Fuck Buttons--Street Horrrsing (2008)

Artist-Fuck Buttons
Album-Street Horrrsing
Release Date-2008
Genre/Style-Indie Electronic/Experimental

Official site-http://www.fuckbuttons.co.uk/
Myspace-http://www.myspace.com/fuckbuttons
Biography-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuck_Buttons

Review-Short reviews from the critics:

Pitchfork Sounds and ideas repeat constantly, yet Street Horrrsing never feels redundant.

Almost Cool It's not quite straight-up noise, and it's certainly not dance music, but if you like a bit of both, this debut from Fuck Buttons should make you a bit giddy.

Drowned In Sound Though far from flawless, removed from any brouhaha Street Horrrsing sees Fuck Buttons carve their own niche and not only produce a debut record that will claw at any prejudices over its 40-minute span but show up their drone brethren as too often resiliently stuck in the mud.

Mojo Street Horrrsing is a six-track, 50-minute melange of iridescent synths, psychedelic drone, distorted vocals and tribal rhythm, peaking with the deftly layered counter-melodies and blissed -out propulsion of epic single 'Bright Tomorrow.' [Mar 2008, p.113]

musicOMH.com While Street Horrrsing may never scratch the surface of the mainstream, it is going to make an indelible mark on all those interested in ground-breaking underground music.

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Neon Neon--Stainless Style (2008)

Artist-Neon Neon
Album-Stainless Style
Release Date-Mar 18, 2008
Genre/Style-Indie Electronic/Alternative Dance

Myspace-http://www.myspace.com/neonx2

Review-Short reviews coming from critics:

Hot Press US production whiz hires SFA mainman, perfect pastiche synth-pop ensues.

musicOMH.com As a document of its time, then, Stainless Style is remarkably successful. Taken on the base level of being an enjoyable pop album, it also triumphs handsomely.

Q Magazine [A] terrific collaboration on DeLorean's life story. [Mar 2008, p.108] 80The Guardian Detours into hip-hop and rap slow down the fast-paced action, but Neon Neon have poured as much love and attention to detail in this prototype as their hero put into his.

Urb Stainless Style is impressive for so many reasons--'Raquel,' dedicated to Miss Welch; hearing crunk meld with Italo Disco; a Yo Majesty cameo--but it’s the utter lack of irony that steals the show.

Uncut Throughout the album, it's a thrill to hear Rhys' mellifluous voice juxtaposed with the music's synthetic thrust.

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Counting Crows--Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings (2008)

Artist-Counting Crows
Album-Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings
Release Date-Mar 25, 2008
Genre/Style-Adult Alternative Pop/Rock
Quality-320kbps

Official site-http://www.countingcrows.com/
Myspace-http://www.myspace.com/countingcrows
Biography-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counting_Crows

Review-Counting Crows' fifth studio album in 13 years will cause a big sigh of relief from fans around the world. Five years on from their last studio album, Hard Candy, and two from a live album of the tour that supported it, the band's delayed album of hellish and heavenly pleasures is finally released. Saturday Nights... was put back by the wise re-release of the deluxe edition of their classic - August And Everything After. This savvy move has reminded us why the band were so huge in the first place. But one listen to this album shows you, once again, how damned efficient they are at summoning up the spirit of an age that cared more about music than image.
The album is constructed in two halves. The first (Saturday Nights) being filled with the rocking, loud and debauched 'sinning' songs; the second (Sunday Morning) being the quiet acoustic atonement and redemption. It's an interesting idea that almost holds together.

The album rips right into 1492, with its tales of seedy Italian nightclubs. The band used to be compared to the freewheeling poetic rock soul of Van Morrison, but these days the touchstones seem to be early '70s Stones and late Beatles with even a hint of the latino-inflected soundscapes of the West Coast (especially Sundays). Cowboys, with its strident keyboards even has a hint of Springsteen. Adam Duritz's warbling voice makes you believe that he's drowning in a pit of self doubt and the band sound genuinely enlivened, with all three (yes, three) guitarists pulling out all the stops.

The second half is less consistent. While Washington Square and Anyone But You are filled, again, with those beautiful hints of lazy Californian vistas, too often the band rely on a standard chorus-repetition-until-it-seems-to-be-meaningful-approach. Duritz emotes angst and worry, but too often the predictable arrangements stymie the sense of resolution that this suite of songs is meant to imply.

In the end it's a concept that has obviously fired the band's creative spark again. We may not all relate to the self-destructive urge that pushes Duritz's muse to the edge, but as a straight-ahead rock album it's still got a lot to offer. To a UK audience, for whom even the mainstream includes the Arctic Monkeys and their ilk, this may seem a little too steeped in a '70s FM vibe, but on their own terms it's mostly a firm return to form.

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Guillemots--Red (2008)

Artist-Guillemots
Album-Red
Release Date-Mar 24, 2008
Genre/Style-Indie Pop
Quality-192kbps

Official site-http://www.guillemots.com/
Myspace-http://www.myspace.com/guillemotsmusic
Youtube-http://youtube.com/watch?v=1mUhpmvp4KY



Review-Drownedinsound
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Keith Jarrett with Jan Garbarek--Belonging (1974)

Artist-Keith Jarrett with Jan Garbarek
Album-Belonging
Release Date-1974
Genre/Style-Jazz/Avant-Garde
Quality-320kbps

Official site-http://www.keithjarrett.org/ (Fan site)
Myspace-http://www.myspace.com/keithjarrett1234
Biography-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_Jarrett

Review-On Keith Jarrett's first recording with his "European" quartet — Jan Garbarek (sax), Palle Danielsson (bass), Jon Christiensen (drums) — he stakes out somewhat less abrasive territory than that which his "American" foursome was exploring at this time. Garbarek sports a neutral, vibratoless tone that occasionally reaches an emotional climax; the rhythm section is supportive and just loose enough. The record operates at its strongest level when Jarrett locks the quartet into his winning gospel mode on "'Long as You Know You're Living Yours" and the tense drive of "Spiral Dance"; the reflective numbers are less compelling. Still, this LP-turned-CD successfully bucked the powerful electric trends of its time and holds up well today.

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Download "Touch my body" now

Some of u might wonder why i love Mariah so much. What i can tell u is she was the first singer i loved when i was a little boy. Although i turned to be a indie music fan these years, i still love her. Her new song "Touch my body" was finnaly added to Itune (except UK, Japan) yesterday. Please help me to make her 18th #1 (Billboard Hot 100) happen! Thanks!

Download the song http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPreorder?id=276581393&s=143441

Way to Italy

I will trip to Italy from 4th April to 12th April. No updates in this period of course.

