Note :

http://www.chkchkchk.net

http://www.myspace.com/chkchkchk

Origine du Groupe : North America
Style : Electro Disco Punk Psychedelic
Sortie : 2010

Cela fait déjà quinze ans que !!! (prononcez tchk tchk tchk) se fait remarquer avec son groove acerbe et volontiers consommateur de substances illicites. Le groupe américain publie aujourd’hui son quatrième album, toujours sur le label Warp, docteur ès électro. Enregistré et produit à Berlin, Strange Weather, Isn't It? reflète l’underground festif et déjanté propre à la capitale allemande.

Avant tout, il serait bon de préciser que ce disque est le premier enregistré depuis la mort accidentelle du batteur du groupe, Jerry Fuchs, en 2009. Entre temps, un grand changement de line-up avait eu lieu. Exit Justin Vandervolgen et le virtuose bassite John Pugh, aujourd’hui, le chanteur Nic Offer est entouré du guitariste Mario Andreoni, du claviériste Daniel Gorman, de la choriste Shannon Funchess, du saxophoniste Allan Wilson et du batteur Paul Quattrone. Bref, beaucoup de bouleversements ont secoué Chk chk chk…

La nouvelle équipe a su se souder rapidement, mais peut-être pas assez vite, offrant un panel de chansons inégales. Cependant, l’ensemble tient la route, et la piste de danse avec. Si les guitares sont punk, les basses sont funky à souhait et l’afrobeat en appelle à la tribalité de chacun d’entre nous. Certes, le groupe se réclame Brian Eno, mais l’album interpelle davantage l’hédonisme excité des Happy Mondays… tout en restant dans l’ombre du meilleur dans le genre, leur compatriote James Murphy de LCD Soundsystem (sans doute plus mature ?).

Il n’empêche que Strange Weather, Isn't It? Ne se refuse aucune extravagance, et c’est ce qui fait du bien. L’album propose des pépites comme « Wannagain wannagain » et son funk massif ou « Jamie, my Intentions are Bass », parfait mélange de post-punk et de disco… Mais c’est quand Chk chk chk sort « Steady as the Sidewalk Cracks » de son chapeau qu’il donne en effet de sauter partout et d’en faire sauter les lames du plancher. Remporteront peut-être moins les suffrages un mélange étrange de gospel à la sauce euro-dance et de new-wave musclée, « Even Judas Gave Jesus a Kiss ». Ou l’apothéose à la fois angoissante et épicurienne, « The Hammer ».

Dans un sens du partage assez communicatif, Chk chk chk s’adresse directement à ces auditeurs, leur racontant des histoires, les encourageant à rentre dans la danse (la transe ?), tout en discutant ironiquement du temps qu’il fera demain, pour masquer les silences des morts. Strange Weather, isn’t it ? est un album étrange, joliment chaloupé, quelque peu éparpillé et aux beats irrémédiablement attachants. « Let’s Dance », comme disait Bowie.

Sophie Rosemont
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Tracklist :
1. AM/FM
2. The Most Certain Sure
3. Wannagain Wannagain
4. Jamie, My Intentions Are Bass
5. Steady As The Sidewalk Cracks
6. Hollow
7. Jump Back
8. Even Judas Gave Jesus A Kiss
9. The Hammer
10. Blue (Bonus Track)

Note : ++

http://www.myspace.com/ishiisound

Origine du Groupe : North America
Style : Electro Alternative
Sortie : 2010

It feels like Ishi  came out of nowhere. The Dallas-based dance-pop band has vaulted to the top of the local music food chain, winning radio contests, legitimately vying for a spot at Bonnaroo, and becoming a huge local concert draw – all seemingly overnight. But they’ve actually been honing their sound for a couple of years now, working over John Mudd’s folk songs with Brad Dale’s programming, eventually creating what they call “electro-folk.” Their debut album Through the Trees shows the still-ripening fruits of those efforts.

