Day: September 16, 2011
HTRK – Work (work, work) [GI144]
HTRK’s Ghostly International debut Work (work, work) is a flat-lined study of desire and submission, sentimentality and dysphoria. The art-rock duo (pronounced “Hate Rock”) finished the album’s production while grieving the sudden loss of founding member and bassist Sean Stewart to suicide in March ‘10. And while that tragedy has certainly found its way into the music’s bottomless sonic void, Work (work, work), written from 2006-10 in Berlin and London, is about much more than abject darkness. On Work (work, work), HTRK craft a stark soundscape: achingly slow 808 beats, eerie synth arpeggios, vaporous guitar noise, and Jonnine Standish’s androgynous, detached vocals, dripping with reverb. And yet it’s the careful way the pair combine those elements—organizing and juxtaposing them with a minimalist’s attention to detail—that makes their music so emotionally devastating.
Ruth – Polaroid / Roman / Photo [ARC078]
Originally released on Paris Records in 1985 Ruth’s LP sold just 50 copies and was relegated to obscurity until the track “Polaroïd/Roman/Photo” started appearing on bootlegs and compilations in the early 00’s, slowly becoming the cult synth pop classic it is nowadays. An original copy goes for upwards of £300 on ebay and Ruth are a shining light from an oft forgotten music scene that is becoming increasingly influential today.
Tanz Ohne Musik – Hide and Sleep
The debut album from Tanz Ohne Musik, a project by Dan Serbanescu (The Pixels, Divine Muzak).
The Hipodrome Of Music 