Heavy Roc Music do it again. And again. And again. Off the back of a roster of talent such as 'The Knocks', Alex Winston, Samuel and even more recently 'St. Lucia', comes 'One Room', swaggering into the music world without much more than a loop of piano and all those questions. All that we can decipher is that there are links to Samuel (is that him on the hook?), DJ B-Roc and producer Chris-P. As for the song, 'I Want You', it's a minimalist's dream, said piano spinning around drunkenly, ghostly drum beats being scattered amongst the vocals. The lyrics contrast with the production, the softness being sucked away from the song with the talk of nightmares, and the revelation that his relationship is cracking, based solely on lust. And despite this harshness, the sense that this could just be a dark dream rings throughout. The rest of the EP is out soon, and hopefully more of his/their story will be told. And no doubt there will be grasps at comparisons with 'The Weeknd', but for now this should stand on its own until more is unveiled.
There is also falsetto. It isn't a song if there is no falsetto.
Sorry.
Here we have two bands who both share the crucial ability to be awesome. And three songs that will make you want to cry tears of synth and bass. Kicking off proceedings is the third song from St. Lucia, 'We Got It Wrong', a band who have yet to make a song that isn't brilliant. Laying real groovy shit down from the outset, the song rises and rises, like a next level baking experience, the looping vocals growing more and comfortable and familiar. Until silence falls and like a Phoenix from the ashes rises part two of the song, the brass heralding in a new era of jaw-drop. A piano loop so infectious it should probably be locked away, surrounded by a woozy mess of synth and the right amount of falcetto brings the song home, this is literally what dreams are made of.
For round 2 we meet in the middle. St. Lucia on the end of The Knocks makeover. Starting off like a quiet night in and ending like the biggest frenzy in history, this scoops you up with the screaming bass and the stunning deployment of the tambourine. Not since Romeo and Juliet has there been a better matching, except this ends in blissful brilliance rather than suicidal tradegy. Not to put a dampner on things comes the third and final song for today, The Knocks first major single 'Brightside'. If you listen to this song and do not feel like a) dancing or b) being glad your alive, then you really need to go home and re-evaluate your life. These guys are like a factory of groove, bringing stabbing synth and one of the catchiest hooks to ever grace life, ever. If you don't know, now you know.
The summer months came and went rather too rapidly without a care for anybodies feelings, bar those of autumn and winter. Therefore Twin Cabins should be beckoned in, quickly, to your rapidly cooling ears and minds. Because just like a can of sun and glow, they try and reach into the dark days ahead, slowly winning you over to the advantages of those falling leaves and fireworks, with just the right mixture of slow melodic bass to remind you of the lazy beach days or festival days or driving days and all that nostalgia, added together with the hazy vocals gently nudging you towards fires or forests or conkers.
They are quite a potent mixture, being easy on the ears, the flicking jangly guitar featuring so heavily in Summer Camp records finds its way nicely into the reverb of the leads mutterings and musings, hooking you with nice pop catches but still managing to keep a mysterious outer shell. Both tracks below following similar pathways to the same goal. Greatness.
Since joining the world of online music there has been one or two taboos that the me and the mouse have steered wide of. Hardcore window-licking-good dubstep and mash-ups, with the latter being the most relevant today. What Captain Cuts do so well, that sets them apart from other artists who take two or three songs and slam them together in unholy matrimony, is the cleverness and the wit behind their creations. Not since the days of Xaphoon Jones and THE number one mash-up of all time (Kanye West X Radiohead) has such imaginative juice flowed, the tracks are not just chosen due to relevance but because they actually work brilliantly together complimenting each other to the extent of turkey and cranberry sauce. The one that really got them dancing shoes pounding was 'Houdini Look Sharp' (Dizzee Rascal X Foster The People). Pause. Yeh, on paper it is odd/confusing/worrying that two tracks of such high caliber in their original form could ever contemplate working together with such gorgeous results. But there isn't any music physics that decides what should and what shouldn't work together so we find ourselves in the rather brilliant situation of being graced with brilliance.
