Free DangerDoom EP

31 05 2006

You can download the new DangerDoom EP Occult Hymn for free from the Adult Swim website. By the sounds of things it wont be available for long, so best be quick. It features seven tracks (two of which are skits), one of which is Korn Dogz, a track that was made available to download via MySpace a couple of weeks back.

I haven't listened to it yet*, but I did listen to Korn Dogz a couple of weeks back and it's a pretty cool track. If you aren't in-the-know DangerDoom is emcee MF DOOM and producer Danger Mouse - they originally teamed up last year to release the album The Mouse & The Mask. I'm not sure of the full story, but I presume these 'new' tracks are left overs from last years' project.

As far as newer work goes from these two, well, Danger Mouse is one half of Gnarls Barkley (along with Cee-Lo) and MF DOOM has recently worked on a yet-to-be-released album with Ghostface (of Wu-Tang fame). Anyway, drop me some comments bout anything DOOM or Mouse related, particularly bout this EP.

*EDIT:
I've now listened to the EP (aka: found a short gap in my ever-so-busy schedule!). The first skit is like an intro track really, then track two, El Chupa Nibre Remix, is a real laid back and funky remix of the track originally featured on last years' album called El Chupa Libre. Perfect Hair II is the third track on the EP - it's a more retro-funky follow up to Perfect Hair from the album. Then track four presents us with Korn Dogz, the definite stand out track on the EP - not essentially mind-blowing, but definitely catchy and funky. As a side note, the pedant in me is really hating the inconsistency with the track name Korn Dogs, or is it Korn Dogz?! I need to know which it is! Argh! Anyway, track five; Skit 2, not too much to be said, I mean it's a skit, just some talking over a beat - a nice beat though. Only thing is, it's a bloody long skit! Perhaps more just a chance to showcase some Danger Mouse beats. Track six is a remix of Sofa King, one of my fav tracks from the album. This remix is cool - very laid back and funky, just the way I like it. The last track (seven) is a Madlib remix of Space Ho's, a typically psychedelic Madlib effort.

Basically, this is free, so if you remotely like MF DOOM or Danger Mouse, then download it! If you're thinking of getting this on vinyl, do so if are rich or if you really liked last years' album - it's like the bonus disc that never was. The leftovers. But very enjoyable either way, and when it's totally free, you just cant argue!

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Some Bits & Pieces

30 05 2006

In an attempt to not bore the pants off you, today I have some snippets of news and thoughts…

Gnarls Barkley have deleted Crazy as a single. So, you can no longer buy the track Crazy on it's own. They claim that fans could get tired of the track (shock horror!) and that could in turn mean people don't go to their shows. [INITIATE CYNIC MODE...] I think it is just a way to make sure that anybody that has yet to purchase Crazy (all 4 of them) go purchase the full album. Pretty clever thinking, I guess. As a side note; I didn't think too much of St. Elsewhere, a few cool tracks, but pretty average and very short.

Previous MySpace feature on this blog; Grudle Bay Riots, have put up a new track on their MySpace page. It's called Mr Master and is definitely a cracker. Nice acoustic samples alongside a solid beat and some sweet strumming. Good instrumental piece by those boys - check it out.

"To all those bastards who don't like my music - you're all adults, you can switch your radio off." Those were the words of the mighty James Blunt after receiving a truck load of ornaments awards. So, some of those bastards are starting to. Essex FM in England will no longer be playing You're Beautiful and Goodbye My Lover. This was actually in response to research that suggested James Blunt was becoming tiresome. Tiresome? Yeah, just a little bit.

'Rapper' Fabolous was apparently a little upset that by the time he arrived on the MySpace scene there were already 19 pages claiming to be him. So he had the admin shut them all down. Not one to dwell on an annoyance(!), the gold mouthed fella even posted up a track to diss these so called "MySpace thugs" - classic lyrics include; "You shooting e-mails, you a Internet thug/ You a MySpace addict, caught on Internet drugs" and he added "I guess they were doing it for the chicks or whatever you can get out of it. They was probably getting all types of free shit. But I had to shut that shit down. You never know what niggas is doing with your name."  Wow, real profound.

If you have any spare time left after reading the masses of text found on this blog, please take a look at my pal Linda's music blog; Eardrums Shall Fail. It's a top read.

That's about it really for today's bits & pieces, but if you have interesting nuggets of info to add, please feel free to leave a comment. The funnier the better, could do with a laugh!

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Return to Oz

29 05 2006

Last week I told you of a new discovery here in Australia; Gotye. You can find that entry here. Anyway, with the extreme power of the internet I managed to speak to Wally a few days ago, he very kindly gave me a copy of his latest album, so I figured it only fair to share my thoughts on the entire record.

If you cast your mind back to last week you'll remember there was a mention of exactly where in the mine-field of genres Gotye lies. I suggested it was pop, but basically only on the level that it was pretty much easy listening and covered a multitude of genres. Other sources had claimed comparisons to the likes of Phil Collins - turns out that's pretty accurate thinking. Wally told me that although he appreciates that artists like; DJ Shadow, Cut Chemist, The Avalanches, Portishead, and Massive Attack are a big influence on his sound, he would rather actually listen to some classic '80s pop. He told me that Kate Bush, The Police, The Beatles, Roxette, Pet Shop Boys, Phil Collins, and Icehouse, are what generally gets the heavy rotation on his turntables.

