de-minimis

22 November 2014

temples - 'colours to life'

I'm playing the Temples loud this morning. What a tune!

st. vincent - 'digital witness'

This'll wake you up.

21 November 2014

hurray for the riff raff - 'blue ridge mountain'

There's always time for some beautiful music.

I see in recent news that he was arrested at his own gig for climbing on rigging and over-exuberant crowd-surfing! Way to go - Mac. Glad to see that there are still musicians out there really giving their all in live performances.

20 November 2014

goat - 'hide from the sun'

You normally associate Gothenburg bands with dream pop but Goat are smashing a few preconceptions with their experimental album 'Commune'. Have a listen to this beauty.

flying lotus - 'ready err not'

Another great track from another great 2014 album. There's an awful lot of depth to this album, it feels at times like it's jazz but then it becomes hip-hop and then more mainstream. Very imaginative!

19 November 2014

lewis - 'cool night in paris'

I think this album is a definite contender for one of my albums of the year. Superb.

mus.hiba - 'moonlight'

My brother got me onto this track. It's downtempo electronica cut so fine that it feels extremely fragile.

18 November 2014

gus gus - 'another life'

Taken from the 2014 album 'Mexico' and featuring Hafdis Huld on vocals. Yes, I like it a lot.

young fathers - 'i heard'

Mercury Prize winners have lots of attitude but also tons of talent. Check this out.

17 November 2014

haley bonar - 'eat for free'

Another album I was recommended was 'Last War' by Canadian/American singer Haley Bonar. It's a lot more indie than her usual lo-fi Americana but she is very at home with both genres. Saying that, I much preferred the slower numbers on here especially the last track 'Eat For Free', at times it sounds eerily similar to a strictly acoustic 'Wild Horses' which will give you an idea of where she normally pitches herself musically.

todd terje - 'alfonso muskedunder'

He's brought his usual playful sense of humour to play with this track from his best-selling 2014 album 'It's Album Time'. Great drumming too.

temples - 'sun structures'

I had never heard of this band before the Rough Trade album of the year list and so I felt compelled to listen to their number one choice for 2014 and I'm glad to say I'm hooked. I'm a complete sucker for retro-psychedelic rock and there's a fair few bands doing this sound: Amorphous Androgynous, Phosphorescent, Allah-Las... and this is as good as any I've heard for a long, long time. They have a direct channel to the likes of 13th Floor Elevators, I really think they are that good.

Saying that though, they do have a 'sound' and it does get a bit samey towards the end, tracks 10 and 11 are interchangeable and psychedelia by numbers, they could cut those 2 out and still have a fantastic album. But the album starts magnificently - as grand an opening to an album as you'll get. I always thought the Charlatans should have had 'Only One I Know' as track 1 on Some Friendly because it's so in your face and sets the tone for the rest of the album. Structures by Temples does precisely that, 'Shelter Song' is a wonderful start.

I've listened 3 times straight through with the Temples and it moves up and down beautifully. Tracks 1 and 2 set the scene but then track 3 'The Golden Throne' could be from one of those cult soundtrack albums to Italian Vampire films of the seventies, it's very cinematic and quite gothic sounding. Keep In The Dark is just pure sixties with acoustic guitar and plenty of high hat. The likes of Amen Corner would be proud of that track, it's extremely pop-friendly. I'm told that their live act is a wall of noise, in which case it's clear that they don't play the last track from the album. It's an authentic touch with a big nod to how a lot of rock albums from the sixties used to end - with a short mock-baroque tune.

I don't know if it will be my number one but it's definitely one of the finest albums I've heard this year.

real estate - 'the bend'

Their 2014 album 'Atlas' came out early this year but I've only just got around to buying it, I saw it listed on a top albums of 2014 list somewhere and thought I'd take a risk and get it on spec and I'm glad I did. They're an East Coast indie guitar band that do surf rock/dream pop/jangly retro and with some aplomb. They are extremely good musicians. It's not often that I have an overwhelming urge to play an album in its entirety straight after listening to it but this has been on repeat all this morning.

16 November 2014

peaking lights - 'telephone call'

This is from their album 'Cosmic Logic' which was released early last month and is a great return for the husband and wife duo. I love the 80s bassline running through this track, almost as if it has a Miami sound to it.

morcheeba and bradley burgess - 'run honey run'

Taken from 'Johnny Boy Would Love This' the John Martyn tribute album curated by Robert Smith and featuring a whole host of A-lister Martyn fans. I had a very hard time trying to pick a tune from the album for the blog: Phil Collins, Beth Orton, Beck, Lisa Hannigan all have very good claims but this suits a Sunday mood best I think.

morrissey - 'kick the bride down the aisle'

My little brother is off to see Morrissey tonight in Helsinki and I'm very jealous. He may be a pompous old thing now but Morrissey's latest album shows that he's still got it - the acerbic wit, the indignant outrage and the instrumentation on this particular album is quite something indeed. A magnificent return to form.

ennio morricone - 'theme from the sicilian clan'

Great use of the Jewish Harp in this very under-rated classic from Morricone no less.