Here is my route and i'm so excited and would like to tell all u at the first time. :)

4th Amsterdam---Venice

5th Venice---Pisa---Florence

6th Florence---San Marino---Florence

7th Florence---Rome

10th Rome---Naples---Pompeii

11th Naples---Capri island---Amalfi coast

12th Naples---Amsterdam

Italy, i'm coming!! :)

The truth of the riot in Tibet

Here're two videos about the truth of the riot in Tibet these days. What i can say is don't always trust what you read on the newspaper and what you see on TV. You must admit that medias always serve the small group of people.

Most of us are just ordinary people, having ordinary even boring life. However, you shall not judge a place unless you have been there. You shall not judge a person if you have no ideas about what he/she went through.

Sometimes, i'd like to forgive people's intolerance, but not ignorance.

Only nice or neutral comments are welcomed. Be nice or leave.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9QNKB34cJo

and

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSQnK5FcKas

Josh Ritter--In the Dark: Live at Vicar Street (2007)

Artist-Josh Ritter
Album-In the Dark: Live at Vicar Street
Release Date-Apr 16, 2007
Genre/Style-Contemporary Folk
Size-141M
Quality-320kbps

Official site-http://www.joshritter.com/
Myspace-http://www.myspace.com/joshritter
Biography-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josh_Ritter
Youtube-http://youtube.com/watch?v=Q5wHtyE9Sok



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High Places--03/07-09/07 (2008)

Artist-High Places
Album-03/07-09/07
Release Date-2008
Genre/Style-Indie Electronic/Indie Rock

Official site-http://hellohighplaces.blogspot.com/
Myspace-http://www.myspace.com/hellohighplaces

Review-The Brooklyn-based duo High Places are most often compared to Beat Happening, a band cherished for their regression-- into musical primitivism, adolescent sexuality, and any other condition that twenty- and thirtysomethings bemoan the loss of in therapy. High Places' indulgence in nursery rhymes aside, the kinship is mostly an ideological one: Like Beat Happening, they exult in the simple.

03/07 - 09/07, a collection of the band's first 7" and stray compilation tracks (released through the mp3 subscription service eMusic), shows a group whose comfort zone isn't the folky imperative, but heady, hippyish imprecision. The songs here are almost all identical: polyrhythmic miniatures built by small drums and shakers, clouded by blankets of echo and reverb; deliberately basic structures; short, and in their own way, catchy and pretty. Rhythms suggest provinces a step removed from where other white, arty urbanites tend to dwell: There are flashes of soca, reclined bounces that remind me of Indian music, and though "Sandy Feat"'s swing could be Tom Petty's "American Girl" or David Bowie's "Modern Love", they inflect it they way Brazilian bands like Os Mutantes did (or Paul Simon on Rhythm of the Saints).

High Places' trunk-rattling impulses are juxtaposed with a spacious, almost tranquil atmosphere, with Rob Barber's percussion chiming and floating rather than physically hitting, and Mary Pearson's sweetly flat vocals layered to the point that her lyrics often become indistinguishable. That blur makes High Places' music hypnotic: Pearson chatters away like a light-headed kid on the playground on one song and intones a mantra on the next, and it's only then that you notice how both forms operate on the same principle: repetition induces calm. (Full disclosure: Pearson's sister is a former Pitchfork employee.)

Pearson's vocals and the duo's lyrics are charmingly coquettish: She reduces falling in love to "Oh, you're a pretty boy, a pretty boy" and writes letters to Martians. "Jump In", penned for Pearson's Michigan elementary school, is so full of encouragement that it scans like the transcription of a guidance counselor or junior minister. "Canary" apologizes to animals displaced by ecological warfare-- "we really messed up." The sentiments are frank, but I out them for three reasons: There's nothing wrong with being positive, the band's confident enough to handle it, and they make me happy.

"Universe"'s lyric makes this clear: "It takes a lot of guts to be a little baby in this place." The idea of returning to infancy might resonate as a dippy bohemian nightmare, but in a society where moderate cynicism is considered a higher road to intelligence than acceptance and curiosity, and where sarcasm is considered a social reflex, you'd be hard pressed to argue with them-- it does take guts.

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Bob Baldwin--NewUrbanJazz.com (2008)

Artist-Bob Baldwin
Album-NewUrbanJazz.com
Release Date-Mar 4, 2008
Genre/Style-Jazz-Funk/Jazz-Pop

Official site-http://www.bobbaldwin.com/
Myspace-http://www.myspace.com/bobbaldwinmusic

Review-Well-traveled keyboardist Bob Baldwin has been on way too many major and indie labels since his stirringly funky, gospel-influenced 1990 Atlantic debut, Rejoice, a harsh indication that great talent and brilliant output in the smooth jazz world is no protection from corporate realities. Always thinking ahead, Baldwin boldly asserted the power of Internet marketing when he called his 2000 release BobBaldwin.com — and he gets back to that concept (while ostensibly creating a new subgenre of smooth jazz) by calling his spirited, melodic, slightly old-school, coolly funky 2008 disc NewUrbanJazz.com. It's somewhat amusing reading his liner notes that proclaim that title as something new, when it's been clear that smooth jazz has been heavily urbanized (incorporating vast contemporary and retro R&B sensibilities) since at least the mid-'90s. So it's a simple difference in semantics, really. The good news is that Baldwin puts his money where his mouth is, keeping that old-meets-new vibe going on easy groovers like "Jeep Jazz" (a very poppy cut featuring singer Zoiea), "Third Wind" (with Baldwin capturing the Norman Brown vocal scat vibe over segments of his happy sunlit piano chordings), and the seductive, laid-back "Take My Hand." Baldwin never forgets that the word "jazz" is in the title, too, infusing catchy, melodic uptempo gems like the brass-tinged "Too Late" with bursts of bright improvisations. No less than Quincy Jones gave a thumbs up to one of the disc's most unique tracks, the smokin' and heavy-groovin' old-school jam tribute "Joe Zawinul" (though the constant repetition of the legend's name is slightly unnecessary — the vibe is enough!). Another striking feature of Baldwin's "new" sound is his collective approach that includes key contributions by familiar and new names on the urban music landscape. So while there are names that every smooth jazz fan knows (Najee, Marion Meadows, Phil Perry) and a few famous soul singers (Freddie Jackson, Jocelyn Brown), the keyboardist also introduces listeners to versatile newcomers like Frank McComb and rapper Della Croche. Baldwin's front- and back-end bumpers explaining the concept of "New Urban Jazz" are unnecessary in light of the soulful energy that happens throughout.

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The album cover of Mariah Carey's new album E=MC²

It looks CocoaMusic is almost the first site posting the album cover of Mariah Carey's new album E=MC². Her official site updated 5 minutes ago and I happened to look around there.

Please save it and spread it.

Tapes 'n Tapes--Walk It Off (New!)

Artist-Tapes 'n Tapes
Album-Walk It Off
Release Date-Apr 8, 2008
Genre/Style-Indie Rock

Official site-http://www.tapesntapes.com/
Myspace-http://www.myspace.com/tapesntapes
Biography-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tapes_

Review-By Orphanrecords.

