Archive for the 'the brits' Category

Bees, Doin’ the Left Foot Stepdown

Published by
tyler
July 31, 2007 in uk, 70s, the brits, summertime, psychedelia, 60s and videos. 0 Comments

It’s a fact! In ancient times, the bandit populus of India would use something like this to guard their mountains of treasure. Bet’cha didn’t know that.

–

[the bees - octopus]

So I may have missed the love train on this one by some few weeks, but it seems my own love pact was sealed when these first keys rang out to the tune of 1960 on my home stereo.

My summer has been, musically, a pleasurable time-warp through decades past, and thankfully there have been a number of bands doing it so well. On the side of IDM, Caribou’s Andorra and Pepe Deluxe’s Spare Time Machine carried their weight through the trodges of the psychedelic decades by pairing up some quality riffs with some equally quality beats. The rock side of the coin has been filled out in part by The Black Lips & Golden Animals (and as pointed out, one’s a little grungier than the next). I’d recommend going back and revisiting them one by one if you have to.

It’s Western, it’s psychedelic, it’s The Yellow Submarine, and I might even have to concede this as the best song of 2007:

In our world where most upstarts forget the importance of cohesion, the seemingly implicit talent of The Bees allows them to keep within such a broad set of bounds, going everywhere on Octopus from south-western folk on “Love in the Harbour,” to bass-culture dub crossed with The Beatles on “Left Foot Stepdown,” to unapologetic reggae on “Listening Man,” to a brass section that just won’t quit on “Got to Let Go,” the proverbial aural glue is stuck, and as it is, coming from this Isle of Wright sextet of multi-instrumentalists, by no means do these boundaries feel like an overextension, but rather they feel like a treat. The album is candy coated in chocolate wrapped in candy foil.

mp3:
Band of Bees - Left Foot Stepdown
Band of Bees - (This Is For The) Better Days

Grab yer own Octopus over at Amazon.

The Prinzhorn Dance School Wants to Know

Published by
tyler
June 19, 2007 in bassbass, dirty, uk, the brits and tunes. 0 Comments

[the Keeper]

“WHAT is your NAME?”
“WHAT is your Quest?”
“Do you know your butcher?”

These are important questions to know when confronted by the Prinzhorn Keeper. Don’t say I didn’t do nothin’ for you.

Okay, so raise your hand if you thought this was going to be dance music. Well… sit down, sucka. This ain’t no prissy school, and there ain’t gonna be no dance tonight, but hey, DFA signed these UK punks and liked them so much they put them on the line to front LCD at shows (as it would happen, there were work visa issues that sacked that). I can see why, even without the dance they’ve got some of the same energy. All you’ve gotta do is replace Murphy-electro with a dirty ol’ bass & guitar, and then, instead of hating on the Americans, you’ve gotta loathe the air in Hampshire.

Their sound is more than just dirty though. In and amongst all the hollow bass and duff-duff drum kicks they carry on with gang of four-like mantras & riff-work (ala 5.45), replete with accusations that “you are the Space Invader,” or “there’s no books in the library,” and also: “I like memorize fact.” Of course, this is a gang of three so don’t expect the distortion-fuzz that the fourth guy would probably do if he were present.

Remember those questions? Good. Make that last brain cell register August 28th. The DFA webstore should have the record by then.

mp3: (removed by request)
Prinzhorn Dance School - Do You Know Your Butcher?
Prinzhorn Dance School - You Are the Space Invader

Your Favourite UNKLE.

Published by
matt.
June 8, 2007 in the brits, electropop, blip bloop and tunes. 0 Comments

UNKLE

The trip-hop outfit UNKLE has had some interesting trends during their >10 year history. Hell, how many bands can list a (then still vital) DJ Shadow in their roster? They have been given plenty of time to develop and it shows on their latest, War Stories, which, unbelievable as it may seem, is only their 3rd full length release.

War Stories.

It seems that with time, the band has become, if anything, more traditional. Practically every song on War Stories features a guest vocalist and a melody that hails from the early Brit-pop scene (think along the lines of the Trainspotting soundtrack and you’d be close). Even the guest spots kind of reek of this music nostalgia: we got Ian Astbury (from the Cult) up in here (twice!), we got 3d from Massive Attack. For a more recent relevance contrast, we got Gavin Clark from Clayhill and Queens of the Stone Age’s Josh Homme, both double featured - both of whose bands, it can be argued, tend to look back more than forward.

And so, we end up with an electro-rock-pop album that, for all intensive purposes, could have easily been recorded in 1997. In fact, just listening to the album almost warrants a feeling of deja-vu. Which, in some ways, is comforting and mildly disburbing in others.

All in all, if you dig the genre I was referring to above, you’ll like the album. Nothing on the album may stand-out as much as D.A.N.C.E. but the album is a cohesive package, from start to finish. My jaw hasn’t hit the floor but, by the end of the album, I can see the appeal.

mp3:
UNKLE - Morning Rage.
UNKLE - Restless (feat. Josh Homme from “Queens of the Stone Age”)

(War Stories comes to town on July 24th, 2007 from James’ own Mo’ Wax Records. As always, check official site for more information.)

Recent Retaliations.

  • zeus: rowboat - absolutely beautiful.
  • rovzuljgan: Wow, cool man, big thanks! http://jamzfqsvdcph.com
  • Train Dolphins: Thanks your article is funny. I like your site.. thank you again
  • olly: you are too analytical. “The night starts here” is a terrific track… with a great prequal in...
  • cloudhead: Cloud cult not radiohead? Well radiohead DID finally get a myspace after all these years:...
  • jay: i know the lyrics sammi baby email me on jay211091@hotmail.co.uk
  • bagula bhagat: yeah this stuff is truly ingenius.. notice how the female vocals keep appearing as though in a...
  • squashed: are you guys over with the hiatus thing? hurry up. can’t be that much studying to be done. :P






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