'64 - '95



After about a month of listening to it I've started to come around on the new Lemon Jelly album '64 - '95. It's their typically quirky style of lush electronica, though this time around they've decided to make some of it actually rock. As a result you get a tune that's built around an old Kyuss sample, or '79 AKA The Shouty Track which is built around a big chunk of the tune Horror Show by early '80s Scottish post-punkers The Scars. The result is a lurching, rumbling track which sounds like it could soundtrack a horror show. Even tho' I like the rock experimentation, it's always been the breezy, chill tunes that I've liked best on previous records. '95 Make Things Right definitely fits that bill with it's dreamy easy listening vocals and midtempo funky vibe - nice and lush.



New Music From Tosca
For some more dubby downtempo go HERE to stream the new Tosca album J.A.C. which comes out next month. Very nice!

Lost Souls Forever



I heard a track by Kasabian last year on a Q Magazine sampler and thought to myself "that sounds pretty interesting". Reviews I read compared them to Primal Scream and some of the bands from the "baggydelic" era - Happy Mondays, Stone Roses and the like. I'm down with all of that, so when the record got it's US release a few weeks ago I picked it up. It's an allright record - derivative of all those bands mentioned, sure, but not as bad as some reviews in the blogosphere might have you think. I particularly enjoy L.S.F. (Lost Souls Forever) with it's loping beats and it's catchy, sing-song melody. It's a pretty groovy tune that is also a fair indicator of what the album is all about. I guess I can see why the haters have hated on this, but for me it works.

Britfunky Friday



I Level were a trio comprised of Jo Dworniak, Duncan Bridgeman and Sam Jones. Their first single was Give Me, and it was a hit in both the UK and the US (top 5 of the R'n'B charts at the time). They released a couple more singles, then an album, but none of it found the success that the first single had. After a second album in 1985 failed to sell they disbanded. Their music had it's own thing going - a blend of US funk, Brit white boy electronics and the West African vibe that singer Sam's voice brought. Give Me (US Remix) is a John Luongo remix of their first single that can be found on the B side of their second single Minefield. I've always loved the bass line and the blippy keyboard riff on this, and Sam's reggae tinged vocals are fantastic. A very groovin' tune that still sounds pretty unique today.

An '80s Obscurity - Shake Shake!

Shake Shake! were pretty much a one off. As far as I can tell they put out only one single, 1981's Shake Shake!, released on Tot Taylor's ultra hip early '80s indie label The Compact Organization - home to swanky looking and sounding popsters like Mari Wilson. Google has very little info to offer on them. A group of musicians and studio engineers who previously had worked on Swedish singer Virna Lindt's Attention Stockholm single, they included multi-instrumentalists Jo Dworniak and Duncan Bridgeman. There is a lot more info available on these two as they have continued to be involved in music over the years. Their next project was I-Level, a Britfunk trio (who will be the subject of tomorrow's Funky Friday post), and they also worked as session musicians - they appear on John Foxx's The Garden LP. Duncan continues to record, most recently under the name 1 Giant Leap, who in 2001 released an LP of world music mixed with electronica and lot's of high profile guest vocalists - folks like Michael Stipe, Babaa Maal, Asha Bhosle, Neneh Cherry and Michael Franti. But I digress - the two songs recorded as Shake Shake! are B-52's inspired, sorta funky new wave - the sleeve touts the music as "new songs for a new route" and also informs us that "Shake Shake! play funktional music for every function". Shake Shake! is gloriously herky-jerky in it's rhythms, and features fun female-male vocal interplay spouting lyrics about getting down to the beat. I love the sparseness - drums, bass, keys and the vocals all nicely balanced. Flip it over to the B-side and you get Yellow Ditty, a lurching post-punk dub thing. This track actually kind of reminds me of the music of M (Pop Muzik) - slightly wacky, definitely danceable oddball new wave.

