This is a feature I wrote back in February for The Skinny, the week before Hot Chip released their third album. It all came together too late to tie in with the album release, so here it is on the eve of their T in the Park set...

Interviews with Hot Chip often begin with the writer grappling with the futile task of defining this most indefinable of bands. They will often indulge in a stream of made-up micro-genres: 'lo-fi disco', 'future-pop', 'Fisher Price funk', even. I realise I have just unwittingly perpetuated this trend, but for Hot Chip's Felix Martin, all it means is that “people haven't really been listening to the music, they're too ready to just try and sum it up in one word.” But, he hastens to add, “I don't get upset about it.”

What does concern Martin - whose role in Hot Chip is to “run the drum machines and laptops that contain the beats that drive the band forward” - is that it's likely his band's divergent sound probably lessens their impact on the charts: “We're quite confusing. And it's not particularly intentional on our behalf. It probably makes it harder for us to sell records! That's just how we are.”

Despite Martin's reservations, Hot Chip have already tasted crossover success with 'Over and Over', the eccentric groove that many declared the song of 2006. With major label backing on both sides of the Atlantic, could this quintet of late-20s, intellectual, studious record collectors by day / prolific remixers, in-demand DJs and synth rockers by night, become the most unlikely pop success of the year?

We're talking a week before the release of the album that looks set to do it, Made In The Dark. It's probably their most “confusing” record to date, but only in the sense that it takes several listens before the Pollock-esque sensory-splatter of sounds, beats and styles coalesces into their best collection of songs to date. “We never sit down and try and make an indie-pop record or a hip-hop track,” Martin explains. “We wouldn't trust ourselves to do that, it wouldn't be possible for us to do that. It's not a really considered thing the way we go about putting music together, it's on an off-the-cuff basis.”

This blind-sightedly experimental approach is exemplified in the title Made In The Dark. “It's quite an ambiguous title isn't it?” Martin ventures. “The song was written before the album came along and we just decided that the phrase was open-ended enough to not become irritating in a few years. I like it. The more I've heard it and thought about it the better I think it is.”

The embryonic form of Hot Chip began through the teenage affinity between vocalists/noisemongers Alexis Taylor and Joe Goddard, who met at the same London comprehensive that gave the world Four Tet and Burial. What we now know as Hot Chip was kick-started in 2000 with the additions of Owen Clarke, Al Doyle and Felix Martin into the unconventional, synth-heavy collective. After numerous self-financed EPs they released their debut long-player Coming On Strong on the indie label Moshi Moshi in 2004 to muted critical acclaim. But their evident talent soon attracted bigger fish, and they signed deals with the DFA in America and EMI in Britain. Two years on, follow-up The Warning was stronger and more ambitious, mixing an ear for the dancefloor with a real soul sensibility.

Despite their international profile, Hot Chip still favour a lo-tech approach, scouring charity shops for old percussive junk and using Goddard's bedroom for recording. With Made In The Dark they did book some studio time, but only for a handful of tracks, as Martin recalls: “It wasn't a glamourous studio with lots of posh, snobby people coming in. It was just a room in East London where we got our sound engineer to help us set up our equipment as we would when we play live and tried to capture the sound of that. The songs 'One Pure Thought', 'Out At the Pictures' and 'Hold On' were recorded in that way. A lot of the other ones were just recorded in Joe's bedroom.”

And is Joe's bedroom spacious enough to accommodate his sleeping arrangements and a multi-instrumental recording set-up? “He's got an average-sized bedroom actually,” Martin laughs. “I'm not sure how long his girlfriend's gonna put up with it. He used to have a very small bedroom that was a bit of a broom cupboard really but that was a few years ago. We've moved on since then.”

With both Made In The Dark and the single 'Ready For The Floor' hitting the UK top ten in the past month, Hot Chip certainly have moved on, continuing their mastery of the commercial/critical tightrope. Is this important to Martin and his bandmates? “The most important thing for me is that we can come to Scotland or Australia or Brazil and have a crowd of people that want to come and see us play. That's the thing that makes me happiest. It's always nice to have a nice review or be offered an award but for me it's always better to have people directly responding to the music and getting excited.”

While the band themselves may be soaking up the adulation, their employers EMI have been mired in financial crisis, culminating in 2,000 staff redundancies the week before we speak. What does Martin think of the record industry's current strife? “I think they'll have to do something, whether they just become a smaller industry that doesn't make as much money. The revenue that you make from music has changed so much, it's more focused on live music and record sales have obviously gone down. There's not as much money to be made for the record labels, but as an artist you can still make a living out of touring, but it's pretty tough for people like EMI.”

