So Wale teamed up with Somalian rapper K'Naan and Dave Sitek of TV on the Radio to make this wicked tune -"wittily" called TV in the Radio. They basically just rap about how original they are - but the horns and beats elevate some pretty good lyrics into an absolutely awesome tune, proving once again that TVOTR are absolute legends and can do no wrong. As if you didn't know that already.
I know I've been a little MIA recently... hopefully you've been tuning into my radio show, Pet Sounds on Pulse, (Tuesdays 2-4pm GMT) as most of my energies musically have been going into that.
Aside from that however, the one thing you can't do very easily on the radio is videos, and one video that defnintely been garnering some serious blog-inches is the vid for the new Yeasayer song, Ambling Alp. Yeasayer, you may remember, are the perpetrators of the fabulous, new-year themed2080, but if anything, they've topped themselves with Ambling Alp. Heartfelt, joyous, dance-able, but with some awesome Middle-Eastern/African inspired beats, this is sure to make many best-ofs for this year
Their video, however, is something else. Utterly bizarre... but really really good I think, combining face-melting with cults with horses with deserts. Check it out below - but be warned, if you're watching it in a public place, there's some pretty interesting naked dancing going on at the end, so you may get some odd looks, I know I did...
Sorry for neglecting Tricks of late, I just started at the LSE and things have been a bit hectic! I'm still rambling on about music though, but this time on Pulse, the LSE student radio. You can listen to my show, Pet Sounds, Tuesdays 2-4pm here, or for a week after on demand online. I'm also writing reviews for Pulse, so keep an eye out for that too!
Quite possibly one of the most shocking videos I've seen in a long long time, Matt and Kim's Lessons Learned is a truly original piece of work. It won the MTV Breakthrough Video Award at the VMAs this year, beating off some pretty serious competition from the likes of Major Lazer and Bat for Lashes. Yet, while it's undoubtedly a breathtaking video, after watching it, I literally couldn't remember the song it was promoting - surely that's a sign of a terrible video?
Perhaps that's because whenever I think of Matt and Kim, their song Daylight springs to mind. Above is the video for it - quite a bit less controversial I think you'll agree. The tune's been kicking around for a while now - I first heard it in January of this year, then it popped up in a Bacardi commercial (thanks Ashley!), and now I keep it hearing it on the soundtrack for Fifa '10, my flatmate's new obsession. It's lovely - all jangly keyboards, yelping vocals, with a bit of a hip-hop vibe to the drumbeat. It's also available for download as a lovely freebie on their record label Greensounds. I get the impression that it's a case of "lightning doesn't strike twice" with this song - I don't think Matt and Kim have anything else as good as this up their sleeves - and all the incessant promoting is a little tiring. But the song itself is great, and that's what matters.
Local Natives are officially the next big thing. Compared by some to Vampire Weekend, Arcade Fire and Fleet Foxes with good reason, they combine the interesting African drum rhythms of Vampire Weekend, the folky harmonies of Fleet Foxes and the overarching heart-aching melodies of Arcade Fire to powerful and infectious effect. Airplanes, the first song I heard by Local Natives, didn't immediately blow me away I have to admit; it sounded too much like a dozen other indie bands. But the plaintive refrain of the chorus (I love it all/So much I call/I want you back) stayed with me, and when I heard Sun Hands, a slightly darker, more percussive track, I knew that Local Natives were ones to watch. The five guys are clearly intelligent and passionate about what they do - you can see evidence of this in their blog - but you also get the impression that this is a band driven to achieve success and recognition, especially after checking out their slick myspace. This isn't necessarily a bad thing because the songs are worthy of success and recognition, but get ready for them to be name-checked a thousand times in the next year!
Local Natives are currently on the NME Radar tour along with Golden Silvers, Marina & the Diamonds and Yes Giantess - a pretty stellar line up! Debut album, Gorilla Manor is released on the 2nd November.
Check out their awesome cover of Simon & Garfunkel's Cecilia below:
This track is so incredible that I'm literally writing this post as I listen to it for the first time - it's that good. Regular readers may remember me raving about Florence and the Machine's cover of You've Got the Love - now hotly buzzed about London band the xx have done their own cover/remix of it. The xx's trademark sparse sound is in full force - in fact, only the harps and a looped vocal remain from Florence's original. The result is spell binding. I'd been reluctant to jump on the xx bandwagon, but having had their track Islands stuck in my head for about a week I have just bought the album, and I'm being won over. The tracks are all of a fairly similar melancholic, late-night vibe, but I like it - it's chilled out, it's urban and it's very modern. Florence and the Machine - You've Got the Love (The xx remix)
Sorry for vanishing for so long there... Life took over for a while, not that I didn't have time to post, but I just got really frustrated feeling like I wasn't really finding any good new stuff to listen to.
Well, now that's changed, thanks mainly to the guys over at Neon Gold. Their blog has been my go-to place for fresh cuts for a while now, ever since their blog Good Weather for Airstrikes ceased production, and with alumni including Passion Pit, Marina & the Diamonds and Yes Giantess, they are excellent at discovering bands/artists who produce interesting sounds with a strong pop sensibility.
Their latest protege, Gotye, is someone I've heard about for a while, a good couple of years, but I've been reluctant to jump on the band wagon, until I heard his latest, Learnalilgivinanlovin. Perfect late summer stuff, fun and poppy, sounding fresh yet familiar, I love it!
Also, thanks to their rave review of Florence & the Machine's album, I picked it up a couple of days ago, and am really getting into it. My initial misgivings about her songwriting talents have been well and truly put to rest, as she seems to no longer rely on that booming voice as a crutch. My particular faves from the album, the aptly titled Lungs, are Cosmic Love and her latest single, Drumming Song.
Here is the video for Drumming Song - I think I like it, although, strangely, she seems be taking inspiration from Beyonce's Single Ladies video...
Check out the Jackbeats and Boy 8-Bit remixes of this track too, they're both pretty sweet.
I'll be posting about some more stuff I'm loving hopefully later in the week, but for now, enjoy the rest of the bank holiday!
