HIGHLIGHTS

MOON DUO : mazes : Souterrain Transmissions
Ed: Fuzzy, distorted woozy, repetitive, and ecstatic; the offspring of a threesome between The Jesus and Mary Chain, Suicide, and The Cramps.
A classic American recording in the truest sense. A sleazy, sexy recording. Music to drive by. Preferably a little stoned. In a lust cream-colored car. Let’s say a ‘68 Ford Galaxie 500. Wearing washed out denims, black Alligator cowboy boots, a white Zimmerli wifebeater and Aviator shades. Accompanied by a raven haired serious inked hard body. She’s wearing washed out denims, white Python cowboy boots and a vintage Stooges T-shirt. The cooler on the back seat is filled with ice-cold Sierra Nevada brews. Shotguns are in the trunk. You’re heading through the desert towards Las Vegas for a heist. There a re only two options you either gonna die in a bloody shootout or you gonna live for the rest of your life at some beach, the hardest thing you’ll ever have to do is to decide whether you gonna get drunk are not…. Yeah, well that was a little daydream right there. I think I need some E.S.T. or a trip to the moon. Anyways, Wooden Shijps’ guitarist Ripley Johnson together with his partner Sanae Yamada teamed up as the Moon Duo to play some music as Johnson puts it is, “Trying to reach various goals, literally moving; love; pain; change. Or just getting by and making sense of things.“
9.2/10

13 & GOD : own your ghost : Alien Transistor
rnk: Funny how things do indeed take time sometimes. And I'm not even referring to the fact that it's been more than half a decade since the first 13 & God album landed on our tables and blew our minds (and I was totally convinced that it would be a one-off). What I'm trying to say instead is that this new one has been growing on me, and massively so. When I first listened to this unexpected second installment of Bay Area meets Bayern, I was like, yeah, nice and smooth and solid, but half of the songs are Weilheim and then the other half is anticon, Dose's nasal mayhem, beats, whatever. I thought of it as more of a "split-album" or something, two halves that didn't really add up—at first. Now, some 20, 25(really?) spins later it has totally changed and I'm saying this: The inter-Atlantic meeting of masterful minds makes so much sense, it's like we turned back the hands of that clock, back to 2004 or something, back to the kind of multi-genre rain which can only form in Deep Puddles, to a real "Best Of Both Worlds" (R. Kelly? Jigga?), where tracks like "Unyoung" or "Death Minor" keep growing around your ears like rampant weeds you'd never want to pull up. 9,25/10

ARNAUD REBOTINI : someone gave me religion : Blackstrobe Records
BM: Hinter diesem Teil von Blackstrobe vermute ich einen dicklich schmierigen Mann. Er schwitzt stark. Sicher. Stinken tut er auch, klar. Es perlt. Überall: Schweiss. Auf seiner Stirn, auf Armen, an Wänden, auf dem Boden. Kreischen. Von analogen Geräten, Funken aus losen Kabeln, Stromschläge. Wieder: Kreischen. Von analogen Geräten. Oder sind es die Frauen? Sexy kühle Clubgrenzwertigkeit aus Schall und Rauch, welche sich im Hirn zappelnd einnistet und sich graue Zellwände mit Harmonien tapeziert, die ungefragt einen ewigen Untermietvertrag für’s Hirn unterschreibt, da kleben bleibt. Lange, unlösbar. 9.5/10

Autopsy : Macabre Eternal : Peaceville
Dars: Autopsy has returned from the grave to feast upon the living once more, and it's a beautiful thing. It's their first full-length album since the band split up even before the official release of their fourth album 'Shitfun' in 1995. Recorded at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley CA, 'Macabre Eternal' includes their first 10-plus minute song 'Sadistic Gratification', basically a piece of pure fucking sickness. This band fortunately decided to make an official comeback after working together on two songs for the special 20th anniversary edition of the debut 'Severed Survival' in late 2008. A five-song EP, 'The Tomb Within', the band’s first collection of newly recorded tracks in over a decade came out last September and saw the original trio of Chris Reifert, Danny Coralles and Eric Cutler joined on bass by Joe Trevisano. Reifert previously said about this horrific creation that they've brewed up the sickest and heaviest material that their rotten souls could possibly spew forth, so this might be the best stuff they've ever did. The EP was just a taste, but this is more like an assault from beyond the grave. 'Macabre Eternal' therefore contains no repeated EP tracks, no Pro Tools, no triggered trickery and nothing less than the pure brutality that Autopsy has always delivered to our ears. Essential and sick to the bone. 'Macabre Eternal' is by any means the most anticipated album this year in my book, with Autopsy offering a sludgy and organic production, heavy-handed riffs and maniac percussion. 'If you like our stuff, you will think this is the best', Eric Cutler recently said. Don't even think to put that into question.10/10


