Well howdy-do, my musically-inquisitive chums; provided you haven’t been too distracted by either the unacceptably freezing weather here in the UK or the absolute awesomeness that has been ITV2’s The Big Reunion (or Abz-From-5ive On TV Forever Please, as it should rightfully be called), March has been very kind to us with regards to all kinds of lovely music being thrown our way. So voluminous has the deluge of releases been that I’ve already sailed past the 100+ mark with regards to the sheer amount of albums, EPs and mixtapes that have been lobbed online for our audio-appreciative delectation. So, enough of my prose-based waffle, let my own shoddy sonic complement to the past month guide you through what I felt were the particular highlights.
As ever, courtesy of Mixcloud and Spotify, may I present:
01) Get Free (Blood Diamonds Remix) // Major Lazer featuring Amber Coffman >> Thomas “Diplo” Pentz’s dancehall side-project releases its second album Free The Universe in April, so to stoke the fire online, they’ve released a mini-trilogy of EP-shaped mixtapes. Best track of the bunch so far is this fabulously pretty re-work of 2012 single Get Free courtesy of Canadian producer Blood Diamonds.
02) Guard // Data Romance >> Yet more prettily-electro dancework from Canada, this time courtesy of a boy-girl duo who do well to incorporate shades of IDM and trip-hop into their swoonsome-yet-propulsive grooves. At their best moments (such as here), they could be the successors to Lamb; yes, their debut album Other is very often that beautiful.
03) Ego Free Sex Free // Autre Ne Veut >> Arthur Ashin’s sophomore album Anxiety has been heralded by many a blogger this year as a forward-thinking mash-up of choppy beats, electro flourishes and melisma-tastic R&B slow-jams; and not only would they be right, but this track in particular happens to use the best choral sample since Dan Black‘s Symphonies.
04) Butterfly // Bilal featuring Robert Glasper >> Though Justin Timberlake gave a pretty marvelous stab at it with his most gorgeous song ever Blue Ocean Floor, this month’s R&B/Nu-Soul Moment Of Beauteous Splendour comes from this New York-based chanteur, as lifted from his album A Love Surreal. Props to Glasper too for returning the favour after Bilal’s work on his previous Grammy-winning effort Black Radio.
05) Trustfalls // Mister Lies >> More shiftily-ambient wunderkind electronics, this time courtesy of Chicago’s Nick Zanca, whose debut album Mowgli is redolent with the kind of after-hours grooves and swoons that provide the kind of spiritual succor needed on those bleary-eyed journeys home into or out of the night.
06) You // Matmos >> IDM electronica’s cutest gay couple return to the fold after five years to create an album based on psychic frequencies cultivated from friends lying on a mattress in their San Francisco home; the results make for easier listening than their previous work, but their innate, adorable geekery and symphonic wit is still on fine display throughout The Marriage Of True Minds.
07) Starman // Sally Shapiro featuring Electric Youth >> It’s namesake’s voice still as light as air and the Euro-loungey arrangements still alive with coquettish reverie, the synthpop/Italo-disco duo make as grand a return as their delightful music can afford with their third album Somewhere Else. The video to this single also happens to feature an adorable, Zach Galifianakis-style leading man, by the way…
08) Song For Zula // Phosphorescent >> This quiet storm of emotional balladry that sounds like the best b-side left out of Bruce Springsteen’s last album is taken from Matthew Houck’s one-man-band’s sixth album Muchacho; for those who like their Americana with a little more of a modern-leaning bent than your typical country/folk-isms, you’d do well to check the rest of it out.
09) Relative Hysteria // Mogwai >> Another month, another avant-pop-nerd tries their hand at musical scoring with beguiling results, this time courtesy of the Scottish post-rockers and their album Les revenants, which doubles as the sonic accompaniment to the French zombie-drama series of the same name. No news on when the show will be broadcast here (though a UK rehash is already in the works), so this album will have to do for now…
10) GMF // John Grant >> A likely contender to triumph on many critics’ Album Of The Year lists come December, Pale Green Ghosts sees its tortured progenitor continue to battle more demons with the kind of heartbreaking candour that would be relentlessly harrowing if he wasn’t able to write a melody so wonderfully and lyrics so bitingly amusing. It’s certainly the alt-pop album to beat this year so far.
11) I Love You // Woodkid >> Music-video-director-turned-epic-pop-balladeer Yoann Lemoine finally releases his debut album The Golden Age to the baited breath of everyone who caught his Grammy-nominated video for single Run Boy Run last year. Truth be told, nothing on the album comes close to that moment of sheer spectacle (WHAT FUCKING COULD!?), but by today’s pop standards, it’s still rather brilliant.
12) The Stars (Are Out Tonight) // David Bowie >> Just because I couldn’t finish up this playlist any other way than with a song off of The Next Day. Welcome back, sir…
But wait, there’s more…
Firstly, a couple of mixes to be found on Soundcloud for your auditory receptors courtesy of up-and-comers Cyril Hahn and Le Youth; both are rather amazing as well as free to pinch, should you like to.
Secondly, one of my friends Alex Eugenio put up a mix himself on Mixcloud; if you like née love your soulful house grooves, please give it a spin!
And thirdly, not to be outdone and mainly due to the fact I can’t fucking wait to see Harmony Korine’s upcoming beach-body odyssey Spring Breakers, here’s my very own Spring Break Forever Mix:
Quite the lot to get through, isn’t it?
Until next time, xxxo…
dibdersbooth 