The sophomore release of Minneapolis quartet Tapes 'n Tapes isn't a departure from the style established in 2006 by their debut release, The Loon. Apart from the not-so-subtle similarities in the cover art, the two releases are musically quite akin. Actually, it seems like the foursome intended Walk It Off to be more than just a second album, but a more relaxed continuation of its angsty and neurotic (and slightly Violent Femmes-esque) predecessor. Unfortunately, only the seasoned Tapes 'n Tapes listener will be able to fully appreciate (or despise) what the band has done with the upcoming release. The songs are crisp and catchy, with drums so clean they almost sound electronic. Walk It Off gallops ever-so-steadily from the first beat to the last, and when it's over, the absence of sound is discomforting.

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Hercules and Love Affair--Hercules and Love Affair (New!)

Artist-Hercules and Love Affair
Album-Hercules & Love Affair
Release Date-Mar 25, 2008
Genre/Style-Club/Dance Left-Field House

Myspace-http://www.myspace.com/herculesandloveaffair

Reviews coming from the critics-
musicOMH.com
It's the big numbers, when Hegarty steps up to the microphone, that reveal Hercules And Love Affair as a project that captures not only the full range of moods on a night out on the tiles, but also the full range of human emotions from the start of a night to its end.

Pitchfork
Lush, melancholic, gregarious, generous, both precise and a little bit unhinged--this is the most original American dance album in a long while.

Drowned In Sound
This record is as on disco and early house's dick as much as Britpop was on The Beatles' and The Kinks'.

Dusted Magazine
Hercules and Love Affair is a sincere and sumptuous stab at the mirrorball splendor of the 1970s.

New Musical Express
For now though, this is a very fine record. Not Herculean exactly, but certainly something that NME loves.

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Beach House--Devotion (2008)

Artist-Beach House
Album-Devotion
Release Date-Feb 26, 2008
Genre/Style-Indie Rock

Official site-http://www.beachhousemusic.net/
Myspace-http://www.myspace.com/beachhousemusic

Review-With Devotion, Beach House prove once again that they're one of the more strangely named bands around. Their music is so lonely, so haunting, that the only beach house it evokes is a deserted one, stranded on a winter night so desolate that summer isn't even a memory. Then again, that atmosphere is precisely what made Beach House's self-titled debut so striking, and Devotion is even more so, since Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally bring more focus, depth, and warmth to their unmistakable sound. Tracks like "Gila" and "Turtle Island" show that all the pair need to build a mood are their vintage-sounding drum machines, keyboards, and layers of Legrand's womanly, velvety voice, but Beach House spend just as much time expanding their horizons as they do delivering their definitive sound. Devotion begins with "Wedding Bells," which, with its fuzzed-out guitar, keyboard filigrees, harpsichords, and pedal steel, is one of the duo's most elaborate songs yet. It's also one of Beach House's most immediate, fully formed songs, something that this album has far more of than the band's debut. "You Came to Me" is a stunner, melding dark chamber pop ambience with lyrics that feel like they came from a surreal '70s AM radio hit. "Heart of Chambers" is downright soulful, with Legrand's keening voice and swelling organs giving it a truly devotional cast. Not surprisingly, given the album's title, Devotion's songs deal with love and loyalty, or the lack thereof: "Some Things Last (A Long Time)" is an aptly torchy, country-tinged ballad about carrying a torch for someone; "Astronaut" pines for a crush to be requited, filtering the innocence and drama of girl group pop through the band's gauzy approach. "Home Again" is just as sweet — but not nearly as reassuring — as its title suggests, setting lyrics like "Something about the way a heart is nailed above a hand" to finger snaps and a melody with a wintry sparkle. Like Beach House, Devotion sounds like it was made for, and possibly in, the dead of night. This time, though, Beach House's dark moods have more shades, and even a little bit of light, making them all the more compelling.

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Margot & the Nuclear So and So's' new album released in July

My favourite indie band Margot & the Nuclear So and So's is set to release their second album "Animal!" in July, and the tracklist was finnaly settled down recently.

Official "Animal!" tracklisting "Animal! (a patriotic dream come true)
1. At the carnival
2. German Motor Car
3. I am a lightning rod
4. Mariel's bad dream.
5. Love song for a Schubas bartender
6. A children's crusade on acid
7. There's talk of mineshafts (act two begins, mariel accepts her fate)
8. The shivers (I gotz 'em)
9. Cold, kind, and lemon eyes
10. O' what a nightmare!
11. My baby (shoots her mouth off)
12. Real Naked Girls.

Moreover, the band is touring the whole American in April and May. Please check the dates and places below.

Apr 4 2008 8:00P The Vogue Theatre Indianapolis, Indiana
Apr 24 2008 8:00P Buskirk-Chumley Theatre (ALL AGES) w/Maps and Atlases & Kentucky Nightmare Bloomington, Indiana
May 6 2008 8:00P Randy Bacon Gallery (ALL AGES) Springfield, Missouri
May 7 2008 8:00P Lucas School House (21+) St. Louis, Missouri
May 13 2008 8:00P The Waiting Room Omaha, Nebraska
May 14 2008 9:00P Jackpot Saloon (18+) Lawrence, Kansas
May 16 2008 8:00P Larimer Lounge (21+) Denver, Colorado
May 17 2008 7:00P Kilby Court (ALL AGES) Salt Lake City, Utah
May 20 2008 8:00P Chop Suey Seattle, Washington
May 21 2008 8:00P Doug Fir Lounge (21+) Portland, Oregon
May 23 2008 8:30P The Independent (21+) San Francisco, California
May 24 2008 8:30P The Echo (18+) Los Angeles, California
May 26 2008 8:30P The Casbah (21+) San Diego, California
May 27 2008 8:30P Solar Culture Tucson, Arizona
May 28 2008 7:30P Rhythm Room Phoenix, Arizona
May 30 2008 8:00P Emo’s (Inside stage 21+) Austin, Texas

Bob Baldwin--Brazil Chill (2004)

Artist-Bob Baldwin
Album-Brazil Chill
Release Date-Mar 16, 2004
Genre/Style-Jazz-Funk/Jazz
Quality-192kbps

Official site-http://www.bobbaldwin.com/
Myspace-http://www.myspace.com/bobbaldwinmusic
Note-I might post his newest recording tomorrow.

