Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming (Mute, October 2011)

BBDLP1 (Coming Home, September 2011)

Ritual Union (Peacefrog, July 2011)

Christian Banks is a true music artist. His musical compositions are works of art; each song paints a vividly beautiful soundscape for your listening pleasure. Banks’ newest project, Walrus Ghost is, as Banks’ describes it, a necessary departure from his last musical endeavor- Las Flores Project. The music and style is different while remaining familiar enough to recognize the man behind the sound. It’s still Christian Banks at his finest, but in his 2008 release, Colores y Memorias, Banks’ style was heavily based on sampling and highly influenced by chill, jazz-infused hip hop instrumentalists. As Christian explains, his sound has changed since then, which leads us to the new project name:

“So why the new name? Basically, the music sounds different and is made different than how Las Flores Project’s music happened. I think that I definitely have some inherent processes and tendencies to sounds or instruments that may subconsciously or purposefully carry over from Las Flores Project to Walrus Ghost which consequently make some ideas or songs sound similar to Las Flores Project material; however, I feel that in general Walrus Ghost has a new and different sound. Walrus Ghost had to happen because a new Las Flores Project record didn’t make sense to me at this time. So much has changed for me in terms of music that I felt I needed to start from a clean slate.”

Walrus Ghost: Facebook / Soundcloud / Bandcamp / Blog / Official Home

Within and Without (Sub Pop, July 2011)

XI Versions of Black Noise (Rough Trade, April 2011)

Build A Rocket Boys! (Polydor, March 2011)

The collaboration between AM and Shawn Lee started after AM heard Lee’s Music and Rhythm album on the radio in Los Angeles (KJazz’s Miles Perlich to be exact). After reaching out to Lee via email the two became quick friends sharing a similar love for vintage grooves and ‘60s and ‘70s soundtrack music. The two decided to record together after AM played guitar on a few of Lee’s Ping Pong Orchestra shows (including KCRW’s “Morning Becomes Eclectic”) in the summer of 2010. Lee, armed with a four-track and other vintage tape machines in his London studio, started sending AM drum and percussion beats in December 2010. In Los Angeles, AM responded by writing and recording songs over the grooves, adding guitars, Casio synths, vocals and occasional bass and emailing the tracks back to Lee in London. Lee then added more instrumentation such as bass, keys, guitars, glockenspiel and other assorted instruments and mixed the tunes. The LA to London cyber collaboration results in a completely unique brand of “electro-soul”. Over the past few months fans could see their back and forth notes often written on Facebook. This new project sees the duo propel each other into their best work yet. AM’s honeyed vocals ride a driving percussion section straight into walls of shimmering guitars and glassy keyboards pulling elements as disparate as Gary Numan, Jorge Ben, and Ariel Pink into 3:54 of perfect future pop. Tweet it. Like it. #coolnewshite  -AM

“Little By Little”

“Codex”

Radiohead released digital copies of their new album, King of Limbs last Friday.  Although it’s only 8 tracks long, many Radiohead enthusiasts have speculated that there will be more songs included in the physical release, pointing out that the 8th track is called “Separator” in which Thom Yorke sings, “If you think this is over, then you’re wrong…” The tracks above, “Little By Little” and “Codex” are my two favorite tracks off King of Limbs.

King of Limbs (February 2011)