All Around Sound is Turning Four - Day 5: Kishi Bashi

It was a strange sort of serendipity that brought me to Kishi Bashi - or rather the sense of serendipity a showgoer feels when the opening act for the band you actually paid to see is not only good but incredible. I had long been a fan of Sondre Lerche and trusted his pretty much flawless skill in electing such talented openers but nothing prepared me at all for Kishi Bashi. When he took the stage with violin in hand and practically an armory of instruments at his disposal I settled in for a show and certainly was not disappointed. It wasn't the spectacle of your typical one man band but the pure display of bonafide musicianship and enjoyment that won me over. Everyone longs for that one 'I saw this band when they played to pretty much no one in a bar in the middle of nowhere' story and Kishi Bashi is more or less mine. Except you can replace "bar in the middle of nowhere" with the Bowery Ballroom and "no one" to a packed house of unexpected (but delighted) observers. Nevertheless I had that moment, shared with a bunch of strangers, and seeing his gradual rise from virtually unknown opener to venue packing headliner is a point of pride for me. As I continued to catch him live and noted the borderless development of a unique trademark sound a question always nagged at me that never quite got answered (or asked) the few times I've been able to strong arm Kishi Bashi into talking to me - what sort of music does K. even listen to? So I asked him and got this mix.

Kishi Bashi's contribution:

Kishi Bashi's 21 favorite mostly funky classic moments in prog rock / jazz-rock fusion  (in no particular order):

WARNING: DANGEROUSLY HIGH LEVELS OF MUSICIANSHIP. SOME OF THESE MAY BE ENJOYABLE TO MUSICIANS' EARS ONLY!

All Around Sound is Turning Four - Day 4: Salt Cathedral (Umami Vol. 2)

My discovery of Brooklyn based Colombian born experimental pop crew Salt Cathedral is probably the best endorsement for showing up on time for a show I could ever give. Lured to their set by Hundred Waters who were in turn opening a show for Freelance Whales, Salt Cathedral (then called il abanico) were by far one of the most dynamically unique bands I'd ever seen. Fusing prog rock intricacy, with complex rhythms but a clearly defined pop sensibility I was enamored almost immediately - torn between the urge to dance my heart out and stare jaw agape in awe. They were the kind of band, I would later discovery, you could catch again and again and never, even for an instant, feel any sense of predictability.

Last year, Salt Cathedral premiered a mix over at This Is Fake DIY and in that instant or rather the instant the mix faded from my ears I knew I wanted one of my own and when tapped to do so, they were gracious enough to oblige and not only that continue the series that had begun on This Is Fake DIY - Umami. Meaning a pleasant savory taste, Umami (both Vol. 1 and the second volume presented here) is a collection of tunes the band could and does cook to, eat to, and probably relax to immediately after. It's nonabrasive but beyond mere fluff. Songs with real meat in them but not enough to fill you up but just to give you a hankering for more. Essentially, it's my kind of mix.

Salt Cathedral's contribution:

All Around Sound Blog Birthday Mix - Umami Vol. 2 by Salt Cathedral by Allaroundsoundblog on Mixcloud

All Around Sound is Turning Four - Day 3: J Fernandez

If left to my own devices, I probably wouldn't have ever discovered J Fernandez. While a fan of bedroom pop, there's something about Fernandez's stylistic psychedelic inflected type that leads me to believe I would never have stumbled upon such a thing on my own. The credit for point my ears in the right direction lies solely on Caleb from Lands & Peoples who first recommended show mates Thin Hymns before quickly following that recommendation with Fernandez. Needless to say I was enamored - Fernandez music scratched an itch I wasn't even aware I had; satisfying the total suspension of genre that results in instantaneous affection. And that was all before I had the chance to actually see him. I had the pleasure of catching J Fernandez and band at CMJ and his live show was electric, intricate and precise and a distinctive take on the tepid bedroom jams imbuing them with a galvanizing fire, a charming fervor. And with my approval totally won, I did the only thing I could think to do: I asked him for a mix.


J Fernandez' Contribution:

I recommend this mix for zoning out while creating excel spreadsheets.

Listen: Creature from Dell Pond - "Eidetic Memory (Polygamous Frialator Arrangement)"

Last year, Boston based (sort-of) trio Creature from Dell Pond released their 5 song Go Exist EP, an EP equal parts grotesque and beautiful, riotous and quiet. The gem of the album was ender "Exquisite Kingdom" but it was a track that essentially required the tumultuous journey through Nolan Sullivan's cerebral punk-inflected bravado. Go Exist firmly established Creature from Dell Pond's character - to bristle, challenge, and rile you before any attempts to soothe; sending your headfirst into a pool of rock before casually revealing you were wading the whole time.

That's where "Eidetic Memory (Polygamous Frialator Arrangement)" comes in, the second on their 2 track Swamp Cake release. There's still a sort of handing of the torch present. Sullivan riffs through a sparse but jazzy version of Go Exist cut "Driving Horse" and then Gordon Walters appears with a much more straightforward presentation in "Eidetic Memory". And yet , Creature from Dell Pond subvert even themselves here. "Eidetic Memory" is the quieter, calmer of the two in theory but features a far fuller delivery. When the electric guitar enters it's cavernous, echoing throughout the space almost completely at odds the pleasant acoustic-accompanied vocals. And yet it works, that dichotomy within a perfect encapsulation of Creature from Dell Pond itself. Frankstein-ing the incendiary with the mild with just enough buffing to make it work.

