fresh squeezed

Casiokids are not new to independent music, but this June they will make they US debut with their album Topp stemning på lokal bar (loosely translated to "Great vibe at local bar"). Polyvinyl is now the US label for this Bergen (Norway)quintet.

Casiokids has previously released music in Europe via Moshi Moshi, both as part of the label's renowned "Singles Club" and as a series of double A-sided 7"s. Eight tracks of the band's expansive catalog have been hand selected for their debut US release with Polyvinyl, and are accompanied by a bonus disc of new material (including six remixes and two covers).

Today marks the release of the latest album from Portland's Boy Eats Drum Machine, Hoop + Wire. Boy Eats Drum Machine is the work of Jon Ragel and this album finds him at his most accessible and filled with pop tunes. Ragel is truly a unique musician, and does everything (from perform to sell merch) on his own. In fact, he takes the stage with a saxophone, turntable, microphone, sampler and green tom drum. After his energetic performance he can be found at the merch booth after the show showing you the vintage LP covers he repurposes by hand-screening his own artwork on. Speaking of work of art, Hoop + Wire is being released today on Tender Loving Empire and so it has a hand silkscreened cover.

On April 6th, XL Recordings will release the new solo album from Sigur Ros lead singer Jonsi. The album is called Go, and is filled with imagery from the world of feathers. As you can imagine the album will have many dramatic moment flushed out by the contemporary classical composer Nico Muhly. The album is alive and vital, and a fine accomplishment for a solo musician. In addition, Jonsi will be touring North America solo for the first time. To make this tour special he has partnered with 59 Productions. What this partnership is going to do is allow the concert experience to be more than just your average show, and actually transform it into a spectacular visual experience. You can get a look at the production here.

In just 28 minutes, well honestly it only took a few second, I fell in love with Memoryhouse. I was recently sent a link to download their debut ep, The Years. Only four tracks, this ep shows a surprising depth and the duo of Evan and Denise. This music is beautiful both in the sonic soundscapes that they create and in the almost foreign sounding vocals that Denise provides. My favorite track has to "Lately" with it's hushed tones and near tragic hospital bed lyrics. It's dark but peaceful, and perfectly matches this deary February snow.

Memoryhouse creates music to think to, to dream to, to sit back float away, and their ep can be downloaded for free from their label Arcade Sound Ltd. The Year will also be released as a 7" on March 2 on Evident Records. Their next album "Looms of Youth" vinyl and cassette will be out later this year on Arcade Sound Ltd.

Charlie Alex March "Home/Hidden" (Lo Recordings, Feb 2010)

There is a beauty and elegance to the music of Charlie Alex March. On his debut full-length album, Home/Hidden, he weaves complex and inviting webs of electronics that range from the psychosis of Aphex twin to the beauty and rhythm of Boards of Canada. He creates a near dream state as these tracks float along. However, he also has the unpredictability of a dream as he creates an album that will linger and haunt you if you let it.

The Harding Street Assembly Lab

Joanna & Nathan McGlothlin are mostly known for their creations in the world of arts and crafts, but expanding into music for 2010. Based in Lynchburg, Virginia, Joanna and Nathan began to notice that there was a lot of quality music in Virginia going unnoticed. With the mission of shedding light on these locals, the vinyl-based label was born. However, they aren't just content releasing music, but they are adding in their artistic touches. There first two releases have well-designed collage-based covers and are pressed on multi-colored vinyl.

Long before DJ Hero, I was deep into the world of turntablism. From Qbert to Z-trip, I found myself only listening to this unique brand of hip hop. A DJ that always stood out among the others was Rob Swift. He was a member of turntablist collective the X-Ecutioners, but he was always more on the experimental side of things. On his solo debut, Soulful Fruit (1997), he mixed jazz and scratch to create a classic in the genre. Next month he is returning to prove he can through another genre into the mix. Using his newfound love of classical music as a point of inspiration, Swift pushes the art further than he ever has before. The Architect, is a refreshing reminder that the 1’s and 2’s are an instrument in themselves.

I know part of my mission is to bring you, the reader, the latest and my uniquely original music possible, but sometimes the most rewarding and exciting music is deeply grounded in the past. In the case of Vancouver's Gigi it the knowledge and respect for what has come before mixed with the fresh and creative approach to recreation that makes their debut so special. Gigi is the recording project of songwriter Nick Krgovich and producer/engineer Colin Stewart. The story goes that in 2005, Stewart acquired two huge vintage plate reverbs, and enlisted Krgovich and other musician friends to help create a couple of tracks in the style of Phil Spector/Brill Building. The recording session went so well that they continued to record and invite other friends over the next three years.

I know it is cliche, but like many of you out there I have attempted to begin the new year and decade with a renewed sense of purpose and drive. I have begun to devise ways to organize my many projects, focus on my writing, improve my health, and finally write down the goals that have been floating in my head for years. It may be foolish optimism, but I actually feel like I am going to accomplish something substantial this year.

After ten years of creating music together the Nova Scotia based band The Heavy Blinkers set out two create a new album. The resulting album, their fifth, is called Health and is a double album with a concept. Jason MacIsaac, the bands only original member, has enlisted the help of renowned artists such as Sondre Lerche(Astralwerks) and Sean O'Hagan of the High Llamas (Drag City). However, it is his current surrounding cast that help perpetuate the bands now trademark lush orchestral sound. It's been nearly two years since the original members Andrew Watt and Ruth Minnikin left the band, but from the sound of our first glimpse of Health, MacIssac hasn't skipped a beat.