Jab Mica Och El

From the same label that brought you Secret Mommy come the similarly playful Jab Mica Och El from Denmark. Unlike Secret Mommy, Jacob and Michael seem less interested in making playful songs out of non-musical sounds (with the exception of the bicycle project) and more intent on making playful songs out of familiar instruments such as the banjo, flute, and tuba. After some laptop manipulation and reorganization, the sounds that emerge feel surprising and spontaneous, warm and real — as if some Appalachian robots got drunk and started to jam until they haphazardly came across a tune. Perfect for your next barbecue (Appalachian, robot, or otherwise).

from ABC Hej I'm Cola (2006):
Biojhelm Light Speed [MP3, 2.7MB, 128kbps]
Pull Up If I Pull Up [MP3, 3.0MB, 128kbps]

from Project: Bicycle Compilation (2006):
Side Car Bicycle [MP3, 3.0MB, 160kbps]

www.acherecords.com

Sapporo 72

Sapporo 72 comes to us today courtesy of my new friend Tracy T., who made this suggestion last night as fireworks were exploding over our heads. Now, you know this whole 80's new wave thing that's been going on for a while? Think that's the only 80's drama the kids these days are unearthing? There's a whole lot more to the 80's, and in this case we're talking about electro-synth-dance-pop, a la Depeche Mode, Kraftwerk, Erasure, etc. So let Sweden's Sapporo 72 take you on a trip down memory lane, updated for the new millenium.

Architecture of Love [MP3, 9.2MB, 128kbps]

www.sapporo72.se

Books on Tape

Books on Tape is actually just one Todd Drootin (should that make it Book on Tape?), current resident of Los Angeles (where I'll be landing tomorrow, by the way). Todd was raised on punk, but was then hooked by electronic music and hip-hop as he began making music. The result: "beatpunk," as coined by Todd himself. The energy and spirit of punk, expressed through electronics, very deliberate and focused, not as brash and concussive as say Atari Teenage Riot or Les Georges Leningrad.

Bubblegum [MP3, 2.8MB, 160kbps]
Upon Rock City [MP3, 4.8MB, 160kbps]

www.alien8recordings.com

Brian Eno + David Byrne

Today we're going back twenty-five years to 1981 (would someone check my math on that?). Brian Eno and David Byrne collaborated to produce the album My Life in a Bush of Ghosts. The album highlights the pair's mutual love for African pop and rhythms. The track offered here, "Regiment," is obviously influenced by such music. Its rhythms and percussion are also reminiscent of another album released in '81, Japan's Tin Drum. Eno + Byrne's album set the template for later works of world and electronic music. My Life in a Bush of Ghosts was re-mastered and re-issued this year and the complete multi-tracks to two of the songs are available for download on Bush-Of-Ghosts.com. Producers are encouraged to use the tracks in their own work, or remix the songs and upload them back to the site. The site also features archival press coverage, essays, photos from the recording sessions, a video and polaroids by David Byrne himself. A worthwhile way to spend your day procrastinating.

Regiment [MP3, 3.8MB, 128kbps]

www.nonesuch.com
www.bush-of-ghosts.com
www.enoweb.co.uk (fan site)
www.davidbyrne.com

Si Schroeder

I love the first line of description regarding this guy on the Trust Me I'm a Thief website: "Si Schroeder is a six-foot hairy male who makes 'music'." To how many people in this world does that sentence apply, I wonder. And is it the hairiness or his height that matters the most (or the combination of the two)? Anyway, with all of the above you get Irish psychedelic electronica in a cool ambient vibe, and if you find yourself wanting it more, Si Schroeder's debut album Coping Mechanisms will be released in fall 2006.

