Pinkunoizu

Copenhagen's Pinkunoizu, named after the Japanese word for pink noise, are releasing their debut EP through Full Time Hobby in November. Their mission is: “To never come full circle. To move hazily in bended ellipses. To bow the line and play it like a fiddle. To shoot it like an arrow. To climb the razorblade pyramid. To collect the cubic rubble from the ruins of tradition and put it together anew.”


'Time Is Like A Melody'

More at fulltimehobby.co.uk.

Moonbell : Figurine

Beam down heavy space-rock-tastic grooves from San Francisco trio Moonbell on their 'Figurine' EP, of which the title track is here to explore.

MP3:
Moonbell 'Figurine'

More at moonbell.bandcamp.com.

The Leaf Library : Summer Mix 2011

Not-very-indie summer mixtape by The Leaf Library. The band are currently working on new songs for what'll probably be an late 2011/early 2012 album release.

Dumbo Gets Mad : Elephants At The Door

Dumbo Gets Mad: Terrible band name. Great music. Amazing moustache. In the vein of other lo-fi psychedelic troupers like Ariel Pink, DGM's album covers limbo, marmalade and prawns over 10 tracks of fuzzpop rhythm and blooze. This is Bad Panda's first physical release after releasing a free digital single every Monday since November '09. Commendable stuff.

MP3:
Dumbo Gets Mad 'Plumy Tale'

Download the album in exchange for a tweet/share here or buy the LP at badpandarecords.bigcartel.com.

More info at badpandarecords.wordpress.com.

Montauk : Boys

During a trip to Paris, Montauk listened to three songs incessantly: Kenny Loggins 'This Is It', Ned Doheny 'Get It Up For Love' and Genesis 'Man On The Corner'. These tracks provide the foundation of their new awesomely smooth 'Boys' EP, out now on Sweet Surprise Recordings



More at ssur.tumblr.com.

Rainbow Arabia

I've often daydreamed of being in a husband and wife art-pop band like husband and wife art-pop band Rainbow Arabia. The couple in question are Danny and Tiffany Preston and they release their debut album 'Boys And Diamonds' through Kompact on 28th February. Check forthcoming single 'Without You' and earlier EP 'Kabukimono'.

Rainbow Arabia 'Without You'



More at kompakt.fm.

The Octopus Project : Hexadecagon

This is novel. The limited-edition gatefold vinyl release of 'Hexadecagon' by The Octopus Project contains a cut & assemble zoetrope and ten bonus "roulette" tracks that can only be experienced via *analog technology* (ie a record player).



The roulette tracks are bonus songs - all exactly the same length - cut to wax in concentric, interlocked grooves, such that the listener never knows which song is played when the needle is placed on the LP. All ten tracks resolve to the same ending and drop into a single, final locked groove.



Of course this is all a bonus to the standard album, which contains this track.

MP3:
'Fugefat'

More at peekaboorecords.com.

Gala Drop : Overcoat Heat

Portuguese quartet Gala Drop have just released a cool new four track EP 'Overcoat Heat' via Golf Channel Recordings, from which the beautifully driving 'Drop' is taken.

MP3:
'Drop'

More at golfchannelrecordings.com.

YAWN

Provoking anything but a, YAWN are a mindbendingly brilliant quartet from Chicago travelling a higher musical cosmic plane. Their sonic adventure takes in the Westernised Afropop of 'Graceland', minimal electronics and progressive grooves with a heavy nod to Beach Boy vocal joy. Download a fantastic five track EP (MP3 or WAV) for free here.

MP3:
'Kind Of Guy'



Remember, just give into the trance.

More at yawntheband.com.

Bear In Heaven : Ultimate Satisfaction (The Field Remix)

With remixes by artists including Studio, High Places, The Field, Justin K. Broadrick (a.k.a. Jesu), The Hundred In The Hands, Twin Shadow; Bear In Heaven's 'Beast Rest Forth Mouth' remix album sounds very tasty. The UK-exclusive album will be released on August 23rd.

1. Beast In Peace (The Hundred In The Hands Beast In Beat Remix)
2. Lovesick Teenagers (Twin Shadow Remix)
3. Ultimate Satisfaction (The Field Remix)
4. Wholehearted Mess (Pink Skull Remix)
5. Fake Out (BRAHMS Remix)
6. Drug A Wheel (High Places Remix)
7. Deafening Love (Deru Remix)
8. Dust Cloud (Justin K. Broadrick Remix)
9. You Do You (Studio Remix)
10. Casual Goodbye (Epstein's Galloping Gertie Remix)

MP3:
Bear In Heaven 'Ultimate Satisfaction' (The Field Remix)

More at Hometapes.

Special Benny : Guestmix

Special Benny Guestmix by Proper Songs on Mixcloud

Special Benny have put together a mix that's "a portrait of Special Benny through the influences we can fairly safely say we share".

