Introducing: Actress

I often like my electronic music bleak and obscured. The often clinical sounds of electronic music lend themselves to a sense of disconnection from performer and audience creating music almost as it's own entity.

Artists such as Burial heighten that sense of disconnection with off-kilter beats and sparse production. Four Tet induces this feeling with simple but evolving melodies creating distance by never having something to come back to. The distortion of a James Holden record, whilst upbeat, creates a haze of confusion and 'blinds' the listener to identifying a part of the record to hold on to.

Recently added to my collection is the work of Actress, signed to Honest Jons records, a fantastic indie in Portobello Road who have also recently put out Martina Topley Bird's latest album and Hypnotic Brass Ensemble among others.

Actress, real name Darren Cunningham, has released two albums with latest release Splazsh showing an obvious development in both his influences and his production styles. Covering a wider range of genres than debut Hazyville, Splazsh is a lot closer and more aware of what it is trying to achieve with melodies becoming more obvious, grooves more repetitive and toning down the ambient overtones of Hazyville. As the press release perfectly describes, "the fog has lifted".

This promotion of sounds in Splazsh has additionally made the album a lot easier to go back to. Where Hazyville would blend into one LP, Splazsh has more of a definition between one track to the next and shows that Actress has some excellent musical ideas to back up his already superb production skills.

Listen to Actress here

Splazsh

Hazyville

Nothing Better

America always reminds me of Postal Service, their entire makeup feels quintessentially American; sugary on the outside but surprisingly complicated and intelligent on the inside. The album is a wonderful mix of catchy pop songs and clever electronic music anchored by Gibbard's indie sensibilities and Tamborello's production and programming expertise.

When mentioning Postal Service, attention always seems to shift towards the possibility of a second album and though this seems increasingly unlikely, it is something that will likely plague the two until the end of their careers. This is more than justified too, Give Up was an excellent avenue for many indie kids into electronic music and shows that an guitar behemoth like Death Cab are just as interested in alternative forms of music and you should be too.

Enjoy Postal Service's take on a breakup song here, my favourite from a brilliant album. The back and forth vocals between Gibbard and Jen Wood perfectly tell the tale of different points of view in a breakup with neither side coming out in the best light.

Postal Service fact: This song was inspired by Human League's Don't You Want Me?

Barbara Streisand

I'm kinda surprised that it's taken until this late in the year to have a blog-hyped dance track gain so much momentum and force it's way into the public playlists. Maybe it has already happened this year and 2010 just feels like it's taking FUCKING AGES.

Duck Sauce are DJ superstars A-Track and Arman Van Helden and their latest single Barbara Streisand is all kinds of awesome. Catchy vocal melody, thumping simple four to the floor beat, the song feels like a true example of how to crossover from dance to pop and it's already worming it's way into ears across the globe.

Now, obviously there are roughly around one million remixes already on youtube and hypemachine but that doesn't really matter. Sure, the bad remixes are likely to outnumber the good ones 10 to 1 but when the core production is so bloody brilliant, do you really need someone else to make a different song of it?

Maybe not just yet.

Anyway, below is the equally brilliant video for Barbara Streisand featuring all manner of cameos. If you haven't heard the track yet, prepare for this to be well and truly stuck in your head.

The never-ending argument..

..of whether people should pay for music as it is a product or whether music is considered art and consequently should be available to anyone is an often complicated and provocative one.

I would be a complete hypocrite to say you shouldn't download music. Though I spend a lot of money each month supporting little artists as I feel they need the money more (not necessarily deserve it), I am fully aware of the lunacy in my actions, everybody pays to make records so everybody should pay to listen to them, no matter how many likes they have on facebook.

Artists have provided their points of view on whether they mind if people buy their records or not. Often large artists don't mind as they can still make a substantial living through touring, merchandising, branding etc.

However, little artists often have second jobs to support the career they really want to explore, as do many other people I know. If you want to be a photographer, you have to do wedding photos to fund your live photography portfolio etc.

Here is a very interesting short piece by Tom from Her Name Is Calla which says more and more each time you read it.

I suggest you do.

When was the last time you bought a record before hearing it first?

Damn it feels good to be a gangsta

It feels good to quit a job you hate too.

Almost there.

Almost that time again...

The concept of an album of the year is difficult. Do you do it retrospectively? Looking back on 1998 for example, it is clear that Moon Safari was the standout release. However, if someone had asked the 12 year old version of me what my favourite album of that year was, it most likely would've been Space's Tin Planet.

I'm not completely sure why I'd have chosen that album. Probably because it had the lyric "kick ass angels" in it and that was about as raunchy as I'd heard at 12. Though you could argue the quality of the songs, they were undeniably catchy, Female of the Species and The Ballad of Tom Jones possessing a jaunty melody, devoid of any real musical depth.

I think a lot of it also comes from what the

purpose of the list is. For example, if the list is taking place years later and questioning the truly great, long-lasting albums from that year, then it's fair to treat the year with a touch of retrospect. If the list is being done in the last days of December however, I think it's ok to choose an album that you wouldn't necessarily choose 5 years later. Some albums are slow burners, some are influenced by emotional situations, some are simply not where you're at musically at that time. That doesn't mean they should be discounted entirely.

I'd like to think that my already shortening list of album's for 2010 would be the same if in 2015, I looked back at this year. I'd like to think that the records that have truly stood out to me this year are ones that will always bring joy to my musical heart.

