Altered Zones

Seattle’s Seapony sound like they could have been on a cassette the cops found locked away in Phil Spector’s vault when everything started going wrong. Luckily, this is not another time capsule band produced at gunpoint. The sunny and sad, jangle-pop romance bundled inside “Dreaming” gives the track a foggy, delicately scuffed nostalgia reminiscent of the breezy, honeyed hits of bygone days. (via Transparent)

MP3: Seapony: "Dreaming"

Seapony EP is available for free download via bandcamp

Jet Set Siempre 1° is a collaboration between Hokkaido, Japan's Clive Tanaka and another equally elusive group called su orquesta. As Get Off The Coast pointed out in the Best of Tapes post, Jet Set has two personalities, each with four songs: For Dance and For Romance. Dance is a series of finely crafted smooth vocoded pop pleas for affection and devotion, while Romance, though composed of clean airy instrumental mid-tempo jams, is a sort of pastoral departure from its bumping counterpart. The theme that unites both sides is a sort of very delicate yet restrained sense of intimacy, no doubt a side effect of hikikomori, of which Tanaka in fact suffers. Vocals on Jet Set are almost exclusively processed through vocoder; it's only in "Neu Chicago" where Tanaka let's his guard down and we get a glimpse of what we can only assume is his voice.

MP3: Clive Tanaka y su orchesta: "Neu Chicago"

Jet Set Siempre 1° will be available soon via Burger Records

Southern California label Art Fag Recordings -- most notably responsible for last year's Summer anthem "Sun Was High (So Was I)" -- is the latest home to the native Heavy Hawaii.  If you remember their breaking-out with the incredibly catchy "Sleeping Bag" featured on Bathetic's eternally awesome Summer Bummer (Get Laid, Get Wasted) compilation (which is long gone), then you're already aware of the hammocked lazy-day vibes radiating from their tunes.  "Teen Angel", one of many highlights from their upcoming proper EP, highlights HH's uncanny vocal harmonies and is near perfect timing as these Summer days are beginning to dwindle.

MP3: Heavy Hawaii : "Teen Angel "

Debut EP available via Art Fag later this month

With “Trance,” the latest track from Toujours, Erik Jourgensen (who also records music as half of Magic Fingers) has drifted away from the warm, languid sound of his earlier work and into a more uptempo, bass-heavy style. The title really speaks for itself; the jittery synths and sample are undeniably entrancing. Grab the track below, then head over to his SoundCloud to stream and download a few other new ones. (via The Road Goes Ever On)

MP3: Toujours: "Trance"

I first heard of Dustin Wong from his playing in (the now defunct) Ponytail. Honestly, never listened to much Ecstatic Sunshine, but what they say is true - Wong's current solo material leans more towards the latter's aesthetic. "Talking Walking Cloud," the first 'single' from Wong's new solo album Infinite Love, is a prime example. Guitars evolve from humble beginnings and build layer-upon-layer on top of each other, turning a simple guitar into an an entire orchestra a la this John Fahey quote: "I was playing guitar but I heard an orchestra in my head."

MP3: Dustin Wong: "Talking Walking Cloud"

Infinite Love is out October 5 on Thrill Jockey. Also of note -- that video is just a preview of an ENTIRE ALBUM MUSIC VIDEO created by Wong himself.

Every month Gorilla Vs Bear put together a round-up of their favourite tracks from the past few weeks into one neat bundle. Originally posted on their blog on Monday, the August 2010 mix includes tracks ranging from How To Dress Well and J Dilla to Summer Camp and Fight Bite. Stream and download the eclectic hour long mix below:

Rocks seasoned the earth as we shared our final dance. One last one night stand. So many years ago I branded myself with this day with no real intent of it actually happening. Suffering for the sake of suffering became only too real. I have witnessed and caused more madness than any one person should ever be held accountable for. I'm still unsure where I go so horribly wrong. On these days I become only a bystander, watching myself tear everything apart. I recently learned to step outside and still retain control, but there is no stopping the past. There are far too many books and dwellers in this plane and I want out. I just can't figure out how to take all of me when I go. (via Get Off The Coast)

MP3: Andrew Cedermark: "Moon Deluxe "

The latest video/track from mysterious Philadelphia collective CSLSX makes me wonder what it would have been like to live in the swinging '70s as a free-loving man about town, ready to throw caution to the wind if caution even existed back then. It flickers and flashes back to a ritualistic sexcapade that probably seemed like a good idea until reality came shining through the up-turned blinds with the inevitable arrival of morning. Chopped up into pieces on a plastic and paper scratched mirror, "We Ought To Be Together" is a future/retro funk jam worthy of a trip back in time. (via Yours Truly)

Stream: CSLSX: We Ought To Be Together

UK duo Raime utilize minimal electronica to startling effect in what feels like an exploration of the inner murmurings of the psyche. Emerging from a hollow, barren space, "This Foundry" boasts a tentative foundation of snakelike percussion and skeletal rhythm, threatening a dubby groove yet never quite acting on it. Gradually, it is populated by sonic footprints that allude to the ghostly remnants of sound rather than its origins. Deeply meditative yet driven by an underlying hint of menace and collapse, it occupies a space somewhere between the post-techno of Actress and the abstract electronica of early Xela. You Can't Hide Your Headcrack, a mixtape by Raime, is available for download via the promising new London label Blackest Ever Black, providing further context for Raime's sound.

