everything this guy touches doesnt do it for me. i say this not to turn you off, or to shit on him, but in context. the context of how i just absolutely gushed over bon iver, and how this is the second diplo ive posted this week, which might make you think that i am absolutely gaga for diplo and sold on a golden touch. this isnt the case. i totally love some of his work, and could take or leave some, like the vast majority of artists. thats all im saying. anyway: santogold: starstruck (diplo remix) from the mad decent blog, in honor of the new diplo megadub of santogold, top ranking. this edit isnt on top ranking, but is unreleased. its sexy and slippery, with some great use of deep, attack-less synths. so check diplo, and check santogold.
try the black cab session of 'creature fear' (below) - as usual, off the cuff, one take. and compare to the lp version: bon iver: creature fear now go to his site, love his myspace, and buy his record. his record, 'for emma, forever ago', is easily, hands down the album of the year. i cant imagine that anything in the next five/half months could possibly top it, and i know nothing in the last 6/half has. according to last.fm, its in my top 10 most played albums, and those stats cover the last 3/half years. the record is tender, heartfelt, the falsetto which i never thought id go for, and really just the most bear-it-all stuff ive ever heard. my first post about bon iver was a little hesitant: id heard three tracks. while 'for emma' has grown on me somewhat, its still not in the better half of the album, and simply cant keep company with tracks like skinny love, creature fear, re: stacks, blindsided, the wolves (act i and ii), and lump sum. for any who remain unconvinced, ill post the rest of the above tracks which i havent already, spread out over the course of the next week.
so heres a smattering of tracks from kinda all over the place, please forgive.
new bloc party: the new bloc party single, mercury, takes the band in the direction of flux, one step further from their silent alarm roots and one step further to electro sound of the moment. choppy vocals? check. synth and beat before guitars? check. horns a la foals/radiohead? check. none of this is a bad thing though. did i love silent alarm's jangly guitar as much as the next guy? well of course i did. but the deep synth line which carries the song is spot on, the almost tribal rhythm that picks up is a welcome shift, okereke's vocals sound as good as ever (and even hit their lovely high end around the three minute mark), and im left feeling that the song is a progression that sounds great and isnt worn uncomfortably. bloc party: mercury
sa's blk jks: now im sure ive made it clear in an earlier post that im a fan of the four guys that make hard-to-classify music under the name blk jks. hailing from johannesburg, featured in the same africa issue of the fader mag as the much-loved esau mwamwaya, and having recently issued forth a new ep-the mystery ep-available at a handful of independent records stores worldwide and for download on the itunes music store, blk jks are on the rock end of the new african sound vanguard. radioclit and esau are working out the more electro end, with radioclit incorporating african rhythms into all sorts of bangers. vampire weekend of course is very vocal about their afrobeat love. so it is of course inevitable that some truly trailblazing rock should come out of the north-meets-south jumble of modern south africa. mzabalazo (resistance), featured here, is one of the toyi toyi songs, militant protest chants which were used in the struggle against apartheid. for a more intelligent take on this style of song, read this. to hear what the hell im talking about, work your rightclick-saveas magic below or watch the blk jks perform it at harriet's alter ego at the end of their american stint a few months ago. in my opinion this song really finds its voice in the live video below, but of course ill take what i can get in mp3 format. hear the noise factor which takes every blk jks song to the brink of anarchy, but dont think for one hot second that they dont have full control of every sonic particle. keep them in your sights, and check them out on myspace. blk jks: mzabalazo
diplo make you shake you shit: i dont know a whole helluva lot about this track. snagged from along the waterfall, and mentioned (rather confusingly to me anyway) by wuzz magazine, this is four minutes of blazing african/electro glory by the genre hopper who brought baile funk to the north. buy this wonky shit here and please dont forget to thank me later. diplo: fuji ouija
the ultimate battle (computer vs. banjo): computer vs. banjo is two dudes, and this track seems to be pretty much what you might expect from two dudes operating under such a moniker, although there is a bit of an exotic vibe to it. is it really just a banjo, because at times it sounds a helluva lot more like a sitar or something along those lines. hypnotic is a word that comes easily to mind when working to describe the sound. its what the 19th century wild west couldve been with lots of hash and a computer? fun stuff. computer vs. banjo: give up on ghosts
