Grizzly Bear, Vicar St; Nov 1st

Sunday. You're tired, hungover and broke - Adrian Childs' flirtatious relationship with Lee Dixon on Match of the Day 2 should be the most complex thing you face all evening. Alas, one fateful sabbath, you're begrudgingly hauled through the curiously baltic microclimate that seperates Dublins 4 and 8 at the whim of a sadistic promoter. Lo and behold, your arsey Sunday mood is at once forgotten, and the rest of your evening is spent floating to the chimes of a gifted Brooklyn quartet.

Thus went Sunday last. Grizzly Bear were beautiful; every bit as harmonious, sparse and rich as their two classic records suggest. The broody Colorado was turned into an expansive epic; Two Weeks sounded like one of the best pop songs of the decade, and While You Wait For The Others swept you along its journey from a folky crusade into a harmonious show-stealer. The silent devotion was something to behold. A magical evening.

Really late and lazy review

Fabric had their 10th birthday recently, it was really tome, like.

Starting on Sat night and finishing early Monday morning, it was something to behold. BTBW saw Michael Mayer, Andrew Weatherall, Matthew Jonson, Ivan Smagghe, Steve Bug, and Ricardo Villalobos over a 24 hour period with a massive snooze in the middle somewhere. Highlight by a mile was Decompression by Jonson, although Villalobos' set full of evil gems was also great. Actually they were all great, God bless them. The people there are tossers though. Berlin pisses on London when it comes to that scene. Sorry....

LCD Soundsystem - 45:33 (Remixes)

It's hard to believe that 45:33 has been with us since 2005. It still sounds as fresh and energising as when it first creeped into our lives. We now have an updated and remixed version released last month after having undergone a 2009 workout (ahem) from some of house and disco's finest. The original track placings have not been altered hugely. Have a listen.

Picnic Preview - The xx

It only takes one listen to the intro to the self-titled album from The xx to realise there is something very special coming your way. The slow moving almost hypnotic tones soothed a tender techno assaulted Sunday morning head here. The Londoners were among the recent exciting names added to an already strong line up for this year's EP. Word is that the live show is still a work in progress but the stir they have already caused is likely to make their Stradbally appearance one of the more anticipated outings of the weekend. Get your hands on this, their debut album, and let early lead single 'Crystallised' ease you gently into the rest of the offerings.

The xx - Crystallised

Paul Banks has been busy

Interpol front man Paul Banks, the coolest, most modest (modestest??), understated star in modern music, has just released a solo album under the pseudonym Julian Plenti. The album, entitled Julian Plenti is.... Skyscraper is in keeping with Banks' Interpol heritage, a blend of his iconic vocals, spiky guitar riffs and beautifully subtle touches. "Games For Days" has that dramatic rolling sound that Interpol have made their own while "Only if you Run" has a slightly more personal touch perhaps. The standout track for me so far is "Fun that we have", see below.


Julian Plenti is.... Skyscraper was released last week on Matador Records

Kanyu Dig It?

Well done to the lads on a very impressive performance on Friday.

www.thekanyutree.com

Yes they can!

Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest

Johnny Greenwood's favourite band are back with their third album, following on from their critically acclaimed 2006 album Yellow House. Judging from very preliminary listen to what seems to be the first single off the album, Two Weeks, Veckatimest appears to be a slightly more soulful and colourful effort than its predecessors. Actually, I'm mainly judging that on the Lovecats-esque keyboard playing going on in the video below, who knows what the album will be like. It is an absolute gem though, with Pitchfork already calling it a "song of the year contender". Their haunting vocals and engulfing soundscapes have gone nowhere, and I cannot wait to get my mits on the full record.

From midnight tonight, May 12th, Two Weeks and remixes will be available to buy on iTunes.

Here are the Bears performing live on Jools Holland recently




Here is the stream of Two Weeks and remix by Fred Falke at Pitchfork
Veckatimest goes on sale May 26th

Moderat is nearly here!!

Modeselektor. Apparat. Two of the most important acts in electronic music today come together to realease a collab album under the inevitable name Moderat. The release date is fast approaching, so this is merely a heads-up and a way of diffusing some of the excitement that is brewing inside me.

Here is the link to the first leaked track I have come across A New Error
From this initial evidence it seems that they are literally combining Modeselektor's crazy techno beats with Apparat's more eloquent soundscapes. I think we are in for a treat.

