Category: :{THE SOUND OF THE RAGING HORN}:

:{IS LOVING…}:
TRWBADOR: sun in the winter [owlet music] //
FREE download: soundcloud.com //
FREE remix pack: owletmusic.com //
ep: sun in the winter [released 1st august 2011] //
trwbador.co.uk //

A soupçon of spooky and a little bit of weird, but in a good way – and it only gets better the longer it goes on.

:{TRWBADOR}:
“To celebrate the release we’re giving the title track away as a free download. Also, because we know you all make and play with music in various ways, we’ve made a download pack of loops and samples from the song so you can re-mix it and play it whichever way you want!”

“One of the most exciting bands in Wales.”
Huw Stephens, BBC Radio 1

“Trwbador know what they are doing and the remarkable swiftness of their ascent shows they have done from the get-go. More important than that, they believe in it and this self-belief shines in everything they have done so far. Given the relentless quality of their output, there is no reason to think it will stop anytime soon either.”
The Miniature Music Press

“An Avant Pop duo from Wales who are Angharad Van Rijswijk and Owain Gwilym. One’s a producer; one’s a writer and together it seems to work.”
BBC 6 Music Blog, Lauren Laverne Show

“I heard them about 2 months ago and went and bought their 2 EPs straight away. They’ve been described as folk music for the digital age, I kind of get lost in it to be honest. You can give me that instead of Feist any day of the week.”
James Dean Bradfield, Manic Street Preachers

“Trwbador are amazing, for us they already show echoes of the genius of Young Marble Giants or Trixie’s Big Red Motorbike, and that’s no bad thing, at all….”
Cornershop

“They’re original and beautiful, and if there could be a musical evocation of the breathtaking, fresh spring panorama outside, it would be them.”
Adam Walton, BBC Radio Wales

More music to love:
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:{IS LOVING…}:
TAGGY MATCHER vs DR DRE & SNOOP DOGG: next episode [stix] //
listen: hypem.com //
album: hip hop reggae series: volume 3 [released 2010] //
discogs.com //
last.fm //

I’ve so far failed to uncover much of substance about the enigmatic Taggy Matcher; if he has a website, I’ve yet to find it, perhaps because his work isn’t strictly legit. Even the record label, Stix, is an homage to Tennessee’s finest, Stax, but this isn’t straightforward copyright violation. Taggy Matcher specialises in relocating hip hop and R&B vocals into a reggae environment, but the backing tracks are new.

It’s a seductive alchemy and, after listening for some time, it’s easy to believe these a cappellas always sounded this way. Matcher is responsible for two of the three ‘Hip Hop Reggae Series’ and they’re both worth your time but, to these ears, he nails it more consistently on Volume 3, which also includes reworkings of Missy Elliott, The Beastie Boys, Mary J Blige and Nas.

:{HIP HOP REGGAE SERIES}:
Volume 1 // Volume 2 // Volume 3 //

More music to love:
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:{IS LOVING…}:
TENNIS: origins [fat possum/atp] //
listen: hypem.com //
watch live version: youtu.be //
album: young & old [released 13th february 2012] //
tennis-music.com //

:{ATP RECORDINGS}:
“ATP Recordings are delighted to announce that we have signed Denver-based band Tennis for their highly anticipated second album, ‘Young & Old’ out February 13th 2012. Their widely praised debut Cape Dory, which The Wall Street Journal called “a winsome set of breezy pop songs,” was released earlier this year. For their forthcoming album guitarist Patrick Riley, vocalist Aliana Moore and drummer James Barone headed to Nashville to work with The Black Keys’ Patrick Carney. The first single from these sessions, “Origins,” is out now as a Digital Download on ATP Recordings, a double A-side release accompanied by another new track “Deep In The Woods”.

After the success of their first album and touring for the better part of a year that included shows as far away as Moscow, Riley and Moore returned home and realized what was initially a bedroom-recording project had quickly evolved into a band. The challenge of a second record was upon them, but songwriting came quickly and in three months the duo had most of the material for their new album. The goal this time was to mature and vary their sound. Riley describes the new direction as “Stevie Nicks going through a Motown phase.” By the time they hooked up with Carney, they had fleshed out most of the songs that would comprise Young and Old. With their friend and mentor at the producer helm, the recording progressed naturally and within 3 weeks the album was done. While their debut was written with a third touring member in mind, the new album is written and recorded with the addition of a fourth. Over the last few months, Tennis has also released a series of covers as free downloads including “Is It True” by Brenda Lee and their take of “Tell Her No” by The Zombies.

