Introducing.. Geotic

Baths (previous posts) is relatively new to me personally, but it seems his association with ambient chillout goes back further than I figured. Formerly a member of chilled out folk act Post-Foetus, Will Wiesenfeld's other side project - known as Geotic, also delved pretty deeply into electronic experimentalism. Combining deep electronic whirrings with occasional falsetto and soft-edged overdubs, Geotic sounds just like the chill-wave artists of today in their early form. Ambient dance music "but without the big beats" is as close as my descriptions go.

Why am I telling you all of this? Its because Geotic offer pretty much the whole selection of recordings, albums, and EPs for free via their Angelfire page, and if you're a fan of the relaxing side of Will Wiesenfeld's production, I couldn't recommend you a better way of spending your next five minutes. If you've got another spare moment, then Post-Foetus are more direct and acoustic based, and are equally as brilliant.

Geotic - Ex-Doctrine (MP3) (from Winter Loops EP)
Geotic - Gryffindor Mixer (MP3) (from Duchenne Smile)
Baths - Hall (MP3) (from Cerulean)

Baths on Myspace Music
Post Foetus on Myspace Music
Download albums by Geotic via Angelfire

Cerulean on Vinyl via Amazon.com (June 22, 2010) 

Midweek Round-up #29/4 - Peter Wolf Crier, Baths, Sleigh Bells, Interpol

Peter Wolf Crier have been around for a while but my awareness of them certainly hasn't - they've only really become real to me in the last week or so, at a time where I've been fairly busy with creating my own album releases and trying to keep my head above water with the mounting levels of things I need to catch up on in time for this Summer. The new song from Minnesota folk-pop duo is called Hard As Nails, and joins an already very strong repertoire of material for a band who only formed in August 2009. Peter Pisano you may know from Wisconsin's very own Wars of 1812 - but when this quartet's hiatus commenced, he began spending his days teaching at a local primary school, continuing to write folk songs. When he felt confident enough to share them with drummer and producer Brian Moen, of Laarks and Amateur Love, the duo signed to Jagjaguwar Records. For this reason, I instantly associated this band with all those fellow labellers Odawas, Volcano Choir and The Besnard Lakes, but this band aren't quite so murky in the recording - they are more clear cut and confident than withdrawn and introspective, they showcase the exact kind of enthusiastic indie-folk charm you would expect from a band dropping a full-length album so quickly. Inter-Be hits stores in the US and UK on May 25, 2010.

Peter Wolf Crier - Hard As Nails (MP3)
Buy Peter Wolf Crier's Inter-Be, due May 25, 2010 via Amazon.com

The second major update of this week is to do with the 21 year-old producer and remixer Baths, whose latest remix, this time of Fol Chen's new(ish) track In Ruins - is dubbier and darker than anything he's dropped before. I posted two tracks from his upcoming album 'Cerulean' last month, check the post out here to hear for yourself the kind of variety i'm talking about. The album is out on Anticon records on June 22, 2010.

Fol Chen - In Ruins (Baths Remix) (MP3) (previous posts on Baths)
Buy Fol Chen's Part 1, out February 2009, via Amazon.com

As if M.I.A hadn't created enough stir this week already with her comical anti-ginger video (which was removed by Youtube on Wednesday) - her fellow N.E.E.T labellers Sleigh Bells announced officially that they would be releasing their debut album, entitled Treats, on the already overcrowded May 11, 2010. The bone-shatteringly loud Tell 'em is being released as the bands promo single, made downloadable from yesterday via the duo's rather excessive website. Its loud as ever, and still has that distinctive M.I.A sound to it that I just can't place.

Sleigh Bells - Tell 'em (MP3) (previous Sleigh Bells posts)
Buy Sleigh Bells' Treats, due May 11, 2010 via Amazon.com


Sleigh Bells weren't the only band to release a new track from their latest LP - Interpol followed suit, unveiling Lights from their as of yet untitled fourth album. The band, based in New York, revealed that they will be releasing a drip feed of information concerning the new album including tracklisting, MP3s, tour dates and album art. Post-punk influenced and reverb drenched as every - Lights is available to download either from their website or below.

Interpol - Lights (MP3) album TBC

Bloc Party lead singer Kele Okereke's solo project took its first outing this week when 'Tenderoni' premiered on Radio 1 - and I have to say, my view that Bloc Party are well on the way out has been just about confirmed. For a band who had the courage but not the creativity to create music different from Silent Alarm, the latest offering mixes what sounds like post-2007 Bloc Party, David Guetta and the music from that Citroen C4 advert with the dancing car which garnered so much Youtube attention in 2005. Not a great track, but Reading Festival friendly (about as much as I expected). Judge for yourself below.

Kele - Tenderoni (Radio Rip) (MP3)

Finally, I hate to self promote but I'm going to do it anyway - embedded below is the debut EP 'Blood, Its On Every Wall' of my own band, Kinnie The Explorer. This is our first EP and we only unveiled it yesterday night. Its available for download on bandcamp (and in the side of this blog) at name your price download until next week. Check out the original blog post, myspace and please, have a listen below. (Sorry!)

Kinnie The Explorer - Sleep (MP3)
Kinnie The Explorer - From The Floor (MP3)
Kinnie The Explorer - Blind Spider (MP3)
Kinnie The Explorer - Fairy Lit Hung Flowers (MP3)


from the Blood, Its On Every Wall EP - 28/4/2010

via Bandcamp

Introducing.. Baths - Cerulean (June 22, 2010)

Baths

Cerulean (June 22, 2010)

Anticon Records

Chillwave/Glitch-Hop/Lo-Fi

Every time I check back to Pitchfork there are more lo-fi bands from the US inhabiting its pages - Washed Out, Toro y Moi and Neon Indian amongst others have made it big time - but its the attention it pays to small-time producers like Baths is that which I like in particular. Baths is the latest to be getting some (as its now widely known) 'pitchfork lovin' - and it is definitely justified. Mixing hip-hop and lo-fi together in true Toro style, 21 year old Will Wiesenfeld's Anticon-Record grooves echo with ambient pop hooks and barely audible hushes of psychedelic dance music. Falsetto vocals enter the mix intermittently, as does heavy sampling, creating not just fantastic songs, but a relaxed chillwave feel not amiss to British producer Gold Panda. His debut album is due June 22, 2010 on Anticon records and follows dates through summer with White Hinterland, Dosh and Knightrider on the West coast. The tracklisting is as follows; he's dropped two free previews in the form of Maximalist and Hall - but if you require, as I did, you can stream most of the album via his myspace.

Baths - Maximalist (MP3)

Baths - Hall (MP3)

Cerulean

01. Apologetic Shoulder Blades
02. Lovely Bloodflow

03. Maximalist (MP3)
04. ♥
05. Aminals
06. Rafting Starlit Everglades

07. Hall (MP3)
08. You’re My Excuse To Travel
09. Rain Smell
10. Indoorsy
11. Plea
12. Departure