I’ve been damn busy with starting a new Job and relocating to the capital since the last TEN4SE7EN and I’ve missed doing these posts but this week I managed to scrape together enough time to find ten new songs that are currently blowing my tiny mind:
Black Noise’s ‘Knock You Out’ holds nothing back, incorporating a neck-cracking Dance-beat, scratching, sampling and several genius rap breaks. You’ll love it.
The Boy From Space’s new EP features a delightful song called ‘Come Home’. A warm vocal, rich Brass and bird song all compete for your heart.
I saw The Cribs live in Rough Trade last week and I was struck by two things, how many great songs they’d already written and how good the new ones sounded compared with them. A highlight of a faultless set was the roar of squealing feedback they created on new epic ‘City Of Bugs’.
I love the bonkers sound of Dan Deacon’s ‘Woof Woof’. It sounds like a recording of an acid fuelled party where The Flaming Lips met the looney tunes.
The distinctively named Fukkk Offf bring music for fans of Kid Sister and her many collaborators. ‘More Than Friends’ is a super-catchy Rap-Dance cut.
Jamie T’s new album ‘Kings & Queens’ is even better than his first (It could even be album of the year!), which took some beating. ‘Castro Dies’ is one of my favourite tracks, featuring his trademark lyrical tongue-twisters and inventive beats.
This blog has always been eager to hear everything by David Shah and The Melting Ice Caps so I was excited when I found out that David had put a load of extra songs up on his site that weren’t on his singles. ‘A Good Night’ is the best, featuring an addictive Dance-beat and a spoken-word vocal describing a night spent “Dropping” Bakewell-Tarts in Brick Lane. When the ethereal beauty of the chorus comes in at the end you may just think you’ve ascended to heaven. This is surely gonna be pretty high on my tracks of the year (Unless David comes up with something even better) so roll on a Melting Ice Caps long-player.
Sharon Von Etten’s ‘For You’ is a dreamy Folk song featuring the windswept splendour of a great Joni Mitchell recording. The subtle production is haunting which compliments the quite power of the vocal.
Transit are the resident Soul-Band of the Nashville Metro Transit Authority. The Jack White recorded ‘C’Mon & Ride’ is velvety smooth Soul with a Saxophone and vocal to soothe even the weariest of travellers.
The hypnotically cool vibe of Matty G’s ‘Keep Walking’ was created by craftily cutting up the best bits from the already magnificent ‘Walk On By’ by the late Isaac Hayes. When the guitar drops in halfway through you’ll be totally hooked.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A ZIP CONTAINING ALL TEN MP3s
Black Noise MySpace / Purchase
The Boy From Space MySpace / Purchase
The Cribs MySpace / Purchase
Dan Deacon MySpace / Purchase
Fukkk Offf MySpace / Purchase
Jamie T MySpace / Purchase
The Melting Ice Caps MySpace / Website
Sharon Von Etten MySpace / Purchase
Transit at The Third Man site / Purchase
Matty G MySpace / Purchase
Here are a couple of videos, for Sharon Van Etten’s ‘For You’ and The Boy From Space’s ‘Come Home’:
While MCA is being treated for cancer the new Beastie Boys album is on hold. While we are all wishing him the best, the boys have just dropped a hot new 12″ to tide us over called ‘Too Many Rappers (Feat. Nas)’.
Camera Obscura’s ‘French Navy’ is the kind of perfect Pop song that within one listen has you feeling like you’ve always known it. Strings take flight, Spector-esque Drums crash and Tracyanne’s voice is sheer beauty.
I’ve been seeing Dirty Projectors’ album everywhere and I thought it was about time I checked it out. The Indie-Pop within is worth all the praise, but my favourite track is the handclap-tastic ‘No Intention’.
I’ve been listening to Dizzee Rascal’s new single ‘Holiday (Feat. Chrome)’ for the last fortnight but I’ve only just decided it’s bonafide genius. I can’t understand why I didn’t adore the pumping Dance production and smart Rhymes from the first second.
Fort Know Five keep on releasing fresh remixes of their ‘Radio Free DC’ LP and I’m yet to hear one I haven’t loved. The clattering Drums and funky beats of ‘Insight (The Nextmen Remix)’ rises above even their high standards.
Jakwob’s superb remix of Killa Kela’s ‘Everyday’ takes it into brutal Dubstep territory. It’s the best Dubstep rework since Skream’s remix of La Roux’s ‘In For The Kill’.
I’ve been waiting with baited breath for the official release of Pase Rock’s intergalacticly awesome track ‘So Fucking Disco’ for the last year. Then today I was thrilled to discover it had been quietly released on iTunes a while back and what was even better, it was paired with another amazing Rap cut called ‘Get Money Kids’.
