Category: Uncategorized

Ok. I am on. I am in. I am … up?

Lot’s to say. No time to say it but I will find time soon.

Peace out brothers.

I know I’ve not been on here for a few weeks. Work/trips away and various other stuff combining to keep me tired, but I’ve still been listening to loads of music, and I’m sure I’m preaching to the converted when I say how brilliant Matthew Dear’s new one, Beams, is. If it’d fallen in my month it’d have been my album. I’ve always loved his stuff, electronically of course (Audion especially) but his first album blew me away and Black City was a much darker, bleaker prospect.

Beams seems to never sound like anything else. At turns funky, stripped back, uplifting, miserable. I love it. He’s a ridiculously talented man.

Here’s Headcage, from it. Enjoy.

OK. So … nobody needs to hear much more about how much I love this guy. ‘Forget’ the album that I sent you all some time ago is way up in my top albums of … well, ever. I was excited and nervous when his 2nd effort ‘Confess’ came out. To be honest. I was not a huge fan. It was very competent. It sounded nice. It was very ‘good’ but for me didn’t have that tug of emotion that the first had. I love debuts. I am a sucker for them. Forget was an amazing debut. Confess sounded a little ‘by the numbers’ in comparison. (i) myriad 80s influence – check (ii) relaxed tone awesome voice – check etc etc

However, I kept playing it. Purely out of loyalty. I played it and played and played it some more. Then one day I woke up and it was under my skin almost as much as the first.

‘Give it some time’ is the biggest cop out when reviewing/recommending music as most things get better with time … but not this much better.

When the music is THIS good.

New track from Tom Demac, a massively underrated producer with a new EP on Hypercolour’s sister label, Glass Table. There’s not much more to say about Obstructing the Light other than that it’s an example of what a great electronc producer gets to make when he’s let off the leash. Let him off more, I say.

Thought I’d drop in some quick pithy reviews of recently bought stuff.

Passion Pit – ‘Gossamer’: I like Passion Pit. Loved the last album though considering that its synth based pop I never found it a constant presence, but when I had it, I love it. This one is a definite forward step. It is pure pop. The whole album. All big pop songs. All pretty darkly lyrically mind. There are pure synth pop tracks, a couple of pretty good R&B variants on synth pop + the best song that ABBA never wrote (seriously). It sounds like it would be all over the shop but for me it works. Nice album. Good driving music … and my daughters name (Silvia) pops up big style in my fave track.

Dirty Projectors – ‘Swing Lo Magellen’: 2010 was a great music year, Bitte Ocre was a great album from that year (as was Manners by Passion Pit). This is better. Yes it could be accused of being a bit too clever for its own good but here the songs are strong enough to pull it off the length of the album. Good work. The girls voice is incredible too (remember the Major Lazer track?) she should get lead vocals on more tracks

Purity Ring – ‘Shrines’: I’ve waited for a while for this one having heard the singles a while back. I really like this. Odd electronic, post dubsteppy kind of thing with a cute vocal and some tight songs. Its a bit Fever Ray. A bit Knife etc etc. Have a listen.

‘New York’ by Angel Haze

For me this is Hip Hop.

Ooof. Me likey. Pop your headphones on, nod and smile to this bad boy.

Where and how do you listen to music? Silly question? Or important element of if/how we enjoy music? I’ll try not too bang on too much about having kids or not having a tv cause you’ve heard it all before … BUT ….

2 years ago I listened to music on my home system first thing in the morning till I went to or started work (at home). I used to drive long distances for work. This was 50% music time 50% podcast time. Evenings were then editing photos / webbing next to Stacey while listening to music. Basically, loads of time to listen to new things. When I was working at home I listened to instrumental or foreign language tunes as lyrics distract me massively. Hip hop being the worst culprit in the distraction stakes, lyrically and skit related.

Now I have a child, a TV and a new job with less long distance driving, much less. This means I have to fight to have music in the morning vs. Igglepiggle and Makapaka searching for the pinky ponk. I still struggle to listen to vocal music when I work and evenings are often catching up with work of flaking out in front of the TV.

My point is that this change has had a big impact on my music listening. Most of my car journeys are about 20-30 minutes long. This takes away my main showcase for listening to whole albums in one go, a real luxury these days. Trying to keep a calm relaxing environment at home means that child-unfriendly hip hop has almost disappeared completely. My main stay is instrumental or ‘vocals low in the mix’ (which admittedly represents about 80% of my CD collection) music which I can listen to while I work.

I have found myself making similar critical comments across the board on this blog and think the above is largely responsible. The Issues i have with First Serve can be largely explained by the issues above. When will I listen to it? When will I choose to hear 2 grown men pretending to be teenagers in the basement while ‘sweary mamma’ curses them? The tracks I would normally listen to in the car or perhaps while exercising.

I was in London for a wedding at the weekend. I have 5 albums that I always listen to on headphones while walking around London. This is not planned, its always the same 5!

My environment/lifestyle has a huge impact on my listening / critique of music. Does yours?