66. AUTOLUX "THE BOUNCING WALL"

next up is a great dreamy, synthed-out, glitchy nu-gaze track which just got a new lease of life, The Bouncing Wall from LA based noise-pop/nu-gaze trio Autolux, which has been re-released digitally as the "The Bouncing Wall/Census" EP (2011).

recommended for fans of Sonic Youth, Blonde Redhead et Asobi Seksu ...


MP3: The Bouncing Wall

the "The Bouncing Wall/Cencus" EP is available online via tbd records or on itunes.

check out Autolux here: myspace | lastfm | autolux | tbdrecords

66. THE ...

66.

The leaves lay in a bright gold blanket beneath the trees

and the sky was filled with white changing clouds.

{Carson McCullers, Reflections in a Golden Eye}

65. POCAHAUNTED "THRESHOLD"

this is a bit after the fact, but i've only just recently gotten round to listening to the mesmerising output of noise-pop/psych folk outfit Pocahaunted, so here is one of their wonderfully blissed-out, jangly swan-songs, Threshold from their 'final' release "Threshold" 7" (2010).

"Pocahaunted were the self-proclaimed 'Olsen twins of blissed out drone'"

Pocahaunted were primarily the awesome talents of Amanda Brown aka LA Vampires et Bethany Cosentino aka Best Coast, who is not featured on Threshold , but you can check out her wailing et chanting on the stunningly epic Ashes in White, an early Pocahaunted "hypnogagic pop" track i'm also posting.

MP3: Threshold 

et here are a few classic tracks for those not familiar with Pocahaunted to get you hooked!

MP3: Ashes in White {from "Island Diamonds" (2008)}

MP3: Make it Real {from "Make It Real" (2010)}

if you like what you hear, you can find most of the Pocahaunted albums, EPs et singles online from itunes or at NotNotFun.


check out Pocahaunted here: myspace | notnotfun | lastfm

65. THEN ...

65.

Then, afterwards ... but what sadness in it all.

{Robert Pinget, Baga}

64. BIRDIE HILLTOP "THE READY DANCE"

this remarkable next track is one i thankfully stumbled upon recently over at No Fear of Pop, The Ready Dance from mysterious et brilliantly eccentric Swiss-born, Brooklyn bedroom pop/folk artist Birdie Hilltop {Pascal Troemel}.

just who/what is Birdie Hilltop? well, a bit of searching brought up the following facts about the entity known as Birdie Hilltop, his real name is Pascal Troemel, he describes himself as a one-man band, who has been making music since 2000, he has his own record label Eighth Nerve Records {8NR}, that is currently just a black pastel-rendered silhouette profile of a young man, he had a dog called Minnie, who lived to be 20 years old, whom is featured in his music video for the track Rosalia, et that 2009 was an incredibly prolific year for him, as he released several albums including his stunning The Sorrow album.

what we know first-hand from listening/experiencing Troemel's music is that he is an incredibly gifted songwriter et musician, The Ready Dance is a simple, bittersweet ballad ... dreamy, hazy, gentle whimsical with an endearingly wonky organ solo. i for one can't wait to see/hear what will come next from the enigmatic artist know as Birdie Hilltop.


MP3: The Ready Dance

you should definitely watch the awesome performance video for The Ready Dance, Birdie is crooning away in a rather plush looking bathtub, with fairy lights wrapped around him, it's a no-fi Peter Gabriel video.



also check out the stunning video for The Sorrow from Birdie Hilltop's album "The Sorrow" (2009).

The Sorrow

you can find Birdie Hilltop here: myspace | lastfm | birdiehilltop

64. EVEN ...

64.

Even then, in those early days when I first sensed the whys and 

wherefores of human life, even then a strange disbelief crept 

into me, a sense that everything was useless, that even love, 

maybe, might be in vain and empty.

{Milena Milani, The Story of Anna Drei}

63. TERROR BIRD "WE WERE MONSTERS"

next up is a super infectious, 80s tinged, synth-pop track, We Were Monsters from Vancouver/LA based minimal wave/'gloom-pop' trio Terror Bird {Nikki Never, Jeremiah Haywood & Bianca Karre} off their much anticipated debut full-length album "Human Culture" (2011).


MP3: We Were Monsters

here is another fantastic synth-pop track from the recent "Outside/When I Wake Up" 7" (2011), which is available from UK label Night School.

MP3: Outside

et have a listen to this deliriously gloomy early Terror Bird track from the "Shadows in the Halls" 7" (2010), currently still available from the French label Atelier Ciseaux, or Norman Records.

