4/9 new arrivals

A wonderful house single, some more electronic stuff and a ton of Bob Wills.

Downloaded:
Trackheadz, His Kingdom EP: Such a great track. It’s house-y and very discordant, with synthesizers pulsing at irregular intervals and some really stunning call-and-response choir vocals — not gospel house, but kinda close! The track stays steady throughout — no builds or ebbs — which is more than fine by me. The final cut, “Kompakt,” uses the same synth sound, with slight hiccups here and there. Also very good, but it borrows a bit too much from “His Kingdom”’s tricks (although the glitched-out section around 3:30 is pretty slamming).

The Broken District, We Are Just Numbers: This reminds me a lot of Midwest Product in that it’s a clever and seamless integration of electronic music and rock, one that genuinely balances both sides and arrives at something that actually feels natural. The Broken District (check their MySpace) are two dudes from Brighton whose recordings sound incredibly dirty and dire — “Dante’s Contrapasso” sounds dystopian! — in a way that I completely dig. Highly recommended.

Various Artists, Ragga Ragga Ragga 2007: The Greensleeves Ragga Ragga Ragga comps are the easiest way to keep up with the latest dancehall riddims and the newest voices and sounds from Jamaica. The 2005 edition is my favorite (which, bummer, we don’t have), and this latest one is… just okay. I like the Erup, Future Fambo and Mavado tracks best. The rest doesn’t do much to stand out.

Recommended:
Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys:

Does anything more need to be said? You have to have this music.

Various Artists, Roots of the Grateful Dead: This is an incredible compilation, with tracks by Dylan, Buddy Holly, Guthrie, Chuck Berry, Jimmy Reed and on and on. These are big tracks, too, probably ones you already have. If not, then shame on you, and start downloading right away!