lou barlow- goodnight unknown

Haven't had much time to peek in here as of late, never mind find new music and chill, what with trying to get my little music project off the ground(writing lyrics is proving to be a bit tougher than I expected, so everything's instrumental until I write something that's less skeptical), playing borderlands with my awesome brother and reading 12 chairs(Ilf/Petrov) and watching it's equally hilarious movie adaptation, and finishing up with my university applications. So I figure that I'm going to increase the frequency of my posts, since I'm not going to be posting much between April-June.



Arguably one of the fore-runners of the indie genre, we really know what to expect from Lou Barlow. More of the same lo-fi sound with dangling guitar tones yet also accentuated with subtle changes like a swirl effect in the title track. As usual, awesome song-writing and awesome lyrics. Perfect for both lo-fi newbie's and bonafide long-time fans.
here

Young Vaughn - The New School Cool

Having complained umpteen times about the predominance of hip-hop/rap on the Dubai airwaves, I had never realized their absence from the local scene up until a year or 2 ago. Diligent Thought first opened my eyes to the Dubai hip-hop scene and I was quite impressed, to say the least. The amount of talent in their music seemed to be on an international and professional level and I had never expected that from artists in Dubai. Some time later, I continue to be (pleasantly) surprised. Here's a fellow by the name of Young Vaughn, an extremely talented and eclectic individual with incredible ideas and musical influences, all of which is evident in his music. With a style that reminded me of Lupe Fiasco's at first, it becomes increasingly obvious as the record progresses that YV has an remarkably individual and unique style. The lyrics seem to flow seamlessly and the beats are borderline surreal sometimes ("Sunset", off the top of my head). Here's The New School Cool (the first YV project I've listened to so it seems only right I start y'all off with it as well).

Mediafire

julie doiron-i can wonder what you did with your day

Found this on some blog some time ago, and to be honest, this is one album I am glad that I found.

So this Julie Doiron is some Canadian singer-songwriter that used to play bass in Eric's Trip, and is now pursuing a more-or-less successful solo career. After going through this album a few times, it looks like this experience has done Julie nothing apart from a world of good. Acoustic guitar laden over raw, over-driven electric guitar, or is it the other round? Either way, putthat damn Sufjan Stevens record down and give this a listen.

shiiiiiitttttt

Psychostasia - Adramelech

So I was craving some old-school death metal that focused more on creating fantastic riffage than shit-hot production and I came across Adramelech. I hadn't listened to these guys in a while and after listening to Psychostasia again I can't for the life of me figure out why. Psychostasia was released in 1996 and is fucking METAL. It doesn't get better than that. Oh and the riffs are bloody fantastic.

Mediafire

Souvenirs D'un Autre Monde - Alcest

Shoegaze and black metal would usually be considered to be on completely different pages but not so for Neige of Alcest. Neige (of Peste Noire and Amesoeurs fame) formed Alcest back in 1999 but originally as a solo project. When fellow Peste Noire member Hegnor and Arguth joined him, the band released a more or less straightforward black metal demo entitled Tristesse Hivernale which was very different from what followed. In 2007, Alcest released the beautiful Souvenirs D'un Autre Monde, an album that's simply ethereal. Fusing black metal riffs (albeit a few) with dreamy shoegaze melodies and acoustic guitars all topped off with an even dreamier voice, Souvenirs D'un Autre Monde is definitely an unforgettable album. The lyrics are a bonus if you're fluent in French.

Mediafire

Beautiful Minds - Killah Priest & Chief Kamachi

Lyrical heavyweights Killah Priest, a longtime Wu-Tang affiliate, and Chief Kamachi of Army Of The Pharaohs collaborate on Beautiful Minds, a record which demonstrates a remarkable synergy between the two all the while exhibiting their individual lyrical and poetic prowess. Having copped this album back in 2008, I still find the time to listen to this every time I'm in the mood for no-nonsense rap and it's never boring. If you're a fan of lyricism coupled with strong production and beats, then this one is definitely for you.

Rapidshare (yes, yes...I know. Mediafire isn't working for me at the moment and I could only find a rapidshit link)

The Limits of Control

Jim Jarmusch has a new film, "The Limits of Control", which features an incredible soundtrack which consists of the likes of Boris, Sunn O))), Earth and LCD Soundsystem. Now if you're one of those people who love that sweet confluence of music and film then you'll love this. I haven't found a download of the OST yet but once I do, I will post it here. Watch this space.

Tracklisting:

Boris - "Feedbacker I & IV" (from Feedbacker, on Disk Union Records)
Boris -"Fuzzy Reactor" (from Rainbow, on Disk Union Records)
Schubert - "Adagio - String Quintent In C D.956"
Boris - " " aka Smile (from the Japanese version of Smile, on Disk Union Records)
sunn 0)))/Boris - "N.L.T." (From Altar, on Southern Lord)
Bill Doggett - "Moon Dust"
LCD Soundsystem - "Daft Punk Is Playing At My House"
Boris -"Farewell" (From Pink, on Southern Lord)
Manuel El Sevillan0 - "Por Compasión: Malagueñas" (a traditional Flamenco)
Black Angels - "You On The Run"
La Macarena - "Saeta" (an Alan Lomax recording)
sunn 0)))/Boris - "Blood Swamp" (From Altar, on Southern Lord)
Talegon De Cordoba, La Truco and Jorge Rodriguez Padilla - "El Que Tenga Por Grande" (traditional)
Earth - Omens and Portents 1: The Driver (from The Bees Made Honey In The Lions' Skull, on Southern Lord)
Carmen Linares - "El Que Tenga Por Grande" (traditional)


Edit: Download

Roseland NYC Live - Portishead

The concept of a live album is a risky one as it is usually a hit or miss and unless it is released with bonus DVD footage that happens to be remarkable, the album itself will be a forgotten release as is evident when considering the plethora of live albums released by countless bands.

The only two bands whose truly fantastic live albums/shows I would have sold my soul to have witnessed are Neurosis and Pink Floyd who also happen to be 2 of my favourite bands of all time so it came as quite a surprise when I found myself yearning to be in the audience of a live NYC performance of Portishead's, a band I started properly listening to less than a year ago. Accompanied by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Portishead have created the perfect live dynamic for their music which, dark and ominous as it is, gives one a feeling of true elation (quite surprisingly).

This record features fantastic and definitive versions of songs (such as "Sour Times") and it would be criminal of you to miss it.

Mediafire

sage francis- human the death dance

Oh man, I've been on a hip-hop kick these past two weeks. Loads of new artists discovered, lots of new music to appreciate. One of which, incidentally, is Sage Francis' "Human The Death Dance".

"Noted for his intense flow and sharp wit, Francis has won acclaim both as a freestyle battler and as an unapologetically intellectual lyricist. Francis uses a broad emotional palette to address a wide range of personal, cultural, and political issues."

Something different for the seasoned hip-hop elitist and something interesting for the casual listener with a fresh perspective.

here