Saturday, December 16, 2006

Some (non-Christmas) music for Christmas time

Post Industrial Boys - Post Industrial Trauma


From the most unprobable place (Tbilissi in Georgia) comes my soundtrack for this Christmas. Elegant, delicate and sober electronic-pop songs that seem to hide more than they actually show, with a nostalgic and decadent feeling that makes them timeless. Just perfect for the season.


Koop - Koop Islands


Five years after their suberb last album "Waltz For...", Koop make the impossible which is to release another album almost as good. This time they go even further back in time, to the 1930's, in 10 luminous songs full of swing that make us travel to a warm place somewhere else.


East - 13 Tzameti


Side project of french duo Troublemakers, East finally make what their cinematographic music has always suggested: a soundtrack, using jazzy-funk-electronic sounds to design musical landscapes, full of narrative suggestions and dramatic atmospheres, constructing once again elegant aural poems.


Kieran Hebden + Steve Reid - The Exchange Sessions Vol. 1 and Vol 2



After collaborating in last year's "Spirit Walk" by the Steve Reid Ensemble, they once again work together to give new paths to jazz. In this demanding but compensating music, Kieran Hebden provides the electronic textures and Steve Reid adds the wisdom of his large experience accumulated as a jazz drummer. Together, they can't hide their main goal, which is to reach the cosmos.


J Dilla - Donuts


J. Dilla, also known as Jay Dee, was one of the most creative producers in hip-hop, one that knew the word "groove" intimately and seemed to turn the act of sampling into art. Having passed way in February this year, he leaves us with a legacy that never stops reminding us of his brilliance. Just try hearing Donuts, a collection of instrumentals, and not be taken aback by it.


The DFA Remixes Chapter One and Chapter Two



Still New York's most fashionable producers and remixers, everybody wants to collaborate with them and these two collections of remixes show us why. Projects such as Gorillaz, Goldfrapp, Tiga, The Chemical Brothers or Nine Inch Nails see their music turn into disco-punk-funk infective epics and we all dance along like there's no tomorrow.


Gossip - Standing In The Way Of Control


Ten simple and raw punk-garage-rock tracks with the distinctive element of singer Beth Ditto's powerful voice, so full of soul, adding that extra thing that puts The Gossip over your average indie band.


Gwen Stefani - The Sweet Escape


Mixing anthagonic elements and putting oddity into the mainstream, Gwen Stefani knows how to take risks and use the most doubtful things to make sure-fire hits of addictive proportions. Most of the times succeeding, some (few) times not, one thing is for certain: this girl has so much potential.


Sam The Kid - Pratica(mente)


Portuguese hip-hop finally reaches its maturity, with an MC that is also one of the country's best producers and writers. 17 addictive songs with intelligent lyrics, surprising samples, interesting narratives and a rare intuition to use other's influences, building his own inventive language.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Gwen Stefani rules! ;)

JP

PR said...

Yep, and i'm liking the album much more now. Yummy! :)