A. Armada - Anam Cara (2008)

Epic post-rock with a slightly darker edge. This band hail from Athens, Georgia so you know they're gonna be good.

A. Armada - Anam Cara (2008)

Oni Ayhun - OAR EPs (2008-2009)

I'm getting Coachella withdrawal again. It fucking sucks. It was one of the best festivals I've ever been to - pissed in the Californian desert for 4 days, surrounded by close friends and hot Cali girls. Sigh. Anyways, the best act I saw there (and ever, for that matter) was Fever Ray, who was beyond incredible. Fever Ray is, of course, the solo project of Karin Dreijer Andersson of The Knife; but did you know that the other half of The Knife, her younger brother Olof Dreijer, also has his own solo project? He has released three vinyl-only EPs under the name Oni Ayhun, with another two planned for later this year. While not as good as The Knife or even Fever Ray, these five tracks (one got corrupted, boo hoo) are still worth a listen. Enjoy.

Oni Ayhun - OAR EPs (2008-2009)

The Mountain Goats – Satanic Messiah EP (2008)

John Darnielle at his very best. This is a tasty little four-track EP that is the perfect starting place for anyone wanting to explore the discography of the Mountain Goats, who have been kickining around for nearly twenty years. Enjoy.

The Mountain Goats – Satanic Messiah EP (2008)

Johann Johannsson - Fordlandia (2008)

Stretch your mind back to last week, when we were in Scandinavia, wearing that cool chunky knitwear they have, and drinking those damned expensive pints they sell... (in Iceland I payed £7 for a pint of larger in a Viking themed restaurant, served to me by a real-life fake Viking). Oh, and we were also metaphorically swilling their musical produce in the glass, sniffing it a bit to get an idea of the flavours, then glugging it back as you should do with all booze. Well this album is one I meant to post on Friday, but was busy living the dream at ATP.

On my mix tape I posted a Johann Johannsson track, concocted of weird noises generated when an old IBM computer was programmed in certain ways, and accompanied by lush string comps. Modern composition with a twist of lime. In my humble, this is even better, Johannsson's best in fact. I just found out that it's about some rubber factory in some far off country, but I didn't know that, and I enjoyed the music just fine. So maybe this knowledge will enhance you're listening even further. Great compositions, a lush theme that keeps on popping up as lush themes oughta, and, er, a story about rubber?

ps. I saw Icelandic band Mum on Sunday, and they are fantastic live. One of the female singers is so unbelievably hot, and has become the main reason I give when I express the desire to go live over there later in life.

Johann Johannsson - Fordlandia (2008)

pps. this aint my up, I link stole it off megaupload. If you don't wanna trust it, tell me and I'll up my own copy.

ppps. The above link is password protected apparently - here's another link Fordlandia If this doesn't work I'll get off my lazy arse and upload it myself.

Blizz

Yo! Majesty – Futuristically Speaking...Never Be Afraid (2008)

The rappers on this album are two big black Southern Christian lesbians. Their live shows are manic - sharing three microphones for the two of them, they sometimes rap topless - and their after-shows are even better; me and my mate Jez crashed the backstage, and were rewarded with some beer and a litre of vodka. Nice. So, which bad-asses have they got to produce their fantastic debut album? Yep, two nerdy middle-aged English white guys. A stroke of utter brilliance. So download this and have the most fun you've had in a long time; but don't do it for me, do it for their brother Charles. Enjoy.

Yo! Majesty – Futuristically Speaking...Never Be Afraid (2008)

The Tallest Man On Earth – Shallow Grave (2008)

Another Swedish artist today; not through choice necessarily (although it is a damn good album), but because Scandinavian indie music is restricted really to Iceland and Sweden - Denmark has the Raveonettes and that's about it, Norway and Finland LOVE their death metal, and the Faroe Island is just generally a big old piece of wank. This guy has been compared to Bon Iver, purely because it is just him and a guitar, but that's rather lazy, as this album is actually, shock horror, better than Bon Iver's effort in my opinion, precisely because it is, in fact, the polar opposite to For Emma, Forever Ago - this is just a really fun, really great folk music. Enjoy.

The Tallest Man On Earth – Shallow Grave (2008)

The Nichols Family Gospel Hour – Polemic EP (2008)

It's my sister's 18th birthday tomorrow and because it's a weekend and my dad works away, we're going for a family meal today - how tenuous a link can you get? Anyways, this is very good, as it said on a blog I read about the album, it pretty much sounds like like Godspeed You! Black Emperor making country music. If you've ever read Nick Cave's brilliant novel And The Ass Saw The Angel, this is the perfect soundtrack for it; it has the same dark atmosphere. Enjoy.

The Nichols Family Gospel Hour – Polemic EP (2008)

Monkey – Journey To The West (2008)

Continuing our animal theme...this is a bit of a weird album, so bear with me, and please don't be afraid to give it a listen. This is an electronic opera written & produced by Damon Albarn, and performed by the UK Chinese Ensemble, a Chinese orchestra, as a soundtrack to a stage show also written by Albarn. It's based on a sixteenth-century Chinese novel about a a monkey, a pig, a water monster and a Buddhist monk who travel on a pilgrimage from China to India having all kinds of adventures. The book is probably a bit boring, so watch the 70s Japanese TV show Monkey instead, it's fucking sweet; just like this album. Enjoy.

Monkey – Journey To The West (2008)

The Soft Pack – The Muslims (2008)

Another garage rock album today, although from the other side of the Atlantic. It's another EP as well, albeit one with 10 tracks (!), as I think the ethos of garage rock is more suited to short, hard-hitting tracks as opposed to long, drawn-out albums. This record was recorded by the Soft Pack back when they were still known as the Muslims; it's just good fun, and much like yesterday's Let's Wrestle EP, highly simple but dangerously effective. Enjoy.

The Soft Pack – The Muslims (2008)

Titus Andronicus – The Airing of Grievances (2008)

BOSS! This is a fantastic album that I never really appreciated until relatively recently, and I'm making up for lost time - this is on my iPod round the clock. It is the perfect soundtrack for this economic crisis (is it still happening? yawn), and immediately conjures images in my mind of the docks and industrial landscape of this band's native New Jersey; desolate areas whose best years are long gone, yet manage to maintain some pride. The album sounds like that to me - melancholic yet optimistic, replete with with fuzzy guitars and emotive vocals. There is also a slight Celtic-punk vibe going through - when I first heard it, it kinda reminded me of the Dropkicks, but much, much, much better. Enjoy.

Titus Andronicus – The Airing of Grievances (2008)