And in such rapidly changing times would Hot Chip consider following Radiohead's lead and offering a pay-what-you-choose download? “Yeah I think we would think about doing something like that but we're not particularly technically or commercially minded people so we wouldn't be able to set anything like that up ourselves. We'd need someone from outside to help us do that. We want to concentrate on making music really and not think too much about selling records.”

If touring is where the money's at, then the festival season is a lucrative time of year. Since I spoke to Martin, Hot Chip have been confirmed as one of the highlights of a stellar T in the Park line-up, which will delight those who have witnessed their hypnotic live shows, where their recordings undergo radical transformation. And Martin can promise that your frantic scrabbling for a ticket will be amply rewarded: “We definitely work really hard at it. It's really important to us because a lot of the musicians that we like and respect have also been excellent live musicians and we'd never want it to be a small part of what we do. It's always central to our musical development.”

Hot Chip play the Pet Sounds Arena at T in the Park on Sunday 13 July

The Shortwave Set – Replica sun machine

Seduced by the alethiometeresque cover, but disappointed by the frequency with which the wan, characterless vocals of Andrew Pettitt displace the considerably more elegant singing of Ulrika Bjornse.  Danger Mouse production?  Check.  Van Dyke Parks string arrangements?  Check.  Tunes?  Mostly.  ‘Glitches ‘n’ bugs’, ‘Distant daze’ and ‘No social’ stand out.

Elbow – The seldom seen kid

In the last couple of years Elbow’s records have been surreptitiously stealing their way to the centre of my listening world.  This confirms their place there with its high musicality and wry humour.  Guy Garvey’s songs are lugubrious and beautiful, even managing to reanimate the corny image of the mirrorball.

DeVotchKa – A mad and faithful telling

Romany Mexican indie with Greek or Klezmer undertones, anyone?  Not forgetting occasional forays into chamber and oompah band territories?  Singer Nick Urata looks like a roughed-up cross between Clooney and Morrissey.  One song – ‘The clockwise witness’ – is truly great, throwing off excessive stylistic colouring for an affecting shade of blue.

Carl Craig – Sessions

How long it’s been since I was lost in niteklub rhythm.  For all that Craig is a master of dancefloor dynamics, Sessions ultimately feels relentless, at home or in car.  It’s a relief when the end is near and the unpredictable rhythms of ‘Bug in the bass bin’ take hold.

Four Tet – Ringer

A river whose flow is as relentless as Sessions, but out of the current more is going on.  I wish I had more time to relax into ‘Swimmer’’s patterns; fretted less about the time Kieran Hebden takes to develop his swirls and eddies.  Moments of life that won’t come again.

Neon Neon – Stainless style

After the Rhys-Boom Bip collaboration on Blue eyed in the red room, and Gruff’s loveable Candylion, a disappointment.  In evoking the worst aspects of the eighties, it’s loud, shiny, and as attractive as the boxy lines of the De Lorean car.  But ‘I lust u’ achieves a  Depeche Mode-esque melancholy.

Colin Meloy – Colin Meloy sings live

Just occasionally in these solo performances, Colin Meloy is one note short of a melody.  Otherwise he conveys the best of the Decemberists – as well as Shirley Collins and the Smiths – with songwriter’s conviction, stand-up comedy and helpings of the ‘campfire singalong’ spirit that he declares he is aiming for.

The Last Shadow Puppets – The age of the understatement

The chief northern monkey and his best mate perform a Dukes of Stratosphearic take on Scott Walker (and indeed Brel through Scott’s distorting mirror); in their turtleneck sweaters they’re photo-fit go-getters.  The result is a noirish existential beat group and the second of many reinventions Alex Turner may yet perform.

Goldfrapp – Seventh tree

I lost interest between Black cherry and the insistently decadent electro of Supernature.  Fortunately the duo are aware of the benefits of reinvention and return; Seventh tree is closest in spirit to Felt mountain but with added folk sensibility and pop nous.  ‘Little bird’ floats and ‘Caravan girl’ drives along.

British Sea Power – Do you like rock music?

Like Open season, this is eight-tenths of the way to greatness; if I were eighteen and at my first Glastonbury, I would wave my flag to it.  But it’s as rock as the substance you’d mine were you to tunnel into Mount Blanc, and for me that remains a problem.

