Monobrow sounds off...

The 10 best albums of 2011

2011-12-28T01:29:00.000-08:00

Its been another great year of musical discovery. Here are the ten records I enjoyed most...

1. Whokill – Tuneyards

I, like many others, have spent much of the last decade moaning about the lack of decent guitar music. The majority of it is simply a re-tread of what we’ve already heard and therefore in my opinion effectively worthless. I spent a good chunk of this year really enjoying this album before actually realising that at its heart it is the most original guitar based album I’ve heard in years although its also so many other things as well (including making very effective use of a lo-fi sampler). At first listen the immediate reference points are post punk, dub, soca and afro pop but listen again and the guitar is as key an element as is Meryl Garbus’ wonderful voice (especially on the epic Po-wa which is one of the best vocal performances I’ve heard in years). This album doesn’t sound like anyone else and this lady is clearly one of the eccentric characters that make great pop music what it is.

Space is only noise – Nicolas Jaar

The key components to music are generally considered to be rhythm and melody but this record focuses on something else entirely – atmosphere. Jaar isn’t doing anything particularly new on one level – trip hop based beats – but it’s the way he does it that’s so interesting – drawing individual glitchy sounds over the top of the mix to give you tingles and bumps. He draws from everything from American soul to Ethiopian Jazz and constructs track in the style of a techno record but with much more warmth. This record is best listened to on immersive headphones while travelling or walking. Clearly a talented producer who is happy to forgo commerciality in the name of art.

Let England Shake – PJ Harvey

Yes it’s overheard, yes the critical consensus is dull but the simple fact is that Polly made a great (and somewhat timeless) record. This isn’t trad rock or indie, it’s a songwriter who has matured to the point that she is able to create an artistic vision and deliver it without ever once sounding like she’s trying to force the songs into it. Somehow bringing in influences as diverse as traditional folk, reggae, Eddie Cochran and the Doors to create something that is ultimately and undoubtedly hers. She like many is both disgusted by our nation’s history and in love with its beauty and this is a great commentary on the state of our nation (and you can’t say that about Coldplay can you?).

House of Balloons – Weeknd

I’m not quite sure how I stumbled upon this – I had no real expectations of a great R&B album when I clicked on whatever link it was but this was ace. A sleazy trawl through a weekend of vice girls, coke and cars it made me feel dirty by just listening to it but listen again and there is some really interesting stuff going on here. First, the production is clearly in debt to the forward thinking UK producers – most notably Jamie XX – post dubstep sounds aren’t really what you think of when you think of this genre. Second, Abel Tasfaye’s falsetto voice is wonderful – overwrought, emotional and smooth – perfectly complimenting the occasional 80’s guitar. This album makes me want to go on a bender…

Dedication – Zomby

I love dubstep in small doses but very few of its LPs stand up to scrutiny on repeated listens. Zomby’s take on the genre has previously been to focus on the euphoria of rave and channel it through a bassbin but this (his second album) was different. Much more subtle than its predecessor and more comparable to the electronica of Dan Snaith, Alam Bacab or Kieron Hebdon. Reassuringly short and packed with short pieces (they aren’t really what you can call songs) this is a lovely record whether sat on the night bus through Hackney or in a field on a hot summer’s day.

Peanut Butter Blues and melancholy jam – Ghostpoet

Who would have thought that the best hip hop album of the year would be from Coventry? It’s not hip hop in the purest sense and he is clearly as influenced by guitar music and dance as he is Jay Z or Public Enemy. Like Roots Manuva or Tricky (both of whom he bears comparison to), he is a story teller. Cash and Carry me Home is about a drunken night of regret while Survive it is a torch song beyond compare. If you want to like UK hip hop but don’t get Tinnie Tempah I suggest starting here…

King of Limbs – Radiohead

There will no doubt be a suspicion that I’ve included this out of blinded loyalty to one of my favourite bands. Many consider this record not to be a patch on its predecessor In Rainbows. I loved it from the off though. Yes, its short and understated but that’s what makes it so good. It’s not indulgent (the video to Lotus Flower revealing Thom Yorke’s humour), it cherry picks influences from the best music (Jazz, Afrobeat, Flying Lotus, David Bowie) and yet sounds only like them. The ballads are fantastic and I can’t wait to hear them in a live setting next summer. The most important band of our times – we just need to continue to realise that.

Jill Scott – The light of the sun

neo soul ladies are prone to. There are ballads but I’m pleased to report an album dedicated to female empowerment played out in such a fun way -jams with Eve and Doug E Fresh, Gil Scott Heron style monologues and a song about her ‘rolling hills’ – the girl back y’all!

9.Locussolus - Locussolus

I was very cynical about this one before hearing it. Harvey is one of those DJs so name droppingly cool that you expect 12 minute long jams of 80’s Balearic throughout. Imagine my surprise then when this actually revealed itself to be a selection of well-focused dance pop songs. True, some draw out over a period of time and ‘go off on one’ but with focus maintained throughout and the use of guest producers (Weatherall, Prins Tomas etc) keeps things interesting. I want it even steals a snatch of Venus which is just ace. Definitely worst sleeve mind….

10.ISAM – Amon Tobin

The most unique record on my list. Some of this record (Surge for example) arguably isn’t even music – more a collection of sounds. It is completely original (one of the main virtues in music for me) and yet isn’t in any way difficult for anyone prepared to give it time. The lightness of touch on tracks like Wooden Toy ensures it’s a work you can return to time and time again.

And my favourite singles...

Rolling in the deep (Jamie XX re-rub) – Adele

Two of the most significant musicians of the year combine to wonderful effect. Jamie XX doesn’t do anything particularly clever with the original recognising its strength but he strips it back, adds the odd touch of weirdness and bass and creates something that is great for both the dancefloor and home listening. Remix job done!

2.Street Halo - Burial

This is exactly what I would want to be listening to in a dark nightclub at 4am – imposing and ‘diiiirty’ – the bass line just makes you want to blow your mind.

3.Ice Cream – Battles

One can’t help but consider the scientific approach Battles bring to their records – this is so well constructed! Starting simply with a grunt it accelerates gradually until we are caught up into one of the guitar songs of the year (although the first half of the song is much better than the second). Should have been a huge hit – and the video is ace!

100 for Joe

2011-11-25T04:54:00.000-08:00

It’s a while since I’ve been here so hello again.

My oldest son turns eighteen in a few weeks – it’s been a long and sometimes difficult journey but my boy becomes a man and his future looks good right now.

I wanted to mark this momentous event by doing something significant for him. Sure there will be gifts and celebratory meals but I wanted to give him something he could cherish and to impart some wisdom. The obvious angle given my own interests (and his)was music. I set about compiling a list of what I considered the 100 greatest songs of all time – the tracks that changed my life and the tracks I think he needed to hear. It was easy at first – some came to mind immediately – Firestarter by the Prodigy completely blew my mind when it came out and I’ll never forget being reduced to tears upon hearing Sinnerman by Nina Simone the first time I heard it on 6 music. Interestingly though, after about 80 I began to dry up. Not through lack of contenders – I own as much music as anyone, but simply because only this 80 really made the grade. In desperation/peer approval I did as we all do these days and turned to Facebook! The response was huge – many, many friends responded and the only conclusion I can reach is that everyone has their own idea of what makes a great track. Some harked back to the tracks that shaped their own youth. I have one slightly older friend from the north of England who focused almost entirely on material from eighties Manchester, others were soul aficionados who threw Esther Phillips, Patti Jo and Ann Sexton into the mix and I was particularly taken by suggestions of subversive anti -establishment anthems(Spacemen 3, MC5)which play to the youth theme. Someone else reminded me that pop music is often well overlooked at these times and that this too needed to be reflected. One track (Slint) I included solely because the person who suggested it made such a compelling case as to why it should be included (I figured I might as well get some new music out of this whole experience too!) Thanks Dan.

So, is the list below the 100 greatest songs of all time? Of course not. It’s a highly personal list. That’s why you’ll find two tracks by Guns N Roses (the band that really started my musical obsession) and none by Public Enemy. You’ll find obscure Nigerian disco (Oby Onyioha) but no Jimi Hendrix. There is too much heavy metal (being brought up in the Forest of Dean is my excuse) and not enough post-punk (never much cared for it). Given my age, trip hop is over represented while punk barely gets a look in.

Having said all of that, I’ve sought to provide a varied selection that tells my own journey from hard rock to trip hop and dance through soul, reggae and jazz. I’m convinced there are tracks on the list that you don’t know that you’ll love if you just go listen to them. Some are established classics while others are in solely for their weirdness (Monolith by Beta Band for one, Extreme Possibilities by 2 Player for another) and because I lost my mind to them and I hope others do too. I’m full of excitement in anticipation of what the next track is that will change my life. Please do leave your suggestions for what’s missing in the comment box below!

In no particular order

Gloria- Patti Smith

I Wanna Be Your Dog -The Stooges

Whatever Happened To My Rock & Roll - Black Rebel Motorcycle Club

Lovesong - The Cure

Dear Prudence - The Beatles

The Rain Song - Led Zeppelin

Easy Money - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

Everything In It’s Right Place - Radiohead

Suffocated Love - Tricky

Safe From Harm - Massive Attack

Standing In The Rain - Don Ray

Enjoy Your Life - Oby Onyioha

California Soul - Marlena Shaw

Inside My Love -Minnie Riperton

Wise One - John Coltrane

Firestarter - Prodigy

Epic - Faith No More

Night - Benga & Coki

Motor Bass Get Phunked Up - La Funk Mob

Spacelab - Kraftwerk

In The Trees - Faze Action

Little Fluffy Clouds - The Orb

Monolith - The Beta Band

Gathering Moss -Super Furry Animals

Life On Mars - David Bowie

Northern Sky - Nick Drake

Sinnerman -Nina Simone

One of These Days -Pink Floyd

Eight Miles High -The Byrds

I Can See For Miles -The Who

Subterranean Homesick Blues -Bob Dylan

No Rain - Blind Melon

Come As You Are - Nirvana

Touch Me I'm Sick - Mudhoney

Revolution - Spacemen 3

Windowlicker - Aphex Twin

Extreme Possibilities (Wagon Christ Mix) - 2 Player

The Theme (Original Chill Mix) - Unique 3

Chime - Orbital

Voodoo Ray - A Guy Called Gerald

Come Together - Primal Scream

Made Of Stone - The Stone Roses

Sound of Da Police - KRS One

Zulu War Chant (The Funky Remix) - Afrika Bambaataa

Don’t Stop The Rock - Freestyle

Da Funk - Daft Punk

The Nervous Track (Ballsy Mix) -Nuyorican Soul

Melt -Leftfield

Concrete Jungle - Bob Marley & The Wailers

Ali Baba - John Holt

The clapping song - Shirley Ellis

Beggin' - Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons

Make me believe in you - Patti Jo

Ain't No Mountain High Enough (12" Remix) -Inner Life (Ft Jocelyn Brown)

Ain't Nobody - Chaka Khan

Can't Get You Out Of My Head -Kylie Minogue

Sweet Child O' Mine - Guns N' Roses

Sweet Emotion- Aerosmith

Detroit Rock City - Kiss

Jumpin' Jack Flash - The Rolling Stones

London Calling - The Clash

The Crystal Ship -The Doors

Your Time Is Gonna Come – Led Zeppelin

He's a Superstar - Roy Ayers

I Heard It Through The Grapevine - Marvin Gaye

It's A Man's, Man's, Man's World -James Brown

I've Got A Woman - Ray Charles

Tutti Frutti - Little Richard

She Loves You -The Beatles

You Can't Always Get What You Want -The Rolling Stones

Tin Soldier - The Small Faces

If I Were A Carpenter - Tim Hardin

Ordinary Joe -Terry Callier

Suspicious Minds -Elvis Presley

Wichita Lineman - Glen Campbell

Welcome To The Jungle- Guns N' Roses

Stop -Jane's Addiction

Coup - 23 Skiddoo

Jeun Ko Ku (Chop 'n' Quench) -Fela Ransome Kuti & The Africa 70

Rock Steady - Aretha Franklin

Girl You Need A Change Of Mind -Eddie Kendricks

I Can't Go For That (Extended Club Mix) - Hall & Oates

Another Day - 4Hero

Who Am I (Sim Sima) - Beenie Man

A Roller Skating Jam Named 'Saturdays' - De La Soul

Jayou- Jurrassic 5

Umi says - Mos Def

I Say A Little Prayer - Aretha Franklin

Tangled Up In Blue - Bob Dylan

Old Man - Neil Young

In The Ghetto - Elvis Presley

Whole Lotta Rosie - AC-DC

Take Me Out - Franz Ferdinand

Good Morning Captain- Slint

History - The Verve

A Day In The Life - The Beatles

Golden hen - Tenor Saw

Buddy Bye - Johnny Osbourne

Super Sharp Shooter - Ganja Kru

Gangsters - The Special A.K.A.

Friday Night, Saturday Morning- The Specials

Light Flight - The Pentangle

The Man With The Child In His Eyes - Kate Bush

Hidden gem: Volume 1 - Manfred Mann Chapter 3 (Vertigo)

2011-09-16T09:47:00.000-07:00

Many has been the pop star who has subsequently 'grown up'. George Michael managed it with a degree of class, Britney didn't. Of course its not a new phenomenon, both the Beatles and the Monkees alienated some of their fan base in the 60s as they moved into a more adult sound but perhaps less well known is the transition of Manfred Mann from Do Wah Diddy and Pretty Flamingo to jazz laced progressive rock.

Manfred Mann Chapter 3 wasn't strictly Manfred Mann. True, it featured the South African born keyboard player that gave the band its name but the original band had actually split up in 1969 only for Mann to form this new band with vocalist Mike Hugg. This was a much more experimental proposition who focused on the 'time no changes' approach of jazz players, most notably Miles Davis and John Coltrane. This essentially manifested itself in off-the-wall saxophone solos in the spirit of free jazz legends such as Ornette Coleman and Albert Ayler. Their sound wasn't jazz though and they set much of the template that would influence subsequent rock acts such as King Crismson, Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath. Their debut album somehow managed to fuse all sorts of influences from jazz, rock, progressive, psychedelia and folk to create a recording whose influence can still be heard today.

The album kicks off withTravelling Lady, moody and slightly gothic. What is immediately apparent is the use of horns to propel the song forward - a saxophone kicks in towards the end and one can sense the free jazz spirit. Snakeskin Garter is more psychedelic in feel. It doesn't feature the most profound of lyrics 'she wore a snakeskin garter' but it successfully pre-empts the sexual subject matter of hard rock that would explode only a few years later. Devil Woman is another track that while not blatantly sexist, certainly pigeonholes women with its talk of 'your poisonous tongue and your poisonous lips' and 'spinning your web all round my heart' - very much of its time.

Korekuf is a six minute instrumental track, freeform in spirit but it does contain discipline and direction. One of my favourite tracks is Sometimes. This is gentle and acoustic at the outset and wouldn't have been out of place on the Stone Roses' debut. The best track on side one though is One Way Glass, a song that has arguably laid the template for the whole of Primal Scream's career with its throbbing bass, funky drums and psych vocals. The euphoric horns at the end of the track leave you wanting to punch the air, its little wonder it has been used on a number of compilations including Pete Fowler's Sounds of Monsterism Island.

The second half of the record is perhaps slower paced and more melancholy. Mister, you're a better man than I is typical as is final track Where am I going? which is at best bittersweet and at worst maudlin with its lyrics of 'the dreams I used to chase, having fallen from my eyes'. Ain't it Sad is notable for its use of a funky folk flute (try saying that after a few bevvies) while A Study In Intimacy is one of the more freeform and almost Zappa-esque tracks. It fades out halfway through only to fade back in.

This is an intriguing record despite it selling poorly at the time (the band would split up the following year). You can feel the creativity surging through it and the drug fuelled openmindedness of the times. It hangs together well as an album while featuring strong individual tracks and its influence can clearly be heard in many post acid house rock bands - well worth a listen and ultimately a purchase.

Kieron Hebden: An appreciation

2011-09-09T09:31:00.000-07:00

I sometimes find myself wondering who my favourite musician of the twenty first century is. There are a few contenders - Madlib or Mos Def from the world of hip hop perhaps or Damon Albarn or Thom Yorke - men who have transcended their indie roots to produce forward thinking and original music. Ultimately though it all comes back to a man who has worked with many of these other great acts - Kieron Hebden. Over the last decade he has been at the very forefront of modern music - always a step ahead of the pack and yet able to create beautiful melodies that are accessible to even the most casual of listeners.

Initially influenced like so many before him by Hendrix and Zeppelin (and later drum n bass) he emerged from the post-rock band Fridge in the mid 1990s having studied at the almost legendary Elliot Comprehensive (also home to Hot Chip and Burial) in South London. His first solo record, the jazz influenced Dialogue was released in 1999 but it was second album Pause in 2001 which really brought him to wider attention with his fusing of electronica and a folkier, organic style. Whereas Boards of Canada had captured a similarly emotive feel with their referencing of nature documentaries, Hebden tended towards real instrumentation and bedroom sampling and soon found himself at the forefront of the 'Folktronica' movement. This was consolidated on perhaps his best album to date Rounds in 2003. Probably my favourite album of the noughties, Rounds brilliantly builds abstract electronica around acoustic guitar hooks. Random beats and sounds are thrown over the top to combine experimentation with a distinct homeliness. First track A Joy features a 909 synth with random beats thrown over it to create a disorientating, and yes, joyful noise - quite unlike anything that has come before or since.

Rather than embrace the mainstream, Hebdon's next move was to record with legendary jazz drummer Steve Ried. I recall seeing the two of them play together in London and being blown away by what was essentially a set of just one track of about 40 minutes in length. This was more than just a current artist seeking to sit on the coat tails of a living legend, it was clearly a collaboration of mutual respect and the two men collaborated extensively until Ried's untimely death in 2010.

Next solo album Everything Ecstatic was released in 2005 and contained more magical moments as well as some excellent accompanying videos. By this stage Four Tet was a much sought after remixer and the Ringer EP in 2008 revealed a more minimal stripped back sound (Detroit techno influenced to these ears). This preceded the euphoric There Is Love In You in 2010. This album was perhaps a little patchy (and included a bizarre hidden track) but undoubtedly included some of his very best work including the Orbital-esque Love Cry and tribute to his favourite London nightclub Plastic People.

In recent years he has worked closely with Burial and with Thom Yorke amongst others. In 2011 they dropped Ego/Mirror which was an excellent 12 inch showcasing the talents of three of the greatest musicians of recent years. Hebden regularly drops low key12 inch vinyl releases which are remarkable in their consistency (check recent release Pinnacles for just one recent example). A hotly anticipated Fabric mix is due in September 2011.

As we enter the second decade of the new millennium, Kieron Hebden is more influential than ever. Check electronica album of last year Swim by Caribou or the more esoteric sounds of perhaps the world's biggest band Radiohead for just a couple of examples of the influence of the Four tet sound. Hebden himself admits that he refuses to sit still - always seeking to be more adventurous with his sound. Its impossible to know where is sound will turn next.

What is really noticeable about Kieron Hebden is his good taste and quality control. He doesn't compromise in any way and the attention to detail on everything from his remixes through to his artwork is immediately apparent. He somehow manages to reference folk, free jazz and hip hop and yet couldn't really be defined by any of them. He manages to bring warmth and colour to electronic music and is undoubtedly unique - long may he continue to be so.

Why record companies should be happy giving music away...

2011-09-02T09:07:00.000-07:00

As someone who loves music and wants to see the artists who made the music getting their payday, illegal downloading provides me with a moral dilemma. I remember reading about the Motown stars and the Small Faces not receiving the royalties they were entitled to and being outraged and yet the new model of musical acquisition means this sort of situation is inevitable doesn't it? If I paid for all the music I listen to I would be spending hundreds of pounds a month on records I barely listen to yet there is no doubt that I am increasingly accessing music for free which I might previously have paid for (some of which I never even get round to listening to).

The fact of the matter is, whether the record companies like it or not, we now have a whole generation of people who don't expect to pay for their music. The result is that we consume far more music per capita than we used to but we don't covet it all. The last time US album figures actually increased was January 2006.The popularity of Spotify and other music streaming sites shows that the vast majority of listeners simply want access to a track at a particular time rather than necessarily owning it. Fopp and HMV inevitably get hit as do EMI and Parlophone but its an oversimplification to suggest that the music industry is being destroyed. Independent labels continue to thrive and the UK continues to develop new and exciting artists. Revenue streams (live gigs, TV adverts) are different than they might have been ten years ago and labels are having to work harder to sell product (see the deluxe double vinyl or the Deluxe CD re-issue for examples of the brave new world) but look only as far as Katy B, Adele or The Vaccines to see that artists are still coming through and still making a good living.

Listening habits have changed. I still buy CDs and vinyl but I'm a lot more discerning about it. I might listen to 15-20 albums a month through various routes online and elsewhere before picking the one or two that I want to own. These often tend to be the ones that not only sound good but are lovingly packaged too. The labels I spend my money with are Soundway, Analog Africa, Soul Jazz, R and S, XL and Domino - labels that do it for the love of the music, not the love of the money.

At the end of the day, people have a set amount of money that they are going to spend on music (especially in these tough times) but there is much too much product out there to actually be able to buy. People will buy something if they've had the opportunity to try it and if they can be sure its good value for money (and that isn't just about the quality of the music), the sooner the industry realises this the sooner we can all move on.

Album review: Section .80 - Kendrick Lamar (Top Dawg)

2011-08-26T11:03:00.000-07:00

Forget East and West Coast, its the South that has ruled hip hop in recent years. Meanwhile, over in Cali Dre has been working on his latest album for what seems a lifetime while Snoop is verging on being a nostalgia act with his live performances of Doggystyle for the masses. How refreshing it is then to discover a fresh new talent coming out of the US's most famous state.

Kendrick Lamar is a 24 year old Compton resident and like the Pharcyde or Tribe Called Quest before him he is happy to turn to jazz for his samples. However, rather than creating some 'golden age' hippy vibes his subject matter can be fairly harsh.

This is actually his third album. I'll put my hands up and say that I haven't heard the first two, however I might well be seeking them out having listened to Section .80. Its a very good record with intelligent rapping and interesting subject matter while being light touch so that things don't get ground down in some post millennial angst (see Tyler the Creator or Roc Marciano for just two who have fallen into this trap recently).

