Our 10 Favorite Albums of 2011 - Nr. 07

And so its the end of the year again (or the start) and we have listened to an awful lot of music, the people here. And two of us managed to churn out some words on what we consider as our favorite albums of 2011. So enjoy, hope it proves to function both as a tip sheet and as a salute to good music.

Stef:

07. Jessica 6 – See the Light (Peacefrog Records)

I really, honestly didn’t think I would like this album as much as I do. Nomi Ruiz as a member of Hercules and Love Affair didn’t quite win me over, but as Jessica 6 she is amazing. So old school disco this, with the disco diva singing her tales of woe, of lust, of love. And it is all quite impressive. Some of the tracks are more dancey like opener ‘White Horse’ or ‘Prisoner of Love’, where she gets a bit of help from Antony Hegarty (Yes, he of Antony & the Johnsons fame). 

However, she can also dial it down with some of the best ballads I’ve heard all year. Something like ‘Not Anymore’, which basically is just this sad, French jazz piano and her voice, but it packs so much emotion. She does that so well, and it caught me by surprise, and such a pleasant surprise it is. A ballad is so hard to do, but I’ll take some of the ones on this album before any bloke or gal with guitar trying to sing about his or her baby love (or worse). There’s something heartfelt about disco, also the slower ones, that you just cannot beat with a guitar and with subpar vocals.  Add to all of this that this album borrows some sounds from different continents to make it all not that straightforward, and you’ve got a very, very good album indeed.

Jessica 6 - Prisoner Of Love feat. Antony Hegarty by Peacefrog Records

Linda:

07.    Los Campesinos! - Hello Sadness (Wichita)

I can’t believe that it’s already been four years since Los Campesinos! released their first album. Even though ‘Hold on now youngster...’ is still my favourite, with ‘We are beautiful, we are doomed’ a close second, this album really managed to surprise me. There’s no band I’ve seen live more often than this band, and still they manage to amaze me every single time. Be it by being a bit shit (at Shepherd’s Bush earlier this year, though it was a first time for them) or by blowing me away when playing in a student venue where everyone was 14 and I felt ridiculously old right up to the moment they started playing ‘Death to Los Campesinos!’. That was, admittedly, their third song, but it only took a second or so to turn me back into a dancing, shouting and pointing (pointing is essential for LC! gigs) teenager. Well done me for fitting in with a bunch of horny school boys. 

Over the years, LC! have evolved, and they have done this very considerately as they seem to have done this synchronous to my personal musical taste. They’re still very much up the pop-ally of alternative music, maybe even more so on this album with Kim Campesinos! getting more vocals – especially on the sublime ‘The black bird, the dark slope’. Single ‘By your hand’ luckily is a horrible indicator for what to expect from the album, but with its sing-along chorus it is an obvious choice. To make up for that initial miss, the second half of the album is filled with little gems like ‘To Tundra’ and ‘Baby I got the death rattle’. I’ll definitely go and see them for a 12th time next year.

Hello Sadness by Los Campesinos!

Our 10 Favorite Albums of 2011 - Nr. 08

And so its the end of the year again (or the start) and we have listened to an awful lot of music, the people here. And two of us managed to churn out some words on what we consider as our favorite albums of 2011. So enjoy, hope it proves to function both as a tip sheet and as a salute to good music.

Stef:

08. Reverso 68 – Well Heeled Vol. One (Special Interest)

You know what, I always forget how good of an album this really is. However, I generally need to actively remind myself to put it on once in a while, so where do you put an album like that on the list? But this is just a collection of fabulous tunes. Chances are you are hooked by the time miss Izma herself, Eartha Kitt, gets her vocals in on ‘Earthy Powers’ (and yes, that is a pun I reckon), and otherwise the instrumental tracks will get you into hooked mode soon enough. 

Some of those starts are just amazing, like for ‘Sensational Dub’, and especially for ‘All Things in a Dream’, which gets me to physically stand up every time I hear that because it is simply so awesome. I do, however, love my vocals, and maybe there aren’t quite enough of them on here which bumps it down a bit. This album is full of tuneage though, and it just rolls on like a you-know-what. Some awesome vintage sounds in there, and it all runs soooo very smoothly. And that’s a skill, ya know?

