RECORD REVIEW: BATHS

Reviews

Saturday, 10 July 2010 00:00

jpg

BATHS - Cerulean

Anticon

There has been a recent move in the genre of electronic music to embrace a more DIY and experimental guise while using traditional structures, stretching and reshaping them into the unconventional. Los Angeles artist Will Weisenfield's foray into the field under the moniker of Baths is no exception. If you're looking for a blissful, relaxing, chilled out adventure to use for your next come down, you'll get it in parts with Cerulean, Baths debut album, but at the same time, if your not embracing its full form it's likely to drive you to distraction with its catatonic spliced up beats and syncopated rhythms. That is, if it doesn't have your full focus.

Weisenfeld's original take on the genre, like Dan Snaith (Caribou), Steven Ellison (Flying Lotus), Kieren Hebden (Four Tet), Chazwick Bundick (Toro Y Moi) and Ernest Greene (Washed Out) among others, renders the current period a high watermark in electronic music. Cerulean plays like a collection of organic adventures full of dramatic verve, a physical and cerebral experience that takes you to places that render a cinematic feel. It is music that transports and transcends. It doesn't merely put you in a mood, its transforms that mood time and time again from relaxation to expectation, comfortability to restlessness. The other lasting thing about this record is its proponents rare ability to fit so much in yet leave that essential ingredient, space. Weisenhall could have fallen into the trap of overdoing things with the amount of talent he obviously possesses but he doesn't and because of that displays a musical intelligence way beyond his 21 years.

Cerulean begins with the curiously named 'Apologetic Shoulder Blades' with its haunting vocals, slow broken hip hop style beat and emotive underbelly while 'Lovely Bloodflow' contains an urgency in its understated keyboard melody and myriad of clicks. 'Maximalist' first found its way to listeners through the doyen of music websites, Pitchfork and immediately struck a chord with its video game loops, Avalanches type voice samples and unstinting yet patchy rhythm. The immediacy returns with the Muse like beginning to (Heart-symbol) that develops into a pitch heavy loop that circles endlessly as Weisenfeld laments his inability to love within safe boundaries.

The child samples on 'Aminals' combines with a galaxy of trippy beats and magical electro-guitar play while the title of 'Rafting Starlit Everglades' matched with its organic and natural sound gives the feeling of doing just that. The outstanding 'Hall', sure to feature highly in the Indie30 best songs list at the end of the year starts with a mesmerising mashup of loops, pitch and vocal manipulation which introduces so effectively the addictive interchange of multiple melodies that follow. This tracks elements fit so well together, giving the listener a seamless journey into electronic excellence.'You're My Excuse To Travel' is another highlight where Weisenfeld uses his somewhat tortured and manipulated high vocal register across a consistently catchy melody that sits atop that once again familiar hip hop timing signature.

The final four tracks further demonstrate Cerulean's complexity and contemplative character. 'Rain Smell' uses background silence to great effect over a combination of simple piano and a descending keyboard melody. 'Indoorsy' is more upbeat but no less wistful while 'Plea' flirts with the eastern and aquatic as Weisenfeld implores somebody to need him. The album ends with the warm and smooth 'Departure', although you get the distinct feeling that there's more to this than meets the ear.

This review might have name dropped some aforementioned contemporary artists of similar ilk but that in no way should mean anything in judging this album other than they are all playing to their own original and innovative tune in a, for want of a better term, definable genre. The orginality and almost fearless nature of the Baths sound hangs out on its own, with a autonomous trajectory that will intrigue further as Weisenfeld matures. After all, and I have to keep reminding myself of the fact, he's only 21.

