Friday 27 September 2013

New podcast - Austerity Audio vol. 10

So we've got to the tenth one of these podcasts - that's over 100 great tracks that I've shared with you since I started this back in May.


To download the podcast for free, just right-click on the picture above and save the file. If you'd rather just listen to it then left-click and you should hear the 10 great tracks listed below. As usual, if you hear something that you like then all I ask is that you spend a few pence buying a track or two from that artists next time you have a some spare change. Here are the details of this week's tracks:

  1. Chrome Sparks - Your Planet
  2. Phoenix - Chloroform (Sleigh Bells Remix)
  3. Oddisee - Own Appeal
  4. Koett - Lost Time (Sau Poler Remix)
  5. Sampha - Without (Bodhi Remix)
  6. Roman Remains - This Stone Is Starting To Bleed
  7. Eaux - New Peaks (Tuff Sherm Remix)
  8. Le Thug - Tenerife
  9. Policy - In A Huff With Tantrums
  10. Fuzz - Loose Sutures

Monday 23 September 2013

Recomended music: 'Seven Hours' EP by Douglas Dare

Out on Erased Tapes on September 30th, Dare's debut release is a brilliant set of four piano-led tracks. The title track is a bit like James Blake (without the stomach-wobbling bass), while second track 'Scars' would sound at home soundtracking a particularly poignant moment in a film or tv drama. It's purely piano and vocal, with a few looped up backing vocals towards the end, and it's deeply moving. 'Lungful' has some percussion and handclaps to accompany the piano, while closer 'Flames' is another Blake-esque track which builds to a crescendo before dropping away to a solo piano, hauntingly quite - you can hear the piano being played (that sounds a but odd but you know what I mean).

You can listen to the whole EP below, and click here to order it from Erased Tapes.


Track of the Day: 'I'm The Man, That Will Find You' by Connan Mockasin

The lead track from his new album 'Caramel' finds Mockasin in a sexy, seductive mood. Sounding slinkier than Prince singing in satin sheets, this is an astonishingly good track that puts the jazz-funk back into, well,whatever you want really. I love the breakdown after 3 minutes - it's like he's finished the foreplay, has a quick breather and then goes into the full-on loving. Click here to listen to the track in full.

The album is out on November 4th on Phantasy and by all accounts it's a corker.

Friday 20 September 2013

Surprising cover version of the day - Drenge do Arcade Fire

Either this is a weird case of synchronicity, or there's an international conspiracy afoot to flood the world with Arcade Fire covers. Exactly a month to the day after Tears For Fears posted their cover of 'Ready To Start' (see article here) Drenge have done the same thing, even covering the same song! The duo's version was recorded for Radio 1, and you can here it below. They certainly bring a bit more menace and aggression to the track than the wimpy Canadians do (in case you hadn't guessed, I'm not normally a fan of Arcade Fire, although I might have to revise that opinion now that James Murphy is producing them). See what you make of the track below.


Video of the Day: 'Prisoner' featuring Juliette Lewis by Har Mar Superstar

Apparently (according to the internet anyway) today is Har Mar Superstar day in Minneapolis. To celebrate you can watch the video for his new single 'Prisoner'. A per pro of nothing in particular, it features your man Har Mar in a BMX duel with the delectable Ms. Lewis. I won't tell you who wins, but all I'll say is that I certainly wouldn't be riding off into the sunset and leaving her behind.



Har Mar Superstar's brilliant album 'Bye Bye 17' is out now and is available, as they say, from all good record stores.

New music: 'Oh My Sexy Lord' by Marijuana Deathsquads

OK, so the album isn't actually here yet (it's out on October 15th), but if this face-meltingly psychedelic advert for it is anything to go by then we're in for a treat. Play in full screen mode, just stare at it for a while and see what happens...

Marijuana Deathsquads "Oh My Sexy Lord" from Isaac Gale on Vimeo.


Thursday 19 September 2013

Track of the Day: 'If U Knew (Reprise Long Live Take)' by Gold Panda



One of the best tracks from Gold Panda's excellent 'Half Of Where You Live' album just got even better. Taken from the forthcoming 6 track EP (out on November 11th) this is a longer, re-recorded version of 'Reprise'which now sounds more like it does if you catch Derwin playing it live. The EP will feature 3 versions of 'Reprise' and 3 versions of 'Community' - you can hear one of the versions of 'Community' below as well.