What's Happening White Boy



Yesterday brought the release of the new Beck album Guero, his first in 3 years. It features production by The Dust Brothers, who helmed Odelay and Midnight Vultures, and as such is a return to the cut and paste sounds and hip hop beats of those older records. Critics have been quick to compare them, and seem to think that this set of new tunes is OK but nothing new. I've given it a couple of spins and my first impression is that I like it. It sounds like a distillation of the fun party records and the more melancholic folky stuff, instead of focusing on one side of those equations. There is a deluxe version available (pictured above) - it's a CD/DVD combo, with 3 extra songs and 4 remixes on the CD, and a 5.1 stereo mix of the album with visual accompaniment on the DVD (as well as a nice, arty booklet). The DVD is visually boring - my iTunes player's visuals are more interesting, but the 5.1 mix sounds pretty cool. The real reason I splashed out on this version of the record is for the extra tracks & remixes by Octet, Boards Of Canada, Dizzee Rascal & Royksopp. They were the first things I listened to on the album, and the remixers really add their sound and flavor to the songs. Royksopp's mix of Still Missing You could be an outtake from their excellent Melody AM album, with it's thumping beat, synth washes and cymbal work. I like it a lot. Boards Of Canada bring their unique, leftfield slant to Broken Drum with it's mellow beat, backtracked keys and bass and ambient synths. So, it's thumbs up for the music, thumbs down for the visuals on the DVD.

Les Batards Sensibles



I had this post written when a series of events put an end to my plans - technical difficulties with Blogger coupled with a power failure seconds after I pushed publish caused all pertinent data to be lost. Then my daughter woke up from her afternoon nap and I was out of luck. I've got a couple of minutes, so here is an abbreviated version. TTC are a French rap group. Their latest LP is Batards Sensibles (sensible bastards, something I am not, having failed to save my post first!) - the cadences and beats of US hip hop put through an electronically enhanced French blender, with all manner of experimental noises, processed vocals and glitches thrown into the mix. It's edgy and raw, and even tho' my French is minimal, I get that these guys have a sense of humor. Song titles like "Dans Le Club" (In Da Club) and "Le Rap Jeu" (The Rap Game) bring a smile to my face. Codeine rides a hard ass beat, has some squelchy, farting synths and mile-a-minute flows. Album closer Meet The New Boss is a mellow instrumental - Kraftwerkian, spacy synthpop. A very entertaining album - and a unique take on hip hop.

The Good Son Vs. The Only Daughter



A couple of years ago David Sylvian put out Blemish (on Samadhi Sound, a label created by David and his brother - and former Japan bandmate - Steve Jansen.). It's a typically quiet collection of lush, ambient music coupled with his unique smoky croon. His style has changed little over the years - arty, abstract and spartan, teetering between experimentalism and pop. Late last year a collection of remixes of songs from Blemish appeared, titled The Good Son Vs. The Only Daughter. It features remixes by Burnt Friedman, Readymade FC and a handful of Japanese remixers I am unfamiliar with. How Little We Need To Be Happy is remixed by Tatsuhiko Asano, and starts off in a conventional, downtempo way, with a lovely beat and guitar. It soon meanders off into deep, beautiful space, beatless with trumpets. The beats reappear briefly with David's processed vocals until it quietly fades out again. It's lovely and unique and very chill - maybe not for everyone, but still worth a listen.

Birthday Edition Of Funky Friday




Today is my 41st birthday. Yes, I'm a crusty old man on the downhill slide now. I wanted to post a song that featured birthdays somehow - The Beatles b-day tune and Altered Images' Happy Birthday were contenders until I remembered the hugeness that is The Sugarcubes' Birthday. Yeah, I know, it's Funky Friday and this is not really very funky, but it's my birthday so I'm doing it anyway. This was my first encounter with the voice of Björk - my girlfriend at the time had bought the 45, and we were all blown away with the wonders of that voice combined with the rumbling bass and drums and keys. The tune still gives me goosebumps today.

Now on with funky stuff...

Wham's first single, released in 1982 was the Bob Carter (Junior, Linx) produced Wham Rap (Enjoy What You Do), an amusing tune about living large on the dole. It's got a pumping beat, thumb poppingly good bass and chikka chikka guitars and some nice horns but it's George's rap that makes this so much fun. With lyrics like "I'm a soul boy, I'm a dole boy!", or "you've got soul on the dole, don't take no shit from the benefit!", or the shouted chants of "D.H.S.S." never fail to make me smile. (For my US readers, the dole is the UK version of welfare, and DHSS runs it) This version is the 12" Unsocial Mix - probably named so because of their use of the word "shit" in the song.

