Tuesday, August 24, 2010

The Pharcyde - Drop

90's Flashback. Even though you know it's all played in reverse, it's intoxicating to forget.

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Chris Abrahams - Play Scar

This review was enjoyable to write. There's more to it at The Silent Ballet.

Play Scar
is a wonderfully adventurous ode to creative play. It plays out like a Room40 mixtape, collecting strange ideas from a larger pool of people, except that Chris Abrahams is instead one man full of Room40 artists. The album is a wealth of curious realities and questions: questions like, Where am I?, that bring an inquisitive smile to the face. This world is not full of dread, like so many other experimental noise records tend to be. Abrahams is not daring the listener; he’s telling stories or describing new places, lush with detail. Even after diving off a deep end or three, the final song “Leiden” comes in to seduce and stabilize the situation for a true sense of closure. This record is a fascinating journey, and with the piano leading the way, it is accessible and relaxed enough for someone new to unconventionally-structured music.

Monday, August 2, 2010

Sunwrae - Live At The Thornbury Theatre

Read this review on The Silent Ballet. Although I do admit it's probably my least spirited one in a long time.

Those who enjoyed Autumn Never Fall will undoubtedly enjoy Live At The Thornbury Theatre, recorded in Melbourne on the last night of the band's 2009 summer tour. Thanks to a seated and attentive audience, the sound is as clear as that on the studio album, and a few songs feel truly vibrant.