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.
Over 25 years have passed since the release of ‘Licence To Ill‘ and the Beastie Boys still sound as exciting as ever. In today’s musical landscape their shared delivery style is almost singular and on ‘Hot Sauce Committee, Pt. 2‘ the true New York kings are as good as they have ever been.
Cougar regular Thom says ‘you’d expect the Beastie Boys to be out of touch by now but I can safely say I have not, and don’t think I will tire of their unpredictable nature. ‘Hot sauce committee part 2′ is sophisticated and balls out cool‘
Best still the Beasties have the power to make illustrious guests shine. There are few groups around today with as distinctive vocal styles of Mike D, Ad-Rock and MCA. The latter in particular sounds as hungry as ever following the cancer scare which practically shelved ‘Hot sauce committee pt 1‘. We are glad to have him and his partners back.
South Jamaica Queens rapper and producer K. Sparks has been on our radar for a while. Having self released a steady stream of accomplished releases it was only a matter of time before people sat up and took notice.
There is an admirable old school quality to his jams that makes them both hard hitting yet crucially they will have you coming back for repeat listens.
Looking forward to hearing more fresh tracks from the NYC man in 2012.
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.
When it comes to music, Brooklyn seems to be the land of cool. From The Velvet Underground to Sonic Youth, TV on the Radio through to MGMT (and this list can go on and on), whatever the generation, when you hail from BK you are seemingly ahead of the pack and, somehow, able to generate something new and ‘different’ that will shake the music world. Snowmine look set to follow this blueprint.
This indie psych-pop ensemble is set to release their debut album ‘Laminate Pet Animal‘ on the 3rd May, and something tells me they will not stay unnoticed. Fronted by new-classical music composer Grayson Sanders, the five-pice offers richness and diversity encompassing tribal beats, echo pedals and classical orchestrations.
The album shows a surprising ability to juggle between the pop-rock rhythms on tracks such as ‘Penny‘ to more afrobeat/tropical sounds on the likes of ‘The Hill‘. The strongest aspect is the frontman’s magically soothing voice which is reminiscent of Fleet Floxes‘ singer Robin Pecknold.
Needless to say that they will naturally be compared to the likes of fellow Brooklynites Yeasayer, Grizzly Bear or Dirty Projectors. Furthermore their sound undoubtedly fits that beach surf indie wave that is currently so en vogue. But instead of blindly following the current like countless other acts Snowmine’s intriguing style is representative, to follow the theme, of gloriously riding a wave.
Their inspiration comes from love, lost and found and forest trips, and this clearly transpires through their music. With its vibrant melodies ‘Laminate Pet Animal‘ is definitely a perfect record for this summer.
A friend and I once had a debate that ended in the agreement that solo singer songwriters have to have either one of two things to keep us interested: Good lyrics or balls. These raw emotional qualities we find most clearly in pop history from Bob Dylan. The balls department is effectively covered by Johnny Cash.
Bruce Nathan aka everyBOY‘s sophomore album ‘Parachute Mind‘ combines some very classic Southern Californian folk with some neat electronic and analog instrumentation to fill out his uplifting stories on darkness into light.
Like the debate, he has managed strong open hearted lyrics with a little more balls than your average solo man; “I’ve been crawling through a cloudy haze“, He croaks into a wall of strings and minor note guitar picking.
Musically it felt like a cross between latter day Lindsey Buckingham (with a whiskey hangover) being backed by The Weepies. Tunes like ‘Life Is 4 Living‘ are sweet and enchanting yet have an undertone of sadness and of a sensitive and thoughtful soul that’s very much lost in a modern world.
The title track reminded me of the energy and imagination of “Down To Earth” by Peter Gabriel, a soulful yet playful effort that put forward the pop elements of folk.
A studier of Japanese arts and philosophy, everyBOY‘s words are what bring forth his strength. He brings messages of hope and love like George Harrison with the melancholy of Neil Young.
Singer songwriters will always be around, but they tend to be few and far between when it comes down to it. EveryBOY has not only future proofed his songs with very cool electronics and instrumentation but has made them sound timeless too.
New York legends The Strokes are back, with their highly anticipated new album ‘Angles‘. Almost five years since the release of ‘First Impressions of Earth‘, it seems fair to say that their biggest fans (myself included) have been waiting on this album like the second coming of the messiah. The amount of teasers that proliferated youtube and other sites before D-day proved how high expectations stand.
On explaining the album’s name guitarist Albert Hammond Jr stated that “it’s what it sounds like. It comes from five different people.” On the other hand Nic Valensi was not so enthusiastic expressing his dissatisfaction towards the way the album was made and being quoted as saying that Julian Casablancas was often absent or recorded separately, sometimes leading Valensi to record his guitar parts alone in the studio. So much for letting bygones be bygones…
Nevertheless this album works and after a five year break we weren’t expecting less. A healthy dose of stabbing and ill-tempered guitars, a glass of Moretti‘s masterful beats, a splash of Casablanca‘s unique deep/dry howl… all the ingredients that made The Strokes one of the best rock’n'roll bands in circulation have been recovered on ‘Angles‘.
The album opens majestically with ‘Machu Picchu‘, where guitars smoothly imitate the beat of synthesisers. ‘Under Cover of Darkness‘, the first single, is probably the track that most follows a ‘Strokesian‘ tradition through its prodigious rhythm, rage and garage atmosphere.
‘Taken For a Fool‘ is in my opinion one of the highlights of the album; its ambitious rhythm and Casablancas‘ unique cry for ‘Mama‘ definitely makes it one of those songs that will stay in your head for a long time. It is even more sensational live and I would strongly recommend watching their performance on Letterman. The band also seem keen to add new beats and sounds to the mix offering a more electronic vibe on some trakcs as evidenced by ‘Games‘ or ‘Two Kinds of Happiness‘.
‘Angles‘ is not as raw as ‘Is this It‘ or dark as ‘First Impressions of Earth‘ but it should be celebrated as a fantastic return for the quintet; the members all participated and it works as a result of it. Ultimately the tracks complement each other perfectly making this a great album rather than a collection of great songs.
Moretti and Hammond cut their afros, Casablancas is not as drunk, Valensi doesn’t look like a hobbit anymore…. more than a decade has passed since we first discovered them, and they have changed, we have changed… let’s all appreciate that. Welcome back!
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