So, onto the album, Like Drawing Blood. Eleven tracks and just under 50 minutes of music, that's more like it - suck on that, double albums! Album starts with a short intro track, few quiet clangings of percussion, then straight in to track two The Only Way, a funky guitar based ditty with smooth melodic vocals. The track breaks down early in to a calmer verse, then *bam* straight back in to the eastern sounding ditty. Pretty catchy track, really feeling the vocals, very reminiscent of a slightly more poppy sounding Nitin Sawhney track. Things are nicely broken up with some Shadowesque drum breaks, before once again returning to the main riff.

Third track is an absolute diamond; Hearts A Mess. Starts in a very calm manner, still maintaining a bit of the eastern promise as heard in the second track. In the early build up we are clearly teased with cinematic strings, but another verse of calm vocals keeps any dawning climax at bay. In come those strings again, the beat continues, even the sound of pipes adds to the inevitable, now the strings take over. Then… the Phil Collins sound miraculously appears, wow, those vocals. Another very tidy job on the arrangement and particularly the drum patterns.

Coming Back is the fourth track on the album - a funky track with a sort of tango/cha-cha feel to it - very ballroom show-down! Once more it is Wally's vocals that really steal the show, although nothing should be taken away from the music, that is yet again very well structured and has great depth.

On to track number five; Thanks For Your Time. This track should get your head nodding - it seems to match funky beats with catchy pop melodies. Listen to the vocals and you'll hear that it seems Wally is frustrated with telephone queuing systems! Regardless of the tracks meanings, nothing can dispute the catchiness of this one, though. "Did you request Melbourne Zoo? Please hold and an operator will complete your request." Nice harmonies in this one too, it certainly gets a lot play time on my PC.

Just past the half way point of the album and track number six presents itself in the form of Learnalilgivinanlovin, a real Jamie Lidell style soul track. Simply put, if you like some of the catchier 60s soul, then you'll love this. This track really shows the diversity that is on exhibition with this album. Although one constant is still present; catchy tunes.

Track seven is Puzzle With A Piece Missing, another one of my favourites. A more down-tempo effort, concentrating on an almost ragga sounding build up. The trumpets and drums that come in really add to the down-tempo carnival feel. Imagine the Notting Hill Carnival at two in the morning when everyone has totally chilled down, I mean really chilled. Wally's chilling, yet smooth, vocals are the final piece to this puzzle.

A Distinctive Sound, one of the more played tracks on the radio here so far, is track number eight. It really is fantastic, a collage of Shadow, Cut Chemist, that very special secret Gotye ingredient. Real funky build up, guitar samples, Xylophone, and drums of plenty. In typical Wally sound, the track is in no hurry to present the breakdown, so I wait patiently… a few vocal and piano samples later and *BOOM* what I can only describe as sound like something from the Prodigy's Fat of The Land comes in. The drum samples in this track are right up my street, really enjoying the Gotye style. He's certainly a maestro with the samples, that's for sure.

Seven Hours With A Backseat Driver is the rather chilled ninth track. Sounds like it could be an accordion sample playing through the main part of the build up. Cool use of percussion in this laid back track, borrows sounds from many parts of the world, all fused tightly in to one funky song. Nicely positioned towards the end of the album, good wind down track.

Track number ten is Night Drive, another laid back track, but altogether a bit more poppy sounding. Like a ballad with an eastern flavour. Calm melodies and yet more smooth vocals, just another good wind down track. There's an inspirational feel to this more vocal driven track, it's a good wholesome song.

The final track, track twelve, is Worn Out Blues, literally a semi hidden outro track. Hidden as such that there is a big gap between this track and the last - outro as in it is just 38 seconds long. Powerful strings accompanied by a short vocal verse.

All said and done, the one thing I really like about Gotye is the originality. You can compare Wally's sound to other artists and genres until the cows come home, but essentially whatever you think it sounds like, it has a distinctive sound, an original sound. I don't mean to suggest that he is the first person to ever create these sounds, but I think Wally has a distinctive style in which he has created these arrangements - very thoughtful and considered creations. Everyone should give this album a proper thorough listening to. You might not instantly love every single track, but I can bet that at least a couple will quickly grab you. This music is definitely there to be appreciated - I just wonder if on an album level that the average pop fan will truly appreciate it, maybe they will. All I can honestly say is that I thoroughly enjoyed it myself and will be playing Like Drawing Blood for a long time yet.

The album is out now and available to buy at the Gotye website, plus you can also purchase the download of Like Drawing Blood at Martian Music.

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Unearthing MySpace Gems

28 05 2006

Another five MySpace Music pages to share with you today. Just like last time, all of the artists and groups I feature have one thing (at least) in common; all have had less than 10,000 page-views. If you know of any artists on MySpace, with less than 10,000 page-views, that you think I should feature, please let me know. Aside from the page-views, the other things I look for are at least a bit of a bio (so I can give some detail in my write up) and generally that I like the music - would be weird for me to recommend music that I didn't like!

Luke Sabbadini - http://www.myspace.com/lukesabbadini

Luke Sabbadini is a singer/song writer from Melbourne, Australia. He lists his genres as acoustic/pop/rock and his influences include; John Lennon, Neil Young and Thom Yorke. Luke has four tracks on his MySpace page, but he has also created a second page to hold another four tracks, this can be found here. Luke has a fantastic voice and all of his tracks should be checked out, but the real stand out track for me was Kings and Queens. His talent is immediately evident and I'd personally like to think that an artist like this would surely find himself signed to a label at some point in the not-so-distant future.