'Houdini Look Sharp' is the simplest of the mash-ups, the songs being combined with out much fabric change from Captain Cuts but if you want yet more convincing that these guys are the real deal the life-affirming banger 'Girls On Girls' again shows the smooth moves that these guys have in their craft. Just a matter of getting that Beyonce song, 'Girls', and then introducing it Beastie Boys 'Girls'. Cue yet more funky beats and the clever contrast in lyrics and yet another completely amazing, completely authentic collision of music is formed.
Surely we can't expect any more? Until these 3 boys decide that they want to be great at remixing as well. Summon forward the best remix of the year thus far of one of the best tracks of the year thus far. We are talking the shuffle and shake of 'Manners' by Icona Pop, the boys deciding that this should be the music to fill stadiums with, with a dashing of wobble ( proving that it can be used, o so well) and a big bass line there was everything to love and nothing to hate.
Keep your ears free for their debut mixtape 'This is Your Captain Speaking' coming not soon enough. 'Houdini Look Sharp' around 14-15 minutes on Popshop 009
Odd thing liking one member of a band more than the collective themselves, but here we find ourselves, in this totally freakish situation. The band that Jack is a quarter of is that Bombay Bicycle Club. There is nothing that can be said negatively against this obviously extremely talented British band, and with their next album out soon, and the murmurs that have been coming out of the camps that get such privileges of hearing big releases before normal boring people are allowed to get their mortal palms on it, they will probably cement themselves as one of the UK's brightest. There just hasn't been that special 'connection'.
But Steadman makes the birds sing and the moon shine with layers and samples and drums and all things holy. His remixes add, never taking away from the originals own features and characteristics. Take his most recent release, the remix of his own bands single 'Shuffle', in a kind of incest next level move he kind of makes that OK taking the original, which is perfectly good, and making it perfectly awesome. Because he sets a challenge, straight at the start of the song, with that looped piano, ripped straight out of the heart of the original, he dares us not to shake and move, he dares us not to like the synth and the change to the original, the samples that rebound off the drums and piano so beautifully. It must be frustrating for him knowing that he has made a song with BBC only to make it that much more brilliant so subtly and easily.
This is just building on previous work for Jack, with the remix of the year thus far, that just happened to come at the start of the year, with his magical touch gracing another talented group' David's Lyre', whose EP was rather grand. But that's another story for another day because, for now, the focus is on Jack.
Clock Opera are a fairly established 'new' band, meaning that they have had a large amount of love (deservedly) from their three previous singles, but haven't yet released a actual album yet. Signing an album deal with a highly established label, Moshi Moshi, and having previous success with, and it will be said forever and ever, the highly cool Kitsune label they are very well set up to be very good on a larger scale. The tracks that are among the favourites from the four-piece are a few months old, 'Belongings' and 'Piece of String'. They have a new single out which kick started the cogs in the brain to write this post but that's for later. These two tracks are quite simply stunning, experimental and, to be frank, gorgeous. Both start off with a layer, a foundation for the song to progress upon. With 'Piece of String' we have a glitchy synth upon which string instruments are added and added until, bam, we hit the crescendo and suddenly nothing else matters anymore. It is all so bitter sweet with the lyrics contrasting so starkly with the jangle of the strings. This is paralleled with 'Belongings', in which the piano loops are stuck together, added slowly while the lead croons about losing love until three minutes in things get serious and singing along in a terrible manner becomes completely necessary. Then the synth picks it all up again before dropping you back down. Anthems.
Chill. So after all that excitement comes the third release. And you will never guess what? It kills all over again, with all that bass and a maze of lyrics. This time we see a different side to Clock Opera, slightly more harsh but still with a sweet edge. Slightly less introspective and with more of a clean dance edge. And you will not be able to be get this out of your head, all over again.
