BT – Every Other Way (buy this song)

Welcome back!  It’s been a long time since I actually updated the MSMOTD.  It was derailed initially because of the production and release of my album, and then continually postponed due to academic responsibilities. However, it is now back and will hopefully be updated regularly!

One of my first MSMOTDs was BT’s “Antikythera Mechanism”, from his award winning and brilliant glitch-symphony “This Binary Universe”.  However, as incredible as that album is, it is really just one facet of Brian Transeau’s musical taste and ability.  He began as a trance/house producer and has been continually building on that base.  TBU was a fairly radical departure, but his new album “These Hopeful Machines” (do I sense a theme?) brings everything full circle and combines the new techniques and style he employed on TBU with his older dance and ballad sensibilities.  It’s a huge double album, ranging from full-on house meant for the dance floor, to TBU-style electronica, to glitchy alternative and beyond.  I’ve been waiting 4 years for this album and while it’s not TBU part 2 (perhaps still forthcoming), I am well pleased.  So are other reviewers it seems, with wired.com giving it a 9 out of 10 and saying “If you’ve never liked electronica before, this is the release that could change your mind.”  High praise indeed.  BT is is a very prolific writer and this album is a great showcase of that talent, while remaining quite cohesive.

BT's latest album - "These Hopeful Machines" (2010)

I actually heard Every Other Way first as a remix by Armin Van Buuren (see below) on Universal Religion 4, a fantastic trance mix album released by Van Buuren in 2009.  It’s a fantastic remix, but it didn’t really prepare me for the album version.  Every Other Way (featuring vocalist “Jes”) is an ethereal, beautiful and glitchy ballad which flows between soaring melodies and glitchy breaks which dig into the centre of the earth.  Clocking in at over 11 minutes, it’s an epic journey, but one I keep taking over and over again, savouring every note from the opening chimes to the electronic wash at the end.  Nobody else writes music quite like this, and that’s one reason why I love BT so much.  This music is, in my opinion, immediately accessible and pleasant to the ear, but also pushes boundaries and experiments with sound in new ways.  What wizardry he uses to craft such raw emotion from electronic audio stuttering is beyond the ken of man (at least this man), but however he does it, it definitely pushes all my buttons.  I love the album version, but you can also find the radio edit (not as good) on youtube.

(BT feat. Jes – Every Other Way (Armin Van Buuren Remix)) (buy this song)

As one of the top house/electronica/dance producers in the world, BT’s releases are remixed over and over again, as indicated by the AVB remix of Every Other Way.  A number of other songs from “These Hopeful Machines” have also been remixed, including the first single (and one of my favourites from the album), Suddenly. Suddenly is actually the first track on the album, and is a much more upbeat and dancy tune than Every Other Way.  With BT himself on vocals, the original track is a fantastic melding of BT’s signature house sound and a harsher alterna-rock vibe, all brought together with robotic precision by BT’s production and trademark stuttering glitches (how I love thee!).  However, he’s also released the song as a single along with a bunch of other remixes, including one by the all-powerful Klayton Scott (aka Celldweller – check out the Celldweller MSMOTD)!  His version is even more glitchy than BT’s original production (if that’s possible), and adds a dirty industrial sheen to the song which really changes its character.  Great driving music, if you plan on weaving in and out of traffic at high speeds with no regard for human life.  The video is embedded below.

Lastly, I’ve included one of my other favourites from the album, the complex and brooding Le Nocturne De Lumiere. This song is for all of those who adored “This Binary Universe”.  The first half of the song features a dark and throbbing beat, surrounded by a dense cloud of dreamy, stuttering accents and melodies which really have to be experienced with good headphones.  The second half deconstructs the beat and breaks the melody open into a shimmering wash of sound which is then built back up into the main theme.  This song is the definition of “intelligent dance music”: unique, non-repetitive, experimental and interesting, but still inherently danceable, beautiful and easy to listen to.  Fortunately there are several other tracks like it on “These Hopeful Machines” for those of us who really want more of TBU.

(The Celldweller remix of Suddenly by BT) (buy this song)

BT is one of the only artists who can successfully mix crunchy house beats and breaks with vast, dreamy soundscapes which simultaneously soothe and energize.  While this album is no TBU part 2 (despite songs like The Rose of Jericho and Le Nocturne De Lumiere), it is an incredible work in its own right and is one of the best albums of the year so far.  BT’s myspace page (see below) has a number of other songs from the album, so definitely go check them out and then buy this album if you like it.

Hope people still check the page from time to time, and enjoy the new music I’ll be posting in the near future.

