Anti-Pop Consortium – Apparently

Anti-Pop Consortium – Apparently (Big Dada)

This free download from Anti-Pop Consortium’s forthcoming album (PM has a copy, watermarked and personalised…) assembles their tenets perfectly. Apparently is wormy and by no means immediate, even though it’s got a monstrous hook. Only brains as warped as those in APC could make such a feature of their relaxed intelligence, and they collectively trip over themselves in their rush to recline, all in an agreeably brief timescale of two and a half minutes.

That they’ve elected not to polarise their famed clinical deliveries with emotive subject matters makes the whole song deliciously ‘other’. The undulating free-forms of lyrics preoccupied with Blackberries and HD are simultaneously machined and enveloping, a quiet and malevolent mix that provides tremendous accentuation to the Kraftwerk-esque robotics of the hook… all you need to do is repeat “APPARENTLY” like one of Johnny 5’s compadres from Short Circuit and you’ve got it down. The album, Fluorescent Black, looks to be totally ingenious.

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This is, according to the press release, going to be TOTES FREE for download from Amazon and the Ninja Tune site. I’ve just looked on Amazon, and yep. BANG.

Yppah – Gumball Machine Weekend EP

Yppah – Gumball Machine Weekend EP (Ninja Tune)

Sonic manipulation and organic elements are woven cleverly and with an agreeable level of psychedelic indulgence on this occasionally delightful EP – mastermind Joe Corrales Jr. proving himself possessive of a gifted, sensitive ear. The pulsing They Know What Ghost Know is probably the finest slice here, though by no means the most fun, gently tweaking itself into an eventual cacophony. Akin to Kevin Shields and the dronier moments of Caribou, it’s a beautiful construction site.

Elsewhere, the surprisingly raw stomp of The Drag enlivens what might be in danger of sounding a little too synthesized and alien. Though there are instrumental flourishes throughout the EP, they’re almost exclusively within the safe realms of chilling the hell out. The squalling guitar ostinato and thunderingly simple drums wake the conclusion up, a consummate mood-enhancer with a surprisingly soulful and dynamically interesting chord structure. Constant intrigue.

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This mini-fungasm is available through Ninja Tune from April 13^th. More here.

How’s Your Week? – The Long Lost

The Long Lost are just lovely (read our review of their debut LP here), and Albert and Laura were kind enough to answer our silly questions. Also, this is the second week in a row someone’s used a ‘-tic’ word to sum up their week. Good one Dent May! Next week, Bono describes his week as, err, ‘fibreoptic’.

In a word, how’s your week?

Hectic!

What did you get up to last night and how was it?

We went to “Give Up” (dublab.com‘s monthly sad music night) and cried into our drinks…

What’s for dinner tonight and who’s cooking it?

We’ll have delicious Indian food cooked by our favorite All-India Café – shahi paneer, sambar, chai, mmm!

What have you listened to today and did you like it?

We heard Aretha Franklin’s Say a Little Prayer on the radio and it was awesome on a rainy day.

What’s your favourite/least favourite thing that’s happened this week?

We saw a glorious rainbow, and my [Albert’s] dad went to the hospital.

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The Long Lost will be coming over to see us (THE PEOPLE OF BRITAIN) in mid-late March – PM, for one, is happy about that result. Visit their MySpace to see those dates and hear some pretties.

The Long Lost – S/T

The Long Lost – S/T (Ninja Tune)

While it lithely makes use of simultaneous humanity and technology (and who says the two can’t exist in symbiosis?), the debut album from The Long Lost also manages to shoehorn an innate musicality into proceedings. The deft syncopation of the vocal line on Amiss, the cross-rhythms of the guitar and vocal on Sibilance and the continual murmur of neatly selected vocal samples are all subtly woven rather than heavily sewn into the milieu, lending the record an ease comparable with a seated Caetano Veloso and Seu Jorge’s lighter moments (y’know, the ones where it’s political but you’ve slept through it quite happily).

With great relaxation comes great responsibility, and it’s paramount that it doesn’t slide into pure dinner party dross. If it’s a part of your nature to soothe, then you must barb your music in other areas to ensure that total relaxation can never quite come. With The Long Lost, it’s in these little tricks. The syncopations, the welcome titters of electronics, the continual promise of more intrigue to come. The sweet The Art Of Kissing features reasonably uncomplicated octave-spaced vocals, but the real weight is in the constantly pulsating arrangement. There are always other places to look.

A balance to be struck, then. The Long Lost manage, for the most part, to teeter on the pleasant ends of either side of this bizarre act. While there are dangerous moments where interest can be tested by sheer laconic charm, the occasional thrust of Espers-esque vocal harmony more than compensates. Involving and interactive, an envelope of sensation, and a few inches short of excellent.

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The Long Lost arrives on March 2^nd via Ninja Tune. More info and the chance to jam your ears here.