What does the City of Hamburg Sound Like? – ‘Erinnerungen An Eine Stadt’ compilation album released on Mobius Spin (mbsspn015)

If you’ve read the similarly titled ‘What does the City of Hamburg Sound Like?’ post, you’ll know that Cities and Memory embarked upon a very ambitious project – #Hamburgsounds – to sound map the city of Hamburg and each sound was given its own distinct blog post here.

Well now the netlabel Mobius Spin answers this question further with the release of ‘Erinnerungen An Eine Stadt’. This is a 24 track compilation available for free download representing 24 hours in the life of Hamburg, travelling from west to east and is embedded above. This is a brilliant selection of songs and a highly recommended release. I’m not just saying that because it includes one of my songs, it really is a great album and I’m very proud to have my song included. I’m also just a little bit excited, so much so that I haven’t reviewed the other songs like I would normally because I’m so keen to promote this excellent album on the day of its release.

You can also read more about the release on Cities and Memory Facebook page.

Favourite Videos of the Week (18/12/14)

Another great selection:

Junica – I Know a Place
Some great visuals in this video, the ‘Madonna Inn’ has some hardcore decor that’s for sure. Great vibe to the song, it’s really catchy, the vocals are excellent and there’s a nice guitar solo too.

  

Linda Guilala – Verona
Striking visuals, reminds me of the early 80s when video effects had just been invented but with a great modern edge. It’s fair to say my Spanish is pretty much non-existent but that doesn’t matter, the band have a great indie pop sound – tight drumming, great riffing and dreamy vocals. The song has great drive and build tension nicely for a final release.

  

Beverly – Honey Do
Really well shot video, it has a really personal feel to it which I really like. It’s shot in black and white which really seems to add to the feel of the video. The song is also excellent, a brilliant sound with great chunky riffing, solid rhythm and great vocals.

  

Latenite Automatic – Thief in the Night
The video appears to use footage from an oldish looking film, it suits the song really well. The song opens with a pretty heavy and dirty bassline leading to spoken lyrics which creates a kind of menacing feel. Great dark edge to the song, great vocals and really good sound that draws from several different styles.

  

Comfort Within Noise – Late Nights and Mystics
Comfort Within Noise featured on the last selection, I like the sound so much they’ve made it onto this week’s selection too. This is one of those visual effect videos which really holds your attention and suits the song very well. The song has a great feel to it, really solid drum / percussion and great layering, combining elements of downtempo with a hint of dub and dubstep.

  

AudioSapian
Video has some great abstract images and suits the song really well. AudioSapian produces great music and this is no exception, really well produced, great percussion and excellent layering. A great natural / organic sound and a great chilled vibe with just a hint of tension.

Free sounds and a chance to collaborate courtesy of Thalamus Lab

Lets face it, sound recordings are great. Especially when they have been curated from several artists around the world and include some original and unique sounds – underwater recordings with a custom made hydrophone, the new instrument Arpasauro inspired by harp and organ, field-recordings of wild insects, an experimental band improvising in a cave 700 metres deep, a japanese choir… the list goes on to include a total of 324 audio files organized in 30 sound packs adding up to a whopping 2.2Gb download file.

And best of all, it’s free. Yes free. Thalamus Lab have very generously made this XSL sample pack available free of charge licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution – ShareAlike 3.0 – but they need your help in return.

Thalamus Lab want to reach new horizons in collaborative art. They believe everyone will find something in the pack for striking inspiration and want you to get involved in the co-creation of the XSL album.

Participants are required to create audio works with the sounds in the XSL and are encouraged to collaborate in the process. Their goal is to connect creative people to work together on something special. Something created collectively and owned by all of us. They challenge us to join their open collaboration for breaking down barriers to collective evolution!

The deadline to submit final works is 01 March 2015. A selection of the submitted works will be presented by Harvestworks (New York), Niu (Barcelona), Netlabelism (Ghent) and Thalamus Lab (Berlin).

Guidelines and the download link can be found on the Thalamus Lab website

I’ve just downloaded the sample pack and had a quick listen. There really are great sounds in this pack, I’m really looking forward to using them and seeing what I can come up with. Anyone want to join in with me?

Review of The Persian Leaps – Drive Drive Delay EP

The Persian Leaps website
The Persian Leaps on facebook
The Persian Leaps on twitter

Drive Drive Delay is the follow up to 2013’s ‘Praise Elephants’ EP. It will be released in the UK by Land Ski Records in January 2015.

And it’s a very impressive release. The Persian Leaps describe themselves as noise pop / indie rock and whilst they do have a jangly indie guitar type of sound, those sort of descriptions don’t really do any justice. That’s because The Persian Leaps have evolved a more mature, edgier sound that has jangly guitar riffs but with a great distorted tone, backed by solid rhythm and great harmonies which give great drive and momentum. This is masterfully controlled, like you’re propelled along about to be launched off a cliff but then pulled back just in time.

Fire Starter Brilliant opening song, great vocals and distorted guitar riff. The drums then enter and give the song a great drive and the tempo picks up being reined in just a little for the verse and then lets loose again for the chorus. The song has a really nice solo which suits the style of the song really well.

Pretty Boy Great distorted riff to open the song backed up by solid drums and bass. There’s a great energy to the song and a nice tension provided by the vocals. Again, another really well executed solo.