- Mons

More music from BT

BT – Le Nocturne De Lumiere (buy this song)

Further info about today’s MSMOTD

Official Website: http://www.btmusic.com/ (not much info here)

Wikipedia Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BT_(musician)

Myspace Page (with more music): http://www.myspace.com/btnetwork

Featured Review: Curtis Silver’s 9 out of 10 review of “These Hopeful Machines” on wired.com

Support BT (and me!) by clicking these links to buy “These Hopeful Machines (Amazon MP3 Exclusive Version)” or “the physical cd of These Hopeful Machines” from Amazon.com! See the “buy this song” links above to get the MP3s for the individual songs I’ve included in the post.

Modeselektor – The Dark Side Of The Sun (buy this song)

I think you can really tell a lot about a musician’s personality through their music.  Whether they were smiling as they recorded (Aqua definitely smiles), scowling with righteous outrage (Rage Against The Machine) or perhaps afflicted with nearly overwhelming ennui (Those unfortunate saps who are employed in mixing mallcore albums).  I picture the Modeselektor guys as having an intensely devilish grin fixed on their faces from the moment they enter the studio until the minute the album is finally mastered.  They, Gernot Bronsert and Sebastian Szary of Germany, have an incredible amount of geeky, techy fun creating this music, and it shines through in the crazy glitchy editing, balls-out beats and quirky melodies.

Modeselektor is pretty hard to pin down, genre-wise.  They’ve been called everything from glitch-hop (you take that back!!) and IDM, to “bassbin-blowing techno hop dubstep core”, whatever that means.  The name doesn’t really matter though, as you bop along to their twitchy, stuttering, intricately detailed and dancy music.  They’ve released two albums so far, “Hello Mom!” in 2005, and “Happy Birthday!” in 2007, with a collaboration with Apparat released this spring as “Moderat”.

It's often hard to find good or interesting photos of artists. I gave up on Amorphis. But these guys have so many, hahaha.

Ok, here’s where I gush about how much I love The Dark Side Of The Sun.  Besides the very silly name (because obviously all sides of the sun, in general, emit equal levels of solar radiation), this song is silly in a number of other ways.  First of all, it’s a collaboration with the Puppetmastaz, a puppet-based german rap group who are very very silly.  Secondly, it’s silly because how is this song not a huge club hit??? This song is a brilliant and incredibly catchy mix of sexy synth beats and intricately edited vocals.  It is that glitchy vocal editing which impresses me the most actually.  Somehow, they manage to take what would otherwise be a good rap and dial it up to 11 through clever digital repetition, rhythmically strategic stutters and all sorts of sonic tricks.  It renders the lyrics largely unintelligible, but in exchange morphs the lyrics into the driving rhythmic force, intertwining and often overshadowing the bass line in a sort of twisty-turny power struggle.  The vocal editing dominates the rhythm during the verses, while the more traditional bassline takes over for the chorus.  The result is a hugely danceable monster of a tune.  If you played this in a dance club, the place would explode, though I’m not sure this has ever hit a dancefloor outside of Europe.  Here’s hoping stuff like this takes off, as one can only take so much Katy Perry and Soulja Boy before never wanting to dance again.

(Not my favourite of their songs, but I love the video!  This is Black Block from “Happy Birthday!”) (buy this song)

Let Your Love Grow (from “Happy Birthday!”) is a light, pulsing dub-reggae tune featuring vocalist Paul St. Hillaire (who’s also worked closely with Kruder & Dorfmeister).  Past the slightly silly intro, it grows into a really sweet groove that’s a nice chilled-out change from the stuttering intensity of the MSMOTD.  I love the squishy synths and the cool dub back beat.  I have no idea what on earth he’s talking about, but the sing-song reggae vocals are smooth and dreamy.  A great driving tune.

The second song below is named Kill Bill Vol. 4 for reasons unbeknownst to myself.  As with most Modeselektor songs, it’s rather odd.  The first minute of the song is just what sounds like they recorded 45 seconds of a factory worker with a serious speech impediment giving a rambling movie review.  Stick with it though, as at the 1:05 mark, the song kicks into gear with a gut-punching electro beat straight out of Mr. Oizo’s craziest wet dreams.  This one has no vocals and little in the way of Modeselektor’s signature glitchiness.  What it does have is a killer beat that will either move your feet or pound you into the ground.  Somehow, this music sounds so very very German.  Perhaps it is the perfectly rhythmic, almost robotic nature of the song, or the insistant, unrepentant, unrelenting repetition of the detuned synth melody.  Whereas the other songs I posted are fun and light in nature, this one is almost industrial in nature.  I can imagine people dancing to this in german clubs with VERY SERIOUS DANCING FACES.  No smiling allowed.  Still, I can smile while I listen to it, imagining serious german kids dancing seriously to this serious dance music.

