Yesterday, I tracked down a few songs from Marilyn Manson’s upcoming 15-track album, The High End of Low. Manson seems to be back to his normal, outspoken and angry self. The tracks are harder and crunchier once again, but still lack the amount of synths that I’d prefer. These songs resemble those from Antichrist, Mechanical Animals and Holywood. The highlights are the lyrics, catchy riffs and a raw energy that Eat Me, Drink Me lacked. Even though they’re not doing anything new musically, I was excited to post a track.

The band will begin their world tour on June 3rd to promote the May 26th release. MP3 versions and a Deluxe CD version are available for preorder at Amazon.

MP3: Marilyn Manson – Arma-Goddamn-Motherfuckin-Geddon

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

A few weeks ago, I was checking to see if Tipper was working on any new material. I found out that he recently mastered an album called Zoomorphic by Spoonbill (aka Jim Moynihan), so I decided to check it out. I figured if Dave Tipper was involved in something it’d be good, but I didn’t expect it to be this good. It’s wild!

It’s a sound designers dream come true. Wobbly bass, foley sound effects, cartoon samples, warped synths, organs, flutes, kalimbas, trombones, slide guitars, broken egg shells, ping-pong balls, crunching food… you name it, it’s in there. Somehow, Moynihan is able to cram hundreds of sounds into each track while retaining structure, catchy melodies and sick beats. Zoomorphic can’t be pigeonholed into a single genre. It’s a mix of glitch-hop, IDM, dubstep, abstract electronica, folk and a touch of bluegrass.

A bit off topic… but about 10 years ago, my friend Liz and I were smoking in the dorm bathroom, looking out at the Philadelphia skyline. We were talking about the worst possible ways to die. For some reason, I thought that dropping acid at Zoobilee Zoo would be the worst way to go. Zoomorphic would totally be the soundtrack to that experience… only without the dying.

Zoomorphic is Spoonbill’s third full-length release. His previous albums are abstract as well, but are better categorized as broken beat, downtempo and experimental. Definitely worth checking out. All Spoonbill releases are available from Amazon and Addictech.

MP3: Spoonbill – Feather Leather

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

If you’re unfamiliar with deep drum & bass, let me introduce you to Phace (Florian Harres & Nicolas Ruoff) and Misanthrop (Michael Bräuninger). This German trio has collectively released tunes on the hottest labels in the scene including Virus, Subtitles, Renegade Hardware, Vision, Cyanide and Shadow Law. They get heavy rotation with other drum & bass heavyweights (Calyx, DNAudio Crew, Mayhem, Amon Tobin, Noisia, Pendulum and TeeBee) and have been featured on over 25 compilations.

In August of 2008, they decided to take their music to the next level and created their own label, Neosignal. With releases on Neosignal, they’re upping the standards for drum & bass. They’ve already released some of the sickest tracks this genre has to offer, all deep, dark and fresh with hard rolling bass lines and sharp, hard hitting beats. The upcoming third release from Neosignal will feature the a-side, “Mammoth,” which is a Phace and Misanthrop collaboration, and “Sore Point,” by Phace and Noisia. Both are sick! Unfortunately, I couldn’t get a hold of the entire tracks so I posted a tune off Neosignal’s second release.

Phace have upcoming shows throughout Germany, Australia and New Zealand. Dates and venues are posted on the Phace Blog. To hear more audio clips, visit Neosignal.

MP3: Misanthrop – Moon Clouds

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Dubfiles is a 3-hour documentary which takes a look inside the world of dubstep and some of it’s most prolific DJ’s and producers. The interviews focus on how the producers got into the scene, what their influences are and their production techniques. It’s a personal insight into a fast-growing underground music movement that’s been sweeping through the UK. The DVD comes packaged with a 10-track audio CD with unmixed material. The producers interviewed are: Benga, Caspa, Crazy D, D1, Distance, Hatcha, Joe Nice, N-Type, Pinch, Rusko, Search & Destroy, Skream and Slaughter Mob. To view official clips and to find out how to order, check out Dubfiles on Myspace.

Two Fingers have honed in on the new sound of hip-hop. Their latest remix of “Hip Hop,” by Joell Ortiz, is just about perfect. It’s edgy, fresh, cocky, nasty and most importantly… hip-hop. The beats are totally original, while remaining a safe distance from the otherworldly tracks off of their debut, Two Fingers.

As mentioned on the April 7th post, producers Amon Tobin and Joe “Doubleclick” Chapman have been releasing mashups and unofficial remixes of hip-hop artists to promote their debut and their insane production skills. Among the other artists remixed are Busta Rhymes, J-88, Spank Rock, Missy Elliot, Ciara, Kelis and Kool Keith. To hear them all and keep up on new remixes, visit Two Fingers on MySpace.

MP3: Joell Ortiz – Hip Hop (Two Fingers Remix)

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

I don’t normally listen to tech house, but Pig & Dan’s “Terminate” is one of the best tracks I’ve heard all year. It’s a relentless nine and a half minute techno anthem, with the first minute consisting only of a 4/4 kick on a bed of effects. Anticipation builds as new elements are strategically layered in. The 4-note bassline seems like a solid, immovable object, until an unexpected alien synth solo breaks it away. Over a minute later, the beat drops back in like an anvil to your face, now with bit-crushed arpeggiations. The apex happens at 5:18 when the heavens open up and new synth stabs consume all senses. You can get lost in it with your eyes closed. The track slowly returns to it’s original form and fades out with a smooth high pass filter. Every second is worth it, so don’t miss this one.

