From: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org (ecto-digest) To: ecto-digest@smoe.org Subject: ecto-digest V16 #1615 Reply-To: ecto@smoe.org Sender: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk ecto-digest Monday, February 1 2016 Volume 16 : Number 1615 To unsubscribe: e-mail ecto-digest-request@smoe.org and put the word unsubscribe in the message body. Today's Subjects: ----------------- more on 2015 [JoAnn Whetsell ] Re: more on 2015 ["A." ] Fwd: Best of 2015 ["A." ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 31 Jan 2016 15:19:19 -0500 From: JoAnn Whetsell Subject: more on 2015 Thanks to Jeff Hanson for mentioning Darlingside. I hadn't heard of them before, but got Birds Say as a $5 MP3 album from Amazon. I quite like it. Some other stuff I'm just hearing recently: Niyaz - The Fourth LightAnother great album from one of Azam Ali's bands. 10,000 Maniacs - Twice Told TalesA really pleasant surprise. This album of traditional songs from the British Isles in contemporary music settings is quite energetic and both like and unlike other traditional music and 10,000 Maniacs albums I've heard (though I'm not really familiar with their post-Natalie Merchant work). Favorite track: She Moved Through the Fair. Steve Martin & Edie Brickell - So FamiliarI maybe don't love this quite, quite as much as their debut, but it's still a really good album, a more than solid follow-up. Mary Lou Lord - Backstreet AngelsNice to have her back! Surprisingly, she sounds like she never left. If you liked Got No Shadow, you'll probably like this too. Sharon Van Etten - I Don't Want to Let You Down EPAnother strong release. I also like the song she had on the Tig soundtrack. Unless anyone else wants to submit a best of list (Paul Jensen??), I'll compile what we have and post it soon. JoAnn ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 31 Jan 2016 21:29:28 +0100 From: "A." Subject: Re: more on 2015 Did my list go through? I'll try sending it again if that's not the case, I sent it the other day and still didn't get it back from ecto@smoe as it always happens. I might have exceeded some character limit if one exists because it got pretty long. I'll need to finally get to some others have mentioned while it's still early 2016 and the amount of new releases isn't that overwhelming! Andy On 31 January 2016 at 21:19, JoAnn Whetsell wrote: > Thanks to Jeff Hanson for mentioning Darlingside. I hadn't heard of > them before, but got Birds Say as a $5 MP3 album from Amazon. I quite like > it. > Some other stuff I'm just hearing recently: > Niyaz - The Fourth LightAnother great album from one of Azam Ali's bands. > 10,000 Maniacs - Twice Told TalesA really pleasant surprise. This album of > traditional songs from the British Isles in contemporary music settings is > quite energetic and both like and unlike other traditional music and 10,000 > Maniacs albums I've heard (though I'm not really familiar with their > post-Natalie Merchant work). Favorite track: She Moved Through the Fair. > Steve Martin & Edie Brickell - So FamiliarI maybe don't love this quite, > quite > as much as their debut, but it's still a really good album, a more than > solid > follow-up. > Mary Lou Lord - Backstreet AngelsNice to have her back! Surprisingly, she > sounds like she never left. If you liked Got No Shadow, you'll probably > like > this too. > Sharon Van Etten - I Don't Want to Let You Down EPAnother strong release. > I > also like the song she had on the Tig soundtrack. > > Unless anyone else wants to submit a best of list (Paul Jensen??), I'll > compile what we have and post it soon. > JoAnn ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 31 Jan 2016 23:27:23 +0100 From: "A." Subject: Fwd: Best of 2015 January really didn't feel like a new year to me so my list is only coming now. Due to various circumstances I ended up spending a good part of last year at home so I had lots of time to listen to new music and I was able to make a ridiculously long list. I put it all up on my RYM in full but here I'm going to mention just the favourites and some selections that might be of Ecto interest. EPs, some honourable mentions: My Brightest Diamond - I Had Grown Wild Sharon Van Etten - I Don't Want to Let You Down Olga Bell - Incitation Sarah Belkner - Humans Elana Stone - Kintsugi Sevdaliza - Children of Silk Laura Groves - Committed Language Mizan K - Dark Blue SiairaShawn - Flowers While You're Here: Iris Weyes Blood - Cardamom Times Jack Colwell - Only When Flooded Could I Let Go Kaleida - Think Jones - Indulge Lena Fayre - Is There Only One? Top 10 EPs: 10. Allie X - CollXtion I Sanctuary: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBrEjsB9LFI A collection of sparkling electropop tracks with a multitude of hooks. 