#85 – Oh Land

Oh Land, the name Nanna Øland Fabricius performs under, is a real treat. She reminds me quite a lot of compatriots The Asteroids Galaxy Tour, although she is less influenced by the seventies (not hard, really). ‘Wolf & I’ is moody, swirling and for some reason it reminds me a Lauryn Hill song I liked when I was about 8. Not sure why! It has also got some proper bass on it. If you’ve got good headphones/speakers it’s great fun.

Oh Land – Wolf & I [Buy]

While ‘Wolf & I’ is very enjoyable, there’s something about this next song that makes it stand out.

#84 – Dan… Dan……. DAN!

I don’t know what it was that made me think of this the other day, but I suddenly had that image from series 2 of I’m Alan Partridge where he’s playing the air bass to Gary Numan’s ‘Music For Chameleons’ as the tax people come round. (Watch it here. I’m not doing it any justice!) Anyway, it’s a great song. So then I thought, what other songs does Mr Partridge like? He is, after all, a DJ. Here are some of his favourites. How do I know this? A careful mix of enjoying the show, Wikipedia and having too much time on my hands.

Gary Numan – Music For Chameleons [Buy]

Electric Light Orchestra – Showdown [Buy]

Music For Horses no. 20

The Antlers // Amanda Mair

Good morning. Welcome back to the playlist that just keeps on giving chilled songs! This installment starts with The Antlers and a song off their brand new album, Burst Apart. It’s got something of old Phantom Planet about it (yes, they did more than just that one song), not to mention the obvious Radiohead nod. It’s moody, atmospheric and fantastically performed. The emotion in singer Peter Silberman’s voice is startling, yet the song never overloads you. This really is a cracking good ‘un. And if you like it then you can listen to some other Antlers stuff we’ve posted before.

The Antlers – Every Night My Teeth Are Falling Out [Buy]

Next is a new artist from Sweden called Amanda Mair. She is all of sixteen years old, not that you’d know it.

#83 – Weekly Roundup

Another week gone. And it’s been a pretty big one too. I quit my job on Friday  and I’m off halfway around the world today. So as my final roundup for a while I’m putting up some good songs! First up is hot off the press by the people behind HEARTSREVOLUTION. I remember the first ever Kitsuné compilation I got was number 6, which, for the record, is a bloody good one! They had a song it back then called ‘Ultraviolence’, which I really enjoyed. So imagine my happy face when this was sent along. It’s a fascinating song with a jarring melodic loop in the background that sets off Leyla Safai’s vocals wonderfully. The whole thing is melodic and very re-listenable. You’ll want to play it back-to-back a couple of times before you’re satisfied you’ve got all you can from your first listen(s).

HEARTSREVOLUTION – I.D. [Buy]

Now for a producer called Bibio. This song is another electronic one, yet it’s a funky as anything from the 70’s. And it’s got an 80’s flute synth in the background. It’s a bit of an odd medley, but it’s very good fun. Bibio is James Wilkinson and he’s been making music for way over 10 years now. This is the only song I know by him, but I’ll soon change that. Enjoy ‘K Is For Kelson’.

Bibio – K Is For Kelson [Buy]

Beirut are one of those bands that I go back to again and again.

#82 – Lewis Floyd Henry

Hello all. Here’s a note about a guy called Lewis Floyd Henry and the fact that he’s playing a gig for some friends of mine soon. If you’ve not heard of him, Mr Henry is a busker who’s been creating quite the stir with his one-man-band setup and his Hendrix-esque voice. Not to mention the fact that the songs he makes a bloody good! His album, One Man & His 30w Pram, came out in February and he’s been ‘touring’ is since then. Which is to say, he’s been finding a spot in a UK city and playing.

It’s not pretentious music, it’s not madly complicated music, but it is bloody good fun. It deserves to be listened to loud with a drink in hand. Which is where my friends over at the After Church Club come in.

#81 – Clock Opera

Clock Opera are from London. They make what can only really be described as pop music. It is not the kind of pop you’re likely to hear on Capital FM, Radio 1 and the legions of other popular stations. This is a band who are making music that deserves to be listened to by people who are into house-y stuff, ballads, electro, indie… The list goes on. Having recently signed to Moshi Moshi they’ve released the song ‘Belongings’, which is a slow build to an ending that, frankly, you wished didn’t end.

