Wednesday 26 February 2014

Best Songs of 2014 - Spotify Playlist

Don't worry, I'm not jumping that gun quite yet...

Each year I put together a Spotify playlist compiling all the best stuff released that year, which I constantly keep updated.

It currently features some of the bigger tunes released by the likes of St. Vincent, Maximo Park and Bombay Bicycle Club as well as lesser-known stuff from Mvscles, Sylvan Esso and Ceiling Demons. Check it out!



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Sunday 23 February 2014

Album of the Week #14

Artist: The Abyssinians
Album: Satta Massagana
Year: 1976
Label: Jam Sounds

Political, melodic, classic reggae from the vaults

There's an existing train of thought that the only essential difference between punk and reggae is the drugs that the respective artists were on. Whilst the politically-charged punk movements of the UK and USA were partly fuelled by hard drug use - cocaine, speed, heroin - the politically-charged reggae movement of Jamaica was partly fuelled by softer drug use - namely marijuana. Their close links are further evidenced by punk's more obvious nods to reggae- The Clash covered Junior Murvin's Police and Thieves as well as producing some reggae-inflected hits of their own, in the shape of White Man in Hammersmith Palais and Guns of Brixton. Jimmy Jazz even directly references Satta Massagana's title track in its lyrics.

So it's perhaps little surprise that this week's album, a reggae classic, is as socially and politically charged as the future punk albums that it undoubtedly inspired. Released in 1976, the same year as The Ramones' eponymous debut album, Satta Massagana came out on the cusp of punk, bearing strong political messages. But it's far from just an angry protest album - the lyrics, melodies and vocal harmonies are as good as you'll hear on any reggae album.

Bernard Collins, Donald Manning and Lynford Manning, the trio of vocalists who make up The Abyssinians, shared songwriting duties on the album, with each member's contributions seemingly equally strong. It's something which is symbolic of the melodic, accomplished sound of The Abyssinians. All three members came together to pen the classic title track Satta Massagana, which has become somewhat of a reggae standard.

The powerful social commentary coupled with the strong melodies are most obvious in album opener Declaration of Rights, whose lyrics decrying slavery and lack of human rights are backed by the exceptional vocal harmonies of the group. This striking contrast is atypical of The Abyssinians and their trademark melodic reggae sound. Despite the heavy political content of much of the record's lyrics, the songs are never bogged down by their message, rather, it's the memorable melodies that are the driving force behind Satta Massagana.

The wondrous I and I  is a particularly standout moment on a record packed full of them. It's probably the song that best showcases the sound of The Abyssinians, but it's only scratching the surface of an accomplished set of classic reggae hits. With the original release clocking in at a little over half an hour (which is a pretty similar length to a punk album) it's well worth setting aside 33 minutes to hear one of the best reggae albums ever released.



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Friday 21 February 2014

5 Unmissable Summer Festivals

We all know that Glastonbury will most likely be mega. Coachella has a sweet lineup as always, and Reading & Leeds will attract the big hitters once again. But which lesser-known festivals this summer will truly be unmissable? It's time to start saving those pennies, looking behind those sofas and reconsidering those visits to the pub: these five festivals are the places to be this summer.

Liverpool Sound City, 1st-3rd May


First, off, it's the SXSW of the UK (although Brighton's Great Escape festival might have something to say about that one). Liverpool's urban festival Sound City has grown and grown in size since its inception in 2008, and 2014's edition is their strongest offering yet. Featuring keynote speeches from Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore and The Velvet Underground's John Cale, the three-day festival has also attracted the cream of the crop of new and alternative music. Jungle, Courtney Barnett, Findlay, Fat White Family, Girls Names, Royal Blood, Thumpers and Wolf Alice are just a pick of the marathon lineup on show this year. A 3 Day Wristband is just £50 whilst a Conference & Live Festival Pass, which encompasses the keynote speeches as well as the festival lineup and much more, is a very reasonable £120.

Primavera Sound, 28th-31st May


Heading a little further afield, Primavera Festival always delivers a stellar lineup, and this year is no different. The dual event, held at sites in Porto and Barcelona, attracts an eclectic array of artists year on year across SEVEN DAYS. That's right, SEVEN DAYS OF FESTIVAL. This ain't for the light-hearted. The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Jamie xx, Warpaint, Queens of the Stone Age, Arcade Fire, Television, Daniel Avery, Earl Sweatshirt...there's old, there's new, there's electro, there's indie, there's hip-hop...there's pretty much everything. Tickets started at just €99 and are currently priced at €199. Not one to be missed.

The Governor's Ball, 6th-8th June


We're getting a little brave (and a little skint) now. Going even further afield to those United States of that America, there's a little ol' festival called The Governor's Ball in New York City. A relatively young festival born in 2011, this year is once again the best yet. Outkast, Jack White and Vampire Weekend are the headliners, with The Strokes just below, but that's far from everything. *deep breath* TV On The Radio, Broken Bells, Damon Albarn, James Blake, Childish Gambino, Tyler, The Creator, Kurt Vile, RJD2 and Run the Jewels are just a glimpse of what this festival offers. It's $230 a ticket, which works out at around £130. I'd say that's pretty reasonable.

