n e u s o u n d s .

video: Justice - Stress.

2008-05-03T15:08:00.000-07:00

Wow.

April in Albums.

2008-05-02T02:14:00.000-07:00

The time has come to round up the five best releases of the month gone by. After the amazing set of albums that graced our ears back in March, April was sure to be a quiet month. However, judging from the list below, it's been quite the opposite. Sorry I'm a bit late on this one, but here is April in albums:

The Fall - Imperial Wax Solvent

Castle

Imperial Wax Solvent is the 27th studio album from Mark.E Smith's The Fall. I think it's only fair to say that the last couple of Fall LPs have left much to be desired. However, Imperial Wax Solvent is one of the best 21st Century Fall offerings, right up there with 2005's Fall Heads Roll. Mark.E Smiths nonsensical stories and tight musical arrangements are sounding better than ever. Check it.

mp3: The Fall - Can Can Summer

M83 - Saturdays = Youth

Mute

French musician M83 (Anthony Gonzales) superb new album Saturdays = Youth was apparently inspired by 80's teenage pop culture a-la-John Hughes movies and borrows heavily from shoegaze conventions such as heavy usage of reverb effects and wonderful softly spoken lyrics. Yet it is really refreshing stuff, the first essential summer album of the year.

mp3: M83 - Couleurs

Portishead - Third

Island

Portishead fans have been waiting for the aptly named Third for over ten years now, and more often that not, anticipations like this always result in an upset. However, not only have Portishead finally delivered, they've created one of this years most exciting, genre-defying records along the way. Check out the mechanical marvel that is Machine Gun, the first single to be lifted from the album.

mp3: Portishead - Machine Gun

Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles

Last Gang

April too saw the long awaited UK release of Toronto-based Crystal Castles self-titled debut. The duo have never really sat comfortably in the music press created genres of 'blog-house' and 'nu-rave'. This is reflected in the albums 16 tracks, which span disco, house, trance and glitch beats. All of which is topped with textured drums and front-woman Alice Glass oddly compelling vocals, creating something rather great.

mp3: Crystal Castles - Alice Practice

ALBUM OF THE MONTH:

Boris - Smile

Southern Lord

Album of the month for me comes in the form of Smile. The 14th full-length from Japanese experimental-dooms band Boris. The album has a slightly altered tracklisting to the Japanese version (released earlier this year) and is apparently the weaker of the two. However, the album is still a sensationally schizophrenic, face-melting mix of psychedelic, metal and noise rock. Highly recommended.

mp3: Boris - Statement

label profile: BPitch Control.

2008-04-25T13:42:00.000-07:00

Did you know, Germany has the largest electronic music scene in the world? No, me neither. However, when you take into consideration the amount of outstanding electronic labels that are based in Germany today, it does not surprise me one bit. Amidst this impressive Deutsch collective are popular labels such as Studio !K7, Mille Plateaux and Kompakt. However, my personal favourite comes in the form of BPitch.

BPitch Control is a techno and IDM label founded in 1997 in Berlin by DJ and produce Ellen Allien. Ellen started her music career as a DJ at legendary Berlin club Tresor back in 1992, from this spawned her own Berlin radio show and record label, both under the moniker of "Braincandy".However, due to poor sales, Allien was forced to shut down all Braincandy operations in 1997 and began organizing parties under the name of BPitch instead. In 1999 she ventured back into the world of record distribution and founded BPitch Control, which was highly successful from the word go, with heralded releases from the likes of Sascha Funke and Tok Tok. The label has since launched the careers of popular production outfits such as Modeselektor and Apparat. Starting with Ellen Allien, I'm going to take you through the core members BPitch family, exploiting their lovechildren and sharing a couple of mp3s along the way. Genießen.

Ellen Allien.

The creation of BPitch allowed Ellen to distribute her own music, which is best described as a distinctive blend of techno and dance, with noticeable experimental tendencies. She released her debut album Stadtkind (an ode to her beloved Berlin) in 2001, and has since released 3 more LPs to much critical acclaim, as well as a collaboration with fellow BPitch family member Apparat (more from that later). She is also famed for a number of alarmingly popular Mix CDs, produced for the likes of Fabric and Boogybytes, as well as BPitch's own Control Camping Compilation. Her fifth studio album Sool is due for release next month. In the meantime, here are some mp3's for yo' asses.

Ellen Allien - Sehnsucht

Ellen Allien - Its

Apparat.

Next up is Berlin-based Apparat, who started out making dance-floor orientated techno, however, but over time has leaned more toward ambient and IDM music, stating "I've become more interested in designing sounds than beats". Apparat has released five solo albums, the first of which was highly praised by the late John Peel, as well as a joint album with Ellen Allien Orchestra of Bubbles. Although signed to BPitch, Apparat co-owns popular German electronic label Shitkatapult. Here are some mp3s from his much-loved 2007 album Walls as well as a couple from Orchestar of Bubbles.

Apparat - Arcadia

Apparat- You Don't Know Me

Ellen Allien & Apparat - Jet

Ellen Allien & Apparat - Bubbles

Modeselektor.

Now for my favourite of the bunch - Modeselektor, who too hail from - you guessed it - Berlin. The boys - Gernot Bronset and Sebastian Szary - draw heavily from IDM, glitch, hip-hop and electro, and produce all their material with self developed software. The band have released two superb albums, as well as material in collaboration with Apparat under the moniker of "Moderat". Modeselektor are a favourite of Thom Yorke, who frequently speaks of them in the press. Yorke even provided guest vocals on the bands 2007 album Happy Birthday!. Here is some Modeselektor (and Moderat) for you to enjoy.

