Essential May Listening...

Hallo peoples, hope those looming exams aren't getting you down too much. If, like me, they are, here's some choice new music you should wrap your cold ears around...

Danger Mouse & Sparklehorse - Dark Night of the Soul

This one's got a veritable bucketload of blog hype the last few weeks. The premise; due to EMI sample-clearance issues, Danger Mouse can't legally release the music and is thus selling a blank CDR along with the extensive liner notes of this record. It's up to the faithful interwebs to provide the rest of the package. A huge collective work of folky, psychedelic, indie pop, with some of the freshest production I've heard from Danger Mouse since the first Gnarls Barkley record.

Have a listen (and read) here, it's all stream-able (and download-able if you're clever) http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=104129585

El Michels Affair - Enter the 37th Chamber

I'm sure I've blogged about this crew before; Brooklyn funk group, dedicated to creating impeccable vintage soul music. After releasing an excellent seven inch instrumental cover of the Wu Tang's C.R.E.A.M a few years back, the El Michels Affair have taken it to the next level and put out this brilliant collection of funk reinterpretations of all the Wu Tang classics. Usually basing their grooves around one hook or bassline of the original RZA-produced Wu Tang beat, EMA construct tight new arrangements complete with dubbed out organ parts, shimmering horns, heavy drum breaks and of course, cheesy kung fu movie samples. The final product is dark, groovy and extremely listenable. Shimmy shimmy yah.

Fat Freddy's Drop - Dr Boondigga & The Big BW

Four years since their spectacular, life-changing, in-every-cafe's-cd-library debut Based on a True Story, these kings of the NZ dub scene drop this incredible beast of a sophomore record. While the production is top notch on the newer tracks (The Camel, Pull The Catch & the super groovy, sub-bass feature that is "Big BW"), I can't help but feel short-changed by the album arrangements of live favourites Shiverman & The Nod.

The former, a stomping tech-house groove that live, pulsates and builds over a good twenty minutes before an almost-orgasmic explosion into the horn chorus, is left flat and uninspiring on the record, with lacklustre horn parts and very little layering of sounds. Similarly, The Nod's heavy hiphop groove lacks the punch of the live mix, or even its BOATS counterpart "Roady"; a fine example of Freddy's ability to mix a perfect hiphop groove without losing the energy of the live version.

That said, the record is a worthy listen and essential for fans of this talented group from across the Tasman. The closer "Breakthrough" is worth the price alone; the refrain "a little sun'll make it alright" will leave you wishing for warmer days...

Peace and love people, good luck with exams, see you at the AXP on July 2!

PS. Inner City Science are playing the Espy Front Bar this Saturday, take a study break and check it out... www.myspace.com/innercityscience