Echoing Halls

independent Music Reviews

[echoinghalls]

2016 AOTY

Supreme Champion:

1. David Bowie - Blackstar

Worthy Adversary:

2. Radiohead - AMSP

3. A Tribe Called Quest - We Got It From Here

4. Eric Copeland - Black Bubblegum 5. Death Grips - Bottomless Pit

7. Animal Collective - Painting With 6. DIIV - Is The Is Are 8. Tycho - Epoch  9.  Nothing - Tired of Tomorrow 10. Angel Olsen - My Woman 11. Nicolas Jaar - Sirens 

12. ANOHNI - HOPELESSNESS 13. Blood Orange - Freetown Sound  14.  Kendrick Lamar - untitled unmastered. 15. Bon Iver - 22, A Million 16. Tim Hecker - Love Streams 17. Jack Dejhonette - in movement   18. Vijay Iyer - A Cosmic Rhythm With Each Stroke 

~~~~~ did not listen to these (couldn’t find downloads)  ~~~~~ 19. Kanye West - The Life of Pablo 20. Parquet Courts - Human Performance

=VVVVVVV ~UNLISTENABLE TRASH~ VVVVVVV

21. The Avalanches - Wildflower 22. The Thermals - we dissapear  23. James Blake - The Colour In Anything 24. Glass Animals - How To Be A Human Being

[echoinghalls]

Deakin - Sleep Cycle

Artist : Deakin

Album : Sleep Cycle

https://deakinjams.bandcamp.com/album/sleep-cycle

Josh Dibb, a.k.a Deakin is an experimental musician from Baltimore, Maryland. He is most widely known as a founding member and mastermind behind the critically acclaimed psychedelic juggernaut Animal Collective. However, over the last few years, Deakin has been in and out of the band and working on some enigmatic solo material. Despite rumors, sparse bootlegs and a disastrous kickstarter stint, the album, titled Sleep Cycle has finally arrived and fellas.... The Deak delivered! This short album is like a dream start to finish, a nostalgic and comforting blanket that invites you to come on in, because the water's fine.

The opening track Golden Chords is a delightful acoustic ode to overcoming self doubt. Its doused with froggy, nightlit ambient samples and the littlest electronic percussion that could. Deakin's mystifying lyrics and softly spoken voice trails with a hauntingly beautiful, snake-waying melody and a tone that is intimate and opening. This song feels like a gateway to the soul of an AnCo member, who have repeatedly shrouded themselves in mystery, and now one of them seems to be speaking from the heart in a way much more bare than we've seen or heard in recent years.

Just Am is a rich and tactful psychedelic platter of auditory desserts accompanied by a spectacularly colorful music video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmaJTpJpUiU

Deakin's voice comes through stronger and soars on climactic echoes. The end of the song disassociates the listener and drowns us in a confusing, hypnotic otherworldly gibberish voice (is it gibberish? Maybe its just a language I don't know or recognize) Its devilish, the things nightmares are made of.

Footy is a jam, and takes us to Deakin's hard rock / punk roots. Bellowing, blown out distorted guitars rip through the chaotic beat whilst his playful voice dances in between, Atlas Sound style; up-close to the mic, also distorted and sounding nearly fellated. Footy outros into Seed Song, which transitions into the climax of the album and in my opinion Song Of The Year So Far, Good House. As a closer, it ties everything up, thematically concluding Deakins enlightening struggle to overcome anxiety and auto-depreciation. His voice has never sounded more serene when he croons the lines “here taste, good bread I baked with my mind.” There is an almost comical element of fantasy to the album, yet its played off excellently with the canonically proficient execution of mysticism we've come to expect from the animal collective camp. Sleep Cycle is a superb, albeit short lived album that not only provides an enriching experience, but also a deeper insight to sonic blueprints of early Animal Collective. But 7 years in the making? Cmon.....

~EH

[echoinghalls]

Bandcamp 2015 AOTY Results

