Articles
2008 Ten Favourite Labels
Ten Questions Celer
Ten Questions Deadbeat

Albums
Anzio Green
Ariel Abshire
Osman Arabi
Arastoo & AEMAE
Asymmetrical Head
Benoît Pioulard
Bohren & der Club of Gore
Matt Borghi
Celer
Cubenx
Anders Dahl
Davis & Roux
Deadbeat
Feu Follet
Formication
Generic
Stefan Goldmann
Gultskra Artikler / Lanterns
Hauschka
Hexes & Ohs
Koen Holtkamp
I Am Robot And Proud
Illusion of Safety
Integral
Koen Park
Akira Kosemura
Koushik
Library Tapes
Lineland
Mamiffer
Melodium
Moon
Oppressed By The Line
Pillars and Tongues
Rumpistol
Kamran Sadeghi
Sans Serif
Signal Deluxe
Skogen
Saul Stokes
Matthew Sweet
Tapage
Thursday / Envy
Windy & Carl

Compilations / Mixes
An Taobh Tuathail II
Chaos Restored 2
DFPRMX
Kuniyuki
Message Subatomic World
Pero es olor en el cuarto...

EPs
Canyons!
Budhaditya Chattopadhyay
Cubenx
Dokuro
Fraction
Lee Holman
Ikonika
King Midas Sound
Michael Lambright
Library Tapes
Lilienweiss
MRK1
:papercutz
Spencer Parker
Poratz
Spartak + John Chantler
Andy Vaz

Koushik: Out My Window
Stones Throw

Out My Window, the official debut by Canadian-bred Koushik Ghosh (Dundas, Ontario to be exact), carves out an inviting space despite the fact that its decades-spanning blend of ‘60s-styled folk, prog synths, and dusty hip-hop beats feels rather unassuming in tone, even offhand. While that throwaway vibe is reinforced by song titles like “Coolin” and “Forest Loop,” Koushik's music charms despite its modest character. A major reason for that is his ethereal singing (particularly serenading on the dreamy ballad “Ifoundyou” and “Out My Window”), which is lighter-than-air in that classic Garfunkel mode. Complementing that are mellow, SP-303-constructed jams that weave beats, strings, guitars, flutes, harpsichords, mellotrons, Moog samples, and bass lines into crisp backings.

Given the manner of construction, it doesn't surprise that the songs sometimes sound like multiple songs bundled into arresting wholes. “Be With,” for example, is, on the one hand, a gentle singer-songwriter exercise of acoustic guitars, flute, and breathy vocals, and on the other a dusty groove of subtly funky bass lines and laid-back beats. The patchwork style is most evident on “In a Green Space” where the slow drift of his vocal line, soul-jazz groove, and funk bass line converge despite originating from entirely different locales. Koushik would appear to be a bit of an anomaly, considering the Stones Throw roster, but the rambunctious funk groove powering “Bright and Shining” aligns him to label compadre James Pants. Most of Out My Window's songs are refreshingly short and to the point, with Koushik dropping an occasional instrumental interlude in amongst the vocal cuts, including “Welcome,” which neatly pairs a Tarkus-styled synth sample with beat rumble, and “Forest Loop,” which takes the listener on a laid-back flute-and-beats stroll. It's an appealing collection, overall, if one modest in its artistic ambition.

November 2008