Your Correspondent - The Violin Trees (2013)

I went to see lo-fi country-folkster Richard Buckner last night at the St Pancras Old Church in London. Amazing venue: tiny old church in a park in the centre of London.

This chap, Your Correspondent, happened to be supporting and it was an amazingly delicate and touching solo set.

Your Correspondent playing at St Pancras Old Church (Dec 13)

Here he is playing The Violin Trees with string accompaniment:

-L

Long John Baldry - Stormy Monday Blues

It's been a while since we posted on here.

So here's the whitest man ever, with an awesome blues voice.

-L

Abe Vigoda - Wild Heart (2011)

next up, a hypnotic, fiercely innovative cover by Abe Vigoda of Stevie Nicks' Wild Heart. the clock-like rhythm, sonic waves of distorted guitar, it takes you places.

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Sven Libaek - Inner Space (1974)

blogging's been slow lately, apologies are in order (at least to alex, an actual FC regular - big up). there's been a bunch of amazing stuff i've been listening to lately, let me kick it off with a "whirlpool of sublime jazz exotica":

it does feel like a disclaimer is in order: we're moving into irony-free territory. unlike hollywood's latest self-referential cesspool, inner space is an astonishing piece of craftsmanship, a surprisingly rich ocean/amphibian-themed soundtrack that deserves full credit.

 "Conceptually sketching life under the sea, Inner Space is a brilliant example of incidental film music as it is strong Jazz impressionism. Gentle yet propulsive Brazilian rhythms are mirrored with watery moog, fluttering flutes and shimmering vibraphone. Featuring the best of Australian jazz musicians including Don Burrows, John Sangster, George Golla and Errol Buddle they masterfully range from the incidental to the improvisational as they create a whirlpool of sublime aquatic jazz exotica."

def check out "island of birds" (fucking amazing), "music for eels", and the main theme.
grab it on Flash Trap.

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Three Trapped Tigers - Live in London (2010)

So this is something different that'll challenge your pathetically short attention spans. (always start with an insult - someone told me that once).

This is a phenomenal live performance by London-based noise-explorers Three Trapped Tigers for BeatCast Live (props to them for this). It's awesome - beautiful melodies, synths, walls of noise, driving beats and some FUCKING CHAOS - that's all you need to know.
Big up to Matt for bringing this onto my radar.

-L

Georgi Kay - Joga (Björk cover) (2013)

Simply beautiful cover of Björk's 'Joga' by Australian musician Georgi Kay. I heard this on the BBC series 'Top of the Lake' which is a dark crime drama set in New Zealand - well worth a watch - and which actually stars Georgi Kay. Quite random. See here.
Anyway, this cover is just shimmeringly wonderful:

-L

Tommy James & The Shondells - Crimson and Clover (1968)

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Documentary: Love - Danish TV 1970

in 2006 I went to Los Angeles as an exchange student. i never got the hang of the city, it's hard being stuck without a car, or driving license, in a city of villages connected by highways. but there were some highlights.

in a kitchen at some house party i fell into a conversation with a guy and we talked music. i pledged i'd listen to Love, in return he'd try the Feelies. i went back home, listened to Love, and it forever blew my mind.

brooding behind Love's flower power happiness, the almost childish melodies, lies this intensely haunting ocean of inevitable decay and death. in Forever Changes for example, one of the most brilliant zeitgeist-albums ever, there's this frenetic, constant tension, a schizophrenic energy, between a precariously upbeat, but desperate hope that things will eventually work out, that we can all love each other, and the soul-crushing factuality of our human capacity for violence and self-destruction. it might just be the most complicated coming-of-age album ever, written by a brilliant 22-year old expecting to die.

and then there's the beauty of music that sounds like someone tore apart a thousand clichés and moulded the shards into something that's still fresh today because no one has made anything like it since.

thanks kitchenbro, whoever you are, i hope you're still enjoying the feelies.

 
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Paul McCartney - Bogey Wobble (1980)

who knew mccartney kraut-rocked? admittedly 6 years after autobahn was released, but whatever, great wobbling.


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Moderat - II (2013)

i was already halfway to work when i realized i'd set my alarm one hour early. there was no point in turning back, so i got off the tram and aimlessly roamed around rainy brussels for an hour and a half. stricken with self-hatred and bitter regret, made worse by slight waves of nausea (not a morning person), i tuned in to NPR's latest All Songs Considered podcast to kill some time.

i'm usually not the biggest fan of ASC, maybe it's the all-american-mega-positive-vibes and shameless lack of edge [fuck buttons is pronounced as "f-buttons", come on]. but this time, although after a numbing volley of bland in-jokes, someone played 'This Time' from Moderat's latest album II. perfect track to listen to in the middle of brussels' grayness. it's not on youtube yet, so check it out (scroll down) on NPR.

fyi Moderat is the unholy union of Apparat and Modeselektor. Fact Magazine categorized their sound on II  as "digital shoegaze...closer in spirit to Border Community’s emo-electronics than much of Monkeytown’s back catalogue."