Review-Over the past 15 years or so, the Atlanta-based keyboardist has made his way into the smooth jazz elite via a series of funky rhythm and jazz projects on mostly indie labels. Several of his recordings featured hints at his quiet but steady love affair with all things Brazilian, and here on his A440 Music debut, that quiet obsession becomes the magnificent focus. Not content to simply be an American emulating the music from afar, Baldwin creates a joyful celebration of the culture's deep and diverse rhythms by recording the date in Rio de Janeiro with a host of percussive minded native musicians. Finding his own American smooth jazz meets the Rio groove thing somewhere between jolts of "Cafezinho" and the hardcore percussion forest of "Carnival," Baldwin jams with saxophonist Leo Gandelman, guitarist Torcquato Mariano, keyboardist Marcos Ariel (playing flute here), bassist Alex Malhieros, vocalist Zolea Ohizep and a handful of top drummers and percussionists—Café, Armando Marcal, Ivan Conte and Juliano Zanoni. Rather than simply fashion a collection of great tunes, Baldwin's intent is to create an entire Brazilian mood from start to finish. But there are concessions to his own native land. A return trip to Manhattan inspired the urban groove driven "New York Samba," driven by Café's seductive percussion textures. And amidst the exotica of the South American journey is the in the pocket, blues flavored smooth jazz ballad "Sho Nuff," featuring guest sax star Jeff Kashiwa.

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Brandy's new song "Dig This"

Here is a new song from R&B singer Brandy. It was said that she is preparing her fifth studio album after she signed to Epic Records and Knockout Entertainment. The track will appear on the soundtrack to Tyler Perry’s “Meet The Browns”.

Download here or here

Mariah Performs Touch My Body & Migrate on SNL

Mariah Carey performed her latest single "Touch My Body" and "Migrate" (New song!) from her forthcoming album, "E=MC2" on Saturday Night Live on March 15, 2008.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4qf5g_mariah-carey-tpain-migrate-live_music


Mariah Carey & T-Pain - Migrate [Live]
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Here is the official lyric of "Migrate":

Bounce, bounce, bounce, bounce
Keep it movin... Bounce
Keep it movin... Bounce
Keep it movin... Bounce
Keep it movin... Bounce

Once again nothin jumpin up in your place
Sick of your berry buzzin all in my face
Way too much to tolerate
Time to roll, y'all know I gots to migrate

Speed dial connecting me to rae rae hey
Click in shawntae and mae mae hey
Treat it as a holiday
Cause he's a wrap
Y'all know I had to migrate

So I'm on my way home
Cause my jeans yeah they fit
But it might benefit
Me to throw something on
To feature my hips
Accentuate my !#$# and steal the show

Soon as we walk through the door
Fellas be grabbing at us like yo
Tryin to get us going off the patron
We sippin grigio... slow

If your neck and your wrist coordinate
Hair braided or faded okay
We can move this back to my place
It's time to migrate

From my car into the club
We migrate
From the bar to V.I.P
We migrate
From the party to the after party
MigrateAfter party to hotel
Migrate

As we proceed getting buzzed
The envious ones
Hating but they cant take they eyes off us
But we don't see none of that
They playing my jam and the floor is packed
So y'all need to migrate up out the door

We clickin glasses
Comliments of the club
Raise they status
So you know they show us love
Every where we go they gon flock
Them boys migrate to where it's hot

It's hot it's hot
Soon as we walk through the door
Fellas be grabbing at us like yo
Tryin to get us going off the patron
We sippin grigio... slow

If you're inked up thuggin that's what I like
Face body and lamborghini outside
Obviosuly boy you're qualified
Otherwise migrate

From my car into the club
We migrate
From the bar to V.I.P
We migrate
From the party to the after party...migrate
After party to hotel... migrate

T-Pain Verse
Soon as we walk through the door
Fellas be grabbing at us like yo
Tryin to get us going off the patron
We sippin grigio... slow

If you're inked up thuggin that's what I like
Face body and lamborghini outside
Obviously boy you're qualified
Otherwise migrate... bye

Keep it movin... Bounce
Keep it movin... Bounce
Keep it movin... Bounce
Keep it movin... Bounce

Tuck & Patti--I Remember You (New!)

Artist-Tuck & Patti
Album-I Remember You
Release Date-2008.03.25
Genre/Style-New Acoustic/Crossover Jazz

Official site-http://www.tuckandpatti.com/
Myspace-http://www.myspace.com/takesmybreathaway
Youtube-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeXepms78dw

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link1 or link2 or link3 or link4

(Links come from the internet. Thanks to the original uploader.)

(The file links are just for pre-reviewed purpose and will be removed in 24 hours.)

Lykke Li--Youth Novels (2008)

Artist-Lykke Li
Album-Youth Novels
Release Date-Jan 30, 2008
Genre/Style-Indie-Pop Swedish Pop/Rock

Official site-http://www.lykkeli.com/
Myspace-http://www.myspace.com/lykkeli

Biography-Swedish indie pop artist Lykke Li Zachrisson (better known as Lykke Li) grabbed the attention of bloggers the world over in the early 2000s with a handful of catchy and genuinely impressive retro-chic singles made available on her MySpace profile. Armed with sensuous, barely-there vocals and backed up by a quirky, bass-heavy, ever-so-slightly lo-fi sound (courtesy of Peter Bjorn and John's Björn Yttling, who produced her first discs), Lykke Li released her debut EP, a three-track affair entitled Little Bit, on her fledgling label, LL Recordings, in 2007. The disc's title track went on to earn a good deal of buzz among indie pop-centric bloggers and, perhaps to a greater extent, the mainstream Swedish music press soon after it was released. Lykke Li made her first appearance on Swedish MTV that year, performing an acoustic version of "Tonight" on Phaser, and the video for "Little Bit" was nominated for Best Video at that year's Swedish Grammy Awards. Her debut full-length, Youth Novels, was slated for release in 2008.

Review-Synthesizers, piano, theremin, xylophone and strings hypnotize as a woman gently recites these instructions, recalling Laurie Anderson's mellow art-house music. If you are reading this, chances are you have never heard of Lykke Li, a twenty two year old, multi-talented musician from Sweden. Youth Novels, her debut, is an amalgamation of different styles; Feist, Glass Candy and El Perro del Mar will surely be in good company.

While the aforementioned "Melodies and Desires" and "This Trumpet in My Head" serve as angelic spoken-word pieces, the rest of Youth Novels is slightly different. "I'm Good I'm Gone" is an accurate representation of Lykke Li's disco and electronic-influenced sound; looped piano, thick drums and hand claps carve out fun grooves worthy of heavy radio rotation. "Let it Fall" stutters and swaggers with sunshine melodies and infectious bass, contradicting the teary-eyed lyrics ("I like the way tears hit my cheeks"). The rhythmic quasi-rapping only contributes more to the playful spirit, surpassing "1, 2, 3, 4" in terms of catchiness.

Björn Yttling and Lasse Mårtén's production should not go without mention. Similar to fellow Swede El Perro del Mar, the main focus of Youth Novels is the human voice. Airy and cherubic, Lykke seems to hover over the music thanks to spacious vocal reverb. That isn't to say that the arrangements are rendered frivolous, though; each instrument clearly rings with a deft sense of capacity. Sitar is used subtly in unison with the vocal pattern on "Hanging High," while balancing folk and electro with ease on "Little Bit".

