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Torches – Close Ups (Crushed Beaks Cover)

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Rhian Artist: /

Like a musical version of Keith Chegwin’s Swap Shop, London bands Crushed Beaks and Torches have swapped covers of each other’s songs for a new split single. ‘Close Ups’, below, is Torches’ reworking of their South London friends’ debut single, twisted from fuzzy, lo-fi juggernaut to dark and refined pop noir. It’s an astonishing but seemingly effortless makeover that’s got us itching to hear what Crushed Beaks have come up with in return.

Crushed Beaks and Torches play at Power Lunches, Dalston on March 10th with support from I Ching.

Mix

Scratcha DVA mix for XFM

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Abeano Artist:

If you’re missing his Rinse FM breakfast show (but looking forward to his first LP on Hyperdub) then cop this Scratcha DVA Mary Anne Hobbs mix. It’s full of new DVA music – including cameos from Cornelia and Natalie Maddix – plus appearances from Shy One and Joss Ryan.

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Tanlines – Brothers 360 video

Posted on February 20, 2012 by sian Artist:

Well done True Panther and directors Weird Days for using clever Go Pano technology in this video for Tanlines’ new single Brothers (you can click, drag and move around the room) but it took me a couple of minutes to actually figure the thing out and find Jesse Cohen or Eric Emm actually doing anything. More my problem than theirs though, and when you get going, it’s an interesting way to approach the fact that most people watch music videos on their laptops or phones than on a TV. Hold the cursor down and it even looks like an early Incubus video. No need to thank me for that nugget. “I really like the idea of using elaborate technology in a mundane way,” Cohen says of the decision to make the video in this way “We didn’t want to do anything super-duper crazy with it. I know it’s really popular to make videos that are not safe for work now, but I wanted to make one where you can be at work and feel comfortable watching it.” Will they use it again in the future? Here’s hoping.

[Watch the 360 degree video here]

Tanlines tour the UK next month

03-23 Manchester, England – Night & Day
03-24 Glasgow, Scotland – The Glasgow School of Art
03-27 London, England – Cargo

Session

Bon Iver 4AD/Jagjaguwar session

Posted on February 17, 2012 by Matthew B Artist:

Fresh from picking up the ‘Best New Artist’ Grammy (and having legions of people wondering just who on earth Bonny Bear was as clueless folk got it trending on twitter), Justin Vernon and his band popped by AIR studios to record this 5 track session – including a Bonnie Raitt cover. Bon Iver are hardly the most overblown of bands, but there’s something breathtaking about the fragility of the arrangements on this video.

Here’s the set list:

Hinnom, TX
Wash.
I Can’t Make You Love Me (Bonnie Raitt cover)
Babys
Beth/Rest

Listen

CYMBALS – No Bad Decisions

Posted on February 17, 2012 by Rhian Artist:

If you thought CYMBALS’ debut album Unlearn was a criminally underrated and overlooked masterpiece of jerky, off-kilter guitar pop then rejoice, for the Londoners have announced a new EP and, thus, another chance for the wider world to give them the recognition they deserve. Featuring the already familiar ‘Intense Kids‘, Sideways, Sometimes will also feature new songs written and recorded over five days on Lightship 95 – a boat moored on the Thames. ‘No Bad Decisions’ continues in the same groove as Unlearn but when Jack sings “I can feel it’s getting better all the time,” it makes the subtle improvements since that record blindingly clear.

Sideways, Sometimes is released on April 23rd via Tough Love. Pre-order it here.

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Michael Kiwanuka – I’m Getting Ready

Posted on February 17, 2012 by Matthew B Artist:

Whereas the previous BBC Sound of… winner Jesse J came straight out of the blocks to terrorise every commercial radio station’s A list, Michael Kiwanuka seems to be playing a slightly longer game on his road to all-conquering stardom. Premiered on these pages in July last year, we finally get a video for I’m Getting Ready. Stepping away from the youtube clips of the singer strumming alone in a studio, the neon-heavy clip takes the North Londoner to the back streets of America.

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Novella – Don’t Believe Ayn Rand

Posted on February 17, 2012 by Matthew B Artist:

The favoured subject of conversation for pseuds for the past couple of years, Ayn Rand and her whole objectivism movement has kinda been put into focus by the whole worldwide recession thing – especially given the kind of sway she had over a generation of financial experts. Novella’s reading of things is different to that of the bankers it influenced, as you can probably tell from the title of this track taken from their forthcoming Italian Beach Babes EP. The song itself sounds like a warm reappraisal of the latter-day riot girl efforts, and should hopefully set the tone for the rest of the release, out on March 19th.

Don’t Believe Ayn Rand by Novella.

Minimix

M83 Minimix

Posted on February 16, 2012 by Matthew B Artist:

The minimixes on Annie Mac’s Radio 1 show are always a thing of distilled beauty – so when M83 popped in to the show, he was always going to try and take things up to the next level. He just about manages to surpass expectations as well, with a synth heavy 5 minutes taking in everything from Talk Talk’s It’s My Life to… well, some of M83′s own work, and loads in between. Any help with the tracklisting would be much appreciated (please add in the comments)

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Elliphant – In the Jungle

Posted on February 16, 2012 by Matthew B Artist:

It’s new, it’s Elliphant, according to NME they’ve got the same management as Niki & the Dove, they’re from Sweden and… that’s about all you’re going to scrape as far as information goes. A teaser clip for In The Jungle featured a child preparing to fight a tiger (topped off with the riff from Eye of the Tiger at the end), but that’s all window dressing for the true talking point here – the track itself. Inspiration comes from the genre namechecked in the song’s title, as well as countless other things. God knows where they’re going to end up, but it sounds as if they want it to be big.

Mixtape

Trim – Bandoolou

Posted on February 16, 2012 by Matthew B Artist:

Following on from his release on the Butterz label last year, Trim has just hit us with his new mixtape Bandoolou. The eleventh in the series, the ten tracks show the London MC to be one of the smartest operators around, getting the likes of Rico, Scorcher and Nico Lindsay featuring, as well as having Harmonic 313 popping in for production duties (who he has previously collaborated with under the moniker Pitch & Trim) – the track of which is streaming below

Download the mixtape from mediafire

Trim – Lord of Lords (prod. Harmonic 313)

Tracklisting:
1. Intro (Prod. Harmonic 313)
2. No For an Answer (Prod. Rude Kid)
3. Hate Me Feat. Obese, Nico Lindsay & Careless (Prod. Shotz)
4. Dat (Prod. Teddy)
5. Trim & Nico Lindsay Freestyle
6. Lord of Lords Feat. Riko (Prod. Harmonic 313)
7. War Mode Feat. Scorcher
8. Bandoolou Feat. Obese, Nico Lindsay & Careless (Prod. Shotz)
9. Motto Freestyle
10. Bar So Hard (Prod. Balistiq)