Paul Weller – 22 dreams

Press would have you believe that Weller has suddenly emerged from a lengthy spell in rock purgatory.  Truth is he rediscovered his touch over the two preceding sets; you could not get more pastoral than ‘Pan’ on As is now.  22 dreams expands the lightness in familiar and fresh directions.

Portishead – Third

Top bombing from Barrow, Gibbons and Utley.  The avant-garde attack of the electronics is reminiscent of New Order discovering synthesisers.  Next time Portishead can worry less about making it impossible for anyone to countenance putting them on as dinner party listening; this is music with which to greet the apocalypse.

Robert Forster – The evangelist

The healing power of song – I’m so glad RF rediscovered it.  But how could the tone be anything other than elegiac, with fragments of Grant’s last songs among Robert’s lyrical responses to his death.  As we hear those last tunes, Robert sings ‘it was melody he loved most of all’.

Norway´s duo Kings of Convenience, Eirik Glambek Bøe and Erlend Øye (he also released solo records), handed over source material from their folky "Quiet is the new loud" record to a batch of remixers that included both people they knew, as well as others suited for the task that they hadn't yet shaken hands with. The source record you can pick up at the me myself and mary jane blog, here you´ll get the reinterpreted versions by artists like Röyksopp, Four Tet, Alfie, Riton and many more. And if you might ask yourself now if electronica remixes of acoustic folk songs can be worth a try or just have to be trash, I can assure that versus is a fantastic remix compilation. This is masterful; a piece that should be viewed as a model for what remixes of folk should look like. The artists on this disc recognized the essence and soul of the music it is derived from and the experience this creates is an even more passionate rendition of the same emotions of the first album. Taking the brilliant originals, recognizing the reason they exist as their own exceptional works, and reworking them to make those points even more prominent. The group of remixers picked for the disc seem to be on the same wavelength as the duo. While they're for the most part in completely different genres usually, most of the time the feel of the original track - even if completely different elements are introduced - is kept intact. A perfect example of this is the remix of "I Don't Know What I Can Save You From" by country-mates Röyksopp. The group keeps the almost flamenco guitar bit of the track and the vocals, but they add a subtle groove and some sampled wind noises that keep the track light yet slightly on the pensive side. And after you have listened to both records you have a dilemma. Which one is better? The original "quiet is the new loud" which defined the neo-acoustic sound with their Nick Drake meets Simon and Garfunkel diamond sharp songs and managed to sound new and surprising although traveling in a well-established path (you might say this made their achievement even greater)? Or the electronic remixes? I just love both records.

Leaning against the wall.

für die einen ist die musik von four tet eine nicht enden wollende lärmbelästigung. für andere quelle zur inspiration, entspannend, oder einfach feeld good sound :)

a nice chilled affair to start off proceedings. Some of the tracks are even mixed together!

Tracklisting:

1. The Irresistible Force - Symphony in E
2. Born Ruffians - I Need a Life (four tet remix)
3. Four tet - Wing Body Wing
4. Ratatat - Black Heroes
5. Goldfrapp - Clowns
6. Sigur Ros  - All Alright
7. The Cinematic Orchestra - To Build a Home
8. Radiohead - Nude
9. Charlotte Gainsbourg - 555 (black ghosts remix)
10. Beck - Modern Guilt
11. LTJ Bukem - Horizons
12. Tom Central - The World's Famous

Orangewarrior - Robo Suite Vol. 1 Info & Tracklisting

Direct mp3 download link.

Mais um do cara, anterior ao Everything Ecstatic. Baixem que é muito BOM, PORRA!!

Download: Four Tet - Rounds 2003 parte 1 / parte 2

Clipe de She Moves She:

Tudo isso pra falar do Four Tet, projeto do inglês Kieran Hebden, geralmente classificado como IDM. Já vi o cara ao vivo, quando ele tocou aqui em 2007, e foi realmente estimulante. E lindo. Som sofisticado, ou como diria um amigo meu, "som fino". Inteligente, ok. Passeando pelos blogs da vida, achei um remix que ele fez para uma música do Caribou (projeto do americano Daniel Snaith, outro cara incrível), Melody Day, single do álbum Andorra, lançado ano passado.

