Colder, Again (side A)

In 2002, slick commercial rock acts like LCD Soundsystem and The Rapture updated post-punk aesthetics with a cleanliness reminiscent of Radiohead or Massive Attack to score sizable hits and lasting careers.  Their work, however, lacked the dark austerity that gave power to the canonical post-punk bands that they loosely aped.  In comparison, on 2003's Again, Colder combined the darkness of post-punk with an even more extreme austerity that referenced then-contemporary minimal techno.  While less friendly than his hitmaking peers, his songwriting and vocal performances are both fantastically executed, and the rhythm programs rivaling acts like M15 and Jetone, who focused solely on the programming.  Again also sounds beautiful and clean but never sterile, and a particularly great vinyl cut helps the quality really shine.  The simple but impressive package, designed by Colder's Marc Nguyen Tan, fits the music and his overall vision seamlessly. 

The Dead C, Eusa Kills (side A)

The Dead C have developed such a refined and recognizable style that it's hard to imagine them as a young band seeking an identity.  In 1989, when they released Eusa Kills, the Dead C were far removed from the style with which they're associated today.  "Bad Politics" is a memorable classic from 1988's The Sun Stabbed EP.  "Bad Politics" features some recognizable traits of the group, like a heavily distorted guitar sound and vocals that are more spoken than sung, but it's also one of the group's most conventionally-structured songs, with consistent vocal melodies and clearly recognizable verses and choruses.  Eusa Kills backs off of the distortion a bit, which feels like a step away from the band's mature sound.  While vocals still are a focal element, they're now being used to move away from conventional verses and choruses, and into gradually more abstract structures.  While "Phantom Power" is friendly and engaging compared to later Dead C music, its six-plus minute duration explores structural experiments that would quickly grow central to the band's style.  The primitive recording quality is another trait that has remained consistent through the Dead C's 25 years of evolution, and the murky cover photo and coarse design hint at the more iconic images for which they're best remembered.

Caboladies, Live Anywhere (side A)

2010's Live Anywhere captures the duo incarnation of this Chicago electronic group.  The band members seem to be young, so it's somewhat unsurprising that they draw influences from current electronic music.  There's an element of chaotic noise from the Wolf Eyes school, and an element of synth freakiness reminiscent of artists like Keith Fullerton Whitman or Ben Vida.  The surprising part is when historical referents sneak in — their approach to sound also reveals obvious traces of Bruce Gilbert and early Cabaret Voltaire.  Where those artists used simple, repetitive structures, Caboladies blend the early-80s influences into more modern, freer structures.  Each track explores a relatively constrained set of sonic ideas, in what appears to be a loose improvisation developing this palette.  Sounds from their different sonic realms coexist within each track.  The structures of the pieces, and even the interplay between the musicians, seem less important than the open-ended exploration of sounds for the joy of finding what can exist.  The lack of evolution, despite the constant movement, is both an obvious limitation, and also a simple charm.  The simple black-and-white cover design fits closely with other current electronic works, moreso than referencing the contents in a meaningful way.  The austere, direct recording feels slightly rough, but draws little attention to itself.