July '13 Music Box

1. Tree feat. Beat Culture & Lena Kuhn - Demons



2. Holm.- Day 278 I h8 sunrizes



3. Kali Ma feat. Lindsay Stiem - Listen



4. Willis Earl Beal - Too dry to cry



5. Mutya Keisha Siobhan - Flatline



Pick of the month:

Haim - The Wire

Droid Daughter - Mira

Here it is folks, my blog’s first ever exclusive preview. And geeh, I just realized that I don’t even know where the album name “Mira” comes from! I just started to get these feel-good memories of the time when my Spanish flat mates loved the Finnish name Mira, because it was easy for them to pronounce and means “look” in Spanish. They usually associated it with the word “ass”.

But the name is not the only thing, which makes me feel good. I’ve hailed Warminster- based producer Droid Daughter aka Connor Lepre as a true wonder kid of pure electronic music. And with his third full-length, it’s pretty evident that my words are not just words. Even if I say so myself.

Although I get these positive feelings while listening to Mira, Lepre himself sees a darker side to it.

Mira is an interesting thing because if you asked me what it's about right after I finished it in May, I'd have no real answer for you. Looking back, it's really funny for me. It's an album full of regret about how I was spending my life the 5 months prior to that, but in this weird way where I was trying to cover up my regret. Like when you're sad and don't want anyone to know, you just put up a wall of happy and often times it can be easy to see through. I think people will have no problem seeing through the happier sides of Mira. It's the "too good to be true" happy feeling, but that's just how I interpret it.

Lepre considers the album to be a step out of his comfort zone, which resulted in what I would like to say a huge ass prolific beat making.  Out of the 15 tracks the collaborations are definitely the highlights- they bring Lepre’s sick beats into a whole different level, when different types of talent complement each other.

The song “Purple Beat” features rapper/songwriter Reefa Ali, who seriously has some mad skills. Rarely, you hear such clever rhymes.  “I sent him the beat, he wrote to it, and I recorded it”, Lepre explains the simplicity on his collaboration with Ali.

Another collaboration was with fellow producer Kali Ma aka Cody Miller. On the album you can hear a remix on the song Afrodesia done by Miller, but I guess you can say that the true respect is paid by Lepre taking influences from him.

On songs like Mira and I'm So Amber, I really tried channeling my inner Kali Ma, I hope he doesn't mind. But I felt it would be appropriate for him to remix one of the songs because of the influence on the album. I gave him the stems for Afrodesia and came back to me a few days later with a mind melting, almost Nine Inch Nails-esque remix that I love. When I play Afrodesia live, I play the first 2/3 of his remix, and then into my version. He does a similar thing for a song I remixed for him.

Musically, the most mind-blowing gem of the album is You + Time. The reason for that is the most utterly astonishing voice of Lepre’s friend Kate Kushin. You can’t really understand what Kushin is singing about, but it’s like the case of "Milk and Cereal"- it’s not about the content, it’s about the way it’s done.  “I played with her breathe noises and kept about half the song and repeated it. It filled the song up a bit and I think it added a bit of style.”

Connor, this line is for you:

You + Time is the most stylistic thing you’ve done so far.

In general, one of my favorite moments is when the base drops. And without forgetting a bit of humor, this Droid Daughter track which is included in live sets made me go "Bitch, drop the base!" the first time I heard it.

I’ve said it a dozen times before that the most important thing for an album is to work as an entity. And as a person, who doesn’t concentrate too much on visual stuff, am very proud to say that it’s the first time for an album art work to be the icing on the cake. Honestly, I don’t think I’ve seen anything as amazing as Mira’s cover. The closer I look the more I drool.

Okey, I think we’re better off ending this with Lepre’s own words, before things get out of hand. But damn it feels great to give out recognition in a review for something which basically is mainly not about it. #TrySomethingNewEveryDay.

Artistically, I ended up creating these little worlds in my head that each song was from. Kristina Abuladze did an amazing job capturing how the album felt with the album art she made for me. I have synesthesia, which is a neurological condition where one sense, in this case hearing, will stimulate another sense, and often times for me it's sight. To me, songs have corresponding colors and textures. I don't necessarily "see" colors and textures when I listen to music, but I associate songs and sounds with color and texture. When I listen to the songs on the album, I find a strain of color(s) on Kristina's album art that I associate with that song so it's like the whole album is visualized for me on the album art which is a cool thing.

