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Looking like a signed up member of Prince and the Revolution, Baba Stiltz is the most unlikely of propositions. When not producing urbane, electronic dance music, the 30-year old Filipino-American-Swedish artist is putting out LPs of introspective, smalltown Americana. The album in question is Paid Testimony – its third track ‘Wild Ride’ recounts a drunken night, while waiting for a call from Solano County. Thanks for the recommendation WK. Have a great week.
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Good morning. With their mix of shoegaze and pop choruses, The Boo Radleys were very much part of the Britpop wave of bands that dominated the charts in the mid 1990s. The Merseyside band disbanded with that decade, but then reformed 20 years later to mark an anniversary in their journey. That reunion has already spawned two new long players, including last year’s Eight. The album features the breezy and nostalgic ‘Now That’s What I Call Obscene’. Have a great week.
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The experimental, multi-instrumental Taja Cheek was born and bred in Brooklyn. Under the moniker of L’Rain, she released her sophomore album in 2021. The eclectic Fatigue features ‘Two Face’, a cosmic number about a failed relationship.
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I had not realised that The Polyphonic Spree were still doing their thing when they released an album last year. In truth, their eighth studio album Salvage Enterprise comprises the troupe’s first new material for a decade. On the pared down ‘Section 46 (Give Me Everything)’, singer-songwriter Tim DeLaughter bares his soul. Have a great week.
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The band may have changed, but The Drums’ founding member Jonathan Pierce is still ploughing his furrow of jangly surf pop. Its sentiment is less breezy than the sublime ‘Let’s Go Surfing‘, but the overtones of The Cure are still there. The song ‘I Want It All’ is the first single and opening track off last year’s album Jonny. Have a great week.
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Another recent and classic tune from the Keinemusik stable. The label hit its stride in 2023 with this and the Moderat remix. &Me is the Berlin-based DJ-producer André Boadu. Blackcoffee is the South African DJ-producer Nathi Maphumulo. Together, the duo created ‘The Rapture Pt. III’. Enjoy.
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‘Dive’ features on Olivia Dean’s debut LP Messy. There is a touch of Carole King in the singer-songwriter’s delivery. Lovely.
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I have featured a lot of contemporary work recently, albeit some of it very nostalgic. This track takes the biscuit in that regard. After five long, quiet years, Aphex Twin released a new EP last year – Blackbox Life Recorder 21f / in a room7 F760. Thank you Warp Records for some new, classic Richard D. James. Apparently, ‘Blackbox Life Recorder 21f’ refers to a bingo call method. Have a great weekend.
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Before establishing herself as a solo artist, Karly-Marina Loaiza (aka Kali Uchis) had become a familiar voice alongside the likes of Tyler the Creator, Miguel, Daniel Caesar and Snoop Dogg. Today she’s already planning her fourth solo studio LP, and this single appeared on her last (2023’s Red Moon In Venus). ‘I Wish You Roses’ is a much more heartfelt R&B number than the spacey ‘After the Storm‘ previously featured here.
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London-based indie band Spector released their fourth LP Here Come the Early Nights before Christmas. It features the rousing album-closer ‘All Of The World Is Changing’, which brings to mind one particular stadium-filling outfit from Las Vegas whose name we won’t mention, of course. It’s fun.
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Good afternoon folks. Brace yourselves. ‘King Of The Slugs’ is the debut single from Fat Dog, a London band doing well on the live circuit. It’s astonishing stuff and the sound reminds me of that unholy alliance between the dancefloor and the eclectic miscellaneous (e.g. The Residents, The Woodentops, Trashing Doves) that formed Balearic Beats and the early Amnesia sound. The single is bonkers, over seven minutes long and all accompanied by frontman Joe Love’s wailing vocals. Have a great week.
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Supergrass is one of those bands that I really miss. It’s not just the music, but something bigger. Until they split in 2010, they continued to represent an era, a vibe, an excitement. So, this time last year, it was great to see frontman complete 10 years as a solo artist with his fourth solo album. Alongside 2018’s World’s Strongest Man and 2015’s Matador, the latest LP Turn The Car Around completes a trilogy. It features the heartfelt single ‘Don’t Say It’s Over’; indeed.
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For those still partying… this year, the ever-busy Shanti Celeste hooked up with Bristol-based DJ–producer Hodge to record their EP Bounce on Celeste’s Peach Discs label. The Rave mix of ‘Whispers’ lays down hi-BPM drums and some Korg M1 organ to create a party sound: “Tell me something nice”. Happy New Year!
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A tune for dancing in the New Year. The Berlin trio Gernot Bronsert, Sascha Ring and Sebastian Szary are Moderat. This year, the Keinemusik team Rampa &ME remixed their single ‘More Love’ to create one of the best house tracks of the last few years. Enjoy and have a great and happy New Year.
It’s New Year’s Eve and I’ve carved out some time this afternoon to review the sounds of my year. The following nine songs are my favourites and are in no particular order…
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Honourable mentions also go to: The Arcs for ‘Sunshine‘; Amber Arcades for ‘Odd To Even‘; Rahill and Beck for ‘Fables‘; waterbaby for ‘Airforce blue‘; Wednesday for ‘Formula One‘; Lana Del Rey for A&W; The National for ‘New Order T-Shirt‘; Daughter for ‘Be On Your Way‘; Yaeji for ‘For Granted‘; Spector for ‘All Of The World Is Changing‘; Ratboys for ‘Black Earth, Wi‘; Blur for ‘The Narcissist‘; Jungle for ‘Back On 74‘; The Murder Capital for ‘Return My Head‘; and Olivia Rodrigo for ‘vampire‘.
Samuelsounds 