The Horrors - Primary Colours

You know, I vaguely recall seeing a promo picture of these guys a couple of years ago. It was in Rolling Stone or Spin or something like that. At the time I was nonplussed: besides the unctiously fawning press release - which was obviously aimed at teenage girls - the dudes looked like ridiculous, wannabe goths in the accompanying photo. Like they were advertising for Hot Topic or something.

I can’t speak for what they sounded like back then, because I had already dismissed them as a contrived marketing gimmick or at best a cheap rip-off of The Cramps. From what I understand though, they’ve altered their sound considerably for this sophomore effort; bringing in big time production help from Portishead’s Geoff Barrow and Chris Cunningham.

The result is kind of like b-movie meets garage rock – a weird hybrid of gothic surfiness and blood-shot paranoia, where warbled synthesizers and entropic distortion collide with the stark and hollow coldness of vocalist Faris Badwan, who has definitely listened to more than his share of Joy Division. Though he sounds like Ian Curtis more often than not, Badwan does a cockney-ish punk thing pretty well too on songs like Mirror Image and Three Decades.

The use of synthesizers (tonally and in the manner they’re employed) is one of the more distinguishing aspects of Primary Colors. Swathes of them warp and refract into distended melodies adding to an already disorienting amalgam of reverb-drenched guitars, Phantom-of-the-Opera organs and grinding amplified feedback.

On Three Decades synths screech like twisting steel and surf guitars are bent and stretched to the point of creating an unsettling Doppler-like effect.

Who Can Say, probably the most pop-friendly tune, is a love song undercut by dirty, serrated guitars and giddy synthesizers saturated with reverb until they create a kind of hall-of-mirrors-like sound a la My Bloody Valentine.

The lyrics, when decipherable, are predictably morose, but what else could you really expect a band calling themselves The Horrors.

Not everything is so over the top though. The sprawling 8-minute, synthetic odyssey, Sea Within a Sea is melancholic and almost Depeche Mode-eqsue. My favorite of the lot, it's a lovely way to send things off after all the carnage.

I reckon you could pick apart the obvious influences: Joy Division, The Smiths, New Order, Echo and the Bunnymen, My Bloody Valentine, etc., etc.; wax condescendingly about how they’re just the sum of these various reference points. You could ridicule the blatant Halloween/b-movie shtick. You might label the approach pretentious or heavy-handed.

None of this, in my opinion, changes the fact that it's a flawlessly executed hybrid of dark garage rock, gothic punk and psychedelic noise.

http://thehorrors.co.uk/

http://www.myspace.com/thehorrors

The Flaming Lips / Star Death and the White Dwarfs - The Dark Side of the Moon

Wow! Just… wow. The Flaming Lips have got to be the only band with the stones to attempt something like this, and surely the only one with enough creativity and artistic integrity to pull it off.

For those who dug the sound of Embryonic – their obtuse, experimental double album released back in October – this will probably go down well (in fact if you’re one of these folks, it’s worth checking out even if you’re sick to death of The Dark Side of the Moon or were never a Floyd fan in the first place).

The Lips’ re-imagining of this almost canonical record produces an effect that is truly surreal. Like the original on an ephedrine bender and no sleep – the experience is more paranoid, more hallucinatory and generally more unsettling. The tone is set in the first few seconds when Henry Rollins (who’s been tapped to do all the speaking parts) says, “I’ve been mad for fucking years. Absolutely years … I’ve always been mad”

As with Embryonic, the aesthetic dept to early Ummagumma-era Floyd is palpable; thus in a neat stroke of irony it’s essentially an update of classical Floyd with an approach owing in part to pre-classical Floyd.

Did I mention it was loud? Yes, really loud. Loud and weird. The amplitude’s been cranked and the freak-out knob is at least at 11 - smearing the pristine production of the original into a chaotic mash of buzzing ambiance and crunchy distortion.

The chiming clocks at the beginning Time, for instance, have been replaced by digital, saw-wave alarms and a full on air-raid siren, and the song itself is inverted; with the intro being noisy and the verses/chorus being subdued.

Sex-obsessed Canadian shock-tress, Peaches, was a surprising though ultimately brilliant choice for That Great Gig in the Sky. The cultured elegance of the original tune has been replaced by a chugging, rhythm-heavy groove that’s more than a little rough around the edges. And Peaches’ vocals have been run through a guitar pedal, contorting her normally mid-coital moan into the tortured howl of some orgasmic BDSM fetish involving electrified clamps.