9. ALA.NI - You & I: Spring Cherry Blossom: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7PJxrNEvFc Consisting of just two songs separated by a brief interlude, this EP makes for a charming introduction to Alani Charal's world of retro stylings and exquisite vocals. [A compilation of all four of her 2015 EPs with some bonus material thrown in entitled You & I came out at the beginning of January 2016 and I wholeheartedly recommend it] 8. Aurora - Running With the Wolves Runaway: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_HlPboLRL8 This teenage singer's distinctive vocals bring to mind Dolores O'Riordan but her songs are more in line with other Scandinavian songcraft. It's just incredible how well Aurora conveys the deep yearning in the mini epic "Runaway". I'm impatiently waiting for the full album next year which will feature the first two tracks from this EP. 7. Christine and the Queens - Chaleur humaine: Les inC)dits Intranquillite: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmNCgJOc0cQ These five tracks surfaced throughout 2015 on various releases and were later collected together on the French collector's edition of Christine and the Queens' amazing 2014 debut and this digital-only EP. Heloise keeps up the quality level she had established on her album. 6. Kite - VI True Colours: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pewsPv9MTdw A fresh take on dark synthpop bookended by two longer, more experimental tracks. 5. R.W. Grace - Love It Need It Miss It Want It Shell: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCrgnhE2GB8 Grace Woodroofe had originally debuted way back in 2010 but this EP explores a new, more electronic sound. The first single "Shell" couples the repetitive, ominous chants in the verses with a big chorus and a middle-8 showcasing more power in her vocals. "Down Looking Above" takes that even further with Grace squealing through the chorus fitting the deranged carnival atmosphere of the track. "All the Friends I Lost" is a more conventional pop song with big singalong potential, while "Bound for Tragedy" just screams late 80s / early 90s sophisti-pop-soul. 4. Ji Nilsson - Blue Is the Saddest Colour Nothing: http://soundcloud.com/jinilsson/nothing When I first heard Ji's first singles, they didn't win me over instantly but they snuck upon me after a couple of weeks - something which I found to be true with most of her later releases as well. This year time has finally come for a bigger release. Ji writes and produces her own songs, and she's managed to find her very own style in the slightly rough around the edges sound with layers of vocals, rich melodies and an affinity for handclaps. There's a warmth radiating from the songs which makes them sound almost like you're over at your good friend Ji's place having a mug of hot cocoa. The opener "Nothing" is the one exception but it's far from a self-pitying mopefest. Like true great Scandipop there's subtle bittersweet retrospection and melancholy in the lyrics. 3. Sevdaliza - The Suspended Kid Sirens of the Caspian: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ea1fOCHly4 Sevda Alizadeh's first "full" release showcases a wide universe of sounds she's capable of working within. The opening "That Other Girl" is a rather sparse, eerie electronic track with a distorted, bassy breakdown in the middle and restrained vocals throughout. "Sirens of the Caspian" from a couple of years back follows, more ethereal with its instrumentation complementing the nautical theme. Later, "Backseat Love" and "Taste" kick things into a higher gear with thumping beats and driving pace, creating sensual electropop delights. "Underneath" slows down again, wrapping things up nicely with its circling hypnotic drum line. A joy to listen to and discover new layers with each listen. 2. Ainslie Wills - Oh the Gold Hawaii: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dG2m2Zjf568 Ainslie's first release since her 2013 full length debut sees her move away somewhat from her earlier folk style towards a more polished art pop sound. The songs still tend to stray from the typical verse-chorus structure, often featuring complete changeups, which only increases their replay value. The fast-paced "Drive" kicks things off nicely, while the following tracks are more laid back like "Constellations" which evolves into a true journey under the night sky. "Hawaii" and "But I'll Try" take influence from 80's ballads, the former featuring a truly magnificent chorus and the latter being somewhat reminiscent of "I'll Stand by You". Each track here is a gem. 1. FKA twigs - M3LL155X In Time: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYU3j-22360&t=6m27s Twigs keeps exploring her distorted pop sound on this EP which essentially picks up where LP1 left off. This time she includes