Exclamation points ahoy!
Hi there!
I realise that I've not been updating this thing as much as I should/would like to, so I thought I'd fill you in on some of the stuff that's rocking my tiny little world to its foundations right now.
Yes, you read that right, Andre 3000 aka Andre Benjamin aka Possum Alowishus Jenkins III is back doing what he does best. Sure, boy can sing and, y'know, can act a little, but busting strange, wonderful rhymes is his forte and it appears that he's got his rapping mojo back for the first time since Stankonia. He's made a few guest appearances recently and showed that he hasn't lost it. In fact, in every tune, he steals the show.
He blows away Snoop (not too difficult) and Devin The Dude (a sterner test) on 'What A Job' on Devin's new album (a tune that can be found elsewhere on these pages) and he makes the likes of Jim Jones, Paul Wall, Too Short and Lil' Jon irrelevant on remixes of DJ Unk's 'Walk It Out' and Rich Boy's 'Throw Some D's'. He's at his best though opening UGK's hot newie, 'International Player's Anthem'. No-one else can come up with lines like "I cc'd every girl that I'd see-see 'round town", "Wetness all around me, true, but I ain't no island. Peninsula, maybe" or "We got your back like chiro-prac-tic", so it's great to hear him back.
I would post that soon-to-be classic, but Fluxblog beat me to it. Here, instead, is the song that provides the sample. Enjoy!
Willie Hutch - I Choose You (mp3)
Arto Mwambe's (no, me neither) new release on Brontosaurus, Mudhutma! is one of the best techno releases of the year. Not minimal in the slightest, unlike most other techno these days, it's two full-on Detroit-style bangers. Just who Arto Mwambe actually is, is unclear (his MySpace page doesn't help much), but it's clear that there is more than a little genius at work. 'Ombala Mbembo' on the b-side is the one for me, but I'm saving that for a future mixtape (watch this space), so sample a little bit of Mr Mwambe with this little groover from the a-side.
Arto Mwambe - Noh Ngamebo (mp3)
Glass Candy have posted a new song, 'Rolling Down The Hills' on their MySpace and, I'm pleased to report, it's absolutely amazing. There's choppy, wah-wah guitars, a groovy bassline, spacey synths and soulful horns! Yes, soulful horns! I'll type it again, in case you're still rubbing your eyes in disbelief, SOULFUL HORNS!!! The kind of horns you used to get on Philadelphia International 7"s. I'm tempted to say that it's Siouxsie Sioux meets Gamble & Huff, but that sounds way too soundbite-y. Plus, it doesn't really do it justice. Just go over there, listen, repeat, listen again, ad infinitum. So looking forward to the album now.
Is there anything that those Norwegians aren't good at in the world of music? Tuna Laguna's new album, Ripples And Swells is a genuinely surprising, out-of-left-field treat. I'd never heard of them before but thought I'd check it out anyway and it's just sublime. There'll be more to come from me on the subject of Tuna Laguna in the future, so for now, just seek out the album, but try before you buy with this little taster.
Tuna Laguna - On To Tarmac (mp3)
Also, head over to their official site where you can download their first album, It's The Fudge gratis.
I went to see them at Manchester Academy 2 on Tuesday night, not really expecting to be blown away, but I was. All over again. This was the fourth time I'd seen them live, so you'd think that their gimmick (because that's what it is, let's have it right) would be starting to wear thin. Well, you'd be wrong. They were just as effervescent, joyous and (ahem) poptastic as they were the previous three times. Songs like these don't age. Remind yourself of how you fell in love with them in the first place...
The Pipettes - Tell Me What You Want (mp3)
If you must, you can read my review of the gig for High Voltage here.
Futuresonic, Manchester's yearly electronica and audio-visual festival runs from 10th-12th May and I'm going to be there reviewing it. Black Devil Disco Club, Faust, TTC and Wolfgang Flur! All for free! Can you tell that I'm excited?!
Black Devil Disco Club - On Just Foot (Dub) (mp3)
In other news...
I've reviewed Kathy Diamond's Miss Diamond To You for The Console. Read it!
I stumbled across this blog the other day, purely by accident, only to find that it only started up this week. There's tons of great music, but no waffle. The keeper of Naive Melodies is a man/woman/thing after my own heart. It appears that he/she/it's from Manchester too. I flung him/her/it an email the other day, but whoever it is is deciding to keep a low profile. So let me boost it for them.
Naive Melodies
If you go over to the Get Girl. Kill Baddies. Save Planet. MySpace and scroll down to the comments, you can see a picture of yours truly spinning some discs (of the compact variety, might I add). Clue: I'm wearing the same t-shirt that I've got on in my profile picture. It was all I had clean!
Right, I'm off. Look out for more posts soon.
JMx
I realise that I've not been updating this thing as much as I should/would like to, so I thought I'd fill you in on some of the stuff that's rocking my tiny little world to its foundations right now.
1. Andre 3000 rapping again!
Yes, you read that right, Andre 3000 aka Andre Benjamin aka Possum Alowishus Jenkins III is back doing what he does best. Sure, boy can sing and, y'know, can act a little, but busting strange, wonderful rhymes is his forte and it appears that he's got his rapping mojo back for the first time since Stankonia. He's made a few guest appearances recently and showed that he hasn't lost it. In fact, in every tune, he steals the show.
He blows away Snoop (not too difficult) and Devin The Dude (a sterner test) on 'What A Job' on Devin's new album (a tune that can be found elsewhere on these pages) and he makes the likes of Jim Jones, Paul Wall, Too Short and Lil' Jon irrelevant on remixes of DJ Unk's 'Walk It Out' and Rich Boy's 'Throw Some D's'. He's at his best though opening UGK's hot newie, 'International Player's Anthem'. No-one else can come up with lines like "I cc'd every girl that I'd see-see 'round town", "Wetness all around me, true, but I ain't no island. Peninsula, maybe" or "We got your back like chiro-prac-tic", so it's great to hear him back.
