Right now anything related to Radiohead is going to gather some attention. However these tracks, although only dealing with one member, are well worth the look on their own merit. The electronic artists Four Tet and Burial have collaborated in the past, releasing a vinyl single for Four Tet's label Text Records. An obvious success, the two have decided to come together again, employing the vocals of Thom Yorke to boot. The two tracks "Ego" and "Mirror" hit the streets on vinyl last week and are, of course, already sold out. Fear not, as you can listen to both tracks below and grab them for free as well.
Both tracks tend more toward the ghostly dub-step of Burial than the sunny pastiche of Four Tet. "Ego" is a dance track submerged by twenty leagues with gasping beats that give way to the Thom Yorke's pointed croon and Four Tet's hazy accents. "Mirror" is the darker twin that throbs with a 2-step shuffle and aberrational voices that back Yorke's tortured moan. In other words: creepy, but in the best possible way. Grab both tracks below.
2010 was a banner year for indie electronica. Kieran Hebden and Dan Snaith, or more widely recognized as Four Tet and Caribou respectively, released amazing albums in There Is Love In You and Swim that expanded on the precedent set by their previous efforts. As the two artists hold each other in such high regard, they decided to collaborate on a new vinyl split single. There is no release date yet, but the hard copy will be available through Four Tet's own Text Records.
Normally, I try to focus on full LP's on this blog, but the individual tracks are undeniably first-class that sharing them is a necessity. Four Tet's contribution "Pinnacles" start innocently, but quickly dives head first into a funked-up shuffle that drops the club beat right around the two minute mark. The pulse is assertive and unyielding, yet the left turns of piano clatters are what rounds out this masterpiece. Caribou's track "Ye Ye", working under the moniker Delphi, starts grimly like a Swim outtake as it traverses through some seedy late night exploits. Not unlike "Pinnacles", the dance thump falls into place and as the track fleshes out it's synth accents and drum fills, it takes on a whole new guise. Still, the overall theme stays a bit creepy as the slinky beats wind down and crash into the finish, saving momentum for another day. Enjoy the music folks!
Toronto's Tokyo Police Club became the reigning kings of the two minute punk pop nugget by releasing EP's and singles that are fun and fleeting. The downside was that they were often finishing well before your internet surfing was finished. Their second full length Champ has them bulking up their songs by an extra minute or so, but added a level of maturity and focus that never takes away from the main objective of laying out the hooks and sinking them into your memory. From the slow build of "Favorite Food", the swaying "Breakneck Speed" and the rocker "Wait Up (Boots of Danger), Champ delivers the good times even when they take more time to do get the job done.
From the first listen of Sports, there is something that goes deeper and beyond the murky production and wailing vocals. There is a echoing, throbbing fury filtered through a basement of shadowy stories of lost hope while this new trio from San Francisco imputes early Sonic Youth, Joy Division and darker new wave without a stolen note to be found. It is rare when a band sounds like your old favorites, but the new stuff doesn't directly refer to the actual songs. These are best realized on the decided changes in the opener "Coma Summer", the bloody road movie of "Youth Haunts" or the well worn riffs on "Age Class" or "End Times". There is a lot of promise found here from Weekend's debut. I look forward to the inevitable sophomore followup, whatever it may hold.
Kieran Hebden, better known as Four Tet, has methodically honed his sound from the dissonant and experimental sounds of Rounds and Everything Ecstatic to this lovely and touching, but no less impacting release. Many of his earlier work may be more challenging, but he has never made an LP that consistently moves the listener. There Is Love In You connects the dots like a love story, providing the soundtrack to the coolest, more difficult and triumphant moments in your life. In addition, Four Tet's forbearing influence is the inspiration for one of the Top Ten albums of 2010.
There is so much to love about the idea of what Broken Social Scene is. A collective of several (31 for this album including "guest" appearances) Canadian musicians from different indie outfits coming together to make music feels like what any grass roots artistic endeavor should be; a communal meeting born of late night drinking, camaraderie, mutual respect and a common goal of making stadium sized music for the small stage. The epic length of Forgiveness Rock Record allows for every member to get his say and at its best, finds a synchronized acme when the stars are aligned. Unlike the raw emotions and the strong lead of Kevin Drew in the past two albums, the best tracks are the ones that keep it simple and employ the power trio of female vocals from Emily Haines, Leslie Feist and Amy Millan. Tracks "All to All" and "Sentimental X's" are truly revealing an underused weapon in their ensemble, while the bliss out quirks of "Ungrateful Little Father", the fragile "Sweetest Kill", the obviously John McEntire produced "Romance to the Grave" and the mighty instrumental "Meet Me In The Basement" make you want to wrap your arms around and sing at the top of your lungs with this potent community of friends, if only for the big finale.
