lee scratch perry - rise again

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I have a bad feeling about this album. It feels like a last will and testament from one of the last great dub-masters and the album is just so good too. Let me explain. I had a bad feeling about Gil Scott-Heron after 'I'm New Here' was released last year. It was his strongest album in years. I had only fairly recently got into G S-H but had greedily consumed his entire works to the point that I a) cursed my stupid ignorance in not finding out about him earlier and b) had become a bit of a G S-H anorak with regards to his music. The album also had an end of days feel to it. It was also deeply personal. I feel exactly like that with this album. 

I do hope I'm wrong and I wish Perry many more years of happiness in his retirement in Switzerland. The first thing that struck me when listening to it is that he sounds very old now (he's well into his 70s) and that the more serious songs seem to be Perry imparting words of warning borne from years of seeing his fellow man fuck things up spectacularly. There's always a melancholic feel to dub reggae, something I find strangely reassuring but this seems particularly downbeat. There's an A list supporting cast including Bill Laswell who produced this album and plays bass, Dr Israel, Sly Dunbar and many more (let's not forget Laswell's Ethiopian wife, Gigi on backing vocals) so let's just take as read that the production is first rate.

It was never going to be as dub heavy as, say, a Mad Professor album and in fact it is quite poppy. Tracks such as African Revolution will go down a storm at most parties. It's a shame too that I can't find any lyrics to accompany the songs. I'd love to know what Perry was saying about Prince Charles in 'Scratch Message'. It's nice to see that there's room for humour with 'Dancehall Kung Fu'. It's a great track that sounds like they had a lot of fun making. Halfway through the song Perry announces "I'm Superman". That, you are sir.

this is our night

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Dutch producer, Sander Kleinenberg has struck gold with this tune from his debut album out this week.

You can also download a free copy of 'Follow Me' from here.

take it slow...real slow

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Some albums hit you smack in the face, others creep up on you from the side and some albums seduce you with a cheeky nibble on the ear, a glass of expensive rum and a promise of a lift back home, tomorrow morning. Holy Other's new EP 'With U' is definitely in the last category. 

This is the work of London-based Ewan Robertson and would not be out of place on a GuMMy†Be▲R! compilation although it's probably too chilled and too slick to be described as Witch House. I'm sure there's a phrase to describe this genre but I'm going to stick with describing it as something on the melodic side of dark dance. I hope you understand what I mean by that. It's out this month on the excellent Tri Angle label. These are a couple of tracks from it.

Holy Other - Know Where

Holy Other - Yr Love

esmerine

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The name isn't nearly offbeat enough for my liking but the music is divine. Bruce Cawdron of Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Beckie Foon from Thee Silver Mt Zion have released their first album for six years as a free stream on Soundcloud.

I'm not sure if I have mentioned this Montreal music collective before but in case you haven't heard of them they are a loose co-operative (or should that be co-operatives) of like-minded musicians who make the most wonderful experimental and post-rock music. I can't just leave it there with that description though as it seriously undersells them. They also play what could loosely be described as modern classical pieces too. They play under a handful of band names and membership is often very fluid. What never wavers though is the quality of their output and this album, 'La Lechuza' is up there with their best in my humble opinion.

All the songs are shorter than usual with the longest coming in at under 7 minutes, making it also one of their more accessible albums too. The first 4 tracks have an oriental feel to them but I'm woefully ignorant of the instruments used (apologies for this) and so could have got it completely wrong. The bridge within this album is 'Trampoline'. A song that starts with a similar feel to the first three but ends with a more western violin and percussion arrangement. The track that stands out for me is 'Snow Day for Lhasa'  dedicated to a musician friend of theirs who died of cancer on New Year's Day 2010. They venture into relatively uncharted territories with a singing accompaniment to a traditional orchestral ensemble. It's as delicate as it is rare but never once does it feel twee. The rest of the album has more of a familiar feel to it with  instrumental pieces veering between a rainstorm of sound to the gentlest pitter-patter of the lightest shower. The last track also features singing, presumably Beckie Foon and her voice has a compelling quality to it. They may do this for the love of it but they are very very good at what they do and definitely one of my favourite albums of the year so far.

p.s. I've just been listening to 'Snow Day for Lhasa' again and I'm blown away how wonderful this song is. 