little boots covering hot chip (youtube rip): the video went up last week, under the banner of 'i want this but all ive got is youtube'. now i have, sort of. thanks to sucka pants, it is now a fully portable version, ripped straight from the youtube video. in other words, poor quality, keeps her intro oopsies, but damn it still a cute take on the original. check her and hot chip on myspace. little boots: ready for the floor (hot chip cover)
metronomy's upcoming nights out leaked: the new metronomy album is due out 8 september, but has apparently leaked--read ohh! crapp's outrage, or read mfm's album commentary. ill say that i only have a couple tracks from nights out which havent seen proper single releases, not the full fledged album. and ill not post those tracks which havent seen official release yet. but ill share heartbreaker because it is the slickest shit ever, and needs to be heard in all its slinky glory by every man woman and child. i dont really need to hype up metronomy, mostly because i seem to do it all the time, so ill just let this gem toot its own horn, so to speak. and pine away til nights out drops. metronomy: heartbreaker
thats it for today, sorry its been a few days since last post, and as always, if its your music i posted and you want it off, or its your photography i jacked and you want it off, let me know and ill be happy to oblige.
the neighbourhood council is four friends from calgary, alberta: young, unsigned, & with one live and self-released ep. check them out on their myspace, or read about them where i was tipped off at stereogum, or at calgary's fast forward weekly, or maybe just hear what im talking about for yourself:
this is a beautiful and sweeping tune, the nine minute plus opener of their homegrown ep, set pieces. and when i say sweeping, i mean it physically carries you off, whisking you into a blissful neverworld of quiet rhythms, airy explosions in the skyesque guitar work, and the kind of subtle drumwork that is perfect without you ever noticing. when the vocals come in around the five minute mark, all bets are off as you stand transfixed in a swirl of steady piano, guitar, bass, and calm drumming. only this one track for download at the moment, and the ep is available directly from the band, with one other track up on their myspace, the shorter yet nearly five minute long 'she brave soul', the late blooming lovechild of the epic 'liver and tan', sigur ros, explosions in the sky, and the bone structure of the arcade fire.
this video is so fun! the totally retro outfits, the facial expressions, the rocking out, and that there song aint too bad neithers...
so go ahead and just revel, and ill start shopping around for my getup for wxyc's biannual 80's dance. just because, heres me from last semester's shindig:
yeah, not posting that damned beatles song. not like you wont hear it today anyway... wish i could be there to celebrate your 21st with you in style, but alas ill just post a couple birthday themed songs and buy you a drink at the next available opportunity.
radioclit - secousse (crookers spino remix) -----so that esau mwamwaya + marina clip from earlier this week. yeah, that crazy line, just wait til you hear where crookers take it (answer = the ultimate next level). now if only i still had marina's crazy yelping to make me totally lose it. i have to work on getting a record player, so i have a good excuse to buy vinyl, and i have to start keeping my ear to the ground for more radioclit.
metronomy - the raid -----this is the b-side from the new holiday single to be dropped soon, after a couple plays it stuck pretty well, as metronomy shit tends to do. they also have a contest going right now, win free swag for posting a funny picture of your holiday. i posted, i just broke my sunglasses today, so maybe i can replace them with goofy free ones.
one: little boots - stuck on repeat -----r.i.p. here lies every expectation you ever had for simple danceable addictive glory. now you have to think bigger and better. thank god i have little boots. theres also a video of her playing this with her tenori-on. im so jealous, and i apologize if this just sounds like shitty hype, but im hooked and sold.
two: la chansons - sparklin -----golly pete this song kept me alive and sane while i was living in damascus. everywhere you go, every fucking song's chorus has 'habibi' (my beloved) and it takes some real work (and numbing repetition) to be able to discern different songs since they all sound the same. i had a 2gig ipod which i had filled hastily before hand and which spent much of the trip dead anyway. but this. this song (thank you bigstereo for your wisdom and your little track player!) provided me with my little bit of musical sanity. every time i went to an internet cafe my first stop was bigstereo to get la chansons loading and playing while i do the necessary emailing etc. its happy, its got sexy vocals, chunky bass, hand claps, and the occasionally metronomyesque funky/quirky synth. its uplifting, like esau, and cute, like your beloved little ratdog you haul around everywhere. i want more.
