Tuesday, September 05, 2006 6:31 PM

New Music of the Day

Indie Rock • Electro

Thom Yorke
The Eraser
XL Recordings
2006

You cannot kickstart a dead horse.

Instead of being what most solo albums intend to accomplish, Thom Yorke's The Eraser is more of a tasty bite for Radiohead fans, starved after 3 years with no sign of a new album in sight. For those still clinging to hopes of a return to OK Computer, it's a strong urge for them to move on; The 90's are over. In reality, The Eraser is more of a small collection of dressed-up Kid A leftovers that back up the initial title track, which, by the way, is a powerful song indeed, beautiful in its simplicity with everything you would expect from a flawless Radiohead song; Emotional yet mechanical, melancholic yet erotic. Topped off by a groovy coda that recalls AFX's Analouge Bubblebath days, it's so good that it's accompanying roster lacks drastically in comparison, though they tend to have a considerable amount of charm that fans will enjoy such as the dreariness of “It Rained All Night” and the emotionally reaching vocals of “Harrowed Hill”. For the most part though, you'll wander through a lot of incidental clicks and bloops in this somewhat lazy synth-pop set, but for what it's worth, it's something for Radiohead fans to salivate over as long as they don't expect (or pay) too much.

Tuesday, September 05, 2006 6:25 PM

New Music of the Day

IDM • Ambient

Kettel
My Dogon
Sending Orbs
2006

An all-new new adventurous nature walk, courtesy of Kettel.

IDM producer Reimer Eisling cites Aphex Twin, his AFX moniker specifically, as his primary influence and on his seventh album, it becomes so clearly evident for the first time. Rarely does an electronic artist come so close to AFX's sound but hardly infringes due to Kettel's ability to separate himself from the twin. Kettel's talent for inventing and weaving complex melodies allows “Mauerbrecher”, which could very well be off AFX's Analord series, to transform into an erratic rollercoaster ride. “The Second 2006” sounds like it was taken directly from Drukqs but with this wide collection of tracks dwarfing those of other recent electronic works, there's plenty of room for the new ideas that Kettel always brings home with him besides the impressive AFX tracks. “Mannschaft” and “ Sekt I sing” take simple melodies and lift them up to amazing heights while “Halt Him” and “Peeksje 1994” are some of Kettel's greatest ambient works to date that display the controlled usage of nature sounds to temper the album's fantastic theme. No doubt, the best IDM album of 2006.

Tuesday, September 05, 2006 6:24 PM

New Music of the Day

Deep House • Ambient

Yagya
Will I Dream in the Process?
Sending Orbs
2006

Will You?

Sending Orbs made their debut last year as a new echelon of IDM labels that releases the best quality from the high profile artists. They continue the tradition by releasing probably the most anticipated sophomore album of the year. Iceland 's Yagya became somewhat of a legend with his debut Rhythm of Snow on Force Works years ago; now one of the most sought after works in the scene. Today, Sending Orbs is proud to represent Yagya back with Will I Dream in the Process? which features endless, and almost literal, ocean of hazy ambience that washs over deep house beats you can float forever on. The style has such an unusual tranquility to it that wanders aimlessly. “A Very Long Daydream” though, has you standing on a shoreline through this rather emotional ambient piece that leads into a finale that drifts you beyond the sea's horizon. Will I Dream During the Process? is the question, indeed. It has the ability to submerge you into a deep blissful state but what happens beyond that may be up to you. Either way, this powerful work pushes a well-established style of ambient groove to a whole new level of quality that winds up becoming unforgettable.