New for 2012

3 things from British shores I'm most looking forward to this year:

1. The long-awaited debut album from Django Django, which will include "Default" and "Waveforms" as well as the previously released Storm, WOR & Love's Dart.

Django Django - Default by Django Django

Django Django - Waveforms by Django Django

The album's out 30th January. See them at a free Rough Trade instore on 1st Feb.


2. More material & hopefully something more substantial from Fear of Men.

Fear of Men- Ritual Confession by italianbeachbabes

Fear Of Men - 'Doldrums' by The 405

Even with the abysmal sound quality of the Old Blue Last yesterday eve, their immensely hummable tunes and lovely vocals shone through.


3. Establishing if Alt-J live up to their undoubted promise. When Breezeblocks gets released its sure to be one of the tracks of the year:

Breezeblocks (demo) by alt-J

As Tesselate was in 2011

Tessellate (demo) by alt-J

Wait patiently with me for their headline tour...

Best of 2011 - A.W.

Turns out I was listening to a lot of hip hop this past year. 2011 saw some big name releases as well as many smaller names starting to move into the spotlight. Bon Iver and The Weeknd, I'm looking at you.

Artists include Jay-Z and Kanye West, The Weeknd, Bon Iver, Tune-Yards, Destroyer, The Sheepdogs, James Blake, The Rapture, Beirut and more. Check them and others out on 20 songs spanning 90 minutes of musical awesome.

Enjoy and have a great 2012!

A.W. Best of 2011

G.R.O.s Best of 2011

It's time to break the radio silence on BTA, and bring you my best albums and tracks of the year 2011. A year that belonged to Ms. Harvey. Since Let England Shake was released early in the year no-one else had a chance.

Top 10 Albums:
10. Big Deal - Lights Out
9. Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues
8. Lykke Li - Wounded Rhymes
7. Bon Iver - Bon Iver
6. Metronomy - The English Riviera
5. Smith Westerns - Dye It Blonde
4. Black Lips - Arabia Mountain
3. Pete & The Pirates - One Thousand Pictures
2. tUnE-yArDs - w h o k i l l
1. PJ Harvey - Let England Shake

And here's my Best of the Year mix:
1. This Many Boyfriends - Young Lovers Go Pop
2. Black Lips - Modern Art
3. Foster the People - Pumped Up Kicks
4. Adele - Rolling In The Deep
5. Lykke Li - Get Some
6. Metronomy - The Look
7. Los Campesinos - By Your Hand
8. Herman Dune - Tell Me Something I Don't Know
9. Jens Lekman - Waiting for Kirsten
10. The Vaccines - Norgaard
11. Big Deal - Talk
12. Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues
13. Laura Marling - Sophia
14. The Naked & Famous - Young Blood
15. Lana Del Ray - Video Games
16. PJ Harvey - The Words That Maketh Murder
17. Fanfarlo - Replicate
18. Gill Scott Heron (Jamie XX Remix) - I'll Take Care of U
19. Bon Iver - Calgary
20. Pete & The Pirates - Half Moon Street

Download it here

Fix This!

Has anyone else picked up on the impatience of the music press right now? Over the last couple of week's journos have been falling over themselves to proclaim the best albums of the year so far, even though it's only June. Here's a selection that's caught my eye:

NPR
DrownedinSound
NME
Spinner

If that's not premature enough, we've now started debating who's going to breakthrough next year. One band who's especially prevalent, and deservedly so, are Fixers. Their songs vacillate from Animal Collective style experimentation to Beach Boys pop euphoria.

Iron Deer Dream by Fixers.

Another Lost Apache by Fixers.

They're playing in London at the Shacklewell Arms on 16th August, tickets here. It'll probably be your last chance to catch them at such a tiny venue.

AIAS at The Great Escape

Ah, The Great Escape. Whatever SXSW can do, you can do, only colder and with a pebble beach. Still you do have the slight adventure of being 100s of miles closer and still put on probably the best value music festival in the UK.

The boat has long sailed into the distance for a full fest review, but I really must share this band as they provided the most enduring memory of the event. AIAS hail from Barcelona and are signed to Captured Tracks which seems a pretty categorical stamp of approval right now (see: Veronica Falls, Dum Dum Girls, Wild Nothing et al).

These girls craft condensed, lo-fi surfer-pop with scuzzy guitar sounds and hooks-a-plenty. When darting from venue to venue in Brighton, it was their sugary harmonies that I kept catching myself humming along to. Their debut, "A La Piscina" comes highly recommended, especially the opening "Tu Manes", a perfect calling card.