By now you've no doubt heard of Sri Lankan singer M.I.A. - she has been a regular feature in the music blogosphere and in a lot of the press. Her debut LP Arular got it's US release this week. It's combination of rough electronics and her quirky vocals is pretty unique - a mix of Timbaland stutter, Dizzee Rascal grime and the vocal antics of Ari Up from The Slits. Some of it's lyrics have caused contoversy, as she big ups the PLO and the Sri Lankan rebel faction Tamil Tigers (her dad was a member), and the album's artwork features molotov cocktails and bombs. This is a pretty interesting article from the City Pages, written by Sri Lankan journalist Samantha Edussuriya on how torn she is between loving the great vibe of the music yet feeling put off by some of the lyrical content. Whatever your feelings, there's no denying that the music is a lot of fun. Pull Up The Poor is bumpin' - squelchy synths, tough as nails beats, that Slits chant at the beginning. "I've got the beats that make you bang" indeed!

Louis XIV



Another hotly hyped act this year is San Diego's garage punk rockers Louis XIV. I heard a couple of tracks around the blogosphere and decided to pick up their just-released-this-week debut LP The Best Little Secrets Are Kept. It's a completely derivative yet enormously entertaining set of rock & roll tunes that incorporates a hefty dose of vintage Rolling Stones, a giant dollop of glam rock (particularly of the T.Rex variety), some punk rock and the quirky, sexy oddness of a band like Mink Lungs - many of the lyrical snippets I caught brought a smile to my face. I've only listened to this LP 3 or 4 times, so I can't give a really accurate review of it, but I do know that I like what I hear a lot. It's infectiously catchy, it flat out rocks, and it's got some really nice production touches - I particularly love all of the orchestrated string bits and the massed choral vocals on several tracks. Hey Teacher has a knock-out riff that is played by both a guitar and the strings, and it floors me every time - OK, I really dig the handclaps too. A enjoyably trashy, glammy pop nugget.

Out Hud Has The Beats To Move Your Feets



Out Hud's second LP Let Us Never Speak Of It Again got it's US release this week. It is an extremely groovy record. A five piece act featuring a couple members of !!! and two new female singer-instrumentalists, Molly & Phyllis, these guys follow the blueprint laid down by !!! (disco beats,funky bass,new wave post-punk art-funk) but flip it in a more electronic direction. The guitars are used more for embellishing the electronic grooves instead of the other way around. It's rooted in the '80s, with it's blend of synthpop, Tom Tom Club grooves, acid house and NYC experimentalism (see Arthur Russell and his take on cello laden art-disco). It's For You is the first song on the record (after a little intro thing) and sets the party vibe with a thumping beat, sing-song vocals, icy keys and a nice jangly Nile Rodgers-esque guitar riff. I mentioned Tom Tom Club - you can really hear it on this tune, and it also reminds me of a scruffier sounding Playgroup. A very fun listen, and a record I think I'll be playing a lot of.

Return Of The Wild Boys



I'm off to see the reunited Duran Duran tonight. I'm a long time fan, having bought their first single Planet Earth back in the day, and their latest album Astronaut from last year. I saw them a couple of years ago at The House Of Blues in Chicago on the first run of shows right after they had reunited, and had a pretty damn good time. I'm looking forward to seeing the "big" arena tour, with flashy lights and sets and stuff, and so today I give you a couple of DD oddities in honor of tonight's big show. Both are taken from the single for Perfect Day, their cover of the Lou Reed classic. Perfect Day (Acoustic Version) is what it says, a more acoustic rendition. I once read an interview with Lou and he said that DD's version of the song is one of his favorite covers of his songs - I really like it too. The other tune is their version of Neil Young's The Needle And The Damage Done - not exactly the kind of tune that you'd think DD would do. Now I'm off to find my pixie boots, my baggy suit and neck scarf, slap on some mascara, and then it's time to perfect my Nick Rhodes pout - a boy's got to look good for the big show!

Set Yourself On Fire



One of my fave records of the year so far (even though it's dated last year) is the Canadian band Stars' Set Yourself On Fire. They are label mates with Broken Social Scene, and even share some of that band's members. The album is a deft blend of indie rock, new wave and synth pop, and a hefty dose of the Smiths. It's filled with irresistable songs about love and break ups. The two singer-songwriters in the band were a couple, split up, and now write gloriously sharp songs about the whole messy affair. They are able to strike a really nice balance between sugary pop and sharp edged riffing - just when a tune seems like it might get sickly, synhtly sweet, raging guitars bust in. What I'm Trying To Say starts out synthy, then that sharp as a knife guitar riff pierces the tune and I'm hooked. It features a lovely, orchestrated breakdown, has an undeniably catchy chorus and I can listen to it over and over again. A great song from a fantastic album full of 'em.