three: cassettes won't listen - paper float -----i wish i was better at conveying through words the moods conveyed by tracks. this one finds me at a loss. listen to that intro and tell me what you think it brings. cassettes won't listen is one talented new yorker, ill say that.
four: tegan and sara - back in your head (rac remix) -----i never listened to any tegan and sara until 'the con' dropped a short while ago, and i still havent dug back to the older work yet, but dont worry its on the honey-do list. that said, that album is cute and highly playable for repeat listens, and i swear rac, the remix artist collective, can do no wrong. ive already thrown up their yoav rework, and it was tough to go with just those two. this track finds rac fleshing out the relatively understated original, complementing the vocals and really pumping that piano lick for all its worth, yet not killing it. just peachy right?
five: lightspeed champion - galaxy of the lost (database remix) -----the last of the lightspeed remixes, this time by database, and again hearty appreciation to bigstereo for all three of the lightspeed remixes, all three by brazilians. this one starts out with one of those horribly extended drum intros, before dropping in thick synth and vocals that come off sexy. this mix is smirking and hot, and probably fucked your sister last semester.
seven: cazals - poor innocent boys -----im a sucker for syncopated hand claps and in your face bass lines. this song wants to rock, and cazals doesnt need your permission. came from kitsuné maison comp #2, but their debut 'what of our future' is out now on the same label.
eight: magistrates - colour co-ordination (demo) -----the recording is a little rough around the edges--its a demo you schmuck. whats not rough around the edges is the klaxons-esque vocal work, that brain invading guitar lick, and the piano(!) intro. magistrates are going places ya see.. i remember when i first heard this, my tiny little ipod full of newly downloaded music on random, as i was just coming down the lebanon mountains into the suburbs of beirut, and somehow the tank sculpture, abandoned apartments, and bullet induced pockmarks of old conflicts were hip, cool, and beirut was a hipster paradise. then came the dressed to the nines and people, the ferraris and landrovers, and the rolex clocktower. thats still what the song conjures, pure hip, a little rough around the edges.
nine: phosphorescent - wolves -----phosphorescent showed up in the similar artists block on last.fm while iron & wine was playing. i kept it in mind but did nothing until a new album, pride, was released last year and made its appearance on a ruckus new music drop, again claiming brotherhood to sam beam. ehhhh, shits a helluva lot spacier and i honestly think it could be described as more of a sam beam and sigur rós love child with just a pinch of psychedelia thrown in for good measure. this is pure lullaby, placating not a long day, but a long life, drawing to a close.
ten: shiny toy guns - don't cry out (the teenagers remix) -----for a band formed as a joke, the teenagers are doing pretty well for themselves, with a debut lp and two handfuls of well received remixes following their smattering of myspace singles. since i know little and have heard less of shiny toy guns, i can say little beyond this: this track is compelling, leaving me wanting more, so stay tuned in the future.
& le video: frankmusik - confusion girl (acoustic) -----ahhhhh....frankmusik...what a pop boywonder. if youve heard confusion girl in its frenetic yet poppy glory, then youre probably wondering what the hell an acoustic version might sound like. well it might sound like homeboy has enormous songwriting talent and a real masterful finesse on the piano. it might sound like if frankmusik ever gets tired of electro and synthesizers, weve got a real gem in the making for plain old piano ballads as well. im not sure which i like more, but i give him due credit for being baller either way.