Grandpa Mojo - http://www.myspace.com/grandpamojo

Chris Hansen is Grandpa Mojo, a trip-hop/down-tempo/nu-jazz artist from Colorado, USA. Grandpa Mojo has a fantastic sound, an infusion of the aforementioned genres, as he put's it so aptly on his MySpace page; "it's live trip-hop, kiddies!". There are three tracks for you to enjoy on his page, all about as funky as something very funky, and then some. The jazz element is clear to see, but the inclusion of solid beats and samples is like the icing on this funky cake. I particularly enjoyed the track Mixed Beans - very blacksploitation!

Tomfoolio - http://www.myspace.com/tomfoolio

Craig Stern created Tomfoolio back in 2003 after graduating from the school of DJ Shadow. I made that last bit up, but it sounds cool - anyway, basically, and as his MySpace page explains, Craig realised after listening to Shadow that he could make cinematic music which other people could relate to. If you'll take the time to check out the Tomfoolio tracks you will see that Craig must have graduated with flying colours! Craig is based in Chicago, USA, where he plays at local open mic nights. His track Nocturne is immense - cinematic indeed - I can tell plenty of thought and effort must have gone in to making something like that. Hearing is believing, folks, get it done!

The Sages - http://www.myspace.com/thesages

The Sages are a collective of hip-hop/jazz artists based around the Coachella Valley in the U.S.of.A. They must have a pretty good sense of humour as the only review they've listed on their MySpace page reads; "it sucked so I put on Common."  Truth be told, their music far from sucks. The Sages' music is tight as could be and I'm really feeling the emceeing, even if it is perhaps different from your average style - I like that, adds to the appeal. How You Doin Maing was a track that particularly caught my ear, smooth laid back beats and flowing lyrics. They have a real essence of People Under The Stairs, Quasimoto and Cunninlynguists about their music.

Toby Benson - http://www.myspace.com/tobybenson

Originally from the same mother-land as myself (UK represent!), Toby Benson is now a resident of the USA. Down-tempo/electronica/trip-hop are his listed genres on his MySpace page. Toby claims that the Prodigy's Wind It Up was the major influence on him with regards to electronic music, I also still hold The Experience album close to my heart! Make sure you listen to all of Toby's tracks on his page, each offers something quite unique and equally enjoyable. There's an evident Four Tet style to some of his tracks, although comparisons could also be drawn to the likes of Cinematic Orchestra, Jazzanova and Lemon Jelly. Still, like I said before, there is something unique about Toby's music and you really need to hear it for yourself, I doubt you'll regret it. All the tracks are great, but the stand out one for me was Returned to Sender.

So there we have it, another five great pages for you to check out. Please take the time to explore each page and leave them some feedback - don't forget to let me know what you think, too!

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Double albums/Double trouble?

27 05 2006

Much has been said over the years with regards to artists releasing double albums, but the recent release of Red Hot Chili Peppers' double album Stadium Arcadium got me wondering bout this subject once more. Double albums; double the value or double the trouble?

Firstly let me clarify what a double albums is; a record released on two discs as the content will not fit on to one disc. Historically vinyl LPs were often released as double albums as vinyl discs could not hold as much music as modern CDs. Most vinyl LPs were between 30 and 45 minutes long, where as CDs can generally hold up to 80 minutes of music. So, it could be viewed that in this day and age (the compact disc era) that there really shouldn't be much need for a double album. And yet, some are still released.

Aside from greatest hits albums and the more instrumental non-mainstream artists like; Aphex Twin, The Future Sound of London, The Orb and BT, and perhaps even releases of live performances, why would an artist release a double album? An obvious answer would be because they've recorded so much great material and they want to repay the fans kindness, god that sounded cynical! Some people would say that an established (already popular) group or artist may self-indulgently believe that releasing a double album will be a sure way to strike gold once more. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure that there have been some great double albums, in-fact it would be great if you would reply to this post detailing any double albums that you have particularly enjoyed - but I'm gonna talk about a few that have left a slightly tainted view for myself…

  • Eels - Blinking Lights and Other Revelations
    I'm a big fan of Eels (the band, not the animal), so naturally I was looking forward to this. Then I discover it is a double album, although I didn't really have an opinion on that at the time. The albums is two discs; first disc contains 17 tracks and the second disc contains 16 - total content length; 93m28s. You'd be forgiven for thinking that on paper it sounds like a good return for your dollars. The trouble I had with this album, and have with most double albums, is that I was so flooded with material it was difficult to really gauge one track from the next and form a balanced opinion on the listening experience. Off the top of my head I cant name one track from the album, let alone tell you which ones I liked best. I've listened a few times too, it just doesn't get any better. Which is not to say there aren't any good tracks on the album, just too many tracks.
  • Foo Fighters - In Your Honor
    Never been a massive follower of Foo Fighters, although on occasion I think they are pretty good. I liked the sound of the tracks I had heard on the radio, so bought this double album. So, two discs; first disc has eleven tracks and the second has ten - total content length; 83m17s. Once again it was a hazy listening experience, although not quite as punishing as Eels' 33 track marathon. One redeeming quality was the fact that the first disc was more lively and the second more mellow, that was a nice touch - plus I could spot the tracks I liked, such as; Best Of You, The Last Song and Cold Day In The Sun. But, still, felt like I was being swamped with too much material.
  • Red Hot Chili Peppers - Stadium Arcadium
    And so on to the latest (and 9th) Chili Peppers album. I only really got in to these guys when Californication came out, and I really like that album and also By The Way. I'm not a big rock fan at the best of times, so although tracks like Under The Bridge I find good, their earlier work really doesn't do much for me. But, here we are at present day with a new double album. Two discs; first disc offers 14 tracks and the second offers 14 also - total content length; 122m41s. A monstrous amount of music, anyone would agree. Firstly I just want to say that there are some great tracks on this album, my favs include; Dani California, Charlie, Wet Sand, and Animal Bar. Yet, once more there was just too much on offer to really gain a proper judgement overall as an album.

