AUDIOMUTANT: Greetings From Tuskan, J-Zone and MORE!
"MORE!" meaning cars & trains and Maxilla Blue. So much good stuff today, that it didn't even fit in the title there, sorry about that. How's your weekend so far? Hope it's been fine, because it's time again for AUDIOMUTANT, the whole world's favorite column, discussing the most noteworthy happenings in music, as filtered and presented by yours truly.
REVIEW: GREETINGS FROM TUSKAN - "THE LOVE FROM AFAR"
If for some reason "electronic music" still makes you think of cold and calculated, robotic beats, then you can leave these reservations at the door - Greetings From Tuskan's music is the complete opposite of that. It's an electronica record, almost entirely instrumental, with only a few instances of vocals, carefully added into Lê's stunningly beautiful, complex compositions. They sound very natural and rich with feelings, and from the opening track ("Vestal Adoration") it's clear that "The Love From Afar" is a very soulful and sincere piece of work. From there, the producer takes the listener through a myriad of emotions. Her piano, synths and vocals create a fast-changing, impressive soundscape that can be uplifting and dynamic at one moment ("Hold Me Tight", below), and mellow and dreamlike at another ("Melancholia"). There's a lot of heart here, but also a lot of thought put into how the album is composed - no theme, feeling or idea overstays its welcome, and there's always something new waiting for you just around the corner. I was very surprised by this release. I wasn't expecting it, didn't hear about it being in the works, and didn't know how much I will enjoy it, despite it being very different to the kinds of music I'm usually attracted to. I only ever knew Joëlle Lê from her BFT! work, and while I realized what a skilled producer she is, my appreciation for her talent grew considerably after "The Love From Afar". It's very much worth giving it a good listen, especially considering that Circle Into Square is offering the album FREE (you can also choose to name your price, if you want to show your support). Try it out, you may be very pleasantly surprised. Bonus: I mentioned I'm looking forward to Greetings From Tuskan's and Buck 65's upcoming Bike For Three! album, so here's another good reason why you should, too. This song came out a few months ago, and I assume it's gonna be on the new record. The album itself will apparently be out on Fake Four Inc. Very cool, very european (being from Europe myself, I am free to make stupid, broad statements like that), very old school b-boy style, very free - just click "download" below. AUDIO: J-ZONE - "PETER PAN SYNDROME" This is the title track from J-Zone's new album, released last month. If you've been paying attention to the hip hop scene of the last 10/15 years, then you're already familiar with J-Zone. The New York rapper/producer has been making records, as well as providing his unmistakable beats for other artists for years, and then, finding little commercial success to go with the crazy amount of work, he just stopped making music. "The Peter Pan Syndrome" is his first solo album in years, and it's really worth checking out. Trying to find a regular job after never doing anything other than making music, being in your mid 30s and living life the same way you did in your early 20s, and finding your place again in the "young man's game" that hip hop is, are all themes on the album. J-Zone is as funny, sharp and direct/rude as always, and it's great that he's back to music. The album seems to be getting quite a lot of praise and doing real well, so that's really fantastic - it deserves all that. If you like the track below, then click the link above and cop the record. Also, the new beats with live drums (played by J-Zone himself) are hard as hell. AUDIO: CARS & TRAINS - "TEN THOUSAND SHIPS" (INSTRUMENTAL) If you're a regular AUDIOMUTANT reader (and of course you are), then you remember cars & trains AKA Tom Filepp from the Ceschi/Fake Four installment we had last month. Back then we featured the song "Black Birds in the Branches" from the impressive 2012 album "We Are All Fire". This week, the folk/electronic singer/producer released the instrumental version of that album. Even though I am a fan of Filepp's singing, it's nice to have the option to pick up on all the production nuances, now on full display, and the instrumentals certainly are a great listen in their own right. If you're a fan of instrumental music, like getting to hear everything that went into an album's creation, enjoy fresh and original production, or just want to finally be able to record your awful raps on a cars & trains beat (don't do that), then you're definitely gonna need this. Get it here. VIDEO: MAXILLA BLUE - "LEGO BLOCKS" This is a last minute addition to today's feature. I woke up and there it was on our email. Turns out it's really good and I immediately wanted it here. I might have been sleeping on something, cause I can't say I've heard anything from these dudes before, but this is the type of song that speaks for itself. They're a group from Des Moines, Iowa, and they're on Chicago's Galapagos4 label. There's three of them: emcee Asphate, producer Aeon Grey and DJ TouchNice. They got three records out, and this video is from their latest, which dropped last year. For more info go to their website or their Facebook. The video is by Clear Haze Creative and it's a nice one! Enjoy. For more AUDIOMUTANTS, full-length music reviews and interviews with artists, make sure to browse our music section. Liked today's AM? Enjoyed "The Love From Afar"? Rooting for J-Zone? Getting the "We Are All Fire" instrumentals? How about that Maxilla Blue video?! Sound off in the comments! 
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