Supreme Champion:

2 8 1 4 - 新しい日の誕生

Worthy Adversary:

Benoit Poulliard - Sonnet

Maybe Next Time:

Pogo - Kindred Shadow

4th place:

Nagasaki Nightclub - Respritory

5th place tie:

Maitro - Dragonball Wave Bettenhaus Ryne - House of Thaumaturgy Walter TV - Blessed Andy Boay - In The Light 

9th place tie:

Orikami & Friends 

Dragao Inkomodo - O Estado Nítido Tem Estado Pútrido 

Woody Grant - Birthday Week .casting - menage trois

Living Visions LLC - ビッグBIG 列車

Foliage - Truths

  15th place tie:

Moon Room - S/T

DJ Femboy - Volume 1 

Pleasance House

fatherfake - ONYX

myk - flevopark EP

lampgod - shrouded hella

Hamburger - make yourself at home

Jaapur - How Far EP

Epiglottis - Take Me to the Burning Waters

IHopeWeBothDie - Promises We Couldn't Keep

wished bone -pseudo recordings Geyser Bastion - Humble Cannons Wyndwood - Be Something Dave Roland - The Original Music to "The Last Ride" Infinity Girl - Harm Abelian - Phantasmagoria Droopies - Droopies (2015) Tears of Chronus - Lovelace 33rd place tie:

Lanza Manza - X

The Ambiguity - Adventures of a Letdown Mohn - Walk Among the Scene Michigan Boy - 08 FUCK EM Zachariah Holte - The History of Flesh Shaman B - Myths EP wakesleep - three thousand flora more eaze - accidental prizes Daliborovo Granje - Daliborovo Granje (2015)

[echoinghalls]

a definitive guide to mac demarco and the slacker-rock music movement

see also: the music projects of Andy Boay

Affiliate music group : https://deepwoods.bandcamp.com

[echoinghalls]

2015 Bandcamp AOTY

I’m doing a second tournament exclusively for releases on bandcamp. This is open for ANY BAND, ARTIST OR MUSIC PRODUCER to enter. The winning top 10 (or 5 depending on my level of apathy) will get full page reviews as well. so please, submit your music here if you would like to be listened to and have some good words written on your bands behalf!

Also! if you have already submitted to this blog and no one ever got around to listening to your music, feel free to re-submit with  “BC AOTY” in your submission’s title and I will add you to the tournament.

http://challonge.com/2015BCAOTY

[echoinghalls]

2015 AOTY List RESULTS! A

album reviews incoming

Supreme Champion: Panda Bear - PBMTGR

Worthy Adversary:

Jefre Cantu Ludesma - A Year With 13 Moons Maybe Next Time:

Archy Marshal - A New Place 2 Drown 4th place:

Father John Misty - I love you honeybear

5th place tie:

Helen - The Original Faces Homeshake - Midnight Snack

7th place tie:

Neon Indian - Vega Intl Night School Beach House - Depression Cherry 

Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp a Butterfly

Deredorian - Expanding Flower Planet

11th place tie:

Kamasi Washington - The Epic

Courtney Barnett - Sometimes I sit and think Sun Kil Moon - Universsal Themes Floating Points - Elaenia Beach House - Thank Our Lucky Stars

15th place tie:

Tame Impalla - Currents   

Kurt Vile - B'lieve I’m Goin Down Jamie xx - In Colour

Title Fight - Hyperview

Mac Demarco - Another One 

  21st place tie:

Sufjan Stevens - Carrie & Lowell

Death Grips - The powers that b

Earl Sweatshirt - I don’t like shit Oneohtrix Point Never - Garden of Delete Viet Cong - Viet Cong Deafhaven - New Bermuda Four tet - Morning Evening 26th place tie:

Ought - Sun Coming Down

BBNG & Ghostface Killah - Sour Soul Deerhunter - Fading Frontier Grimes - Art Angels Thundercat - The Beyond Drake - if you’re reading this its too late Bjork - Vulnicura 33rd place tie:

FKA Twigs - M3LL155X Run The Jewels 2 Young Thug - Barter 6 Youth Lagoon - Savage Hills Ballroom Mount Eerie - Sauna

really shitty albums

Beirut - No No No Toro Y Moi - What For?

[echoinghalls]

2015 Preliminaries Round 1 Results

The tournament for Bandcamp AOTY 2015 is going to get started soon. submit your results to be included.

http://challonge.com/2015BCAOTY

WINNERS PRELIMINARIES

Four Tet - Daytime, Evening vs. Beach House - Depression Cherry

