Electric Orchids

An electronic showcase of biology, a digital celebration of the natural world. Curated by Leon the Orchidhunter, author of Genetic Jungle. Electric Orchids highlights the small things and the secret places. The mysteries of the ocean. The poetry of the forest floor.

[noondaytune]

Stay For Real - Young Galaxy.

This haunting and brilliant new track is a statement of intent from one of my favourite bands, Montreal’s Young Galaxy. In a recent press release they said, “We must show empathy, compassion and love – even when faced with increasing existential threats, and fear and hostility.” 

Partnering with Arcade Fire’s charity Plus1, Young Galaxy are donating all the proceeds from sales of the single (iTunes link here) to defend the rights of the marginalized, supporting the ACLU in the US, PIVOT in Canada, and WAVE in Europe.

So support some great causes and treat your ears to a great piece of dreamy synthpop by purchasing the track today.

Contributed by @orchidhunter.

[noondaytune]

Swimming - Furniteur.

I’m really enjoying the dreamy electronic sounds of Washington DC’s Furniteur. The approach on new single “Swimming” is ethereal and nostalgic, with twinkling synths, tropical percussion, and Brittany Sims’ airy vocals to float away on.

Furniteur’s upcoming LP, “Perfect Lavender”, is out later this month on Prince George Records.

Contributed by @orchidhunter.

[noondaytune]

Twist Your Arm - Ten Fé.

How come some bands can release a debut record that sounds so effortless, like they’ve been making music together for years? London-based duo Ten Fé are such an act. Recorded in Berlin, their album is best-described as clean yet lush. Just take the gorgeous, soaring melody of the track we feature today: Twist Your Arm. It’s the kind of tune that makes a welcome home right in your soul.

Contributed by @orchidhunter.

[electricorchid]

Photo by Donal Boyd. +

[noondaytune]

Keep Running - Tei Shi.

The world is in turmoil, but there’s new Tei Shi to soothe and inspire. Her sensual, breathy vocals, the evocative hazy synth lines, and groovy bass lines blend together into something wonderfully atmospheric.

Look out for her debut album “Crawlspace” at the end of March.

Contributed by @orchidhunter.

[noondaytune]

Future Politics - Austra.

I’m very excited that Austra has finally followed up 2013′s excellent “Olympia” with a new album, named after the single featured here: “Future Politics”. It’s propulsive electronic rhythms and Katie Stelmanis’s soaring soprano vocals are Austra’s signature sound, refined and distilled into the essence of what made their first albums so great.

I think she pretty much sums up the new record’s theme of a world in flux when she sings, “I’m not a coward like them, I don’t need more money”. There’s a bright optimism here, a sense of determination. Now more than ever, we need radical artists to dream up our possible utopias. Austra does so, beautifully. 

Contributed by @orchidhunter.

[noondaytune]

Call Through The Wire - Inner Oceans.

Inner Oceans have been kicking it for a few years on the Denver music scene, but I think 2017 will be the year they massively expand their fan base. They certainly deserve to. Composed of Griff Snyder (ex-Dovekins), Julia Mendiolea, and Charles Kern, Inner Oceans crafts some deeply personal tunes with innovative atmospheres. Snyder has described the sound they’re aiming for as a mix of the sonic landscapes of Boards of Canada and the emotional punch of Peter Gabriel, and I can totally hear that in the track “Call Through The Wire”. The song came together in a single creative burst in a writing session in a mountain hideaway. Talking about the track, the band says, “We wrote about the people in our lives that never change, never leave, never disappear. And how, assuredly, they one day will.” 

I really like what I’ve heard from Inner Oceans so far, and look forward to their debut album, out sometime this year. 

Contributed by @orchidhunter.

[noondaytune]

Pacify - Kauf.

Kauf makes the soundtracks to my favorite daydreams. His latest release, “Pacify”, is decidedly sunnier than some of his previous outings, and slated to be the opening track of his debut album, “Regrowth”, in 2017.

Kauf is a master of the slow build, letting the intro swell gradually, in laid-back layers, to become a wall of sound once the vocals kick in around 01:20. His ambiguous, cryptic lyrics explore how the ways in which parents choose to communicate can have far-reaching consequences on a child’s well-being. These are some of his best vocals so far, using a warm timbre to express a mixture of yearning, derision and resignation, all at once. The music is gorgeously lo-fi and hazy, like a recalled childhood memory. And listen out for the bubbling vintage Memorymoog synth sounds in the bridge. I can’t wait to hear what Kauf comes up with next.

Contributed by @orchidhunter.

[lsleofskye]

Yosemite National Park

[orchiddynasty]

Holcoglossum wangii  

(Isolated areas of China/Vietnam) 

[noondaytune]

Sigh - Ness Nite.

Braless. Flawless. Lawless. That’s how Minneapolis-based rapper/singer/producer Ness Nite describes her music. It’s a hazy, textured blend of hip-hop and lo-fi electronica. It sounds new and cool and unencumbered, and cannot be pinned down, refuses to be mapped out. That complex ambiguity is part of the appeal.

Ness Nite’s debut E.P. Nite Time is out now on iTunes or Bandcamp. To paraphrase her own lyrics: Her business is our pleasure, babe.

Contributed by @orchidhunter.

[markunsan]

Echeveria chihuahuaensis 　

成長点を　失うも脇芽一個の　チワワ、、、。

三年以上たっても　振り出しに戻った感じで　苗サイズ。

[noondaytune]

Free To Love - Brendan Maclean.

Brendan Maclean’s fantastic EP “funbang1” has been at the top of the Australian charts for yonks now, and the rest of the world is starting to take notice. The songs are all varied in approach, but so catchy and infectious, they seem held aloft by a bubbling effervescence. These tracks get stuck in your head for days and days. 

Standout “Free To Love” exemplifies the bright, catchy pop sensibility of Maclean’s music. It’s just so damn charming, I think it could elicit a foot tap or head nod from even the most ill-tempered curmudgeon. There’s also a great video for the track, complete with quirky dance moves and flying(!), all while dressed in black tie.

Contributed by @orchidhunter.

[honeyshappythoughts-blog]

[noondaytune]

Something More - RALPH.

Toronto-based tonmeister Raffa Weyman crafts arresting, gorgeous pop tunes. Her latest track explores existential topics all too familiar to many millennials: self-sabotage and instant gratification in a hyperconnected world. It’s awash in synths that shimmer like a mirage, coupled with some icy, funky drum loops. Weyman’s vocals have an invitingly warm timbre as always, but with an imploring delivery quite fitting to the subject matter. Her voice adds a layer of sophisticated melancholy to the song. 

RALPH is a hit of oxygen in a breathless world and I hope a full album is on the horizon soon.

Contributed by @orchidhunter.

[noondaytune]

Nina Hagen-Daaz (feat. Clementine Creevy) - Seth Bogart.

There’s a lot to like on Seth Bogart’s first solo album. It’s a garish pop-punk extravaganza from the mind behind previous bands Hunx and His Punx and Gravy Train!!!! and the whole album is like a super fun night out. I’m very glad that we have people like Seth Bogart who take making music that doesn’t take itself seriously, seriously. The songs are salacious, kitschy, glitchy, and sometimes unexpectedly moving.

Standout track “Nina Haagen-Daaz” has some killer hooks and ’80s beats, mixed with irreverent lyrics about the smell of German godmother of punk Nina Hagen’s shampoo. It’s just a taste of the electroclash fever dreams of the whole LP, out now on vinyl and download.

Contributed by @orchidhunter.

[notquitefaust-blog]

cacti, arizona, 12/2009