Tv On The Radio didn’t take too long to follow up 2009′s brilliant ‘Dear Science,‘ and as usual didn’t disappoint. This time the Brooklyn outfit set up camp on the West Coast and the sunnier climate appears to have seeped through to these tracks.
With another mild change of direction the tracks on ’Nine Types Of Light‘ have borrowed some of the horns from its predecessor but definitely comes across as a more laid back affair.
Lyrically frontman Tunde Adebimpe and singer-guitarist Kyp Malone seem less preoccupied with tales of apocalypse and the end of the world and more focussed on making sure you tell the ones you love exactly how you feel for them. That this would be the last album Gerard Smith would appear on before his untimely death makes this all the more poignant.
Meanwhile, special praise should go to guitarist and producer extraordinaire Dave Sitek for realizing that the band’s sound needed a tweak and for incorporating some of the ideas he has been involved with in his “other” projects recently. TVOTR haven’t lost the electricity that initially made us fall in love with them, they have just refined the way they administer it to us.
Das Racist‘s free 2010 mixtapes had critics and fans scratching their heads over whether the trio were for real. The release of their official album ‘Relax‘, while simultaneously resembling a series of elaborate in-jokes, suggests the trio are genuine enough.
The Brooklyn band spit over a series of jagged beats produced by the likes of Anand Wilder (Yeasayer), Blood Diamonds, Diplo, El-P and Rostam Batmanglij (Vampire Weekend) and still maintain that unique Das Racist charm.
Check the track ‘Michael Jackson‘ for example. They are in top form both when linking up seemingly nonsensical one-liners into genial verses or when reeling off on social/racial issues. This latter point is one that shouldn’t be underestimated as the Brooklynites challenge preconceptions on color and creed as well as what a rapper should behave/look like.
On your list of things to do for 2012 should be buying a copy of ‘Relax‘. It represents the moment Das Racist prove their underground success wasn’t merely a fluke.
Last month I was asked for some tracks to play for the BBC‘s Now Playing @6Music program. I went about picking all the Cougar favorites from the past year and as such Alana Stewart was a perfect fit.
The singer-songwriter, originally from the West Coast but now residing in NYC, wowed me during her live London performances and her album ‘Birth And The Atomic Bomb‘ has deservedly recieved multiple plays. I had always felt the track ‘Boy Next Door‘ was one of it’s strongest moments which is why it was a natural selection for radioplay.
Having already interviewed and reviewed her I’m excited to be able to premier the fantastic new video for the track directed by Brooklyn director Alice Millar with help from artist Heidi Howard. The duo built and hand crafted the entire concept from scratch bringing in a frosty element (the video was shot on a freezing day where Alana‘s limbs were turning blue) perfectly reflecting the protagonists lust for a man who is out of reach both literally and figuratively.
She goes on to explain that the video “plays with the idea that when we are lust-struck, we are manipulated by our object of desire. When it’s mutual, we can manipulate them just as much as they can manipulate us. So I appear to be “real” in the video, and he appears to be the puppet- but nevertheless he is manipulating my thoughts, moves and desires“.
Alana Stewart is an artist we will be keenly following and definitely one for you all to watch in 2012.
Here is the new video for Friends‘ infectious ‘I’m His Girl’ track co-directed by by Aurora Halal and lead singer Samantha Urbani.
It’s the perfect companion piece boasting a good dose of retro flair thanks to some lo-fi camera work and 80′s transitions and coming across equally as sassy, cool and confident as the track itself.
If you were at CMJ this week then you may have caught Brooklyn band at one of their numerous performances over the week. If you missed that there’s a bunch of upcoming US and UK dates for you to get your posterior shaking at.
I’ve had this on repeat for a bit and it never gets old. There is a possibility that next time you ask someone ‘hey, have your heard that Friends track?‘ they won’t think you are referring to the sitcom’s theme tune.
Here is the video for Joan As Police Woman‘s new single ‘Chemmie‘ taken from her latest album ‘The Deep Field’. By all accounts this is her best output yet and this video is further proof of her genius.
The Brooklyn gal has been touring all over the world justifiably winning new fans everywhere she goes. She heads to Europe for an extensive run of shows interjected with some US dates. UK fans can expect a whole range of headline performances including a date at Shepherds Bush Empire on September 9th.
Brooklyn‘s Matt & Kim bring their catchy-as-ebola attitude to the video for new single ‘Block After Block‘. The track was taken off of their “mature” third studio album ‘Sidewalks‘ and sees more of the band’s trademark synth and drums fun sound.
Having seen the duo rip it up on stage in London it’s great to see that their live energy translates here too. This looks like it was a lot of fun filming.
In a purely traditional sense when we think of a rock band we tend to imagine a bunch of bearded guys, and (occasionally) the groupies that come with it. However the last decade has seen the expansion of a different kind of band, the girl/guy duo; sometimes lovers, sometimes friends, or sometimes something incomprehensible.
She Keeps Bees is from Brooklyn. Notwithstanding their name which could make them sound like yet another indie folk band, this duo/couple push in the exact opposite direction. She Keeps Bees is all about rock, blues rock more specifically; The sounds are deep, harsh and brutal…echoing the likes of The Kills or The White Stripes.
However, compared to those former bands, these guys seems more pure and raw, with less electric guitars, less nerve, and the prominence given to singer Jessica Larrabee‘s deep and enchanting voice lends their music a very intimate atmosphere.
For their second album ‘Nests‘, imagine Cat Power accompanied solely by a guitar and drums, and playing a living room in Alabama. This is what She Keeps Bees sounds like: a group of ( very talented ) close friends who enjoy what they do and need the minimum sound to create immersing rock.
It is quite fitting that we just featured an ode to the fertile musical territory that is Brooklynbecause it continues to produce noteworthy artists. Not least mysterious trio Sensual Harassment who have taken the act of providing scarce information on oneself to a new level with a minimalist website and bio to boot.
This is largely irelevant because this bunch have a lot to show in the tunes department. Take the track ‘Boss‘, a personal favourite, with it’s Bronski Beat meets ‘Hot Fuzz‘ era The Killers (with all the influences that entails) melody and riff overlaid with some decidedly modern Justice-like beats for an example of the band’s multifaceted attack.
Elsewhere on tracks such as ‘Fever‘ the band channels Tears For Fears having a very public row with Passion Pit. Sensual Harassment juxtapose sounds that are rooted in two different eras in a captivating way that leans more towards an affirmation than a cheesy tribute.
The album ‘Alpha Draconis‘ is out now through the band’s website.
to feature an array of amazing releases and artists (past, present, old and new) with the goal of promoting them to anyone interested and anyone who stumbles across this site.
If you like any of the tracks, please go buy the albums and help finance the artists producing this great music.
If there are any issues with the tracks featured do not hesitate to contact: "team (AT) Cougar Microbes (DOT) com and we will happily oblige.