legends of hip-hop

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There's an exhibition in Paris from 17th June showcasing the work of photographer Sophie Bramly during 1981 when she was fortunate enough (or was it prescience?) to capture the exact point in time that hip-hop exploded onto the streets of New York. Anyone who has any interest in dance music will love these photos. The show is at 12MAIL Gallery in Paris but those of us who are unable to get over to see it can see some of the photos online here:

http://www.nowness.com/day/2011/6/4/1477/legends-of-hip-hop

We need some appropriate music. Afrika Bambaataa & the Jazzy Five - 'Jazzy Sensation' released on Tommy Boy Records (now that takes me back!)

i want to go where the weather suits my clothes

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I love that line. It's from Nilsson's 'Everybody's Talking At Me' and it's been very apt today. I woke up feeling hungover and groggy and it wasn't self-induced. I guess I should drink more water before I go to bed. I've also got a bit of a hacking cough and a cold that won't budge and I awoke to a November rainstorm - in June. I really struggle to get up at 6 am in these conditions. Where's my frigging medal?

Luckily retail therapy tends to cheer me up and I had good reason to shop. I'd recently purchased some CD racks to house the overflowing collection that had built up around my living room. Foolishly, I thought space for an extra 800 CDs would have been ample room and then some. Yesterday I sorted out all the ones I didn't previously have room for and have filled both racks - completely filled both racks! Have a look, I think we're going to need a bigger boat.

Ah well,  at least I could break my self-imposed ban on buying new music (a ban I have repeatedly flouted, I'm ashamed to say). My first trip for what seems like ages to Rough Trade was good fun and I picked up the following new titles:

Sophie Barker - Seagull [She's a collaborator with Zero 7]

Secret Cities - Strange Hearts

Jim White - Sounds of the American

Dengue Fever - Cannibal Courtship

Trentemoller - Late Night Tales

Lee Scratch Perry - Rise Again

and the following albums that I should have bought ages ago:

Elliott Smith - New Moon

Unklesounds - Edit Music For a Film

I was reading the sleeve-notes to the Elliott Smith album, it's a 2 CD retrospective lovingly compiled by friends who really knew him, and I did well up a bit. It's a very honest account of the man and his music. It does seem odd that I miss him so much when I never ever met him, I only saw him in concert a few times and he's been a long time dead but his music got me through some tough times. 

All in all, it's a pretty mixed bag music-wise and I hope to review most of these soon.  Let's leave tonight on a happy note. Can it get any better than a 1981 video of Debbie Harry performing 'Call Me' on the Muppet Show? I don't think so.

laura hocking and the long goodbye

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Ms Hocking is one of my favourite folk singers around at the moment. She released an EP a few months back that was the culmination of 4 years work during which quite a few life-changing events occurred although the whimsical nature of the songs don't really reflect this. She has a real talent for songwriting and a great ear for a tune. These are toe-tappingly catchy and her voice has a crystal-clear quality which all adds up to making this a very good EP. At least an 8 out of 10 from me.

sunday sessions

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Anyone up for some Sunday evening-type tunes? I've gone for a mix of 'recently' old tunes and some brand new releases. I hope there's something here you like.

DJ Unkle - Final Home (Piano Mix)

Bop - Rovor

Secret Cities - Love Crime   [This is from their new album. If you like the Beach Boys - and who doesn't? - then you'll probably like this album too]

Dimbleby and Capper - Beautiful But Boring

Emmy the Great - Iris [This is new out too]

and lastly, Herman Dune - Tell Me Something I Don't Know. [This is the first track on his album released this week.]

cults - abducted

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This is rather good from the Cults. It's called 'Abducted'. 

I love the arguments that rage on the Youtube comments pages. This one has some great online tiffs going on.

hadestown

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Quite by accident I stumbled across this delightful folk-opera by Anais Mitchell with the lovely rumbling Greg Brown playing the role of Hades. I don't know an awful lot more than what the blurb tells us on the video so (and I'm hoping no-one takes offence at this) I'm just going to cut and paste it here:

Hadestown: A folk opera retelling of the story of Orpheous journey to the underworld to save his wife Eurydice, in the setting of a post-apocalyptic depression era America. Rich with archetypal images and elements, and in the context of the current global economic problems (even though it was written years before the Sept 08 banking crisis), it is more Americana than Greek tragedy, although it closely follows this Orpheous story version. The arrangements, the lyrical story creation, and the players, including Greg Brown as Hades in "Why We Build..." and Ani DiFranco as Persephone in Our Lady of the..." are robust, masterful and immaculate. This recording is destined to be considered a Masterpiece amongst musicians and listeners alike.

