sore Eyes” compilation EP 6 years ago, and up to today – Lorelle Meets the Obsolete remain one of my favorite bands of the decade. The songs they produce are so genuinely unique, there are no direct comparisons or sonic competitors. 

After hearing the track, I had to look for more – and I found Corruptible Faces, a swirly amalgam of guitar-noise-drone mixed with hypnotic beats and acoustic treats, layered with the hazy alternating male and female vocals of Lorena and Beto. It took a few months for that album to really sink in, with each passing week revealing a new favorite track.

Continue reading “Featured Band: Lorelle Meets the Obsolete”

Sonixcursions:003

Take a break from reality, grab some headphones, close your eyes – here’s 30 minutes of musical meanderings with no agenda.

Included in this episode: VHS Dream, Lorelle Meets the Obsolete, Bosques, All in the Golden Afternoon, a new track from Epic45, a throwback from Malory, and Do Make Say Think bringing it in for a landing.

For more information on the podcast and the bands included, please subscribe to the email newsletter. Thanks for listening!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS