Neonach - II (2021)

Craig Douglas debuted with his project Neonach only a year ago and he managed to got back with a follow-up album already in the final days of the last year. I love how unique and fresh the artist's music feels while still deriving the best parts from established music genres of shoegaze and psychedelia.

The uniqueness of Douglas' music is bound to the use of electronics means to achieve an unbelievably fun and smooth flow in his music. The songs seem to slide from one to another like people dancing on ice. And it doesn't matter that the follow-up album seems to be heavier than the debut, it's still the same, immersive and inviting atmosphere. There are moments of shocking noise (like in my favourite A Dream that sound almost like something taken from dubstep but melted in the ethereality of this music) or even metal-like galloping pace (in Human) but even they are so fantastically catchy thanks to the use of ethereal choirs and synth-like backgrounds. As well as the particularly distorted vocals that may feel like taken from older psychedelic rock records but feel very well fitted in the modern music the artist creates.

II costs 7 USD.

Neonach - Neonach (2021)

Check: A Dream

Country: Massachusetts, US 

Genre: electronic psychedelic rock

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La Houle - La chute (2021)

La Houle are from France and create some extremely interesting take on noisy pop/rock, one that feels fresh but also strongly rooted in the music genres it comes from. If we agree that Première Vague was not only a compilation of the band's first two EPs but their debut album, the French come back with their second album called La chute.

The title translates to "The Fall" (which I should have guessed from the word "parachute") but unlike The Fall the band, is far from post-punk's definition of falling. Instead, there's more from Slowdive's ecstasy from the feeling of falling - at least in the guitar-heavy but smooth and exciting music. It seems to be starting in the indie rock's area and going very far in the shoegazey, dreamy direction. The vocals sound very nugazey in this Nothing-like style which suggests being subtle and airy but also very well conducting the melodies. Not to mention that the French language itself adds to the mysterious and fresh feeling I sensed in this album.

However, there's more to that. In La Houle's music, it's very tangible that the artists didn't want to go full on music cliches, instead, they skillfully combine shoegaze guitars with tons of electronic sounds (so well-balanced in Toi (ce moi) that starts like a ballad based on lively synthy sounds and develops into a wall-of-sound guitar experience) and interesting stylistic choices like the spoken work, noir-sounding parts in La chute the track. Super interesting release.

La chute costs 7 EUR.

Check: Toi (ce moi)

Country: France

Genre: electronic dream rock

Label: Music From The Masses / October Tone

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Suuns - The Witness (2021)

Back in 2010, the Canadian outfit released one of my favourite albums ever, their debut Zeroes QC. I got a glimpse of it when I was late to their gig at OFF Festival in Katowice. But what I heard convinced me to fall in love with the album. And while they have never come close to this perfect level, they maintain their independent, unique style which they recently included on the new release called The Witness.

Everything in their music sounds like nothing else. It's true for the bass-based tunes with synth noisy deconstructed avant-garde music around, it's true for Ben Shemie's neurotic, subtle way of singing/speaking as well. I love how it works together and how, while being very much experimental, they are able to make their music appealing and enjoyable. As in the single tracks Witness Protection and C-Thru, the melodies are subtle and demand the listener's full attention, but it only makes them more satisfying and emphasizing the weird but accordingly ambitious lyrics. I love how some tracks feel almost ridiculously minimalist with the vocals, very subtle beats and not much more (like Clarity) but they make captivating ballads anyway while other ones are based on the mesmerizing electronica/guitars combo that feels close to Zeroes QC (as the great The Fix). I respect that the band have their own unique style and that they are not afraid to use it; it makes their music so easily recognizable and, honestly, pure, experimental fun.

The Witness costs 8 USD.

Ben Shemie - A Single Point of Light (2020)

Check: Witness Protection

Country: Canada

Genre: experimental synthpop

Label: Joyful Noise Recordings

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