SPANDEX MODEL “Ventilation” C19 (Glowing Dagger)

Not so much glitchy ambient-electronica as it is a most sonorous of impressionistic industrial-meets-droning fog-scapes, Spandex Model’s “Ventilation" plays like a sun-baked power-nap whilst golden hills to the north catch fire; pleasant, remotely, but creeping and insidious beneath the consciousness. No dancing will be had here, the fleeting itch to will be felt sporadically, near-randomly. 

SF’s Glowing Dagger imprint has specialized in what could be ball-parked as a “Noisy Ambient Electronica” for the last half-decade, and they’ve been consistently noteworthy throughout their entire catalogue, so give ‘em a listen via the links below!

https://glowingdagger.bandcamp.com/album/ventilation-2

and/or

https://www.glowingdagger.com/

—Jacob An Kittenplan

W.O.E. “Ultrawarm Indices” C40 (Glowing Dagger)

On side A of W.O.E.’s “Ultrawarm Indices”, impressionist/glitchy industrial skitterings scurry to & fro to keep a loose pace below trebly atonal drone-swells, dial-up/faux fax-y bloops & digital banshee screechings, extraterrestrial transmissions & Sci-Fi flavored lasers. This sounds like a rooftop evening cozied up amongst a neglected network of over-taxed central cooling/heating systems, all textured hum and thrum, somehow peaceful in its relentless quaking…until UFO shenanigans ensue…

Side B swaps out the high pitch percussive element for an intentionally lurching, lumbering bass arpeggiator and a heroic delay pedal, yet still somehow manages to yield the same quality of herky-jerky meditative atmospherics. Pretty slick!

Half possessed-Kinkos-shop, half War of the Worlds, “Ultrawarm Indices” proves a spooky soundtrack for nervous meditations and agitated crafternooning flow. Damn good stuff!

https://glowingdagger.bandcamp.com/album/ultrawarm-indices-2

and/or

https://www.glowingdagger.com/

—Jacob An Kittenplan

PLATTENBAU “Endless” C18 (Glowing Dagger)

More rangey darkwave ethereality from San Francisco’s Glowing Dagger, this time via Plattenbau’s “Endless.” Gloomy synths and clicking drum machines prop up vocals straight out of the school of Beth Gibbons. The well-mixed result makes for appropriate synthwave soundtrack fodder – there’s definitely an eighties suspense thriller/supernatural romance that’s missing four perfect songs. And by the time you realize there are only four songs (d’oh!), you’ll already be neck deep in some sort of séance that you’ll need to escape at the last second. Or maybe your lot is to succumb to it. Who’s to say?

You need more songs to get through whatever it is! I guess that’s what the rewind button is for? Then “Endless” can be truly … endless.

https://glowingdagger.bandcamp.com/

--Ryan

ZELL ROW “Siren Songs” C10 (Glowing Dagger)

Zell Row’s got the darkwave thing down: propulsive drum machine rhythms, eerie synth, post-punk bass, all accompanied by her sultry voice (a discussion of which shouldn’t exclude singers like Siouxsie and Hope Sandoval). Amanda Martinez is the artist behind Zell Row, and this initial missive is a great introduction. Three tracks, three deeply entrancing tunes, three times I’m crashing my ship into rocks (because, you know, the siren thing). One EP simply isn’t enough – we’ll have to be patient, I guess, for a little bit more…

Till then, you’ve got ten minutes of puslingly zoney (or zoningly pulsing) Zell Row tracks to get through. Hop to it!

https://glowingdagger.bandcamp.com/

--Ryan