Hamster Theatre presents Carnival Detournement (2001)

 

 

	1.	Vermilion Hue Over Lake Lausanne (for Nimal) 06:06
	2.	What makes you think this is a good place to bring a date? 03:04
	3.	Les Funfs 03:42
	4.	Jeanne-Marie 03:33
	5.	The Breach 01:35
	6.	Bur Di Lie Town So 04:21
	7.	The Caspian 01:18
	8.	Fanfare 00:43
	9.	Vang Vang 04:23
	10.	Bug 2: The History of the United States 04:06
	11.	Tick Fever 02:31
	12.	The Turn of Events 03:58
	13.	The Carrot is a Hologram 01:45
	14.	Drunken Penguin Tango 01:35
	15.	The Cat Song 02:28
	16.	A Reluctant Farewell 04:46

From Bandcamp Page:

"Hamster Theatre straddle the edges of folk music, avant-garde, world music, early 20th century French composers, such as Erik Satie and Maurice Ravel, contemporary composition and many other musical forms, bringing together elements of all these styles while never sounding 'just like' any one of them. "

"Using an instrumentation of accordion, keyboards, trombones, saxophones, clarinets, flutes, guitars, mandolin, bass, drums and percussion, their pieces are always filled with delightful melodies and surprising orchestrations. The end result – an early 21st century folk fusion – is pure Hamster Theatre."

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Brandstifter & Diurnal Burdens - Domestics (Sept 2nd, 2022) [UK]

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Nim Sadot - Felix (August 26th, 2022) [UK] jazz, bass, fusion, groove

Nim Sadot's Felix is a dedication album to his late grandfather, a Polish artist whose art helped him survive in a concentration camp during World War II. Nim Sadot composed all of the music on this album, plays, and enlisted top tier musicians for the other instruments. Yet another quality release of 2022.

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Pool Kids - Pool Kids (July 22nd, 2022) [Tallahassee, FL] art rock, emo, math rock

 

Pool Kids is an  indie emo / math rock band from Florida consisting of Christine Goodwyne (lead vocals, guitar), Andrew Anaya (guitar), Nicolette Alvarez (bass), and Caden Clinton (drums). This album is one of the more mainstream-friendly albums on this blog thus far. The description on Bandcamp summarizes this album perfectly:

Pool Kids are energy. Raw, sporadic, and indisputably authentic, the four piece group originally hails from Tallahassee, FL. Pool Kids, the band’s masterful self-titled album, fuses fan-favorite math and art rock familiarities with a tide of emotional and technical growth, engulfing the listener in a wave of impassioned indie rock angst. ‘Pool Kids’ is the first studio album to include writing contributions from new additions Nicolette Alvarez and Andy Anaya, seeing the band at their final, most kinetic form. Recorded in Seattle by producer Mike Vernon Davis, the latest LP is more crisp and polished than ever before, blending synth layers with post-hardcore guitar riffs and indie-pop textures with hot-tempered vocals. While the universal pain we all feel as we stumble into adulthood serves as the connective thread that runs through each of the songs on the album, the individual songs subject matter cover a dynamic emotional range. From everything to coping with trauma, the dissolution of romantic relationships, disillusionment with and shedding of friendships, and more, all while maintaining the power, humor, and resilience that defines the band.

Bandcamp / Internet Archive / YouTube

 

 

Meira Asher - radioworks_vol.01

Meira Asher is an Israeli sound artist whose work focused on the Israeli-Palestian conflict, multiple sclerosis, and more. 

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Fractal Sextet - self-titled (September 2022) jazz fusion, progressive rock

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Shamarr Allen & The Underdawgs - True Orleans (2018)

If there's a similar characteristic amongst many music releases from 2010 to present, it's the combination of older, traditional music with modern genres to create something wholly unique. Here you get Cajun brass mixed with trap to make something unlike anything released before.

YOUTUBE / APPLE MUSIC / ARCHIVE.ORG

DMT Tapes presents Yoshi's Island, World 7: Florida (2015) [Florida, USA] vaporwave, future funk

This is apparently the OST for world 7 of Yoshi's Island, but only for Floridian copies. It required advanced 16-bit extraction technology to convert it to this digital release.

Even if you find the above incredible, don't let that dissuade you from listening to a surprisingly good album.

BANDCAMP / INTERNET ARCHIVE / YOUTUBE 

Black Country, New Road - Ants From Up There (February 2022) [London, UK]

Black Country, New Road's Ants From Up There is one of those albums that defies classification. It's listed as post-punk, post-rock, and alternative, but it has a significant emo/screamo influence as well as touches of math rock, jazz fusion, and more sprinkled throughout. Definitely worth picking up if you want a unique but accessible album.

