New Music Tuesday: Shuttle feat. Cadence Weapon

This track arrived in the BTA email today and I was pretty stoked on it upon first listen. It comes from Shuttle, one of the the latest additions to the Ninja tune label, and features the vocals of Canada's own Cadence Weapon. Shuttle has released a number of remixes in the past of artists including Crystal Castles, Caribou, and Justice. As well as other tracks under his other alias, Etan. The title track to his upcoming EP entitled "Tunnel", opens itself up to RJD2 comparisons. But it's the "Rotten Guts" original track with it's stuterring bass and vocal sample accompanied by Cadence's flow that caught my attention.

His first EP "Tunnel" is out on Ninja Tune on 16/03/09

Shuttle - Rotten Guts (Feat. Cadence Weapon)

Hot Chip, Hot Ballad

Although the general consensus is that Hot Chip's new release Made in the Dark is stellar, some folks aren't feeling the ballads. Admittedly, I prefer the more upbeat portions of the album myself, but title track 'Made in the Dark' is so sweet it can't be ignored.

To counteract the sappy selection above, check out Hot Chip's excellent cover of Caribou's 'She's the One' found on the 12" single.

Hot Chip's current UK tour culminates with a performance at London's Brixton Academy on February 29th. And yes, it's sold out. Canadians can catch them in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver April 15th, 16th and 21st respectively.

Hot Chip - Made in the Dark
Caribou - She's the One (Hot Chip cover)

- a.m.p.m.

Spiral Spinning Round

Considering Dan Snaith's previous work as Manitoba and under current moniker Caribou, his new album Andorra feels logical in terms of musical progression, albeit while sounding more free-spirited than ever before. I thought The Milk of Human Kindness was a great album because Snaith balanced hip hop influenced rhythms ("Lord Leopard") and progressive Beck-like sounds ("Yeti"), while constantly reverting to psych-tinged 60's production and guitar ("Bees"). The percussive elements would shuffle, but the mood created on "Bees" was the constant that felt like a spine great ideas would stem from and branch out. The variety is less apparent on Andorra, but it seems as though he used that song as a jumping off point for this new effort.

The instrumentation on Andorra shifts pretty effortlessly between classic sounding string parts and digital melodies provided by keys and synths. The product could be placed somewhere between Sufjan Stevens and Miracle Fortress in terms of style, meaning that layers are at the forefront though the songs themselves are earnest and straightforward. There are a few electronic departures, the most obvious being the last two songs "Irene" and "Niobe". However, the prevalent sound is brightly coloured pop relying on flutes, bells, chimes, and various vocal effects. That sensibility is the selling point, from opener and single "Melody Day" to the fluttering "Eli". There comes a point in the latter when a strong saxophone part creeps into the wall of sound, making the song burst at its seams. Where Milk might have suddenly changed direction on a song like this, Andorra pursues its target, building steadily to a peak never before reached on a Caribou record.

Andorra's one of the stronger Canadian releases of '07, pick it up if you get a chance.

Caribou - Melody Day
Caribou - Eli

- brad