AIAS - Tu Manes
AIAS - Moto

Bandstand Busking

Summer in London means snacking on bread & hummus on a picnic rug; sipping Pimms and lemonade whilst basking in the sun; watching the deluded hysteria over a Brit winning Wimbledon and Bandstand Busking.

For the uninitiated, this is a delightful venture where established and up-and-coming bands come play, mostly acoustically, in some of the capital's disused bandstands. It's totally free, available to the masses and the highlights of the shows are put up on the website so you can re-live the moment. Like the Black Cab Sessions, only without having to cram into the back of a taxi to share the experience.

The alumni is pretty impressive with Of Montreal, Wild Beasts & Black Lips amongst those who've graced their stages. Here's a selection of my favourite busks from last year:







This year's busk season has now kicked off in earnest with their second collaboration with Meltdown festival at the Southbank Centre. There's more in the pipeline so sign up to their mailing list and we'll see you at the next busk...

Driver Drive Faster!

Ever since I relented and joined the Apple cult, John Hilcock's weekly New Noise podcast has proved essential listening. The sheer diverse array of sounds on offer in each morsel amaze, challenge and entertain at every turn. Probably the greatest thank you card I owe him is for exposing my ears to the delightful Driver Drive Faster. Their slices of lush, dreamy pop remind me of Mercury Rev and more recent stand-outs Avi Buffalo. "It's All Over, It's Everywhere" is definitely one of my finds of the year.

I picked up their self-funded debut "Open House" last night at their free gig at the Shacklewell Arms. Here's my pick of the highlights:

Driver Drive Faster - It's All Over It's Everywhere
Driver Drive Faster - Gravel Dents

Live Review: Benjamin Francis Leftwich

Singer-songwriters rarely successfully walk the tightrope of critical acclaim and commercial success. Having already secured support from Edith Bowman (BBC Radio 1) and Mark Riley (6Music), Benjamin Francis Leftwich may have the potential to achieve this potent mix.

Live, the most striking impression is how he stretches and elongates key words to lend them an immense poignancy, regardless of subject matters. The lyrics seem to cling desperately to the sides of his mouth before slipping helplessly into the room. Melancholy is not Mr Leftwich's only setting though; “Pictures” displays a charming wit with it's climatic final verse.

You've been around and you've seen / The way that things work / But you need a compass / To get around your house.

Penultimate track of the night, and debut single “Atlas Hands” best demonstrates his understated charm. It results in an eruption of cheers and wolf howls from the crowd, which feel remarkable given the isolation he faces onstage, whilst singing his acoustic laments.

I've got a plan / I've got an atlas in my hands / I'm gonna turn / When I listen to the lessons that I've learned.

On the strength of tonight, it's a plan we'd been foolish to ignore...

Benjamin Francis Leftwich - Pictures by Mud Hut Digital

The RAA release Departing to Canadians ahead of schedule

The Rural Alberta Advantage notified fans via Twitter yesterday that their new album Departing is available to Canadian iTunes customers ahead of the scheduled March 1st release date. I'm already a huge fan of the band, so had high hopes that the sophomore release could match the intensity and quality of their debut, Hometowns.

Fortunately, it doesn't disappoint. Every single track is extremely strong; "The Breakup", "Under the Knife", "Tornado '87" and "North Star" in particular are immediate stand-outs. Long-time live show staple closing track and fan favourite "Good Night" finally makes an official appearance as the perfect bookend.

Only after many more listens will it be clear whether or not Departing has actually eclipsed Hometowns, but I'm looking forward to each and every one of those run-throughs. This album will be on heavy rotation for the foreseeable future, and I anticipate returning to it on a regular basis in the longer term.

The whole album can be streamed at http://exclaim.ca/#albumoftheweek until the end of this month.

Canadians can buy Departing via iTunes now; everyone else can grab it on March 1st from Saddle Creek.

The Rural Alberta Advantage - Under the Knife
The Rural Alberta Advantage - Good Night

Sasquatch Music Festival 2011!

The Official lineup for the 2011 Sasquatch Music Festival was recently announced. And since then, all the web chatter, and conversations overheard throughout town have been about what an amazing four days this years festival will surely turn out to be. Although there has been some shoulder shrugging over the headliners, the rest of the line-up is sure to please any music aficionado. Of course the main buzz has been over the reuniting of DFA-1979, which was almost expected after their earlier Coachella announcement. Nevertheless, it's exciting! Other notables include RATATAT, Wold Parade, Chromeo, Yeasayer, and so many more! Head on over the the Sasquatch Festival site to get all of the info and get your tickets fast!