NOTE 2: favorite track on II



NOTE: after listening to the whole album, it sounds like 50% of the tracks are slightly clubbier than "digital shoegaze", almost more Caribou-inspired. for example:

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Jamie xx - Night + Day Berlin Mix (2013)

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Memoryhouse - To the Light House (Millionyoung Remix - 2010)

found this hazy gem at NO CONCLUSION. they've got the best mixes so if you're into the general primavera palate, def check them out.

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Balmorhea - Jubi

Like you in a field with lotsa sun. Country post-rock. So clean.

Rik.

Madvillain - Money Folder (Four Tet remix)

Ace Four Tet remix of hip hop duo Madvillain (MF Doom and Madlib).
Crank it.



-L

Deafheaven - Sunbather (2013)

except, perhaps, to the odd nostalgic metal-fiend youtuber ("I don't know man, black metal came a long long way. From trolling in the woods of Norway and burning churches to pink album covers"), Deafheaven's Sunbather is more proof that black metal and post-rock can be two peas in one ferocious, face-melting pod.  

these tracks remind me of Other Animals and especially Wolves in the Throne Room (huge fan), which are also totally worth a listen.





ps these dudes have great shirts as well
-p

MXTP 1: Turn It Off

so this is a first: here's a mixtape.

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Boards of Canada - Reach for the Dead (2013)

In June, elusive electronic music duo Boards of Canada are set to release another full-length album after an eight year hiatus: Tomorrow's Harvest (Warp). The announcement came only after a typically mysterious, code-cracking, puzzle fest which has been gripping BoC-heads and musos for the last month or so: involving untitled 12"s being placed in NY's Other Music and London's Rough Trade East, as well as numerical codes being dropped into radio shows on both sides of the Atlantic and clues hidden in web code. Check out Fact Mag's summary of it all here.

But first: watch and listen to Reach for the Dead. BoC always do awesome videos:


-L

Daft Punk - Get Lucky ft. Pharrell Williams (2013)

big fucking tune to
a) celebrate the new radio feature ------------------------>
b) thank luke and flo for their legendary hospitality in france. this track will always bring back drunken barn memories, best times x


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Bob Dylan's 'Theme Time Radio Hour' (2006-2009)

bob dylan had his own radio show. holy crap. i never knew, and i can't believe no one ever told me. downloading my first episodes now thanks to a carnival saloon post on tom waits' truly excellent submissions to the show - inc. anecdotes on pigeons, jewish humor and chinese feet.

Theme Time Radio Hour (TTRH) was a weekly, one-hour satellite radio show hosted by Bob Dylan originally airing from May 2006 to April 2009. Each episode was an eclectic,freeform mix of blues, folk, rockabilly, R&B, soul, bebop, rock-and-roll, country and pop music, centered around a theme such as "Weather," "Money," and "Flowers" with songs from artists as diverse as Patti Page and LL Cool J. Much of the material for the show's 100 episodes was culled from producer Eddie Gorodetsky's music collection, which reportedly includes more than 10,000 records and more than 140,000 digital files.^[1]Interspersed between the music segments were email readings, listener phone calls, vintage radio air checks, old radio promos and jingles, even older jokes from Dylan ("My grandmother is so tidy she puts newspaper under the cuckoo clock"), poetry recitations; taped messages from a variety of celebrities, musicians and comedians; and commentary from Dylan on the music and musicians as well as miscellanea related to the themes. The show was not live (Dylan taped his portions at various locations and while touring), and the studio location at the so-called "Abernathy Building" was fictitious. Most of the "listener phone calls" and emails were also fictitious, although at least one email read on the show came from an actual listener.

so pumped, this'll be weeks of fun.

find all y'r episodes here

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Caesar & The Romans - When Will I Get Over You & Baby Love (1969)

Some awesomely raw funk sounds from Caesar & The Romans - released in 1969 on Scepter Records. Props to Anne for the shout.

Check these warm, catchy, lo-fi offerings:



This one sketches out towards the end, but it's still an ace cover of the Supremes' classic 'Baby Love':



More great tracks over at Recordette Records' Soundcloud page: https://soundcloud.com/recordette-records

P.S. You could've bought the first one on 45 on ebay, but it ended a couple of weeks ago.

-L

The Appleseed Cast - Illumination Ritual (2013)

So I happened to stumble, courtesy of @Matt_Smi, over the fact that The Appleseed Cast have released a new album TODAY: Illumination Ritual. I'm just listening to it now, but here's a great review over at Pitchfork situating the release in the context of the band's development over the years.