This first full length from Sleigh Bells is not a prototypical "Top" album for me. I am not sure I would listen to Treats at any given time or even finish the entire album at one sitting. However, this is a "special cases" record in the truest sense. Sure, throwing on Treats at a party or blaring it your car en route to a late night adventure is a no-brainer. Maybe there is a moment where no lesser album will do. However, the singular, blown-out-beyond-the-red sound of Sleigh Bells holds the promise of a new "more-is-more" movement. Hopefully there will be more bands that follow this aesthetic and we won't have to wait such a long time for the next album.
After a groundbreaking decade for music in sound, production, distribution, listening devices and expanding community, such as the 2000's were, the 2010's have a hard act to follow. The stage is set for endless possibility, with new avenues to be explored, old roads to be rediscovered and endless combinations to be unlocked. Also, many questions are posed; what will be the new direction of Indie? Of Pop? Of Hip Hop? Of Electronica? How will these genres diverge and intertwine? Will the dinosaurs of music's past (major labels, open air radio stations, physical distribution of music) finally become extinct or reinvent into a more adept species? Will the savvy younger generation embrace the future of music or get suckered by new marketing techniques pushing the same old rubbish?
For the first six months of this year and decade, I feel the indie influence has regressed rather than progressed.That statement sounds wholly negative, but it is meant to express the sound of now as influenced by the past, with all of its steps forward and back. One example of what is getting pushed in indie circles is a garage revival, a stripped down antithesis to the qualities of the digital age. Although four track recordings of distorted, tin can vocals and unfiltered guitar riffs has its definite charms, the most important and universally agreed aspect is the quality of the songs. Bands like Male Bonding, Dum Dum Girls and The Smith Westerns have bright spots and some solid tracks, yet don't make me forget (or even reflect upon) the great heights of such bands as Sebadoh, Guided By Voices and early Dinosaur Jr.. Lately, there is lots of love for the sounds of the past. Beach Boys chamber-pop, neo-80's synthesized pop and the heavy percussive influence of world music has cross-pollinated with the indie aesthetic to make new subgenres. These upstarts still have not stamped their movements with the head-turning album that defines it all in one front-to-back listen. There are torch bearers that stand out (Japandroids comes to mind) but this new decade needs more groundbreakers.
So, my top albums of 2010 includes (save Avi Buffalo) artists established in the last decade (and two beginning in the 1990's) building on their well rooted foundation and branching into new directions. Some of my personal favorites (The National, Spoon, LCD Soundsystem, Broken Social Scene) were consistent or even emboldened, while artists Beach House, Tokyo Police Club and The Besnard Lakes released efforts that show the beginning of an intriguing future. Even though my heart lies in rock, three of my favorites albums so far this year are electronica, hopefully representing my unwillingness to be turned by the influences of indie tastemaking as well as the quality of their efforts. Hey, it is one guy's opinion. Enjoy it for what it's worth and debate away.
The list in alphabetical order is given below. I tried to eliminate make it a list-friendly ten albums, but could not break the ties. Again, my blog, my rules. All artists are available below for listening and download. Hopefully I will find the time to write more about these deserved albums.
Avi Buffalo - Avi Buffalo
Beach House - Teen Dream
The Besnard Lakes - Are The Roaring Night
Broken Social Scene - Forgiveness Rock Record
Caribou - Swim
Chemical Brothers - Further
Four Tet - There Is Love In You
LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening
The National - High Violet
Sleigh Bells - Treats
Spoon - Transference
Teenage Fanclub - Shadows
Tokyo Police Club - Champ
Avi Buffalo - What's It in For
Beach House - Norway
The Besnard Lakes - Albatross
Broken Social Scene - World Sick
Caribou - Sun
Chemical Brothers - Full Album
Four Tet - Love Cry
LCD Soundsystem - I Can Change
The National - Sorrow
Sleigh Bells - Rill Rill
Spoon -Written In Reverse
Teenage Fanclub - Sometimes I Don't Need To Believe In Anything
