A subversive and urbane outsider, James Ferraro may be the poster boy for the bubbling undercurrent musical scene known as vaporware, thanks to his Far Side Virtual album, yet for me his story really starts with his last proper release, Sushi. On that record he established a cleaner sound palette as well as a richer and more soulful use of his abstracted and deconstructed aesthetic, and with his latest release, NYC, Hell 3:00 AM, Ferraro explores and wallows in a stew of nocturnal and cerebral late-night, auto-tuned blues. Much like label mate Dean Blunt, Ferraro is embracing his inner crooner, as he cries and pleads his way through songs that feel like a deflated version of the Weeknd. Both have an obsession with decadence, yet Ferraro paints more of a lone observer perspective as opposed to the in-the-thick-of-it attitude of the Weeknd. Ferraro brings an honest and natural feel to his sonics, though he uses a lot of samples and electronics, and he maintains a hands-on feel. The pieces often sound like accidental recordings, tapes left on in a room, and those elements color the recordings in an ominous air, giving the album its overall mise-en-scene.

Ferraro says he conceived the record as a soundtrack to a sex tape, yet to me it seems better fitted to the eeriness and stark bleakness (and sexiness too) of the Big Apple after dark. All the songs were recorded after midnight, and the hazy wooziness can be felt. Throughout he combines sound collage, automated voices, murky beats, a hedonistic atmosphere, industrial ambiance, sparse and slow-moving rhythms, and his own take on bedroom D.I.Y. soul. On the surface it may sound like a hodgepodge of ideas and technology, yet Ferraro is a deep thinker and not the sarcastic prankster that he may appear, and this can be a heavy and socially charged listen. A wide net could be cast around artists like the above mentioned Blunt or elder space traveler Lonnie Holley on one side, and early Ariel Pink, Oneohtrix Point Never, or plunderphonics on the other, forming a spectrum of outsider/sound collage artists that exist way left-of-center. Ferraro seems to sit in the cross section, and he is growing into his own quite organically. As he continues to dig deeper and offer original and imaginative albums of subliminal beauty, unique perspectives and unnerving atmosphere, I'm on board. Not for everyone that's for sure, but those dark-hearted lovers out there should check it out. This is music for that late-night walk to the early morning train. As a bonus check out his free pre-album mix-tape, Cold, for more beats and less auto-tune. [DG]

In that broad, ever-expanding and always complicated world of electronic music, Tim Hecker stands alone, and while he is a very forward-thinking artist, it's no hyperbole at this point to place him in the same company as some of the heroes of avant electronic composition, icons like Stockhausen, Morton Subotnick, Steve Reich, and Milton Babbitt. Like all great artists, his music isn't easy to classify, and like all great artists, he's constantly evolving. His music can alternate between lush ambience and punishing drones, seamlessly edited with an exciting palette of sounds: acoustic instruments, synths, distortion and field recordings. And what a roll he's been on, beginning with 2006's landmark Harmony in Ultraviolet (one of the great albums of the decade in any genre) and leading up to 2011's Ravedeath, 1972, the record that landed on mainstream best-of lists and opened the Montreal-based musician to a wider audience. For an ambient electronic artist who records with an indie label, Tim Hecker has come a long way, and with Virgins, expect his star to keep rising.

The album offers a bit of the familiar but mostly pushes out in new directions. Recorded with a live ensemble, woodwinds, piano and synthesizer from a core group of players from the Bedroom Community stable, Hecker is embracing contemporary classical more than ever. "Virginal l" features Reich-ian layers of piano before giving way to a staccato rush of woodwinds and atmospheric waves. With its eccentric uses of pianos, "Live Room" also charts new territory for Hecker. The piece is almost Cage-like in its sparseness, finishing with a sweeping grandeur that recalls post-rock greats like his fellow Canadians Godspeed You! Black Emperor. "Radiance," "Black Refraction" and "Incense at Abu Ghraib" are more familiar Hecker territory, with lush swaths of layered sounds achieving a stark, hypnotic beauty. The two-part "Stigmata" has a choppy, propulsive rhythm, while "Stab Variation" ends the album on a particular poignant and fitting note, opening with throbbing synths and closing with tranquil swirls of sound. Virgins is new and vintage Hecker all at once, making use of new sounds while keeping the structure and integrity of his vision intact -- a brilliant album from one of the most consistently surprising and satisfying artists of the modern era. [JBr]

I'll say upfront, and without hesitation, that this album has quickly become one of my favorite records released in 2013. Agnes Obel is a Danish singer, classically-trained pianist, and composer who first gained attention via her 2010 debut, Philharmonics. That album's combination of plaintive piano etudes, pastoral folk and chamber music instrumentation, and offbeat balladry evoked an excellent contemporary take on a sound mastered by early Kate Bush, and earned her huge accolades across Europe.

