The Chocolate Pudding Cup

Travis Stewart aka Machinedrum's new EP drops tomorrow on LuckyMe, the label responsible for dropping releases from Jacques Greene, Hudson Mohawke, and ANGO.  This'll be the third thing that Machinedrum has put out on the up and coming label and it's quite the treat.  Check out the title track from the SXLND EP above and make sure to order the LP here (which also has pretty cool packaging).  

If you've been paying attention, Azealia Banks (who got 3rd in BBC's Sound of 2012) put out a new single today entitled "NEEDSUMLUV" which utilizes the same track.  It's quite a different side of Azealia and as a result, it's got me quite excited for her upcoming LP.  The interesting thing is that on LuckyMe's website, they give a little spiel about how Travis and Azealia have known each other for a while.  And if you didn't know, Jacques Greene appeared in the 212 video awhile back.  You can stream that track below.

As if Leyland Kirby wasn't already on a roll with five releases in 2011, he's got two more that are confirmed for 2012 already.  One of those is the soundtrack to Grant Gee's Documentary about German writer WG Sebald, entitled Patience (After Sebald).  It utilizes Schubert's "Winterreise", and as a result, is noticeably different from the critically acclaimed An Empty Bliss Beyond This World without sacrificing any of the emotional subtleties that fans have to expect in each crackle and hiss. It's a wonderful record, and you can hear one of the tracks from it above entitled "A last glimpse of the land being lost forever".

I have to say, I've always been impressed with of Montreal's consistency in releasing records.  Though I may not have liked all of their releases, I'm happy to know that Kevin Barnes's creative juices are continually flowing.  Next month, their next LP entitled Paralytic Stalks will drop and they're all still as ambitious as ever.  It's nine tracks long but the final four tracks are all 7 minutes+ with the finale being a 13-minute medley of bombastic pop, electronic ambience, and a lovely piano ballad to close it all out.  If you've listened to of Montreal before then Paralytic Stalks shouldn't be too much of a surprise.  However, I'd say that this album is much better than their previous effort, False Priest.

<a href="http://kayodot.bandcamp.com/album/gamma-knife" _mce_href="http://kayodot.bandcamp.com/album/gamma-knife">Gamma Knife by Kayo Dot</a>

Kayo Dot's fifth full-length and follow up to the pretty great Coyote has been out for a few days.  I'm not exactly sure how I feel about it yet though. Regardless, it's still definitely worth a listen if you've been following these guys ever since they released the ever-so-perfect Choirs of the Eye in 2003.  Gamma Knife is five tracks long and clocks in at a rather short thirty minutes.  It's bookended by its most quiet and serene tracks with the title track probably being the best on the LP.  The three middle tracks is where the meat comes in (huge builds, various instruments, heavy instrumentation, etc.) but something to note is that those tracks were recorded live.  As a result, the album is noticeably less polished and sounds more lo-fi than their previous efforts.  Some will dig it and some won't, check out the stream above and see for yourself.

<a href="http://blackestrainbowrecords.bandcamp.com/album/night-of-raining-fire" _mce_href="http://blackestrainbowrecords.bandcamp.com/album/night-of-raining-fire">Night Of Raining Fire by Isengrind</a>

Isengrind (aka Solange Gularte aka half of Natural Snow Buildings) has a new album out and you can stream the whole thing above.  A listen to the first track and you'll be transported to a world of psychedelic meditation. There's a lot to love here, whether it be the 10 and a half minute drone "Spine of the Night" or the many tropical-esque/drugscapes that fill the album a la that Deep Magic record I reviewed last year.  

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://blackestrainbowrecords.bandcamp.com/album/early-astral" _mce_href="http://blackestrainbowrecords.bandcamp.com/album/early-astral"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Early Astral by Chris Forsyth &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp; Koen Holtkamp&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

Stream the new record from Chris Forsyth & Koen Holtkamp above.  It’s two 17+ minutes tracks of minimal krautrock galore.  The first track slowly builds into what sounds like a crazy futuristic sci-fi battle (laser guns and all) before settling into a lullaby-like calm.  The second track continues with the alien soundscapes but explores more of its ambient, textural side.

Trailer Trash Tracys got a good amount of buzz for their 2009 track "Candy Girl" and they're finally releasing their debut LP this month.  The 10 tracks on the record are a conglomerate of 50s pop and 80s/90s fuzzy shoegaze/dream pop all under a satisfying lo-fi lens.  Reverberating female vocals, pounding snares, slow glossy guitar lines - it's got the formula down.  Some tracks are pleasantly surprising though: "Engelhardt's Arizona" finds its beauty in a constantly-playing arpeggiated guitar melody while "Black Circle" creates a tropical-like atmosphere with its slick bassline.  

Lost Tribe Sound Records are currently asking fans to pledge money to fund for Vieo Abiungo's newest album entitled Thunder May Have Ruined the Moment (which will come with an accompanying DVD with film by award-winning director Pete Monro).  They're doing this whole thing on their kickstarter page over here.  If you pledge the minimum $1, you'll get a free download for the song "Why Dogs Mimic Sirens".  You can hear that track above.  Also, if the $2500 goal is reached by Jan. 12, everyone who pledged will get access to an exclusive five track EP.  You can hear one of the tracks on that EP on their kickstarter page.

Waaga records is sharing Larry Gus' 24 Beats for free on their facebook page for the almost-free cost of one like (yeah, I hate it too).  Apparently, he worked on them back in July and now he's finally releasing them to the public.  Click this link to download away.  It's, unsurprisingly, a 24-track album with 26 tracks.  It's a rather innocuous and safe collection of tracks but there's definitely some great tunes (e.g. The Written Word, Grave Eyes, Giardini Pubblici, Bedroom Adventures).

The beauty in Soap&Skin's Narrow is in it's simple approach.  It doesn't try to be anything it's not, nor does it present itself as something grandiose; it's the pure and naked elegance of the six quieter tracks that leave me incredibly impressed and swooning.  Vocal harmonies are layered beautifully and turn a track like "Wonder" into a calming and atmospheric lullaby.  The two black sheep, "Deathmental" and "Big Hand Nails Down" are nice contrasts to the rest of the album and allow for interesting pacing in this relatively short album.  Despite the (relatively) abrasive nature of the tracks, they are quite magnificent in their own right.  However, those tracks shouldn't be all that surprising in the first place considering "Vater" starts off the album with some strong, commanding vocals in its last half.