The jangly Indie of Phoenix’s ‘Lisztomania’ is an absolute delight. The rest of their ‘Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix’ LP is almost as good.
Sabbo’s ‘Spanish Fly (Feat. MC Zulu) (Noiz In Zion Mix)’ is a cracking a Dancehall cut. It’ll have your neck snappin’ within seconds.
Toddla T’s superb album is a crazy collision of genres from Indie to Grime and I love the way each track segues into the next. My favourite track is a bouncy-celebration-of-food called ‘Rice & Peas (Feat. Mr Versatile)’ and the lyrics will leave you feelin’ ravenous.
Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears’ new album is magic Soul/Funk/Blues from start to finish and I’d urge you to pick up a copy. ‘Sugarfoot’ is my favourite track, capturing all the energy of a live Soul band in full swing.
I love the joyous mix of plucked Guitar strings and understated Electronica on Run Toto Run’s ‘Good Coat’. It comes from their debut EP ‘Plastic Gold’ which is out now and is rather wonderful.
A La Fu’s ‘Bazouki Joe’ is a curious collision of scratched-up Hip-Hop and Greek-Folk. Scribe Sayar’s superb guest rhymes bring it all together.
I just got Cookin’ On 3 Burners’ album and loved it instantly but by far the most fun cut is their inspired cover of Gary Numan’s ‘Cars’. They turn it into a Funky groove that’s beyond irresistible.
I just picked up a brilliant Dan Black track called ‘Junk Food’ on a sampler CD. His Pop-tastic debut album (Packed with all his ace Electro-Pop singles) is also out now.
If you’re waiting for that elusive new Postal Service record then Discovery’s new album just might be up your street. The twinkling Indie-Electronica of ‘Orange Shirt’ is my favourite track.
Lushlife’s ‘Cassette City’ LP is one of the best Rap albums all year. My favourite song is the trippy Folk of ‘The Songbird Athletic’ featuring Greg Saunier from Deerhoof.
The irrepressible Pop of Mika is back with a bang, on his new celebratory single ‘We Are Golden’. As if the original wasn’t good enough, Calvin Harris has gone all high-energy-house with his Remix.
The title of Superthriller’s new single ‘Hungry Like The Wolf’ might lead you to imagine it’s a cover of Duran Duran’s lame hit-single. But in fact it’s a brilliant squelchy Robo-Funk original and the b-side ‘Today Was A Good Day’ is amazing too (Which isn’t a cover either by the way!).
The Duke & The King’s ‘If You Ever Get Famous’ is an almost unspeakably gorgeous Rock ballad. The production is delightfully sparse with the band wringing every ounce of emotion out of each note.
Brazilian duo Sabo & Zeb’s ‘Sangueboom’ is a favela-funk-fusion of frenetic Drums and sweet Latin vocals from Andrea Monteiro. The Organ solo halfway through is on fire.
Stacy Epps reminds me of a female Lupe Fiasco with rhymes that hit just as hard. The production on ‘Cold Times’ is a subtle mix of Jazz, Funk and Dancehall flavours.
‘If You Were A Fruit’ isn’t a horribly misjudged gay-rights anthem, it is infact a wonderfully skewed nursery-rhyme-Indie song in the vein of The Vaselines. The Lovely Eggs will charm you with lines like “If you were an apple I’d wanna be at your core”.
David Shah (aka The Melting Ice Caps) is on superb solo single number five now and much to my disbelief he still hasn’t been crowned King of the universe. ‘Being No One’ like a classic Pet Shop Boys song from back in the day, complete with high-energy Strings and angelic choirs.
I just got The Rumble Strips second LP this week and ‘Not The Only Person’ immediately stood out. The rich Brass sound stands out as bold as, well… brass.
Can you improve on perfection? Well it looks like the legendary remixing skills of Akira The Don has done just that with his version of The Voluntary Butler Scheme’s ‘Tabasco Sole’. It’s like The Banana splits covering The Jackson 5… yeah!
Part symphony, part Rap spectacular, part Dance masterpiece, ‘Ultrafunkula’ is six minutes of bliss from Groove Diggerz.
‘The Modern Sound Of Harry Beckett’ LP brilliantly combines Harry Beckett’s sumptuous Trumpet Jazz with Hip-Hop productions. ‘Ultimate Tribute’ is my highlight, being as cool as when that word was first coined in the Jazz-Clubs of the 50s.
Kid Sister has been inching towards the big-time with every great single. ‘Right Hand Hi’ is no exception and rivals Dizzee in the Dancefloor-ready-Hip-Hop stakes.
