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May 31, 2005
Minotaur Shock
Minotaur Shock makes beautifully quirky, occasionally goofy electronica. It's kind of like Mellow, Lemon Jelly, and Akufen dropped in a blender. Which, in terms of my to-do list, is not happening any time soon, but don't worry, I won't forget. From the upcoming album Maritime.
Minotaur Shock - (She's In) Drydock Now
Minotaur Shock - Vigo Bay
Minotaur Shock - Someone Once Told Me It Existed But They Never Found It
Recently on Comfort Radio:
Susumu Yokota - Genshi
Banco de Gaia - Sheesha
Ester Drang - Words That Cure (four track version)
Posted by Scotto at 08:00 AM | Comments (0)
May 30, 2005
The Dissociatives
I know I posted a Dissociatives track a mere few weeks ago, but now I've heard the whole album, and I have to say, run don't walk to pick this up. The whole record is filled with extremely lush, wonderfully evocative pop music, the kind they just don't make anymore. The sticker on the CD compared them to the Beatles and the Beach Boys, and for once, that kind of comparison is not overblown hyperbole; I haven't been this excited about a pop album since the first Jellyfish record.
The Dissociatives - Somewhere Down The Barrel
The Dissociatives - Paris Circa 2007 Slash 08
The Dissociatives - Young Man, Old Man (You Ain't Better Than The Rest)
In other news, a new episode of my column for Erowid, eScottology, has been posted, asking that musical question, "What if the floating head of Timothy Leary had a LiveJournal?" Check it out.
Recently on Comfort Radio:
Coconut Monkeyrocket - Thank You
Negativland - Helter Stupid
DJ Food - Cookin
Posted by Scotto at 08:00 AM | Comments (2)
May 27, 2005
"Death By Salt"
A few weeks ago, Todd alerted us to a new 3-CD release:
"I recently got an excellent (and very eclectic) CD set: Death By Salt: A Slug Magazine Compilation. It's like listening to Comfort Radio, but with less pesky electronica. I now like another rap artist, The Numbs. How could I not, with lines like this from an emcee battle song: '...stoppin' your flow like my name was menopause'?"
The set ranges from over-the-top punk rock and weird rock (including such titles as "Swimmin In Booze", "Whiskey, Weed & Wild, Wild Women" and "We May Belong To You, But Our Souls Belong To Satan"), to crazy jazz, underground hip hop, and other noise. Here are a few highlights to whet the appetite.
The Numbs - Dedication
Slajo - Vultures
Cosm - Uneasy (Prototype Remix)
Dan Morley - Stealing Claire's Prescription
(Memo to self: more pesky electronica!)
These and other fine, fine tracks can be heard on Comfort Radio - makes hamburgers taste like steakburgers. See you next week.
Posted by Scotto at 08:00 AM | Comments (0)
May 26, 2005
Masha Qrella
Coe pointed out recently that I seem to have more of a taste for twang than I was willing to admit. Well, I'm admitting it, although I think it helps to have it wrapped in crunchy electropop goodness, as on the recent release, Unsolved Remained, by Masha Qrella, on God's favorite record label, Morr Music. Actually only a couple tracks surface such hints of twang, but they brighten up the album when it happens. This is a very understated and restrained release; a few months ago someone criticized KEXP deejay John Richards for playing too much "heroin music", and I think this would qualify. (No, I am not getting kickbacks from Morr Music for pimping them every five minutes on this blog. I just do it because of the love.)
Masha Qrella - I Can't Tell
Masha Qrella - No Matter
Masha Qrella - Destination Vertical
Recently on Comfort Radio:
Miles Davis - Walkin'
Koop - Waltz For Koop
Max Brennan - 1300 Milliseconds Of Brass
Posted by Scotto at 08:00 AM | Comments (2)
May 25, 2005
Shivaree
Another Wednesday guest post from Coe, who writes:
"This blog has already mentioned Shivaree, but the new album is worth pointing out. Ambrosia Parsley sings a mean torch song, with a sweet, sexy vibe. And who can resist lyrics like 'Please take me out of here, my handsome buckaroo'? 'Lost in a Dream' is up towards the top of my year's favorite tracks - cool and hip and not nearly as cheerful as it sounds upon first hearing." From the album Who's Got Trouble?
