...original theme...

If you can remember all the way back to the fall of 2000, you might recall having been aware of an emerging sound, which now has blossomed into Garden State soundtracks and Hummer commercials. That sound, while seemingly having no genre to be shoved into, became my primary interest for a good couple years and was the impetus behind the title of this blog, 'Headfonehaus'. While I had started to get hip to this new electronica sound through some Kitty-Yo releases, it wasn't until I came across Putting The Morr Back In Morrissey, thanks to Other Music's gratuitously positive review taped to the shelf on the west wall, that I became enthralled with this synth-based sound. Over the next six months, I proceeded to buy/download every thing I could find that had any relation to what I saw as an offshoot of IDM and trip-hop (which got me through early college). By that next summer, I was starting the radio show of the same name and bringing this sound to the masses in Lawrence for two hours a week. That brings us to my posts today. The very first song I ever played on the show was 'Heaven Is Burning, Pt. 1'. It employs a beautifully contemplative chord progression with just the right amount of fuzzed-out breaks. Don't be surprised by the ghost rapper who stops by midway, it's the best part of the song. You may have heard Styrofoam's most recent release, which finds him singing and playing nice pop songs. This is not what he used to be, but it's not my fault he wanted to go commercial. The second track is another of my original favorites. E*Vax can be currently found still working the 'Ratatat' project for all it's worth, money wise, but hopefully he'll get behind his Dell and give us another solo record as good as his first (and last so far). This track also has a mellow break to it's beat, but features the melody more forcefully. A simple set of keys and a good soundbank never felt so smooth. (Disclaimer: this style has gone through a lot of changes since this starting point, most of which I find derivative and tiresome, but I still haven't given up hope. Although seeing that little Dntel album I reviewed just 'cause I liked the label and I seemed to remember enjoying that stupid Figurine album, go all cross-over on my with the Postal Service, didn't go down this indie-to-the-core man's throat too well.)

Styrofoam
Heaven Is Burning, Pt. 1
The Point_Misser
Morr Music

E*Vax
What We Meant
Parking Lot Music
Audio Dregs