Vocal Manipulation

White Boy Scream – Bakunawa

Style: Electro-Acoustic Opera, Sound Collage, Neoclassical Darkwave

Vibes: Ritualistic, Mythic, Decolonial, Cathartic, Spiritual, Intense, Chaotic, Powerful, Suspenseful, Personal, Storytelling

Musical Qualities: Operatic Vocals, Noise, Chants, Extended Technique, Vocal Processing, Sampling, Suite

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Bon Iver – 22, a Million

Style: Glitch-Pop, Art Pop, Singer/Songwriter

Vibes: Cryptic, Surreal, Mechanical, Mystical, Existential, Knotty, Warm, Alienation, Bittersweet, Futuristic, Anthemic

Musical Qualities: Glitchy, Catchy, Sampling, Distorted, Vocal Manipulation, Dense, Melodic, Electro-Acoustic, Lush, Vocal Harmonies, Digital Production

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Jack DeJohnette – Sorcery

with Dave Holland, Bennie Maupin, John Abercrombie, Michael Fellerman, & Mick Goodrick

Style: Psychedelic Jazz-Rock, Prog, Jazz Fusion

Vibe: Exploratory, Mysterious, Driving, Groovy, Psychedelic, Bluesy, Eclectic

Musical Qualities: Improvisation, Dub, Shred, Technical, Rhythmic. Progressive

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Nicholas Jaar – Sirens

Style: Ambient Pop, Progressive Electronic, Sound Sculpture, Downtempo

Moods: Urban, Surreal, Nocturnal, Cryptic, Mysterious, Retro-Futuristic, Hypnotic, Introspective, Motorik, Ethereal

Musical Qualities: Vocal Manipulation, Studio-as-an-Instrument. Rhythmic, Atmospheric, Lush, Sampling

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Alex G – DSU

Styles: Slacker Rock, Neo-Psychedelia, Bedroom Pop, Singer/Songwriter

Moods: Introspective, Bittersweet, Sentimental, Reflective, Kaleidoscopic, Warm, Melancholy, Intimate, Whimsical, Nostalgic, Eclectic, Heartfelt, Psychedelic, Summer, Existential

Musical Qualities: Catchy, Riffs, Home Recording, Melodic, Vocal Manipulation, Studio-as-an-Instrument

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Alex G – God Save the Animals

Style: Neo-Psychedelia, Singer/Songwriter, Art Pop

Moods: Uplifting, Heartfelt, Spiritual, Warm, Introspective, Wholesome, Eclectic, Colorful, Cryptic, Ethereal, Joyful, Longing, Bittersweet, Psychedelic, Sentimental, Tender

Musical Qualities: Lush, Melodic, Vocal Effects, Studio-as-an-Instrument, Catchy, Polished, Progressive

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Sam Amidon – Sam Amidon

Style: Dream Folk, Jazz-Folk, Warped Americana

Vibes: Warm Melancholy, Springtime Reflection, Rootsy, Early Afternoons in the Garden, Dreamy, Intertwined, Heartfelt

Musical Qualities: Lush; Improvised Arrangements; Studio-as-an-Instrument, Melodic, Vocal Fx

Instrumentation: Banjo, Saxophone, Acoustic Guitar, Percussion, Flute, Acoustic Bass, Synthesizers, Piano

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L’Rain – Fatigue

Style: Free Pop, Progressive R&B, Psychedelic Soul, Art Pop, Gospel-Influenced

Vibe: Woozy, Ethereal, Cryptic, Impressionistic, Heartfelt, Imaginative, Dramatic, Dreamy, Eclectic

Musical Attributes: Progressive, Lush, Vocal Manipulation, Sampling, Vignettes, Studio-as-an-Instrument, Groovy, Collage

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Spaza – Spaza

“There is a heightened and sustained sense of intuition running through this recording whose sonic palette is so wide it captures – through soundscaping, invocation, lament, impressionistic vocal weaving – not only the transient and hybridised nature of life in Johannesburg, but also the heaviness of the air at the time of its recording. More ambient, controlled swirl of rhythm and experimental mixing than incessant groove, the album is an outpouring of a range of expressions that exist between the supposed binaries of indigenous forms of music and the electronic experimentation Johannesburg is known globally for.” (from Bandcamp)

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Alex G – Beach Music

Listening to Alex G, one might imagine a young alien sitting alone in his martian bedroom baring his angsty, teenage confessions to his 4-track tape recorder. Yet, at the core of his music, underneath layers of psychedelic guitars, weird pitch-shifted vocals, and occasional lo-fi hiss, lies some genius pop songs that feel simultaneously adolescent and mature.

Recommended for fans of lo-fi experimentation and bedroom pop. Alex seems to pull influences from all over and channel them through his own unique personality and penchant for odd, psychedelic production. Recalls Elliot Smith’s loner acoustic songwriting and drum machines pulled from 80?s pop songs; there’s even a fucked up jazz piano ballad thrown into the mix.

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Jerusalem in My Heart – If He Dies, If If If If If If

At the core of these electrouacoustic Arabic folk songs lies expressive vocals and the buzuk, a fretted lute which Radwan Ghazi Moumneh plays with a near religious determination. While these instruments are played nakedly and organically, it is the production and recording that really exhibits the experimental and atmospheric nature of the music. Acoustic instruments are re-sampled and processed to create granular and rhythmic accompaniment, while waves of white noise, synths and field recordings are used to adorn and enhance the emotional twists and turns of the raw acoustic performances.

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