I found this piece of stunningly beautiful music on the website of the japanese label Noble records. This is the label’s tenth release, and they mark their aniversary by releasing a reconstruction of another noble release. The sound artist based in New York, Taylor Deupree, reconstructed the seventh release from the noble label back in 2003, the album titled awaawa by the group eisi.
Taylor Deupree says this about the reconstruction:

“My initial concept for “Every Still Day” was to take eisi’s songs, which are acoustic and freeform in nature, and to stretch them in two opposite directions. On one hand, I wanted to add more structure and a sense of “popness” and on the other blending in my own style of digital experimentalism. Given the immense possibility of source material at hand I often chose to keep much of the main instrumentation intact, keeping a direct reference to the original songs, not getting distracted by too many choices and technological possibilities. To this I would add layers and fragments of digitally processed sounds and build new arrangements”

Interesting and beautiful music!

Taylor Deupree + Eisi – Every still day

Another interesting release from 2005 from the Noble label is World’s end Girlfriend’s new album “the lie lay land”, which also comes into the same category. Here is a track from this album too, – also from the Noble website: World’s end girlfriend – daydream

[rating:5/5]
Oh, how I love this treasure of an album! The debut album from New York’s LEVY is one of the absolutely best albums I’ve heard so far this year. Despite the ‘rotten’ title, this album is a pure refreshment. It starts with the geniously infective title track, which have circulated around the blogosphere for some months now. From there, the band takes us on a journey further through the more difficult, desperate and rotten sides of love.
LEVY know how to make SONGS and they know how to follow up their melodies with fine and very interesting lyrics. Their songwriting is stronger than much you hear these days, in my opinion. It is also refreshing to hear an indieband in 2005 without the dancepunk/ post-postpunk approach to music.

James Levy’s Morrissey-esque vocals does something to me, – they’re warm, rich and so sensitive in every way. Levy’s got a singer who manages to give the songs the feelings they demand, – one moment he sounds tender, kind and delicate, the next moment he takes out all his guts in vocals filled with power. He’s intensely inside the music.

My favourites on this album are “rotten love”, “on the dancefloor”, “wednesday”, “Rivka”, “You be sweet”, “rector street”, “matthew”, “sunday school”, “in the woods”… well, that was almost all the songs on the album…
Love it! Love it! Love it!

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The American Analog Set is is back with a new album, “set free”. After a 10 year long career of recording their music in kitchens and livingrooms, they’ve been in a real studio for the first time! Most of the album is of course ALSO recorded in several home-studios, kitchens, bed- and living-rooms, but this is a big step for the analog’s. The band have spent 13 months in various recording locations to make this new album, and the work they have brought into it has given results. It has become a loveable record, with all the “am-an-set”-elements we love from their 5 previous releases, but also with a freshness in the sound that comes new with this album.
I am not sure if the desicion of entering a normal studio has given these results, but I really love the sound on “set free”. It’s warm and rich, – just as it should be with this music.

American analog set’s delicate, layered drone-pop has never before had melodies as its strongest side. Usually the band builds its quality on creating atmospheres and touching feelings inside the listener. They have in my book always been an album-band, not a song band. This time, the melodies are stronger (especially “Play hurt”, “She’s half” and the beautiful ending “fuck this I’m leaving”) and the album works well as a whole as well. The thing that has stopped me from really loving this band earlier, is that I’m too eager to get to the point, and the band never seem to get to the point… They have this pop-side combined with the drone-side, where the first one should stay short and to the point and the other one could work fine as an everlasting flow of sound. In my ears, the two very different elements rarely works well together… not until now. The Amanset’s are more to the point this time, and the monotony and long passages are toned down. All elements that the band always have used on their albums, – the things that always stays the same with this band, – these things are also very present on “set free”: Andrew Kenny still has his whispery vocals, the rythms are still repetitive and driven by a collaboration between repetitive guitar-lines and the sparse tapping on the drums. But this time, I love how it’s done. It is beautifully made and they have balanced the repetitive drones and they stop at the correct point.
And I love Kenny’s stories. Short, – not telling it all, – and very right for each song.

“Set free” is released in Europe through Morr Music on sept 6th, in Australia on the same day through Spunk and in North America on 20. sept through Arts and Crafts.

Here’s a track from the new Amanset album, “Immaculate Heart I” taken from their website.

While reading, you can listen to and enjoy these tracks from Dirty on Purpose‘s website:

Mind Blindness | Monument

DIRTY ON PURPOSE from NYC is one of those bands that you know will have success when you hear them. They are close now, I just know it. Their debut EP will be re-released by NorthStreet Records in September and their first album is being worked on in the studio at the moment. Recently, Dirty on Purpose was mentioned in Spin magazine as “Band of the day” and they have received rave reviews both for their ep and for their live performances. We have had a chat with guitarist Joe Jurewicz about the band, the people, recording the new album and success…

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Summer is almost over and here’s a couple of new tracks that will give you a feeling of being in the middle of two seasons. Some of these tracks are the ultimate summer soundtracks and some are pure autumn… and they are all norwegian!

First out is a autumny pop-track by Dino-Sau (a wordplay on dinosaur and Sau (norwegian for sheep)). The trio is said to be an experience in a live-setting. I like them recorded too:
Dino-Sau – a little crime

Ok, we will not leave the summer yet; Here’s the perfect popband Lovedance with their perfect popsong stay handsome

The White Birch are soon out with a new album, and on their website we are presented with a new great song from them, your spain.

Post scriptum play melancholic pop with strong vocals. Here’s your eyes.

Je suis animal is a great band with their own style. Here’s an edited version of Amundsen collects snowflakes. The full version is also available on their website, but they demand your emailaddress to get it.

A dark and noisy rock track in the veins of …Trail of dead; Here is the trio Hope I die a virgin from Oslo:
Hope I die a virgin – my shape won’t be the shape of the city

The band with the perfect name The Samuel Jackson 5 play instrumental post-rock, – perfect for this time of the year. The band is very good live too.
Samuel Jackson 5 – clubbers dream