Mira is available for download on its release date, July 24^th 2013 via everywhere, just check his Facebook for more info. Thanks to Connor for granting my blog the rights for this exclusive preview.

April ´13 Music Box

1. She & Him - I Could´ve Been Your Girl

2. Franco and the Dreadnought - Spanish Harlem

3. Oberhofer - Earplugs

4. Oberhofer - You + Me (Still Together In The Future)



5. Oberhofer -Together/Never



6. The National - Don´t Swallow The Cap



7. Florence + The Machine - Over The Love



8. Noah and the Whale feat. Anna Calvi - Heart Of Nowhere

9. Janelle Monáe feat. Erykah Badu - Q.U.E.E.N.

10. Daft Punk feat. Pharrell Williams - Get Lucky



11. Holm. - Day 211 CocoRosie Lemonade Remix

12. Holm. - Day 201 my cloud tower dreams.

13. Holm. - Day 189 It´s Getting Late.

14. Shelf Nunny - I Feel So Good About Myself

15. Kali Ma feat. Christina Klaproth - Girl You Got

16.Polica feat. Justin Vernon - Tiff

Pick of April.

What were your favorite tunes of April?

March ´13 Music Box

A very James Blake month.

1. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Under The Earth

Click here for the absolutely rad exclusive preview.

2. Ghost Town DJs - My Boo (Aeropsia Remix)

Chill.



3. Holm. - Day 176 Trying Not To Care

Great beats, great vocals.



4. Kali Ma - Dabbin´ (Demo)

Can't say if the singing is a parody or a cool 80s thing. Correction: while writing this I noticed that the vocals had been taken out.



5. Franco and the Dreadnought - Not Enough

Written with Mercury Prize Nominee Kathryn Williams.



6. Franco and the Dreadnought - Where I'm Calling From

Same as above.



7. James Blake - And Holy Ghost



8. James Blake - Voyeur (Dub)



9. James Blake - Voyeur



10. James Blake - Digital Lion

The best out of all four.



11. Little Boots - Broken Record



12. She & Him - Never Wanted Your Love

I'm tired of being clever, everybody is clever these days.



13. StarWaves - Oblivion OST



14. Austra - Home

It's so great to have Austra back.



15. Mutya Keisha Siobhan - Lay Down In Swimming Pools

And pick of the months goes to... OMG OMG like the most anticipated thing like ever. System OVERLOAD. And it's only a mashup.




What were your favorite tunes of March? Comment below or on Facebook or tweet to @InJallusWords

Kali Ma - Sacandaga EP

Jallu:

Only three songs?!

Kali Ma:

Well 2 and a jam between…

Jallu:

So basically 2 ½ songs?! (laughter)

Kali Ma:

Haha yes. That's how I write, that's how I've always written.

Jallu:

The last EP had 6 or actually 5 then.

Kali Ma:

Yeah, SIDDHARTHA EP. That was actually the longest piece of coherent music I've ever written for a single release. Don't ever expect anything longer than that. (laughter)

Jallu:

What's the reason for making a shorter EP this time?

Kali Ma:

Back in high school when I was first getting serious about being in a band and playing music, I usually wrote most of the songs. But I could never write more than 3 or 4 songs with a cohesive sound before getting frustrated and playing the same intervals and chords in a different order.  So I would stop writing for a few months, play out a bit, and not write anything for a while. But then, at some point, I get smacked in the face with an idea and I MUST write.

Jallu:

So no full albums, I’m assuming?

Kali Ma:

Not in my past or in the foreseeable future. I used to get frustrated that I couldn't write a "whole album". But what the fuck is an "album"? Why does something have to have 10-14 3-4 minute songs to count as complete? There's no objective reason why an artist should have to stick to this formula. That's just not how my creative process works.  So it's been really great for me to release these EPs.

---

Sacandaga EP is West Chester- based Kali Ma aka Cody Miller’s fifth EP released during his 20 month period of using synth music as a transmitter for his thoughts and feelings. While every EP shows growth in one or two areas of Miller’s music, with Sacandaga EP, let’s say Miller has reached puberty. Unlike in the previous EPs, he had found what he was looking for: “After I worked with Christina Klaproth of the Philadelphia band, Tutlie, on our track "Sun Stars Moon and Rain", it became clear that vocals were that missing element.” It came as a surprise to me that Miller’s own vocals are used on the tracks. He explains: “I've never been much of a vocalist myself, but it was really important to me that every aspect of the "Sacandaga sound" came pouring out of my experience. So it was really exciting to work with the vocoder effect in order to get the sound that I wanted. It allowed me to retain exclusive creative control, while focusing on the production end of things to make it sound great. You don't want to hear me sing live.”

