Posts by Jakub

Ulrich Schnauss has already become our generations Dream Pop captain, with his beautiful cover of Slowdive for Morr Music to this gem from his A Strangely Isolated Place LP, I hope we get something special in 2010 from him.

Black To Comm is what I thought Manitoba and Mum set out to become in my head as these musicians that would make PBS nostalgia soundtracks but it all worked out in the end.

Is it true that Arovane doesn’t make music and now dirt bike’s? i’d like this fuzzy memory confirmed, his album Tides is still one of the best listens to calm yourself or fall asleep to.

If you opened a window and let a sun come into a Stars Of The Lid song then you’d getting something very similar to what Rameses III is doing.

Ulrich Schnauss – Monday – Paracetamol – BUY

Black To Comm -Trapez – BUY

Arovane – Seaside – BUY

Rameses III – Cloud Kings – BUY

If you’re ever looking for very precise textured music with a post rock touch then Radian will blow your mind live, I never saw a drummer that was such a detail sensitive machine in my life. They have their moments in songs where they don’t do much but it feels like 2 tons are lifted off your shoulders, there minimalism is only more and more appreciated after just a few listens.

One of my favorite new songs that Sam shared with me was this song by Zelienople, total Slowdive feel and done well. Each vocal feels like its moving aside dense fog, its crazy to say but 5 minutes wasn’t enough.

With a Pitchfork stamp of approval under their belt JJ was worth checking out, it starts out happy like a some kind of odd Lemon Jelly B side but the under belly reminds me of what maybe is in Four Tet’s future? definitely not the best song to represent the album but a nice interlude instrumental.

Radiohead’s Spinning Plates doesn’t have to be the only song that you’ve heard that has the majority of the song backwards, you can now add Growing to that list. This opening band for F*ck Buttons marries chuggy noise and Miranda July dream sequences really well, not a song to jump around on, definitely a grower.

Radian – Nord – BUY

Zelienople – I Put All My Faith In Her – N/A

JJ – Intermezzo – BUY

Growing – Lens Around – BUY

The very first post I ever did on the ISO50 blog was of The Mercury Program, just one of those bands that I feel like I can play for anyone and they’ll fall in love with at least one song. I admire that this record stayed on pace with their previous albums, you know lush key work and light on the feet yet a wave of feel good energy popping up now and again, a perfect record to listen to for a Monday morning.

The Mercury Program: If you’re out there contact me[jakub *t iso50 d*t com] I want you to do a Tycho cover for his LP or if you want to play in Brooklyn, NY.

The Mercury Program – Arrived/Departed – BUY

The Mercury Program – Stand & Sing – BUY

The Mercury Program – Fluorescent Laces – BUY

Probably one of the most educational mixes i’ve ever heard, this really lays out what has happened in Hip Hop in the last 10 years, call it Glitch Hop, Dubstep, Downbeat, Bass Music but its all just different forms of Hip Hop.

“2tall, Clockwork and Kper are very proud to let you know that our new mix, A Boom Bap Continuum, is now live. We’ve worked very hard on this for most of the year and we hope you will enjoy it as much as we did putting it together.

The mix features over 200 tracks by more than 50 producers all mixed, edited and mashed up in 80 minutes. The intention is simple: we wanted to highlight the lineage of hip-hop production and beat making from the turn of the millennium to the present day, and perhaps shed some light on the fairly quiet revolution that has been taking place under the surface of mainstream media in recent years.”

Download, artwork and text all available on the website

TRACKLIST HIGHLIGHTS – full tracklist here

2001
Prefuse 73 – Nuno into
Dabrye – So Scientific

2002
Boards of Canada – Sixtyniner into
P.U.T.S – Acid Raindrops (prod. Thes One)

2004
Telefon Tel Aviv – I Lied into
Loefah – Horror Show

2005
The Bug – Fire (Version) into
Boom Bip – The Move

2006
Dj Krush – Kemuri (Untouchable Mix) into
Clark – Herr Barr

2007
Waajeed – Tron into
Flyamsam – Green Tea Power

2008
Rustie – Zig Zag into
Flying Lotus – Auntie’s Lock/Infinitum (Quarta 330 remix)

2009
Paul White – Synth March into
Machinedrum ft. ie.merg – 911

2tall, Kper and Clockwork – A Boom Bap Continuum

Animal Collective has done it again, listening to the previews I wasn’t too excited but the EP as a whole all the way thru is a treasure. Bleed is a heavy echoed out call and response song that simply makes you feel like your with the band in a bat cave with a cello. HIGHLY RECOMMEND hanging out in this bat cave with headphones on.

I found Apse accidently looking for some new post rock but instead of grabbing up the rock tracks I directly went for this looped tribal psychedelia for its build, i’d hope if there was ever such a day that Animal Collective and Sigur Ros did an instrumental album it would sound like this for 80 mins.

I don’t know what to say about this Piano Magic song besides that if it came out in the early 90’s it would of been huge, such good song writing and the guitar parts are written soo well, gawwww! this song deserves an award, damn this state of music! this band needs to be doing really well.

Arms is ex-Harlem Shakes guitarist and wonderful writer, a definite must have for Broken Social Scene, Mobius Band, and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah plus someone else that’s on the tip of my tongue that I might blurt out in the comment section. Todd’s singing style with the guitars in this song could please any rock crowd with its hints of big classic rock and new indie rock perks. HIGHLY RECOMMEND

ENJOY YOUR THANKSGIVING.

