This is beautiful

I was going to write something sappy to go with this but I've got nothing. Instead, enjoy one of the most heartwarming things I've seen, for geeks at least.

Ghostpoet - Survive It

Not feeling all that inspired at the moment, words aren't coming easily, even if the passion for music is still flowing. There's a reason I don't do this professionally sadly.

Anyway, I've been really feeling this Ghostpoet album recently, atmospheric and intricate hip hop. Check it.

Explosions in the Sky album playback

Climbing through Greenwich park last night I was surrounded by kids on bikes enjoying their Easter holidays, lovers basking on the grass digesting the remaining sunshine and tourists marvelling at the uninterrupted view of South East London. And what a view it really is with the National Maritime Museum in the foreground, to our towering financial district and the iconic O2 Arena off to the right. As I reached the summit of Greenwich park where the Royal Observatory is situated, I was struck by how beautiful and captivating I find London, at once peaceful and hectic.

I'd made my way to The Royal Observatory as I was lucky enough to win tickets for a very special occasion, a playback of the new Explosions in the Sky album accompanied by visuals in the Planetarium. I've never been to a planetarium before so had little idea what to expect but it suffices to say that what I was about to encounter was truly a unique experience.
After gently ushering us into a small domed room, we sat on extremely comfortable reclining chairs with our views squarely focussed on the dome above us. As the lights dimmed, the beginning stabs of Last Known Surroundings rung out and the night sky lit up above us. We were shown the various constellations, how they fit into the night sky in different times of the year and how their physical arrangement was mapped out to their names and subsequent signs of the zodiac.

We were shown different stars, introduced to far away planets and shown layouts of planets, solar systems and even galaxies. It was no simple slideshow however, the night sky spun above you, as if you were weightless in space, tumbling through the never ending abyss and identifying parts as they crossed your view. All the time the majestic Take Care, Take Care, Take Care echoed around us with each tumble and explosion in the music echoed in the visuals as we sped through space.
As there was no "talk" to detail what exactly we were seeing, some of the information and locations were a little lost but the grandeur of Explosions in the Sky more than made up for these minor details and provided a suitably expansive and thrilling 45minute journey through Space.

What became even more apparent during the playback was the various rises and falls that Take Care, Take Care, Take Care and, in a wider sense, Explosions in the Sky have become known for. Though the quality of the album never drops, musically it either propels you along or loosens the rope slightly, letting you drift through the quiet moments before hurtling off into the next flurry of guitars and drums. To hear these ebbs and flows whilst flying through an asteroid field or watching the Andromeda galaxy form before you was quite spectacular.

When it came to a hushed and soothing end, it was obvious that everyone in attendance had witnessed something quite magical. Simon from Bella Union said a few words before the show commenced, remarking "It's not often we get a new Explosions in the Sky album so I wanted to mark this occasion with something special". By allowing a few lucky and passionate Explosions in the Sky fans to experience such a brilliant album in this way was truly a special experience and one I'll never forget.

Take Care, Take Care, Take Care is available now, from Bella Union.

Record Store Day 2011

If you're reading this, you have an interest in music and the pleasures it brings to every day life. You likely understand that piracy is killing the music industry for both major labels and the small independents along with distributors, producers and of course our beloved record shops. Though there are arguments thrown around to justify piracy, these are merely used to make people feel better about stealing than genuine, well constructed arguments in favour of obtaining music for free. Don't get me wrong, I am among millions of others that have downloaded music illegally and I don't want this to be a hypocritical "holier than thou" post.

I want to talk about what record shops mean and most importantly, independent record shops.

As a youngster buying music in Medway, the choice of record shops was small and for independents, even smaller. We had an Our Price, a Virgin (later 2) and of course supermarkets. For independents, there were only really two stores that would go beyond the obvious and these of course were the independents, Sounds Perfect and Magic Discs. Though my experience with Magic Discs was a one off, it was an small store overflowing with rarities, imports, second hand records but notably, it stocked local bands. I remember being proud to walk into Magic Discs and converse at length with the owner about The Long Weekend whose 7" he had proudly displayed on the counter, a local Medway band who had a defined britpop sound.
Sounds Perfect was a relatively large store, for Chatham anyway but was again filled to the brim with back catalogues, T Shirts, music DVD's, instruments and posters. As my music tastes broadened, they were able to accommodate the records I was looking for and offer their insight into where to look next for fresh and exciting sounds.

Perhaps the most defining moment for me however was my first to Rough Trade East. Set in the heart of Old Street, Rough Trade East is a palace, heaven on earth to everyone that has ever picked up a CD and wondered what else sounds like it. It's rack after rack of exciting artists you've never heard of are as enticing as the next page of a book and the multiple listening stations mixed with brand new releases and similar artists provide a great opportunity to see what people who dictate listening patterns are really enthused by.
I think my first trip to Rough Trade East was an over £100 job as I was so swept away by the depth of knowledge of both the staff, the variety of new and rare releases and it's calm and inviting atmosphere. Despite being in the heart of "London cool", it has no snobbishness about it , there is no posturing, just a group of people passionate about what they listen to. Every trip back to RTE has been an expensive but worthwhile one and it also serves a damn good coffee.

