ANIMAH “Animah” C19 (Solid Melts)

Major chillout time. But don’t relax – these cold climates are the icy attention Animah’s paying to those who have wronged her or hurt her. The vibes originate from a dull ache of heartbreak, radiating out as a defense mechanism, a barrier repelling the attention of strangers, maybe even the attention of those she knows and loves. “Animah” is four frozen tracks of luscious synth-pop, the attraction of the melodies at odds with the heart of the message. A great addition to any goth-pop radio station mining the first-wave hits of the 1980s. I think I just gave away my go-to radio station – figure it out if you’re smart enough! (You’re probably smart enough.) But buy this tape first.

Animah

Solid Melts

--Ryan

JOSH MILROD "Seeking the Millenary Kingdom"(Solid Melts)

Ready to hear some super fun synth sax improv noise? Maybe that isn't a sax, maybe it's just feedback. It's rounded and slowly mimics something resembling a melody. No! It's a trumpet? Well, the background reverberates subtly and pulsates and harmonizes in odd ways. Not much structure, it's more ambient influenced.

Gooshy pulses and horns of some type. They're reverberated and sound like they have subtle effects placed through their amplification. They drawl out into noise while rhythmatic two chord pulses trade tone.

Amazing horn harmonies. Jeez... Wow. Powerful jazz noise fusion.

Harmonies are used effectively between looping keyboard chord progressions and horn improvisation. There is a nice mixing in of industrial video game negativity that is strategically placed.

Guys, this release is a real winner if you just remain patient with it. That'll be easier for you noise boys and perhaps harder for those who enjoy frantic time signature changes. It's a real gem of ambient sincerity; beautiful old world tone creating techniques integrating with underplaying elements of digital electronics.

Sample here: https://solidmeltsrecords.bandcamp.com/album/seeking-the-millenary-kingdom

--Jack Turnbull

EXPO 70: “The Vanishing World Within” c40 (Solid Melts)

Some really killer synthesizing on this one, divided into phases, the first side almost scary in it’s 80s horror/sci-fi environments, starting with a nice drone and fading into a more complex structure with deep, pulsing bass that reminds me of the soundtrack from “the Thing”. This eventually moves into “Phase III”, a prog-jammer with drums and guitar, real groovy space boogie. Side two is a little more universally similar, the phases harder to pick apart as they drift in and out of one another, carried for a long time in the middle by a classic drum machine egg-shaker sound. Real calming, enjoyable textures, excellent artwork by Mr. Expo himself, Justin Wright, who keeps a great ongoing theme of reflecting images of instruments and space shapes on all his covers. At a time when bands like Emeralds and Oneohtrix Point Never are so popular, I’m surprised that this is a name that doesn’t come up more often. First edition of 150 is sold out, second edition of 100 probably won’t be around too much longer either, but the dude has a massive discography, lots of places to hear his righteous psychediddlea.

http://www.myspace.com/expo70
http://solidmelts.com/