Clock Opera – Belongings [Buy]

In contrast to this we’ve got the Clock Opera remix of one of my favourite songs of the year, Architecture In Helsinki’s ‘Contact High’. It starts off all Four Tet and then drops in to something delightfully techy. The chorus, so strong on the original, is wonderfully reconstructed here and it turns a song that is quite staccato and jerky into a smooth dancing jam.

Architecture In Helsinki – Contact High (Clock Opera Remix) [Buy]

Now on to another remix by Clock Opera, this time of Au Revoir Simone.

#80 – Weekly Roundup

Another week’s gone. Sadly, so has another weekend. So let’s bury our heads in the sand at the prospect of another week of work and listen to some music. Here’s what I’ve been listening to over the last seven days…

To start things off, here’s a new song from Animal Farm. It’s got a great chilled, old school jazzy vibe and a cool bassline. It’s pretty conscientious lyrically (well, it’s not rapping about guns and dolla) and the chorus is fly. Oh, it also features Talib Kweli.

Animal Farm – Test Of Time Feat. Talib Kweli [Myspace]

From some old-sounding hip-hop to some very contemporary stuff, here’s the lead single off Theophilus London’s debut album Timez Are Weird These Days that’s due to drop on July 19th. It’s a great blend of electronic, indie/rock and rap that’s probably got a legacy in the original mash-up album from Linkin Park and Jay Z. Which, for the record, I liked when it came out. I was about 12/13 though, so I make no apologies for that. Mr London is the master of networking and talking himself up and in that respect this is the perfect single to take us to his album; he introduces himself (once or twice) and isn’t afraid to blow his own trumpet. With any luck the LP will live up to his hype. In the mean time, listen to this and let us know what you think of it. If you like it you can retweet it here and get it for nothing.

Theophilus London – Last Name London

Now to move a long way away from rap. The below track is by The Coppertone, which is the name under which Amanda Zelina records.

#79 – Vice Issue Launch Parties

Look at this video…

If I wasn’t going to India for a month and a half I would be on this like a rash. However, I am going away. You, though, might not be. In which case you should definitely get down to one of these parties. As is the Vice way, they will have good music, booze and lots of pretty people. There’s more information on the three dates

#78 – Remix Roundup

I did one of these a couple of weeks ago and it seemed to go down fairly well. So here are another four remixes that have been getting some plays this week. Some of them are spanking new, others aren’t so new. Either way, they’re worth listening to.

This first one is a bit of Nicki Minaj. She is great, no two ways about it. Her flow is awesome and her lyrics leave little to the imagination. Her delivery reminds me of old school Lil’ Kim. At times innocent and at time dripping with innuendo. Back to what I said earlier… She’s great. This song is a remix of her sample/cover of The Big Pink’s Dominoes. The original is a poppy electronic/rap song which is better than your average stuff in the charts and this remix turns it into some really heavy electro. It’s been slowed down to a dub tempo and the bass on it is huge. If I was out I would enjoy hearing this!

Nicki Minaj – Dominoes (Distance Remix) [Buy]

The next song has gone all Balearic on us. That’s a fun word. Balearic. Anyway, the original features on Holy Ghost!’s spanking new album that garnered some pretty awesome reviews. The original is DFA through and through, with a little bit of Cut Copy’s brand of gaylectro thrown in there. The remix is lounged out and extended. It makes you want to be on a beach in Croatia or something, chilling out and watching the bikini-clad girls wander by. Or if you are a bikini-clad girl, then watch whatever it is that you watch. Either way, this is an enjoyable 5:23 of music.

Holy Ghost! – Wait & See (CFCF Remix) [Buy]

New Zealand’s The Naked And Famous are a band

#77 – Super Mom Launch Party

So you might have heard about The Very Best putting out a new mixtape to celebrate mums. Or moms. Anyway, they did and it’s pretty good. At heart it’s still a mixtape, so there are hits and there are misses, but on the whole it is good. And there are a couple of reyt good ‘uns on it. To celebrate the release they’re putting on a party in London tomorrow night. Oh yeah, and it’s free. And if you’re one of the first 40 people to turn up you’ll get a free T-shirt. The only catch is that the whole thing kicks off at 8 so to get the free stuff you’ll pretty much have to take the afternoon off work. Anyway, we’ve got the details and some music after the drop…