As you can see, Modeselektor shows are SERIOUS BUSINESS. Smile during Kill Bill Vol. 4 and you get sprayed! Notice how none of those sprayed are smiling anymore.

As with much of the music I post here, I wouldn’t even know about these guys if it weren’t for wonderful friends who constantly recommend cool music to me (Thanks Nikki!).  The rest of the songs on their two albums are all really great, and both albums are worth checking out.  Let me know what you think of these guys in the comments!

- Mons

More music from Modeselektor

Modeselektor – Let Your Love Grow (buy this song)

Modeselektor – Kill Bill Vol. 4 (buy this song)

Further info about today’s MSMOTD

Official Website: http://www.modeselektor.de/

Myspace Profile: http://www.myspace.com/mdslktr

Wikipedia Article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modeselektor

Featured Review: The Pitchfork review of “Happy Birthday!”

Support Modeselektor (and me!) by buying “Happy Birthday!” or “Hello Mom!” from Amazon.com (you can get the physical or mp3 albums there).

Imogen Heap – 2-1 (buy this song)

Imogen Heap, an English singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist from London, has a really distinctive sound and an even more distinctive name.  I had assumed it was some artsy-fartsy assumed name for her musical endeavours (sort of like how Celldweller’s “Klayton” was actually born Scott Albert), but not so!  Imogen is a apparently a legit name created, accidentally, by a publisher reprinting Shakespeare’s “Cymbeline”.  Shakespeare used the name “Innogen” for a character, which means “maiden” in Gaelic.  The publisher thought it was something similar to “imo gens”, a latin phrase meaning last-born, and so misprinted it as “Imogen”.  Artsy fartsy parents have been naming their children Imogen ever since.  Apparently several actresses have shared the name, using it on an alternating schedule so that they all got a chance.

So enough about her name, this post exists because of her music!  Her quirky, lovely, nifty, serene music.  She’s like Sarah McLachlan’s quirky music-nerd little sister, having taught herself sequencing and production on old Atari machines back in the day.  She plays various instruments including piano, cello, clarinet, guitar, drums and array mbira.  She’s also been writing songs since she was a teen, though has only in the last 10 years gained any real popularity, thanks in part to side-project Frou Frou and the OC’s use of Hide and Seek (see video below).  She makes extensive use of synths and vocal layering, which culminates in fantastic live sets where she layers her own voice live, doing the various harmony parts, one at a time, then singing over top.  She’s a real talent and writes compelling music.  She’s also pretty cute!

Imogen in her natural state. Actually, strike that. Her natural state is wearing crazy plumage while sitting in a music studio, but I like this picture better.

Imogen has just released her 3rd studio album, “Ellipse”, a follow up to 2005′s “Speak For Yourself”.  I’ve only listened to it a few times, but already I am in love with a number of tracks.  At the moment, my absolute favourite is the MSMOTD, 2-1.  Her lyrics are always a bit weird, but her music is just sublime.  2-1 starts out slow and quirky (notice how I’ve used that adjective several times already?), with muted synths and piano swirling beneath her clear and slightly raspy vocals.  Gradually, ever so gently, the song builds through the versus and choruses until a group of strings swoop in, bringing with them a compliment of shimmering and pulsating synth hits and extra layers of vocal harmony.  All of this simmers and boils, with exotic wind instruments letting off the melodic steam as the melody struts along to the slighty unsettling end.  It has a mysterious and exotic air, which I adore.    The little touches here and there really make this song stand out to my ear.

(Imogen Heap giving a live performance of Hide and Seek, her most famous song, from 2005′s “Speak For Yourself”.)

Hide and Seek actually would have been the MSMOTD, except everyone’s already heard it and the new album deserves exposure.  Still, if you haven’t heard it, do check out the video above.  It’s a brilliant song.  Minimalist, but gorgeous, and displaying her prodigious vocal talent.  The two songs I’ve posted below are similarly wonderful.  The first is Headlock, from her second album, “Speak for Yourself”.  A light little melody floats along until becoming suddenly grounded with crunchy synths and a catchy beat.  It’s a great driving tune and one of my favourites.

Aha!, a shorter tune from her new album (“Ellipse”) is a bit of a divergence for her.  In keeping with her slightly bizarre musical style and quirky taste, it is a frantic little tune that could be straight out of a Tim Burton animated film.  It’s manic and fast, twitchily twisting and turning like an undead claymation snake.  She’s la-la-laing one minute, speaking in a half whisper another, before suddenly throwing her voice into the stratosphere like an opera soprano.  Great little song.

Imogen Heap is a great artist whose work (other than Hide and Seek) deserves more exposure!  Hope you like her stuff as much as I do.  Also, if you ever meet her, tell her to come perform in Winnipeg!  Leave a comment and let me know what you think.

