Tagged with abstract RSS

202 plays

Beat Culture — “Coastal Sentiment”

Ooh-oo-ooh; all things golden, all things going-well — not forgone, but still forgotten and humbly renounced through sampl’d aspects filling our lost r&b needs. Burrow even further through it all and things are suddenly clear, clear enough to cast every bit of clouded ambiguity away & set to stiffen whatever potential we’ve seen before.  

Beat Culture’s settling over the past few weeks through a heavy bass refined approach to take itself among the outlying sequences’ cadence previews Tokyo Dreamer in every way and now we’re here; the album freely available and all-encouraged for a listen. Simply 40 minutes to take it all in and this young musician guarantees ‘you will not be disappointed.’ I was far from it and I’ll be here listening all week. Hope you can all join me.


Stream / DL ‘Tokyo Dreamer’ over @ Beat Culture’s Bandcamp


mp3//Beat Culture — Coastal Sentiment

70 plays

The xx — “Open Eyes” [Demo]

Let’s let this one sit here for a while; to fill in its entire area and interlace throughout our chords’ vowel-laden accord. While it’s clear we’re told nothing is final here, I’m not so sure anything else is necessary. At least, let’s agree to follow along a different approach if too much is taken away from this very feeling; the same feeling that desperately longs to be extended, disassembled, & put back together in the same hazy light found behind our eyelids.

Yes, another xx post, but what can anyone say? This is a brilliant track to preview what the famous UK band has been planning. The follow up to their debut has got to be a huge leap for Jamie xx and the rest of this group. No pressure though, everything we hear so far feels as naturally created as everything we’ve already heard so far.


mp3//The xx — Open Eyes [Demo]

Arrange + Ricky Eat Acid — “P. S. L. W.”

The best in music is when it recaptures specific memories through another view; as an uncertainly apparent & linear walkthrough of an obviously emotion-tangled past, overwhelmed with more thoughts set to fall in place along every thought before it, making this approach that much more heavy. Though, none of it ever has to fall on this side of the lifeline. Wait, no. You really can’t just lump everything into two categories and deny everything else. That’s where all these questions come from, but in the meantime, we can enjoy everything else, + the aesthetics here. Don’t even know if I had a chance.

Arrange and Ricky Eat Acid should have happened a long time ago and I’m going to start off by saying “P.S.L.W.” has a killer ending; fading out to one of the most beautiful sounding synth melodies. Before all of that though, Malcom Lacey’s voice laces above the track’s dug down percussion and woah I am still taken away by Malcom’s vocals just as I was with every track off of Arrange’s Plantation. With this though, there’s just something truly connected and I hope we can expect more collaborations from these two.


DL individual works @ Ricky Eat Acid’s Bandcamp & Arrange’s Bandcamp


mp3//Arrange + Ricky Eat Acid — P. S. L. W.

60 plays

Red Alder — “Release”

Emphasized true one-to-one connections; wrapped around a disinterested percussion and equally opposite, but also unnoticed, vocals. No, nothing’s meant to be as lost as it seems, it’s all recreated through this music and we’re given an indirect nature to spill our thoughts over these loops. Left with unsure replies, we pack up our things; it’s what seems right and we can’t begin to feel indefinite towards it all over again—again (?). Have we gone full circle? No, just start over and we’ll show you where we left off.

Over this past summer, I got involved in a certain specific community. Filled with tt.fm adventures that last throughout most nights, I learned how rad each & everyone there was. The talent level was always up there with this crew as well. Just today, Kelsie Brown’s Red Alder project released its debut EP; a grim dazed & wound-back ambient approach at music, not as commonly found. Maybe not something most can jump into right way, the EP is a slow advent of anticipation, built up for the entire 21 minutes / 39 seconds, but you’re not really looking forward to anything specific; you just want to be there for that exact moment where ‘listening’ transitions into a complete immersed atmosphere. DL the release below for an explanation found in sound.


Free Download of Dissociation EP @ Red Alder’s Bandcamp


mp3//Red Alder — Release

The Field — “Then It’s White”

Waves of cheer & laughter behind a subtle victory in the background of the town fair’s repeated events; it’s a loss of time positioned between a nearly complete self-awareness and there’s always a following ready to coo away at any sort of progress you’ve made. No (?), that’s made clear with this. It is exactly why we are almost quick to point out the keys’ distinctive nature, while what’s really casting our unhinged approach, is all that makes up the background behind these loops and soon-to-be unspoken vowels, only to transition into more murmurs & soft clangs of uncommon percussion.

The Field, is Sweden’s own, Axel Willner, one of Kompakt’s most beloved family member. His work has always escalated as it went along. Sometimes approaching new directions in creativity. His latest release, Looping State of Mind, is easy to completely fall in love with. As you’re listening, you can’t help but guess just when each song hits its summit. The double LP release for Looping State of Mind is out Oct. 10th through Kompakt.fm.