SHORTIES

VIRTUAL BOY : symphony no. none : Alpha Pupp Records
rnk: Virtual Boy is banging like he got bones and blood and evil thoughts hidden inside that digital data skin. He moves slowly, indeed, but will get you nonetheless, and what a smothering assault it is. Principles of Geometry meet general Warp mayhem and Ratatat wickedness. Not enough to merely "like" this one. 7.5/10

SNORETEX : strange aeons : Buzzin’ Fly
BM: Da wacht man auf und meint, jemanden lange zu kennen, eine Menge zusammen erlebt zu haben. Schöne Zeit zusammen. Genau eine REM-Phase lang. Ausreichend, ja, doch du willst sofort wieder schlafen. 8/10

THE MYTHICAL BEASTS : communicate : International Feel
BM: International Feel ist irgendwas wie ein Brieffreund, ein Social Network Buddy, den du nie kennengelernt hast, aber komischerweise die Freundesanfrage sofort angenommen hast. Hin und wieder schickt er dir Links, Comments, Nachrichten, Bilder. Das macht alles Sinn. Das ist alles auch deins. Das ist alles gut. Auch dieses Posting – seins ist deins, als kenne man sich schon Jahre. Wird Zeit. Mal in echt. 7.95/10

SHANKLES : gully foil EP : Jus Like Music
Seven: The Essex boy turned Neuköllner delivers a forward thinking mélange of introspection and euphoria, where ghostly shards of bass culture leave room for an unexpected quivering emotionality that makes you want to intentionally miss the last train just to listen to this one more time on your nightly walk back home. 9/10

LANGE

DOC DELAY : rem sleep II : Six Ton Armor
Seven: The doctor is in the house and prescribes you a heavy diet of rare psychedelic gems and forgotten classics/obscurities from all over the world. Just follow his advice and you’ll be better in no time, sideburns and lava lamps might occur though as the secondary action kicks in. 9.5/10

V.A. : forward to the past : Poker Flat
BM: Ein weiterer Poker-Flat-Schnellzug mit kurzem Halt im Kreuzbahnhof des Durchschnitts. Bitte einsteigen, Zug fährt ab nach Konzept-Retroland. Egal, ich bleib im Jetzt. Tschüss. 6/10

KRYPTIC MINDS : can’t sleep : Black Box
Ed: Mind-blowing foggy hypnotic shaman dubby beats that suck you in a “can’t sleep must dance” black hole of trance without even puffin on a blunt. 8.5/10
Seven: The British duo feels at home in the more abstract and dark parts of UK-bass culture and takes a seat between the delicate and the full-on assault. If you ever wanna explain to someone how a nightly walk through Brixton feels like these days, just play them this album. 7/10

HATCHBACK : zeus & apollo : Lo Recordings
BM: Unglaublich stylishe Saunamusik. 8/10 im Aloe-Vera-Modus
Dars: Hatchback's Sam Grawe with some outstanding and really beautiful stuff to my ears, full of reminiscence of the (once) upper crust of synthesizer-based artists. Epic! 8.9/10

PETER VISTI : love is the key : Bear Funk
BM: Anständig gemachte Qualitätsdudeldisco. Leider nicht mehr und leider wesentlich ideenloser als erwartet. Überbrückungsmaterial, für Momente, in denen man die richtige Platte noch nicht gefunden hat, weil irgendjemand nicht checkt, dass man den DJ besser nicht zutextet, während dieser auflegt. 6.5/10
Seven: “Love Is The Key” might suggest clumsily produced and rather old school Love Parade techno, but luckily Denmark’s irritatingly underrated producer of mature disco anthems is back with an album that’s much more ambitious and complex than the platitudinous title suggests. 7.75/10

THE DODOS : no color : Wichita/Cooperative Music
Seven: Their new longplayer feels so much more like the logical follow-up to their breakthrough album Visiter that you’re most likely to forget about the half-baked and borderline generic efforts of Time To Die. Confident and the aural proof that black and white is all you need to paint broad pictures. 8.25/10
rnk: Dodos are the ultimate reminder that it takes no more than two to seriously tango: with brass-knuckle beats and genius tunes they already knew how to skip the light fandango; and now they're also the living proof that you need no color—on your yellow shade of pale-type skin, Humu? As long as your clapping is tight. 8/10

HOLY GHOST : dto : DFA/Coorperative Music
rnk: The phrase "Holy Spirit" can be found three times in the Hebrew Bible and around 95 times in the New Testament, while the phrase "Spirit Of God" is found around 27 times in total. If you google "Holy Ghost" though, the machine will ask you about a missing exclamation mark, and things like DFA, Automato, or even that "skip in your step" is going to appear somewhere in that cloud next to your brain. We believe in all of it, and in Humu, so let's call it a trinity. 3+3+2/10
Dars: This is cheeeeeeeeesy as fuck, but far from being a bad album on the other hand. Weird. So let's say 6.8 out 10, how's that sounding?

