Brooklyn wanderers Yeasayer return with another weird and wonderful creative observation. Having toured in the past with Arcade Fire, collaborated with SMD and, perhaps unwittingly ushered in the new Brooklyn world wide sound, they should have a great start to the next part of their journey.
Black Keys. Purveyors of some of the finest modern blues rock ever are back with an all star list of rappers for a new project called Blacroc. Not actually what I expected from this record. Was kind of banking it to be more loops of older Black Keys material. As it turns out, this feels more created from scratch and has been mixed proper for the clubs. Still, good vibes.
One of the countries most prodigious talents returns on his own. Fyfe is lead singer of highly rated cult band Guillemots, creators of some of the weirdest pop music in recent times. Sounding free and without thought, this song is a nice surprise at the end of the year. As winter bares down, here is a ray for you.
Honestly, it was getting ridiculous. The wait for a full length Them Crooked Vultures song has been made bearable only by this rather clever build up done primarily online with clips of music and codes for last minute shows in the late summer. Now they are ready and so are we. New Fang is a stomper that shows what these three can do. With Josh on the phone tonight, John Paul Jones tomorrow and Dave Grohl on Wednesday, we are quickly hitting our stride with this gang. Album is due out in three weeks or so. All of a sudden it feels very close. Patience is a virtue after all.
Its that time of year. Christmas is near and Best Of's are rife. I'm not sure many of them have much of a point any more with everyone making their own playlists. But Foo Fighters have held out longer than most and when you see the selection and the order its in, it does make sense. Add to the fact that there are two new songs on the album and 'Word Forward' is one of them. Tonights Hottest.
You have to feel for Jamie T. All that work put into his second album, 'Kings and Queens', met with great sales and critical acclaim and just when he should be celebrating all this on the road, he's laid up on doctors orders. Throat problems apparently. So we keep the fire burning with a new Hottest Record. A new tune featured on his latest e.p. A full on Clash skank work out. Enjoy.
Massive heat on the blogs for this record. A cover of a Suicide song by LCD Soundsystem. Not their most immediate release with a build up that pushes
the boundary, even for James Murphy. But its deep as you can get and is a great sign of where LCD are heading on their new album.
Fall Out Boy do the obvious and throw some new songs up for a forthcoming Best Of. Not a bad thing. Often when the pressure is off,
we get some of the best songs. Like em or otherwise, F.O.B. have endeared themselves to a large audience with some perfectly constructed pop rock over the last few years. Fans will love having 'em all on one album.
You wait for records like this. Especially in the rap game. A record that grabs you instantly and makes you put it on infinite repeat. Respect to Lupe Fiasco for coming back so tough. And sampling Jimi Hendrix is no sign of weakness either. It has to be worth it to tackle a classic like 'Fire'. It is most definitely worth it. Lupe's version of 'Fire' is just that. Put it on repeat.
From 'Merriweather Post Pavilion' we get standout album closer, 'Brother Sport'. Funny, this is the radio edit at just over 6 minutes. Respect.
One of the hottest underground rap stars for some time in the UK, Giggs has been independently charting his own path
for some time now, earning praise from Westwood and other key rap tastemakers along the way. But it wasn't until his
collaboration with Mike Skinner, 'Slow Songs', that his appeal began to broaden. Now signed to esteemed record label XL and readying his debut album for 2010, we stay connected with this tune taken from his current mixtape. Featuring B.O.B. it is deep and tough and today's Hottest Record.
Last minute Hottest Record today. With the band heading to Maida Vale Studios next Tuesday for a live set, we reached out to Biffy Clyro and got lucky. 'Bubbles' is a biggie from their forthcoming new album 'Only Revolutions' and features Josh Homme from Queens Of The Stone Age and TCV on guitar. Mon the Biff. Their time is now.
Wiley. Smashing it again with beats from Chew Fu. New album early 2010. That's it.
As intense you would expect from this band. They throw a lot in to their music and despite the over the top production, it still has feeling. That has kind of become 30STM trademark. Their ability to be able to make huge sounding rock still sound heartfelt. It's a skill. Fans all over the world have been very excited about hearing this record. So listen to your hearts content.
Cool and quirky return from Vampire Weekend. 'Horchata' (without the 'H' apparently) is a drink of Spanish / Mexican origin and the perfect title of a comeback single from America's foremost rock swots. I love thier dedication to this kind of stuff. It makes learning fun. I am very excited about the new album, 'Contra'. Live shows being booked. VW are back.
P Money follows his breakthrough single 'Everything' with this brand new heater. 'Love Alone', once again featuring the vocals of regular collaborator Vince Harder. This is quality club music. Deep and pop in equal measure.