Its a shame that one of the weakest moments comes so early in the record ' I call a bitch a bitch, a ho a ho' Lamar claims in the tasteless Hol Up - a tale of sexually assaulting an air stewardess on a plane. Its a poor reflection on a man that clearly knows better. No Make Up is much more female friendly and showcases his skills as a rapper much better - it has a slight RandB feel with its sped up vocal and layering techniques. This lightness of touch is also captured in the skit-ish Chapter 6 which immediately brings to mind the palm trees of Venice Beach.

Kendrick isn't afraid to get political. Ronald Reagan Era is just one example of acute political sensitivity while Keisha's Song is the emotional heart of the record with its lyrics about a sexual abuse. Lamar highlights the crack riddled streets that exist in modern America without feeling the need to boast about his own masculinity. Throughout the rapping is superb and Lamar is an MC with real personality in his voice (think the first time you heard Quasimoto or Q-Tip - it was just 'different') Rigamortis is a brilliant showcase for his freestyle rapping over the jazzy melody and is most impressive.

Admittedly at 16 tracks the album is a little too long but this is quality West Coast hip hop without the Ghetto posturing. Its gritty and urban but in the way The Wire was - with an underlying feel of reality and intelligence. This is not a perfect record but it highlights a major talent, which if channelled properly could create more great work.

Live review: The Green Man Festival, Crickhowell, Breacon Beacons

2011-08-23T10:27:00.000-07:00

My festival of choice was pretty much made for me this year. Glastonbury sold out quickly and Bestival clashed with my son's starting school (oh to be growing up...) V and Reading are for people 20 years younger and the Big Chill clashed with something else so a return to the Green Man it was...

The Green Man has well established itself in the festival calendar in recent years with its niche as the subversive folk festival. Yes, you'll catch the latest alt-country act or folkie troubadour but you'll also find dance music or funk too if you want to dance through the night. I went for the first time two years ago and was struck by its friendly vibe, attention to detail and high quality music control.

This year we left home earlish Friday morning to a soundtrack of Wooden Shjips, Bigstar and Neil Young - its an hour and a half from Gloucestershire - just far enough to feel like an adventure. The parking was easy enough and we walked through the campsites to get a good pitch - the site is stunning with the imposing Brecon Beacons providing the backdrop to the main stage. As we make our way through the site one is transfixed by the huge array of quality food options - no greasy burgers here but plenty of North African Borek, Roast dinners or the near legendary Cornish fish goan curry. The bars too are of the highest quality with an array of wonderful local ales and ciders being consumed with enthusiasm by the marauding hoards.

We start by making our way to the intimate Chai Wallah's tent which is an excellent vantage point from which to begin our adventure. The first act we see are fairly typical of what you can expect in Chai Wallah's - a group of young lads who look like Hanson but sound like authentic Jamaican reggae. Four men dressed as old ladies raise their inflatable zimmer frames with joy...We stick around for the Alternative Dubstep Orchestra who do exactly what it says on the tin with massive sub bass interplaying with jubilant brass - not unlike some of Masssive Attack's more dubby material.

Its to the main stage though and Bellowhead who usher in the festival proper. I was very sceptical given their supposed feel good 'cross-over' folk and I'm not sure I could stomach a whole record but for this time and place they are perfect with a jubilant set of orchestrated sea shanties interspersed with everything from funk to disco - terrific fun. It's then over to the Far Out stage for Pilooski, 2 Bears and Horse Meat Disco. Two Bears in particular rip things up with Pseudo Echo's Funky town and invitations for everyone to 'do the bearhug' - a tent full of inebriated punters are only too happy to oblige.

Saturday morning gives the opportunity to explore the site again. Off the main stages there are small but enjoyable pleasures to be had - buy a machete perhaps from Friends of the Earth, or spot a New Orleans Voodoo Man complete with pinkie rings on the way to the toilet. Again we make our way to Chai Wallahs - the funky heart of the festival - which is hosting some gentle folk from the heart of London's Broadway Market. I head off to see Josh T Pearson being interviewed and get to ask a question. 'What do you think of the state of America today?' this correspondent asks. 'Um, uh, I don't know really, I've lived in Paris for the last two years' doesn't really give much insight. We later catch the bearded troubadour in the Far Out tent, his electric guitar distorting over his oak soaked voice.

Early evening and its back to Chai Wallah's for an extraordinary performance from New Yorkan Joe Driscoll, essentially a one man soundsystem who highlights the overall ethos of folk spliced genres. Folky Hip Hop anyone? A steel guitar version of I Want You Back over a funky breakbeat lifts everybody before Joe calls in his friends from other bands who have played the tent earlier in the day. A fiddle rendition of Can I Kick It is interspersed with reggae toasting and mass hysteria. We take some time out, chilling to Destroyer - an ever so slightly psychedelic take on Hall and Oates but there is only one band to see tonight and that is Fleet Foxes. The main stage is rammed and the Foxes prove worthy headline material with their west coast harmonies bringing everyone together under a cracked moon in peace and love. The second album tracks are OK but its the oldies that hit home the hardest. By the end of the set tiredness has begun to set in and I resist the temptation of Warp DJs to get some much needed sleep.

Sunday starts with blazing sunshine, fully exposing the beautiful backdrop. I fill a flask with Tequila, orange and lime and head into the main arena for some sunbathing. James Blake might seem like an odd choice for the Green Man and especially on the main stage in daylight. Many are underwhelmed by his operatic vocals and slow leftfield beats but I thoroughly enjoy the dub spliced sounds. Limit To Your Love is accompanied by enormous sub bass which rattles the ribcage. Its Laura Marling though that most people in the main arena have waited to see. She really is a precocious talent with her husky voice and bitter but tuneful songs making perfect sense as the sun begins to dip. Three albums in and she already has a strong body of work.

We take some time out to a minimal (and dare I say boring?) Low Anthem before choosing Gruff Rhys over Iron and Wine. The eccentric Welshman's delayed set is predictably fun with his gorgeous melodies bringing everyone together in applause. Ending the set with a 15 minute song might sound like commercial suicide to some but Gruff brings so much humour out that its a joy.We spill out of the tent to watch the Green Man himself go up in flames accompanied by fireworks - a magical end to a magical festival. Andy Weatherall brings it all home with a funky dance set but by then I'm on my way back to my tent.

The weather was wonderful, the food and drink a real treat and the music (despite looking a little bit weak on paper) perfectly complemented the mood of everyone on site. The Green Man has something special - it doesn't feel part of the mainstream at all but a lovingly crafted fun fair for those who understand that music, nature, peace and love have all the answers. I for one will be back next year.

The 10 greatest protest songs

2011-08-12T10:00:00.000-07:00

We are constantly told that the protest song is dead. Certainly, in recent years there has been a dearth of openly political content in popular music but student demonstrators recently found solace in Lethal Bizzle, only two years ago Rage Against the Machine were the Christmas number one while Arcade Fire’s tunes are full of implied criticism of Government so I don't think it’s the death knell of protest just yet.

Having said that, the heyday of protest was undoubtedly in the 1960s and 1970s as various minority groups asserted themselves and this was reflected in the music. Just a quick word on scope - I've included only songs that protest rather than those that reflect a particularly miserable time - hence no Ghost Town and no Shipbuilding. Also, I've eliminated numbers which simply express pride in a particular identity rather than protest e.g. Spasticus Autisticus by Ian Dury or Respect by Aretha Franklin. Anyway, here are 10 of the very best songs of anger- if you disagree leave your choices below the article...For more excellent commentary on protest songs check out the recently published 33 Revolutions per minute by Dorian Lynskey.

10. Harrowdown Hill - Thom Yorke (2006)

"We Think The Same Thing At The Same Time, We Just Can't Do Anything About It, We Think The Same Thing At The Same Time, There Are So Many Of Us That You Can't Count"

One of the few musical commentaries on the New Labour years. While Noel Gallagher was off to meet Blair at Downing Street, Thom Yorke was writing this tune about the pressure put on Government Scientist Dr David Kelly during the run up to the Gulf War and his subsequent suicide. A commentary on the force of power over evidence…chilling

9. Killing in the name of - Rage Against The Machine (1992)

'Some of those that work forces, are the same that burn crosses'

An anti-establishment diatribe, but perhaps even more importantly the defeater of Simon Cowell inspired pop when it went head to head with X-Factor winner Joe McCedderly for Christmas number one. It unashamedly wears its heart on its sleeve in its anger, suggesting that members of the US police force are members of the Ku Klux Klan and featuring 17 fucks - a call to arms for teenagers everywhere.

8. Fight The Power - Public Enemy (1989)

Public Enemy's whole career was essentially a collection of protest songs but this is probably the one that best articulates their anti-establishment credentials. Famously used in Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing, it begins with a vocal sample of civil rights activist Thomas "TNT" Todd 'Yet our best trained, best educated, best equipped, best prepared troops refuse to fight. Matter of fact, it's safe to say that they would rather switch than fight.' The whole track is a proud reflection of Afro-American culture and was voted the greatest hip hop song of all time on VH1.

7. Masters Of War - Bob Dylan (1963)

Supposedly a protest singer, Dylan has repeatedly denounced the label, but this is one of a few of his tracks that undoubtedly carry a protest message (The Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll is undoubtedly another).Taken from the traditional Nottamun Town and as relevant today as it was then - rich men build arms and send younger, poorer men to their deaths. Dylan's anger is clear as he wishes death on the protagonists and promises to watch their funeral caskets when they die. Ouch…how did he go from this to advertising Victoria's Secret?!

6. War - Edwin Starr (1970)

'War…what is it good for…absolutely nothin'

Has any line got across so important a message so simply? Probably not. Written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong it was originally recorded by the Temptations before Starr made it a hit reaching the US number one for three weeks.

5. Zombie - Fela Kuti (1977)

If there is anyone in the world of music who was really a revolutionary, it might well be Fela Kuti. He verbally attacked his own Government on numerous occasions, Zombie being just one example (a commentary on what he saw as a mindless military). In return they killed his mother and destroyed his compound. He responded in return by delivering his mother's coffin to the army barracks and writing Coffin for Head of State. Brilliantly angry and dancy and how many songs can you say that about?

4. Ohio - Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young (1970)

Written by Neil Young and a proper 60's counterculture classic. This tells the story of the killing of 4 students at Kent State University by the police following an anti war march. Its long drawn out story - the misery and sadness reflected in the music. 'Tin soldiers and Nixon coming' left the listener in no doubt who's side the band were on and who was ultimately responsible….

3. Burnin and Lootin - Bob Marley (1973)/Police and Thieves - Junior Murvin (1976)

Impossible to separate these two as they are very similar in feel and delivery. Both reflect the difficulties of the Caribbean communities in the 1970s in Jamaica and London but feel strangely fitting at the current time. Burnin and Lootin was used in the opening credits of French cult Classic La Haine while Police and Thieves sound tracked the Notting Hill Carnival Riots and was covered by the Clash.

2. A change is gonna come - Sam Cooke (1964)

Famously adopted by Barack Obama during his election campaign, this Cooke number saw his move from writing love songs to explore a much deeper seam in relation to the civil rights movement and he used gospel, soul and blues to tell his tale. Other tracks (notably Don't Call Me Niger Whitey by Sly Stone) also touched upon racial injustice but this one did it with real class. Cooke claimed he wrote it off the back of hearing Dylan's Blowing In The Wind….

1. Strange Fruit - Billie Holliday (1939)

"Southern trees bear strange fruit / Blood on the leaves and blood at the root / Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze."

Subtlety is something sadly lacking from most protest songs but this example shows that you don't need to be sloganeering or shouting to get your point across. Written by communist Abel Meeropol, it tells in vivid terms the lynching of black men in America's deep south and was perhaps the first real attempt to tell the story of injustice in contemporary song.Holiday was regularly prevented from playing it in her live shows. Some have argued that the song was instrumental in America's black population's articulation of the struggles they faced which would culminate in the civil rights movement years later. Deeply powerful.

Live review: Pentangle, Royal Festival Hall, London 1st August 2011

2011-08-05T04:17:00.000-07:00

Hot town, summer in the city. A steamy August night and the twenty-somethings of London town sit sipping lager gloating on the roof terrace of the Royal Festival Hall enjoying their place at the centre of the universe...

Inside its a slightly more refined affair as acid fold legends Pentangle reunite for one of just three gigs (the others being the Cambridge folk and Glastonbury festivals). Fitting indeed that they choose the Royal Festival Hall given their recording of some of the album Sweet Child in this very place. The audience is less male and less beardy than you might imagine. True, there aren't many teenagers hanging around, but there is a fair smattering of all ages 30 up and the ladies are out in force too, showing the wide appeal of the recent folk revival

Things start in a fairly subdued fashion before the original line up of Bert Jansch (guitar), Danny Thompson (double bass), Terry Cox (drums), John Renbourn (guitar) and Jacqui McShee (vocals) play their 'only hit' Light Flight second song in. Its a little ramshackle to be honest but there is no doubting the quality of McShee's vocal as the second half of the song is carried by her famously ethereal wail. This begins a sublime run of material through to the interval. Mirage is the next song with the band's jazz influences coming to the fore before The Hunting Song takes things to another level again with Jacqui's exquisite voice providing the gel to bring together the disparate sounds.

Mainstream it isn't - there are few gigs for example where the mere entrance of a sitar or a bango generates warm applause. The audience is worshiping at the alter of funky folk and is sympathetic to the odd strained note here and there. Part one ends with the haunting Cruel Sister and one can't help but be impressed with the overall shape of the show - this is a band, whilst trading on past successes, that retains a spirit and sound worthy of their legacy.

Sadly the second half of the show doesn't quite match the first. The band re-emerge to play a series of blues jams which, while displaying the diversity of their influences, struggle to hold the attention - especially when Jacqui is offstage. The double bass solos in particular lack variety, pared back to single notes and we are slowly battered into submission by soporiphic soloing. Terry Cox's drum work with its jazz shuffle is better but its only when McShee re-emerges and promises us more tales 'of doom and gloom' that things pick up again. The Wedding Dress Song (learnt we are told from Peggy Seeger) is a rare moment of joy as Anderson plays his bass with a bow. As things wrap up with Pentangling the audience shows its appreciation to the extent that the band return for a brief encore of Rain and Snow bathed in red and yellow light.

Few can doubt Pentangle's influence in the world of English roots music. At their heart is a commitment to authenticity and experimentation and in Jacqui McShee they have one of the great voices of any genre. The rest of the ensemble are no slouches either despite their age. They deserve the late acclaim they are receiving for their continued commitment to music of depth and beauty.

Album review: Dedication - Zomby (4AD)

2011-07-29T10:12:00.000-07:00

I've written before about the lack of decent long players in the realm of dubstep. Many albums are simply too hard on the ear and not varied enough to warrant repeat listens. I was very pleasantly surprised therefore when Zomby's new effort reached my Iphone. Not only is it varied but its light of touch and, dare I say it, uplifting in places - not something one might say about most releases in the genre.

Dedication is similar to the likes of Mount Kimbie in the way it draws in from a range of urban sounds and regurgitates them. Zomby's ongoing love of rave (first showcased in his slightly underwhelming debut Where Were U In 92? is again at the fore but this time more focused. It has a more human element than some of his previous efforts.

The first thing to say is that this is a record that covers a lot of ground in little time. It's 16 tracks fly by in a 36 minute exhilarating ride (once again the case for the short, focused album is made). Many tracks blend seamlessly into each other but each has a distinctive sound and Zomby has learnt the importance of providing differing moods and textures to keep things interesting.

Witch Hunt kicks things off and is punctuated by gunshots but its far from a bleak listen. Natalie's song meanwhile uses snatches of vocal (again very Mount Kimbie or maybe even Geogaddi era Boards of Canada) and is closer in spirit to rave than any bass driven sound. Even its lyrics 'move together...closer' verge on the euphoric. At various times the more abstract drum and bass acts (Photek, Omni Trio etc) come to mind as synths are introduced over soothing waves of bass (Alothea and Riding with Death are good examples). Black Orchid is a wilder trip - similar to some of the sounds on the Brainfeeder label with its juddering beats reverberating across the speakers from left to right.

The most accessible track (as well as the most distinctively dubstep) is undoubtedly Things Fall Apart. For one it features a conventional vocal (from Animal Collective's Panda Bear). It builds gradually to greater intensity before the 50's exotica of the following track (Salamander) releases the pressure. My own favourite track is Digital Rain - this is quite beautiful, streaming playful arcade-game melodies over a slippery beat- the sort of thing you might imagine Kraftwerk recording if they were still doing so. Wonderful stuff.

The end of the album notably sees the introduction of piano. Both Haunted and Basquait make use of the instrument and here, as elsewhere, the label of dubstep becomes irrelevant. This is instead someone understanding the range of electronic music and combining with real instrumentation to push boundaries. Just as things slip away were are confronted by final track Mozaik - this is a shock to the system, upbeat. Rather than let things fizzle out Zomby demands our attention before ending things suddenly.

If you don't particularly like dubstep but do like electronic music I suspect you might like this. The best music is often that which transcends genre and despite my own initial reservations this does exactly that.

Round up: 5 great albums you really should hear

2011-07-21T15:27:00.000-07:00

I like to do a little round up every three months or so - an opportunity to mention records that might not have warranted a full review here or an opportunity to big something up if it didn't get enough attention at the time. After a slow start to the year there has been some really good stuff in recent months.

Firstly, those which nearly made the top 5. I'll not go into depth on Bon Iver''s self-titled second album as I reviewed it at the time, but if alt-country is your thing you'll like it. Its an ambitious mix of Crosby, Stills and Nash era Americana and 1980's soft rock and is a brave and impressive record. Another record I reviewed at the time was The Weeknd's House of Balloons - sleazy coke fuelled RandB - I know that sounds awful but rest assured this is quality stuff all the way and its free to legally download.

Others that are worth a mention are Metronomy's English Riviera which has had good reviews all over the place with its slightly 80's synth sounding take on Paignton and Torquay (again, its much better than it sounds) and the very recently released Horrors LP Skying which manages to sound exciting while sounding somewhat like the Psychedelic Furs. In terms of hip-hop I'd recommend Shabazz Palace's Black up - the best abstract hip hop this side of Madlib's Quasimoto LPs. Finally, check out Thurston Moore's Demolished Thoughts - produced by Beck - its a little obviously derivative of Beck's own work and of Nick Drake (the strings in particular recall the English troubadour) but its a very nice listen.

Here though are the 5 I really think you need to pick up

tUnEyArDs - Whokill

Absolutely bonkers this. Afro-pop, dub, post punk, jazz and folk all melded together by Merill Garbus a native of New England. This is her second album (her first recorded using a handheld voice recorder only) The free jazz of Gangsta is a wonderful example of the eccentricity here with the sound ripping from speaker to speaker to leave the listener somewhat disorientated. In the spirit of ESG, Pere Ubu, Jah Wobble, Nina Simone and Fela Kuti but utterly original as well....lyrically its not afraid to touch upon issues of the day - race, gender, body image and her voice is immense - this lady is going to be a big star.

Diamond Mine - King Creosote and Jon Hopkins

Sometimes less is more. Reminicent of Barafundle era Gorky's Xygotic Mynci, you're unlikely to hear a more understated album all year. Some of the tracks are barely audible but this is a lovely piece of folk with no attempt whatsoever to crossover into the wider marketplace. The record was seven years in the making and inspired by Scottish fishing villages so this probably isn't for you if you like your heavy dubstep. Much of the joy here is not just the songs but the sounds placed into them - cups of tea, people chatting, birds singing - this is a record of great atmosphere and perfect if you are off to a fishing village for your summer holidays.

Gloss Drop - Battles

I feared listening to this record after seeing to described as 'maths rock' - has anything ever sounded so unappealing? I'm pleased to say that it doesn't sound as difficult as you might think and despite not having much in the way of vocals is thoroughly listenable. The drums in particular stand out and propel each song forward. Stand out track is Ice Cream which also has a fantastic video (below). These New Yorkers have been making idea packed music for years now and are worthy of your attention if you like guitar rock.

ISAM - Amon Tobin

If you are one of those people who only likes music that is pushing forward the boundaries then Brazillian Amon Tobin's latest LP is for you. He's eschewed the 'drill n' bass' sound of previous releases and created what he calls a 'sound sculpture' but this is challenging stuff with layers of off kilter beats thrown down into the mix of field recordings. One wonders if this will date quickly as at times it sounds like an alien invasion (although Surge has undoubtedly been influenced by car or motorcycle racing. ISAM does breed some humanity though (much like Boards of Canada in places) - check Wooden Toy as an excellent example...another excellent Ninja Tunes release...and a record the like of which I've not heard before.

Locussolus - Locussolus

Finally for one of dance music's great enigmas - DJ Harvey. A legendary DJ, his recorded material has never quite reached the same heights but this release on Uraguayan electronica label International feel is a thoroughly enjoyable listen. Its probably best described as cosmic house music and features remixes from Andy Weatherall, Lindstrom and Prins Thomas (whose remix of I want it brilliantly uses Venus to hook you in). The use of slower, dubby keeps tempo varied although as an album its perhaps a little disjointed. If you like this sort of thing you've probably already got it but if you're looking for some 'quality house' look no further.

Hidden Gem: 666 - Aphrodite's Child (Vertigo, 1972)

2011-07-16T10:41:00.000-07:00

Greek progressive rock wouldn't instinctively be my favourite genre of choice nor would I rush to hear an album featuring Charriots of Fire composer Vangelis (although you gotta love Blade runner) and 70's housewife's favourite Demis Rousos - but that's before I heard 666. This record has gained much kudos in recent years and is increasingly being regarded as one of the key psych-prog records of the early 1970s. Vangelis Papathanassiou (to give him his full name) actually formed Aphrodite's Child in 1963 but in the early 1970s he hooked up with Greek poet Costas Ferris in Paris to create this ambitious (some would say preposterous) rock opera. The record isn't without its faults, its long, meandering and at certain times, tests the patience - much of side 2 of the original vinyl is essentially ambient - but the scale of ambition here and the sheer value of experimentalism are to be applauded.

Opening track Babylon sounds like the Who with its driving drums and bass although I don't recall the Who ever using a trumpet. Its one of a number of tracks (The Battle of the Locusts, Altamont) that are typical of the hard rock sound of the day. However, to think this is a record of bombastic rock is a mistake, Loud, Loud, Loud, for example, is a different proposition - a female poet recalling Horses era Patti Smith - already one can detect a variety of sounds and approaches coming into play. The four horsemen is perhaps the best known track on the record and has been much imitated (check Beck's Chemtrails for one). Its a perfect combination of rock and soul (or psych as the geeks might call it). The guitars sing in the sort of way that Hendrix or Clapton could play. But for each stroke of genius there is indulgence. The Lamb for one is a ludicrous instrumental that could only have been made in the early 1970's.