          Winner: Beach House DC

Floating Points - Elaenia vs. Father John Misty - ILYHB

          Winner : Father John Misty

Homeshake - Midnight Snack vs. Helen - The Original Faces

         Winner : Helen

Jefre Cantu Ludesma - AYW13M vs. Title Fight - Hyperview

         Winner : Jefre Cantu Ludesma

Courtney Barnett - SISATASIJS vs. Beach House - Thank Your Lucky…

         Winner :  Courtney Barnett

Viet Cong - Viet Cong vs. Archy Marshal - A New Place 2 Drown

         Winner : Archy Marshall

Kamasi Washington - The Epic vs. Panda Bear - PBMTGR

         Winner : Panda Bear

Neon Indian - Vega Intl. Nightschool vs. Earl Sweatshirt - IDLSIDGO

         Winner : Neon Indian

Victors of the Losers bracket

Jamie XX

Homeshake

Floating Points

Mac Demarco

Sun Kil Moon

Kamasi Washington

Sufjan Stevens

Beach House TOLS

[echoinghalls]

The sweeping and cascading tunes of the ever hypnotic Dragao Inkomodo has teamed up with the eclectic art group DEEPWOODS to release a three-track-packaged single. Vague traces of chillwave, dance and world-beat swim sonic circles around the listener, evoking a confusing yet attractive menagerie of relaxing dreams and the comfort of a distant yet undefined nostalgia. Vintage and archaic, while told through a modern voice in perfect balance.

Download for free at:

https://deepwoods.bandcamp.com/album/ano-novo-vida-nova-single-deepwoods-edition

Check out more of Dragao Inkomodo’s music at:

https://dragaoinkomodo.bandcamp.com/

[echoinghalls]

2015 AOTY List : Elimination Round Results

Alright, update time.

First, I want to give some context to the tournament. When I was picking the albums, I just read from a list of albums that had been released this year. Any names that caught my eye as “something I had heard about” was added. I didn’t add albums that I already had listened to and didn’t like. So there was hardly a criteria for the contestants.

Now first two waves of the elimination round has been completed.

The following albums will move on to the winner’s bracket:

Four Tet - Daytime, Evening vs. Beach House - Depression Cherry

Floating Points - Elaenia vs. Father John Misty - ILYHB

Homeshake - Midnight Snack vs. Helen - The Original Faces

Jefre Cantu Ludesma - AYW13M vs. Title Fight - Hyperview

Courtney Barnett - SISATASIJS vs. Beach House - Thank Your Lucky…

Viet Cong - Viet Cong vs. Archy Marshal - A New Place 2 Drown

Kamasi Washington - The Epic vs. Panda Bear - PBMTGR

Neon Indian - Vega Intl. Nightschool vs. Earl Sweatshirt - IDLSIDGO

the following albums will compete in the losers bracket for chances to replace in the winners ranks:

Deafhaven vs. Kurt Vile

FKA Twigs vs. Oneohtrix Point Never

Beirut vs. Kendrick Lamar

Tame Impala vs. Young Thug

Thundercat vs. Mount Eerie

Run The Jewels vs. Drake

Sufjan Stephens vs. Youth Lagoon

Toro Y Moi vs. Ought

The winners of the first wave of the loser’s bracket will fight against Jamie XX, Deerhunter, Grimes, Mac Demarco, Sun Kil Moon, Death Grips, Bjork and BBNG & Ghost Face Killah

[echoinghalls]

2015 AOTY update

Had to make some changes to the roster

Purity Ring was removed because it was so terrible I didn’t even want it in last place

Pond was removed because I couldn’t find a download link and I didn’t care enough

In their place is now Helen’s debut album The Original Faces versus Run The Jewels 2, two albums I know I at least really liked already

the matches will continue today

[echoinghalls]

2015 AOTY list Round 6 : Youth Lagoon vs Kamasi Washington

I was feeling under the weather yesterday, so I got a little behind but whatever.

Youth Lagoon : Savage Hills Ballroom

I was really amazed by this album actually. It was such a departure from thee last album I listened to which was Year of Hibernation, which was a phenomenal album in my opinion. A much different emotional direction too I feel like. Much more confident, energetic. He has fully embraced the contemporary style of explosive pop music. My favorite track was No One Can Tell, that song alone would be a reason to listen to it again.

