MeFi Music

Music seems to 'feel' so much better when you sit back and just listen to music, without thinking about the pigeon-holes that have been slapped on a song or even your own temptation to categorize it into this or that genre. This is something I've always believed but recently it occurred that the same goes for the song-writing process. Much better to feel free of genre-related limitations. This Ummagma track was one such track that was written free of the need to pigeon-hole. [more inside]
posted by Brodyaga on Aug 30, 2015 - 1 comment

Psychedelica as embodied in music is not always about rowdy trippy cagey delivery and a catchy spacey or 'wow' riff…. sometimes psychedelica can drift unassumingly into the realm of melancholia, which is where this Ummagma song firmly rests. [more inside]
posted by Brodyaga on Nov 19, 2014 - 0 comments

OK - not exactly a sing-along and not exactly the kind of song you can imagine a sing-along happening to, but there is something to be said for the harmony established between two voices in a song, even if they are not singing in tandem. This is, indeed, one of those songs where I think that kind of love-in has been achieved, at least sonically.
posted by Brodyaga on Nov 12, 2014 - 1 comment

Sonic Youth has been a big influence on many modern-day bands and Ummagma is definitely one of them, as is evident from one listen to "Back to You". The hazy gazey sounds here build into a kind of intentional dreamscape. [more inside]
posted by Brodyaga on Jul 26, 2014 - 2 comments

Fusion confusion. The meshing of musical genres found in this Ummagma track represent a fusion, reflecting the confusion that is so commonplace nowadays in this world - simply absurd and rising. Hence the name Upsurd.
posted by Brodyaga on Jun 10, 2014 - 1 comment

When a musician, who has self-recorded and mixed everything (brilliant) he (she) has ever put out, eventually takes to creating a remix, the output can be somewhat spectacular. That is what happened when San Francisco shoegaze darkwave wonderkind Jane Woodman jumped into her very first remix for Ummagma 'Lama'. Hope you enjoy the output.
posted by Brodyaga on May 15, 2014 - 1 comment

Imagine a dream that entails a strange melange of light and dark and translate that into sonic form, albeit with angelic vocals. That is what this song represents. [more inside]
posted by Brodyaga on Apr 19, 2014 - 1 comment

Eastern European countries are home to remarkably sounding native folk music, and it is particularly welcome when any element, or even remnant, of that is mixed in with any form modern music. What a grande fusion it can be. That is what we feel happened with this song.
posted by Brodyaga on Apr 16, 2014 - 2 comments

The Road to Nowhere? No, the road to somewhere magical and fantastic, enjoying every moment encountered on the way. That is the idea guiding this song and the windy change-ups and ambient indietronic delights emerging as the song progresses.
posted by Brodyaga on Apr 13, 2014 - 1 comment

When you dig the original of a song so much that you can't imagine how anybody could possibly ever dissect it and re-embody it in an alternate format, sometimes you are pleasantly surprised when indeed someone comes along who capably does just that - with flair, good taste and a handful of cards up their sleeve, dealt ever so cleverly within the remix they have created. That's what we're talking about with this Sounds of Sputnik take on Ummagma's 'Lama'.
posted by Brodyaga on Apr 12, 2014 - 1 comment

Tides and lilts, ebbs and flows. Something romantic, yet superfluous permeates 'River Town', with a spacious element opening up for sweepingly dreamy female vocals. At least that's how we see this Ummagma track. [more inside]
posted by Brodyaga on Apr 11, 2014 - 2 comments

In the spirit of "Superstar" by legendary art-punk band Sonic Youth (who were covering The Carpenters chart-breaking track), here is 'Back to You'. Sonically similar, but content-wise very different. No superstar imagery from the perspective of a groupie here. Just some self-searching and hopefully grounding elements. [more inside]
posted by Brodyaga on Apr 5, 2014 - 3 comments

Eastern Europe has long been known as a mysterious place when it comes to music, spanning multiple genres, including music with a particular ethno-folk component. This is one of those songs. Well done Ummagma. [more inside]
posted by Brodyaga on Dec 27, 2013 - 1 comment

Actors are always celebrated for their chameleonic ability to change characters and roles. Ummagma possesses this quality, among a small number of shape-shifting bands currently out there. This song is very different from anything else created by Ummagma. Hope you enjoy this. [more inside]
posted by Brodyaga on Dec 22, 2013 - 3 comments

