THE WHIP - BLACKOUT

THE WHIP are the latest ‘electro-rock’ band to make a name for themselves, following hot on the heels of ‘Does it offend you, yeah?’ and ‘Just a Band’. With basslines perfect for big room clubs, and tracks that were made for remixing, The Whip are sure to be the next big thing. (Well, for this month at least!)

ROBYN - BRAND NEW RETRO

Robyn’s sound is gaining a lot of recognition in the press here at the moment. Tracks like ‘With Every Heartbeat’ are nothing new. And I really mean that. Robyn’s self titled album (her 4th) was recorded and released in 2005. A quick re-badge and a little polish and hey presto - The Sound of the Summer ’08! Having said that, ‘Cobrastyle’ does rock.

Konichiwa Bitches!

Burial Revealed!

So Burial isn’t Banksy! Man, if he was banksy he’d have been THE coolest person to take other peoples art and make it into capital a art. But he’s not. So move on, this isn’t a photo opportunity.

Turns out that the enigmatic dubstep champion is will bevan. I refrain from using capitals in respect of the artist currently known as Burial. In a statement on his myspace page he made the announcement in quite a low key sort of way:

hi

for a while theres been some talk about who i am , but its not a big deal
i wanted to be unknown because i just want it to be all about the tunes.
over the last year the unknown thing become an issue so im not into it any more.
im a lowkey person and i just want to make some tunes, nothing else. my names will bevan, im from south london, im keeping my head down and just going to finish my next album, theres going to be a 12″ maybe in the next few weeks too with 4 tunes. hope u like it, i’ll try put a tune up later

sorry for any rubbish tunes i made in the past, ill make up for it

a big big thank you to anyone who ever supported me, liked my tunes or sent me messages, it means the world to me

big up everyone, take care, will ( burial ) 

It’s a well timed unveiling, what with will being short listed for the Mercuty Music Prize this year, and I don’t mind going on the record to say that I don’t care who Burial is - his music rocks. ( Not in a triple-rock sort of way though)

Good on ya will, you’re okay.

30_Borrowed_Beats_August_08_Edition - Stress Free Edition

Is everyone witnessing (or suffering from) the inordinate amount of stress involved in our daily lives recently? It seems everywhere I look a friend is out with a stress induced illness, or taking a few ‘mental health’ days.

No one seems to take the time to immerse themselves in anything anymore. People just buy the track they like, not the album - the death toll for music as a body of work. And that track they bought had better grab them in the first 15 seconds…

If all that rings true, then you will either love the opportunity of the August Edition or hate its lack of immediacy, because this month we’re not in a rush. So take some deep breaths and press play for a 68 minute aural massage.

People Press Play - People Press Play

So you arrive at a party late, really late…as your eyes adjust to the dim light you hear smooth dub beats with swirling chords and the angelic voice of an unknown nonchalant lady singing….music that is the perfect wind down from what must have been a massive party. Except you arrived late. Me too. I arrived late to this 2007 release, almost a year late.

People Press Play are a Copenhagen foursome and ‘People Press Play’is their surprisingly accomplished debut album. Equal parts the Postal Service, Brian Eno and Death Cab for Cutie, they are a band in the traditional sense that they also play analogue instruments. Sara Savery’s lush vocals are equally at home over the dub infused athmospherics of opener ‘Girl’ as they are over the‘New Order-esque bassline’ of ‘Hanging on’. People Press Play is a down tempo album by a band rather than an ambient album by producers, and that’s an important distinction. The songs are carefully crafted, where melodies and electronic sounds progressively entwine around the vocals, or leave it hanging in mid air, unaccompanied. For silence is a rhythm too.

People Press Playwill suffer from some classifications imposed upon them. If I read ‘trip hop’ I’d think 1997, and move on. Down tempo can translate as ‘lacks excitement’, so I’ll settle in electronica ( despite the ‘band’ diatribe above) when I say that ‘People Press Play’is one of the best electonica albums that I have heard in a while. Check it out.

THINK: Plej meet The Postal Service in a jazz lounge.
READ: People Press Play’s myspace
WATCH:The vid for ‘These days’
BUY: People press play at inertia