Shivaree - Lost in a Dream
Shivaree - Little Black Mess
Recently on Comfort Radio:
DJ Keoki - Crash-Blow-Majick-Space
Giant Robot - Recognize (For A Few Seconds Less Mix by Kiva)
The Kleptones - All We Have Is Soul
Posted by Scotto at 08:00 AM | Comments (0)
May 24, 2005
13 & God
"Hey, you got your Notwist in my Themselves!" "You got your Themselves in my Notwist!" "Wait a god damn mother fucking son of a bitching second - that shit is like totally fucking good (and shit)!"
13 & God is, uh, pretty well-executed electropop, with some, uh, modest doses of hip hop thrown in every now and then. Yes, yes in fact, it is two great tastes that taste great together. (The sticker on the CD said they are a "super-group", but I'm pretty sure under the new regulations you can't be a super-group without a member of Guns 'n' Roses.) From the self-titled debut, released by Anticon, the folks what brought you releases by such hep cats as Dosh, Odd Nosdam, Sage Francis, "and more!"
13 & God - Men of Station
13 & God - Perfect Speed
13 & God - Soft Atlas
Recently on Comfort Radio:
Lederhosen Lucil - Automatic Weapons Of The World
William Orbit - scream1&2
Pointy Teeth - India
Posted by Scotto at 08:00 AM | Comments (0)
May 23, 2005
Cornelius
A recent impulse buy: last year, Cornelius put out a DVD/CD set called Five Point One that's well worth investigating. The DVD contains ten music videos, one for every track on his Point album; they are very shiny, to say the least. The CD is a remix CD called PM, featuring some excellent, creative, wacky remixes of music that is already pretty excellent, creative, and wacky. You are encouraged to be patient with the MC Cat Genius remix; its true majesty unfolds slowly over time, like a good bottle of wine, or a serious overdose of acid. The kicker: this DVD/CD set was procured for the low, low price of $13. That is all.
Cornelius - Another Psychedelic Point Remix (by Dritt Drittel)
Cornelius - A point RE:view MIX (by Masami Sakamoto)
Cornelius - MC Cat Genius' BomBassTic Re-bomb (by Animal Family featuring MC Cat Genius)
Recently on Comfort Radio:
Craig Le Roq - Bootie On Fire
Peech Boys - Don't Make Me Wait (dub)
Bugs - About You
Posted by Scotto at 08:00 AM | Comments (1)
May 20, 2005
Grab bag o' tasty
Some very cinematic and dark ambient music comes to us from Chromer, released on the netlabel QED Records, "the Phillipines' only electronica netlabel". Actually, this is trippy/glitchy and loud enough in places that it's probably stretching the definition of ambient a bit, but hey, we like it when people ignore the rules. From the Ikaw Maganda EP.
Be patient with this slowly unfolding, vaguely unsettling ambient from Murcof, off the 2004 album Utopía. It heats up unexpectedly as it goes on... though not too much, as that would be in bad taste.
And how did I manage to miss the intricate, choppy mess that Pedro is capable of making? From his self-titled album.
These and other fine, fine tracks can be heard on Comfort Radio - strong enough for a man, but made for a woman. See you next week.
Posted by Scotto at 08:00 AM | Comments (1)
May 19, 2005
D-Jet
Some excellent, good old-fashioned IDM comes to us from the netlabel TROORG - yes, that's right, the netlabel TROORG. According to the description provided for the EP Apart The First, Moscow-based D-Jet produces "deep bass combined with sounds of the highest spheres [which] create a hypnotising dark ambience upon a groove between drifty jungle vibes and relaxed hip-hop beats." You be the judge - all I know is, it sounds real nice. Get more freebies from D-Jet here.
D-Jet - A Mood Of Anxiety
D-Jet - Storm Warning
Recently on Comfort Radio:
Kid Loco - Gak Sato - Penetrare (Belleville B-Boy mix)
Wagon Christ - Juicy Luke Vibert
DJ Cam - Mad Blunted Jazz
Posted by Scotto at 08:00 AM | Comments (0)
May 18, 2005
Martina Topley-Bird
Another Wednesday guest post from Coe, who writes:
"Martina Topley-Bird, former Tricky collaborator, has struck out on her own. She's still got the edgy, raw voice and the preference for lush arrangements, and is missing some of the high-contrast and in-your-face feel of her work with Tricky. It feels like a pleasant, bluesy re-acquaintance with an old pal. From the album Anything."