First track on side 2 Aegian Sea however is majestic. Again the guitar comes to the fore but this is a track that has the texture and depth of Pink Floyd or early Dire Straits (yes I said early Dire Straits) Like The aforementioned Battle of the Locusts it makes you realise that these guys really could play. Perhaps the most surprising track of all however is Do it. This is a bizarre rock/funk fusion that really wouldn't sound out of place on a mix by Coldcut or a record by Red Snapper. Even that though is upstaged by the sexual outpouring and orgasmic shrieks of Irene Pappas (apparently the first take of this performance art was over 40 minutes long - now that's stamina!).

Hic et Nunc veers more towards classic 1960's psychedelia. It wouldn't be out of place next to tracks by the Small Faces and the Zombies. We then get a 19 minute 'opera within an opera' in All the seats were occupied. Funky drumbeats, cut ups from previous songs and Greek folk melodies combine in a sound that could only be described as 'progressive.' That just leaves us with Break, an Elton John style nearly hit sung by drummer Lucas Sideras.

A few things really stand out about 666. Firstly its ambition and seriousness are without question. Second, every member of the band contributes to the whole to create something that none of them could create alone. Third, thank god for punk.

Having said that, this is a fascinating listen and it has actually aged very well. Three or four tracks are stand out great prog-psych classics (Altamont is particularly good with its driving beats and talk of 'rolling people' virtually setting the template for the Verve's whole career) and one wishes more of today's guitar based acts had such a feeling of freedom and experimentation in their music making.

The 20 Greatest Warp Records Lps Part 2 (by Wil Williams)

2011-07-07T13:28:00.000-07:00

So here it is guys - the top 10 from our very special guest Wil Williams - enjoy and discover...

10. PREFUSE 73 – ONE WORD EXTINGUISHER WARP105 (2003)

Rattling through 23 tracks of glitchy breakbeats, chopped-up vocals, squelchy synths and even some glorious jazz bass and Rhodes on Uprock and Invigorate in just 60 minutes could have resulted in a car crash of an album in less capable hands than producer Scott Heren. Somehow One Word Extinguisher manages to hang together as a raw but coherent album despite its constant shifts in mood and style from the in-your-face hip-hop of The End of Biters - International through the melancholic electronica of 90% of My Mind Is With You to the soulful beats of Why I Love You and the optimistic synth drone of album highlight Choking You. This unexpected coherence may be the result of the year-long relationship breakup that accompanied the recording of the album, but what results is an album ahead of its time -it predicted many of underground hip-hop’s movements later in the decade.

9. BATTLES – MIRRORED WARP156 (2007)

Anyone who’s seen Battles live knows it’s all about the energy and intensity of drummer John Stanier and his unusually high cymbal followed closely by guitarist/keyboardist Ian Williams. They may have lost vocalist Tyondai Braxton in 2011, but how many identifiable words are to be found on Mirrored anyway, despite the numerous ahs, whistles and hums? Musically Battles’ first full-length record, has been categorized as math rock due to its complex stop-start atypical rhythms and angular dissonant guitars, but thanks partly to its release on Warp and partly to the dancefloor-friendly tribal rhythms of single Atlas it has crossed over the dance/indie divide. Race: In starts the album off sounding similar to the post-rock of Tortoise, but quickly moves into far less familiar musical territory with the elephant-like noises of Atlas and juxtaposed speed-vocals and whistling of Ddiamondd. Leyendecker (named after the Leyendeckerstrasse subway station in Cologne) offers one of Mirrored’s more restrained and catchier moments, with its killer jerky beat and wailing vocal noises, before Race: Out brings things full circle and creates an eternal loop: the album’s end “mirroring” its beginning, so producing a fittingly postmodern climax.

8. POLYGON WINDOW – SURFING ON SINE WAVES WARP7 (1993)

The fact that Aphex Twin’s first album for Warp was released under the pseudonym Polygon Window allows me to include two Richard James albums in my top twenty. Surfing on Sine Waves, second in the (Artificial Intelligence) series, is a dark, twisted album that draws equal inspiration from the Stockhausen-influenced European electronic tradition embodied by Kraftwerk as well as the funkier sounds of Atkins, May and Saunderson’s Detroit techno. Synth melodies build, interweave and decay over the beautiful brutality of the relentless thumping Roland kick drum, only letting up on final ambient track Quino-phec. The monochrome artwork perfectly captures the brooding atmosphere of loneliness and isolation that pervades the album: an agoraphobic front cover of Cornish cliffs and sea, a claustrophobic inner sleeve of Richard D. James rushing down subway steps and an enigmatic back cover showing a mysterious lone figure surfing. This album represents the triumph of machines over nature, with any human elements used only sparingly to add texture, such as the “Do-Re-Mi” sample from the Sound of Music on Supremacy II. Deemed (mistakenly) by some critics as a mere diversion in the Aphex catalogue, this album still disorientates18 years after it first appeared, no more so than on single Quoth, a drum-driven frenzy cooked up in Kernow.

7. GANG GANG DANCE – SAINT DYMPHNA WARP171 (2008)

Saint Dymphna is a complex album of contradictions to be filed under mainstream avant-garde. Opener Bebey lulls its listeners into accepting a cold, futuristic, machine-like atmosphere through woozy synths, sharp hi-hats, reverb-drenched toms and cascading keyboards then abruptly takes an unexpected turn into a number of incongruous human elements in the more ancient sounds of African drumming and melodies filtered through a New York pop sensibility. First Communion then introduces the further contradiction of a singer who does not sing. Instead, vocalist Lizzi Bougatsos shrieks, wails and howls over choppy guitars and an eighties pop chorus. Vacuum breathes life into the corpse of My Bloody Valentine, overlaying the dense mass of guitars, keyboards and noise with the sound of laser guns before suddenly dropping into the Brooklyn arthouse glitter meets East London grime of Princes featuring Tinchy Stryder. Single House Jam offers post-punk attitude delivered with pure 80s pop melodies whilst comedown closer Dust is a Middle Eastern lullaby, gently rocking Saint Dymphna to tenth place in FACT Magazine’s 100 Best Albums of the 2000s.

6. GONJASUFI – A SUFI AND A KILLER WARP172 (2010)

“There’s a Sufi and a Killer in everybody, man, and I'll be whatever I have to be just to make it through", Californian yoga teacher Samuel Ecks told The Guardian newspaper ahead of his debut genre-hopping album release for Warp. Though extremely eclectic in its sources, this is not an easy listening album with the tension between Ecks’ sufi and killer sides being played out over 19 sprawling lo-fi hip hop tracks that take in Turkish psych, acid folk, psychedelic soul, funk and Hindi movies soundtracks all filtered through a vintage fuzzbox. Ecks’ voice is rough, raw and cracked, much like the the Mojave desert, a place he calls home at least part of the time. Gaslamp Killer provides much of the production on A Sufi and Killer, delighting dusty crate-diggers with such aural treats as the Eastern chants of Kowboys and Indians. Fellow LA producers Flying Lotus and Mainframe chip in too, the former with the trippy sitars of album highlight Ancestors, the latter with the p-funk of ultra limited edition 7”single Holidays/Candylane (with its gold foil printed prayer book upping the mystical ante). Ecks also does “normal” with a twist: gentle animal-themed ballads (Sheep) as well as standard songwriters’ emotions (like the pain of loss on She’s Gone) are present, but always permeated with the reassuring fug of a cheap microphone and a dusty needle.

5. HUDSON MOHAWKE – BUTTER WARP188 (2009)

Would anyone out there have this in their Warp top 20, let alone top 10? The critics certainly wouldn’t – Butter arrived in an audacious sleeve, but to modest reviews. I’m not sure there’s anyone out there who loves Hudson Mohawke’s debut LP as much as I do (although not as much as the genius of his Polyfolk Dance EP on Warp – the pinnacle of wonky). There is nothing subtle about Butter or its influences (prog rock, 80s hip-hop, p-funk, R’n’B, computer games) – from the screeching hair metal guitar of intro Shower Melody into the bump and bombast of Gluetooth, this is an over-the-top album caught in the act of veering dangerously out of control. Joy Fantastic sounds like a Glaswegian Outkast on acid, whilst 3:30 throws things off-kilter with Hudson Mo’s beloved dislocated beats and high-pitched chipmunk vocals that permeate many of the tracks on Butter. If I had even less sense, this ridiculous album would be my Warp all-time number one, but it’s a schizophrenic album with slightly too much tasteless R’n’B (fun as it is) and slightly too little wonky mayhem such as LP highlights No One Could Ever and FUSE.

4. APHEX TWIN – RICHARD D. JAMES ALBUM WARP43 (1996)

Back in the day the mark of a good album for me meant it could fit on one side of a C90 cassette. At under 33 minutes in length, you could almost squeeze RDJ Album onto one side of a C60, with such economy of size meaning every beat and every sound needs placing with great technical precision. RDJ Album starts abruptly with 4 - straight in with strings underpinned with drill-n-bass beats as there’s no time to waste on a gently building into – this feels like an album whose raison d’etre is simply to meet its end. This sense of the difficulty of capturing the present moment reflects the album’s central theme - the Cornwall of Aphex Twin’s childhood. Whether places (Carn Marth, Goon Gumpas) or ZX Spectrum code (Peek 824545201) these are Blakean Songs of Innocence and Experience as witnessed by the cover shot of the artist’s evil grin. Fleeting memories of lost innocence are painted with extreme clashing textures – Girl/Boy Song (track 3.5, second side) is a microcosm of the album’s tension between the “innocence” of lush classical strings and soothing childlike melodies on the one hand and the butal “experience” of the undanceable drum onslaught on the other. Pitchfork hailed RDJ Album as the 40th greatest album of the 1990s and its disorientating portrait of a lost Cornish childhood hasn’t faded with age.

3. BLACK DOG PRODUCTIONS – BYTES WARP8 (1993)

The third (and best) installment of the (Artificial Intelligence) series, Bytes is both a product of and a reaction against the four-to-the-floor rave culture that dominated UK dancefloors in the early 90s. This is an intelligent yet playful album, taking cold Detroit techno as its base, then adding a warmer palette of emotion and eccentricity to transform it into something distinctly British. The playful theme continues into the sleeve notes – Bytes is presented as a compilation of different artists (apparently for contractual reasons), but each is a combination of one or more of the three London producers Ed Handley and Andy Turner (Plaid) and Ken Downie. This pseudo-compilation structure allows Black Dog Productions to experiment, innovate and produce an album of great variety with the end-of-the night acid house of Caz (by Close Up Over) sitting unproblematically next to the “Massive Attack rhythm section” meets “Aphex Twin melodies and acid piano” of Carceres Ex Novum (by Xeper). Bytes is a highly influential album and an essential chapter in the development of electronic listening music – a must have for anyone who claims to like Warp.

2. BOARDS OF CANADA – MUSIC HAS THE RIGHT TO CHILDREN WARP55 (1998)

I have no idea if Michael Sandison and Marcus Eoin had children of their own when they recorded their debut for Warp (I suspect not), but this album is the sound of childhood through adult eyes and ears. How reliable are our early memories? Was childhood really so carefree and innocent? The hazy cover shot adds to the confusion: a “family” scene depicting three adults and four children, faces removed for anonymity. But why three adults in a family scene and faces removed to protect whom? The theme of anxious nostalgia also plays out in the band’s name (taken from National Film Board of Canada) and the album’s warm 70s drenched analogue mood also appears to draw on the incidental music that would have backed these fondly (if not accurately) remembered public information films. There are standout tracks (the distant voices and fragile melodies of Turquoise Hexagon Sun; the slow squelchy krautrock of Roygbiv), but this album’s greatness is down to its homogeneity with every track and interlude playing an equally important role in delivering one of the most influential British albums of the nineties. Ranking this “pioneering collection of pastoral folktronica” at #35 in their top 100 albums of the 1990s, Pitchfork perfectly sums up Music Has the Right to Children’s considerable legacy and why the name “Boards of Canada” could just as easily refer to the whole genre of music they spawned: “Sometimes an album is so good and makes its case so flawlessly that it spawns a mini-genre of its own and becomes shorthand for a prescribed set of values”.

1. FLYING LOTUS - COSMOGRAMMA WARP195 (2010)

It may not have won him the Grammy he thought it deserved, but this is still an “important” album. Like Boards of Canada, Steve Ellison has succeeded in creating his own personal mini-genre complete with its own private mythology and symbolism, in this case the self-described “space opera”. Building on his previous album Los Angeles (another Warp classic), Cosmogramma is denser, more multi-layered (yet more coherent), has more live instrumentation and more obvious jazz influences. Like fellow visionary and astral traveller, William Blake, Ellison’s creation involves a revolution of the imagination: “I must create a system, or be enslaved by another man’s” in Blakean terms. In Cosmogramma’s case this meant freeing Flying Lotus from every limiting genre “box” he’d ever been put into and allowing his creative energy to expand into new territories of sonic innovation. Thus Los Angeles’ insular post-Dilla urban travelogue is transformed into one complete otherworldly musical movement built around several distinct passages that vary in intensity and mood to provide an absorbing electronic-organic listening experience. After the jolting full-on introduction of Clock Catcher, Pickled! and Nose Art, the electronic computer game noises of this opening three-track passage suddenly decay into the organic celestial harp and subtle orchestral sweeps of Intro//A Cosmic Drama and Zodiac Shit, invoking the spirit of Ellison’s aunt (and my favourite jazz artist), the late great jazz multi-instrumentalist Alice Coltrane. This passage continues on into the soulful Computer Face//Pure Being, album highpoint …And the World Laughs With You, featuring subtle low key vocals from Thom Yorke, and the saxophone, harp and strings of Arkestry. After the Charles Stepney-like interlude Mmmhmm, Do the Astral Plane introduces a mid-tempo 4/4 house beat to the proceedings, only for Satelllliiiiiteee to take things off the dancefloor and back into more warped listening territory. German Haircut opens a closing passage of more downtempo jazz whose beautiful bleeps, violins and harp explicitly reference Alice Coltrane on Drips//Auntie’s Harp - highly appropriate given the album was named after Ellison misheard the term “cosmic drama” on one of her recorded discourses. Waiting for a Kenya Airlines flight to Nairobi at Heathrow Terminal 3 in May 2010, I immediately felt a sense of aural superiority to all others passengers due to the privilege of hearing the just-released Cosmogramma for the first ever time. Whilst the critical jury is still out, it is the sheer level of musical imagination and ambition packed into the 17 tracks that makes this (for me) the greatest Warp album of the first twenty years.

The 20 greatest Warp Records LPs Part 1 (by Wil Williams)

2011-07-01T10:24:00.000-07:00

Wil Williams is my brother in law. In the fifteen years I've known him he's been a constant inspiration in the world of musical discovery. First drawn to music by The Smiths, he caught the first wave of acid house before discovering drum n bass, jazz and electronica, finding time along the way to be the bass player in Creation indie 'almost legends' Adorable. A constant love during our friendship has been the music of Warp records. Who better then to give you the definitive guide to the 20 greatest Warp LPs....

This is far from a perfect Top Twenty. For a start, I’m biased – my Warp is a label of electronic “listening music” for “long journeys, quiet nights and club drowsy dawns”, so you won’t find critics’ favourites like Jamie Lidell’s Multiply or Grizzly Bear’s Veckatimest in this list (unlike others). Secondly, I know much less about the middle than the beginning and the end: my love of Warp goes right back to the start with the Forgemasters, Sweet Exorcist and Nightmares on Wax. As a Warwick University student in the late eighties/early nineties I spent most weekends hitching to Sheffield to buy records from the Warp shop and then dancing to them at the Palais nightclub the same evening. I religiously bought the first 50 Warp 12”s, including every remix. Then I lost interest, picking up the odd album here and there, until Flying Lotus’ Los Angeles reminded me why Warp was such a vital label. Since 2008, Warp has released some of the best albums of the 21st century and you’ll find them below alongside early classics and rediscoveries from that lost middle period. Ranking these gems in order of greatness was an almost impossible task (which might explain why I haven’t come across another list that does so) and I’m sure there will be glaring omissions. The cut off for this list was the end of 2010 with only one entry per artist (with one exception). Listen with an open mind and “if you think on the same wavelength”, you’ll know who to contact/send tapes to.

Wil, Coventry, June 2011

20. AUTECHRE – AMBER WARP25 (1994)

If you’re an Autechre fan reading this you may well be thinking why choose Amber over the progressively more experimental Tri Repetae (1995) or Confield (2001)? The answer is because I am not an Autechre fan and Sean Booth and Rob Brown’s second lp for Warp is simply a lot more fun and a lot less irritating than these other more critically acclaimed albums. Building on first lp Incunabula, Amber is a spacier, more ambient affair than it predecessor, displaying far greater diversity of sound and mood by toning down the beats and turning up the synths. Whilst chin-stroking is deferred to foot-tapping on Amber’s funky (almost bouncy) numbers Montreal, Slip and Piezo, there are still the trademark darker angrier moments like the ten-minute Further and final track Teartear. There are also some stunningly sparse and subtle pieces like the drumless Yulquen and the hoover-bass groove of Nil which only add to the album’s overarching mood: the pleasure of isolation as visualized in the sleeve’s depiction of a pink sun-bathed desert landscape devoid of life.

19. BROADCAST – HAHA SOUND WARP106 (2003)

Are Broadcast just a second-rate Stereolab? A third-rate United States of America? Or to mutate a line from LFO’s We Are Back, just imitators of the true creators? On their second album proper, the Birmingham quintet discover their own vintage sound: a fusion of Western pop with exotic charity shop influences taking in easy listening and European art film soundtracks, framed crucially with noisy rough edges. For me, the fairground tweeness of opener Colour Me In grates a little as it lacks the layer of “atmospheric noise” that sits behind the best of Haha Sound, such as the percussive clatter and throb on final track Hawk. Things quickly look up though after this false start. Before We Begin and Valerie both create a musical atmosphere of wistful childlike nostalgia for singer Trish Keenan (who sadly died in January 2011) to populate with her consciously fragile vocals whilst Pendulum sees Keenan’s cool soft tones layered over a harder screechy krautrock soundtrack to great effect, justifying Haha Sound’s 121st place in Pitchfork’s Top 200 Albums of the 2000s?

18. SQUAREPUSHER – ULTRAVISITOR WARP117 (2004)

There are a number of clues on Ultravisitor that Squarepusher might be about to surprise and do something “accessible”. Firstly, the black and white images that dominate previous covers are replaced by a colour photo of Jenkinson himself staring bleary-eyed out of the sleeve. Secondly, there’s the sound of a fake live audience on several tracks, whose applause is acknowledged on Circlewave by an intimate “hello, my name is Thomas Jenkinson” from the previously reclusive artist. All intriguing stuff, but thankfully there are incredible tunes to back up this new user-friendly persona. Whilst opener Ultravisitor continues the drill-and-bass theme of previous outings, this time round the Aphex-like melody is allowed to dominate rather than dissolve. Then there’s the strong jazz theme that runs throughout, starting with the gentle (beat-less) guitar strummings of I Fulcrum and stunning lp highlight Iambic 9 Poetry, a minor key battle between jazz drums and keys where once again melody wins. There are still many disorientating passages, such as the wonderful eight-and-half-minute urban nightmare of 50 Cycles, but Ultravisitor is all the better for its “accessible” side and represents the pinnacle of Sqaurepusher on Warp.

17. !!! – MYTH TAKES WARP154 (2007)

Were Fujiya and Miyagi to move to Brooklyn and undergo a conversion to rockabilly, then the result might sound something like the reverb guitar-ladden krautrock of the opening and title track on !!! (Chk Chk Chk)’s third album Myth Takes. From here on in the disco-punk-funk dancefloor onslaught rarely lets up. Standout third track Must Be The Moon starts off reminiscent of Kuff Dam-era Happy Mondays before Nic Offer’s falsetto vocals interspersed with him rapping over a stripped down breakbeat remind us that this is very much a New York lp. Bend Over Beethoven cranks up the already dizzying hypnotic groove before the pace relents for the psychedelic guitars of the horn-stab-driven Break in Case of Anything and the warm bursts of falsetto on come-down track and album closer Infinifold. It’s Warp, but not as we knew it.

16. BIBIO - AMBIVALENCE AVENUE WARP177 (2009)

Nothing in Stephen Wilkinson’s previous three (heavily Boards of Canada-influenced) Bibio albums hinted at the range of musical styles and songwriting talent that burst out of his stunning Warp debut Ambivalence Avenue. From the Shuggie Ottis-like psychedelic soul of Jealous of Roses through the gentle guitar folk of All the Flowers and Abrasion to the Dilla-heavy beats of Fire Ant and the intergalactic space-funk of S’Vive, the nostalgic natural world influences are still to be heard, but as background textures rather than foreground songwriting substitutes. Advertising executives know a good tune when they hear one and have plundered Ambivalence Avenue’s warm melodies, most notably Amazon Kindle’s appropriation of standout track Lovers’ Carvings with its Walt Whitman-inspired “all is divine and mysterious” theme: "Divine am I inside and out, and I make holy whatever I touch or am touched from". Bibio has risen above his influences and produced an electronic album of enormous depth and variety.

15. RED SNAPPER – OUR AIM IS TO SATISFY WARP78 (2000)

I saw them live only once at a pop festival in 99 where former Spice Girl Mel C was bottled off for attempting a Sex Pistols cover. Even in a field in broad daylight I was suitably moved by the intensity of Red Snapper’s beat-heavy acoustic-electric fusion to tell anyone who would listen that I had never been happier in my life. Our Aim is to Satisfy is the only Red Snapper album that comes close to capturing the raw power of that live performance. The tight drum and double bass-led funk onslaught of its first half (broken up momentarily by the slower soulful Shellback) runs seamlessly into the rub-a-dub soul of I Stole Your Car before jarring into the much colder, melancholic/ paranoid tones of the stunning climactic sequence of Alaska Street, Belladonna and They’re Hanging Me Tonight. It is this closing 3-song album-within-an-album that represents for me Red Snapper’s finest achievement, but the brilliance of the full lp is recognised by its inclusion in Robert Dimery’s 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

14. SPEEDY J – GINGER WARP14 (1993)

In his review of Ginger (“a masterpiece of techno music as audio design”) for the US Allmusic blog, Joshua Glazer makes the somewhat far-fetched claim that the catalogue of Dutch techno producer Jochem Paap “easily matches the Beatles in terms of diversity, development and absolute quality”. Whilst Paap’s firmly four-to-the-floor debut lp (Number 6 in the (Artificial Intelligence) series) wouldn’t cause Lennon/McCartney too many sleepless nights as songwriters, Ginger does offer twelve beautifully layered and arranged slabs of what Warp termed electronic listening music with some highly memorable melodies woven in. Highlights include the Reuben Wilson Got to Get Your Own bass-line sampling funk of Beam Me Up!; the warm euphoric synth waves of Fill 14 and single Pepper; and the incredible closing track De-Orbit: the anthem of the Artificial Intelligence series and an absolute all-time Warp classic.

