HAPPY NEW YEAR 2013 ::: Close your eyes + you'll see...

Friedrich Nietzsche ‏@Nietzsche___ ¡Todo vuelve y retorna eternamente, cosa a la que nadie escapa!

 

EVERYTHING THAT DOESN'T ELEVATE, LETS DOWN 
N.

Feliz 2013 para tod@s los viajer@s)))))))))))))

THE TOP 2012

        (human) BULLSHIT!!!

Llegó el fin de año y con ello la acostumbrada lista de lo más resaltante, hermoso o perturbador aparecidos estos 12 meses. Una costumbre que no por cliché deja de ser harto didáctica. En el presente THE TOP 2012 del Blog PerúAvantgarde hemos reunido (solo) una parte de lo mejor que el mundo ha producido este año. Abarcarlo todo sería iluso. Hoy por hoy no hay ser vivo que pueda escuchar toda la música que se produce en este planeta, ni siquiera tan solo en el ámbito de lo alternativo y avantgarde.

Esperemos que el 2013 sea tan alucinante o superior que este 2012 que está por fenneszcer y que quedará plasmada, para nosotros, en las siguientes joyas. 

PD: Ah, por cierto, no pasó nada el 21 ni el 23 de Diciembre, una lástima.. ja, ja!! Así que como dirían los Hipnoascensión: A SEGUIR EN LA LUCHA::::::... :: . . phorever!!! alien in this cold:  soulless zone:::....:
:..:..
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1. OTTO VON SCHIRACH – Supermeng (Monkeytown): El último álbum del brujo de la electrónica estadounidense, Otto Von Schirach, es para quien esto escribe lo mejor que ha dado el mundo de la música avantgarde a la Humanidad este año. Tal galardón viene sustentado por la alucinante guerra de sonidos, estilos y mundos que el cubano-germano ha plasmado en un álbum que debería ponerlo en los rankings radiales del todo el mundo si el mundo fuera otro, claro está. Techno, Punk Rock, IDM, Reggaetón son algunos de los discursos sonoros que Otto ha tergiversado/transgredido sin control en “Supermeng”. Cuando en 20 años surjan pasteurizados imitadores de su sonido todos volverán los ojos a este disco fundacional para rendirle honores al maestro. ¡Ave Otto!



2. MOUSE ON MARS – Parastrophics (Monkeytown): ¡Ah, la IDM (Intelligent Dance Music)! Para quienes vivimos los años 1990 es imposible olvidar los días de gloria de la electrónica de aquellos años ya que lo visto y aprehendido fue demasiado. Hoy los germanos Mouse On Mars, partícipes de aquel jolgorio supersónico finisecular, vuelven a asaltar nuestras mentes con un tratado de música experimental que innova, si acaso es aún posible, las últimas mutaciones de la sempiterna IDM apelando a tácticas y trucos que son ya marca de casa de estos ratones marcianos: “Idiology”, “Niun Niggung”. Ritmos abruptos trepidantes, voces de tinte cómico pasadas por el pitch shifter y demás tecnología 3.0, mucha aura naif, esquemas, melodías y paisajes propios de mentes casi quebradas por tanto amor metamusical. Entre los 3 mejores álbumes de su sobresaliente carrera. 



3. UMMAGMA – Antigravity/Ummagma (Independiente): De lo mejor que nos trajo el 2012 fue el conocer a esta dulce banda de dream pop y rock post-moderno provenientes de Ucrania y Canadá. El talentoso multi-instrumentista Alexx Kretov junto a su pareja Shauna McLarnon –con una voz que recuerda a la dorada Natalie Merchant de los 10,000 Maniacs- ha pergeñado el que será recordado por muchos como el doble debut más ambicioso y logrado de los últimos 10 años en el terreno del pop alternativo. ¿Referentes? Muchos, muchísimos: desde la volatilidad etérea de los Cocteau Twins a la labor de producción y estudio de U2 o Peter Gabriel pasando por estrellas como Massive Attack, Lali Puna o Pale Saints. A tenor de lo oído y disfrutado Ummagma alcanzarán un lugar especial entre las bandas referentes de la música moderna. Han nacido para ello.



4.     RAÜL FUENTES - Omiyage (LEA Ediciones) El español Raül Fuentes publicó a mediados de año esta alucinante pieza metamusical en la que grabaciones de campo, electrónica digital y música concreta se unen para levantar el listón de lo que en la Madre Patria se produce en materia de música experimental. Más alucinante, vibrante y etéreo que los discos de Francisco López o Xabi Erkizia. Y no proviene de Madrid ni Barcelona. ¡Menuda sorpresa! ¡Gracias por existir Raül!


5. VLADISLAV DELAY – Kuopio (Raster-Noton): Sasu Ripatti vuelve con su alias más conocido, Vladislav Delay, a dejarnos extasiados de placer y con los oídos reventados de tanta lujuria sónica sintética. Su discurso ha variado mucho desde aquellos días del “Entain” o “Multila” hoy en “Kuopio” nos presenta un techno dub rugoso atiborrado de abismos fantacientíficos bien en la onda de su nueva casa Raster Noton. Asoman a veces guiños a una IDM milimétrica que bien haría el finlandés en explorar mucho más en próximas aventuras discográficas. Lo de Vladislav Delay es para mi gusto muy superior a lo que sea que produzcan Andy Stott o Actress. ¡Celebremos!