“Terminate” was released on the Terminate 12″ January 7, 2009 by Cocoon Recordings. The b-side, “Organix,” is a warbled hypnotic groove that never really takes off. It has cool effects and sounds, but lacks the impact of the a-side.

MP3: Pig & Dan – Terminate

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

This summer, Nine Inch Nails fans can expect something totally different. The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble and NIN are currently collaborating on a full length release called Here Be Piggies. It’s a companion album to TKDE’s upcoming album, Here Be Dragons. The 6 track, 66 minute long album will be released by Ad Noiseam by the end of summer 2009. Both bands are working side-by-side so we can expect something much more exciting than a typical remix album. The new NIN line-up for the release (which seems absolutely ridiculous) includes Armando Acosta, Terminator X, Jasmin Wagner and HP Baxter. Since I got this from Ad Noiseam, I’m assuming it’s correct. But it could just be a stunt to boost TDKE’s popularity. Either way, I’m sure it’ll work.

This is what Trent Reznor had to say about the upcoming release: “I wanted to try something different, something genuinely more underground and boundaries-pushing. Getting away from mainstream rock has been my wish for years now, and I found in TKDE the perfect people to jam with. Partying with TKDE / Bong-Ra’s Jason Kohnen also helped me get over my straight-edgeness, and releasing on Ad Noiseam brings me back to the times I was a struggling musician scraping for money. I am having fun again, finally.”

If you’re unfamiliar with TKDE, they’re an experimental 7-member band that got their start composing music to silent films. Their current sound is a mix between creepy jazz, downtempo, industrial and IDM. It’s dark and beautiful. Definitely check them out. TKDE are currently on tour throughout the UK. Below is a track from their second release, Mutations EP.

MP3: The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble – Shadows

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Arecibo Message is the new LP from the recently acclaimed dubstep artist, Boxcutter (aka Barry Lynn). The album’s title is aptly named after the message sent in 1974 from the Arecibo Radio Telescope to possible extraterrestrials 25,000 light years away. It’s as if Boxcutter collected progressive sounds from the past 5 years and let them loose into outer space, echoing on forever. The album goes through numerous stages, morphing through dubstep, downtempo, acid, IDM and electro funk. It’s intense, glitchy, abstract and at times, even funky. I can’t pinpoint it yet, but there’s something melancholy about Arecibo Message. It’s organic, raw and emotional.

The first two tracks stand out as they could be mistaken for tracks from Burial’s 2007 album, Untrue. But what sets Boxcutter apart, is that he’s constantly tweaking the sounds, adding new elements and mangling the beat. From there, the tracks progress into more chaotic IDM tunes reminiscent of AFX, Clark and Meat Beat Manifesto.

The production is phenomenal as Boxcutter experiments with nuance and dynamics, unheard in earlier releases. The thick wall of analog sounds and effects is balanced with subtle noises and moments of silence.  “Arcadia 202″ is a hauntingly beautiful track that takes acid grooves to a new level. Unfortunately, the buildup is rushed and the song ends abruptly, as do many of the other tracks, with a quick fade.

The last track, “A Cosmic Parent,” should have been left for another release. While it’s funky rhythms, samples and guitar riffs are heard elsewhere, it’s inconsistent and fails to finalize the album. It fades out in a matter of seconds, concluding the LP at just over 49 minutes.

Arecibo Message will be released on April 20th via Planet Mu Records. To hear samples from the entire album, visit Planet Mu. The LP can be purchased from Amazon.

MP3: Boxcutter – Free House Acid

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

After years of hearing snippets of Two Fingers’ tracks in live DJ sets and internet leaks, the debut self-titled album is finally here. This is undoubtedly one of the best collaborations of the year. Producers Amon Tobin and Joe “Doubleclick” Chapman have created a sonic tornado that rips through musical styles including hip-hop, grime, dancehall, dubstep, glitch and drum & bass. The result is a thrill ride through a futuristic urban landscape. It transcends genres and pushes the limits of hip-hop and electronica. The LP is scattered with elements of world percussion, twisted samples, heavily distorted bass riffs and enough chopped up beats to keep dubstep and drum & bass fans drooling. If Bladerunner had a hip-hop soundtrack, it would sound like this.

The MCs include UK rapper Sway, Philadelphia’s Ms. Jade and the dancehall artist Ce’Cile. Sway’s talents are unmatched as words effortlessly roll off his tongue at 120–145bpm. Ms. Jade’s cocky style is a perfect compliment to the rough bleacher beats on “Better Get That.”  On “Doing My Job,” she easily adapts to the slow sensual bass drops and ensures the track will be a club hit.

Overall, the MCs add a creative element to the album, but hip-hop fans will probably be disappointed with the disconnection between Sway’s lyrics and the music. The rhymes take a backseat to the glitchy beats and waves of alien soundscapes. It’s hard to sympathize with gangster life when we’re listening to music suited for a field trip into outer space.

We can expect to hear a lot more from Two Fingers in the future. They have released numerous unofficial remixes including tracks by Spank Rock, Missy Elliot, Kelis, Ciara, Busta Rhymes, J-88 and Kool Keith. In an interview with URB, Doubleclick said that Two Fingers was both a recording act and a production team. He promises “We’re going to make tracks for as many acts as we can.”

The LP and digital files are available throughout the UK/Europe from Big Dada Recordings. All formats of the LP will be available in the U.S. on April 14th via Paper Bag Records. To order CD, MP3 and vinyl bundles, visit the Ninjashop. Also available at Amazon. Support your local record shops if possible!

MP3: Two Fingers – Not Perfect (feat. Sway)

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.