Powersolo: Bloodskinbones (Crunchy Frog)
Released last week in their native Denmark, Bloodskinbones is the latest weird rock offering from brothers Kim Kix and Atomic Child. Now a duo, Powersolo has an amorphous sound that resembles power pop, dirt rock, and rockabilly on any given song, often crossing into other genres such as mariachi.
The group's creations are always eccentric and often are raunchy, but this album might be its most straightforward, rock-fueled effort to date. Stream the entire album at the group's website: www.powersolo.dk
Powersolo: "Pirates of the Oblivion"
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Marissa Nadler: Little Hells (Kemado)
Dreamy songstress Marissa Nadler returns two years after her last release, Songs III: Bird on the Water, with an album that expands her style with indie-rock accompaniment, soft organ, guitar murmurs, and more.
Nadler's heavenly harmonies, however, shine brighter than the pretty, minor-key instrumentation. The featured song below doesn't particularly encapsulate the album, so listen to all of it here: kemado.com/little_hells_ecard
Marissa Nadler: "River of Dirt"
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Harmonic 313: When Machines Exceed Human Intelligence (Warp)
The first full-length album from Australian producer Mark Pritchard as Harmonic 313, the latest of his aliases, is minimalist electro-dance and drum & bass that's light on the cheesy dance-floor sounds.
Pritchard continues evolving from his last full-length as Harmonic 33 (minus the "1"), the 2005 album Music for Film, Television & Radio, Vol. 1, which focused on electronic lounge creations. This album definitely isn't for written for IDM beat heads, and though one could imagine a club of dudes getting grimy to it, When Machines Exceed Human Intelligence carries a level of sophistication that average dance discs do not.
His new website has some fun color-coded word problems, and if you beat all five levels, you get a free download of the unreleased track below.
Harmonic 313: "Problem 7"
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The Soundtrack of Our Lives: Communion (Yep Roc)
With its first album in nearly four years, this Swedish psych-rock group issues two discs of poppy classic-rock anthems that frontman Ebbot Lundberg thinks are the band's best ever. The group's psychedelic intros and undertones help it live up to its goal, which is, in Lundberg's words, to create a "musical entrance to another dimension."
Flourishes of harpsicord, zither, flute, organ, and tympani accent the rock lineup of this sextet, making a layered, involved batch of feel-good ballads. If you enjoy this type of music, you won't be disappointed with Communion.