As I'm sure you can tell, the common theme amongst those three is the apparent volume of content (hence the need for a double album in the first place!). To rationalise, take your average normal size album of good quality - on occassion there will be an album released that has eleven absolutely amazing tracks, but generally (and more realistically) speaking, even a good album has perhaps just four or five amazing tracks, a few good tracks, and then a couple of take-it-or-leave-it type tracks. In my opinion, when you increase the volume of tracks on an album, you are more than likely increasing the amount of average tracks on offer - hence devaluing the whole listening experience. I would rather listen to just eight good tracks than listen to ten good tracks but then 16 pretty average ones.

Artists; save these double albums for your greatest hits release or live anthology - releasing such a quantity of material in one hit just weakens your stock. It's quality not quantity! Least that's what I keep telling myself! Once more I realise I'm just scraping the tip of the iceberg on this discussion, but maybe that's just cos I'm cleverly enticing you (the valued reader) in to voicing your thoughts via the comments feature?! Go on, let yourself go, leave me a comment bout double albums!

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Track of the Week

26 05 2006

Decided to go for another not-so-new track this week…

Nostalgia 77 - Seven Nation Army feat. Alice Russell
>> download <<
This download is a sample of the music only and must be deleted from your computer within 24 hours of downloading. This download link will expire on 2nd June.

I've heard a few different covers of Seven Nation Army, but when I first heard this version (on a mix-tape) my jaw nearly hit the floor. I instantly knew it was Alice Russell on the vocals, then later discovered the track was by Nostalgia 77. You really need to crank this one up nice and loud to fully appreciate it!.

The track is taken from Nostalgia 77's album The Garden. Nostalgia 77 is Ben Lamdin, a funky, jazzy, down-tempo kind of artist signed to the Tru Thoughts record label.  His sound is very much like a crazy mix of Cinematic Orchestra, RJD2, and John Coltrane.  If you like your jazz funky, then definitely check this guy out.  As for Alice Russell, well, her talent really does speak for itself.  I wont even bother to list comparisons - if you like her take on Seven Nation Army, you'll love her other work - check out her albums Under The Munka Moon and My Favourite Letters. Alice Russell is also signed to Tru Thoughts records - hence the co-lab, no doubt.

Anyway, let me know what you think. Always good to hear feedback from people, animals, and machines, alike.

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The Wizard of Oz

25 05 2006

A wizard with a sampler and Oz as in Australia. I am talking about someone that a lot of Australia seems to be talking about, but I hate to see the rest of the world miss out. I'm talking bout Gotye, apparently pronounced Go-tee-yeah. Gotye is 25-year-old Wally De Backer from Melbourne, Australia. He plays a multitude of instruments, can sing, and also produces all of his music from the the very house he lives in. On his MySpace page he lists his genres as alternative/electronica/indie, but also cheekily claims to be an alt-pop meister. Gotye is another of the new breed of artists that combine creativity with pop music (hard to believe, I know). His sound is extremely diverse and touches on many genres and influences.

As like many newly discovered artists, Gotye is much of an enigma, although his latest album Like Drawing Blood is the current featured album of the week on Triple J - this is in-fact where I first heard of him. Gotye's following seems to be increasing all the time, but I just wonder how far away from the shores of Australia his sound will hit. History tells us that only the lucky, and usually rocky, artists do well abroad from Australia - although I wont be too quick to dismiss the pop careers of the Minogues, Natalie Imbruglia or any other ex-soap stars I cant remember the names of.

Unfortunately I am yet to hear the full album, but have heard the tracks off of his MySpace page, two tracks are available for you to 'sample' at the following link…

Gotye - A Distinctive Sound / Gotye - Thanks For Your Time
>> download <<
This download is a sample of the music only and must be deleted from your computer within 24 hours of downloading. This download link will expire on 1st June.

It's difficult to describe his sound - some tracks remind me of Jamie Lidell, while others perhaps of DJ Shadow or Kid Koala. But, you should definitely listen to his tracks all the way through, really give them a good go before judging. More tracks are available on his website and MySpace page.

I'd be really interested to know what people think, and also if anyone not living in Australia has already heard of Gotye. One thing's for sure, he'll definitely be popular in Australia, well, he pretty much already is!

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The Herbaliser

24 05 2006

So, this blog is already one week old! Thanks to everyone that has read the entries, and even greater thanks to those people that have left me comments, you guys really are fuelling this thing.

Today I decided I'd feature the group that have remained at the top of my last.fm charts for a long time now; The Herbaliser. Since 8th February 2005 I've, apparently, listened to The Herbaliser 654 times - so they must be pretty good, right? Right!