6. CAYOS & TAKESHI MUTO – Snowdens (Schematic): “Snowdens” es puro éxtasis sonoro. La alquimia que han logrado en este alucinante disco los proyectos Cayos & Takeshi Muto –provenientes del superlativo sello Schematic de Miami- es inigualable. IDM, indie-rock, techno, krautrock. Todo ha sido envasado en una cápsula al vacío para que oídos desprejuiciados encuentren en él solaz y genuino goce desde lo mejor de su alma. Si eres de aquellos que han conocido las mieles de la vanguardia en cualquiera de sus formas –poesía, diseño, filosofía, música, etc…- o si tu sana curiosidad te impulsa a nuevos horizontes entra en el Universo “Snowdens” y verás que solo existe la extraña y perfecta belleza.



7. FLORCONVENAS - Ley en das (Manuscritos arrebatados del fuego) (Pan y Rosas Discos): A mediados de año la argentina Mariela Arzadun extrajo de su privilegiada cabeza esta joya metamusical en la que el ruidismo y la electrónica más lúdica e irracional retratan su enajenado mundo personal poblado por druidas, escotes y maquinarias agrícolas -como titula algunas de las piezas de "Ley en das". Recuerdo una tarde transportándome en el Metropolitano limeño con los audífonos emitiendo este majestuoso tratado supersónico y no necesitar ninguna otra cosa más, tan solo que nunca acabe. Incomparable obra/sonido. 



8. RICARDO VILLALOBOS – Dependant and Happy (Perlon): El chileno-germano Ricardo Villalobos vuelve a conmocionar a críticos y fans con otro documento de house abstracto hecho primordialmente para las discos pero que resulta harto disfrutable también en la soledad de tu habitación con o sin alicientes químicos. “Dependant and Happy” destila puro placer y hedonismo recordándonos a la par por qué los de su generación siguen siendo figuras tutelares en el arte de la evasión vía la pista de baile y los sonidos de trance electrónico.



9. TICA – El otro lado de la flor (Superspace): La dupla peruana de nu-gaze Tica dejó el año que termina una joya para sus fans: el registro en vivo de varias de sus canciones despojadas de la electricidad ruidosa de sus guitarras y la abstracción de sus paisajes electrónicos, tan solo cantadas con la asistencia de una guitarra acústica. ¡Vaya que el resultado es memorable! Las armonías y voces del dueto Galarreta/Vásquez son capaces de emocionar al más duro de todos. Al escuchar este documento podemos comprobar que por la sangre de estos músicos fluyen visiones de arcoirisas, florituras y ensueños avistados en los Andes o en el sempiterno mar de Lima, la sublime. En palabras de algún fan desconocido, tan hermoso como el “Souvlaki”. 



10. ROEL FUNCKEN - Mercury Retrograde (Schematic): La bullente macro escena de IDM ha tenido en el registro legado por Roel Funcken para el hermoso sello Schematic (U.S.A.) a uno de sus más connotados puntales y transgresores. Más allá de los logros de Grischa Lichtenberger o Richard Devine lo del holandés viene sustentado por un discurso que no se contenta con repetir las hazañas de los clásicos del género sino por plasmar las propias. En "Mercury Retrograde" cada vibración de techno inteligente es sometido, alienado y violentado por sonoridades dub step y electronics et. al. que harán las delicias de tus neuronas más salvajes, aquellas que nos hacen buscar ese "otro" o "innombrable" como diría Wittgenstein. ¡More Schematic please!

Robsongs - Guitsy

HERMOSA NEO-PSICODELIA BRASILEÑA!!!!

Raül Fuentes - Live @ Eufònic 2012

Morir, nacer, qué aburrido todo es.

muzik!!!!

♦ Ʋideo Reɱix ♦ Uaÿd ♦

♦ Ʋideo Reɱix ♦ Uaÿd ♦ from Amigo De Los Insectos on Vimeo.

Stellar Revolution or The Creation of New Codes for a Possible Future

During centuries and through the different civilizations, ideologies and religions that once dominated and where dominated ,men have tried to find a direction to their existence, to its place within the cosmos or to its own life. 

Without noticing the narrowness of their thoughts or the stagnation and out of date of their attempts, mankind, even today try to find a explication or a meaning to its own being through the religions imported from Europe or the East with its peculiar gods and texts created by and for people living thousands years ago, also through political ideologies or even through the trivial consume of products generated and expectorated by the mass media to our homes. 

Certainly something too human. 

Once again mankind commits the same error of thinking that the universe is moving following its own thought, its reason and that’s why it waits naïvely for everything to have a motive, a satisfactory explanation to its own short and ego-ist understanding. 

And it`s here were the problem is revealed. Thousands of years of domination, slavery, holy wars, property, pseudo-independence, corruption, injustice and humiliation have all of them the same origin: EGO. 

The ego is a pathological product, an unnatural chip imposed by the dominator system and it should be dismissed from our lives. As a community we should understand it because is the only outlet in front of the crisis that nowadays is going to destroy our home, the planet earth. 

But how can men, up to this point in history, in which the ego has developed arriving near to surfeit, have not stopped or better suppressed such a system error. 

As it was predicted two decades ago the psychedelical master Terence Mckenna, the last western wise. 

“Every time a culture gets into trouble it casts itself back into the past into l the last sane moment it ever knew. The last sane moment we ever met was in the African plains 15000 years ago, rocked in the cradle of the great horned- mushroom goddess before history, before standard army, before slavery and property before warfare and the phonetic alphabets and monotheism, before, before, before” 

 Terence Mckenna
 (Alien dreamtime) 

So it’s not casual that all of the cultures in all the places of the world have in their memories a heavenly moment, where once the human beings, humanity, men and women, were living all in natural and cosmic harmony. That moment really existed and there are scientists like Terence Mckenna o Mircea Eliade who have provide scientific facts which corroborate what today we are communicating in Lima , Peru. 

