scissorkick

Awesome new track from Germany's Couch. Solid instrumental post-rock that surprisingly is the type that will age beautifully. For a long time I thought that a lot of the mid- to late 90s post-rock slowly eroding my inner ear would be just a flash in the pan; music more memorable for the nostalgic quality it would have 20 years later. But after listening to the new Tortoise compendium and revisiting some more obscure older records, I realize that although a lot of this type of stuff can be sterile and relatively unengaging, the best post-rock can be adapted for the many transmissions we encounter in life. Check "Alles Sagt Ja," a pretty simple song with a complex set of undertones. It's sort of ominous, at times calmly uplifting, with a certain melancholy that's more than the sum of its parts. Like great post or math-rock, the best equation is often times the most simple...and dependable. RIYL: Fridge, Tarwater, The Notwist, Kreidler, Analogue, Can, Neu!, Mogwai Resources

For more information on Couch check out their myspace page.

Couch :: "Alles Sagt Ja"

Posted by Steve at 6/29/2006 11:02:00 AM | Permalink | Comments   

Quick post today before I start a really long stretch of 5 days of wedding and work celebration.Two huge events are happening at the same time -- Pete and Tracy's wedding and the Webby Awards (which I help produce). So in the mean time, to keep spirits high and to prove that I'm still here and ready to upload the goods to all of you, I offer something from Matthew Herbert's tragically underappreciated new album, Scale which is by far his best since his classic Bodily Functions. Lush strings, innovative production (as usual, he communicates the politics of the record with samples from 723 different objects including coffins, petrol pumps and an RAF Tornado bomber ) and solid pop melodies from the first note to the last. It is big, ambitious and so far the best dance record of the year. I say that loosely because the record explores the subtleties of the genre. These are not huge, PA-bursting cuts, but more importantly channel Herbert's undeniable intellect in a more pop-oriented, well-thought manner. Again he teams up with his muse Dani Siciliano and other perfectly drafted guest vocalists that form the core. It's 80s only in the way that 80s electro-pop had very few boundaries. There's clear waves of electro, disco, minimal house and his trademark string swing. Think Prince were he from Copenhagen with Apollonia on the hook after a jaunt through Christiana's Pusher Street and you have a better idea... Resources

Posted by Steve at 6/08/2006 12:24:00 AM | Permalink | Comments