[EXCLUSIVE] Maps & Atlases – The Charm (Absofacto Remix)

Experimental popster Absofacto is back with another unique remix. This time he has chosen to work on a tune from the ever-so-introcate math-rock group, Maps & Atlases. This combination is a music nerd’s dream come true.

Absofacto has taken the song, The Charm, and created something entirely different. The original track, which can be found on Maps & Atlases full length cd Perch Patchwork, is a minimalist track that focuses on the voice of Davison, and tribal style drums.

This remix still focuses on Davison’s vocals, only Absofacto has added a repeating guitar sample that mimics the technical style of guitar work from some of Maps & Atlases other work. It’s delicately produced, and absolutely fantastic.

Maps & Atlases – The Charm (Absofacto Remix)

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[Psychedelic/Pop] Bye Bye Blackbird – Pure

Chances are you probably haven’t heard much about Bye Bye Blackbird, the solo project of San Fran’s Mikey Sanders, but I’ve got a hunch that’s about to change. Coming seemingly out of nowhere, Sanders takes the whateveryouwanttocallit genre by the horns and really makes it his own. In “Pure”, it definitely takes a couple of seconds before you can even catch your bearings, but as soon as you do, there’s nothing left to do but sit back, close your eyes and enjoy the ride. I think this song title might be an abbreviation for what the original title may have been, perhaps “Pure Sonic Bliss”. If you are digging these tunes and want a little bit more Bye Bye Blackbird action, you can download Sanders’ free EP entitled Happy High which was released quasi-recently through Arcade Sound Ltd.

Bye Bye Blackbird – Pure

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Bye Bye Blackbird – Happy High

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Article was written by Guest Blogger Chris from dailybeatz.com

[Fresh/Experimental] Ratatat Releases LP4 June 4th + New Tracks

Ratatat – DRUGS

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Prepare yourself because on June 8th, New York City electro due, Ratatat will finally be releasing their full-lenth LP4. They recorded the album at the same Old Soul Studios in Catskill, N.Y., where, as Paste describes it, is where they found the wealth of old synths, harpsichords, grand pianos, and other keyboard instruments evident throughout the last effort.

Ratatat – Grape Juicy City

The duo consisting of guitarist Mike Stroud and synthesizer, bass player, and producer Evan Mast, were my first introduction to the experimental genre with their synthesized /electronic/ experimental/ trip/hop style. They are able to produce multi-instrumental beats that are not only non-intrusive but incredibly organic. No matter how synthesized some of the melodies may appear, their music stays grounded to a genuine acoustic feel that makes the entire experience feel very natural. Ratatat caters to everyone, using enough rhythmic bass lines to please hip/hop fans of the like of Kid Cudi, while still creating provocative and melodic psychedelic guitar solos for the hardcore experimental junkies.

Ratatat – BARE FEAST
Ratatat – MAHALO

[Experimental] Pantha Du Prince – Black Noise

There is something wholly nostalgic about outdated video technology; the colors feel a certain way, wrapping the image in a staticy, visual warmness. Working under the Pantha du Prince moniker, Hendrick Weber has dedicated his latest album, by name at the least, to the randomness and ambiguity in those images. Black Noise takes on a limited tonal range, nothing fluctuating too far beyond the muted tones of microhouse’s 4-4 beat and a minimalist affinity for found/oddball percussion. Instead, he allows synth lines, organic percussion, unusual samples, and monolithic beats to cross over into each other’s auditory space, creating a blurred line between elements that make up an electronic composition. The result is eleven hypnotic tracks, each one a little masterpiece in its own right, that blend together to equal the inherent, random beauty of television static. Read full review at inyourspeakers.com

Pantha Du Prince – The Splendour

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[Albums Review] Four Tet – There Is Love In You

Kieren Hebden’s latest album under the Four Tet moniker is, by a considerably margin, his strongest and most consistently rewarding release to date. Here, the beats are much less rooted in instrumental hip hop, and are more geared towards the dance floor. Instead of using complex or bloated chord changes, Hebden opts for methods practiced by composers like Manuel Göttshing, Wolfgang Voigt or Steve Reich with unchanging harmonic centers, using texture and volume to reveal the limitless potential of the sonic spectrum. Standout track “Plastic People” starts with a Gas-like steady bass drum pulse and adds understated, jazzy comps—hand claps, rim knocks, and up-beat pulsing shakers. These elements are methodically added to, and subtracted from the beat, maintaining a forward motion in a way that’s hardly noticeable but endlessly preservative of the track’s substructure. Read full review at inyourspeakers.com