13. TORTOISE – STANDARDS WARP81 (2001)

Seneca announces Tortoise’s arrival on Warp with a chaotic bang: Jeff Parker’s spaghetti western guitar wrestles with John McEntire’s demolishing of his drum kit to suddenly dissolve into the funkiest, eeriest jam on any “post-rock” record I’ve heard. The quirky off-beat percussion and squelchy synths of Eros take forward the funk theme, especially when the killer jazz-funk bassline kicks in, before sliding into the more familiar post-rock territory of Benway. Firefly ditches the complex rhythms and time signature changes for electronic atmospherics before launching into the guitar-hook laden pop of Six Pack, the closest the Chicago five-piece get to conventional or catchy. Further on, Blackjack layers xylophones and Morricone guitars over a pulsating beat to produce the imaginary soundtrack of a sci-fi western. This is an album where every track is a highlight offering its own peculiar fusion of styles and sounds and whilst not Tortoise’s most experimental work, it offers a route into one of the most important American bands of the last twenty years.

12. LFO – FREQUENCIES WARP3 (1991)

House. What is House? Dedicated to the “Pioneers of the Hypnotic Groove”, Frequencies opens by listing the Leeds producers’ influences (Eno, Tangerine Dream, Kraftwerk, Depeche Mode, YMO) before providing one of the most thrilling moments of the whole Warp catalogue: the drop from opener “Intro” into the label’s first major hit single, the incredible acid-fuelled LFO (Low Frequency Oscillation). Whilst not every track lives up to the magic of this opening sequence (in particular third track Simon from Sydney), Frequencies does manage to capture in its bleeps and rumbling sub-bass the spirit of late 80s/early 90s British acid house, notably in vinyl side one closer We Are Back. “There are many imitators, but we are the true creators” states a voice reminiscent of sentient computer Alpha 60 in Jean-Luc Godard’s Alphaville and like Godard’s dystopian sci-fi classic, Frequencies represents the distorted sound of a nostalgic future and one of the most influential British dance albums of the nineties.

11. NIGHTMARES ON WAX - SMOKERS DELIGHT WARP36 (1995)

The concept behind Warp’s Artificial Intelligence series was to create electronic listening music for the post-club comedown. Based on my experience of 5am in rented rooms in Coventry and Sheffield, a “hip-hop” (not trip hop) album called Smokers Delight (why no apostrophe?) fulfilled that role instead in the mid-90s. In the four-year gap since first lp A Word of Science (containing the Warp classic Aftermath), E.A.S.E. (aka George Evelyn) had lost partner Boy Wonder and found new member Robin Taylor Firth, resulting in NOW’s greatest work. Night’s Introlude kicks things off with that killer Quincy Jones sample from Summer in the City, referencing Nights Interlude on A Word of Science, an intertextual theme that would continue on to Les Nuits on third lp Carboot Soul (again emerging after a 4-year hiatus). Unlike Aphex Twin, NOW have no desire to spoil the comedown party by throwing a drill & bass curveball into the ambient mix halfway through to terrify its listeners. Instead, Smokers Delight is a smooth coherent (if one-dimensional) smokers’ delight of soulful samples (The Dells, Smokey Robinson, Positive Force, Bob James) and keyboards over dub-infused bass and laid-back hip hop beats with the occasional melodic guitar riff keeping things “herbalized”.

Hidden gem: Voyager (A jouney into discoid funk) - Brian Bennett

2011-06-24T08:06:00.000-07:00

Cliff Richard has arguably contributed much to the world of modern music but few recognise his role in the evolution of cosmic disco...

The Balearic disco sound has gained many followers in the last few decades, its fusion of dubby bass and electronic effects providing a natural progression from the chillout sound. Starting in the clubs of Northern Italy in the 1980's this sound has broken with the club community worldwide with Scandinavian producers in particular (Prins Thomas, Lindstrom etc) even providing new recordings to take the sound forward.

Quite what constitutes cosmic disco is open to interpretation. Some would argue that it needs to have an African or Latin dimension while others would argue that it has a rock element, most would argue it features both in some form. Whatever it is, it has provided the soundtrack for some of the world's cooler clubs and bars in recent years. The genre's revival has led to a picking over of songs that might previously have been dismissed as indulgent or electronic folly. The key records are generally regarded to have come from Italy and the southern Mediterranean but surprisingly a small number of British library records are similar in feel.

One such record is Brian Bennett's Voyage (A journey into discoid funk). Bennett had started his career as a drummer, notably with Cliff in the Shadows, before moving into TV theme and soundtrack work. Voyage was recorded in 1977, the year of Star Wars when sci-fi was all the rage.Notable in its sound are the synthesizers which were played by Francis Monkman (Previously of the band Sky). The record manages to combine rock, funk, disco, prog and library sounds to create an out worldly adventure that manages to sound as if it was created thirty years later.

Voyage doesn't feature any vocals. Instead it uses the key analogue synthesizers of the day (such as the Prophet 5) to lead the listener into outer space. Opening interlude Voyage gives way to Solstice, one of the key tracks (famously sampled by Nas on Find your wealth). The start of the track builds suspense akin to something from the soundtracks of Close Encounters or Star Wars before huge drum rolls bring in an irresistible disco groove. Things slow down considerably for Chain Reaction. This is the sort of late night disco sleaze that sounds great post-club five am - think Twighlight by Maze if you know that track.... it really wouldn't surprise you if this had been made in the last five years. Phenomenal Handclap Band are just one act of recent years who sound a lot like this.

Pendulum Force (even the names of the tracks are ace) is another 7 minute voyage and by now you are realising that we aren't going to get much of a departure from spaced analogue synth and huge rolling drums but the fact is its such a great sound...the drums provide a virtual template for the 4/4 house beats that would become so omnipresent a decade later and the synths provide the funky feel of disco. Air Quake has a lighter touch but again the drums push it through to what is essentially an early downtempo dance track. Final track Ocean Glide takes longer to get going - essentially starting with a drum solo (this was the 1970's after all) before dirty discoid funk is well and truly delivered.

Voyage does one thing but does it exceptionally well - delivering a disco album with the dynamics of house music - little wonder its been picked up by many collectors in the know. Its not a particularly expensive record so if you see it you know what to do.

Album review: Bon Iver - Bon Iver (4AD)

2011-06-17T09:57:00.000-07:00

There are many artists who have recieved a late career boost from a younger act citing their legacy. Issac Hayes probably got a good boost from Massive Attack's Blue Lines while Peter Gabriel undoubtedly restored some street cred when he was name checked on Vampire Weekend's debut. Few though would have anticipated the ressurection of Bruce Hornsby and the Range.

Much has been made of Beth/Rest the final track on Bon Iver's second album. Its unadshamedly 80's with drum machines, squealing guitar solos and acres of synths. Justin Vernon (for he is Bon Iver) happily accepts the debt he owes to Bruce and this is certainly one of the most unexpected new directions for an artist to take this year. The AOR influence on artists you might term 'alt-country' has undoubtedly been growing in the last couple of years. One of the stand out albums of last year, John Grant's Queen of Denmark also eagerly embraced the 1980's sound despite having Midlake as it's house band but Beth/Rest goes beyond an 80's 'feel' to a full embrace of 80's technology and approach. Its likely to alienate at least some fans who were charmed by his previous work.

Its the culmination of a fascinating journey undertaken by Vernon since his debut For Emma Forever Ago made considerable waves on its release in 2008. Let us not forget that this was a record made in a log cabin off the back of a painful break up. Unlike many of my peers, this album never really grabbed me, I found it rather one dimensional. It was only when I caught Bon Iver live (at the Green Man festival in 2009) that I 'got' it. The sound was much more expansive than on record, reminding me of Pink Floyd which is no bad thing at a festival. Since then Vernon has recorded with artists as diverse as Har Mar Superstar and Kanye West so to expect straight ahead Americana was probably pushing it this time round.

The first thing that strikes you is the sheer variety of instrumentation. As well as guitar we get analogue synths, violins, piano, saxaphone and what sounds like a marching drum. This is certainly not a man resting on his laurels. His musical capability is certainly greater than it was just two years ago and the sound as a whole is much richer. This is oddly a record that could only have been made at this point in time - despite the debt it owes to the likes of the Band and Simon and Garfunkul there are clear hints of electronica and Sufjan Stevens as well as the aforementioned decade that taste forgot.

Opening track Perth is a baffling statement of intent. It's gentle guitar soon gives way to military drumming which is in turn replaced with what can only be described as rock power riffs and trumpets. Its as odd as it sounds and immediately clear that what we are dealing with here is far more complex than a solo accoustic record. Minnesota, WI maintains this momentum bringing a saxaphone into play over beautifully plucked guitar. Things slow down for Holocene which is more akin to the For Emma era material. 'I can see for miles and miles and miles' Vernon wails over a floyd-esque backing track. It's quite possibly the loveliest thing he's yet recorded. Towers is more of an ensemble piece and is deeply rooted in the Americana tradition of the Band and more recently the likes of Vetiver. A number of the tracks from hereon in start as conventional songs but them disintegrate to enable different instruments and sounds to glide in and out of the mix. The alt-country tag is still relevant but there are also hints of 80's balladry and even free jazz. The 80's sound first emerges on the heavily stylised vocals of Hinnome, TX but really comes to the fore on Calgary which somehow made me think of Simple Mind's Belfast Child being relocated to the forests of Canada.

Lyrics as a whole are fairly difficult to define. Justin's falsetto vocal makes individual words hard to pick out and even when you can make out the words, the themes they convey seem fairly opaque. However, this is more an album of mood than specific tales and is a major step forward in ambition and sound from his previous long player. Overall a record that is nicely balanced - both traditional and contemporary, accoustic and electronic, emotional but effective. We might just see a surge in Bruce Hornsby sales yet...

Why David Cameron is the new Tipper Gore...

2011-06-10T09:54:00.000-07:00

Amongst all the recent furore about the Government's clampdown on the sexualisation of young children (like who is going to disagree with that?!) few noticed the proposal to apply age restrictions to music videos. Reg Bailey of the Mother's Union (anyone denote the irony in that? A man fronting an organisation called Mother's union) claims that the Government should 'consult as a matter of priority on whether music videos should continue to be treated differently from other genres,.'

This proposal worries me on all sorts of levels and it is my strong suspicion that this is censorship via the back door. As a teenager during the 1980's I remember well the ridiculous posturing of Tipper Gore and the PMRC and their witch hunt against stars of heavy metal and hip hop - claiming that Judas Priest were inciting suicide, 2-Live Crew rape and Ozzy Osbourne satanism. Looking back now, these claims seem ridiculous and I think in years to come people will say the same about the likes of Rhianna and Nelly being seen to promote underage sex.

There are numerous reasons that this thinking is misguided. Firstly, by putting age restrictions on these videos you aren't necessarily going to stop young people seeing them. Far more effective would be a proposal to educate parents not to expose their children to sexualised imagery. Secondly, by making these videos restricted you are only going to increase the desire of young people to see them. Who hasn't got a story to tell about a time when they were a teenager trying to see an 18 movie? Thirdly, everyone has a different view about what is morally acceptable. Is Rhianna's crotch waving any more offensive than Eminem's aggression or Aphex Twin's disturbing imagery? As soon as you introduce a ratings system these decisions have to be made and its a moral minefield - someone also has to take on the role of regulator. Fourth, it will hit the record industry (already under the cosh) as mainstream stores refuse to stock particular product because its deemed offensive (see how Walmart have applied such policies in their stores in the USA). Finally, its a slippery slope - once such restrictions are introduced the possibility of outright bans are so much more likely.

The reality is that the best judges of the impact of these videos are young people themselves. Its only a matter of time before the hip hop video of champagne, beamers and hos will become depressingly formalistic (if it hasn't already) and at that point youth culture will simply move onto a new genre or look that seems more engaging and exciting. Until then we are probably stuck with this nonsense but, in my opinion, its everyone's right to watch what they want to and if parents want to keep this material away from their kids then they should do just that - legislating against it simply won't help.

Hidden gem - Laughing Stock by Talk Talk (Written by Jim Caig)

2011-06-03T10:31:00.000-07:00

I've known Jim Caig for well over a decade now. We rib Jim about being a mod because he's a sharp dresser and likes the Who but he is an all round great guy and has an encyclopedic knowledge of music. Many has been the time we've had a heated debate on acts as diverse as Fairport Convention, the Bee Gees and Primal Scream. It seems wholly appropriate therefore that Jim do the first ever guest post on Monobrow Sounds Off and tells us of his love of Hidden Gem by Talk Talk. Ladies and Gentlemen I give you Gentleman Jim...

It starts with what sounds like some tape hiss, then a strummed chord. Sounds more like warming up than a statement of intent, to be honest. What follows is five minutes of music so stately, so graceful, it almost feels like it isn't moving. Strings don't so much swell or stir, or even decorate. They find a plane and they stay there. A jazz double bass lazily finds some kind of rhythm. A piano glacially tiptoes towards some kind of melody. The singer exclaims, half intelligibly, some lines that may or may not be a verse or a chorus. Less a song, more a 'piece', the challenge to find a pattern, some sense of place, is soon forgotten. You're happy just to drift along in its apparently aimless wake.

Myrrhman is the opener to Talk Talk's final album, which is titled Laughing Stock. If it is supposed to be funny, then perhaps the band really did go out on as perverse a note as they intended. The song, and the album as a whole is decidedly, professionally, 'serious'. This simply wasn't how a pop group behaved in 1991. By then, though, you wouldn't have blamed them for having thoroughly lost their sense of humour. Misguidedly promoted as some sort of intelligent Duran Duran in the early 80s, they got moody very quickly. The titles of their big hits - It's My Life and Life's What You Make It - may sound like hymns to the go-getting, empowered, Thatcherite spirit of the decade that produced them, but the records themselves resist that label. Instead they sound like charged, miserablist refusal of the conformist agenda of the times.

After the mid-80s epic The Colour Of Spring, Talk Talk turned even more inward. The beatific, complicated masterpiece Spirit Of Eden sold terribly, but it was, and remains, awe-inspiring. Religious emotions run high, songs stretch out for 8 minutes at a go, the music peaks and crashes and swells and breaks and surges and cries. The musician credits are fastidiously multi-instrumentalist, and read like something from a particularly far-out Spiritualized album.

Laughing Stock picks up where Spirit Of Eden left off. It's generally quieter - only Lambchop make records this quiet with so much musicality in them - and even more insular, more even perhaps, and sometimes more resigned. The vocals are hard to make out. The meditative guitars and delicate piano contrast with the occasional hymnal surge of a church organ. Brushed drums are jazz-tinged and skittish, if they're there at all. It is hypnotic, beautiful and strange post-rock.

Once Myrrhman has eked to a close, Ascension Day, perhaps the most conventional thing here, arrives. The double bass flurries and flows; the rhythm is urgent and focused - a strung-out kind of gospel blues.

The biblical allusions continue with Laughing Stock's nine-minute centre-piece, After The Flood. Built on a cushioned Can beat, its meditative mood slowly circles, swelled by gospel organ, backward-sounding loops and incantatory singing. When it fades, a hushed blues riff augurs the segue into Taphead, whose long, controlled, contemplative intro makes it the moment that most compares with Spirit Of Eden. The song best illustrates how Talk Talk carefully but effectively alter the mood of the listener. The quiet certainty of After The Flood is gone, replaced by an eerie feeling that all is not quite as it should be. The controlled shifts in emphasis mean you're always leaning in, rather than sitting back. The overall impression is of a religious faith that is as painful and questioning as it is celebratory.

The redemptive and shimmering New Grass is next, with kind-of-blue drums, hymnal organ and guitar. If an album can have two centre-pieces, then this is the other: long, slow, patient. The closing Runeii is even more glacial than Myrrhman, such is its ruminative sense of home-coming.

With that Laughing Stock, and Talk Talk's recording career, is over. The record got lost at the time, partly because it was competing with the band's label reissuing those 80s classics and seeing them chart big-time. The songs here couldn't help but sound weird next to that, or anything else being released at the time. It didn't exactly fit with Madchester.

The band's pioneer spirit does warrant comparisons with another band, though, just starting out in the early 90s. Like Radiohead, they fled the expectations of others. Their pioneer spirit was single-mindedly indulgent, in the best sense of that word. They both rejected the norms of the record industry, even fighting with their record label for custody of their own music. And, ultimately, they both crafted a singular style of post-rock that completely reinvented what bands should consider within their remit. That Laughing Stock should have come 11th in Pitchfork’s list of the 1990s hundred best albums tells you something of the regard in which they should be held.

Radiohead are perhaps the group that benefited most from the way Talk Talk defined what cerebral rock might do with the possibilities of the 1980s electronic music revolution. They may not have received the same sort of universal acclaim, but history should prove that neither were they any kind of laughing stock.

Jim Caig, June 2011

Hidden Gem: Motor Bass Get Phunked Up - La Funk Mob (Mowax)

2011-05-27T08:55:00.000-07:00

Leaving home for the first time is one of the formative times in any person’s life. In my case it was when I left Gloucestershire at the age of eighteen to go and live in Liverpool. Initial disorientation soon gave way to new friends, nights out and exciting new music.

Our night out of choice at the university was 'Boogie Shoo' – a jazz, funk and soul night in the predictably named Mandela Bar. It was basically a long, dark room but double gin and tonics were a quid (cheap even in 1992) and my friends Rhys, Anj and Yuri span the tunes. Most of the selections were fairly predictable jazz funk standards – Gil Scott Heron’s The Bottle, Roy Ayer’s He’s a superstar, the odd Tribe Called Quest track perhaps...there was one song in particular though that really caught my ear. It was without much vocal and very slow, taking almost two minutes for any sort of melody to kick in, but it had a groove and was as deep as anything I'd ever heard. It started like a dance track but when the bass kicked in it was really funky. Rhys a.k.a. Boney M.Organ, would bring it in over the top of other tracks, slowly building the tension before a huge bass kicked in and about 20 students would get lost in a sea of dry ice.

I had to know what the track was and sure enough it was Motor bass get phunked up by La Funk Mob. In the twenty years since I first heard it I’ve never tired of it. It is a perfect example of a track that takes it time getting to where it is going but once you’ve ‘got it’ it stays with you forever, the sort of track in which you can lose yourself and forget everything else that is going on in the world. Starting with a suspense laden cymbal, it breaks down in the middle, a European female voice uttering ‘Paris, London, from La Funk Mob’. The only other vocal is a man claiming ‘this is some good stuff man’, one assumes he’s not talking about gin n' tonic. This track is effortlessly cool, recalling Trans Europe Express, 80’s electro and even jazz rather than the other Mowax tracks of the time.

La Funk Mob were actually Hubert Blanc Francard (Boom Bass) and Philippe Zdar Cerboneschi and would later become French house legends Cassius. They started working together in 1988 producing MC Solaar, in 1991 they formed La Funk Mob. La Funk Mob never got the kudos or commercial success that Cassius (or even another of their projects Motorbass) achieved but its doubtful that they’ve ever bettered this track.

Some music isn’t easy, you have to work at it to get it but when you do it means more. Motor Bass Get Phunked Up is a perfect example.

Album review: Goblin - Tyler the Creator (XL)

2011-05-20T10:23:00.000-07:00

From Elvis to Eminem via the Sex Pistols, Beastie Boys and Guns n' Roses, controversy is a fairly bankable marketing approach in the music industry. It certainly seems to be paying off for Odd Future (or Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All to give them their full name). The LA Hip Hop collective have certainly generated plenty of column inches if not sales as yet. Their dark raps about faggots and rape aren't to everybody's taste but many music lovers acknowledge that they have a certain appeal with their atmospheric production and innovative approach to spreading their sound (up to now free via their tumblr site). The lyrical content issue reverts back to the old chestnut about whether they are utterly misogynistic or whether they are portraying a gothic fantasy (see also Ice T and Eminem). Personally I find it a bit distasteful and unnecessary as there are plenty of ways of keeping it real without reverting to homophobia and sexual aggression (Public Enemy managed it as did the Stooges) but I guess that's being 18 for you.

The undisputed leader of the crew is Tyler the Creator. His Bastard LP was an immediate darkcore hip hop classic. I loved its cinematic production and dark gravelly monotone raps and so was most excited to hear the first Odd Future release proper (e.g. on CD) Goblin. The album effectively already has two hit singles. Yonkers and Sandwiches have been doing the rounds for some time on the net and Sandwiches was performed in their memorable debut TV performance on the Jimmy Fallon show.

Goblin sets out its stall from the outset 'I'm not a fucking role model' Tyler tells his therapist alter ego, the pitched down Dr TC. The wonderful Yonkers highlights his self awareness ' I'm a fucking walking paradox' he proclaims over Wu style beats and deep bass. Indeed he is, on one hand he is deeply offensive, and yet, throughout Goblin he hints at a vulnerability and insecurity about his place in the world. He needn't worry - he certainly has the talent to reach out to his own age group. You can almost smell the putrid stench of a Reading Festival moshpit on Radicals as he intones the Odd Future Mantra 'Kill people, burn shit, fuck school'. This might just be the best track on the album especially when it suddenly breaks with a lovely coda that wouldn't be out of place on an Aerial Pink Graffiti record.

Its sad then, that after this electric start, things go rapidly downhill. Transylvania is bland while Nightmare is one dimensional. Tron Cat is better although the claim 'i'm snorting Hitler's ashes' shows Tyler's ability to break yet another taboo but its only when we reach track 9 Sandwiches, where things pick up again. Its no coincidence that this is one of the tracks here with a stronger melody than others which are essentially skits or rants over beats.

Tyler does himself no favours with two tracks Boppin' Bitch and Bitch Suck Dick which reveal his misogyny - this stuff is really tiresome and also warrants suggestions that the album lacks focus in places (it is far too long). Tyler is undeniably a talent but needs to reign himself in in both subject matter and delivery. Window is a perfect example, its the longest track on the album and deals with Tyler's ruminations on his new found fame 'at school I was zero, now I'm every boy's hero' but there is little in the track to warrant repeated listens.

Surprisingly, one of the best bits of the record is instrumental. Au79 provides a welcome respite from the soul searching and misery. The final quarter of the album in general picks up a little (with references to lost Odd Future associate Earl in abundance) but the record as a whole is rather an anti-climax after such a promising start and nowhere near as coherent as Bastard. Undoubtedly the best tracks are the ones with a more melodic approach (some of the singing from collaborator Hodgy Beats is superb).