Anticipation is a cruel mistress, knowing that you have something to look forward to yet not being to get your greedy mitts upon that gold, kind of literally seeing as Loose Talk Cost Lives new 4 song EP is called 'Wax and Gold'. Like a drip drip dripping leak in the ceiling we have been slowly introduced to the band and their evolution. They started life with a couple of raw demos, slowly building to a single in the form of 'Some Nice Flowers/Wreck Ashore, all catchy indie goodness. But with 'Wax and Gold' they step it up all over again, taking all the elements that made previous efforts so easy on them ears and then deciding to throw into that summer day mixture a dose of Mojito and Pina Coloda. All you can think of when listening is one of two things a) moving to the Amazon and dancing around in a tribal manner or b) getting your salsa on, it depends on you entirely on what past time you want to take up during the 16 minutes of brain washing but the urge and desire will be there. However three of the song titles on the EP will have to be googled beforehand to know what the hell they mean, unless you are lucky enough to have a degree in biology, the dictionary or Mexican death festivals/Spanish skulls.
Kicking off proceedings is 'Seraphim' which has the beach vibes to it, late night gushings on the rocks and chilled cocktails with friends. It seems the safest song on show, them trying to show intent but saving the best experiences for later on before it leads smoothly into 'Hemlock'. Then the feelings of moving to Brazil really hit you, things start to get tapped and legs start to bounce, you literally can't help but get swept away in the funk. The third song 'Calavera' is the best on the EP coming at you hard with the best lyrics, "blindly reach for love in lamplight",and them funky funky brass instruments, all the cogs click together. The last song on 'Wax and Gold' finishes in the same vein as the way it started, again taking that brass and using it to maximum effect, just under the layers of the high-pitch flick of guitar adding to a chorus which dreams are made of.
So while the looters loot, you can say you did too by getting the EP for nothing (though supporting them would be that little bit more moral). Take me to the favelas baby.
What is it about those girl/boy harmonies? Coming at you like a train fuelled in a similar fashion to that Laura Marling/Mystery Jests/Noah and the Whale steamroller are these two young ruffians Paolo and Claire. However the real difference here being that Claire hasn't yet broken the heart of Paolo, as Laura did to Noah Fink, and decided to jump aboard the Mumford and Sons success ship headed to America, as Laura did. Lets hope that doesn't happen. We have access to three songs of presents a couple of demos and a more-sure of itself, seemingly finalised, song 'Six Sides' which is pure excellence. It oozes honesty and quality as if the pair of them don't have any other agenda, sweeping you along in the feel of an October night with the toffee apple kisses still present. The lyrics in all the songs are allowed to take centre stage, the listener not being blasted away by a big bass, and the delicate tones of both Paolo and Claire compliment each other brilliantly.
There are two areas within all the songs that make sure they are successful, the first one being that the music reminds not copies,you feel as if you have heard some aspects of the music before ie 'Young Love' and '5 Years Time' but that's as far as it goes, themes pop up now again but it all still sounds original. The second success lies in the fact that the music does not feel self-contained, the songs evoke your own memories of love and events. We don't feel isolated by them talking about their own experiences and feelings we can join in with the lyrics and melody. And that is a very hard task.
Exciting to see what these two love birds can do next. Just don't break up.
Icona don't really lie about the music they make deciding to put the 'genre' in their name, and like a couple of Swedish wonders before them (Robyn, Lykke Li) they decide to flip that said 'judge-a-book-by-its-cover' genre on its head then smash up the rulebook that it came from with a big dose of cool. Take 'Manners', Icona's first proper single and the track that has garnered them the most attention, this is a first-class synth anthem with easily the biggest chorus of the year thus far, leaving normal radio giants/kidnappers huddling in the shadows. It glitches and spins, wobbles and punches, carrying with it a musically infectious disease. The video, which kick started the post carries on the vein of madness and big vibes. If only normal people could look this cool with so much neon paint being splashed around, but normally the only place this usually occurs is on fourteen year old out on the pull for the first time. Check'it. The girls don't stop there, oh no, sweeping us away with a collaboration of epic proportions joining with French producer-whizzes Logo. The resultant melting pot of superb, 'Luvsick', is exactly that, superb, fusing that wonderfully fresh french swagger-cool sound and the slightly off-English sexy of Icona. Hits all day.