Here's the tracklist

01. A New Error
02. Rusty Nails
03. Seamonkey
04. Slow Match feat. Paul St. Hilaire
05. 3 Minutes Of
06. Nasty Silence
07. Sick With It feat. Dellé
08. Porc # 1
09. Porc # 2
10. No. 22
11. Out Of Sight
Moderat is released on BPitch Control April 21

Deep Red

Some members of Hercules and Love Affair, whose self-titled album treated the world to a rejuvenation of camp, funky disco, have come together for a side project. The group are called Deep Purple, and it follows in the vein of Hercules, if slightly more louche. There is an album to come soon, for now I can only come across the two songs on their MySpace below. Good to Go is delightfully sleazy. Keep an eye out, because this is gonna be big!!

Deep Red Myspace

Note to Scenesters: You Need To Be This Good To Be This Cool

Straight from the "I Knew Them Before You" department comes Brooklyn duo Telepathe. Deep, dark synths and a refreshingly haphazard approach to structuring keep these guys firmly on the good side, unlike a certain other popular, dull New York duo. Although some characteristics leave them very much in line with the trend (drum machines, synths, neon face paint, and a lazily fringed, moody female vocalist), the temptation to bunch them with other (albeit quality) scenester favourites such as Crystal Castles is to genuinely court laziness - this is an original, engaging mix of dreamy electronica and punchy beats.

Their Dave 'TVOTR' Sitek-produced Dance Mother is out on IAMSOUND - home of Long Boots and Florence and The Machine - in a fortnight's time. Expect to hear it soundtrack your next visit to Urban Outfitters shortly thereafter.

www.myspace.com/telepathe

Fever Ray

Once you watch the video below it should be blindingly obvious who Karin Dreijer Andersson is. One half of The Knife, whose 2006 album Silent Shout was one of the most strikingly innovative and exciting albums of the year in electronic music, Andersson is now embarking on a solo project under the moniker Fever Ray. Her eerie enchanting voice has not changed, but if the initial release If I had a Heart is anything to do by, her style is a whole world darker than that of the Knife. As she puts it herself, it is a "stirring mantra, a boundless loop, a deep sleep spreading over fields and endless oceans. A dark evocation of hope and a demand for “more, give me more”. There you have it...

The Fever Ray album will be released in March, but is available on digital download now

Word of warning: this video is scary

Magda - Electronic Beats Radio Mix, Oct 2008

Everybody's favourite Pole, well, apart from the former Pope anyway, Magda, is back with a stomping, clicking, tweaking exhibition of the minimal techno sound that her and her buddies at M_nus have made their own. This mix was done for Electronic Beats Radio, a website worth checking out.

Download here


Tracklist:
* Stefan Goldmann - Intro
* Glimpse - (unknown)
* Tom Ellis - Bad Son
* Mike Shannon - Wolfmodule (DJ Sweetheart Remix)
* Click Box - Nebula
* Jus Your - (unknown)
* Lee Jones - Soon (Mole Remix)
* Gaiser - Blank Fade
* Je davu - I Zebra
* Nicone - Una Rosa (H.O.S.H. Remix)
* Marc Houle - Buchla 9 (Skoozbot Remix)
* Tom Ellis - Babseyish Remix
* The Mole - Knock Twice
* Click Box - Blue Box
* Stimming - Una Pena
* Yellow Rugelach
* Matt Nordstrom - Lucky Drawls
* Lee Curtis - Baby Likes To Ride
* Daz Stay - Overtone
* Christian Burkhardt - Ehh Stop2
* Ben Klock - Steady Plus (Ryan Elliot Remix)
* Theo Parrish - Lost Keys
* Dexter vs Cosmic Force - Drum Techniek
* Marc Houle - Meatier Shower
* Kerrier District

Playlist - 12/08/2008

No Age - Nouns









Neon Neon - Stainless Steel









Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes






Reviews to follow shortly. Listening to too much samba at the moment to focus.

Album Playlist - 01/08/08

M83 - Saturdays = Youth (Mute, 2008)

This is what would happen if My Bloody Valentine, Fleetwood Mac, New Order and Top Gun had a child. In a good way.





Max Richter - The Blue Notebooks (Fat Cat Records, 2004)

The German composer's second recorded album is still one of the most elegantly haunting pieces I've ever heard. Nods to Arvo Part and Brian Eno feature frequently, the works of whom he once commissioned and performed in his Piano Circus days. His newly released micro-music project, 24 Postcards in Full Colour, should make for interesting listening.




Efterklang - Parades (The Leaf Label, 2007)

Denmark's answer to The Arcade Fire, once lazily described as "Denmark's answer to The Arcade Fire".




www.myspace.com/m83
www.myspace.com/maxrichtermusic
www.myspace.com/efterklang