Music Archive: June 2011
Here is a very small selection of the new music we've been playlisting this month
Fleet Foxes- Helplessness Blues (Bella Union)
If the first, eponymous, Fleet Foxes LP was the sound of a crisp and frosty winter's morning then this sophomore release is surely the soundtrack to the hazy sunny days we expect to start drifting in during June. While clearly being a massive step forward in songwriting for the group, everything that there was to adore about Fleet Foxes still remains- the chiming guitars, the multi-part harmonies and the choral phrases which- in this case- lend an almost religious element to the music. Like the finest blend of the sixties West Coast hippy ideal mixed with the sunshine charm of the Beach Boys and the Byrds, the world needs another Fleet Foxes album, and what a perfectly appropriate time to get it.
Alessi's Ark- Time Travel (Bella Union)
It's been three years since Alessi Laurent-Marke's debut album, and she's still only 20! This is the charming folk-pop that Bella Union do best, and a genuine coming-of-age for Alessi. Recorded in Brighton by David Wrench (Bat For Lashes, Beth Orton), 'Time Travel' is a record bourne of its writer's experiences away from home, away from the comfort of family and friends. Repeated listens open up the album's naive charms to reveal a tense anxiousness, a nervous intimacy. Child-like and mature, humble and assured; 'Time Travel' is likely to be the start of somwthing big for Alessi and her Ark.
The Sweet Vandals- So Clear (Unique)
Modern soul-funk at it's absolute finest, courtesy of Madrid's astounding Sweet Vandals. Having always been an Open Ear favourite, we're delighted to get hold of this, the group's third album, and find it every bit as exciting as their previous output. Adding violin, viola, flute, sax and trumpet to the ensemble's usual musical menagerie lifts the music to a whole new level, while never compromising the realness and the rawness we expect from them.
The Rhythmagic Orchestra- S/T (Tru Thoughts)
The brainchild of another perennial Open Ear stalwart- Nostalgia 77's Ben Lamdin- The Rhymagic Orchestra was founded back in 2006 to re-create the sound of his favourite jazz, Afro-Cuban, Latin and tropical records in 21st Century London. Comprising members of his own Nostalgia 77 Octet, Heliocentrics and Ska Cubano; this album pays tribute to the greats of the genre- Dizzy Gillespie, Machito and Chano Pozo- with the utmost respect and panache. Whether you're a seasoned expert on the genre, or looking for your perfect introduction to the infectious grooves of 1960s Latin America, you don't need to search any further than this for the soundtrack to your summer.
Papercuts- Papercuts (Memphis Industries)
More shimmering 1960s West Coast songwriting here, in the shape of Jason Quever's Papercuts, this time with an almost Stereolab-esque resonance running througout. Quever cut his teeth working with the likes of Devendra Banhart and Vetiver's Andy Cabic, and for this outing the San Fransiscan demonstrates his skills beyond ordinary singer-songwriting. 'Papercuts' exudes imagination and colour, it is an album of ambition and cohesion, and one that anybody with an ear for melancholic pop should own.
Sin Fang- Summer Echoes (Morr)
Our friends at Morr come up with the goods again, this time in the shape of a solo album by Seabear main man Sindri Mar Sigfusson. While it's impossible to resist mentioning the seasonal title of the record, it must be said that the summer images conjured up here are more of a hazy-twilight than of surfboards and convertibles. Sigfusson molds creep-out psychedlia with indie-pop to create a selection of songs capable of charming and confusing in equal measure. Just pop enough to be hummable, but layered and deep enough to reward repeated listening. Excellent.
Dakota Suite- The Hearts Of Empty (Karaoke Kalk)
The charm of Dakota Suite's piano, double bass and brush-percussion lies almost entirely in their captivating sparseness, in their mesmerising subtlety- in the space beween the sounds. This, their 10th studio album, adheres to the blueprint that made us first fall for them back in 1998. Delicate, sophisticated simplicity for the mind and the consciousness, and precisely the quality we expect from any of the labels in the Morr family.
Ryan Teague - Causeway (Type)
Abandoning the orchestra with whom he previously recorded, 'Causeway' it's Ryan Teagues first venture into solo guitar composition. Like a cross between Richard Youngs and an acoustic Battles, this record is far from the standard, slipshod John Fahey homage we so often get from 'modern classical' guitarists. While parts of this album could be mistaken for the work of Steve Reich, moments of it are positively soaring, reminiscent of Do Make Say Think at their most uplifting, and subtlely quiet/loud in a way that the likes of Mogwai could only dream of. Utterly compelling.
SoulParlor - Evoluzion (Tokyo Dawn)
Finally an album from German DJ/producer collective Soulparlor: Frank Jensen, Frank Lotz and Tobias Muller. Gathering together a formidable selection of artists with whom they have previously collaborated, 'Evoluzion' ('Noiz u love' spelled backwards) has been created with input from members of Koop, Bugz In The Attic, 4Hero and Raw Fusion. With a backbone of talent as strong as that, you should know what a treat you're in for here.