Modeselektor - Kill Bill (Vol. 4)

Modeselektor - Sucker Pin

Moderat - Mode2

Well that brings us to the end of our BPitch journey, I hope you get as much pleasure reading/ listening to the mp3s as I did writing this shit. Thank you.

For more BPitch information, check their official site here.

news: Burial DJ-KiCKS.

2008-04-21T13:30:00.000-07:00

Always a good time for a rare bit of Burial news. According to a press release from Studio !K7 earlier today, the enigmatic dubstep producer is next in line to compile a DJ-KiCKS compilation for the label. For those who are unfamiliar, DJ-KiCKS is a series of DJ-mix albums mixed by various various artists, not dissimilar to the Back to Mine or Late Night Tales series. !K7 release roughly two to three mixes a year and past contributers include Carl Craig, Hot Chip and Four Tet. I'm not usually into mixes like this, but with rumors that Burial will treat his favored dubstep, techno and r&b tracks with his own unique production style before mixing them with exclusive material, I will defo be checking this out.

Just like his identity, the tracklisting is still top-secret, but I will keep you posted. Burials DJ-KiCKS drops June 23rd. In the meantime, enjoy Archangel taken from Burials spectacular 2007 album Untrue and his dubtastic mix of Thom Yorke's And It Rained All Night. mp3s:

Burial - Archangel

Thom Yorke - And It Rained All Night (Burial Remix)

video: Dan Deacon - Okie Dokie.

2008-04-20T13:20:00.000-07:00

Ahh, a Sunday evening treat for you all, the brand spanking new (well not quite, but who's here to argue?) video from Baltimore-based electronic-eccentric Dan Deacon. Deacon lies somewhere between Daft Punk and Daniel Johnston in my record collection, which is funny because if you put the two in a blender, add a bunch of crazy shit and speed it up, you would probably get Okie Dokie, the latest single to be taken from Deacon's Spiderman of the Rings, another one of my favourites of 2007.

The video, directed by David Hughes, does a fantastic job of transferring the energy of Deacon's immense live performances into a kaleidoscopic jumble of trippy skulls, vintage commercial footage, TV dinners, fighting robots, rockets, rainbows of feedback and a sweaty Deacon doing his thang. It also gave me a migraine. Enjoy.

mp3: Dan Deacon - Okie Dokie

introducing: White Williams.

2008-04-18T13:41:00.000-07:00

Joe Williams hails from Cleveland, Ohio. He started playing music with local noise bands at the age of 15, some of whom got to open shows for the likes of Black Dice and The Rapture. Williams later gravitated to a more electronic pop sound, which resulted in his solo act - White Williams. William's debut album Smoke was released stateside to much acclaim last November on Tigerbeat6 and is set for a UK release next week on Domino imprint Double Six Records. The album, one of my favourites of 07 (I imported it because I care folks, and we have the same initials) is a coulourful collection of nostalgic and unapologetic pop songs. Mucho recommended, even if it does include a cover of The Strangeloves 1965 hit I Want Candy, which has been covered previously by the likes of Bow Wow Wow and er, Melanie C to name but a few. Album highlight and new single New Violence has been getting a lil' bit of Radio One airplay recently, which is always nice to see. Check it out below and be be sure to pick up the album on Monday.

mp3: White Williams - New Violence

video(s): Yeasayer on Later.

2008-04-16T07:34:00.000-07:00

Bit late on this one, but did anyone else see Yeasayer on Later With Jools Holland last week? The band performed two tracks - 2080 and Sunrise - from their debut album All Hour Cymbals, one of my favourite releases of last year, and they were remarkable. I had no idea they were so tight live. You could basically see the jealousy on the other acts faces as they watched the band play. And for those of you who caught the whole show, you too would've seen The Kooks announce Yeasayer as 'their new favourite band'. Lucky Yeasayer. Check it out below, and if you haven't already, go and buy All Hour Cymbals.

mp3: Yeasayer - 2080

You can catch Yeasayer live at London's ULU on May 12th. Tickets priced £10. For more information click here.

Appy-Polly-Loggies.

2008-04-15T06:53:00.000-07:00

To my three/four dear fans, my upmost apologies for my three-day absence of posting, I've been rather busy of late (Mario Kart Wii - wahooo), but to make up for it, here is a longish post consisting of several things I have been feelin' recently and a couple of mp3s to accompany. Enjoy.

First up is Dirty Projectors (artist name of Brooklyn-based musician Dave Longstreth). It was announced sometime last week that Dirty Projectors would be replacing Liars for the support slot of the ATP-curated Battles date in May. Whilst I'm still in mourning of Liars having pulled out, boy I am I excited about seeing Dirty Projectors. For some reason unknown to me, I ignored DP's superb 2007 offering Rise Above, an album consisting of covers of tracks taken from Black Flag's seminal 1981 album Damaged as reimagined from memory. Longstreth replaces Black Flag's hardcore punk sound with a mix of classical orchestration, samples and skewed rhythms, creating something rather special in the process.

mp3: Dirty Projectors - No More

Next up is another act who too for reasons beyond my control passed me by in 2007. The delightfully-named Psychedelic Horseshit are a three-piece from Columbus, Ohio, who make music they themselves describe as 'shitgaze'. Their raw, jumbled fusion of fuzzy guitars, synth organs and brittled drums make them sound like Times New Viking's rougher little brother. Their first full-length Magic Flowers Droned came out on Slitbreeze Records at the end of the last year, it's really fucking good. Here is an mp3 for you to enjoy, my pick of the post.

mp3: Psychedelic Horseshit - New Wave Hippies

My third pick is Graveyard Girl, the second single to be taken from French electronic musician M83 (real name Anthony Gonzales) new record Saturdays = Youth, which is out now on Mute. You may know M83 for his remix work, which includes tracks for Bloc Party and Goldfrapp to name but a few, however, it is his shoegaze (not to be confused with our new favourite genre shitgaze peeps) inspired solo work that stands out for me the most. Saturdays = Youth has a different kind of heft to his previous records, yet it still rich in M83 conventions such as heavy usage of reverb effects and softly spoken vocals. Check it out.

mp3: M83 - Graveyard Girl

I won't pretend to you that I know loads of shit about African music, because I don't. However, I do know that the new album from Malian kora player Toumani Diabaté is great stuff. Toumani comes from a long family tradition of kora players and has been playing music for over 20 years now. Just like Konono N°1, he collaborated with Björk on her 2007 album Volta and is currently the opening act on her tour of the UK. The Mande Variations is Toumani's second solo offering, as well as his first since 1988. The album is just the man and his unadorned kora, recorded with maximum clarity as he pays tribute to his roots and peers. Defo recommended.

mp3: Toumani Diabaté - Ali Farka Toure

My last offering to you is the latest single to be taken from Why?'s highly-recommended third album Alopecia, which I first wrote about as one of my favourite albums released back in March. I seriously cannot get enough of Song Of The Sad Assassin, the line "Billy the kid did what he did and he died" is fantastic in its own right and the video for the single is directed by animator Mike L. Mayfield, known for his work on American Dad and Family Guy. What more could you possibly want?

mp3: Why? - Song Of The Sad Assassin

preview: No Age - Nouns.

2008-04-11T02:51:00.001-07:00

I've been wanting to write about L.A experimental art-punk duo No Age for quite some time now. The band - guitarist Randy Randall and singing drummer Dean Spunt - formed in late 2005 from the ashes of hardcore punk band Wives and played their first proper show at downtown LA art-hole The Smell in April 2006. However, it wasn't until the release of Weirdo Rippers (a collection of five EPs released on five different labels early in the bands career) in 2007 that the band entered our lives. Weirdo Rippers was released on FatCat to much critical acclaim (it ranked 12th on Pitchfork's Top 50 albums of 2007 and 8th on Drowned in Sound's) and resulted in the band being whisked into the loving arms of Seattle's SubPop Records.

Nouns, the bands 'proper' debut, consists of 12 new tracks and is set for release on SubPop on May 5th. The first single to be taken from the album is Eraser. The track opens with a chiming acoustic guitar, a bright tambourine and an undercurrent of fuzz, before turning into a textbook example of the bands noise-pop aesthetic. It may well be the bands most accessible song yet, definitely a good sign for what the album will have to offer. Check it for yo'self.

mp3: No Age - Eraser

You can catch No Age live alongside Ex-Models on May 21 at London's Highbury Garage.

video: These New Puritans - Swords of Truth.

2008-04-09T07:32:00.000-07:00

Swords of Truth is the latest single to be taken from Southend droogs These New Puritans debut album Beat Pyramid. The video (which appeared online sometime last week but was curiously taken down until today) sees lead singer Jack Barnett looking slightly awkward whilst singing to the camera as well as a lot of geometrical effects. Excellent. Sample-heavy, Swords of Truth is arguably the strongest track from Beat Pyramid. One Jamie Reynolds (of Klaxons) described the track as the "greatest black song ever made by white guys" - interesting stuff. Supposedly the tracks name was inspired by Liquid Swords-era GZA, which is certainly plausible as the band are self-confessed Wu-Tang fans. The track was also my ringtone for quite sometime for all you readers who are interested in my private life and whatnot... Enjoy the video.

Beat Pyramid is out now on Domino.

introducing: HEALTH.

2008-04-07T11:33:00.000-07:00

HEALTH are a noise rock quartet from Los Angeles who gained much exposure after touring and releasing two alarmingly popular split singles with Crystal Castles. Their self-titled debut was released at the end of last year (late to the party!) via Lovepump United. The album, recorded at the bands favourite setting, downtown LA avant-garde club The Smell, home to the likes of No Age and Mika Miko, is a breathless mix of the tribal thumps, ostentatious pounds and synth squirts. The bands unusual sound can be partially accredited to the use of Zoothorn, which is a permutation of a microphone and guitar pedal and an occasional unsymetrical atonal sound. Definitely for fans of Liars, Boredoms or Black Dice.

HEALTH will be playing a one-off London date at Cafe Luminaire on May 1st alongside Skeletons & The King's of all Cities and Pre. Tickets are £6. For more tour information, click here.

mp3: Health - Triceratops

mp3: Health - Crimewave

remembering: Kurt Cobain.

2008-04-05T05:37:00.000-07:00

Today - April 5th - marks the 14th anniversary of Kurt Cobain's tragic death. Say what you like about Kurt, he certainly made a mighty impact on the music world. Rather than remembering Kurt for everything illustrious he did with Nirvana, and showing you a video from Unplugged in New York (which don't get me wrong, would still be worthy), I am going to talk about his eclectic and superb taste in music other than his own.

Kurt Cobain spoke often of his favorite bands/artists in the press. Interviews were littered with references to obscure performers such as the Melvins, Daniel Johnston, The Raincoats, Meat Puppets, Wipers, The Vaselines and Young Marble Giants. Cobain was eventually able to convince record labels to reissue albums by his beloved Raincoats (Geffen) and The Vaselines (Sub Pop). Cobain also recorded covers of songs by The Vaselines, David Bowie, Meat Puppets and Leadbelly for Nirvana's classic performance on MTV's Unplugged in New York as well as further Vaselines tracks and a cover of Devo's Turnaround for B-sides and rarities compilation Insecticide. After Kurt's death, a list was found (and later published) in Kurt's journal of his Top 50 Albums of all time. The diverse list contained everybody from The Beatles to Black Flag, Swans to the Stooges, Public Enemy to Public Image and everything in between. The list can be found here. Below is a short selection of some of Kurt's more diverse and lesser-known faves, just going to show how musically-advanced he was on and off of the stage.

36. Flipper - Generic Flipper

Kurt made his love for San Francisco noise/punk band Flipper very public through a series of self-made Flipper t-shirts that can be seen on Cobain in the inlay of the Nirvanas In Utero as well as on the band's first performance on Saturday Night Live in 1992. Generic Flipper was the band's first studio release. It is regarded by most fans as their finest, and is definitely their most acclaimed. It is considered groundbreaking in its dabbling with sludge and heavy rock whilst still being considered a punk album. These days, Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic tours and plays with Flipper and is considered a full-time member.

mp3: Flipper - Life

35. Daniel Johnston - Yip Jump Music

Yip Jump Music was the fifth self-released cassette by bipolar singer-songwriter Daniel Johnston. Released in 1983, Yip Jump Music was recorded in Johnston's brother's garage and was the first of his releases to feature himself, predominantly, on the organ. Johnston's blend of childlike naivety and dark themes has inspired countless musicians, Kurt being one of them. Cobain's love for Johnston was too made public through the countless wearing of Daniel Johnston t-shirts.

mp3: Daniel Johnston - Speeding Motorcycle

22. Young Marble Giants - Colossal Youth

Young Marble Giants were a post-punk outfit from Cardiff, Wales. Their music was constructed around the powerful and minimal instrumentation of brothers Phillip and Stuart Moxham supporting the naive untrained vocals of Alison Statton. Colossal Youth was their first and only LP. The album was released on Rough Trade in 1980 to much critical acclaim and is highly influential to this day. Kurt once said of the album "Isn't it weird how, when you hear something like that, you still get excited, even though you know you shouldn't? I first heard Colossal Youth on the radio, after I started getting into K music when I lived in Olympia. It was a year before I put out the 'Bleach' album".

mp3: Young Marble Giants - Credit In The Straight World

13. Gang of Four - Entertainment!

Entertainment! is the 1979 debut album by post-punk band Gang of Four. The album shows clear influences on punk, yet also incorporates funk and less-obvious influences of reggae and dub, similar to other bands at that time such as PiL and Pere Ubu. Gang of Four's angular, articulate style is often replicated by bands today. As well as Kurt's and my own, Entertainment! is known to frequently feature on Top Album lists.

mp3: Gang of Four - Ether

04. The Vaselines - Pink EP

The Vaselines were an indie rock band from Bellshill, Scotland consisting of Eugene Kelly and and Frances McKee. Kurt Cobain once described Kelly and McKee as his "most favourite songwriters in the whole world". Though the band were not widely known outside of the Scotland during their short career, their association with Nirvana brought exposure to the band. With songs covered for Nirvana's Insecticide and MTV Unplugged in New York albums respectively, the band gained a new audience (thats how I got into The Vaselines). At the 1991 Reading Festival, Eugene Kelly joined Nirvana on stage for a performance of Molly's Lips.

Mp3: The Vaselines - Jesus Wants Me For A Sunbeam

news: Grizzly Bear to open for Radiohead.

2008-04-04T10:45:00.000-07:00

I recently posted about Liars pulling out of a series of UK commitments (bastards) as they had bagged the main support slot for Radiohead's mammoth tour of America. Today, with no resentment whatsoever, I am happy to announce Brooklyn's finest - Grizzly Bear - will be opening for the Oxford quintet on a string of their upcoming U.S shows as confirmed by a Radiohead publicist earlier today. What shows exactly the guys will be opening for are yet to be announced, so you better buy tickets to them all just to be safe. I hope the dates will generate massive exposure for the guys, they certainly deserve it.

mp3: Grizzly Bear - Knife

from the vault: No New York.

2008-04-02T13:01:00.000-07:00

By 1977, the New York punk scene had run out of steam. The major bands - Television, The Ramones, Talking Heads, Blondie, Patti Smith - were all signed to big labels and constantly away from the city touring. Meanwhile, the upstart Brit's stole NY's thunder by upping punk's outrage element with anarchist rhetoric and a subversive anti-fashion look that was light years ahead than the scruffy leather-jacket retro look. On top of this, New York punk was frequently criticised for not being sufficiently forward looking. Even the scene's most adventurous band, Television, drew heavily from on late sixties acid rock. It seemed like the City had perhaps had its moment, that was until a second generation of innovation charged New York bands emerged, who came to be called 'No Wave'.

No Wave was a short-lived but highly influential art-music scene that thrived briefly in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The term 'No Wave' was in part a parody rejecting the commercial elements of the then popular New-Wave genre. Search through the history of music and you'll only find a handful of precedents for No Wave: Velvet Underground at their least songful, The Plastic Ono Band and Captain Beefheart's Trout Mask Replica. But, crucially, the No Wave bands acted as if they had no ancestors at all. No Wave was defined less by a sound than by this 'Year Zero' approach. Musically, the groups ranged from jazz, funk, blues, punk rock, avant-garde and experimental rock. There are however certain common elements such as repetitive driving rhythms, abrasive sounds and lyrics focused on confrontation and nihilism.