Martina Topley-Bird - Lullaby
Martina Topley-Bird - Ilya
"And, in honor of our illustrious host, a purty little bit of harmony..."
Recently on Comfort Radio:
Jeff Buckley - Mojo Pin
Bowery Electric - Freedom Fighter
Skalpel - Break In (Plugexpert Remix)
Posted by Scotto at 08:00 AM | Comments (1)
May 17, 2005
Odd Nosdam
Rarely does an album manage to surprise me with each successive track, but the new Odd Nosdam release Burner kept me on my toes with its unashamed experimentalism. I kept asking myself, "Who the fuck would make music like this?" before getting swept away in the next wave of churning, syrupy beats. At times the album devolves into psychedelic soundscapes that make the next emergence of beats all the more surprising and engaging. Also, it's, uh, really neat and stuff.
Odd Nosdam - Untitled One
Odd Nosdam - Refreshing Beverage (with Dosh)
Odd Nosdam - Untitled Three (with Jessica Bailiff)
Recently on Comfort Radio:
Donald Byrd - Weasil
Lo'Jo - Magdalena
Mellow - Fantastic
Posted by Scotto at 08:00 AM | Comments (3)
May 16, 2005
Nobody
Nobody first came to my attention by way of his trip hop cover of "The Porpoise Song" by the Monkees (one of my favorite songs in zee whole wide world); that led me to Pacific Drift and a general appreciation of his laid back style. His new album, And Everything Else, takes it up a notch, generally bringing a bit more punch to the proceedings versus his last album, which was a little nondescript for my taste. Released by Plug Research, the cats what also brought you releases by such types as John Tejada, Headset, and Thomas Fehlmann.
Nobody - What Is The Light
Nobody - The Coast Is Clear (For Fireworks)
Nobody - Tori Oshi
Recently on Comfort Radio:
Mocean Worker - Somanyangles
Trance Mission - Kif
Hedwig and the Angry Inch - The Long Grift
Posted by Scotto at 08:00 AM | Comments (4)
May 13, 2005
Mash-ups & covers
I almost feel dirty posting this after it has already been Boing Boinged, but I keep turning people on to it, proving that a) Boing Boing does not yet totally rule the universe, and b) I can continue making myself seem cool by slavishly propagating any hip new thing from Boing Boing for a few more months at least. This is the highly vaunted Scissor Sisters / Beatles / Aretha Franklin / George Michael mash-up that is pretty much the neatest thing to come along since the invention of Kleenex. Get more mash-ups from DJ Earworm here.
DJ Earworm - No One Takes Your Freedom
People also tend to go nuts over this Beastie Boys / Beatles mash-up, which I first heard on Said the Gramophone. This is not from that DJ BC presents the Beastles mash-up album, which actually has a much inferior mash-up of these same exact tracks ("Pass the Mic" by the Beasties, and "The Word" by the Beatles). Rather, this is the far superior mash-up that is much of the ass-kicking.
And finally, as long I'm dedicating this post to the general topic of "stuff other people posted about eight years ago", here's an interesting take on an old familiar classic. More info about the group can be found here.
These and other fine, fine tracks can be heard on Comfort Radio - kid tested, mother approved. See you next week.
Posted by Scotto at 08:00 AM | Comments (5)
May 12, 2005
Deadbeat
Montreal-based Deadbeat makes some very tasty ambient downtempo, with hints of dub thrown in for good measure. Here's a few tracks from his recent release New World Observer, a fine little platter of slightly experimental goodness. You can also find some streaming MP3 action from Deadbeat here.
Deadbeat - Port-Au-Prince
Deadbeat - Nimporte Quoi
Deadbeat - Texas Tea
Recently on Comfort Radio:
Bobbi Humphrey - Harlem River Drive
23 Degrees - Going Fast (Trail Mix)
Slug, Aesop Rock & M.F. Doom - Put Your Quarter Up
Posted by Scotto at 08:00 AM | Comments (0)
May 11, 2005
Daddy G
Coe begins a string of Wednesday guest posts with today's missive:
"When I saw that Daddy G (part of Massive Attack) had a DJ-Kicks album out, I was consumed with curiosity - what's the music he keeps coming back to? Turns out it's mostly hard, dark beats - reggae with an edge. This music is perfect for that sunbaked afternoon in the tropics, when gravity is strong and all you need is some red stripe and a spliff."
