Black City Lights-Another Life review

New artists can be interesting sometimes.  Some people have a hard time taking new artists seriously, even if their debut record is released by a big-name label.  Black City Lights, a pop artist from Wellington, New Zealand is no different.  Their previous EP, "Parallels" was an interesting release through which the group showed a lot of promise.  That EP was good but not great.  Since "Parallels" Black City Lights have released several singles.

The year 2013 has finally given us a debut full-length album from the band.  Where "Parallels" was good, "Another Life" is fantastic.  The artist has deepened their sound and have much improved in the vocal department. 

Black City Lights is most described as a dream-pop outfit, though the band seems to shy away from that label.  The problem with such a genre-specific label is that adhering to it only served to inhibit the musical artistry.  I think a more apt description of the music would be ambient synth pop with a very chill wave vibe running through it's veins (holy vernacular, that's a lot of 'v's, Batman!" 

If I were to compare artists, :Papercutz, whose latest album we raved about, would be at the top of the list.  Though the vocals are still not quite as strong as those from the aforementioned band, the cold, dreamy synths behind the vocals more than make up for it.  Don't get me wrong; I'm not saying the vocals are bad.  They are quite good as a matter of fact, just not quite as prolific as :Papercutz. 

The music in this release is deep and moving, packed with grandiose synths that paint the musical landscape with beautiful, ambient brushstrokes.  Standard electronic pop beats akin to chill wave music float to the surface in stunning fashion.  Another term I would use to describe the music would be dark cold wave.  This record emits a chilling darkness that is both beautiful and eerie.

Most of the tracks on this album are brand new.  One is a previously released single and at least one other track comes off of "Parallels".  If you are into pop music that doesn't meet the rigid qualifications for heavy air-play, you will most likely enjoy this disc.  This music remains interesting and beautiful throughout the short 45-or-so-minute run time. 

It is surprising just how good this album is.  I can fully recommend listening to this.  As it turns out, the band is offering a free stream of the album through their bandcamp page.  We have embedded that player here.  Thanks and, as always, enjoy!

JMSL-Elle M'aime review

Another unexpected 2012 gem, by 19-year old California artist Jay-Miss-Elle, otherwise known as JMSL, "Elle M'aime" is an interesting listen that excites the senses. 

Not only is the cover art for "Elle M'aime" fantastic, but the music is unbelievably mature.  Like so many other great records released this year, this music is difficult to categorize.  The best one can possibly do in most instances would be to call this a creative amalgam of avant-garde trip-hop, chillwave, and electronic ambient music.  Even that does not begin to describe what graces listeners' ears with this album.

"Elle M'aime" is a diverse listen that covers plenty of space and many different styles of music, but is mostly rooted in electronica.  The 13 track invoke numerous emotions, from lighthearted electro-pop, to dreary, down tempo chillwave that carries a certain vibe of trip-hop.  This is something you must hear to get a proper feel for what the music is like, and it takes several tracks to understand at that.

Each track is sparsely populated with trip-hop beats set across a canvas of emotional and atmospheric experimental ambiance.  JMSL's vocals are an electronically distorted array of interesting pop singing, carefully modified with exceptional digital effects that are at the same time out-of-this world and strikingly down to earth.  Though it is mostly impossible to understand the lyrics, the style of singing and vocal effects manage to convey the emotion behind the words succinctly. 

As I mentioned before, this was an unexpected discovery in a genre I rarely stray into.  It was also rewarding, keeping me interested throughout.  You really have to hear this record.  "Elle M'aime" is on offer as a name-your-price download from the JMSL bandcamp page, which also supplies us with the complete album stream.  Be sure to listen to a few tracks.  If you should feel inclined, please donate a few bucks to her cause, as she is a promising young artist who will hopefully offer many future releases to enjoy.  As always, thanks for reading and enjoy!

Hazy Mountains-Breeze review

Not all electronic music is created equally.  The first thing a casual listener should understand is that there are several different styles of electronica music, ranging from shoegaze to downtempo chillwave jazz, to house, dubstep, EDM, and so on.  These sub genre tags are somewhat *hazy at best, so it is important to listen to a producer or artist before buying so that you know what you are going to get.  That is one of the great things about blogs.

German producer Julian Prott, also known as Hazy Mountains, has just released a new full-length album entitled "Breeze".  This effort is a follow up to the EP "Lapiz Lazuli".  It is an excellent listen, showing massive improvement from the aforementioned EP.  This is not to say that "Lapiz Lazuli" was bad--in fact I found it impressive.  "Breeze" presents a fuller sound with harmonized samples and electronic noise against an ambient backdrop of atmospheric reverb. 

Distorted and sometimes layered female vocals find their way into the mix from time to time, yet are brief enough to allow the music itself to breathe.  "Breeze" also shows a strong progression toward a more chillwave-oriented sound with low-tuned grooves and consistent drum beats.  Behind the noise, beats and samples lies a well-rounded ambient disc that is packed with more atmosphere than many post rock artists dare to incorporate.  This sound is much more layered, deeper, and more interesting than "Lapiz Lazuli".

If you are in the market for ambient downtempo electronica, picking up this disc is essential.  This is an excellent listen worth of the five Euro download price (via bandcamp, which uses a PayPal setup).  The entire album is streamed below, courtesy of the Hazy Mountains bandcamp page.  Thank you for reading and enjoy!