Noises for Ears.

Something I do about music that I like.

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Sevdaliza Marilyn Monroe

I am a huge fan of Sevdaliza a.k.a Sevda Alizadeh, an iranian-born former Netherlands international basketball player. I was desperate for her album, Ison - released at the end of April this year - to come out, and it doesn’t disappoint. Probably one of the most mature debut albums I can recall, it burns with an emotional depth that immediately draws you in, releases you at moments of uneasy lightness, only to pull you back in even further than before. This track, Marilyn Monroe (which features on the album), was the first music I heard from Sevdaliza, and it stopped me in my tracks. The sparse arrangement combined with the close-harmony vocals feels simultaneously close and distant, warm and cold, and always full of mystery. Enjoy.

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Tallisker Salanfe

Eléonore Melisande, a.k.a Tallisker, has totally taken my by surprise with this. Sounding like an even darker and dramatic Purity Ring, it moves between string samples, vocal nodes, and a club-worthy beat all with a combination of ease and drama. The vocals also tread the fine line of abrasive frailty, with strength and suggested weakness taking turns as the track twists and contorts. It should probably come as no surprise that the Paris resident’s latest EP is littered with the weight of baroque imaginings, but it’s this track that for me is the greatest sign of intent to create something very exciting - anchored in a elegant yet cold history but bristling with futuristic eagerness - and already making that happen. Enjoy.

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Moscow Youth Cult Lux Excellent new single from horrortronic duo/trio Moscow Youth Cult. It's been a while since 2012's Happiness Machines, so it's great to hear some new stuff that really highlights the emotional machine timbres of their earliest work. Released on the ever-excellent I OWN YOU records, Lux is the first track from the eagerly-awaited Lux EP, and it doesn't disappoint. Drawing on subversive 80's vibes and their love of VHS wonk, Jon Dix and Dan O'donnell-Smith pull out something new and refreshing here, while also ramping up the claustophic and nocturnal impressions that has become their calling card. It's a real treat for the ears, and seems to destined to appear in a low-budget horror film during a slow-motion scene where an attractive teen lead has their head removed from their body. I can't wait. Also, the video is great. Enjoy.

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Mick Jenkins Jazz Some excellent rap here. Great arrangement too. Enjoy.

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Weval is a collaboration between two pals from the Netherlands – Harm Coolen (b. 1986) and Merijn Scholte Albers (b. 1989).

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Illangelo ft. Phlo Finster Clockwork

Nothing is quite as enjoyable as the moment you hear a song that you have absolutely zero expectation of enjoying, only to have it almost tear your ears clean off your head with goodness. I must admit the video was the reason I even listened to this in the first place, having never even heard of Canada’s illangelo (Carlo Montagnese) or London’s Phlo Finster before (although I realise I really should have). The track and video burst with an over-the-top visceral drama that makes it feel like a trailer for some sort of strange offsrping of Tarsem Singh’s The Fall and The Fifth Element. I mean this in the best way possible. A freakish venn diagram of electronica, soul, R&B and a whole bunch of other genres, I can’t stop playing this track. Excellent work (on both audio and visuals), and really excited to see what comes next. Enjoy.

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Bites Sine

Well, I know very little about Bites other than it is the moniker of New Zealander Cam Ballantyne (now living in New York), who has been producing excellent music for ads for a quite some time (and working on some films too). I came across this track because of the video (don't ask), but really the song is great. Drawing on the dark dirges of cinema, the music has that sort of retro post-apocalyptic feel - wonky 80's synths, twinkling effects in the distance, and a deep and full sub sound. With only a handful of tracks out at the moment, and doing this presumably as a side project while he runs Beatworms during the day, it will be interesting to see if/when an E.P or full length comes out. Enjoy.

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Oceaán To Lose

It was inevitable that more artists would tumble out of the James Blake bleakwave (or whatever it is) movement, but hats off to Manchester-based Oceaán who is original enough to move the genre forward. Usually known for his more club-centric tracks (this is by far the most chilled-out track on his The Oceaán EP), there is a particularly earnestness in his delivery which raises his work above others. Born in Brussels and spending his time in Belgium and Denmark before arriving in Manchester, he is already generating quite a lot of hype (unsurprising, given Blake's breakthrough to the mainstream [by mainstream, I mean winning the Mercury Music Award in 2013]), and it will be interesting to see where he lets his talents fall. Clearly adept at both the minimalist/emotional and maximalist/clinical, he certainly has options. I don't care much for the video, but it isn't terrible. Enjoy.

