Ode To The Big Sea

 

Nouvelle Vague

Nouvelle Vague are a great band to put on for summer chilling. They do acoustic cover versions of classic 80's pop songs with a bossa nova vibe.

They've released two albums: The self titled 'Nouvelle Vague' (2004) and 'Bande à Part' (2006).

Their version of Joy Division's 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' is probably one of their best...

Filed under  //   indie  

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The Last Shadow Puppets - The Age Of The Understatement

The Last Shadow Puppets are a newly formed band and side project by Arctic Monkey's lead singer, Alex Turner. "The Age Of The Understatement" is their debut album released earlier this year.

Alex takes on vocal duties, as you'd expect, and he's rounded up a couple of mates to help him out, oh and the 22-piece London Metropolitan Orchestra for good measure.

The Last Shadow Puppets' sound is definitely unique - the energy of the Arctic Monkey's combined with a a full ocrchestral accompaniment works absolutely brilliantly.

Here are a couple of youtube vids, the tracks are only a couple of mins long so i've posted two.

The next single to be released off the album is called "Standing Next To Me"...

But don't be tricked, this album has all kinds of different sounds. Here's "The time has come again" which is probably my favourite...

Filed under  //   indie  

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Bullion - Pet Sounds: In The Key of Dee

What do you get get when you use J Dilla as an inspiration for a hip hop version of The Beach Boys classic album 'Pet Sounds'... well all I can say is that Bullion has treated us to a hip hop masterpiece.

Here is "I Just Wasn't Made For These Times" by the Beach Boys...

Here is Bullion's version ;-)

Filed under  //   hip hop  

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J.Rawls and Middle Child 'Rawls and Middle'

'Rawls and Middle' is a soulful and smooth mixture of hip hop and soul.

Released earlier this month, it's one you don't want to miss.

J.Rawl has produced for Talib Kweli and Mos Def which tells you everything you need to know about the production of this album.

With Middle Child adding fantastic vocals it really is quality.

Here's a track called 'Useless'...

Filed under  //   hip hop   neo-soul  

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M83 - 'Saturdays = Youth'

If you like the 80's synth pop sound you'll like M83.

"Saturdays = Youth" was released just last month but you could easily believe it was released over 20 years ago.

The album ranges from upbeat indie rock to chillout, with everything in between.

The track that really got me hooked (and I still can't get enough of it) is 'Graveyard Girl'. It's accompanied by an excellent '80's feel' video as well...

Filed under  //   indie  

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Camera Obscura - Let's Get Out of This Country

Camera Obscura are a Scottish indie band. Their sound is a mixture of folk and pop, yet many of their tracks feature full strings, organs, trumpets and pianos.

'Let's Get Out of This Country' was released in 2006 and it still sounds fresh and is great to listen to.

This is the opening track on the album 'Lloyd I'm Ready To Be Heartbroken'...

Filed under  //   indie  

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Deja-Move - Remember The Past

I discovered Deja-Move via a recommendation on eMusic. I downloaded his album 'Remember The Past' and I've really enjoyed it.

It's chilled, soulful and downbeat. Perfect for summer easy listening when you just want to put on something to relax to.

Searching around on the 'net I haven't been able to find out much about Deja-Move, all the press reviews on his website are in German!

I couldn't even find a youtube video of any of his tracks from 'Remember The Past' so I actually made this movie and uploaded it myself!

This track is called 'Warmin'. I hope he doesn't mind I posted it!

Filed under  //   neo-soul  

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Dimlite - This Is Embracing

Dimlite (aka Dimitri Grimm) is a solo artist from Switzerland. He makes electronic beats that cross numerous genres and draw on many influences.

"This is Embracing" is largely chilled, instrumental, with heavy sampling and is loosely soulful.

This track is called "The Way the Blood Travels"...

Filed under  //   chillout   electronic  

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People Under The Stairs - Or Stay Tuned

People Under The Stairs (or PUTS) are a hip-hop duo from Los Angeles, California. They are one of the most prominent acts in the underground hip-hop scene, often compared to the likes of Tribe Called Quest and Pharcyde.

"Or Stay Tuned" was released back in 2003 and it stands the test of time.

According to their website they will be releasing their 6th Official LP sometime mid September 2008.

Filed under  //   hip hop  

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4 Hero - Play With The Changes

For me "Play with the Changes" was one of the standout albums released last year.

4 Hero's distinct sound is all about broken beats with soulful music.

Marc Mac (aka 4 Hero) has released a number of solo project albums that are studio based with heavy samples but under his 4 Hero guise it's all about the live sound and he's collaborated on almost every track.

The album features a version of 'Superwoman' by Stevie Wonder which is absolutely brilliant.

This video is for Morning Child, one of the standout tracks...

Filed under  //   broken beat  

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