Anteater's Daily Tune Roulette

Anteater · 05-19-2020, 09:07 AM

Stina Nordenstam - Memories Of A Color (1991) [Art Pop / Trip-Hop]

Spun the wheel and this hit. Not a bad way to start the day. A jazzy, sprightly debut from one of Sweden's underrated singer-songwriters. She gets compared to Bjork and Kate Bush a lot, but I think Stina has the tendency to lean in towards jazzier, more Baroque territory at times (which is what interested me in picking up her first two albums about eight years ago).

This opening cut is something that sounds like it could have been recorded anytime between '91 and now. An aural portrait about losing something and the elusive search that follows. Nothing that will shake your foundations, but it has some nice dynamics. There's also a lot of little touches that bring in those Nordic jazz influences too, adding to the overall flavor.

Anteater · 05-20-2020, 01:42 PM

haircuts for men - weakling heart (2018) [Vaporwave]

A soothing but somehow haunting instrumental from the great vapoverse that's been cultivated out of Bandcamp over the last decade. I don't even remember when I picked it up, but I found myself impressed by the massive catalog that haircuts for men had. I think it was the cover of this particular collection (simply known as 1982) that drew me in - something about the violence being depicted indicated that perhaps the relaxed, intentional nature of a piece like this is meant to be deceptive. Who would have thought muzak could go so well with occult murder?

Anteater · 05-21-2020, 01:09 PM

Kill Bill x Rav - lovedrug (off that) (2019) [Hip-Hop]

Riding a smokin' bossa groove and spicy rhymes, Kill Bill and Rav are some of hip-hop's most underrated storytellers. Kill Bill in particular has dabbled with a lot of people and apparently gets on well with Freddie Gibbs, but he's not much of a mainstream mainstay just yet. After this project came back up today randomly, I'm thinking that status quo could definitely be changing. Cut me an epic, boiz.

Anteater · 05-22-2020, 01:26 PM

Terje Rypdal - Bleak House (1968) [Jazz]

My favorite Rypdal album happens to be his '68 debut, which displayed a tremendous amount of diversity and songwriting savvy unusual even for the late 60's. The title track swings like a sledgehammer, with Terje's guitar guiding that force like a sherpa through the mountainside. The other big star on display is Jan Garbarek on sax and flute respectively, but Rypdal is front and center: the last minute or so he turns up the distortion and heaviness a few notches and it takes the whole cut into unassailable territory...though that status applies to the rest of the record too. Sublime.

Anteater · 05-23-2020, 12:54 PM

OLD - Break [You] (1995) [Atmospheric Industrial Stuff]

One of those synthesized slabs of alternative-minded doom pop that makes you wanna boot up your old copy of Quake or Doom and mow down some hellspawn at 2 AM in the morning. This track in particular has a nice (albeit processed) vocal melody and a killer bassline. OLD have other albums and material, but upon revisiting the Formula album I'm surprised at how well it has aged. A more ethereal Godflesh skipping along to a Post-Punk groove? Not a bad spin in 2020 and beyond.

Anteater · 05-24-2020, 10:28 AM

Yes - Fly From Here Pt. II - Sad Night At The Airfield (2018) [Progressive Rock]

Trevor Horn remixed all the music and then re-recorded his vocals in this 2018 "remake" of the 2011 album Fly From Here at the request of a lot of people, resulting in 2018's Fly From Here - Return Trip. The singer on the 2011 outing was a guy named Benoit David - he isn't bad, but he's not quite up there with Jon Anderson or Trevor Horn.

Thus, for all intents and purposes, this is the last "real" Yes album, and it is a joy hearing Squire's phenomenal bass brought to the forefront (RIP), as it is one of his best performances since the 70's.

It helps that Trevor Horn is a good singer in general (he was also the lead singer on 1980's underrated Drama), but this particular track also showcases his songwriting chops in the best way possible. I love Howe's acoustic work in particular on this cut, and the mood is mournful but crackling with understated tension as it moves along.

Anteater · 05-25-2020, 03:16 PM

The Great Tyrant - There Is A Man In The House (2008/2011) [Avant-Post-Punk]

Having seen this lovable trio live before they became the smoother (and perhaps more overtly sinister and well known) Pinkish Black, I can confirm that this self-titled song and album is a phenomenal blend of Zeuhl and some late period Scott Walker-esque morbidity, coupled with a virulent dose of synth-punk to complete the picture. It's just what the doctor ordered.