Claro que o remix não tem vídeo oficial, mas achei esse que algum diretor amador fez e, apesar de bem amador mesmo (o ator é meio ruim), a idéia das camisetas foi boa... e vale ver nem que seja pela música linda de morrer.

Caribou - Melody Day (Four Tet Remix)

E aqui, o vídeo da música original, linda também.

Caribou - Melody Day

Renata Chebel

Το πολυαναμενόμενο και για πολλούς πλέον μοναδικό αξιόλογο συναυλιακό γεγονός κάθε καλολαιριού, το Synch festival, έγινε για δεύτερη συνεχόμενη χρονιά στην Τεχνόπολη στο Γκάζι και στην ευρύτερη περιοχή, το προηγούμενο Σαββατοκύριακο. Η ύπαρξη κάποιων ονομάτων στο φετινό set (Happy Mondays, Roisin Murphy κ.α.), που δεν είναι ακριβώς στην αιχμή της καλλιτεχνικής πρωτοπορείας, με γέμισαν με σκεπτικισμό, όσον αφορά κυρίως το μέλλον του festival.

Την Παρασκευή, στην μεγάλη ανοιχτή σκηνή, εμφανίστηκαν οι αγαπημένοι του παρόντος blog Yo La Tengo, με αρκετά καλή διάθεση και όρεξη να ικανοποιήσουν εαυτούς και το κοινό, πλην όμως κάτι δεν δούλεψε σωστά και το live στα μάτια μου δεν πέτυχε το σκοπό του, με συνέπεια, μετά την πρώτη ώρα, να επέλθει αρχικά, μια σχετική βαρεμάρα, που οδήγησε σε απογοήτευση καθώς με τις λίγες τζούρες που πήρα από τους Liars, και οι οποίοι μου φάνηκαν εξαιρετικοί, μάλλον μετάνιωσα που τους έχασα για χάρη των Yo La Tengo.

Τους Liars στη μικρή σκηνή, ακολούθησαν οι βασιλιάδες του synch οι Holy Fuck, αυτοί οι τέσσερεις καναδοί που μοιάζουν, αν μη τι άλλο, να απολαμβάνουν αυτό που κάνουν. Με αυτό το μίγμα ακανόνιστου funk, krautrock, electro-rock, διασκέδασαν όλο αυτό το πλήθος που προτίμησε (και δικαίως) να γυρίσει την πλάτη του, στην αρπαχτή των Happy Mondays και με τις αδυσώπητες δονήσεις τους, διανθισμένες από ελάχιστα, παραμορφωτικά και βιαστικά ρομποτικά φωνητικά τους, μας χάρισαν την καλύτερη εμφάνιση του τριημέρου.

Όσον αφορά τον The Field, κάτι το προχωρημένο της ώρας (βγήκε περίπου στις 3 τα ξημερώματα), κάτι η αφόρητη ζέστη που επικρατούσε (μου θύμισε την εμφάνιση των Φιλανδών Pansonic μερικά χρόνια πριν (2005)στο Λαύριο, σε ένα φούρνο σχεδόν –όπως μπήκα, έτσι βγήκα),αλλά βέβαια και η εξάντληση σωματικά και πνευματικά, μετά από 8 ώρες, με υποχρέωσαν σε άτακτη υποχώρηση μετά από 45 περίπου λεπτά, στα οποία πάντως με διασκέδασε αρκετά, αν και δεν πρόλαβα να ακούσω τίποτα από το κορυφαίο περυσινό του From Here We Go Sublime.

Την Κυριακή στην μεγάλη σκηνή οι Sterolab, με τα άψογα φωνητικά της Laetitia, ήταν απολαυστικοί, καλύπτοντας ένα μεγάλο μέρος της δισκογραφίας τους και τα παλιά και τα νέα τραγούδια έδεσαν αρμονικά τόσο μεταξύ τους όσο και με το κοινό από κάτω. Τα Ping Pong, French Disko, Cybele’s Reverie, πρέπει να ικανοποίησαν άπαντες, ακόμα και το μισάωρο (οργανωτικό) κενό μέχρι την

εμφάνιση της Roisin Murphy καλύφτηκε με άνεση και επαγγελματισμό από τη μπάντα,η Roisin Murphy, η οποία μου φάνηκε αρκετά συμπαθητική, αλλά έπεσε πάνω στον Kieren, ο Kieren Hebden λοιπόν με τη συνδρομή του έμπειρου ντράμερ Steve Reid και με χαρακτηριστική την μεταξύ τους άψογη συνεργασία, προϊόν, προφανώς, σκληρής δουλειάς αλλά και αμοιβαίου σεβασμού, παρουσίασαν ένα απολαυστικό σετ που νομίζω δεν άφησε κανέναν( ; ) ανικανοποίητο.