Comfortably Numb

Who knew that Pink Floyd would make an appearance in the grimy world of Dub step? Check out this take on Comfortably Numb done by Vancouver's Stylust..

Pink Floyd - Comfortably Numb (Stylust Beats Dubstep Remix)

G.R.O.s Best of 2010

Here's my round-up of the year that was 2010.

Album of The Year: Charlotte Gainsbourg - IRM

Runners Up:
2. Everything Everything - Man Alive
3. Yeasayer - ONE
4. Avi Buffalo - Avi Buffalo
5. Surfer Blood - Astro Coast
6. MGMT - Congratulations
7. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
8. Joanna Newsom - Have One On Me
9. Beach House - Teen Dream
10.Vampire Weekend - Contra

Best of 2010 Mix, which you can download here:

1. Katzenjammer - Bar in Amsterdam
2. LCD Soundsystem - Drunk Girls
3. Everything Everything - My Kz Ur BF
4. Django Django - WOR
5. Caribou - Odessa
6. Yeasayer - ONE
7. Avi Buffalo - What's It In For
8. Primary 1 feat. Nina Pearson - The Blues
9. Ellie Goulding - Under The Sheets
10. Crystal Castles feat. Robert Smith - Not In Love
11. Veronica Falls - Found Love In A Graveyard
12. Klaxons - Echoes
13. MGMT - Flash Delirium
14. Darwin Deez - Radar Detector
15. Joanna Newsom - Easy
16. Arcade Fire - Sprawl II
17. Laura Marling - Goodbye England (Covered In Snow)
18. Rich Aucoin - It

Discuss.

Cloud Nothings

Cloud Nothings are Cleveland lo-fi garage rockers that will appeal greatly to fans of Black Lips, No Age, et al.

They're currently supporting Les Savy Fav on their European tour and will be in London next week.

Cloud Nothings - Didn't You
Cloud Nothings - Understand At All
Cloud Nothings - Hey Cool Kid

New Radio Dept. and more.

Here are some playlist boosters from across the board, highlighted by The Radio Dept.'s new song from their "Never Follow Suit" single. Other songs below from accomplished producer Ski Beatz's 24 Hour Karate School album, as well as lesser known Newcastle trio Polarsets. I threw in The Vaccines' "Wreckin' Bar" as well, it deserves all the attention it's been getting. Hard to get enough of it clocking in at just 1:25.

The Radio Dept. - On Your Side
Ski Beatz - Prowler 2 feat. Jean Grae, Jay Electronica, Joell Ortiz & Mos Def
Polarsets - Leave Argentina
Active Child - Wilderness
Deerhunter - Helicopter (Diplo & Lunice Remix)
Bag Raiders - Way Back Home
The Vaccines - Wreckin' Bar (Ra Ra Ra)

New Duck Sauce - Barbara Streisand

Very groovy.

Friday Five

Inspired Flight is a San Diego guitarist/dj duo making down tempo pop featuring some very talented rappers including Inspectah Deck and underground/backpacker troupe Living Legends. They have a knack for integrating a range of genres in one song, often switching gears and interrupting a chilled out instrumental with a skilled verse. It's not quite Gorillaz, but they definitely have something. "It's The Chemicals" is a serotonin heavy journey featuring Scarub of Living Legends. Their debut is titled We All Want To Fly, and you can grab it here, or download the title track featuring Inspectah Deck in exchange for your email.

Inspired Flight feat. Scarub - It's The Chemicals

"How 'ye doin'? Who 'ye screwin?" One highlight. Jay Z referencing Axl Rose and Norman Mailer is another. Also, Kanye sheds light on Iran, Korea (North, I assume), Islam, and Van Gogh. Thoroughly entertaining remix of a great song.

Kanye West feat. Jay Z & Swizz Beatz - Power (Remix)

Yuck, sometimes Yu(c)k, from North London, New Jersey, and Hiroshima, are a highly touted young band currently opening for Modest Mouse in the U.K. The exposure will surely make them a household name, as they do everything from ballads ("Daughter," "Automatic") to 90's pop rock ("Georgia") very well. Get a better version of Yuck's story over at the ever-vigilant Guardian.

Yuck - Georgia
Yuck - Daughter

Thanks to Tom Robinson's Introducing for pointing me to a blog called Awesome Tapes From Africa. It's exactly what it sounds like. Lots of great cassette rips from across the continent with downloads aplenty. Botswana's Shumba Ratshega, real name Moses Malapela, is one of many great discoveries. Makhirikhiri is perfect summer listening, heavy on handclaps, choruses and whistle-y sorts of things.

Download the whole thing here.

