Thursday 23 May 2013

Burial

With Burial's new 12", 'Truant/Rough Sleeper', having been released a couple of weeks ago, he's been back on my radar in a big way. There are only two long tracks on it, equalling about 25 minutes of music, but there are several distinguishable sections to each. In terms of varying from his earlier stuff, there is a definite progression, though I wouldn't worry if you're a huge fan of Burial because it's still very much something that could only have come from him. He still uses the same minimal, garage beats, gloomy synth drones, heart-breaking vocal samples and signature crackling background ambience. However, there are definitely moments in 'Truant/Rough Sleeper' where the music's general tone seems to shift away from the murky gloom that has become so associated with Burial and towards something that could perhaps be described as a bit more hopeful. Take 4:13 of 'Rough Sleeper', where we can almost even detect a move into (God forbid) a major key. Another favourite moment of mine is from 6:25 onwards in 'Truant', where we suddenly get something reminiscent of the progressive dance music of the 90's (think 'Out Of Space' by the Prodigy), though still very obviously Burial-ised. 
To conclude, absolutely make sure you listen to these tracks if you haven't already, they are absolutely brilliant. I've also posted an older track, 'NYC', my love for him having been rekindled lately to a huge extent. I just wish he was still anonymous!



Saturday 18 May 2013

Ye Olde London

The coolest footage ever of London from 1927 - Look at all the people tipping their hats to each other! If they're proud of their '4,000 motor-buses', I wonder what they would do if they saw London today...

Mala/James Blake

An incredible James Blake remix of a Mala song that James posted on his facebook page today - I have to share it, it's amazing! So glad it's finally been released after 3 years of only being performed live.

Thursday 16 May 2013

Dirty Laundry

An emotional, confessional ballad from Kelly Rowland's upcoming album, Talk A Good Game. I surprised myself by enjoying it as much as I did. As much as I love Kelly's older solo stuff (e.g. 'Stole'), I haven't been a huge fan of her more recent music. Without wanting to sound like a cliché, it sounded to me a lot like she'd sold out, and I lost yet more interest when she became a judge on the X Factor (which I can't stand.) That being said, I am joining droves of people singing the praises of 'Dirty Laundry', despite the tenuous metaphor she uses for the chorus ('When you're soaked in tears for years, it never airs out' - what?) But the focal points of the song are the verses, which do seem genuinely sincere. I love the style of the song as well, which seams to hearken back to the music she was making back in the noughties.



Let’s do this dirty laundry, this dirty laundry
Let’s do this dirty laundry, this dirty laundry
When you’re soaked in tears for years, it never airs out
When you make pain look this good it never wears out
This dirty laundry, this dirty laundry

While my sister was on stage, killing it like a motherf-cker
I was enraged, feeling it like a motherf-cker
Bird in a cage, you would never know what I was dealing with
Went out separate ways, but I was happy she was killing it
Bittersweet, she was up, I was down
No lie, I feel good for her, but what do I do now?
Forget the records
Off the record, I was going through some bullshit
Post-survivor, she on fire, who wanna hear my bullshit?
Meanwhile, this nigga putting his hands on me
I swear y’all don’t know the half of this industry

Let’s do this dirty laundry, this dirty laundry
Let’s do this dirty laundry, this dirty laundry
When you’re soaked in tears for years, it never airs out
When you make pain look this good it never wears out
This dirty laundry, this dirty laundry

And it’s almost been a decade
I’m behind them black shades
Roll up like it’s all good, right up out that escalade
Fix my make-up, “get it together, Kelly, get it together”
Then we make up, “well get it together, nigga, get it together”
Kinda lucky, I was in her shadow
Phone call from my sister, “what’s the matter?”
She said, “Oh no, baby - you gotta leave!”
I’m on the kitchen floor - he took the keys
I was mad at everybody, I mean everybody
Yeah, her, her, her her everybody
Five years later, I got my shit down pat
Think I had it good, and they don’t know how bad
Fooled everybody, except myself
Soaking in this hurt, bathing in the dirt

Let’s do this dirty laundry, this dirty laundry
Let’s do this dirty laundry, this dirty laundry
When you’re soaked in tears for years, it never airs out
When you make pain look this good it never wears out
This dirty laundry, this dirty laundry

So here I am in the spin cycle
We’re comin and we’re goin
Nobody can know this
And I was trapped in his house, lyin’ to my mama
Thought it could get no worse as we maximize the drama
Started to call them people on him
I was battered
He hittin the window like it was me, until it shattered
He pulled me out, he said, “Don’t nobody love you but me
Not your mama, not your daddy and especially not Bey”
He turned me against my sister
I missed ya

