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.
Now then brothers, I have thrown together a mix of some of the tracks that have been doing it for me out and about on the 1’s and 2’s over the last few months.
Tracklist:
Ornette – Crazy (Noze Remix Extended Club Version)
Daniel Bortz – Rescue Me
Digitaria, Funky Fat – You Bring Me Down
Karmon – Turning Point
Adriatique – Body Movin’
Karmon – Wowshit
Nice7 – Time To Get Physical
Christian Burkhardt – Delight
Chopstic & Johnjon – Listen
Jaxson & David Keno – Save Yourself
Burnski & MANIK – You Know What It’s Like
Tiger Stripes – This Man (Adana Twins’ Thursday Disco Vox)
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.
While I know there’s a distinct love of the electronic on here, we’ve not really had an out-and-out electronic album up for the Brothers yet. And I’ve come across one this summer that I’m really really enjoying. It’s not a whack-you-over-the-head one like Justice or Daft Punk, nor is it uber-cool soundcapes a la Shed or Something Else. But I’ve been a fan of Simian Mobile Disco for a while, but never delved too much into their music up to now, not in album form. They’ve done a pop album a while back that had some intersting tracks on it, but appalled fans of their dancefloor stuff. Then they did Delicacies, which was the opposite end of the scale, and a bit too growly for me.
But James Ford and Jas Shaw are two lovers of analogue, and that I like very much. They’re two endearlingly nerdy, very English guys, and when I saw them at Sonar talking about the album and their music, it was hard not to get drawn into their own take on it. Jas Shaw’s pet project is a wardrobe-sized modular synth, which they take out on the road at times, and live, they’re actually an outfit that really can claim to create pretty much everything on the hoof, far away from laptop/ableton jockeys. Their music’s across the whole spectrum, but listening to Unpatterns, there’s a proper actual knowledge of the past that comes through and colours everything they do. The music is warm, plump, punchy, solid….. they know what they’re doing, basically.
So, enjoy. I didn’t get blown away by this, but I didn’t want to be. I just wanted a collection of electronic tracks that crossed the genres that were made by people that gave a fuck and that wanted people to listen as well as just dance.
While you’re there, I highly recommend their RA Exchange interview, here:
Come on. There’s an elephant in on the room blog. A certain album. You know, the ones that every publication, from The Daily Telegraph to Pitchfork, is wetting themselves about. You know, the one that gets mentioned in the same breath as mid 70 Stevie Wonder, early 70s Marvin Gaye and early 80s Prince.
Come on, guys. Let’s talk about Frank.
I saw Nolan recently and he said he and Joey had been chatting about it. That they liked it but it just felt a bit standard R’n’B noodley for them. I did my best not to splutter indignantly. After all, I’m one of those for whom I’ve listened to very little else since I bought it. It has blown my mind, nothing less. Hell, I think it’s probably even living up to the hype.
So why’s it so good? Well, he’s got a voice like honey. It’s not autotuned to fuck. It’s classy and it draws from the past while sounding incredibly contemporary. I love how it has the veil of hiphop hanging over it, but really it’s an out and out soul record. I’m not even sure I’d call it RnB.
Nolan, I know that maybe you feel it sounds a bit samey to start with, but stick with because my god the songs come to life. Oh my, the songs. Those SONGS. And those lyrics. He’s a fucking smart songwriter. He captures the loneliness and narrow lives of the rich, of crack addicts, he questions himself, his sexuality, his life, his relationships, and then he goes and sings a 9 minute epic starting in ancient Egypt and ending with a pimp now being forced to pay the woman he pimps to have sex with him. This is ambition turned up to 11, if you’ll excuse the Spinal Tap-ism.
But in the end, it comes down to that thing we’ve been talking about since we started this fine endeavour: authenticity, attitude, songs – and MEANING IT. The guy has got it all. He really has. Give him your time. There’s a reason this is getting praise: because it’s, hands down, the album of the year. I haven’t even heard the next 5 months releases and I’m telling you, the game’s over.
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.
Listen, I know I’m *really* late to this, but good god WHAT a song this is. Just cannot stop listening to it. LOVE the coyness of her vocal and the Mickey Mouse jumper mixed with the absolute filth coming out of her mouth. What a statement.
Whether or not it’s intended as a diss to Nicki Minaj, it’s one hell of a way to say you’ve arrived on the scene. Reminds me of Get Yr Freak On era Missy Elliot, with that housy vibe going on. Influenced as much by club music as hip hop.
Basically, I’m completely addicted to this song. You?
We’ve done a full 4 month cycle. Congratulations. No one has fallen out, no blood has been shed. We have agreed. We have disagreed. This is good. Now, cycle 2;
I have chosen ‘Past Life Martyred Saints’ by EMA (Erika M. Anderson) a lady not a band. That’s her there on the cover with the magic finger. She used to be in a band called Gowns who apparently performed ‘Noise-Folk’ a genre I am neither familiar with nor interested in being familiar with. The album was well received by critics but made no commercial impact as far as I can tell. It ended up in loads of 2011 ‘Best of Lists’. I think it is a very ‘Pitchfork’ type of album so it was no surprise that it made their top 50 albums of 2011 but also made SPIN, Popmatters and BBC Music lists placing as high as 4th. But hey, critics liked Alabama Shakes too and that proved not to meet this blogs standard.
So why have i picked this? A number of reasons. I like it. I’ve always had a soft spot for emotionally unstable talented young women. I like albums that pour out raw & real emotion with little disguise or metaphor (this maybe the reason that you don’t like it, who knows). This emotion is well-done-emotion ‘I wish that every time you touched me left a mark’ a repeated refrain that feels as if addressed to you.
I also chose it as I thought it would be totally new to you. I know there is a temptation to read reviews before you listen but its as new as I could muster as it seems none of you have heard too much about it.
Another reason is that I find it quite difficult to place genre wise. The closest comparison for me is that she is like a contemporary Patti Smith. Maybe listen to this then ‘Horses’ for an intersting double bill.
thisisnothappening.net 