Bandcloud 121! Aidan is on holiday so it's ya boy Tayyab Amin filling in. Unfortunately, I've ended up not listening to very much music at all this week (sorry everyone). But here's what my feeds have been looking like. Kinda.

SHXCXCHCXSH - SsSsSsSsSsSsSsSsSsSsSsSsSsSsSs
I'm writing about this here with the hope that I'll never have to type that title or even their name ever again. The artist, whose name we shall not repeat, is actually a mysterious experimental techno duo because of course. But really, off the back of the amazing Linear S Decoded from a couple of years ago, also on Avian, there's been high expectations for this record. And the new one really does live up to it: truly dynamic, sensually and intimidatingly textural, and fascinatingly detailed. 

Mount Bank - Fanfare For A Better Life
Everything I've heard on Donky Pitch so far has been pure Skies of Arcadia vibes. Or at least, Terra Incognita on Net Yaroze PSX. Anyway, the opener to Mount Bank's Counter Real is no different.

IZY - Soakin'
Produced by Juxman, this IZY track is tight. Grime synths on a hip-hop template with IZY's smoky multilayered flow ricocheting all over the show. Out on Bootleg Tapes, who've previously featured Celestial Trax, DJ NJ Drone and C L E A N E R S.

Kilbourne - Angelfish
KUNQ's Kilbourne comin' thru with the hardstyle on Sourland. I'm a big fan of this track, which is probably the least hard of the bunch - it's got the loveliest icy teardrop melody. The way Kilbourne paces the track and manipulates the shards of these textures is unreal.

Gundam - Intimate
Cassie's Long Way 2 Go gets the RnG treatment on this new one from Gundam. A lot of people will know GCA from that MssingNo EP but let me just reiterate: the Rudeboyz EP is the one and I've played out their Moleskin release too many times to count.

Lil Uzi Vert - $UB ZERO ++
Okay I know I said I haven't listened to much music at all this week but the little I have listened to has all been Lil Yachty and Lil Uzi Vert. Here's the latter on a Maaly Raw beat. Slurry rap delivery, catchphrase streams of consciousness, firewire beat.

Tirzah - obviously
Tirzah's been dropping heaters for a minute, and she just threw a few bits on SoundCloud. This one's all propulsive instruments, cold, vacuous atmospherics and breathless vocal repetition that may as well be MCing. Caught in the moment.

James Ferraro - Ten Songs For Humanity
Remember when all of Ferraro's music was unnervingly happy corporate capitalist commentary? I FEEL LIKE FERRARO

BADBADNOTGOOD - Confessions Pt II ft. Colin Stetson
Indie's go-to avant-jazz saxophonist who's just reimagined a classical album, now found jamming with our generation's favourite contemporary cover band-gone-original. Somehow, it slaps.

ssaliva & djwwww - rev
Hyper-textural shards of shattered gunswords and broken gundams, falling like angels.

Aziza Hilmi - Wahawi
There are so many people re-upping classical and traditional Arabic joints on SC. For me it's lovely to hear because I can develop my relationship with the language outside of the recitation of Qur'an. Here's a 1927-8 cut that features the qanun, a string instrument deployed in bayati maqam in this instance. According to some guy on a forum somewhere, the song's usually Ramadhan-themed, though not in this instance.

Person of Interest - Fly Risk
POI has been the one since What You Think You Want - a tune that seemed to float around forever before being released on L.I.E.S. This one's more percussive, squelchy and insular. Unsurprisingly, POI staves off the melody for as long as possible, turning a dirty house track into an intricate dance.

Thanks for bearing with me and thank you Aidan for letting me get behind the wheel for a second. Unless I'm much mistaken, fellow Truant Eradj will be staffing Bandcloud's front of house this time next week. Until then, you're welcome to give me a follow on Twitter here.

- Tayyab