YUCK : dto : Pharmacy Records/Coop
rnk: Last time around I said this: "Some indie stuff from the early nineties. Fuzzy guitars and forlorn sentiments. There’s reverb. Angst. Sweet uplifting stuff. Like an update to Dinosaur Jr.? Sonic Youth?" However you may want to put or bend or twist it: Boy was I right. 8/10
Ed: Pity! Yuck plays safe, no risk at all. Yuck makes me wanna listen to The Pixies, Dinosaur Jr., 11th Dream Day and Prefab Sprout. Instead of Yuck. Lyrical example: "If your lungs are aching and your tongue’s still shaking I could be your suicide policeman." Yuck! 3/10

PEAKING LIGHTS : 936 : NotNotFun
Ed: Un-agitated mellowing Sternschnuppenkutscherdub with lullaby voiced female singing following the footsteps of a ragdoll dance. 6/10
Dars: Hauntingly melodic and dynamic effort by this psychpop duo, amazing and wonderful blends consisting of bouncing drums, choppy synth chords, dubbed out guitars as well as Dunis’ specious vocal melodies. 8/10

JAMES PANTS : dto : Stones Throw
BM: Während er an seinem kaputten Mikro rumspielte sagte er, er höre Wave, mache jetzt viel mit Elektronik, habe da so ein Fetischding mit synthetischen Elfen und sei aber eigentlich im Herzen Rockabilly. Irgendwie glaubte ich ihm. Dann tranken wir uns ins Koma. 7.5/10
Ed: New Wave synthies mixed with beats and dreamy chants that are more comfy than challenging. Just an iota away from being to elaborate, this record will make many people happy. So be it. 6/10

FREDRIK : flora : Biograf
BM: Keine Ahnung, was die in ihrem Garten pflanzen, aber dieser Blüteneintopf ist so exotisch wie ein Gorgonzola-Vanille-Shake, läuft runter wie Bachblütenhonig und schmeckt mehr als vorzüglich. Danke für die Einladung in eure Oase. 8.5/10
rnk: Fredrik. Flora. Biograf. Alter Schwede: none of this rings any kind of bell, but what unfolds inside my cluttered mind as we skip from the second to the third track is a stunning bouquet of Swedish bliss so far removed from any Rune mayhem that it ain't even funny. Hypnotic and banging in an understated way, I'd kill to be a gardener in this part of the globe. 8.9/10

NAKION : oh ah! : Tigersushi
Dars: Intense is the word. Somewhat artsy stuff by this Korean ex-punk (wtf), shaping her first official album, mainly covering sounds of New Wave and Industrial and which is created home-alone with an minimalistic set-up. 6/10
rnk: Oh Ah!, S-W-A-G. If you believe in the second coming of Asian Weird, here's your swag shit. If you, like some others are said to do, instead believe in female Matthew Herberts, here's Herberta from South Korea with a forehead swollen to the size of a Bangles 12" saved from a tsunami from the seas of cheese. Oh ah! 6/10

A LULL : confetti : Mush
Dars: 11 tracks of indie freshness! Layers of guitars, bass, synths, tribal beats and sonic soundscapes, all lulled in kinda enigmatic vocals. Born out of countless hrs in practice spaces, basements and bedrooms, you'll hear relicts of over seventy-five songs and partial song ideas in the process of creating their full-length debut.
rnk: "Confetti" sounds strangely apt, as this one feels like someone zapped through Justin Bieber's tweets to look for inspiration, only to make fun of him and his teenage stuff, get a pounding band together instead and celebrate a kind of Oktoberfest of sorts in a tribal tent full of smoke and mirrors. In other words: you might think you've heard those melodies before. But then again you wouldn't listen to Justin, would you? 7.5/10

MELTING SEASON : harmoni-pet deluxe : Mush
Ed: An American quilt of introspect hippi-esk bedroom Gedaddel, nurtured by too much shrooms and whale chants. 5/10
rnk: Favorite songs for mad scientists, laughing alone on forgotten islands with miniature atomic bombs, banjos, various percussion tools. Or—early Bibio slightly in limbo, yet 12-headed, with but one mind; or even better: the audio equivalent to a Funkadelic live show after 20 years of collecting colorful things and jokes to add to that costume, without ever taking a single one away. Let's melt together. 7.9/10

HARD MIX : defaults : Dovecote Records
Dars: A head trip of an [debut]album, which finds North Carolina producer Noah Smith merging dirty synths and head spinning beats with nighttime club vibes. Warped out and distant. Tasty. 8.8/10
Seven: As we all know: the best things in life are free… and this album is no exception to the rule. Noah Smith aka Hard Mix might have even delivered the ultimate requiem for that accidental genre named chillwave in order to make room for the next big (blog) thing. Defaults never sounded that kind-hearted. 7.5/10

