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Endaural Blog
New Release Roundup: February 17th 2023
I haven't really been listening to music much lately, let alone new music. This makes blogging about new music difficult. But when I'm not feeling my best, it feels rude to bring that in to other people's art. I take my solace in silence.
In an attempt to lift my spirits, sharing this post will be the last thing I ever do on Twitter. It's nice to see that so many people are supportive of trans rights, but I also end up seeing the reason why it's so urgent that people express that support, and it really sucks. Posting on there is probably the main way that anyone can ever know that my irregularly updated site actually has something new, so I'm going to make sure there's a new post every Friday morning (USA time). So feel free to get in the habit of checking this page around that time.
I have been able to spend some time listening to new music, I can't just go cold turkey, so here's some thoughts on what I've heard. For some more cool music to check out, you can always take a look at the anticipation list.
January 20th, 2023
Triple Negative - The Pariah Parade (Penultimate Press)
This band barely sounded like you could call them a rock group to start with, but they're really off the deep end here. There's clearly separate things happening in the music, but in my initial listens, it all comes out as one big drone of uncomfortable feeling for me. Like toothpaste that went bad (in a good way). I really dig it, and I'm sure there'll be more that becomes clear to me as I spend more time with it. This label also did a compilation called 'Elvis' recently and I haven't checked it out yet but it's probably a good one.
February 5th, 2023
India Sky - Somewhere Over The Mystic Moon (Ratskin Records)
It's always worth keeping an eye on what Ratskin Records is putting out. This one's a great combo of synths and singing, like the patches are all unabashedly artificial, but a lot of the time when people go down that path it's either done with heavy slickness or in-your-face obnoxiousness, but this finds a way with a touch of grit that pushes the songs toward the grounded majesty that it feels like they're reaching toward.
February 10th, 2023
Kelela - Raven (Warp)
Plenty of people have given this much deserved attention, and I don't know if I have much to add, but I'm glad to have this right now. I love the air of this music.
Jako Maron - The electro Maloya experiments of Jako Maron (Expanded Edition) (Nyege Nyege Tapes)
This is a reissue of something from 2018, I still haven't heard the new tracks, but this is a huge favorite of mine, anyone who hasn't heard it should absolutely take this opportunity to check it out. Feels like I'm chasing the horizon when I watch these rhythms unfurl.
February 16th, 2023
Soft as Snow - Massage (Jollies)
Last year's "Bit Rot" from Soft as Snow was a really cool one, some synth pop where it felt like the light of the songs would sometimes get refracted over into weird and warped spaces, but it still felt like it had two feet firmly in the real world. But this new EP is like they have fully transferred over to the other side. It's not that something has happened to the songs, it sounds more like they've been born and raised in alien conditions. An absolute trip, love it!
February 17th, 2023
William Fields - Fictions (GOTO RECORDS)
The algorithmically-assited live electronic music of William Fields continues to level up. The algorithmically-assited live electronic music of William Fields continues to level up. The fluid melody on Laxa spurts out like it's a violent horror scene that's been converted to MIDI, before it eventually distorts into something like a grid, as though the censors have moved the action behind glass block windows. All sorts of great moves on this one.
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