No New York is a compilation album released in 1978 by Antilles Records under the curation of producer Brian Eno, who at the time had already worked with the likes of Devo and Talking Heads. Eno was so taken by No Wave, that he invited four of the scenes best artists - James Chance and the Contortions, Teenage Jesus & The Jerks, Mars and DNA - to contribute four songs each to make-up what is now considered by many (including yours truly) as the definitive album documenting the movement.

No Wave has had a notable influence of noise bands such as Big Black and Helmet. It also heavily influenced the early sound of Sonic Youth as well as more modern bands such as Ex Models and Liars. Numerous books have been released documenting the movement of the scene in great detail including No Wave by Marc Masters and Rob Young, and No Wave: Post Punk: Underground. New York 1976-1980 by Thurston Moore (of Sonic Youth) and Byron Coley. I urge you to check them out. In the meantime, here are my picks from No New York.

mp3s:

DNA - Not Moving

James Chance and the Contortions - Dish It Out

Teenage Jesus & The Jerks - Burning Rubber

news: Björk Björk Björk.

2008-03-31T09:48:00.000-07:00

Wanderlust was far from my favourite track on Björk's 2007 offering Volta. However the video, directed by Encyclopedia Pictura (famous for the excellent Grizzly Bear - Knife video, check them out here) is something quite special. The video was filmed in stereoscopic 3D and involved large-scale puppeteering, live action acrobatics, miniatures and CGI. It sees a helmet- laden Björk floating down a river, doing flips with a strange figure clinging
to her back and facing all manner of fantastical creatures along the way. The video will accompany the DVD single version of Wanderlust, and will include necessary glasses to watch in 3D.

Björk arguably has one of the greatest videographies in the history of the music video, working with the likes of Michel Gondry (Human Behavior, Army of Me, Isobel, Hyperballad, Joga, Bachelorette and Declare Independence), Spike Jonze (It's Oh So Quiet, It's In Our Hands and Triumph of a Heart) and Chris Cunningham (All Is Full of Love). Wanderlust certainly keeps in theme with this.

Here is the brand spanking new video:

In other Björk news...

Today saw the online release of Enjoyed: A Tribute To Björk's Post over at Stereogum. A lucky 13 years after its original release, the album, compiled and presented by the kind folk of Stereogum contains a track by track tribute to the phenomenal 1995 album and features contributions from the likes of Liars, Xiu Xiu and No Age.It is the third in a series of covers-tribute projects compiled by Stereogum following Radiohead's OK Computer and R.E.M's Automatic for the People. Tracklisting:

1. Liars - Army Of Me
2. Dirty Projectors - Hyperballad
3. High Places - Modern Things
4. Bell - It's Oh So Quiet
5. Pattern Is Movement - Enjoy
6. Evangelicals - You've Been Flirting Again
7. Xiu Xiu - Isobel
8. Final Fantasy & Ed Droste - Possibly Maybe
9. White Hinderland - I Miss You
10. El Guincho - Cover Me
11. Atlas Sound - Headphones
12. No Age - It's Oh So Quiet (Alternate Take)

For more info including liner notes from all of the contributing artists, essays and interviews, head over to Stereogum now. I think the whole project was a superb idea with an excellent outcome. Thank you Stereogum. I do think the idea of online tribute-cover albums is a fantastic one, the question is, what albums would you like to see covered? Do let me know. In the meantime here are my picks of the album in mp3 format for your pleasure. Enjoy!

Liars - Army Of Me (Björk cover)
Final Fantasy & Ed Droste - Possibly Maybe (Björk cover)
No Age - It's Oh So Quiet (Alternate Take) (Björk cover)

March in Albums.

2008-03-30T04:24:00.000-07:00

Well, the month has come to an end, which of course means its time to round up the best releases of the past 31 days. March has seen a banquet of impressive releases, many of which I'm almost certain will appear in end-of-year-lists come December time. It was extremely hard narrowing it down to 5, but here they are. March in albums:

Why? - Alopecia

Anticon

Alopecia sees Why?'s line up beefed up from a trio to a five-piece with the addition of Fog's Andrew Broder and Mark Erickson. The bands fusion of indie rock, abstract hip-hop and Yoni Wolf's sometimes inscrutable rhymes defies genre and expectations at nearly every turn. The bands third offering is perhaps their strongest yet.

mp3: Why? - The Hollows

Hercules & Love Affair - Hercules & Love Affair

DFA Records

H&LA is the musical brainchild of New York DJ Andy Butler. His debut is a self-assured and self-contained set that runs vintage disco styles through restless compositions to create something startlingly unique. The album features production from DFAs own Tim Goldsworthy and guest vocals from Antony (of Johnsons fame).

mp3: Hercules & Love Affair - Blind

Mystery Jets - Twenty One

679 Records

Everybody's favorite Eel Pie residents return (Henry-less) after their much overlooked debut Making Dens with Erol Alkan produced pop magic. The band have traded a lot of their original prog tendencies in favor of pop sensibilities, resulting in a fantastic record, bursting with colour and personality.

mp3: Mystery Jets - Young Love (feat. Laura Marling)

Foals - Antidotes

Transgressive

After controversially overthrowing Dave Siteks production in favor of their own final mix. Foals finally release their highly anticipated debut Antidotes through Transgressive. Although not quite living up to their live tour-de-force, Foals certainly have delivered, with a superb collection comprising of beefed-up versions of early fan favorites and new material. Highly recommended.

mp3: Foals - Red Socks Pugie

ALBUM OF THE MONTH:

Fuck Buttons - Street Horrrsing

ATP Recordings

Album of the month for me goes to Fuck Buttons remarkable debut Street Horrrsing. The duos devout repetition of pounding beats, chugging synths, blissful keyboards and distorted screams gets stronger with every listen. I really cannot get enough of this record, definitely a strong contender for album of the year. Full a full review, see below.

mp3: Fuck Buttons - Colours Move

introducing: Konono Nº1.

