na: kompakt and more
New today on eMusic: Kompakt! Along with some swinging ’60s Spanish pop on Tam-Tam.
First things first! The second batch of Kompakt releases has arrived and, from what I’m told, they’re a bit “poppier” than the ones before. Meaning electronic neophytes like yours truly won’t be completely adrift. There’s a handy starter hub of all the Kompak titles here for you to peruse.
Another full-label drop today is the terrifically kitschy Tam-Tam Media. From what I can tell, Tam-Tam has issued some terrific Spanish pop from the ’60s — “terrific” in the sense of goofy, groovy and totally dated. I’ve only had a chance to spot-check, but folks with a soft spot for the el Records or Vampyros Lesbos aesthetic should find a lot to love here, specifically Betina, Blume, 5 Chics, and Agua Viva. Take a spin through the catalog and see what you think.
Matthew Sweet, Sunshine Lies: Returning to the site today is the latest Matthew Sweet record, Sunshine Lies. eMusic’s Barry Walters says:
Matthew Sweet’s 10th album isn’t exactly innovative, but it is what this Los Angeles-based musical conservationist does best — ’60s-rooted folk-rock sounds revived with an urgency that transcends tradition. Whether he redirected romantic sorrows a la 1990’s breakthrough Girlfriend (certainly his cathartic “Room to Rock” here suggests that scenario) or simply craved another hit, Sunshine Lies’ familiar boy-loses-girl scenarios take on an existential howl as thick slabs of guitars slam and slash power pop’s expected jangle.
Close Lobsters, Headache Rhetoric: I actually didn’t know that there was another Close Lobsters record aside from the majestic and near-perfect Foxheads Stalk This Land. This one seems to mine the same kind of jangly Scottish pop as its predecessor, and it should absolutely thrill fans of, say, My Teenage Stride.
Ballboy, I Worked on the Ships: Also Scottish, also fey, Ballboy do a kind of small-scale Belle & Sebastian.
Various Artists, Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai: Not the astonishing RZA score, this is a collection of songs both in and inspired by the Jim Jarmusch film. It’s still solid: the production is consistently great, and most of the MCs are top-drawer, and should appeal to fans of that ’90s boom-bap.
Saigon, Welcome to Saigon: I’ve sort of resigned myself to the fact that Saigon’s major label album is never coming out. His mixtapes have always been fire, though, and this one sounds like it holds up the high standards. Saigon’s heart is in the last decade, so fans of tight lyricism and gritty production should check this out.
Kompakt stuff is exciting, of course. Totals 3 and 4 are my fave and that Aguayo LP is really, really good. Strongly recommended for fans of sturdy minimal techno.
Not the astonishing RZA score…
Argghhh!
The weird thing about the RZA score is that I’m fairly sure it’s only available as a Japanese import. Someone correct me if I’m wrong? Everyone was looking for that thing, and it’s almost impossible to find. You can get a used copy for 1500 yen on Amazon Japan — and ordering from there is an experience everyone should have at least once. I bought the entire Orange Juice discography on CD there about 6 years ago when the Yen-to-Dollar ratio wasn’t so nightmarish. It was kinda cool when the package arrived.
Look I’m sorry to post this here. . . very very sorry, the defective track email route a)isn’t working (keeps telling me that I’ve filled something wrong and I haven’t) and b) just isn’t fixing the issue that I’ve been encountering with the major misclassifications in genre that the Uploads staff is doing on a regular basis.
I KNOW that 17dots is the editorial staff and that this bored is for us to share our love of music but a NA thread is the best place for it.
nearly all of today’s (tuesday) releases were badly genred and I don’t mean something was alternative and was called rock I mean badly. . .please go to http://www.emusic.com/album/Brandywine-Baroque-Douglas-McNames-Karen-Flint-Joseph-Bodin-de-Boismortier-Cello-Sonatas-Op-26-MP3-Download/11271812.html and you’ll see what I mean.
Here is the text of the note (mean as it might be) I tried sending to emusic and it kept bouncing back:
Ok Do I even have to tell you how wrong the genre on this is. This isn’t rock/pop!!! it’s classical My goodness people are you insane. do you have monkeys working the upload machine or was some one really just sick and tired today I’d like to think that it was the later please tell me very non autoreply email that it is the later. i took the time to actually write an full letter this time do me the same.
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Look I’ll come and work for you and travel from NM to where ever you are if it will stop eMusic from making such a disgusting mistake.
I LOVE emusic (and more so I love and know you love MUSIC) and that is why I won’t stand for this BS genre mistake
Sorry Yancy, Sorry Daniel Esq sorry everybody I don’t mean to kill 17dots with this