EPISODE 12: Double Double
Song: A/B Machines
Artist: Sleigh Bells
Album: Treats
Label: Neet / Mom and Pop (2010)
Increasingly popular phrase: “The Loudness Army”, referring to a recent rash of bands who do everything they can to put and keep up the wall of loud at all times. Sleigh Bell’s wall of tape-distorted compression ensures that even the opening chant of A/B Machines is just as loud as the layers of screaming processed guitars and glass shattering beats that follow. I caught my first glimpse via a video of them performing in hip hop mogul Dame Dash’s basement! Incredible to see a basement full of hip hop royalty nodding along to the carnage, and now a year later the official debut's out on M.I.A's 'Neet Records'. I think my favorite review I’ve read says something like: "Imagine being screaming out your favorite part of some song at a concert while getting elbowed in the face by the person in front of you and thinking: ‘that feels AWESOME’ – this is the sound of Sleigh Bells". Excellent record. Must have and play loud.
Song: I’m in Love With a Ripper
Artist: Yacht
Album: See Mystery Lights
Label: DFA (2009)
Honestly, I haven’t heard “I’m in Love With a Stripper” by T-Payne. He seems to be able to take himself lightly enough (as with Lonely Island), and I love beats and abused auto-tune, but he’s just one of those artists you expect to be forced to listen to at some point in some carpool scenario and that time just hasn’t come for me yet. Anyhoo, Yacht’s (maybe?) riff on that track was the highlight for many people on last year’s critically acclaimed ‘See Mystery Lights’. Yacht used to be the beatmaker in a band called ‘The Blow’, a sparse indie-beat guy girl duo that sounded a lot like Yacht does now that keyboardist Claire Evans is a full time vocalist. His first album ‘I Believe in You, Your Magic is Real” really should have been one of our double plays today. Do check it out. Another beloved fact about Yacht is his open confession to using pirated software to make his music. Propellerheads was PISSED. So funny.
Song: …And the World Laughs With You…
Artist: Flying Lotus (feat. Thom Yorke)
Album: Cosmogramma
Label: Warp (2010)
Been thinking about adding a feature called ‘At Your Own Risk’ for those occasions where a specific single from a record grabs our attention, but the rest of the record may not be to our particular taste. These records may very well be much loved and considered completely awesome by some snobs, but just didn’t grab us enough for us to give our whole hearted recommendation. (Usually if we play it, we think you should have the record). This would be such an entry. FlyLo is the LA King of deep, dust-knockin’ wobbly beats. We’ve enjoyed his previous work and so, apparently did Radiohead’s Thom Yorke. So, of course, when the new album came in, we skipped right to their collaboration, and loved it immediately. It’s nice to not just have to play this cause Thom’s on a Flylo track – the track is actually pretty gorgeous. Reminds us of what a new record from ‘The Eraser’ might do. In general, Cosmogramma is a little more layered and ‘smooth’ than his earlier work, but you might like it so feel free to take a listen, but again – at your own risk.
Song: One Day
Artist: Kings Go Forth
Album: The Outsiders Are Back
Label: Luaka Bop (2010)
Supa-dupa-Fly. What else I gotta say? Signed to David Byrne’s Luaka Bop out of Milwaukee, and founded by long time record store owner Andy Noble. 10 members, 3 singers. Old school. Like Commodores and Curtis Mayfield old. Been hyped about this record ever since hearing this single last month. The album definitely cashes the cheques the single writes, so check it and this video out. Right on, right on.
Song: Pete’s Dream
Artist: Suburban Kids With Biblical Names
Album: #3
Label: Labrador (2005)
Yup. The name got us interested, too – and so what if the most obvious thing about them is how Johan and Peter sound EXACTLY like Jens Lekman? We LOVE Jens Lekman. This is #3 of 4 releases from the band (‘#4’ was out last year). We have yet to listen to all of the others, but can definitely recommend this one to anyone who loves that uniquely awkward Swedish twee-pop sound, or who bursts out laughing on the bus when hearing a lyric like: “The trees are indisputably beautiful today/ You can see the squir-rels on their beautiful parade!”
Song: I’m Not the One
Artist: The Black Keys
Album: Brothers
Label: Nonesuch (2010)
The Black Keys. Get to know them. They’re from Akron. They’re hilarious in interviews. Pat plays Drums, Dan plays bass / guitar and howls the most exquisite bluesman vocals around. Their two man Delta Blues by way of the North-East auto-trade states status left them a little lost when the White Stripes blew up shortly after both bands began to make the scene, but soon began to earn recognition with a more deep-chested gut-bustin’ sound. ‘Brothers’ is a fine record. This is a slow burner (a little more so than the rest of the album) but gives you an idea of how comfortable they with a good smolder, and how much Dan can do with via delivery.