Who said folk music doesn't have balls? 

letter from america

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Hafdis Huld (sigh - I adore her) recently video-blogged about her US tour. You can watch it here.

protest to m1 (pacheko remix)

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When the video is as good as the tune you've just got to share it, haven't you?

the subs are warming up

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I hadn't appreciated up til now but Argentina has quite a thriving rock scene. One of the best bands around are Sub who released their lastest album, 'No Desaparecer' earlier this year. They have a classic college rock feel to them, like early REM or American Music Club or even the Gun Club but definitely have their own sound and the fact that they sing in Spanish too helps keep that identity. 

SUB - NO DESAPARECER by musicadesub

You can download the whole album together with some of their earlier stuff from here.

bon iver

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Just a quickie. Bon Iver's got a new album out and you can listen to it in it's entirety here: http://cdn.topspin.net/api/v2/widget/78889

angerbird

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I told you bandcamp was good, didn't I? Well, if you're still in doubt let me prove it to you. There's a new album out today from a band I'd never heard of before. They're from Canada, they're called Angerbird and the title is rather lovely - 'Vespa in the Sun'. 

 

It reminds me in part of the Primitives at their most reflective or the Cocteau Twins in their poppier days - or dare I say it, the kind of pop that Paisley and Charlie are doing right now. Does this mean we are going to see a return to the kind of clever, whimsical pop in the charts? Fingers crossed. 

Amazingly, the whole album is free too for download so there's no excuse for not giving it a try.

when saints go machine

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The Danish 4 piece are conquering the world with their brand of electro-pop and release their new album Konkylie this month. I've only heard this track 'Church and Law' from it so far but keep an eye out for a full review right here.

another lunchtime...another couple of tunes

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Strange boys - Be Brave

Stornoway - We are the Battery Human

Claude Von Stroke - Greasy Beat (feat Bootsy Collins)

Black Grass - Nice Up

peaking lights

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If I take one album on holiday with me this year then it's this one. There's something really chilled about this album that just cries out for sitting on a sun lounger, headphones on and drink in hand - I'm thinking Pastis - it's cool, it's an acquired taste and is best enjoyed slowly, just like this album.

The husband and wife duo of Aaron Coynes and Indra Dunis have returned with a new album, 963 and it's a real corker. It's very dub-laden and bass guitar driven throughout and a droney psychedelic feel that sounds like the Doors at their stoned best. They sound like they've thrown everything into this album with hiss and reverb popping up throughout. It's as if they've had spiritual production from Augustus Pablo, the speed at which this is pitched at but for all the weight of the tunes it still retains an ethereal quality. There's a really catchy tune bubbling under on 'All the Sun That Shines' but it's difficult not to be taken aback at the sheer heaviness of it all. 'Bird of Paradise Dub Version' is just beautiful with an ominous bass line that takes all in its path.

It's not all overdub. 'Key Sparrow' has an other-worldliness to it and some exquisite organ and guitar work to boot. There is one track that is a work in progress for me - 'Summertime' is a difficult tune to get your head round at the beginning but the yawning, druggy guitar sound that kicks in makes this one of the most interesting tracks on the album. You can listen to the album in its entirety on Soundcloud but I'd recommend  you get it onto your iPod ready for the holidays.

as camp as you like

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bandcamp.com is a website specifically for musicians to sell directly to their listening public. It's invaluable for artists and bands that don't have recording contracts as it gives them a worldwide marketplace in a user-friendly way that MySpace just can't match. I like the fact that, unlike MySpace, it is just music and is very easy to negotiate and read (is it just me who finds MySpace just unmanageable at times?) and as an avid music listener it means I can explore new bands in so many different ways.

I've been browsing it tonight and here are just a few of the tunes that I've discovered from it.

I haven't even scratched the surface with this website yet and found loads of great stuff. I could be here all night posting music that I like. Get involved and support your not so local bands!

lunchtime listening

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Horace Andy - Pure Rankin

Sugarcubes - Mama

XTC - Sgt Rock (Is Going To Help Me)



Lazy Mouth - I Like You





robag wruhme - thora vukk

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Robag Wruhme aka Gabor Schablizki has mellowed since his days as one half of the Wighnomy Brothers. He's been busy working on a mix for fellow travellers, Kompakt Records but this month also sees the release on DJ Koze's label, Pampa Records of his new album, Thora Vukk.

Wruhme's music has always had a subtlety especially in the drum patterns and there is a warmth to the sound that he's brought with him from his previous partnership. The album works on several levels and is deceptively clever. As background chill-out music it's just perfect and really is a cut above the usual chill-out Cafe Del Mar output. It's vary catchy too with some real tunes in there to tap your feet to but if you really want to appreciate his art then invest in some quality headphones so that you can best hear all the layers that have been piled onto this paradoxically minimalist album.