- Mons

More music from Imogen Heap

Imogen Heap – Headlock (buy this song)

Imogen Heap – Aha! (buy this song)

Further info about today’s MSMOTD

Official Website: http://www.imogenheap.com/

Wikipedia Article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imogen_Heap

Myspace Profile: http://www.myspace.com/imogenheap

Featured Review: Allmusic’s review of “Ellipse”

Support Imogen Heap (and me!) by buying her albums: “Ellipse” and “Speak for Yourself”. You can also get the featured songs in mp3 format above along with “Hide And Seek”.

Amethystium – Treasure (buy the album, “Isabliss”)

Amethystium is the solo project of Norwegian composer Øystein Ramfjord.  Besides having the most Norwegian name in all of Norway, he writes gorgeous atmospheric chilled-out/ambient electronica/worldbeat music ala Enigma, Delerium and Deep Forest.  He’s usually labeled as “New Age”, but I really have no idea what that even means (does anyone?), so I’ll avoid it.  Anyways, He’s released 4 albums so far, all of which, I was surprised to discover, have apparently debuted fairly high on the US billboard charts!  Primarily instrumental, his music is more about moods and describing environments through sound than about telling a story.  Some songs are expansively beautiful, others more claustrophobic and eerie.  It’s great music for studying, working or traveling.  You won’t be rocking out to this at the club, or playing it on the next release of Rock Band, but when you just want to relax, focus or unwind, this is great stuff.

The slightly eerie cover of the latest Amethystium album, 2008's "Isabliss".

Treasure is from the most recent (2008) Amethystium album – “Isabliss”.  The Garden of Sakuntala had long been my favourite, go-to Amethystium song, but this immediately changed after listening to the first minute of Treasure.  The beginning starts out normally enough for an Amethystium song, with a catchy beat underneath a floating/bubbling synth groove.  However, things get really special at 0:40 when, lo and behold, a gorgeous female vocalist joins in with a delicately realized vocal melody and actual lyrics!  The vocal harmony at 2:10 is one of my favourite Amethystium Moments ™, though my favourite part of the song comes at 4:20 when the violin (?) takes over the lead melody.  It’s such a soulful song, and a good representation of the sheer beauty of Amethystium’s music.  Mr. Ramfjord has tapped into some special and arcane wellspring of inspiration, and we are fortunate to share in his discovery!

(Amethystium doesn’t have any official videos, so here’s Anthemoessa from “Isabliss” along with some unrelated artwork FROM SPACE.)

Garden of Sakuntala, from 2003′s “Aphelion”, was my favourite Amethystium track for many years, and probably got more play time than most of the rest of my music collection.  It’s just the perfect mix of melody, soothing ambiance and driving beat, tinged with an exotic bite which keeps it from fading completely into the background.  This song reminds me of math problems, my city at night, French train cars and dragonflies (because there is one on the cover of the album).  Apparently the first three albums (“Aphelion” is #2, between “Odonata” and “Evermind”) are the “Dragonfly Trilogy” though I’ll be damned if I can figure out what dragonflies have to do with anything other than the cover art.  Fantastic song!

The last song I’ll post is Withdrawal, a rather different song from the others above.  It’s much more chilly, without the upbeat synths and drum loops.  It starts off with a trembling note, shimmering and shivering in anticipation, like a cry in the night, foretelling what is to come.  The piano melody which follows is decidedly mournful, and it becomes even more oso when, at 1:45, the erhu joins in.  YES, AN ERHU!  This single ~40 second clip of music, along with similar stuff like the violin in the MSMOTD has influenced my own music more than I can know.  You can hear its influence whenever I write a mournful strings melody like the one in Silhouettes.  This song is also one of the pieces which drive my desire to learn to play the erhu (a 2-stringed chinese violin), so that I may include its mournful, soulful voice in my own songs.

Amethystium’s albums are quite special in that there are no weak tracks.  I’ve highlighted a few here, but if you like what you hear, then you’ll love everything on the rest of the albums.  I hope you search out the rest of his fantastic music, as its given me a lot of enjoyment over the years.  Leave a comment and let me know what you think!

- Mons

More music from Amethystium

Amethystium – Garden Of Sakuntala (buy the album, “Aphelion”)

Amethystium – Withdrawal (buy the album, “Aphelion”)

Further info about today’s MSMOTD

Official Website: http://www.amethystium.com/

Myspace Page: http://www.myspace.com/amethystium (more songs to check out here!)

Wikipedia Article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amethystium

Featured Review: Review of “Isabliss” on Buzinky Blog

Support Amethystium (and me!) by clicking these links and buying their music on Amazon.com.  Besides “Aphelion” and “Isabliss”, you can also buy “Odonata” and “Evermind”, both excellent. Unfortunately, individual mp3 tracks are not available for Amethystium on Amazon.