Well Heeled Volume One - by Reverso 68

Linda:

08.    YACHT – Shangri-La (DFA)

I managed to miss out on this one last time I had a go at cataloguing 2011’s best music. Perhaps it was because I didn’t really expect YACHT to be as amazing on record as they are live, and anyone who has listened to their previous attempts at capturing their live enthusiasm on an album  will probably agree with that. Therefore, it wasn’t till I had the actual pleasure of seeing this album being performed live that it really hit me that the tracks themselves were at least as good as the crazy but fantastic live routine (and accompanying powerpoint presentation). 

With their former label pals LCD Soundsystem retiring, there is an enormous gap to be filled, but with DFA coming up with bands like this, I don’t think many people will notice that James Murphy and friends have left the stage.  The album is off to one of the best openings of the year with the combination of ‘Utopia’ (best bass line of the year!) and ‘Dystopia’, which combined with a nifty video ought to be compulsory viewing/listening for anyone pretending to love music. But however much you might like, or even love the album when listening to it, the live experience is nothing like it and only to be recommended.

Dystopia (The Earth is on Fire) by RADIO YACHT

Our 10 Favorite Albums of 2011 - Nr. 09

And so its the end of the year again (or the start) and we have listened to an awful lot of music, the people here. And two of us managed to churn out some words on what we consider as our favorite albums of 2011. So enjoy, hope it proves to function both as a tip sheet and as a salute to good music.

Stef:

09. Beni – House of Beni (Modular)

It’s a buwwwble. When I think of this album, I think of that tune. That tune is just amazing, one of my favorite songs of the year. It just screams dance, dance, dance baby!, and I don’t see any reason why anyone shouldn’t. But this is not a one song wonder, this album. It starts with the vocals of Nomi Ruiz to lure you into the club, and then it just gets down and dirty with Sam Sparro, Turbotito, and you’re even going to rock a bit with The Rapture’s Mattie Safer. 

The vocal contributions are fabulous, but the good thing is that it all meshes so well together as it all exhumes the same thing: having a sexy night out at the club. The one flaw of this album comes nearing the end, where some of the instrumental tracks (obviously not O.P.U.L.E.N.C.E. with that vintage house feel) feel like they kind of bog down the album a bit. By that time you’re probably so exhausted from dancing though your mind won’t register it anymore anyway. And honey, don’t forget, it’s a buwwble.

Beni - It's A Bubble by modularpeople

Linda:

9.    EMA – Past Life Martyred Saints (Souterrain Transmissions)

With a mere three albums from my half-year list making it into my end of year list, I think that must mean that the second half of the year was the better. For me at least. Judging by the comments on YouTube – which one never should do – you either love or hate this album. Unsurprisingly, I am writing about it after all, I’m in the ‘love it’ group. There is something about the angst and anxiety expressed in the nine tracks that make up this album that just make me fall in love with the thing. 

Opener ‘The Grey Ship’ remains my favourite. I can vaguely remember the exact same thing about six months ago, but I’m sticking with  it. I love tracks that make it past the five minute mark, seemingly without any effort, and this is one of those. Those tempo changes, the build up, it’s as close to perfection as you can get without decent recording equipment – I’m not a fan of needless lo-fi going on for too long. But it warrants all the more admiration for Erika Anderson, and the BBC/DiS reviewer Andrzej Lukowski for cooking up the term drone-folk to find a way to describe the album. 

EMA - The Grey Ship by souterraintransmissions

Our Top 50 Favorite Tracks Countdown - 25 - 21

Yessir, it has started, the countdown of the 50 best tracks of 2011! Everyday I’ll post one track in the Daily Clip section, but if you missed one don’t worry, after each batch of five I’ll be sure to post those songs with links on the site (you’ll find it in the main post). So for the next 50 days, nothing but the best, here we go!

Nr. 25 - ‘Flip da Beat’ by Ed Wizard & Disco Double Dee

Awesome tune this. Its unbelievably smooth, especially that chorus, which is nothing short of brilliant. It’s originally from a Shalamar tune, going There it is, there it is what took us so long? And that’s so darn catchy, and it nicely juxtaposes the more hip hop vibe of the verses. And always there is that bass to get grooving too. Just terribly lovely this, something that puts a smile on my face, which is important with Christmas time upon us (at the time of writing)!

