My last attempt at bringing you a vid was short lived, so I thought I’d try that again. Who knew that this guy was funny?

Blackfilm - Blackfilm
Blackfilm released their selftitled debut in April, and I’ve been glued t it since. It’s the sort of album that you have to be in the mood for, and recently I’ve been in the mood for a unique blend of cimenatic ambience, found sounds and corroded drum ‘n bass. Haven’t you?

Levity aside, Blackfilm is an incredibly accomplished album, that comfortably sits in the Film Noir, Modern Classical and Dark Ambient Camps, but surpasses all these. Opener ‘Come and See’ is an obvious invitation to delve into what the rest of the album has in store. ‘Stalingrad’, a ten minute opus, leads you down a dark corridor, past an open door, the television is still on. You glance in, but pass - drawn forward by the ghostly orchestration, onwards towards the unknown. The lights flicker, static pulses in the air and yet you continue, steeled by the beat and driving bass, and your journery has just started. I’ll let you discover where it takes you.

Shorter tracks on the album, like ‘Sonar’ and ‘Midnight to 4am’ are no less athmospheric and eerie, but are a little more direct. ‘Traditional’ beats and melody feature, which is always nice, yet there is always a lurking presence throughout Blackfilm, and it is this presence that makes it such an enjoyable album. ‘Sonar’ has echoes of Portishead and Amon Tobin. ‘Midnight to 4am’ conjours a darker, more etheral DJ Shadow, and paired with ‘Mahabhatta’ to form the most vocal laden segment of the album.

Blackfilm is the second release on flegdling label ’spectraliquid’,based in Athens and is a stellar start if it indicates their direction and quality. Blackfilm almost made it into the ‘_must_have’ category, because it is simply a brilliant album for headphone space. I do think that no collection should be without it.

THINK: Burial meets Amon Tobin on the set of 28 days later.
READ: The review again, there’s not much out there.
WATCH: This space, and remember where you heard it first!
BUY: Blackfilm at Spectraliquid

_choice_chewns_changed #4

This week we have an eclectic collection of tunes hot of the press. NIN’s free single from their free album kicks off proceedings, with other highlights including the twisted Bootlickers - ‘The Wasp’ and Audion’s ‘Snap into it’ If beats aren’t your thing this long weekend, why not give the contemplitave KYTE a spin, or the new offering from Bob Mould, legend that he is. No matter what sort of weekend you have lined up, I’m sure there’s something here that will fit the bill.

REMINDER  - Just hover your mouse over the images in the ‘what I’m listening to now’ sidebar for artist name, album and rating, and click the image for the mp3.

I hope you enjoy it folks.

28_Borrowed_Beats_June_08_Edition - Missing the Tom Waits Tour Edition

There has been a lot of d’internet action around the release of Scar Jo’s ( I feel dirty typing that) album of Tom Waits covers. It features David Bowie, and was produced by Dave Sitek. They buried her vocals at the bottom of a reverb well. And she still sounds awful. But she shur does look purdy. *sigh*

Garnering less attention was the announcement of Tom Waits upcoming Tour - Glitter & Doom. Tom held a ‘press conference’ ( genius) and will meander across central America before criss-crossing Europe to Dublin. And I couldn’t be further away. So I thought we’d all wallow in his genius and lament our absence. To read more about this edition, click here.

Ladies and Gentlemen - I give you …Tom Waits!

_wednesday_weview - Fleet Foxes

Fleet Foxes released their self titled debut yesterday, to much anticipation. ‘Fleet Foxes are not hippies - Don’t Let the Floppy Hats, Jesus Beards and Five-Part Vocal Harmonies About Rivers, Trees and Sunshine Throw You.’announced a Seatte Arts paper recently.

They describe themselves as Baroque pop, and that’s a pretty good pigeon hole they’ve carved out for themselves. Not many contenders for iTunes Baroque Pop album of the year. Crosby, Stills and Nash style harmonies over american west coast folk tunes.

With dreamy choral passages akin to Sigur Ros, but with a little more structure and intelligibility and lyrics taken from ye-olde-folk-lyric-book, this release has instant folk classic written all over it.

‘White Winter Hymnal’ is impossibly catchy, but you’re not sure why and it is difficult not to turn to your partner and curtsy mid way through ‘He Doesn’t know why’.

Following Bon Iver, Fleet Foxes is proof that folk is alive and well, but is being taken in unexpected and wonderful directions by the next generation of protagonists.

THINK: Crosby, Stills & Nash meet Sigur Ros in 1886
READ: An interview with the band
WATCH: White Winter Hymnal
BUY: Fleet Foxes at SubPop