whatisthewhat has written the following articles:
Impresses but never quite thrills.»
This firmly inward-looking record transports you head-first to Blue Hawaii’s special place, a serene vista where alien syllabic whimsy feels genuinely spiritual, and fuck-giving is most strictly forbidden.»
Beneath the isolation blues, Unknown Mortal Orchestra's II is buoyant and visceral enough to suffuse its existential cloud with a redemptive joie de vivre.»
To regard Fionn Regan’s work is to enjoy a talent pruned of all pretension.»
Wave Machines aren’t the first alt-mainstream crossover hopefuls to (over-)produce melancholic, technically capable anthems while forgoing much sense of directness or identity. But ultimately what disappoints is the dour inevitably of it all, insert-climax-here tunes wafting and wintry, gliding wistfully in one ear and out the other.»
Arc is an album with which deep engagement will reward and delight in equal measure.»
“Every record I’ve participated in has been idea-driven, rather than any desire to be punk or something more general than that. I find music is most interesting when there’s a very specific idea at the heart of a song or an album or someone’s work as a whole.” - Slim Twig»
Never taking an eye off the dancefloor, the Philadelphian songwriter’s Brainfeeder debut, Totem, is rushing glitch-driven dystopic pop, swept on a bleakly orchestral breeze of electronic swarm, sheepgut and ivory. There’s an artiness of composition that’s intrusive and ambiguous, but never too pleased with itself. From the psychological, K-holing tumble of ‘Footless’ to ‘Object Mob’’s suppressive, jazzy clutter, there’s an inward curiosity that’s expertly tethered to a basic structure of forward-momentum.»
For those whose quotient for socially conscionable rappers with a morbid existential streak remains unfilled, Black Salad is adventurous enough to squint into the oncoming light at the end of DELS’ tunnel, while leaving the listener free to interpret its form for themselves.»
Until the Quiet Comes is the record to date we’ll most likely crown Flying Lotus's masterpiece.»
Key to the Kuffs disappoints by shying away from greatness where we’ve come to expect nothing less.»
Alas, Roby has nipped up the road for a weekend of larks at Latitude. Jazz Monroe wasn’t so lucky, and steps in to save this week’s singles from certain obscurity..._»
For the uninitiated majority, Burial’s early oeuvre is a simple portrait: a portrait of a place and time, rather than a person’s p»
Totem is a mind-frazzling revelation, marrying as it does the dystopian scope of Radiohead at their bleakest with the irresistible awkwardness of fun-lovin’ rhythmic reprobates Battles.»
If nothing else, New Wild Everything is a symbol of inclusive respect for a hard-fought, potentially broadening audience, demonstrating that ambition in the least fashionable sense remains a valuable virtue that’s probably worth getting used to.»
The Shallows is consistently decent but fails to ignite the cerebrum with the directness and dread of I Like Trains' early output.»
Like the best fantasy, Instinct leaves you that bit more comfortable about the world you ultimately return to.»
Smart, fast and visceral, Slugabed's debut LP Time Team is unpretentious and unfuckwithable.»
It’s difficult not to feel terribly possessive over Felix, the renowned Kranky label’s sole British signatories, and it’s with a certain relief that their songcraft proves singularly remarkable once more.»
Another Happy Day creeps you out, sucks you in and gracefully spits you back again, with a renewed sense of comfortable discontent.»
There’s a charm to Twin Beds that’s honest and sympathetic, and sometimes that’s all that needs asking for.»
Purer than innocence and richer than gold, No One Can Ever Know confirms that The Twilight Sad are simply too good to remain a-little-less-than-well-known outside the restrictive realms of slightly-less-than-world-conqering ’zines.»
An album of extraordinary ambition that British music can be proud and grateful to possess.»
America Give Up is music for people who have given up on music.»
The DiS take on Trans Musicales 2011.»
Each and every year, there are records which slip through the cracks, that individuals who write for the site absolutely adore, yet few others seem to even be aware of. To help highlight a few lost records, a few years ago we invented the Lost List, and ask individuals to write some words explaining why the love the album in question. Over the next 11 days, we'll be counting down our lost 11 of 2011, and here is our forth instalment, which is a debut album from Oslo, chosen by DiS scribe Jazz Monroe... »
An irredeemably excellent serving.»
So then, later this week, while you’re tucked up in bed, starting threads about seminal powerviolence records or whatever you do at 3am on a Thursday morning, it is worth considering DiS, who will be embarking upon a bleary-eyed pilgrimage to England’s capital, via Megabus. Yes! Fortunately, the second leg of this journey reaches literally aircraft hanger-sized proportions, encompassing the Channel Tunnel, eventual arrival at Trans Musicales’ big aircraft hanger venue, and some sort of guest reception where, I am assured, there awaits a hearty combination of wine, warm hospitality and fancy local cheese. Huzzah!»
Seekae have rounded the flagrant edges off FlyLo’s sprawling imprint of historically clued-in modern-sounds and crafted a soundtrack that won’t scare off the dinner party guests, which is hardly the highest treason.»
Whether Future of the Left are brave or plain stupid for pursuing righteous enlightenment in these mediocre times is surely a matter of opinion. But you feel to write them off as one-trick ponies would be fundamentally very, very wrong.»