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MF DOOM - MM..LEFTOVERS (2004)

 

An MF Doom album to go with yesterday's posting of MM..Food.

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MF DOOM - MM..FOOD (2004)

 

 An MF Doom classic! Intelligent lyrics with a bit of sarcasm and cheese mixed in, complex beats, and an overall theme to tie the album together helps create one of the classics of indie hip hop. R.I.P. MF Doom.

 INTERNET ARCHIVE / YOUTUBE

 

 

Subtle - A New White (2004) hip hop, electronic

A New White is a classic electronic / hip hop album from Dose One's group Subtle. Released in 2004, it was part of the movement of indie artists distinguishing themselves from the tired leftover pop, rock, and rap music of the 90s, as well as access to music expanding greatly as a result of widespread broadband Internet access.

It's an album that sounds very much of the 'aughts, but much like Sufjan Stevens, LCD Soundsystem, Aesop Rock, and other indie artists of this time period, it holds up quite well in 2022.

 

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超即興 (Cho-Sokkyo) Uchihashi Kazuhisa/Yoshida Tatsuya - スネア地獄 Snare Hell (September 2022) [Japan] experimental, avant garde, free jazz

If free jazz, math rock, and Frank Zappa had a child, this album would be it. Complex timings, nonstandard time signatures, and polyrhythms help create a complex listening experience.

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Chon - Grow (2015)

 

 

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Meg Brennan - Legend of the Sleeping Bear (January 2022) [New York, NY]

 

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44 Leningrad - Zarapina (1995) [Germany]

I first heard this album in 1999. It took most of a day to download on a very slow rural dial-up connection. It was a random selection from an FTP and given it was the first album listed, I just went with it. I believe I referred to it as "Russian polka metal" the first time I heard it and had mixed feelings between intrigue and confusion. It grew on me after awhile and has become one of my favorite albums, helping me develop an appreciation for the much maligned accordion as a valid instrument.

YouTube / Internet Archive

Hentai Improvising Orchestra - A Revisionist History... (August 1st, 2010) [Ft. Worth, TX] experimental, free jazz, homemade instruments

 

 This is one of those albums that's obscure for a reason: it's not all that listenable to the mainstream audience. Homemade instruments, a variety of sounds, noise experiments, and more collide to form something that those only accustomed to popular music would likely label as not being music. A more careful listen reveals the complexity underneath this wall of assorted sounds.

This album has four "free" tracks, Lola's set, and a live recording.

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Standards - Fruit Town (July 2022) [Los Angeles, CA]

Another quality 2022 release, this time coming from a duo from Los Angeles, California. It's mostly instrumental, fusing math rock and jazz fusion to create a unique sound. Definitely a must-listen album of 2022!

bandcamp / download / youtube

Shahbaz Hussain and Helen Anahita Wilson - Silsila (July 2022) [London, UK]

 

 

 Here's a recent jazz fusion release, relying on mostly minimalist percussion while the piano carries the album. Lots of world music, especially Asian music, influences can be heard throughout this album. It's a bit pricey compared to many Bandcamp offerings, but it's definitely worth the price.

 

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haircuts for men - 手遅れに実現 lp (2015)

New genres have arisen during the Internet age of music distribution including vaporwave, chillwave, and many genres that heavily utilize modern technology. Haircuts for Men incorporates smooth jazz and ambient, chillwave beats to create a wholly unique listening experience.

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Nouns - WHILE OF UNSOUND MIND (August 2022) [Little Rock, AR USA] post-hardcore, screamo, experimental / noise

Initially, WHILE OF UNSOUND MIND sounds like a local hardcore / screamo album. A good one admittedly, but not necessarily anything all that unique. As the album progresses, it gradually utilizes more samples, more non-4/4 time signatures, and eventually morphs into an experimental noise album while borrow a bit from math rock, hip hop, post rock, funk metal, and other genres.

It's not the most accessible album to a casual listener. If you prefer music with an edge, complexity, and a bit of independent release rawness, you'll likely find something worthwhile here.

Bandcamp / Internet Archive /

 

toe - New Sentimentality (2013) [Japan] math rock, post-rock

Toe is a Japanese quartet founded in 2000 and continuing with the same core lineup. New Sentimentality's math rock / post-rock tracks add a tiny touch of 90s emo rock (i.e. Sunny Day Real Estate) to create something unique.

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