Certainly our land is blessed by the cosmos in what in what is related to sacred plants cause we have them everywhere and all of the types, even the tourists from many parts of Europe and North America come to Peru searching for a remedy to its insane psique in this banquet of gods. Peru is really magical, the air is alive here, open your mind and you ‘ ll see, maybe somebody have in his neighborhood parks and gardens decorated by amazing floripondios(lilies of the valley) just to quote a beautiful example. 

Really the better of the Andean Civilization have not been lived with the Incas, but earlier. Where, even in the age of the Caral culture, 5000 years ago, the reciprocity, the solidarity and natural fraternity and this concept understood by scientists : The Ayni. It would be right to return to the knowledge of the wise Andeans who thousands of years before Marx or Engels have created a much less oppressive, consumerist, fetish and sick system than the one who reigns nowadays the contemporary society. 

The external trip is also a trip to the inside. 

And there is it : the system can’t operate cause we have inside our brains some quantity of D.M.T, which is one of the most powerful hallucinating substances ever known. So we have to say that without the ingestion of psychedelics you still, can feel the cosmos floating in mind, in the veins and in the heart. 

We already know how does the oppressive dominator system of injustice and corruption which is aimed in destroying of our life’ s this visions, this cosmic sensations , and spiritual communions with the universe communion: through mass media rubbish, tv, radio, press, etc. and you Peruvians know what I`m meaning 

Intelligence, intelligence. That´ s what we have to have. 

The ego is a disease that cures with the frequent ingestion of psilocibine or psychedelics, this is everyday communion with the cosmos. Once the ego is suppressed it would be the defeat of the dominators, materialists, sellers and finance personal. That’s why the do-gooders of the moment, the politics, the cardinals and religious people and the institutions insult the marvelous clarifying and millenary effects of the psychedelics and even worse they blame them of all the evil they have created through all the history. 

Human experience is not having a last generation car, a credit account or having your children registered in the better university. I think living without having a psychedelical and visionary experience is worse than living without getting laid with someone. Nobody could sell you the experience of union with the cosmos, nobody could buy it either. Nobody will be a millionaire with this so we already know why it doesn’t care for the system. But there´s where we start sculpting as a community, as thinking and reasonable persons. 

Art and music, poetry, visual arts, etc, all of them could carry or deliver in their codes these messages which come from the matrix of the universe, from the first and last reality, and is what we showed in the FOSSILES OF THE DISTANT FUTURE, and since we started our meta musical/avant-garde experiences in the 90´s with CRISALIDA SONICA we have been telling everywhere. 

The alternative is chosen by each one, flight comrades in this small three-dimensional planet. 

Meanwhile and to decorate our assaulted minds by excess of humanoid noise, evocate that beautiful nineties maxim: CLOSE YOUR EYES AND YOU`LL SEE. 

STELLAR REVOLUTION : NEW CODES + NEW MINDS = NEW WORLDS...

Wilder Gonzales Agreda.

CHECK THE SPANISH VERSION HERE

SLOWNESS debut album!!!!!

Finally the first full length album by lovely dreamers nugazers SLOWNESS will be released soon.
According to their label, Blue Aurora Audio, the release is scheduled for February 12, 2013.
In the meantime you can pre order it at:

http://slownessmusic.com/Pre-order.html

Be sure to have a listen to the preview here!!

Review: ROBSONGS - Essa Grande Falta de Você (TBTCI, 2012)

Desde San Paulo (Brasil) nos llega el EP début de ROBSONGS, que no es otro que el multifacético músico Robson Gomes quien milita también en la banda de indie rock The Concept -que no hace mucho estuviera programada para telonear en Brasil a los fabulosos The Telescopes de Inglaterra nada más- y quien también toca la viola en el grupo de reggae Banda Damata. 

Esta tríada de canciones llenas de sentimientos y mucho corazón guitarrero está dedicada al espíritu del amigo ido o de quien fuera Alex Medeiros Vitorino, perdido músico brasileño que junto a su hermano Augusto y al propio Robson integrara allá por el año 2008 la banda embrión de este proyecto: Minha Vida Nunca Foi um Picnic (Mi Vida Nunca Fue Un Picnic). Y es quizás este particular nombre el que mejor describe el aura enigmática, prohibida y vertiginosa de las canciones del debut de Robsongs. Para los adictos al amor intravenoso de la neo-psicodelia sobresaldrá en primera escucha esa especie de haiku astral llamado "Guitsy" en donde lo mejor de las armonías de guitarras marca Spacemen 3 encuentran sucinta expresión. Lacónico diríase. 

El single, "Essa Grande Falta de Você", suena a unos revitalizados Duelectrum -otra joya del shoegaze brasileño. Notable la combinación de punteos y capas de guitarras a la manera del shoegaze made in 1990's. "Sitar Song" recuerda a bandas como Brian Jonestown Massacre cuando recurren al empleo de instrumentación oriental. 

De lo escuchado en esta primera muestra de su talento, Robson Gomes tiene madera para escalar alto y enaltecernos con hermosos himnos sónicos, desde acá esperamos que surja pronto con el disco que le haga superarse a sí mismo. 

Wilder Gonzales Agreda. 

The ROBSONGS EP début comes to us from San Paulo (Brazil). Robsongs is none other than the multifaceted musician Robson Gomes, who also is a member of the indie rock band The Concept, who recently opened a show in Brazil for the fabulous Ringo Deathstarr and were slated to open for Britain’s The Telescopes not so long ago. He is also the guitarist in Brazilian reggae sensations Banda Damata. 

