After hearing this new track I indulged myself and had a Womack-sesh at work today, listening to The Poet (I & II) in their entirety. With the sun shining, I can’t encourage you to do the same enough. It’s great music to put on and sip on a long drink to while there’s a barbeque on in the background. As posting entire albums is generally frowned upon (rightly so!), I’ll just put up his best known song.

The new album, also titled The Bravest Man In The Universe, is out June 11th on XL recordings. You can preorder it by following the link below. If you want to listen to a good quality version of the track (ours is deliberately crappy) the follow this link to the official YouTube stream. To read a great interview with him, click here.

Bobby Womack – The Bravest Man In The Universe [Preorder]

Bobby Womack – Across 110th Street [Buy]

It’s not a new song, but that doesn’t take away from it’s pure class.

SBTRKT – Wildfire Feat. Little Dragon [Buy]

Our next song is well worth getting excited about. First things first, it’s by RAC, an artist I like so much I’d make a three-course dinner for him. Yet somehow the album this track is on completely passed me by. It’s the soundtrack to the 2010 film Holy Rollers, which is about a couple of Orthodox Jews who become ecstasy dealers. I’ll be watching it this weekend, but with a soundtrack like this it’s on a good grounding. The song is a simple loop that has a delicate synth dropping in and out and the occasional sampled line from the movie. It’s one of my favourite songs of the year, and it’s from 2010! This comes highly recommended (as, in fact, does the rest of the soundtrack).

RAC – House Party [Buy]

Moving on from the semantics, the new track is a two minute treat. Spacy, bassy and dubby in places, it’s got a chilled ominous feel that’s enhanced by the sampled vocal that drifts in and out of the instrumental. It’s seriously good, cool music. Give it a listen below and if you like it then head over to his Facebook page and tell the world you like it by clicking the ‘like’ button. That’ll show ‘em.

To check out his other stuff (and even buy some) then click here, which will take you to his label’s website and they can help you out.

Fancy Mike – Point Omega

Regular readers will be only too aware of my (and the other writers’) love for all things electronic. Specifically the sunny, slightly camp electronic stylings of Cut Copy and Architecture In Helsinki, so the first song on Kitsuné America fits the bill nicely.

St Lucia is Jean-Philip Grobler, a South African who’s studied in Liverpool and now lives in Brooklyn. The song I’m on about is called ‘Before The Dive’ and is superb. A slowed down disco song with cracking singing and a chorus that wants playing at ‘neighbours-pissing-off’ loudness, what with its euphoric melody and handclaps. I cannot eulogise enough about it. It’s available to buy from Monday, so head over to his Bandcamp then to grab it. If you want to see him live, he’s playing in London on the 17th May. More details here.

St Lucia – Before The Dive [Buy the Kitsuné America album]

As well as ‘Before The Dive’ he’s got some other bits that are well worth listening to. His St Lucia – EP is below and you can listen to even more on his Soundcloud.

They came to prominence supporting Girls back in 2010, with the song ‘It’s Alright (On The Suez Canal)’ catching many an ear. With Beatles-esque strings, quirky guitars and the charming vocals of singer Jed Rouhana. Fans of Girls, Bowie and Grizzly Bear should definitely take a moment to listen to the songs below, as should anybody looking for a nice bit of quirk to finish up their Tuesday evening. As yet they don’t have any live dates up but I’m sure they’ll have something planned later on in the year.

Give them a listen and order the album when it comes out from their website. Only 5 weeks to wait…

Leisure – Green Light

Leisure – It’s Alright (On The Suez Canal)

Luckily, they don’t disappoint. The percussion-led songs from 270 Stories and Turntable Soul Stories are replaced by a bass-driven, smokier sound. The production values on Rollerchain are dramatic: it no longer feels like a small band making an album on a budget. Lead single ‘Stormbird’ features layered vocals that makes it feel like you’re watching the band through a haze. It’s a good introduction to the album, which keeps on going with this new formula. It’s worth saying that it works really well live too: the bass never booms and takes over, instead it diffuses through the songs. The contrast between bass and Kathrin de Boer’s vocals is the reason the songs work so well. They compliment each other nicely, with the fragility in her voice contrasting the live and synth bass on songs like ’16 Minutes’ and ‘Wasted Time’.

