Music - Album of the week
29th Jun 09
Mos Def - The Ecstatic
Downtown / Inertia
The fourth studio album from Mos Def is a consistently strong and rewarding collection of songs that exhibits some of the NY rapper's best work to date. Not only a showcase for Mos Def's insightful, thoughtful, observational lyrics, The Ecstatic also features excellent beats and vocal contributions from J Dilla, Georgia Anne Muldrow, Madlib, Oh No, Talib Kweli and Slick Rick, amongst others.
Past Albums of the Week
22nd Jun 09
Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca
Domino / EMI
The experimental music project of Brooklyn's David Longstreth, Dirty Projectors have built a loyal following over the years for their singular art pop approach. Bitte Orca is arguably the band's most accessible and enjoyable album to date, filled with inventive arrangements, unexpected instrumentation and compelling vocal harmonies and melodies.
15th Jun 09
Bibio - Ambivalence Avenue
Warp/Inertia
British producer Bibio is the latest addition to the Warp Records artist roster, and continues in that label's commitment to experimental, adventurous and challenging music. The solo project of sound artist and musician Stephen Wilkinson, Bibio has released numerous albums and EPs specialising in a distinctive style of detuned psychedlic folk and field recordings. Ambivalence Avenue, Stephen's debut full length for Warp is the culmination of his previous output, showing an ever greater depth of production finesse and diversity of styles, alternately delving into electro-acoustic proto funk, squashed disco and fractured hip hop soul.
8th Jun 09
Jordie Lane - Sleeping Patterns
Vitamin/Teclo
The debut full-length of Melbourne musician Jordie Lane, Sleeping Patterns is a captivating collection of stories sung in Jordie's arresting style, and drawing upon folk, western and other acoustic traditions. Co-produced by Jeff Lang and Tim Hall and featuring guest appearances from local roots artists Ashley Davies, Jeff Lang, Laura Jean, and Liz Stringer, the album is a beautiful showcase of the immense talent at the heart of the project.
1st Jun 09
The Horrors - Primary Colours
XL Recordings / Remote Control
The second album from English band The Horrors is an absorbing and accomplished return, encompassing a broader range of sounds and styles under the production guidance of Portishead’s Geoff Barrow. Abrasive psychedelic sounds and motorik krautrock reveal the band's dedication to delving deeper than the gothic freakbeat of their debut, and while sonic references to The Cure, The Jesus & Mary Chain, Joy Division and The Psychedelic Furs are all in evidence, the whole is indeed greater than the sum of its parts.
25th May 09
Aleks And The Ramps - Midnight Believer
Stomp
Melbourne five-piece Aleks and the Ramps offer their second full-length album entitled Midnight Believer, an adventurous and playful combination of indie-rock, and innovative pop. Long-time live scene favourites, Aleks and the Ramps capture the entralling dynamism of their shows across a diverse and entertaining selection of tracks.
18th May 09
Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest
Warp / Inertia
Filled with layered melodies, beautiful vocal harmonies and intricate rhythms, Veckatimest is an album of rich complexity. The third studio album from Brooklyn's Grizzly Bear, Veckatimest (named after an island off the coast of Cape Cod near where the recordings for this LP took place) is a textured work of extraordinary care and detail.
11th May 09
Passion Pit - Manners
French Kiss/Columbia/Sony
Boston group Passion Pit are one of more recent blog-hype success stories, rising to fame on the back of a demo CD written as a Valentines Day gift by lead singer Michael Angelakos. This Chunk of Change EP was the love letter that reached the ears of Columbia Records in the UK, and Manners is the debut full-length that builds upon the band's charming heartfelt electro pop.
4th May 09
Polo Club - 13
Amphead
Melbourne hip hop crew Polo Club have quickly earned a reputation as one of the most exciting, and inventive groups on the scene. The collaborative project of lyricist Urban Monk and producer Camelot the Cameleon, Polo Club's debut album presents an engaging array of experimental club-rap, digital boom bap and glitched-up ghetto-pop.
27th Apr 09
Peaches - I Feel Cream
XL / Remote Control
For her fourth studio album Peaches retains the signature dirto electro sound from previous outings, but adds a greater range of musical styles through collaborations with cutting-edge producers Simian Mobile Disco and Digitalism amongst others. As energetic and provocative as ever, Peaches' lyrical prowess is supported by a mixture of glam rock, low-swung ghetto-tech, club-hip-hop and electro-pop.
