01: MMM
‘NOUS SOMMES MMM’
(MMM 12″)

“Entrancing, divine rave music that takes the heady energy of vintage hardcore and combines it seamlessly with the to-the-millimetre efficiency of modern Germany. It also, despite its day-glo exuberance, is restrained, fading before outstaying its welcome, ensuring that you want to hear it again.” - full review here

02: JAMES BLAKE
‘BUZZARD & KESTREL’
(from THE BELLS SKETCH EP, HESSLE AUDIO)

“The melody’s so pleasant that it’s hard to focus on anything else, but when you start to examine the track and notice those tortured vocal samples and that same skeleton dance rhythm, not to mention the malevolent sub-bass, you realise that ‘Buzzard and Kestrel’ is far from friendly.” – the month in… bass

03: ARIEL PINK’S HAUNTED GRAFFITI
‘ROUND AND ROUND’
(4AD 7″ / download)

“Ariel has one of the most affecting voices in modern pop music, and it’s only enhanced by the backing vocals and professional recording level found here. I don’t know how much attention Pink pays to those who he’s influenced, but intentionally or not, he shows them who’s boss here on maybe the most radio-friendly record he’s ever made.” – full review here

04: ADDISON GROOVE
‘FOOTCRAB’
(SWAMP81 12″)

“If you’ve been to a dubstep night this year, or indeed, a night with any vague connection to dubstep, then you’ve probably heard ‘Footcrab’. It’s the one that goes “footcrab footcrab footcrab footcrab”, though there’s always the chance you misheard it as “woodcraft”. And it’s absolutely brilliant.” - full review here

05: FOREST SWORDS
‘MIARCHES’
(from DAGGER PATHS, OLDE ENGLISH SPELLING BEE LP)

Hailing from the Wirral, Forest Swords recently released an exquisite debut album, Dagger Paths, combining influences from strung-out psychedelic rock, reggae and even dubstep into something surprisingly captivating and coherent. Comparisons to labelmates James Ferraro and Ducktails are inevitable, but ‘Swords’ sound is actually far more fleshed out and balanced than theirs, and groovy without being, you know, groovy – witness exemplary album opener ‘Miarches’.

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 1st, 2010 at 12:11 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.