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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.

[rating:5/5]

“Nice Traps” is the name of the debut album by the Czech electronic popband Khoiba, recently released on Mole listening pearls. The cover is gorgeously cruel; a young girl has trapped a giant insect in a glass , – with an evil look on her face.
Khoiba was founded in Prague in 2002, with Ema Brabcová on vocals/synthesizer, Filip Mísek on guitar/synthesizer, Petr Sámal on bass and Jan Malich, drums.

The music of Khoiba is downtempo semi-electronic pop, with elements from alternative pop. People who like the UK band LAMB would probably also find something they like here too. The voice of Ema Brabcova is not too far away from Lamb’s Louise Rhodes. Some of the bands in the newer german electronic pop camp is also close in their expressions.

“Nice traps” is very good for the ears. It has a warm sound and the songs are quite good all over. I especially like the way they mix the pop-feel with darker elements and strange noises. Ema has a fine way of using her voice to give the songs both roughness, edges and beauty. There is a playfulness and finetuned way of experimenting here. It is not “experimental” and strange, yet it is clear that the band likes to try out new stuff and play around with the songs. This is pop, – good pop-, with something extra added.

The album is on high rotation in my stereo, and I find most of the songs way above average. “202″ is a clever piece of work, especially on the vocal side. It is so simple, yet extremely full of expression. “Half in”, “terribly” and “that reason” are other favourites of mine.

A fine debut album by Khoiba, – they have a fan in me now.

“I thought I was over that” is a great title for this double compilation-album that brings something new, something rare and something old from german electronica/leftfield-indie band LALI PUNA.
- also check out my related review of John Yoko and my upcoming interview with Valerie Trebeljahr.

You find B-sides, coversongs, rare songs and songs that either Lali Puna has remixed for others or that other artists have remixed for Lali Puna. Artists on this album include Tim Simenon/Bomb the bass, Boom Bip, Two Lone Swordsmen, DNTEL, Alias, Sixtoo and To Rococo Rot, amongst others. You will also find two new songs here, – first the short instrumental opening track, “the failure of the leading sign industry”, written by the bands newest member, keyboard-player Christian Heiß. The second new track is more ‘lali pun’ish’, – “past machine”-, a song that could well have fitted into the tracklist of their latest studioalbum ‘faking the books’.
After listening to the album almost repetingly for some days, I notice how well it is put together. Everything is right here, – the tracks are where they should be, and they fit good together. I have always had a problem with remix- and rarity-compilations, because they often compile expressions that differ substantially from each other. This compilation has Lali Puna’s trademark on every track. It is not a fans-only compilation, – this one could be enjoyable for everybody who likes intelligent music from somewhere between indie and electronica.

Both the coverversions (two great covers of Human League’s “together in electric dreams” and Slowdive’s “40 days”) and their remixes for other artists have a clear and original Lali Puna-sound. Other artists who have remixed Lali Puna also seems to have kept the elements that are so characteristic for Trebeljahr & co.

There are many stand-out tracks that impress me on this compilation. 19 tracks is a lot of music, but out of those 19, there are only a couple that I feel they could have left out. I am not a fan of the flowchart remix and not the Thomas Leboeg remix from 2000 either. But everything else is high quality music. If I have to choose some of my favourites here, it would be “40 days”(slowdive cover), “clear cut” (with Bomb the bass), The daily match, past machine, + the remixes from to rococo rot, alias, boom bip and sixtoo. The “Left handed dub” by Lali Puna is also an awesome and dirty dubby groove experience!

I miss Valerie Trebeljahr’s vocals on the instrumental tracks here. She is Lali Puna, and her voice is the main thing I associate with the band.
As a whole, I must say I am impressed that a band could put 19 tracks from their full career, – including remixes and other artists’ work, on one compilation and make it work so well together. Clever work.

Related links: Morr music | Lali Puna

JOHN YOKO is the new project by Lali Puna’s Valerie Trebeljahr and Markus Acher, out just now with a 7” single on MORR MUSIC’s sublabel “a number of small things”. The couple have clearly resigned themselves to the fact that they will forever be known amongst friends and fellow band members as John & Yoko. On this single, they do their coverversions of “Papa was a rodeo” acclaimed album “69 love songs” by The Magnetic Fields and “The Morning Paper” by Smog, from the album “red apple falls”. As always, Trebeljahr/Acher do their stuff brilliantly.

This 7” is a pop-pearl, – nothing less.

It’s Marcus Acher who sings the main vocals on both tracks, and I find it refreshing to hear him sing something that is so far away from all the other things he has done. The vocals are delicate and tender, and fits the laidback and relaxed feeling of the music well. It is also very nice to hear how great the voices of Valerie and Markus fits together in the choruses. Both tracks are layed out over a steady lo-fi beatbox, and the arrangements doesn’t include many unnecessary elements. It’s all very melodic and simple structured. Perfect pop in my ears! I understand that this is a one-time-only project, which is kind of sad… But, enjoy this one, and buy it at once!
Listen to it at morrmusic.com