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Massive Attack:
Paradise Circus
12.13.
 Massive
Attack's forthcoming album 'Heligoland' is near completion (the project
was formerly known as 'Weather Underground') and we could pre-listen to
some of the tracks on their 'Splitting The Atom' EP. But today
something with great beauty emerged from their studio: 'Paradise
Circus'. The song's clip is absolutely NSFW, featuring former porn star
Georgina Spelvin speaking about her carreer but what's more important,
the music recalls the highest moments of Massive Attack. Guest vocalist
Hope Sandoval's voice and the amazingly smooth melody goes immediatly
under your skin and wraps around your heart. With Spelvin's words, this
song is "a point in time that can't be measured, a mystical instant
that doesn't really exist in this dimension".
Portformat: The Repeat Factor
12.13.
 We
aren't a hiphop music site and hey, it's two-thousand and nine - why
are we covering Tokyo Dawn's latest release? Well fellow music lovers,
Portformat's 'The Repeat Factor' is serious dope. And we mean it - the
album packed with 17 (!) tracks is a perfect blend of hiphop, soul and
downtempo with some classy touches of electronica and dubstep. Ibrahima
M’Bodji aka Portformat is joined by not less than 12 guest artists
delivering the production's perfect vocals (Dudley Perkins, Georgia
Anne Muldrow, Blaktroniks, Comfort Fit, Bless1, Shuanise, Suzi
Analogue, Obey The Altar Native, Gajah, Caits Meissner, Joe Kickass,
Thesaurus Rex ). All in all, thank you Portformat and Tokyo Dawn, this
is pure gold!
Portishead: Chase The Tear
12.13.
 We
didn't like Portishead's latest album that much and it comes a bit as a
surprise that they released a new single that fast - 'Chase The Tear'
is an Amnesty International release on the eve of International Human
Rights Day. Together with this great piece of electronica in true
Portishead-style we can also enjoy a video shot in black and white.
Preview - Massive Attack: Splitting The Atom EP
09.17.
 Massive
Attack is alive and back with the brand new single 'Splitting The
Atom', along with an announcement of a new EP, out October 5th on
Virgin. 'Splitting The Atom' is a very moody and slow electronica with
Daddy G, Horace Andy and 3D at the microphones. The EP will contain
three more songs, 'Pray For Rain' with Tunde Adebimpe, 'Psyche' with
Martina Topley Bird (hell yeah!) and 'Bulletproof Love' with Guy
Garvey. Their new album is due for February, but this is exactly what
we said two years ago.
All India
Radio: A Low High
09.13.
 It's been two years since the last All India Radio
release from Australia. 'A Low High' is a return to the lush
atmospheric & instrumental moods of their earlier work and we must
say, that the sound quality is exquisite. Guests include Graham Lee
(The Triffids) & some evocative ambient sounds from Australian rock
legend Ed Kuepper (The Saints). AIR also produced a wonderful animated video which is available in HD on YouTube. We are not always into so much
chill, but AIR's 'A Low High' is a so perfect mixture that we can't
resist to spin it in our players again and again.
The Silk Demise: Midnight Eyes
08.11.
 We
really want to like The
Silk Demise's second album 'Midnight Eyes' - and it has its great
moments like 'Floodlights', 'Stargazer' an 'Lo-Fi'. But where it fails
globally is a strong artistic impression: the vocals are practically on
the same tone throughout the album, you almost can't differentiate
between verse and refrain and there definitely wasn't enough musical
ideas for 14 tracks. As a matter of fact, producer Bill Litshauer
(Toronto) and singer Edie
Marshall (Malibu) actually never met, the whole album is a result of
online collaboration - this is a new, very interesting breed of
production method, which nonetheless needs to be fine-tuned. Despite
our impressions, the coherence of the material is rock solid and the
production quality is top-notch.
Kodek: Fatigue Fracture EP
08.11.
 Remember
those old days when rather simple and clean sounding electronica with
smooth melodies was enough for some chill? Kodek brings this simplicity
back to our World with Fatigue Fracture EP which they recommend for
friends of Autechre and Aphex Twin. The five very good sounding original tracks and two
remixes with very smooth sound
aesthetics are just perfect if you want to listen to some music without
wanting to overdrive your brain - Kodek takes your hand smoothly at the
first
track and releases you easily at the end. Easy stuff don't wanting to
appear more than it is.Realistic Crew: Freedom Eats The
Soul 
07.12.
 We're
pretty sure you've noticed it, we tend these days no to cover triphop
style only. The reason is simple, 'stand-alone' triphop music gets
higher on the list of endangered species. But still, some bands are
looking back to those old Bristol-sound days - take Realistic Crew and
his last offering, 'Freedom Eats The Soul'. The classic lo-fi approach
begins at second one on this excellent record, instantly dragging the
listener into RC's dark and distorted world, put together by really excellent
musicians. Your journey through the head-moving grooves first tops at
'Strays, Storm', then goes further into the darkness with 'Free
Animals' Anthem's' great grooves to plunge into 'Koyaniskatzi's' madness.
The only reason the stuff drops from an A-rating is some filler-tracks
and sometimes painful english pronounciation. But you cannot go wrong,
Realistic Crew offers this greatly produced album for free at their
website.
Mizantrop:
Loud 
06.03.
 Have
a coffee or a song from Mizantrop's second coming, 'Loud'? The latter
will have a stronger eye and ear opener effect, guaranteed. Miza's
tracks cut through your brain like laser, especially fine pieces like
'Neon Sheriff', 'Caffeine' and 'Homegrown Lunatic'. We also like tracks
like 'T.A.M.', 'I Scream' or 'Tomorrow', which complete the album's
eclectic electric urban madness. Like a strong coffee - hard at first
taste, but addictive. Mizantrop's 'Loud' is available for free download
now!
Tricky:
Knowle West Boy
02.06.
 Although it's
a 2007 album, we needed it know - start the year with this very
powerful record summing up Tricky's accomplishments since his
1995 Maxinquaye debut. The press release says "Knowle West Boy tells
you everything you always wanted to know about Tricky, over music that
still sounds like no-one else on earth." A great album from an iconic
artist.
Taliesin:
Taliesin
02.06.
 In
the movie 'Hollywood Ending' Woody Allen plays a cinematic director who
loses his sight and has to direct his next film blind - the result is
catastrophic in the views of the studio, "but the French adored it".
Well, french band Taliesin's debut album recalled us WA's movie - was
the musical director deaf? Chaotic orchestration, over-effected vocals
and too eclectic mixture of styles - a pity, because lead
singer Marion Thomas deserves better. At least, her voice comes out of
the dark a bit better on the last track "ADN".
Resn:
Spark 
02.06.
 Hungarian
Resn
has put online for free very nice tracks on russian netlabel Homework.
The fully electronic Spark EP is some kind of calm musical journey with
tracks working both in the front and in the background. The sound
quality is pushed to the extremes, so you can fire up your B&W's
for maximum joy.
Architektur: Musik for Film
02.06.
 Our ears are
tired of computer made tracks with gigabytes of delayed
samples, but we have to admit that it's a "style" in its own right. And
some times in some environments (not only hotel lobbies) this smooth
rythms are very effective. Architektur's 'Musik for Film' is a nice
compilation of lounge music containing 14 ultra-clean ultra-delayed
ultra-tabla ultra-wahwah ultra-flute tracks. Architektur's compilation
is the playlist for your next loft-party. |