de-minimis: January 2017

31 January 2017

blue aeroplanes - 'here is the heart of all wild things'

I like the new Blue Aeroplanes album so much that I think I'll stick up another of their tunes. Brilliant.

tift meritt - 'eastern light (feat. sam beam)'

Oh boy, this is the good stuff. What a tune.

mark eitzel - 'just because'

This is a completely new name to me but I saw the new album for sale in Resident Records in Brighton on Saturday and had a quick listen and needless to say, I was very impressed. There's something of John Martyn about him. I was even more impressed to read that the album was made with Bernard Butler whose guitar playing is as distinctive and impressive as ever.

water music - 'hunter'

I've been following Water Music, a Melbourne-based musician, for some time now and his brand of cinematic synth and lo-fi is quite something to listen to. You really feel you are part of something other-worldly in that way that Radiohead and Sigur Ros can take you. The new album 'Starland' was released just a few days ago and if you can please do support this singer.

marcel dettman/ben klock - 'phantom studies'

This is from the Phantom Studies EP and is the 100th 12" from Techno label Ostgut Ton and it's a brooding, menacing beast of a track.

bellman - 'colored by you'

Anybody who knows me knows that I'm a sucker for Scandinavian dream-pop and so you can imagine my delight at discovering that Norwegian act Bellman has a new album out now.

toothless - 'sisyphus'

Toothless are the side-project of Bombay Bicycle Club's Ed Nash who has created a very nice slice of pop. It positively bubbles along and he's chosen his guest singers well too: Marika Hackman in particular. Highly recommended.

landlady - 'electric abdomen'

The first new album from the Brooklyn band in something like 3 years has been well worth the wait. It's a corker.

vanbot - 'collide (krasnoyarsk)'

How about some Swedish electro-pop? This is bloody good too.

30 January 2017

anohni - 'paradise'

This is taken from an upcoming EP and is really an extension of last year's album by the sound of it. Powerful stuff from a rejuvenated Anohni.

dirty projectors - 'up in hudson'

Try and pigeon-hole this track then. I dare you. It's bloody great though.

father john misty - 'pure comedy'

He may have a well-deserved reputation as a difficult person but you can't help but love Father John Misty's mellifluous voice and he's at his very best with his piano ballads and raging against the world in his honey-dripped voice.

goldfrapp - 'anymore'

I'm quite taken with the new Goldfrapp single 'Anymore'. She's ditched the ethereal, acoustic approach completely for an in your face techno-tinged dance track. It reminds me a lot of Madonna's Confessions On A Dance Floor-era sound. Think 'Hung Up' but beefier. The new album comes out at the end of March.

real estate - 'darling'

Have Real Estate EVER had a duff track? Here's their latest and for fans of jangly guitar, geeky indie music this is pure catnip. Great to see that despite the departure of Matt Montadile, they sound as tight as ever. There's also a new album 'In Mind' out in a few months.

allison crutchfield - 'dean's room'

I'm really enjoying Alison Crutchfield's new album. It's a great break-up album, sadly her split with her partner also split her band but the solo look suits her well. This is as good as anything I've heard recently.

20 January 2017

blood forest family - 'body'

Could Blood Forest Family be the next big thing from Norway? With tunes like this I can see a very successful career for them.

mr tophat feat. robyn - 'trust me'

This is almost a 10 minute affair and still ends far too quickly. It sees Robyn venturing into techno/nu-disco territory and the result is wonderful.

timber timbre - 'sewer blues'

It's great to see one of my favourite Canadian acts back with a great new single and a new album in the offing too.

austra - 'utopia'

There's no mistaking Katie Stelmanis' voice in this beautiful track from her latest album 'Future Politics'.

cherry glazerr - 'i told you i'd be with the guys'

This is a fantastic opening track to their brand new album. I love it.

