I’m a great fan of new takes on older music styles; recently I’ve been enjoying the resurgence in popularity of the neo-psychedelic sound, spearheaded by the success of groups like Tame Impala and The Amorphous Androgynous. Temples are a band that have recently caught our attention – since then, the single Shelter Song and its flipside Prisms have been on heavy rotation here at Universal Wax towers. Continue reading
Hot on the heels of the release of The Golden Age, the debut album from Woodkid – we have a neat remix of the track Boat Song by French DJ and producer Kulkid.
Listen to the remix here:
Kulkid, whom according to his own bio, was born in the forest and was raised by animals – has upped the pace and sound of the original piano track to create a punchy/upbeat new house sound that complements the melody of the original recording nicley.
The track is available as a free download here.
Its also worth having a look at Kulkid’s Soundcloud page, where remixes of Bon Iver and the XX are up for grabs.
I’m getting a sense of Déjà vu here, I swear it was about this time last year I wrote about Magnus Birgersson’s last release under his Solar Fields monicker, Random Friday. As with his prior release Origin # 01 however, this one is a look back in time specifically focusing on the period between 2003 and 2009. Continue reading
2013 is off to a good start with album announcements left, right and centre. It seems we’re in for an excellent year in electronic music, in particular with Emancipator and Bonobo having announced new albums and free singles to accompany press releases. After a scattering of 12 and 7″ releases, Gold Panda is joining them and making a return after 2010′s joyous debut Lucky Shiner with his Trust EP, the first new material released since last May.
Today I have two electronic EP’s from London based musicians linked here by a remix from which I followed the trail back to the source, in turn discovering two bright relatively new acts myself.
So without further ado, first up (if you’re not already familiar with him) let me introduce you to London based producer Catching Flies. Continue reading
Here’s a little something for the weekend, Fat Freddy’s Drop have returned with Silver And Gold, the first single from new album Blackbird, due early 2013. As has been the case throughout the bands thirteen year career, it’s a fabulous marriage of dub and blues with grooves that belong on the dance floor. The album’s not far off and Silver And Gold is one hell of an exciting tease. It’s also a FREE download, so grab it while it’s hot!
Incendiary blues rock band The Jim Jones Revue have burst back with their third album The Savage Heart. Continue reading
After the superb debut tracks from The Revival Hour released late last year (see my writeup from back in April), the band finally have some news to share with the announcement of the duos debut EP Clusterchord which will be releasing 5th of November on Antiphon; a prelude to the bands debut album which will follow early 2013.
In the meantime however we’ve been treated to Pyre, a sample if you will from the Clusterchord EP. It’s nice to hear The Revival Hour’s sound back and with all the grandeur of the previous two tasters, although dialled back from the simply epic Hold Back, it’s still a big sound. This time maybe slightly mellower, more reflective and a little less overdramatic in its entirety, but definitely The Revival Hours sound through and through. Pyre is a great teaser for what’s to come. November seems too far away…
On another note, The Revival Hour are embarking on their first tour of the UK, dates are below.
Radiohead super producer Nigel Godrich has started a new music project and it’s awesome. His new musical venture is called Ultraista and it consists of himself, Mauro Refosco (Smashing Pumpkins/Beck/Atoms For Peace) and Laura Bettinson (formerly of Dimbleby and Capper, she now records as Femme). Not much else is known about the band, as information on the group’s website is scarce, however they appear to take their name from early-20th century Spanish literary movement ultraísmo. They do have Soundcloud, Twitter and Facebook accounts. Their debut album will be released on 2nd October via Temporary Residence, and you can hear two of the tracks from the album below.
Ultraista – Static Light
Ultraista – Small Talk
I Used To Be, Chris Stolz’s second album under the TiredEyes monicker, was one of my favourite and most played records of last year. Its jazzy beats and laid back feel made for fantastic summer listening with some infectious melodies that really stuck. Dusty analogue vibes, warm production and an unhurried pace set a bar that any musician would be hardpressed to top. And so, just over one year on, Constellations arrives in time for the last month or two of warm weather (here in the UK anyway).
Where I Used To Be arrived with a shot of energy on title track I Used To Be, Constellations takes a subtler route and opts to build slowly with the smokey Cosmic Echoes. It’s lazy, considered, and thoroughly cinematic. And this is what sets Constellations apart from debut There in the Shade and last years I Used To Be. It’s that experience from three albums under one project. A confidence and swagger that can only become apparent after the foundations have been laid and then tested.
Tracks build, vocal samples tease, beats reverberate; crackles, hissing and pops layer onto a wide selection of instruments. It’s a pleasure to listen to and if stuck with, will reveal a surprising level of detail that a quick listen might mask. The latter half of the album really shines with tracks like Nylon Trees and Stay Inside being stunning examples of what Stolz can do, the latter containing a great sample from Peggy Lees Johnny Guitar. It’s moody, sweeping and cinematic.
So how does Constellations stack up to I Used To Be? It effectively continues right where its predecessor left off, in fact it wouldn’t sound out of place if it were a side two – just a slower and more confident side two. That’s not to it’s detriment though, Constellations is still a superb record through and through and familiarity is as much as a good thing as a bad thing. Change for changes sake is not always a good thing and this is a perfect example when you’ve hit a great formula not to mess with it too much. As above, what is there however is a far more polished experience; further refined, cinematic and confident. Stolz’s beats sound just as organic, his sampling tighter and the details finer. This is what makes TiredEyes stand out from a large number of the other beatmakers at the moment, fine detailing. It’s exciting to put a pair of headphones and come out so rewarded and Constellations does not disappoint.
Constellations is available for download from TiredEyes bandcamp page for $10 (USD)
Tracklisting is as follows,
