Autechre – Oversteps
The warped duo return with 71 minutes of accessible digital bliss and buzz. For an excellent review, check out Scott McMillan’s at TLOBF.com. An essential purchase for fans of electronica, and completely baffling to anyone unfamiliar with their sound.
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Message From The Tribe – An Anthology Of Tribe Records (1972 – 1977)
Cor, blimey guv’nor! Limited edition CD with booklet and postcards? Yes, please! Some ace rare funk previously available only on vinyl and now remastered? Where do I sign! This thumping collection of jazz / funk pieces from theDetroit collective will melt your tiny, gorged brain. Get it, and get it now.
Moon - Clint Mansell
Yes, I know it’s from 2009, but it’s brilliant. Perfectly capturing moments of solitude, loneliness and madness, Clint Mansell’s score is one beautiful soundtrack to own. (Get the film, too: it’s incredible).
FabricLive 50 – D Bridge and Instra-Mental
FabricLive mixes are becoming the new ‘Now’ compilation series, and they’re catching up quick. This is definitely one of the better, moodier compilations with plenty of minimalist synth noise to keep you going. If this was a Victoria sponge cake: it’s be one part bass, one part drums with synth noise as the filling with a dusting of jazzy icing sugar on top. No, that’s not a euphemism.
Rinse 11 – Oneman
Oneman’s Rinse mix is ace. Apparently, he wasn’t too happy about there not being enough dubstep anthems on mixes, so he bunged a load on here and made me buy it. Git.
B. Dolan – Fallen House, Sunken City
I like this, quite a lot. A verbose MC, B Dolan’s latest is a lyrical exploitation of environment, but wholly more successful than Gift of Gab’s laconic affair on 2009′s ‘Escape 2 Mars’. With great beats and heavy lyrics – ‘Fallen House’ is already the best hip-hop album I’ve come across in 2010.
Broken Bells – S/T
Oooh, I was pretty excited about this: and with good reason. As if you didn’t already know, it’s The Shins’ James Mercer and Danger Mouse. They’ve created some lovely pop music on this album complete with a couple of requisite stinkers. It’s probably the best major release I’ve heard in a while, though.
KRS-ONE & Buckshot – Survival Skills
Give KRS his dues. He still says he’s number one. Still! Look at him holding on for dear life on to that cliff of hip-hop – who’s that bringing him down? Why, it’s Buckshot! Still, there’re some nice cuts on this record and some flavoursome scratches from DJ Revolution on the title track. It’s alright.
Errors – Come Down With Me
The band should have blatantly called this ‘Come dine with me’. Maybe it’s a play on words and those circles on the cover are abstract coffee mugs stains and plates. Regardless, not a bad effort from the troupe. Enjoyable in places, but where the production is strong, the ideas are a touch weak.
Bonobo – Black Sands
A return to form for the ex Tru Thoughts man? Well, sort of. With the jazzy inclination present and correct, there are some incisive struts into darker patterns but the jazz-soul numbers sound dated and poorly executed, which makes this an unfulfilling Ninja Tune release.
The Bamboos – 4
Apparently, some radio DJs like this. I don’t particularly. There’s lots of that ‘old rare groove’ feel going on, but with about an nth’s worth of true soul. If you’re into cocktail parties and want to look ace with the ladies (or gents), then get this. I won’t come, though.
The Bundles – S/T
Antifolk hipsters Kimya Dawson and Jeffrey Lewis create ‘supergroup’.
They called it ‘The Bundles’.
And it sounds mostly rubbish.