18 January 2017

anti pony - 'pale blue hours'

There's an EP out tomorrow and this is the lead track from it and what a track. I love the 60s sound welded to the bang up to date wall of noise guitars.

klasey jones - 'cement'

I love this tune!

the proper ornaments - 'memories'

There's a hell of a back story to this project from James Hoare (Veronica Falls) and Max Oscarnold (Toy) and the result is a sound that has heavy Beatles, Pink Floyd, Elliott Smith influences and makes for a great uplifting melancholy sound. The album Foxhole is out this week and is well worth a listen.

hush forever - 'something/nothing'

Keeping the Nordic vibe going here is a very trippy track from Sweden's Hush Forever. This track reminds me a lot of Gonjasufi's dreamy track 'Sheep'. It's wonderfully cool and I'm looking forward to the new album 'Find The Gap'.

heiðrik - 'boy'

This is a rare opportunity to plug an artist from the Faroe Islands and his fantastic new track 'Boy'.

ibibio sound machine - 'the pot is on fire'

Just how good is this track? Funky, fresh and in your face.

william onyeabor 1945-2017

RIP to a great musician and a true pioneer.

16 January 2017

chavez - 'the bully boys'

Although they never officially split up, this is the first release from them in 21 years and it's a cracker. They've still got all that energy and angst and then some.

mannarino - 'apriti cielo'

Not the Tennis player, this is an Italian singer/songwriter with an intriguing sound. I can't quite put my finger on it but it's damned good.

surf curse - 'all is lost'

Surf Curse are a two-piece band from Reno with a great sound. I love the concept for this video.

15 January 2017

jah wobble & diggory kenrick - 'mount view dub'

There's always room on my blog for Jah Wobble.

jfdr - 'airborne'

JFDR aka Jófríður Ákadóttir is involved with a lot of disparate projects with other people but she has still found time to record this new song and star in the video. It's a great piece of electronica with lots of stop/starts, broken beats and glitches.

lowly - 'prepare the lake'

Danish band Lowly just go from strength to strength. This is the latest single from them ahead of a new album in February.

dream wife - 'fuu'

If you listen to just one song today then make it this. Fucking hell this is good.

coqui villalobos - 'deep down dirty (ft maya)'

I've no idea if this is anything to do with Ricardo Villalobos but it's good enough to have his association with it. This is a wonderfully trippy and soulful tune.

yalta club - 'exile'

French band Yalta club's new album 'Hybris' is indeed a mix of styles. On one hand is a bouncy pop that wouldn't sound out of place on a Vampire Weekend/Francois and the Atlas Mountains and at other times it has an experimental 80s Peter Gabriel feel to it. It's well worth checking out.

14 January 2017

temples - 'strange or be forgotten'

I checked and this is track 10 from the upcoming album. Just how good are the other 9 going to be?

sohn - 'rennen'

There's a tranquility to this minimalist R&B that is quite lovely. This is the title track from SOHN's new album and definitely one for fans of James Blake.

slowdive - 'star roving'

Can't beat a bit of shoegazing.

julie byrne - 'natural blue'

Resident's album of the week and it's not difficult to see why. The new Julie Byrne album sees her as wiser, more expansive in her range and certainly more reflective.

foxygen - 'follow the leader'

I've been flitting between listening to the Brighton match on the radio and Foxygen's new album 'Hang' and there's no contest for what's been more enjoyable. This is track one from what is a very solid LP.

blue aeroplanes - 'elvis festival'

What a comeback from Bristol's finest art-rockers.

brandon can't dance - 'smoke & drive around'

I'm listening to the Brandon Can't Dance album 'Graveyard of Good Times' and I'm quite blown away with it so far. So wide-ranging in influences, it's impossible to pin it down to any specific genre.

lana del ray - 'kill kill'

I haven't heard this tune in so long. It's a cracker.

13 January 2017

hazel o'connor - 'eighth day'

Taken from the film Breaking Glass, this is a quite brilliant song.

grandaddy - 'evermore'

Now this is the good stuff. Great new track from Grandaddy.

cage the elephant - 'cold, cold, cold'

Love this new track from Cage The Elephant. It's got a Doors/Animals feel to it that just rocks.

nouvelle vague - 'guns of brixton'

When they kick at your front door how you gonna come? With your hands on your head or on the trigger of your gun?

flo morrissey and matthew e white - 'looking for you'

The new album of covers by Flo and Matthew is certainly a cut above most covers albums and this track in particular is very nice.

bonobo - 'second sun'

The new album is a mainly instrumental affair and as far as I'm concerned it's a love affair. Very proud that Bonobo, although now L.A. based is a Brighton lad originally.

