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Martyn plays electronic & dubstep music - a genre I am still trying to figure out. Indeed, over the past few years, dubstep has definitely been spread all over the blogosphere while other music styles such as chillwave, witch house or shitgaze did not last for more than three months. Despite the difficulty for non-eletronic listeners to understand this genre, it is actually simple in its form and over-thinking it compromises you from understanding it. The repetitive 2-step beat rhythms and simple melodic components (such as samples or long atmospheric synths) are the core elements that make dubstep a music genre of its own.

In this trend, Martyn might sound like another dubstep artist somehow, it seems that he brings something new for the new-bees and the others. With its relatively synthetic sound (modified voices and heavy synths), Martyn creates atmospheres that change from one song to the other, mixing various elements from different influences. Evoking the beginning of electronic music, dubstep artist Martyn brings to the fore reminiscences of artists such as Front 242 and adds some modern and somewhat elaborate electronic features. Hello Darkness does not fail to please our ears and contains everything that has been said before without repeating a single word. 

“Hello Darkness” by music artist Martyn was released in March 2012 by Brainfeeder label. 

myspace // order

chapterhouse: best shoegaze band to take inspiration from

So, I’ve made a list of shoegaze songs that are inspired by 90s bands and that compose what some people have called the “post-shoegaze” or “newgaze” trends. But I’m not really a big fan of labels, they are somewhat restrictive and sometimes don’t create a unity in the bands. Here is a selection you can listen to through youtube or spotify. Enjoy!

Belong - “Perfect Life” (Common Era, 2011)

Astrobrite - “Crasher” (Crush, 2001)

Pink Playground - “Sunny Skies” (Sunny Skies, 2010)

Fleeting Joys - “Satellite” (Despondent Transponder, 2010)

She, Sir - “Lieutnant” (Who Can’t Say Yes, 2007)

Skywave - “Tsunami” (Synthstatic, 2010)

Odonis Odonis - “Fixed Things” (Handle Bars, 2012)

Heavïness - “Saddest Color” (Heavïness, 2008)

Resplandor - “Downfall” (Pleamar, 2008)

Tears Run Rings - “Forgotten” (Distance, 2010)

Meeting Places - “Now I know you could never be the one” (Find Yourself Along The Way, 2003)

Chapterhouse - “Inside of me” (Whirlpool Expanded Edition, 2010)

Engineers - “Hang Your Head” (Three Fact Fader, 2009)

——> You can click to find the shoegaze bliss playlist on spotify.

May could be the perfect time to find out what albums have conquered my playlist so far. Of course at this point, my choices are written down in no specific order and might change throughout the year. 

Young Prisms - In Between

John Talabot - fin

Beach House - Bloom

World’s End Girlfriend - Starry Starry Night

Patrick Watson - Adventures In Your Own Backyard

Julia Holter - Ekstasis

Kwes. - Meantime (EP)

Lotus Plaza - Spooky Action At A Distance

Lower Dens - Nootropics

White Poppy - I Had A Dream

Shigeto - Lineage

Gravenhurst - The Ghost In Daylight

Electricity In Our Homes - Dear Shareholder

Mirrorring - Foreign Body

Finally! Gravenhurst has just released a new album: “The Ghost in Daylight”.

Gravenhurst or talented artist Nick Talbot generally takes his time to create music. In fact, his last album was released in 2007. At the beginning of the adventure about 10 years ago, Gravenhurst was a one-man project with a guitar and a voice but gradually expanded into a real band experience. And the result is still convincing because Gravenhurst evolved with time to create new soundscapes and melodies. The “slowcore” influence of Red House Painters or Codeine can be found in his music without lacking real personality and continues to create his own path despite these musical landmarks. Mostly associated with the combo guitar-voice-drums, the first single “The Prize” also contains violin lines and other musical newness. So, if like me, you wish to hear the rest of the album, Warp records leads you to bleep’s page where you can buy the vinyl for a reasonable price.

Young Prisms just released a new album called “In Between” on March 27, 2012.

Young Prisms was created in 2009 in San Francisco. This west coast influence might explain the surf pop inspiration that their music reflects. But, not only does the band play this style but also adds a shoegaze vibe to the whole, a specific characteristic of the west coast as well (in Seattle in particular). These two aspects can be found in Young Prisms’ fresh & new album. Moreover, the psychedelic imagery conquers to the creation of a musical and visual unity. Kanine Records has signed the band and a few weeks ago, a video was made for the single Floating in Blue”.

Young Prisms

April, 13 was the date of the release of a new album by Japanese artist World’s End Girlfriend called “Starry Starry Night”. It is in fact the soundtrack of a Taiwanese movie of the same name. A dreamy world where people can escape to seems to be the motto of the artist and the film. A reference to Van Gogh’s Starry Night and the rest is for your ears and eyes to appreciate (just below).

Buy the album on Virgin Babylon