Nr. 24 - ‘Night Sky’ by Gavin Russom

This spacey track by Gavin Russom logs in at a whopping thirteen minutes. It reminds me off some of Antoni Maiiovi’s work that I touted a couple of years ago: high on atmosphere. Maiiovi made an album with as concept the soundtrack of a fictional B movie, but this doesn’t quite have that concept, though it wouldn’t be totally out of place. But it is kind of too sophisticated for that to be honest, especially when the vocals come in. That’s where the track really takes off and becomes something else. Love that Western-y guitar thing in there. It forms a lovely juxtaposition with the electronic sounds, but somehow the vocals aren’t that out of line for a Western feel either. The vocals also have a lovely sense of urgency to it, which really brings out the anxiety of this track. So if you happen to have a short fifteen minutes to spare, give it a shot. And I warn ya, sit it out, for its a grower.

Nr. 23 - ‘Still Sound’ by Toro Y Moi

Okay, yeah, so maybe I’m also a bit smitten with that lovely clip they made for this, which is kind of home video style. But I also like that bass, and I also really like those soft touch vocals he’s got going on here. It’s a very lovable track, and a very catchy one as well, with some nice ethereal sounds to it. Very pleasing and very easy on the ear, and just instantly lovable. It’s a lovable little thing, yes it is! Yes it is!

Nr. 22 - ‘Banana Ripple’ by Junior Boys

Ow, Junior Boys, they were fab live at Trouw earlier this year, and surprise surprise, they saved this one for the tail end of the show. His vocals, oh, divine, no? And this one just keeps giving, so darn catchy, so lovely to dance to. And easy on the ears as well, which I put on the vocals for a large part, for who couldn’t listen to those on and on? And then he goes so high on “No you never, no you never” as well at the end of it, which seals the deal if it hadn’t been sealed already. Just a fantastic track by a band that with this album really grew on me this year. Fab fab fab. I don’t see how anyone can not be dancing by the end of the song.

Nr. 21 - ‘Space is Only Noise If You Can See’ by Nicolas Jaar

Oh fuck me, this album is brilliant, isn’t it? Gutted his January show has sold out for I would’ve loved to be there, but luckily the album is there to keep me company in the midnight hours. I love the almost spoken word way this starts out with, which keeps on going throughout the song. The only difference is, at one point Jaar starts accompanying it with exactly the right mood, sounds, and music. And this guy has got the skills to do that. An uncanny sense of which sounds should go where. This is perhaps the best example of that from the album, though I’m not making a vow that never changes. Wizardry, that’s what it is, but mostly, its the ability to have sounds build and aid each other to together produce an end product which just exhumes aesthetic. Listen at midnight, and you’ll be blown away. All magic happens at midnight, you know?

Our 10 Favorite Albums of 2011 - Nr. 10

And so its the end of the year again (or the start) and we have listened to an awful lot of music, the people here. And two of us managed to churn out some words on what we consider as our favorite albums of 2011. So enjoy, hope it proves to function both as a tip sheet and as a salute to good music.

Stef:

10. Azari & III - Azari & III (Loose Lips Records)

Best. Live. Act. Of. 2011. Book it! So awesome. Both gigs I went to by these guys the crowd has gone wild, the two singers up front were working it, and the beats were just flying around. There are some amazing songs on this album, with the major flaw being that the singles bookend a deeper middle that doesn’t always captivate. It seems that those songs work a bit better in a live setting than they do forming the middle part of this album. However, to make up for that you’ve got the singles, and it doesn’t matter if you hear them at a gig, in a club, as a remix, or on the album: they are awesome. ‘Into the Night’, ‘Manic’, ‘Reckless With Your Love’, and ‘Hungry for the Power’, they are absolutely wicked. 

The sultriness of ‘Into the Night’ is a lovely start, and then you actually go into the night with ‘Reckless With Your Love’, which just embodies clubbing for me. It ends with ‘Manic’ and ‘Hungry for the Power’, which are a bit darker, perhaps there’s even a bit of social commentary there. The whole album though, it is house up and down and twice around. If house is about queerness, about dancing, and about physicality (and I would argue it is), then this album makes a great case for why it never ever should leave the club scene. And be sure to catch them live, they are hawt.