Bonnaroo, 12th-15th June



Staying in the US of A, the weekend after this little worldwide jaunt sees us arrive at Tennessee's Bonnaroo Festival, who probably have the wackiest lineup of the festival season. Seeing Elton John and Lionel Richie at the top of lineup could put a few off...but when those names are combined with the likes of Kanye West, Arctic Monkeys, Bobby Womack, Janelle Monae, CHVRCHES and Chance the Rapper, it makes for one of the most exciting festival lineups you'll see for some time. I wonder if Elton, Lionel and Kanye will be sharing a dressing room? You can grab a ticket for another very reasonable price of $250.

Unknown Festival, 8th-12th September


So after a busy summer taking in the UK, Europe and America, time to relax, isn't it? Well not for those at Unknown Festival. One of 3,493 festivals in Croatia, this one has all the typical characteristics of a foreign festival - sunny weather, beaches and boat parties - but offers a more eclectic lineup than anywhere else. Although it has strong electronic leanings, it's got a great mix of live music and DJs. CHVRCHES, Wild Beasts and Mount Kimbie are the standout live acts, whilst Erol Alkan, John Talabot, Simian Mobile Disco, The 2 Bears and are the DJing alternatives to one of the last festivals of the season. With several budget airlines flying over and tickets starting from £129, this young festival has already established itself among the elite.

So there we have it- the five best festival lineups of 2014. But remember that this is just a taster - these and loads more still have to reveal hundreds of new artists yet. Then there's the small matter of that little festival in Pilton...



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Sunday 16 February 2014

Album of the Week #13

Artist: Arthur Beatrice
Album: Working Out
Year: 2014
Label: Polydor

Sleek, sophisticated indie pop

Patience is a virtue. London quartet Arthur Beatrice formed in 2010 and went on to feature in the NME and The Guardian in 2011, but it's taken three years for their debut album to emerge since then. The band decided to follow what is becoming somewhat of a well-trodden path in terms of album promotion - no promotion at all. After their mentions in the national music media, they retreated into their own studio and slowly put together what would become Working Out.  A lot of what they do seems meticulously planned, from Arthur Beatrice reflecting the male/female vocals to the name of the album, Working Out, seemingly a telling nod to the band honing, finetuning and discovering their own sound over those three or four years. And that's certainly something that they've managed to do. While their brand of sleek, sophisticated pop recalls contemporaries such as The xx and Wild BeastsWorking Out is far from a rehash of old ideas.
Self-produced by the band, it's an album where each note seems pored over, each drum fill well-thought out and each lyric considered, torn apart and rewritten.  Although it may well have been planned to within an inch of its life, it somehow retains a sense of freedom and not once does it sound forced or mechanical. The minimalist guitar sounds of dreamy opener Councillor is the track most reminiscent of The xx, whilst the pained lyrics of Late and Carter - Uncut soon give way to uplifting choruses - a prevalent theme throughout.
But Midland and Charity are the finest examples of what Arthur Beatrice are truly capable of. Midland begins with singer Ella Girardot's typically haunting vocals, before slowly building into a joyous chorus with Chic-esque guitars propelling the track into dance territory. The chorus is one of the finest of the year so far, a notion reinforced when Girardot's falsetto vocals strike in the second chorus. In an album full of contrasts and counterpoints, typically it is the male vocals of Orlando Leopard which then drive the similarly-euphoric Charity. The tracks tend to follow a similar structure, with dark, brooding openings leading into uptempo choruses before retreating into their shells once more. Despite the success the band have with this formula, the repetition is one of the album's very few drawbacks.
Working Out is an assured debut album and also a tantalising glimpse of what the future could hold for the band. Whilst a set of songs  that are this precise can often come across as dull and impersonal, it's the impassioned vocal delivery and powerful lyrics that lift this from a good pop album to a great pop album. Continue in this vein, and Arthur Beatrice are surely destined for bigger and better things. Mind you, they've probably already planned that out.


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Friday 14 February 2014

Brody Dalle - Meet The Foetus/Oh The Joy

This tune really smacks you in the face on first listen. It starts off with Dalle's spacey vocals and romping, bluesy guitars driving the song along...until three minutes in it becomes another beast entirely in one hell of a crazy metal crescendo, complete with a catchy vocal hook. A proper triumphant, furious, hands-in-the-air moment. Give it a listen below.