One last tale for you courtesy of my experiences at Banquet Records in Kingston. As you know, summer 2008 I cam across a folk band called Mumford and Sons. After a quick trip to Banquet Records to pick up their debut EP on 10" (this makes me sound like a dick I know, I'm not much), the very kind staff offered me some recommendations based on who I was purchasing. We talked about Chess Club and their roster and the guy behind the counter thought I should also try the new Cherbourg EP. Accepting, I bought their 10" and 6 months later, they were headlining my very first club night.


I think my point is that independent record shops are full of people who truly care about music. They are not their to put sales experience on their cv and pay their way through college. An independent record shop is a place where only music matters and people are willing to share that love and passion for music with whoever is willing to listen. It is the physical embodiment of the music blogosphere. An independent record shop is a candy store for music lovers. To cut through all these painful metaphors, it is a thrilling and knowledgeable place.

Support your local record shop, ask them what they are listening to and I'm sure they'll name something you've not heard of. Buy music, revel in it's presentation and it's feel, know that you are offering not only fiscal support to EVERYONE involved in making that record but also see it as a way to say "thank you" for creating something that may possibly change your life.

I'm broken after this weekend. Watch and enjoy

Many words will be written on the end of LCD Soundsystem. Some will be full of praise and admiration for all that James Murphy and co. have achieved over the years, others will call them overrated and a band that were hyped by the media beyond a level they ever really deserved.
Whatever your opinion, there is no more of a fitting tribute than this, a 3h40m marathon through their back catalogue in front of a sold out Maddison Square Garden with a guestlist that you simply would not believe.

This show, as every show I've seen LCD at, is littered with exceptional moments. Murphy's rant that is Losing My Edge has never seemed more fitting in front of thousands of adoring fans and it is hard to ignore the poignancy of playing All My Friends after just 45minutes and then being joined onstage throughout the next 3 hours by equally adoring artists. Was there any other track that they could finish the show on apart from New York, I Love You?

This is one of the shows where it's really not possible to choose a highlight, the entire show gives me goosebumps and if LCD have ever meant anything to you, it will do the same to you.
Did I shed a little tear at the end? Perhaps. Am I ashamed? Not in a million years.

Burial - Street Halo

New material involving Burial is always greeted with equal amounts of excitement and skepticism. Why have his releases been so limited since the outstanding Untrue, why is he focusing on collabs instead of solo stuff, why won't Kode 9 release the thousands of Burial tracks he must be sitting on.

Of course, this is what happens when musically someone is so talented, what you have simply isn't enough. Collaborating with Four Tet created two incredible tracks and lead him to collaborate with Thom Yorke, again creating 2 bleak and sonically beautiful cuts. Burial seems to have always worked at his own pace and the fact that Burial and Untrue were just 18 months apart says nothing about his projected work flow or what we should expect from him going forward. Kode 9 has been exceptionally transparent in regards to new Burial material... there is simply no idea. It comes when it comes and he's not holding ti back to fit release schedules, coincide with live performances or simply out of spite. Hyperdub let their artists breathe and create at their own pace.

Street Halo is the first solo release from Burial since the aforementioned Untrue and clocks in at just over 20 minutes, a sizeable amount for a 3 track EP. Each track is different sonically from it's depth in sound to it's use of instruments to create melodies.
The title track begins with a shuffly 4 to the floor bass beat that could easily have been an off cut from his work with Four Tet and as the track slowly builds to it's sudden pause, we are reminded of how Burial's use of reverb laden synth lines instantly transport you to a lonely 3am bus stop.
As  the track drops properly, we again have warped and chopped vocal lines that drift but it is the menacing bass line that seems more purposeful and dancefloor orientated than anything Burial has achieved before. It's funky nature powers through the other instruments, before mysteriously disappearing among a wash of reverse synths, vinyl crackle and various other percussive sounds. The track tends to stop and start, almost crescendoing without ever building or releasing. Burial teases each part, constantly creating new combinations of the various elements to see how they all fit together and it is those reverse synths that are used to really create the sense of tension and unease that litters his work.
One of the most notable elements of Street Halo, as with all other Burial work, is the vocal lines that dance in and out of the foreground of his mixes and it seems more obvious than ever in Street Halo when one vocal lines seems to blend seamlessly into a synth line almost mid-sentence, making you wonder if it were ever even a voice in the first place. That objectification of human elements is key in Burial's productions as he heightens a sense of disconnect and isolation. By questioning if the only human element was indeed ever human in the first place, you are left with a wall of sounds that become more alienating yet enticing.

Though Burial's work often incites feelings of awkwardness and discontent, this is by no means one of those tracks. Instead, the track surrounds you like sap covering a bug, finding yourself smothered in dancefloor beats and luscious production.

The WAV files are available from Hyperdub and the rest of the EP is just as brilliant with Stolen Dog being quite possibly the most sonically dense track Burial has ever created.

Friday eargasm: Koreless

Way too busy to blog at the moment but enjoy this track from up and coming Glaswegian, still only NINETEEN years old. when the musicians you love are younger than you are, things are starting to get very weird...

4D by Koreless