AZARI & III - Reckless (With Your Love) (2011) by cossetgaleria

Linda:

10. iceage -  New Brigade (Abeano Music)

Records like this one here are the reason end of year lists are important. If it were not for some music-loving idiots deciding November was the time of year to start compiling ridiculous collections of rather randomly thrown together catalogues of 2011’s best albums, I would never have found out about iceage. Perhaps it would have been better. I certainly wouldn’t have had to go through another bout of realising that I’ve aged yet another year when reading that the lads that make up this band are only 18 and 19 years old. Fun times. But then again, they say bands like this also make it clear you’re only as old as you feel (though I’m pretty sure I’ll feel like I’m entitled to free bus fares after visiting one of their gigs). 

Every year at least one genre gets to be ‘reinvented’ and this year this group of Danes has decided it’s punk’s turn. Not that they have done much to give it a make-over, if it would be possible to remake punk in any other way than it was made first way round. All it needs is tracks that seem to be over before they ever started and some controversy which they create by wearing masks that have an eerie familiar ring to them . But no sir, they are not racist, they say, pointing at their Jewish drummer.  I’ll take that for them being young, naive and Danish.

New Brigade by Iceage by TAMBOURHINOCEROS

Our Top 50 Favorite Tracks Countdown - 30 - 26

Yessir, it has started, the countdown of the 50 best tracks of 2011! Everyday I’ll post one track in the Daily Clip section, but if you missed one don’t worry, after each batch of five I’ll be sure to post those songs with links on the site (you’ll find it in the main post). So for the next 50 days, nothing but the best, here we go!

Nr. 30 - ‘Spaced’ by Pete Herbert

Herbert released a few EPs this year, and this tune with a BPM through the roof (unfortunately, because it makes it harder to get in the mix), is just magical. The piano gets you in the right mood from the get go, and after teasing you a bit he shifts the gear into full throttle mode just before the minute mark to get you happy and excited. or well, me at least. The beat and drums propel the song forward at a steady pace, but the real strength lies in those sounds on top of that canvas, with the keys. Especially the keys. No, strike that, just everything. I listened to this non-stop in the summer, and every time I’ve heard it since has reminded me of why I listened to this non-stop in the summer. So catchy, the elements work together so nicely, and it is just a cracking tune. And at the end even some vocals come in, then you’ve really got me hooked. So be a star chaser baby. No link unfortunately, I’m very sorry, but you’re clever people, right?

Nr. 29 – ‘Who Am I To Feel So Free’ by MEN feat. Antony Hegarty

Certainly, most things get better when they add Antony Hegarty of Antony and the Johnsons fame. MEN put out this little punky tune and made an alternate version with Hegarty’s awesome vocals who fit this song very well indeed. That bass is a bit too familiar at times I reckon (An LCD Soundsystem song I’m thining?), but the guitar gives it some edge which is nicely balanced out by the vocals. 

Nr. 28. – ‘That’s the Truth’ by Casino Times

This was released on a Friends of the Family EP with a Jacques Renault tune on it, and that’s a telltale sign that it’s something up my alley and something worth listening to. This song just had me by the balls from the very moment those vocals came in with just a “Oh no”. So deep, so filled with melancholy; I was hooked from that point straight up until the finish. The music creates a perfect canvas for it, in itself being deep enough to not let those vocals stick out like a sore thumb. With the beat, the hi-hats, and the keys it creates something for in the wee hours of the night, when the darkness has fully hit and when the crowd is ready to surrender itself to the sounds completely. Those “vocals” only really become vocals at around the four minute mark, where they actually start singing. Just a nice, deep song with an atmosphere that puts it over the top. Ace.

Nr. 27 – ‘Last Night’ by Telonius & Prince Albert (extended club version)

This has is just so cheeky, I love it. So sexy. The groaning woman might be a sign of that, though in old school house songs that have too much of that aren’t exactly my favorites. But it is kept to a minimum here and it soon gets replaced by the bass (bass!). Then male vocals come in that say “If you can’t make it, I’ll have to masturbate” , with female vocals finishing the double entendre of “Baby, there’s some coming (…), in a hurry”. Normally I hate overtly explicit stuff like that, makes me want to slap my head. But the thing is, this is a TUNE! And all is forgiven then. It’s got the build-ups, it has the catchy chorus, it has this sexiness outside of those overtly explicit tales, it has a thumping beat, a nice bass: it’s just got everything for the dancefloor. The change-ups in the song are nuanced but excellent and it really makes sure this track keeps going on and on.