Εκφραστικός σε σχέση βέβαια με τη μουσική που παίζει , λαβαίνοντας υπ’ όψιν το γεγονός πως δεν πρόκειται ούτε για αμιγώς χορευτική μουσική, ούτε βέβαια rock, αλλά για ένα πειραματικό ηλεκτρονικό χαρμάνι που κινείται σε, μάλλον περιθωριακά, μουσικά ύφη (post-rock, avant-garde electronica, folk and free jazz), με συχνές-αν όχι αποκλειστικές- δόσεις αυτοσχεδιασμού, κυρίως από την πλευρά του ακούραστου και πάντα γελαστού Steve Reid. Μη ξεχνάμε άλλωστε, πως ο αυτοσχεδιασμός μάλλον ικανοποιεί περισσότερο τον ίδιο τον καλλιτέχνη, παρά αυτόν που τον παρακολουθεί.

Οι κατά τόπου συνεργάτες του blog -τους οποίους και ευχαριστούμε με την ευκαιρία για μερικές από τις φωτογραφίες- μίλησαν με καλά λόγια, τόσο για τους Pony Hoax, όσο και για τους Klangwart.

Και του χρόνου...

Projeto solo do inglês Kieran Hebden. Já tinha citado o cara 2 vezes aqui (na banda post-rock Fridge e nos remixes do Slag Boom Van Loon), então vai um disco dele de 2005, bastante elogiado por aí pela renovação sonora instrumental/eletrônica/experimental. E é bom mesmo.

Download: Four Tet - Everything Ecstatic 2005

E o ótimo clipe de Smile Around The Face:

This week - Telluride Bluegrass Festival and the end of the never-ending tour.

43. "Sleep, Eat Food, Have Visions" - Four Tet (June 17, 2008)

Tuesday I left Grand Junction, CO at sunrise to get to KRFC for Live at Lunch. It was a beautiful drive, though sleep-deprivation had me seeing things and making fellow drivers very angry.

The interview and performance lasted for a full hour, so I got to play all of my favorites and I had a blast talking to the host. I'll post a link as soon as I get a chance to upload the mp3 files. After playing so many shows the past several months it's really fun to have someone to talk to and to interject in between songs. Maybe the next tour I'll have an emcee... anyone up for it?

I left the station just as my cousin and her boyfriend arrived in Ft. Collins with my aunt. They just graduated from Auburn University in Alabama and they're moving here for vet school. The horse trailer was packed to the ceiling and it actually felt good to lug everything upstairs in the 90-degree heat after days of sitting in the car. Fortunately Alan Jackson made the trip:

44. "Another Country" - Tift Merritt (June 18, 2008)

Telluride exceeded all of my expectations. As soon as I arrived Wednesday afternoon I knew it was going to be a great time, though I couldn't have predicted the magical twists the next few days would take.

I picked up my passes and headed over to the Town Park camping area, which was already packed with campers. I soon discovered my tent poles were broken so I pulled a MacGyver and tied the tent to some nearby trees.

It collapsed several times throughout the weekend before I mastered my technique, but the view couldn't be beat:

45. "Two of Us" - The Beatles (June 19, 2008)

I met my fellow Troubadours Wednesday night, and then I played two sets Thursday on the Elks Park Stage downtown. The Troubadour Round went really well and afterwards I was swept off my feet by a musician... the sun was shining, the lilacs were in bloom, and I felt higher than the snowy peaks surrounding the town.

I spent the rest of the evening backstage, where I got to watch Ryan Adams and The Cardinals play a stellar set as the full moon rose and the temperature plummeted. It was the best rock and roll show I've seen all year.

46. "Most Likely You Go Your Way And I'll Go Mine" - Bob Dylan (June 20, 2008)

I rode the free gondola through the mountains Friday morning and then I went for a hike with fellow Troubadour Lara Herscovitch. She an extraordinary singer-songwriter and a new friend for life. Not only do we have similar names, but we went to the same high school and, unbelievably, parked next to each other. Out of some 12,000 people, that's pretty cool.

After we cleared our heads and talked about our respective lovesickness we came back down the mountain in time to see Paolo Nutini from front row.