Sunday 9 February 2014

Album of the Week #12

Artist: Roots Manuva
Album: 4everevolution
Year: 2011
Label: Big Dada

A sprawling collection of hip-hop, dubstep, pop, dance and beyond

The album under the spotlight last week was some top notch UK hip-hop from Union Blak. Following in the same vein, this week there's a nod to arguably the name that's been synonymous with the genre since the 90s. It's always refreshing to see elder statesman of the music world releasing high-quality albums late into their careers, and Manuva, now into his third decade as a recording artist, is one such example of this.

13 years ago, Roots Manuva totally shook up the then stale UK hip-hop scene with Run Come Save Me, a stone cold classic that should be mandatory evidence in criminal cases against the state of the genre. For a long time Manuva understandably struggled to reach those same heights again. Until 2011, that is. 4everevolution is a sprawling effort from an artist at the peak of his powers. It's his White Album, his tour de force, the sound of a man totally reinvigorated.

The album effortlessly lurches from genre to genre, and Manuva seems comfortable with each and every style he chooses to adapt. But this album is anything but comfortable- not content with simply dipping into new soundscapes and genres, Manuva launches himself into hip-hop, dubstep, reggae, pop, dance and more with total ease.

The ambition of 4everevolution is quite something, and the name fitting. Manuva teams up with producer Toddla T on the dancefloor filler Watch Me Dance, synthetic steel drums come to the fore on the Caribbean-inflected Wha' Mek? and the pulsing bass behind the dubsteppy Here We Go Again is the perfect backing sound for his typically gritty social commentary.

Breaking the shackles of what is expected of a hip-hop artist is not an easy thing to do. Kanye West is somewhat of a trailblazer in this respect, with his polarizing work amazing and frustrating in equal measure. Manuva clearly holds similar ambitions for his music and he has been rewarded with an album that certainly impresses far more than it frustrates. Although a 17 strong tracklist which clocks in at just over an hour long might put some people off initially, the quality of the work never wavers despite the constant embracing of different genres.

In releasing this album, Roots Manuva cemented his reputation as the leading light in the UK hip-hop scene. A consistently creative, ambitious effort that deserves all the plaudits that comes its way.



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Wednesday 5 February 2014

Forgotify

Here's one for the hipsters. San Francisco-based Forgotify have hit upon a pretty interesting concept.

4 million songs have never been streamed on Spotify. Not once! Aside from being fairly depressing for the artist, it's one hell of an opportunity for us music-obsessives to change this injustice and give the never-heard music of this world a platform.

In my trial run on Forgotify, I heard some music which, it's fair to say, should probably have been consigned to the Forgotify database forever. But I also heard some crackers which deserved far more than zero listens (I'm looking at you, The Stampeders).

Try it for yourself below. You never know, you might just stumble upon someone who becomes your favourite artist- thus making you the hippest of all the hipsters out there.

Forgotify

Sunday 2 February 2014

Album of the Week #11

Artist: Union Blak
Album: Union Blak Friday
Year: 2013
Label: Effiscienz Records

Modern old skool-styled UK hip-hop

Sir Simon Williams and Kimba may hail from New York and New Jersey respectively, but the duo who make up Union Blak are based here in the UK. Naturally, I hereby claim them as UK hip-hop. And by my watch, we need all the hip-hop talent we can get in this country- 'UK Hip-Hop' has become a rather dirty phrase.

Union Blak are straight out of the old skool. You can't really argue with endorsements from Chuck D, De La Soul and Jazzy Jeff, and fortunately, the music lives up to the hype. Union Blak Friday, briefly given away for the princely sum of £0 late last year, is a relentless set of hip-hop bangers masterly produced and rapped.

Much like my review of Ugly Duckling a few weeks ago, this is an album that could quite easily have appeared in the deluge of jazzy hip-hop in the late 80s and early 90s. It's all funky hooks, catchy refrains and honest, heartfelt lyrics - no macho posturing in sight. Union Blak are certainly reading from the same hymn sheet as some of their old skool American contemporaries, but unlike Ugly Duckling, they've captured a moment in time of hip-hop and, with a touch of Anglicisation, advanced it.

Some of the cream of UK hip-hop feature on the album, including Serocee, K9 and Blak Twang. And it's this splash of British artists that really help to set the album apart from the rest. With Williams' beats excelling throughout, the unashamedly British verses from the featuring guests make it an album that doffs a cap to the past and acknowledges its transatlantic influences, but doesn't merely try to imitate it.

Although the featured artists always impress, the album's main highlights arrive when it's the two adopted Londoners of Union Blak in the spotlight. 5th Avenue, an ode to New York, is perhaps the standout moment of the whole record and comes as a counterpoint to the predominantly UK-influenced hip-hop. Elsewhere, closing track Hit is symbolic of the album as a whole, with Kimba's effortless flow and Williams' catchy beats and vocal sample hook coming to the fore.

Union Blak Friday is an album that's hard to dislike. It perfectly encapsulates that Friday feeling of freshness and freedom. Whisper it quietly, but this is hip-hop firmly rooted in UK culture, and it's really rather good. Give it a chance and have a listen below. You won't regret it!



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