I would post that soon-to-be classic, but Fluxblog beat me to it. Here, instead, is the song that provides the sample. Enjoy!
Willie Hutch - I Choose You (mp3)
2. Arto Mwambe brings the Detroit!
Arto Mwambe's (no, me neither) new release on Brontosaurus, Mudhutma! is one of the best techno releases of the year. Not minimal in the slightest, unlike most other techno these days, it's two full-on Detroit-style bangers. Just who Arto Mwambe actually is, is unclear (his MySpace page doesn't help much), but it's clear that there is more than a little genius at work. 'Ombala Mbembo' on the b-side is the one for me, but I'm saving that for a future mixtape (watch this space), so sample a little bit of Mr Mwambe with this little groover from the a-side.
Arto Mwambe - Noh Ngamebo (mp3)
3. New Glass Candy!
Glass Candy have posted a new song, 'Rolling Down The Hills' on their MySpace and, I'm pleased to report, it's absolutely amazing. There's choppy, wah-wah guitars, a groovy bassline, spacey synths and soulful horns! Yes, soulful horns! I'll type it again, in case you're still rubbing your eyes in disbelief, SOULFUL HORNS!!! The kind of horns you used to get on Philadelphia International 7"s. I'm tempted to say that it's Siouxsie Sioux meets Gamble & Huff, but that sounds way too soundbite-y. Plus, it doesn't really do it justice. Just go over there, listen, repeat, listen again, ad infinitum. So looking forward to the album now.
4. Joyful Norwegian Post-Rock!
Is there anything that those Norwegians aren't good at in the world of music? Tuna Laguna's new album, Ripples And Swells is a genuinely surprising, out-of-left-field treat. I'd never heard of them before but thought I'd check it out anyway and it's just sublime. There'll be more to come from me on the subject of Tuna Laguna in the future, so for now, just seek out the album, but try before you buy with this little taster.
Tuna Laguna - On To Tarmac (mp3)
Also, head over to their official site where you can download their first album, It's The Fudge gratis.
5. Remembering how good The Pipettes are!
I went to see them at Manchester Academy 2 on Tuesday night, not really expecting to be blown away, but I was. All over again. This was the fourth time I'd seen them live, so you'd think that their gimmick (because that's what it is, let's have it right) would be starting to wear thin. Well, you'd be wrong. They were just as effervescent, joyous and (ahem) poptastic as they were the previous three times. Songs like these don't age. Remind yourself of how you fell in love with them in the first place...
The Pipettes - Tell Me What You Want (mp3)
If you must, you can read my review of the gig for High Voltage here.
6. I'm going to be reviewing Futuresonic!
Futuresonic, Manchester's yearly electronica and audio-visual festival runs from 10th-12th May and I'm going to be there reviewing it. Black Devil Disco Club, Faust, TTC and Wolfgang Flur! All for free! Can you tell that I'm excited?!
Black Devil Disco Club - On Just Foot (Dub) (mp3)
In other news...
I've reviewed Kathy Diamond's Miss Diamond To You for The Console. Read it!
I stumbled across this blog the other day, purely by accident, only to find that it only started up this week. There's tons of great music, but no waffle. The keeper of Naive Melodies is a man/woman/thing after my own heart. It appears that he/she/it's from Manchester too. I flung him/her/it an email the other day, but whoever it is is deciding to keep a low profile. So let me boost it for them.
Naive Melodies
If you go over to the Get Girl. Kill Baddies. Save Planet. MySpace and scroll down to the comments, you can see a picture of yours truly spinning some discs (of the compact variety, might I add). Clue: I'm wearing the same t-shirt that I've got on in my profile picture. It was all I had clean!
Right, I'm off. Look out for more posts soon.
JMx
Labels: Andre 3000, Arto Mwambe, Black Devil Disco Club, Futuresonic, Glass Candy, Naive Melodies, The Console. Get Girl Kill Baddies Save Planet, The Pipettes, Tuna Laguna, Willie Hutch
posted by James at 6:16 pm
5 Comments:
Yep..I was a bit dismayed after hearing andre 2000 electronica/chip interference for the 15 gazilionth time last week
Im glad hes back to the good ol stuff :):)
lovely blog mate and the tv one too. to name but eight great things across them: "Siouxsie Sioux meets Gamble & Huff", the promise of Futuresonic reviews, UGK, Pipettes, 'The Wire', hot-tamale-as-metaphor, John C Reilly and your love of the Hare on Shudehill (a fine alehouse).
all the best from another new reader; will check out your myspace when i get chance.
Why thank you, s. Glad to see you're impressed. Although I don't remember saying "hot-tamale-as-metaphor". I'm intrigued to know what it was in reference to because it sure doesn't make sense out of context.
Be sure to re-visit and a note to the rest of my readers; this is what all comments should be like!
hi James.
my hot tamal shout a bit of a stretch but it was one of your tags on a post at your tv blog re. the woman you like in The Office.
there's a truly wonderful scuzzy indie-rock dive on the near nw-side of Chicago - name escapes me - and pretty much their only food is some geezer selling tamales at a little booth or such.
(pretty much the finest mixing of music and tamales to my mind, since, ooh, Robert Johnson.)
i like Mexican food, see.
catch you around, no doubt.
Thanks for the introduction to Glass Candy...a throwback to soul is always a good thing. I see they're going to be touring North America next month. Perhaps they'll stop by Toronto like your beloved The Long Blondes who are swinging through Toronto in June.
Post a Comment
<< Home