Tyler isn't the finished article for sure but his talent is undeniable and Odd Future remains one of the most exciting developments in hip hop in recent years.

Album review: House of Balloons - The Weeknd

2011-05-13T10:40:00.000-07:00

I can't claim to be any expert in RnB. I sort of lost interest around the time that Missy Elliot last made a decent record (Work it?). It's fair to say though that it probably hasn't had it's best period in recent years. It is easy to forget that at the turn of the millennium, Missy's producer (Timbaland) and others like the Neptunes were being feted as the very best in the world. Magazines were waxing lyrical about their ability to use techno style stabbing beats to modernise the urban sound. Then we had Chris Brown, R Kelly's increasingly bizarre behaviour and a lot of records that sounded tired and formulaic.

Imagine my surprise then when I heard the Weeknd's House of Balloons. The Weeknd are clouded in mystery but are supposedly Abel Tesfaye (vocals) and Jeremy Rose (production) and hail from Toronto. They have made this album freely available to legally download (see link below), incredible given that its the most fresh sounding RnB album I've heard for some time. What is immediately apparent is the sense of space in their sound - clearly influenced by US chillwave and possibly even London's post dubstep scene. This all adds a slightly melancholy vibe to the production. The album take the listener on a journey through a night (or indeed a weekend) out and there are melodic hooks and crazy lyrics aplenty to keep things interesting throughout.

The opening two tracks ease us in before third track Glass table G. This starts a bit like something off the last Fever Ray album but then, three minutes in, shifts completely with a buzzy bass and vocals about the culmination of a wild night out. 'She give me sex in a handbag, I get her wetter than a wet mag' - it's sleazy, un-PC and quite brilliant. I doubt I'll hear a more compulsive piece of music all year. Next track The Morning is a much more conventional RnB track with its talk of 'pussy assed niggas' but still finds time to talk about codeine cups. Wicked games has electric guitar straight out of an 80's film soundtrack but Abel's vocal soars to create a blissed out coke haze - it's absolutely lovely in a really guilty pleasures way. By this stage, halfway through the record, an open minded listener can't help but be drawn in even if this isn't their natural territory. You feel dirty listening to it but its so good you can't help it - sort of how you feel watching Top Gun or Dirty Dancing.

The second half of the record in particular shows that the band have pretty varied taste. Indie is not an unknown quantity to Weeknd with both Siouxxe and the Banshee's Happy Home and Beach House being sampled. The band that spring to mind most though are the XX - not only because of the sense of space but also the way that they are happy to let a song unfold at it's own pace - quite a feat on a debut album where the temptation is inevitably to make every song 'matter'. A perfect exmple is Coming Down which drifts by effortlessly in the way Fleetwood Mac's Albatros would if it had R Kelly singing over the top of it. Loft Music is another highlight - 'I hear noises in the bathroom' again hints at the debauchery of the main protagonist. Final track The Knowing is frankly ludicrous. Its clearly an atempt to end things on a slightly more meaningful note and wouldn't necessarily sound out of place in a Disney movie (think Lion King) with its anthemic afro balladry.

The album as a whole is undoubtedly over the top in its hedonistic melodrama but is utterly enthralling. This is clearly a record that can only benefit from being played very loud on a car soundsystem - and how many records can you say that about recently? The production is superb and the vocal exposes a drug-addled vulnerability that many will relate to. I've been playing it to death over recent weeks and I think (especially given that its absolutely free) you should check it out too....let me know what you think.
http://the-weeknd.com/

The 20 greatest DJ mixes

2011-05-06T11:17:00.000-07:00

The album is deemed the connoisseur’s method of listening to music but for a thrilling ride through genres and sounds nothing beats a DJ mix. The mix enables the listener to hear songs out of context alongside sounds they would never have envisaged to create something new. I remember listening to an essential mix by the Freestylers (anyone remember them?) which started with a combination of the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy theme, Beenie Man and Public Enemy - it was quite simply one of the most thrilling things I have ever heard. A great DJ mix seamlessly blends records that no-one would have put together in such a way that it seems entirely logical – taking the listener on a journey of twists and turns through differing moods and tempos. Some focus solely on dance music with a 4/4 beat, others eschew this for a more esoteric take on great songwriting of the last 50 years (Air spring to mind). Here are 20 of the very best....if you have your own favourite please mention it in the comments below so that others can enjoy your choice...

20. Beat up the NME - Fatboy Slim (1997)

A mix given away on Cassette with the NME. Norman Cook is now best known for his big beat sound and there are a number of tracks here that hint at this (most notably Pierre Henry's Psyche Rock and tracks from Psychedelia Smith and Bassbin Twins) but this also covers drum n bass (EPS and 2-Vybe's Hype the Funk - which went on to become my favourite track of the genre) and UK garage (Double 99's Rip Groove). A great listen in the car.

19. Another late night – Zero 7 (2002)

A personal favourite. I particularly love the mix of Da Lata's Pra Manha into Herbert's mix of Serge Gainsbourg's Bonnie and Clyde. This also features a number of quality mellow hip hop tracks by the likes of Madlib, Souls of Mischief and Roots Manuva. Anotherlatenight have cornered the niche in nice post-club vibes and their overall quality control is high.

18. Live in LA - Z-Trip (2003)

Don't like DJs and dance music? Try this. Z-Trip mixes up classic rock breaks (Zeppelin, ACDC, The Who) and mixes them up with hip hop beats (Jaz Z, Outkast) to devastating effect. One for the Luddites but great goofy fun.

17. Fabric - Swayzak (2003)

Techno mixes tend to leave me a bit cold. There is rarely enough variety to sustain interest over a longer period. That's why I like this one so much - despite essentially being deep techno all the way through it is varied enough to draw you in. After hearing this I've been after the Herbert mix of Louie Austen's Hoping for half a decade....also includes the wonderful DFA remix of Metro Area's Orange Alert and LCD Soundsystem amongst more obscure tracks. The blending is excellent as well.

16. Sleepwalk - Optimo (2008)

One of the more subtle mixes on this list, Glasgow legends Optimo create a mellow after hours mix which manages to be electronica without focusing on current names. Kraut artists such as Cluster are mixed with the likes of Coil, Arthur Russell and Duke Ellington. This transcends genre creating a spiritual vibe that takes you to another world.

15. Death Mix Live!! - Africa Baambaata (1985)

Recorded at a High School in the Bronx, this perfectly captures the energy and excitement of early hip hop and is hugely influential despite appalling sound quality. DJ Shadow famously copied the cover many years later. Includes the Drells, Edwin Starr and the Jackson's timeless It's Great to be here.

14. Brainfreeze - Cut Chemist and DJ Shadow (1999)

Shadow and Cut Chemist blew everyone else out of the water when this arrived in 1999. Clearly influenced by the cut and paste of Double Dee and Steinski. This is a brilliant use of classic soul and funk reinvented for the hip hop generation. Inevitably the 1000 copies pressed sold out and it has been widely bootlegged.

13. The K and D sessions - Kruder and Dorfmeister (1998)

Less a DJ mix, more a collection of mixes by DJs, this is probably owned by every coffee shop in the country. There is no doubt that the impact of this record has been dulled by familiarity. When it was first released it was like nothing else, The Viennese duo's mellow beats weaved a heady flow through Roni Size, Lamb and Depeche Mode to name but three and created the perfect soundtrack for any time of day. Their remix of Bomb the Bass's Bug Powder Dust in particular was a complete reworking of the original for the post Massive Attack generation. It sold by the bucketload simply because it was so good....Immaculately stoned.

12. Journey's by DJ, Desert Island Mix - Norman Jay and Gilles Peterson (1997)

Arguably the two most influential British DJs of the last 20 years teamed up for this effort to choose their desert island discs and both excel. Jay focuses heavily on disco with a couple of Voices of East Harlem tracks, Pattie Jo's Make me believe in you and a wonderful use of a hip hop beat over Hall and Oates' Maneater. Peterson predictably takes a more gentle route but manages to weave in Roni Size, Jazzanova and Rotary Connection's Black Gold of the Sun which has become one of his signature tunes.

11. Fabric – Diplo (2005)

For sheer enjoyment, this mix takes some beating. Heavy on classic electro (Cybotron, Debbie Deb, Freestyle) but wildly eclectic. The mix of the Cure's Lovesong into Outkast's Bombs over Baghdad is just wonderful. Brings the spirit of Fabric to the living room. Diplo has done many other fine mixes covering styles from Baille Funk to classic Psych.

10. Essential Mix – Air (1998)

There are a number of French acts that have produced DJ mixes of exemplar quality. Check out Pheonix's Kitsune Tabloid for one. Air really did excel as well though and this Radio 1 mix captures them at their best. Its all fairly mellow but its a lovely mix of the Theme from Mash, the Pharcyde, David Bowie and, somewhat predictably, Serge Gainsbourg.

9. The Document - Andy Smith

Smith was Portishead's resident DJ and this mix announced his arrival in his own right. Mixing up soul covers, funk, hip hop and beats cutting from track to track to create an exciting dancefloor mix. Includes one of my all time favourite Hip Hop songs - How you want it by Jungle Brothers featuring De La Soul as well as Marvyn Gaye and the Meters. Generally regarded as one of the best soul, funk and hip hop mixes (and there are no shortage of contenders).

8. Essential mix- Francois K (2000)

One of the definitive New York DJs. This mix by K covers many musical bases including African Drug by Bob Holroyd (just how many mixes has this track been on?!), Kraftwerk and Tribe Called Quest. The main focus though is obviously disco. Lisa Taylor's Did you Pray Today has reduced this listener to tears...

7. Logical Progression - LTJ Bukem (1996)

Drum n bass didn't leave us with much of a DJ mix legacy. A whole hour of breakbeats is too much for most people as a home listen. This mix focuses on the mellower side of the genre and focuses heavily on Bukem's own label mates including Peshay and PFM. The sound of outer space brought to the living room.

6. Renaissance- Sascha, John Digweed (1994)

You can't have a list of the best DJ mixes without having at least one straight house one. I've plumped for this because it contains some of the very biggest DJs of recent years but also because it hangs together pretty well. OK M People are on it but so are Leftfield. I suspect this was the first dance mix bought by a whole generation who had previously been buying Pop Will Eat Itself and Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine.

5. Monk's Dream - Monk One (2002)

Wax Poetics writer and New York DJ Monkone broke at the turn of the millenium. He specialises in latin influenced house, jazz and hip hop and this is probably his best mix. Opening with a Brazilian version of Rapper's Delight its perfect for a bar-b-que.

4. A Monstrous Psychedelic Bubble exploding in your mind - Amorphous Androgynous (2008)

No matter how many DJ mixes you've listened to, I can assure you that you've never heard one like this. Taking the concept of psychedelia as its starting point the ex-Future Sound of London duo take us on a trip from Donovan to Miles Davis via the Psychonauts and David Axlerod. Noel Gallagher claimed this mix changed his life and I'd have to agree - I remember thinking upon hearing it that I could just listen to this one CD for the rest of my life. Extraordinarily ambitious in its scope and you hear something new every time. Volume 2 is great too.

3. As heard on Radio Soulwax volume 2 - 2 Many DJs (2003)

Another one that is wildly eclectic. Soulwax pretty much brought mash-ups (mixing two songs together to create one) to the mainstream with this album. Using Destiny's Child and the Stooges with Dolly Parton and 10CC might sound like a car crash on paper but because it's brilliantly mixed this appealed to the purists and the pop fans as one.

2. Gimix – The Avalanches (2000)

Certainly the only entry from Australia on this list. This mix was never officially released due to the sample clearance but reads like a history of popular culture. Bob Dylan - check. The Smiths - check. Michael Jackson - check. Despite its disparate styles the Avalanches make it seamless by mixing in their own disco house infused tracks. This is a perfect CD if you're hosting a do at home and want a bit of a party but no-one can be bothered to DJ. Whatever happened to them recording a second album?

1. Journeys by DJ – Coldcut (1995)

Unlike some of the mixes here (The Avalanches for example) this mix isn't timeless. Instead it takes you right back to the mid 1990's when Coldcut's Stealth night was the hottest night in London clubland. Focusing heavily on Ninja Tunes artists but also finding room for Boogie Down Productions, Masters at Work and even the Dr Who theme this is the art of the DJ mix perfectly realised. The listener is never quite sure where it is going next as the '70 minutes of madness' takes us from dub to hip hop via drum n bass and electronica and the spoken word samples perfectly fit the mood of paranoid, deep beats. Single tracks are seamlessly mixed to create something completely new - the ultimate articulation of a DJ. The Wagon Christ remix of 2 Player's Extreme Possibilities is a perfect example of the sheer experimentalism that is the hallmark of UK dance culture. Almost 20 years later this is still yet to be bettered.

Hidden gem: The United States of America - The United States of America (CBS)

2011-04-29T01:47:00.000-07:00

What are the criteria for an all-time great album? A number of styles brought together in a seamless fashion must be a pre-requisite, as are strong hooks, innovation and excellent instrumentation. Other useful indicators in my own mind are a defining concept and a degree of freaked out weirdness. I’ve encountered three ‘lost’albums of the late 1960's and early 1970's in recent years that I think fulfil at least some of this criteria – Chapter 3 by Manfred Mann, 666 by Aphrodite's Child and, most recently, the self-titled album by The United States of America.

Formed in 1967 by Joseph Byrd, this New York band used electric harpsichord, electric violin and calliope as much as they did more conventional instruments. Almost uniquely for the time they didn’t use electric guitar. They embraced early electronic instrumentation using audio processors and early synthesizers evoking a more European sound than their name might suggest.

The band was never supposed to be a permanent arrangement and a tour off the back of the record's release was riddled with technical issues and drug charges which eventually led to their demise. Their self-titled record was recorded in a drug fueled haze in December 1967, produced by David Rubinson, and released in 1968 on CBS Records. The album covered a wide range of musical genres, including avant-garde folk, psychedelia, and progressive rock. Vocal duties were shared between Byrd and lead vocalist Dorothy Moskowitz.

The record was loosely about the social issues facing 60's America and took the form of a song cycle. Perhaps the best known track to British listeners is The Garden of Earthly Delights which was used by artist and sometime Super Furry Animals sleeve designer Pete Fowler on his excellent The Sounds of Monsterism Island CD. This heavy prog-rock track isn't necessarily representative of the record as a whole as there are much more esoteric delights to be had but the sheer number of styles covered makes this album difficult to pigeonhole. What is clear though is the influence it has had. It evokes not only obvious reference points like Stereolab and Broadcast but indeed the music that influenced that such as acid folk and krautrock. Portishead have gone as far as crediting the album on their track Half day closing.

Opening track The American Metaphysical Circus immediately brings to mind the vaudeville freak shows of Coney Island before giving way to a haunting vocal from Moskowitz. Hard Coming Love meanwhile is far more typical of the dominating psychedelic sounds of the day sounding rather like a female fronted Doors. Cloud Song is pastoral in feel and it wouldn't entirely surprise you if someone told you it was Vashti Bunyan or another long lost acid folk chanteuse. Garden comes next to lift the mood with its talk of gathering mushrooms and the listener is left not really knowing what style is coming next. What does come next is I won't leave my wooden wife for you, the sort of psychedelic pop song specialised in by the Kinks or Small Faces. Song by Byrd it's eccentric but charming.

The second side of the record starts on a much grander scale. Where is Yesterday evokes David Axlerod while second track Coming down is the track that most obviously sounds like Stereolab. Throughout the album as a whole there is wonderful playing and a real sense of uncontained experimentation with some truly odd electronic noises behind the vocal, but a sense of strong songwriting is also apparent. Love Song For The Dead Che is probably the most subdued track on the record but if you listen to the lyrics you can hear Byrd's communist supporting sympathies coming through. Stranded in time has a baroque feel while the final track (suite?) The American Way of Love is a disorientating finale inserting excerpts of the previous tracks into a cut and paste collage that wouldn't be entirely out of place on a Prefuse 73 or Madlib production. 'How much fun its been' a voice in the mix intones - I couldn't agree more.

Despite the widespread support of music critics, the album sold poorly, charting at number 181 in the USA. In recent years it's worth has been recognised by some and has been reissued but this is still under-valued next to Love's Forever Changes,The Velvet Underground's debut and Hendrix's Axis: Bold as Love, all of which it bears comparison to. If want a record that is varied in style, wildly experimental and well executed, you could do far worse than this. Its on Spotify or you can pick up a reissue for a tenner - not bad for some classic counter-revolutionary, avant-garde electro-acid folk-rock.

Interview with Jazzman Gerald, Founder and proprieter of Jazzman Records

2011-04-22T10:30:00.000-07:00

In an age where we are told that no-one wants physical musical product anymore, setting up a vinyl based record label might seem like a folly. Gerald Short has not only done this but has run Jazzman records since the late 1990's and has been successful in putting out material on a number of other labels as well. For those who don't know, Jazzman unearth the finest soul, funk, R&B (think Fats Domino rather than TLC), rock n roll and the delightfully named genre 'tittyshaker' (sleazy instrumentals) as well as some modern music influenced by the above. The result has been some wonderful music - compilations of Floridan and Texas funk, unearthed gems by Nina Simone and Letta Mbulu and albums by the super funky and wonderfully named Natural Yoghurt Band to name but a few. Jazzman thrive because they dig deeper than most to find genuine obscurities and ensure they release music and packaging only of the finest quality. I caught up with Gerald to find out how a vinyl record label survives in the Twenty First century. If you like what you read, sign up to Jazzman's podcast at
http://www.jazzmanrecords.co.uk/v2/radio.asp

Where did your particular musical journey begin? What was the record that changed your life?

Like many teenagers in the it was with John Peel. This was back in the ‘80s, although unlike most of listeners who were into the Jesus & Mary Chain etc my ear gravitated towards the oldies that he would play every now and then; pre-war folk blues, dancehall jazz 78s, ‘50s novelty hillbilly records etc. The past is so much more interesting and romantic than the present.

When did you first get the idea of setting up a label?

Back in the ‘90s I was a full-time record dealer. My best customer was myself, and I started to get quite a decent collection together, including some rare stuff that was in high demand. It wasn’t hard to put 2 and 2 together and start a label in order to reissue these records so other people could enjoy them too. I was a complete novice, with zero training, so it wasn’t easy to know where to start or how to go about the process. So I started with 45s because they were cheaper and easier to manage, doing a whole LP was more expensive, risky and harder to organise.

What reissue are you most proud of releasing?

It’s always the next one, the one that I’m currently working on which I want to be better than all the others! But some landmarks along the way were the Texas Funk album, which along with Stones Throw’s ‘Funky 16 Corners’ and 100s of bootlegs was one the first properly annotated funk comps; then again James Bell’s ‘Funky 16 Corners’ 45 was the hottest thing on the planet at the time and it was an honour to witness James himself show us the dance steps in his front room. More recently I’m still quite pleased with the Nathan Davis album although typically it hasn’t sold as well as I would have liked.

What was the thinking behind setting up the sub labels (Stark Reality, Soul Spectrum etc)

Stark Reality is/was a label set up to release modern music by current artists and bands. We started with Cherrystones, Little Barrie etc. The premise was new music influenced by old. I’m still into it but it has fallen by the wayside as I just don’t have the time or resources to do it properly. Soul Spectrum, Jukebox Jam, SOUL7 and FUNK45 are imprints for releasing music of a particular style rather than have everything on Jazzman otherwise it would get overwhelmed.

Do you still get all the 45 vinyl pressed in Nashville?

They were taking too long so I started to get them done over here. But the quality hasn’t been too good of late so I have recently started getting them done in Nashville again.

Do you think there are still lots of hidden gems out there to discover? The scene seems to be focusing on more worldwide sounds now through labels like Finders Keepers..

Discovering records is like discovering oil. The days when oil was found just bubbling up through the ground are long gone. Now you have to dig deeper, which is exactly what we do.

How often do you play out these days?

I have a young family now so I try not to be away DJing more than twice a month.

I know Keb Darge and Shadow had an influence on you. Which other DJs and producers do you rate?

I like Rex Doane from WFMU, Gaslamp Killer, Gilles Peterson when he’s down in the basement

Where's your own taste at right now?

My tastes don’t really change over the years, I’ve always liked the same stuff I just need more of it. These days I’m buying more tittyshakers than anything else because there are so many out there I don’t have and they’re easy to get hold of, many of the other things I like ie funk, modal, latin etc I either have already or are too expensive or hard to find

Any guilty pleasures?

I watched Bohemian Rhapsody on youtube the other day all the way through, it was so good I did it again…

What's the take up been like for the podcasts?

I really don’t know and I don’t really want to know. If I see the stats and they are low then it might put me off doing them at all. But I do know that some people listen, which is fine with me, I’m not about huge figures whether it’s record sales or radio listeners, I’m in the minority-music business after all, and I’m fine with that really.

What's planned for the remainder of 2011 and beyond?

Business as usual. Old, forgotten and obscure nuggets and gems, re-released and curated to be appreciated by a global audience. Next is an album by French jazzman Jef Gilson, his life story and best music covered by one album. To me this is the ultimate work, it does not get better or more important than this; the album will be responsible in representing his life’s work, something I don’t take lightly, and it’s something I am very proud, and humbled, to be able to do.

Minnie Riperton - Perfect Angel - An appreciation

2011-04-15T09:58:00.000-07:00

It’s 1969 and a decade which has seen such social and political change is coming to an end. The Beatles are on the brink of splitting up and the Stones are facing their own demons at Altamont while Jimi has just months left to live. In Chicago however, a mixed-race, mixed-gender band have just released an album of cover versions which will create a considerable musical legacy and provide a launch pad for one of the greatest and most unique soul voices…

The significance of what the Rotary Connection were doing and what their uniquely talented singer Minnie Riperton would go on to achieve artistically, wouldn’t really be appreciated until long after their demise. Nevertheless, they paved the way for Sly and the Family Stone, Funkadelic and the exponents of the Philadelphia sound to name just a few. Minnie herself has been cited as an influence on everyone from Mariah Carey to Jill Scott.

Struck down by cancer at the age of 31 we will never know what she might have achieved had she lived. But she leaves an extraordinary body of work which encompasses the soul movement of the mid 1960’s, the psychedelia of the end of that decade and the more contemporary smooth soul sound of the 1970’s which would eventually lead to disco. In recent years, her work and that of the Rotary Connection’s legendary producer, Charles Stepney, has found a new audience via a wide range of artists spanning soul, funk, hip hop and dance all paying their dues to the woman with the extraordinary voice with a five octave range.