Adding vocals are not the only part of Miller’s growth, as he paid attention to equalizing every sound to perfection. “When I compared my tracks to the tracks of some of my favorite artists... It wasn't even a comparison. There was no pop, no high end, badly EQed low end. Just a bunch of synths taking up the same mid-range Hz. This is the first time that I took a good long time to EQ every sound before finalizing the mix.”

When understanding the story behind the EP’s concept I realize not only does it take a huge step forward, but also backward. Sacandaga EP is a nostalgic ode to which Miller calls his favorite place in the world. It’s become a tradition for him to spend a week or two every summer at his friend’s lake house by Sacandaga Lake since he turned 15. The lake and the surroundings reminds of life’s glorious beauty, as well as Miller’s first time to buy beer under-aged. “I did my absolute best to take all the connotation and nuance and raw emotion of this place, and translate it into sound. And though I know now that this goal is unattainable, the result is still something special to me, as every time I listen, every time I reflect, these songs work their way into that idilic form that my mind conceives whenever I hear the word, "Sacandaga".”

The first time I heard the EP, I was dragged into the middle of the Amazon. When the in between jam started I was witnessing some sort of a ritual while hiding behind some giant leaves. I couldn't say if the tribe in front of me were people to run away from as quick as possible, but the music was too hypnotizing that I just stood still quiet. By the final track I’ve been noticed, though luckily, I’m not the one being sacrificed and they turn out to be a friendly tribe. And all of this is through the eyes of Sid the Sloth from Ice Age.

Anyways, when ending the interview with Miller he’s quick to reveal his future plans and hopes: “Slightly heavier, bassier, more minimal. It will still be Kali Ma, but I've been digging the deeper South London sound, and even some of the street bass that is coming out of Philly. So I hope to work some of those influences into Kali Ma, and see what happens.”

Until then here’s Sacandaga.

January ´13 Music Box

As I was scrolling through songs that I liked, all I can say is that January was busy! I noticed that there were many songs that I already had forgotten, not in a bad way though- new ones just kept coming in! Anyways here are the tunes, which deserve attention.

1. Pinback - Proceed To Memory

Make sure to watch the video, it's mint.




2. Santigold - Girls

It's quite funny that Finnish band PMMP has a song called Tytöt (=Girls) and a similar video concept. Click here to see it.




3. Telekinesis - Ghosts And Creatures




4. Widowspeak - Thick As Thieves




5. Widowspeak - Locusts




6. Kali Ma - Great Lake (Demo)




7. Baroness - March To The Sea

Tour footage before the bus accident.




8. Gerry & The Pacemakers - You'll Never Walk Alone

Finally a video for this song.




9. French Films - When People Like You Filled The Heavens




10. The Strokes - One Way Trigger




11. fun. - Sight Of The Sun

Probably the band's best song.




12. Crystal Castles - Sad Eyes




13. Shelf Nunny Ft. Briana Kranich - Cause I Had The Time

My favorite of the month, featuring his fiancé. Check out the cool video too.






What were your favorite songs of January? Leave a comment below or on Facebook or tweet to me @InJallusWords

Friday Feature: Kali Ma

If Crystal Castles' music sounds like Nintendo, then Kali Ma's music is blessed by God of Nintendo itself. Somehow I imagine the making of the music being Kali Ma aka Cody Miller having all his friends in his Pennsylvanian flat playing the most retro Nintendo games from numerous consoles and Game Boys, and basically him just pressing the red button on his recorder. Wish it was so, but the truth is that Miller used some old synths, computers and stuff like that. You know the dull modern mainstream way.

Luckily the outcome isn't boring at all. I mean, who would've thought that music can sound good almost base-free? Miller himself does state that he started Kali Ma, because he was so frustrated of producers battling out in who drops the heaviest base. 

I urge you to listen to the latest EP, I bet it will make you dance and wish that it was played in your local indie club. Plus it's free! Though I recommend you have a look at the limited edition CD version and some other goodies here, they're pretty rad.  

thanks to wasfuersohr for recommending.