The triad of songs on this single are full of feelings and a guitarrorist impulse that is very much heart dedicated to the spirit of his deceased friend Alex Medeiros Vitorino, a Brazilian musician who, along with his brother Augusto and Robson himself, gave birth to the embryo for the Robsongs project back in 2008 under the name Minha Vida Never Foi um Picnic (My Life Was Never A Picnic). And it is probably this particular name that best describes the enigmatic, forbidden and dizzy aura of the songs we find on Robsongs's début. For those who are addicted to the intravenous love of neo-psychedelia, the song that will stand out most upon first listening is the song "Guitsy", which can clearly by compared to a kind of astral haiku, where the best guitar harmonies of the Spacemen 3 trademark care concisely expressed. One could even say laconic. 

The single, "Essa Grande Falta de Você", sounds like a revitalized Duelectrum -another jewel of the Brazilian shoegaze. Something that is most remarkable is the combination of pluckings and layers of guitars, done in the manner of 1990s-era shoegaze. "Sitar Song" is reminiscent of bands such as Brian Jonestown Massacre for those songs where they dabble inusing oriental instrumentation. 

From what we have heard in this first exposé of his talent, Robson Gomes has a tree with which he can climb high and ennoble us with beautiful sonic anthems. We hope that he rises to this lofty position soon with the release of a full-fledged disc where he will surpass even the nice performance we see in Robsongs’ initial single.

Wilder Gonzales Agreda.

Revolución Estelar o la Creación de Nuevos Códigos para un Futuro Posible

Revolución estelar o la creación de nuevos códigos para un futuro posible

A lo largo de los siglos y de las distintas civilizaciones, ideologías y religiones que en su momento dominaron y fueron dominadas el hombre ha tratado de encontrar sentido a su existencia, a su lugar en el Cosmos o a su vida misma. Sin darse cuenta de la estrechez de sus intenciones o de lo anquilosado y caduco de sus intentos algunos aún hoy en día buscan hallar una explicación o un sentido a su ser vía las religiones importadas de Europa u Oriente, con sus peculiares dioses y textos creados por y para gente de hace milenios, también vía ideologías políticas o inclusive vía el fútil consumo de los productos que los medios masivos expectoran en nuestros hogares. 

Algo ciertamente demasiado humano.

De nuevo el hombre cae en la trampa de pensar que el Universo se mueve siguiendo su pensamiento, su razón y por ella espera ilusamente que todo tenga un motivo, una explicación satisfactoria a su corto entendimiento ego-ísta.
Y es acá donde el gran problema se revela. Milenios de dominación, esclavitud, guerras santas, propiedades, seudo independencias, corrupción, injusticias y vejaciones tienen todos un único origen: el EGO. 

El ego es un producto patológico, un chip antinatural impuesto por el sistema dominador y como tal debe ser desterrado de nuestras vidas. Como comunidad debemos entenderlo ya que es la única salida ante la crisis que al día de hoy está por  acabar con nuestro propio hogar, el planeta Tierra.

Pero cómo es que puede el ser humano a estas alturas de la Historia, en que el Ego se ha desenvuelto y evolucionado hasta el hartazgo, detener o mejor aún suprimir tamaño error del sistema. 

Como lo anunciara hace ya dos décadas el maestro psicodélico Terence McKenna, el último sabio de Occidente:

“Cada vez que una cultura entra en problemas trata de recordar, busca el último momento sensato que haya conocido. Y el último momento cuerdo que alguna vez conocimos estuvo en las llanuras del África hace 15,000 años  mecidos en la cuna de la Gran Diosa del Hongo antes de la Historia, antes de Ejércitos permanentes, antes de la esclavitud y la propiedad, antes de la guerra y alfabetos fonéticos y monoteísmo, antes, antes, antes”.
TERENCE MCKENNA
    “Alien Dreamtime” 

Así que no es pura casualidad que todas las culturas en todos los lugares del planeta registren en su memoria un momento paradisíaco donde alguna vez el ser humano, el hombre y la mujer, vivimos en armonía natural y cósmica. Ese momento realmente existió y hay incluso investigadores como Terence McKenna o Mircea Eliade que han aportado registros científicos que afirman lo que hoy estamos comunicando en Lima, Perú.

Ciertamente nuestro país es un lugar bendecido por el Cosmos en lo que a plantas sagradas se refiere pues las tenemos casi en todos los lugares y de muchos tipos e incluso los turistas de muchas partes de Europa y Nortamérica vienen al Perú buscando sanación para su psique enferma en los llamados “manjares de los Dioses”. El Perú es realmente mágico, el aire aquí está vivo, abran la mente y verán, quizás algunos de ustedes tenga en su barrio o distrito parques y jardines adornados de los fascinantes floripondios para citar un hermoso ejemplo.

Realmente lo mejor de los Andes no se vivió con los Incas, sino mucho antes. Cuando reinaba ya incluso en la época de la cultura Caral, hace 5,000 años, la reciprocidad, la solidaridad y fraternidad natural y cuerda entendida por los estudiosos como EL AYNI. Haríamos muy bien en retomar las enseñanzas de los sabios andinos que miles de años antes que existieran Marx o Engels habían creado un sistema mucho menos opresor, fetiche, consumista y enfermo que el que hoy rige la sociedad contemporánea.

El viaje exterior es también un viaje en el interior.

