A day late, but we promise, we have all of our dollars! Poltergeists is a biweekly feature in which Michael and Wes share tracks that they have had on repeat over the past two weeks.
Michael
FLESH - “SKIN”
I can’t get enough of the new FLESH (Audiotrauma) song, “SKIN,” from the forthcoming album of the same name. It is a nice mix of dance electronics and noise. There are a lot of interesting sounds in there and it gets me moving in my seat - which, these days, is a must for this style of music. If you are an avid reader, you already know that I buy pretty much anything that Audiotrauma puts out, but it is for a good reason! The pre-order for this album is up now on their bandcamp, and if the tracks from the “Black Walk EP” are any indicator, it is going to be a great album. If you have a minute definitely jump over to their facebook page for some videos from the recent live performances. You will not be sorry! Not many bands of this ilk go out of their way to put on a full live performance, with interactive elements and stage performers, and it pays off in the creepiest way.
MOSH - “McQueen”
While I have my dancing shoes on already, I may as well throw on some MOSH and get fucking going on that floor. With the rise of outrun and the evolution of electronic music in recent years, it is nice to hear someone who keeps to that nice and dirty dance sound. I like this song because it keeps a nice pumping bass line that is pretty funky, and subtle, but has a lot of brief glimpses into noisy moments. This is another song that I found recently and have been grooving to all day. It is from 2012’s “Monarchy” full length.
Wes
Barrow - “Old Timer”
It took me a minute to get fully into Barrow. Their sound is fairly raw, and at first, I thought that it felt a little underproduced rather than intentional. The more I listen to it though, the more the raw sounds of the bass grumbling under melancholic guitar riffs creeped into my skull.
I think this particular song highlights how, even with a fairly raw sound, Barrow manages to weld together post-hardcore influences with the largeness of sound brought by post-rock influences. They move expertly between emotional, hammering riffs, and slow, almost ambient guitar riffs that open up into this lulling swells. It gets into you, and it doesn’t let go.
L'Enfant De La Forêt - “Flowers Of Flesh And Bones”
I’ve written about L'Enfant De La Forêt before, and now that the full length is out I’ve been bumping it so often it would be entirely breaking the spirit to not write about it. This album is great. Really great. James Kent (also known for his outrun project Perturbator) has a serious talent for building these amazing atmospheres in his music. In “Flowers of Flesh and Bones” you get these wonderful sense of some impending darkness right away; the slowly plucking synth and ambient soundscapes starts to build a sense of curious dread. These sounds are joined by music boxes, then deep bass and wonderfully programmed drums. You go from this image of a shadow in the dark, to seeing full on what the darkness has in store for you. Go check out the full album; it’s well worth the listen.