There are no weak tracks on here although some of the pieces are only a minute or so long but these act as a sort of crossroad to the next track and compliment the bigger compositions perfectly. The album crackles, fizzles, snaps and pops in a beautiful way. It's definitely been a good month for new music. You can hear the entire album on soundcloud here.

poor little rich girl

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Poor Little Rich Girl by Paisley and Charlie (see also previous blog entries) is precisely the kind of song that no-one seems to make anymore. It's infectious, it's got great lyrics, is unashamedly radio-friendly and hasn't even a hint of auto-tune. 

It's not exactly new, having been previously released last year as 'Julia Misbehaves' but has only just been made available as a download with this new moniker. It has a warm and familiar feel to it for me, having my formative years in the 80s and early 90s when the indie charts seemed chocka full of this kind of ethereal pop. With a very English flavour - it's the type of music that really has to be English both in subject matter and in the delivery - fans of the likes of Dubstar or Kirsty MacColl will doubtless enjoy this musical trip down memory lane.

It's available to download for just 69p from Amazon right here.

northern (soul) monkeys

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I've been beavering away at work all morning whilst catching up with some Northern Soul compilations. I've made it my life's mission to really get to grips with northern soul/ rare groove but enough chat, more music:

Bob Seger - Heavy Music

 Charles Spurling - Let Me Be A Steppin' Soul

 Pat Lewis - No One to Love



Diplomats - Card on the Table     [what a tune this is]

I've saved the best until last - Bobby Valentin with 'Lose It Before You Lose It'

just say 'no' kids

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Don't ask me how or why but I've just watched the video to the new Nicola Roberts single 'Beat of My Drum'. I'm very evangelical about music and, hand on heart, I don't try to get precious about it.  I love a great 3 minute pop song as much as the next man but this particular tune is a complete mess. 

Taking the song first, it's produced by Diplo so should, by rights be a really catchy, up-to-the-minute dance track. It starts off well with a great hook and it's always nice to hear an English singer sing with an English accent but as if to warn us of the impending horrors of the chorus there is a refrain that sounds like the middle of a nondescript track from her Girls Aloud days that ruins the whole thing in an instant. Not content with trashing what could have been a cool tune the chorus hits you in the face like a wet and smelly flannel. It's meant to be a 'shouty' cheerleader chorus that the likes of the Go! Team do so well but it just doesn't work at all. The keyboard playing over the girly shouting has surely been lifted from a CBBC programme from the 90s and the cherry on the icing of this particular cake is the drum machine paradiddle followed by a classic hip-hop "Yeah Yeah". Repeat this formula until sick. 

Oh, and did I mention the bit 2/3rds of the way in where Diplo's just shamelessly lifted about 5 seconds from one of his own Major Lazer  tunes? For goodness sake, was that necessary?

...and then there's the video. Why is she wearing her Grandad's underpants? Can Nicole look any more awkward trying to dance with hip urban types? Too many questions, too little time in my life. Apparently the album is supposed to be pretty good but on the basis of the first single from it, I'm not holding out a lot of hope. 

some friendly

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...it's not just the title of the Charlatans first album but a rather more appropriate title for this beautiful mix by another Romanian, Iar, with an ear for fine minimal/deep house.

Enjoy!

the revolution will not be televised

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Someone's posted the 1996 Don Letts documentary about the late Gil Scott-Heron onto Youtube. The quality is superb and we all know how good the music was. It's a great tribute to a troubled genius and it's clear from the contributors what a mark this man left on the musical landscape.

It's in 3 parts:

you can't ever really know what's going on

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Apparently researchers at Toronto University have broken Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle; one of the most well-known rules of quantum physics - that you can't measure exactly both velocity and position at the same time: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-13626587

Why am I mentioning this on a music blog? Well, apart from a lingering interest in physics from my university days it also reminded me of a couple of lovely chillout tunes inspired by the theory and it seems perfect for a gloomy Sunday.

Télépopmusik - L'Incertitude D'Heisenberg

Snehal Thomas Jacob - Heisenberg

anika

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I'm terribly hungover today and I've been browsing the internet for music videos where I have found this great interview with Anika. It seems a great time, then, to do my review of her debut album which is something I've been wanting to do for some time now.

