Sbarro, Intelligence, Ekkehard Ehlers and Paul Wirkus

Man, I am getting pretty bored of writing about music lately. Music is still cool…I think, but writing about it just isn’t happening for me lately. I decided that, regardless of how brief, I am just going to start nodding at the albums I am listening to that are “post-worthy” and keep the frivolous opinions and to a bare minimum. I guess the logic is this: when I visit a music blog/website am I reading much? Not really. If you are different and actually find reading my poorly constructed critiques and praises of interest then, by all means, let me know. Otherwise, just know that what I’m posting about I’m really digging and that it is worth investigating. That said here are a few mainstays of the last month or more.

Sbarro
Floating
(2009, Smooth Tapes)
RIYL = Caboladies, Axolotl, Infinity Window

More sickness from Smooth Tapes cassette label. I believe this is a Caboladies side project and if you read my review of Constellation Deformity you know that I am absolutely smitten with those guys. My favourite avant/experimental/drone type bliss I’ve heard in a good long while. Anywho, Sbarro bust it out similarly with two sides of glib anti-bliss blissfulness. It’s a contradictory weirdness that ends up just being plain ridiculawesome. I almost love it as Constellation Deformity…almost. Smooth Tapes hittin' home runs all over the place.

Check out Sbarro on the Smooth Tapes MySpace page

The Intelligence
Fake Surfers
(2009, In The Red)
RIYL = Liars, Bird Names, Starlight Mints

The other day Sassi and I were rocking the iPod on shuffle and playing “name that band”. Well, a song from Fake Surfers came on and I erroneously guessed “The Starlight Mints.” Bad guess, I know. Or was it? I reviewed Crepuscule With Pacman earlier this year and Fake Surfers marks an additional year-end-list rankable album for the experimental lo-fi pop/indie rock troupe. Of the two, Fake Surfers just edges out Crepuscule as the go to Intelligence album of 2009…heh, “Intelligence album of 2009!” I’m an idiot. These guys are sick though. Screw Wavves and all that publicity break down ridiculousness – The Intelligence is where it is really at when it comes to arty pop with a no wave edge.

Intelligence on MySpace

Ekkehard Ehlers & Paul Wirkus
Ballads
(2009, Staubgold)
RIYL = Alan Licht & Aki Onda, Jan Jelinek

I am always happy whenever a new project from experimental guitarist/electronics mastermind, Ekkehard Ehlers, drifts my way. Always happy. And even though I have never heard of Paul Wirkus before (apparently he is a drummer or something) I am equally happy with his involvement. The reason being, Ballads just may be my favourite Ehlers release to date. Ehlers and Wirkus just attack everything with oceans of depth. I don’t know what type of drumming Wirkus does but he is obviously an all-around apt experimentalist because Ballads is mostly alien electronics and mostly not ballads – at least in the traditional sense. No, scratch that, not even ballads in the distorted sense. Lots of ebbing and friction and gloating, water-bowl tones and engines and lo-fidelity bells mixed with high end shrapnel in slow motion. And probably elephants. Love this stuff. One of my favourites this year.

Stream Ballads on Boomkat

-Thistle