Pogo - Alohomora

About ten minutes ago I found out about an Australian artist named Pogo. He creates electronic and dreamy trip-hop beats to sound clips from popular movies. Which makes it all the more trippy... er.

He's thus far done Harry Potter, Alice in Wonderland, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Mary Poppins, and the rest I haven't gotten to watching yet. Below is a track called Alohomora. If you like, follow the link to youtube and check out the rest of the videos from user "Faggotron" (yes, really.)

Insides - Jon Hopkins

Asked to categorize the music of Jon Hopkins, one might think that his music is electronica. This is certainly the case when considering that his compositions are mainly computer-generated. But it fails to truly capture the depth, breadth, and beauty of his music, in a genre often categorized by peppy dance tunes and techno beats.

Insides is Jon Hopkins' third album, following Contact Note (2004), a somewhat experimental album, and Opalescent (2001), which drew from more ambient origins. It is undoubtedly his most ambitious and deep record yet, as he transcends into bolder and more intimate waters.

Insides really has no genre that it sticks to, but what stands out about all of the tracks is the precision with which they are executed, drawing the listener in with flowing electronic melodies and a rumbling bass that seems crisper than one might find from other artists. The tracks seamlessly flow together, creating a fluid, complete listening experience.

Hopkins goes everywhere, in terms of feeling and genre. He begins the record with The Wider Sun, a rustic, hopeful, and layered violin lament that would go perfect with a sunrise and a crisp morning chill. On the next track, Vessel, he shifts to a much darker and mysterious, sometimes even hurried atmosphere as he pulses bass over a delicate, yet sinister piano melody. Yet later he conjures up an inspiring, driving, and energetic piece in Light Through the Veins, snippets of which can be heard in the intro to Coldplay's Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends, in the track Life in Technicolor.

Throughout the album, Hopkins lays down a few delicate piano tracks, showcasing his skill as a master pianist. This can especially be heard on Small Memory and Autumn Hill, which are truly beuatiful, fragile snowflakes that you can't help but admire.

Admittedly, there is dissonance in the record. Some tracks, like Insides and Colour Eye, are really... frankly, creepy. They juxtapose numerous odd sounds that make you feel as if you've been thrown into a bad aural acid trip. It's interesting, absolutely, but after a minute or so one starts to wonder when the order will be restored to the universe. And sure enough, it is, in brilliant fashion.

To quote Bleep.com, '"With Insides, Hopkins has created a symphony that paints in binary; a canvas where bucolic instruments caress the dreamy digital soundscape like never before... " I don't think I could've put it better - Insides is an audacious album that seems much like a work of art in itself. It creates soundscapes that suck the listener in and don't spit them out until the last piano key fades away. It is complete, and like no traditional form of music I've ever heard before.

That said, take a listen.

DOWNLOAD LINK

If you like it, maybe show some support and buy the album on iTunes.

Röyksopp - Happy Up Here

Today we find ourselves with an indie electro-pop (or at least that's how I'd describe it) music video from Norwegion electronic duo Röyksopp. No, I do not know how to pronounce them, and yes, I did just say Norwegion electronic. That's pretty cool in itself. The song is called Happy Up Here, from the album Junior.

Anyways, this music video is pretty cool: It's a jammy little piece with a lot of synth effects, which does have a pretty upbeat feel to it. More importantly, the music video involves a real life game of SPACE INVADERS. Cool has just been redefined.

Shazam!

Anyways, I'm leaving for the National High School Debate Tournament of Champions in Lexington, KY tomorrow morning. There I will be debating with some of the top debaters in the U.S. It's gonna be kraaazzzyyyyy. That said, you likely won't hear from me for nearly a week. So I suggest playing this video at least six times just to amuse yourself. 

Or just go watch Chuck.

Shot in the Back of the Head - Moby

Today we find ourselves with a lyricless song by electronica artist Moby (you might know him by the famous song Porcelain, or Extreme Ways, the theme to the Bourne movie series) called Shot in the Back of the Head, a preview of his new album Wait for Me (out June 30). I've gotten really into over the past few days. It's got an almost ambient feel to it, but it's much deeper, and frankly a good bit more melancholy and moving. It takes pulsing distortion combined with a few synthesizers and builds over three minutes, eventually reaching a climax, and quickly fading. It's really nice.

Also the music video is sort of weird. A bit trippy.