Minnie was born in the South of Chicago in 1947, the youngest of eight. It didn’t take long for her parents to figure out that her voice was unique and they sent her to an operatic voice coach who encouraged her to make full use of her voice – not least the 7th octave generally regarded as beyond the range of most opera musicians. At the time, Chicago was a breeding ground for a new soul sound being driven forward by artists such as the Impressions featuring Curtis Mayfield as well as the jazz of the Ramsay Lewis Trio and the blues sound which had thrived on the Chess record label.

Minnie soon fell in love with these sounds admitting ‘I got swayed off my path once I got a little rock n’ roll dangling in front of my eyes’. She got her break when The Gems, a local act signed to Chess, parted way with their singer and Minnie was plucked out of High School to fill the gap. The Gems released a couple of singles which didn’t make the national chart but did well in regional markets. The group dissolved in 1966 and Minnie released a single Lonely Girl as a solo act under the name of Andrea Davis. It did well locally but her vocal style featuring an impressive range and distinctive falsetto was not typical of female black singers of the time and failed to go any further.

Meanwhile, at Chess, Leonard Chess had given his son Marshall his own label called Cadet. Marshall, a fan of the emerging British acts had the idea of fusing rock and soul sounds into a single act. This act would become known as the Rotary Connection.

Minnie was, by this time, a secretary at the label but Marshall brought her into the fold as a foil for an experienced male singer-songwriter, Sidney Barnes. Barnes still remembers the first time the band heard Minnie’s unique voice in the studio; ‘we just sat looking at each other thinking, what the hell was that?’ Labelmate Terry Callier was another drawn to Minnie’s unique voice and she sang backing vocals on a number of his own compositions. He recalls, ‘on some passages, we used Minnie like a synthesiser because her tone was so unique. She would use the high part of her range as part of a song rather than just singing it’. The result was an ethereal wail that would almost glide over the rest of the orchestration creating a sense of other-worldness which suited the psychedelic times.

At first Marshall himself produced the band. Their eponymous debut album was released in 1967 and featured original songs as well as overblown psychedelic soul versions of standards such as Like a Rolling Stone and Ruby Tuesday. For second album Aladdin however, one of his copyists Charles Stepney took on the role to produce music which managed to fuse classical orchestration with soul vocals and rock rhythms. This proved a real turning point with tracks like Magical World allowing Minnie to explore her full vocal range with her soprano soaring above Stepney’s stately swell. Stepney would use a 30 piece orchestra to provide lavish arrangements to underpin the main band and thus take the music beyond the usual confines of the time.

Live, the band could not hope to replicate these sounds and so Barnes took on more of a leadership role. Minnie had initially been unsure about using her vocal range in the live setting so Stepney had used a theramin which sent tripped out audiences wild. Minnie, seeing the impact of this, soon took the high pitched sounds on herself and the band had a real point of distinction. Barnes recalls ‘The night before, Min decided she doesn’t want to do the high thing but of course, people at the gig were dropping acid and mescalin and there were strobe lights and everything so by the time we were through using the theramin the place was crazy. After that Minnie said OK I’m doing it. We never looked back. After that we were signing autographs and doing radio.’

The Connection soon gained a reputation as an impressive live band and supported both the Stones and Led Zeppelin. They were also invited to play Woodstock but instead chose to play a festival in Canada instead because it was less far to travel. This was symptomatic of the band’s luck more generally. Despite recording seven albums of experimental but accessible material they struggled to make ends meet. ‘Booking agents were robbing us. They were driving Mercedes while we were still catching the bus’ remembers Barnes. The band also released a Christmas album (Peace) in 1968 and a full covers collection in 1969 (Songs) which was probably their musical peak and featured a versions of The Weight, Sunshine of your Love and an almost unrecognisable version of Otis Redding’s Respect.

The intensity of recording five albums in just over two years began to take its toll and the sale of the Chess label to GRT a subsidiary of Universal and the death of Leonard Chess meant that the band had became increasingly unstable. Sidney Barnes left soon after and Minnie began to look at the possibility of a solo career. By this time, she had fallen in love with Dick Rudolph, a local club owner who had become a lyricist for the band after Minnie had played one of his songs to Stepney. Minnie’s debut, came out in 1969 and was produced by Stepney as well as featuring the Ramsay Lewis Trio as the rhythm section. Without a full band ensemble, Riperton’s voice was able to breathe and the result was stunning. One track in particular, Les Fleurs, a song sung from the perspective of a flower, was extraordinary for combining folky tenderness in the verses with real intensity in the chorus. More than any other in her catalogue, it is this song that has reinvigorated interest in Minnie in recent years. Rediscovered by a new generation thanks to DJs such as Gilles Peterson and covered in 2001 by jazz dance act 4 Hero. It has since become a classic end of night torch song at club nights around the world.

The album did not sell in huge quantities, partly because it was poorly promoted. Minnie claimed ‘Chess did nothing for the album whatsoever. I put a lot of work and energy into it. I was kinda hurt when it didn’t make it.’ However, it gave Minnie the impetus to become a solo singer. She recorded a final album with a new line up of the Rotary Connection – Hey Love (which featured another future club classic in Black Gold of the Sun) and left Chicago to travel around the US with Rudolph for two years before they finally settled in Florida and then California where Minnie had befriended the soul superstar who would have such an impact on the next phase of her career.

In 1973, Stevie Wonder was at the height of his powers. He had just crafted soul masterpieces Innervisions and Talking Book and was pushing musical boundaries forward again with the Moog influenced Fulfillingness First Finale. Having met Minnie at Chicago’s Black Expo in 1971 Stevie had followed Minnie’s career with interest and had claimed that ‘When Minnie sings, I feel my insides rush and quiver.’ He invited her to sing backing vocals on the album and soon she was touring as a member of his tour entourage Wonderlove.

Wonder subsequently agreed to co-produce Riperton's 1974 album Perfect Angel, which would include the international bestseller Lovin' You; the record that would eventually make her a household name. The album fused soul, country and funk and still stands up today as an unsung classic of its time. Reasons was a funky, guitar driven opener, the first fruit of Minnie’s new songwriting partnership with her (now husband) Rudolph while the jazzy Take A Little Trip could have been an outtake from Talking Book especially as it was written by Wonder and his wife Syreeta Wright. It was fourth single Lovin’ You however which would come to define the album and for many, Minnie’s career as a whole. An American number one hit in the Summer of 1975, it has since become a karaoke and love compilation staple which does Minnie a disservice for there can be few songs that illustrate the flush of first love quite so beautifully. The falsetto at the end of the chorus is the most memorable part of the song (famously being sampled by the Orb on their debut album) but check out the bridge and its ‘everytime that we, ooh’ for the definitive evocation of post-coital bliss. The song went on to vindicate Minnie’s career but also came to define it at the expense of her other material.

Subsequent LPs 1975's Adventures in Paradise and 1977's Stay in Love failed to repeat its success as record companies struggled with promoting a black woman who didn’t sing straight rn’b but both contained excellent material. A particular highlight was the track Inside My Love which would later feature in Quentin Tarantino’s Jackie Brown soundtrack. By this time, however, Minnie had been diagnosed with breast cancer. She was determined to use her profile to highlight the need for early detection and publicly announced her diagnosis on the Tonight Show. She underwent a mastectomy in 1976 and later became a spokesperson for the American Cancer Society, earning a Society Courage Award from President Jimmy Carter. Minnie continued performing despite her declining condition claiming ‘Just because a woman has had a mastectomy and now has one breast, there’s no reason to think her life has been ruined – sexually or physically I have three scars – one on my leg, where I was hit by a car when I was a kid, one from having my babies, and now this one.’ Sidney Barnes would hook up with Minnie again in the last part of her life and recalls ‘us crying at each other at the mic when we sang the song Memory Lane one time.’ 1979's Minnie was the final record completed during her lifetime - she died in Los Angeles on July 12 of that year and Stevie Wonder sang at her funeral. Unreleased vocal tracks with new instrumental backing comprised 1980's posthumous collection Love Lives Forever and a tribute album featuring Wonder, Michael Jackson, Roberta Flack and others followed soon after, highlighting the respect she was afforded by her peers.

Minnie was a unique artist – pushing the boundaries at a time when black women were expected to sing only soul or funk. Her voice was truly memorable and once heard never forgotten. Unlike many of today’s female soul singers who struggle to hit the very top notes, her voice seemed to glide back and forth through the scale and was versatile enough to sing simple love songs or provide a spooky falsetto over the top of a rock band. Despite singing a number of songs that can truly be regarded as classics she does not receive the plaudits of Aretha or Diana and yet in many ways her career is more interesting and varied than both. She was also well liked within the industry with all her peers speaking of the happy woman who refused to let her illness stop her doing what she loved. Even today a fun run in Minnie’s memory takes place in Los Angles annually to raise funds to fight the disease that killed her. Asked how he remembers Minnie, Terry Callier seems a little lost for words but sums up the thoughts of those who knew her. ‘She was a beautiful person and she still is.’

3 to get

The Rotary Connection Album - Songs

A full on collision of soul and rock covers showcasing the multi instrumental and layered vocal approach taken by Charles Stepney which utilised Minnie’s voice more as an instrument rather than a voice in itself. Check the version of Otis Redding’s Respect.

The classic debut - Come into my garden

Fusing the orchestration of the Rotary connection with a folk sensibility Minnie’s debut is a thing of great beauty. Les Fleurs provides the main focus but other standout tracks include jazzy Completeness and folky epic Expecting.

The best seller - Perfect Angel

Lovin’ You is the one everyone knows – on every romance compilation since – but this album perfectly highlights Minnie’s versatility. Reasons is a funky opener and Take a little trip written by producer Stevie Wonder and his late wife Syreeta Wright provides another highlight.

Interview with Guy Morley, Artistic consultant of Africa Soul Rebels

2011-04-08T11:24:00.000-07:00

Its nearly 14 years since the death of Fela Kuti, the undisputed king of Afrobeat, but his legacy is stronger than ever. A sell out Broadway and London musical about his life, Afrobeat bands springing up from San Francisco to Lagos and African acts like Staff Benda Bilili and Mariam and Amadou selling records and live dates around the globe.

The key African music dates in the UK over the last decade have been via Music Beyond Mainstream's 'Africa Soul Rebels' banner. Each year they bring together a bill of African acts of differing styles to tour the UK and previous years have seen performances by giants like Baba Maal, Salif Kieta and Tinariwen. Fittingly, this year the bill is headlined by Kuti's youngest son Seun and his (and formerly his father's) band Eygpt 80. Kuti has just released his From Africa with Fury LP and is promising a full band. Support comes from acclaimed Malian electronisists Donso. I caught up with tour organiser Guy Morley to find out more about the tour...

It’s quite a coup to get Sean Kuti this year. How did you manage to secure him?

It was about 8 years ago that I first saw Seun Kuti, with one of his first few gigs with Fela’s old bad Egypt 80. I was fortunate enough to see Fela perform a couple of times and when Seun walked on stage it was like watching a young Fela. He had just left Lipa in Liverpool – We all know he was a very talented musician and he had such on-stage charisma.

Seun kept the power of the traditional Afrobeat sound – running along at slower pace of 106 to 120 BPM gives those horns all the punch you’d ever want. Over the intervening years I have seen him quite a few times and he has just got better and better. Last year Brian Eno was guest artistic director of Brighton Festival and I helped him bring over Seun and the band from Lagos. The show they performed with Tony Allen was just sensational – and I talked to him then about coming on-board for African Soul Rebels. He liked the idea and we are really excited to have him.

Was there a sense that this was a good year to get Sean given the warm reception for the Fela musical at the National Theatre?

Seun is definately the man of the moment. The Nigerian elections – the resurgence of Afrobeat (helped by Fela!) His brilliant new album co produced by John Reynolds and Brian Eno have all been factors....... But I have been a big fan since the beginning so it’s just a great coincidence that all this has come together now.

Why did you go for Donso as support?

Donso’s album really turned my head – such a clever mix of traditional Malian sounds with an electro groove. When I saw live footage of them – I knew it would make sense to put them onto an African Soul Rebels tour. Fusions are really hard to achieve – when they work they are brilliant and change attitudes and music. Too often they don’t work – welded together to cross over markets. Donso achieved that rare balance and got the fusion right.

I notice you’ve changed the format this year, moving from three bands to two, what’s the thinking behind that?

Mostly we wanted to give Seun a full set – he has 18 on stage in the most incredible show. Three acts in one evening restrict set times..... It just would not be fair on the audience or Seun.

Has the concept of Africa Soul Rebels become a little outdated with the breakthrough of the likes of Staff Benda Bilili and Amadou and Mariam or is there still a need to pull people into venues to support African music in this way?

The need is as big as ever. I don’t think the world music niche categorises African music so much anymore – and I hope African Soul Rebels has played a role in the change. The need to increase the visibility of African Music is really important. This is Seun’s first UK tour – it will have a bigger impact and all the extra media coverage African Soul Rebels brings. African Soul Rebels grows from strength to strength – I’m really happy that politics are in the fore this year...... Seun, like his father, wears his heart on his sleeve..... and speaks his mind......... Rebels by name – rebels by nature.

Who else would you be keen to book?

It’s understandably difficult to catch the next big artist on the rise. So I’m not going to predict that one just yet. Here are some of the artists I would love to see on the bill though. Yousou N’Dour (Senegal), Ayub Ogada (Kenya), Sven Kacirek. (Kenya / Germany), Ethiopiques (Ethiopia), Jupiter Bokondji and Okwess International (Congo) – to name just a few.

Are there still tickets available?

There are still tickets for all the shows. And they are.......

WED April 13 London, Royal Festival Hall
FRI April 15 Northampton, Royal and Dearngate
SAT April 16 Edinburgh, Usher Hall
SUN April 17 Bangor, Bangor University
MON April 18 Manchester, The Ritz
TUE April 19 Bristol, Colston Hall
WED April 20 Basingstoke, The Anvil
THU April 21 Poole, Lighthouse

Why the history of music needs to be rewritten.

2011-04-01T10:43:00.000-07:00

The story of the history of modern music is pretty straightforward right? The million dollar quartet, Elvis, The Beatles, Dylan, Floyd, Bowie, Punk, The Smiths, Madchester, Britpop, The Strokes/White Stripes, Radiohead, The Arctic Monkeys.

Wrong.

How about this for an alternate history? Robert Johnson, Hank Williams, Sam Cooke, James Brown, 13th Floor Elavators, Fela Kuti, Parliament, Kraftwerk, Patti Smith, Reggae, Kate Bush, Public Enemy, Detroit Techno, Drum n Bass, Massive Attack, The Beta Band, Daft Punk, Skream and Benga?

Ironically, the second list probably contains more people who can realistically be considered true innovators and musical genius in the world of music but you would never believe it from the coverage of music in the mainstream and musical press. Time and time again The Beatles and Dylan leap out from the shelf in WH Smiths and we are faced with the 100 greatest Neil Young tracks or another Radiohead feature.

This isn't to do any of these acts down, they are all great artists in their own right but the fact is they've been done. The public is aware of them and there is very little to say that hasn't already been said.

So, why do journalists and editors persist with the same old faces? The first reason is undoubtedly financial. Simply, The Beatles, Dylan and the Stones have huge fan bases that will buy anything featuring them. But how will we ever know if other artists could sell if we never give them coverage?

Secondly, it doesn't take a genius to work out that the music journalism industry is dominated by white, (increasingly middle aged) men. Many were from either the psychadelic generation whose foundation was the Beatles et all or from the punk years a decade later. Most simply write about people like themselves.

Its interesting to note any of the great acts in the second list were recognised retrospectively as great innovators long after the event. There was a collective sneering from music journalists against synthesized music in the late 70's/early 80's as this wasn't deemed real music compared to guitar music which was seen as more authentic. A similar situation was faced by Acid House, then Drum n Bass and most recently Grime. Journalists clearly don't like to think they were wrong at the time and so persist in extending these myths.

Actually, straight guitar music is extremely regressive. All musical innovation that is possible on this one instrument has probably been exhausted (having reached a creative apex in my opinion with grunge) and in fact the more interesting 'indie acts (Flaming Lips, MGMT, Radiohead) are the ones that embrace other instruments, electronics and styles or those that consciously embrace a retro sound as part of their identity (White Stripes, Richard Hawley).

The simple fact is that if a band like Pink Floyd or certainly Massive Attack was starting out today they would probably find it difficult to get coverage beyond the odd new artist feature. Few publications (NME possibly excepted) would stick a new band on the cover and certainly not one that doesn't fit the guitar band template. I think Madlib or Boards of Canada have done far more to warrant a magazine cover than The Vaccines or The Hurts and they've probably sold more records but they simply don't fit most magazines perception of what makes a marketable artist (young, white, male, guitars). The result is that conservatism is perpetuated with the majority of people who only have time to dip into music thinking that these are the acts to listen to. They are being duped without even realising it and it results in a racist, sexist, ageist approach to musical consumption.

If you write for a music magazine and read this do us all a favour - take a risk - find an act that are female or black or who use electronics rather than guitars and write about them. You joined this industry to write about the music you love so challenge yourself to find something really new and different rather than recycling the same old crap. Editors, employ more younger writers and be open to their ideas about the artists of now which are really going to leave a legacy. We'll benefit from a golden age of music I assure you. I thank you...

Interview with Spencer Hickman, UK coordinator of International Record Store Day

2011-03-25T10:47:00.000-07:00

Its four years now since international record store day was conceptualised by a group of store owners in the USA. In that time it has changed significantly - from participation by a handful of stores through to one of the key events in the music industry’s year. The record labels increasingly recognise the day as an opportunity to open the vaults and unearth rare and unreleased tracks onto vinyl or CD and thousands of stores from around the world participate. It has its critics, many of the rarer items (most notably an unreleased Blur track last year) are soon found on eBay where they command a premium but the simple fact is that the day brings thousands of people into record stores who might otherwise shop online. For one day at least people can experience the joy of combing through the racks, chatting to fellow music lovers and buying something that they might not of otherwise discovered – a simple but profound joy.

Spencer Hickman of Rough Trade Records is the UK face of the day. Responsible for overall co-ordination plus organising some of the very best events at the Rough Trade stores in London. Last year he hosted thousands of record buyers with a number of acts instore including an excellent set by Caribou. I was lucky enough to speak to Spencer as this year’s event approaches on Saturday 16th April

So, how are preparations for the big day going?

Yeah, good though a bit hectic. There are so many releases this year – over 200. We’ve got about 170 announced and another 60 to be listed in the next week or two. We’re finding it easy to get bands and labels on board. The first year we just persuaded Piccadilly Records, Spillers and a few others to sign up and we didn’t have any special product. We just got a band in to play and had a bit of a celebration. This year, in the UK alone we’ve got 177 stores involved already – more than ever before. I’m already doing lots of interviews and hopefully we’ll get some TV coverage set up this year.

My only worry is overkill. We have no control over what the labels put out on the day. It’ll be interesting to see what sells and what doesn’t. For small stores it’s such an outlay on product which they might then not sell.

What are the notable vinyl releases you’ve got lined up?

The Queen one is the big one – two unreleased demos. We’ve already got Queen fans emailing us. We’ll be limiting that one to one per customer. The Vaccines are releasing a live bootleg. There’s a sort of New York legends tribute to Franz Ferdinand with LCD Soundsystem, Debbie Harry and ESG doing covers of Franz tracks. The first track on the Wild Beasts album comes out on the day too.

Why is the day so important?

The whole point is that I know that once you get someone inside a record shop and give them that experience they’ll come back. We all use blogs to find new music but you can’t have that real interaction – a chat.

What have you got lined up in the stores on the day?

At Rough Trade West we’ve got Pete and the Pirates. At East we’ve 90% confirmed Soundtrack of our Lives, Wild Beasts and a Chilly Gonzales piano recital! We’re actually having less in-store appearances this year. We’ve learnt a lot from last year and we want to make it a more pleasant shopping experience. Instead, when the store closes at 8pm we’re having a free party at 93 Feet East with Gyratory System, The Mazes and Soundtrack of our Lives.

We had people almost fighting over releases when the store opened last year and we’ve learnt a lot since then. We’ll have a street party outside and face painting and that sort of thing to entertain people in the queue.

How does a record store survive in these days of digitalisation and internet shopping?

You need to widen your horizons. Gone are the days when you could expect people just to walk in and buy. We hold film nights, screen painting classes, in-store signings the list goes on. It’s important not to be afraid to fail sometimes. We did a Saturday morning kids club to enable parents to shop in the store but it simply didn’t work.

Also, concentrate on stocking great music and provide great service. People don’t mind paying a bit extra for that experience. One of the great things about the day is that it gets the stores enthused as well. One owner said that last year he had queues like he hadn’t had for 15 years. It gets stores thinking about things they can do the rest of the year too.

How do you feel about people buying rare stock and then sticking it on eBay at a profit?

Its really unfortunate and no-one dislikes it more than me. We had a situation last year where we looked on eBay at 8am on the day and there were already people posting up the Blur single with our sticker on it. The thing is though that short of questioning everyone who comes in you can’t really stop it- it’s just another example of how people use eBay . We’ll be limiting sales of the rarer items to one per person.

Can you see vinyl surviving?

Well its only a small part of the market but vinyl sales have increased in the last four years and it’s still growing. Bands like the Mystery Jets will release a song on 7 and 12 inch and 12 and 13 year old kids will buy it, see the band play and get it signed. People still want a physical product.

Well, I’m really looking forward to the day. I wish you all the best of luck and keep the dream alive!

Cheers man.

To find out where your nearest Record Store event is and to find out more about the day go to http://www.recordstoreday.com/Home

Rest in peace: Smiley Culture (1963-2011)

2011-03-18T12:19:00.000-07:00

Like many I was shocked by the death of Smiley Culture. Only last month I was watching him on BBC4’s Reggae Britannia talking about his influences and legacy. It’s possible that Smiley was actually the first MC I was ever aware of. Growing up in rural Gloucestershire in the early 80’s I wasn’t really in the core market for rap or hip hop as it became known but I do specifically remember seeing Smiley on Top of the Pops performing his second hit Cockney Translation. I’d be lying if I said it changed my life but I remember being charmed by its jaunty melody and humorous lyrics.