references to her experience with the vogue scene interwoven in the lyrics which concern mostly with femininity, intimacy and relationships. Most of it is just sonic perfection with fragile verses and soaring choruses, with the spectacular "In Time" being a major highlight. Top 50 Albums: 50. Vanbot - Perfect Storm 49. Marika Hackman - We Slept at Last 48. Wyles & Simpson - Wyles & Simpson 47. Janet - Unbreakable 46. Nicole Dollanganger - Natural Born Losers 45. Chungking - Defender 44. Joy Wellboy - Wedding 43. Natalia Kukulska - Osmy plan 42. Jam City - Dream a Garden 41. Bjork - Vulnicura 40. Farao - Till It's All Forgotten 39. Club 8 - Pleasure 38. Duvchi - With the World 37. Meg Baird - Don't Weigh Down the Light 36. Chelsea Wolfe - Abyss 35. The Dumplings - Sea You Later 34. Boeoes Kaelstigen - Overcomes Love, Time & Space 33. Natasha Kmeto - Inevitable 32. Amason - Sky City 31. The Internet - Ego Death 30. Richard Hawley - Hollow Meadows 29. Hanne Kolsto - While We Still Have Light 28. Eivor - Slor 27. Le1f - Riot Boi 26. Bow to Each Other - My Heart Is a Target 25. Sasha Siem - Most of the Boys 24. Band of Gold - Band of Gold 23. Nerina Pallot - The Sound and the Fury 22. Grimes - Art Angels 21. Torres - Sprinter 20. Hannah Cohen - Pleasure Boy 19. Autre Ne Veut - Age of Transparency 18. Holly Herndon - Platform 17. Titiyo - 13 garden 16. Natalia Lafourcade - Hasta la raiz 15. Julia Holter - Have You in My Wilderness 14. Meg Myers - Sorry 13. Petite Noir - La vie est belle / Life Is Beautiful 12. Roisin Murphy - Hairless Toys 11. Tamaryn - Cranekiss 10. Zhala - Zhala I'm in Love: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJLdCFGmYGI Zhala Rifat pulls from many seemingly random sources to create what she herself calls "cosmic pop" - a fitting label for this kaleidoscopic collage of sounds. Irresistible melodies, crazy synths, experimental song structures and indecipherable lyrics result in an incredibly fun listen. Make sure not to miss the gem that is the gentler, more reflective "Right Way's Wrong". 9. Snow Ghosts - A Wrecking Circles out of Salt: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hho_AJZ7Wd8 Joined by multi-instrumentalist Oli Knowles, Snow Ghosts' second album also sees them combine electronics with folk songwriting but this set is less song-oriented than their debut. A heavy, sombre listen, it culminates with the claustrophobic triple assault of "On Knives", "The Wreck" and "The Fleet". The most conventionally structured songs here, "Drought" and "Circles out of Salt" are the choice cuts, as is the mournful "Bowline". 8. Eternal Death - Eternal Death Song: http://soundcloud.com/labrador-records/01-song-2 Underrated Swedish pop genius Johan Angergard teamed up with Elin Berlin to make a bleak, somewhat menacing set of twelve electropop songs with elements of witch house. Elin's eerie, almost alien vocals add to the apocalyptic mood, which echoes some of Crystal Castles' poppier moments. 7. Nicole Saboune - Miman Lifetime: http://soundcloud.com/woahdad/nicole-saboune-lifetime Nicole's shed the stadium rock aspirations of her debut, bringing in folk and metal undertones into the mix. It's all quite murky and funereal but her powerful voice, gorgeous instrumentation and intricate melodies make sure that it's not an overly depressing or dull listen at all. 6. East India Youth - Culture of Volume Carousel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BW3NFKJj5ts With stronger than ever vocals and improved songcraft, East India Youth has produced quite a gem. While the uptempo "Turn Away" with its lovely melody and the PSB-influenced "Beaming White" are just great fun, the icy "Manner of Words" and the gorgeous ambient pop of "Carousel" (with William providing his best vocals to date) provide some more weight to the album. Ambitious yet accessible. 5. Ane Brun - When I'm Free Hanging: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3p178mv2xRs Ane's previous album It All Starts With One already saw her shed the folky guitar based sound introducing thundering drums and orchestral arrangements into the mix. This time she opted for a warmer sound influenced by jazz and trip-hop, with the rhythm section pushed into the foreground. Just listen to the double bass on "Better Than This"! The lyrical content is also significant, which aside from the regular love/relationship fare deals with making peace with Ane's long-term illness. "Black Notebook" describes her journey to self-healing while the lead single "Directions" optimistically proclaims that "everything is possible, even when the sun don't shine". Of course it wouldn't be an Ane album without some wistful moments like "Miss You More" whose arrangement reminds me of the album The Sensual World. The somewhat trip-hoppy opener "Hanging" marries both