James Stocker - July 10, 2010.

footer

< Prev		Next >

ALBUM OF THE WEEK

May 14, 2012

PS I LOVE YOU (CAN)

Death Dreams

Paper Bag

PS I Love You FB

Buy here

jpg

1. Death Dreams

2. Sentimental Dishes

3. Don't Go

4. Toronto

5. Future Dontcare

6. Death Dreams II

7. How Do You

8. Princess Towers

9. Red Quarter

10. Saskatoon

11. First Contact

______________________

May 7, 2012

FATHER JOHN MISTY (USA)

Fear Fun

Sub Pop

Father John Misty Facebook

Buy here

1. Funtimes In Babylon

2. Nancy From Now On

3. Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings

4. I'm Writing A Novel

5. O I Long To Feel your Arms Around Me

6. Misty's Nightmares 1 & 2

7. Only Son Of The Ladiesman

8. This Is Sally Hatchett

9. Well, You Can Do It Without Me

10. Now I'm Learning To Love The War

11. Tee Pees 1 - 12

12. Everyman Needs A Companion

______________________

April 30, 2012

AMANDA MAIR (SWE)

Amanda Mair

Labrador

Amanda Mair Facebook

Buy here

1. Said And Done

2. Doubt

3. House

4. Sense

5. Skinnarviksberget

6. Before

7. It's Gonna Be Long

8. What Do You Want

9. You've Been Here Before

10. Leaving Early

________________________________

April 23, 2012

LOTUS PLAZA (USA)

Spooky Action At A Distance

Kranky

Lotus Plaza Facebook

Buy here

1. Untitled

2. Strangers

3. Out of Touch

4. Dusty Rhodes

5. White Galactic One

6. Monoliths

7. Jet Out of the Tundra

8. Eveningness

9. Remember Our Days

10. Black Buzz

________________________________

April 16, 2012

PHÈDRE (CAN)

Phèdre

Daps Records

Phèdre Official Site

Buy here

1. Tragique

2. Aphrodite

3. Cold Sunday

4. Ode To The Swinger

5. This Iz Your Life

6. In Decay

7. Dreams

8. Love Ablaze

9. Phedre

10. Glitter On Her Face

________________________________

April 9, 2012

CHROMATICS (USA)

Kill For Love

Italians Do It Better

Chromatics Facebook

Buy here

1. Into the Black

2. Kill for Love

3. Back from the Grave

4. The Page

5. Lady

6. These Streets Will Never Look the Same

7. Broken Mirrors

8. Candy

9. The Eleventh Hour

10. Running from the Sun

11. Dust to Dust

12. Birds of Paradise

13. A Matter of Time

14. At Your Door

15. There’s a Light Out On the Horizon

16. The River

____________________________

April 2, 2012

CATS ON FIRE (FIN)

All Blackshirts To Me

Soliti

Cats On Fire Blog Site

Buy here

READ OUR REVIEW HERE

1. Our Old Centre Back

2. My Sense Of Pride

3. A Different Light

4. There Goes The Alarm

5. After The Fact

6. The Sea Within You

7. 1914 And Beyond

8. Well Well What Do You Know

9. Smash It To Pieces

10. Its Clear Your Former Lover

11. A Few Empty Waves

12. Finnish Lace

____________________________

March 26, 2012

PINKUNOIZU (DEN)

Free Time

Full Time Hobby

Pinkunoizu Official Site

Buy here

READ OUR REVIEW HERE

1. Time Is Like A Melody

2. Myriad Pyramid

3. Cyborg Manifesto

4. Everything Is Broken Or Stolen

5. Parabolic Delusions

6. The Abyss

7. Death Is Not A Lover

8. Somber Ground

____________________________

March 19, 2012

BROTHERTIGER (USA)

Golden Years

Mush Records

Brothertiger Tumblr

Buy here

READ OUR REVIEW HERE

1. The Young Ones

2. I’ve Been Waiting

3. Wind At My Back

4. Too Convinced To Care

5. Reach It All

6. Suddenly, Voices

7. Golden Years

8. Lovers

9. Out Of Line

10. Turquoise (Skyline)

____________________________

March 12, 2012

BOWERBIRDS (USA)

The Clearing

Dead Oceans

Bowerbirds Official Site

Buy here

READ OUR REVIEW HERE

1. Tuck the Darkness In

2. In the Yard

3. Walk With Furrows

4. Stitch the Hem

5. This Year

6. Brave World

7. Hush

8. Overcome With Light

9. Sweet Moment

10. Death Wish

11. Now We Hurry On

------------------------------------------

March 5, 2012

LAMBCHOP (USA)