Friday 13 September 2013

Recommended music: 'Quarters' by Seams

Following on from last year's EP, the debut album from James Welch has arrived and it's pretty fantastic. recorded in four different locations around Berlin, the city where he now lives (hence the title), this is a brilliant album of electronica, surprisingly full of warmth, and with an emotional depth that gives lie to the 'soulless' tag that the ill-informed often give to this genre of music.


'ClapOne' kicks the album off in style, with hypnotic beats and claps, whirling bleeping synths, and some snatches of Thom Yorke-esque sampled vocals, giving you that feeling of excitement at the start of a long-planned journey. It's hard to say which is the best track on the album as they're all so good, but 'Constants' is up next and it's definitely one of my favourites.It's a richly-layered track that develops kinda like the way a track by Caribou might. There's some great sounds going on in the background, particularly one that sounds a bit like the sea, like electronic pixels washing up on an artifical shore, which according to Mr Welch is tape hiss due to the melody being recorded on a dictaphone (it's amazing what you can find out via twitter!).

'Pocket' is a short section of twinkling brightness, undercut with a deep squelch, which gives way to 'Sitcom Apartment' which may (or may not) be the sound of James' Berlin flat. If so than the flat (and the track) seems like an inviting sort of place - maybe a bit rough around the edges, but the sort of place that'd be great for a party. As the track build up it brings to mind one of those animated videos full of dancing 70s toy robots (or is that just my mind?) - it's an upbeat track with loads going on.

'Iceblerg' fittingly has a bit if a watery feel when it starts, almost like the sound of ice being crushed. The hard, crisp beats  (something of a trademark on this record) are overlaid with some great keyboard themes and a throbbing bassline, and complimented with more of the handclap sounds from 'ClapOne'. 'Hurry Guests' is next up. Starting with a simple six note refrain it bobs and weaves through various phases while never losing sight of its overall direction. It's a bit like a journey through Berlin on the tram at night - various people get on and off, some stay, some don't, and by the time you reach you're stop you're the only one onboard.

You might have heard 'Rilo' already as it was the first track to be released from the album. It's another highlight for me - pulsing rhythm, great beats and some really uplifting melodies. The arpeggio riff and the ticking, blipping keyboard combine like a speeding train passing you while you're waiting on the platform. Then album closer 'TXL' is ful of deep beats but also has a light, gentle refrain - together they combine to make something that's part Jon Hopkins and part Four Tet, but all good.

Overall this is a really accomplished and detailed record, one that knocks the sharp edges off the electronic sound and replaces them with the nicely rounded sound of humanity. Definitely goes straight into the pile of contenders for electronic album of the year.


Wednesday 11 September 2013

Track of the Day: 'Dontcha' by The Internet

First single from the forthcoming album 'Feel Good'. The more of these Odd Future-related releases come out the more they show Tyler up to be the least talented member of the bunch. This track is slick, smooth and stylish and makes the new album another one to go straight on the 'must-purchase' pile.


New podcast - Austerity Audio vol. 9

Another instalment in my semi-regular series of free music podcasts. As usual there's a massive range of genres covered in the 10 tracks, proving that there really are only two sorts of music - good music and bad music. Hopefully you'll agree we've got the good stuff here.


Each of these 10 tracks has been legally downloaded for free over the past couple of weeks. The idea of these podcasts it to highlight new music to you, so that if you like it you'll go out and buy a track or two from some of the artists - you get good music, they get some money, and the world's a better place to be. To download the podcast just right-click on the picture above. Here's this week's tracklist:

  1. Lomaji - The Show
  2. Sidi Toure - Ay Hora : My Dance
  3. This Frontier Needs Heroes - No More War
  4. Samantha Crain - For The Miner
  5. Cuushe - Butterfly (Kidsuke Remix)
  6. Date Palms - Sky Trails
  7. Cloud Boat - Amber Road (The Haxan Cloak Remix)
  8. Dustin Wong - Liberal Christian Youth Ministry
  9. The Superman Revenge Squad Band - A Funny Thing You Said
  10. Sisters - Clearhead

