featured releases
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 & 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 & 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
| [8]
CD & LP (Astralwerks)
Erlend Øye released the second Whitest Boy Alive album earlier this year & it hit all the notes we were hoping for. But we were all quietly extra-excited when we discovered that there’d be a new Kings Of Convenience album in 2009. Øye & Erik Glambek Bøe returned with another beautiful installment of peaceful, cloudy folkage. Through most of Declaration, the pair’s voices blend almost to the point of being indecipherable, with more minimal arrangements giving even more space to the singing & pleasant guitar figures. We could pick individual songs, but the uniformity that blurs the entirety of Declaration isn’t a downfall; it’s one of its strongpoints – you want 40 minutes of bliss? Say hello to one of 2009’s best. Another amazing album to roll out of bed to.
7 December 2009 by Chris Long
| Pop / Rock
CD (Thrill Jockey)
John McEntire & co. have drifted into a weird realm of “near-forgotten legend” status, but few bands considered “indie” have the virtuosity & instrumental chops that these dudes wag around. In 2009, for anyone with the time & attention span to invest in something a little deeper (2 things waning in most modern music fans), few albums offered as rich a sound world as Beacons Of Ancestorship. From glitchy permutations on modern beatsmiths like Flying Lotus (“Monument Six One Thousand”) to the classic cinematic Morricone-esque jams that we’ve some to love (“The Fall Of Seven Diamonds Plus One”), Tortoise so obviously know what the fuck they are doing. Time signatures, modulating melodicism, emotional gravity, phenomenal drum work & some fierce riffage all congeal here to take a stand for serious musicianship as a vital, relevant & under-appreciated element of indie-music culture in 2009.
Absolute masters.
7 December 2009 by Jeremy Robinson
| Avant-Garde, Electronic, Pop / Rock
(Absolutely Kosher) CD & LP
Ryan Beattie returns with his feverish falsetto amidst a palette of melodic inclines and coagulating crescendos. Portrayed as a palpable endeavour of the island in autumn, the record resurrects elements from both Kau’ai and Fight Against Darkness, whilst burning elements anew. Bittersweet, effervescent, and conjuring stylistic permutations of emotive self and environment; Chet strike a ruminating chord that shines like a beam of wavering light.
6 October 2009 by Tara Campbell
| Local, Pop / Rock
(Anti-) CD & 2LP
As TV On The Radio indulge in a much deserved break from the action, it’s nice to see one of its members breaking from the scrutiny & just gettin’ down to the nitty gritty. On Rain Machine, the hyper-produced maelstrom of TVotR’s typical clang is often distilled down to little more than acoustic strums & wailing from Malone. Ever the lyrical provocateur, Malone here sounds as though he’s sifting through some demons & having a drink with some angels in between. At points stripped down to gospel-like incantations (“Give Love”), Rain Machine is sometimes a tough pill to swallow, but rewards if you’re ready to listen for the beauty in the turmoil.
3 October 2009 by Chris Long
| Pop / Rock
CD
Here is where Aaron Bergunder side-steps his band (Colourbook) for the dance floor. Reigning under the moniker Dreamboat, his synth pop anthems grab from the Pet Shop Boys uber-pop to the Junior Boys ethereal mood. Carried by the hedonistic flurry of the sex-surged night life of some metropolis floating in a distant bubble in the sky, this music is as sleek as glass – and hopefully the pre-cursor to an equally strong full length.
8 September 2009 by Tara Campbell
| Electronic, Local, Pop / Rock
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