Tweaking Trays Presents

GOBBLE GOBBLE invades AA.

Tonight.

Gumby House.

Ann Arbor, MI.

Be there.

[REVIEW] Coma Cinema :::: Stoned Alone

     Coma Cinema's new album, Stoned Alone, dropped this past Monday on cassette and digital download via one of my favorite young labels, Arcade Sound Ltd, and boy what a treat it is.  From the softly smooth beginnings of "In Lieu Of Flowers" Mat Cothran's vocals creep into your head and whisper from a world of truth most bands take several years to find.  It's hard to describe the emotions associated with this album.  It's definitely sad music, but something about it makes me feel at peace with its depressed loneliness.  Where many bands transfer sad and somber sentiments through noncommittal lyrics, Coma Cinema's word choice and vocal delivery scream with raw and beautiful emotion that draw you in. Stoned Alone definitely seems be coming from a darker, more well defined, conceptual place than their last effort, Baby Prayers, but all of the elements that made their first album the pop gem that it was are still standing strong.

     "Only" is the album's quintessential slow builder, starting off with nostalgic chords on your grandmothers ancient and dusted house organ, and then picking up slowly to stumble through minimal drums and sparse but heavy piano stabs.  Sucker Punch comes at a noticeably faster pace than earlier tracks, following behind "Only" with a driving, harsher attitude that earlier tracks lack.  "One good death deserves another, one good death deserves another; gunna drive these feelings out of my heart and drown them in the lake."  I guess now is as good a time as any to mention how soothing Mat's falsetto ooh's feel throughout the whole album, and the end of Sucker Punch if a perfect example of how they give many songs that extra push to drown you in blissful sound.

     By Bath Of Time the album briefly reaches a more upbeat chord progression, but the screechy synth/guitar noises that trade musical moments with the verse serve as reminder of the emotional space where this album came from: somewhere in the uncomfortable and undeniable beauty of solitude.  Blissed brings us back home as the second to last track, and comes as a much more blatantly sad but beautiful piece of dwindling high guitar and lethargic drumming, building slowly only to be drowned out by synths and soon after die to make room for the albums closer, Have You?: a painfully honest fingerpicked lullaby.

Sing me to sleep Coma Cinema---

Really great video for "Only" by Tyler T Williams.  Below preview album opener, "In Lieu of Flowers", and check out a remix I did for Sucker Punch-- enjoi>

mp3:

Coma Cinema - In Lieu of Flowers

Coma Cinema - Sucker Punch (Kohwi Remix)

Buy Coma Cinema :::: Stoned Alone via Arcade Sound on Cassette+Dgtl for $5+shpping (for realz, you won't regret it)

Kohwi - Blindlights Mix

So this is a mix that I started at least a few months back, but it had to take a back seat to some more pressing projects for a while.  School ended, I found myself with some more free time on my hands, and finally got around to finishing this little set.

Today I bring you Tweaking Trays' second mixtape: Kohwi - Blindlights Mix.

A 30-minute set that strives for variety similar to that of a freeform radio show ala my weekly bit on WCBN here in Ann Arbor.  These are all tracks that have really hit me hard over the past year, mostly recent stuff, but there's also some songs that are a little older, tracks that I've recently discovered, or tunes that I just feel never got enough love.  So get yourself in bed, turn on some trippy mood lighting, crank this through your A grade studio headphones, and enjoy the BlindLights.

Tracklist:

1. DM Stith - Abraham's Song (Bibio remix)

2. Mount Kimbie - Vertical

3. Luke Vibert - Porn Shirtwee

4. Mobius Band - The Loving Sounds Of Static (Junior Boys RMX)

5. MillionYoung - Chlorophyl

6. Andre Nickatina - Killa Whale

7. Venetian Snares - Eurocore MVP

8. Static - Untitled

9. Toro Y Moi - Lissoms

10. New Villager - Genghis On

11. Machinedrum - Freshkids (Fresh Edit)

12. Dan Deacon - Snake Mistakes

13. of Montreal - Id Engager (Diplo Mad Decent Mix)

14. Fizzy Dino Pop - Space

15. Alice Russel - Universe (Dave Da Gatos F_uck-up The Festivals Bounce)

16. Dizzee Rascal & Armand Van Helden - Bonkers (Doorly Dubstep Remix)

17. Modem - Three-Year-Old Slug

18. Ernest Gonzales - When You Are Lost I Will Find You

Kohwi - BlindLights Mix

Ps. The new spring schedule begins tomorrow for WCBN.  My show, The Magical Mystery Hour, will be Monday's 3-5:30 from now through the end of June, and fellow tweaker Gargamell will also be storming the airwaves Wednesday nights 11pm-1am right after the Local Music Show.  You can stream 'cbn online ALL THE TIME!