2008-03-27T14:43:00.000-07:00

I feel a bit silly introducing Konono Nº1, seeing as this space is usually reserved for new acts and such, and these guys have been playing music together for over 30 years. But it just has to be done. Konono hail from Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. They combine electric likembe (a traditional instrument sometimes known as a 'thumb piano'), with voices, dancers and percussion instruments made out of items salvaged from junkyards (including a microphone carved out of wood fitted with a magnet from an automobile alternator).

Nowadays, the band can count the likes of Radiohead, Foals and Bjork among their many fans (Bjork even invited the band to play on her last album Volta and to join her on a string of live dates to promote the record). However, a couple of years ago, the band had all but ceased to exist. The only external evidence that a band called Konono Nº1 had ever existed was a solitary 26-minute long track recorded in 1978 by a French radio station and later included on a long forgotten French compilation of music from Kinshasa. That would have presumably been the end of Konono Nº1 had it not been for Vincent Kenis. Kenis is a former Belgian punk-musician turned record producer, who was so impressed by what he heard on the French broadcast (he described it as "kind of African punk music") that he vowed to go to Kinshasa and track the band down. After two fruitless visits in 1989 and 1996, Kenis finally got in touch with the band in early 2000. He persuaded the band to record an album with him, which resulted in the amazing Congotronics, which was released to much critical acclaim on specialist Belgian label Crammed Discs in early 2005. The album caused a global sensation and earned the band the BBC World Music prize for that year (only 27 years into their career).

Since then the band have toured/recorded with Bjork (as afore mentioned), released another superb album on Crammed Discs Live at Couleur Cafe (2007) and built up a very impressive fan base. With Konono's music you can hear oddly familiar sounds of krautrock and electronic music. Their rhythms are as pure as Bo Diddley and the sheer intensity of their sound recalls White Light/White Heat-era Velvet Underground. Needless to say, the members of the band have never heard any of these artists. Lead singer Mawangu Mingiedi (who is 75) once publicly stated "I didn't know there was such thing as electronic music". Konono make authentic, traditional, completely original music, and it is very very special. Listen for yourself:

mp3: Konono Nº1 - Lufuala Ndonga.

from the vault: PiL - Flowers of Romance.

2008-03-26T15:40:00.000-07:00

Ever get the feeling you've been cheated? It seems that reunited-Sex Pistols dates are rearing their little ugly heads all over the place these days. The band have already confirmed two UK festival dates this summer, as well as a handful of other warm-up dates. I won't even bother to begin explaining to you as to why Im so very anti the third (or fourth, I've lost count) Pistols come-back. Instead, I have dug up an old PiL performance for your viewing pleasure. Public Limited Image were John Lydons post-Sex Pistols outfit and are often regarded as one of the most challenging and innovative bands of the post-punk period. Here is a classic Top Of The Pops performance of the bands 1981 single Flowers of Romance. Enjoy.

mp3: Public Image Limited - Flowers of Romance

news: Liars cancel London date plus more.

2008-03-25T15:05:00.001-07:00

Fresh from releasing Fuck Buttons spectacular debut (see below) and organizing/curating shit loads of amazing concerts and festivals, those lovely guys at ATP had some bad news to deliver this morning. LA noise-rockers Liars have pulled out of their support slot with Battles in London this May as well as their position on the impressive lineup of the Explosions In The Sky-curated ATP festival. Why? Why? Why? Well, Angus and the gang have been bagged as the main support slot for Radiohead's forthcoming mammoth-sized tour of America. Hail to the thief indeed. Bad news for me (and whoever else was looking forward to seeing them support Battles or playing at the EITS ATP fest), amazing news for the band, who have bagged arguably the biggest support slot of 2008, playing up to 20,000 people a night. The question is, will the Radiohead fans dig Liars noise-rock? I honestly do think so, whats not to like? Judge for yourself. Here are some mp3s taken from last years superb self-titled album. enjoy:

Liars - Plaster Casts Of Everything

Liars - Clear Island

Now, whilst this is sad news, I for one was very excited to see Liars as I have not yet seen them live. Battles and Fuck Buttons is still an immense line-up for the night anyway (I'd still fucking go if it was just John Stanier and his drum kit), and ATP will have a replacement act announced by the end of the week, so it is not the end of the world as previously thought. However, ATP are offering refunds on tickets if this really has ruined your night. For more information, click here.

introducing: Invisible Conga People.

2008-03-24T08:54:00.000-07:00

Invisible Conga People are the latest offering from New Jersey's flawless Italians Do It Better label, home of dark-disco acts such as Glass Candy and Chromatics (two of last years most essential new bands). In contrast to their silly name, ICP's Eric Tsai and Justin Simon make very subtle, kraut-inspired electronic music. Their new double A-side Weird Pains/Cable Dazed is available now on 12" through Italians Do It Better, and it is rather good.

Both tracks take ages to build, but when they do, the thin blankets of burbling, affected guitars on top of haunting beats flow like an electronic steam of consciousness. The better of the two tracks, Cable Dazed draws similarities to The Knifes Silent Shout through its mystical, tranced-out beats and dead-pan vocals, yet ICP's more stripped down approach adds a greater air of mystery to the song. I would certainly keep an eye on ICP, as I believe they are set to follow in the footsteps of their Italians Do It Better counterparts, and do something very special.

mp3: Invisible Congo People - Cable Dazed

review: Fuck Buttons - Street Horrrsing.