‘I Don’t Know’ has the intimacy of Joni Mitchell and the warmth of Badly Drawn Boy’s first album. Which is appropriate as Lisa Hannigan’s debut LP has just been nominated for the Mercury Prize too.
Gatto Fritto’s ‘Invisible College’ is an epic 12 minute Spanish-Guitar-South-American-Folk-Electronica-Prog-Disco masterpiece. You’ll be clapping your hands, clicking your fingers and generally feelin’ the groove.
The searing emotion of Mumford & Sons’ ‘The Cave’ will carry you away. Towards the end it takes flight to heights that most other Folk-Rock songs just can’t reach.
My beautiful vinyl copy of The Dead Weathers debut LP just arrived on my doorstep (I unwrapped it with all the glee of a kid at Christmas). As soon as I put it on my turntable I was entranced by the wailing Phych-Blues of the first track ‘60 Feet Tall’ which is like the best thing PJ Harvey has done in years.
‘Downtown Barkings’ the new cut from Soul stars The Dynamics comes in four versions on the EP. The Funky Bass and sweet Organ sounds of the ‘Afrosoul Edit’ had it by a nose over the smooth ‘Reggae Edit’.
Tombee’s ‘Godfathers’ namechecks the originators of Hip-Hop. Black Grass’ Remix channels all those sliced ‘n’ diced James Brown samples to thrilling effect.
‘Esta Si, Esta No (Asi Me Gusta A Mi)’ was a great rave cut from Spain’s Chimo Bayo. The Glimmers’ new version is harder, faster and has the Bass heavy heart of a Harley Davidson engine.
Kaito’s ‘2 Say’ is a bit like Souxsie Sioux dabbling in Dubstep. It recalls the feral Funk spirit of all those great records that came out in the wake of Punk.
‘All For The Best’ is a cover from a new tribute album to Mark Mulcahy (It’s for a good cause, so a super-low quality mp3 is all you’re getting… without digging out your wallet) performed by Radiohead’s Thom Yorke. At first it’s like a calm summers day and then the thunder storm crashes half-way through.
I love the shimmering Dance sounds of Filthy Dukes’ ‘Messages (Filthy Dukes Kill ‘Em All Remix)’. It’s the Rave pianos that come in halfway through that really get me.
The misanthropic lyrics of Forest Fire’s ‘Fortune Teller’ bring a wicked smile to my face. The sound brings to mind a darker incarnation of R.E.M.
Chambers twang out atmospheric Guitar sounds on the slow building epic ‘Sea Mistress’. It’s the powerful conclusion to their new ‘A Slow Decay’ EP which is totally free to download (You lucky people!).
Cookin’ On 3 Burners’ new single is blessed with the silky vocals of soulstress Kylie Auldist. The music production on ‘This Girl’ envelopes your ears in a rich golden Soul sound. Sheer joy.
Dances With White Girls remixes Cubic Zirconia’s already superb ‘Fuck Work’ and makes it even better. He beefs it up, zaps it with Electro prongs and even lays on an extra Rap break.
‘I’m A Pilot’ is the gorgeous opening track to Fanfarlo’s ‘Reservoir’ LP. Comparisons to Arcade Fire are inevitable but with tracks this good who cares?
The sweet acoustic Guitars and Ukulele of GaBLé’s ‘I’m Ok’ make an appropriately strange accompaniment to the deranged lyrics. You’ll be singing along and shouting out bits like “Head cut-ting wi-re” like it was some mad nursery rhyme.
It’s taken a good few months but suddenly this week I decided that The Gaslight Anthem’s ‘The ‘59 Sound’ is one of the songs of the year. Maybe it’s the way the Drums explode at 0.49, or the yelps of “Young boys, young girls” or it could have been The Boss’ recent seal of approval.
I’m totally diggin’ the groove on Greg Wilson’s ‘I Was A Teenage DJ Pt 1 (Extended Mix)’. He’s looped up about 20 seconds from the intro to KC & The Sunshine Band’s ‘I’m Your Boogie Man’, layered on some samples and crafted a Funk workout so good you won’t be able to stay still.
‘NW5′ is from Madness’ excellent new album ‘The Liberty Of Norton Folgate’. Within one listen you’ll be ranking it amongst their finest Pop hits from back in the day (For solid-gold hit-makers like Madness, that’s saying something!).
I already loved Sarantis and Warrior Queen’s ‘Retaliate’ but then Dubstep genius King Cannibal remixed it. With a bass sound that could level skyscrapers, I can’t get enough.
Seb Roberts’ new EP ‘Breeds With Anything’ is available for free so check it out. Every track is an exhilarating Garage assault but my pick is ‘A Pretty Good Game’ which brings in shades of LCD Soundsystem and Pixies (‘Big Woman Come On’ was a close second).