Ollie Teeba and Jake Wherry formed The Herbaliser back in the early '90s in good old London town. They are one of Ninja Tune's more famous/popular artists and to date they have released five full albums;

  • Remedies (1995)
  • Blow Your Headphones (1997)
  • Very Mercenary (1999)
  • Something Wicked this Way Comes (2002)
  • Take London (2005)

Essentially The Herbaliser are a jazz/hip-hop group. Their earlier releases were more of a beat driven hip-hop experience, but over time their sound has matured, the jazz element began to take more of a shape and then in the later years they experimented using an actual jazz band to play instruments on their tracks. Another, more constant, feature in their music has always been the appearance of guest emcees. Many have returned to work with them time and again, whilst others were one off, such guest appearances have been from; Jean Grae (credited in earlier work under the name What What), Roots Manuva, Raaka Iriescience (from Dilated Peoples), Blade, Phi Life Cypher, and MF DOOM.

But… so as to not make this entry read like a page from an encyclopedia, let's get down and dirty and delve into the wonders that are… my opinions!

The first record I actually heard from The Herbaliser was Something Wicked this Way Comes, when it was released in 2002. I didn't really know much about them, but my cousin assured me it was a good UK hip-hop record, so… I bought it. The album took some getting used to (I was young and uncultured!), but the title track instantly grabbed me - the eerie samples and hypnotic beats putting me in some sort of trance, but a good trance. If you haven't heard that track, then give it a 'sample' here…

The Herbaliser - Something Wicked (feat. Seeming To)
>> download <<
This download is a sample of the music only and must be deleted from your computer within 24 hours of downloading. This download link will expire on 31st May.

After that I pretty much made it my mission to check out all of their stuff. Each album has it's own charm, plus what I love about these guys is that they manage to keep the crux of their music whilst nothing sounds repetitive. You know what I mean, some artists (although great) manage to release 5 albums that sound pretty much exactly the same - not The Herbaliser. I really love particular tracks off each album, few to pick would be; Wrong Place, Ginger Jumps The Fence, Mission Improbable, Let It Go, Something Wicked, and Lord Lord.

The Herbaliser have also been successful with mix-tapes, releasing Solid Steel Presents Herbal Blend (2003) for Ninja tune, and also Fabric Live 26 (2006) for the continuing Fabric Live series.

To compare The Herbaliser to other similar acts, I guess names like these would perhaps come to mind; Nightmares On Wax, Coldcut, DJ Vadim, DJ Krush, Bonobo. Basically if you are into your jazzy hip-hop and you haven't heard anything by The Herbaliser, then get some quick before the music police bust yo' ass! Feel free to comment on The Herbaliser or detail your favourite tracks in this post.

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The Great Anticipation of 2006

23 05 2006

I am of course referring to albums due out sometime within the rest of this year. I'll list the ones I am looking forward to, as this is in-fact my blog. So there! However, feel free to leave me comments with any albums that you are looking forward to, I'm a pretty open minded kinda guy, so chances are if you are looking forward to it, then I might just appreciate it too.

DJ Shadow - Well, I could write a whole essay purely based on Josh… but I wont, I'll only get angry. Firstly, many were expecting a new Shadow album last year, evidently we didn't get one. Secondly, is it gonna be shit? Serious, first we had that Keane remix and then 3 Freaks, it doesn't bode well. I have it on good authority that despite these 'blips', the new Shadow album is still meant to be very good - one person even suggested to me that 3 Freaks might not be on the album… here's hoping! Anyway, check out this link, it basically says that the new album is complete, it has a very diverse sound, and will be called The Outsider. No word on a release date though.

Jurassic 5 - Another overdue album. I wasn't too impressed with the last effort, although some have said it is a grower (so I will listen again soon), but this new album Feedback is due out on 25th July. If you check out the track posted on their MySpace page Work It Out (feat. Dave Matthews Band), maybe you will cry a bit… I did. This particular track reeks of being commercial radio friendly, surely this is intentional? The groups motivation? The fuck should I know?! Either way, I'll be checking this new one out to give it a good going over, myself.

Cut Chemist - J5's very own ex-producer has his album The Audience's Listening due out 13th June (although some sources suggest 11th July). I've always greatly enjoyed the Chemist's work, whether it be with J5, Shadow, or on his own, and I have high expectations for this upcoming release. I sincerely hope I'm not setting myself up for a fall, but there is only one way to find out. Secretly (he says, on an public site!), I reckon it will be excellent - otherwise… I'll cry some more - what an emotional blog entry!

Bonobo - Sorry folks, I literally have nothing to tell you, other than it is due out this year (hopefully!) and should be pretty cool. You can read a small diary entry from the man himself (posted end of March) here. Still, it's not all bad, that Live Sessions album of his never gets boring, that'll tie us over!

Lily Allen - Well, scroll down near to the bottom of this page and you'll see I posted bout Lily last week. As we already know her ska/pop debut album is due out on Regal records on 17th July.

Radiohead - I think Radiohead are great (shock horror!), but I haven't been following that closely how the new album is going - but a friend told me today that the new album due out in October has now been pushed back to 2007. But… Thom Yorke has an album out on July 11th called The Eraser.

Boards Of Canada - The new EP is called Trans Canada Highway, it is coming out on 29th May. Watch a weird (I guess promo) video here, on Warp's site. I must stress that this is an EP and not an album - only 5 new tracks will be on this release.

Venetian Snares - This guy's music has the ability to scare me and excite me. Anyway, enough of my personal life. The new album is beautifully named Cavalcade of Glee and Dadaist Happy Hardcore Pom Poms and is due out sometime in June. Hopefully it will be in a similar vein to the last album, that was a whole lot more listenable than his older work. Although, this is just my opinion, I know some people like that stuff.