Like most accomplished pop records, Youth Novels serves as both a vehicle for well-written hooks and artistic integrity; Lykke Li manages to juxtapose elements of popular, electronic and folk musics without mishap. She shows quite a bit of promise here, and will probably garner more recognition and acclaim as time goes on. Hopefully, that won't mean iPod commercials and Brian Williams' endorsement.

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Atlas Sound--Let The Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel (2008)

Artist-Atlas Sound
Album-Let The Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel
Release Date-Feb 19, 2008
Genre/Style-Post-Rock/Experimental

Myspace-http://www.myspace.com/bradfordcox
Biography-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlas_Sound

Review-Atlas Sound may be Bradford Cox's solo project, but it's clear after just one listen that there's not much that separates Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel from Cox's main concentration, Deerhunter. The same filtered and treated guitars, tapes, and percussion make and wind their way around in eerie yet lush arrangements as Cox sings repeated phrases that eventually fade out into hushed chords and murmurings. The difference, however — and it is a difference that means a lot — is that Cox is much more focused here, and though the album certainly fits easily and well into post-rock, he's able to better control the instrumental meandering that at times would drag down Cryptograms. Instead of acting as the default sound, it represents a conscious decision, a gentle contrast that complements and strengthens the whole, and the attention that he allows his voice (the timbre of which can, as in the warm, Daedelus-esque "Cold as Ice" or the gentle "Winter Vacation," sound downright Björk-ish) allows the more instrumentally focused pieces to acquire greater meaning. The vocals, too, when they exist, are given more priority in the mix, an emphasis that shows what a compelling singer he actually is. "Quarantined," for example, has only two lyrical lines ("Quarantined and kept so far away from my friends/I'm waiting to be changed"), but the subtle emotion that can be heard in Cox's enunciation makes it one of the best and most powerful tracks on the entire album. The album's not faultless: as with Deerhunter, Cox has the tendency to try too hard to be profound (take the title — or the title track — for example), wanting so badly to say something important that he sounds trite and forced, and untrustworthy, but when he's able to forget about conveying some kind of meaning and instead focuses on the actual music, his message — one of pain and love and feeling lost, of trying desperately to understand — is undeniable.

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Zita Swoon--Big Blueville (New!)

Artist-Zita Swoon
Album-Big Blueville
Release Date-March 25, 2008
Genre/Style-French Pop/Indie Rock

Official site-http://www.zitaswoon.com/
Myspace-http://www.myspace.com/zitaswoonspace

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Together As One--A DJ Earworm Mashup

Music and video mashed by DJ Earworm, featuring U2 (One), Beatles (Come Together), Mariah Carey (We Belong Together), Diana Ross (Someday We'll Be Together)
http://hk.youtube.com/watch?v=aKoBye__Txw

Whitest Boy Alive--Dreams (2006)

Artist-Whitest Boy Alive
Album-Dreams
Release Date-2006
Genre/Style-Indie Rock
Quality-320kbps

Official site-http://www.whitestboyalive.com/
Myspace-http://www.myspace.com/thewhitestboyalive
Biography-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Whitest_Boy_Alive

Review-Erlend Øye and Marcin Oz are both Berlin-based DJs, although Øye is actually Norwegian born. Øye sounds a little like Stuart Murdoch from Belle and Sebastian, but with a stripped down band. In a world where every band has at least two guitars, it’s kind of refreshing that there’s only one guitarist (Øye) in The Whitest Boy Alive—plus an often-featured bassist (Oz). The bass gives Dreams its funk, fleshed out by a driving drumbeat (Sebastian Maschat) and occasional synths (Daniel Nentwig).

Most of the time, Øye doesn’t so much sing as read the lyrics poetically (those lyrics come off as a little passive-aggressive at times). You may not feel inspired to dance so much as just shuffle your feet and bop your head, but Dreams definitely grooves.

The most you hear out of Nentwig is on “Don’t Give Up,” which—like the whole album—is the kind of thing you want playing in the background when you’re sitting down to really think about life. Some vocals on the track sound foreign, but when it reaches its final crescendo—rising higher and higher—Øye tells us “Don’t give up, don’t give up,” and leaves us feeling like we can accomplish the best.

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Hannu--Worms in My Piano (2007)

Artist-Hannu
Album-Worms in My Piano
Release Date-Apr 24, 2007
Genre/Style-Electronica/Ambient/Folk
Quality-320kbps

Myspace-http://www.myspace.com/hannumusic

Review-Reviewed by The Cyclicdefrost.

The sinewy piano compositions of this Finnish collective, dappled with mutating electronic atmospheres and granular flecks, brim with a languid, windswept resplendence that is meditative, gently hypnotic and oftentimes completely involving. Theirs is a skewed energy, a music that relies on creating clouded visual impressions of its sonic inputs.

From the beginning, eerie, plaintive piano chords collide with helter-skelter harmonics, are torn asunder by divergent responses, or are filled out by interjections of vast reverberant chasms. Many works are thereby richly spatial; and the slightly discordant or otherwise murky electronic accents act as a cut or traumatic obstacle that, to the albums advantage, unsettles the smooth operation of its self-satisfying melancholia. A track such as ˇMetsaˇ, for one, is notable as a result of its ability to disseminate organ chords into atmospheres of swirling vapor, which rush through a slipstream of trippy surges and twittering insects.

On occasion, the group decides to get rid of these ’dark spots’ and renders their sound more fully exposed. During these sections, the previously gentle, atmospheric gambits are gradually transformed into a megaton stomp or otherwise lurching rhythm section, a move which, perhaps counter-intuitively, over constrains these pieces and all but suffocates them in the clean air. Nonetheless, for a debut effort, it no doubt shows promise, as the hazy mirages of the aforementioned moments are endlessly absorbing and fertile.