‘Passenger Side’ is an odd mix of dubstep and scratchy guitars, while ‘Limelight’ uses a similar formula to get a very different result. It’s songs like these that make up the majority of the album, and which have lead to people discussing the change in style.

For me the best songs come in the middle of the album. ‘Cloverleaf’ cleverly mixes the new sound with the home-made vibe of their earlier releases, with an almost acoustic chorus following a glitchy, bleepy verse. This is immediately followed by ‘Under Fire’, another song blends the two sounds nicely.

Based on this album it would be a little tricky to still call them a ‘turntable soul’ outfit, but that’s not meant as a criticism. The extra production never takes the soul out of the songs and the album maintains an intimate feel thanks to Kathrin’s vocals. In some ways it’s a little sad to leave behind the simpler sound of their previous albums, but I guess that’s just evolution. If you’re a long-time fan you’ll certainly have hints of their old sound and plenty to enjoy from Rollerchain, while if this is your first introduction to the band I’d be surprised if you’re left wanting more. It’s a strong addition to their catalogue, as well as that of Tru Thoughts.

If reading this makes you want to go and see them, then you’re in luck! They’re currently touring the UK and they’ve got a host of summer festival dates, including one at Soundwave in Croatia which I’d give an arm and a leg to go to! If that’s a little too ambitious and you’re based in London then the gig at Scala on May 31st might be a little more suitable. Get more info here.

8/10

File next to: Alice Russell, Bonobo, Kylie Auldist

Listen to: Cloverleaf [Buy the album]

Jesca Hoop, showing off a pretty sweet hat

It’s all in the title really… Jesca Hoop, the Northern Californian girl living in Manchester whose music Tom Waits described as “like going swimming in a lake at night”, is giving away a song over at her website for free. All you need to do is enter your email and then BAM!, you can be the proud new owner of her latest song ‘Born To’.

It’s from her upcoming album called The House That Jack Built, which is due out towards the end of June on the US label Bella Union. If this song is anything to go by, it’s going to be folk-influenced, dark and full of well written lyrics. And if that’s not enough for you, she’s got a cracking voice. It’s deeper than you might expect from a woman, and she’s got this hint of graveliness which makes it a pleasure to listen to. I’ll stop talking (well, writing, but you know) now and let you listen to it. If you like what you hear then head over to her site by clicking on the title and be sure to get the album when it hits a record store near you.

Jesca Hoop – Born To

Now bear with me. This isn’t some new-fangled idea that some hipster came up with, but it’s what people used to do in the now-distant past. A past where we weren’t handed  everything on a silicon platter. A past where a shop used to sell music to adventurous teenagers, smelly hippies and the occasional 50-something who still thought Pink Floyd were the best thing ever, but was still willing to listen to the latest release from that little-known band their mate was telling them would be the ‘next Rolling Stones’.

Or something like that. These shops were great. My favourite one was called Beano’s, in Croydon (just by Surrey Street market, in case you’re interested) and they used to have three floors of second-hand CD’s, records and tapes. Yes, actual tapes. (If you’re unsure what a tape looks like, please see here.) They also had a small stage on the first floor where, every Saturday, a small band would set up camp and play to the aforementioned crowd while they were browsing. I was lucky enough to see many a nameless band here, enjoying the fact that they were enjoying themselves. You could buy a can of Fanta and a Snickers while you were watching too. I cannot think of many better ways to spend a Saturday afternoon. (I was going to qualify that with ‘in Croydon‘, but that would be unfair to Beano’s. So I won’t.)

I realise at this point you may be asking yourself “in which distant decade was this guy hanging about in Beano’s?”. You may also be asking yourself which of the three stereotypes mentioned above I conform to. Well here are the answers to both of your questions: it was in 2004, and none of the above.