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Moviestars Choir Night

Not really sure how to start writing about Moviestars. I have been a fan for a long time, and couldn't stop listening to Say Much, their sort of main single so far. After keeping an eye out for some more stuff to come out, they did put a few tracks on their soundcloud page (seemingly recorded over a 2 year period). Now those tracks are gone, with just two left (aforementioned Say Much, and a track from a year before that). Thinking that maybe that was that, and after a long long silence, I stumbled across this on, posted as recently as 3 months ago. It's a weird sort of semi-live recording of a recording, but I do know it's also a heavy rework of one of the earlier tracks that had been on their soundcloud page. Much more electro this time (the band were just two members, and now seemingly encompasses five), and it sounds incredible. The video above takes a while to get going, so feel free to skip to when the music starts (at about 3mins in). The typically haunting vocals, the dark edges and emotional tint of the soundscape - fingers crossed this is the start of something special after a long wait. Enjoy.

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AJA Made of Glass

With all due respect to other bands/musicians in my vicinity, I can't imagine I will hear a song as good as this from a local artist for a long, long time. AJA (a.k.a Aja Ireland), who has been on the local scene for quite a while, as focused her undoubted talents into a tour de force of powerful, minimalist dark electronica. Her vocals are superb, as has always been the case, but her production has come on leaps and bounds from her earlier work. With a similar sound (and overall impression) as artists like Emika, Ishome and IamwhoIamwhoamI, AJA has all of the talent to become a familiar face and name amongst the UK electronica scene. Blending elements of dubhouse, trap (without the rap), and witch-house, I am excited to hear what comes next. If I ran a label (which I don't, yet), I would sign her immediately. As it happens, rumours are she is speaking to a London label, with a further release (after her EP from this spring) to come later this year. You can catch her DJing at Ibiza this summer too, if you like that sort of thing. Enjoy.

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BADBADNOTGOOD Can't Leave The Night

Stumbled across these three listening to BBC Radio 3, of all places. Excellent futurist jazz from Toronto, the good-but-silly video belies the force and maturity of the music. Their oft-quoted hip-hop passions are clear, but it is how these flow seamlessly with jazz, electronica, ambient, and classical influences, that really makes their music pretty damn special. On hearing this song, I was desperate to hear everything else that had done (usually a good sign), and can't wait for their new album out on May 6th. With the unusual set-up (in contemporary music) of drums, bass and keys, their pieces imbue a really strong mood or feeling that I can't quite put my finger on; it is possibly the development and creation of the tension that seems to run through all their work that almost makes me listen with bated breath. Currently touring quite a few places (UK and Europe), I hope to catch them before they head back across the Atlantic. One of the best and most exciting bands I have heard in years. Enjoy.

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Holden Renata From listening to the music of James Holden, it is no surprise to learn that he studied Mathematics at Oxford. Working restriction-free off his own label Bordertube, Holden somehow interweaves a traditional British electronica into his music, yet creates borderless, expansive soundscapes that feel unlimited by region, or time. With a round-the-world job as a DJ, maybe it is this experience that provides his scope - the result is excellent. This track, from 2013’s The Inheritors album, Holden is at his most focused and direct. The album is largely surrealist ambience, but peak moments like this make it well worth listening to. Enjoy.

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Eyedress Nature Trips

This track has been created on Fruity Loops (no joke). Despite that, it's pretty damn good. Eyedress (a.k.aIdris Vicuña) hails from sunny Manila in the Philippines, although his music has a dark LA tone more akin to something from the Drive soundtrack. With sparse synths and distant vocals, Nature Trips is the real standout track from his Supernatural EP. With a video that re-enforces that nightdrive vibe, the odd mixture of cold modern sounds mixed with visuals equating some sort of neo-90's future, it all works pretty well and sounds like a fresh approach to a pretty saturated genre. Hoping for big things in the future. Enjoy.

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William Arcane Departed

Continuing my recent penchant for all things bleakly abstract and wintery, I stumbled across William Arcane’s Permanence EP. It was actually pretty difficult to pick a favourite from the five tracks on offer. Having apparently experimented for years, Permanence marks his first proper release - surprisingly accomplished, well put-together, and considered. Based in London, everything has gone a bit quiet since the Permanence EP release last year, having played a few shows around London in Autumn but nothing on his Facebook page or Twitter since. Hopefully, the lull is temporary, as I would be very excited to hear the next step in his fledging career. Enjoy.

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Throwing snow Lingerwell

Ross Tones (a.k.a Throwing Snow) has been on the producing scene for a while, but its his more recent stuff that has really caught my ear. Pushing genres together, his Aspera EP is excellent listening, with each track different but with a coherence to his sound and production that makes it all work pretty seamlessly. Playing at some major festivals this year, after a bit of a quiet period in the studio, expect more from Throwing Snow before the end of the year. Enjoy.