And finally, to top it all off, the one and only indie-rap boys Chiddy Bang sample 'Manners' in their latest single 'Mind Your Manners' the first track of the debut. Fresh from killing it on the mixtape, they do what they have the capabilities of doing with every song by killing it again.
Deep Breath.
Exploding back into action like supernova, except it's a start rather than the end, we have the first post since the apocalyptic feeling of Glastonbury. Taken a while to gather the thoughts and get back on it. So here we go, Fort Lean are another example of a band who are a pearl at the bottom of the ocean, who, when scraped above water make your life that o so little bit sweeter. Hailing from the rather cool regions of Brooklyn, they make that 2004 music, by 2004 music we reference the amazing debut by The Killers which they can no longer/ seem to want to recreate. Well, Fort Lean fit that soft space in between your ribs brilliantly, with their short sharp bursts of indie elegance, favourite 'Beach Holiday' starts off slowly and methodically enough, until suddenly it generates a sing-a-long, stadium sized chorus, the same can be said for 'Perfect', which again gives you a musical sized slap awakening the dance genes nestled deep within your DNA. The pace of the EP is checked with the other two songs 'High Defintion' and 'Dreams (Never Come True)' which give the release more balance and show a more diverse side to the band making sure there is truly something for everyone.
So, a week or so ago came the mysterious post from the band TangoCharlie. Wanting to know more I dug deeper until I managed to get in contact with one part of the band, Mathias Mental. This sounds like some kind of James Bond level, well it is. A few emails down the line the interview is spawned and now I am extremely excited to shed some light on such an impressive, organic and mysterious band. Answers from Mathias Mental and Frank Garrett. Enjoy.
>>Where are TangoCharlie from?
Frank - Montreal, in Canada.
>>Who are the members and what past/present projects are they involved in?
Mathias - I have the vocal duties. I've had a solo project for 6 years now, it's called Mathias Mental. I'm still active although TangoCharlie is my main focus for the moment. Frank produces the tracks and plays bass, Jerome plays guitar and Pepe plays keyboards. They were all involved in Cougarettes. Vincent plays drums.
>>How did you form?
Frank - First we remixed each others projects. There aren't a lot of electro bands in montreal so the pairing was pretty obvious. After that, since we were both on hiatus with our respective projects, we thought we should try to jam together. I was working on some beats, but I had yet to figure out what I was working on. Mathias gave some sense to those tracks by adding lyrics and vocals. We did it very organically, without asking ourselves to much questions. After one session we had finished 2 songs and it was pretty clear we were going somewhere with that. We asked some of our friends to help us play the songs live and they added ideas as well.
>>It seems you are down for ‘OFF de Quebec’ Festival in July. Are there any more gigs in the pipeline?
Frank - Not for the moment.
>>Can we expect any more music in the coming months (please!)?
Frank - Yes, two more songs will be available in July! Mathias - There's one inspired by Don DeLillo, the other is about unresolved family issues. Classic pop stuff. Meanwhile, check out Frank's remix of Mathias Mental's song "Daylight Saving", it's awesome! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdeElGfumcI
>>Your song artwork messes with the mind. How did the photo come about?
Mathias - Simple, we all have an identical twin! No just kidding, the photos were taken by an awesome photographer from Montreal named José Enrique Montes Hernandez. He made a magical lense that does wonders. Check out his blog http://joseenriquemonteshernandez.net/
>>There seems to be quite sexual images in the songs, especially ‘Salty’, and in ‘OLEV’ there appears to be a strong theme of drug use. As a band did you want to make dark songs or did it come naturally?
Mathias - When I heard Frank's beats, they're the first images that came to my mind. There's a dark feeling of urgency, but at the same time, there's a lot of hope. "Salty" can be interpreted very sexually, but it can also be seen as a very innocent, childish song. It could almost be a nursery rhyme. OLEV lyrics are more head-on, it's a mix of a lot of different feelings I had on the back of my mind at the time. Since the music is instrospective, I can't be detached with the lyrics, I have to dig deep and be sincere.
