A.O.K

Some more Aoki goodness coming your way right now so heads up. Found this gear on bitbeats and loved it

It kicks in at around 4:30; don't bother with anything before that.

Also some new tracks:

Steve Aoki - 1967 Poem

AutoErotique - Gladiator (Steve Aoki & DJ AM Remix)

Later,

Footpath

Recently I was reminded of the weird situations that modern technology can get us in; A friend told me about the time I broke up with my last girlfriend, and how she had heard the entire conversation due to an unfortunate situation involving my mobile phone and an open MSN voice convo.

It went a little something like this.

I had been talking to a couple of friends using the built-in laptop microphones we all have over MSN, trying to psych myself up to commit this heinous act of heart-breaking, and when I made the actual phone call to my now-ex on my mobile, I forgot to close this voice conversation I was having. So my friend heard the entirety of my side of the conversation, in a weird kind of internet-eavesdropping incident. This was only revealed to me today infact, well over 4 months since the actual day it happened. Apparently she had told all our friends about this, and they hadn't seen the need to tell me. I saw the hilarious side of what happened, mainly due (I assume) to a subconscious desire to spite my ex, but it just goes to show what can happen hey?

Anyway. Onto today's dose of music. It's another 90's post punk guitar driven collective, Pavement. In seven years between 1992 and 1999, they released five albums, and although they enjoyed only moderate commercial success, they achieved a considerable cult following and became one of the most influential and recognised lo-fi bands of the 90's. Their two most hallowed records were Slanted and Enchanted, and Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain, placed at #5 and #8 respectively on Pitchfork Media's 100 Best Albums of the 1990's, and given various 5 star and 10/10

Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain is probably their most accessible work, and as I'm mostly concerned with introducing you guys to listen to stuff you probably wouldn't consider otherwise, it's a good starting point. The album features highly melodic guitar and bass tracks, heaving and fuzzy beneath the somewhat shaky and frenetic drumming of Gary Young and Steve West. The vocals of Steve Malkmus, often nonsensical and sung shakily and off-key, transform on tracks like Unfair. Standout tracks are Silence Kid, Gold Soundz and Cut Your Hair, but the album is fairly consistently driven by the interaction between the thumping bass of Ibold and Malkmus' inventive guitar melodies, somewhat left-of-centre.

Newark Wilder shows off the band's slower, softer style, harmonics and rhythm guitar floating between very Doors-ish guitar licks acting as gaps between the verses.

The very next track, Unfair picks up the tempo a little bit, leading into Gold Soundz, in my opinion the best track lifted from this record. The wistful, adolescent lyrics weave through the shimmering, playful guitars to create something purely melodic, the only equivalent to which i can relate it being The Sound of Settling by Death Cab For Cutie in its melodic tone.

Enough wankish terminology from me, check out this album, and get into their other releases if you dig it.

Later,

ROMBORAMA

Well, it was supposed to be released on the 21st, but I guess as happens to everyone in this digital age we live in, it leaked.

The Bloody Beetroots' debut studio album, Romborama is chock full of thick, heavy beats, huge synths and some pretty ingenious vocal tracks.
The main track to drop off this LP has been Warp 1.9 (feat. Steve Aoki), famous for THAT 'woop woop' vocal sample, but watch out for Awesome (feat. The Cool Kids) and It's Better A DJ On Two Turntables.

I don't feel myself quite so qualified to harp on about electronic music as say, mid 90's post-punk, so I won't waste your time trying to describe it. Let your ears decide.

I will, however, say this: It fucking bangs.

Listen at Bitbeats.

Later,