Have a listen to Great Lake Derelict:



The Cast have come in and out of my life over the years - like an old friend - at once nostalgic and wonderful to hear them again. They remain one of the best shows I've ever been to: some years ago at 93 Feet East in London. Jesus, from a quick google it looks like that was 2004. Man...

Anyway I blogged some time ago about how phenomenally awesome these guys are. And, for my money, Steps and Numbers remains one of the greatest post-rock tunes ever written.

But my old bros from Lawrence, Kansas, drifted back into my life with their 2006 release, Peregrine, which had some beautiful tracks like Here We Are (Family in the Hallways) and stonkers like February.

So it's ace to hear more awesome tuneage coming out of these guys on Illumination Ritual. Buy it here.

-L

Mount Kimbie - Made To Stray (2013)

Here's an expansive, driving and beautifully melodic new track from London-based electronic duo Mount Kimbie. Made To Stray is from their hotly anticipated sophomore release Cold Spring Fault Less Youth, which is due to be released in late May on Warp Records. Pre-order it here.

Stupid anecdote: I once pretended to be in Mount Kimbie when I was back-stage at Field Day in London. All I wanted was some free merchandise, being the grifter I am.

What should have been a white lie turned into a clusterfuck when the guy asked if I'd do a quick interview. And when he wouldn't accept my polite refusals I just had to roll with it. What resulted was one of the most shambolic blags in my long grifting career: saying nothing and everything at the same time; giving NO information - because I had none - and giving my real name when asked, because I couldn't remember either of Mount Kimbie's names and it was clear I'd already gone beyond.

Luckily this guy didn't know them either, so it was plain sailing all the way to the merch. Although from his now lacklustre eyes it no longer seemed either of us believed I was in Mount Kimbie. I took the merch and hurriedly left.

Anyway - if you're reading guys, I'm so so sorry. For all concerned. And I like this track. ;-)

-L

Zinc ft. Ms Dynamite - Wile Out (2010)

And now for something totally different.
Club banger courtesy of Zinc with Ms Dynamite vocals. Bass line wowz.

-L 

General Paolino - Sikil Manga Jaiu (2013)

Props to Cerys Matthews for playing this on her BBC 6 Music show on Sunday. She pulls out some real corkers every week. Anyway I loved this rambling out-of-tune ditty from blind South-Sudanese musician General Paolino: Sikil Manga Jaiu - which means 'The mangoes we have here are the best'. Enjoy



Find out more about General Paolino and buy his album - released later this month - here!

-L 

Uma Bakah Group - Sape Kajat (2004)

apologies for the break in posts, we've all been busy in our own way. luke's getting married - whilst blogging/ridding the world of nukes - and i've been traveling a bit. just came back from two weeks of visiting family in kalimantan, indonesia. they belong to the Kayan tribe, a sub-group of the dayak umbrella. while cultural practices differ between different dayak groups (e.g. hierarchical vs. horizontal social organization, gender roles and tattoo culture), there are strong common traits and music is one of them, in particular sape music.

the sape is a guitar-like instrument played by different tribes in Borneo; the music, inspired by dreams, is rhythmic, repetitive, beautiful. the first time i heard a sape was late at night in the village where my father was born, deep in the highlands of central borneo. it was after nightfall, the air full of bugs, the traditional long-house lit up by a single electric light. suddenly an old man started strumming a sape and the room filled with transcendental drone melodies. here he is:

 

that was 2005 and by 2013 i'd forgotten about the sape. but then, last week, my uncle played this tune and it just blew me away

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Della Humphrey - Dream Land (1972)

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William Onyeabor - Why Go To War (1979)

spring is coming - at least in Cairo (sorry luke) - and with it otherworldy trips to the sinai, desert parties and balcony soirees. in short, can't wait. and to celebrate the imminent return of our friend the sun i can't think of a better tune than this absolute scorcher by william onyeabor:



flash trap posted a biography of onyeabor lifted from the liner notes of the Nigeria 70 comp "The Definitive Story of 1970's Funky Lagos":

William Onyeabor studied cinematography in Russia for many years, returning to Nigeria in the mid-70s to start his own Wilfilms music label and to set up a music and film production studio. He recorded a number of hit songs in Nigeria during the 70s, the biggest of which was ‘Atomic Bomb’ in 1978. ‘Better Change Your Mind’ is taken from the same album, and, as well as slating the power-crazed nations of the world, the second half settles into a unique slice of stripped down spacey, lo-fi funk which is unlike any other Nigerian music being made at the time. William has now been crowned a High Chief in Enugu, where he lives today as a successful businessman working on government contracts and running his own flour mill."
what a legend.

why go to waaar dunudundundundun
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ps. onyeabor albums are available here; def grab 'Tomorrow'.

D.vassalotti - Mirror (2011)

andrew, FC's lord of death rock, wrote on d.vassalotti's 'book of ghosts' ages ago. after completely forgetting about the band i recently rediscovered this triumph of a track. been blasting it on repeat ever since. the bass drone riff + mega-fuzz antics = pure bliss.