Celldweller – Birthright (Beta 1.0) (buy this song)

Celldweller isn’t a band so much as a one man army.  It’s the multifaceted, crazed and brilliant creative output of just one oddly-coiffed individual -> Klayton Scott (real name: Scott Albert).  Klayton has fronted various musical ventures over the last decade or two, the biggest ones being 90′s industrial/metal group Circle of Dust, as well as all of the music for magician Criss Angel’s show and albums.  In fact, if you watch Criss Angel’s show, you’ve probably seen Klayton hanging off to the side watching the proceedings from behind his cascade of fiery anime hair, crazy pants and various metal accessories.  A Hugo Boss model he is not.  Anyways, Klayton as Celldweller has released 2 albums so far, with a 3rd album – “Wish Upon A Darkstar: Chapter 1″ – arriving on the 25th of August!

Their music is described by Klayton as a “fusion of the electronics of drum & bass and techno, with rock and orchestral elements, meshing the synthetic and the organic, darkness with beauty, into a cohesive blend entirely its own.”  A fairly apt description I must say.  The self-titled debut is a masterwork, combining trance/techno/d&b with industrial and metal to create a totally unique mix that’s at times incredibly heavy and others light and beautiful.  It’s as if Nine Inch Nails, Lamb of God, Depeche Mode, Infected Mushroom and E.S.Posthumus decided to pool their efforts.  You’ve probably already heard Celldweller’s music actually, as it’s been used in many movies and trailers, including Spider-Man and other prominent films.

Klayton hard at work in his crazy studio while taking a break from styling his hair and flexing in the mirror.

Birthright is the main single from his most recent album – “Soundtrack for the Voices in My Head Vol. 1″, released in 2008.  The rest of the album is almost entirely instrumental, geared towards Celldweller’s burgeoning contribution to the film score/soundtrack industry.  Anyways, apparently Birthright isn’t quite done, hence the “Beta 1.0″ tag.  I presume the final version will be on “Wish Upon A Darkstar”, due later this month.  Birthright is a good showcase of Klayton’s passion for mixing genres, with metal guitars layed over a mid-tempo electronic backbeat, his multi-layered vocals sandwiched between pulsating synths and orchestral crescendos.  Klayton’s knack for memorable melodies and interesting hooks and twists is also evident here, along with several changes in feel/speed through the song.  Good stuff.

Also, as a special treat for those of you who like their electronica dancy, dark and glitchy ala Sebastian, Justice and Deadmau5, there’s a “Birthwrong remix” of Birthright on the album by Blue Stahli.  Check it out on youtube!  I have no idea why the youtube version of this song is “brought to you by Tombraider Underworld”???

I am really really pumped for the new album.  Check out this sample for So Long Sentiment from the upcoming album.  So good.

(A preview of So Long Sentiment from “Wish Upon A Darkstar”, due on August 25th)

My favourite song of his so far (because I haven’t heard the new album yet!) is probably Afraid This Time (from the 2003 “Celldweller” album – listen below).  It’s a gorgeous electronic ballad featuring amazing vocal editing/effects and a supremely memorable melody.  I’ve been listening to this song regularly since before the 2003 release of the first album (he has a tendency to release unfinished tracks on the net way before they are included on an album, much like me!)  It starts off soft, but slowly builds through really great harmonies, breakdowns and a powerful chorus to an energetic conclusion.  Some of the softer parts actually remind me of Utada Hikaru, haha.  The whole thing goes down like a smooth cider: sweet and warm, but with a kick.  I really love this tune.

I’ve also posted one of his purely instrumental tracks below.  The Angle of IO is from 2008′s “Soundtracks for the Voices in My Head” and like 90% of the album is completely devoid of lyrics, beyond a few wordless choral hits and sweeps.  Each of the songs on the album evoke different imagery, from being trapped deep underground to being chased, or wandering an abandoned city or whatever.  This one is more foreboding and spacey, with deep pulsating beats underlying mysterious piano flourishes and eventually frantic guitar/synths as the song works to a fever pitch then settles again into its groove.  Klayton loves his builds.  I had a hell of a time choosing which track to post from this album, as they’re all equally excellent.  Most are short, and he even has 4 different versions of the same song (URSA Minor), each focusing on a different aspect of the build/song/melody. Really neat!

You’ll also notice that below you can download Switchback, which is probably the most popular song from “Celldweller”.  It’s a crunchy/dancy tune that switches between metal and dance music throughout with reggae dubs midway through, haha.  Fun stuff.  Anyways, it’s been remixed literally HUNDREDS of times and is available for free download below.  It’s also been used in a ton of different trailers.