Amon Tobin - I don't actually know the name of his new album, either I've missed that detail or nobody knows yet (feel free to educate me). Some details from an early May blog entry can be found here. Sounds like he's just been doing a load of field recordings and stuff, says he is bout half way through it all now. Hopefully we'll see this before the year is out.

I'm sure there are plenty of other hotly anticipated albums due out this year, so feel free to tell me bout them. Also if I am missing any info in the above brief reports (or something is wrong, heaven forbid!), then tell me too.

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Hip-Hop/Hip-Pop

22 05 2006

I think the title of this entry pretty much suggests what I'm gonna rant about, but… first off, I just want to say that from a commercial stand-point, I realise that there is a place for hip-pop and that plenty of people seem to really enjoy it. I don't want for there to be any presumption that I'm going to just rip some music to shreds and praise some other (I make no promises, what can I say? I'm passionate!) - I'll attempt to show a bit more depth into the discussion and raise some valid points. So, let's get to it…

In-case some readers aren't quite aware of what my crass label hip-pop means, I will explain; hip-pop is the casual term given to mass produced commercial hip-hop that is released solely for quick sale chart consumption. Bear in mind that this is only an opinion (although plenty share it) and not everybody will agree with my assessment. Many feel that these hip-pop artists are just selling out; using the hip-hop genre to make artistically-limited music that is marketed towards kids, purely in an attempt to make as much money as quickly as possible, without much thought to the actual music itself. I'm sure these artists would (publicly) disagree, but public perception rules all and on this occasion I don't believe that our eyes deceive.

To give you an idea, I'll list a few names that could be considered as hip-pop artists; 50 Cent, basically all of G-Unit, modern day Jay-Z, Ja Rule, modern day Black Eyed Peas, P Diddy, Ludacris, Lil Jon, Nelly, Obie Trice, Akon, Bubba Sparxxx, modern day Busta Rhymes, the list really does go on, but I think you get the idea. It is difficult to know what these artists are thinking, whether they actually care about the music, or do they just want loads of money - to be honest, we'll probably never know, and that is where our perception comes into play. Personally I can only conclude that the aforementioned artists are essentially pop artists after lots of cash, using a watered down version of hip-hop.

Some of these hip-pop artists were once highly respected hip-hop acts, like Jay-Z, Black Eyed Peas, and Busta Rhymes, for example. Maybe they just lost their desire for the music, maybe they just want to drive nicer cars, who knows? All I do know is that I'm sick of hearing this watered down hip-hop. I don't really listen to commercial radio anymore or watch much TV, so I don't get exposed to this music very often, but what hurts me most is how much people sing the praises of this music. There's no soul to this music - it's just a catchy jingle over a heavy beat and some guy rapping bout shooting someone in the face and f*cking some hoe. I remember a friend of mine saying they don't like hip-hop music cos they don't like the way the songs are all about violence, money, and hoes - I was ready to list of a hundred hip-hop artists that never mention that crap, but this persons mind was already made up. I've even tried to counter suggest artists to people that have been consumed by the devil (listeners of hip-pop), if someone tells me they like 50 Cent, I suggest they try listening to Nas, MF DOOM, or Ghostface, for example. But the devil has them so tightly that they feel if it isn't being rammed down their throats via tv and the radio, then it isn't cool to listen to it.

Regardless, the underground hip-hop scene is still strong. I mean, there are tonnes of fantastic acts still struggling to get record deals, but it is encouraging to see people still putting the effort in to make decent art. I just find it incredibly sad that people rely on the mainstream media to such an extent. Either they cant see that it is ruling their lives, or they just don't care. If these people could just take the time out to discover new things for themselves, with an open mind, maybe they would take their musical enjoyment to the next level.

All said and done, this is a rant coming from someone that does appreciate real hip-hop and does despise hip-pop - I know many will agree with my sentiment, but there are tonnes of fans of hip-pop music and they don't really care what I think, but perhaps this is just the state of things in this day and age. I also realise I have only briefly touched on what is actually quite a heavy debate, but I figured that it wouldn't be wise to send you to sleep with a massive rant, so it's just some food for thought. What would be cool is if anyone reading this would take 30 seconds out to leave a comment that includes the name of a real hip-hop artist, just some recognition and appreciation for the guys striving to keep the scene alive.

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Unearthing MySpace Gems

21 05 2006

I have five MySpace Music profiles to share with you today. The thing they all have in common (currently) is that they all have less than 10,000 views on their respective pages. So, we're gonna give them some more views, aren't we?!

I don't plan on going into too much detail on each profile as I am hoping you'll take the time to actually read the info on the pages yourself - I'm no copy & paste monkey! So, in no particular order, here are the five profiles…

Grudle Bay Riots - http://www.myspace.com/grudlebayriots

Grudle Bay Riots are Nathan Allsworth and Tom Hodges, originally from Oxford, but now living in London. They list their genre on their MySpace page as simply experimental. The first track on their player is Using Lift Guilt Trip and this song is nothing short of breath-taking. Nice combination of acoustic strings and bassy beats. There's a very Four Tet kind of feeling to their music, and that's always a good thing in my books. If you like artists such as Four Tet, Bonobo, and Quantic, then I'm sure you'll be feeling these guys. Check them out.

