XL Recordings have got a great reputation – so when I heard that this Uk ex gun-crime prisoner had been signed, I was excited that it may well be the advent of a new coming of age for British hip hop. But in reality and sadly, I have to report that it’s a collection of poorly rapped dull rhymes that sound like a 12 year kid is telling you what it’s like to be a gangster. Kicking off the record with a pretty comical (unintentionally) Intro which recounts the story so far – rapped like he’s on ketamine. “The radio wasn’t playin’ me / And when it was / The big man upstairs said I want it stopped” (Maybe it wasn’t some sort of conspiracy to censor Giggs – but more like it just isn’t that good?) / “My video was on the box / We came on MTV late but wasn’t on a lot / Now why is that” (Again, it’s probably not a conspiracy) / “Then I started doin’ shows / I thought they wouldn’t like Giggs / I didn’t want to go / I thought they would only know one song / But they knew every single track, I was on a roll (great story, there).
I’d say that this guy was pedestrian in his delivery, but that seems disrespectful to people who can walk. – AT

ANDREW’S ALBUM OF THE WEEK
I was just thinking, while listening to this, the debut and much anticipated album from Brooklyn based duo Sleigh Bells that, logically, if two things are opposite to each-other, when placed side by side if must be false then that both things are true. But when you start to challenge that rather simple piece of logic, that’s when shit gets interesting. Like, when you take something the size of a pin point and expand it to the size of a universe (something I like to think I could do, like, if I really wanted to) , is that the same as taking something the size of a universe and compacting it to fit on a pin point. What if you did that simultaneously? Would the reverse of an action be, in fact, the same as the action itself? Presumably, the duality of the actions, if achieved in unison, would null each-others effect?

But, when the noise of Derek E Miller meets the melody of Alexis Krauss, here as Sleigh Bells; simultaneously, it is clear that the effects do not null each-other, but rather amplify them. Both becoming more true not despite each-other but because of their disparity. This is, all a bit confusing. All I think I am trying to say is that this record is a little bit the imagined sound of a universe collapsing in on itself and inside out to expand into a new one that’s twice the size of it’s original self. – AT

Pasta Primavera has an mp3 of Tell Em for download

MATTHEW’S ALBUM OF THE WEEK
Two things can happen when you put a bunch of talented friends with separately rewarding careers in a room to record an album together. One: it comes out sounding like less than the sum of its parts (…Monsters of Folk?) and Two: it comes out sounding somewhere near as good as BARB, aka Lawrence Arabia, Liam Finn, EJ Barnes, Connan Mockasin and former Mockasin Seamus Ebbs. Opening with the now-familiar “Leo”, where Connan Mockasin’s alter-ego Don’s obsession with Leonardo DiCaprio finally gets explained (PLEASE go watch the video asap), “Alcoholic Darling” follows on with an almost Broken Social Scene-esque slow-groove build before making way for Finn’s finest vocal performance since his solo debut – with a catchy call-back chorus. The equally upbeat “Not A Bird” is next up, with a gang-vocal verse that sounds almost like a joyful military exercise, opening up into a multi-part harmony chorus. Clearly a chance for the famous five to experiment together as much as spend a month in each others company at Roundhead Studios, BARB rarely strays into in-joke territory. Everyone gets a turn to shine, with EJ’s soulful take on Lawrence Arabia’s imagined tale of lost lesbian love making “2004″ another highlight. The album closes with “Nile” – an occasionally raucous epic from Connan, and the fitting book-end “Looking Out Through Barb’s Eyes”. Notably absent is the tune that started it all – “Having A Baby” – though there is plenty here to saturate the ears in good, good sound. Take a listen, then listen again and again – BARB have layered the cake high with treats. MC

The Days of Lore have an mp3 of Leo for download

In the past wee while we’ve started, I think, to witness pop music’s reclaimation and redefinition as artists regain control of making pop music. Perhaps a driving force behind this new renaissance of pop music is the shifted landscape pop music has found itself in – and the pop music business is a different beast where manufacturing product to sell units to eager new consumers is no longer a viable model. Consumers have become more sophisticated and less reliant or restricted by people making decisions for them – and more often than not, the product that is being sold is a more complete package – not just an album. Music consumers what something that is more real or even more hyper-real – from the person who actually created it; which is, obviously a return for pop music to times before reality Tv shows and competitions made our stars. Robyn has been a forerunner in this new re-invention of pop – she recognizes that pop music is not simply about appealing to a broad spectrum of people but – in order to be good pop music – it needs to touch them and move them. She puts herself on the line here, exposes herself. It’s honest pop and it is a welcome addition to the new breed. AT