Hope you dig Celldweller as much as I!  He’s definitely influenced aspects of my own music (the darker, heavier aspects).  He’s a genius producer and everything he touches turns out great.  Also, the hair.  Leave a comment to let me know what you think!

- Mons

More music from Celldweller

Download Celldweller – Switchback for free!

Celldweller – Afraid This Time (buy this song)

Celldweller – The Angel of iO (buy this song)

Further info about today’s MSMOTD

Official Website: http://www.celldweller.com/ (He has a blog here with lots of updates and videos of him mixing etc)

Wikipedia Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celldweller

Myspace Page (with more music): http://www.myspace.com/celldweller

Featured Review: Ilker Yücel’s review of “Soundtrack for the Voices in My Head Vol. 1″ for Regen Magazine

Support Klayton (and me!) by clicking these links to buy “Celldweller” and “Soundtrack…” from Amazon.com!  You can get either the MP3 albums or physical cds from those links (as well as just individual tracks, like that Birthwrong Remix By Blue Stahli).

Plod – What Happens To The Hole When The Cheese Is Gone?

Happy Canada Day!  I’ve been so busy with various things over the last few weeks that I’ve been seriously neglecting updates.  This one has been at least a week in the offing, but it’s finally here!  We’re going ultra obscure here, with one of my favourite IDM/Freestyle electronica outfits – Plod!  Plod is two dudes hailing from the wintery wastes of northern Sweden.  They’ve only released one full album, “Pillow Talk” way back in 2000.  It’s too bad, because it’s a wonderful album that’s now incredibly hard to find.  Their music is very laid back, calm, melodic electronica, similar in style/feel to groups such as Boards of Canada, Autechre and Orbital.

The album art for their only full release - Pillow Talk

I just love the names of the songs on the album.  Besides killer tracks such as “Which Is Stronger – Karate Or The Tiger” and “Ass” is the aptly named MSMOTD, What Happens To The Hole When The Cheese Is Gone? Well, I’m not sure that the song itself provides any insight, but it is perhaps the soundtrack to the contemplation of that question.  It’s the perfect track for contemplating a blue sky on a lazy sunday afternoon, or for reading in a cozy chair on a cold winter day.  I love the cheery little melody that floats above the more sweeping movement of the bass lines at the foundation.  I actually picture a little mouse poking its head out of the holes in a big block of swiss cheese, like a whack-a-mole, each time the arpeggio plays, and then disappearing, only to appear at another hole a few seconds later.  It’s such a simple, but pleasing track.

(My awesome brother Erik doing footbag tricks to Plod’s “Eucalyptus” track)

The other two I’ve posted below are also really great.  Hinken is quite short at 2:45, but it packs in a great, mellow, pastoral sort of melody over an interesting stuttery drum beat.  It’s the sort of song that might play over a short montage of someone cleaning their Ikea-furnished house.  I’ll be honest here and tell you that I selected That Stench Again – It Must Be Wednesday primarily because of the name, hahaha.  It’s also a wonderful song, but the name just kills me every time.  This one has a more Infected Mushroom-style squirty lead and has a hint of urgent energy but nonetheless goes down really smooth.  This is the song for a drive through an afternoon rain, or for working on your project the night before it’s due.

Let me know what you think of Plod by leaving a comment!

More music from Plod

Plod – Hinken

Plod – That Stench Again – It Must Be Wednesday

Further info about today’s MSMOTD

Official Website: Their official website: http://www.french.se/plod/ is broken, so visit their Myspace instead.

Wikipedia Link: These guys are so obscure that there is no Wikipedia article for them!

Featured Review: CD Baby’s review collection for “Pillow Talk”

Amazingly, you can buy Pillow Talk from Amazon’s mp3 service!  You can also grab just What Happens to the Hole When the Cheese Is Gone? if you so desire.

Ulrich Schnauss – Goodbye (from 2007′s “Goodbye”)

Today’s MSMOTD is a bit of a retreat from the lyrically intense songs of the last few artists I’ve posted.  Ulrich Schnauss doesn’t DO lyrics.  Or rather, perhaps he does, but the vocals are so filtered that any lyrics just blur into the lush soundscape, enhancing the music but not supplanting it.  It is this soundscape which is at the forefront of Ulrich’s music.  He paints his sound across the aural sonicscape with a broad brush, layering as many as 100 tracks over each other to achieve the result that he desires.  What comes out of that process is gorgeous, complex, multi-faceted, relaxing and makes great study music!

Mr. Schnauss, the man behind the music. I just like saying that name, to be honest. Schnauss Schnauss Schnauss!