Money retains its original bluesiness, but Wayne Coyne’s vocals get the vocoder treatment and the result sounds like robotic alien lounge music that might fit in a David Lynch film or maybe a tavern on Tatooine. Us and Them sounds positively meditative compared to the rest of the madness.

Because Pink Floyd’s most celebrated record has become practically ubiquitous in the years since its release – you can hear it in the dentist office FFS –one could be forgiven for overlooking just how groundbreaking-ly weird it actually was. The Flaming Lips, having now put their own spin on it while staying true to the original spirit of weird, continue to do whatever the hell they feel like. And I continue to applaud.

http://www.flaminglips.com/

Ronin - Best Laid Plans

When artists give their music away it tends to arouse certain preconceptions - i.e. the quality of said music is suspect and thus not worth paying for (which is why it's being offered for free).

This is an exception to the rule; a full-length album's worth of moody, cinematic trip-hop with a dark, jagged edge; think DJ Shadow crossed with Amon Tobin circa Supermodified. Sinister atmospherics, dusty hip-hop drums, touches of jazz, orchestral samples and dialog from obscure film noir, swirl together in a sonic cauldron of claustrophobic urban dread.

Ronin's a turntabilist which means:
A) that his work leans heavily on the art of creative sampling to achieve it's affect. This could be a well placed orchestral horn stab, paranoia-inducing strings or nicking a piece of a Hitchcock movie. It also means scratching everything from Chuck D to a recording of someone reading Edgar Allen Poe.
B) a keen ear for transitions and overall flow of composition. The seamless blending of tracks is reminiscent of a proper DJ mix and also a well scored film.

Great concept and damn near flawless execution.

Grab it while you can

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http://www.myspace.com/roninonetwo

Let Money Speak Freely

In a 5-4 ruling yesterday, the Supreme Court overturned two of its previous rulings designed to limit the amount of money that big business can funnel into elections.

The majority, led by Chief Justice Jon Roberts, are claiming it as a victory for political free speech. Those who dissent worry about the flood of corporate capital that will inevitably ensue.

Perhaps you're the type of person that thinks so what big business runs everything already. That may be so, but it doesn't make the self-righteous way that Roberts et al wrap themselves in a garb of anti-censorship any less nauseating. It’s also a slap in the face to an American public that’s becoming acutely aware of just how limited it’s influence is.

The question that springs to my mind is just when did corporations become American citizens? And what entitles them to the same protections guaranteed by our Bill of Rights? As far as I can tell it ain’t in the constitution.

Let’s be honest shall we? Corporate “free speech” is not about expressing dissent, it’s about buying off or attempting to buy off those necessary to get what is desired. That might be a bit hyperbolic, but it’s the way things generally play out isn’t it?

The whole affair really brings up a larger issue I have with the way that government is conducted these days.

Unless I’m thoroughly mistaken, our founding fathers intended our government to be a special kind of entity; one beholden to its people. Not in the sense that a company is beholden to its share holders (although that’s much closer to our current situation), but in the sense that its very existence owes to those who’ve entrusted authority in it. This would seem to mean looking out for the populace even at the expense of profit (e.g. who would you rather have inspecting your meat, someone whose top priority is turning a profit for shareholders or someone whose top priority is public safety?).

Unfortunately during the 20^th century the US government’s relationship with its people began to change from one of responsibility to the interests of those who grant it authority, to one of a client/server nature. (The problem with this being that obviously those clients with the biggest accounts are of primary importance.)

This change was a subtle process that unfolded over several decades*. It really took flight though, during the reign of the younger, dumber Bush, whose administration, in its race to prove the incompetence of government, couldn’t privatize itself fast enough.

It’s really difficult from here, to see how this money-corrupted system is going to fix itself. Remember when Obama promised an end to the unfettered influence of corporate lobbying? Well this decision just means more money will be thrown around; so more big energy, more insurance, more Wall Street, etc.

But hey who am I to criticize the free speech of others right?

*there's an excellent book called Downsizing Democracy that lays this out in painstaking detail.

Alone Tone

This site is easily one of the coolest things that I've discovered on the internetz. The guys who created it are dedicated to providing a platform for independent artists to showcase their music. Alonetone.com allows musicians, bands and record labels - or anyone else promoting music they own the rights to - free and unlimited uploading capabilities.

