Cupp Cave - Retina Waves (CD, Vinyl LP)

The debut release from Ramp Recordings (impressively on vinyl as well as budget priced CD) almost got into difficulties being only millimetres away from touching my discarded apple which was stupidly left on the desk. Yes, I have not heard of bins. Following that near-disaster, I'm really enjoying the sounds emanating from this release. It's that kind of soothing underwater sounding electronic music that takes influence from instrumental hip hop, Boards of Canada style pastoral electronica and the more drifty end of chill wave. The opening tracks sound a little like Flying Lotus adrift in a vat of mushy peas, all muffled cloudy atmospheres and that distinctive phasing effect that they always use. Elsewhere there are housey beats but if you imagine the sound of Gas as listening to an outdoor techno concert three fields away, this is the sound of cotton wool in your ears, attempting to drift off into an alcohol fuelled sleep whilst downstairs the bleeps continue through the night. Its a hazy, heavenly drift of a sound, hugely atmospheric yet unafraid to throw in some mean sounding beats. A slightly disconcerting, dreamy, drifting masterpiece of murky broken beats and shadowy haunted atmospheres. Gorgeous.