Nr. 26 - ‘Boom’ by Lo-Fi-Fnk

You know, I believe I tweeted once that I liked this one perhaps more than I should. There is just something so catchy to this that just makes me happy when hearing it. It’s got this energy to it, and it has this nice and poppy vibe to it which just wins me over. It is fun, it has got some pace to it, and it is catchy and makes me smile. Just a cracking little tune from the Swedish duo (whom I interviewed years ago, if anyone wants to hit the interview archive for that one).

The Weekly Froth #22 (WhoMadeWho, Matthew Dear, Kris Menace)

The weekly froth! A weekly take on six tracks, most of which have recently popped up somewhere in the blogosphere. Bit of a mixed bag with a slight leaning towards house, disco, and remixes, but generally just anything that for some reason tickled the writer’s fancy. After this will be a slight Holiday break, but don’t worry, come January we’ll be back with this one in a hurry. Happy holidays everybody and have a little fun, do a little dance, and get down tonight.

Track of the week: ‘Inside World’ by WhoMadeWho

WhoMadeWho are going to follow up Knee Deep with a new album next year, and if this is any indication it is going to be awesome. First the rougher sounds, the volume up, and then born out of that this great rhythm comes along with those fabulous vocals. I really love their vocals, I’ve always believed that one of the band’s strengths, and they do have an ear for finding that catchy rhythm and going with it. It is a short one at 3:37, and it fluently rolls right on through to the end. I think this is an amazing track by the lads, who are positively genius in a live setting. Recorded, I find them to be hit and miss a bit, but when they hit, they hit it out of the park, and this to me is a good example of that. So can’t wait for that new album, if only because that means they’ll be doing the rounds again and you can’t miss that opportunity.

(If you want to listen to this track, and read about and listen to five others, click here)

Our Top 50 Favorite Tracks Countdown - 35 - 31

Yessir, it has started, the countdown of the 50 best tracks of 2011! Everyday I’ll post one track in the Daily Clip section, but if you missed one don’t worry, after each batch of five I’ll be sure to post those songs with links on the site (you’ll find it in the main post). So for the next 50 days, nothing but the best, here we go!

Nr. 35 - ‘Superman’ by Celi Bee and the Buzzy Bunch (Victor Rosado edit)

The clip is the original, so don’t be fooled, but I couldn’t find a stream of this edit anywhere unfortunately. But it keeps that vibe from the original, namely very disco, very over the top, and very happy and merry and gay. And if you aren’t getting that from the song, you might want to watch this original performance that might spell it out for you. But this is on here for a reason, namely because it is just so fun! So much fun, very sexy and over the top, and women speaking out about wanting sex. So hey, it’s not a guy thing after all.

Nr. 34 – ‘Kissmetellme’ by Tiger & Woods

The album is absolutely amazing, and this gives  good preview of it. The track is a good example of this distinct sound these lads have crafted for themselves, which is quite remarkable given this is their debut. The art of repetition is on full display here, and these guys know how to keep it rolling, and this track surely does. At the third minute mark you get a brief breather, but soon they are back to their loopy kind of ways, to everyone’s delight (at least, to my delight). And there are even some vocals in here as well, which never try and steal the spotlight but which are perfectly integrated into the song. If you like this, take a chance on the album, that’s my little secret tip for ya right there.

Nr. 33 – ‘It Goes On’ by Storm Queen

Storm Queen positively killed it with ‘Look Right Through’, which is just the most amazing track. This year Morgan Geist, for Storm Queen is an alias, released this little gem. Not quite up there with ‘Look Right Through’ for me personally, but still it delivers the goods. It has got this nice, deep beginning. The vocals are lovely rhythmic. It creates such a nice house vibe this. I mean, try not to dance to this one, you won’t succeed surely. Storm Queen just keeps on hitting these out of the park, and he keeps on giving DJs the tools to get the house a movin’. And those vocals, hotdamn. And it is not too crowded, I love that, it just has the beat, the rhythm, the vocals. And seriously, what more do you need? And then I’m not even talking about the change-up three minutes in.