20th Apr 09
Wagons - The Rise And Fall Of Goodtown
Spunk!/EMI
The Rise And Fall Of Goodtown is the fourth studio album from Melbourne's country specialists Wagons, and a brilliant example of the dark country rock and insightful lyricism that has characterised the rise and rise of Henry Wagon's band. Co-produced by the studio mastermind Cornel Wilczek (Qua), the album is a textured and diverse musical representation of the band's spirit, energy and boundless creativity.
13th Apr 09
St Helens - Heavy Profession
Dot-Dash/Remote Control
The debut album from Melbourne's St Helens is a beguiling and beautiful musical journey through the quotidian, broken and sublime. Fronted by Jarrod Quarrell, the primary singer and storyteller, St Helens also comprises Hannah Brooks, and other instrumentalists at the vanguard of Melbourne's music-making community. The resulting record frames Quarrell's alternately disaffected and sincere street poetry in a tenebrous vision of hazy rock and sharp-focus blues.
6th Apr 09
Two Fingers - Two Fingers
Big Dada/Inertia
Two Fingers is the new collaborative project of Amon Tobin and Joe "Doubleclick" Chapman. Applying the experimental and meticulously detailed production techniques of forward-thinking drum n bass and dubstep to a hip hop/RnB framework, the two have created a bold reinvention of urban music that transcends the numerous styles they've referenced. Featuring vocal contributions from world class MCs Cecile, Sway and Ms Jade, Two Fingers' self-titled debut is a brutal and beautiful exploration of the new international underground, taking in the dark dancehall of Jamaica, the grime-and-glitch inflected London scene, and the polyrhythmic sounds of North Africa and Brazil.
30th Mar 09
Jeremy Jay - Slow Dance
K / Popfrenzy
Jeremy Jay's second album ‘Slow Dance' moves, as the title suggests, at a beautifully glacial pace. A clear evolution in style from last year's A Place Where We Could Go, Slow Dance drifts through minimal new wave and icy disco territory in a land of endless winter. The local release of the LP also features as a bonus the Love Everlasting EP.
23rd Mar 09
Kid Sam - Kid Sam
Two Bright Lakes
Kid Sam is the extremely impressive self-titled debut of Kishore Ryan and his cousin Kieran Ryan. It's an absorbing and enjoyable introduction to the dynamic style and range of the band's work, moving through gentle, affecting acoustic melodies to more menacing percussive displays and thoughtful, heart-felt lyricism. The sparse, spacious guitar and drum arrangements are embellished in parts by keyboards, glockenspiels, accordians and field recordings.
16th Mar 09
Who Made Who - The Plot
Gomma/Inertia
Specialists in New-Wave Indie-Disco, Advanced Electro-House and Techno-Pop-Punk, Who Made Who are versatile and vibrant purveyors of fun and interesting music. The Plot is the Danish trio's second album, and represents a challenging but immediately accessible cross-section of their production prowess.
9th Mar 09
The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart
The Lost & Lonesome Recording Co
Presenting a distinctive blend of noise pop, shoegaze, and upbeat indie-pop, The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart imbue their music with an energy and immediacy that has endeared them to audiences worldwide since forming in 2007. Their self-titled debut is full of fuzzy pop anthems underscored by a wistful melancholic tone that will appeal to listeners of My Bloody Valentine, House of Love, Pale Saints, Rocketship and Shop Assistants.
2nd Mar 09
Various Artists - Spunk! Singles Club
Spunk!
The result of a careful and comprehensive search for the new and next wave of Australian artists, Spunk! Singles Club offers twelve tracks from twelve exciting and innovative local bands. Including contributions from Townsville's pastoral folk purveyors The Middle East, Sydney's electronic specialists Seekae and Wollongong's subdued but electrifying Lola Flash, the compilation is a superbly curated showcase of some very interesting and exciting Australian bands.