Apostle Of Hustle has to be one of the best band names ever and luckily they’ve got the music to back it up. ‘Eazy Speaks’ is frenetic catchy Indie with plenty of sharp lyrics like “Keep your friends close, enemy closer, kiss on the cheek from a punk ass poser”.
Chicks On Speed are back again with brand new album ‘Cutting The Edge’. ‘Art Rules’ features their trademark witty rapping with a shiny Dance-Pop production worthy of Chris Lowe.
‘Helpmesaveme’ is from Father Abraham’s excellent and totally free to download ‘I Am Not A Sailor I Am The Captain’ LP. It was a toss up between this and ‘Spacemarch’ but really the whole album is genius (Thanks to 
Generationals have cunningly blended Arcade Fire style Epic Indie with a glorious Motown-esque production sound. ‘When They Fight They Fight’ is drenched with Brass, Bass-Guitar, hand-claps and sunshine.
The Grizzly Owls have kindly made their new ‘I Am A Shootist’ EP available for free. All four tracks feature shimmering, beautiful, Americana-Folk but for me, the title track is the best one.
‘Sixteen’ is the latest track I’m hearing from The Heavy’s eagerly anticipated new album. It combines the raw Soul power of the vocals with a darkly Funky fairground waltz.
After thirty-odd years, Nashville singer Larry Jon Wilson has just made the album of his career, and has appropriately called it simply ‘Larry Jon Wilson’. The majestic ‘Shoulders’ is so intimate and quietly powerful that your lip may be wobbling by the end.
The Lemonheads ninth album is a collection of covers called ‘Varshons’. They deliver a cracking version of Townes Van Zandt’s mournful Country-Blues song ‘Waiting Around To Die’.
‘Cotopaxi’ is from The Mars Volta’s fifth and possibly best LP ‘Octahedron’. Refreshingly, it’s tighter and rocks allot harder than some of their indulgent “Jazz-Odyssey” material while retaining their superb apocalyptic lyrics.
Southside Steppers new double A-side single is the latest essential release on Soul Jazz. The second cut ‘Super Storm Decay’ is like the best thing Tricky never made. It has to be my tune of the week.
There probably aren’t many bands that would think of writing a delightful Pop-Folk song touching on the subject of cum (Except maybe The Hidden Cameras). Well, Avi Buffalo did and ‘Summer Cum’ is a music box ditty with some truly strange yet charming lyrics.
‘Dimestore Diamond’ is the explosive opener to Gossip’s superb new ‘Music For Men’ LP. It’s got the meaty power of an Ali right-hook with sizzling Bass and Beth Ditto’s vocals are like velvet.
One of the best things I saw on this weekend’s Glasto coverage was Jason Mraz’s performance of ‘I’m Yours’. It’s a Pop song filled to the brim with good vibes and sunshine
‘International Broadcaster’ is from Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry’s latest album. It brings to mind a Hip-Hop remix of The Special’s ‘Ghost Town’ with Roots Manuva and L.S.K contributing fantastic guest spots.
Lord Cut-Glass’ Folk delight ‘Holy Fuck’ features sublime lines like “The truth to me seems fair, a Faustian despair, that I love you much more than you can bare”. It’s like a beautiful summer meadow… with razorblades hidden in the grass.
The Patrick Alavi Remix of ‘Faites Vos Jeux’ ditches the Electronica of Modernaire’s original in favour of distinctive Tribal minimalism. It retains the incredible Indie-Rap vocal which features some of the best sounding lyrics I’ve heard all year. like “Apparently murder is out of fashion, so I got put away for a crime of passion”.
Naomi Shelton & The Gospel Queens deliver pure vintage Gospel on the Daptone label. You can hear the church Organ, see the pulpit and smell the prayer books on their heavenly version of The Swan Silvertones’ ‘Trouble In My Way’.
Regina Spektor keeps coming up with goods year after year. Her own brand of quirky and thoughful Piano ballads just keep getting better and ‘Laughing With’ is no exception.
Robert Pollard featured in last week’s TEN4SE7EN with his Cosmos project. This week I’m adoring a solo cut called ‘It’s Easy’ that channels the best of sun drenched 60s Psychedelic Pop.
‘Don’t Know What Love Is’ is the first thing I’ve heard by We Rock Like Girls Don’t since the legendary sonic assault of 2005 single ‘I Just Wanna Stick My Head In The Bass Drum’. It’s got the same Grunge fury and sneering feline vocals that I loved in the first place.
Wolfgang Thoma – Hard Work mp3
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