“Don’t let go of who you are, you came too far” singer Mudd implores on the album’s first track, “Our Time,” doing his best The Sea and Cake impression. The band holds true to the sentiment, seemingly committed to bringing in Mudd’s folk music to mate with their dance-y electronica, which for the first few songs just means that there’s some acoustic guitar in the mix. Multi-instrumentalist Dale has said that he wanted to mash-up “Kraftwerk beats with folky harmonies,” and he could have easily mentioned early Depeche Mode and Postal Service as well, especially on songs like “Exhale” and “New York Charm.”

While much of the music is ready for the dance floor, the folky influence tends to hold back the energy and tempos, making some tracks calmer and more contemplative. Perhaps they’re still too afraid to go too far in one direction. But then, there are songs like “Come Closer” that are more interested in the lusty bedroom escapades after leaving the dance club.

The folk influence really takes over toward the end of the album, as the acoustic guitar comes more to the forefront and the beats retreat. In fact, “Through the Trees” feels like two different albums: The first half is the Ishi you see live at the club, and the second half is music for the morning after. As it progresses, Through the Trees starts to sound more like David Bazan’s Headphones project instead dance music, and they come closest to realizing a full blend of folk and electronica on the final few tracks, and move further away from a party-inducing dance group. But, the album is actually more interesting as a result, if a little too inconsistent.

“Through the Trees” is a solid debut for a band on the rise, and it gives hints to the fuss surrounding their live shows. But, it’s not full representation of that band as their self-described “electro-folk” materializes mostly as either “electro” or “folk.” When they figure out how to fully meld their two halves together, they’ll be dangerous. In the meantime, a solid debut is satisfying enough.

Ishi hosts their album release party Friday at Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studio in Denton, with PVC Street Gang and White Mountain.

By Andy Odom
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Tracklist :
01 Our Time (4:24)
02 Come Closer (4:37)
03 Pastel Lights (4:20)
04 Exhale (3:57)
05 Shake Your Dandelion (4:48)
06 Join Us (6:09)
07 New York Charm (3:04)
08 All I Want (2:28)
09 Turn Away (4:02)
10 Through the Trees (3:15)
11 Make It (4:40)
12 Make Believe (4:09)

Note :

Origine du Groupe : Japan
Style : Electro , Electro Piano
Sortie : 2010

http://www.akirakosemura.com

http://www.myspace.com/kose0606

Just to confuse matters there's two different versions of the new Akira Kosemura album. There's a regular single CD version which contains all the kinds of things you'd find in that kind of package (ie cardboard sleeve and shiny musical face mirror thing). There's also a CD/DVD version which is six quid more and features the aforementioned goodness plus an extra DVD which I've not seen yet. So I'm not sure if it's worth the extra quid for the seven track DVD. Maybe if I get some time soon I'll watch it and let you know somehow through some modern medium like Twitter or something else equally as stupid. Here Akira creates a more organic sound featuring the likes of Paniyolo, Haruka Nakemura, Aspidistrafly etc. It still features all the twinkles and the like... the things you come to expect from a new CD on Schole. It seems less electronic that previous releases I've heard from him. There's still lots of micro electronics and piano but there's plenty of acoustic guitar poking it's head around pastoral corners. It's all very pretty and nice, perhaps too nice but I'm not sure if anything can really be too nice. The vocals that pop up on the odd track are also refreshing and the collaborative efforts here make this an interesting (yet nice) release. Lovely

by Phil
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Tracklist :
01. Grassland
02. Petrarca
03. Light
04. Marriage
05. Xiao Ge Er
06. Little Dipper
07. Ballet
08. Over The Horizon
09. Just A Few Minutes
10. Amour
11. Ensemble

Note :

http://www.aokitakamasa.com

http://www.myspace.com/aokitakamasa

Superstrings 76+ brise la glace. Après les débuts timides d'un click n cut étonnamment groovant, le morceau opère un virage modem funk imparable. Les mélodies simples et syncopées rebondissent sur des rythmiques ciselées à la Alva Noto période Transspray. Complexe et virtuose, c'est pourtant la simplicité paradoxale du morceau qui stimule, désinhibe et surtout émeut.