Y es ahí donde el sistema no puede operar ya que nosotros mismos tenemos en nuestro cerebro algunas cantidades de D.M.T. que es una de las sustancias alucinógenas más poderosas hasta hoy conocidas. De manera que incluso sin la ingesta de psicodélicos uno puede sentir el cosmos flotando en la mente, en las venas y en el corazón.

Ya sabemos cómo el sistema dominante de opresión, injusticias y corrupción se encarga de desterrar de nuestro ser estas visiones, sensaciones cósmicas o comuniones espirituales con el Universo: vía la basura de los medios masivos –prensa, tv, radio, etc. Y ustedes, peruanos como yo, saben a qué me refiero.

Inteligencia, INTELIGENCIA. Eso es lo que tenemos que tener.

El Ego es una enfermedad que se cura con la ingesta frecuente de psilocibina o psicodélicos, vale decir vía la comunión diaria con el Cosmos. Una vez que el ego sea suprimido será la derrota de los dominadores, de los materialistas, de los vendedores y marketeros. Por ello los bien pensantes de turno, los políticos de todas las tiendas, los cardenales y religiosos y las instituciones maldicen el poder esclarecedor y milenario de los psicodélicos y peor aún le echan la culpa de los males que ellos han creado a lo largo de toda la Historia. 

La experiencia humana no se trata de tener un auto del año, una cuenta bancaria o a tus hijos inscritos en la mejor universidad. Creo que haber vivido sin jamás haber tenido una experiencia psicodélica o visionaria es mucho peor que irse a la tumba sin haber tenido sexo nunca en la vida. Nadie puede venderte la experiencia de unión con el cosmos, nadie puede comprártela tampoco. Nadie se va a hacer millonario con esto así que ya sabemos porque no le interesa al sistema. Pero ahí es donde entramos nosotros a tallar como comunidad, como seres pensantes y sensatos.

El arte, la música, la poesía, las artes visuales, etc., todas pueden transmitir o llevar en sus códigos estos mensajes provenientes de la matriz del universo, DE LA REALIDAD PRIMERA Y ÚLTIMA, y es ello lo que en FÓSILES DE FUTUROS LEJANOS y desde que iniciáramos nuestras experiencias metamusicales/avantgarde en los años 1990s con CRISÁLIDA SÓNICA hemos estado comunicando a los 4 vientos.

La alternativa la escoge cada uno compañeros de vuelo en este planetita tridimensional. 
En el ínterin y para adornar nuestras mentes asaltadas por tanto ruido humanoide evoquemos aquella bella sentencia noventera: CIERRA TUS OJOS Y VERÁS.

R-EVOLUCIÓN ESTELAR : Nuevos Códigos + Nuevas Mentes = NUEVOS MUNDOS

Wilder Gonzales Agreda.

Free to Dream: Ummagma's Time Limited Gift

Over the past four months since Canadian/Ukrainian post-rock ethereal dreampop shoegaze duo UMMAGMA (I like to call them post-shoegazers) released their 2 debut albums “Antigravity” and self-titled “Ummagma”, they’ve been in the spotlight quite a bit. A spotlight of all kinds of colors it seems – pink, blue, green, yellow, purple – a kaleidoscope you could say, much like their array of sounds. In case you haven't noticed yet, since about a month ago, their 2discs are available for download FREE OF CHARGE.

In the short time that has passed since the band’s debut, these gems have received praise and admiration from music lovers and critics all over the world - the last review came out just yesterday from the Spanish blog "Discos Pensados", right on the trail of three other fresh reviews (in English, German and Italian).  With such excitement over Ummagma, there's practically no need to argue why you MUST have these beautiful songs in your own music collection.

Do yourself a favor and download them while "Antigravity" and "Ummagma" are still downloadable for free, as the band has indicated that they will likely only be offering these for free for a limited time and that this may change all of a sudden "depending on their mood". So guys and gals, please be smart and get a move on to reach Cloud 9 with this McLarnon/Kretov couple – the 2 gifts they have given us this year will make your 2012 a memorable one. An occasion like this only happens once in a lifetime!!!

Ummagma press excerpts:

A refined and multifaceted musical junket follows with a host of delightfully upbeat songs, and not one seems misplaced or expendable throughout. With a rich use of instruments at the capable hands of Kretov, the album maintains a sense of fluency and rhythm, even as each song has its own distinct character and individuality…  Kretov and McLarnon have shown how well they can blend different genres and create something exceptional independently”. ~ Sound of Confusion http://thesoundofconfusionblog.blogspot.com/2012/08/ummagma-ummagmaantigravity.html 

“The closest that I can come to describing their sound is to compare Peter Gabriel's album Up, hints of James Blake, and the entire decade of '90s music. There are just way too many genres and influences heard within Ummagma's music to give a completely accurate description… Both Antigravity and Ummagma are extremely spectacular works. Each album transports you into a realm of relaxation and broad soundscapes… Ummagma is on an entirely different level. This is art.” 