In more than one way, moonlighting is a pretty apropos way to describe the solo project of Fresh & Onlys guitarist Wymond Miles, as it is far more nocturnal in sound and scope than the jangly, sunny pop that his main band traffics in. The autumnal and at times dirgey psych-folk of his Earth Has Doors EP from early last year acted as a palette cleanser of sorts, resetting any sort of expectations for his debut full-length, the more song-based, goth-tinged Under the Pale Moon that came a few months later. Cut Yourself Free follows suit, but holding more dramatic sway than its predecessor, thanks to a rawer production and Miles' voice -- recalling David Bowie, Nick Cave and Felt's Lawrence Hayward in equal measure -- reaching new emotional heights in his haunted and pained melodies. From the slow-building opener, "The Ascension," which is nicely reminiscent of any good Cure song with its chiming guitars and subtle synth swells, to the following "Passion Plays," which channels the Chameleons in a similar fashion as Interpol did during their halcyon days, Miles effortlessly taps into the moody atmospherics of '80s gloom-rock icons while swapping the cartoonish bombast often associated with the genre with something more soulful. This is introspective music yet never off-putting, and at its most affecting during tracks like the creeping desert blues of "Vacant Eyes," in which he pleas, "Cut yourself free/let your eyes see/overwhelming love." While these days there is no shortage of artists revisiting the mopey, eyeliner-smudged sounds of the Reagan era, Miles' music doesn't come across as a retread but rather a bona fide passing of the torch. [GH]

The prolific Cass McCombs dropped a pair of long-players in 2011, Wit's End and Humor Risk, and now he's back with the 22-track, 85-minute, Big Wheel and Others. Dripping with heartache, passion and longing, McCombs proves you can have both quantity and quality. Slide guitar is everywhere, floating gorgeously through the lovely "Angel Blood" and "Sooner Cheat Death Than Fool Love." Saxophone blares on the hard-charging and dark "Joe Murder." Always the romantic, on "Morning Star" McCombs coos, "leave your husband and come with me." During one of the album's most notable standouts, "Brighter" (which also reappears with guest vocals from the late Karen Black), McCombs' vocals are thick with regret as he sings, "I stopped in for a little while/and learned a host of sins/I wandered off a little while/'cause you can never win." On "Honesty Is No Excuse," he admits, "I took your love and I used it." McCombs' songwriting is earnest and though subtle, can suddenly feel like a punch in the gut. This is the kind of record you'll need to sit with and truly absorb, but it's definitely time worth investing. [KB]

Firmly cementing their place in aughts alterna-rawk history, Tally All the Things That You Broke hits hard with opener "You've Got Me Wondering Now," blasting into full-speed-ahead-gut-punch-punk-overdrive, complete with Parquet Courts' signature irony-laced lyrics and a chorus hook from the heavens above. Utilizing the same yelping desperation as Light Up Gold, with twangy guitars and minimal, smart riffage, perhaps this record is hinting at a new sound less concerned with listener satisfaction and delivered with even more urgency than the last LP. There's also sort of a rugged beat-poet vibe to some of the vocals, especially on "Fall on Your Face," which lands somewhere between the desert rock of the Meat Puppets and Hairway to Steven-era Butthole Surfers. The last song also kinda sounds like Beck's "Loser," and they sample an NYC apartment buzzer over chunky hip-hop beats. Sooooo there ya have it! This new record is amazing and if you weren't a fan already Tally will most likely win you over. [RN]

I won't pretend that there is such thing as indie cred in 2013, but I think it's fair to expect a major label band to toe the line and deliver some slick pop songs if they want to keep getting paid. Yet Cults, who blew up on Bandcamp but arrived on Columbia, have made a sophomore LP that is full of hooks, yet low on any sort of manufactured sheen, keeping the hazy lo-fi production that so perfectly offsets Madeline Follin's, sugar-sweet vocals, combining '60s girl-group sass with overloaded amps to great effect. There is no "Go Outside" here, but there is plenty of ear candy, and it's all couched in a heavy, fuzz-filled sound that showcases Cults as an honest-to-goodness rock band, which is a great look for them. Darker, denser, and weirder at times than their debut, this music is not about modern rock radio, synch licenses or any of that -- it's about rock and roll. Don't get me wrong, it's easy to see why the suits think this group can connect with a wide audience -- they are cute, a little bit dangerous, and they write some catchy, fun pop songs -- but on Static, it's clear the band are doing things their own way, and on this new one nothing has been watered down so these NYC kids can play in Peoria. [JM]

Purchase the CD or LP and get a FREE AUTOGRAPHED BOOKLET, while supplies last. Customers who buy the new Cults album from Other Music will also be entered for a chance to WIN AN LP TEST PRESSING of Static!

