This edition of the Listening List — formerly called various things, but for years One-Liners — is a nice blend of styles to give you something to listen to when you’re digging an electronic film score, synth-pop, the vapor-strewn, stripped-down versions of hardcore songs, and even something from an act that Aphex Twin spun in a DJ set.
Hyperlink Dream Sync — “Unseen”
The latest single from the delightful now-trio of Mecha Maiko, Neil Scrivin (Phonoghosts), and Eric Sferro have unfurled a show-stopping splash of breathtaking synth bliss, with Maiko’s airy vox and evocative lyrics elevating the cut into the stratosphere. It’s a dreamy, downtempo landscape and I’m here for it.
Drum & Lace — “Solstice”
“Solstice” is the first single from Drum & Lace’s forthcoming album, hitting our consciousness via Austrian outfit Fabrique Records soon. The artist, also known as Sofia Hultquist, describes the piece as an “ode to symmetry and the dichotomy between light and dark.” I can hear that tension in the piece — a propulsive wave of foreboding beauty that makes me wish she’d work with Bjork pronto.
Militarie Gun — Life Under The Sun
Militarie Gun are a five-piece, LA-based punk band formed only a few years ago, but they sound like they’ve been together for years. On their 2023 debut LP, Life Under The Gun, they showed us all it’s possible to retain your hardcore punk roots without sacrificing catchy hooks and deft song arrangements. But you have to ask, how would frontman Ian Shelton’s songwriting prowess hold up without the loud cover? It turns out really fucking well. This five-cut EP features some stripped down and altered versions of songs from the debut in a way that shows that Shelton’s core talent transcends any one genre. There are a few notable cuts on here, but I really dig the laidback, airy version of “Very High” and the Mannequin Pussy-featuring iteration of “My Friends Are Having A Hard Time,” which is a near-ambient manifestation propelled by a serene drum machine and some spacey guitars and atmospherics (and some gorgeous vox). The band is currently on tour and I highly recommend you check them out. I caught them during a showcase in NYC last summer and they blew my mind.
Nat Walker — “Air and Shape”
Even if you don’t know his name, you know his music. He used to be in Chromatics, Desire, and Symmetry, and is currently in Fawn with his wife, former Glass Candy frontperson Ida No. The LA-based Walker (originally from Minneapolis) also makes eminently satisfying and engaging laid-back (mostly electronic) instrumentals — chilled out, vapory, almost-Bristolian fare suitable for any time and place that calls for some well crafted, downtempo music. “Air and Shape,” which came out on Jan. 16, keeps up the momentum Walker’s been on since he, Adam Miller (his older brother), and Ruth Radelet announced Chromatics’ dissolution in 2021. There are horns, including the lead muted-trumpet, that add a jazzy component to his delectable atmospherics. He’s got a bunch of this kind of stuff on streaming, so get on it — serenely.
Bunny X — “Breaking Away (Song for Chevette & Rydell) [Diamond Field Remix feat. Jenny Bates]”
The remix album for NYC-based Bunny X’s latest LP, Love Minus 80, has some really fascinating interpretations of the source material. This number, “Breaking Away (Song for Chevette & Rydell),” was originally a collaboration with the staggeringly enigmatic SelloRekt/LA Dreams. In the hands of fellow New Yorkers, Diamond Field and frequent Bunny X/Diamond Field collaborator Jenny Bates, the result is even better than the original. It’s syrupy-sweet 1980s nostalgia bliss, but in a way that doesn’t give you a stomach ache. Instead, they’ve given us a vibrant, upbeat, and deftly crafted pop song that would have easily been a hit in that decade.
Deadly Avenger and Si Begg — Jackdaw (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
I haven’t seen the film yet, but any reader of Vehlinggo over the past nearly 10 years will know that music from Deadly Avenger and Si Begg is always worth checking out. This doesn’t disappoint. It’s a captivating blend of ambient sound design, downtempo beats, and haunting compositions. (Vehlinggo readers might also recognize DA from his participation in the 5 Years comp.) The duo have scored trailers for the likes of Hereditary, Midsommar, Parasite, IT, and Pet Sematary, so they’re no strangers to evocative cues and artistic foreboding. The film, starring Mike Flanagan stalwart Oliver Jackson-Cohen, is, loosely, about some tomfoolery on the North Sea.
SLACKMACHINE — Vision of Tomorrow (The Instrumentals)
Vehlinggo recently premiered a Parallels remix from Brad A. Kinnan’s synthy musical project and on this EP you can hear that same, notable level of artistic creativity. SLACKMACHINE is a project brimful of cinematic dynamics and club-ready kinesis. At its core, the record is Kinnan’s love letter to Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner, and the original had dialogue from the film, but Kinnan said he wanted to try out something a little different this time.
“I wanted to release an uninterrupted version of pure, synth-driven instrumentals,” he told Vehlinggo, noting he got some help with the post-production. “I have thank Holly Dodson of Parallels for lending her amazing ear to help mix and master these 7-tracks.”
Hat tip to Slackster for not leaning too heavily on the same-old Vangelis tropes that so many choose as a hill to die on.
The Flints — “Midnight Sunrise”
I’m pretty late to the party when it comes to The Flints, the Mancunians who recently released a gorgeous gem with Electric Youth. (I called them potentially your next favorite band in my review.) They have this ability to turn out chilled-out numbers as easily as propulsive nu-disco bangers with Bee Gees-minding vox. This time around, the duo bring on a fantastic and dirty disco-rock cut that sounds like a forgotten gem you’d find deep on a shelf at A-1.
Ye Gods — Ye Gods II
Ye Gods is one of Anton Maiof’s many faces, which include Jason Priest and Antoni Maiovvi, among others. This release dropped by the cloak of darkness on Dec. 31, 2023, but compositionally it’s no stealth entity. This is raw, immediate, gritty, and eminently satisfying techno coated with a slick sludge of EBM. It pairs well with Helena Hauff. (This project’s first album has music that Richard D. James himself used in a DJ set a few years back.)
