Folium breeds southern-fried trip-hop, chasms of violin, crystalline vocals, sultry DJ beats, and naturally omniscient dictions of the heart that come together into an unforgettable audio experience. Half electronic, half organic, Folium is a unique mix of old flair and modern styles.
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Coup de coeur DJ DemonAngel

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The Margareds’ first album is a phenomenon which is difficult to be described. When you hear its first sounds you will feel an incredible dose of esthetic elegance which irrespective of how the situation is changing will make you listen to it patiently till the end. And that’s ok because it is the key to discover what Margareds’ music is really like. Why is the content of the album worth being treated carefully? Because it contains 13 carefully polished up songs. Anybody who approaches music and only looks forward to an immediate increase of dopamine will be disappointed. The whole album is structurally at the similar level of expression. Listening to it you won’t hear any sudden changes of the tempo and main parts being like a black spot on a white piece of a paper. Everything in here which is the tastiest is hidden in nooks and crannies. Individual instruments and soundtracks aren’t connected with one another the way it usually is. They intermingle and plait as if they wanted to be favourites. And the object of their sighs is not a listener but the vocalist Goosia. She has an incredible voice, amazing ideas, beautiful and mature lyrics. It’s mainly her singing that determines the structure of a particular song. Her voice carries the feelings which are defined by all- embracing and appearing from all sides sounds of synthesizer, low bass guitar and inspiring sounds of saxophone and guitar. Although Margareds’ is an original and unique group you can’t help noticing that its creation is based on some strong foundations. You can hear a lot of interesting inspirations in here. As far as instruments are concerned the associations with Paradise Lost (”Host” album), Depeche Mode, Mazzy Star, Massive Attack and Goldfrapp come to your mind. Goosia’s voice sometimes sounds like Tori Amos’, sometimes like Elizabeth Fraser’s and you could even find some more names, but we can be sure that her singing is moving and charismatic. Margareds’ album is a one- hour stylish journey into the mysterious world of peace, sophisticated taste and the future. It’s universal and ambitious music full of hidden surprises. It’s like a book you keep coming back to and you form your outlook on life on it.
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http://www.lastfm.fr/music/Attica+Blues

Voilà un groupe qui revient de loin, remarqué par James Lavelle et aussitôt signé sur son label Mo'Wax, Attica Blues nous étonnait de fraîcheur avec son album 'Blue print' en 97. Depuis les infortunes de James Lavelle avec sa formation U.N.K.L.E. (avec DJ Shadow) ont précipité la fin de son label. Après une longue période de doutes, le groupe a retrouvé une structure d'édition, dans une division anglaise de Sony. Une sortie retardée par un marketing qui guette le moment opportun, et nous voilà en cet automne 2000 avec ce formidable 2ème album. On a pu tout de même patienter avec quelques remixes signés Attica Blues au gré des compilations électroniques. Si 'Blue print' sortait aux beaux jours du trip-hop, les choses ont bien changées 3 ans plus tard... Le mouvement s'est plutôt éclaté en plusieurs déclinaisons, de l'electro-jazz au hip-hop plus électronique. Attica Blues emprunte son nom à la old school, un titre d'Archie Shep. Mais le trio emprunte bien d'autres pistes, des inspiration africaines, reggae, soul, teintées hip hop, du coup ce 'test, don't test' ouvre une nouvelle direction, du post trip-hop en quelque sorte. Les compositions du groupe sont rythmées par des samples, cassées par des scratchs, mais savent conservées une ligne mélodiques. La voix de Roba El-Assawy s'inscrit dans la lignée des chanteuses de soul, puissante et fragile. Des interludes instrumentaux permettent au groupe d'expérimenter, du coup l'album est tout sauf monotone, et garde sa fraîcheur du début à la fin (pour reprendre des arguments publicitaires...). Voilà donc un album qui tient ses promesses et justifie du coup ces longues années. Dans le même style, Nicolette sait se faire désirer, et mais désormais nos oreilles exigeantes ne sont plus orphelines avec 'test, don't test' !
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Anomie Belle - "February Sun"

  Anomie Belle - "Down"

It has been a bit of a “off centre” Slowcoustic Weekend. This isn’t a bad thing, just taking some time to listen to some music that isn’t just an acoustic guitar and accompanying voice. With that in mind, I bring you the next installment of the growth of the site - Anomie Belle - not your standard indie songstress. an·o·mie [an-uh-me] n social unrest or normlessness; malaise, alienation and purposelessness. belle [bel] n a popular and charming woman; especially: a woman whose charm and beauty make her a favorite. Anomie Belle is really Toby Campbell, classical violinist cum trip-hop diva (didn’t expect that now did you?) and she is releasing her most recent “experiment” into electronic/acoustic/fusion album “Sleeping Patterns” due this November 2nd. While I do not extensively listen to the more electronic side of the spectrum (see below post on Firekites as well) - this is another project you can get into. There is a fair share of Campbell’s eerie beats covered by her purposefully slow delivery of lyrics. These lyrics in particular can be seen often as commentary on many social issues around us, but seem to be more observation instead of outright protest. I can also say with her delivery and soundscapes, the messages are ones that can actually be pondered while being soothed by the medium. As expected there is vocal sampling alongside the occasional “keyboard frequency tuning”, but kept in line with the sound and feel of the album. Among the 11 track album you find gems in songs like “Down” and “February Sun” which may be the tracks to incorporate a more acoustic influence (see below). You might just also hear some accents via Ms. Anna-Lynne Williams (Lotte Kestner, Trespassers William and all around Slowcoustic favourite) who contributes to the album. So get in line now to pick up a copy upon its release, in order to convince you to get a copy, listen below!
~Smansmith
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