This is magnificient! Santogold’s ability to drop big roots beats into her overall mashup of styles is phenomenal. This is essentially a cover version with the hometown changed. Its absolutely perfect for a hot summer’s day (we don’t get many in Bristol but today is one). If you like this, you’ll love the album, do yourself a favour and buy it. http://www.78s.ch/2008/07/17/santogold-und-diplo-veroffentlichen-ultimatives-sommer-mix-tape/
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The Besnard Lakes - Devastation
I’ve been playing The Besnard Lakes a lot recently, kind of rediscovered their album ‘The Besnard lakes Are The Dark Horse’ in all its majesty. Here’s a band who are blurring the lines between straight rock n roll, sonic soundscapes & psychedelia. Think tripped out Beach Boys covering Neil Young with a penchant for Pink Floyd. Nothing new appears to be forthcoming from the band so keep your eyes peeled as they are great.
Why exactly is Common trying to drop the whole ‘conscious rapper’ thing. Its going to be a very sad loss if that notion turns out to be true. Adding insult to injury, he’s gone for a painfully trendy electro club kind of a sound, this cut features Pharell. And it’s a disappointment. There’s plenty of rappers offering this type of thing but so few actually have something positive to bring to the table. Rap needs Marley-esqu revolutionaries and it’s a real shame that Common is abdicating. http://thetapeisnotsticky.com/2008/05/new-music-ratatat-gemstones-kid-cudi-and-common/
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Bon Iver - Stacks
I wrote about the Bon Iver album a few weeks back. I’d like to give you a personal update on it … I never have the time to listen to as many albums as I’d like. Further still I never have the time to truly digest an album in the way I once did. Once upon a time, you bought some vinyl and took it home to play it on the best stereo you could afford and you played it over & over again. First the CD killed this by putting too many tracks on albums, then the Internet cremated the notion completely. However, I do sometimes stick with records and have those incredible musical moments when something that I thought I knew revealed itself to me as being a true stroke of genius. That is what Bon Iver’s album is doing now and the track ‘Stacks’ is a moment of genius. http://www.douchebagface.com/2008/07/07/mix-tape-monday-pitchfork-music-fest-preview
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The Notwist - The Devil, You & Me
This is not how I remember The Notwist. My memory tells me that they were all about synthesizers whereas the cut I’m listening to (Good Lies) has a much more organic feeling towards it. And that is going to lead me onto checking out more of the new material. Click over to the excellent Six Eyes blog to see what I mean. http://sixeyes.blogspot.com/
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Bodies Of Water - Gold, Tan, Peach & Grey
Bodies Of Water are no strangers to The Downloader – we love them. It’s the ambition, the vision that holds me. Songs take on a life of their own, the arrangements are so well thought out it hurts. I’d love to see the band live. If there is any justice in the world then this band will break through. It may well take a number of albums to do that but let’s face it, that’s how the best bands in history had to do it. http://gorillavsbear.blogspot.com/
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Mogwai - The Sun Smells Too Loud
A friend of mine once said to me how wonderful it must be to be Mogwai because you don’t have to deal with a singer. Singers, often the root of all evil in the internal conflicts that can often plague even the best bands. But Mogwai won’t ever have that problem. They just focus on the music which is always innovative and engaging. This track is probably not their best but it does demonstrate their abilities excellently well. Looking forward to hearing the new album. http://bigdiction.net/2008/07/03/music/mogwai-the-sun-smells-too-loud/
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The Cocknbullkid - On My Own Again
Here’s a new band that everybody is talking about. They are currently doing the festival circuit and making fans at every turn. I still need more convincing but the current single ‘On My Own Again’ does have something about it that I really like. Ones to watch out for in the future.
We’ve already featured the Nigger MixTape which was excellent. Here’s the lead cut from the ‘Untitled’ album. Very strong beat, you know that Nas delivers. This isn’t as inventive as Hip Hop is Dead but its still bloody good.
Sometimes you are right upfront with an album release and other times you are miles behind. I’ve been into this for ages and its dumbfounding that this album hasn’t had more exposure. Quietly and in their own fashion, The Flies put together one of the best debut albums of last twelve months entitled ‘All Too Human’. Speed Of Dark put up the opening cut ‘Walking On The Sand’ – its still live if you want to check it out. In a year that has seen Portishead & Tricky release new albums and Massive Attack appear to be gearing up for their fifth, there are other players in Bristol whose sonic capabilities could give them all a run for their money. The Flies album is superb! http://speedofdark-web.blogspot.com/2007/05/sea-and-sand.html http://www.myspace.com/thefliesmusic