DARK DARK DARK : wild go : Melodic
Seven: This sounds like chamber pop gone epic or gypsy funk played by guys with designer glasses or daydreaming becoming reality or do-gooder scores gone misanthropical. Or whatever. Fact is their debut album actually sounds really good. 8/10
rnk: If you believe in Hawks, Hacksaws, Hillbillies, H-Bombs—here's your wild card: play it, say it, don't delay it. "Don't say nothing, no/I can see when you're lying." So I'll just say: it's gypsy pop from the center of the Wild Western World; saloons full of mp3s spat into corners formerly owned by men, now full of drooly waters thanks to Nona Marie Invie's awesome vocals. This ain't dark, it's awesome. And wild go we will. 9/10

BULLION : you drive me to plastic : Young Turks
Ed: The most famous bullion is as far as I’m concerned the Krugerrand. But Nathan Jenkins might be able to change this. He gained some notoriety when he remixed “Pet Sounds“ Dilla-style. Cut up textures, beats and samples galore, he lurks around the corner like Shadow’s younger cousin from the other side of the pond. 7/10
rnk: Ask my son Lil H about his favorite food and he'll first tell you some long-ass list of ingredients to cook up for him, only to include a little bit of laughter and then add: no, it's Bouillon, of course. Tiger and bear paw jokes aside, this is gigolo bliss for people still moving hips after the demise of Dilla in recent years. Dope, plastic, what else do you need? A song called "Lol Express" of course. "Like" it! 7.8/10

POWER SOLO : buzz human : Crunchy Frog
Ed: I don’t know exactly if my mind is playing tricks on me. Is the singer really so irritatingly hard trying to sound like Iggy Pop? The twangly slaggish fuzztones, the sweaty swamp psychabilly is top notch but the voice is so distracting. Another singer and this record would be most likely in my top ten this year. No clue/10
Dars: Fifth studio album and most scary output to date by this Århusian experimental duo, consisting of Kim Kix and The Atomic Child. Blood, sweat and tears, I’d say. This comes in an aesthetic, real dirty and almost drone like shape, offering delicious grooves and drugged out psychrock-maneuvers with partly annoying vocal-acrobatics. 7/10

EMA : past life martyred saints : Souterrain Transmissions
BM: Da ist diese alte Klassenkameradin. Du fandest sie damals schon irgendwie cool, aber hast nie so ganz verstanden, was sie eigentlich wollte. Dann ging sie weg. Irgendwo an die Pazifikküste hiess es. Jetzt, Jahre später, bist du erfreut, sie wiederzusehen. Geändert hat sich nix.. 7.2/10
rnk: I guess if you're not based in Europe you don't think of the Europe Music Awards when calling yourself EMA, especially if all you care about is guitars and saying "Fuck California". So let's act like it's Nirvana Season again and have a smoke with this insane broad. 7.7/10

HEINALI : breaths : Arlen Records
BM: Schön, ja, aber danke, ich möchte diesen Film jetzt nicht sehen. Wir haben Frühling, verstehst Du? 7/10
Dars: Nice interplay of rotating (and sometimes even dramatic) strings, pianos, electronics and lot's of exceptionally sounds by this quite young Ukrainian composer, even though it sums up a bit too cautious altogether in the end. But still 7.3/10

COLOURMUSIC : my_is pink : Memphis Industries
Dars: Awesome psyched out noise-rock! Unpolished, hypnotic anthems, peppered with industrial flavors and most important: originality. Pleasant surprise here to be honest, don't miss this one! 8.99/10
Ed: My gap is pink? Metronomic sex acts? Hmm… chain of associations goes from dirty old Grinderman to stuck in adolescence. But the whole thing is low-fat distorted Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark. Literally! Suggestion for the next album title: My__ is bleached. 4/10

SOUND OF RUM : balance : Sunday Best/PIAS
Dars: Challenging piece of art. Actually kind of interesting and sometimes even stunning adventures in [indie]sounds, just wish i could get rid of that vortex of lyrics by UK [female] rapper Kate Tempest. Ugh! 6.3/10
Ed: Kate Tempest is spittoon’d lyrics, she’s fast and good. She’s accompanied by a band that plays loungy musicians music. And that’s where the dilemma starts. If you combine spoken words with music you’re pretty fucked cause stakes are too high. “Coded Language” by Krust/Williams is unstoppable. Even if you quote RATM riffs and all, forget about it. 3/10 music, 8/10 spoken words.