I was not familiar with his songs aside from "Last Request," and I was very pleasantly surprised. The band had fantastic energy, the songwriting is tight, and I will most definitely be picking up the new album.

The highlight of Friday was Bruce Hornsby and Ricky Skaggs with Kentucky Thunder. The jam on "The Way It Is" had me laughing out loud with delight and the "Superfreak" encore was very unexpected.

47. "Time to Move On" - Tom Petty (June 21, 2008)

Saturday I began to feel the effects of three days of non-stop excitement. However I still had my main stage set left, and the momentum pushed me through the afternoon. I got to see Tift Merritt, whose newest album, Another Country, is one of my favorites of the year.

After Tift and her band finished I got to play some songs on the main stage, which had the most incredible view, as you can see above. I couldn't have asked for a nicer crowd.

I headed back over to the Elks Park stage to see Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, aka The Swell Season, before one more walk to "See Forever," the name of one of the nearby trails.

Saturday night ended with The Frames:

48. "Let It Ride" - Ryan Adams and The Cardinals (June 22, 2008)

Sunday morning I was officially spent. I literally crawled over to a group of friends when I got downtown. Flipping through the local paper while waiting for Between the Covers to open, I was touched by the police reports. Telluride seems like a nice place to live (above).

As I was about to play on KOTO-FM it began drizzling and then snowballing - soft clumps of hail dropped down and the temperature dropped before the sun came back just as quickly.

I picked up some Ryan Adams albums for the road at the Telluride Music Company and headed back up to Ft. Collins. My South Dakota plans were canceled so I'm going to be back East by the weekend! It's been a fantastic tour - thank all of you so much for being a part of it, whether online, at shows, or in spirit - and I'm really looking forward to my writer's break.

The Ultimate Road Mix So Far...

1. "Escapade" - Janet Jackson (May 6, 2008)
2. "Cars Trucks Buses" - Phish (May 7, 2008)
3. "Heart of the Country" - Paul & Linda McCartney (May 8, 2008)
4. "Why Georgia" - John Mayer (May 9, 2008)
5. "Runnin Down A Dream" - Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (May 10, 2008)
6. "Sweet Home Alabama" - Lynyrd Skynyrd (May 11, 2008)
7. "I'm So Tired" - The Beatles (May 12, 2008)
8. "Tennessee Jed" - The Grateful Dead (May 13, 2008)
9. "Why Don't We Do It In The Road?" - The Beatles (May 14, 2008)
10. "Tennessee Blues" - Steve Earle (May 15, 2008)
11. "Consolers of the Lonely" - The Raconteurs (May 16, 2008)
12. "Midwest" - Sound Tribe Sector Nine (May 17, 2008)
13. "The Big Country" - Talking Heads (May 18. 2008)
14. "Everyday Is A Winding Road" - Sheryl Crow (May 19, 2008)
15. "Omaha (1994 - Live at Elysee Montmartre) - Counting Crows (May 20, 2008)
16. "Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You" - Bob Dylan (May 21, 2008)
17. "Bandits" - Buck 65 (May 22, 2008)
18. "Is There Anybody Here That Love My Jesus" - Medeski, Martin, & Wood (May 23, 2008)
19. "Highway 61 Revisited" - Bob Dylan (May 24, 2008)
20. "Girl From the North Country" - Bob Dylan (May 25, 2008)
21. "Texas Flood" - Stevie Ray Vaughan (May 26, 2008)
22. "Hard Sun" - Eddie Vedder (May 27, 2008)
23. "Take Me To the River" - Talking Heads (May 28, 2008)
24. "Down South" - Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (May 29, 2008)
25. "Southern Man" - Neil Young (May 30, 2008)
26. "Southern Cross" - Crosby, Stills & Nash (May 31, 2008)
27. "She's Leaving Home" - The Beatles (June 1, 2008 - Sgt. Pepper anniversary!)
28. "Road to Nowhere" - Talking Heads (June 2, 2008)
29. "Road Rage Breakdown" - Blockhead (June 3, 2008)
30. "Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo" - Ennio Morricone (June 4, 2008)
31. "Going to California" - Led Zeppelin (June 5, 2008)
32. "Aeroplane" - Red Hot Chili Peppers (June 6, 2008)
33. "Coast to Coast" - Elliot Smith (June 7, 2008)
34. "Crosstown Traffic" - Jimi Hendrix (June 8, 2008)
35. "Slave to the Traffic Light" - Phish (June 9, 2008)
36. "California" - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (June 10, 2008)
37. "West Coast" - Coconut Records (June 11, 2008)
38. "Going up the Country" - Canned Heat (June 12, 2008)
39. "San Francisco Bay Blues" - Richie Havens (June 13, 2008)
40. "California" - Joni Mitchell (June 14, 2008)
41. "Cowgirl in the Sand" - Neil Young (June 15, 2008)
42. "I'm Lonely (But I Ain't That Lonely Yet)" - The White Stripes (June 16, 2008)
43. "Sleep, Eat Food, Have Visions" - Four Tet (June 17, 2008)
44. "Another Country" - Tift Merritt (June 18, 2008)
45. "Two of Us" - The Beatles (June 19, 2008)
46. "Most Likely You Go Your Way And I'll Go Mine" - Bob Dylan (June 20, 2008)
47. "Time to Move On" - Tom Petty (June 21, 2008)
48. "Let It Ride" - Ryan Adams and The Cardinals (June 22, 2008)