1. Jim O’Rourke 'Not Sport Marital Art'
2. The Acorn 'Crooked Legs'
3. Tortoise 'Eros'
4. Sea & Cake 'All The Photos'
5. The Naciente Quartet 'Dr Hombus'
6. Sufjan Stevens 'All Good Naysayers...'
7. Neil Cowley Trio 'Dinosaur Die'
8. Battles 'Tras 2'

Their album 'Toys' is released on 6th September through Proper Songs.

More at Proper Songs.

Pacific! : Venus Rising

My head wouldn't normally be turned by ballet but this track from the new Pacific! album is something else.

"The album was concieved as the score to a modern ballet interpretation of greek myth Narcissus. 'Venus Rising' is the soundtrack to the Godess of love Venus, chastising Narcissus for his mistreatment of the nymph Echo..."

Ok...far out. Its also an synth-laden robot-soul disco-ballad. The album is out 13th September on Alan Braxe's Vulture label.

MP3:
Pacific! 'Venus Rising'



More at Vulture Music.

Connan Mockasin : Its Choade My Dear

'It's Choade My Dear' is taken from 'Please Turn Me Into The Snat' the debut album by phantasy phreak-dreamer Connan Mockasin.

MP3:
Its Choade My Dear

More at Phantasy Sound.

Lost Idol : Guest Mix

A few words about the mix....
“When asked to put together a mix for Proper Songs I felt it right to do just that – haphazardly throw together a selection of songs in the traditional sense of the word, i.e. conventionally structured pieces of music with lyrics, verses, choruses, ends & beginnings. These are all songs that have inspired me over the last year or so & for different reasons too. The Chap kick things off appropriately with ‘Proper Rock’ – an eccentric, chunky-chorded ode to girls & clubbing that properly rocks. Elsewhere there are moments of true beauty, with Talk Talk’s ‘I Believe In You’ surely being one of the most gloriously reflective songs in existence, & The Beach Boys’ ‘Until I Die’ undoubtedly the most heartbreaking song Brian Wilson has ever put his pen to. Later in the mix Animal Collective bring a nugget of contemporary psychedelia that fires straight into the cosmos while Clouddead pull off that rare trick of making the abstract surprisingly accessible. If you’re of an age where friends made you mixtapes & vice-versa when you were young, then this is exactly that - a collection & sharing of songs which I love & wish to pass on to you; proper songs of love, death, girls, dogs & clubbing.”

Selected & mixed by Lost Idol May 2010

Lost Idol's latest album 'Brave The Elements' is out now. More at cookshopmusic.co.uk

Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti : Round and Round

This is awesomeness. 7" and free download (from the player below) out today.



Told you it was awesomeness.

More at 4AD.

Paul White : Ancient Treasures

Paul White pretty much leads the way in psychedelic beatmaking with his "Strange Dreams Of..." album a highlight of 2009. News of a new album "...& The Purple Brain" was announced today along with this typically cosmic-rock infused taster.

MP3:
Paul White 'Ancient Treasures'.

More at Now-Again and One Handed.

Radiant Dragon : Preseli

I've featured the brilliant Radiant Dragon before on Proper Songs and I've been lucky enough to have been sent two of his new "travelogues through imaginary places": Preseli (about "Mountains, mist, and a girl") and Frost Satellite ("London, ice, and thinking of home").

MP3:
Preseli
Frost Satellite

Dark Captain Light Captain : Questions (Hatchback Remix)

Here's a lovely remix by San Francisco's Windsurf spinoff Hatchback of 'Questions' by Dark Captain Light Captain. Its taken from DCLC's new remix EP, which follows 2008's highly successful debut album 'Miracle Kicker'.

Download 'Questions' (Hatchback Remix).

Buy at Amazon.

Fontän : Winterhwila

From the ever reliable Information label comes the debut album by Fontän, Swedish producers Jesper Jarold and Johan Melin. Recorded in part in Jesper's grandmother's garden shed on broken - then mended - musical equipment, the LP catches the mood of the setting summer sun with pure Balearic vibes, dub-disco and psychedelic Kraut rock. Layered textures of synths and cosmic guitars create otherworldly soundscapes with a strong 80s influence, while keeping a tight reign on the Knopflerisms. The vocal tracks stand up strong, such as 2008 single 'Early Morning' and 'The Bridge' - the illegitimate son of David Bowie's 'Ashes To Ashes'. As should be expected from label mates to the excellent Studio, this is beautiful, timeless music.

Download 'Early Morning'.

Buy at Boomkat.

Here We Go Magic : Here We Go Magic

This snuck by me in February but definitely deserves a plug for all fans of warm, fuzzy, lo-fi recording it may have also side-stepped. Here We Go Magic is the project of Brooklyn's (where else?) Luke Temple, recorded at home on 4-track tape over a two-month period of stream-of-consciousness writing. The densely layered recording excentuates the trance inducing bliss-pop and Afro-influenced rhythms of stand out tracks 'Only Pieces', 'Tunnelvision' and 'Fangela', while the more experimental instrumental tracks prove a welcome counterpoint.



Buy at Rough Trade.