Les Negresses Vertes - Face A La Mer (Massive Attack Remix)
Badmarsh & Shri - Signs (Dubplate Mix)
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan - Mustt Mustt (Massive Attack Remix)
Recently on Comfort Radio:
Tori Amos - Black-Dove (January)
Rasputina - Rose K.
Dizzee Rascal - Stunt 101
Posted by Scotto at 08:00 AM | Comments (0)
May 10, 2005
The Herbaliser
One of the best shows I've ever seen was The Herbaliser Band, the horn & rhythm section from The Herbaliser. I saw them on a whim years ago without really knowing anything about The Herbaliser, and when I started tracking down Herbaliser albums after the show, I was very let down; their style of hip hop was a far cry from the super swank energy of the show I saw, which pretty much left all the hip hop at home and went straight for the funk jugular. Which is why I was pleased to hear from Sleepy about the new Herbaliser album, Take London. It sounds a lot like the Band is out in force and playing a much more prominent role in the mix - a net positive for the universe, I assure you. This is a greatly swanky album, a worthy successor in fact to the single Herbaliser Band album, Session One.
The Herbaliser - Nahmean Nahm Sayin
The Herbaliser - Song For Mary
The Herbaliser - Gadget Funk
As long as we're on the subject, here's a sample from the Herbaliser Band just to help put this post in context.
The Herbaliser Band - Ginger Jumps The Fence
Recently on Comfort Radio:
Critters Buggin - Kickstand Hog
King Kooba - If I Could
Neulander - Middle East
Posted by Scotto at 08:00 AM | Comments (3)
May 09, 2005
The Books
The Books have a new album out, Lost And Safe, and since only two people were reading this blog when I posted about The Books last July, I'm excited to now potentially turn on an additional three people to their wonder. The Books are a study in arbitrary, cut-up, musical whimsy; there's a lot of geetar and banjo playing, and, uh, some violins or cellos or something, and, well, a bunch of samples and some singing, and somehow, you know, it all just hangs together. They've grown more accessible with each album - their first, Thought For Food, was heavily experimental; their second, The Lemon of Pink, was more polished while still retaining the element of quirky unpredictability; this album continues in the direction of almost coalescing into lovely little pop songs without ever really resorting to any kind of typical song structure. Also, their web site is awesome.
The Books - Be Good To Them Always
The Books - It Never Changes To Stop
The Books - An Animated Description Of Mr. Maps
The Books are playing at Chop Suey this Friday with Mia Doi Todd. If you live in Seattle and don't go, you are, like, totally square.
Recently on Comfort Radio:
Perry Farrell - Nua Nua
Voodoo Warriors of Love - Sweat
St. Etienne - Like A Motorway (Chemical Brothers mix)
Posted by Scotto at 08:00 AM | Comments (2)
May 06, 2005
Grab bag o' treats
The Brand New Heavies are not particularly brand new anymore, but they are still putting out some damn fine tunes. Here's a little toe-tapper that you'll probably hear in my next DJ set - assuming you are unfortunate enough to be in the neighborhood when that sad event occurs. From the Surrender 12" single.
The Brand New Heavies feat. Nicole Russo - Surrender (DJ Bomba & The Soul Seekerz remix)
This badass piece of techno stomp-funk came on the station recently, and I was immediately carried into a very excellent, very violent anime movie in my head. Turns out it's from a very excellent, very violent live action movie - Kill Bill Volume One. Of course putting this soundtrack on the station also brought listeners the unexpected pleasure of hearing Zamfir in rotation recently - teehee!
Tomoyasu Hotei - Battle Without Honor Or Humanity
I'm only posting this because of the great Bill Hicks rant at the end. I mean, the song is a really good Fila Brazilia song, but honestly, it's all about Bill Hicks. From the album Maim That Tune.
These and other fine, fine tracks can be heard on Comfort Radio - the last refuge of the musically desperate. See you next week.
Posted by Scotto at 08:00 AM | Comments (1)
May 05, 2005
Arturo en el Barco
Very quiet, very gorgeous ambient music comes to us today by way of the netlabel Observatory, a reliable source for good netlabel yum. On the Music for Students EP, Arturo en el Barco makes pristine-sounding ambient with judicious use of piano, strings, and voices to deliver four subtle and haunting moods. No thump-thump here, just the prettiness. Get more freebies at his site.