~ The Record Stache

http://www.therecordstache.com/2012/08/ummagma-antigravity-self-titled.html

“Ummagma's music has a lot of different influences including shoegaze, dream pop, indie rock and prog rock. The band are compared to an array of different bands including The Cocteau Twins, Blonde Redhead, Talk Talk, Lush and the Bowery Electric. After listening to the two albums, comparisons to AsobiSeksu (Lama), Peter Gabriel (BFD) and Exitmusic (Beautiful Moment) would not be unwarranted…

I was initially skeptical of all of the different musical styles on the albums, but came around after hearing how good the song-writing and production is. The songs musical styles run from highly texturized, to euphoric, ethereal, dreamlike and ambient to rhythmic and beat driven… I am not saying Ummagma's albums are classics, but they are very good.”     ~ Aural Report  

http://iauralreport.blogspot.com/2012/08/new-band-ummagma.html?showComment=1344803281842#c8832465911706015507

“… music that covers a wide range of music from atmospheric ethereal wave and heavenly dream pop right through to guitar-based indie rock within their two debut albums. The duo writes uniquely beautiful music somewhere on the border between the so-called "golden age" for the 4AD label (soothing ethereal, soundscapes with a direct association with Robin Guthrie of Cocteau Twins) and the canonical guitar characteristic of indie rock; all of this with elements of shoegaze, post-punk, and even progressive rock, as strange as that combination might otherwise sound. In general, all of the more recognized representatives of the vanguard (such as Kate Bush, Peter Gabriel, Blonde Redhead and the amazing group Mercury Rev) have found their own distinct reflection in the work of this group Ummagma, which is obviously atypical even for our indie music scene.”  ~ TOP-10(original in Russian)

http://top10.ua/music/2012/08/31/novoe-imya-ummagma

“In many ways Ummagma's work recalls the adventurous and unified approach of much of the 4AD labels' late eighties/early nineties output... Multi-instrumentalist Alexx Kretov skillfully, and with apparent ease, creates lush and evocative soundscapes for their songs to inhabit… There's a major hint of nineties underground music here - plenty of shoegaze, a little trip hop and a lot of ambient electronica, but this barely scratches the surface of what's going on.”

~ The Active Listener

http://active-listener.blogspot.com/2012/08/ummagma-ummagma-and-antigravity-review.html

"Ummagma’sAntigravity puts you into that space between real life and your daydreams. It’s full of new wave magic that’s enough to absorb any ounce of “bad day” that was thrust upon you. Antigravity doesn’t overwhelm your senses; it soothes them and sets your mind at ease. You’re put into a very good place after having a listen, almost like a form of therapy. It’s no secret that we could all use a bit of that." ~ Dingus on Music

www.dingusonmusic.com/2012/09/26/antigravity/

"After the first listen, one is shocked by the wide musical range presented here. This is not one of those cases when a group adheres to a single style and, by the middle of the album, the group's distinctive sound can be clearly distinguished. This is the result of an eight-year experiment with sound, which is geared towards the works of a range of artists including Cocteau Twins, SigurRos and James Blake… It's interesting to not only listen to Ummagma's music but to actually explore it."

~ Fufuturism(original in Ukrainian)

http://fufuturism.tumblr.com/post/31917296270/ummagma-antigravity-ummagma

“Ummagma is one of these gems…  designed in innocence, dreams, a psychedelic folk climate, and a shoegazer dream that boils down to sublime relaxing and soothing music, with synths and loops that combine with guitars in crystalline cascades to create the perfect atmosphere for dreaming.  The latest interview has the fortune of being accompanied by a soundtrack of angels, Ummagma.Shauna’s vocals provide a beautiful overlay to everything…  the fortune of being accompanied by a soundtrack of angels, Ummagma.”

~ The Blog That Celebrates Itself(original in Portuguese)

http://www.theblogthatcelebratesitself.blogspot.com.br/2012/08/victorialand-with-ummagma-interview.html

“Indeed, there comes a moment that is somewhat difficult to describe their sound, as the combination of styles within the band’s two full-length debut albums is very wide. There is a bit of post-punk, ambient, and even folk textures in songs like "Lama" and "Kiev" from the "Antigravity" album, but also, what are perhaps sound aesthetics like Mazzy Star and Slowdive will generate a feeling that, upon entering Ummagma’s world, the listener really finds something very special and also very candid.” ~ My Blog Cliché (original in Spanish)

http://myblogcliche.blogspot.com/2012/09/con-ustedes-ummagma.html

“The debut album “Antigravity” is a mixed-emotion experience of beautiful melancholy and uplifting euphoria all found in one album, virtually taking the listener on a journey via the band’s musical interludes. This album will appeal to fans of modern bands like Blonde Redhead and AsobiSeksu, as well as older 80s bands of the 4AD epoch (especially Cocteau Twins) and Talk Talk, with a little Sputniks Down, Robert Fripp, Brian Eno and Slowdive wedged in there too. Ummagma has essentially achieved an incredible feat of bringing together some otherwise seemingly non-combinable musical genres (post-rock/dreampop/folk rock/progressive rock/shoegaze) all within on album and they have done so rather handsomely.” ~ Only The Finest Music

http://onlythefinestmusic.blogspot.com/2012/09/ummagma-antigravity-2012.html

“This combination makes for a sound that contains a feel of distant horizons, rooted in an historical perspective. The output, though equally as broad spread, has a dreamy willowy quality to it, to which the listener can settle back and feel the worries of the day drift out of the mind.Ethereal wisps of smoke drift past the ears passing in a haze and the head is set free on a journey of hypnosis. The duo use a mix of electronic and instrumentation to deliver their output and they have poised the balance finely, as they do with the duality of vocal which creates a further dimension to the ambient textures.”   ~ Indie Bands Blog

http://www.indiebandsblog.com/european-bands/ukrainian-bands-european-bands/ummagma-shoegaze