Nr. 32 - ‘Parfait Tirage’ by Paradis

I love how this one flows. And it has something decidedly French to it in terms of aesthetics for me. Which is quite easy for me to say since they are French and the lyrics are French, but there’s just something about that vibe that strikes me as French for some reason or another. It has a certain delicacy to it. Something midnight-at-the-Seine like or something, it could easily accompany a clip of a Nouvelle Vague outtake as far as I’m concerned. And did I already mention that I really like the flow of it and the overall delicate feel of this?

Nr. 31 - ‘Where is the Love’ by Betty Wright (Danny Krivit re-edit)

Okay, don’t let the start fool you, this is actually a great tune. After that strange thing at the starts with the horns it gets to work and it delivers. Nice bass and guitar work there to get you a dancing, and then Betty Wright comes in with those amazing vocals asking her soupse or boyfriend where that love exactly is that was promised to her. Wright released an album with The Roots this year, but for me I would pick this edit of one of her old tunes any day of the week. It has that old disco vibe, Krivit lets Wright shine quite enough, but it does give the song enough oomph and it has it propelling forward quite nicely. If you like your old school vocal disco, this is an edit you shouldn’t be missing out on. By the way, the horns that appear throughout the song are far more fitting for this song, and they do a great job getting the disco on the dancefloor.

Crazy Zany Radio Sunday - 'Inside World' by WhoMadeWho

Every week our contributors will voice their opinion concerning one song, it’s a simple as that! The more the merrier, so people are always welcome to join in, just leave a note, eh.

Track: ‘Inside World’ by WhoMadeWho (listen here)

Average grade: 7.6

Ilse: The vocals remind me a bit of Wild Beasts, but other than that: one, two, three, DISCO! Particularly the bit around the 3 minute-mark is excellent.
6.9

Anna: This is exactly how I like my electronic music - with an introspective voice and a splash of melancholia. It sounds quite a bit like Hercules and Love Affair's Blind but as it's almost the holidays, I won't hold it against them. 

Now close your eyes and dance, dance, dance.

Grade: 7.mistletoe 

Linda: What is it about those Scandinavians? There's just slightly more of them then there are Dutch people (less than 2 times as much, but they are spread out over four, vast countries, so maybe bitter isolation is a contributing factor), but still they manage to produce so much more great music. You could easily mistake this track for something doing the rounds in NY, though I do feel it is a bit shy of being a total dance floor killer.

7/10

Craig: Pretty solid dance jam.  The ethereal harmonizing in the background gives the song a smooth, fluid quality.  I could dance to this at a holiday party...
8/10

Stef: Noisy start, but soon the rhythm comes in and the thing gets rolling. Good (melancholic) vocals, catchy, dancey, but still with a bit of an edge to it. Excellent tune to end the year with.

9/10

This is the last Crazy Zany for the Holidays. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year y’all, and this column will be back in January. Hope to see you then!

New album Matthew Dear

Beam will be the title of the next Matthew Dear album that will be in shops next year. Dear released the ace Black City last year, and he will follow it up with an album next year that will feature, amongst others, the singer of The Drums. All of this will be preceded by an EP called Headcage.

WhoMadeWho to release album next year

WhoMadeWho released Knee Deep this year, but their hungre isn’t stilled yet and they are going to have a new album out this Februari. It will be called Brighter, and it will be released on the 27th of that month. This will be done via Compact. They will release a 7” of their first single next month, and that single will be called ‘Inside World’.

News Archive of December, 2011

Yessir, all the new(s) stories written in the month of December are gathered here. So the latest music news with the latest stories are here for you to read. Hope you like it!

15 Dec:
WhoMadeWho to return with album next year
Matthew Dear preps new EP, LP

12 Dec:
New of Montreal album coming
Islands readying Valentine's Day release

07 Dec:
Axel Willner to come with album under new guise
Sophomore album Perfume Genius coming

05 Dec:
New Sleigh Bells album coming
Incubate Festival opens up programming

Our Top 50 Favorite Tracks Countdown - 40 - 36

Yessir, it has started, the countdown of the 50 best tracks of 2011! Everyday I’ll post one track in the Daily Clip section, but if you missed one don’t worry, after each batch of five I’ll be sure to post those songs with links on the site (you’ll find it in the main post). So for the next 50 days, nothing but the best, here we go!