The Entrusted - http://www.myspace.com/theentrusted

These guys list themselves as being indie/electronica/rock. They are a two man band comprising of Amir Boyangiu and Rob Carpenter and they're based in Brooklyn, New York. The most played track on their page is Yield - this track is extremely deep and emotionally evoking, perhaps in a way you'd expect from such groups as Explosions In The Sky, Sigur Ros, or Doves (take your pick!). The music is genuinely spine-tingling stuff and the vocals are sublime. To listen to The Entrusted you have to wonder why you've never heard of them or their music before now.

Jay Purcell - http://www.myspace.com/jaypurcell

Jay is a talented musician/producer from London, he lists his main genres as funk/dub/experimental. The track Zoomba on his page contains a very polished blend of raw beats and classical strings, the arrangement is almost of a quite cinematic nature, given the build ups and layers to this diverse offering. In a way it reminds me of Amon Tobin and/or Massive Attack - but either way you really need to check it out for yourself. By listening to Jay's tracks you can tell a lot of thought, time, and effort went into each - I'd be willing to guess that he is quite the perfectionist!

Musetta - http://www.myspace.com/musettamusic

From Milan, Italy, we have Musetta. Electronica/down-tempo/trip hop, are their listed genres. Their music is in a sort of Lamb/Portishead vein - nicely produced beats and gorgeous vocals. I could easily chill for hours to the music of Musetta. All of the tracks on their MySpace profile are definitely worth checking out, but a particular favourite of mine is Ophelia's Song, it has an obscene repeat play factor - I could listen over and over! The whole package is just so well produced that it is another instance of wondering why I haven't already heard of these guys - it's criminal really.

Sirka Ragnar - http://www.myspace.com/sirkaragnar

Lastly, coming out of Norway, we have Sirka Ragnar - an indie/electronica/rock group. Their track Nove Stereo is a real pleasurable aural experience. Precise electronic samples, paired with a sturdy bass-line, and solid (yet soft) vocals. These guys are about as good of an example of what decent indie/electronica/rock should sound like that you are likely to find! It's a strange sensation listening to their music, where you can find yourself spotting how they have blended the genres, but then also find yourself appreciating how complete and polished it all sounds - a very complete sound.

I hope you will take the time to check out each of the pages detailed above, and also leave the artists some feedback - would also be nice if you left me some comments about the music on this post too! ;-)

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Music and the Internet

20 05 2006

I've been regularly using the internet since about 1998, but been listening to music since 1983 (year of my birth!) - cut to present day and I'm sure most will agree that these two things are at the pinnacle of modern culture. You can discover music easily without the internet, and likewise you can explore the internet without any reference to music, but… integrated together, you are given a whole new avenue to explore, this blog itself is testament to that fact. So, how can you use the internet to access and discover music and what are the best ways to go about it? I'll detail the methods and knowledge I have on the subject, and then it would be great if people could fill in some blanks (if present) via the submission of comments on this entry.

Perhaps it would be wise to start with a quick history lesson! So, one of the first instances of music on the internet would have been the ability to purchase music from online stores. This is still a huge practice, and as like other forms of internet shopping, purchasing music online can save you quite a bit of money. Then came along the p2p applications, namely Napster. Napster gave a user the ability to search for a song by song name and then download it (for free) via their p2p software. Essentially you would have been downloading direct from someone else's computer, somewhere else in the world. Sounds great, but it was (is) illegal. It is essentially theft. Other complaints about the idea of a p2p system include; corrupt audio files, poor quality audio files, incomplete files etc… Napster was eventually shut down (due to the legality issues), but others argued that it gave music fans the chance to test music before purchasing it - some statistics even proved (apparently) that p2p programmes like Napster actually helped to increase record sales, presumably due to this try before you buy attitude. Other p2p programmes came on the scene after Napster, but some would eventually be shut down, although others would quickly pop up in their place - internet piracy is just too difficult to police. Currently the only people really being prosecuted for their participation are the ones found to be uploading obscene amounts of music. Different methods of obtaining music for free on the net after p2p came to light, like Bittorrent, a newer technology to share files. However, services like Napster made a revival years later, but under the guise of a "pay to download" system, a big earner from this new method of online music sales is Apple's iTunes store. Although it is worth noting that in an attempt to catch up with iTunes, Napster have changed their pay system so that revenue is gained more through advertising than public sales.

But aside from stealing or buying music, the internet is actually a fantastic tool for music discovery. Websites such as MySpace, last.fm and Pandora are great ways to discover new music. MySpace started out as a community for people to make new friends, but has now evolved into much more than that. They offer a service to artists and groups known as MySpace Music. This gives the artist/s an opportunity to share a few tracks with fans and prospective fans and also give details on upcoming gigs and music releases. Naturally this is a fantastic way for unknown/unsigned artists and groups to spread the word of their work, but literally tonnes of established artists are on there too. It seems if you aren't on MySpace Music then you must be stuck in the 90s or something!

last.fm is a website that compiles charts and statistics based on your listening habits. Firstly you need to register at last.fm and then download a small plug-in for whatever programme you listen to music with on your PC. Then as soon as you listen to at least half a track on your PC the info will be recorded on to your last.fm user-page. Each week a chart is created for you on your page, detailing which artists and tracks you listened to most in the last week. Also an all time ever chart is regularly updated for you. So to look at it from that perspective I guess it just seems interesting to see what your listening habits are - but… it goes further than that… Based on your listening habits, last.fm will find you people that have similar tastes to yourself (neighbours) and will also suggest to you music that you should like, that you haven't heard before, based on what you already have listened to (recommendations). Absolutely priceless.