Kamasi Washington : The Epic

The Epic, as the name would suggest, starts out with an epic, three song succession of twelve and a half minute long bombastic jazz pieces that sound like M.C. Escher paintings as music. There was never a moment throughout this album that I ever felt I had to be generous to get through, unlike with Savage Hills Ballroom. Its only detriment, being that I’m not a seasoned jazz listener is that I probably couldn’t stand to listen to as much more jazz so soon, however to anyone who actively listens to this kind of music would not even register that issue. So for someone who doesn’t understand the genre to be able to fully appreciate the variety between songs must be evidence to Washington’s comprehensive ability. 

Winner: Kamasi Washington

~EH

[echoinghalls]

2015 AOTY list round 5 : Mac Demarco vs Mount Eerie

Mac Demarco : Another One

A lot of people, myself included were initially disappointed with the release of Mac’s latest release. He called it a mini LP, and for the most part it really was just another one. Another lackadaisical assembly of songs from this dude. However the more I listened to it the more it really grew on me. It feels like a culmination or distillation of his songwriting style as well as the apex of his production abilities (even though he just recorded it in his house). To me this album is more definitive than Salad Days, his previous album, and takes itself much less seriously. In a perhaps lapse of forethought, he shares his home address in the last few seconds of the album. I wonder how that panned out for him given his current explosion of popularity. In the brief 3 years since the release of 2 it feels like something has gone missing, some piece of magic lost.

Mount Eerie : Sauna

I’m really not entirely sure what direction Phil Elverum is guiding his ambitious solo project in these days. His newest album, Sauna comes right out the gate with an epic 10 minute explosive drone. Low and rumbling, the auditory textures of sauna pull us down into Phil’s intimate sonic chasms. However, this eccentric and immersive intro, perhaps more of a capstone notion for Mount Eerie, unfortunately makes the album feel front loaded, and the succession of songs that follow fail to live up. 

Winner: Mac Demarco

~EH

[echoinghalls]

2015 AOTY list Round 4: Young Thug vs Jefre Cantu Ludesma

Jefre Cantu Ludesma : A Year With 13 Moons

The first time I heard the lush, perfectly textured world of A Year With 13 Moons I was blown away. I mean REALLY immersed. I spent night after night just driving around at 1 AM listening to this album. Highly recommended, especially for people wanting to get into noise / ambient. 

Young Thug : Barter 6

This is pretty sweet. Heavy beats, Wacky vocals, some cool psychedelic sounding instrumentals. The opening has a kind of exotic vibe almost. By the midpoint however, you’ve kind of heard everything this album has to offer. Not much diversity, however some tracks remain pretty captivating and could warrant a few more listens.

Winner: Jefre Cantu Ludesma

~EH

[echoinghalls]

2015 AOTY Round 3 : Homeshake vs Kendrick Lamar

I know this is going to seem controversial. Kendrick has been met with unequivocal praise all year, topping nearly every soty list that’s been released so far. However, this is part of the reason it was so easy for me to choose Homeshake. To Pimp A Butterfly is an amazing record, excellently produced and showcasing an enjoyable musicianship and musicality as well as delivering a poignant message about the state of black vs white culture in america. Its good for sure, but I fail to see how it lives up to the explosive hype that everyone seems to preach about it. Homeshake’s album Midnight Snack however is simpler, more laid back, takes itself less seriously, and through its mellow demeanor delivers a comprehensively better experience in my opinion.

