de-minimis

14 May 2013

bonobo -'cirrus'

The awful, numb feeling after losing to Crystal Palace yesterday has made any attempts at listening to upbeat music futile. I think the key word here is down-tempo and this is what the new Bonobo album delivers by the bucket-load It's quite ethereal and suits the mood perfectly.

12 May 2013

leftside wobble - 'acid soul 10 mix'

I was sent this by a friend and it could possibly be the best dance mix I've heard in years. Leftside Wobble is one half of Coldcut so this comes with a lot of pedigree and a guarantee of quality. That first track especially....it will have its own entry here soon, it is that good.

saint saviour - 'tightrope (all saints basement sessions)'

I'm going to keep waxing lyrical about Saint Saviour until she achieves the rewards that she deserves. This will blow you away - it sounds like the best James Bond theme never made.

jackie opel - 'pictures of smoke'

This is very apt right now in my house. I'm just preparing the Sunday roast in the kitchen but we've got the shisha pipe going and the air is full of apple tobacco smoke. This tune is a ska classic from right back to the beginning of the genre in the early 60s. What a tune.

owiny sigoma band - 'magret aloor'

I have a serious contender for my album of the year. It's a superb work of art from the first right through to the last track. Best described (by me at least) as Kenyan 'Owiny' music meets psychedelic funk with a splash of techno. This is just one of the tracks but oh my goodness, just how good is this? Seriously....how good is this? Genius.

11 May 2013

sweet tee - 'i got that feeling'

I love the breaks in this very old school hip-hop classic. 24 years old and still as fresh as a daisy with a stripped back feel and samples to die for.

08 May 2013

probably the most extreme music video you'll ever watch (NSFW)

This video is very clever but it's not for the faint-hearted. Think 'Smack My Bitch Up' but more so. Needless to say it's not suitable for children, for watching at work or for the squeamish.

hidden orchestra - 'spoken'

I tried and failed to get my head around the Scott Walker albumwhilst wanderin around Poplar on my lunch break. I think I need to sit down with the lyrics in front of me and follow along with the songs. It's not the type of album you can zone out to with headphones on. The Hidden Orchestra however are made for the job and I've been enjoying their 'Archipelago' album for the past hour. The arrangements are lush, evocative and soaring as this track shows.

the xx - 'reunion'

It must be something in the water...or maybe I'm just taking more effort when listening to music but XX's 'Coexist' album has been the soundtrack to my daily commute for a few days now and I've discovered all sorts of things hidden away within the album that I missed when first listening. If I carry on like this with my re-appraisal of 'difficult' recent releases I might just be ready soon to tackle Scott Walker's 'Bish Bosch', an album that has so far remained impenetrable to me.

07 May 2013

12 alabama bands you should listen to now

The very excellent Paste Magazine has a brilliant article about the Alabama music scene and in particular 12 bands that are doing the state proud. A lot of them seem to come from Birmingham and a lot are bluegrass/Americana/country oriented as you would expect but there's nothing stale about the sounds and you will have a very enjoyable few hours exploring these bands - all of which were new to me although there's a fair degree of musical pedigree there. Here's the link.

And this is my pick of the bunch. St Paul and the Broken Bones 'Sugar Dyed Honey Pants'.

nick cave and the bad seeds - 'mermaids'

I've been quite underwhelmed by the 'Push The Sky Away' album and it has quite upset me that I feel like this about the person I regard as my number one musical hero. I spoke to someone who managed to get tickets for the accompanying tour and they told me that there was a ferocity in the live performances missing from the studio album. Although this is one of his slower numbers this live recording of his latest single 'Mermaids' does reveal an additional spirit or even soul that lifts it from album filler to a quite romantic track.

the temptations - 'ball of confusion'

Inspired by listening recently to the Unkle track that sampled this classic I feel moved to play the original. What a tune.

street sign rap lyrics

This is a clever concept. Jay Shells has taken his love of hip-hop literally to the streets and referenced the blocks, streets and corners name-checked in classic rap songs.

depeche mode - 'welcome to my world (grubber remix)'

It's taken a few listens but I think I'm finally getting their latest album. It sounded a bit dirge-like on first listen but it's actually more rocky laced with a lot of humour. In places it reminds me of those very heavy electro goth/industrial sounds of :wumpscut: and Marilyn Manson and in other places a more classic Depeche Mode sub-ballad feel. If you're struggling with the album I'd recommend sticking with it because it is well worth it and if you already love it then play it some more!

06 May 2013

nick cave and the bad seeds - 'red right hand'

This song still has all the venom in it that I heard when I first listened to it 20 odd years ago. "You're just a microscopic cog in his catastrophic plans.." Incredible.

05 May 2013

apollo 440 - 'vanishing point'

I've written about my love of Apollo 440's 'Electroglide in Blue' album before. It's a rarity in that there's absolutely no album fillers; every single track stands on its own as a work of art. This is a case in point.