The Chocolate Pudding Cup

The Chocolate Pudding Cup is a blog dedicated to recommending music. Hopefully you find something enjoyable here. I don't claim to be a great writer or an expert on music. I'm simply running this blog out of a love to share music with others.

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Travis Stewart aka Machinedrum's new EP drops tomorrow on LuckyMe, the label responsible for dropping releases from Jacques Greene, Hudson Mohawke, and ANGO.  This'll be the third thing that Machinedrum has put out on the up and coming label and it's quite the treat.  Check out the title track from the SXLND EP above and make sure to order the LP here (which also has pretty cool packaging).  

If you've been paying attention, Azealia Banks (who got 3rd in BBC's Sound of 2012) put out a new single today entitled "NEEDSUMLUV" which utilizes the same track.  It's quite a different side of Azealia and as a result, it's got me quite excited for her upcoming LP.  The interesting thing is that on LuckyMe's website, they give a little spiel about how Travis and Azealia have known each other for a while.  And if you didn't know, Jacques Greene appeared in the 212 video awhile back.  You can stream that track below.

NEEDSUMLUV (SXLND) by Azealia Banks

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As if Leyland Kirby wasn't already on a roll with five releases in 2011, he's got two more that are confirmed for 2012 already.  One of those is the soundtrack to Grant Gee's Documentary about German writer WG Sebald, entitled Patience (After Sebald).  It utilizes Schubert's "Winterreise", and as a result, is noticeably different from the critically acclaimed An Empty Bliss Beyond This World without sacrificing any of the emotional subtleties that fans have to expect in each crackle and hiss. It's a wonderful record, and you can hear one of the tracks from it above entitled "A last glimpse of the land being lost forever".

Support the man and buy the limited edition LP over here (quickly though, as it will undoubtedly sell out soon).  CD and Digital versions of the album come out next month.

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2012 seems to have started quite well and here's even more proof: Loma Prieta's new album I.V. is one of the best screamo/skramz/hardcore albums I've heard in a good while.  Give the opener a listen above.

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Graphics' new EP (single?) is Get Me! Records' second release and it's flat-out incredible. Check out the standout remix that Dam Mantle does on the title track. Definitely worth the buy, go grab it at boomkat here.

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Indie Pop group Field Music have a new album entitled "Plumb" that'll be released on February 13th.  After listening to the new album, I'm both surprised and pleased to see the more progressive rock approach they've taken; it actually blends quite well with their traditional art-pop sound.  Listen to highlight "A New Town" above.

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Matt Elliott's new album, The Broken Man, comes out next week on January 16th on Ici d'ailleurs Records.  As usual, the tracks are melancholy and pretty much perfect for really late nights where you just wanna sulk in disgust.  There's a good amount of spanish classical guitar and Leonard Cohen influence here.  Check out "Dust, Flesh and Bones" above, which houses an incredibly chilling ending.

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I have to say, I've always been impressed with of Montreal's consistency in releasing records.  Though I may not have liked all of their releases, I'm happy to know that Kevin Barnes's creative juices are continually flowing.  Next month, their next LP entitled Paralytic Stalks will drop and they're all still as ambitious as ever.  It's nine tracks long but the final four tracks are all 7 minutes+ with the finale being a 13-minute medley of bombastic pop, electronic ambience, and a lovely piano ballad to close it all out.  If you've listened to of Montreal before then Paralytic Stalks shouldn't be too much of a surprise.  However, I'd say that this album is much better than their previous effort, False Priest.

Check out the phenomenal opener "Gelid Ascent" above.  Paralytic Stalks is out February 7th on Polyvinyl Records.

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<a href="http://kayodot.bandcamp.com/album/gamma-knife" _mce_href="http://kayodot.bandcamp.com/album/gamma-knife">Gamma Knife by Kayo Dot</a>

Kayo Dot's fifth full-length and follow up to the pretty great Coyote has been out for a few days.  I'm not exactly sure how I feel about it yet though. Regardless, it's still definitely worth a listen if you've been following these guys ever since they released the ever-so-perfect Choirs of the Eye in 2003.  Gamma Knife is five tracks long and clocks in at a rather short thirty minutes.  It's bookended by its most quiet and serene tracks with the title track probably being the best on the LP.  The three middle tracks is where the meat comes in (huge builds, various instruments, heavy instrumentation, etc.) but something to note is that those tracks were recorded live.  As a result, the album is noticeably less polished and sounds more lo-fi than their previous efforts.  Some will dig it and some won't, check out the stream above and see for yourself.

The record's only $5 on their bandcamp so head over and give 'em support.

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<a href="http://blackestrainbowrecords.bandcamp.com/album/night-of-raining-fire" _mce_href="http://blackestrainbowrecords.bandcamp.com/album/night-of-raining-fire">Night Of Raining Fire by Isengrind</a>

Isengrind (aka Solange Gularte aka half of Natural Snow Buildings) has a new album out and you can stream the whole thing above.  A listen to the first track and you'll be transported to a world of psychedelic meditation. There's a lot to love here, whether it be the 10 and a half minute drone "Spine of the Night" or the many tropical-esque/drugscapes that fill the album a la that Deep Magic record I reviewed last year.  