that concludes fifty through june. sorry i didnt write about the first batch, but maybe youre not. im not exactly what youd call a writer or music critic, but hey- thats what blogs are for anyway. the photographs are all the work of my mate tyler huffman, taken in may while i was visiting him in damascus. the photos are from the umayyad mosque in damascus, syria (1), some random mosque undergoing renovations in aleppo, syria (2), the roman ruins at palmyra, syria (3), the beirut shore from general de gaulle avenue, lebanon (4), and the entrance to vespasian's tunnel near samandağ, turkey (5). as for the music, quite a bit of it came either from the blogs listed to my right, from surfing the hype machine, from ruckus new music drops, and from friendly recommendations. all of this was posted for promotional purposes, because the music these artists make is good and worthy of your time, attention, and money. thats the justification behind posting free mp3s anyway. and because these people make a living from this, you should buy some of this stuff. try itunes, amazon, ruckus, turntable lab, or your local independent retailer (r.i.p. schoolkids records chapel hill, 1974-2008). and do your friends a favor, tip them off to your favorite new tunes because music was made to be shared and enjoyed together.
one: athlete - airport disco -----i dont know dick about athlete. theyre english. i remember hearing something about them last summer, and i couldnt get the download to work. at some point i picked up this track, and it slowly creeped its way into my subconscious. it does that. this song creeps, until it decides to soar. thats why i like it-make what you will of it.
two: metronomy - this could be beautiful -----yeah i dig metronomy, a lot considering how little i have. i desperately need their debut lp, Pip Paine (Pay The £5000 You Owe) on holiphonic records, and i heartell a sophomore release called 'nights out' will drop in september on france's because music. oh yeah, the song. its a beaut and its instrumental, so do your own thing to it. need i say more? off kitsuné maison comp #1, which you should have.
three: lykke li - little bit -----a darling. thats how i keep hearing lykke li described. indie darling, swedish darling, things along those lines. shit is indie, and yes, she is swedish, so if the shoe fits. came to my attention via the swedish blog psl, with their musik med series, then came all the sxsw blog buzz and lots of free tracks floating around (+a live set from sxsw), and now shes rolling stone's breaking artist from last week. and this track is worth the hype i think. it works. if you need proof, check the musik med video from october 07.
four: lawrence arabia - the beautiful young crew -----dont know anything about lawrence arabia, other than that they have a compelling name and some compelling lyrics...'we love each other, we hate each other, were afraid of each other, because we want to screw each other...' this little jig is complements of transparent magazine.
five: late of the pier - broken (fairy lights mix) -----allegedly there is no fairy lights, and this is just the band's own edit of their song. regardless, its frenetic and playful, and makes for a good time. from kitsuné maison comp #5
six: jaguar love - bats over the pacific ocean -----jaguar love is ex-blood brothers and ex-pretty girls make graves. and johnny whitney's voice is a little less abrasive, going for a little more of a song than a holler, which makes jaguar love a no brainer, for me at least. see earlier post.
seven: the national - green gloves -----how sad would my life be if i had never heard matt berninger's voice? not very...but luckily i did, and the national's tunes consistently make my life sadder when i let them. everybody needs this kinda of soft and lost-sounding beauty every once and a while, and some more often than that. the national does it best.
eight: the whip - trash -----the whip is from manchester, and have that sound. feel the darkness? its a dirty dingy club and you dont give a fuck-you move. and you yell that chorus like your life depends on it
nine: shout out louds - the comeback (big slippa mix by ratatat) -----this is smooth, slick, and in control. there is signature ratatat work going on, and you have to love the confidence of this comeback. its too slick not to believe these swedes when they proclaim their comeback. this is good to kick back to, let it wash you in sweet guitar and synth.
ten: black kids - hurricane jane (SQZMYLMNS remix) -----in my opinion sqzmylmns beats the nuts off mgmt's remix, mostly with the guitar lick off the start. black kids are apparently a rolling stone pick for artist to watch in 08, so i guess watch them or something. im not convinced, something about the guitar effects and the vocals just doesnt click for me.
le video: esau mwamwaya - secousse (live with marina [ex-bonde do role] & radioclit for last.fm) -----oh god, marina+esau+radioclit=fucking livefreediefreedanceyourshitoff kinda good. like whoa. esau's goods, that insanely cool radioclit beat, and marina's borderline insanity make this a total keeper, i just hope it still contains half the oomph if it ever makes it to a studio recording (please oh please drop that album soon). big things coming from esau, just you wait. thank you fader!