Raime: "This Foundry"

Raime 12" by is out September 13th on Blackest Ever Black

Tamaryn says:
Clay Allison were a brilliant Paisley Underground act out of Los Angeles in the mid-'80s who later became the band Opal. "Brigit on Sunday", sung by Kendra Smith (also of Dream Syndicate), foreshadows the later work that David Roback (also of Rain Parade) would do with Mazzy Star. With its tribal toms and hypnotic repetition, it grooves on like a more sensual "Ghost Highway". When I first discovered Kendra, I was seduced by the control and subtlety of her voice and immediately fell in love with her unaffected character and perfect sense of phrasing. This track comes from a 1989 compilation of the two Clay Allison EPs that was released under the title Opal-Early Recordings; as far as I know, it hasn't been re-released since. Every song on it is gorgeous, but my two other favorites are the Doors-y "Grains of Sand"-- also sung by Kendra-- and "Lullabye", where David's vocals remind me of Brendan Perry from Dead Can Dance-- in the best possible way.  I also recommend Kendra Smith's solo album, The Guild of Temporal.

MP3: Clay Allison: "Brigit on Sunday" (1984)

To coincide with the upcoming second volume of The Report, the multimedia peridocal curated by Altered Zones contributor M. Mcgregor of Chocolate Bobka, we are giving away the first compilation mix-tape for exclusive download. The mix, including rare/exclusive material by the likes of Twin Sister, Pure Ecstasy and Real Estate, has previously only been available in cassette form. A word from its creator:

"Our inaugural companion compilation was structured around the idea that each and every one of these songs has a perfect place in the universe. It's a pretty cheesy, new age-y claim, but, in all honesty, I think its especially true with the songs compiled for The Report. Many of them are one-off exclusives, live jams intended to be nothing but live jams, demos, or outtakes once deemed unworthy for release. The entire genus of this publication was to give a home to specific works that didn't necessarily have a place to dwell. Hopefully this tape effectively gives these songs shelter, and a place to rest their weary heads."

- M. McGregor from The Report V.I

Download The Report V.1 at Soundcloud

The Report V.2 book, tape and DVD can be pre-ordered here

The book features interviews with Iasos, Greg Davis, Velvet Davenport, Candy Claws, texts by Dan Lopatin, Cameron Stallones, Daniel Bachman (Sacred Harp), Nate Grace (Pure Ecstasy), and more.

This volume's tape compilation has selections from Dolphins into the Future, Ducktails, Buffalo Moon, Dent May's alter ego Dent Sweat, Big Troubles, The Twerps, Airbird, La Big Vic and more.

The DVD showcases features videos by the likes of Megazord, Laurel Halo, and an excerpt from Amy Ruhl's How Mata Hari Lost Her Head & Found Her Body, which features a score by Julian Lynch. Plus lots of other off the wall video work.

Dans l’univers éthéré de Charlotte Oleena, les sonorités synthétiques deviennent instables lorsqu’elles sont traversées par son filet de voix séraphique. On assiste alors aux balbutiements colorés de mélodies qui prennent peu à peu la forme de songes élégiaques. Des rêves qui, s’ils devaient être traduits en musique, ressembleraient au brouillard irréel de Benoit Pioulard dissipé par le chant fragile de Victoria Bergsman. Sur la toile, on peut entrevoir la jeune femme orchestrer des relectures enivrantes (Animal Collective, The Dodos…) en y infiltrant des monceaux de candeur, tout comme ses camarades de déchiffrage Young Man et Yellow Ostrich. Et lorsque ses propres compositions s’articulent sur la partition, cette source de candeur semble inépuisable. (via Delicious Scopitone)

MP3: Sea Oleena: "Island Cottage"

Sea Oleena EP is available for download via bandcamp

NYC Label RVNG Intl. recently kicked off the FRKWYS 12" series, which pairs legends of forever with heroes of the now-- Chris Carter and Cosey Fanni Tutti with Excepter, for example, or ARP with Anthony Moore. On their latest release, our fave dark raga wave cowboys Psychic Ills get remixed by Hans Joachim Irmler from Faust, Gibby Haynes from Butthole Surfers, and techno overlord Juan Atkins. Dream team or what?

Here you have Mr. Atkins’ re-engineering of "Mantis". Imagine The Holy Mountain biting the gun metal sky in the distance, past desolate provinces where mutant rastafaris reenact the fall of Zion with bass guitars as crude as siege engines. Slip into Rex Mecha and start your pilgrimage across this anti-neon reticle. If Public Image Ltd. had made the soundtrack for Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior, it would have totally sounded like this.

MP3: Psychic Ills: "Mantis (Juan Atkins Remix)"

FRKWYS Vol. 4: Psychic Ills 12" is out September 7th via RVNG Intl.

Crafting a perfect pop song often tends to an exercise in subtlety. Such is the case with Buddy Holly's sublime "Words of Love" which is more complex than at once appears. The song was never became a big hit for him, but influenced many an artist including The Beatles who covered it on Beatles For Sale by turning a rather melancholy song into pure pop.

Enter Philly's lo-fi wizard Scott Churchman, who crafted this beautiful cover of the tune. He tells me, "it's just me and a shitty keyboard i got off the street for two dollars, a broken tape-delay, some autoharp and guitar. I listen to his version and I really like the vocal harmonies. They are a little bit of creepiness hidden in a happy song. So i decided to exploit that fact and bring it down to a speed that i could relate to. Love isn't always peppy. This is how i thought those harmonies should feel." (via YVYNYL)

MP3: Scott Churchman: "Words Of Love"

Pick up Scott's limited edition releases with hand-made artwork from Single Girl, Married Girl Records.