Einhänder
Can’t Think Of A Title For This
self-released
The title of Michael Landscape’s new EP in his Einhänder guise is Can’t Thing Of a Title For This, which suggests the exact sort of freewheeling musical experience the mind behind Seattle body music act Chrome Corps is shooting for. In opposition to the strident FM sound of his most well known outlet, the music on the EP is a combination of acid, breaks and analogue techno, all delivered in off-the-cuff fashion that feels very much like it was sequenced live to the recording, sound system style. That rougher-edged approach is a goodly part of the appeal of a track like the squelchy “Clandestine”, the clanging percussion sounds in the mix bouncing off one another, which along with some chopped and sequenced vocal samples put rhythm and groove over its minimal melodic elements. The use of the Amen break as the basis for “Namibia” is a bit of sleight of hand; once the song really gets rolling it becomes a bit of Meat Beat Manifesto-esque electro, full of groovy menace and percussive switch-ups. The EP is capped by digital bonus track “Pulse One”, which pulls deeply from Landscape’s love for vintage video game soundtrack sounds, creating the illusion of a side-scrolling space shooter (or a Rez bonus level for if you were a Dreamcast devotee), hypnotically focusing in on forward momentum, with each new layer of programming slides inevitably into the picture. Its rugged by design, which is as a good a description of Einhänder’s sound as any, strap in for a bumpy ride.
Sleek Teeth
self-titled
self-released
The string of individual tracks leading to LA newcomers Sleek Teeth’s formal debut pointed to the duo having a preternatural sense for beefing left-field EBM and related genres up with some disarming and at times precious melodicism. That’s a read which holds up on the duo’s self-titled EP, both in the new tracks it offers and in framing existing tracks against one another. From the opening rubbery bounce of “Operating” and the gasping pulse of “Gone” it’s easy to see links between Sleek Teeth and road-less-travelled approaches to EBM taken in the past by the likes of Forces or White Car. But those grooves and rhythms are almost always just one measure away from an understated but addictive hook. The weary, arch vocals of “Endless” recall the sour candy pop ambitions of Zeigeist and other acts formed in the wake of electroclash, but there’s more than enough personality in Sleek Teeth’s chilly croon to make each of these five tracks hit as part of a unique and united presentation. It’s one of the best debut releases we’ve heard this year regardless of length, and as an arrival statement hints at similarly strong things to come. Recommended.
