MEGA POST

This is what happens when I don't blog enough -- I end up with a mega-post trying to catch up with everything! Having a sprog at home means I don't really get time for this but I'm making it happen tonight, wooooooh! Yeah. I'm going to split this up into new tune, old tune, albums, soundclouds, and a mix.

NEW TUNE

Ok, been hearing this on BBC Radio 6 a lot, you've probably heard it if you're into things, but I only heard it this week. It's a great glam-rock stomper, and it's by the Black Keys:



I've not heard much Black Keys but I think I'll have to check 'em out now.

OLD TUNE

Just a random track that's been in my head lately. I miss these slinky sounds. MJ Cole always got great reviews so it may be worthwhile picking up his album (or at least the one this track is off of):

ALBUMS

Couple of artists I like have put out new albums recently and handily stuck them up on Soundcloud to be previewed for free. I quite like that tactic, it allows fans to hear things and then decide if they want to buy but without having to mess around with illegal downloads. I at least would consider buying an album I liked properly, on a physical format, as I think the sound is better and I'm over being cheap and trying to own everything that gets a good review. So, I recently checked o out the new Tindersticks and the new Scuba. Entirely different types of music but there you go. I can't really comment on the Tindersticks yet as I've only heard it once and need to give it some more time, but I tried Scuba's album, 'Personality', a few times. It definitely sounded better at home, played at a good volume through some good speakers, but it still left me a bit cold, like something was missing. Just didn't move me fully, but there are some good tracks and it's worth a listen -- but only if you've got a good way to listen; don't rely on computer speakers, everything'll sound bad that way.

SCUBA
Scuba - Personality [HFCD007] by Hotflush

TINDERSTICKS
The Something Rain - TINDERSTICKS by Constellation Records

SOUNDCLOUDS

A couple of other Soundclouds I've checked out and enjoyed recently have been Gold Panda's and Graphics'. Both are electronic artists, Gold Panda being a bit more dreamy while Graphics is a bit harder. Good to stick on a decent stereo while you go about your business. I'd just go direct to their pages, hit play, and let Soundcloud go through the tracks if were you.
GOLD PANDA
GRAPHICS

MIX

Lastly, a mix by Aeroplane, who I did not see when he played U Street Music Hall recently (other act I didn't see: Carl Craig). He puts up a mix on his Soundcloud every month but I listened to a few last year and didn't really like them. Randomly came across the Februrary 2012 one though and got into it so I'm putting it up here. Much dancier than what I'd heard before, which is what I like -- I don't mixes which are supposedly dancey but then are too eclectic and start off with a bunch of weird stuff that you can't really dance to. No point, other than to try and create an out there setlist that may impress people. Can't be easy coming up with good mixes though, when everyone's at it. I wonder how these DJ's come across good tracks to pick that haven't been played out already? Hmm.
Aeroplane February 2012 Mix by Aeroplane (Official)

Tindersticks - Falling Down a Mountain

Tindersticks were a band that were always on the periphery for me -- an indie band that didn't seem to go away but not a band I really paid a lot of attention to. I copied their CD's when I came across them, liked what I heard, but never really become a proper fan. That was until their last album, 'the Hungry Saw' came out. I ended up seeing them live in support of it and was entranced; it remains one of the best shows I've been to and 'the Hungry Saw' is a staple on my record player (yup, I liked it so much I bought it on vinyl). They released 'Hungry Saw' after a five year break in which it looked like they were finished. Instead the break did them good and they got creative again, resulting in a new album just out, 'Falling Down a Mountain'. From first listen it's clear that the band are still excited about working again -- the tunes carry an enthusiastic vibe, as does the overall disc, and most of them are even kind of upbeat, which is pretty weird for the famously morose Tindersticks. It's good, though there are some tracks that grate, particularly 'Peanuts', and to me the album as a whole doesn't feel as cohesive as 'Hungry Saw' did. It could be that I'll love the songs more if I get to hear them live, but I don't think this album will become as special to me. In some ways it almost seems like an established pattern has been repeated but to slightly lesser effect -- here's an instrumental, here's a latin-tinged fast track, here's some soul -- but after doing some reading it seems that that is standard Tindersticks fare. Can't really fault them for doing what they do best after having been around since the 90's. You can take a listen to the whole album here; I hope they'll tour on the back of it, but playing the new one in it's entirety, as they did for 'Hungry Saw', probably isn't necessary.