Stirred curiosities - Delicate Steve (2/22 @ Lager House) + New Ghostly Comp + Echo Lake + Pupils?

Acquaint yourself with 23-year-old multi-instrumentalist Steve Marion - an up-and-coming solo composer (who tours with a full band)...as he's the lucky lad opening up for Akron/Family's Shinju TNT tour (on it's way here, Feb 22nd - Lager House). Marion's moniker is Delicate Steve and he's already proving himself to be have a mind as cracked-open to myriad avenues of musical expression, however eclectic it may be, just like his current tour mates. While still maintaining a subdued, lo-fi charm akin to any fuzz-grooved basement composer, the songs seem to be thinly veiling this potential for grander displays... Weirdly wrung, janglified guitars over confidently striding beats and a rips-right-through-you synth bass - this is the type of record I wish MGMT or Ratatat would make... but Steve doesn't have their production's oomph, obviously... maybe that's part of the allure.

Delicate Steve - "Butterfly"
"Wondervisions" Video:

Delicate Steve - "Wondervisions" Video (Feat. Nat Baldwin) from stereogum on Vimeo.

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Electro-congnoscentes Ghostly International continue to showcase groundbreaking work in the realms experimental music from around the world. Seven years ago they initiated a perception-challenging compilation, SMM, meant to herald the significant blurring of boundaries between classical minimalism, electronic and drone compositions, film soundtracks "and fragile imaginary landscapes."

SMM: Context continues in that vein and simultaneously acts as Ghostly's inaugeral collection in a new series of yearly compilations.

Here's a track (on Context) from Christina Vantzou (part of The Dead Texan with Kranky), an artist who reflects the compilations themes of multifaceted exploration (as she also works in illustration, audiovisual installations and graphic design.
Christina Vantzou - "11 Generations of My Fathers"

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While I have you - here's two tracks from an up-and-coming South London duo who will provide a fix for diggers of sublime shoegaze and woozy dream pop lullabies -

Echo Lake's main components, Linda Jarvis and Thom Hill are fresh out of art school and rounding out as a full band. The band has an EP out on No Pain In Pop that's likely to conjure plenty of Isn't Anything-era My Bloody Valentine - coarse but coaxing, spectral but somewhat sweet...

Echo Lake - "In Dreams"

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And then... there's this creature... recently having reared its head(s) at Small's in Hamtramck... stay tuned.