Goodbye is a fantastic example of his work.  Dreamy, bubbly and ethereal (I’m going to have to start posting some non-ethereal music here… what’s the antonym for ethereal?  Earthy?  Grungy?).  You can just barely make out the vocalist singing the word “goodbye” as they fade in and out of coherence, with waves of sound washing against the speakers in hypnotising rhythms.  I was actually looking for something similar to BT’s “This Binary Universe” when Schnauss was recommended to me.  He’s really nothing at all like BT, but I did immediately fall in love with Schnauss’ music for studying.  His sound is full enough to wash out any external noise, while remaining light and predictable enough not to distract from the equations and concepts that you’re trying to internalize.

Reviewers often (rightly) compare Schnauss to other outfits such as Boards of Canada and the Cocteau Twins, and (oddly) to shoegaze outfits and dreampop bands like Slowdive.  Personally, I would compare him most closely with Tangerine Dream.  Are they even making music still?  I’ll have to find out for a future MSMOTD.  Anyways, check out Molfsee below for an example of Schnauss’ slightly darker, Boards of Canada-esque work.

Hope you like it.  Leave a comment to tell me what you think!

- Mons

More Music from Ulrich Schnauss

Ulrich Schnauss – Molfsee (from 2001′s “Far Away Trains Passing By”)

Further info about today’s MSMOTD

Official Website: http://www.myspace.com/ulrichschnauss

Wikipedia Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulrich_Schnauss

You can purchase Goodbye (2007) from Amazon.com.  Bizarrely, I can’t find Goodbye (the song) on Amazon.com’s MP3 service, though you can get Molfsee

Röyksopp – The Girl and the Robot (from “Junior” , 2009)

Today’s MSMOTD is from Röyksopp, a Norwegian electronica group who specialize in warm, laid back downtempo beats and smooth melodies.  Their breakout hit debut album “Melody A.M.” was full of hits such as Remind Me and So Easy (both featured below).  Great music for relaxing after a hectic work day or crazy night on the town.

Love the music. Not a big fan of the album cover art.

The Girl and the Robot is from their latest album, 2009′s “Junior”.   The album shares their older music’s whimsical nature, but this song itself (along with several others on the album) is a bit more aggressive, with vocals by Sweden’s Robyn.  Below, I have the video that introduced me to Röyksopp in the first place.  It’s the amazing video for Remind Me, done by French graphics studio H5.  It tells the story of the day in a woman’s life using “infographics”, or graphics in the style of schematic diagrams etc.  It’s really neat and fits the music incredibly well.  Fans of The Sims will enjoy the look/feel of the video.

All of their albums are spectacular, though “Melody A.M.” is my favourite, with “Junior” a close second.  So Easy, available below, is the most relaxing of the three posted.  It’s like a whimsical journey through a hippy commune while soft pastel-coloured bubbles float gently down from the sky.  Hope you like them as much as I do… Who knew vikings could produce so sweet and smooth a song?

Leave a comment to let me know what you think of today’s MSMOTD!

- Mons

More music from Röyksopp

Röyksopp – So Easy

Further info about today’s MSMOTD

Official Website: http://royksopp.com/

Wikipedia Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Röyksopp

Buy “Junior” from Amazon.com or download “The Girl And The Robot” from their MP3 service.

Trifonic – Lies

I’m so excited about posting this MSMOTD!  Not only am I finally done with school and so now have the time to update regularly, but this group, this album, is really special.  So special that I had a hell of a time trying to single out a single track to feature.  In the end, I chose Lies, which was the first song of theirs that I heard, and still one of my favourites.  It’s also a good intro to the album.

One of the best albums of 2008.

Trifonic is a musical duo (the brothers Brian and Laurence Trifon) from San Francisco.  Their music is downtempo, glitchy, intimate and beautiful.  It’s a combination of BT-style organic electronica, acoustic guitars and rich female vocals.  I’d say they combine elements of BT with Portishead/Massive Attack, NIN and Amethystium.  Needless to say, this is an amazing combination, haha.  Trifonic’s Emergence is the soundtrack to the sunlight glittering off the icicles outside your window.  The soundtrack to exploring abandoned buildings and contemplative bus rides through a moonlit cityscape.  The soundtrack to a breakup and to almost-forgotten memories.  The internal score to your own scattered thoughts and dreams.

Lies is one of the tracks featuring female vocalist Amelia June.  It’s a sad, downtempo tune with percussion constructed of various noises the brothers recorded around their home one day (the sound of a light bulb turning on, dryer door closing, the fizzing of a pop bottle opening etc).  Amelia’s mournful tones overlay an ethereal and beautiful sonicscape of icy synths, piano and guitar.  Three of the tracks feature female vocals, all excellent.  The others are instrumental and are all just incredible songs.  I’ve included 2 more of my favourites below.  The first is the official video for Parks on Fire.  It was done by the same dude who did the videos for BT’s ‘Antikythera Mechanism” and “1.618″.  It uses a similar style, with clever editing and effects melding the music and video into a symbiotic whole.  This song gets better every time I listen to it.