>>What is the best piece of music ever?
Mathias - We draw inspiration from a lot of stuff, here's a few: Gainsbourg, Bon Iver, James Blake, Leonard Cohen, Miike Snow, The Weeknd, Gonzales, Beck. But if I had a to bring a song on a desert island or something, I'd bring Jon Brion and Charlie Kaufman's "Little Person".
>>Why do you want to create a persona of mystery?
Frank - Because it's cool, and it's part of the creative approach. Mathias - And once people realize you're a nerd, there's no turning back. We'd like to delay that as much as possible.
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Finally, is an absolute banging remix by Frank on a track by Mathias, absolute party-killer. These guys really need to stop being so cool. Awating July.
Here is some more big-things for y'all. Floating into your mind, then stinging like a bee is the woozy raps of London's own H.A.S. Seemingly cropping up out of the ultra talented camp that is Sampha/SBTRKT/Jessie Ware and everything in between, H.A.S is a infusion of all things wonderful that these guys do, but not like that tea substance your mum drinks, no, this amalgamation of Sampha's production (which is supremely brilliant) and his own laid back flow is pretty exciting. The flowing river-like nature of the piano and the fog of synth and drum that covers you in musical smoke creates such a beautiful sound that you can't quite help falling in and drowning in the stickiness of it all. H.A.S's rap intertwines with the production in full effect, softly punching in your mind, making time slow down with his talk of clocks and clouds .'Wonderland' is like a friendly ghost itself the song being incredibly subtle and gentle, washing over you, and whilst the haze in your mind engulfs you, you can't quite focus on it's significance. Until the bleeps stop and you crash back into focus and realise it is scarily cool. Can't wait to be floating on the clouds with the rest of the E.P, 'Unconcious State'.
Today the weather went on holiday meaning that we couldn't enjoy the holiday season. Selfish. Here is something that is kinda like a substitute for Sun and they go by the name of Foster the People, a 3 man LA collective. In Summer 2010 they became one of the most hyped about bands due to the song 'Pumped Up Kicks', ensue predictable Label battle for their signature, sorta on the same lines as the epicness that Gandalf was fighting for and BAM, an album is spawned. As is always the case with everything kinda ever, the Americans get their mits on the album first but the plus side is the stream is out right about now (album out June 27) and its all kinds of fire. Swinging from trees made of piano chords and some funky samples, clambering among the undergrowth of good old synths and big bassy drums, this is the stuff a (musically minded) Tarzan dreamt of. Real nice to see a band making some pop music that also cares about making some bangers and having fun. O they're at GLASTONBURY. O, I will be having a proper big time meltdown rage at the front. These guys are a metaphorical huge fan that blows away those rain clouds.
The starting 3 seconds of Sydney's 'The Faults' first single 'Lucy' are scary, please God no more fuzzy lo-fi, there is so much we can take. Yeah, then the rest 2:10 absolutely kills when the leads voice smacks in, its short and sweet and it sounds drunk, and fills your brain with lush garage-rock. These guys have this pissed-up swagger, the guitars stopping and starting, the music spinning around like the stars when too much vodka has been consumed, but it all seems to fit together in an intensely enjoyable short moment in time. The other half of the single, 'Quarter', sounds like the 'Artic Monkeys', getting into a pub brawl, taking a pounding, and then picking up their instruments and absolutely crushing it. Bloody impressive for two guys. Again we feel as if the listening experience is taking place on a boat, the rhythm stopping and picking up were it left off with the leads vocals crooning madly. 'The Faults' manage to involve you fully in the music they make, they plug up all the holes, invade your brain and kick it for a short time then walk off into the sunset really coolly and pissed (I imagine).