Winner: Homeshake

~EH

[echoinghalls]

2015 AOTY Round 2 : Bjork vs Oneohtrix Point Never

Oneohtrix Point Never : Garden of Delete

I found myself really enjoying this album, but for the better portion of it most of the fast paced, hyperactive trying-really-hard-to-be-aphex-twin-at-times songs were just too much. Moments such as I Bite Through It and Ezra are these climactic, beautiful settlings amidst a storm. The album feels like a continuous, cohesive movement, which is something I admire greatly in albums, however its more excessive, explosive moments really kept it at an arms distance for me. Overall it feels like ADHD as music.

Bjork : Vulnicura

I was really impressed with this album. Its incredibly intimate, through the lyrics Bjork exposes such personal conflicts you feel almost embarrassed at times, but that visceral emotion is elicited and manipulated throughout the album so carefully its hard not to be stunned by the time it gets going. These two albums were so close for me in enjoyment, the only deciding factor was that there were no moments in Vulnicura where I felt I had to be generous to get through it. there were no parts that felt out of place or even remotely warranted skipping.

Winner: Bjork.

~EH

[echoinghalls]

2015 AOTY Round 1 : Four Tet vs Kurt Vile

Hey, so I decided to make an end of the year list for all the albums that came out this year I considered significant. I’m doing it tournament style, you can click on the link to view the bracket and rankings. 40 albums. 2 eliminations per day. Only one will be left standing.

http://challonge.com/2015albumsoftheyear

I’m stoked to finally kick off round 1. Four Tet vs Kurt Vile.

Four Tet: Morning Evening

This brilliant, grooving beatscape of an album really won me over right off the bat. Having never delved into the music of either competitor, I’m taking both in completely standalone from their discographies. The articulate and subtle mysticism of Morning Evening really drew me into this dancey, almost alien world out of time that artist Kieran Hebden has invented. Concise, dramatic and cohesive. The album features two 20 minute tracks; the morning side, and the evening side, giving it a distinct theme and duality.

Kurt Vile: B’lieve I’m Goin Down...

Kurt Vile’s song Bad Omens sounds like runescape music. The better parts of this subtlety psychedelic collage are too often over shadowed by mundane cliches. Although I frequently found myself thoroughly immersed, I don’t think I could stand another listen so soon.

WINNER: FOUR TET

~EH

[echoinghalls]

hafsol - mint

Artist: hafsol

Single: mint

https://hafsolusa.bandcamp.com/album/mint

Today is October the 11th and hafsol, the moniker for a very talented low-fi jazz artist based out of New Jersey, has decided to release a new single. I rarely get mesmerized and immediate reactions from bandcamp randos, but hafsol has delivered to me a yearning I didn't know I had. Mint begins with a booming, roomy pulse that drives right through my senses. It helps that I came across his music haphazardly which freed me from any preconceptions or an altered mindset. I was aweigh to enjoy it by surprise, in all its powerful, enveloping comfort. The juxtaposition of all its parts, low and high is perfectly balanced. The dreamy, reverb'd out acoustic guitar drifts sweetly between the rumbling waves of sub-bass swells. With a touch of bells and a magically tender b-side track, mint is a perfect addition to this already sterling discography of singles. Hafsol has only just begun releasing music, and I already can't wait for more.

~EH

You can download this single, and the rest of hafsol’s beautiful music for free at https://hafsolusa.bandcamp.com/