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Canuck Warren Hildebrand is a 20-year-old ‘bedroom producer’ who has clearly been having a healthy Atlas Sound diet – which is no bad thing. Lo-fi synths and fuzzy vocals rule throughout this massaging work, with occasional upbeat/mellow kicks on tunes like ‘Jimi Bleachball.’

Under the alias ‘Foxes in Fiction,’ Hildebrand had been releasing material on cassette through his own label Orchid Tapes before recently signing for Brooklyn electronical label Moodgadet, who have re-issued debut LP ‘Swung From The Branches.’

‘Swung From The Branches’ is available as a free download here, while Hildebrand’s blog is chocablock with remixes, live recordings and other tunes. Well worth a listen.

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Some Thoughts on the First Half of 2010

28014 CommentsSome+Thoughts+on+the+First+Half+of+20102010-07-09+18%3A01%3A03Ronanhttp%3A%2F%2Fguesslist.ie%2F%3Fp%3D2801 09 July 2010

It’s list season again, whether you like it or not. 6 months into 2010, and we’ve had a pretty fine year thus far - lots of exciting new acts and great music being churned out by old reliable.

There’s been many fantastic releases – Caribou, Beach House, Holy Fuck and Errors have all been on heavy rotation since their release, while others have been slow burners, creeping into my consciousness and sounding more amazing with every listen… (Liars, Future Islands and Joanna Newsom).

I’ve been pretty disappointed with certain indie staples like The National and Broken Social Scene, despite the acclaim it just feels a bit like they’ve been rehashing the same elements year in year out and I’m just not excited by their latest albums.

It’s not that the songs are bad; they’re fine – but I feel like I’ve heard them so many times before and delivered with more enthusiasm in the past.

I’m not sure if it’s because these bands are getting lazier or if I’m getting more expectant as a fan – I want to be as captivated as I was the first time around and it just isn’t happening for me.

On the other hand, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by some acts like Laura Marling and Foals who’ve expanding on their previous accomplishments with new ingredients and in doing so created something that’s as ballsy as it is enjoyable.

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Rangda – Sarcophagi @ Whelans

27873 CommentsRangda+-+Sarcophagi+%40+Whelans2010-07-08+11%3A15%3A09Ronanhttp%3A%2F%2Fguesslist.ie%2F%3Fp%3D2787 08 July 2010

Great video work as ever by TrigFilms.

Back in early June I caught the debut Irish show of supergroup Rangda in whelans, composed of Chris Corsano, Richard Bishop & Ben Chasny. It was an amazing night of music, mixing eastern influences with classic 70s style free-form rock.

No gimmicks, just three incredibly talented guys and their instruments playing a mix of intense, thrashy noise and slow burning guitar compositions like Sarcophagi.

Finale Plain of Jars was one of the most epic musical moments I’ve seen in ages; a highlight of False Flag, the song ran somewhere beyond 15 minutes in length but I would have happily had it continue forever. Bliss.
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