Ethereal wave is what they call this genre, but you can definitely sense elements of early 4AD-era postpunk, darkwave, shoegaze and postpunk here. The mood is a bit heavier and there is an outpouring of philosophy, moral and emotional reaction. Enjoy! [more inside]
posted by Brodyaga on Dec 18, 2013 - 2 comments

There is such a thing as light-imbued melancholy. This song shows that @Ummagma is among a cozy handful of bands nowadays who seem to thrive on achieving that combination. You can find Ummagma here too. [more inside]
posted by Brodyaga on Dec 17, 2013 - 3 comments

The lyrics to this Ummagma song seem very timely considering what is happening in the world these days, with a bed of music that drums up intensity. You might particularly enjoy the ending.
posted by Brodyaga on Dec 12, 2013 - 0 comments

I once herd the term "sound track for angels" and having Lisa Von H on vocals has certainly brought a sound track to reality!
posted by Sugar Cain on Dec 11, 2013 - 0 comments

This is one Ummagma track that has been totally turned on it's head, taking what was a dreampop folkrock-ish track and utterly transforming it into an whirling electro-dance track with traces of vocals from Shauna McLarnon. One slight change from the previous version. [more inside]
posted by Brodyaga on Dec 1, 2013 - 1 comment

This is one Ummagma track that has been totally turned on it's head, taking what was a dreampop folkrock-ish track and utterly transforming it into an whirling electro-dance track with traces of vocals from Shauna McLarnon. [more inside]
posted by Brodyaga on Nov 15, 2013 - 4 comments

If you ever thought that there was no place for a little drum n' bass in the world of shoegaze and dreampop, hopefully this song will prove you wrong :) Somewhat of a feel like Stereolab, Broadcast and Lush rolled into one. [more inside]
posted by Brodyaga on Jun 5, 2013 - 2 comments

The pulsing drive of this tune unquestionably has a swaying effect and, taken together with this song's layers and subtleties seems to make all the difference. Sway sway sway!!! [more inside]
posted by Brodyaga on May 9, 2013 - 0 comments

Imagine a carefree diva singing in a non-chalent way as she looks out the window of the passenger side during a road trip. The soundtrack to her ride is based on an indie rock slide-guitar laced tune, which builds in intensity throughout the ride until bang - confusion and collision. That is this Ummagma song in a nutshell, message and all. [more inside]
posted by Brodyaga on Apr 29, 2013 - 5 comments

Whispy male vocals and plenty of air for dream-weaving delicately frame this ethereal song. While "Photographer" is one of Ummagma's more melancholy songs, it's far from depressing. This one stands in the light. Features male vocals by Alexx Kretov (Ukraine).
posted by Brodyaga on Apr 20, 2013 - 0 comments

This remix of the track "Lama" does not outright flip the original version on its head, though it does dress it in a murkier shade of darkgaze (darkwave). The bright dreamy element from the original version spills over into this version too, so as to not detract from the original point of this song in the first place. I hope you enjoy it. Your feedback is most welcome.
posted by Brodyaga on Apr 1, 2013 - 0 comments

Indietronic ethno-ethereal fusion is how I would describe this Ummagma track, which is the first Ummagma song you've heard here with male vocals. I feel like this tune has a strong gypsy fusion lifeline running to it from some mysteriously brilliant source, call it what you will. :) Once again, any feedback is appreciated. We've also ventured into indietronic a little here.
posted by Brodyaga on Mar 29, 2013 - 1 comment

A love for the golden 4AD era, Pink Floyd and the likes of David Sylvian have all been woven into the thread of this music. "Lama" was both inspired by these bands and reflects their contribution to a new generation of musicmakers. Looking forward, but knowing where our roots lie… I sincerely hope you will all enjoy this Ummagma track. [more inside]
posted by Brodyaga on Mar 28, 2013 - 5 comments

It's funny how sometimes it takes all but a few minutes to write a song, while the development of another song can really stretch out. This was one of those stretches - "Risky" was a song that was written "in chunks" - the basic instrumental bit was written in Kyiv, Ukraine before a big move to western Ukraine and then to Canada, where the rest was written & recorded before finally being dragged back to Ukraine, where it was properly mixed and mastered. The time span from start to finish: 5 years. All that moving around was us, by the way, not just the tracks bouncing around in cyber space. Thus is the history of this track. I'm posting the lyrics too if anyone wants to have a go at them or "sing along" …. yeah, right… any feedback is welcome. Peace. [more inside]
posted by Brodyaga on Mar 26, 2013 - 4 comments