Animal Collective – Bleed

Apse – Tropica

Piano Magic – The Faint Horizon

Arms – Whirring

With more and more of the 1980’s PBS/older cartoon watching generation maturing and fine tuning their craft as musicians the more i’m excited about where hip hop is going. I’m sure if we asked a ton of these guys like Paul White, Bullion, Lone, Prefuse 73, Powell etc what they grew up on it would probably be a heavy dose Disney, Looney Tunes, and Hanna Barbara. I hear a great LP in Sounds From The Skylight, one that shows a crate digging addict, an open playful mind, and someone that truly cares and believes in taking this sound further and having fun doing it.

DOWNLOAD THE LP HERE FOR FREE

Paul White – Highlife

Paul White – Trying To Tell You

Paul White – Dream State (Dam Tales)

Recently one of the most relaxing songs i’ve been listening to is by Greg Davis, its 22 minutes of soft drone, it doesn’t give you much but also never asks for your attention, its very calming and glides out perfectly at the end.

I’ve been waiting for a new Legowelt EP since his release of Nacho Patrol, this track Day Sailor grabbed me right away, we don’t get this kind of atmospheric synth pop anymore I really missed it. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

People shouldn’t confuse Minimal and Minimalist in this day in age, Minimal is a dying form of techno made by guys that isn’t meant for dancing but more about how much you can cut up a techno song and then use glimpses of sounds you find around the house while Minimalist is more of a classic sound that is timeless, raw and always a treat to listen to if you get talents like Terrence Dixon, Derrick May or in this case up and comer Actress to unveil something new that sounds old which in this case is a great thing.

Animal Collective has a new EP coming out next month and one of the big buzz songs is a rerelease of What Would I Want Sky which was just a BBC Session track in the past. The song consists of swirling noise and organized chaos which I think is Animal Collective’s strong suit and followed with looped vox to make it indie rock approved.

Greg Davis – Hall of Pure Bliss

Legowelt – Day Sailor

Actress – Ghost Have A Heaven

Animal Collective – What Would I Want Sky (BBC Session)

Here are 4 bands that I think really bring something special to the indie rock table, bands that are pushing the envelope on sound and their passions reaching for something different.

Juana Molina makes me want to dig thru the world music crates and pick her brain, the drive in her voice in this song could make 101 yr old man stand up and dance, I need to see this song being played live, my jaw would probably hit the floor.

What can you say its a new Beach House single that just leaked and the indie world is fumbling over itself to get a listen and I have to say its pretty impressive, catchy and i’d like to throw out this genre idea – woodgaze [woodsy shoegaze], yes or no?

After Pitchfork’s Festival all I heard about was how outstanding Frightened Rabbit sounded live, this is my first taste of something that I like by them on CD, wow a collection of songs[this plus the other 3 songs and some shoegaze and maybe Red House Painters and thats really it, and The Police too] that actually make me want to listen to lyrics, its such a nice feeling.

I have to give it to Tom Croose, he called Real Estate being great in the spring and now look at us all, I have to go back to how I visually described it back in August: “to me its laid back feel makes me want to bust out the Yo La Tengo’s Summer Sun LP but i’m too busy chillin’ in my kids pool filled with hose water that is being warmed by the sun and I have grass blades stuck all over me that i’m trying to pick off, so lets just keep the Real Estate CD in.”

Juana Molina – Un DiÌa

Beach House – Norway

Frightened Rabbit – Fun Stuff

Real Estate – Let’s Rock The Beach

I’ve been sick in bed but that hasn’t stopped me from digging deep for music in between long naps, I found soo many nice tracks I even want to post the 4 songs for tomorrow now.

Helios is one of those bands i’ll always check out because I know they’ll have a stand out track on there album every time and this album is no exception. The song Cross The Ocean is the closest i’ve heard to something like Boards of Canada in a while but without the PBS feel, tell me if i’m wrong.

I’m loving this intro of this Cale Parks song, the whole song is really unique and forward thinking, definitely the definition of Avant Pop.

I just found Desolation Wilderness, a really low key post rock/surf-ish group and an enjoyable listen.

Yeasayer have the sound to take experimental indie pop to TOP 40, if you listen close to their instrumental its mind scrambling, how do you sit down and put that together with other band members?! they care and are super talented.

Helios – Cross The Ocean

Cale Parks – Eyes Won’t Shut

Desolation Wilderness – Boardwalk Theme

Yeasayer – Ambling Alp

One label that did it perfect this year was Werkdiscs, just solid A+R with a vision and exposed new sounds to the whole industry by unveiling high caliber talent like Lukid, Actress, and their new addition Lone. It really made a hobbyist/music lover like myself get excited about the hunt of music again. What Actress brought to the table this year was eye opening and Lukid’s twist on Dub gave me another record that I could put on and not worry about skipping around.

Lone’s new LP has the charm and playful nostalgia feel like his last LP Lemurian but hits a bit harder on the kicks and just comes off brighter like the sun beams glaring off snow. If you’re a Tycho, Boards of Canada, Flying Lotus, Christ., Washed Out, Neon Indian, etc. fan there is something in this album for you.

On a side note: I kind of want to rock doubles of Karen Loves Kate, just a second there I had this player and itunes playing the song at the same time and it just sounded soo warm and thick, pure goodness.

Lone – Karen Loves Kate

Lone – Go Greenhills Racer