OUR FAVORITE NEW MUSIC & MOVIES! - Amoeba Music

NIK
Just listen.
Thank you, 2010-- (In alphabetical order)
Actress – Splazsh (HONEST JON’S)
Erykah Badu – New Amerykah
Part Two: Return of the Ankh
(UNIVErSAL MOTOWN)
Donato Dozzy – K (FUrTHEr)
Peter Gordon & Love of Life
Orchestra – Love of Life
Orchestra (DFA rECOrDS)
Marcello Napoletano –
The Space Voodoo (MATHEMATICS
rECOrDINgS)
Gil Scott-Heron – I’m New
Here (xL rECOrDINgS)
Shangaan Electro: New Wave
Dance Music from South Africa
– Various Artists (HONEST JON’S)
Tonetta – 777 (Volumes I & II)
(BLACk TENT prESS)
Virgo – Virgo (rUSH HOUr)
Tradi-Mods vs Rockers –
Various Artists (CrAMMED DISCS)
The best of bass in 2010--
James Blake – Klavierwerke EP
(r&S rECOrDS)
James Blake – CMYK EP
(r&S rECOrDS)
Deadboy – If U Want Me
(NUMBErS)
Elgato – Tonight/Blue 12”
(HESSLE AUDIO)
Floating Points Ensemble –
Post Suite/Almost In Profile
(NINJA TUNE)
76 MUSIC WE LIKE H Spring/Summer 2011
Girl Unit – Wut 12” (NIgHT SLUgS)
Girl Unit – I.R.L. EP (NIgHT SLUgS)
Jam City – Ecstasy (Refix) EP
(NIgHT SLUgS)
Joe – Claptrap/Level Crossing
12” (HESSLE AUDIO)
Jamie Woon – Night Air
(Ramadanman Refix) 12”
(CANDENT SONgS)
Tip:
I’m new here.
OlIVER
Virgo – Virgo (rUSH HOUr)
Must have reissue.
John Roberts – Glass Eights
(DIAL)
Tame Impala – Innerspeaker
(MODULAr)
Autre Ne Veut – Autre Ne Veut
(OLDE ENgLISH SpELLINg BEE)
Urban Tribe – Urban Tribe
(MAHOgANI MUSIC)
Actress – Splazsh (HONEST JON’S)
Donato Dozzy – K (FUrTHEr)
Tin Man – Scared (WHITE DENIM)
Tip:
www.absurdrecordings.com
RAChAEl
McgOVERN
So much music, not nearly enough time.
Beth Ditto – Beth Ditto EP 12”
(DECONSTrUCTION)
A 4-track Ep from gossip frontwoman Beth
Ditto and electronic producers/musicians Simian
Mobile Disco. Dancey goodness. I just wish it
was longer than four songs! Thanks to Carmena
and Anel for turning me on to this. “Before you
take a second look, remember I know every
trick in the book.”
Cut Copy – Zonoscope (MODULAr)
The third album from Australian band Cut Copy.
They craft dancey songs that combine the best
electronic elements with all the ingredients of
a successful pop song. Beats, rhythms, hooks, a
breakdown, lyrics, chorus. Although it’s not my
favorite Cut Copy album, it’s a solid effort and
worth a listen. Or 20…
Adele – 21 (xL rECOrDINgS)
It’s hard to believe Adele is only 21 and this is
her second album! She has this amazing, soulful,
smooth, powerful voice — what you’d expect
of someone who has experienced years of sorrow,
heartbreak, and despair, not from a typical
21-year old. For every teeny bopper relying on
vocoder and skilled producers there are talents
like Adele waiting to let their voices be heard
and their pain shared. “The scars of your love,
they leave me breathless.”
Lusine – A Certain Distance
(gHOSTLY INTErNATIONAL)
This one is in no way a new release, but I just
heard it for the first time this year in a “What’s
In My Bag?” video we did. I heard 30 seconds of
a track and had to hear more. That doesn’t happen
often enough, but I love it when it does.
Kanye West – My Beautiful
Dark Twisted Fantasy (DEF JAM)
This feels like a hip-hop opera to me, but I can’t
put my finger exactly on why. The scope? The
collaborators? It’s such a powerful package of
lyricism, beats, anger, pain, observations, introspection,
and wit. It’s easy to hate his public
persona, but when you listen to his lyrics you
can hear the vulnerability mixed in with all that
hubris. His humanity comes through...If only he
would let the world see more of that on a regular
basis…
Eastern Conference
Champions – Speak-ahh
(rOCkHAMpTON rECOrDS)
Full disclosure: I haven’t heard this record yet.
It comes out after the time of this writing. But
their previous efforts and their live shows have
turned me into a big fan and I have high hopes
for Speak-ahh, their second full-length album. I
first saw them live before I heard any studio albums
and they impressed me with their energy,
performance, and, of course, the music itself. At
times rockin’, at times folky, the lead singer’s
voice reminds me of gomez. If you get a chance
to see them live, do it!
Hundred in the Hands –
Hundred in the Hands
(WArp rECOrDS)
Brooklynites Hundred In the Hands are a boygirl
duo making disco-reminiscent pop music. I
hear echoes of Saint Etienne and Hooverphonic
in some of the tracks with a post-punk guitar riff
here and there. While I couldn’t quite get into
Sleigh Bells, another similar Brooklyn boy-girl
band, to me, the Hundred in the Hands create
more beautiful, slicker, accessible songs. I realize
calling songs “slick” and “accessible” might
sound like a kiss of death for some artists, but I
mean it in the best possible way. Mature dance
music? Oh man, that’s worse…Just listen.
Maps & Atlases –
Perch Patchwork (BArSUk)
The debut full-length from Chicago rock band
Maps & Atlases. A little folky, a little rockin’, a little
experimental, and a lot of awesome. “I don’t
think there is a sound that I hate more than the
sound of your voice…when you say that you
don’t love me anymore.”
Nine Inch Nails – Pretty Hate
Machine [Remastered]
(BICYCLE MUSIC COMpANY)
It feels like cheating to be able to put this in the
book!! But the newly remastered version just
came out in November so technically it’s a new
release. Nine Inch Nails was the perfect soundtrack
to my high school career, those angst-filled
years where temptation is around every corner
and you feel like no one really understands you
except for Trent. Every note, every lyric, every
synthesized beat on Pretty Hate Machine is like a
familiar, comforting blanket. god, I love this record.
“I know it’s not the right thing and I know
it’s not the good thing, but kinda I want to.”
Tip:
Check out “What’s In My Bag?” on Amoeba.com
for glimpses into your favorite artist’s shopping bag.
MUSIC WE LIKE H Spring/Summer 2011 77