Sadly Beano’s no longer exists. It was faced with closure in 2006 and managed to scrape by until 2009, when it closed its doors for good. Luckily someone came up with an idea to hopefully stop this tragic tale from being repeated until there are no more record stores left. It rightly come in for some criticism, as the occasional band/artist sees it as a cynical opportunity to ‘re-release’ something they did ages ago. That said, I think most people take the right approach to it. Limited edition releases, special bits added on and genuine album releases all combine to make Record Store Day something to look forward to every year. So below are some bits I’m looking forward to getting my hands on. Although, if I can’t get them on the internet, I may not bother…

Night Works – Try So Hard
Debut release, on 12″

C W Stoneking – Maggie May (Beatles Cover)
AA Side with ‘Rich Mans Blues’, on 7″ and 10″

Battles – Ice Cream (Gang Gang Dance Remix)
Taken from Dross Glop 4, a Record Day exclusive vinyl release on 12″

She & Him – Sentimental Heart
Taken from Vol. 1, never-before released on 12″

Busdriver – Ass To Mouth
First release from his as-yet untitled debut, on 7″

If you’ve visited the site recently you may have heard us – specifically our newest contributor Max – raving about Anchorsong. Max saw Anchorsong supporting Belleruche last month and was blow away. Some people apparently describe the show “like watching a painter drawing on a white canvas”; Max said he’s pretty sure the guy uses some kind of black magic to make his live show work. Whatever it is, you’ve got the chance to see him touring his awesome debut Chapters, starting in London’s Cargo on March 22nd.

In support of this Masaaki (that’s what his mum calls him. Well, she almost certainly doesn’t call him Anchorsong!) was good enough to contribute to this regular feature, picking a few of his favourite songs and explaining why. It’s enlightening and his choices are thoroughly enjoyable (I’m a particular fan of the Pumpkins song he’s chosen). If you want to hear a little more of his music, then read Max’s previous post. And if you want to buy tickets for the 22nd March, then you can get them here. I’ll be there at the front and hopefully some of you will join me. If you’re quick you can get your tickets for a fiver too…

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Fiona Apple – The First Taste [Buy]

“Tidal” is one of my favourite albums of all time. It’s very difficult to pick one track among the others, but I chose this one after all. The rhythm section is very simple but strong, and the beautiful melody goes perfectly well with it. Every time I listen to this track, I remember what Lauryn Hill once said: “Bring the beat as powerful as it can, and sing as emotional as you can”.

Smashing Pumpkins – Disarm [Buy]

I was deeply into 90s American alternative rock bands in my teens, and The Smashing Pumpkins are one of my heroes. I hardly knew about them when I heard this track for the first time, and I didn’t even think they’re a rock band as it’s so gorgeously orchestrated. Billy Corgan’s voice on this track reminds me of a sharp knife glittering in a total darkness.

DJ Shadow – Midnight In A Perfect World [Buy]

As well as many other producers of our age, my life would’ve been greatly different if I hadn’t discovered “Endtroducing”. I was listening to nothing but rock back then, but this track made me realized that there’s different types of music as exciting as Nirvana out there. I could hardly believe this track was made only from samples, as all the different pieces fit perfectly each other.

J Dilla – So Far To Go Feat. Common & D’Angelo [Buy]

I believe most of the greatest artists ever existed created both masterpieces & rather poor stuff during their career, but not so for J Dilla. All the tracks touched by him turn out to be undoubtedly original and evergreen. This track is just one the examples, and it’s like his tremendous love towards music lives in every single note. My dream is to work with him, and it’s so sad that it will never come true.

Okay, it’s a little more specific than the title suggests, but not by much. Producer/band member Johnny Jewel has done an interview with Self-Titled Magazine, which suggests that we can expect the long, long awaited album at the end of this month. As a teaser, they’ve released their fourth single from the upcoming LP, Kill For Love, called ‘Candy’. That’s the video you can see above.