Astazi in metrou... am avut senzatia ca sunt intr-o clepsidra si ma scurgeam odata cu nisipul din ea, eram doar eu... eu, singur intr-o clepsidra, m-am uitat speriat la oamenii din jur... am inceput sa ascult Four Tet si prin fumul din tigara mea imaginara am lasat timpul sa treaca...

Four Tet - She Moves She.mp3 (2003 - Rounds)

My angels rock back and forth - true trip hop

Aaaand: Four Tet with my future never-to-be husband Thom York of Radiohead

Other clips worth watching: clip 1, clip 2, a truely nice one, clip 3

More about Four Tet: Official site (includes mixes and podcasts)
and Myspace

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"don't wait on a maybe"

i've tasted this before. hypnotic and disorienting. i know better.

and so we press on, together but apart... swallowing one disappoint after another, growing stronger but colder.

thick skin, take it on the chin.

we compare notes but always sleep alone.

you accept. you burn. you grow numb.

you press on... knowing one day it'll all be over, and this will all be dust.

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okkervil river - another radio song

annuals - fair

four tet - unspoken

kevin drew - broke me up

]]> http://theblockpc.wordpress.com/?p=23 Sat, 17 May 2008 22:05:32 +0000 theblockpc http://theblockpc.wordpress.com/?p=23 "new music from elizabeth shepherd, the heliocentrics, charlie dark, pilooski, the liquid crystal, flying lotus, jasmine sullivan, nneka, four tet, and jose james...check it!”"

I'm loving this song right now, all 12 minutes of it.

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Released in 2003, Rounds presents a palette of sounds designed to satisfy the experimental music lovers out there, but yet not entirely alienating the occasional listener.

Experimental music is a niche genre, and its often perceived as just noise to non-listeners. However, Four Tet has managed to package and deliver songs that, in their entirety, seem palatable to people outside of this niche circle. Combining glitchy, staccato samples with twinkly-toe melodies, this album can be viewed as an entry album for people who are starting out in this genre.

She Moves She brings to us a driving breakbeat rhythm coupled with sitar-like sounds and twinkly melodies, punctuated with glitches that play out in sync. The simple breakdown allows us a breather amidst the organised mess of sonic pleasure.

The key track, My Angel Rocks Back And Forth, features a pump-like sound as its basic rhythm. I've read that the percussion resembles that of an iron lung pump, and I couldn't describe it any better. The main melody is simple and sweet, with a child-like innocence to it. Emanating a melancholic feel, it is hard not to associate somewhat bleak images to this song. Perhaps an elderly in his/her last moments, thinking about the good old days? Or, deriving from the iron lung description, a child who has to spend the rest of his/her life in an iron lung? The latter image has stuck with me, as the title's reference of an angel rocking back and forth could very well be the iron lung's pump working tirelessly to sustain this child's fragile state. Nevertheless, this track is depressingly beautiful.

Spirit Fingers is a frantic, fast-paced number that features guitar sounds meshed together with distant bells sounding off in the background, while Unspoken is an almost-10mins long downtempo track that will definitely leave everyone feeling all relaxed after a long day at work. As Serious As Your Life adds some spice through the means of a funky sounding guitar riff, and a distorted drum rhythm section as the track progresses, while Slow Jam closes the album in an uplifting, feel-good fashion, with a rubber duckie sample to boot!