The Stu Reid Experiment have mp3s of Fembot and Cry When You Get Older for download

Initially this solo album from Bloc Party’s frontman was to herald as just a sabbatical, but over the weekend Kele Okereke said he “used to be in Bloc Party” at Glastonbury – and of course every British music journalist leapt upon that. The Boxer is clearly a step away from Bloc Party with maybe only the smallest hint of that sound lingering somewhere. I can’t help though imagine that the pendulum has swung so far away from those origins that it’s flung itself into the ridiculous in moments. It’s like Kele’s a guy who has just left high school and has broken up with his girlfriend who was going out with since third form and who was his first love – but he’s really desperate, now, to prove his individuality – and all these, up to now, hidden facets of his ‘personality’. So he got corn-rows and took up Thai kick boxing. Weird. I mean, this record actually sounds like that. And the opening track, Walk Tall, has this cringe-worthing military cadence call and On The Lan electronically pitches his voice up to a point it’s actually a bit giggle-worthy. It’s a shame it feels like Kele is trying just a bit too hard here to find a new ground. – AT

The New Montreal have mp3s of Rise, Tenderoni and On The Lam for download

Instead of simply making a sophomore album, Danish five piece The Kissaway Trail who is fronted by a combination of Wayne Coyne and Win Butler, decided it would be far more appropriate to capture those moments when you are falling back from total and utter despair into a momentary euphoric state, and magically take those fleeting moments before you return to a state of normality; those feelings of utter joy and exuberance and somehow distill them into wonderful songs. If I were a more cynical or less kind man, I might criticize them for being a little too much like Neon Bible – but that’s such a great record it’s hard to criticize something for being reminiscent of it. Sleep Mountain feels like you’ve reached the summit of a long track up a hill and you’re looking out across a beautiful, lush green valley with the clearest of blue skies stretching out ahead of you. Play this record if you’ve had a rough day and you need to know that it is going to get better. Oh, and they cover Neil Young’s Philadelphia on here. Nice. Very nice. – AT

Building your house upon the sand is – according to ancient wisdom – not a very sensible idea. The wise man built his house upon the rock, apparently. The Drums have employed their own brand of wisdom and built their house to sit halfway across the rock (the rock in this parable being the sounds of stark 80s Factory Records-esque acts like The Wake and Joy Division) and the analogical sand (the summery sound of 1950s pop). Long-time BFFs Jonathan Pierce and Jacob Graham form the nucleus of the Drums, and though now expanded to a full band, the tunes here were largely born out of time spent living and playing together in Florida. Their debut long player basically expands on what we’ve heard on earlier EPs/singles: schoolboy-sad and sunshine-glow lyrics put to some of the niftiest hooks to surface from the lagoon in our living memory. MC

Citizen Insane has an mp3 of Let’s Go Surfing

For a pony with essentially one trick, Ratatat surely have galloped at a decent stride. Four albums in, and somehow it’s still interesting. Their last record, LP3, saw the duo of Evan Mast and Mike Stroud expand their horizons a little, and LP4 parts the curtains of experimentation wider still. This time featuring a full string section, and a swathe of new instruments to add to their trademark bass/guitar/beats basket, Ratatat have actually never sounded fresher. “Neckbrace” veers pretty darn close to the edge of straight up dance music (albeit a little weirder), while “Drugs” throws a vocal sample from Werner Herzog’s “Stroszeck” in with the hardest playing we’ve heard from them to date. Vocal samples play a large part in LP4’s success, with an extensive interview with cult actress Linda Manz providing soundbites aplenty. Kudos to these gents for pushing the boundaries a little – little wonder acts as wide ranging as Bjork and Kid Cudi are knocking at their door. MC

As Season Three of this increasingly ridiculous (and I use that word with the utmost respect and giggling excitement for the NEW SEASON) and beyond-dramatic supernatural show begins, here is the timely release of the compiled musical highlights from Season Two – fourteen killer tunes from artists that range from the unknown to the household names. Kicking off with M. Ward’s take on “Howlin’ For My Baby” (Howlin’ Wolf’s classic, penned by blues master Willie Dixon) the selection here is pretty tasty, including regular compilation contributors Beck (”Bad Blood”) and Eels (”Fresh Blood”). Lucinda Williams with Elvis Costello provide the slow-burner “Kiss Like Your Kiss”, while Bob Dylan brings his recent swampy stomper “Beyond Here Lies Nothing” to the table to round things off, and The Band’s Robbie Robertson (sounding oddly like the aforementioned Eels) explains “How To Become Clairvoyant”. Throw in some sassy, soul-bluesy numbers, with the likes of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins and Junior Walker & The All Stars and this soundtrack begins to look like something you can really “sink your teeth into”, if you can excuse the use of such a cheap vampiric one-liner. Bloody good… MC

