Tag: Druid

From Musique Machine:

Future Islands – Wave Like Home
Future Islands specialize in wonky,often dense yet criminal additive brand of off-kilter 80’s retro pop meets post punk crunch ‘n’ grime. Think a more active, up-beat and positive take on the kind of thing John Maus has been doing over the last few of years. But Future Islands are far from a copy of Maus work; this their debut(after an 7 inch and a few self releases) is an wonderful self assured, well played and distinctive slice of retro wonderful-ness.

Hum of the Druid and Fire in the Head – Split
This is a 12 inch vinyl split between the organic and clattering noise meets ambience of Hum of the Druid and Fire in the Head’s industrialized sample heavy drone and often muffled beat bound attacks.

Tipsy – Buzz
The San Francisco based duo of Tipsy have been making their own brand of often sampled and turntable based lounge meets beats since 1996; Buzz is their fourth album and first on Mike Patton’s Ipecac label.

Animal Hospital – Memory
Animal Hospital is a one-man project by Kevin Micka, whose music is created using guitars, a room full of effects and electronics. By today’s standards, that set-up doesn’t sound all that unusual, and of course, it isn’t really. But Micka doesn’t take the expected route when it comes to the music, and that makes Memory a worthwhile listen. Most of the album is quiet and introspective, but rather than simply creating an atmosphere, there are some actual tunes to grab your attention. You may have to listen intently to find them at times, but they’re there. The guitar is frequently very recognisable, meaning it sounds like a guitar, and the effects are used to color the music, rather than hide the artist’s shortcomings. Micka is all over the place, style-wise, and despite this fact Memory is cohesive. It was assembled with care over a period of three years, and each segment dovetails nicely with the next. One suspects that a lot of material was left on the cutting room floor, with only the best of the best saved for the listener.