Tuesday 10 September 2013

Remix of the Day: 'Talking To A Stranger (Avalanches Rework) by Hunters & Collectors

Are we edging ever closer to the release of the second album by The Avalanches, a mere 13 years after their debut? The appearance of this track might indicate that a new release is indeed on the horizon. Not so much a remix as a total rework, the track sounds like it could've been lifted straight out the middle of the next Avalanches record - starting with what appears to be a sample from 'Relight My Fire' the original track is cut, spliced and generally fucked about with as different samples are chucked over the top of it. I'd never heard the original (unless you were in Australia in the 80s I guess you won't have either); I went back and listened to it but there wasn't really any point - this version pisses all over the original. To go with the remix original video director Richard Lowenstein has re-cut the video to go with the remix. You can watch it below, although it's interesting to note that here it's billed as 'Stalking To A Stranger (Planets Collide Remix' by The Avalanches, which again makes it seem that it's an Avalanches release...



With Daft Punk's return now complete, surely The Avalanches are the next band due to reappear and be deified?

Friday 6 September 2013

Track of the Day: 'Amber Road (The Haxan Cloak Remix) by Cloud Boat

In which The Haxan Cloak takes something already dark and spooky and in his own inimitable style makes it about ten times more unsettling. The original version of the track comes from the album 'Book Of Hours' which was released earlier this year. A remix EP will be out on 30th September featuring this cut and mixes by Deptford Goth & Ghosting Season. If you're quick you can grab a free download of this track below - if you're too late then you'll just hvae to wait for the EP release.


Thursday 5 September 2013

Track of the Day: 'Don't Trust Me' by Mister Goodnite

You might have come across LA's Tyler Parkford before as vocalist of the band Mini Mansions (I saw them supporting Queens of the Stone at SXSW back in 2011). In his new guise as Mister Goodnite he's about to put out an album (on cassette only) called 'Songs About Love Or Lack Thereof) on Morning Ritual Records, from which this ultra-smooth track is taken. The tape is described as 'a series of 12 lo-fi pop dreamscapes', and apparently mixes dialogue and sound collage between the tracks to create a fluid soundwave. You can pre-order the tape here (but hurry as there were only 50 and they're going fast) and listen to the track below. In some ways it reminds me a bit of the Dean Blunt 'Redeemer' album from earlier in the year, although it's a bit more chilled and less intense than that.


Tuesday 3 September 2013

New music: 'MMMMMHMMMMM' by Four Fists

Fresh out of Minneapolis comes this collaboration from Astronautalis and P.O.S, who've joined forces under the Four Fists moniker and are releasing this single via Doomtree Records in October. Together they produced a huge, multi-layered sound that's part Nine Inch Nails, part gang mentality, part sung, part rapped but all powerful and all consuming.

The duo are now working on an album which, if this is anything to go by, will be a dark feast for your ears. Listen to the track below.




Track of the Day: 'Bitter Rivals' by Sleigh Bells

A welcome return for the Brooklyn duo, with the title track of their next album, which will be out on October 7th. The track's deceptively simple, insanely catchy, and will have you nodding your head within the first 20 seconds. The longer ot went on the louder I turned it up and the better it sounded. It's a hard thing to make a simple record sound this good, but they've definitely hit the mark with this one.


Monday 2 September 2013

New music: 'Creatures (DJ Cull's Minimal Mix) by Applescal & Ryan Davis

This track is fresh from the Atomnation label, and I couldn't resist the chance to make my own mix of it. The collaboration was started in Amsterdam, finished in Berlin and now remixed in London, so it's a truly pan-European track. There's no free download as yet so you'll have to make do with listening to it, but if I get the nod from the label I'll enable the download as soon as I can. Let me know what you think!



Sunday 1 September 2013

New Music: 'A Funny Thing You Said' by The Superman Revenge Squad Band

Lead track from the newly-expanded Superman Revenge Squad album, which is due out in October and will be the landmark tenth release for label Audio Antihero. Over a shuffling rhythm Ben Parker spins lyrics and vocals that remind me a bit of The Wedding Present. It somehow feels nostalgic and sepia-tinged while also remaining current (if by current you mean talented, slightly ironic songwriting rather than X-Factor shite).

You can grab the track for free below and then head over to Audio Antihero here to pre-order the album.