A bit of background first to this unique singer. She is primarily a political journalist hailing from Germany and spends her time between Berlin and Bristol. I say primarily as she seems now to be focussing on her music career. She was introduced to Beak>, Geoff Barrow of Portishead's new(ish) band, who were looking for a quirky singer. The result was the eponymously titled debut album from Anika and the most original album of 2010. It didn't hit many 'best album of 2010' lists as it came out too late but I have it in my top 3 from last year. The album was recorded in about 11 days and it shows. This is a good thing in my eyes as the whole feel of the album has a deliberate roughness to it. It's a mixture of overtly political songs, covers of girl band classics, heavy dub, so-so drumming and the most amazing singing you'll hear around today.

Anika doesn't have a classic beautiful singing voice, instead opting for the Nico-esque talk/sing in a really heavy German accent. After hearing this interview it's clear the accent is affected but once again this works to the album's favour. I hope I'm not doing her a disservice but the intensity of her political views, the aggression, the accent and her looks remind me a lot of those black and white photos of Gudrun Ensslin, one of the leaders of the Baader-Meinhof group. 

The music is difficult to place in time because a lot of the tunes are now at least 30 years old and the styles borrowed - punk, pop, wall of sound and dub interchange so frequently and the format of the album is very traditional - 9 songs, most of around 3 to 4 minutes and coming in at about 40 minutes in total. When I first heard this album I listened to it, I think, about 5 times straight as I was that in awe of it. I have a few criticisms with it, firstly the drumming on the album is a bit too wonky at times and secondly, where they've been at their most political in 'Masters of War' it feels a bit weak to me. They've sampled an interview with a US Marine who fought in Iraq in much the same way as Paul Hardcastle's '19' Vietnam samples but to be honest, the quote used has far too much hand-wringing. I wonder if it would have worked better if they'd have gone for some gung-ho, yankee doodle, alpha male bollocks quote from George W Bush in an ironic way. Don't let these comments detract from what is an incredible album though.

Here's the interview in full:

down with minimal

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Not my words, those of Matias Aguayo. Well..."People don't dance papa don't dance cause that music got no groove, got no balls, no me hace pumpin pumpin' pumpin'(doesent make me fee like pumpin') por que yo quiero bailar (cause i want to dance) con un ritmo mas nocturno (with a rythm that's more nocturne) mas profundo (more deep) mas sensual (more sensual) basta ya de minimal!"...to be precise.

I disagree but it's a fantastic song anyway and perfect for a sunny day. Have a great Friday.

planningtorock

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Those pesky Swedes have done it again. I succumbed to Fever Ray's album, I adored JJ's album, Air France's album has been worn thin with the number of times I've played it, Little Dragon's albums are a constant delight and now I've fallen head over heels in love with PlanningToRock's new album 'W'.

I have described it (alliteratively) as a mad, mean and moody power rock album to a dance beat. It's like no other album I've heard since perhaps Zola Jesus or more definitely Fever Ray's album last year.  The connection is deliberate and perhaps not surprising. Fever Ray is of course a part of Swedish rock/dance/indie band 'The Knife' and PlanningToRock has also been involved with the band. I have heard different reports of the level of involvement so until I know for sure I'll leave it that Janine Rostron (aka PTR) is a collaborator.

The album works really well with the very careful playlist order building the set towards a magnificent finish. The 1980s is well represented here with shades of all the best bits of a Steinman song with a bit of Gothic drumming and a voice that sounds (to me) like a pre-menstrual and absolutely livid Joan Armatrading. It's nothing like Armatrading would sing but there's something about the voice...I can't quite describe it, sorry!

To add to the pomp of the album there is Rock Opera aplenty here too and when added together it leaves me feeling that I really want (no - make that 'need') to see this performed live. This is the kind of sound that Lykke Li is moving towards with her last album too. It's definitely a 'girl' thing. More power to their elbows (and spare ribs). Lyrically, there is a lot that is eminently quotable for instance "Don’t be surprised, I’m ripping out my eyes… We break too easily" which sounds like some sort of line from a Robert E Howard novel. (edit - I've been re-reading this and other reviews and notice that the review on the BBC website also picks up on this couplet. Their review is also better than mine - damn them!).

In fact the only criticism I have is that the sleeve notes are unreadable being a blue font on a black background. I can't recommend this album enough, it really is the bee's knees and deserves a place in your record collection now. The stand out track for me is 'Milky Blau'. Really, it doesn't get better than this.

for barri and emma

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I'm dedicating this video to two of my best chums who get married on Saturday. Barri and I must have sung along to this a hundred times. All my love, you two.