Live: M83 + Porcelain Raft @ Concorde 2, Brighton January 22nd 2012

Porcelain Raft and M83 certainly share a penchant for the ethereal, even if Porcelain Raft instantiate this through a totally unpretentious set of bedroom loops and samples and M83 do so through sheer size and spectacle. The opening act, a duo fronted by London-based Italian Mauro Remiddi and recently signed to Secretly Canadian, release their much-anticipated debut album ‘Strange Weekend’ on January 24th.

Though working within a similar sound-pallete, Porcelain Raft eschew the kind of sprawling, multi-layered, synthesized bombast of M83 in favour of some gentle backing drones, live drummer and fleeting guitars. It still swirls, but in tune with a classic 60s vibe, particularly on the mildly anthemic ‘Unless You Speak From Your Heart’. ‘Put Me To Sleep’ brews a powerful mood from stark beginnings anticipated in a searing, rushing ambience. 

‘Strange Weekend’ at Secretly Canadian

M83, having broken through in the UK on a previously unimaginable scale, largely due to the strength of ‘Midnight City’, released album ‘Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming’ in the UK in 2011, the follow-up to 2008’s excellent Saturdays = Youth. The show began with this creature’s atmospheric entrance before a show dominated by older songs kicked into force. ‘Graveyard Girl’ was a mysterious absence; ‘Couleurs’ a predictable highlight with exaggerated middle-techno section. The airy strides of ‘Kim & Jessie’ as second song made way for a substantial section of the middle being made up of new, abstract and essentially more minimalistic, space-age and European themed dance tracks - altogether with less harmonies and more instrumental. Not quite so engaging on an individual level, though in the context of a live show defused the sheer power of their ‘wall of sound’ in to something with a little more dynamics.

M83 “Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming”

• Porcelain Raft - Put Me To Sleep (MP3)
• M83 - Midnight City (MP3)

Resonance FM #32 Aaron + Alia, Dorian Concept, Matthew Dear, J Biscuits, Porcelain Raft, SEVERAL SYMPTOMS

LISTEN: This Music Wins #32 (MP3) 21/1/2012

Tracklist

1. Dorian Concept - Greenish Things

2. Porcelain Raft - Unless You Speak From Your Heart

3. J Biscuits - The Fatigue

4. Matthew Dear - Headcage

5. SEVERAL SYMPTOMS - Stylist

6. Aaron + Alia - Wicked Game (Chris Isaak Cover)

This Music Wins #32 on Resonance 104.4 FM 21/01/2012

This Music Wins Review Of The Year 2011 on Resonance FM

After writing an albums of the year list longer than probably all my posts across the entire year put together, putting together a 90 minute radio show for Resonance FM seemed like a breeze. So, here it is: 15 or so of my favourite songs of the year in Radio Show format. View the written list here.

DOWNLOAD: This Music Wins Review Of The Year 2011 (MP3)

To air New Years Day 10pm (GMT) on Resonance 104.4FM London, and again Saturday 7th January 10.30am.

1. Kuhrye-OO - Soul Handsome

2. Kurt Vile - Runner Ups

3. Mutual Benefit - Auburn Epitaphs

4. Swansea Recreation Centre - First Time European

5. Youth Lagoon - July

6. Woodsman - In Circles

7. Twin Sister - Kimmi In A Rice Field

8. Deptford Goth - Real Love Fantasy

9. Dead Gaze - Fishing With Robert

10. Evenings - Lo-Velo

11. Little Dragon - Ritual Union

12. Conifers - Legs And Arms

13. How To Dress Well - Here In Heaven (Elite Gymnastics Cover)

14. Ricky Eat Acid ft. Arrange - P.S.L.W

15. Dive - Sometime

16. Porcelain Raft - Amateur’s Feeling

17. Braids - Plath Heart

18. The War On Drugs - Come To The City

19. Fleet Foxes - The Shrine / An Argument

And with these musical highlights of 2011 in mind, we can put it behind us. I wish everyone a great 2012.