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Valet--Naked Acid (2008)

Artist-Valet
Album-Naked Acid
Release Date-Mar 4, 2008
Genre/Style-Post-Rock/Experimental
Quality-320kbps

Official site-http://www.yarnlazer.com/valet/
Myspace-http://www.myspace.com/honeyowens

Review-On Naked Acid, Valet, aka Honey Owens, brings her music down to earth — well, at least more than she did on Valet's otherworldly debut Blood Is Clean. Where that album felt like it was channeled though Owens, Naked Acid is more direct and grounded, even as it taps into hypnotic, primal sounds. "We Went There" acts as an initiation rite or guided meditation into the rest of the album, its massed vocals and sparkling percussion giving way to lysergic guitar solos that pull the song into Valet's characteristic deep drones. But even as Naked Acid wades deeper into Owens' organic sound, its pieces feel more distinct and separate than Blood Is Clean's effortless flow: "Fuck It"'s bluesy acid-rock feels miles away from the slow, dark, tar pit-like ramblings of "Babylon 4 Eva." Within each track, however, Owens' gift for making dramatic changes sound natural shines, especially on "Drum Movie," which moves from layers of electronic drones to what sounds like a jet taking off; it's not until the song is a third of the way through that softly tribal drums and flutes make their presence known. Along with the deeply trippy atmosphere throughout, Naked Acid's main constant is how seamlessly Valet blends seemingly natural and overtly manipulated sounds into trance-inducing and hyper-real musical worlds. This is where Owens really outdoes herself on the album, whether it's on relatively simple tracks like "Kehaar" and "Fire," where she uses just her voice, guitar and some judicious effects to make hauntingly lovely music, or "Streets," where electronic beats transform the ethereal vocals and synths into something very different from the rest of Valet's music. A transitional album, Naked Acid might be a shade less satisfying than Blood Is Clean, but it takes Owens' work in some intriguing new directions.

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Kelley Polar--I Need You to Hold on While the Sky Is Falling (2008)

Artist-Kelley Polar
Album-I Need You to Hold on While the Sky Is Falling
Release Date-Mar 4, 2008
Genre/Style-Left-Field House Club/Dance
Quality-192kbps

Official site-http://www.kelleypolar.com/
Myspace-http://www.myspace.com/kelleypolar

Review-"At the top of the mountain, there is a special sensation at the centre of your body, and you can feel the earth moving underneath your feet. In the deepest part of the ocean, there is a cool and special place that is good for thinking. It happens to all of us at the same time. A feeling of the All-Thing."

If you were to come across that blurb on a back cover during a random bookstore browse, you'd hot potato it to the back of the display table. But that's exactly what emanates in faintly recognizable vocodered waves, line by line and time-delayed, from the flowery but strangely alluring intro to Kelley Polar's flowery but strangely alluring second full-length, I Need You to Hold on While the Sky Is Falling. Like a grisly opening scene in a slasher flick, that extravagantly over-the-top curtain raiser sets the parameters for what's to come next. An unashamedly earnest record full of with waterlogged synths, classics references (Greek, not Kraftwerk), and above all else a sense of theatre, I Need You is an album which, for its many conceivable annoyances, genuinely doesn't sound like anything else before it.

Sonically, there is a lot to like. A talkative mixture of fizzy electronic timbres, soft disco strings, tumbling harmonies, and smart rhythms, the music isn't really that far removed from the fulsome and verdant template that Polar, a Juilliard-trained violinist, established with 2005's minor breakthrough Love Songs From the Hanging Gardens. But where that debut found the then-unknown musician in mostly timid voice, I Need You depicts him, one album under his belt, as a bolshier and far more assertive presence. The change is most plainly evident in his singing, where the unassuming, rounded off sweetness of his former vocal style has been replaced by a breathless, compulsively enunciative delivery. At times, as on "Zeno of Elea" and "A Dream in Three Parts", he sounds almost possessed by his own wonderment; the effect is so pronounced that at first, you suspect he's play-acting as much as he is singing.

And then you realize: Actually, it feels more like he's play-imagining. From the frequent references to ancient Greek philosophers and Greek cities to the physics and science-leaning asides to Polar's constant spiritual assertions (in a nutshell: everything in the universe is connected), I Need You feels like a soundtrack for an alternate universe of his own creation. Much like his dialed-up vocal presence, the change in this regard is every bit as dramatic-- Love Songs certainly never wanted for the occasional proggy inflection; this practically demands a footnoted lyric sheet.

The highlights come easy and often. The aforementioned album opener "A Feeling of the All-Thing" turns that churning spoken-word passage into the skeleton for a celebratory sliver of symphonic electro; "Roseband" opens on a set of string trills before blossoming into a brisk, stuttery bit of disco; the throbbing "A Dream in Three Parts" rests on a gooey analog synth and Polar's even gooier delivery; and the sumptuous, string-drenched boy-girl duet of "Entropy Reigns (In the Celestial City)" is one of the best of the year so far.

Never mind that all that hokum isn't actually so hokey, that the ideas that form the backbone of the album's intro sequence-- that mind/body divide-- have functioned as dance music critic catnip for the better part of the last 15 years; by working them into a strain of music that walks the tightrope between that divide, Polar's managed a neat rhetorical track. More than anything else, it's really Polar's willingness to extend himself beyond dance music's often frustrating, low-risk, low-reward tendency towards po-faced seriousness that excites. Regardless of how you square with his overly-besotted singing style, his new age proselytizing, his occasionally agonizing earnestness-- and make no mistake, some people will hate this record-- it's hard to debate the artistic impulses that led him to make it. After all, if the sky really were falling, what more could one person do than set out to make a new one?

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Fleet Foxes--Sun Giant EP (New!)

Artist-Fleet Foxes
Album-Sun Giant EP
Release Date-Apr 8, 2008
Genre/Style-Indie Rock
Quality-256kbps

Myspace-http://www.myspace.com/fleetfoxes

Biography-Seattle's Fleet Foxes are lead by vocalist/guitarist Robin Pecknold, who grew up on records by Bob Dylan, Neil Young, the Zombies, and the Beach Boys. Following the path of baroque pop, Fleet Foxes also include Skyler Skjelset (guitars), Bryn Lumsden (bass), Nicholas Peterson (drums), and Casey Wescott (keyboards). After playing only a handful of shows, the band received label interest and caught the attention of local producer Phil Ek (Built to Spill, the Shins), who offered to mix tracks for a self-released EP.

Review-Pitchforkmedia
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World premiere of Jewel's new mv of "Stronger Woman"

World premiere of Jewel's new mv of "Stronger Woman"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EPyWfrqwXc

Saturno contro--Original Soundtrack (2007)

Artist-V.A.
Album-Saturno contro-Original Soundtrack
Release Date-February 27, 2007
Genre/Style-Italian
Quality-192kbps

Official site-http://www.saturnocontro.com/
Biography-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturno_contro_(film)
Youtube-Movie Trailer / Passione sung by Neffa



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Samamidon--All Is Well (2007)

Artist-Samamidon
Album-All Is Well
Release Date-Oct 23, 2007
Genre/Style-Indie Rock

Official site-http://www.samamidon.com/
Myspace-http://www.myspace.com/samamidon
Youtube-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rw7pZvQPvcg

Review-Samamidon's second album and first for Bedroom Community, All Is Well is, at its core, a very pleasant modern folk album filled with interpretations of older public domain standards, with Sam Amidon's ruminative voice and steady playing not in and of itself immediately unique. A song like "Saro," with its truly lovely arrangement and Amidon's stellar performance, however inevitably his vocal style suggests but does not replicate Nick Drake's, is justification for its release as it stands. However, there's a calm drive at the heart of many of his songs that shows why he's been affiliated with the world of low-key dance experiments as much as anything else, as songs like "Sugar Baby" show. "Little Johnny Brown" is one of the apotheoses of this album's approach, with a variety of sympathetic guests, including Ben Frost on programming and Eyvind Kang on murky viola shading, creating a counterbalance between folk roots and something starkly modern that resembles a slightly more smooth Long Fin Killie, tense and mysterious. Meanwhile, "Wedding Dress" is as sweet a straightforward amble as it could be, Amidon's banjo playing as notable as his guitar work, while "O Death," if even more straightforward in terms his singing, has its melody played like a minimal mantra, heavily echoed and moved forward in the mix, a contrast that makes Amidon sound like he's almost singing through the instruments. It's a small touch but an effective one.