Arturo en el Barco - Beth Dorris
Arturo en el Barco - Candy Tucker
Arturo en el Barco - Kyle Parker
Arturo en el Barco - Raymond Dotson
In other news, I've published a couple more of my monthly column for Erowid, eScottology. The March edition might actually be on topic for some readers of Comfort Music, exploring the interaction of music and the psychedelic experience. The April edition is a little bit zanier, exploring how the term "candyflip" came to be. Please to be with the checking of it out. Thank you, and good night.
Recently on Comfort Radio:
Chessie - Daylight
Bliss - Free At Last
The Irresistible Force - Nepalese Bliss (Amon Tobin mix)
Posted by Scotto at 08:00 AM | Comments (0)
May 04, 2005
Sasha
Sleepy alerted me to a mix compilation by Sasha from last year, Involver, specifically pointing out the awesome nature of the first two tracks. According to the booklet, these are new mixes for this comp; for instance, Sleepy pointed out that the Shpongle here is a fairly downtempo remix of the version that appears on their album. You'll also get his take on some UNKLE, Ulrich Schnauss, Felix da Housecat, Spooky and more if you pick this record up; and if you're a big spender, you could get the special 2-CD edition, which gives you a pile of Sasha's remixes for the likes of Gus Gus, The Chemical Brothers, Eat Static, BT (cough cough hack), and so on and so forth. (I know, I used to like BT, but that was before he fell into a vat of chemicals and became A Glam Star.)
Grand National - Talk Amongst Yourselves
Shpongle - Dorset Perception
In other news, I accidentally listened to the recent Daft Punk album; people, I know the pre-programmed loops that come with synthesizers these days are getting fancier and fancier all the time, but that is no excuse to go releasing an entire album of that stuff. It's just lazy.
Recently on Comfort Radio:
Esquivel - Inca's Dream
Bomb The Bass - Breezeblock set track 6
Cognitive Dissidents - Yoh
Posted by Scotto at 08:00 AM | Comments (0)
May 03, 2005
Skytree
Skytree is listed as "Tribal / IDM / acoustic" on the Internet Archive page for the EP Dagda. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" you ask. I'm not exactly in the loop on what "Tribal" actually is, but as far as the IDM label is concerned, this is a great Orbital-esque EP, a little crunchier perhaps and pleasingly mechanistic. The "acoustic" label probably just means that someone is actually playing a geetar on these tracks. Released by the netlabel Earstroke.
Skytree - 1000 Miles From Everywhere
Skytree - Choric Lumina
Skytree - Stranger In A Strange Land
Skytree - Sauntrai
Recently on Comfort Radio:
The X-Ecutioners - Musica Negra (Black Music Accappella)
Wagon Christ - Memory Towel
DJ Shadow - Stem/Long Stem
Posted by Scotto at 08:00 AM | Comments (0)
May 02, 2005
Tosca
I only have a couple hard and fast rules about Comfort Radio, and one is "No Kruder & Dorfmeister". There was a much too long period of time where The K&D Sessions was played so incessantly at every party I went to that I literally wanted to gouge out my brain with a shrimp fork whenever I heard the telltale signs of its omnipresence. That rule does not, however, extend to other projects by Kruder or Dorfmeister, who are not to be held responsible for the fact that their albums were so good that people apparently stopped going to record stores for approximately three years.
Which leads us to the upcoming Tosca album, J.A.C., which apparently stands for "Joseph Arthur Conrad" and is some kind of reference to the fact that Dorfmeister and his Tosca partner Rupert Huber are daddies now. J.A.C. breaks approximately zero new ground in the world of downtempo (or nujazz, as the kids are apparently calling it), but if this is your speed, it's almost effortlessly tasty.
Tosca - Superrob
Tosca - The Big Sleep
Other hard and fast rules about Comfort Radio: "No tracks from Moby's Play". I think that should be self-explanatory. And of course, "No BT, except that one kickass song with Doughty." Without these rules, Comfort Radio would descend into anarchy, and we can't have that.
Recently on Comfort Radio:
Spooky - Schmoo
The Art of Noise - Island
Gift of Gab - Evolution
Posted by Scotto at 08:00 AM | Comments (0)