Mike Slott - Lucky 9Teen

Mike Slott is cutting edge. In the past few years, he has quickly become a producer's producer, pioneering stylistic techniques that blend elements of hip-hop sampling, ambient textures, synthy melodies and wobbly bass. The album has a certain future-dreamy feel to it without leaving the present or putting you to sleep. Within seven tracks, Slott covers a lot of ground, showcasing each of his influences and meshing them coherently together in a 25 minute adventure through space that you'll want to go on again and again.


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Black Moth Super Rainbow - Eating Us

If you're not familiar with the extremely evasive band known as Black Moth Super Rainbow, imagine the sort of music you would expect to follow you as you journey through a dark, magical forest during a full moon with a sad but beautiful ghost serenading you intermittently throughout your quest. Oh, and this is after you ate a bunch of mushrooms. That might be the best way to describe the kind of trip their new album, Eating Us takes you on. Their soft floating melodies fuse with the curiously off beat rhythms to create eerily soothing compositions. While Eating Us contains a some exploratory moments, the album maintains the bands unique signature sound, most prominently featuring lead singer, Tobacco's, super-vocoder effected voice. There are certain high points ("Twin of Myself", "Smile the Day After Today") and epic moments ("Gold Splatter") that make this album one that has to be listened to a few times before it can be completely digested. Certainly an album worth taking on a your next voyage, even if it's sunny - maybe bring the mushrooms though.

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Ozric Tentacles - The Yumyum Tree

Ozric Tentacles are one of the greatest anomalies in the electronic music scene. They combine crazy synth driven textures that could have easily been played by Yes keysman Tony Kaye with driving guitar licks sometimes reminiscent of 80s rock, which might make some sense given that the group has been around since 1984. Their THIRTITH album, 'The Yumyum Tree', shows just why the group has such longevity. The album blurs the line between electronica and progressive rock, fusing ambient melodys with soaring guitar leads and funky bass that will have you entranced throughout the entire piece. The group manages to maintain balance between intensity and relaxation, giving the album a sound perfect for cruising fast on the highway as well as laying in your bed looking at the ceiling for nearly an hour.

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Lemon Jelly - LemonJelly.KY

This is an album I've heard about for years now and finally snagged - don't wait as long as I did. LemonJelly.KY is a fun blend of soulful melodies with fun samples to keep you smiling the whole way through. Painted mostly with down-tempo, chilled-out rhythms with a few twists and turns, the album keeps the beat diversified enough to keep the listener paying attention to every little nuance while still allowing plenty of room to space out. A must have for those days spent pulling tubes and sitting on the couch...

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Emancipator - Soon It Will Be Cold Enough

While this album isn't exactly new, (released 2007) I just got my hands on it and thought it was of the same caliber of Bonobo or Boards of Canada. The now 21-year-old Emancipator put this release together when he was just 19 using all real time sampled instrumentation or simple one-shot beats (single notes arranged in composition). His result was a down tempo, hip-hop infused ambient album that is simply beautiful. From the glitchy acoustic guitar parts in the pseudo title track "Soon It Will Be Cold Enough to Build Fires" to the tightly programmed drums that lay the back beat for the soaring violin in "Anthem" and the mind-easing vocal samples in "When I Go", the album doesn't let up. The entire 64 minute album is simply epic.

Just goes to show - who knows what you can do at 19 these days...

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Umphrey's McGee - Mantis

Umphrey's McGee's sixth studio album is certainly an evolution of their sound. While still managing to maintain the quick changes and tension/release stylings that made the band who they are, the band is definitely seeking a much more refined sound. Songs like 'Made to Measure' are very catchy and could appeal to a much larger fanbase with a simpler, more lyrical focus and '1394' caters to the more beat oriented fans. On the other hand, the band still put some songs on the album showcasing it's instrumental chops, such as the title track, 'Mantis', and 'Spires' where the group shows off the tightly woven improvisational jams they're most known for. Overall, while I'm not sure if the album really put the band in a "new era", but it certainly is a solid blend of where this band has been progressing to over the last three or four years mixed with their older, more agressive sound.

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Eliot Lipp - Peace Love Weed 3D

Eliot Lipp's new full length album is by far my favorite release of his. The album diversifies it's sound while keeping seemless flow throughout the whole disk. With more ambient undertones and heavier bass than most of his previous work, he is certainly trying to evolve his sound while maintaining that classic synth sound.

Oh, and every track clocks in at exactly 4:20...

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