Long Players

October 21st, 2007

LPs, albums, whatever, we get the picture. More and more come out every week and there are no signs of this growth slowing down. I wonder when and where it will all end? As it is record shops simply don’t have the space to stock all of these new releases - if you’ve got a new album coming out, I hope you have a good marketing team behind your release. Anyway, with my bionic eagle-eye vision for new music, most the hawt stuff falls under my radar, so I just want to give a quick rundown on new (and relatively new) releases.

Patrick Watson - Close To Paradise (Secret City Records)

The reason ignorant bastards said the latest Cinematic Orchestra album sounded like Coldplay. If only those people had stopped to realise that even if parts of that album did indeed sound remotely like Coldplay, it would have been Coldplay at the top of their freakin’ game! Patrick Watson is an immense vocalist. I’ve not experienced anything as good in this ilk since the debut release from Damien Rice, only imagine this under a more adventurous pop guise ala Gotye perhaps. Strictly speaking this was originally released about a year ago, but I wont let that get in the way of a good review! It’s 13 tracks of indie-folk goodness, chock full of haunting vocals and beautiful music. There is something pretty indescribable about the atmosphere created by this album, you really need to hear it to fully understand.

Patrick Watson - Luscious Life
>> download track
>> buy Close To Paradise @ Amazon.com
This download link will expire on 28th October.

The Heliocentrics - Out There (Now Again)

A UK funk collective signed to the Stones Throw imprint Now-Again. That first sentence alone should be enough, but I’m never shy of a few words, so have some more… This stuff is heavy! These dudes backed Shadow on one of the only decent tracks on his latest album, that track was This Time. Madlib loves them, Egon loves them, Peanut Butter Wolf loves them - and not for no reason either. Their blend of psychedelic, dark melodies to the funkiest hip-hop’esque beats is just sublime. Guilty Simpson also lends a cypher or two on the 12″ release of Before I Die, so try to catch that while you can.

The Heliocentrics - Distant Star
>> download track
>> buy Out There @ Amazon.com
This download link will expire on 28th October.

Ohmega Watts - Watts Happening (Ubiquity Records)

Fresh from guest appearances on the latest Bamboos album and also from last year’s The Find album, Ohmega Watts is back! The first album had on point rhymes and flowed nicely, but this follow up stings hard! It is brimming with raw energy and I would say is actually better than his previous material. The beats are tight and the mic action is strong, this is one for all the real hip-hop heads. Flying that Ubiquity flag nice and high, Ohmega Watts wins again.

Ohmega Watts - Eyes and Ears
>> download track
>> buy Watts Happening @ Amazon.com
This download link will expire on 28th October.

Me&You - Floating Heavy (Tru Thoughts)

One of the albums of the year right here! Rob Luis and TM Juke of Tru Thoughts send an eclectic storm of creation right in your direction with Floating Heavy. Designed to blast the dancefloor in an authentic Tru Thoughts manner, heavy things done go on in Brighton this year! The jazzy cover of Roni Size’s Brown Paper Bag is pure class, whilst the blend of 1950s early Lord Kitchener style calypso/ska and high powered drum ‘n’ bass on Last Night will shake you to the core. There’s something for everyone on this album, but despite the eclectic array of sounds, what impresses me most is how consistently on point the whole thing is.

Me&You - Space Lizards
>> download track
>> buy Floating Heavy @ EtchShop
This download link will expire on 28th October.

Y Society - Travel At Your Own Pace (Tres Records)

Thes One is one half of People Under The Stairs, he is also heavily involved with the Tres Records label of which Y Society are signed to. Travel At Your Own Pace is a fantastic hip-hop album that manages to combine the raw sound of old skool beats with modern production techniques and sick flows. This is chilled hip-hop with a confident attitude. But don’t confuse confident with arrogant, cos it most certainly isn’t that - it’s well produced and reminds me of a sort of blend between Pete Rock & CL Smooth and The Procussions, but naturally with their own unique elements and techniques.

Y Society - How Many Of Us?
>> download track
>> buy Travel At Your Own Pace @ Amazon.com
This download link will expire on 28th October.

Five albums for you to investigate. No doubt you may have already heard some (or all) of them, so feel free to share your thoughts. Just remember, even when thousands of really shitty records are being pushed in our faces all the time… there is still just as many quality ones out there too, you just need to spend a bit of time searching for them. It is worth it in the end though. The musical world doesn’t begin and end with what you hear coming across the airwaves, it’s a big ol’ world out there with music being spread through multiple mediums. Go find that good stuff, it’s waiting for you!