"most of the 'free' services you'll run into elsewhere are running ads, funded by investors, or actually owned by media conglomerates. In general, they are hoping making money off of your 'content'...erm...music. Most music communities are overly obsessed with genres and popularity, and we're just not turned on by that. Time for something new, don't you think? alonetone was started to provide a non-commercial alternative. Something useful,
something different, something that the musicians can feel like they own. Beyond that, we want to do it right. Clean, only the essentials. Not too dorked-out. Easy to get around."

[Taken from the about section]

Once uploaded to their servers, the music is then free to stream and download by listening public. That's right free, no strings attached.

Alonetone has built a community of scores of independent acts of every stripe and genre imaginable who want nothing more than to share their art with us; free of charge. "We believe in giving our music away" they say in the FAQ section.

If you're sick of all your music and/or are the adventurous type, go check this place out.
The design is sleek, easy to navigate and of course add-free. You probably won't recognize any of the artists, but try downloading single songs from ones with cool names or interesting profile pictures.

You might have to dig a bit, but it will be well worth it if you end up with something amazing you never would have found any other way.

Happy hunting.


http://alonetone.com

Oh No - Dr. No's Ethiopium

Stones Throw beatmaker and younger brother of Madlib comes through with some solid hip-hop productions, which have been getting serious play in the old ipod as of late.

In the vein of Donuts or a Beat Konducta release, it’s a collection of instrumentals (36 to be exact) loosely assembled in mixtape fashion – basically a showcase for what Oh No’s been doing lately.

Like Dilla and his older bro, Mr. – excuse me – Dr No has that innate ability to make music that does a lot without doing much. His style’s lax, almost slapped together feel belies the kind of ability you can’t teach. No fancy techniques; no DSP trickery, just a good ear, an expansive collection of obscure records and a knack for flipping an oddball sample into a hot track.

From the West Indies to Africa; Central Asia to the far East and back to the American South and Motown; Ethiopium is riddled with sounds from across the globe. Chanting monks and sitars sit next to synthesizers and reggae horns; bluesy guitar riffing, Hammond organs. Vintage drums and the ambiance of well worn vinyl, make these beats snap and crackle with the savory grittiness that characterized the hip-hop of yore.

Madness starts with what sounds like a banjo stretched into a warped loop and then coupled with a fat analog bass line and some high pitched Dr. Dre-synths. The Funk achieves it's namesake with hand-clapped drums that stutter, a blaxploitation-style guitar sample and some funky-ass horns. Adventure is a simple idea made interesting with the addition of a backward snare, a tambourine, some cymbal crashes and cut up Bollywood vocals. The saxophone led Juke Joint is reminiscent of the kind jazzy boom-bap perfected by Greyboy.

http://www.stonesthrow.com/ohno

http://www.myspace.com/ohnodisrupt

Joshua Wentz - Now is the Winter of Our Disconnect

This is something I stumbled on by pure happenstance. I was visiting my parents for the holidays, and there was a foot of snow on the ground. I decided to make a seasonally appropriate playlist and after I finished selecting the music, I named my little compilation Winter of Our Disconnect. I felt like my creation could use some accompanying art, so I entered the words into a Google image search and the sleeve for this is what turned up.

I was a bit peeved at first, because I liked my little literary play on words. Then I noticed Wentz was offering it for free download. I figured I might as well check it out; there may even be something on it that would fit the vibe of my mix.

I love the internetz.

______

Wentz, it turns out, is a singer/song-writer type, whose style blends song writing with classical, jazz and electronic influences. The six songs included here vary a bit, but they all share an almost tangible wintery-ness and production as cold and pristine as new fallen snow.

Simple, unadorned piano and an Art of Noise-y synth sound introduce the first song, Something. Upright bass, brushed drums and jazzy flourishes of keys, make this love song (one of the only tracks with vocals) the “warmest” moment on the EP. Later, on

Injuctioner, Wentz’ piano glides sleigh-like over icy, warbling synth bleeps, an upright bass line and live drums, which have been chopped up drum and bass-style. It’s a lovely piece of atmospheric D&B that would have been right at home with LTJ Bukem and Wax Doctor. Whiteout - also relatively uptempo - has a much more straight forward groove. Rolling synthetic bass, Melodica and step-y drums accented with jingle bells, frame its glistening piano arrangements.