If they don't, then that's not necessarily a bad thing. Everybody likes to think they have a great taste in music, but one of the greatest things is to be able to look back and say "I had that one wrong".

Hell, if DiS can give Kid A a 4/10, then anyone can get it wrong.

Those of you that know me know that I sometimes suffer from insomnia, going weeks with an hour or two of interrupted sleep a night. I don't know if that meets the clinical definitions but it starts to mess with you pretty quickly.

These times normally occur around a big change in my life, be it a house move, a troubling situation elsewhere in my life or some personal reflection that ends up being more time consuming than I'd hoped.

When the three of these instances occur concurrently, it can often be a blessing in disguise as the lack of sleep was going to occur thanks to one of them anyway, at least this way I have a chance of getting it out of my system before too long.

Insomnia is a hard, emotionally draining experience. The desperation to sleep takes over both your mind and your body, the exasperation of so desperately wanting a relief is almost unbearable. It affects your performance socially, professionally and as a general human being. It's hard to see "I'm having trouble sleeping" and for people to really understand the difficulty this brings.

I tend to turn in several directions. Late night runs are rewarding, pounding the streets of South London with some new music occupies my mind while tiring my body. The fear of getting mugged is also quite the motivator to keep running.

During hockey season, a late night hockey game is always a good watch though tends to excite and interest me as opposed to shut down my brain which is what I should be aiming for.

Music and Podcasts are also a great distraction from my mind, I've always been a bit of an overthinker and the last torturous few months have led me to think and overthink a situation too many times that I worry if I'll ever move forward.

This is my night time playlist on Spotify. Add anything that helps you sleep or zones you out, and any music that could accompany a late night run through Upper Tulse Hill. (This was hard now that Aphex's Selected Ambient Works aren't on Spotify anymore)

"I could sleep forever these days,

Cause in my dreams I see you again"

Bloc Party - Signs

Goodbye and good luck

Radio DJ's are an odd entity. They are deemed responsible for the music they play, people trust them almost blindly on their recommendations and they can hold the futures of artists in their hands. They are of course at the mercy of playlists and producers but that's all too easily forgotten.

Of all Radio DJ's, perhaps the most influential on me will be Mary Anne Hobbs. For a timeless 14years, MAH has been playing the best in breaking underground dance, dubstep, techno, IDM; anything interesting and forward-thinking electronically that you've heard, MAH has inevitably

played. She has complete freedom in what she plays but uses that freedom not to push her own agenda but to bring music that is genuinely stunning and interesting.

I'm unlikely to ever feel sadness at a DJ disappearing off the airwaves again. Mary Anne Hobbs, you truly are the Queen of England. Thank you for bringing Burial into my life. Also, hands down sexiest voice on radio.

Listen to her final show here featuring a guest mix from (hopefully) you know who.

As she herself described, "devastatingly beautiful from two of her greatest heros"

You and me both.

"If you were to ask me about the things I'm most proud of, I would have to say this programme's role in Burial's success. I remember the very first time that I heard him, Kode9 closed his Dubstep Warz set with a Burial track and it absolutely blew me away. To see his music, so devastatingly beautiful and totally uncompromising now touching the lives of millions right around the planet, that just makes my heart burst."

Poetic, heartfelt and transcendent. Mary Anne Hobbs, you will be sorely missed.

This one's for the geeks

I first mentioned worriedaboutsatan way back in February, garnering the prestigious honour of being bwac's second ever eargasm.

As the year has progressed and repeatedly dived, worriedabaoutsatan's album has consistently been there, a beautiful mirage in a sea of often seemingly endless misery. Now 2010 has been a great year for me musically, I've heard some truly wonderful albums that have changed how I've looked at artists & genres, some truly thought provoking music. Worriedaboutsatan have been of those aforementioned artists, packaging electronics and delayed guitars in a way I haven't heard before but definitely want to hear again. and again. and again.

Most recently, I highlighted the incredible packaging of their latest release, Heart Monitor. Since receiving that wonderful package, a longer article has been brewing in me but hopefully that should see the light of day soon.

Anyway, if you've ever had a vague interest in music production, thought it was too easy and didn't know what all the fuss was about or impossibly hard, here's a brilliant video on how Heart Monitor was put together.

Enjoy.

worriedaboutsatan in the studio from worriedaboutsatan on Vimeo.

The XX

Congratulations go to The XX, this years Mercury Prize winner. Of all the nominations, they've created the most original, forward thinking album, despite my love affair with Foals.

It's also nice not to see a band suffer backlash from being so heavily favoured, I find that the Mercury's sometimes choose the most unexpected album for the hell of it (here's looking at you Speech Debelle).

I genuinely think The XX deserved to win more than any other record on the list.

Thoughts?

The XX

Personal highlights:

Crystalised

Heart Skipped A Beat

Shelter

Basic Space

Chilly Gonzales

smashing it again with a stunning cover of Digital Love for DiS' 10th birthday

Chilly Gonzales from BeatCast on Vimeo.

Perfect songs...

... are hard to come by. I'll often listen to a track and think "this bit is great" or "that's amazing, I didn't see that coming" but the amount of tracks where I sit and listen and am completely consumed by the track and performance, time after time, are sadly few and far between.

Hyperballad is one of those songs. The perfect mix of lyrical angst portrayed by a unique performer in an emotional performance. The musical accompaniment is interesting without being overpowering. The shift in tempo is justified without being expected and obvious.

The entire track is simply perfect.

If for some reason you've no idea what I'm talking about, listen and love.