(Goodbye to) South Carolina Another great opening riff and solid rhythm to provide a great momentum through the song. There’s a really nice lead line and the vocals create a nice edge.

Truth = Consequences Nice use of feedback to open the song leading into another great riff, vocals are spot on again and have a laid back sort of feel in this song which is underpinned by solid drumming and bass. The song maintains drive throughout with another great solo.

Permission This song also has nice use of feedback to open the song leading into a another great riff, but with more of a laid back feel than the other tracks. Vocals again are great and the song has a brilliant vibe, a sort of shimmering, expansive quality.

Review of The Lumerians – Transmissions from Telos III on Cardinal Fuzz (CFUL027)

 

Transmissions from Telos III is available on vinyl and limited edition handmade CD from Cardinal Fuzz online shop

The Lumerians have a great sound, there’s echos of some of the great 60s psych bands but also a modern edge with really great guitar tones. The drumming is excellent and provides a solid backbone for the improvised parts and there’s great sounds effects and use of delay. A highly recommended release.

Murder Dubbs There is a great opening riff to the song with tight drumming propelling it along. Really nice tremelo wah guitar and background effects. Tension builds gradually and creates a great edge and the lead organ gives way to a great lead synth sound. The song has brilliant jam qualities with really well improvised parts against the solid rhythm.

Turiya Has more of an edgy feel to the opening, a sparse but very natural organic type of rhythm and sustained, distorted feedback guitar sound. The rhythm gives way to some great drumming with a real nice improvised guitar sound and creates a great laid back groove. A second improvised guitar creates a great contrasting sound having a much less distorted tone and nice use of delay.

Hook for an Eye Opens with a great sound effect, like the buzzing of a broken switchbox. This is followed by a great riff and really tight drumming and great bass playing. This forms the basis of a great jam while delayed sound effects swirl and move around this solid beat. The jam fades towards the end of the song leaving just the effects to round out the song.

Impossible Window / Cabellero Futuro A great riff against a drone, develops with a subtle bass and great drums with a laid back feel establishing a more defined groove with a great lead synth sound. Really nice use of sound effects, a great psych vibe to the song. About half way through there’s a kind of refrain from which emerges a riff with a kind of urgency which works really well against the more laid back groove. Really nice use of delay effect. A more defined rhythm develops with bass and a riff which builds tension gradually. A subtle pad type sounds gives the song a great atmosphere and the song releases the tension to round out the album.

Review of Meter Bridge – S /T Album

 

Meter Bridge on twitter – Jill and Richard; Meter Bridge on bandcamp

Meter Bridge have created a great sound for this album which has really good synth pop elements but with a modern edge and blending of different styles. The vocals are layered to great effect, sometimes having ambient almost dreamy qualities contrasted by a darker edge provided by the lyrics.

Secret This song has a great bassline and synth sound to open the song. The vocals are layered really subtly but to great effect. The song has a great vibe with an edge, really nice contrast between the bright quality of the sounds and darker nature of the lyrics.

Glimpse Opens with a great synth sound and layered acid type sounding lead line too. Great layering of different synth sounds, bass and drums provide solid backing and maintain momentum. Great layering of vocals again too.

Kite This song has great percussion and acid sounds to open with, the vocals are more spoken. The song has a sparse breakbeat feel, again great layering and really nice use of delay effects.

Guidance Has a great chilled vibe with really nice bluesy / funk guitar sounds. Great layering of sounds and again the vocal style gives the song a nice edge.

Marvelous Proposition Has a great delayed synth opening sound leading to a nice rhythm and edgy vocals. Great layering of sounds, Electric piano gives a great contrast.

Missing You There’s a great sound to this song, it has a really nice opening with electric piano and almost dubstep drum pattern leading to a great synth pop sound. Great use of sound effects and building of tension, again a nice edge to the song.

Tiny Lites Another great opening to this song, great percussive sounds and layered vocals. The song has great glitchy qualities and a really nice subtle acid bassline.

Favourite Videos of the Week (04/12/14)

Another great selection:

Vogon Poetry – Bring the Revolution
Great sci-fi themed video which may well be scenes from Battlestar Galactica as the song is a celebration of the TV series. The song itself has a great sound, an 80s synth feel, dark and kind of bleak.

  

Impirical – The Holy Land
The video was shot at various locations around Leeds and has been put together really well. The band have a great sound, really good combination of acoustic guitar, solid rhythm, great vocals and guitar solos.

  

Robb Murphy and The Band – The Darker Side
Great live recording from the studios of Universe Radio, Netherlands. The song is brilliantly played, great vocals and acoustic guitar playing.

  

The Mantells – Men in Suits
Really like the backstage / behind the scenes feel to the video with shots in the studio and warm-up session. The song has a great vibe to it, drums and bass provide a solid rhythm, great riffing and vocals too. The song is released on December 7th.

  

Isaac Junkie feat. Chris Anton – I’m Lost in You
Video has a good mix of slow motion drive past footage and close up filming in a corridor which might sound a bit of an odd comment but it really adds to the feel of the video. The production qualities give the video a great dark feel. The song has great drive and momentum, the vocals are great and give the song an edge which compliments the feel of the video really well.

  

Comfort Within Noise – Tripped
Video has great imagery and is taken from a film called ‘Enter the Void’ by Gaspar Noe which I’m definitely going to check out. The song has a great vibe, somewhere between ambient and dubstep with a bit of experimental added in for good measure.