“… Ummagma such a potent musical cocktail. Not only do they represent a delightful and broad mish-mash of genres – dream pop, ethereal, post-rock, post-punk, progressive rock, shoegaze and ambient – but they can sometimes even mix different genres right within a song. The effect is impressive – this duo has effectively generated what can be considered a unique dreamy dynamic and eclectic sound… The listener can get aurally lost in these journeys – with Alexx’s dreamy voice and impressive instrumental skill, and with Shauna’s intoxicating vocals, together they create diverse rich atmospheres set against luscious dream pop soundscapes and textures.” ~ Musica Media

http://ourmusicmedia.blogspot.com/2012/07/ummagma-their-two-debut-albums.html

“… either one or the other album can (and usually do) frame what at first seems to be a universe of hazy dream pop, but then a thorough hearing reveals much, much more… On Ummagma’s official Facebook page, they cite 'bands we like' as including The Smiths, Boards of Canada, Cocteau Twins and Radiohead, and this broad palette is apparent in the colorful offerings presented in their two discs… the album “Ummagma” is more upbeat, warm, and physical - and I personally see much in common with Yo La Tengo but less noisy, while “Antigravity” is more melancholic, cold and dreamy... the pulsations in the form of beats are sometimes understated, sometimes exposed with (unhinged) distortions and fluctuations that are synthetically layered with Shauna’s sweet vocals and Alexx’s introspective.

~ PequenosClassicosPerdidos

http://pequenosclassicosperdidos.wordpress.com/2012/09/19/ummagma-ummagmaantigravity-2012/

“These albums offer the world two distinct works of sublime beauty and quality. While the self-titled album "Ummagma" and "Antigravity" are separate albums, they effectively fit together cyclically to form a whole, transitioning between dreamy drifting songs and melancholic melodies to those that are invigoratingly pulse-driven, bringing the soul through intense and warm soundscapes. This double set of debut albums are well dosed between several music genres: electronica, ethereal, ambient, post-punk, new wave, dream pop and shoegaze, where the senses and emotions blossom freely between the notes of each and every one of these songs.”

~ Ride Into the Sound (original in Portuguese)

http://rideintothesound.wordpress.com/2012/07/28/ummagma-releases-two-debut-albums-2012/

“Amazing things happen not only in fantasy novels and tales by the Brothers Grimm, but also in the reality in which we live… The end product [of Ummagma] is, at the same time, both energetic and meditative music, characterized by strong ethnic influences and shaped by the experience of northern European music from the past thirty years, from Peter Gabriel to SigurRos. But here we are talking about actual experience, not about copycatting or borrowing of any kind.”      

~ F5 magazine(original in Russian)

http://f5.ru/starikkozlodoev/post/405247

“Their sound can be framed as what we call "dream pop", but the duo’s releases extend this range in ways that make their sounds comparable to Cocteau Twins, Blonde Redhead, Pink Floyd, Peter Gabriel, AIR, SigurRos, Stereolab, Michael Brook, Lush, Mercury Rev, Talk Talk, Snow Patrol, Ultravox and Bowery Electric.In July 2012, the duo did something rather innovative – they released the band's first two albums at the same time. Two full-length albums. These are not EPs, not singles, but two fully-loaded disks. And they are polished.”    ~ Floga-Se 

http://www.botequimdeideias.com.br/flogase/ummagma-antigravity-e-ummagma/

“Love gives form to more love. That's the way it works and listening to the album "Ummagma", clearly this seems to reach the individual unsuspecting listener, who has no idea that he will be immersed in this realm of beauty and stunning diversity… Two things are quite impressive: when they sing in unison, and they show the mastery in performing songs in such a wide range of styles – somewhat like a woman who looks great in whatever she wears.This album is highly recommended to lovers of the following musical genres: indie rock, post-rock, post-punk, dream pop, power pop, ambient, ethereal, shoegaze (newgaze), progressive rock and even folk rock.” ~ Music Wizard

http://music-wizard.tumblr.com/post/29254464958/ummagma-ummagma-ummagma-which-i-discovered

“Back in July, Ummagma pulled a bold maneuver and decided to release not one, but two, albums as their introduction to the music world. Fortunately, they've been getting quite a bit of good press, and the albums have been picking up some steam. I sat down and listened to both albums back to back before I wrote my original feature, and the payoff was an extremely rewarding listen.”~ The Record Stache

http://www.therecordstache.com/2012/08/ummagma-antigravity-self-titled-part-2.html

“With years of working together, this duo has evolved in musical terms, so that, at this stage, they have come to produce an expressive mix of essential and ambient songs inspired by Shauna’s beautiful vocals.This finally brings us to Ummagma’s two albums. Each of them is special and certainly resents a strong beginning of a phrase highlighted by their lyrics and the remarkable and descriptive music they create. Their music has touched on not one or two, but many many more musical genres so that their first two albums effectively have something to offer everyone.”

~ Terapija.net 

http://www.terapija.net/mjuzik.asp?ID=14814

“For those who have not yet encountered Ummagma’s music, their first two albums brought the world an epic soundscape mixture of dreampop, progressive rock, post-rock, post-punk, ethereal/ambient, and indie rock rarely seen since the early 4AD era. This latest release represents a welcome addition to the band’s repertoire as it takes them beyond their already-wide range of musical genres into what appears to be new and welcoming territory.” ~ Musica Media

http://ourmusicmedia.blogspot.com/2012/09/everything-ukraine-new-single-from.html

"While the former work shows a more upbeat and sunny facet of Ummagma, the latter reveals a hazier aura…[they] go wider and incorporate a rich cosmos of musical influences, ranging from Acoustic Folk to Electronics (yeah, they live in pure harmony there) with a strong Dream Pop/Shoegaze-esque signature in a very natural way, as if it's just natural for them to gravitate (sic) in such spheres. Wherever they point their guitars and effects, if they decide to turn off the sonic lights or not, doesn't matter; the results are always great and can easily bring the listener to stellar dimensions." ~ Lovers Who Are Seekers 

http://loverswhoareseekers.blogspot.com.br/

"Antigravity" offers a full bouquet of diversity, similar to that which we see in the self-titled album "Ummagma"... There seems to be quite a bit more melancholy and inward reflection in the second album, while the first album seems to have a higher level of notable 'drive'. Both are wonderful and mysterious because there is so much to discover here and that discovery continues to take place with each repeated listen.” ~ Music Wizard

http://music-wizard.tumblr.com/post/29257545068/this-is-the-second-entry-about-ummagma-mainly