2008-03-23T08:32:00.001-07:00

Fuck Buttons - Street Horrrsing

ATP Recordings

Fuck Buttons (don't worry, you'll grow to love it) are a two piece experimental noise group who formed in Bristol in 2004. The band - Andrew Hung and Benjamin John Power - successfully combine nihilistic noise-tendencies with melodic rhythms to create a sounds that is very special. Street Horrrsing, their incredible debut offering was originally available on the bands website (under a now-forgotten alternate title) before they were snapped up by ATP recordings in 2007. Limited edition 7" single Bright Tomorrow was released to much critical acclaim last November, resulting in the band featuring in many "hot tip" lists at the turn of the year. The duos surprisingly welcoming mix of dreamy melody and abrasive climax has evoked comparisons to Yo La Tengo, Ministry, Black Dice and My Bloody Valentine. Yet Fuck Buttons sound is highly unique, and like I have already said, very very special.

For 50 minutes spread over six tracks, Fuck Buttons have built an album upon blunt and simplistic repetition of metronomic drum-machine, chugging synth, blissful keyboards and distorted screams. This sounds like a formula for tedium, however the album seems to get stronger with every listen. Long chords drift over oscillating tones and pounding beats, sounds and ideas repeat constantly, yet Street Horrrsing never sounds redundant. From the pulsing drone of opener Sweet Love For Planet Earth to the dissolving loop of album closer Colours Move, vigorously sticking to what has been described as "devout repetition", Fuck Buttons have crafted a spectacular record. The production of Street Horrrsing was in good hands - recorded by John Cummings of Mogwai and mastered by Bob Weston of Shellac, its hard to see how the album couldn't of been good anyway..

Now, I do have the tendency to get caught up in excitement, thats fo' sho. However, I've had Street Horrrsing on repeat for about 4 hours now, and I can honestly say it's one of the most exciting albums I've heard in a while, and I do advise that you buy it. Now.

9/10.

mp3: Fuck Buttons - Bright Tomorrow

preview: Four Tet - Ringer EP.

2008-03-22T05:11:00.000-07:00

Kieran Hebden is somewhat of a genius. He has been making groundbreaking electronic music under the name of Four Tet for quite some time, and alongside his own material, he has remixed the likes of Bloc Party, Thom Yorke, Battles, Andrew Bird and Radiohead to name but a few.

He has certainly been busy of late, 2008 has already seen Hebden team up with his "musical soul mate" veteran jazz drummer Steve Reid for another improvisational experiment Daxaar (out now on Domino), as well as working with Hot Chip's Alexis Taylor on the production of the Letter G's Its Gone single, AND recording a singles session with hot oxford five-piece - Foals. On top of all of this, Hebden has found the time to record mini-album Ringer - out April 21st on Domino. Although described as a mini-album, the release only contains four songs, but they do clock in at a total of 32 minutes. Tracklisting as follows:

1. Ringer

2. Ribbons

3. Swimmer

4. Wing Body Wing

You can catch Hebden live on April 24th, where he will be headlining a London show at the Indig02, with impressive support coming from Sunburned Hand Of The Man, Kode9, James Holden, OOIOOO and Fairmont. Tickets are avaliable now priced £12.50.

Here is a little taster of what to expect from Ringer, as well as some other Hebden related treats. mp3s:

Four Tet - Ribbons

Letter G - Its Gone (feat. Kieran Hebden & Alexis Taylor)

Foals - Cassius (produced by Kieran Hebden)

Thom Yorke - Atoms For Peace (Four Tet Remix)

label profile: Warp Records.

2008-03-21T04:25:00.000-07:00

Warp Records is a pioneering independent label, founded in Sheffield in 1989, notable for discovering some of the most enduring artists in electronic music. To this day, the label has released 187 albums, planting its roots in the world of electronic music, but also branching out into IDM (intelligent dance music), Dance-Punk, Experiemental Rock, Indie and Drum & Bass. The bands roster includes Aphex Twin, Autechre, Battles, Boards of Canada, Grizzly Bear, Prefuse73, Red Snapper and Squarepusher.

2007 was a great year for Warp, with the release of !!!'s Myth Takes, Grizzly Bear's Friend EP and the extraordinary and hugely popular Mirrored by Battles. This year is set to be equally as big for the label with three already very solid album releases in the form of Clark's Turning Dragon, Born Ruffians Red, Yellow & Blue and Autechre's Quastrice. From this, I'm certainly enthusiastic about what the rest of the year will bring.

Here are five reasons why I love Warp. I hope you learn to love them too. mp3s:

!!! (Chk Chk Chk) - Heart of Hearts

Aphex Twin - Windowlicker

Autechre - PLC

Battles - Atlas

Clark - Truncation Horn

Want more info? Check the official Warp site.

preview: Boris - Smile.

2008-03-20T05:09:00.000-07:00

Boris hail from Tokyo, Japan and have been enjoying cult fame for quite some time. Their latest and seventeenth LP Smile (out now in Japan import-buffs) is to be released in the west sometime next month by experimental metal moguls Southern Lord (home of bands such as Sun O))) and Earth). With influences as diverse as Nick Cave, The Melvins and Venom, the Band - Atsuo, Takeshi and Wata - are most commonly associated with doom and sludge rock, however whilst maintaining an identifiable sound and quality, the band have explored many different genres ranging from psychedelic and stoner rock to noise and ambient music.

