Happening Again #58
May Day, mayday!
Hello!
I’m a week late with this one, as I’ve been beavering away on bits and bobs for various other publications. I’m sure you’ll be able to read those soon. And in the meantime, Boards Of Canada have returned. Wild! A bit more on that further down. And somehow it’s May!
Anyway, here’s what I’ve been spinning recently…
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ESCOTE
COLUMN ADDRESS STROBE
Bandcamp
If you’re a fan of video games, particularly the indie variety, you may already be aware of this artist and not realise it. ESCOTE is the alias of Luis Hernandez, who served as the creative director and music producer on the hilarious surreal comedy adventure game ‘Jazzpunk’. ‘Column Address Strobe’ is, in his own words, “explorations in FM percussion and formant synthesis” which is pretty on the money. It’s a heady mix of industrial, glitch, and IDM, and there’s also a kit list for the synth nerds among us. I’m a big fan the buoyant ‘Stormy Sunday’, full of visceral metallic textures that ricochet like springs, as well as the propulsive ‘Super Silver Haze’, which sounds like a field recording from the inside of a desktop computer from the early 90s. There’s lots of really interesting sound design going on here - and if you’re that way inclined do check out ‘Jazzpunk’. It’s a lot of fun and absolutely hilarious.
Field Lines Cartographer
ROOTS IN THE FIRMAMENT
Astra Solaria
Umpteen albums in at this point and Mark Burford still knows how to dazzle us with his analogue cosmic ambience. Like several of his contemporaries, he’s got this down to a fine art at this point, and ‘Roots In The Firmament’ is no different. In his own words, Mark describes this record as “where the breath of the forest meets the vast stillness of the stars”. Yes please. Looping arpeggios are wrapped in gusts of haunting ambience (‘Circling’), while spiralling electronics climb like branches reaching for the sky (‘Sandalwood’). ‘Softly The Trees’ is just sublime, as though Mark has unleashed hundreds of polyphonic butterflies, each wingbeat radiating ripples of fluttering synth tones against the backdrop of a warm drone. Maintaining this level of quality is never easy, but this is Field Lines Cartographer we’re talking about. ‘Roots In The Firmament’ is another of many gold stars for Mark. Glorious stuff.
Plini
IMPULSE VOICES
Bandcamp
Anyone who has been in my vicinity over the past two weeks will know that this album has been on repeat and then some. Plini Roessler-Holgate’s guitar work just activates certain neurons in my brain like nothing else. ‘Impulse Voices’ is Plini’s second full-length LP, released in the November of 2020 and recorded from his bedroom studio earlier from March to May. Remote recording sessions seem not to have hindered the album at all. My personal highlights include the jazzy stylings of ‘Pan’, the melancholic prog metal of ‘I’ll Tell You Someday’, and the plucky string work of the title track. But honestly, it’s all good stuff. I’m due another listen (and then another one).
Skylar Spence
ALMOST BUTTERFLIES
Carpark
Skylar Spence is a new find for me, but I was quite taken with his ‘Almost Butterflies’ mix. The artist formerly known as Saint Pepsi (who in reality is Ryan DeRobertis) has been beat-making since 2012, releasing a slew of records that year that straddled vaporwave, future funk, and plunderphonics, before a certain fizzy drink conglomerate took issue with his name. In 2013 he switched monikers to Skylar Spence, releasing pop album ‘Prom King’ in 2015. ‘Almost Butterflies’ is much in the same vein - 22 minutes of cut-up samples, funk-laden chords, head-nodding percussion, and groovy electronics. Looks like I’ve got some research to do, seeing as though ‘Prom King’ got the deluxe 10-year anniversary reissue treatment via Carpark Records last year (and 2013 album ‘Hit Vibes’ has just been released on yellow vinyl).
Choir Boy
I’LL ALWAYS LET YOU DOWN
Dais
A single with that sleeve art was never not going to attract my attention but this, Choir Boy’s first bit of new music since 2020 is great. ‘I’ll Always Let You Down’ is a nostalgic mix of indie, dream pop, and dark wave - a little bit like New Order and Drab Majesty were shut in a studio together. There’s some power behind Adam Klopp’s vocals, as crisp synths and bass stab against the patter of shuffling drum machines. They’re currently supporting Californian rockers A Fire Inside on tour, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they have another album on the way.
That’s it for this time. As always you can find my ramblings elsewhere in both print and online in Electronic Sound. I am going to tentatively dip into the world of microblogging again, so follow me on Bluesky if that’s your sort of thing.
But before I go, here are some things from across the internet that have caught my eye…
// Everyone I know has been vibrating with excitement (myself included) over the return of Boards Of Canada and ‘Inferno’, their upcoming new album. They released ‘Tape 05’, which seems to match ‘Father And Son’ off the record’s track listing. Exciting! You can listen to it below.
// Meta lost 20 million users at the start of the year, which may seem like a rounding error in the grand scheme of things, but appears to signal that growth is somewhat over. Maybe the worm is starting to turn.
//Andy Kelly’s fantastic ‘Ridge Racer Type 4’ zine ‘One More Win’ is back in stock permanently and I can highly recommend it. You don’t have to have played the game, or even really have an interest in video games to appreciate it. It’s such a lovely looking thing. But for those that are interested, it contains seven original essays that dive into the game’s aesthetics, soundtrack, and storytelling. Do also have a look at the expanded edition of ‘Perfect Organism’, Andy’s celebration of ‘Alien: Isolation’. I have many memories QA’ing the game, and although I only played a small part in its development, I’m very proud with how it turned out.
// I am asking once again for the headphone jack to be put back on phones (maybe I should go back to using an MP3 player…)