SNORKEL : stop machine : Slowfoot
rnk: Snorkel? Aquatic kraut-jazz endeavors so insane you couldn't tell where the list of band members ends and where track titles begin. Underwater cough attacks so heavy you couldn't tell the difference from up, down, Rune or Slowfoot. All you want is one thing: stop that machine. Or wait, I can do another minute. Just that glockenspiel. Some more. Further down. Ah, yes. Exactly. 7/10
BM: Hiermit wäre Drum ‘n’ Brass (<-sic, nur als hinweis, klammer löschen) erfunden. Könnte man meinen. Hiermit wäre Jazz gerettet, könnte man sagen. Hiermit ist die Elektronikhybrid-Super-Collider-Dampfmaschinen-Backenklatsche erfunden. 8.99/10

SPACE RANGER : what about the magnetic fields? : Lovemonk
Dars: Cozy sounds to drop off, that's pretty much it. I suggest some uppers to this bleary ranger. Hear me? 5.2/10

THE BERG SANS NIPPLE : build with erosion : Blackmaps
Seven: If you ever wondered how a mixture of Caribou and Animal Collective driven by the spirit of the Kosmische would sound like here’s your answer. Erosion this is not, in fact this is built to last a lifetime and beyond. almost 9/10
rnk: Steve Berra would say, “Bangin'!” Koston would say, “Bangin'!” We are so going to join in and yell, “Bangin'! I mean, who needs a nipple to bang and to sound like funky Frenchmen on a "let's make Wikipedia say anything we feel like" spree? Berg is back: 7.9/10

DIGNAN PORCH : deluded : Captured Tracks
Ed: Beautiful, slightly idiosyncratic, energetic guitar driven pop songs. 7.5/10
Seven: Well, this sounds nostalgic and bittersweet and gauzy and juvenile and therefore like the very majority of other bands on Captured Tracks. It’s like watching a Super 8 copy of The Breakfast Club projected to a flatscreen. 6.5/10

EMIKA : count backwards : Ninja Tune
BM: Sie führte mich durch einen Tunnel, zeigte mir einen Raum, sagte:”Psst! Erzähl keinem davon!” Ich sagte: “Ok.”, verstand nicht warum, wusste aber, die meint das so, sie meint es ernst! Ich fror. Wir gingen dann zurück. Ich war froh, wieder auf dem grossen Floor zu sein. Das ist nun Jahre her. Ich muss noch immer oft daran denken. Erzählt hab ich niemandem davon. 7.9/10
Ed: The original track is a beautiful gloomy tune, turned into a dark gloomy tune by Kryptic Minds and into a hypnotic dance track by Marcel Dettmann. 7.5/10

MATTHEW DAVID : outmind : Brainfeeder/Ninja Tune
rnk: I honestly don't know nothing about Matthew David, so let's gather what we can as long as the gathering is still good: He got two first names, seems to be down with Fly-Lo, and from what the room has been awash with in the last two minutes. He likes his beats slow and washed-out, slightly trippy and feeding straight back into other brains. So there: 8/10
Ed: We’re already moving hard on the border of oversaturation with that abstract beat smithereens but this psychedelic breakfast under a fat old sun from a guy who dared to drop Milli Vanilli in one of his mixes is still yummy. 7/10


POLLYESTER : earthly powers : Permanent Vacation
BM: Sie lief auf der Strasse vor mir her, sang irgendwelche Lieder - nicht so meins. Beim Einkaufen stand sie hinter mir in der Schlange und pfiff. Ich fand sie irgendwie doof. Später im Park sass sie wieder und trällerte. Komisch, auf einmal mochte ich das, wollte, das sie weitermacht, nicht weggeht. Sie blieb. Cool, ich mag sie. 8.3/10
Dars: Munich based outfit Pollyester with some catchy, cosmic disco boosts—somewhat infectious throughout with an magical undertone. Not bad. 7/10

THE LAST HURRAH!! : spiritual non-believers : Rune Grammofon
rnk: Before calling Humu and going all Rune on you wizards out there, let me say, “Hurrah!!” for double exclamation marks, records with “Hurrah” titles and spiritual non-believers. So, Humu!! (<- two of them)
Humu: This, my friend, is a lovely mix of acoustic drone guitar, cosmic rage, pure pop, and the very local take on country music so special for the west coast of Norway, didn't you know this?
rnk: Hurrah!! I'm on my way to Malmö, mother nature! &&&/10

NEVER MY QUEEN : unlearned : Cupecakerecords
rnk: Never My Queen is the "No Pasarán" for anyone trying to enter the city with guitars and take over. It's a big, bad (balding?) fuck-yüü from good ol' Kreuzbergo to all the Queen suckers in other hoods who never knew right from wrong, who couldn't tell what's silly playfulness and what is a serious guitar shit storm. This is the latter. 9/10
Seven: The first big surprise is to find ex-Crack Whore Society guitarrero Bender behind the mic. The second one is that he’s actually doing a decent job (no offense here). Their debut smells like high school-dropout, but not unlearned really. A necessary blue-collar and charmingly non-pedagogical reality check for all the hip Nowköllners. almost 8/10

