Recommended music: 'Suddenly' by Caribou

The fifth album from Dan Snaith's Caribou has recently been released and I'm starting to think it might be the best thing he's ever done. A couple of things before I start, which are going to sound like cliches but are particularly true of this record, The first is that despite the fact its and electroinc record the warmth of the re recordings really come through if you listen to it on vinyl. The second thing is that if it doesn't grab you on first listen you need to make sure you go back to it again and again. It might feel a little disjointed at first but over time the idiosyncrasies of the samples and production really start to burrow into your brain and meld together into a perfectly formed album

'Suddenly' certainly seems to be more diverse than previous Caribou albums - there are more samples (some of which you might expect to appear in Snaith's Daphni guise) and more variations in style and sound. There's even a couple of racks on here that, with different arrangements, could be lost 'Yacht Rock' classics, 'You and I' in particular.



I read in an interview that Snaith bounces a lot of his ideas off Kieran Hebden (Four Tet) who encouraged him to move forward with some of the tracks.It's great that Dan takes input like that and has used it to craft some of these songs, putting bits and pieces together to create a brilliant sounding record.

Hopefully we'll get the chance to hear this stuff live at some point; Caribou are always an enticing proposition for a night out. In the meantime give it a few listens and maybe buy a vinyl copy too.



'Suddenly' is out now on City Slang Records.

Recommended music: 'Fold' by Fold

First things first - it was always going to be hard to get through this review without mentioning Public Service Broadcasting, so let's get it all out of the way at once. There are a lot of connections - Fold have supported PSB on tour, have remixed them a couple of times, and there are definitely similarities in what they do. In fact, on first listen you might think this was an American incarnation of PSB, as the majority of the samples used here are from the US, and are pretty hard-hitting in terms of politics and social justice. But no, they're from Leeds. They're a bit more mellow than PSB in places, and a bit funkier in others, and overall they've created a really good, pretty-much themed album that mixes hip-hop and funk roots with a conscience and a series of powerful voices.

In fact, as good as the John Lennon-sampling opener 'A Reflection Of Us All' is, it does feel somewhat incongruous amongst the American voices. As they talk about children growing up without their parents, racial equality and slavery, global warming and more, you kind of sense that this would make a great set of election themes for whoever follows in Obama's footsteps. It's more than that though, these are universal themes that affect us all, and we can't just duck the issues by pretending that it's only the USA that has these problems.

That said, this is not a hectoring, lecturing record. There are light touches in the opener, in 'She' and in 'So It Goes', a wistful and whimsical hymn to those who have passed. 'Be Water My Friend' has a sense of Zen calm to it and is a great way to follow the powerful 'Oil-Powered Machine'.

Overall then, a great listen that, as a certain 'other' band once said, informs, educates and entertains.

Recommended music: 'Morning / Evening' by Four Tet

It's Friday, which, according to the worldwide record label overlords, is apparently now the day on which new albums are released. And so on this gloriously sunny day comes this wondrous new release from Four Tet. As with the best of Kieran Hebden's releases it's hard to pigeonhole it into a specific genre. Even though there are only 2 tracks (a Morning Side and an Evening side) there's a whole range of music on dispay. If it wasn't such a dirty word I'd be tempted to call it 'world music', not just for the samples from the Indian sub-continent but also because it's the sort of music that really can be enjoyed by anyone in the world, transcending cultures or creeds to create a really spiritual piece of music. You could maybe even call it 'prog', given its concept and its 2 twenty minute tracks.

The Morning side draws you in slowly and gently, rousing you from your slumbers and bringing you alive. As the vocal sample rises in the mix you'll feel the sun rise on a new day, as layers or found sound and synthesizers combine. The Evening side meanwhile starts equally slowly but in a more electronic vein, building bleeps and analogue chords, mixing them with more Hindi samples and blending them into a Balearic sunset. The samples then subside as the track dips and then rebuilds with characteristic Four Tet bleeps and some surprisingly live-sounding drums before adding some crunchier beats towards the end

If you could only take one album on holiday with you this year then this should probably be the one - it's made for heat, haze and sun. Have a listen below.

New music: 'Winter Boots (Part 1)' by Clark

An intriguing little EP that dropped into my inbox this afternoon. Clark has given these 3 tracks away after they'd been 'knocking around for a few months' and they're quite different from his usual stuff. With samples and raps it takes his music in a different direction - having heard this I'd like to hear him produce some tracks for someone to spit some hard-edged raps over.




PS The download link is on the Soundcloud page.

Video of the Day: 'Gagarin' by Public Service Broadcasting

The lead track from PSB's new album 'The Race For Space' is a gloriously funky, brass-laden tribute to Yuri Gagarin. It comes with this amazingly enjoyable video, which is a brilliant idea excellently executed. I can't wait to see J. Willgoose, Esq. and Wrigglesworth knocking these moves out of the park on their Spring tour next year.

Recommended music: 'This Is A Warning' EP by Slugabed

It seems to be the week for releasing free, and more importantly good, EPs. Yesterday Ryan Hemsworth gave us his 'Still Awake' EP (which you can find here) and now Slugabed has done the same thing. The first new music from Greg Feldwick since last year's 'Time Team' album this is four tracks (and a remix) of upbeat, bass-driven and essentially happy music - something which is often hard to come by in this doom-laden austerity world. There's some reggae samples, a bit of dubstep, a slice of Major Lazer rhythms, and overall such a sense of enjoyment that it can't help but bring a smile to your face. Listen & download below.

Recommended music: 'Inform - Educate - Entertain' by Public Service Broadcasting

There's something quintessentially British about this record. It's not just that most of the samples are from old British documentaries and Public Information films (there are some American clips on here as well, especially on 'Signal 30' with its warnings of the perils of driving). It's not even the subject matter, although tracks about Spitfires, climbing Everest, and an inspection of the Royal Navy fleet (by what sounds like a tipsy Admiral) add to the sense of Empire and days gone by. It's just that the whole concept of making a record full of clips that might, as the title suggests, inform, educate and entertain you doesn't seem like the sort of thing that would emanate from, say, the United States.

Public Service Broadcasting live in Rough Trade East on Record Store Day 2013

Public Service Broadcasting (or PSB as they're often abbreviated to, although this risks confusing them with Pet Shop Boys) is really the work of one man, the gentlemanly-titled J Willgoose Esq. Live he's joined on stage by the singularly-named drummer Wrigglesworth, and together they play an eclectic mix of sounds and dialogue which is matched with black and white video footage. The music sounds a bit 80s retro (apart from the banjo (!) wherever that comes from, and is a good match for the even older voice clips. If occasionally there are some rather obvious samples (WH Auden's rail poem on 'Night Mail' for example) the rest still manage to sound fresh even after numerous listens. Overall it's the kind of record that brings a wry smile to your face when you listen to it - a bit like a well-behaved house guest it's interesting, polite, and doesn't outstay its welcome. You can hear some tracks from the album below.