Floating Spectrum "A Point Between (Temporary Residence)"
From our pals at Temporary Residence:
“Floating Spectrum is the moniker for Taiwan-born, Berlin-based composer and audio technologist, Mei-Fang Liau. Her debut album as Floating Spectrum, A Point Between – crafted from a combination of synthesizers, everyday household objects, and unique software synthesizers made by Liau herself – is truly a sound and vision unlike any other. To complete the album, Liau relied heavily on a self-made, fractal-inspired software synthesizer called Polyphylla, which simulates the way in which nature creates very complex and organic forms just by repeating slight variations of a simple form. It allowed Liau to create slowly evolving textures and sounds with complex dynamics, and thus the driving influence for the whole of A Point Between.”
I know, right? Yes-this is as otherworldly and beautifully strange as the TR PR makes it sound (also, I really like the sound of TR PR). Check out “Inner Island.”
Hiss Golden Messenger "Terms Of Surrender (Merge)"
The songs M.C. Taylor wrote for the latest Hiss Golden Messenger record Terms Of Surrender (Merge) were not originally written for a record. They were written for himself. A catharsis of sorts. It was only after he started writing these songs and playing them with other people that he realized that maybe they were too good to keep to himself. We are thankful he felt that way because we think they are too good for us to never hear, that’s for sure. For a record that started out as a personal collection of songs, there is a through-line on this record as strong as anything, and that through line is love. So if you are the kind of person that doesn’t love love then… well… this record is the least of your problems. Featuring the likes of Phil Cook, Jenny Lewis, and other guests, this is one Americana-tinged, rocking good time. Check out the joyous first track “I Need A Teacher.”
mxmtoon "the masquerade"
To call mxmtoon an “internet sensation” is like calling The Beatles “a pretty popular band.” Take, for instance, the song “prom dress” that appears on her new album the masquerade. In just about 2 months, the video for that song has been viewed nearly 3.5 MILLION times. That’s… that’s astounding. That’s like a million more people than watch The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. Not bad for a young woman who started out on youtube and TikTok performing songs solo on the ukulele. Here we have all of the songs from the record both in their solo acoustic fashion, and more lushly arranged versions. Sophisticated, jangly, ukulele indie-pop with constantly impressive turns of phrase that can somehow, sometimes sound like Lana Del Rey recorded an album with ‘90s R.E.M. I swear, that makes sense in my head. See if it makes sense in yours and check out the aforementioned “prom dress.”
Eye Flys "Context (Thrill Jockey)"
If you aren’t into a heavy metal band singing a song called “Fuckface” then there isn’t much I can do to convince you to love Eye Flys new record Context (Thrill Jockey). If that is your sort of thing, however, get ready! Eye Flys are as heavy as can be, with some detuned hardcore hints rounding out their punnishing sound. Something of a supergroup, they are comprised of members of Full Oh Hell, Backslider, and Triac (and those of you in the know will have already figured out that they got their name from The Melvins). So put on the blackest t-shirt you own and destroy whatever room you are in right now listening to “Stems.”