Friday, May 29, 2009

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Suburban Dark – Expeditions EP (The Frequency Lab)

Posted: 29 May 2009 04:07 AM PDT

Suburban Dark

Sydney-based downbeat / hiphop duo Chris Irvine (drums / production) and Ryan Wilmott (guitars / bass / production) first formed their Suburban Dark partnership several years ago, despite both balancing the load of playing in various other bands, including The Phonies and Sketch The Rhyme. With their 2007 remix of Monk Fly’s ‘An English Walk’ having picked up international attention from the likes of Danny Breaks, this debut five track EP sees the duo introducing their cosmically-tinged, self-described ‘galaxy-hop’ approach, with mix engineer Scott Horscroft aiding them in achieving their desired warm, ‘vintage’ aesthetic. Opening track ‘Comms’ makes an entrance draped in shimmering, proggy analogue synths and sampled astronaut chatter before locking down into the sort of smoked-out downbeat funk you’d expect from the likes of the G-Stone label, complete with burbling electronics and tight, Peter Kruder-style live bassline. ‘No Exit’ sees the beat programming getting a bit more angular and rattling as the sweeping synth pads move back to the forefront, but in many senses it’s ‘Letter Home’, the one vocal track here that offers the biggest surprises, veering out towards mid-period Simple Minds-esque downbeat New Wave pop influences, complete with mannered vocals and squalling guitar feedback. While it’s certainly not the side-step you might first expect, in the context of the previous tracks it works beautifully, as does ‘Reflections’ closing descent into eerie, sample-laden minimal techno – proving that Suburban Dark perhaps plan on being a slippery fish to pigeonhole. Well worth checking out if you’re a fan of space-fixated downbeat sounds.

Heike Vester - Marine Mammals and Fish of Lofoten and Vesterålen (Gruenrekorder)

Posted: 29 May 2009 01:56 AM PDT

vester
Nature attunement in acoustic fields is not new and there are many varied takes on the subject field. Often a good deal of window dressing accompanies the arena to appeal to the listener, presenting the 'drama' of nature, where often it is merely the imposition of narrative upon the subject that is the area of study. However this is quite another matter.

It was recorded by Heike Vester, a biologist, whose field is bioacoustics of marine animals. She has studied Killer whales in Northern Norway and is in the process of completing a doctorate on the vocal behavior of killer whales. She is also the founder of Oceansounds, a private research, education and conservation group focused on marine environments.

This recording has very crisp digital sound and has a detached matter of fact presentation. It concentrates mainly on Killer Whales but there are tracks documenting Pilot Whales, Dolphins and seals. It is not a new age extension of nature romantic tendency that mires itself in kitsch. No doubt the attunement of such interests have lead a lot of people to this field but Vester's focus would be in regards to 'evolutionary cognitive anthropology' as a scientific pursuit. Listening to the field recordings of marine environments outside the purely scientific interest is a different act, yet there is a listening history unconstrained by scientific endeavor. As a field recording exercise its technical prowess is apparent and may very well appeal to all musical types who need sound archival works when the need to insert killer whale noises into the mix.

Heike Vester states that her "main interest is to preserve life on this planet by trying to minimize human destruction…" and this is a work co-produced by the World Wide Fund for Nature.

Innerversitysound

at 6:12 PM