Dusted "Blackout Summer (Polyvinyl)"
Brian Borcherdt of the bombastically electronic Holy Fuck stunned everyone at the venue when he unveiled his side project Dusted. Just Brian by his onesies on stage, a guitar and a crackling amp his only accompaniment. From there, he rounded out the sound with a live band and released their beloved first album, Total Dust. Now we have the follow-up to that record, Blackout Summer, just in time for all of your planned blackouts this upcoming summer. Sparse yet deceivingly complex arrangements leave this airy, early morning-appropriate album heavy on deeper secrets just waiting to be discovered. Take, for instance, the hypnotic bass calisthenics on “Seasons” or the fade-in harmonies of “All I Am.” A little like a Pedro The Lion album of Beach Boys covers, Blackout Summer is sure to be a new fav. So make room in the “D” section of your collection and check out any of the tunes already mentioned, or the equally great “Backwoods Ritual.”
Paul de Jong "You Fucken Sucker (Temporary Residence)"
It’s tough to tell who the “sucker” is in the title of Paul de Jong’s newest LP You Fucken Sucker (Temporary Residence). Is it you and I he’s naming? Is he referring to himself? Well, like most of the work from Paul both solo and in his work with the Books, it’s not the easiest to discern what he’s trying to say. That makes sense, as his music isn’t always the easiest to listen to either. This collection of nearly undefinable music is a hazy road trip with stops off at found auditory object collages, R&B, jazz, world music, new age, doom electronica, and everything in between. You will NOT listen to this album passively, PdJ has made sure of that. But if you’re willing to give yourself over, it’s gifts are bountiful. Take, for instance, the tuned-in sound collage of “It’s Only About Sex.”
Amen Dunes "Freedom (Sacred Bones)"
If you are only as good as the friends you keep, then Damon McMahon aka Amen Dunes is like the best dude around. He’s worked with everyone from Godspeed You! Black Emperor to our pal Delicate Steve. Now THAT is some stellar company. It helps that the dude is enormously talented, as is evident on his latest collection Freedom (Sacred Bones). Sure it’s darker than his previous albums, yet he’s somehow found joy in his sorrow, creating songs that are at times danceable and funky, and at other times are grimy and tough. In fact, Pitchfork referred to the first single “Blue Rose” as “his most immediate music to date” so go ahead and check it out!
Chris Carter "Chemistry Lessons Vol. 1 (Mute)"
As a founding member of Throbbing Gristle, Chris Carter helped build the foundations upon which electronic music has been built. Also, he created X-Files! What’s that? A different Chris Carter did X-Files? I know! We kid here! For his latest release, Chemistry Lessons Vol. 1 (Mute), he combined his love of electronic music with his “guilty pleasure” obsession with English folk music. So expect here electronic music with nearly a sci-fi noir feel to it, combined with melodies that wouldn’t be out of place in nursery rhymes (he said so himself in the press for the album!). Check out the euphoric first track from the album “Blissters.”