23rd Feb 09
Harmonic 313 - When Machines Exceed Human Intelligenceq
Warp / Inertia
The latest of Mark Pritchard's many musical incarnations, Harmonic 313 delves deep into the Sydney-based producer's love of Detroit techno, synthetic beats, dirty dub and heavy, heavy bass. Whilst the album includes collaborations with Steve Spacek, Phat Kat, Elzhi, and a speak and spell machine, the fifteen tracks are mostly instrumental in nature, varying from the haunted hip hop bump of Koln, to the tense sci-fi electro bashment of Quandrant 3. Ultimately When Machines Exceed Human Intelligence is as eerie, inventive and compelling as the disquieting future it foreshadows.
16th Feb 09
M Ward - Hold Time
Spunk!/EMI
Hold Time is the latest full length from the singer-songwriter best known for his understated and sparse folk-blues, as well as his collaborative project She & Him with musical partner Zooey Deschanel. Hold Time continues to explore M Ward's interest in the classic songwriting school of writers such as Buddy Holly, but at times reminds more of Phil Spector and Brian Wilson's elaborate pop productions than the more minimalist arrangements of earlier releases.
9th Feb 09
Various Artists - Dark Was The Night
4AD/Remote Control
Featuring 32 exclusive tracks from some of independent music's most popular and compelling artists, Dark Was The Night is a double album of vast scope and depth. Produced to assist the Red Hot Organisation, a charity that raises funds for AIDS research, this compilation astounds with its generosity of ideas and fascinating range of collaborative work, including contributions from Feist, Grizzly Bear, Sufjan Stephens, Iron & Wine, Yeasayer, Antony, Beirut, Cat Power, Sharon Jones, Bon Iver, Arcade Fire, My Morning Jacket and more!
2nd Feb 09
David Byrne & Brian Eno - Everything That Happens Will Happen Today
POD/Inertia
David Byrne of Talking Heads and Luaka Bop Records, and Brian Eno of Roxy Music and Music For Airports and producing U2-and-other-bands-as-well fame are not unknown entities in popular music. And while individually the two have accomplished much, together Mr Byrne and Mr Eno are respected for their adventurous and beautifully experimental album My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts. 'Everything That Happens Will Happen Today' is their second collaborative album since that 1981 release, and combines their talents to form a Gospel-infused electronic pop record of striking songwriting strength.
26th Jan 09
Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavillion
Domino / EMI
With a well documented history of experimentalism in the pop realm, Animal Collective have earned a loyal legion of followers that await each new musical outing with avaricious anticipation. Merriweather Post Pavillion is the apotheosis of Animal Collective's efforts; a complete and accessible respresentation of the band's numerous interests that has deservedly attracted fervent admiration from writers and fans around the world. Melodic, noisy, abstract, dense and vibrant, the music eludes easy categorization but rewards those that engage with its textured sounds.
15th Dec 08
Exile - Radio
Knowfoowl / Inertia
Composed entirely of sampled signals from the airwaves of L.A., Exile's latest album 'Radio' is an experimental record of abstract instrumental beats and fragmented narratives. Having earned a strong reputation as a producer for MCs such as Blu, Mobb Deep and 50 Cent, and Kardinal Offishall, this second solo outing represents the depth and diversity of Exile's skills and musical interests. Released early in Janurary 2009, 'Radio' represents the next step in the evolution of the sampling craft.
8th Dec 08
Coconot - Cosa Astral
Mistletone/Shock
Before he became known to the world as El Guincho, Pablo Diaz-Reixa was simply Pablo (or Mr Diaz-Reixa), and his music was released through the band he started with friends Jens Neumaier and Christian Subira called Coconot. Cosa Astral is Coconot's second LP and features their singature blend of latin, Carribean, folk, experimental rock and punk. The compositions have a slightly more organic feel than El Guincho's solo material, based as they are on instrumentation more than sampled loops.
1st Dec 08
School Of Seven Bells - Alpinisms
Speak n Spell/Inertia
Named after an infamous and possibly mythical academy for pick-pocketers in South America, School of Seven Bells is a New York group comprising former guitarist of Secret Machines Benjamin Curtis and sisters Alejandra and Claudia Deheza from On!Air!Library! Alpinisms is the band's debut full-length, revealing their mastery of ethereal, dissonant and ultimately beautiful pop music.
Streaming Now
Einstein A Go Go