It is very odd in a day and culture such as ours that it is impossible to find any information about a group (an assumption) of people who make music the only source of info being tags on their BandCamp page saying 'Montreal'. But here we find ourselves with TangoCharlie, and its quite nice having the feeling of anticipation and of finding out more, though at the moment there is little hope that our hunger will be satisfied. So for now all we can do is bask in the electro-pop, super-cool, French-sounding glory that is 'OLEV' and 'Salty'. 'OLEV' the strongest of the two tracks bounces with those god-damn synths and some funky keyboard stuff, the bass is heavy and menacing and for all the happiness within the make-up of the song, a sort of menace does protrude through, all drugs and sex. 'Salty' is a grower and eeks its way into the brain, foot in the door style, creeping up on you, with that menace that is a strong theme within the songs. There seems to be a lack of formulation on some words which leads thoughts such as "Did he just say THAT?!" and again, its weird and dark and sexy. All so mysterious.
Been holding out for the optimum time to posts this band from Newcastle and now seems the perfect time to do so. From the outset, if you love 'Two Door Cinema Club' chances are these guys will float your boat. Sounding like a synth board dripping with the sounds of summer that went on holiday to Ibiza and came back a changed 'man'. It's all so groovy. Springing up in the early months of '11 with songs like 'Morning' and 'Leave Argentina' they set themselves up for a big year and recently this has coming true, playing Radio 1's new artists stage and getting plays from DJ's on the show with the their first proper single 'Sunshine Eyes', on the super-cool French label Kitsune which it so happens 'Two Door' are also with. Do the math. Polarsets don't really do the understated with each of the 4 songs being bold and brash with plenty of cowbell to go around. The most important part of the music is that is the enjoyment that seems to come through, they don't seem to take themselves too seriously preferring to make big summer anthems instead.
The said single 'Sunshine Eyes' is available to buy from Itunes but there are a couple of songs below to download. Imagine these guys, a field and a crowd. Big things.
A fusion of all things unholy is an apt description, mixing the big stadium sound of Muse, with the haunting falsetto of Thom Yorke and wrapped up with a a scattering of glitched up wobbles and low down bass. Kind of alot to take in, however the brilliance of the band comes with the basic fact that it doesn't and it sounds sort of 'next level'. Popping up in the late late months of 2010, with 'Cut And Run', which remains a frequently played, they return with their first true release, a EP which is nicely named 'Duologue'. Consisting of 4 songs it contains one truly new song 'Zeros' and studio versions of live tracks that had been leaking into the shark-infested waters of the blogosphere to be ripped up with delight, 'Get Out While You Can', 'Marching Orders' and 'Racketeer'. This is by no means a summer album, the EP is brash, emotional and loud not skimping on the guitar riffs or the massive chorus' that you quickly find yourself singing aloud, that later loop in the head like a slightly unhinged dream. The production on the songs is faultless, think German super cars, some times personality can be lost with this approach to production but the slickness adds to the future feel and the emotion creeps through in the vocals and desperate sounding guitars.
Unfortunately for us, the EP comes at a price, but you can save some dollar by downloading 2 of the 4 songs below and completing the rest on Itunes. Fusion works.
Something exciting in a raw sound. Drive create that naturally authentic brilliance in music, that has been lost with all the Mac's and the synths in the world. The freshly cut feel to the two tracks released thus far is not due to the demo status just the passion and enthusiasm which pours through, the songs being stadium sized and summer-with-the- roof-down good. The best of the tracks on offer is 'Falling Back', which starts slowly, building subtly to a crashing waterfall of a chorus, it feels understated but not refrained. It was meant to be that way. The other record 'No Feel' is the bigger, louder older brother, again having a huge ability to sound track the drive down the coast. Drive have managed to create what every person who picks up an electric guitar wants to and then make it really fucking good . Normally it takes a while for a band to find its feet, perfect its sound but in Drive it feels that we have 4 people who know what music they want to make. They are not apologising for being loud, they want the whole world to know.
