I am currently listening to some great albums and 2008 for me is shaping up to be one of the best years ever (not that music is posistively correlated to how good my years are or anything!!). I will make sure I repeat a post soon from last year (Top 15 Albums of 2007) and do the top 15 albums of the current year which I think is going to be a very hard thing to do.
Jackson Jackson – Tools for Survival
As I do not listen to as much Triple J as I should, this amazing Australian band Jackson Jackson has kept off my radar until recently when I purchased their sophomore album Tools for Survival. After hearing their single “All Alone” on triple J I immediately went on a myspace frenzy trying to find out who exactly these electro dudes were. After reading they were a production duo from Australia who tour with a live band including a choir I was immediately exited with the probability of seeing them live in the near future.
On first listen of their album I realised that “All Alone” gave a very misleading indication of their overall sound and the track which I originally thought would stand out over anything else was soon dwarfed in comparison to some of the other brilliant compositions on the album. Mixing folky vocals and guitars with soft rock chords and electronic beats Jackson Jackson has managed to create one of the most original yet intriguing albums I have ever heard.
Although I think everyone is going to go for “All Alone” I don’t think everyone will go for the whole album but those who do; like myself will find it hard to listen to anything else for awhile. Atlantis would have to be my favourite track, the music takes you on the exact journey the lyrics describe – a journey to dystopia “I am going to a place where the mosquitoes inject you with LSD and make you feel better”.
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Jackson Jackson – All Alone
Jackson Jackson – Atlantis
Jackson Jackson – Tool For Survival
Fujiya and Miyagi
I was late to pick up Fujiya and Miyagi’s last album so it was a nice surprise when their new one was recently released. Mixing repetitive quirky lyrics with a mellow electronic kraut rock feel they have managed to produce in my opinion an ever better album.
This is one band which I would really love to see live as their sound is very original and I do not usually get the opportunity to see a band reproduce something like it. They are said to be coming to Australia in March so hopefully they are a cool additional to the Future Music Festival.
Anyway for now I will leave you with some of my favourites!!
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Fujiya and Miyagi – Knickerbocker
Fujiya and Miyagi – Pickpocket
Fujiya and Miyagi – Pussyfooting
AutoKratz
Kitsune’s AutoKratz are one of the only recent groups who have been able to grab my attention producing 2007’s electro sound. Their album “Down and Out in Paris and London” stands out in a stale scene with its tight productions which thump with melody. First track ‘Reaktor’ gives the listener some warning that there may not be much easy listening with teeth grinding distorted synths over and over. The album from then takes a turn and starts to progress into some more defined melodies with sampled vocals and the first taste of something more pretty comes with ’1000 Things’ dreamy chorus three quarters of the way through which is cut short with screaming synths and effects. ‘Stay the Same’ is definitely the stand out track on the album which mixes the toughness and niceness perfectly creating a track which can fill both dance floors and your head.
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AutoKratz – Reaktor
Mission Control
I got one of those unexpected surprises when I purchased Mission Control’s EP the other day. You know those surprises that are like “fuck yeah I did not expect it to be this good”. Well I guess I was not expecting much but was very happy to hear another wicked Australia group making very impressive tunes. I soon realised that I will be seeing them a couple of times in the very near future as they support Bloc Party and play the Nevereverland festival.
Their sound is a little hard to define but that is a very good thing – they could even possibly slip into the Electro-Disco-Rock category but I do not think that really exists? Anyway I will not try to categorise them or describe their tunes by talking about synthesisers like I always seem to do. I will just say that these guys sound like they will fucking rock live, so I am looking forward to rocking I guess.
A Disco Experiment.
Anyway as you might have all noticed Disco seems to be the new electro and over the last year there have been some great productions getting the attention of the masses mainly stringing from DFA and James Murphy’s ability to push what he likes onto the mainstream. Although I think if I was going to have a dirty club night I would much rather listen to some gruesome Soulwax synthesisers belting out distorted vomit then octave bass and horns taking you on a pleasant ride. However the sounds are still very exciting and with popularity comes innovation and we are starting to see the best producers come up with some very wicked tracks, for example.
Morgan Geist
It seems as if New York has a throbbing little disco scene but I would not really know. I am just going off DFA and Beats in Space and to tell you the truth I really do not know enough about this shit to be going on about it I am just a little LCD Soundsystem fan boy. But anyway Morgan Geist album is very cool, minimalist disco (now I am just making up genres) at its finest. Anyway have a listen to a few of my favourites:
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Morgan Geist – Detroit
Lindstrøm
Ok well Lindstrøm’s album “Where You Go I Go Too” has to be one of the coolest things I have ever heard. Three tracks and one remix with the first track going for 29 mins! And what a track it is!!! You see with half an hour to produce a track you can really make the most of building things up and for the patient listener these are some of the best tracks you will ever hear. I think I might just post that track up so I recommend you get it as it is half his album.
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Lindstrøm – Where You Go I Go To
That reminds me that some of my older posts have been deleted recently and I have been getting these scary emails so I think I may be doing something wrong like breaking the copyright laws or something but it is all for you people all for you!!!
Toby Tobias
I think I might be over talking about this nu-disco fad already; it is just too hard when I can’t describe synths. Anyway this track is very cool and has a real older feel about it.
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Toby Tobias – The Feeling
Disclaimer:
Please note you must do your study before you try to jump on the disco band wagon as a DJ and play it out. Remember before you drop “Staying Alive” or some other garbage that fits within your 120 bpm set think of what James Murphy would do. And if you do not know who James Murphy is then go ahead – play it.
I feel like after over a year of doing this blog it should start to take another direction. I am not sure if anyone even still reads it with my long hiatus’ but I am forever grateful if you do. I would ask for ideas however that would defeat the purpose of it being my blog. If you would like to join me and give your own opinion on shit then that would be just fine.
Buy the tracks from Itunes
Thanks
Jimps