Trunk Records has already released quite a few excellent and intriguing albums centered around the musical explorations of youth musicians, but this latest compilation may be one of the most inspiring, enlightening, and wholly enjoyable yet. Classroom Projects is an anthology of selections sourced from numerous privately pressed and self-released albums by youth ensembles in the UK between 1959 and 1981. The material ranges from wistful recital pieces for solo instruments to startling experiments with prerecorded musique concrete tapes, but the bulk of the record is dedicated to some absolutely gorgeous and heartfelt choral works and gentle folk songs, which serve as a sort of pastoral English counterpart to the famed Langley Schools Music Project album. Overall, it's an hour of music at its purest and, quite literally, most unadulterated; to quote label head and album curator Jonny Trunk, "I've realised children are like sponges when it comes to music. You can play them anything avant-garde or weird and they won't question it. They just absorb it and enjoy it." This mindset permeates throughout the entire hour's worth of music presented here. During a time where arts funding seems to be at an all time low throughout educational institutions worldwide, this record is a gentle and moving reminder of the simple power such commitment and dedication to enlightening our youths can truly have. [IQ]

The Men are among just a handful of great modern day rock groups still consistently touring and writing and recording in an old-school kinda way. With each release, a new chapter of this band's musical trajectory is splayed out in real time, offering new and old fans alike a chance to be a part of the creative experience.  As the title suggests, this is a collection of late-night jams around a campfire in upstate NY, where they recorded their last album, New Moon. There are nice, threadbare acoustic guitars not to mention a darkened 4 a.m. vibe about the whole thing. In fact, hearing some of these songs stripped down to their bare-boned form kinda lets 'em shine a little bit more than they were allowed to on New Moon. With less abrasion you can focus on the tunes themselves a little better, with their roots planted firmly in folk songcraft. Included alongside beautiful renditions of "I Saw Her Face" and "The Seeds" are a few tracks that didn't make it onto the album that are 100% great. Also worthy of note is the beautiful book of photography by sometimes collaborator Kevin Faulkner, who has toured and recorded with the group on and off for many years. [RN]

Kwes constantly fascinates interviewers when he explains the synesthesia that causes him to associate specific colors with sounds. For example, a G chord has the visual partner of orange. F is violet/blue, A is light blue, etc. He's repeatedly stated that such sight/sound connections feel like nothing special to him, since it's been happening all his life, and as such, he is accustomed to the dark gold of an E-minor chord. On his debut full-length, Kwes allows those of us who are missing such an incredible ability to see into his vibrant and multi-dimensional world. From the colossal unraveling of "Purplehands" to the bouncy jazz of closer "B_Shf_L," Kwes explores a wide array of directions that modern electronic music can lead to. Traditionally a producer/singer-songwriter in the underground British dubstep scene, Kwes utilizes his piercing voice and simple lyrics over complex and meticulous electronica that is reminiscent of recent releases from James Blake, SBTRKT, and Mount Kimbie. This is best expressed through simple romantic cuts like "Rollerblades," which combines singsong melodies and somber, muted bass with creepy and evocative clarity.

That said, Kwes hardly contains himself to his natural parameters. The epic, eight-minute experimental track "Cablecar" oscillates between heavy bass and eerie near-silence, and climaxes with indistinct drone and moody "oohs" and "ahhs." "Purplehands" is a similarly cluttered and engaging song where production supersedes songwriting, creating a colorful, cosmic atmosphere. The ornate work here tends to transcend the minimalistic tracks ("Flower," "B_Shf_L"), mostly because the latter often sound familiar, and the former truly extraterrestrial. "Parakeet" is mostly ambient, and deeply effective when Kwes' full voice croons, "Take flight...I'll be here with my open heart, it's the best I can do." The tracks on which Kwes really pushes boundaries are not only the most innovative but the most memorable. The good thing is that there are very few songs on the record that don't provide something new, so it's definitely an album that you'll be coming back to. [MM]

Sons of the Morning is a joint venture between two like-minded beat makers who also share a love for blissed-out and glitchy melodic textures. Issued on Prefuse 73's new label, Yellow Year, this is the first volume in his Speak Soon series of collaborative releases, and Sons of the Morning finds P73 twisting knobs with Brainfeeder's best-keep secret, Mtendere "Teebs" Mandowa. Together they offer a light and breezy, downtempo stroll through pastel gardens and digital sheen, and it's probably what you'd imagine a sonic blend of Warp and Brainfeeder would sound like. Smeared synth chords, clicky and snappy percussion, waves of drawn out melody, it's more tropical than technical, tranquil and calm, feeling more dreamlike and atmospheric than the neck-snapping, chopped-up psych-hop that P73 is usually associated with. Sounds and melodies float about, pulling you towards solid ground, while most of it is adrift in an ocean of haziness. Not a forward step for either artist, yet it's a solid bridge between two generations of wonderfully wonky sonic wizards. [DG]