Resonance FM #21 - Deptford Goth, Ducktails, Dirty Beaches, Eternity Zone, Porcelain Raft, Elvis Depressedly

MP3 of show / listen to Resonance FM

A strong week indeed for experimental music, starting with an earlier post we made on London producer Deptford Goth’s new single “No Man”, which you can find here. Below we play an older part of his collecton, the Moby-esque “Real Love Fantasy”.

Deptford Goth - Real Love Fantasy (MP3)

We caught up with Ducktails at Field Day 2011, and were pleasantly surprised to find him band-less (though retrospectively this might have been predictable) and commandeering the electronics solo. Today we play the B-side from his A-side single with Animal Collective’s Panda Bear “Killin’ The Vibe”. Both extremely catchy, beware.

Ducktails - Sit Around With Ya (MP3)

Some research in to venues in the North of England which I’ve been concerning myself with in recent weeks led me to discover that Dirty Beaches has recently toured with WU LYF. Now what a show that would have been! This lo-fi, heavily stylistic 80s revival, and above-all, filmic arrangement is intense and evocative - lead single “Lone Runner” dropped earlier this week, as detailed here.

Dirty Beaches - Sweet 17 (MP3)

A song from little known project Eternity Zone, which serves as a track surprisingly pro-active despite its titles’ connotations. Its only after the three minutes have set in that its density and complexity reveal themselves as actively disengaging. Find them on Soundcloud.

Eternity Zone - Unconsciousness (MP3)

Porcelain Raft signed to Secretly Canadian earlier this year - and Memoryhouse have a big label to match, the latter release a re-recorded, re-mastered and re-released version of The Years EP on Sub Pop next month, and alongside that release comes an excellent remix they’ve done for Porcelain Raft. Download below.

Porcelain Raft - I Found A Way (Memoryhouse Remix) (MP3)

Closing today’s show is a piece from the droning side project of Mat Cothran’s excellent Coma Cinema project, which I’ve been an advocate of for some months now. Elvis Depressedly, who we wrote about in detail earlier this week, is dark and oppressive, and warrants repeated background listening. An interesting angle to pursue, but one which haunts you at the times you least expect it. Download below.

Elvis Depressedly - Bummer Dreams (MP3)

For more updates on artists listed above - follow me on twitter @thismusicwins

[DOWNLOAD MP3 OF SHOW / LISTEN LIVE ON RESONANCE ]

Its been a pretty busy week in music compared to the normal rate of happenings - typical, in the sense that right now is the one time of year I need to be totally absorbed in Philosophical study in preparation for exams. In music, The Books’ Nick Zammuto has unleashed a 73 song-strong Soundcloud page, in effect a gold-mine of spin-off material from The Books. Track ‘YAY’ seems to be the ‘single’, in so far as is constituted by the song’s being a free download.

1. Zammuto - YAY (MP3)

Milagres, one of my favourite organic rock bands from New York City, have announced a new EP for September 6th, with accompanying single ‘Glowing Mouth’.

2. Milagres - Glowing Mouth (MP3)

The War On Drugs have announced similar activity for that month, inclusive of a full UK and European tour, dates of which I am unfortunately away for. I am close to tears.

3. The War On Drugs - Baby Missiles (MP3)

I give a short introduction to indie pop band The History Of Apple Pie, who make lo-fi garage rock just like in the 90s, an era which a recent influx of music seems to model itself upon.

4. The History Of Apple Pie - Tug (MP3)

A timeless hazy pop songs at 2 minutes in length from US act Seapony.

5.  Seapony - Blue Star (MP3)

Closing the show, a track from Porcelain Raft, who this week signed to one of the most best record labels out there, “Secretly Canadian”.

6. Porcelain Raft - Amateur’s Feeling (MP3)

Feel free to share and distribute this mixtape, and to tune in to Resonance FM at 6.30pm (GMT) to listen live. Please leave any requests for future features in the comment box below, or email me. You can reblog this on Tumblr by clicking here.