All Around Sound is Turning Four - Day 2: We All Want Someone To Shout For

It's really a testament to Will Oliver's industriousness that I was largely unaware that We All Someone to Shout For was solely the work of him for an embarrassingly long period of time. The site updates so frequently with many posts a day that the idea that it was not only run but operated by a single person seemed utterly farfetched to me. The idea that We All Want Someone To Shout For is really only slightly older than my blog was also shocking but also inspiring. When first conceiving All Around Sound, the general set up of We All Want Someone To Shout For is essentially what I was aiming for - stimulating live reviews, passionate track and album reviews, and even bits of news here and there. It was a formula I toyed with but ultimately didn't work for me. But it's a good look for We All Want Someone To Shout For and one that succeeds based purely on Will's indomitable work ethic. As I went from a casual observer to an actual friend of Will's, his inclusion in All Around Sound's yearly birthday celebration seemed not only logical but necessary. We're essentially cut from the same cloth - sharing a tendency to be known for the bands we fiercely champion more than anything else, which causes a strange sort of pride (for me at least) as it means someone's paying attention enough to know what's you're fervently supporting.

Will's Contribution:

I tried to think of a really cool concept for the mix but struggled to find anything that stuck. So I thought about how this mix was celebration the birthday of your blog and realized that I needed to create a playlist that had some meaning and heart.I started blogging after many years of obsessing reading blogs and discovering so much cool new music. I first really started digging through blogs in 2005, during what I like to call the Golden Age. I have warm memories of discovering certain songs that permanently altered my relationship with music forever. To this day, these songs still hold a special place in my heart. I look back at them and remember the very moment I found these tracks and the awestruck feeling that only comes so often. It was like entering a new world, and it's one that I've emerged myself into with my own blog.
Without the songs that I shared with you on my mix, I wouldn't have started We All Want Someone, and may have never met you, or so many other fantastic bloggers. So I felt it was only right to create a mix looking back on the songs that shaped who I am as both a music blogger and (more importantly) a music lover.

 A big fat Happy Birthday to All Around Sound. Here's to many, many, more!

All Around Sound is Turning Four - Day 1 Bonus Mix: Devin Gallagher (Typhoon/Ghosties)

My friendship with Typhoon percussionist Devin Gallagher is one that would've been entirely impossible without the wonders of the internet. After Sam of MiddleClassWhiteNoise turned me on to Typhoon, I made it a point to interact with them on Twitter as I do for most bands I like with interesting things to say. Devin headed the Typhoon Twitter and we found ourselves in various discussions on music theory, minimalism, and exchanging music recommendations born from those discussions. Seeing Typhoon live because less of a singular mission of seeing a band I really dug but also of establishing an in person relationship with a person whose web presence I enjoyed. A very 21st century friendship to be sure.

Devin's contribution:

John Cage liked to listen to traffic outside his window which I think make me think about playing two records at the same time. I like the pops and skips and you can hear the dust catching on the needle. This mix includes music by Karlheinz Stockhausen, Jackie-O Motherfucker, Sonic Youth, and Philip Glass, although some of it has been altered.

Devin (Typhoon/Ghosties)'s Blog Birthday Mix by Allaroundsoundblog on Mixcloud

All Around Sound is Turning Four - Day 1: Heart & Soul

In one week's time, All Around Sound will enter it's fourth year. In what is rapidly becoming tradition, I reached out to some friends of the blog to help celebrate with a week-long offering of curated mixes. Enjoy!

There's no denying that I share a sense of odd camaraderie with Rafael of Heart & Soul. Our blogs are vaguely the same age and we're probably the youngest writers in our musical circle. Paired together as the scrappy up and comers, especially in We Listen For You's assessment, our relationship could probably be compared to that of brothers somewhat close in age with Rafael serving more or less as my guide in the realm of outsider pop and all things ethereal and sparse while I mostly just help point out when Rafael's jokes are too terrible. It's win-win. While I have a tendency towards more streamlined production and lusher, fuller sounds, Rafael's influence has led into some rather unexpected cool paths - from my first Portals showcase to my first FMLY Fest and hopefully much more. When thinking of colleagues to help me ring in this special occasion (as has become tradition) it only seemed natural to (begrudging) extend my hand to Heart & Soul. I'm glad I did as Rafael offered up a somewhat personal mix with a thoughtful theme. 

Rafael from Heart & Soul's contribution:

So All Around Sound is entering its fourth year of existence, which in blog year is something like 28. Maybe that's dog years? Regardless, it's pretty impressive considering the amount of blogs that call it quits well before the four year mark. I figured an appropriate theme for this mix would be songs that are also turning four this year. Some of these come from artists I know Dante loves and a few might be a risk seeing as, while we do share a similar taste in music, it doesn't always quite match up. I guess that just makes it more fun. 

Anyway, this is a mix of mostly pop tunes that are pretty special to me for some reason or another. I attempted to arrange these tracks in a way that made sense to me. I hope that's at least somewhat apparent while you're listening. Here we go. Ten tracks from 2010.

Mutual Benefit - "Desert Island Feeling"
Belle and Sebastian - "I Didn't See It Coming"
Foxes in Fiction - "15 Ativan (Song for Erika)"
Glass Vaults - "Worrier"
Sea Oleena - "Island Cottage"
Wintercoats - "The Overture"
Holy Spirits - "Bridges"
Angel Olsen - "Some Things Cosmic"
Coma Cinema - "Black Birthday Cake"
Guards - "Trophy Queen" ft Caroline Polachek