WISCONSIN

zola jesus’s stridulum ep does away with the obscuring lo-fi production to push nika DANILOVA’s booming voice out front. the trained opera singer form northern wisconsin uses her powerful instrument to push her driving, wailing dirges. the ep is particularly smooth sounding with no hiss or fuzz but rather clean vocals and plenty of pulsing moody textures below the surface. songs such as the sweeping “night” build from a synthy hum to a swirling pulsing soundtrack for the perfect foreboding late nite.

melbourne AUSTRALIA
eddy current suppression ring’s rush to relax is a worthy follow up to their brilliant primary colors. out on goner records, they recorded the album in a frenetic six hour session. while building on their sound from previous albums they haven’t fallen into the trap of repeating themselves. still playing with stooge like guitars and kiwi pop sensibilities the album allows them to stretch themselves out a bit from short burners like “walked into a corner” which clocks in at under a minute to the 7min+ groove of “second guessing.” the album has a sharp crispness with plenty of groove from the slower pop gems like “i can be a jerk “and “gentleman” to the punchier like “anxiety “and “burn.”

geneva SWITZERLAND

nice face’s immer etwas out on sacred bones delivers a nice solid punch with its fuzzed out distortion. full of plenty of energy and sinister swirls, the lp lets ian MAGEE show off his command of texturing noise, beats, and haunted vocals. the songs push straight ahead at a breakneck pace with no filler and plenty of trashy surf rock fun.

columbus OHIO

will foster’s guinea worms have an amazing 2-lp compilation out from columbus discount records. culled from the cdrs the guinea worms recorded over the last decade, this collection spills over with juicy cuts. plenty of loud tunes packed with catchy wordplay such as the scorcher “haymaker,” the meandering “come here baby,” the hilarious “accidental space tourist“and the lurching “maggot therapy.” as will foster sings “do the right thing. do the frank lloyd wright thing”

zambia AFRICA

shadoks zambian psych reissues are must haves for the upcoming summer. plenty of fuzzzed out grooves for the scorching months ahead. amanaz’s africa recalls moby grape and late velvet undergound with tracks like “i am very far” and “big enough.” while witch’s lazy bones is full of wah wah and sunny beats on tracks like “strange dream,” “off ma boots,” and “little clown.”

wien AUSTRIA

the sound: frame festival is the fourth year of existence, has become one of the most popular audio: visual festivals in europe. already in 2008 the festival was in the british dj mag “best vj chosen event 2008″ and the international network is visible from year to year.

on invitation by eva FISCHER, the main curator of the sound:frame festival, sandra MANNINGER of span will join into a panel discussion entitled: “space, projection and virtuality. discussion on relations of design, music and architecture.”
the panelists include ambientartlab and lilli HOLLEIN (neigungsgruppe design, vienna). the discussion will be moderated by iver OHM (dieangewandte.at)

portlandOREGON

EAT SKULL’S wild and inside offers an lp of dreamy pop, crackling rockers, and plenty of fuzz. less clamoring than sick to death but with just as much attitude and energy. this portland band channels the pop sensibilities of the flying nun crowd and television personalities with the sonic swirls of the swell maps and gbv. the album has its share of noise and bounce from the pounding keyboard of opener “stick to the formula” to the jangly “heaven’s stranger” and the sandy surf instrumental “surfing the stairs.” there are also some stripped down acoustic numbers which trade the noise for dreamy haze such as “oregon’s dreaming” and the slow lament “dawn in the face.”

congo

looking for some summer jams? here they are by way of the congo, ca 1980. mississippi records released this lost gem, ntsamina, by the SPIRITUAL SINGERS, in the winter but the shaggs style drumming, booming organ, and male/female harmonies belong in the summer heat. british rock, trojan reggae, and american doo wop combine to create a bouncing, yelping mix of jams such as kimia,” “wey a tsumo ma,” and the slow sinister dirge “come and save us.”

detroit MICHIGAN

TYVEK’S scuzzy rust belt noise pop channels the milieu of detroit and its empty buildings. The anxious jangling of songs like “burning building” and “circular ruins” cut right to the chase in evoking the mood of the dying city. The album is at times punchy and sludgy as it drifts from repetitive burners like “stop start” and“summer things” to more catchy rockers such as “frustration rock” and the outstanding “duck blinds” which lurches back and forth with its jagged edges, midnight ashtrays and orange netting.

columbus OHIO

this ep of ‘b-sides’ from PSYCHEDELIC HORSESHIT’S alleged upcoming album too many hits kicks off with “we’re pink floyd, bitch” and rips through with jammers like “are you on glass” and the beautiful “as in dreams pt 2” with plenty of hiss, crystals, and bounce along the way.