Last off, Montreal behemoths Chromeo return with Business Casual, the highly anticipated follow up to Fancy Footwork. Lead single "Don't Turn the Lights On" is sure to get loads of remixes, one of note by the Italian/Belgian duo Aeroplane.

Chromeo - Don't Turn The Lights On (Aeroplane Remix)

Latitude Revival Mix

"If you ever needed evidence of how middle class a festival Latitude is, Marcus Brigstock is your paper boy". A line delivered as he dispensed the Guardian to a member of the crowd asking why the Murdoch-owned Times was the only newspaper available on site. Reading Festival, this is not.

To prolong the festival vibe, one of my friends has organised a post Latitude revival party. We're meant to bring something cultural along and share it with the group. A mix-tape of the key moments of the festival was the obvious choice. Here it is:

Latitude 2010 Mix

1. Kitty, Daisy & Lewis - Going Up The Country

2. Standard Fare - Philadelphia

3. Yeasayer - ONE

4. Vampire Weekend - Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa

5. Belle & Sebastian - The Boy With The Arab Strap

6. Laura Marling - Hope In The Air

7. Florence & The Machine - Rabbit Heart

8. The Temper Trap - Love's Lost

9. The Coral - Dreaming of You

10. The Horrors - Who Can Say

11. Mumford & Sons - Little Lion Man

12. The Middle East - The Darkest Side

13. Jonsi - Go Do

14. The Antlers - Atrophy

15. Frank Turner - Photosynthesis

Sprinkled among the more established names, there's a few new bands here worthy of your attention.

Inbox Wednesday: Boats

As I skimmed the almost 9,000 emails that remained unread in the BTA inbox, one caught my attention, in the subject it had the word "Winnipeg" the city from which Boats hails. I don't know why this appealed to me, but I figured..."What the hell, I'll check it out!" With that said, you can see that our screening criteria for Inbox Wednesday is very stringent.

Nevertheless, within the first two bars of "Chrome Eyelids", I was sold. The vocals on "Cannonballs, Cannonballs!" come across with a vulnerable confidence and lead a chorus of beating chants. Add a synth, a xylophone, a chugga-chugga drum pattern and the occasional horn and Boats creates a very pleasing sound. Boats' sound ventures from indie, to grunge and floats on folk-esque simplicity.

Boats will soon commence a thorough tour of Canada, so if you have the chance, check them out. I know I will when they hit Raw Sugar in Ottawa on October 9th with Casiotone for the Painfully Alone.

Boats - Chrome Eyelids

Boats - Drink the Lake

New Gregory Pepper Project: Common Grackle

Mr. Pepper has been a favourite of this blog since we started, back then with an amazing release fronting The Dymaxions, later on with Gregory Pepper & His Problems. His new project Common Grackle finds Pepper teaming with hip hop producer Factor, and the results are staggeringly good from what I've heard so far. The Great Depression also features hip hop legend and bonafide crazy man Kool Keith on the opening track, which warrants a purchase simply to hear what kind of madness they came up with. This will appeal to fans of Islands and Why? as well as Peppers' previous output. Check out the video for the title track, featuring emcee Cecshi:



Only $7.00 for the download, $9.00 for the CD, here.

Common Grackle feat. Ceschi - The Great Depression

New Music Monday: Cowlick

In an attempt to get back into the habit of posting I'm looking to Hamilton for inspiration. From what I've heard, there seems to be an ever-growing community of dedicated musicians with a very loyal following. I guess it's all those years of living in the shadows of the Steeltown smoke. With several of the production facilities now closed, Hamilton's art community now appears to be rising from the ashes. One such band is Cowlick who recently celebrated the release of their album Wires.

Cowlick's slow growth into the scene has ensured that they're prepared to make a move. The band's core features the Hudecki brothers, Dylan and Jackson, accompanied on bass by Ian Parker. Dylan's name may be familiar, having spent time with By Divine Right from 2001-2004 and again in 2005.

Cowlick's sound is expansive and raw, there's strong element of psychedelia in everything they produce. By basing the core of their music on spacey guitar sounds, the group is able to explore into various genres. The guitars go from stringy to punching in an instant following the strong rhythm section on every track. Make sure to check out the track "Thunder vs. Lightning"

The band was recently featured on Southern Souls playing creative renditions in an elementary school using the school gym (with a basketball) and the music room.

Enjoy!

Cowlick - Thunder vs. Lightning

Cowlick - Wires

COWLICK - Everyone of Us from Mitch Fillion (southernsouls.ca) on Vimeo.

Other Hamilton bands to check out: Huron, Young Rival,

Hamilton Radio: Take A Listen