Select Hippocamp Compilation MP3s

The Hippocamp netlabel has put together a pair of “summer compilation 2005” releases, 21 tracks in all. A good chunk of the entries bear the distinct mark of Aphex Twin like a bad sunburn (the playroom instrumentation that veers toward infantilism, whether or not you interpret it as a nod to John Cage’s toy pianos; the rubbery beats stretched to the breaking point). There’s also a fair amount of shoegazer rock and some 1980s flashbacks, including a cover of “Our Lips Are Sealed” (more Fun Boy Three than Go-Go’s, if you’re wondering), but even the more derivative entries are fun. There are quite few highlights, notably the first two tracks on the second volume in the series: Kams‘ “Garden” (MP3), which runs pixie-stick xylophone over a deeply intoned hum, with the odd break for sedate solo piano, and Autistici‘s “Some Subjective Space” (MP3), which actually sounds like seashells by the seashore, thanks to its windchime and a field recording of running water. Check the full set out at hippocamp.net.