Let’s do this dirty laundry, this dirty laundry
Let’s do this dirty laundry, this dirty laundry
When you’re soaked in tears for years, it never airs out
When you make pain look this good it never wears out
This dirty laundry, this dirty laundry

Cold Spring Fault Less Youth



Mount Kimbie's new album, 'Cold Spring Fault Less Youth', is to be released on May 28th (a day before my next exam - guess which one I'm most excited for) and a couple of songs have already been revealed to get our pants a-twistin' and our beans a-buzzin'. 'Made To Stray' is a personal favourite so far (the track that will probably be the most popular on release) but 'You Took Your Time' is also looking promising. It features the brilliant King Krule, who is the best proof you're going to get of the folly of judging a book by its cover. I've put one his own songs underneath as well, you should give him a listen. Lastly, 'Blood and Form' may not be a particularly easy listen with its very heavy, pounding synths but it actually gets increasingly more enjoyable as the layers continue to be piled on. 





Laura Mvula

I wasn't sure that Laura Mvula's amazing album, 'Sing To The Moon', would translate very well into live performance, but after watching this Hunger TV session it would appear I was very wrong. She performs 'She' so that it really is all about her voice, and a stunning voice the lady doth have. Her cover of an MJ classic 'Human Nature' followed the same pattern of lovely acoustic simplicity, this time a duet with her brother James Douglas on the cello. He plays pizzicato for the whole song instead of with a bow, which sounds great - makes it sound like a double bass accompaniment. It's always nice to find a singer/songwriter who doesn't have to disguise her voice with layers and layers of backing and production, so let's all rejoice in the arrival of Laura Mvula!



Wednesday 15 May 2013

Woman's Gotta Have It

Preach it, Bobby.
Men, take note.

Ooooohhh, a sssspiiiralling sssaaafarrriii of ssssoooundsssss and sssaaampppleessss...

One of Bonobo's direly under-recognised songs off the album 'Dial 'M' For Monkey': 

Monday 13 May 2013

Wordsworth

' [...] For I have learned
To look on nature, not as in the hour
Of thoughtless youth, but hearing oftentimes
The still, sad music of humanity,
Not harsh nor grating, though of ample power
To chasten and subdue. And I have felt 
A presence that disturbs me with the joy
Of elevated thoughts; a sense sublime
Of something far more deeply interfused,
Whose dwelling is the light of setting suns,
And the round ocean, and the living air,
And the blue sky, and in the mind of man,
A motion and a spirit, that impels 
All thinking things, all objects of all thought,
And rolls through all things.'

From Wordsworth's 'Tintern Abbey'

Sunday 12 May 2013

Friday 10 May 2013

Numbers On The Boards

Here's the video for the new Pusha T track that I blogged about a couple of weeks ago. Check out Kanye's hilariously short cameo appearance at around 2:30:

Thursday 9 May 2013

One Man, Multi Talents


Some may know him as Childish Gambino, some may know him as Troy, others as Donald Glover... Doubtless, you will be a fan regardless of what you call him. Whether it be acting, rapping, producing or stand-up he dabbles in, he has a habit of coming out at the top of his game. (Yay for the French Montana instrumental he freestyles over!)







Thundercat x Lapalux

Imagine you, this song and a beautiful, balmy summer night. I'll be saving this for if the sun ever comes out to shine on us miserable Brits. 

Wednesday 8 May 2013

Thursday 2 May 2013

Hawk House

UK's very own nod back to the Fugees.

New one from Pro Era (Joey Bada$$ probably being the most famous member), a nice chilled one with great vocal sampling. I'm too much of a nerd to be able to be able to reminisce on my 'To blaze or not to blaze' school days but I love the song and it's a wicked tune for summer.

Janelle Mon-ACE! (?)

Janelle Monae is baaack! And she's just released the visuals for her new song, 'Q.U.E.E.N.' (which features Erykah Badu, as if the excitement weren't already unbearable.) The song is great, pretty similar to stuff from her album 'The ArchAndroid', which she released back in 2010. It's funky and upbeat with typically punchy lyrics about not caring what other people think ('I just tell 'em cut me up, and get down'). FEISTY! I especially like the line, 'Is it peculiar that she twerk in the mirror?' As for the video, it's certainly in accordance with this season's huge fetish for monochrome but to be honest, Janelle Monae could have probably single-handedly started that trend herself. Search her on Google images and you'll be flooded with her signature black and white tailoring. So in conclusion, this song and its video are very much a 'I'm back and I'm here to stay' statement. Oh and Erykah Badu is brilliant, as usual. Her part of the song is actually my favourite part, wiv dem trumpet vibez. I cannot wait to hear the rest of the album!

'Electric ladies, will you sleep?
Or will you preach?'