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To My Boy--Messages (2007)

Artist-To My Boy
Album-Messages
Release Date-Jul 2, 2007
Genre/Style-Indie Electronic/Indie Rock
Quality-192kbps

Official site-http://www.tomyboy.co.uk/
Myspace-http://www.myspace.com/tomyboy

Review-Liverpool duo To My Boy make their full-length debut with Messages, an album of synth pop pastiche unapologetically inspired by pre-Dare! Human League, Vince Clarke-era Depeche Mode, early Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, and the rest of the early-'80s U.K. synth pop scene. They're not genre purists: the booming, heavily reverbed drumbeats of songs like "Eureka" are a stylistic anachronism (outside of Phil Collins, that sound tended to become more omnipresent later in the '80s), they're not afraid of using guitars as well as electronics, and these songs have an almost punky energy level that was anathema to the studied Roxy Music-inspired cool of the original synth pop bands. That's nitpicking, however, because Messages is great fun for anyone who ever coveted a Phil Oakey-style asymmetric haircut. The Sparks-like quirkiness of the hiccupping "Model" ("I have a model for you that I made on my computer") and the propulsive forward drive of the opening "Tell Me, Computer" are particular highlights, as is the tightly wound herky-jerky dance-rock of "Game Over," the album's one homage to the more stylized American form of synth pop à la Devo. Singer/guitarist Sam White has the perfect affected, semi-robotic delivery for this style of music, and he and keyboardist Jack Snape have all the musical elements and/or clichés of Thatcher-era synth pop down cold. Messages is an entirely studied and cold retro move, of course, but it's done with such obvious affection for the style and so many ear-grabbing hooks that the album's utter lack of originality doesn't matter in the slightest.

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The Big Sleep--Sleep Forever (2008)

Artist-The Big Sleep
Album-Sleep Forever
Release Date-Feb 19, 2008
Genre/Style-Indie Rock

Official site-http://www.thebigsleep.net/home.html
Myspace-http://www.myspace.com/sonofthetiger
Youtube-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFeP6jgsy4M

Review-The Big Sleep is as indebted to its influences (Sonic Youth, My Bloody Valentine, Black Sabbath) as any band is, but on Sleep Forever the members take bold enough steps to shake the influences clear. Sure, the riffing still reminisces of Tony Iommi or Jimmy Page and the blistering feedback of Lee Renaldo and Thurston Moore lingers throughout. But The Big Sleep owns the foundations of these songs, be it the crunch of the guitar, the progression of an instrumental melody, or a stark vocal from Sonya Balchandari or Danny Barria. The same can’t be said of the band’s Frenchkiss debut, Son of the Tiger. Here, the songs and the emotions they generate hit harder and linger longer.

The band seemingly puts equal weight on muscular instrumental jams and melody-driven vocal numbers. The tracks featuring vocals resonate deepest, with “Bad Blood” and “Pinkies” being the most accessible and endearing. On “Bad Blood,” bassist Sonya Balchandani sings in a tone that is somehow indifferent yet wholly sympathetic. The track instrumentally blisters toward its tail end, summing up the ferocity of the musicianship and the serene vocal performance in an impressive showing. She only sings lead on one other track, which is unfortunate, because her presence gives the group a distinct personality.

The instrumental songs are also impressive. “So Long” is a gentle ballad that builds feedback and cathartic noise into a mountain of restrained sound, keeping its placid mood intact despite the mounting progressions. “The Big Guns” spotlights a multitracked guitar with a lead that brutalizes every note in its path, absolutely shredding and leaving the rhythm section little choice but to follow.

Sleep Forever distinguishes The Big Sleep as a force in its own right, and it’s a testament to the band’s growth. That -- as well as the tracks themselves -- make Sleep Forever a pleasure to hear.

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Alan Jackson--Good Time (2008)

Artist-Alan Jackson
Album-Good Time
Release Date-Mar 4, 2008
Genre/Style-Contemporary Country
Quality-320kbps

Official site-http://www.alanjackson.com/home/
Myspace-http://www.myspace.com/alanjackson

Review-Alan Jackson has never been away, so why does 2008's Good Time feel like a comeback album? Because this, his fourteenth album, is a return to straight-ahead modern country after several years of detours, including a late-night saloon album produced by Alison Krauss (Like Red on a Rose) and an austere collection of spirituals (Precious Memories) Even his last full-fledged country album, 2004's What I Do, felt a little understated and modest, adjectives that can't quite be applied to Good Time, even if it bears Jackson's unmistakable mark of casual authority. That casualness can disguise his ambitions, especially on an album as shining and snappy as this. It's only upon close inspection that the audacity behind Good Time becomes apparent: it's Jackson's first album of all-original material and at 17 tracks, the effective equivalent of a double-album in country music, where all albums outside of Vince Gill's mammoth triple-disc These Days are brief and to the point. Unsurprisingly given its length, Good Time drifts amiably and takes its time, lingering on its ballads and gliding through the faster tunes, sustaining a cheerful mood. It's so easy to enjoy that it takes a bit of attention to dig out the true gems lying here, and there are many: the brisk bluegrass strut of "Long Long Way," brought down to earth by Jackson's Haggard-esque phrasing; the slightly gangly, tongue-in-cheek Western Swing of "I Still Like Bologna" which finds a more straightforward cousin in "Nothing Left to Do;" the gentle roll of "Listen to Your Senses," as sweet and light a song as Jackson has ever cut. These are the exceptions to an album that feels big and bright, a throwback to the days of '80s new country, especially on "Never Loved Before, a zippy duet with Martina McBride that finds its flip on "Laid Back and Low Key," a piece of soft-rock that could have fit onto the airwaves during the prime of Urban Cowboy. And that is the sly genius of Good Time - it demonstrates that Jackson is as comfortable with the poppier side of country as he is with the harder stuff, and he can deliver it without seeming as if he's pandering, a feat that is almost as impressive as those generic detours he's taken in the past few years.