It’s clear to me now that Smiley’s legacy is far greater than I gave him credit for as a youngster. For many years it was accepted wisdom for UK urban artists that if they wanted to make it they had to ape the American stars of the day. Smiley took a completely different route. David Emmanuel (for that is he) took the tradition of ‘toasting’(or chatting) over the soundsystems of Jamaica (having come through the legendary Saxon soundsystem himself) and transplanted the ethos to South London. He struck chart gold with Police Officer and a re-release of Translation, scaling the upper reaches of the charts. Perceived wisdom was immediately challenged and young MCs increasingly had the self belief to embrace their Britishness. Its not too grand a statement to claim that the likes of Roots Manuva, The Streets, Dizzee Rascal and Tiny Tempah have all benefited from Smiley’s breaking down of doors as well as countless MCs from the worlds of reggae, hip hop, grime and drum and bass. Its also fair to say that Smiley was years ahead of his time and one can only begin to wonder what sort of career he might have had if he was a young artist now.

The other key element of Smiley’s influence was that he brought black politics to the heart of the pop charts in such a way that people (both black and white) could laugh together at the absurdity of the treatment of the black community. 'Cockney have names like Terry, Arthur and Del Boy...we have names like Winston, Lloyd and Leroy' he reflected on the black experience of not being regarded as ‘true’ Londoners in Cockney translation while Police Officer talked about a scenario where Smiley was arrested for drug possession and then let off because of his celebrity status. It’s important to remember that this was a time when relations between the Metropolitan Police and the Black Community were at an all time low following the Brixton Riots and the police’s hardline stop and search tactics. He brought home the reality of London's streetlife while being completely accepted by the mainstream - he even met the Queen as part of a Commonwealth musical event!

It would be wrong to regard Smiley’s career as solely about these two records although his other music didn't have the same commercial success. He produced a wealth of excellent material closer to the heart of the reggae movement and worked with other stalwarts of the British reggae scene including Maxie Priest and Tippa Irie. It’s fair to say that he didn’t have the strongest voice but his talent was on finding humour in the everyday and articulating the absurdity of modern urban life. There is little doubt that Smiley was an inspirational figure for many – particularly black kids - who could see one of their own able to articulate his experience to the public at large and for that alone he deserves significant recognition.

Questions clearly need to be asked about Smiley’s death during a police raid but for now let’s celebrate a man who undoubtedly helped change the face of British music for ever.

Round up: 5 great albums you really should hear

2011-03-11T10:06:00.000-08:00

So, we're nearly a quarter of the way through 2011 already and there's already been some excellent music. Jamie XX has provided some great remixes (most notably of Adele's Rolling in the deep) and Kingdom's That Mystic EP on Night Slugs is also worth checking out if you like electronica. Radiohead have had too much coverage elsewhere to warrant inclusion in this list but their new long player King of Limbs is well worthy of investigation. Fujiya and Miyagi returned with Ventrilloquizing. Its probably not their best work but its still head and shoulders above most guitar pop. Here though are my favourite albums of 2011 so far...

Space is only noise - Nicolas Jaar

There won't be a more atmospheric record than this released all year. This debut from 21 year old Chilean (but now Brooklyn resident) Jaar brings to mind Massive Attack, Carl Craig, Serge Gainsbourg, Mulatu and Ray Charles without really sounding like any of them. Dubby baselines are interspersed with minimal glitchy techno beats but don't think for one minute this is a dull muso's record. Strong songwriting is evident throughout as spoken word samples and Jaar's own singing drift in and out of the mix. Its not all downbeat., Variations takes snatches of sound and weaves it into a dancefloor filler (not dissimilar to techniques used by Mount Kimbie)Is it trip hop? Minimal Techno? Lo-fi? Ambient? Nu-Soul? It's all and none of the above.

Let England Shake - PJ Harvey

Believe the hype! An extraordinary record that manages to tackle the pointlessness and misery of war without once sounding hectoring or worthy. Lyrically its spot on and its musically diverse. Polly is not afraid to use humour - sampling reggae, hunting horns and tipping a cheeky wink to Eddie Cochran's Summertime Blues. A work of maturity and a songwriter at the peak of her powers.

James Blake - James Blake

The backlash has already started in relation to James Blake. After being tipped for greatness by almost every media channel he didn't deliver the album the hipsters wanted. They're missing the point. Blake isn't the future of dance music, instead he's a major songwriting talent who's not afraid to use modern sounds to enhance his songs. Appropriate reference points are as much David Bowie and Morrissey as they are Mount Kimbie and Burial. Limit to your love is one of the most beautiful pieces of music of this century and Blake is brimming with talent. Embrace his slightly divisive voice and you'll find much to enjoy. Difficult and all the better for it.

Peanut Butter Blues and Melancholy Jam - Ghostpoet

Like Nicolas Jaar, Ghostpoet is fairly unclassifiable but his music is very different. The rapper's most obvious reference points are Bristol's Tricky or perhaps Roots Manuva. Ghostpoet has that lazy mellow drool which sounds so good over mellow beats but its the production here that is such a revelation, employing the sort of variety you might find on say a Mos Def album. Dubstep, house and even rock are employed but it all hangs together very nicely with Ghostpoet's alluring vocal taking you to the twilight hours where every sound and movement is intensified. Despite having recently signed to Gilles Peterson's Brownswood label, Poet feels little need to brag, claiming only 'got some A-levels, ain't dumb' but he hits some real high points - most notably on torch song in the making Survive it. You won't find a more original and enticing hip hop record all year - and he's British. The best thing to come out of Coventry since the Specials!

Last - The Unthanks

Northumberland's Unthanks are a rare thing indeed. A traditional folk troupe with modern taste. This might sound like a bit of a car crash but they know just how much modern sound to bring into their arrangements of traditional songs. Their Bairns album a few years ago was wonderful and rightfully earned them a Mercury Prize nomination. Their latest features covers of songs by Tom Waits and King Crimson and is an excellent entry point to thier music. Its their most expansive record to date featuring strings, brass and piano but its the voices of sisters Rachel and Becky that draw you in every time.

So there you have it - if we carry on like this 2011 will have been a great musical year indeed. Have a record you've enjoyed this year? Leave details below so that others can enjoy...

Hidden Gem: Osjan - Osjan

2011-03-04T10:34:00.000-08:00

The dream of any vinyl collector is that you’ll turn up a gem at a car boot sale. In reality it rarely happens. Most of what is sold these days is junk (Mantiovanni, Paul Young, Phil Collins) and the good stuff goes at the crack of dawn if at all. I’ve wasted many a Sunday morning only to come home with a couple of disco 12s. One of the few gems I did find however was this record by Osjan. Walthamstow might seem an unlikely location to churn up a classic Indian-influenced polish jazz record but that’s exactly what happened.

Collectors in the know have long known that Poland was and is home to an excellent jazz scene. Cracow’s Osjan (or Ossian) were founded in the early seventies by two members (Jacek Ostaszewski and Mark Jackowski) of a previous group called Anawa. They’ve been playing as a key part of the underground Polish jazz scene ever since and are widely regarded as the act that brought world music to Poland. This isn’t world music in the conventional sense however. What Osjan do is incorporate influences from various cultures and assimilate them into their core sound of avant-garde jazz. Focus is on rhythm rather than melody. If you love three minute pop singles this is not the record for you. If however you like rambling, stoned twenty minute ethno-jazz epics featuring only a handful of notes then you’ll find yourself right at home. This is a band that is truly uncompromising and undoubtedly spiritual (they used to regularly perform with Black Horse Cheavers, a Cherokee shaman).

Osjan made intuitive music, mostly instrumental, and were clearly influenced by music from elsewhere in the world including Africa, Arabia and India. Their music is uncluttered and the emphasis is clearly as much on the space between the notes as much as it is on the sound itself. "We would play for half an hour on two or three notes," remembers Ostaszewski. "What fascinated me, not only in the sphere of music, was the search for forms that would allow free expression, not limited to the conventions of jazz, pop or classical music."

This 1982 recording starts with just snippets of sounds - a double bass here, an acoustic guitar there before the guitar picks up the melody and one can almost picture rainfall. Xylophone, didgeridoo, flute and bongos enter the fray one by one until finally after about 12 minutes a vocal can be picked out. Even now, full words can't be identified as the vocalist simply applies a la-di-da over the tune. The track (which fills the whole of side A) culminates in a battle between a flute melody, strong bongos and what sounds like a Guiro (the wooden scraping instrument of our schooldays). The track is essentially a cycle, starting slowly, peaking and then dispersing into a single guitar and vocal.

The track on side B peaks far earlier and is quite different although it features much of the same instrumentation. It has a slight Cossack feel as vocals are literally yelped over the fray.Eventually the instruments fall away to leave a solo bongo playing furiously. A folky flute is introduced to bring the melody back - its all quite entrancing even after repeated listens. The final movement is more melancholy and wistful as once again the flute and 12 string guitar bring us home.You've probably gathered by now that this is not a record you can dip in and out of, it demands the listeners attention if they are to truly appreciate it and doesn't really bear comparison with anybody else.

Osjan's legacy lives on through occasional (and almost mythical) live performances and their influence on others such as Maanam (a group formed by Jackowski) and Voo Voo. A truly original band and a story worth 50p of anybodies money I reckon...
Thank you to www.prognotfrog.blogspot.com for some of the information in this article

Album review: The King of Limbs - Radiohead

2011-02-25T08:09:00.000-08:00

There are a handful of bands that define their generation – bridging the gap between underground credibility and mainstream acceptance. The Beatles managed it in the 1960’s, Floyd in the 70’s, U2 in the 80’s and Nirvana briefly in the 90’s. So who are today’s standard bearers? In my opinion there is only one real contender – Radiohead.

The Oxford quintet are undoubtedly the most important band in the world right now – selling out stadiums wherever they play, loved by critics and yet able to experiment with jazz rhythms and electronic instrumentation without fear of how their huge fan-base will react. They’ve been phenomenally consistent throughout a twenty year career. Firstly they redefined guitar rock at the tail end of britpop with The Bends and then went on to make what is regarded as one of the greatest albums of all time in OK Computer. They then completely re-invented themselves with the lush electronica of Kid A and Amnesiac before metamorphosing again to produce the (admittedly a bit patchy) Hail to the Thief and the triumphant record-industry breaking In Rainbows. Along the way they’ve played some of the finest ever festival sets (greatest ever Glastonbury performance?) and been one of the few musical acts to take a political stance on the key issues of our time.

Its fair to say then that there was some excitement last week when the band announced that they would release an album the following Saturday. The first point of interest about King of Limbs was the formats it has been released in. Fans had the option of MP3, WAVV or a deluxe vinyl edition. It is increasingly clear to the band that the CD format is obsolete (although there will be a CD release of the album further down the line). Those who simply want the music go digital while those who want to collect a format increasingly prefer the more tactile vinyl.

There had been rumours of recording sessions taking place for some time but no-one was quite sure when Radiohead’s eighth album would drop. In this age of leaks left, right and centre they’ve once again managed to release material on their own terms at a time of their own asking.

So, what’s the music like? Well, the influences, according to the band themselves include the work of Jamie XX and beats master Ramadanman although an album comprising of bass-driven electronica was always fairly unlikely. To be honest, at first listen, its a little underwhelming but this is often the case with their releases. The band’s sound is increasingly subtle and the hooks and melodies take a while to get under the skin.

Opening track Bloom starts with classical piano and juddering drums before giving way to what could only be described as a jazz bass line and Thom’s vocal. The time signature, in keeping with their last album is also reminiscent of jazz or even african music. As with In Rainbows things really kick off on the second track. 'You’ve got some nerve coming here...you stole it all, give it back’ sneers Thom on Morning Mr Magpie over an upbeat, Neu-esque guitar sound. The song breaks nicely about halfway through and as with many tracks on the album the bass comes to the fore. It goes without saying that the playing is excellent throughout with each member (with the possible exception of Johnny Greenwood) being given ample opportunity to showcase their talents but the rhythm section in particular are able to show what they can do and don’t disappoint.

The album gathers pace from hereon in. Little by little is perhaps the only track here that wouldn’t be out of place on OK Computer. It starts with some John Barry style flourishes and culminates with some backward masking. Feral meanwhile is more electronic sounding. Again heavy drums and a rolling bass feature heavily. This is probably the track that best reflects the influence of Flying Lotus and other electronic pioneers. By now the album is flying by as the sheer number of ideas is quite dizzying and only when listened to on repeat do they fully sink in.

It’s no surprise that Lotus Flower was chosen as the first track to promote the album via an online video (Radiohead don’t seem to do anything as conventional as actually release singles anymore). It’s the catchiest track on offer and features a great vocal performance from Thom. The subject matter vaguely sexual but somehow slightly creepy.

The album then switches a gear for its conclusion. Codex is essentially a piano ballad but is off-set with an ecstasy tinged vocal and jazz piano arpeggios to prevent it becoming too syrupy. Give up the ghost continues the mood. It’s very melancholy, perhaps reminiscent of Pyramid Song from Amnesiac and you can almost picture hugging cupples in woolly jumpers hugging up to each other on the hill of the pyramid stage as Thom wails into the night. The song ends with him singing rounds with sampled versions of his own voice – it’s spooky and quite lovely.

Final track Separator again uses bass rather than guitar to build its melody, just as you think you’ve got to grips with it what sounds like a steel guitar comes into the mix followed by a synthesized choir which lifts us towards the light. It’s a fitting end to an intriguing record, subtle but joyful. The whole album clocks in at under 40 minutes which feels a bit short but certainly leaves the listener wanting more.

The fundamental problem with Radiohead is that we’ve come to take them for granted. This is a band that makes truly beautiful music entirely on their own terms, the complete antithesis of the majority of today’s acts. This isn’t their best work but it bears comparison with it and those who are prepared to persevere with repeated listens will be rewarded. Radiohead continue to intrigue and inspire. We should all be grateful.

The 20 greatest heavy metal albums

2011-02-18T10:13:00.000-08:00

Heavy metal – that most derided of genres. Critics hate it, girls (for the most part) hate it and its core audience is teenage boys – how uncool as that? Having said that, metal is one of the biggest genres of all time with huge sales worldwide. Its apologists argue that its the very fact that everyone else hates it that makes it so popular with the disaffected. For an excellent exploration of this theory and metal's enduring appeal check out the movie Metal: A headbanger’s journey. In the meantime enjoy the fact that sometimes there’s nothing better than punching the air and banging your head – even the most cynical towards the genre will find something to love here...if you disagree with my choices please leave your own suggestions at the end of the article.

20. Blackout in the Red Room - Love/Hate

This is an album that takes you straight to LA’s infamous sunset strip of the early 1990’s. Love/Hate wore their drinking and drugging on their sleeves as much as their numerous tattoos. From the title track to stoner anthems Why do you think think they call it dope? and Mary Jane, this record rocks.

19. Ritual De La Habitual – Jane’s Addiction

Features classic alt-rock anthem Been caught Stealing (which notoriously starts with the sound of dogs barking) but this album works from start to finish with its second side (a memoriam to a dead friend of Perry Farrell's) in particular showcasing some excellent songwriting. Ritual... made Rolling Stone's 500 greatest albums of all time
18. A vulgar display of power – Pantera

One of the few metal acts to emerge from the post grunge years with any credibility intact.Texans Pantera were clearly as much influenced by hardcore as metal and used crunchy guitars rather than long solos to showcase their power. Fucking Hostile and Walk were just two of the great tracks on this record. Guitarist Dimebag Darrell was later tragically murdered onstage.
17. Van Halen-Van Halen

Arguably the album where US metal found its feet (although Kiss fans might argue the point). This set the template for everyone who would follow in their wake from Twisted Sister to Motley Crue . Eddie Van Halen became a guitar hero for millions and the track Eruption set the model for all other guitar solo led tracks that followed. David Lee Roth was the consummate metal front man excelling here on such classic tracks as Runnin’ with the devil and Ain’t talking about love.
16. The Real Thing- Faith no More

Few metal albums display as much invention as this. It features rap (Epic), creepy torch songs (Zombie Eaters) and heads down thrash ( Surprise You’re Dead). The Real Thing deservedly became a huge seller prior to the grunge years which alt-metal (Faith No More, The Chilli Peppers, Jane's Addiction, Soundgarden et al) arguably set the context for.
15. Blues for the Red Sun – Kyuss

Kyuss were Joss Homme's band before he formed Queens of the Stone Age. This album set the template for stoner metal– a wonderful combination of Sabbath riffs and drawn out acid rock.

14. Slipknot – Slipknot

Slipknot completely reinvigorated a dying genre when they burst upon the scene (even getting coverage in hipster’s magazine the Face). The combination of terrifying masks and field pummelling nu-metal immediately appealed to teenage boys – the core market for all metal before and since.

13. Burn my eyes – Machine Head

A Modern Classic – essentially thrash but with a more crunchy guitar sound and embracing more modern production techniques. Opening track Davidian is about the Waco siege and pulls you in with its ‘Let freedom reign with a shotgun’ chorus but there is quality stuff throughout.Like Sepultura and Slipknot, this was released on the classic metal independent label Roadrunner.

12. Chaos AD- Sepultura

Signifying the huge global appeal of metal – Brazil’s Sepultura recorded a number of key albums but this is probably their most accessible and manages somehow to combine thrash metal with traditional Brazilian rhythms. The opening track Refuse/Resist is widely regarded as a classic and like a number of the records featured here manages to transcend the usual metal lyrics about sorcerers and shagging.
11. Operation Mindcrime – Queensryche

This one is at the more proggy end of the spectrum. A concept album (of course!)about a hospitalised revolutionary which featured pomp-rock classic Eyes of A Stranger and power ballad Silent Lucidity. Tommy Vance used to hammer this album on his Friday night rock show.

10. Reign in Blood – Slayer

29 minutes of pure thrash heaven (hell surely?) Often named as the heaviest album of all time, this is the full realisation of the power of thrash and manages to be completely uncompromising and raw. Subject matter included Nazi atrocities and organised religion.The sleeve also set the template for pretty much every thrash album since. I always loved Kerry King’s wristband made of nine inch nails – METAL!

9. No Sleep til Hammersmith – Motorhead

We had to have at least one live album and it was a toss-up between this and Thin Lizzy’s Live and Dangerous, Kiss' Alive and Iron Maiden's Live after death. This wins for being the most metal, for going to number 1 and for including the all time classics Ace of Spades and Bomber.

8. Earth versus the Wildhearts – Wildhearts

Some would argue that this isn’t metal in the strictest sense (songwriter Ginger is a master of creating huge pop melodies set to crunching guitars) but this is a personal favourite. I saw them play in Liverpool once to seven people but I'm pleased to say that since then they've gained a loyal and sizable following. This album kicks off with the gloriously sleazy Greetings from Shitsville and also features huge singles TV Tan and a Nine Inch Nails-esque Suckerpunch.
6/7.Rocks/Toys in the Attic – Aerosmith

I can’t choose between these two records so I’ll take them both. For me, Aerosmith are one of the most underrated rock n roll bands – only really appreciated by the metal fraternity which is a shame because they’ve written some fantastic stuff over thirty years. These two albums show what a great band they were – Walk this Way, Sweet Emotion, Back in the Saddle, Toys in the Attic – all stone cold classics. Slash famously went back to a girl’s house when he was fourteen – she put on Rocks and he couldn’t speak to her for an hour being so drawn to the music. Its supremely funky stuff and the Toxic Twins (Tyler and Perry) are two of the greatest characters in rock.

5. Iron Maiden– Iron Maiden

Bruce Dickinson’s air-raid siren vocals even alienate some metal fans (although many would claim Number of the Beast as a classic). My preference is for their debut, recorded with original vocalist Paul Dianno – its more punky in feel but already displays Steve Harris’s ability to write strong hooks and those famous duelling guitars. Running Free still sounds good now and Phantom of the Opera (famously used in a Lucozade advert featuring Daley Thompson) is one of my favourite ever metal tracks for its sheer stop-start energy.

4. Black Sabbath – Black Sabbath

Where it all started. The title track opens the album with wind and rain and the chiming of a church bell – its probably the most atmospheric start to any album. You also get The Wizard (sampled by Cypress Hill among others), NIB and Evil Woman. Sabbath were metal, Zeppelin were heavy rock – there is a difference. The subject matter and sound here is undoubtedly metal.

3. Ride the Lightening – Metallica

Few would disagree that Metallica have had an extraordinary career. There is some debate about which of their albums is the greatest although many would plump for Master of Puppets. I’ll champion the album before, Ride the Lightening. This is their first work where you can really hear their melodies coming to the fore although its still remarkably powerful. Fight fire with fire, the title track, Creeping Death and Fade to Black must be one of the strongest Side A’s of any album. It starts with classical instrumentation and ends with their first power ballad but what comes in between packs an almighty punch. I saw them live last year and they still put on a fantastic live show.

2. Appetite for Destruction – Guns n Roses

The album that changed my (and many other people’s) lives. One minute I was into Dire Straits, the next I was travelling up and down the country camping outside stadiums in hope of a glimpse of one of the most infamous bands of all time. Even now I can’t get over how utterly cool they were on that first album – the Stonsey indifference of Izzy, the smack-addled Steven, Punky Duff, guitar legend Slash and the bandanna wearing nutter that was Axl. And then there was the music – quite simply this album has at least eight of the all time greatest metal tunes including the best opening track (Welcome to the Jungle), the funkiest metal track since Walk this Way (Mr Brownstone) and arguably its best ever ballad (Sweet Child O Mine) - an incredible achievement – especially given the state they were in when recording it. Pretty it ain’t.

1. Back in Black ACDC

Worth the entry price for the title track alone. The opening riff of Back in Black is arguably the greatest metal riff of all – it’s no wonder that its loved by hip-hop DJs as its as funky as much as it is heavy. Back in Black is famously the second best selling album of all time after Thriller and all the more remarkable given that it was their comeback album following the death of original vocalist and key member of the band Bon Scott. I’ve seen You Shook Me All Night Long rock the coolest of dance floors. ACDC are the definitive rock n roll band with Angus's riffs and Brian's raspy holler - irresistible.

Interview with Skitz

2011-02-11T09:45:00.000-08:00

OK I admit it, I came to hip hop fairly late. I wasn't one of those guys whose favourite record at the age of 14 was Planet Rock. It was only when I was at university that I got into Cypress Hill and from there discovered The Fugees, Nas and eventually KRS One. Even then, it was some time before I really enjoyed UK hip hop, not because it wasn't good but simply because it didn't occur to me to listen to it (this was a time before Roots Manuva and Dizzee Rascal were scoring chart hits). There were good artists who finally caught my attention - from Manchester you had the Grand Central Crew led by the likes of Rae and Christian and Aim while in London you had Skinnyman and a young Roots Manuva. My favourite by some distance though was Stoke Newington's Skitz. His Countryman album immediately connected with me and made me completely rethink what hip hop was about. It brought home that the point of hip hop was not necessarily clever wordsmithing (although that clearly helps) but the artist's reflection on his environment. Skitz brought together the cream of UK talent to provide a brilliant distillation of what it was like to like in urban Britain in the year 2000 (or 2001 as this was when the album was released).