MP3: Shadows in the Halls

the "Human Culture" album is currently available on vinyl from Night-People/Adagio 830, i would definitely recommend getting your hands on this prize possession, with awesome cover art by Shawn Reed!

check out Terror Bird here: myspace | lastfm
 

63. AFTER ...

63.

After a few days, having grown accustomed to her lips,

I did not think of any further delights.

{Raymond Radiguet, Devil in the Flesh}

62. PEEPHOLES "LADDER"

i totally missed the boat on this one, but better late than never, here's a piquant track to get the juices flowing, Ladder from Brighton/London noise pop duo Peepholes {Nick Carlisle & Katia Barrett} off their "Lair" EP (2010).


MP3: Ladder

here is a moody performance music video for Ladder, directed by Dan Nixon. check out Nixon's site to read his entertaining behind-the-scenes account of the video.



also check out this great experimental video for the track Airforce Trainer, from the split album "Kingdom/Paul the Record" {2010}. video directed by Katia Barrett et Ellen Feiss.

the "Lair" EP is available online from itunes, et you can grab the 12" version from hungryforpower

check out Peepholes here: myspace | lastfm | wearepeepholes

62. I ...

62.

I dream of the day I am lying on the couch and

I simply dream.

{Paula Green, Map of the Places Where I Lie and Stand on Sunday Afternoon}

61. JENNY HVAL "BLOOD FIGHT"

here is an absolutely stunning new track i happened upon yesterday et i can't stop playing it, Blood Fight from Norwegian avant-pop experimentalist Jenny Hval off her new solo album "Viscera" (2011).

Hval's mesmerising voice might sound familiar to some, she previously released albums as Rockettothesky, her spoken-word delivery style is reminiscent of Laurie Anderson. enjoy!


MP3: Blood Fight

et here is another sublime track from the album.

MP3: Silver Fox

check out the atmospheric b&w music video for Blood Fight, directed by Håvard Volden et Jenny Hval. it was filmed on the Hume Highway, traveling between Sydney et Melbourne.



et here is the video for How Gentle from the "Viscera" album, directed by Håvard Volden et Jenny Hval, filmed in Berlin et Victoria, Australia.



i can't recommend this album enough, you really need to get yourself a copy of "Viscera", out now from Rune Grammofon on cd or 2LP!/mp3, or available online from itunes. you can also find Hval's earlier albums as Rockettothesky on itunes, i would strongly advise listening to "Medea" (2008).

you can find Jenny Hval here: myspace | jennyhval | lastfm

61.MY ...

61.

"My vocation is loving you - I'm not a painter, I'm a lover."

{Honoré de Balzac, The Unknown Masterpiece}

60. BEAT CONNECTION "SILVER SCREEN"

when it rains it pours, here is some more great music from Seattle, it's a track that's been around a while but has just been given another lease of life with the release of a new EP, Silver Screen, from talented Seattle electro-pop/chillwave duo Beat Connection {Jordan Koplowitz & Reed Juenger} from the "Silver Screen" EP (2011).

Silver Screen is a carefree, euphoric, sundazed electro-pop track, it's like a blissful day at the beach, not a cloud in the perfect azure sky, the sun glistening on the glassy, gently undulating ocean, you run full-speed down the beach to the water et do an improvised somersault, crashing into a breaking wave, what could be better than this, perhaps it's all a fanciful, fleeting daydream, but who cares, just enjoy it while it lasts!

faux pan pipes tottle away cheerfully, as a driving, thumping, house-y, bass slowly builds, continuing to pump blood into the track, while a myriad of savvy, pitch-shifted synths play delightfully vibrant melodies, plinky, bell riffs et electro blips all commingle ecstatically et swim around us, the tracks highlight is the super catchy, carefree, soulful Peter Gabriel-esque vocals et warm Beach Boys harmonies, which wash over us like a refreshing ocean spray.


MP3: Silver Screen

here are a couple more gloriously sundazed electro-pop tracks, with a splash of tropicana from the "Surf Noir" EP:

MP3: Sunburn

MP3: In the Water

et here is the new fuzzed-out, kaleidoscopic, retro music video for Silver Screen created/mashed up by Dumb Eyes.



also check out this great backyard, live performance video of Silver Screen by Alex Kummerow for Camp Revival:


you should definitely get your hands on the Beat Connection debut "Surf Noir" EP (2010), it will be re-released officially on Tender Age, april 11th, while the "Silver Screen" EP is out now on itunes.

check out Beat Connection here: myspace | lastfm | bandcamp | tenderage

60. FINALLY ...

60.

Finally, we shall imagine 

our own imaginations - we are

snakes who swallow our tails.

{Meg Campbell, Fish}