Production is a skill just like any other form in music. Here is a man who is as good as any other at the moment. Linking garage beats, piano cords and trumpets with the newer sounds of dubstep, the music is deep and slick but nonetheless catchy. His task is made easier with vocals from the likes of Sampha on the track below, 'Living Like You Do', whose voice is strained but adds an enchantment and soul to the record. SBTRKT's latest record 'Wildfire' features vocals from Little Dragon who was collaborated with people such as Gorillaz in the past. It does have a wobble but this isn't the main focus of the song, adding to the tone but not creating an overpowering feeling like so much dubstep, the record is chilled and very London. Drake remixes the opening of the song adding yet another dimension and as ever his rapping is better than much of his standard R&B dynamic.
We have a creator that can do so much, not confined by any single genre, it's not surprising seeing as his record label, Young Turks, are the people behing the XX. LP in July, tunes await.
The rap duo of beatmaker, Xaphoon and Chiddy are superstardom. There mixtape 'Swelly Express' released in October 2009 was linked quite closely with the word 'spectacular'. There game has dropped in recent times with their first label release focusing rather on breaking the charts rather than making indie-rap classics. Hopefully Chiddy's new mixtape, 'Peanut Butter and Swelly' collaborating with many producers will place them back on top of the game bringing back the good ol' days of hits such as 'Because' and 'Sonner or Later'. May 27, be there.
This is some kinda fresh NYC sounds and synthsizers. St Lucia is a man who wants to make summer jams, all wrapped up in a breezy musical kiss. Recently signed to HeavyRoc Music, the record label of The Knocks, its a good signing as both acts are focused on making big jams. There is only one release from St. Lucia, 'The Old House is Gone' and is the first glimpse of the blue skies that (fingers crossed) are on the horizon. 'Animal Collective' use of the synths with a slight mix of electro-Jamaican drums and a very cheeky bouncing bass line. This is why we summer ladies and gents. Get your groove ON.
Excitement of music, paralleled with that of 'The Weeknd' R&B album, comes the Frank Ocean album, nostalgia/ultra, another R&B album, but honestly the genre is irrelevant. It fuses them seamlessly with a mixture of samples and fuzzy synths that add another dimension to the sound. The most impressive aspect of the album, which has gained Ocean much attention, is the lyrical content. Personality in music, at the moment, is the singularly most lacking feature in the charts. With this album the lyrics are of such a personal nature that with each listen comes a more clear understanding of them and their themes. Suicide, heartbreak and the disappearance of a father. The silt settles and a picture is painted. It's not all desperate and heavy, there are numerous times when the album picks up, becomes sexy. It's not the sexy in a negative way, or a exploitative way. It's made both sexes. The Ocean making waves.
This is a fairytale about a song and a man. This man , Jai Paul, made this song, BTSTU, and it was up there with songs of the year. Pure fire . It was only a demo. The man went underground for a while, (kind of like Sleeping Beauty), until Prince Charming (XL Recordings), awoke him with a kiss of production a record label bidding war and a slight change in the wobble and timing in the bass. More seriously though, the elusive Mr Paul, demo or mixed, has made an boomer. With a distinct voice, all falsetto up in your grill, like the fire with the dragons, and the slight wobble in the bass it hits to the very core. No details yet on a much anticipated album or really on the man behind the music.Bass baby, bass.
Rather a broad name for a band, Peace, and there isn't much Peace within their creations just solid gold. Their creations are gems of groove hitting the 'Foals' shaped button that is beneath every ones exterior. Two demo's and the excitement keeps growing especially with the fantastic 'BBLOOD'. It's quite simple really, just make amazing music.
Tribes kick your ass.In a enjoyable, soft way sort of like with a slipper. Releasing their debut EP after one demo, Nightdriving/uselessgod which was raw and spontaneous, comes 'We Were Children' which is of the same bare ilk as the few demo's. The Kings of Leon/Killers hole in the heart has needed filling for a few years, and although there isn't the same rough edges as the young Kings here, there is honest songwriting and clear soul of music. Tribes don't try to fool the listener in to some false preconceptions about the music that they create which makes it all the more listenable. You have to be a very strange person not to enjoy such unashamed fun and crashing guitars intoxicated with the slight shrill of the vocals within. Tribes make you wonder why music has to packaged and blurred with the unnecessary amount of production when their own result is a crisp 3:00 belter . Encore.
