Fluxblog
June 27th, 2008 12:52pm

The Cool Dawn Of A Soul


Seelenluft “La Concierge” – This arrangement starts off grounded with a firm dance beat that carries through much of the track, but as the song progresses, it eventually drops out, and the music begins to float away like a helium balloon. The airy lightness is with the song from the start, but that untethered feeling at the end is lovely, especially in the way Seelenluft simulates a slow, graceful ascension into the clouds. (Click here to buy it from Juno.)

High Places “Sandy Feat (7″ version)” – It can be hard to hear the songs on Guided By Voices’ Bee Thousand and Alien Lanes without thinking “wow, if only they had made a really nice version of this in a studio, it’d be amazing!” Of course, those records have a deliberate aura and charm, and it’s not some accident of laziness. They are the result of a fully-formed postmodern aesthetic, and even though they may have often sounded better in concert, they always feel more special and magical in their unfinished form. This isn’t really the case for High Places. They write some very nice songs, but as far as I can discern, their records sound like extremely thin demos, and that’s that. If there is any postmodern intentionality, it’s not apparent. Like too many young bands from this era, nods to lo-fi, drone, electronic music, shoegaze, ambient, and “world music” seem like default decisions rather than considered aesthetic positions. The duo have a knack for simple, ingratiating melodies, skipping beats, and audio texture, but they don’t yet seem fully formed as a band. Which is fine enough, don’t get me wrong — they’re just starting out, and this is normal and healthy. They’ve got promise; I’d love to see them follow through on it with their next record, even if I’m worried that they will continue to follow their worst Animal Collective-esque impulses. (Click here to buy it from Insound.)

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