Tomorrow's music, today!
School of Seven Bells – Windstorm
Ghostly International / Vagrant Records
Wow, for the second week in a row, I get to review something that’s a complete and utter pleasure. ‘Windstorm’ is the lead single off School of Seven Bells’ second album, ‘Disconnect from Desire’, and it’s quite wonderful.
Swirling mists of electronica rise up and slowly, densely float, whilst Alejandra Deheza’s elegantly ungainly vocals trip and slice through the squall with confident but fragile poise. Exquisite. 4.5/5
TJ
Dirty Projectors – Stillness Is The Move
Domino
This is beautiful. Crossing stilted, West African percussion with soaring strings, a beefy bass and tender, ethereal vocals. Eastern sensibilities with Western, R n B production that really works. It's cleverer than most RnB tunes obviously, and possesses that perfect, off key yet spine-tingling vibe which chimes with the very best love songs.
The Dirty Projectors are an ambitious lot - and their masterpieces occasionally suffer from being a little demanding. This however is an absolute winner - and instantly loveable. Fluttering, layered vocals, a llama (youtube it), leftfield kudos: to my ears this is a pitch perfect love song. 4.5/5
LC
Toro Y Moi – Leave Everywhere
Carpark
Everything about this song sounds like the 60s. The recording quality, his voice and the catchy little guitar riff all take me back to the summer of 69, or at least it would if I was that old.
This is bold change from his previous style of electronica, but he has produced a quirky and catchy little number which will end up charming you and have you yearning for past times of free love.
Catch him this weekend at Lovebox. 4/5
LG
Blackbird Blackbird/Pao Pao – Split 7”
Double Denim
The first release I’ve come across on much touted new label Double Denim, this split showcases two bands specialising in that woozy, bubblegum-pop-meets-electronica thing that Pitchfork has been calling glo-fi.
Whilst Blackbird/Blackbird’s effort is pretty much what you’d expect a San Franscian psych-pop band to sound like, Swedish folktronica outfit Pao Pao have really hit the nail on gthe head with their song ‘Libera’. Coming across like the Cocteau Twins meeting The Knife, it’s a trippy, slightly techno anthem that you could totally play a house party. Not too shabby. 4/5
DH
Trentemoller – Even Though You're With Another Girl
In My Room
I’m always slightly wary of experimental albums by electronic producers. You feel like you ought to be stroking your non-existent beard, saying “what a lush soundscape he’s created” when all you’re really thinking is “eh?”.
Rarely are these sonic anomalies created for the dancefloor, but if they’re lucky, they might just go down in history books as the ‘Most Interesting Album Since Music Began’. I love Josephine Philip’s vocals on this record and it is very interesting and moody; I’m just not sure how many more times I want to listen to it. 3.5/5
EM
Diana Vickers – The Boy Who Murdered Love
Sony
After the success of her fabulously rousing debut single ‘Once’, Diane Vickers returns with essentially the same song just with a few tweaks in the lyrics. Instead of repeating Once, she wraps her sultry vocals around a few ‘stop-stop-stop’s and ‘love-love-love’s whilst denouncing the male who went and killed cupid.
The video is nice and colourful though which will appeal to the early teen audience and she seems a damn sight more interesting than other X factor contestants, so I may even play this song once more. 3/5
TT
The Pipettes – Call Me
Fortuna Pop
The Pipettes are quite good really, but this isn't one of their better songs. Personally, I preferred 'Stop the Music' - this seems a bit bland in comparison. It's got a catchy melody that bounces along nicely and a chorus that's easy to pick up, and there's a whole load of random noises going on in the background - including something that sounds a bit like an air-raid siren, but all it seems a bit generic and same-y to me.
All in all, not great, but still good electro-pop fun. 3/5
LB
Jamie Lidell – I Wanna Be Your Telephone
Warp Records
What the dude ranch is this? Jamie Liddell channels Prince in this metaphor gone too far. Fail to see the innuendo? You soon will, it's a royally crap one though: "breath into my mouth baby, press your cheek against me harder, push my buttons with your tender touch".
It gets worse my friends, so much worse "always in your pocket never far away...if you ever drop me in a puddle I know you'll treat me so kind. Brush me off wipe me down" it goes on. It spirals downwards, it violates you a little but it grows on you too. 2/5
NK
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Frieze Art Fair to launch new section for young galleries in 2012
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