Lastly; Pandora. Simply type in the name of an artist you like and Pandora will play you similar music that you may not have heard before. This site is just another good way to find new music based on your existing tastes. Their database is growing and becoming more accurate all the time, definitely worth checking out. It's one of those handy sites that instantly gives you the answers you need. All three of the aforementioned websites are an absolute must for discovering new music on the internet. The internet has enabled me to discover so much new music in such a short space of time, and also meet new people that have been able to help educate me in ways that otherwise would never have been possible. Some artists and organisations are quick to dismiss the internet as a pirates haven and general waste of time, but the sooner these people realise what a valuable tool the internet is, the better. I know some already have; sending out newsletters containing links to samples from new albums etc… Essentially it is just modern marketing, and used the right way will only help artists to prosper, not suffer.

I'm sure none of this will be new to a lot of you, but I'd still very much like to hear your comments on the subjects I raised. If any of this was new to you, then great, glad I could show you something new.

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Track of the Week

19 05 2006

This is the first of my weekly entries that will be known as "Track of the Week". Basically each Friday I will post my favourite and/or most played track of the week. Sometimes it might be an old track, other times it might be new - either way, it will just be my favourite track of the last week. Who knows, maybe every once in a while it will be a track you've never heard before and will change your life forever! Or something like that anyway.

So, this week's track is…

CompassionBroadway Project - Who's To Blame
>> download <<
This download is a sample of the music only and must be deleted from your computer within 24 hours of downloading. This download link will expire on 26th May.

Broadway Project is Dan Berridge, an ambient/jazz artist signed to the Grand Central label. This track, Who's To Blame, is taken from his first album Compassion (released in 2000 on Memphis Industries, then later re-released in 2002). It is an interestingly arranged track in a jazzy style, but it also exerts great levels of depth with the Skalpel'esque beats and multiple layers of instrumentation. I'd liken it to something that Bonobo, Jaga Jazzist, or Quantic would release. It features harmonic vocal samples and strings of an eerie kind that come only from very cinematic tracks.

If you do like artists such as; Bonobo, Quantic, The Cinematic Orchestra, Skalpel and Jaga Jazzist, then you will more than likely enjoy this. The key element to Broadway Project is the cinematic sound, this is what likens it more to artists in the mould of The Cinematic Orchestra than say the other artists of which I have drawn a comparison to.

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Lily Allen

18 05 2006

Lily AllenThe phrase "spread like wildfire" has never been more apt. Lily Allen is a 21 year old singer/songwriter from London. She has very quickly progressed from MySpace favourite to air-wave hogger. The speed at which Lily's fame has grown makes the Arctic Monkeys' rise to fame look like a tortoise running the London marathon. But what if you live under a rock? Who is Lily Allen? Well, I'll tell you…

Lily's music has been described as ska/pop. I first discovered her about a month or so ago when MySpace listed her as a featured artist. This label of ska/pop had me intrigued, so I had to check her out. I'm glad I did. This is the odd thing about Lily's sound, it seems to reach a huge demographic; underground heads dig the ska sounds, head nodding beats, and fresh lyrics, while more mainstream pop fans love it for the catchy pop sounds. Hell, even my Mum likes her! Comparisons have been made with Ms Dynamite and Mike Skinner (of The Streets), but if someone had recommended Lily Allen to me by way of those comparisons, I may not have checked her out - she is more deserving of uniqueness than that.

Lily started out on MySpace, posting up a few songs for anyone to listen to, but before long the internet grapevine had started to work it's magic and things really snowballed, so much so that in December of 2005 she signed a record deal with Regal (a division of Parlophone Records) and as of right now over 250,000 people have viewed her MySpace page and her tracks have been played on there over a million times! Make no mistake though, Lily isn't trying to get ahead of herself, she is surprised as anyone by the speed at which her career is moving.

Another great part of her MySpace page is the blog she regularly updates. It contains very frank thoughts on what she has been up to and what she thinks. In a recent entry she shows clear hurt at some comments certain journalists have written about her. You see, Lily's observational style lyrics detail her surroundings, much in the way that Mike Skinner writes. But… Lily is the daughter of comedian Keith Allen and had quite a middle-class (for want of a better expression) up-bringing in Islington, London. This is where the backlash occurs - in her debut single, LDN (that was released on 24th April), she sings about pimps and crack-whores - the said journalists claim that Lily is trying to show herself as someone raised on the mean streets of London. However, within her blog, Lily is quick to explain that she doesn't try to hide her middle-class upbringing and never intended to show herself as something that she isn't - Lily merely sings about her observations as she travels around London. Fair enough, I think you'll agree. It is just apparent that Lily is very new to fame, and like any human, is feeling the strain of the press, both negative and positive. But this form of honest connection with her fans, via her MySpace blog, is a very unique way for an artist to conduct themself. All too often an artist's life remains shrouded in secrecy, with only tabloids and magazines to show us who they are dating - but then I guess this is where the role of the internet revolution is played, and I think it works well. Obviously only time will tell if Lily remains this open about her new music life, but for now her fans are loving it.

So, what's next? Well, her debut album Alright Still is due out on 17th July and can be pre-ordered on Amazon.co.uk, before that her next single Smile is due out on 10th July. Lily has also been performing on the Yo Yo night at Notting Hill Arts Centre in West London, if you want to go, make sure you get there early, plenty of people were turned away at the first show! All details of her up-coming gigs are on her MySpace page.

I think her album will be a summer smash in the UK - will just be interesting to see which way she goes in the future, pop princess or urban legend? Probably both!

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