Now I'm out to listen to a live broadcast of Toro Y Moi & Caribou in DC via NPR.  Check it out -- 

-djdrbegone

Tweaking Trays brings you our 1st single!!

Our favorite knob-twister Kohwi just finalized his first single release with "The Otter Twice." We could not be more excited to bring you this work that incorporates field recordings, glitched loops, and guitar drones. These techniques combine to form a chaotic mesh that slowly dissipates and evolves into a bed of warm synthetic textures and a driving backbeat that carries the song through to the end.  Kohwi is currently working on his debut full length (as of yet, untitled) which is due to drop sometime in late summer / early fall 2010.


Kohwi - The Otter Twice (TT002)











And, as always here at Tweaking Trays, we have it for you fo' free!! That's right. We don't believe in money:

>>>>>>Download via Bandcamp
>>>>>>Download via Mediafire


(these links are also on our releases page. Ch-ch-ch-chch-checkitout!)

Oh ya, and stay tuned for our COMPILATIONS EP!!! (artists and songs tba, but we have a bundle of tracks that we're excited about--just ain't quite finalized yet)

With much tweaking love, pride and joy,
Pacman XD

News on the Tweaking Horizon!

Don't know what's going on wherever you are, but the weather in Ann Arbor has gotten soo nice recently.....I think we can say it's spring?

So HOOORAYY FOR SPRING!


Lots of sweet news on the Tweaking front....


1.  Mellows @ UMMA!

Mellows will be performing @ UMMA (Univ. of Michigan Museum of Art) in the commons this Thursday at 8:00pm alongside local folk hero Nathan K.  The commons is the glassed in area facing the diag (not the glassed in area with the rotating art exhibit).  It's usually filled with tables and chairs, but those will be cleared out for the show.  The show is part of UMMA's monthly Third Thursday performance series.

RSVP on the facebook Event HERE!

2.  Subvader single to be released on Trenchant next month!

We've just gotten word from Trenchant Dubs that their compilation EP feat. Subvader's "Y'all Can't Handle Me" will be released sometime next month (April)...so mark your calendars.  Pete (subvader) has also been working diligently on finishing up the rest of the tracks for his Arctica EP, which is due to drop sometime this summer.

Y'all Can't Handle Me by Subvader


3.  Kohwi remixes Seams + more...

Introducing Tweaking's most recent addition to the crew:  I bring you Kohwi.

Seams - Nightcycles (Kohwi Remix)  by  Kohwi


Unfortunately, the final product wasn't finished in time for it to go on Seams' Nightcycles + RMXS 12" release (set for April 26th on Tough Love Records), but if you subscribe to Seams' email list, you do get the Kohwi remix as a bonus free download.

Aside from the Nightcycles Remix, there are a couple other great tracks worth checking out if you head over to Kohwi's new and revamped myspace-home.  Future plans for Kohwi include a couple free singles TBA in the near future, and a stellar mixtape that should be hitting the tweaking site within the next two weeks.

4.  WCBN Fundraiser!

That's right.  We all here at tweaking sure as hell love WCBN, and from last Friday through next Sunday marks WCBN's official annual Fundraiser.  So remember, if you're a local, to proudly show your support  for your favorite 100% Volunteer Operated FREEFORM MAYHEM radio station.

On a personal note, I've got a special Fundraiser edition of DjDr Cornmuffin's Magical Mystery Hour lined up for Tomorrow/Tonight.  That's this Tuesday from 11pm-1am.  Should be a really great show, so be sure to tune in 88.3fm or stream it online!