Parks on Fire from neither-field on Vimeo.

In the “more music” section, I have another song, the title track – Emergence – from the album which is a bit more intense, featuring hints of d&b.  These tracks really remind me of BT’s This Binary Universe, which is wonderful, as I’ve been having trouble finding music to scratch my desire for more music in that vein.  Trifonic definitely does the job and more, bringing something entirely new to music.  I love this album and I think you will too.

- Mons

More music from Trifonic

Trifonic – Emergence

You can download the HD video for Parks on Fire (featured above) for free here.

Further info about today’s MSMOTD

Official Website: http://www.trifonic.com/

Amazingly, Trifonic is offering the entire album as a free download!  There’s also a link from that page to purchase a higher-quality digital version of the album for – get this – any price that you want.  They’ve followed the Radiohead model and are offering their music to people for free, with the hope that people will pay for the album out of appreciation for the music and a desire to support the artist.  The album is worth it, but you can check it all out for free there.

You can also buy the physical album from Amazon if you wish. I get a little kickback if you do this.

This song is from one of my favourite albums, 2006′s “This Binary Universe”.  It is, in my opinion, a towering achievement, both technically and compositionally.  The entire album is unique (you’ve never heard anything quite like it), but also very pleasing, melodic and multi-layered.  This song, named after a 2100 year old Greek Analog Computer (more on this later!), begins as a soft solo piano piece, with other instrumentation joining in (guitars, sweeps, a ukulele) and building to a glitchy, spacey, mulling crescendo.  At this point, the 120-piece Seattle Symphony Orchestra joins in with powerful melodic stabs before being entirely deconstructed and destroyed in a shower of stutters and blips just before the end of the piece.  It’s an ethereal, thoughtful and atmospheric song which inspires me endlessly.

The entire album is incredibly beautiful and it never gets old for me.  It’s one of my single biggest influences as an artist.  The music is a mix of electronic and classical influences with virtuoso compositional flair (this album uses time signatures you’ve never heard of, but they’re used beautifully and seamlessly so you probably wouldn’t even notice). It’s an electronic symphony. Not only is it a musical achievement (the entire album is mixed in 5.1 surround), but it’s a visual one as well.  The album comes with a DVD with videos constructed for each of the 8 songs on the album.  The Antikythera Mechanism and 1.618 (the Golden Ratio) have elaborate artistic videos evoking both the history of the mechanism and the order/math of nature.  They are filled with beautiful imagery that really adds to the music and I highly suggest checking them out.  I’ve included VIMEO links below, since it’s higher quality than youtube (important for these videos) and both songs go over YouTube’s 10-minute limit. I would have embedded them, but for some reason the sound doesn’t work when I do that (?)

BT – The Antikythera Mechanism (video at vimeo)
BT – 1.618 (video at vimeo)
Please, please go watch these videos.

BT also dedicated one of his songs (Good Morning Kaia) as a lullaby to his 2 year old daughter Kaia.  It’s lovely, and it’s accompanied by a very delicate, heartfelt video with footage of him and his daughter (who sat on his lap as he composed it) and a message from him to his daughter.  Anyone who’s a parent should watch this video.

BT is Brian Transeau, an accomplished and world-famous electronica artist.  His previous work was as a trance/house artist and he’s done collaborations and composition for artists from David Bowie and Peter Gabriel to NSync and Britney Spears.  He also did the film score for “Monster” and “Go” amongst others.

Here’s that promised aside about The Antikythera Mechanism.  It’s almost more exciting than the song!  Why?  For two reasons.  First, it (as an orrery, or astronomical calculator) displays a knowledge of planetary motion far exceeding what we had thought existed at the time, or indeed for hundreds of years following.   Secondly, it is an incredibly complex gearwork device, similar in complexity to devices just being developed in 18th century Europe.  The ancient Greeks had this advanced technology and it was lost for thousands of years before being independently redeveloped!  What else has been lost to time?  What would have happened had this not been lost?  One thing is for sure: we’d all have flying cars by now!

I was very excited to see the Antikythera Mechanism in person at the National Archaeological Museum in Athens

Further info about today’s MSMOTD

Official Website: http://www.btmusic.com/

Wikipedia Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Binary_Universe

Buy the album/DVD set at Amazon.com. Unfortunately, the album/song don’t appear to be available on Amazon’s excellent MP3 download service. But you should buy the physical CD/DVD set anyways so you can get the full visual/5.1 surround experience.