Resident NYC production duo are two multi-talented guys. Whilst running record label HeavyRoc they also spend their time creating making sure fire 'Justice' hits such as last years 'Blackout' and this years 'Dancing With The DJ' (The title of which sounds rather like a terrible car crash of Ke$ha and Black Eyed Peas but actually is an infectious pop gem). Recently they have been on tour with the well-known songstress Ellie Goulding in the US but have been making remixes for Foster The People and today's most focused remix for The Streets. The remix in question, by arguably one of the most influential artists of the 20th century, is a scary idea kind of like the idea of fighting a lion but they do it stunningly well by grabbing influences from 'Miike Snow' and making it slide into Mike Skinner's lazy flow, slightly like summer personified or exaggerated or one of the two. Because sometimes the best thing to do is put on a sprinkler of sound in the back garden and run through it, continually. Merci beaucoup Monsieur's. PS. As always little black download arrow on player will give you delight straight into your Itunes
Music like this is made for loving and sharing. Just A Number 05272011 are one of the hype bands of the last few weeks. They are shrouded in mystery at the moment which seems the done thing these days for blog bands. But there is generally a reason why a band gets alot of attention and 9 times out of ten its because the music they make can be described with words such as 'tune', 'banger' or even 'spin that record again baby'. This band and their faintly ridiculous name deserve such praise. The song getting recent rounds on headphones is 'BUISNESS'. Somewhere on the line of absolute incredible-ness that is the falsetto sounds of Passion Pit, the band plant thier siege on the castle 'Raging Pop Banger'. The beat is heavy, the hook of those tribal-esque drums is infectious contrasted with the sharpness of the lead vocals amounts in feet stomping brilliance that could lead to o-so much more if placed on the dancefloor. Put it as a wake-up alarm or as a weekend anthem there is no denying the epicness. Keep it coming.
FOE is scary. Labelmates with ENTREPRENEURS who was posted below she creates pop music with a harsh edge. Her EP is released in the next week/s, spending £5 can earn you the ownership of HOT NEW TRASH, the aptly named title of this brilliant creation. The four songs in question contain visually wrecking lyrics, heavy deployment of guitars and all under the banner of pop music. FOE's demos were alot softer than this, more closer to a raging, unhinged Goulding but with the added edge of Entrepreneurs production skills the EP is grittier. different but just as good. It's so refreshing to see pop music done well in an edgy exciting way, though pop brings a heavy tag, one of poor lyrics ie 'club', 'love' and 'dj', and repetitive production. FOE really flips the genre on it's greedy head. She breathes a nightmarish fresh breath into the game. Clown hats off, madame.
Friends. Music. Separately they are brilliant. Friends + Music Gigs also creates something special. However the general trend is that Friends creating music is normally terrible. Boys creating huge grimy dupsteps beats. Please stop. Charlie has actaully managed to create a stunning subtle track drawing influences from current beat makers like James Blake. 'Untitled' doesn't try to grab your attention too soon, its quite happy wallowing around in the murky depths of drums and dreams before snapping you wind awake with the static synths and tight bass. Electronic instrumental at its best. Repeat, Repeat Repeat.
Xaphoon Jones. Beat Maker/ProductionWhizz/ChiddyBang/GeneralGroove. He sets the bar in the blogsphere for his depth of samples, his knowledge of the game and the standard of his creations. Whether it be with mash-ups in his latest mixtape or fresh tunes he manages to create a listening experience you think you have pinned down ie radio pop darling 'Wonderman' which he flips with a synth base and a looping drum. This only enhances these tunes into raging beasts that consume all thought processes for 42 minutes.With 'Volume 2' he gets in your head without any intention of leaving. Y'all be listening to Xaphoon Jones Mixtape Volume 2. If you want to be good, you have be this good.