Tennis was born of Riley and Moore’s nearly 7-month sailing trip, which consisted of selling all their possessions, purchasing an old sailboat, repairing it, and cruising up and down the eastern seaboard. Upon returning home, the duo began writing music together as a way to document the history of their shared experience. The result was Cape Dory, an intimate and concise recollection of life on a 30-foot sloop.”

More music to love:
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:{IS LOVING…}:
AIR feat. VICTORIA LEGRAND out of BEACH HOUSE: seven stars [aircheology/virgin] //
listen: hypem.com //
album: le voyage dans la lune [released 6th february 2012] //
aircheology.com //
www.beachhousebaltimore.com //

“’Seven Stars’ features the luminous vocals of Victoria Legrand, of Brooklyn band Beach House, set over rolling drums and combined with the unique starry (the astrological kind) sounds that have come to instantly distinguish AIR a step apart from their contemporaries.

The new album ‘Le Voyage Dans La Lune’, inspired by the film ‘A Trip To The Moon’ originally released in 1902 but has been painstakingly restored, is out on 6th February. Be quick if you want to guarantee a limited edition version which will include a copy of the film plus the band’s original soundtrack score. You can find out more about the fascinating story behind the film in this clip from the BBC.”

More music to love:
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:{IS LOVING…}:
U-TERN: style, class, flair [bigfoot] //
listen: soundcloud.com/bigfoot-records-canada //
released: 5th december 2011 //
onedaylater.blogspot.com //
soundcloud.com/u-tern //

:{HOMEBREAKIN RECORDS}:
“U-Tern’s latest comes via our sister label, Bigfoot. The release features last year’s smash “Style, Class, Flair”, along with 3 remixes from some of electronic music’s most fashionable movers and shakers, including LA’s Cosmic Kids (Throne of Blood), toronto’s (via Montreal) Nautuliss (Turbo, Hemlock), and Finish club kings, Top Billin. With 4 such differing styles, there’s something here for everyone.”

More music to love:
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:{IS LOVING…}:
S.C.U.M: whitechapel [mute] //
listen: hypem.com //
album: again into eyes [released 12th september 2011] //
reviews: www.metacritic.com //
www.scum1968.com //

More than a little of the same magic that made THE HORRORS reversioning of early Simple Minds and The Psychedelic Furs so beguiling last year.

Keeping it in the family, the two bands share a lineage, as their respective bassists are brothers Huw and Rhys Webb. Glossing over singer Thomas Cohen’s engagement to Peaches Geldof, more interesting is keyboardist, Sam Kilcoyne, the organiser of the Underage Club and Festival, and son of Barry 7 from Add N To (X). Which is all the excuse I need to remind you of the splendid filth that is ‘Metal Fingers in My Body’, coincidentally released by Mute, the label which is also home to S.C.U.M.
:{ACHTUNG}: NSFW

:{MUTE}: An Independent Record Label Born In 1978
“S.C.U.M released their eagerly awaited debut album Again Into Eyes on Mute on 12 September 2011. A genuinely triumphant arrival, the album features ten stunning tracks including the singles ‘Amber Hands’ and ‘Whitechapel’, that reel from glorious carnival-esque euphoria to a sound that occasionally flirts at melancholy and utter despair. Again Into Eyes was recorded in London with producers Ken and Jolyon Thomas (whose credits individually and together include Sigur Ros, M83, David Bowie, Psychic TV), the album standouts include ‘Faith Unfolds’, ‘Summon The Sound’, which featured on Mute’s recent exclusive Record Store Day vinyl release Vorwarts and the utopian, future-disco monolith that is ‘Whitechapel’. Indeed, the band’s individual listening habits in psychedelia, space-rock, avant-garde and ambient soundtracks collide to form a pop trip that neatly balances the innovative with the rapturously danceable to great effect.

Based in London, S.C.U.M exploded onto the music scene two years ago with their exciting and intense live shows which quickly grabbed the imagination of fans and critics alike. Since then band have toured extensively across the UK and Europe to a growing fan base. The S.C.U.M line up of Thomas Cohen (vocal), Bradley Baker (machines), Samuel Kilcoyne (moog), Melissa Rigby (drums) and Huw Webb (Bass) have recently completed a UK tour with The Kills and announce a tour in July that includes Electrowerkz, London on the 13 July. The evening, ‘In The Hall Of Amber Hands’, features live music from S.C.U.M, The History Of Apple Pie and Advert, alongside film screenings from S.C.U.M collaborators Matthew Stone, Ivana Bobic and Gavin Bennett and DJs The She Set, Matthew Stone and Andy Fraser.”