12 January 2017

sóley - 'halloween (berlin sessions #92)'

One of my all-time favourite female singer-songwriters in session.

09 January 2017

rose elinor dougall - 'stellular'

Ex-Pipette, Ms Dougall is back with a great synth-led pop album.

night moves - 'carl sagan'

I've been thoroughly enjoying their new EP and this is the title track from it.

08 January 2017

amber run - 'fickle game'

A beautiful new single from Nottingham band 'Amber Run'.

07 January 2017

lawrence arabia - 'mask of maturity'

Very much in the spirit of The Wave Pictures and Belle and Sebastian, Lawrence Arabia have a great sound and quite brilliant lyrics.

the stray birds - 'sabrina'

The kind of country music that makes me want to shout out "Yee-ha!" This is a fantastic tune from The Stray Birds.

dal niente & deerhoof – 'meltdown upshot: 6. cherubim'

An unlikely collaboration but one that certainly works so well.

the hearing - 'rehearsal'

The Hearing's 2016 album 'Adrian' was one of my favourite albums of 2016 and this track played a big part in that. It's ridiculously good.

xylaroo - 'narwhal'

I'm predicting big things for Xylaroo. God knows they deserve it. This is the B side from 'On My Way' and a cracking tune in its own right.

nick drake - 'cello song'

Classic.

beth gibbons and rustin man - 'sand river'

Here's a blast from the past. One of the great albums of the last 20 years.

on dead waves - 'jupiter'

There's worse ways to spend a Saturday afternoon than listening to great music.

nostalgia 77 - 'quiet dawn (bonobo rmx)'

Lovely!

ra ra riot - 'every time i'm ready to hug'

The last track from me for now and this is a real up and at 'em song. Great stuff!

trashcan sinatras - 'best days on earth'

One of indie-pop's finest bands still around, this is the majestic Trashcan Sinatras.

new order - 'elegia (full version)'

Yep, that's the 17 minute unexpurgated version.

patrice - 'surge'

I heard this track on the Kompakt Vol 16 compilation and loved it from first listen. It's quite a muscular track but never so much in your face to detract from the intricacies and little nuances that are stuffed into this tune.

slow fuse - 'trucido'

Another French act and another trip-hop tune. This one's a belter.

flowers - 'intrusive thoughts'

Another great UK band who deserve a much wider audience is Flowers. I love, love, love this tune.

beat ride - 'dreamers'

There's something very Wagon Christ/Wax Tailor about this track. I love that downtempo trip-hop sound.

a tribe called quest - 'scenario'

We're going to go right back to the early 90s for a monster of a tune from the one and only Tribe Called Quest.

t.o.l.d. - 'master of the species'

A great track from 2016.

you me at six - 'spell it out'

Having listened to their new album 'Night People' I'm now sure that I'm not the band's demographic and their music isn't for me. That's not to say it's a bad album but stadium rock has never been my cup of tea and there's a lot of anthems here. This is my stand out track.

zooey - 'realise realise'

One for fans of Metronomy, Grumbling Furs, Fujiya and Miyagi, the new album from Zooey is a warm, fuzzy languid affair but quite beautiful and very poppy.

the flaming lips - 'we a family'

I'm still not convinced that The Flaming Lips are worth getting back into. They seem to have spent the last few years making lazy cover albums and trying to get into Miley Cyrus's knickers but I've got to say that this latest single from them is most definitely a step back in the right direction.

london grammar - 'rooting for you'

I'm not too sure what to make of this new track from London Grammar. I've listened a few times and I kind of like it but it does sound a bit MOR ballad-y.

saint raymond - 'o brother'

This is a great debut single from Nottingham singer-songwriter Saint Raymond aka Callum Burrows. There's an album out too this year which we can all look forward to.