holaOLA's Top 50 Albums of 2013: Page 5 (10-1)

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Artist Making Waves: RY X // The Howling // The Acid [indie folk / electronic]

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First things first: Yes, this is a triple post. Why? Well, you may have guessed that it has something to do with that bearded character up there, and you're right. His name is Ry Cuming.

Ry Cuming is an Australian-born surfer and musician who relocated to Los Angeles some years back, got noticed (for his music), recorded a major label pop record under his real name, toured with Maroon 5, and then decided to 'go indie', which has resulted in the lovely music I present to you today.

Cuming performs/records under the stage name RY X and shares his beautifully fragile pipes and solid guitar work in the electronic projects The Howling and The Acid. Each time I switch between EPs my favorite project of his changes so it would be rather difficult to write this post recommending only one.

The three projects feature Cuming's unmistakable sultry vocals and a haunting ambience. His solo work recalls Bon Iver thanks to his crooning falsetto, melancholic tone, stripped instrumentation, and overall alone-in-a-cabin-in-the-woods feel, while it boasts crisper production and trades in Justin Vernon's folky chords for more intricate melodies lined with arpeggios. The Howling is delivered in the same vein as RY X (both projects have a version of "Shortline", for example), but is spruced up with the subtle, yet expansive electronic production of German electronic musician Frank Wiedemann. Whereas RY X and The Howling share the same downcast tone and bare-bones structure, The Acid changes up the formula. This mysterious trio constructs a much more complex (and electronic) sonic environment that has brought on comparisons to James Blake, Animal Collective, m83, and Radiohead, but it still has that ominous fog creeping through it.

Go ahead and dive into Ry Cuming's three projects below to see for yourself which one you like best. I wouldn't be surprised if you found it hard to decide as well.

Just Rolled In: The War on Drugs - "Red Eyes" [indie rock / americana]

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With autumn coming to an end, the cold creeping in, and my supposedly youthful joints tensing up more and more each day, there's nothing better than to hear a song that gets your blood pumping and makes spring seem within reach, a long  reach, that is. The War on Drugs, which is the Philadelphia band started by Kurt Vile and friend Adam Granduciel back in 2005, will be releasing their third album entitled Lost in the Dream March 18 via Secretly Canadian and they have graciously shared the first single with us, "Red Eyes".

Although Vile abandoned The War on Drugs in 2008 to go solo, The War on Drugs didn't necesarilly abandon him. Adam Granduciel continued fronting TWOD but joined him as a guitarist (until 2011) in The Violators, Kurt Vile's on-and-off backing band. When you listen to "Red Eyes", it's hard to ignore the similarity in their music styles. While the energetic, yet ambient single shares the hazy vocal effects, strummy acoustic guitars, and cosmic guitar solos characteristic of Vile's work, it stands on its own thanks to its bright synth lead, bellowing woodwinds, piano key punching, and its overall raw rock-n-roll spirit reminiscent of "The Boss".

Enjoy TWOD's "Red Eyes" below followed by a personal favorite from their excellent 2011 album, Slave Ambient.

Swell Album: Mutual Benefit - Love's Crushing Diamond [experimental pop / baroque folk]

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Before the initial limited release of Brooklyn-based Mutual Benefit's first proper full-length album Love's Crushing Diamond earlier this month via Soft Eyes Records, its twenty-five-year-old creative force, Ohio-raised Jordan Lee, spent a few years hopping around the U.S. with his musician friends popping out numerous EPs, splits, and singles while sharing their beautiful sounds with music lovers, one living room at a time. Since Lee managed to harness the warmth and coziness of those intimate DIY performances to turn out one of recent years' most heartfelt and wholesome indie records, people across the world have been lining up to be gently squeezed into that welcoming living room to enjoy their end of (the) Mutual Benefit. As so, the record is being re-released by Other Music Recording Co. on CD (December 3) and vinyl (January 7).

With Jordan Lee's fragile, but captivating voice as the centerpiece, the rest of the music, filled with natural field recordings, whispy vocal harmonies, melancholic string sections, and other beautifully layered instrumentation, effectively reflects the collectiveness of his live performances. Love's Crushing Diamond deserves all the praise in the world simply for how human and literally wonderful it sounds.

You can buy Mutual Benefit's Love's Crushing Diamond digitally or pre-order the physical album (CD or vinyl) via Other Music Recording Co.. Meanwhile, watch a live performance of the album's lead single "Advanced Falconry" and listen to two other standout tracks below.