While we’ve all been waiting for the album to meet Mr Jewel’s exacting standards, the band have been kind enough to leak/release videos, although waiting three years for a release is crazy. If you read the interview it’s pretty interesting seeing how he manages to convince the interviewer that the wait is worth it. I really hope it is though. Their cover of Neil Young’s ‘Hey Hey, My My’ is a superb effort, retaining the impact of the original riff and washing it out in the way we’ve come to expect from Chromatics.

Listen to it here to further whet your appetite for what will – hopefully – be one of the years musical highlights.

Chromatics – Into The Black

It’s pretty back-to-front, playing live an album that was created from samples. But somehow Introducing did it – and they did it well – with one of the defining albums of the 1990′s. DJ Shadow’s Endtroducing was a true labour of love, crafted from hand picked samples that he created, one by one. Nowadays it doesn’t sound that impressive, but when you think of the technology we’ve got that Shadow didn’t, it becomes a much, much bigger achievement.

Enough about DJ Shadow though. Introducing, the live 10-piece band, have turned their sights on Mr Scruff. It’s not particularly new news this, seeing as they announced it over summer and have already toured. The news is that they’ve got another spate of live shows coming up, most notably (for me, anyway) at the Jazz Café, at the end of March.

This is the kind of thing you can expect to see. I, for one, cannot wait. My tickets are ordered and hopefully on their way soon. Listen to the original and see if you can imagine yourself not being at the Jazz Café on 31st March seeing his songs being played live…

Mr Scruff – Get A Move On [Buy]

However, if we stop concentrating on the minutiae, you’ll see/hear that they are really bloody good. I stumbled across them on my iTunes library, while listening to some Errors and spotting the song ‘Cocaine Blues’, which I got about two years ago from RCRD LBL. One listen and I was kicking myself for having missed it first time ’round. This song is a cover of Dillinger’s 1976 song ‘Cocaine In My Brain’, only instead of being a chilled reggae song it’s been turned into a funky slice of disco that sounds like it’s from the 70′s itself.

Escort – Cocaine Blues [Buy]

The band is fronted by singer Adeline Michele, while the brains behind it are Dan Balis and Eugene Cho. Below, you can listen to  Dillinger’s original version of the song. We’ve also got the 2007 song ‘All Through The Night’ with it’s awesome video and a song off their latest record, a self-titled EP that came out at the end of January (head to their website to grab a copy). If you’re interested in some of their older stuff, the song ‘Starlight‘ would be a great place to start. The vocals are minimal, but it’s got some great disco percussion and a bassline that’s too funky for words. So I’ll stop talking and let you start listening.

Dillinger – Cocaine In My Brain

Escort – Why Oh Why [Buy]

Grab a free remix of this song from their website.

She recently (this week) played one of Noisey’s Special Engagements in Seattle which was livestreamed across the internet. In case you weren’t lucky enough to catch it, they kind people at Noisey have put up a video from the gig, which you can watch by clicking on the picture above.

Her much-anticipated and much-delayed album is due out mid-May this year, with the single ‘Boom Boom’ coming out next week on MIA’s label NEET. For now, listen to it here. Don’t ever let it be said we don’t treat you!

Rye Rye – Boom Boom

If, for some reason, that doesn’t do it for you then listen to her song that samples Robyn’s ‘Be Mine’.

Rye Rye Feat. Robyn – Be Mine

And if that hasn’t got you all kind of excited then this next vibe should. It’s one of my favouite Rye Rye tunes.

Rye Rye – Witch Doctor

The first mix is a melange of experimental dubstep, two-step and upbeat melancholia. It never crosses the line into inaccessible, remaining engaging throughout the whole half hour. My highlights are the opener, ‘First’ by Hiatus & Shura and Stumbleine sesh in the middle. So basically the first half is sick. And so is the second. Listen to ‘Part 1 – Day’ below.