Et ça tombe bien. Takamasa chante sur See That Girl et offre un slow digital beau à tomber. Ceux qui connaissent déjà l'oeuvre du japonais trouveront une parenté certaine avec une chanson de son album Simply Funk, Walk On The Ocean. La même sérénité se dégage ici, douceur paradoxale des glitches domptés par des nappes profondes. Par cette love song informatique, Takamasa ramène la tendresse au centre des bpm.

Enfin, pour célébrer le premier baiser ou aussi faire oublier le râteau tout frais, le EP se clôt sur Dancing Queen. 4/4 d'oscilloscope et mélodie parfaite font lever les bras en l'air. Cette house laborantine transpire la sensualité et hypnotise par ses nappes minimalistes à la fois âpre et veloutée, ses sound edits discrets et précieux. Le sourire, béat ou/et mélancolique, est sur toutes les lèvres, tenace.

En s'attaquant au format vinyle, Aoki Takamasa amène avec succès sa musique informatique et humaine sur le dancefloor. La polyvalence de sa musique est indéniable : grand écart parfait entre dance poétique altruiste et musique éxigeante intimiste. Les plus casaniers seront d’ailleurs eux-aussi ravis de recevoir dans leurs oreilles l'amour que distillent ces 3 titres.

Chroniqué par Nil
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Origine du Groupe : Japan , Germany
Style : Electro Minimaliste , Electronique , Glitch
Sortie : 2004

Tracklist :
1 - That Melody
2 - Superstrings
3 - M
4 - Walk On The Ocean
5 - Prague I.T.M
6 - Dancing Queen
7 - Protoco. M.T.T
8 - Simply Funk
9 - The Elegant Universe
10 - Monza

Note : ++

http://www.huskymusic.pl

http://www.myspace.com/huskypolska

There are at least two bands named "Husky".

More popular (more tracks submitted so far) is Polish electronica-downtempo duo consisting of Patrycja Hefczynska (vocalist/writer) and Jacek Dojwa (composer/producer). Their music is influenced by such artists as Björk, Craig Armstrong, Amon Tobin, Telefon Tel Aviv, Portishead and Lamb. They released two LP's: "Czy słyszysz?" (eng. Do you hear) in 2002 and "Zgadnij" (eng. Guess) in 2006.

Based in Charlotte, NC, Husky is made up of Mark Hadden (bass), Phil Strickland (guitar), and Nate Wilkinson (drums). Hadden and Strickland began playing together as high school sophomores in 1991. After various band experiences, they recruited Wilkinson and in early 2000 Husky was born. In the past six years, the instrumental trio has grown from spinning improvised epic rock jams to firing off focused, intelligent yet simple tunes. Ranging from thick, head nodding groove-rock to echoing bluesy twang and swirling psychedelia to driving Southern grit, Husky’s masculine punch has been embraced by fans of blues and classic rock to modern and stoner rock aficionados. Their improv skills often come into play during live shows. They rarely play the same show twice and have recently played with Atomic Bitchwax, Weedeater, Gods of Mars, and Pearls and Brass. The full-length debut “Circle the Wagons” was released in March 2006.

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Origine du Groupe : Poland
Style : Electro
Sortie : 2006

Tracklist :
01 Iskrzy, Iskrzy!!! (2:44)
02 Niue (5:05)
03 Zgadnij (4:04)
04 BlackCoffee (4:08)
05 Hruloe (4:37)
06 Dwa Warkoczyki (4:18)
07 Kuki (3:56)
08 Else (6:44)
09 Billie H (3:46)
10 Po Kostki (5:07)