Kanye West + Co. - Monster

Sorry this is a tad late - only just torn myself away from Nicki's verse to post properly.

Read More »»

Bon Iver/ St Vincent- 'Roslyn'

Originally on Gigwise.com's 'New Moon Soundtrack Preview

Proof that Twilight has truly crossed over lies in the calibre of the artists involved in this album. A duet between Justin Vernon and Annie Clarke would have been a big deal under any circumstances so the fact that New Moon have managed to get the exclusive gives them an extra cool cache. Bon Iver, of course, is most famous for his album 'For Emma, Forever Ago' which details the painful break up between him and a lover. The album was recorded in isolation during a stay at a Wisconsin log cabin . Annie Clarke (St Vincent) is a Brooklyn based singer songwriter and has released two albums, 'Marry Me' in 2007 and this years 'Actor'

Read More »»

For The Record: January

The best releases from January.

Albums:
Franz Ferdinand- Tonight: Franz Ferdinand. (Album of the month)
Telepathe- Dance Mother.
Bon Iver- Blood Bank EP.
Titus Andronicus- The Airing Of Grievances.

Download these

Franz Ferdinand- 'Lucid Dreams'
Telepathe- 'So Fine'
Titus Andronicus- 'Titus Andronicus'

Tracks:
Jamie T- Fire Fire. (Track of the month)
Pulled Apart By Horses - I Punched A Lion In The Throat.
Bear Hands- What A Drag
Franz Ferdinand- Ulysses.
Lily Allen- The Fear.

Read More »»

Bon Iver- Blood Bank EP

Having holed himself up in a log cabin to record 'For Emma... Forever Ago' Justin Vernon comes inside and turns on the electric for the follow up. 2008 was undoubtedly the year of Bon Iver's life and following it up was never going to be easy. Luckily the horse has been remounted with haste and little to no problems have occured.

'Blood Bank' is a four track EP of melancholia typical of last years debut album but success and good fortune have clearly warmed the heart of Vernon as this collection of tracks shows a distinct change in tone away from the bleak and desolate 'For Emma...'.

The title track has a beautiful, almost hymnal chorus that rises and falls with swan like elegance with only Vernon's impassioned vocals cracking the beauty in the verses. The quietly strummed hush continues into 'Beach Baby' which sees the introduction of slide guitar, giving the track a retro feel. 'Babys' is again nice but it segues into the EP highlight 'Woods'. Fully embracing the studio environment Vernon's voice is put through a vocoder and looped over the top of itself to create a hypnotic falsetto that is as unique as it is tranquil.

Where Bon Iver goes next is anyones guess but we will wait with baited breath.

Read More »»