I struggled mightily to figure out what to include in the title of this post — it was an odd and all-over-the-place group of new arrivals today. Some surprises (Cody, various DJ-Kicks) and some under-the-radar stuff well worth checkin’ (Grouper, Eddy Current Suppression Ring). Not much to tie it all together so…let’s get to it!
Various, DJ-Kicks: Bunch of these came in from !K7 today: Carl Craig, Four Tet, Kruder. Dorfmeister, DJ Cam, Smith & Mighty, Kid Loco. Heard some of the Carl Craig and the (surprisingly dance-y/unsurprisingly eclectic) Four Tet, but other than that, it’s all new. Exciting stuff.
Grouper, Dragging a Dead Deer Up a Hill: Patrick first introduced me to Grouper (née Liz Harris) through her earlier, more obscured noise albums. On Dead Deer, the sound is not-quite-ambient/not-quite-folk — it’s big and round and gorgeous. The (still reverby, but not completely shrouded) vocals are also a new, and welcome touch. Highly, highly recommended.
Cody Chestnutt, The Headphone Masterpiece: Remember this guy? He looks good in leather; he co-wrote “The Seed 2.0” (man, that song is great). Headphone is his Big Ol’ Statement: two discs of eclectic kinda-Jimi rock n’ funk.
Del The Funky Homosapien, Deltron 3030: Del! And Dan the Automator! I always liked this spaced-out collab. It’s kinda nerdy and weird, but it still bumps. A very consistent listen. We also got the instrumentals.
DJ Khaled, We Global: The king of annoying voiceover’d posse cuts. This dude knows EVERYONE. A typical track has Fat Joe, Lil’ Wayne, Plies and at least four more of-the-moment radio rap guys. Jayson calls this stuff “speedboat rap.”
Eddy Current Suppression Ring, Primary Colours: The “colours” gives it away (kinda): these guys are Aussies. In a way, it’s a typical Goner release (backwards-lookin’ nuts and bolts garage rock) and in a way it ain’t (mostly clean guitars, no breakneck tempos). Lots and lots of hooks. RIYL: toned-down Stooges, Richard Hell, the ’60s.
George Clinton and his Gangsters of Love, George Clinton and his Gangsters of Love: Still (P)funkin’. This is a covers record, and a mixed bag, to be sure. Here’s what eMusic’s Michaelangelo Matos has to say:
Sure, it’s uneven: Clinton has always been uneven, and the last four tracks were tacked on at the last minute, which is apparent upon listening. (Even if the finale, “Fever,” does feature Sly Stone, his first recording in ages.) Still, much of Gangsters of Love goes down easy enough. And whatever Carlos Santana’s latter-day radio-pandering abominations, when he comps as smoothly as he does on this version of Curtis Mayfield’s Impressions hit “Gypsy Woman,” you remember Mayfield the creamy guitarist as well as Mayfield the classic songwriter — told you Clinton knows his history.
A new Ill Bill album came in, too, but I don’t really wanna talk about it. He’s mean.
There was a lot of hot new stuff that came in. Liking the Primary Colors.
The new Caribou is making me insanely happy!
http://www.emusic.com/album/Caribou-Up-in-Flames-MP3-Download/11272301.html?cs=1
Those DJ Kicks albums are great. Especially check out the K&D one.
So psyched about Deltron 3030…I’ve been waiting for that to show up on emusic for years!
Another nod for the DJ Kicks albums. Keep a keen eye out for the Thievery Corporation edition, it’s one of the best things they’ve put out.
I wonder if the Burial DJ-Kicks will show up? There is also a Booka Shade one I would love to hear. Oh and a couple other great ones which I do own are the Chicken Lips and The Glimmers ones.
Wait what did Ill Bill do? If you don’t want to talk about his album then talk about why he is so bad LOL
Haha, sorry about that porieux. He put out a new album called The Hour of Reprisal and, in typical Bill fashion, fills it with a combination of sci-fi paranoid goofiness (”Doomsday Was Written In An Alien Bible,” “Society is Brainwashed”), tuff white boy posturing (”I’m a Goon,” “White Nigger” [ugh]) and peppers it with other angry shouty types (Immortal Technique, Vinnie Paz, HR [!!!]).
In any case, I just meant that the whole Ill Bill/Necro camp of tough-dudes-who-like-knives-and-porn kinda wears on me. Although…that Non Phixon album was pretty great at the time. Production especially. We got it here: The Future Is Now.
Do you have any info on the Funky Delicacies label? Have they gone for good?
Yeah The Future Is Now is totally classic. You can’t go wrong with Black Helicopters, that track is rad. I just thought maybe you had met him and might have some kind of amusing anecdote to share
Haha oh man. If only I did…
No info? OK then.
Hey sorry Amanda, I’m looking into it. Will hopefully have some insight soon…
I like the new Grouper album (downloaded 4 songs already). Great melancholic girl with a guitar music.
Thanks alex. Sorry for being pushy but I never cared about Epitaph and I couldn’t get the Stones anyway, so now its my turn to get all angsty and sad about a disappearance.