Mr. M

Merge

Lambchop Official Site

READ OUR REVIEW HERE

Buy here

1. If Not I'll Just Die

2. 2B2

3. Gone Tomorrow

4. Mr. Met

5. Gar

6. Nice Without Mercy

7. Buttons

8. The Good Life (Is Wasted)

9. Kind Of

10. Betty's Overture

11. Never My Love

------------------------------------------

February 27, 2012

GRIMES (CAN)

Visions

Arbutus

Grimes Label Page

READ OUR REVIEW HERE

Buy here

1. Infinite ? Without Fulfillment (intro)

2. Genesis

3. Oblivion

4. Eight

5. Circumambient

6. Vowels = Space and Time

7. Visiting Statue

8. Be a Body

9. Color of Moonlight (Antiochus)” (featuring Doldrums)

10. Symphonia IX (My Wait Is U)

11. Nightmusic” (featuring Majikal Cloudz)

12. Skin

13. know the way (outro)

-------------------------------------------

February 20, 2012

FIRST AID KIT (SWE)

The Lion's Roar

Witchita

First Aid Kit Official Site

READ OUR REVIEW HERE

Buy here

1. The Lion's Roar

2. Emmylou

3. In The Hearts Of Men

4. Blue

5. This Old Routine

6. To A Poet

7.I Found A Way

8. Dance To Another Tune

9. New Years Eve

10. King Of The World

-------------------------------------------

February 13, 2012

BOY FRIEND (USA)

Egyptian Wrinkle

Hell Yes!

BOY FRIEND Bandcamp

READ OUR REVIEW HERE

Buy here

1. Rogue Waves I

2. Bad Dreams

3. Lovedropper

4. In Case

5. Lazy Hunter

6. Egyptian Wrinkle

7. Breathe

8. The Lair

9. The False Cross

10. Rogue Waves II

-------------------------------------------

February 6, 2012

JOHN TALABOT (ESP)

fIN

Permanent Vacation

John Talabot Facebook

READ OUR REVIEW HERE

Buy here

1. Depak Ine

2. Destiny (feat. Pional)

3. El Oeste

4. Oro Y Sangre

5. Journeys (feat. Ehki)

6. Missing You

7. Last Land

8. Estiu*

9. When The Past Was Present

10. Horse*

11. So Will Ne Bow (feat. Pional)

*Not on vinyl version

Note: Vinyl has a different track list order

-------------------------------------

January 30, 2012

BURNING HEARTS (FIN)

Extinctions

Solina/Shelflife

Burning Hearts Official Site

READ OUR REVIEW HERE

Buy vinyl here (EUR)
Buy vinyl here (USA/CAN)

1. On The Last Day Of The Decade

2. Into The Wilderness

3. Modern Times

4. Love And Dissonance

5. The Swallows

6. Burn Burn Burn

7. Trade Winds

8. The Beast

9. Deep Waters

--------------------------------

CURRENT TOP 5

1. COLD SUNDAY
Phèdre (CAN)

2. DON'T GO
PS I Love You (CAN)

3. WHEN THE PAST WAS PRESENT
John Talabot (ESP)

4. A FEW EMPTY WAVES
Cats On Fire (FIN)

5. BACK FROM THE GRAVE
Chromatics(USA)

_____________________

CONTACT US

ARTIST OR LABEL?

If you are an independent artist or record label or a promotional or management company that represents an independent artist please feel free to send us updates about forthcoming news, releases, events. Digital audio samples of single tracks or albums are welcome and there is no need to fear any negative press about what you send. Quite simply, if we like what we hear we will feature it, if we don't we won't.

DISCLAIMER

All media on Indie30 is for sampling purposes only. If you like what you hear we implore you to purchase the said album and support the artist concerned. If you are an artist or label who wants something removed please contact us asap and we will remove it.

--------------------------------