Death Grips
Last year’s Ex Military free download album introduced the aggressive noise rap of Death Grips. The Sacramento band are now inexplicably on a major label deal. How Epic plan to make money out of these guys is beyond me but new song Get Got is some thrilling raucous noise.
Kid A
This Virginia musician released an imaginary movie soundtracks last year with lyrics mostly in Japanese. That may sounds pretentious but the English-sung BB Bleu sounds like something Massive Attack might have made if they were still making Blue Lines material.
Nite Jewel
Ramona Gonzalez has been releasing lo-fi pop-funk for four years now but her new and second album One Second Of Love has seen her add some bite and swerve to her sound.
Amanda Mair
At just 17, this young Swede has eschewed the reality music TV route and signed with the cool Scandanavian label Labrador. Popjustice hailed her previous single as one their favourites of 2011 and Sense, her new song finds the middleground between radio-friendly and indie-appeal.
The best music found by us on the web this week…
Hugo Leclercq, a 17 year-old “pop house” producer from France has established a reputation based on tracks posted on Youtube and Soundcloud recently. His first big single, the big pop electro rush of Icarus should see him hit the mainstream.
Moody shoegaze rock from two Irish sisters Hannah and Colette Thurlow who grew up in the UK. The single You’re Early will fill any Warpaint-sized holes you may have.
An “experimental gospel no wave soul pulp band” (of course), Algiers debut single Blood is all of those things plus a big dose infection of voodoo blues.
Pairing post-rock guitar lines with melodious vocals, this three-piece Dublin alt-rock band released their debut album for free on Bandcamp last week. Lovely noise.
The best music culled from the music blogosphere this week.
Oliver Tank
Daydreaming folk songs played with modern instruments is 21 year-old Sydney musician Oliver Tank’s modus operandi. His emotive rasp is reason enough to stay under a warm duvet with his Dreams EP playing in the background.
Trust
The drummer from dark synth pop band Austra Maya Postepski and her friend Robert Alfons have a not too dissimilar musical project entitled Trust which would sound perfect in a creepy midnight disco.
Fun
Calling your band Fun is pretty is a pretty brazen move but judging by their song Some Nights, a modern jukebox pop hit which sets the harmonious bravado level to “QUEEN”, it may well signal the iconic intent of this new US chart-topping band.
Chromatics
Fans of the Drive soundtracks should delve into the back catalogue of these Italo disco revivalists. They also have a new album forthcoming entitled Kill For Love which has already spawned three video singles, most notably the muted atmospheric funk of Lady.
Sophia Knapp
Soft acoustics and the gentle timbre introduce the music of Sophia Knapp on Close To Me, a singer with New York band Cliffie Swan who has gone solo. Bright key notes and funky bass usher in her ’70s-influenced musical style. An album entitled Into The Waves is forthcoming on Drag City at the end of the month, of which two songs feature Bill Callahan.
Hundred Waters
A promising Gainesville, Florida band who specialise in scattered and skittered pop music somewhere between the dream pop and eclecticism of Twin Sister, Stereolab and Múm. Their debut self-titled record also arrives at the end of the month.
SpaceGhostPurrp
One of the new breed of rising rappers, Miami’s Spaceghostpurrp dropped his new God Of Black Volume 1 mixtape showcasing his mind-warping blend of cosmic blunted Southern rap.
Listen at Soul Culture
Burial
Electronic music’s most revered anonymous producer returned with a new EP of spooky atmospherics entitled Kindred this week. No-one does dark and haunted inner city soundtracks quite so well.
Listen at Hyperdub
THEESatisfaction
Swagged out Seattle duo Stasia Irons and Catherine Harris-Whit bring some old school soul and funk vibes to their futuristic hip-hop grooves on QueenS. The duo will be on a European tour in May including a stop off in Dublin and possibly Cork too.
Julia Holter
Over the course of one afternoon last week, LA electronic musician Julia Holter’s song In The Same Room spread all over the music blogs. Its ethereal billlowy synths and sweet vocals proved irresistible to many.
John Talabot
Balearic dance music from Barcelona is the perfect tonic for these cold February mornings and Talabot’s new album entitled ƒin is just the right dose of heady house and electronica that works on headphones or the dancefloor.
NCAD Girl
Benny Smiles and Ballz Deep team up for an Irish R&B jam about the fine art of getting it on with an elusive Thomas Street art college student.
Chairlift
The big blog buzz of the week (besides Lana Del Rey think pieces of course) is for Chairlift’s second album Something, a gratifying collection of ’80s synth and new wave sounds paired with Caroline Polachek’s singularly strong pop vocals. Just don’t mention the name.
Listen to the album on Soundcloud
Miike Snow feat. Lykke Li
Superproducers Miike Snow return with fellow Swede Lykke Li for the atmospheric and building arpeggiated synth tune Black Tin Box. It’ll appear on their second album Happy To You in March.
Tennis
First capturing the attention of bloggers in 2010 with their “couple live on a boat and make music while sailing the Atlantic” shtick, Tennis are back with a second album of more full bodied breezy indie pop songs. Set sail.
facebook.com/tennisinc
No Ceremony
Reverberating piano chords and twisted vocals combine to devastating and uplifting effect in HurtLove, the disintegrating new single from Manchester’s No Ceremony.
The best music on the web this week…
Iggy Azalea
She’s been called the Australian Nicki Minaj. She’s also been called the Australian Kreayshawn. She’s also been called a “femcee”. Let’s not utter that word ever again. Time will tell on that who she really ends up like but for now, enjoy her bad-attitude rap style on My World.
Santigold
Santi White is back with a block-rocking frenetic new single called Big Mouth in which she calls out Lady Gaga and appears alongside her awesome SG1 dancers in a crudely animated video. Santigold > M.I.A.
SlowPlaceLikeHome
Keith Mannion from Ballyshannon in Donegal is the lone creator behind SlowPlaceLikeHome, a project of rich instrumental electronic music which could be described as expansive, pensive and seductive. Music to watch fields by.
Alt-J
Described by one music blogger as “the dubstep of indie-rock” and counter-acted by The Blue Walrus with “pigeon-hole these Leeds boys at your peril”, Alt-J are actually ambitious in doing their own unique thing. One of this year’s ones to watch…
Cold Specks
Canadian born folk via Alan Lomax field recordings from the young Al Spx, whose voice has a rich blues, soul and folk heritage.
soundcloud.com/coldspecks
The Beatles 8-Bit
After tackling the music of Kraftwerk in chiptune form, the Gameboy-obsessed 8-Bit Operators are back with a collection of Beatles covers called Wanna Hld Yr Handheld, Vol. 1 which focuses on the avant-garde and electronic side of the Fab Four.
Nujabes
Jun Seba, a Japanese producer who sadly died in a car crash last year has posthumously released his final album Spiritual State of uplifting instrumental music to much acclaim.
hypem.com/artist/Nujabes
WZRD
Rapper Kid Cudi has been immersing himself in punk rock of late and his WZRD project and collaboration with Dot Da Genius and Brake is the first taster of that absorption with its stoner rock histrionics.
Listen at Earmilk