TIMBER TIMBRE : creep on, creepin’ on : Full Time Hobby
Dars: Just laughed my ass off on this- Seriously, just give it a try, this offers great moments of dusty + soulful cheap-goods. 6.5/10
Ed: Self proclaimed "Gothic Rockabilly Blues" where I’d say nostalgic Folkbluesbilly. Drunken pianos and violins combined with the melancholic singing of Taylor Kirk results in a darkness that is not too creepy. Almost every song reminds me of "I Put A Spell On You". 4/10

TIED & TICKLED TRIO : la place demon : Morr Music
rnk: Ah, just listen to that drum legend Billy Hart doing his thing on this one. The Achers manage to make room on top, so there's all you ever wanted from a jazz record—sounds from people who can chill, sounds from people who can wait, sounds from makers of crazes. Large. 9/10
BM: Diese Geschichte kann man nicht erzählen. Glaubt einem eh keiner. Sicher. 8.8/10

FRENCH HORN REBELLION : the infinite music of : Once Upon A Time Records
Dars: Awful, man. Sounds of torture like Humu had to face back then in Abu Ghraib. 1/10
Ed: This record is deep pore trash for funny looking (skinny jeans, dumb hairdo, max. weight 50 Kilos, steady nose bleeding) people. I think they call themselves hipsters but have never heard of Anatole Broyard or James Baldwin. The music: cheesy organs, eunuch style singing, disco rhythms… you name it. I name it WHACK. 1/10

DOES IT OFFEND YOU YEAH : don’t say we didn’t warn you : Cooking Vinyl
Dars: Well, you should be aware of the contemptuous things that’ll come to my mind while talking about dance-punk, so let's just not get nasty here. Anything else, Ed?
Ed: The range of songs is versatile, expect whimped-out lyrics and acoustic guitars turn into a speed driven dance floor stomper next to a moody beated Dizzy Rascal style rap or a nervous wavy Devo inspired song and whatnot. Does it offend me? No. 7/10

ART DEPARTMENT : the drawing board : Crosstown Rebels
BM: Du kennst das. Sicher. Die Musik ist grossartig. Du willst tanzen. Doch zwei Dinge halten dich davon ab: Da ist dieser Typ an deinem Ohr, druff oder einfach nur besoffen bis zum get no, labert er dich voll. Und da bist Du. Druff oder besoffen hörst Du einfach nur zu. Kannst nicht weg. Seinetwegen. Deinetwegen. Über eine Stunde geht das so. Schwindel und Euphorie wechseln sich ab. Schliesslich geht ihr doch tanzen. Lange. 8/10
Seven: Art Department is the lovechild of Jonny White and Kenny Glasgow, and boy, was this album a highly anticipated one. The result is a futuristic vocal album informed by the last ten years of club culture that is bridging lounge, peak time madness and hip boutiques selling designer furniture at horrendous prices. A bit disappointing, especially if your budget has IKEA written all over the place. 6.75/10

KREIDLER : tank : Bureau B
BM: Kreidebleiche Wasserleichen im mahlstromchoreografierten Synchronschwimmtanz monscheinfahler Stromschnellen. Sie lächeln zart, herb, zufrieden. Das kannst du noch erkennen, bevor sie im Dunkel verschwinden, abtauchen. 8.4/10
Ed: I never understood why some art students called their band Kreidler. Maybe because they got beaten up by the bullies who were driving the notorious Kreidler Flory 3 Gang while they just had their mom’s garish Hollandrad. Revenge so to speak. Whatever, music in the tradition of Düsseldorf—Neu!, Kraftwerk, etc. 4/10

DAEDELUS : bespoke : Ninja Tune
rnk: May his tailor-made sideburns burn in heaven, but that second track "Sew. Darn. Mend" is everything dope about D. rolled into three words. Apart from that: collabs with Baths, Bilal, Busdriver, a suit concept, and more artists whose moniker doesn't start with the letter B. Bespoke tailoring at its best. 8/10
Ed: The usual layers of jazz, ‘50s film sdtrcks and electronic bits and pieces combined with weird vocal samples. A lot of clothing references in the song titles that reflect his love for the Victorian era. He might be an electronic music dandy with good taste but he’s definitely not Beau Brummell. 5/10

PREFUSE 73 : the only she chapters : Warp
rnk: "The Only Direction In Concrete", "The Only Boogie Down", "The Only War To Find", "The Only Hand To Hold", etc. Such are the titles of Prefuse's latest album, and what would be the equivalent line one could say about it: The Only Album by Scott That Sounds Unlike All The Other Stuff (however great it was when it came out). A new chapter. Read it. 8.5/10

