Little Gem Recommends.

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In their third take over of our blog, Andy from Little Gem dips into the shop’s fresh record boxes and recommends some prime cuts.

You can find Little Gem squirreled away in Basement 18 Kildare St in Dublin 2 Dublin. Drop in and say hello.

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Fovea Hex – Salt Garden 1 (Jennifer Records)

Not being very familiar with the music of Clodagh Simonds and Fovea Hex I took a tentative baby step into her world and took a look around. Soft ambient labels abound and often likened to many experimental and soft music pioneers, her works are something very much different altogether. For me the brand new release – The Salt Garden I, has become the perfect place to start.

It starts off with a thud and some singing, the voice softly lilting tempts me further in and before 2 minutes have passed I find myself ‘Ahhh ahh’ ing along to the coda singing of “the golden sun rises upon the world again”.

Tingling and uplifting in its softly expressed loveliness, this first piece leads to a refraining second song naturally. Another hook followed by another and then it stops gently.

The voice now suspended by strings as well as low and subtle harmonics, it takes on another quality, again soft and beguiling but just right. The second side of the record contrasts the first with further subtleties.

The minimalistic and shimmering “the undone mother”, swells wonderfully and slowly leads into the closing song;”solace”.

I am reminded of John Martyn’s “small hours” and Fripp & Eno’s “wind on the water”, but this gorgeousness, like the rest of this record is all its own.

“Solace” spaces its beats in a classical manner which makes me think that this music could be at least 200 years old and yet its timelessness and quality tells me that it is probably the best release of 2016AD.

Bouts – Unlearn (Weiner Tapes)

Returning after their 2014 LP “Nothing good gets away”, the new Bouts is their best yet.
Harmonizing guitar riffs, catchy melodies and tight rhythms are to be unexpectedly delivered in Bouts slackery late 80’s action movie style, but the new tape steps up a couple more gears to stay fun and fresh.
Some epic 90’s pop elements are strewn in with melodies and riffs from start to end, from “Missteps” to “We don’t stand a chance”, the latter twanging like a golden era Smashing Pumpkins heartbreak pop ditty.

Pop over to their website to check out the rest of the stock.

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