Secret Diaries for Stock-71 – Part 1 – Day

Part 2 – Night is an entirely different affair. The first half is beautiful, cinematic and classical. The change into ‘Saturn Strobe’ by Pantha du Prince is seamless and by now the atmosphere he has created is seriously close. The mix builds up to the final song (and one of my favourites of last year), Mr Little Jeans’ cover of Arcade Fire’s ‘The Suburbs’. Anyway, my words are probably making little sense now, and they definitely aren’t doing this justice. ‘Part 2 – Night’ is waiting…

Secret Diaries for Stock-71 – Part 2 – Night

If you want to find out more about the guys who allowed to shamelessly pinch the material for this post, then go to their website or their fairly cool Tumblr. And give them a follow. As for Secret Diaries, you can find out about him here, here and here.

I’ve been sitting on this for a week now, enjoying it all to myself. And I really have been enjoying it. Quantic is a name that ought to be used as an adjective: “That track is so Quantic”, “I just had the most Quantic meal” and “I met this girl last night and we totally bumped Quantics”. Okay, so that last one wasn’t an adjective, but who cares. My point is he’s been consistently great for over a decade now and reassuringly this new album seems like it’s going to stand up next to his previous ones (of which there are many).

The fact the whole album is going to be featuring the inimitable Alice Russell on vocals only serves to add to the excitement that’s building up to the April 2nd release date. It’s got the jazzy, sunny sound of the Combo Bárbaro, with some gospel and blues to contrast it. The violin is also superb. In the video you can see above they did a live Vinyl pressing, but if you haven’t been lucky enough to get your hands on a copy then you can buy the single in all the usual formats now. If you’d rather wait for the album, then you’ve got a month to go…

Quantic & Alice Russell with the Combo Bárbaro – Look Around The Corner [Buy]

Groove Armarda – Drop The Tough (The Twelves Remix)

Our final song for this short post is a dub remix. This really is a song that’s so laid back it’s horizontal. Lethargic, deep bass on a loop through the whole song and more reverb on the guitars and percussion than you could use in an American pop song (so lots).

Groove Armarda – Shameless Dub (Fully Bearded Dub)

Neither of these songs is new, but they’re both well worth revisiting if you know them.

First up we’ve got a song from Kaylee Johnston. This song is a lovely slice of acoustic pop from a talented (and a not-too-bad-looking) singer from Vancouver. She’s currently producing her album which is going to be more produced than this (electro/pop). Until then, let’s listen to this. If you like it you can find out more over on her website.

Today’s second gem is from Coed Pageant, a bedroom-band duo from the States. They recorded the album this song is from over a couple of weeks in their living room, which gives it an accessible, lo-fi sound. The harmonies are close and work well, with the instrumentation minimal but very effective. I’m a particular fan of the trumpet that pops in to make a lovely melodic cameo. You can find out more about the guys on their Facebook page and their Bandcamp.

Our next song is pretty rough around the edges, but it has got a lot a promise. Pepper, the stage name of HGH is what I guess you’d call an ‘urban pop’ act. This could mean she ends up sounding like Jessie J (not cool), but let’s hope she goes for something a little less cynical than that. What I can definitely say is she’s got talent. She’s going to be supporting Rizzle Kicks on their UK tour from next month (yes, we’re allowed to like them. In fact, look at this) so if you’ve got your tickets already then you’re in luck. If you haven’t and you can still get some, they why not. It’ll be a poptastic night. Now I need to find a dark hole to go and hide in for having written that…

Pepper – Happy Girl (Acoustic)

Moving on, we’ve got the new video from Mmoths, who’s debut EP is out a week tomorrow. This song is a real experiment with ambiance, using a looped percussion and some crazy delays to create a piece of music that swirls around, chilling you out something great. He has – rightly – been making waves for quite some time recently and hopefully this new EP will increase his stock still further. It’s also worth mentioning the visuals, as they look superb.

To finish up we’ve got the new single from 2012 breakthrough band Django Django. Since their debut album came out at the end of January every man and his dog has been singing their praises. Which is the least they deserve, as these guys have been working hard for years to get the kind of praise that’s coming their way now. As well as announcing this single (which you’ll already be familiar with if you own the album), the band have released details about their new tour, which kicks off a little while after they finish their current tour in June. The list is below the song.

