29 May 2012
alt-j - 'an awesome wave'
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I'd heard snippets before of this album but this has been the first chance to hear the entire album and I think the comparisons with XX, Maccabees, James, Gomez...even Stornoway are pretty accurate. Remember this is their debut album so it really is amazing just how much of a finished article it sounds. They have a blues-y feel and it suits the narration style of the songwriting down to a tee. It's not as whimsical as I first imagined but the harmonies are very soulful and they are all accomplished musicians that harks back to those early James albums, Strip-Mine in particular. Overall, the album has a lovely balance to it and one that I will keep coming back to when I get a chance to buy it (it is released this week).
I got into an online argument that I really shouldn't have over the weekend where I rushed to the defence of new music. Someone, rather pompously in my opinion, declared that modern acts are relatively talentless compared with those of yesteryear. It's bands such as Alt-J and others that make me so excited about music and they are the reason I spend far too much time hunting down and getting so evangelical about music. They are the raison d'être for this blog.
Right, enough tub-thumping from me and I'll leave you in peace to listen to what could be one of the albums of the year.
28 May 2012
the low anthem
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Two tracks from the Low Anthem, the first is from their Charlie Brown album of a few years back; this is them in session with the familiar line-up.
And from an earlier incarnation with Daniel Lefkowitz.
florence and the machine - 'spectrum (calvin harris remix)'
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He's never been one to shy away from a "wave your hands in the air" disco tune, has our Calvin. He's done it again with this Florence and the Machine remix that you will probably be hearing lots of over the next few months.
ike and tina turner - 'proud mary'
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In honour of John Fogerty who wrote this song, he's 67 today. Just look at the energy they put into the second part of this video. I'm worn out just watching it!
nóló - 's.j. (fm belfast remix)'
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They don't just make good music, they mix pretty well too. Here's a mix they did for fellow Icelanders, Nóló. It reminds me in part of Lykke Li's 'I Follow Rivers'.
faye - 'water against the rocks'
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After a name change to make her a bit more web-friendly for British audiences, she returns as Faye with this massive tune complete with stunning video.She's definitely got the right voice for this kind of electronic power pop following on from fellow countrywomen Fever Ray and Lykke Li which makes me think that the Swedish/English accent must play a part in that. This song is definitely one of those that lays its intentions bare from the start as an anthem and then duly delivers on its promise.
tibetan youth
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Let's just make one thing clear, they're not from Tibet but rather Halifax, West Yorkshire. Their music is a rather wonderful mix of classical, almost Oriental and operatic and this track, Lullaby is a really good showcase for their talents. The video itself is as difficult to pin down as the music but I think I may have seen parts of it before in a Casiokids video (just in case you wondering!)
27 May 2012
sunday bloody sunday
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Leonard Cohen - 'Tower of Song'
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - 'Cassiel's Song'
Sandie Shaw - 'Always Something There To Remind Me'
26 May 2012
crystal fighters - 'earth island (ldr4 life remix)'
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Last one of the night from me and this is a very intense remix of Crystal Fighters 'Earth Island'. It's almost unrecognisable from the original which to my ears sounds Oriental, minimalist and other worldly. This, on the other hand is definitely of this planet, probably in the zone at 3.15 am in a cool as f**k nightclub somewhere in East London. I'm now reaching double figures for hitting the rewind button on this and would be here for some hours yet if freshly laundered bed linen on my bed wasn't seducing me.
This is a seriously good remix.
cairo - 'i like blue beat'
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I heard this song once on Radio 1 on (I think) Peter Powell's early evening radio show way back in 1980, I was 11 at the time and I remember thinking just how good it was. It stuck in my mind over the years and I finally tracked down a copy in a record shop in Soho in the early 90s. I lost it soon after without actually hearing it again and it was only a few years ago that this tune started popping up on the internet.
It's funny how certain songs stick in the mind and I distinctly remember what I was doing and where I was when I heard it too. This is all the more remarkable as I have huge gaps in what I remember from my childhood. Whether it's just that time has addled the brain or there was a group meeting of my memory banks and they decided not to recollect what was a pretty tough time for me, who knows but I guess it goes to show how important music has always been for me.