I have to say, as yet, I have totally avoided / missed (the verb fluctuates depending on personal perspective) the whole Twilight Saga – despite many many assurances of it’s total camp goodness. I also have to say that they do manage to put together some pretty sweet offerings as a soundtrack – luring in their perhaps unsuspecting prey with some big guns (Muse, Bravery, Vampire Weekend and Florence and the Machine) to bite the unsuspecting romantic vampire fan on the jugular with the likes of Black Keys, Fanfarlo, Band of Horses, Metric and Sia, Beck and Bat For Lashes even team up for a duet and ex Gnarls Barkley Ce Lo Green struts in there too along with The Dead Weather and Unkle. It’s an eclectic compilation that, as a music fan I hope whets the blood thirsty appetite of a new generation. – AT

This Californian quartet is the sophomore effort from a group who have lately been making the kind of waves that boogie boarders just love. After touring with the likes of MGMT, Death Cab For Cutie, and Yeasayer, with forthcoming dates with the Flaming Lips, Grizzly Bear, and Broken Bells, you begin to suspect that this act have something special to offer. And something special to offer indeed they do have – clearly the impeccably taste-endowed Rough Trade Records agree! By now you’ll already have their single “Promises” stuck in your head, whether you know it or not, with follow-up single “Excuses” just waiting to get stuck too. Produced by Chris Taylor of Grizzly Bear (influence = evident), and frontman Christopher Chu (who here plays everything from the piano to the mellotron, guitar, flute, pump organ… you name it), Big Echo is surely 2010’s contender for “multi-layered indie-pop meet chamber music album of the year”. MC

Musical Pairing has an mp3 of Excuses available for download (nice post here with lots of goodies, actually!)

Because fronting garage-soul outfit Darker My Love, joining the Strange Boys, and playing on the Fall’s Reformation Post TLC just wasn’t enough for Tim Presley, he’s gone and created himself a solo side-project called White Fence. Delving into the grimy pages of psychedelic music throughout history, White Fence is the sound of a lone Californian rebel, hidden in his bedroom and recreating his favourite tunes with bare bones, like MacGuyver in an ossuary. Seldom clambering much further than the two-minute mark, the sixteen tracks here barely scratch the half-hour mark, giving Presley’s moods the chance to wander with fairly reckless abandon. “The Love Between” does Stereolab vs 1967 on a casio keyboard, while “Mr. Adams” pits a lost Nuggets tune against Ariel Pink… you begin to get the idea. No-fi-psych is the new grunge. MC

Melbourne’s Midnight Juggernauts fly in the face of many of their ‘indie-tronic’ Australian contemporaries – choosing perhaps a darker palette of emotions to draw upon in making their music. Their 2007 debut long player was suitably titled Dystopia – which was strangely darkly euphoric. Now with The Crystal Axis there’s a distinct feeling of the band working more closely together and the record feels a lot more live than electronic by comparison to their debut. It’s a development that I am enjoying and feel works well for the three piece. They have managed to create something quiet unsettling with this record – inter-twining pop hooks and melodies into expansive science-fiction-eque soundscapes. It’s like they are writing about the ultimate demise of mankind at our own hand and the inevitable conquering forces of the Apes. One can almost imagine Charlton Heston dropping to his knees at the end of the album as he realizes that he’s actually still on Earth but it’s the year 3978AD. – AT

Chris Cudby and Daif Kent have been bemusing and amazing Auckland crowds for years with their lo-fi packaging-taped together gear, which has ranged, over the years, from 1980s vintage keyboards to children’s toys to Christmas lights to prams and walking frames – but interestingly, it’s only recently that the duo acquired a personal computer – and this album reflects the new found fidelity of being able to record digitally at home in Eden Terrace. Golden Axe make the type of pop music that would have Katy Perry riding a unicorn on a treadmill with lasers shooting out of it’s eyes. While cats fly around them in orbit. It’s awesome wrapped in fairy-lights and weird. Golden Axe sounds like a million high-fives simultaneously focussed upon each-others elbow for maximum awesome. – AT

