OPM: Jazz Folk Techno Pop

RYA! – Mareld över Kvarken

Unique and engaging take on jazz fusion, where the fused elements include Swedish folk music, electronic pop, and prog. Lively and generally joyful, with the occasional turn toward the melancholy and/or reflective, these songs communicate the vibe easily even if you don’t understand a lick of Swedish (I sure don’t!). 

That’s because the playing and composition are more than up to the task of saying what the song needs to say – the lyrics don’t need to do anything beyond be another element in the overall mood (altho I bet they’re great, too!). Overall this is a remarkably accomplished and delightful album – confident, deliberate and stunningly executed. 

(Listened to the entire album)

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Tragic Gadget – Meet the Bouviers

Iconoclastic indie pop that incorporates a deep and rich set of influences into the mix. From chirpy 8-bit electro pop to smoky cabaret jazz (or fuzzy guitar indie, or folk, or…), you never know what turns these tunes will take, but it’s pretty much always fun. At times it reminds me very much of late ‘90s alternative underground, other times it sounds like it’d sit perfectly next to any modern pop sensation, from Doja Cat to Big Thief. 

That’s all to say they nail the pop elements in every iteration but have such a distinctive vision, the results can’t help but stand out as something unique. Personally I can’t help but love something this adventurous, omnivorous and self assured– I think a lot of you will feel the same.

(Listened to the entire album)

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Old Trees – Elatseyi EP

Deeply weird experimental pop, reminiscent of Animal Collective if they were actually as weird as normies think they are. Loopy, deranged musical interludes are topped with nice vocals that are themselves pretty dang out there (but kinda pretty all the same). 

There’s a familiar musical core that just holds these together as actual songs, but the production and arrangements rely more on processed sound and decontextualized sampling than traditional instrumentation. It’s dense, strange and thoroughly hallucinogenic – right up my alley, in other words. 

(Listened to the entire EP)

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Nihilore – It Is Still Happening, It Should Not Be Happening

Cinematic synthwave, groovy tech house, snappy breaks and more, all produced with a shiny, neon-lit cyberpunk aesthetic. It’s a really solid match of musical approach and sonic aesthetic that reinforces the strengths of both, and draws some interesting connecting lines between some adjacent but rarely overlapping genres! 

This is very easy to recommend to synthwavers, but even if you generally find that genre a little samey, this is worth a listen. It hits the highlights of that niche, but has enough of its own ideas and such a clear aesthetic vision that it stands on its own two feet, regardless of genre. 

(Listened to the entire album)

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ED-20NEIN – Drop City EP

Three tracks of deep, melodic techno with just a hint of an experimental edge. Each track is built on a steady techno blueprint while offering its own unique surprise or twist. “3 Chord” offers some interesting and shifty breakdowns. 

“Star Hustler” expands into the territory of early Warp IDM, sounding almost like a lost Polygon Window track. “Pen Deluxe” wraps things up with some experiments with dub elements, including delay-driven counter rhythms. Together the trio make a compelling set and a compelling argument to check out the artist’s other EPs.