Last updated on October 10, 2022
1. “MONSTERA” – Gold Lamé. A unique and wonderful fusion of folk, prog, and indie-pop that results in a tune riding a dart that landed in the space between Fang Island, Anamanaguchi, and This is the Kit. Highly recommended.
2. “Cheesecake” – Lazerbeak. Maximalist electro that fuses Pogo, R&B, gospel organ, and Anamanaguchi for a truly weird and wonderful track.
3. “Polytunnel” – un.procedure. Jazztronica that combines acrobatic drums, athletic saxophone playing, and a solid base of synths to create a hectic, frantic footrace.
4. “Ventre I” – PALMER GENERATOR. Low-slung, gritty, even gnarly (as in the sense of “gnarled tree wood”) post-rock with strong contributions from all three members of the trio. Special shoutout to the impressive drumming.
5. “Panda Village” – Theon Cross. I never tire of Cross’s tuba-led jazz explorations. This is Cross doing his thing par excellence: going full blast with tuba in hand and band accompanying, while still sneaking in some emotive moments.
6. “401” – Youritz. I’m always here for grungy, melodic, fried techno in the spirit of Daft Punk’s TRON remixes.
7. “Oracles” – ATŌMI. Combining classical vocals, drones, post rock-style surges of sound, and subtle electronics, this commanding piece garners a strong impression.
8. “Land and Sea Boundaries” – Ivory Fields. Feels like ODESZA and The Flaming Lips got together for an exploratory electronic jam session, in the best of ways.
9. “Running” – Rival Consoles. Restrained, subtle electronic music here that slowly unveils the full concept part by part. Ultimately, it’s a clicking, popping, whirring, punchy electro jam.
10. “White Shadow” – Beatenberg feat. Msaki. Lots of subtle touches from various influences result in a unique and interesting indie pop track. Fans of Belle and Sebastian, Paul Simon, Vampire Weekend, and alt-pop crooners will all find things to love here.