More music to love:
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:{IS LOVING…}:
MOBY feat. INYANG BASSEY: the right thing {moby & kleerup mix} [little idiot] //
FREE download: rcrdlbl.com //
released: 12th december 2011 //
original on album: destroyed [released 16th may 2011] //
reviews: metacritic.com //
moby.com //
inyangbassey.com //
kleerup.net //

The drums, the drums, the drums.

:{RCRD LBL}:
“Moby’s “The Right Thing” gets the double A-side single treatment along with a cut entitled “After.” On this remix, Kleerup takes the reigns, diverting potential late-night sterility for organic drums that knock in an uncompressed fury. This one is calibrated for making you spin in wild circles at a sawdust-strewn loft – a winter party savior.”

More music to love:
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:{IS LOVING…}:
CLEAN BANDIT: mozart’s house [incredible industries] //
released: 19th december 2011 //
www.cleanbandit.com //

The title, ‘Mozart’s House’, tells you a good deal about what to expect from CLEAN BANDIT, an electronic band with an integral string section, THE CHATTO QUARTET. The song is a charming confection, evoking the same successful alchemy as FAZE ACTION’s classic, ‘In The Trees’:

If you’ve got any Christmas lurking in your bones, here’s their deadly serious take on ‘The Christmas Song’:

And, their previous video for ‘Telephone Banking’, was shown on Channel 4’s Arts strand, Random Acts:

:{THE CHATTO QUARTET}:
www.thechattoquartet.com
“Alongside our classical performances, we form the core of the electronic live band Clean Bandit.”

More music to love:
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:{IS LOVING…}: Unplanned Christmas
MAPS: stay another day [mute] //
FREE download: www.pinglewood.com //
maps-blog.com //
www.myspace.com/mapsmusic //
www.east17official.com //

In my darker moments, I always thought this was a decent tune, marred by sloppy, clichéd production and, it seems, Mister Chapman had similar thoughts.

:{MAPS}: James Chapman
“I wanted to send a special gift to those of you who’ve supported me through this amazing year. This song is my special Xmas gift to you, inspired by taking 12 Es and running myself over in my own car. Only an enormous puffer jacket prevented me from certain death.
Mappy Xmas,
James.”

More music to love:
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:{IS LOVING…}: Unplanned Christmas
EMMY THE GREAT & TIM WHEELER: home for the holidays [infectious] //
listen: hypem.com //
album: this is christmas [released 21st november 2011] //
www.thisischristmasalbum.com //

“One could say inclement weather played a big part in the recording of this album. This Is Christmas, comprising nine self-penned songs + a Phil Spector cover, began in a snowstorm and was completed in the midst of a hurricane – in August. Last December Emmy and Tim found themselves holed up in snow bound Sussex. Having missed 6 flights between them and bored of building snowmen, the two hit upon the idea of writing a Christmas album.

“I’m a sucker for all kinds of Christmas songs from carols to Nat King Cole to 70’s glam rock classics and 80’s guilty pleasures” admits Tim “and it felt like a good time to contribute something new to the genre”. Taking the name ‘Sleigher’ (oh yes), the duo started penning the first of these songs which included dedications to Mrs Christmas – “she must sit at home on Xmas Eve seething, ‘cos she’s on her own again”; an ode to that long lost love you only see in the festive season – Home For The Holidays and Sleigh Me, the first song Emmy and Tim have written together and “probably (says Emmy) my favourite on the record”.

A second writing stint took place in New York in May, a surreal experience given the spring weather, but obscure black and white Xmas movies like Christmas In Connecticut helped get them in the mood. In late August, as they rushed to meet the recording deadline, Hurricane Irene hit the U.S East coast and with yet another flight cancellation giving them the extra time they needed, the record was finished.

Full of the sort of pop gems Tim Wheeler has made a career out of and aided by Emmy’s lyrical prowess, This Is Christmas is a much-needed departure from the usual sentimental warblings that clutter up the charts this time of year. The album features Matt Tong from Bloc Party on drums, Euan Hinshelwood (Young Husband, Emmy The Great) on guitar, a string section orchestrated by esteemed film composer Ilan Eskeri, with Tim and Emmy playing everything else.”

More music to love:
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