ABOUT GROUP : start and complete : Domino
rnk: Some words about this group: it's Alexis from Hot Chip and friends, jamming. A spontaneous recording: hit start, play, done. Relaxed like a beer spilt on a carpet when you couldn't care less anyway. Kosmisch, childish, honest. Me gusta muchísimamente: 9/10
Seven: This is just as unpretentious as music can get these days. Unexpected cover versions add to charmingly grounded original material improved by Alexis Taylor’s nerdy falsetto. Now go out and have your first bbq of the season. 8/10

ZODIAC FREE ARTS CLUB : floating world : Permanent Vacation
BM: Beim Blättern durch das Fotoalbum stocke ich immer wieder. Neben Bildern von Menschen, die mir bekannt vorkommen, die Freunde meiner Eltern aus ihren Jugendjahren sein könnten, es aber nicht sind, findet sich immer wieder dieser junge Mann. Er passt da hin, die Patina der Bilder ist dieselbe, die Szenerien die gleichen, doch wirkt er entrückt. Seine Schuhe sind aus dem Hier und Jetzt, seine Frisur, die Hosen, sein Habitus…Eine Begegnung mit einem Zeitreisenden. 9/10
Seven: If I wouldn’t know any better I would have guessed that my cosmic-affine audictive-colleague BM just put on a forgotten masterpiece from Edgar Froese, but as a matter of fact this electronic yet techno-antagonistic sound comes from a new project right from the center of Berlin. Should there seriously be light at the end of the tunnel in our hometown? 8.75/10

VINCENZO : wherever i lay my head : Dessous Recordings
BM: Wir trinken Cocktails, die in Läden erfunden wurden, die es schon lang nicht mehr gibt. Manch Erinnerung ist eine warme Decke. Zeit, was soll das sein? Wenn sich jeder der Millionen Produzenten zwischen zwei Releases mal eine Dekade Zeit nimmt, so wie Vincenzo, könnte die Welt gerettet werden. Könnte. 8.8/10
Dars: This Berlin based producer took some time off (9 years to be exact) to get back on the map with his third full length on home label Dessous. Some seriously rich and jam packed electronic works, never fixed to a certain style. Diverse and strongly recommended. 8.9/10

31 KNOTS : trump harm : Polyvinyl
rnk: No harm done when a guy comes up to you and pukes into your face? Not sure. I failed the test in math rock in ninth grade and never looked back, Portlandia or no, but this is a puzzle I can't solve: some tracks are way too much, whereas others sound like Menomena in a parallel universe with geometric principles I understood in fourth grade already. Fuck my rambling. Trump harm! 7/10
Ed: Seven, you filthy editor you, what kind of punishment is that supposed to be? Making me listen to music for hacky sack wankers at Görli. But hey, I’m down on the farm you can do me no (trump) harm… dunno/10

WILD BEASTS : smother : Domino
Dars: Kopfstimmen-Gesang? I'm outta here. Just wait… hot damn, is that Humu dressed up in a zoot suit? 1/10
rnk: Dars, how about your falsetto? To me, this sounds like brave, bulging, buoyant clairvoyants and an old dog running through the night, hooting and howling in a mellow street light. And I can't stop looking down from that window of mine. I like that falsetto. I hate that falsetto. I like it. 8/10

ADVENTURE : lesser known : Carpark
Dars: A fistful of nostalgia by this Baltimore resident, namely ‘80s dance pop and classic Chicago house tracks, with the first-time addition of original vocals. Bit cheesy though. 6.4/10
BM: Auf einer leeren Tanzfläche lernten wir uns in den 80ern kennen. Dort verabschiedeten wir uns auch. Ich schenkte ihm einem Mutkeks und wünschte ihm viel Glück auf seinem Weg. Meiner war ein anderer. 7.π/10

ROBAG WRUHME : thora vukk : Pampa Records
Seven: Gabor Schablitzki, the man with the thousand monikers, is back as Robag Wruhme. You might remember him as one half of the infamous Wighnomy Brothers, you might not remember him at all because you’re too guttered already and didn’t pay attention to your host. Either way, this one here will last a very long time and might even be re-discovered in around 15 years by your kids. 8.75/10
BM: Guten Freunden gibt man ein Küsschen. Auch wenn sie Bärte tragen. Denn dieser ist mehr als flauschig. 8.6/10

MARK E : stone breaker : Spectral Sound
Dars: Love it! Warm, monotonous and infectious blends of disco and house forming the full length debut of this UK-based producer. Extremely recommended, buy or die. 9/10
BM: Er stellt sich als Mark E vor. Tumber Name, denkt man. Knapp gedacht. Auch das erste Album des Edit-Meisters: Knapp gedacht, doch unglaublich effektiv. Monotonie in 9 Farben direkt neben dem Herzmuskel. Alles andere als tumb. 8.8/10