Virginia’s Jack Tatum could be any other young fellow, except that when he’s in his bedroom he’s churning out dreamy and heart rending pop tunes to bring the saddest (like the emotional type of sad, not the sad that describes, say, an older man hitting on a sparkling eyed teenage girl at the latest downtown indie clubnight) moments of the 80s and shoegaze 90s back to life. His debut record Gemini is a step ahead of the current trend of lo-alt-chill-crunk-wave-one-man-banders, in that it sounds like Tatum has actually felt emotions in his lifetime, and is attempting to use them to inform his music. Woah! Picked up by the rarely-wrong Spunk Records for release in Australia and New Zealand, step into the Wild Nothing and let your heart run free across the plains, bleeding and screaming like a buffalo with an arrow in it’s haunch. MC

This is The Roots ninth album – and it’s, I think, the best they have done since 2002’s Phrenology. How I Got Over by The Roots is a hip-hop album that transcends it’s own genre. Not in a ‘this is a future classic, therefore it’s genre is not important’ kind of way, I mean, it’s a great record but I don’t know that I’d go so far as calling it a ‘future-classic’ – but it is, I think, a record that is better than being filed under one particular genre. Obviously, having guest appearances from Monsters of Folk continuing their own track Dear God (now called Dear God 2.0); Joanna Newsom providing teh vocal hook for Right On and Amber Coffman, Haley Dekle and Angel Deradoorian of Dirty Projectors kicking the record off, is going to help smash boundaries – but The Roots achieve it more just through the quality of their songs – they’re both dark and enlightening; tragic yet empowering. It’s an album about struggle and a belief in eventual triumph over whatever demons you face – and that is just a human condition we all can empathize with irrespective of creed, race, gender or genre. – AT

Wild Tonic have an mp3 of Right On feat Joanna Newsom available for download

Having won me over with their self-titled 2007 debut, it’s was with a wintry grin that I received the Broken Heartbreakers brand new record. Based around the songwriting partnership of Rachel Bailey and John Guy Howell, Wintersun is a certified group effort, building in a permanent rhythm section (ex-Verlaines bassist Mike Stoodley and Dictaphone Blues stick-man Myles Allpress), and employing the talents of multi-instrumentalist Sam “Bond Street Bridge” Prebble. The title of the record gives a clue as to its sound – crisp, clear and dressed up warm, with the flawless harmonies between Rachel and John melting whatever ice might be lingering in your heart. Tales of lost love, simmering moons, and inevitable departure are woven into the intricate arrangements, with an intimate and slow folk sound occasionally quickening its pace into a classic poppier flavour. If you’re feeling the chill, take some comfort in the Broken Heartbreakers’ Wintersun. MC

Doing for gender confusing band names what the Mint Chicks once did, the all-girl trio of Molly Erin Sarle, Alexandra Sauser-Monnig and Amelia Randall Meath, aka Mountain Man, certainly sing a beautiful song. The still-young trio have opted to waive any instrumentation other than a sparsely plucked acoustic guitar, and instead let their stunning voices complement the others in three-part harmonious splendour. At times harking back to the days of the medieval a cappella folk – like a Coco Rosie without the weirdness – and Appalachian harmony (think Polka Dot Dot Dot minus instruments), Mountain Man’s debut (apparently recorded in an old, naturally reverberating factory space) is full of short and sweet melodies to make the heart a flutter. MC

The Sonsclub have mp3’s of Dog Songa nd Honeybee available to download

Somehow this Spanish four piece have taken the flavors of 1990s Italian Disco, techno and house and added some sprinklings of some secret herbs and spices that I really can’t put my finger on to make an album that is, cleverly both derivative and yet better than it’s inspirations. It’s an album laden with incredible piano heavy builds and ecstatic drops. Subiza is Merriweather Post Pavilion without trying to appeal to kids who can’t (or who are too afraid to) dance. It’s an album of sun-kisses and, perhaps landing here in the dead of winter is unfortunate timing -  maybe we need to revisit the record when daylight savings returns – to truly enjoy it’s solar orbits. Also, you need to ignore the song titles which are, actually, a bit embarrassing. – AT

Winne Cooper has an mp3 of Stay Close by Delorean to download

Lyrically Tono of Tono and the Finance Company is, as my friend and esteemed colleague Matthew Crawley said, the Morrissey of contemporary New Zealand music. His songs are bittersweet with salient observations and inspirations from the everyday. He manages to take what we all see but observe it the way we wished we had the imagination and/or wit to. And this six track EP is a total joy from start to finish – a hidden gem to be sure, and one that I urge you uncover for yourself because I think you’ll be far from disappointed. – AT