Back in '97, Alex Chilton was about to play his second set of the night at the old Knitting Factory in lower Manhattan when the venue's power went out. Picking up an acoustic guitar and lighting some candles on the stage, he made the best of the situation, one that happened to be recorded by a fan in the audience. Performing a mess of covers and half-sung-spoken renditions of songs from the great rock n' roll canon off the top of his head, Chilton shot down almost every request for Big Star material, opting instead to play everything from "I Walk the Line" to "The Girl from Ipanema." The best moment of this set, however, is the Guthrie by-way-of Big Star cult classic B-side, "Motel Blues," and it's here where this disc transitions from novelty into an essential purchase for every single Big Star fanatic. Chilton's passing is not one that any of us will rest easy with anytime soon, so think of this recording as a chance for us to interrupt the grieving process and instead imagine what it must have been like to have witnessed such an intimate, special performance from this legendary artist. [RN]

The Head and the Heart have received many a comparison to folk-pop crossovers Mumford and Sons and the Avett Brothers, and while there are plenty of similarities between the Seattle-based quintet and the somewhat trite sounds of the pop-Americana zeitgeist, on their sophomore full-length, Let's Be Still, the Head and the Heart prove that there's a bit more to their songs than meets the ear. In many ways the singles seem less interesting than the dusty corners of this LP; couplet "Springtime" and "Summertime" make for a lovely mini-suite, especially with Charity Rose Thielen's familiar voice keeping the thumping track exciting. "Gone," the six-and-a-half minute closer, weaves a forlorn folk ballad into an empowering instrumental anthem quite smoothly, and evokes some pretty strong emotion. For those searching for something revolutionary or truly innovative, the album will most likely not suit your needs. For those searching for a welcoming collection of familiar and inviting songs to drift off to, look no further; the Head and the Heart have exactly what you need. [MM]

Even more than reggae, Clement 'Sir Coxsone' Dodd's Studio One label really made its name in the ska game, releasing seminal sides in the mid/late-'60s from all of the defining artists of the era: the Skatalites (and solo releases from band members like Jackie Mittoo and Don Drummond), the Wailers, Lee Perry, the Ethiopians, Bongo Man, and too many others to list. All those artists and more appear on this great collection of Studio One ska, indisputable classics and some lost classics too. Top-notch first wave ska from the best Jamaican talent of the era, as Mittoo says, "Jump for Joy!"

A limited double-vinyl collection of rarities and unreleased tracks from the dearly departed Books, this was briefly available in the A Dot in Time box set, and these copies will go quick. The title comes from four short suites originally commissioned in 2006 as a sound installation for the elevator of the Ministry of Culture in Paris. But this thing is fully loaded, 45 tracks in all, including longtime favorites like "Classy Penguin" and "8 Frame," plus the band's great Nick Drake cover of "Cello Song" with Jose Gonzales, and the unreleased film score for the feature-length Biosphere 2 documentary. Beautiful die-cut sleeve with metallic ink, this is a sought-after collectible, a beautiful artifact, and a great listen.

Luke Temple is known to be a workhorse songwriter with broad tastes, and so it's no real surprise that he had a well of songs that could not fit into the Here We Go Magic lexicon. If you are a longtime fan you might be expecting moody folk, as per his pre-HWGM stuff, but Good Mood Fool is not that. Supposedly these songs were deemed too "funky" by Temple's lily-white bandmates, so he took to the studio on his lonesome, with just a bass guitar, a drum machine, a Juno 1 synth and his falsetto croon. It's a decidedly '80s sound, both musically and lyrically, but somehow it does not come off as trying too hard, and Temple is a surprisingly soulful singer. This one is for the ladies!

This Athens, GA project took a while to deliver the follow-up to their enjoyable 2006 debut, but it was worth the wait. Fronted by Hannah Jones of Circulatory System, and featuring members of local icons like Olivia Tremor Control and Pylon, NSoN's music is percussive, propulsive, weird, and a lot of fun. There is a lot more happening on the new tracks, like layers of sound and tons of interesting orchestration, and the songs can veer from danceable grooves to music concrete on the drop of a dime. But it all holds together, and fans of any of the above-mentioned should check this out.

A beautiful double-vinyl release for Do Make Say Think's 1999 debut, never before available on LP! Constellation did this right; it's housed in a stunning deluxe package and pressed on audiophile 180g wax, well worth the wait!

THIS WEEK'S CONTRIBUTORS

[JBr] James Bradley
[KB] Kari Boston
[DG] Daniel Givens
[GH] Gerald Hammill
[IQ] Mikey IQ Jones
[JM] Josh Madell
[MM] Matthew Malone
[RN] Ryan Naideau




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