Stream more Kompakt releases & mixes over @ Kompakt’s Soundcloud


mp3//The Field — Then It’s White

(via Altered Zones)

Purity Ring — “Belispeak”

Scoping cemeteries of distinguished vocal pop efforts through various effects stinging the ears of apostles & encumbering the lives of many, we’re caught in a fever of overwhelming apathetic thoughts and it turns out that the only way to scrape off the sporadic midi-splurge is to go on and multiply each listen while adding a bit of the past in there as well. Not many overall, but it’s still enough to spring away with something you didn’t have before and probably wouldn’t even have touched if it weren’t for these two.

Note the release for “Belispeak” on Purity Ring’s new split 7″ with Braids (!), due in October on Fat Possum (!!).


Previous extraordinary efforts brought to you @ Purity Ring’s Soundcloud


mp3//Purity Ring — Belispeak

30 plays

[PREMIERE] Longclaws — “Excursions of Suntory”

Outings with no ties to what’s left behind, only the sightseer’s sightless sightseeings to pass along before the subdued aural delicacy, welcomed immediately, and synth masquerade, sometimes found orchestral, are present. Now, we’ve got more than enough to go on from here. Hooded from the sun, we continue along, ignoring the inverted light and refractions from the heat. Mirage-driven & uncaring of it all, we’re both here and ‘I don’t know what I’d do without you.’

LongclawsPrelude is an embodiment to Adam Lathrum and Chris Braciszewski’s prolific sound. The production behind these two songs is surely worth noting. Emphasizing stringing-synth melodies across calm & meek vocals, their short collection is only a taste of something brilliant to come. For now, it’s just this, but no complaints here. Listen to reason and simply listen, but also look forward to their soon to be released EP.


“India” available for download @ Longclaws’ Bandcamp


mp3//Longclaws — Excursions of Suntory

20 plays

The Answer Page — “Chatter”

Cucumber’d cumbersome cubes, corralled & considered for the queue behind the clear enigma of noise given by the cue, keep accumulated and our restful spoken side is outright to put it all on the table. Humming riffs, to even widen our aperture’d focus on past experiences, fall between our outright nature and now it’s as steady as the opposing lights given by the contrast of black & white.

Solo shoegaze project from Nate McKee, The Answer Page, is a mutually distinct approach at a sound many have taken in with much appreciation. Each track tied down by guitar stacked lofi noise and cool-headed vocals all around, the album is as sound as ever for a one-man production. 

The nature behind the music, on Orca, is utterly calm, though turbulent & stark, it’s also an unresting requiescence of certain dark looming personas collected through the foreground progressiveness. More so, a strung together work behind the message of; ‘At the end of every sad story is a chance to start anew,’ this is easily noted in more detail after each and every listen.


Stream the entire release; Orca @ The Answer Page’s Bandcamp 


mp3//The Answer Page — Chatter

119 plays

Grandpa Was a Lion — “The Re-invention of Janet Jackson (E-yore Remix)”

Steady sleighs of soft keys behind plucked out strums on a night found dwindling down through rooftop outings and all that is left to say at the end of it all has already been heavily hinted at. Now, indefinite cases found through these vocals compare & relate to our mental stature, ranking away among others, and at best we’ve only been stacking thimbling thoughts, all while the night’s already set and no idea whether anything will be repeated/re-visited/re-invented.

The work of Justin D’Onofrio, as Grandpa Was a Lion, is a refreshing light atmosphere’s take along ambient & acoustic vibes. It’s soft music to play at night or on a walk and always soothing enough to enjoy. The song above is the composition of a three year old song never released before, until a friend, Kyle Eschner, came about to add his own spin on the music. 


Stream/Download more @ Grandpa Was a Lion’s Bandcamp


mp3//The Re-invention of Janet Jackson remix by E-yore.

20 plays

Ben Varian — “Gong Station Chimes”

Distant television noises, from a room down the pass, drown out to ambient fades behind a deep bass filled brazier before the doldrums of a sweeping ennui found in these vocals soon settle in, only to set up high before a slow-turning return. A straddle through the staircase-climbing strings surround the keys’ substituted nature. It’s all sand-level’d from here on, though that’s not enough to sideline the swayed stillness found in these ‘Gong Station Chimes.’

Released by Spirit Cat Records, an artist created FL music collective hosting and giving out music for free, Gong Station Chimes from Ben Varian, whom I’ve posted earlier this month here & with a video here, has added to the ongoing & refreshing music scene coming out of Tallahassee. The release has carried on Ben Varian’s sound and added a bit of an out-of-sorts somber element to it all. Easily worth noting, as well as, downloading with the link below.


Download for free @ Spirit Cat’s Bandcamp


mp3//Ben Varian — Gong Station Chimes

mp3//Ben Varian — Potassium




AWD ('Odd') CASTLES ::

Florida-based blog; an outlet of the extensive library of music that I have ever come across, with abstracts from personal experiences or whim.

If, at any point, there's an audio post you'd like taken down, please use the email posted above and I'll get to it as soon as possible.

Words by George Awwad.


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