sides to the album, opening with anxious verses and resolving into "when you let go, you will find peace" in the middle-8, which sums up the album well. 4. Indiana - No Romeo Solo Dancing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSrktmE963I "Solo Dancing", that deliciously dark track with Depeche Mode-influenced synths set the tone for my 2014 and was a minor hit in the UK. The label pushed the album many times and it finally came out a year later. A rather tense, sinister mood prevails on the album, only getting lifted somewhat by the gentle "Only the Lonely" and (to a certain extent) "Calibrated Love". On the other end of the spectrum are the bookends "Never Born" and "Mess Around" where Indiana puts on a nightmarish, vengeful persona. Elsewhere, "Shadow Flash" combines more fragile than ever vocals with Mortal Kombat-themed lyrics and a horn arrangement that wouldn't sound out of place on MC's debut album, whereas "Go Fast" likely takes its cue from the Drive soundtrack with its synths and the vocoder hook. Overall this is a very well put-together and promising debut album. 3. Susanne Sundfor - Ten Love Songs Accelerate: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bd4jT4zcdHg Ten Love Songs turned out to be no exception to the trend of Susanne reinventing herself with each release, as it saw her shift towards a more accessible electropop sound influenced by her own favourites, with the lyrics drawing more from her personal experiences than before. The album overall is one of her most accessible works, interweaving the electropop tracks with sparser, more acoustic numbers. After the gentle, organ-led opener "Darlings", synths come in like a swarm of wasps. The thumping "Accelerate" is ominous yet incredibly catchy, and to top it off, it features a brilliant church organ solo in the middle. The closing beat leads straight into "Fade Away" which along with is one of Susanne's most unashamedly poppy tracks. The big pop songs might be the most instant ones but it is a thing of beauty as a whole. 2. Carly Rae Jepsen - E.mo.tion Warm Blood: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBPw0l26L58 Nothing could have prepared me for this album. Clocking at over 1 hour including all the bonuses, it never runs out of steam (the plodding, forgettable "When I Needed You" being a minor misstep). From the opening sax of "Run Away With Me" you know you're in for a high-energy ride. The title track is just a perfect pop confection while "Warm Blood" is slightly more off-kilter with the throbbing synths and distant vocals. "Making the Most of the Night" is a classic We Are Born-era Sia track only with more easily decipherable lyrics. "Your Type" and "Never Get to Hold You" provide just the right balance to the more bubbly tracks to ensure the album doesn't get cloying. Carly might not be the greatest vocalist of our times but she's capable of making the songs her own and infuses the songs with just the right amount of feelings in her vocals. 1. Karin Park - Apocalypse Pop Walls Are Gonna Fall: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoQvIWbA3xY Stick to the Lie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SZHWfN2v4E After the cold, alien Highwire Poetry, this album sees Karin placing more focus on drums and warm bass which coupled with a little more sheen than usual has created a more welcoming sound, despite the dark undercurrent running throughout the album. "Human Beings" and "Shine" speak of support for the other person in a relationship, and it's the most uplifting the album gets. "Stick to the Lie" is on the other end of the spectrum, an emotionally fraught tears-on-the-dancefloor number which is sure to get your eyes at least a little watery. "Hurricane" is sort of a counterpoint to that one, with its dejected tone bringing to mind memories of those times that you can't cry anymore, you're just tired of everything. Other highlights include "Life Is Just a Dream" whose sound fits the album title probably more than any other track here and "Opium" with its slow pace giving way to an unexpected sonic assault towards the end. To be honest, I could name pretty much any other track here as well. My only complaint is the track order which provides about the same effect as playing the album on shuffle. I'd worked out my own track listing which I've been using ever since and I feel it avoids feeling like a compilation. I mean, how could you not open with "Walls Are Gonna Fall"! I know this is a lot already but you can find the full list under the link below in case you're still interested (it also includes links to highlights and streams for all the releases) http://rateyourmusic.com/lists/list_view?list_id=514557 Andy ------------------------------ End of ecto-digest V16 #1615 ****************************