Four Tet – She Just Likes To Fight

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Four Tet – Sing

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Four Tet – Plastic People

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Bonus:
Thom Yorke – Atoms For Peace (Four Tet Remix)

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[Video] Caribou – Odessa

I hhhaaateee this video! I find it soo boring!.. but.. the song is SOOO GOOOOD that it makes the entire thing a little bit more interesting. I find it fascinating how a completely random blurry video can become mysterious with just the right melodies. This is the main reason I have a soundtrack section on the blog, music has a way of changing our mood almost perhaps more immediate than what we can perceive with our eyes.

Caribou is Canadian Dan Snaith, who formerly recorded under the moniker Manitoba. Known for altering his sound with each subsequent release, he incorporates electronic psychedelia, krautrock rhythms, and breakbeat drums and creates a swirling, lush, musical panorama.

Caribou – Odessa

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[Looking Back] The Experimental Coil

An emotional psychedelic/religious music experience with thought provoking lyrics along with beautifully orchestrated music. Coil’s music has a dark church cult feel with persona that matches the band. I won’t lie, listening to the song Coil – Batwing A Limnal Hymn all the way through gave me goosebumps at the crux of the hymn. If you were to eat a bunch of psychedelic drugs, take Phillip Glass – Knee Play 5 and Mix that with Einstürzende Neubauten – Sabrina all whist sitting in church, you might end up with something like Coil. Warm up the nettle tea and have a listen.

Coil, originally formed by John Balance and Peter Christopherson encompasses a carefully balance of instruments, vocals, soft synths, and a subtle various noises.

Coil – Batwings (A Limnal Hymn)

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Coil – Tattooed man

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Looking Back: Non-2009 Experimental/Pop/Indie Songs Playlist Vol.2

Electric President -S/T

Representing Jacksonville, Florida Ben Cooper and Alex Kane are creators of the softly electric indie pop duo Electric President. Their first album S/T is considered one of the greatest collections of electronica songs from this decade with amazing playful soft songs like Insomnia and Ten Thousand Lines. There music sounds like The Postal Service, Styrofoam and Anticon’s cLOUDDEAD.

Electric President – Insomnia

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Electric President – Ten Thousand Lines

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B. Fleischmann.

There is something very calming about Austrian musician Bernhard Fleischmann‘s “Buzz” from the solo album A Choir of Empty Beds. Although the percussions have a fast pace, the over extended synthesized melodies soften the over all tempo of the song. His drumming background is transparent in his music, creating a fusion of percussion and electronics.
B Fleischmann – Buzz

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The Never

I do not think many people have heard of these guys, a shame really. The Never is made up of Noah Smith and brothers Jonny and Joah Tunnell. Based in Chapel Hill, NC on Trekky Records Label, The Never make melodic rock and pop music. In 2006, the band released “Antarctica: A Storybook Record,” a concept album accompanied by a fully illustrated 50-page storybook written and painted by Noah Smith – last.fm

The Never – Cavity

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Hot Hot Heat

While they are not remotely obscure anymore, I remember listening to Goodnight Goodnight for the first time and be blown away by how different they sounded to anything that was playing on the radio in 2005. Songs like these were the reasons for me to start The Music Ninja. Like I have said before I was not into the whole “music blog/music discover” up until a 2 year ago and I am using the site and posts like these to show people amazing songs that are not being talked about anymore just because its not the latest and greatest. Hot Hot Heat is an indie rock band from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada and plan to release their next album in 2010.

Hot Hot Heat – Goodnight Goodnight

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Firekites

The Xx remind me a lot of Firekites, without being too minimalists. A good combination of dim guitar notes, keyboard, percussion and layers of voices make “Same Suburb Different Park” a such ‘feel-good’ song. A couple of glitches sprinkled here and there just barely make it into the electronica category, other wise it will just be considered acoustic folk pop.

Firekites – Same Suburb Different Park

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Missed Non-2009 Experimental/Pop/Indie Songs Playlist Volume 1? Check it out!