Countryman was an album that didn't necessarily sell loads of copies but those who did buy it loved it (Its interesting to note that 11 out of 12 reviews by customers on Amazon give it a full five stars!). If you haven't heard it and you like urban music (whatever that is) then make sure you do. Countryman is like a who's who of British hip hop - featuring (amongst others) Rodney P, Roots Manuva, Skinnyman, Estelle and Represent's MC Dynamite. It surpasses most other urban records in terms of MCing and production and is a pleasure to listen to from beginning to end. I caught up with Skitz recently keen to find out what his inspirations were in making the record and to find out more from the man behind one of the very best hip hop albums of the Twenty First century .

What were the first hip hop recordings that made an impression on you?

I guess that would have been Run DMC, Fat Boys, LL Cool J, UTFO.Just old school stuff really. After i got into it I started trawling second hand record shops and understanding the foundation. My Sugarhill section is the pride and joy of my vinyl collection.

When did you first decide that you wanted to make your own music?

I was doing pause button mix tapes about 87-88 stringing up two tape decks going into another before i got decks. I guess that's when i fell in love with building stuff.

Who were the key influences on the 'Countryman' album?

Really my life at the time. UK Hip Hop, Primo, a lot of underground US stuff. My Son Solomon, Graff, My people, sweaty dingy clubs, big sound systems, revolutionary music and obviously a lot of producers that were around at the time.

What do you remember about the recording of the album?

Well it took a while. We spent a long time mixing and recording. Jonny Too Bad that was doing all the engineering and co producing had a nice studio round the corner from my house in Stokey and we'd just hang out catch a vibe and go in. The vibes were good and the Ronin label was pretty happening so yeah it just felt like a good productive and creative time.

How do you work in the studio?

All ideas are done at home then i take it to the big studio for the vocals and to mix. Any extras are recorded that need to be

For me, one of the stand out tracks is Fingerprints of the Gods which consists of 4 different MCs showcasing their skills – how did the idea of that come about?

I blatantly took the idea straight from Primo and the tune 'speak ya clout', he had Guru, Jeru and Lil Dap on it. He had 3 mcs and 3 riddims. I had 4..

What about We Make Them Make Noise – what were you trying to achieve with that track?

Just fusing my love of Jungle and Hip Hop and showing that Jungle mc's could hold their own on the lower tempos.

How did the cover art come about?

She One was a friend of mine i used to roll around with in Brighton. I was a second rate graff artist so loved the letter form..She is the don when it comes to wildstyle so was an obvious choice to do the cover. Mau Mau who is like one of my oldest friends did the back cover. On Sticksman he did the cover.

What impact do you think the album had? Do you think the breakthrough of artists such as Dizzie and Plan B as well as Roots Manuva has led to a tipping point for the UK sound?

I like to think that it showcased a lot of talent that we had over here and shone the light on a few. A lot of people went on to bigger and better things...but they all had their own thing going on before Countryman. I think it was just nice for them to all be heard together. The UK goes from strength to strength on the underground. Shame about all the absolute shit that's sweeping our radio dials and DABs. So much weak watered down garbage that gets support...drives me crazy. But the diversity of the UK scene always comes through...Dubstep, DnB, Dancehall, Garage, Electro, Grime, Hip Hop....Everything pushes boundaries. Its just a crying shame that most Radio stations follow fashion and are just scared to take a risk or really support talented acts.

The follow up Sticksman came out this year, how has the reaction been to that?

Amazing. The feedback has been so positive and everyone seems to agree its a quality album that you can listen to the whole way through which is what i set out to achieve. No weak tracks! I spent a whole heap of time mixing and tweeking each track as well as bouncing all the album to tape for that beautiful warmth that only tape can give. Then I mastered it. No corners were cut! Although obviously the scene has changed since the first album. This is a Smartphone, app loving, Youtube generation who don't go record shopping, people hardly buy Cd's any more. Everyone downloads for free. The next generation are here and UK Hip Hop is different now. You can't really make money from sales as a smaller artist. Its all about gigs, live shows, merchandise and building the brand. Change is good and has to be embraced otherwise you get left behind.. I feel like i did that on Sticksman influenced by other genres and other sounds and tempos. Go check it on itunes and honestly you can't tell me its not quality...!!

What next for Skitz?

Keep building, hustling, ducking and diving (fucking and skiving).
Look after my children.
Make a million.
Keep it revolutionary.
Sticksman is available now at Itunes, Amazon and all good retailers
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sticksman-Skitz/dp/B003A060XS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1295477722&sr=8-1

Hidden gem: Harmonise or Die - Me (Popgod, 1993)

2011-02-04T09:37:00.000-08:00

I wasn’t a cool teenager. Growing up in Gloucestershire there were two possible musical routes – heavy metal or indie. I chose the former. It was when I got to sixth form college that this orthodoxy was challenged. There were regular coach trips to indie gigs and being a music lover I tagged along in order to catch some live action. I recall what I considered a dire Wedding Present gig in Newport – although everyone else seemed to enjoy David Gedge’s miserabilism. Far more to my liking was a trip to Gloucester Guildhall to see Bristol indie hippies Me.

The only non-metal album I liked at the time was the Stone Roses’ debut. It wasn’t therefore too much a departure to get into this psychedelic shoegazey collective. I remember thoroughly enjoying the gig ( probably aided by my newfound love of marijuana) to the point that I bought their album at the end of the gig and got it signed. That album was Harmonise or Die. I played it quite a lot at the time until it inevitably moved to the back of my collection where it lingered for 15 years.

I recently picked it up again and had a listen. At first listen it brings to mind a number of bands of the era – Gorky’s Xygotic Mynci for one and the Stone Roses another but the obvious comparisons are with bands on the Creation roster – Super Furry Animals, Primal Scream and, perhaps most obviously, Teenage Fanclub. Having said that it doesn’t really sound like any of them. None of the aforementioned acts featured a recorder in their songs for instance, or for that matter a didgeridoo. This is an album that has a pop heart but dig below and it is awash with experimentalism. It has dated for sure and is very much of its time but if you loved Fuzzy Logic, Bandwagonesque or the Stone Roses you could lose your heart to Harmonise or die.

Me were actually formed in Durham by Francis Kane and George Claridge who moved to Bristol and met Ronan Maguire and brothers Mark and Paul Bradley. Their break came when they hooked up with the Moonflowers, another great psychedelic band in the city at the time. Both bands were signed to Popgod who ruled the Bristol roost until trip-hop hit the city later in the decade. Harmonise or Die was the band’s debut in 1993, they released one other record (Fecund Haunts 1996) before splitting.

The album starts with what can only be called an acoustic lament. It leads the listener into thinking they are going to be hit with a hippy-drippy folk thing but then, just as you reach that assumption, they kick into We Must Be a jangly slice of indie pop. Its quite lovely and makes you want to dance by flopping your head from side to side while wearing a long sleeved t-shirt.

Next track Funny Thing gives us something else again. Beach Boy harmonies over acoustic guitar but very dark lyrics ‘I don’t know how this will end, but I do know that it’s a funny thing, when you let the creatures in and you tremble in the wind’ suggests someone has some serious demons at bay. We then get the didgeridoo-led Here Comes Everybody which has a slightly Krauty beat and Dreambleeding which for me is one of the weaker tracks, a fairly standard indie tune. Much better is ...To The Stars which wouldn’t be out of place as a Stone Roses B-side – its got a lovely bassline and Byrds harmonies – for starters – shame its less than a minute long. The final track on side one is the really peculiar Yousong which consists of someone half-singing, half-rapping numbers alongside someone with what sounds like a helium-fuelled voice which isn’t dissimilar to Madlib’s Quasimoto. Sounds odd? It is.

The optimistic Water kicks off side two ‘You’re the moonlight in the darkness, you shine for everyone’. It has the feel of a Meddle-era Pink Floyd track. Next up is a straight up electro-folk number and this in turn is followed by perhaps the best track on the whole album. Guilty Feet Fall Foul has a fantastically funky drum beat and yet more lovely harmonies. The playing on this track in particular is very tight with a lovely breakdown in the middle. Paul is another quirky track with some really funky playing. The lyric 'Paul its your birthday, soon it will be over, nothing will have changed.' makes one wonder whether the Paul in question is Paul Bradley or another Paul living in Bristol dining out on the fact that someone once wrote a tune about him. Either way its a nice track. Final track Happy Place is a fitting closer with its piano chords suggesting a lullaby - its a lovely end to an album that constantly surprises and yet somehow still hangs together. It won't be to everyone's taste (the harmonies may grate for some) but its a real slice of West Country exentricity and for that should be treasured.

PS: One interesting thing I note is that the producer was one Andy Smith. I presume this is the Andy Smith that later found fame as Portishead's DJ and curator of the Document series but don't know for sure. If you do, perhaps you could leave a comment?!

Review: Ventriloquizzing - Fujiya and Miyagi (Full time hobby)

2011-01-28T12:20:00.000-08:00

I interviewed Dave Best of Fujiya and Miyagi a few months before Ventriloquizzing was released. He talked about the fact that the band's new album was the first where they had worked with a producer and that they had gone to Los Angeles to record it. This left me a bit unsure of what to expect. F&M have to date been a band that have sounded very northern European, bringing to mind late night drives through urban wasteland rather than the sand kissed beaches of California. Having now listened to the record I can report that their previous modus operandi appears to be intact - Ventriloquizzing is a direct progression from previous records Lightbulbs and Transparent Things. This is both a relief and a little of a disappointment.

Many great acts from AC/DC to Fela Kuti have sustained a good career without fundamentally shifting their sound. Fujiya and Miyagi are not one trick ponies but its fair to say that many of their songs follow a similar formula - slightly twisted lyrics half whispered over a driving drum and melodic synths. Its a great sound for sure but over the course of an album it has the danger of sounding a little samey. There is no doubt that this record is musically more fully realised than previous efforts, final track Universe in particular employs a female choir to great effect and immediately calls to mind Meddle era Pink Floyd but greater excursion outside their standard palate would undoubtedly yield more satisfying results.

Most of the lyrics are written in the second person, Best addressing someone (a woman) who clearly doesn't meet his full approval. Yo yo is used as a metaphor about mood swing while he accuses his listener of 'not knowing 'which side your bread is buttered on' on Cat got your tongue. The later is one of the funkiest tracks on Ventriloquizzing and along with Tiawanese Boots (a post-modern take on Dylan's Spanish Boots of Spanish Leather) is likely to be well received live. Sixteen Shades of Black and Blue meanwhile kicks off with a riff that is somehow reminicent of Muse before giving way to brooding vocals and pretty synth melodies.

Minestrone is a real highlight 'I heard the sound of the devil's electric windows asscending' creates a wonderful visual picture and the playing (as throughout the album as a whole) is superb. The Brighton four piece also clearly have great taste in music - Berlin-era Bowie, Can and Floyd are reference points and its no surprise to hear that they listened to Iggy's Idiot throughout making the record. I wonder though if its their taste that holds them back? There is little evidence here of throwing caution to the wind, of taking a risk to provide a more rounded and eclectic sound. The humour on show is all very much within the context with which the band frame themselves and very knowing, there are certainly no cheesy moments on show or real surprises (except maybe for the aforementioned final track).

Fujiya and Miyagi have attracted a small but commited fanbase over the last decade and are undeniably cult heroes with a great sound. On current form this is likely to remain the case and that might suit this wonderfully quirky band. If they really stretch themselves however I think they can create something really special - here's hoping...

Interview with Gustav Ejstes, Dungen

2011-01-21T10:25:00.000-08:00

In the last few years there have been a number of psychedelic guitar bands who have secured a good payday without particularly having to compromise their sound. Flaming Lips, Animal Collective and MGMT are all spaced out sonic adventurers and yet have managed to break into the mainstream and secure radio play and massive sales. Stockholm’s Dungen are perhaps less likely to breakthrough. All of their lyrics are in Swedish for one thing and ultimately their sound is more complex, jazzy and (dare I say it) proggy than those aforementioned. However, they have undoubtedly gained momentum over five albums – they were recently picked up on the critically acclaimed Amorphous Androgynous Exploding Bubble compilations and they continue to received very positive press whenever they release new material. They are also well respected by their peers, their next single is being released on Jack White’s Third Man records. I recently caught Dungen live in a rare visit to London and can attest to a great live band who really push the boundaries sonically and artistically to leave their audience begging for more. They combine jazz, folk, psychedelia and cinematic sounds with more conventional songwriting to create a heady brew that stimulates the head as well as the feet. I caught up with founder, primary songwriter and bandleader Gustav Ejstes to find out more about this fascinating band.

What were the first records that hit home for you – that set you on your own musical journey?

Are you experienced (Jimi Hendrix Experience), Revolver (The Beatles) and Fear of A Black Planet- Public Enemy
And how did you come to form the band?
I started pretty much all by myself in 1998, making music on a 4-track, playing all instruments by myself, met musicians along the way and some of them i still play with. Like Reine Fiske that i met in 1999.
Who do you regard as your key influences at the current time?
I always return to Aphex Twin's early ambient stuff, the best music ever made.
I’m guessing you like a lot of the German ‘kraut’ explosion?
Not really, haven´t heard much more then the classics by Can
What is your philosophy for the band? You obviously aren’t too concerned about storming the charts?!
Dungen is my songs performed together with my favourite musicians and friends and we are able to get the music spread because of all the wonderful people who like to listen to it. Its amazing and could end tomorrow so we try to have a good time with it.
How do you write material?
Often begins with piano or guitar, then make the arrangements, sometimes on recordings but often just in my head, hook up with the band and presents the song.
You listen to hip hop – do you think this impacts on how you approach composition at all?
I don´t know, I have so many different influences so it´s hard for me to say what comes from where.
You came to wider attention in the UK via the Amorphous Androgynous compilations – do you see yourselves as a modern psychedelic band?
I don´t call Dungen anything specific. That's for those who listen, to make up names for it, but it´s been called that amongst psych, rock, pop, folk, prog and jazz.
Do you feel the need to sing in English at all to reach a wider audience?
No, It´s (singing in Swedish) been working so far, it´s weird in many senses, but even some listeners that doesn´t understand Swedish think it´s better than if it would have been sung in English

What do you strive for in your music?
Make better songs, keep it honest artistically,
What next for Dungen?
Hopefully do some more touring this spring.

The single Oga Nasa Mun is releaased on January 22nd 2011 on Third Man recordings.

Hidden Gem: Eastern Sounds - Yusef Lateef (Prestige, 1961)

2011-01-14T09:57:00.000-08:00

One musical genre I can’t claim to be any sort of expert in is jazz. For many years I was deeply cynical – it was, to my ears, self indulgent and tedious. Odd, given that my father had brought me up on a strict diet of Miles Davis. Gradually though, having exhausted most other areas of popular music I was drawn in. Mingus Ah-Um was a significant turning point as was Coltrane’s Crescent but if there is one piece of music that has really led to my increased love of jazz its Lateef’s Theme from Spartacus from the wonderfully exotic, mellow and superbly-played Eastern Sounds - a record that has taught me that only jazz can create such joy in the space around the music itself (which in turn has led to an appreciation of such great musicianship).

The album was a mixture of standards, film themes and Lateef's own pieces. It is not an exaggeration to say that he could claim to be the first western musician to properly incorporate ‘world music’ into his sound having used eastern instruments since 1957 when he began recording as a band leader. By 1961, with the recording of Into Something and Eastern Sounds, he had emerged as the pre-eminent jazz musician using eastern influences in his work (John Coltrane in particular had been experimenting with similar sounds but had not recorded them). Lateef used a variety of instruments including the rahab, shanai, arghul, koto, Chinese wooden flutes and bells along with his tenor, oboe and flute and incorporated the eastern influence into the more established jazz sound of the day, hard bop.

Sounds would be one of Lateef’s most enduring recordings and was one of the last made by the band that Lateef shared with pianist Barry Harris after the band moved to New York from Detroit, where the jazz scene was in decline. The session, recorded by Rudy Van Gelder, was dominated by Lateef’s exploration of Eastern sound, as well as his improvisation. His genius was to situate them within a context that was accessible to Western ears.

His band was one of the best. As well as Harris, he had Lex Humphries on drums whose brushwork was deemed the most deft and inventive of almost any player in jazz. Bass and rabat player Ernie Farrow was no slouch either. The album kicks off with The Plum Blossom, a mellow but haunting oboe, flute and piano piece that comes from an Eastern scale and works in repetitive rhythms. It is second track Blues for the Orient however where things really take off. Harris' playing in particular is outstanding with the piano almost holding the tune together in the middle eight while Lateef’s oboe accompaniment almost moans over the notes as the track veers from jazz standard to eastern souk and back again.

Third track Ching Miau evokes some of Coltrane's work, the tenor saxophone picking out an infectious melody. The band’s version of Don’t blame me ( a cover of a jazz standard) meanwhile starts in contemplative mood, evoking the rainy streets of an American City. This is a masterclass in playing with both Lateef and Harris wringing pure emotion out of their instruments – jazz at its very best.

Both key players also sound great on Snafu, the most upbeat number on an otherwise fairly mellow album. This, to these ears at least, has a slight latin feel. Purple Flower is one of the most understated tracks while Three Faces of Balal is the shortest track at just two and a half minutes but features a wonderful double bass outro which is quite unlike the rest of the record.

Then there are the two cinematic themes - from the aforementioned Spartacus and The Robe. Both are utterly, hauntingly beautiful. Spartacus features great interplay again between Lateef and Harris and is set against a shuffly drum beat. Some argue that it suffers by comparison with Bill Evans' more widely known 1963 readings on Solo Sessions (Milestone) and Conversations with Myself (Verve) but throughout the whole album the respect with which Lateef incorporates the Eastern influences and the emotion with which he plays them make this album a landmark jazz recording which still sounds wonderful some 50 years later. This is a record that relaxes the mind and draws you in to the wonderous world of the possibilities of music. Seek it out.

Album review: The Fall - Gorillaz

2011-01-07T09:13:00.000-08:00

I feel a bit unfair writing this review. Not because its scathing - on the contrary, as with most Damon Albarn releases there is plenty of interesting material here. No, its because I'm reviewing this on the same terms I would for any other record - on the music. This seems a little unfair when our favourite virtual pop group have released this material for free (on Christmas day no less) and clearly, to some extent at least, its a collection of ideas and doodles as much as it is a complete body of work.

Having said that, it doesn't lack a defining concept. While Plastic Beach told tales of environmental devistation, The Fall is built around an American road trip with titles as evocative as Phoner to Arizona, The Snake in Dallas and Bobby in Phoenix. I suspect many of these vinegettes were written in motel bedrooms of the towns they are about. Rumour has it that Albarn recorded the whole thing on an Ipad which might explain the lack of variety in backing rhythms - almost all on drum machine.

Most tracks are short and start with electro beats over the aforementioned drum machine and electro basslines (think Stylo) with Albarn singing (droning? I've never been a huge fan of his voice) over the top. The material suffers from a lack of variety in the vocal, particularly as one is used to a great range of vocal performances in a typical Gorillaz release. What this does is actually make the listener almost appreciate Gorillaz even more. You realise that over the years Albarn and Hewitt have coaxed excellent performances from everyone from Mark E Smith to Bobby Womack and that each album they have released is a coming together of some of the greatest musical talent on planet earth. Without this input this release feels a little empty and one-dimensional.

The tracks that work best are those with a hint of real instrumentation. The accoustic guitar at the beginning of Hillbilly man is quite lovely as is the use of piano in Aspen Forest - these tracks seem to have more of a heart which is lacking elsewhere. Ultimately though even these tracks revert to type with drum machine and squelchy electro bass brought back into the mix.

Albarn is clearly still listening to current sounds. The Joplin Spider has an ear-catching bass and shuddering off-kilter beats which bring to mind Flying Lotus while The Snake in Dallas has the sort of cut up R&B groove which has been used to such devistating effect by the XX and James Blake amongst others in recent months.

The subject matter is varied - a sort of state of America today sermon. The Parish of Space Dust has a slightly evangelical feel and roots us in the churches of Texas via Witicha Lineman while Little Plastic Bags might act as a metaphor for the world's only superpower itself 'they don't know where they are going.'

Detroit, as one might expect, is essentially a techno number bringing to mind the abandoned districts of America's once great car-making capital, like a number of other tracks it brings to mind Kraftwerk (that most European of acts on a concept album about America?). The track is only two minutes long though - too short to really draw you in and this leads one to wonder why Albarn has decided to release this material now. There is the making here of a very good album but the ideas clearly need refining and expanding and there is a need for more vocal input - even if only backing singers. The Fall is ultimately a frustrating release and is unlikely to be a record i'll listen to very much. A shame because one can't doubt Albarn's musical talent or his ability to capture the current zeitgiest.

Make yourself a resolution...

2010-12-31T22:48:00.000-08:00

Are you one of those people who used to be into their music but now you just don’t have the time? Perhaps you had kids, or you just find yourself watching TV instead or maybe music these days just sounds a bit crap?

Many people I know fit into this category. They had taste but now find the rare occasion that they do listen to music recycling Massive Attack, De La Soul and Radiohead – the albums they listened to when they were younger.

Undoubtedly, each of these acts produced great music but I’ve got something to tell you – great music is still being made. Like Massive Attack? You’ll probably like the New Gil Scott Heron album. De La Soul? Try Jay Electronica. Radiohead? You’ll probably love These New Puritans.

In a world where real happiness is increasingly unobtainable, music is a way of really lifting the spirits. Taking a little time to sit and listen and seek out something new can be really satisfying as well as being a little bit of ‘me’ time. In the last year or two I’ve played music to friends who have then gone on to buy a CD or two and subsequently report back that they’ve enjoyed getting back into their music again.

In anticipation of the new year I've gone onto Itunes and deleted all the music from my Iphone - a spring clean if you like. The idea being that I'll fill it with new music as I discover it and by the end of December 2011 I'll have a diary of all the wonderful sounds I've discovered in 2011. Life's too short to be listening to all the stuff I've already heard. I've just downloaded my first new album - the Gorillaz album The Fall which was released on Christmas day.

This is the time of year when we make new year’s resolutions. Rather than making the usual broken promises why not make it your pledge to listen to more new music? It will lift your spirits, make you feel young and give us something to talk about. If you don’t know where to start take a comb through this site for ideas starting with my list of the albums of 2010. Who knows, at the end of 2011 you might have your own list!