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Julia Holter - Chiamami Adesso (2013)

Nothing says "Happy Valentines Day!" like a sparse, haunting ballad by Julia Holter. Here the songstress recasts Chiamami Adesso by melancholic Italian pianist Paolo Conte. Here's the original, which is awesome.

Holter's version is plaintive, ethereal and wonderful:



Big props to Flo again for the shout. Happy Valentines dearest x
-L

Charles Bradley - Strictly Reserved For You (2013)

FC's been posting tons of stuff by daptone records over the years (here, here, and here), mostly because they've got a monopoly on finding and generating raw soul talent. charles bradley is a case in point, daptone found him after he'd been working shit jobs for decades. and now he's crunching out raw soul buns like this:



+ more recent daptone tastiness:




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The Tammys - Egyptian Shumba (1963)

found this gem stuffed away in a surf-rock mixtape. the fantastic organ riffs, the primal shrieks of girl ecstasy, everything is just perfect. pure rock 'n roll harmony.

what's interesting is that the tune is supposed to sound middle eastern/exotic/arab - inc. lyrics on dancing with mummies/lovers down in egypt laaaand. perhaps the wild shrieks and primal sexual energy are raw orientalist expressions of what these girls imagine egypt and arabs sound like. maybe they needed to imagine the orient as a way to let go, which in itself - in a roundabout way- is pretty rock 'n roll.

no matter how they channeled their energies, egyptian shumbi is absolutely brilliant (1:55 - 2:00, holy shit - perfection). and just look at these babes:

best find of the year so far, hands down.



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Jessie Ware - Night Light (Joe Goddard remix) (2012)

Cannot stop listening to this. Mostly because @flo_dem is playing it all the time. So kudos to her for this infectious, dancey, awesomeness.* Jessie Ware's voice is silk and Hot Chip's Joe Goddard lays down a driving disco-fuelled remix. Complete with laser sounds from 5mins. PEW PEW. Nice.

-L

*In fact she was meant to blog it but I just went ahead and did it - so props are all hers.

0181 - Four Tet (free download)

Four Tet has put up a free download of a load of previously unreleased material between '97 and '01 in one fat mix. What a BOSS that Kieran is.
The title is 0181, which, for our international bros, used to be the area phone code for London. I'm guessing that's the ref. Maybe it isn't. In which case: answers on a postcard.

Listen to it / download it here:

Sahel Sounds Compilation - Songs for the North Country (2012)

Sahel Sounds is one of the finest music/cross-cultural blogs online. this is largely due to the gargantuan efforts made by founder chris kirkley who has made it his life mission to track down, record and distribute amazing music from the sahel (for one of the best compilations ever made, listen to this), compiling intimate (you'll hear a car starting, kids running around, dogs barking) and incredibly local recordings.

unfortunately many of the artists that kirkley recorded are now facing displacement, intimidation and violence due to an islamist rebellion in the north of Mali. with Songs for the North Country, a compilation of fantastic malian music that tries to help artists affected by the current conflict, sahel sounds is trying to do its share and proving - once again - to be much more than a blog . read this, download the album and make a small donation on sahel sounds, the proceedings will go directly to the artists:

The North of Mali is a varied and special place, from the muddy banks of the Niger as it navigates through the scrubby Sahel to the jagged sun backed rocks of Adrar D'Ifoghas deep in the Sahara. The landscape is at times empty and sparse, but the culture is rich, with bustling cities, thousands of sleepy villages, and countless nomad encampments. But the people in the North live a perilous existence. Money is made to be spent and there is no saving or security. Often that model works fine. Community and family is strong and people rally together to help those individuals when disaster falls. Unfortunately, the disaster right now is affecting everyone. As armed extremists have taken over the North, driving out civilians, implementing bizarre forms of Sharia law, and effectively banning music, the North of Mali has been thrown into turmoil. 

This compilation is a series of recordings taken over the past three years of various musicians, both modern and traditional. It's for sale on sliding scale. Pay what you want. 100% of the proceeds from this album will go directly to the people featured on the album. That's it. There is no bureaucracy - just Bandcamp and me walking down the Moneygram office to send off checks. There is no NGO who will redistribute the funds to everyone, so it wont help everyone. But it will go the musicians on these recordings you're listening to -- all musicians who are currently struggling in the North of Mali or refugees in exile and all who have been directly affected by the events. 

The North is trying to be silenced. But I hope these recordings can stand as a reminder of what the North was, and what it can and will be again: guitar bands rocking in the evening streets of Niafounke, children gathering at the nomad camps of the Adrar, plucked takamba in the sandy houses of Timbouctou, and wistful village melodies sung out over the banks of the Niger. 




-p