The band use a code to help fans decipher their work. BORIS (caps) albums are likely to lean towards the more conventional side, while Boris or boris edge out on the experimental. Smile appears to be another more experimental offering from the band, and judging from what I've heard so far, this can only be a good thing.

Below is an mp3 for your pleasure, but do be careful, as the intro of the track is likely to melt your face.

mp3: Boris - Shoot! (Laser Beam)

You can catch a rare and very special live Boris performance at Londons ULU on the 23rd April. Check here for more details.

review: Foals - Astoria - 17th March.

2008-03-18T04:42:00.000-07:00

17th March is St.Patricks Day - the worldwide celebration of the patron saint of Ireland, celebrated by the Irish and (increasingly) non-Irish alike - what to do? In Ireland everybody has the day off work, In Chicago they dye the river green and In most parts of the world, everybody over-indulges in traditional Irish foodstuffs and drinks drinks drinks in commemoration. I however left my big leafy-green shamrock hat at home, and ventured to the soon-to-be-gone Astoria in Charing Cross Road to see Oxfords best export since some band called Radiohead - Foals.

Support for this evening came from Foals-pals Youthmovies and ex-Ladyfuzz man Ben Esser under his Esser guise. I regretfully only caught the end of Youthmovies set, however what I did see was impressive. Their debut LP Good Nature is out now on Drowned in Sound recordings - look out for a review later in the week. I did however catch all of the Esser set. I won't lie to you, I was a Ladyfuzz fan back in he day, and upon their split, I remember hearing that guitarist Ben was pursuing solo, however I never followed it up, so last night was in fact my first dose of Esser. And what started out as quite weak performance, ended in a string of delightfully brazen pop songs. Check him out here.

Yannis, Jimmy, Jack, Walter and Edwin (joined again by a small and quirky, yet highly unnecessary brass section) graced the stage of the Astoria at 9.15 on the dot, and launched into a fantastic beefed-up version of The French Open. They blasted through a 50 minute set comprising of fan favorites, such as Two-Steps Twice, Balloons and Hummer and lesser known, but equally as amazing tracks from their soon to be released album such as Olympic Airwaves and Red Socks Pugie (next single release fo' sure). However, the highlight of the night for me came in the form of Electric Bloom, the last track of the bands astonishing set (before a Mathletics encore). For the track, Yannis brought a floor-tom to the front of the stage, which he proceeded to bang throughout the track, the duel drumming produced an incredible sound, and alongside the rest of the bands jerky stage moves, proved quite the spectacle. At the end of the night, the band announced that this would be their last London date for quite some time, so for me, festival season couldn't come any quicker. Long live Foals.

mp3: Foals - Electric Bloom

Foals debut album Antidotes is out on Transgressive next week.

introducing: El Guincho.

2008-03-15T04:35:00.000-07:00

El Guincho (real name Pablo Diaz-Reixa) makes music that has been music described as 'space-age exotica', I dont really know what that means, but what I do know is that its really, really good. Drawing from influences as diverse Afrobeat, Dub and Tropicalia, El Guincho's debut Alegranza! does two things. On the one hand, it reminds you so much of other music you love, and on the other, it sounds like nothing you have heard before.

Alegranza! has been compared heavily to Panda Bears Person Pitch, which I can see as both records do share a hazy, sampladelic love-in feel. Alergranza!'s hypnotic sample loops, happy childlike chants and auto-harmonizing pop song chorus are somewhat irresistible. With El Gunicho's music, you are swept along with the rhythm, its happy, its fun and its really fucking good. I cannot recommend it enough, however, good luck trying to bag a copy of Alegranza!, last I heard, Rough Trade had about 10 copies left!

In the mean time, here are some mp3's:

El Guincho - Palmitos Park

El Guincho - Fata Morgana

review: Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago.

2008-03-15T03:28:00.000-07:00

Bon Iver (french for 'good winter') is the stage and recording name of singer-songwriter Justin Vernon. Vernon self-released his debut For Emma, Forever Ago in October last year. The album garnered much critical acclaim and was picked up by Jagjaguwar for a stateside re-release earlier this year.

The majority of the album was recorded over a four month period in a remote cabin in Wisconsin. Vernon's four month hibernation resulted in a collection of hushed, intricate folk songs, dealing with "All of his personal trouble, lack of perspective, heartache, longing, love, loss and guilt". Despite its seeming complexity, the record was created with nothing more than a few microphones and some aged recording equipment. Bon Iver is likely to draw comparisons to Iron & Wine for his quiet folk and and tranquil intimacy, but in fact, Vernon's adopted falsetto is worlds apart, sounding more like TV on the Radio's Tunde Adebimpe, not just in his vocal timbre, but in the way his voice grows grainier as it gets louder. For Emma, Forever Ago is a stunning and beautiful record, and although technically released in 07, is fast become one of my favorite albums of the year. Its set for a UK in May on 4AD. I strongly recommend you pick it up.

8/10.

mp3: Bon Iver - Flume

preview: Animal Collective - Water Curses EP.

2008-03-14T08:34:00.000-07:00

Animal Collective return after last years much loved Strawberry Jam with long-promised new EP Water Curses. The EP released by Domino, is due May 5th in the UK and May 6th in the US and will be available on 12" and CD. A press release has stated "All tracks find Animal Collective exploring strange new waters" and judging by lead track 'Water Curses', this certainly sounds about right.

Water Curses tracklisting:

1. Water Curses

2. Streetflash

3. Cobwebs

4. Seal Eyeing

Here is a little taster of whats instore..

mp3: Animal Collective - Water Curses