Tycho: The Science of Patterns

Tycho is not well known. This is a fact. However, his entrance into the music scene has made him an amazing electronic composer. This debut EP, The Science of Patterns, brings to light Tycho's ideas, skills, and ambitions. The slow chimes and the slow ah's from the first song set the mood for the entire EP. The bass is nothing to fret about either. Cruise around town listening to some of these songs, and prepare to be stared at. The second track is, in my opinion, the most outstanding song of them all. Named "Human Condition", it climatically reaches its forte during the middle, with the continuous beat, and the amazing chillness. The spinning sounds that occur set it apart from the rest of the EP. "Systems" is yet another amazing song. The song makes you want to jump up and down, playing the song on repeat. I would know; I did it. Tycho truly made a masterpiece of a debut EP, and it paved the way for his other albums that would come in the future. The futuristic sounding EP is a memento of ambient music.

Tycho's debut EP, The Science of Patterns, gets a 9.1 out of 10. "In The End" is a bonus track of this ancient release. Be sure to get it.

Kids. Perfect for a chill EP.

Alvin Band: Mantis Preying

Honestly, who has ever heard of Alvin Band? The only reason I figured them out is because a girl in my PreCalculus class told me to listen to them after we raved about Animal Collective. All I can say is, thank you Kathleen, and where has this band been all my life? Alvin Band is said to be an artist who sings in a "stream of consciousness". This means, in lay man's terms, that he sings whatever comes to mind, or so I think. His intro to the album begins with a heavy bang, sounding like a monster coming down a hall. When the first words hit Alvin Band's mouth, feelings of hearing his before occur. This is mistaken, however. The mistaken artist is Animal Collective. I couldn't believe the similarity to them after I heard the first song, and so forth. "Cyberspace 2008" really stands out as a song to not miss. The slurping, the bopping, the mood. All coexist with AC perfectly. "With the kangaroo at the local zoo" are just a few lyrics in this song, showing the stream of consciousness mode. This is not a bad thing at all.  Unto the rating.



Mantis Preying gets an 8.6 out of 10. They aren't exactly AC, but they sure are close.

This looks like it was drawn on LSD.

Sunglasses: Sunglasses

Sunglasses' eponymous debut EP has not caused a large stir anywhere. Yet. The Savannah duo consists of college students bam bam (Samuel Cooper) and Baby Seal (Brady Keehn) with two totally different college majors. This EP is something to reckon with, however. Although only containing three songs (two are useless placeholders), the exploratory, eccentric and admittedly odd style grows on you. The tinkling chimes, the claps, the water dripping. All of these cause for a weirder experience than ever experienced before. "Referee" is my favorite track, having a slow and steady rise in action from its conception to its ending. "The words we spoke...of before", "the waves, they crash upon my shores" are just two sets of lyrics in the catchy tune. In all, Sunglasses' debut EP is best said as having tenfold the effects under the influence (not supporting doing drugs, just saying what I've heard).



Sunglasses' Sunglasses EP gets a 9.0 out of 10. By the way, here is their MySpace page so you can go buy the EP goodness. What's not to like about this EP, other than its shortness? 

Toro y Moi: Causers of This

Chazwick Bundick is just a normal citizen from Columbia, South Carolina. That is, until he goes by his stage name: Toro y Moi. The explosive force of his debut album, Causers of This, has caused quite a stir in his hometown and around the country alike. Toro y Moi comes from two words originating from both Spanish and French. Toro (bull in Spanish) Y (and in Spanish) Moi (me in French) came up with the name straight from his head with no prior nickname, apparently. Toro y Moi's album combines synth-pop and the chillwave genre to embed a mellow sound into the user's mind. Credited with being another of the chillwave founders, Toro Y Moi holds a good friendship with artist Washed Out. The mixture of unique beats shows just how it's supposed to be done. This album is definitely something to listen to over and over, and should definitely be placed on a device for on-the-go.
Toro y Moi's Causers of This album gets a 9.4 from me. Go get the Australian edition with four scrumptious bonus tracks!

Delorean: Subiza

Delorean was not always as well known as they are now. Hailing from Spain, the pop singers have made quite a name for themselves in the last year, with the release of their EP Ayrton Senna (name of Brazilian F-1 racer who was killed in action on May 1st, 1994) and now their latest and probably best album, Subiza. The idea of using '80's beats has proved to be quite a success. The killer beginning track, "Stay Close", starts off suddenly with a bassy and climactic setting. It then progresses on with lyrics portraying items like relationships falling apart. "We argue then" is just one of these lyrics. The protruding and most popular track on this particular album has to go to "Real Love" and with good reason. It is a calming track with deep meaning. From beginning to end, the result is the same: catchy tunes with simple yet fun lyrics.



Delorean's Subiza album also gets a 9.8 out of 10. Go out and buy it now!

Passion Pit: Manners

I cannot wait to see these guys live. That being said, I think it is time I reviewed Passion Pit's only album to this day, Manners. What an awesome album. How do you find a way for everyone to have a liking for electro-pop? You get Passion Pit. Passion Pit are a bunch of young, fun, and outgoing guys, T toy that has gotten the most attention is the kiddie choir that pops up on two of the first four songs. Call them behind-the-curve as they double up the "higher and higher" part of the chorus from "Little Secrets", but it's more over-the-top, and that's kind of the point-- in a weird way, it's heartening how little Passion Pit concerns themselves with a fun sounding song. Manners does go for the quick knockout, pulling a similar trick five minutes later on the Hissing Fauna branch-off "The Reeling". Manners is consistent even beyond its singles-- if you like one Passion Pit song, you'll probably like them all. Or you might not like any at all.


The Reeling


Manners gets a 9.0 out of 10. Get the deluxe edition now that it's readily available.

Have some manners, will you?

Important News Update

To my fellow followers and music enthusiasts:

Today is a great day for TIVM. After fiddling around for over two hours, I have finally learned enough of HTML code to be able to incorporate a music sample on my posts. I will be using SoundCloud until my free subscription expires. If I do not post the name of the sample song (unlikely, but I may get lazy), check out the info button on the right hand side of the stream to get the name of the song. Get ready to see a sample on every post now. Let's see what other gold I can strike. Wish me luck in my endeavors!