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Tropidelico

October 14th, 2007

Coming at you in full effect, The Quantic Soul Orchestra are back with a vengence… and a third album: Tropidelico. Duo for official drop 22nd October on Tru Thoughts, this one will knock your socks off with its latin rhythms and funky vibes.

Will Holland (the mighty Quantic) has been killing it live style with the QSO for a few years now, and as well as the aforementioned QSO album releases, there have been some sevens and also last year’s Spanky Wilson album, that was pure dynamite by the way. Now we are on the cusp of a third full QSO release and no doubt you want to know just what is in store. Perhaps I can help.

Tropidelico is both 12 tracks and fourty-eight minutes strong. There is a distinct latin sound throughout the album and that is immediately evident with the opening, self-titled, track Tropidelico. You’ll have to get your cha-cha on to this feverish starter. I love the paired extremes in this track - the subtleties and complexities. In ways it is understated with the lowkey approach, but the layers are exquisite, they entice and trap. For all its subtleties, it is at times a tad dramatic - in a good way, mind - even those less accustomed to such blatant latin sounds should appreciate the pure energy.

The second track is Panama City and this falls into slightly more familiar funk territory. The brass is strong, and the funky guitar stabs are hypnotic. An early theme to spot in this album, aside from the latin sounds, is the energy it exhumes. It’s addictive stuff indeed and Panama City will have you reaching for your dancing shoes! That said, you’d just as equally be comfortable listening to this in a more chilled state of mind or other relaxed surroundings.

She Said What? features J Live, the established and incredible hip-hop emcee. He flows nicely over the mixture of latin keys, cowbells, bass and drums. A definite head-nodder, and more evidence that the mood of this release is set not to change. Check it out for yourself…

The Quantic Soul Orchestra - She Said What?
>> download track
>> buy Tropidelico @ EtchShop
This download link will expire on 21st October.

Track number four is Melodious Wayfarer and it has some cool attitude going on. I’m particularly feeling the drum arrangement on this funk/latin effort. I can just imagine this one kicking arse live. It almost seems audacious in a way that the stylings of funk and latin could be blended in such a way, but then on the other hand… it sounds so damn natural. The rhythms, the brass, that damn energy again. Even if you wanted to hate this I doubt you actually could. I mean what’s not to like! Then it’s into Regi Bugalu, a slightly calmer, but moodier, deep affair. This is rich and smooth as silk. An album like this could turn anyone into a fan of latin music.

A short, but soulful Interlude takes us into Lead Us To The End (featured on #21 of the JLM Podcast). The sweet sound of Noelle Scaggs accompanies this funky ditty. Currently one of my favourite tracks on the album, although it is a bit like choosing a favourite child! The guitar riff gently dances around the infectious rhythm to the sweet swoon of Noelle’s on-point vocals. Simply blissful. San Sebastian Strut takes us deep into the Columbian quarter - an instrumental piece intent on possessing your hips against your own will. The instrumentation is flawless with its amalgamation of sounds - varying from piano to maracas to brass to congas to bass, it goes onwards and upwards.

Track nine of the scheduled twelve is Marrakech. I own a few tracks by that name, but none quite hit the spot like this one. Intentionally raw sounding, this could have come from Lalo Schifrin himself - had a Bruce Lee movie been filmed in South America of course. Who Knows will be recognisable to either jazz affeciandos, RJD2 fans or perhaps both. The bluesy vocal provided by Kabir is as strong as the music it follows. This has a real loungey feel to it, the brass over bass gives it such a powerful backbone.

Father may also leave you thinking “where do I recognise that from?”. The glockenspiel rides over guitar stabs and steady percussion to provide a gentle but energetic aural experience. I love the mood, sombre yet uplifting. It’s soulful and steady. The last track is totally latin: Los Olvidados closes the album in much the way it was started.

Tropidelico is a very strong album. There is no escaping the latin components, they make for 90% of the guts of this album, but alas no-one is trying to hide this fact. Sure if you don’t ordinarily dig such obvious latin tones, yeah you may not feel this, but as I said earlier: I feel that this album would have a greater chance of turning the most casual listeners into latin fans. I stand by a theory that says regardless of genre, with the right people behind the music, success will be met. Forgive me for the negative stance to this conclusion, as I do regret it, but I wanted to ensure that any skeptics would listen to this album and surely make an educated judgement. No doubt most will love this album as much as I do.

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