As with the Chris Forsyth & Koen Holtkamp release, it's sold out on boomkat but you can snag the record at Blackest Rainbow's bandcamp here.

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&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://blackestrainbowrecords.bandcamp.com/album/early-astral" _mce_href="http://blackestrainbowrecords.bandcamp.com/album/early-astral"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Early Astral by Chris Forsyth &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp; Koen Holtkamp&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

Stream the new record from Chris Forsyth & Koen Holtkamp above.  It’s two 17+ minutes tracks of minimal krautrock galore.  The first track slowly builds into what sounds like a crazy futuristic sci-fi battle (laser guns and all) before settling into a lullaby-like calm.  The second track continues with the alien soundscapes but explores more of its ambient, textural side.

It’s sold out on boomkat but if you’re quick, you can buy the record at their bandcamp here.

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Trailer Trash Tracys got a good amount of buzz for their 2009 track "Candy Girl" and they're finally releasing their debut LP this month.  The 10 tracks on the record are a conglomerate of 50s pop and 80s/90s fuzzy shoegaze/dream pop all under a satisfying lo-fi lens.  Reverberating female vocals, pounding snares, slow glossy guitar lines - it's got the formula down.  Some tracks are pleasantly surprising though: "Engelhardt's Arizona" finds its beauty in a constantly-playing arpeggiated guitar melody while "Black Circle" creates a tropical-like atmosphere with its slick bassline.  

The record has noticeably better production that their demos but it's still satisfying nonetheless.  Check out the reworked "Strangling Good Guys" up above.  You can also check out the video for the song "You Wish You Were Red" here.  The album's out Jan. 9th on Double Six.

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You can listen to a track from the new Scissors and Sellotape (John McCaffery aka Part Timer aka Upward Arrows and member of Clickits) album "...For the Tired and Ill at Ease..." above.  Like the track above, the album is filled with equally beautiful and meditative slow-paced piano pieces that are teeming with emotion.  There's some field recordings used as well to make the listening experience all the more engaging.  There's more tracks over at Fluid Audio's soundcloud too.  There's not a lot of physical copies left so make sure you don't miss out on them.  You can get the special edition over at Boomkat here, or the standard edition at the label's site here.

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Lost Tribe Sound Records are currently asking fans to pledge money to fund for Vieo Abiungo's newest album entitled Thunder May Have Ruined the Moment (which will come with an accompanying DVD with film by award-winning director Pete Monro).  They're doing this whole thing on their kickstarter page over here.  If you pledge the minimum $1, you'll get a free download for the song "Why Dogs Mimic Sirens".  You can hear that track above.  Also, if the $2500 goal is reached by Jan. 12, everyone who pledged will get access to an exclusive five track EP.  You can hear one of the tracks on that EP on their kickstarter page.

 Vieo Abiungo released the excellent And the World is Still Yawning last year.  Listen to a track from that album here.

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Waaga records is sharing Larry Gus' 24 Beats for free on their facebook page for the almost-free cost of one like (yeah, I hate it too).  Apparently, he worked on them back in July and now he's finally releasing them to the public.  Click this link to download away.  It's, unsurprisingly, a 24-track album with 26 tracks.  It's a rather innocuous and safe collection of tracks but there's definitely some great tunes (e.g. The Written Word, Grave Eyes, Giardini Pubblici, Bedroom Adventures).

Check out one of the highlights, "Indro Montanelli" above.

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The beauty in Soap&Skin's Narrow is in it's simple approach.  It doesn't try to be anything it's not, nor does it present itself as something grandiose; it's the pure and naked elegance of the six quieter tracks that leave me incredibly impressed and swooning.  Vocal harmonies are layered beautifully and turn a track like "Wonder" into a calming and atmospheric lullaby.  The two black sheep, "Deathmental" and "Big Hand Nails Down" are nice contrasts to the rest of the album and allow for interesting pacing in this relatively short album.  Despite the (relatively) abrasive nature of the tracks, they are quite magnificent in their own right.  However, those tracks shouldn't be all that surprising in the first place considering "Vater" starts off the album with some strong, commanding vocals in its last half.

Check out the track "Wonder" above.  Narrow is out Feb. 13th on [PIAS].

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Last year, Ifan Dafydd's No Good / Miranda single got a few heads turning for the simple fact that it sounded a whole lot like James Blake.  And whether or not the rumor about Ifan being Blake's flatmate back in University is true, his new single coming out on Push & Run on Jan. 30 is still quite excellent.  Check out samples for both tracks above.  Alternatively, you can listen to the demo rips for "Treehouse" and "To Me" here and here, respectively.

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Nick Zimmuto of The Books has a new solo EP (err... single?) entitled Idiom Wind out and you can stream it in its entirety here.  You can also pre-order the album over at his bandcamp here.  "Weird Ceiling" is probably my favorite of the three, with it's raucous drums, spacey vocals, and its groovy-to-raucous transformation mid-way through the song.  Oh, and I'm pretty sure he's sampling a chair too. "Idiom Wind" has some great percussion work as well and showcases some surprisingly lovely vocals while "F U C-3PO" utilizes acoustic guitar and robotic vocals to drive the song. Check out the title track above.