ARMS & SLEEPERS : the organ hearts : Expect Candy
rnk: I once saw A&S live without even knowing their name, was blown away, expected beats ever since, but now there isn’t many beats, more like ethereal layers of wool, little stones flying up when you pass by, people waving in some old super-8 flick, movie soundtracks for those who have abandoned the TV scene a while ago (da based God, eg.). If I were you I would go back, see them again, bring a chair, know their name. 9/10
Seven: Damn right, rnk! I remember I was almost shocked how juvenile these guys were when I first saw them on stage. A couple of years and two albums later they still seem too young for such an accomplished sound. Bastards. 8.5/10

CONNAN MOCKASIN : forever dolphin love : Phantasy Sound/Because
rnk: I once got myself "In Patagonia" by Chatwin because I thought it was the shit: ordered it, read halfway through it, didn't find a single line great, wanted to sell it again on Amacraigstube or somewhere, but didn't find the time because I found dolphin love in the meantime: NZ bliss, conchords in heaven, no Murray in sight, just buttery music. Again, I never looked back, NZ is more Patagonia than the real deal anyway. 9/10
Seven: Great name, fantastic album title, lovely artwork, monstrous songs, imaginative psych-pop, incredible record. 8.75/10

THE STROKES : angles : Rough Trade
Dars: Boy, what a bummer. Exceedingly disappointing album, mostly poorly conceived songs in my book, all covered in a needless plastic production. Sapless tootling, I’d say. 4/10
BM: Nach einer knappen halben Stunde ist das Euter leergemolken. Macht nix, wär sogar schade, wenn's länger ginge. 4.5/10

DELS : gob : Big Dada
Ed: The subliminally grim sounds are that kind of stuff that is way above the usual pansy R'n'B shit that’s called hip-hop these days. In combination with the raps this aunt no easy listening but that’s where the beauty begins. Abstract beats unique plus intelligent words equals 9/10

V.A. : hibernation vol. 2 : Bear Funk
BM: Sie nahm mich mit in eine Disco. Tolle Deko, dachte ich, wie funkelnde Sterne, da an der Decke. “Sind es auch.”, sagte sie, “Es ist Frühling, mein Lieber! Hier ist kein Dach.” Alles klar. 7-8.5/10


THE OSCILLATION : veils : All Time Low/Forte Distribution
BM: Eine hallig-verdubbte Psychodisco-Krautreise für Narko- und Individualtouristen. Grosses Kino. 9/10
Ed: Droning sonic gloomy brilliant Krautrock meets Spacemen 3 meets your drugged up mom in the Seventies wearing her infamous psychedelic fur and Timothy Leary plateau boots. 8.5/10

WHEN SAINTS GO MACHINE : konkylie : !K7
BM: Neulich lernte ich eine Gruppe Dänen kennen. Sie erzählten mir, sie träfen sich immer montags heimlich in der Kirche, wenn der Pfarrer nicht da ist, einer brächte einen Computer mit und dann wird musiziert. Toll, dachte ich, da spart man sich den Hallfilter. Dänen halt. 4.5+1.888 für Einzigartigkeit/10
Dars: Driving, pleasant and damn sure cheerful sounds by this Danish four-piece, a helluva debut that’s partially groove and melancholy, resisting to fix on disco or ambient. 8.5/10

THE SEA AND CAKE : the moonlight butterfly : Thrill Jockey
BM: Da kommen ein paar Freunde zu Besuch, man freut sich, dass sie ganz sicher wieder dieses magische Zeugs im Gepäck haben, das schon etliche Überlandfahrten zu versüssen wusste, und plötzlich findet man mittendrin, in The Moonlight Butterfly jene Electronicaperle, die man sich seit Ewigkeiten von ganz anderen Freunden wünschte, aber nie bekam. Überraschung. 8.7/10
Seven: After Sam Prekop got his experimental side out of his system through his surprisingly minimalistic solo album last year, it was actually time to write some proper songs again. As a result they bisected the quantity of songs from primer longplayer Car Alarm and increased the quality instead. A much welcome return. 8.5/10

IN FLAGRANTI : worse for wear : Codek records
BM: Schweissüberströmt stand er vor mir. “Wo warst du denn?”, fragte ich. “In der schmutzig-geilsten Discomonotonie ever!”,hechelte er und entschwand wieder dorthin. Ich folgte. Stunden später wurde ich gleiches gefragt. Ich wiederholte. 9/10
Seven: The dirty disco duo is back, and it’s actually kinda amazing how coherent and organic the album sounds considering the fact that they hardly ever worked together in the same studio. This feels like the soundtrack for an early 80s sightseeing-tour to New York’s sleaziest peep shows and secret porn-dungeons. 8.5/10