featured releases
CD (Domino)
Kieren Hebden has trasversed a great deal of beatsmithery over the last few years. On top of successful forays through “folktronica” (can we now officially retire that silly term) with Rounds & Everything Ecstatic, he ventured deep into the free-music ether with jazz legend Steve Reid. Surprising perhaps, that There Is Love In You sees Hebden in a mode that renders him as accessible as he’s likely to get. Much like 2008’s teaser EP Ringer, Hebden has become well acquainted with 4/4 kick structures & cycling psychedelic techno voyages. Early single “Love Cry” has won over clubs — not a typical Four Tet thing to do — and much of There Is Love in You hovers close to the dancefloor. The grounded rhythms & thrumming grooves are a fresh respite from all that twinkling, strumming, glistening petite electronica that litters the glut of Hebden’s back catalog.
28 January 2010 by Jeremy Robinson
| Electronic
CD & LP (XL)
Like, come on already. Stop being so bloody catchy! Vampire Weekend seem to be “guilty pleasure” for many a music fan these days… um, what is that all about? How about Vampire Weekend are really good. We’ve seriously played this album twice in the store & I’m already singing tunes from it. “Cousins” is the “A-Punk” of this record for sure & despite the slight misstep with the auto-tuned silliness, Contra is a great follow up to one of the best debut albums of the last couple years. Get over it, they’re good. Stop hating life so much. Enjoy yourself. Sing along to these tunes & not smile – I dare you.
stream the album at vampireweekend.com
9 January 2010 by Jeremy Robinson
| Pop / Rock
CD (local)
Out of nowhere this pops up. Well not really nowhere; My Lovely Son is a dude named Satnam, a loyal Ditch regular & as of late, one of our favourite new local artists. As My Lovely Son, he crafts painfully broken ballads that sit on clouds of reverb-drenched bliss. Amazing attention to production detail makes this stand out, but graceful, sinking hymns also posits My Lovely Son as a formidable songwriter in his own right. Think Mazzy Star meets Doves – dreamy & a bit of a downer, but rewarding & soothing at the same time. Check out the myspace.
My Lovely Son on MySpace
9 January 2010 by Jeremy Robinson
| Pop / Rock
CD (Acony)
Longtime musical partner of Gillian Welch, Dave Rawlings stepped up with a bright spark at the end of 2009. A Friend Of A Friend was recorded in Nashville & continues along the musical lineage that Rawlings is best known for; old-timey folk, country & bluegrass, executed with brilliant musicianship. Having contributed work/production to Bright Eyes, Old Crow Medicine Show & of course Gillian Welch, Rawlings is a pillar in the true-grass roots scene that has nurtured so many of his cohorts & this record is a testament to his ability to bring all these elements together for a coherent album. Be sure to check the amazing 10 minute epic “Method Acting/Cortez The Killer”, a tune that beautifully bridges Bright Eyes & Neil Young. Gillian Welch features on half of the album’s cuts.
Dave Rawlings page
9 January 2010 by Jeremy Robinson
| Pop / Rock
CD & 3LP (Perlon)
As founder of the impressively out there Skull Disco label, Sam Shackleton has a rep as an uncompromising idealist – Three EPs sees Shack stick to his guns & the results are truly original sounding bass-experiments. Dark, swarming atmospheres are pelted with tribal percussion, tambourines & the odd clap. Most of these tracks build with a teeming paranoia or tension, with the catharsis usually broken by some heaving bass-drop that starts a strange, ghost-haunted train rolling. “Moon Over Joseph’s Burial” & “Asha In The Tabernacle” are menacing.
We’re happy to report that this lovely gentleman will be playing town, February 28 at Element. Details posted over here...
9 January 2010 by Jeremy Robinson
| Avant-Garde, Electronic
CD & LP (BlakRoc)
The Black Keys collab with a whole slew of proper MCs… from a distance, this definitely didn’t have “obviously awesome” written all over it. But after having Dangermouse produce Attack & Release, the Black Keys seem to have a tasteful sense of what works within the dangerous confines of the “ROCK vs. RAP” cagematch. BlakRoc is pleasantly thumping, with a great balance of classic 90’s-era cats spitting flows over some well-crafted arrangements from the amazing blues-rock duo. Rza, Mos Def, Pharoahe Monch, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Jim Jones & others are framed with tracks that tap 60’s soul & 70’s rock (the type of shit that was sampled to death during the era that most of these MCs were dominant), with the occasional croon from Dan Auerbach adding that spice. And so yeh, this works.
BlakRoc on MySpace
9 January 2010 by Jeremy Robinson
| Hip-Hop, Pop / Rock
CD & 3LP (Tectonic)
Dutch producer Dave Huismans blew everyone away with his tech-step sketches on 2008’s Aerial. Fitting that he upped the ante with Unbalance, another vast exploration that deftly diplays the mutual benefits that surface when techno’s arpeggiation & clipped propulsion is fused with dubstep’s spatial inclinations & sub-bass weight. Delayed chords & sine waves are pinned down by thumping kick patterns & syncopated riddims for a truly fresh take on the ever-permutating strands of bass music that 2562 plays with. Wander over to his MySpace & clock “Flashback”… reeeally good.
We’re happy to report that this lovely gentleman will be playing town, February 18 at Lucky Bar. Here’s more info…
2562 on MySpace
8 January 2010 by Jeremy Robinson
| Electronic
CD & LP (Domino)
What a 2009 for these dudes. The post-??Post Pavillion?? aftermath has been kind to AC. “My Girls” was basically song of the year & people all over from Billy Bragg to Modeselektor have championed the deft balance of psychedelia, pop & weirdness that Panda Bear & co. seem to have mastered. Fall Be Kind is, well, nothing new at this point, but we don’t hear anyone complaining about that. It seems that people still can’t get enough of tunes like “What Would I Want? Sky”, another soaring, anthemesque Beach Boyish workout.
Can they do no wrong?
Animal Collective on MySpace
8 January 2010 by Jeremy Robinson
| Pop / Rock
CD (Stones Throw)
29 year old Michigan native Mayer Hawthorne aka Drew Cohen has been honing his chops throughout California, settling in L.A. as DJ Haircut over the last few years. His sample-heavy style of funky soul production caught the ear of Peanut Butter Wolf, who commissioned an album from the fresh face. A Strange Arrangement draws heavily from those that Cohen admires; Smokey Robinson, Curtis Mayfield & most notably, Stevie Wonder. The uplifting, half-light-hearted vibes of these artists are felt throughout, with deft attention to the vintage funk/soul sound that has been popularized recently by artists like Sharon Jones & the like, although Mayer Hawthorne is a more pop & soft-soul than hard-hitting funk. Fresh.
Mayer Hawthorne on MySpace
8 January 2010 by Jeremy Robinson
| Jazz / Soul / Funk, Pop / Rock
Here’s our annual breakdown of what turned our cranks in 2009. An interesting year, with arguably the biggest album of the year (Merriweather Post Pavilion) released within the the first 30 days of the year’s start! Many were swooned by the Dirty Projectors’ r&b alt-pop; few could deny Grizzly Bear’s charms; and who didn’t sing along to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ “Heads Will Roll”. Thanks for all the fun 2009…
Listen here...
7 December 2009 by Jeremy Robinson
| Electronic, Hip-Hop, Pop / Rock, Reissued / Remastered
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