Django Django – Storm [Buy]

31/05 – The Cellar, Southampton
02/06 – Field Day, London
05/06 – Academy 2, Oxford
06/06 – Academy 2, Birmingham
08/06 – No Direction Home @ Welbeck Abbey nr Sheffield
09/06 – Parklife Festival, Manchester
10/06 – Rough Beats, Clapham (Yorkshire)
11/06 – Fibbers, York
13/06 – Doghouse, Dundee
14/06 – Cockpit, Leeds
15/06 – St Pauls Church, Cambridge

Bands doing covers is a risky game. There’s every chance – nay, likelihood – that they’ll make something that either sounds too similar, too twee or just naff. Luckily here we have two bands who have done it right. First up is a cover of Joy Division’s ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’ by Revere featuring Toumani Diabaté. The original song is melancholic enough, but these guys have turned into something almost haunting. The simple, acoustic instrumentation allows the vocals to really come to the fore in a way that they don’t in the original. And the Cello, oh the Cello! It’s spine-tinglingly good when it comes in. Malian musician Toumani Diabaté plays the kora, which adds a sounds that cuts through the track, complimenting the harp superbly. That’s the video at the top of the page, and below you can listen to the original.

Joy Division – Love Will Tear Us Apart [Buy]

The second cover is by the band Tashaki Miyaki. We posted about them a while ago (read that here) and said that they play melancholic surf rock. Well, they haven’t changed, and this is a full-on reimagining of a classic country song, washed out and pulsing throughout. It’s part of an EP they’re releasing on Rough Trade called Tashaki Miyaki Sings The Everly Brothers. Listen to both the cover and the original. If you like the cover then click on the title and you’ll be taken to The Fader’s Soundcloud page where you can download the song for free.

Tashaki Miyaki – I Wonder If I’d Care As Much

Now listen to the original and see what you think of their version in comparison.

Everly Brothers – I Wonder If I’d Care As Much [Buy]

So the time has come to announce another big album release for 2012. It’s only been 18 months since Serotonin came out, but they’ve been to Austin, TX and recorded a whole bunch of new songs that they want to share. In the video above they’re all on their best behaviour, describing how great it was to be out there and the likes. I don’t doubt it for one minute and I’m a little jealous, if I’m being perfectly honest.

Anyway, the release date is 30th April and leading up to that they’ve got a whole bunch of intimate live shows. When I say intimate I mean around 500 people. Grab your tickets quickly as they will sell out in no time. All the dates are below and you can get your tickets here.

Wed 28 Mar – Leeds, Brudenell
Thu 29 Mar – Hartlepool, Studio
Fri 30 Mar – Carlisle, Brickyard
Sun 1 Apr – Edinburgh, Electric Circus
Mon 2 Apr – Newcastle, Cluny
Tue 3 Apr – Hull, Fruit
Wed 4 Apr – Birmingham, Rainbow
Wed 11 Apr – Cardiff, The Gate
Thu 12 Apr – Norwich, Arts Centre
Sat 14 Apr – Nottingham, Bodega
Sun 15 Apr – Stoke, Sugarmill
Mon 16 Apr – Sheffield, Queens Social Club
Wed 18 Apr – Oxford, Bullingdon
Thu 19 Apr – Tunbridge Wells, Forum
Fri 20 Apr – Cambridge, Junction 2
Sat 21 Apr – Bath, Moles

A couple of weeks ago I went to the Jazz Café for HMV’s next big thing, whilst the show was undoubtedly stolen by Belleruche (hardly surprising what with them being and the headlining act), a special mention needs to be made to Anchorsong. Anchorsong (aka Masaaki Yoshida) is a Japanese artist and producer who uses a sampler, a keyboard and some sort of black magic to create incredible electronic music.  It’s rare enough to find this kind of music that I’ll listen to – let alone really like – but this really hits the spot. Ghost Town and Plum Rain were released as a double single before  his current album Chapters came out at the end of last year. The single was a cracker and the album is pretty damn good too. And if you like the album then you will love the live show. His next UK gigs are in March before he hits up Europe. Don’t miss it, I know we won’t.

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Anchorsong – Plum Rain [buy]