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Los Campesinos!--Hold on Now, Youngster (2008)

Artist-Los Campesinos!
Album-Hold on Now, Youngster
Release Date-Feb 18, 2008
Genre/Style-Indie Pop/Indie Rock

Official site-http://www.loscampesinos.com/
Myspace-http://www.myspace.com/loscampesinos

Biography-Celebrating a bratty, tongue-in-cheek viewpoint and a spunky indie-punk style similar to Art Brut while applying an assortment of instruments akin to Architecture in Helsinki, seven-piece group Los Campesinos! (roughly translating to "the Peasants") formed in 2006 in Cardiff, Wales. The lineup includes Aleksandra (keyboard, horn), Ellen (bass), Gareth (glockenspiel), Harriet (violin, keyboard), Neil (guitar), Ollie (drums), and Tom (guitar), with all members sharing vocals and the last name of Campesinos! The band played its first show in May 2006 and by the following August opened for Broken Social Scene. Later that year they signed to U.K. label Wichita, which released their first single in early 2007. A few months later they were added to the roster of Canadian label Arts & Crafts. That summer the band's young catalog expanded with another single from Wichita and an EP from Arts & Crafts titled Sticking Fingers into Sockets, produced by David Newfeld (Broken Social Scene).

Review-Pitchforkmedia and BBC
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July Skies--The Weather Clock (2007)

Artist-July Skies
Album-The Weather Clock
Release Date-2007
Genre/Style-Indie/Experimental/Ambient
Quality-192kbps

Official site-http://www.julyskies.com/
Myspace-http://www.myspace.com/julyskies

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Sin Ropas--Three Cherries (2000)

Artist-Sin Ropas
Album-Three Cherries
Release Date-Jan 11, 2000
Genre/Style-Indie Rock
Quality-256kbps

Official site-http://www.sinropas.com/
Myspace-http://www.myspace.com/sinropas1

Review-Much of the music on Sin Ropas' debut, Three Cherries, locates itself somewhere between the future and the past. Piano, banjo, and acoustic guitar sounds strike a sometimes uneasy alliance with eerie machine noises for a sound containing equal measures anxiety-producing-tension and archetypal beauty. Lyrically, you get the impression Tim Hurley (Red Red Meat, Califone) is not missing the opportunity to go deep into his own well when in "Tripped on Your Cape" he repeatedly murmurs, "You'll take the knife out," or when in "Redtooth," he sings "Mother can you hear me, it's too late for me to say/When you carried me in another way." "I Found Your Teeth" will remind those familiar with the music Hurley has helped create in the past that he is not afraid to indulge in atonal instrumental experiments that require very a specific time and headspace to appreciate. There are a couple of selections ("Little Cheater," "Tender Facial Rake") that fall into more standard rock configurations which are more immediately tasty but ultimately less nourishing than standout tracks like "Rabbit Dreams" and the aforementioned "Redtooth" and "Tripped on Your Cape."

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El Guincho--Alegranza (New)

Artist-El Guincho
Album-Alegranza
Release Date-Mar 4, 2008
Genre/Style-Tropical/Club
Quality-192kbps

Official site-http://discotecaoceano.blogspot.com/
Myspace-http://www.myspace.com/elguincho

Review-Alegranza! does two things that often appear separately in records you fall in love with, but rarely together: On the one hand, it reminds you of so much other music you love, and on the other, it sounds little like any of them. Spanish artist El Guincho (real name: Pablo Díaz-Reixa) makes music from Spanish chanting, thudding tribal rhythms, ghostly harmonies, and the bits and pieces of a thousand as-yet-unwritten pop songs. It's a combination that won't be appearing in any pop how-to guides any time soon. The impressive and probably unwittingly fashionable source material-- Afrobeat, dub, Tropicália, and early rock'n'roll-- and the irresistibility of these songs can only briefly obscure the fact that no one else is really making music quite like this.

Alegranza! has already been compared extensively to Panda Bear's Person Pitch, and the two records do share a hazy, sampladelic love-in feel (hypnotic, interlocking sample loops; delirious, auto-harmonizing pop song choruses). I'm more strongly reminded of Animal Collective's Strawberry Jam, even though this record sounds very different: Both it and Alegranza! are spikier, less pristine, and less invested in images of the past. There's no sacred totem in Alegranza! to play the role that the Beach Boys do for Person Pitch-- opener "Palmitos Park" may sound a bit like Richie Valens, but otherwise El Guincho's songcraft resemblances are at once so broad and so diffuse that they feel osmotic rather than deliberate: Confused chants coalesce into brain-teasingly familiar vocal hooks, while quicksilver flashes of guitar trace echoes of melodies you feel you must already know like the back of your hand.

While the "What if...?" experiments of Person Pitch suggested a future and a past in secret communication with each other, Alegranza! is locked into an endless now: a fusion of songful simplicity and unpolished production wizardry that feels right more than it feels startling. It's nice, too, that this music resists the easy tag of "dreamlike"; there's a sharpness to the detail and to the buoyancy of Díaz-Reixa's vocals and rhythms that suggests a state of gleeful alertness. This is music for children, in the best sense-- wide-eyed and excitedly open to the whole spectrum of possibilities out there in the world, devoid of past baggage or future anxiety. (In fact, it's not at all coincidental that one of the best reference points I can offer for this album is British post-rock band Disco Inferno's final EP, It's a Kid's World.

There's something childlike, too, in the way El Guincho's chants and harmonies seem to shift between (relative) tension and release with delighted and purposeless ease, shuttling between the registers of high and higher for the simple thrill of confounding expectations, as if reaching a peak and staying there would be a cop-out. The madly hopping "Kalise", at first ridiculously and hypnotically repetitive, is ultimately exposed as a giant tease for an astonishing, panoramic chorus, whose multi-tracked "ah ah ah!" might be the most utopian moment in music you'll hear this year. There's little subtlety here: "Fata Morgana" may begin with ambient washes of sound, disconcerting looped string riffs, and abstracted wails in the background, but again it's a trap: the song soon morphs into a triumphant anthem, zooming across the stereo mix as if on a trapeze.

Most of all, it's Díaz-Reixa's intuitive feel for rhythm that marks out Alegranza! as such an unusual and enticing listening experience. Deceptively simple and surprisingly prominent in the mix, his drum patterns shock not just by their variety (how do you get from the charged booty grind of "Cuando Maravilla Fui" to the spacious underwater kraut-dub of "Buenos Matrimonios Ahí Afuera"?) but also by their suspicious habit of mutating almost imperceptibly from comforting to impressively alien: Check the way "Costa Paraíso"'s clattering tribal rhythms fold themselves into ever tighter coils of frenzy, like a crowd of dancers about to spontaneously combust. Rather than stretch out on endless expanses of sound, El Guincho's music is all about sharp and sudden peaks and valleys-- the idea isn't to tune in and drop out, but to revel in being surrounded by something larger than yourself, swept along on the rapids of rhythm.

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