Today’s Sounds: Doldrums

A new single by Montreal resident Airick Woodhead, aka Doldrums, a track by Mr. Muthafuckin’ eXquire and a video by England’s Foals

Record:

Doldrums, “She Is the Wave” single (Arbutus)

 
There’s manic energy at work behind Airick Woodhead’s latest single, which finds him emoting in all his feminine glory over a barely controlled mess of shrill synths, low-down beats and FPS SFX. But the thing about mania is that it gets shit done. And in a real artist’s hands, done well.

The A-side of this seven-inch single, out today, is pretty unhinged, even by Doldrums‘ standards. Each phrase ends with the vocals spiking and hurtling up into the mix, getting lost in the wild, raw soundscape. And yet it’s never a mess of noise, but an ordered, melodic composition.

The B-side, “Dysphonia,” puts chaos to work in a similar way, stacking lock-step beats on top of rapidly melting samples and wordless vocals tweaked to make Woodhead’s falsetto super Chipmunk-ey.

It’s a sketchy pair of songs from Doldrums, but a single that’s fun to delve into, feet and headphones first. Along with “Egypt” (which you can listen to here), these tunes are a promising preview of the forthcoming LP.
 

Track:

Mr. Muthafuckin’ eXquire, “The Message 1 & 2”

 
Did you see this guy at Pop Montreal? He is the man. For further proof, check out this number from his  new Power & Passion EP, out today on Universal.
 

 

Video:

Foals, “Inhaler”

 
See what strange business British kids get up to in abandoned factories, skate parks and rooftops in this new video by England’s Foals, who release a new record on Feb. 12, 2013.
 

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