Lavendermist [MP3, 6.5MB, 128kbps]
Brailowsky (remix) [MP3, 5.6MB, 128kbps]

www.trustmeimathief.com

Marumari

Marumari makes electronic music just the way I like it, when I'm in the mood to chill to it, not dance to it ('cuz let me tell you, it ain't no easy feat to harness the energy of my dance moves in a little song. Nuh, uh. No way. But I'm not dancing now. And I imagine you aren't either if you're reading this—unless you've got moves I'm unfamiliar with). It's smooth, warm, and he keeps things interesting without the glitch, klack, sputter. There's an Eastern sensibility at work here, as if he's creating extended mixes of haiku. All this from a young American raised on Pee Wee's Playhouse with an unexplicable penchant for Gap clothes. Problem is, Marumari, aka Josh Presseisen, has been regrettably silent for the past four years, with the exception of this EP that he's been giving away on his site since last year. Only for "awhile" he warns. Well, the links are still good, but who knows for how long. Get 'em while you can (btw: some of the smaller files sound like clips). I should mention here that Sam turned me onto Marumari back in the last millenium, and Brian over at Fun Time OK hipped me to the free Pathscrubber EP.

Birch Beer Forest [MP3, 5.0MB, 192kbps]
Inside Washing Machine #2 [MP3, 643KB, 192kbps]
Som 1-01 [MP3, 4.1MB, 160kbps]
Lenticular Vehicular [MP3, 722KB, 160kbps]
Probed the Maw [MP3, 2.3MB, 160kbps]
Zyphormius [MP3, 6.0MB, 160kbps]
Pathscrubber [MP3, 1.2MB, 160kbps]
Hand That Byte [MP3, 2.3MB, 160kbps]
Birch Bark Vessel [MP3, 1.6MB, 160kbps]
Smart Birch [MP3, 2.3MB, 160kbps]
Freed Guitar (Bonus Track) [MP3, 3.6MB, 160kbps]
Presumer Nagas (Bonus Track) [MP3, 1.8MB, 160kbps]
Lyortoi (Bonus Track) [MP3, 1.7MB, 160kbps]

www.marumari.com

Manual

I promise this will be the last plug I give a Darla artist this week (gotcha...it's Saturday!). Manual is Danish prodigy Jonas Munk. At age 22, he's already got over a dozen releases to his name(s), many of them an epic 10+ minues in length. I always thought it was weird when music critics would use the term "big" to describe a sound. But that's about the best way I can think of to describe Manual. Big and warm and familiar. In fact, Darla's press release says: "In Jonas' world there's no line between dream pop and stadium rock..." So here I am, lighter held up high.

From Bajamar:
Celebration [MP3, 5.0MB, 64kbps]
From Azure Vista:
Summer of Freedom [MP3, 5.5MB, 64kbps]

www.darla.com
www.morrmusic.com
www.limp.dk

Balún

The emerging theme from the last two days is unintentional: more electronic treats from Latin America. Today it's Balún—Puerto Rico's answer to Múm. You had no idea Puerto Rico had an answer to Múm, did you? I certainly didn't. Consider ourselves clued in. Balún's songs tend toward the cinematic: gentle textures unfolding into soft rhythms and child-like vocals. These downloads are from the past couple years, but they do have a new album coming out in June on Brilliante Records out of Chicago. The video below is their first from that release, Something Comes Our Way. Oh, and Sam, let's hear you work this phrase into conversation, "hay una piscina en la nube (there's a swimming pool in the cloud)."

From While SleepingEP:
No Debería Hacer Esto / I Shouldn't Do This [MP3, 7.9MB, 192kbps]
Senecio (Revisited) [MP3, 2.9MB, 192kbps]
Mientras Dormía / While Sleeping [MP3, 3.9MB, 192kbps]
Snol [MP3, 6.7MB, 192kbps]

From Nada Que Hacer Hoy EP:
Hay una Piscina en La Nube [MP3, 4.3MB, 192kbps]
Senecio [MP3, 1.8MB, 192kbps]

Be Careful When You Walk [Video]:

www.brilliante.tv
www.observatoryonline.org
www.balunonline.com