Nr. 40 – ‘Channel’ by Nile Delta

How much water can you have in both your name as the title of a track? Nile Delta is from Belgium though, which might explain the Delta, not sure about the Nile. Love the piano you can hear through the clubby beat. Also love that this piano just feels so Jazzy, you almost half expect the horns to come in right on over it. Instead it goes into a more club direction, though it also increasingly seems to get more funky as the track progresses, which is probably why I like it so. The cheering in there, it’s a nice gimmick, to get across the vibe of a party. And ah, there are the horns, just before the three minute mark. That’s nice, it’s nice when you get a certain vibe from a song and then to know it was intentional by putting in some of these characteristics you’d expect to be there. Lovely tune.

Nr. 39 – ‘Kenny’ by Montauk

Oh my, how about the two lads from ‘What a Fool Believes’ lighting it up this year, influencing loads of great tunes. The ‘Kenny’ in this song is Kenny Loggins, and the song itself is based upon the track ‘This Is It’, without actually featuring the chorus (!?). And it features Michael McDonald, the other “lad” I referred to in the opening line. The whole Montauk album are these slower paced edits of these classic songs, and they all run so smoothly, and they are all so kind to the ears. The vocals, naturally, are stellar, but the whole EPs strength is how these classics songs get these slow grooves attached to them and how restraint they are. As I said, no chorus here, which is remarkable. And it’s Kenny Loggins people! Come now.

Nr. 38 – ‘Into the Valley’ by Classixx

Got to love those gospel vocals, and that gospel vibe with the “Into the valley” reference there. It’s a lovely dancey, discoey, track, but the Karl Dixon vocals do really steal the show as far as I’m concerned. Which also is a compliment to the music makers themselves, because they’re giving it the space, they keep up the pace without too many shenanigans, they throw some horns in there to protect that vibe, and then comes Karl Dixon again and they let him. That’s awesome. And you know you’re doing something right if people like Julio Bashmore and YACHT are on remix duties.

Nr. 37 – ‘Double or Nothing’ by The Swiss (Louis la Roche remix)

I really like some of The Swiss’s output, and here they get a little help from Louis La Roche, who makes it a catchy affair with some space sounds thrown in there for good measure. It’s that pace-up after thirty seconds which really gets the ball rolling, and I like that new sound at 45 seconds. Just a nice, catchy affair with a space bend, and surprisingly short for something like this at that.

Nr. 36 – ‘Symptoms’ by Kasper Bjorke (Mano le Tough remix)

When Bjorke gets it on, he gets it on. Some of my fav tracks in the last two years have come from his  hand, and here he gets a little bit of help from Mano le Tough. This thing, this one has the flow, no doubt about that. It just flows! I don’t know how to explain, but when something just flows its kind of magical. It just goes on and the sounds just slide on over each other and it just feels right, it just feels as if it belongs together. Not to mention that it is so hypnotic, these sounds, that bass, the beats; drop this on the dancefloor and people will be dancing ‘til sunrise. It just flows man! It does, you’ve got to hear it to believe it. And then this new sound just after four minutes, wow, that’s atmosphere right there.

The Weekly Froth #21 (with We Have Band, Azari & III x Tiga, and more!)

The weekly froth! A weekly take on six tracks, most of which have recently popped up somewhere in the blogosphere. Bit of a mixed bag with a slight leaning towards house, disco, and remixes, but generally just anything that for some reason tickled the writer’s fancy.

Track of the week: ‘Where are Your People?’ by We Have Band

We Have Band are really setting up their run for their sophomore album. They already released a track earlier this year, which I was kind of lukewarm about I guess, and this is their second try to wow their fans and to expand their base. Love the vocals by Darren, that’s really cool. It kind of has the same anxiety of their debut, but a bit slower paced I guess in terms of the music itself. I made a point in my review of their debut about using circular imagery quite often (knowingly or not), and it’s back again in this song as well. I like the change-up at 2:20, that’s nice, and the instrumental side that ensues is something I think we haven’t heard yet from the band. I certainly like it more than that other song they released, and it sheds a light in terms of where they are going with the new album. Something a bit more varied in sound, perhaps a bit more mature, slightly slower paced, but with the same feel to it in terms of what it exhumes. And I think the latter is important.

(If you want to listen to this track and five others, and read some write-ups on them, click here)