TEN4SE7EN: Episode 45

I found all the best tracks this week at the last minute before posting.  Sometimes it just happens that way:

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.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A ZIP CONTAINING ALL TEN MP3s

Groove Diggerz MySpace / Purchase
Harry Beckett Website / Purchase
Kid Sister MySpace / Purchase
Lisa Hannigan MySpace / Purchase
Sabo & Zeb MySpace / Purchase
Stacy Epps MySpace / Purchase
The Lovely Eggs MySpace / Purchase
The Melting Ice Caps MySpace
The Rumble Strips MySpace / Purchase
The Voluntary Butler Scheme MySpace / Purchase

Here is a live video for Lisa Hannigan’s ‘I Don’t Know’:

TEN4SE7EN: Episode 44

It’s another of those weeks when there are so many great records out, that I may as well hand over my bank account to a record shop:

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.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A ZIP CONTAINING ALL TEN MP3s

Gatto Fritto MySpace / Purchase
Mumford & Sons MySpace / Purchase
The Dead Weather Website / Purchase
The Dynamics MySpace / Purchase
Tombee MySpace / Purchase
The Glimmers MySpace / Purchase
Kaito MySpace
Thom Yorke MySpace / Purchase
Filthy Dukes MySpace / Purchase
Forest Fire MySpace / Purchase

Here’s the kickass new video for The Dead Weather’s ‘Treat Me Like Your Mother:

THE BEATLES remastered at last!

It’s been over twenty years since The Beatles catalogue was first released on CD.  They were perfunctory issues, missing some of the artwork and the first 4 albums weren’t even available in stereo for Christ sakes (Despite being available in stereo mixes on the original vinyl releases).

I remember the first time I sat in my brothers flat and watched The Beatles Anthology DVD.  Waves of lush remastered audio greeted my ears and I’ve been waiting since then to hear the all albums in such a way.  For years I’ve resisted buying the full Beatles catalogue in the vain hope they would come out remastered at some stage.

So I’m pretty stoked at the news that their entire back catalogue is finally hitting the stores in September.  The CDs will be available individually or as two deluxe box sets (One mono, one stereo).

Check it out here

Here is some great footage of The Beatles hard at work (And not so hard at work) at Abbey Road in 64:

TEN4SE7EN: Episode 43

I’ve spent most of this week listening to MJ spurred on by the surprisingly good Memorial Concert that served to remind me how truly magic his songs were (It was only spoiled by talent show reject Shaheen Jafargholi’s average and cheesy version of ‘Who’s Lovin’ You’).  It hasn’t all been nostalgia though, I’ve still come up with ten fresh tunes for this week’s post:

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).

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A ZIP CONTAINING ALL TEN MP3s

Chambers MySpace / Download
Cookin’ On 3 Burners MySpace / Purchase
Cubic Zirconia MySpace / Purchase
Fanfarlo MySpace / Purchase
GaBLé MySpace / Purchase
Greg Wilson MySpace / Purchase
Madness MySpace / Purchase
Sarantis MySpace / Purchase
Seb Roberts MySpace / Download
The Gaslight Anthem MySpace / Purchase

Here is an electrifying video of Bruce and The Gaslight Anthem performing ‘The ’59 Sound’ (If only all fan concert vids were as good as this):

Here is my highlight of the Jackson Memorial, Jennifer Hudson doing 'Will You Be There?'.  When she sings the line 'Hold me, like the river of Jordan' in her Gospel voice I was in heaven:

LUPE FIASCO – Lasers Manifesto

Lupe Fiasco has a new album called ‘Lasers’ coming out soon, which for me is as big as the return of Jesus!  As a taster he’s set up a website with the album’s “Manifesto” video looped up (Featuring his new single).  I left it on a loop while I did other things and it gets pretty damn hypnotic.   Check it out here:

We Are Not Losers.com

I recorded an mp3 of it, which is just made for sampling:

Lupe Fiasco – Lasers Manifesto mp3

Lupe Fiasco MySpace

Here’s the video for ‘Hip Hop Saved My Life’ from his last album:

THIRD MAN RECORDS: The Vault

Jack White’s new label/shop/studio Third Man Man Records has just launched it’s ‘Vault’ subscription service.  For your money you get a slew of exclusive online content but most exciting is the offer of a T-shirt, LP and 7″ available only to Platinum Vault members every quarter.

Since it is my mission in life to own every bit of vinyl that Jack White has had a hand in, I signed up straight away.  If the price tag is putting you off remember, some of Jack White’s most rare records change hands for half a grand, so this could well be a sound investment.

Click here to visit The Third Man and investigate The Vault further

As a fairly unrelated treat, here is Loretta Lynn & Jack White’s Video for ‘Portland, Oregon’:

TEN4SE7EN: Episode 42

Still recovering from the heatwave? Still reeling from Murray’s defeat?  Well no matter, because here are ten more tunes to soothe those summertime blues:

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 MusicLikeDirt for the tip).

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.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A ZIP CONTAINING ALL TEN MP3s

Apostle Of Hustle MySpace / Purchase
Chicks On Speed MySpace / Purchase
Father Abraham MySpace / Download
Generationals MySpace / Purchase
Larry Jon Wilson MySpace / Purchase
Southside Steppers MySpace / Purchase
The Grizzly Owls MySpace / Download
The Heavy MySpace / Purchase
The Lemonheads MySpace / Purchase
The Mars Volta MySpace / Purchase

Here is the video for The Heavy’s ‘Sixteen’:

THE DEAD WEATHER – Treat Me Like Your Mother: Teaser Trailer

I’m getting pretty damn excited about the imminent release of Jack White’s new LP ‘Horehound’, with his newest project The Dead Weather.  Their latest single ‘Treat Me Like Your Mother’ is a fuzzed-up Rock ‘n’ Roll monster with Jack laying down some fearsome Hip-Hop style Drums.

Legendary Film and Music-Video Director Jonathan Glazer has created a short film to promote the single.  It will be premiering in a week or so but you can check out a teaser by clicking here.  It looks like a bad-ass Sergio Leone style masterpiece and I can’t wait.

Until then, check out this brilliant video of The Dead Weather watching their 7″ get created at The United Record Pressing plant in Nashville.  Seriously, it’s like music-geek porn!:

The Dead Weather Website

THE BOY LEAST LIKELY TO – The Best B Sides Ever

The Boy Least Likely To, purveyors of the finest Pop music, have made a superb track called ‘When I Grow Up I Want To Be A Boy Again’ available to download absolutely free!

It was on the flip-side of 2006′s finest Pop song ‘Be Gentle With Me’ (Check that out too, by the way!) and is included on their brand new appropriately titled compilation ‘The Best B Sides Ever’. Here’s the link:

The Boy Least Likely To – When I Grow Up I Want To Be A Boy Again mp3

This CD compilation is only available from CIMS stores in the US so check the website to find your nearest one. If not, get on to iTunes where most of the band’s songs are available to buy.

Here’s a nice fan made video for ‘Be Gentle With Me’:

The Boy Least Likely To MySpace