Rock / Indie Recommendations October 2013

Review: Known best for their work on Blackest Ever Black as Raime, Tom Halstead and Joe Andrews resurface on the label under their lesser spotted alias Moin with this self titled EP. The music of Moin was first presented on Blackest Ever Black's Confessions 7-inch series last year on a split release with Pete Swanson, though the identities of those involved was not disclosed at the time. Described by the label as three tracks recorded with drums, guitar and bass, arranged with effects and sequencer" Halstead and Andrews plunder a more overtly sparse post punk sound as Moin. The darkness intrinsic to their celebrated work as Raime is still very much apparent here in the squalling, doom laden guitar drones, bursts of feedback and strange, unnerving chanting.

Review: It's been three long years since Danish producer Trentemoller's last full-length, almost an eternity in electronic music terms. In that time, his capabilities clearly haven't dimmed, because Lost is arguably his strongest album to date. While his ear for bewitching soundscapes remain - see folksy ambient opener "The Dream" - he seems to have used the time to create tracks that showcase a broader range of influences (new wave, dark leftfield pop, electronic jazz, smoky torch songs), greater emotional depth and increased musical complexity. As such, it's an album that rewards repat listens, but those rewards are well worth the investment.

Review: Pinning down Alexis Georgopoulos can be hard. Under his Arp alias, he's previously flitted between odd ambience, vaguely Balearic moods, crusty krautrock, chamber music, chanson and, most notably of all, Arthur Russell-ish experimentalism. This third solo full length for Smalltown Supersound (his last, The Soft Wave, appeared in 2010), touches on all those things and more. The contrast throughout, with wide-eyed ambient cuts sitting next to curious pop moments (see "17th Daydream" and "Gravity (For Charlemagne Palestine)", and torch songs snuggling up to experimental weird-outs ("More (Blues)" and "V2 (Slight Return)"), makes for startling listening. For those in need of a bit more energy, he wisely throws in a slew of fuzzy, Glam-inspired rock moments (of which "Persuasion" is probably the highlight).