Artist Making Waves: Astronauts, etc. [dream pop / electronic / pop]

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What do you do when you are studying classical piano at UC Berkeley and you suddenly find out that your future career as a pianist is rendered practically impossible due to arthritis? Well, I suppose you do what Anthony Ferraro did and you drop out of music school to start producing beautiful electronic music under the moniker Astronauts, etc.

With music as celestial as his recording name, Ferraro has been making quite a name for himself despite having drifted away from his original musical aspirations. Astronauts, etc. boasts over 2,500 SoundCloud followers and has been floating around the 'blogosphere' for over a year now, which is a surprise considering his previous projects were scrapped shortly after their realization. However, with recent dreamy pop jams like "Sadie" and "Coldboy", it's hard to imagine Ferraro's current project going anywhere but skyward.

If I had to compare it to something, I'd say Astronauts, etc.'s melodramatic dream pop is a beautiful blend of Neon Indian's lo-fi chillwave, Porcelain Raft's smooth, heartfelt vocals, and Jai Paul's beats and song structures (see "Jasmine"). This is electronic pop at its best.

The idea of getting lost in space doesn't sound so bad if you have Astronauts, etc. to float along with. Enjoy the songs below and check out more tracks on his SoundCloud.

Swell EP: ARMS - EP2 [indie rock / indie pop]

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ARMS is the solo project of Todd Goldstein, a Brooklyn musician and songwriter known for his guitar work with the now-defunct indie poppers Harlem Shakes, but more recently, for his excellent 2011 ARMS album Summer Skills, which was recorded with a full band and happens to be one of my favorite albums released in recent years. Since hearing my first ARMS song a few years ago, I can't help but liken Goldstein's voice to a melodramatic, singy version of the matter-of-fact vocal delivery of WHY?'s Yoni Wolf, which is definitely a good thing.

On EP2, along with his alluring voice, artful guitar strumming and wistful keyboarding, Goldstein crafts powerfully captivating (lyrically and musically) indie rock songs with the help of his drummer friend Tiacael Esparza. By scattering catchy guitar hooks and flourishes over the EP's five-song-span of melancholic melodies and Esparza's solid drum framework, Goldstein sets the stirring backdrop over which to lay his lavish labyrinth of lyrics, creating a complex web of sounds worth getting tangled up in, time and time again.

Stream the entire EP (out now on Paper Garden Records) below and follow the player's links to purchase digital and physical copies.

Just Rolled In: Son Lux - "Lost It To Trying" [orchestral pop / electronic / experimental]

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After getting his hands dirty arranging music for three feature films (including 2012's Looper), releasing two highly acclaimed albums and a collaborative EP with Sufjan Stevens and Serengeti (known jointly as s / s / s), producing numerous hip hop beats, and working with revered composers and ensembles, NYC-based Ryan Lott, aka Son Lux, is gearing to release his 3rd full-length record Lanterns out October 29 via Joyful Noise Recordings. The classically trained composer and electronic producer has left us with high expectations for the rest of the record after releasing the brilliantly epic debut single "Lost It To Trying".

Riddled with a frenetic array of live saxophones, flutes, and percussion and sister duo Lily and Madeleine's Sufjan-esque choral singing, Lott seamlessly throws in his production expertise in the form of hyperactive synths and thunderous drum programming to deliver the incredibly complicated, energetic, and triumphant masterpiece known as "Lost It To Trying".

Check out the single below and listen to and purchase Son Lux's previously released music on his Bandcamp.

Just Rolled In: Zachary Cale - "Wayward Son" and "Hold Fast" [folk / acoustic blues]

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Brooklyn-via-Louisiana bluesy folk musician Zachary Cale has just released two new singles from his upcoming fourth record Blue Rider entitled "Wayward Son" and "Hold Fast". Ditching the backing band present on his previous record Noise of Welcome, Cale sharpens the focus on his visual lyricism and intricate finger-style acoustic guitar playing, making it clear as to why his songwriting has been compared to that of Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Leonard Cohen, and Elliott Smith. Cale's serene acoustic ballads coupled with his reverbed, mellow vocal delivery also bears a striking resemblance to Kurt Vile's more laid back songs.

Listen to Zachary Cale's two new songs below plus a great song from last year's Love Everlasting 7". Visit his Bandcamp page to download these two songs for free and to explore more of his extensive back catalogue until Blue Rider's release on September 24.