Showing posts with label Major Lazer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Major Lazer. Show all posts

Sunday, 5 May 2013

TRACKS OF THE WEEK - 05/05/13- Terry Allen, Daft Punk, Major Lazer,Bibio, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis

Five tracks that made us go all Wookie!





Flycasual:-
Major Lazer - 'Jessica' feat Ezra Koenig



"Some girls call all the shots, my nessica, my essica"

I've been listening to a lot of Reggae recently and it's nothing to do with the sunny weather of late. I find it a good way to reboot, a ctrl-alt-delete for the soul if you like, especially it being Spring and all that. Anyway this is great stuff, perhaps not Reggae per se but Major Lazer's (aka DJ to the stars, Diplo) brand of electro-dancehall is pretty infectious. I just love Ezra Koenig's (who incidentally is a big fan of Reggae and Dub) voice anyway and he provides it here for 'Jessica' which, apart from 'Get Free', are probably the best songs on the Free the Universe album. Vampire Weekend also release an album this month and being big fans we'll no doubt feature a track on our TOTW soon. I once knew a Jessica.

Check out Major Lazer's interesting blog here...
or if Vampires are your thing see the website here...

Old Pa's Corner:-
Terry Allen - Emergency Human Blood Courier (2013)


Here is a strange one for all you Leonard Cohen, Nick Cave Lovers, it is by 69 year old,  70 next week Terry Allen and is from his first album in 14 years called  'Botton of the World' (2013) (talk about writers block). I like this, it is a dark tale of murder and death. The album version is above and I have also found this live take which is pretty good. Well, that is if you can reject the stupid laughter from some of the audience who seem to think it is a funny song and they are meant to laugh.  'Hey guys! this is serious stuff, blood transfusions, murder and all that'. Just right for a Sunday morning. Pass that toast Maud!   

 

London Scouser
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (Feat Wanz) - Thrift Shop (2013)



Ok, so he's white, a little bit strawberry blonde, and a mass-eeev lookie-likie for Boris Becker. Oh and he can pull off a catchy and pretty damned good rap/hip-hop song.

I forgot to mention that the guy loves a bargain, he can do no wrong in my eyes.

I heard this song courtesy of Scroobius Pip via his first show on XFM. I urge y'all to check the show out btw like I did on the Mixcloud app on my phone. 

Game, Set & Match

Shell Hunter:-
Daft Punk - 'Get Lucky' (2013)

When I heard Daft Punk's single had hit number one in the charts, I was surprised I hadn't heard it yet and was a little worried. I don't pay much attention to "charty" music anymore and I usually turn my nose up to whats popular. Despite all that, I finally listened to it the other day and its the best dance track I've heard in a very long while! You can really hear the 70s disco influence of Nile Rodgers from Chic! That coupled with the combination of Pharrell's saucy conquest lyrics and Daft Punk's electro computer talk makes the perfect song to sip margeritas after mowing the lawn! Its a bold statement but I'm pretty sure its going to be in my top 10 for 2013 and can see it being on my summer holiday playlist. All we need now is a heatwave...oh hello sun!

Daft Punk's fourth album called Random Access Memories is due out May 17th and if this is anything to go by, I will be drinking a lot of margeritas!

SFW:- 
Bibio - À tout à l'heure (2013)


Stephen Wilkinson, aka Bibio, is a English music producer from Wolvehampton and this track features on his latest and 7th album, Silver Wilkinson. Wilkinson adopted the alias Bibio from the name of a small black and red fly his father used on childhood fishing trips in Wales.

I may sound like a musical Wine Taster, but there are elements of Avalanches, a hint of Lemon Jelly and Jose Gonzalez.

He is a recent music discovery for me but À tout à l'heure makes me want to put on some shorts, pull out the BBQ and drink Pimms! Thanks to this, summer is on the way!

Download À tout à l'heure from Warp Records here

Checkout previous Tracks of the week here
Subscribe to our 2013 Tracks of the Week Spotify Playlist



Sunday, 1 July 2012

TRACKS OF THE WEEK - 01/07/2012 - Zvuloon Dub System, Major Lazer, The Ravonettes, Milk Maid



Flycasual:-
Major Lazer - 'Get Free' feat Amber Coffman


Hear meh kno! Fabulous piece of dreamy melancholia which the NME brilliantly describe as "fuzzy, gloopy, underwater-sounding Reggae (I really couldn't have put it better myself!). It took a couple of listens but this song just sort of creeps up on you and gets into bed with your soul, or something. Amber's yearning voice and contemplative lyrics over some low key, oddball electronica certainly does it for me. 'Get Free' is taken from Major Lazer's (side project from DJ/producer Switch and Diplo) hotly anticipated follow up album to 2009's, 'Guns Don't Kill People...Lazers do' which was a heady mix of Hip Hop, Reggae, Dancehall and Electro. An album which was hugely enjoyable and if I remember right I managed to smash up my personal best on the cross trainer whilst listening to it down the gym, a high point in my life, now I just eat biscuits. So more of the same please......BO!
Major Lazer website

SFW:-  
The Ravonettes - War in Heaven




I have been listening to this the last few days and I'm smitten. It's by the cult Danish band The Ravonettes and features on their new album Raven in the Grave.  Their hard-edge guitar, lo-fi beats and haunting vocals is perfect on this rainy morning that feels like winter rather than the beginning of July!  Their sound is comparable to The Jesus & Mary Chain & The Velvet Underground, of which they draw some influence  - either way, I love a bit of Danish!

Old Pa' Corner :-
Zvuloon Dub System - Voodoo Chile (2012)
Zvuloon Dub System would you believe are a Reggae Band from Isreal, just goes to show Reggae gets to all corners, I wonder if there is an Eskimo Reggae band out there somwhere 'Narwhal 90 degrees below Foundation System' maybe? This great track which cover Hendrix's 'Voodoo Chile' is taken from their album Freedom Time click for full review of the album and information about Zvloon Dub System.
This track is good it, chuggs along at a slow mellow pace reminicient of Marleys's 'Natural Mystic' and sounds remarkable similar at times.

After hearing this track I just had get the album, and boy am I glad I did, it is excellent and it has definitely satisfied the Reggae fix I was desparately craving.
The River of Babylon

Shell Hunter:-
Milk Maid - 'Summertime' (2012)

This track hit me whilst in a driving trance and I imagined a tv advert for an open air festival, in slow motion with people's smiling faces and wellies etc. With the John Squire-esque guitar it gets the best bits from The Stone Roses. And guess who's playing this weekend in Manchester? How weird! The single 'Summertime' was released on June 25th and hopefully we'll be getting some nice weather to go with it. I haven't heard much about Milk Maid but I've heard enough to want to know more. Check out their blog here to stream their new album Mostly No now!

Check out our TOTW Spotify Playlist here
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