The slightly creepy feel of Tundra Kingdom reminds me of a Boards of Canada interlude. It's a drum-less piano and synth piece, that lives up to its namesake; evoking the forlorn solitude of a desolate wind-swept plane in the dead of winter. The album’s final song Exit, is a beautifully simple piano piece – less than a minute long – that fades gently into the frigid night.

Score! And the even bigger score was stumbling on Alone Tone, a site that allows artists to share their music with the world on the condition that it be offered for free. Not for how much you want to pay or after you sign up for their service, but free.

http://www.joshuawentz.com/

Fat Freddy's Drop - Dr Boondigga & the Big BW

The seven musicians that comprise this New Zealand collective are all veterans of Wellington’s live music scene and it shows. They play well to each other's various strengths and influences and in doing so create a unique blend of conscious roots-reggae, funk, jazz and spacey, electronic dub.

In lieu of a drummer, rhythm is handled by founding member and multi-instrumentalist Chris Faiumu aka DJ Fitichie, who uses his MPC to create various grooves from the standard hip-hop variety to Caribbean-style syncopation to 4-to-the-floor techno. Keyboards add synthesized atmosphere and dubbed-out sonics as well as hefty amounts of sub-bass to the mix. A versatile three piece horn section(trumpet, saxophone and trombone) provides much of the flavor that makes FFD’s sound so distinct - bringing the funk, soul or reggae accordingly. Then there’s vocalist Dallas Tamaira’s velveteen croon, which holds the whole thing together. The resulting product is something like how a futurist Motown record made in a Studio One echo chamber might sound.

Dr Boondigga.., the group’s sophomore release, is divided into nine songs which sprawl out over 70+ minutes without ever really losing focus. The listener is eased in nice and smooth with Big BW, a luscious piece of neo-soul. The drums slap hip-hop-style and the sleek horns, spacey synthetic ambience and rolling bass line would be right at home with the G-Stone dub of and downtempo of Kruder & Dorfmeister et al.

The Raft is an elegant play on roots reggae ala Midnight, but modernized with electronic flourishes. The pulsing rhythms of ShivaMan and Wild Wind take the dub aesthetic deep into electronic country, while still maintaining a live feel. On both tracks, Tamaira’s voice floats in and out of a low-end chasm where guitars, horns and keys reverberate and various sound effects ricochet in classic dub tape-delay style.

Other pieces, like The Camel, featuring singer Alice Russell, lean heavier toward traditional American sounds. The song’s guitar lick and horn blasts are decidedly funky, but the hook and especially Russell’s raw vocal delivery create a satisfyingly bluesy edge. The Nod moves even further into Americana, heading south toward New Orleans jazz territory; with lyrics about cooking up soul food and a raucous brass breakdown - complete with tuba - that’s got all the bawdy energy of Bourbon Street.

Pull the Catch, the album’s first single (and probably my favorite song) incorporates all the of band's many influences. Beginning with a lo-fi, retro-dancehall riddim, it blasts forward in time and fidelity; shape-shifting into high-tech, Gucci, Spacek soul. The groove is laid-back but deliberate. The reggae guitar-picking, Tubby-esque horn arrangements and galactic atmospherics especially well suited to Tamaira’s vocal style.

There are great live bands and there are great studio bands. Fat Freddy’s Drop is a phenomenal live band who’ve have gone and made a great studio record. Props.

http://www.fatfreddysdrop.com/

http://www.myspace.com/fatfreddysdropnz

DJ Jazzy Jeff presents: He's the King, I'm the DJ

2009 was a banner year for celebrity deaths. And that being said, none were more ballyhooed than Michael Jackson.

Considering the nature of his relationship with the media, I suppose the circus was inevitable (the shady doctor and babies mama drama couldn't have helped matters).

Still the endless analysis and sudden posthumous fawning in which the press engaged was nauseating.

With this tribute Jazzy Jeff reminds us why regardless of his personal life, Mike's contribution to music is beyond question. Culled from 4 decades in the game, this mix of almost fifty jams includes the all the obligatory highlights as well as some exclusive remixes.

Props to Jeff for giving the King of Pop a royal send off.

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10 Years of Flying Lotus Mixed by The Gas Lamp Killer

My favorite DJ compiling and blending a retrospective of one of my favorite Producers.

Thank you again Brainfeeder, this was a nice Christmas surprise,

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