Automania

The great conductor Leopold Stokowski once said that “a painter paints pictures on canvas, but musicians paint their pictures on silence.” With that in mind, here’s a smattering of soundscape artists wielding distinct palettes.  The question of who the impressionists, abstract expressionists, and fauvists are in this representation belongs to another discussion, but, nevertheless, it wouldn’t be a misstep to do whatever is the equivalent of tacking a poster reprint of these sound paintings to a wall.

“Deadbeat Summer” by Neon Indian

One could easily compare Neon Indian to plenty of other bands, but it’s always more interesting to think of a group as a collection of the sounds of others.  Hailing from the cradle of “indie” civilization, Brooklyn, Neon Indian sounds like the intersection of Ratatat, Of Montreal, and MGMT.   Featuring a variety of keyboard riffs with an equal variety of effects shimmering over a simple beat, “Deadbeat Summer” just might be the perfect accompaniment to that last tanning session on the Main Green before the winter arrives.

“Overnite Religion” by Kurt Vile

Despite rarely altering the principal riff, Vile manages to craft a gem by swelling, lilting, and multiplying his vocal track in a manner reminiscent of Lennon.  Minimalist wouldn’t be a fair label; he’s just going back to the basics of exploring a riff and all of its possibilities.  The strummed guitar harmonics in the middle of the song offer a telling example of Vile’s ability to intuit the appropriate time for a change.  Put this on instead of the Kings of Leon during the next fit of late night/early-early-morning melancholia.

“Dreams” by Mobonix

One of the first lines from this track by the former Marine of Bangladeshi descent is “what scares me is one day my son will ask me ‘What did you, Daddy, when the shit was going down.’”  His newest album is entitled Third World America, and what’s going down here is the financial crisis.  Mobonix will be able to tell his son that he was producing some of the best rap hooks during a time of hoodwinking: “Dreams” has one of the best guitar samples I’ve ever heard in hip-hop.

“No Intention” by Dirty Projectors

Something about the guitar hook in Mobonix’s track led me back to this track from the Dirty Projectors’ release from earlier this year, Bitte Orca.  There’s something about the two riffs that strikes me in the same manner, and the careful production of each reveals itself in the best possible way.

“Walkabout” by Atlas Sound with Noah Lennox

Deerhunter meets Animal Collective on a track that Brian Wilson would surely find appealing.  The beginning promises something of an exploratory Collective-esque track, but suddenly we’re coastin’ on Highway 1.

“Phoneme” by Sound Tribe Sector 9

The last track made me think of the opening of this new song from STS9, a group who attempts to bridge the gap between the electronica and jam band scenes.  Pulsing layers and themes gradually appear and slip away naturally, yielding new combinations.  Indeed, each new section represents a distinct sound within the structure of the song much like the phoneme in language.

“Silver Trembling Hands” by the Flaming Lips

The first time I heard the opening “ooh ooh” on this track I was desperately hoping that the Flaming Lips had decided to continue in the proud tradition of the opening of Herbie Hancock’s “Watermelon Man.”  While disappointment came on that front, little else about this track from their twelfth album lets the listener down.  Harp runs and chimes complement a propulsive drumbeat and reverb-soaked vocals on this track that, unlike a car driven with silver trembling hands, is capable of turning on a dime when it needs to.