“In an era where fear seems to be the main instinctive driver for many musicians, this duo seems to stay far from such territory and these releases certainly are powerful enough to reach audiences around the world because these songs are timeless.” ~ CanibalVegetariano

http://canibalvegetariano77.blogspot.com/2012/08/estreia-em-dose-dupla.html?spref=tw

“Ummagma’s music entails a layered combination of influences from dream pop, jazz and progressive rock with what appears to be North European music metaphors, with their sounds largely like a rich fusion of SigurRos, Cocteau Twins, Stereolab, Blonde Redhead and Peter Gabriel. It is dreamy, lovely and positively energetic, with all of their songs pleasantly differing from each other. Most importantly, Ummagma’s music is rather unique and doesn’t quite sound like anything else that we’ve heard before. Highly recommended for listening…[they] have nevertheless managed to make some pretty amazing music.”

~ Journal “apopülerdergi’ (original in Turkish)

http://www.apopulerdergi.com/2012/08/ummagma-mutevazi-ama-ozel-bir-grup.html

“Ummagma is a group comprised of Alexx Kretov, who is Ukrainian, and Shauna McLarnon, who is Canadian. Together they have managed to create music that covers the current indie spectrum from its various tangents: folk, post-rock, dream pop and still others, offering listeners an elusive ambient aspect, which is subtle and light, while drumming up imagery of dreamy places graced with highly cinematic touches.” ~ Cassette Blog (original in Spanish)

http://www.cassetteblog.com/2012/08/batallon-indie-vol-21/

“In a short window of time, not only have they given us 24 wonderful audio tracks, but also 5 video clips, every one of which is worthy of attention… The product [of the video clip for the song “Upsurd”] is an exquisite juxtaposition of gorgeous uplifting male and female vocals with magnificent music against the backdrop of a mirror-like video of what is wrong with our society… It seems that the pair have revealed yet another of their talents.” ~ Musica Media

http://ourmusicmedia.blogspot.com/2012/08/ummagma-upsurd-by-cyrille-clement.html?showComment=1344723485690#c388177353849664552

Ummagma’s music encompasses several genres of music – post-rock, post-punk, dream pop, nugaze, ambient/ethereal, and progressive rock Similar artists/ sounds like: Cocteau Twins, SigurRos, Blonde Redhead, AsobiSeksu, Pink Floyd, Peter Gabriel, AIR, Stereolab, Michael Brook, Robert Fripp, Richard Barbieri, Lush, Exit Music, Mercury Rev, Talk Talk, Snow Patrol, Ultravox, Spiritualized, James Blake, Violet Indiana and Bowery Electric. ~ Capas de Culto

http://capasdeculto.blogspot.com/2012/09/ummagma-antigravity-and-ummagma-2012.html

Ummagma is an extremely captivating band filled with brilliant music paths of emotions… They remind me of the brilliant early ambient music years of 4AD Records artists… I see a tremendous drive and vision in Ummagma… I can’t see anything, but superb music roads ahead by this brilliant duo.”

~ FORKSTER "Rocks It Out" (originally posted July 27, 2012 & every week after)

http://tinyurl.com/caarlp8 (original posted on www.facebook.com/FORKSTER)

While the music on Ummagma’s first two albums presents a mix of dreampop, progressive rock, post-rock, post-punk, ethereal/ambient, and indie rock, this latest release continues to demonstrate the flexibility of their sound. 

~ Canibal Vegetariano

http://canibalvegetariano77.blogspot.com/2012/09/unidos-em-prol-da-boa-musica-ummagma-e.html?spref=tw

Other press coverage (interviews/charts/etc.):

What I Learned at Bandcamp: Ummagma(detailed interview)

~ The Spec Blog  

http://thespecblog.com/music-2/bandcamp/learned-bandcamp-ummagma/

Victorialand with Ummagma - An Interview(detailed interview)

~ The Blog That Celebrates Itself

http://www.theblogthatcelebratesitself.blogspot.com.br/2012/08/victorialand-with-ummagma-interview.html

Band of the Week 9th to 15th September 2012(Ummagma is at #2)

~ Indie Bands Blog

http://www.indiebandsblog.com/indie-bands-blog-round-up/band-of-the-week/band-of-the-week-9th-to-15th-september-2012

TOP-10: September 2012 (Ummagma is at #2 throughout August& Sept)

http://blog.indiedarkroom.com/index.php/indie-darkroom-top-10-september-2012/

Ummagma – Antigravity

~ Eden is Neon

http://edenisneon.blogspot.com/2012/09/ummagma-antigravity.html

“Ummagma has come up with a wildly inventive reach for all corners of the indie world. Post Rock, Dream Pop, Indie, Jazz and more are stirred into a masterfully polished moment of beauty.”

~Charlie Nieland, Her Vanished Grace (USA)

http://bandcamp.com/recommended/hervanishedgrace

30 Bands/Musicians Better Than Oasis

~ The Fire Station

http://scottheaton1000.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/30-bandsmusicians-better-than-oasis.html

Espira - Bajo Tus Sueños - (EP Completo) HQ