Song: Three Thousand
Artist: These New Puritans
Album: Hidden
Label: Domino (2010)
So this is it. The Puritans album that promised to use only ‘uncool instruments’ (bassoon, French horn, bad General Midi brass presets to name a few), marry dancehall to the tape concrete of Steve Reich, and best be described by one of the founding twins as "very 1970, but also quite 1610, 1950, 1979, 1989, 2005 and 2070". We reckon they did it. A dark, apocalyptic record, but with enough dancehall nods and hip hop breaks (not to mention the self-deprecatingly uncool instrumentation) to keep it far from miserable for miserable’s sake.
You know who you are…
(You’re Muse.)
Song: Journal of Ardency
Artist: Class Actress
Album: Journal of Ardency
Label: Terrible Records (2010)
Oh yeah. Good shit right here. Straight up electrifying Ital-disco-glam done so nice and John Hughesy. Early Madonna a little apparently? Mmmmmm hm. Just an EP right now. Hoping for a lot more in the future, but no word yet, so grab this up in the meanwhile. Brooklyn.
Song: Elvis
Artist: These New Puritans
Album: Beat Pyramid
Label: Domino (2008)
First double play of the Double Double, we take you back to a much loved earlier sound of These New Puritans, back when they debuted with a record that set the angular new-new wave UK invasion bar high enough to conclude the movement. Nowadays it seems everyone – Bloc Party, Foals, Late of the Pier and Puritans are trying something different, but back then in 2008, coupla snobs were tearing holes in the crew bar ceilings with Elvis. Enjoy.
Song: Same Old Thing
Artist: The Black Keys
Album: Attack and Release
Label: Nonesuch (2008)
One word: Gutbucket. Ok… more words: Around the time Attack and Release came out, I was keeping an eye on just about anything Dangermouse was doing. Very glad he did this. Same Old Thing was a track that grabbed me immediately, ably demonstrating that the ‘howl’ that so many ‘genres’ attempt to capture – punk, soul, rock, whatever isn’t in the instrumentation – it’s in … well I don’t know what it’s in – but the Keys have got it. Thoroughly excellent album among many. Your Double Double.
Song: The Heist
Artist: Jaylib
Album: Champion Sound
Label: Stones Throw (2003 / Deluxe Reissue 2007)
I’ll admit that I was one of the people who didn’t get around to hearing this album until shortly after Thom Yorke listed it in his ‘currently listening’ playlist in 2008. The deal here is that Madlib did the beats for half, Dilla the other half, and then each rhymed on the other’s tracks. The reason so many of these beats (especially Dilla’s) must appeal to ‘The Eraser’ is pretty obvious. The tracks are dark and off-kilter, but persistent, like broken but functional machines. I’ve always loved Madlib’s rhyming more than his production, and this is a great example of his blunted, weightless flow.
Song: Oper8tor
Artist: Onra
Album: Long Distance LP
Label: All City (2010)
Here’s the thing: This track is awesome, but the album is even better! But picking one track to try to convey Long Distance's thick ‘n’ dirty late 80’s funk, soul & R’n’B wonky sampling perfection is just impossible. (There have now been 3 other versions of season 12 that used other selections!) So, do us a favour and find Onra’s Long Distance LP (or EP) and take it for a drive. We’re predicting that these will be the best of the beat records this summer and the best of the new wave of R&Beat records ever. You need to have it. Seriously. Now, one thing – the CD and Vinyl are out, and the digital release was supposed to be out by now, as well – but eff if we can find it! I mean it’s out there… I’m listening to it right now… so I mean… you could find it too… not saying, just saying. In the meantime, the Long Distance EP IS available legally, also includes this track, and is well worth the emusic credits. Killer beats and FlatTops all around.
Song: I Live This Life Here for You
Artist: Evan Voytas
Album: I Live this Life Here for You
Label: Self Released (2009)
This EP plus a lot of other great music is available free at rcrdlbl.com, where they describe LA One man beautiful music project Evan as “sounding like Prince if Prince were actually an astronaut that transmitted his songs via radio waves from a space station on Neptune.” He’s in there somewhere very close to M83, with only positive comparisons available, and on other more upbeat tracks like something that would play nicely along some Jack Penate (see episode 6 – one of our faves). From his facebook page: Evan's lyrics typically address "feeling good" or "feeling bad," with underlying mystical themes of the unknown, nature, and outer space. It’s seriously good stuff. Keep an eye on him – big things in the future, and in the meantime keep an eye on rcrdlbl for new songs as he releases them.