While I believe that everyone perceives songs differently, I honestly believe this album can provide listeners with the power of introspection through its music. Take a step back. Have some time to yourself, put those earphones on, and confront those doubts, those what-ifs, that you've pushed way back into your mind.

Stumbled upon this morbidly beautiful video on YouTube, set to the enchanting melodies of Four Tet's My Angel Rocks Back And Forth. We remain puzzled as to what the video exactly means, but we interpret it as the journey after one's death, in a dark, fantasy-like manner.

PS: We'll be doing a review soon on the amazing album, Rounds, that contains My Angel Rocks Back And Forth. Look out for it soon!

Four Tet is actually one man - Kieran Hebden. He's originally from London and has been making music under the name Four Tet since 1998. I first heard of them when previously mentioned friend Rick came out from Idaho a few years ago to help us with some copywriting.

I find his music really enjoyable and great with headphones, fresh air and closed eyes. Hebden truly creates a dynamic soundscape, and this new EP, which actually clocks in at around 22 minutes, is very Eno-esque in its ambient nature.

If you've got a 20 minute (or less) commute to work, this should put you in the right frame of mind (or get you back into it after work, for that matter).

More proof that music can be beautiful.

To coincide with the US release of his rather good Ringer EP (expect a review soon), Four Tet's label, Domino Records, has released a DJ mix by the man himself. Check it out!

Tracklisting

1. Four Tet - Ringer
2. Liquid Liquid - Bell Head (Harvey edit)
3. Avus - Tear
4. Burial - Raver
5. Sam Clarence - Sextant daktari
6. Wookie - Manchu 2
7. Autechre - Play neu!
8. Matt John - Olga dancekowski
9. Kraftwerk - Ruckzuck
10. Plastikman - Helikopter
11. Siobhan Donaghy - Carl Craig remix
12: The Field - Action

Download it!

Mindi Abair - Stars
Clay Aiken - On My Way Here
Barenaked Ladies - Snack Time
Cheap Time - Cheap Time
Elvis Costello and the Imposters - Momofuku
Craig David - Trust Me
Gavin DeGraw - Gavin DeGraw
Firewater - The Golden Hour
Tim Fite - Fair Ain't Fair
Four Tet - Ringer
Nik Freitas - Sun Down
From First to Last - From First to Last
Rob Gee - Says
Greeley Estates - Go West Young Man, Let the Evil Go East
The Long Blondes - Couples
Johnny Mathis - A Night to Remember
Matmos - Supreme Balloon
Millencolin - Machine 15
The Morning Benders - Talking Through Tin Cans
Kenny Neal - Let Life Flow
No Age - Nouns
Kelli O'Hara - Wonder in the World
Russian Circles - Station
Chris Sligh - Running Back to You
Socratic - Spread the Rumors

a horrible measure for making decisions

four tet - and they all look broken hearted

Four Tet just released his new Ringer EP today and last week he gave the Fader this exclusive 30 minute mix, which features his latest single "Ringer" along with 11 other tracks from artists like The Field and Autechre. This is definitely recommended listening if you're in to spaced out techno and dubstep and the new Four Tet EP is pretty awesome too, so go pick that up while you're at it. What's with all these great EPs coming out this spring? Spoon, Animal Collective, Surkin, Four Tet...I don't know if this constitutes a trend, but I'll take great music in whatever form it comes in.

Four Tet - Exclusive Fader Mix

No Age - Nouns (Sub-Pop)
7L & Esoteric - Esoteric Vs. Japan: Pterodactyl Takes Tokyo (Fly Casual)
Animal Collective - Water Curses EP (Paradise)
Armin van Buuren - Imagine (Ultra)
Atlas Sound - Let The Blind Lead Those Who Cannot Feel (Limited Edition 2 CD Import)
Elvis Costello - Momofuku (Lost Highway)
Firewater - The Golden Hour (Bloodshot)
Four Tet - Ringer (Domino)
The Last Shadow Puppets - The Age of the Understatement (Domino)
The Long Blondes - Couples (Rough Trade)
Lykke Li - Little Bit EP (Control Group)
The Morning Benders - Talking Through Tin Cans (High Wire)
The Parlor Mob - And You Were A Crow (Roadrunner)
Pattern Is Movement - All Together (ADA)
Ron Browz - The Wonder Years (Trust Family)
Russian Circles - Station (Suicide Squeeze)