This is what could best be described as underground British ska and definitely marks a time when the lines between pop and ska were becoming more and more blurred.
chromatics - 'kill for love'
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I love all the current wave of neo-New Wave bands out there at the moment. At this point I'm rather pleased with that terribly pun in the first sentence, tomorrow I shall probably regret it. Ah well, let me tell you about this new song, the title track from the new album from the Oregon-based Chromatics. They are signed to THE record label that have done more to push New Wave back onto the musical agenda. I'm talking of course about Italians Do It Better. The whole album has an anthemic feel to it and the female vocals help to lift it brilliantly whilst carefully avoiding the trap of slipping into a power ballad. Why is it that all New Wave sounds like it's sung with an English accent? It's a great album and one of my tips for the critics' top 100 for 2012.
sun kil moon - 'king fish'
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This is my favourite track from his new album 'Among the Leaves' which is currently receiving a lot of critical acclaim. This tune particularly sounds very Will Oldham but the album overall has more of a feel of a Lambchop or Midlake album rather than Bonnie Prince Billy. It's quite a deep album with the music and lyrics a lot heavier than the deliberately pretentious track titles. I won't spoil the surprise but if you fancy a giggle, you can read them here.
sin fang - 'walk with you'
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Truth be told, I'm shattered. I've had a lovely day with my 2 sons down on Hove Lawns and the weather has been what can only be described as glorious but we were out all day and the heat has finally beaten me. There's still time for some music though, there's always time for music and so I'm keeping the tempo down and the mood lighting low with this live performance from Sindri Már Sigfússon.
frankie smith - 'double dutch bus'
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This, folks, is the equivalent of hip hop sampling royalty. It's a great tune in its own right, too.
24 hours of vinyl
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The concept is simple. Some music buffs invite their friends over, they play the music for the next 24 hours and it's all broadcast live via the internet. The only proviso is it's all vinyl. You can follow it here and I recommend you listen to even just a small part of it. The music is extremely eclectic and there's a lovely warm feeling to it all as if you've been invited to a housewarming. Watch the video below to see highlights of the last one.
And what is my favourite vinyl? Not sure but the Sugarcubes 'Here Today, Tomorrow, Next Week' could be a candidate.
25 May 2012
yes, yes, yes!
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This is the original of 'No, No, No' by Dawn Penn and still, in my eyes, the best. Perfect for a sunny day. Shame I'm inside and working!
alex kenji - 'adelante'
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This is still my favourite minimal techno track. When the Spanish guitar kicks in, it just sends me into raptures.
how to operate with a blown mind
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I've been racking my brains for a seriously funky summer album and I'm reminded of the Lo Fidelity Allstars classic. I don't listen to this album as often as I should. Here's the title track from the album and then Lazer Sheep Dip Funk, an impossibly catchy dance number.
walls - 'raw umber/twilight (viogt and voigt remix)'
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This has Kompakt writ large across the whole track. Out on 28th May this remix is on Walls new album: 'Coracle Remixe'. Certainly one for the shopping list!
hundreds - 'under the icicles' ep
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I plugged this band last year and their track 'I Love My Harbour' was one of my tunes of 2011. It seems that they will be under the radar so to speak for the foreseeable future, busy with making a new album but in the meantime they've left us with a free 5 track EP. You can download it here. It's got a couple of covers and a remix of the aforementioned 'Harbour' track. I'm not so sure about the remix to be honest. The track is powerful as an ethereal piece and I'm not sure the dubstep treatment was required.
This is also on there and much more in keeping with the tone.
23 May 2012
22 May 2012
world goth day
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Apparently it's World Goth Day so it's only right I play something suitably Gothic. I've picked something very controversial here, I've gone for one hit wonder Q Lazzarus with 'Goodbye Horses'. I think it qualifies as Goth and will argue the case until I'm blue in the face. And we can't have this song without Buffalo Bill mincing around.
"It puts the lotion in the basket!"
nick drake - 'saturday sun'
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A few years ago, whilst on holiday in Ibiza I discovered that lovely sunny days and Nick Drake go hand in hand. Okay, it's not Saturday but this still works very well. It's a bittersweet feeling that I find so much solace in his music and clearly Nick Drake couldn't. It's such a shame.
icona pop in session
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This is only about half an hour long but don't let that put you off, this is an awesome little set. The Swedish ladies rock the house down.
Here's the set list (just wait until they really get going with 'I Love It'):
Sun Goes Down
Rocket Science
I Love It
Manners
Nights Like This
Top Rated
Weekend
jenna andrews - 'unhappy ending (solo remix)'
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Unbelievably, this is available as a free download here. It's got a kind of old school Eartha Kitt-esque feel to it with a stripped back techno sound to it that isn't quite minimal but certainly not full on either. It's a real slow burner too that will grab you by the end and have you hitting the 'rewind' button.
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