Kyle Bobby Dunn

Last year, Kyle Bobby Dunn released his latest album, Ways Of Meaning – following on from the career-spanning A Young Persons Guide To Kyle Bobby Dunn, it was a meditative, introspective album that drew equally on ambient, drone and modern classical reference points. Ahead of the release of some further new material this year – Bring Me The Head Of Kyle Bobby Dunn, to be released on Low Point – he’s made ‘An Evening With Dusty’ available for download. According to the soundcloud page, it was “composed & Arranged on Christmas Eve in 2004 for an electric guitar, piano during coffee with Dusty and her mum. Recorded more recently at Bunce Cake for your tear jerking enjoyment”. Listen below.

John Talabot - Fin

By Greg Salter

‘Debak Ine’, the opening track on John Talabot’s debut album Fin, builds slowly. It opens with samples of a jungle – birds and other creatures squawk as crickets hum and chirp, transporting you to the oppressive heat and dank greenery of a rainforest while also creating the vaguely unsettling ambience upon which the rest of the track is built. It’s a seven and a half minute opener, and it’s not until after the 4.30 mark that ‘Debak Ine’ really settles into a groove – before then, beats and melodies have come and gone and it’s only with the arrival of a (muted) 4/4 house beat that things really start to get going. Still, it’s a phenomenal opener and sets out what Talabot’s music is all about – euphoric elements from house, techno and disco are set down alongside a more introspective, and occasionally dark atmosphere across the whole of Fin. And there’s patience too – Talabot never goes for the quick, easy pay-off and the tracks on Fin follow the template on ‘Debak Ine’, building slowly, thrillingly and exquisitely as you listen.

Patience is something that Talabot probably knows a lot about – he’s been releasing tracks under this particular moniker since 2009 and has been working on Fin since 2010 (the album was initially going to be released at the end of last year). You can hear why it took him so long to deliver as it’s incredibly detailed, both carefully composed and sequenced, much like the work of other introspective electronic artists like James Blake and Nicolas Jaar. However, while they strip their songs away, leaving only the bare bones of bass, beat and voice, Talabot isn’t afraid of layering and building. As a result, Fin feels like a testament to his compositional skill as well as his perseverance – the title, he has said, comes from the moment when he realised that the process of making the record, and a particular period in his life, was coming to an end.

If Fin has come from a period of quite intense work, it’s important to note that it never sounds laboured or formulaic. The tracks sound energetic and vibrant, fluidly moving from one to the next, and often taking unexpected detours, such as into the paranoid techno and sampled screams on ‘Oro y Sangre’ – this translates as ‘Blood and Gold’, perfectly encapsulating the way Talabot often layers unsettling elements over references to balearic hedonism, like a dark cloud looming over a beach paradise. Talabot has said that he didn’t want to make an album that was just a collection of house 12s, and, as clichéd as it sounds, this is music that takes you on a journey or seeks to tell a kind of story as one 52 minute whole.

But there are still a few standouts, particularly the two tracks that feature Pional – we’ve already heaped praise on album closer ‘So Will Be Now…’ where Talabot builds on a Burial-esque vocal sample, creating something euphoric and haunting at the same time. It’s melancholic, but it keeps moving, right up until it clicks out poignantly at the end. There’s also second track ‘Destiny’, built on a more traditional, bubbling house beat and cascading vocal harmonies – it’s Talabot’s most ‘pop’ moment so far, though it shimmys with a little bit of moody uncertainty.

Fin’s closest cousin in recent years might well be Caribou’s Swim LP in that both records ebb and flow vibrantly, veering between approximations of pop songs and more abstract instrumentals. However, while Caribou’s album sounded like the work of an instrumentalist finally working out to incorporate dance elements fully into his music, Talabot sounds like he’s moving in the opposite direction, pushing at the boundaries of how a solo producer can make a record. Like Swim, Fin is also an emotionally affecting album – Talabot twists his clearly beloved influences into emotive shapes, moving your heart and your head as well as your feet. As a result, Fin feels still, even after so many listens, like a record not just to get lost in but also to emerge from, rather like Talabot has done – after the album finishes it remains difficult to shake off, surely a sign that we’ll be listening to this for some time yet.

Saint Etienne

It’s been seven years since their last album, and Saint Etienne have announced their return – the band have made a new single, ‘Tonight’, available to download. You can stream the song below.

The new album is as yet untitled, but the single definitely sounds promising – built on a bed of strings and electronica with an, as usual, irresistible pop hook, it sounds like the melancholic/euphoric pop we’re currently missing from the likes of Robyn and Girls Aloud (it’s produced by Xenomania’s Tim Powell and mixed by Richard X). Welcome back Saint Etienne.

Wiley - Evolve Or Be Extinct

By Greg Salter

Halfway through Evolve Or Be Extinct’s title track, we get Wiley, sounding as relaxed and as confident as ever, pretty much setting out his what’s driving his new material: “You say you don’t like me. So what?/I’m not a show off but when I’m about it’s a roadblock/Stop thinking of old songs/Move on – go change your old top”. Evolve Or Be Extinct is his statement for his longevity – arguably one of grime’s most influential figures, he’s 32 now and knows that while he can stay true to his grime roots, he also needs to justify his continued existence in a UK scene where the kids are continually coming up from behind.

Last year’s 100% Publishing sounded like something of a fresh start – not least because he famously uploaded around eleven zip files of music on to his Twitter account shortly before the album came out, but also because it saw him return to Big Dada with his most focused LP since Treddin’ On Thin Ice. If the guise of up-and-coming protegy saw him excel back in ’04, then fully embracing the role of grime elder statesman also suits him, as he continually seeks ways to expand on the grime template (he’s just as likely to rep for Rihanna, Drake and Lil Wayne as new MCs on Twitter). Evolve Or Be Extinct builds on 100% Publishing’s renewed focus while also reaching out in other, broader directions, making it an album you can’t second guess – and this turns out to be both its main strength and weakness.

The tracks on here rarely settle on one overall sound – the only unifying element remains Wiley’s near-flawless flow and impressive and occasionally hilarious lyrics. ‘Welcome To Zion’ unbalances an almost singalong chorus and a picture of creative paradise with nervy, grimey synths and falls into the braggadocio of the title track. Lead single ‘Boom Blast’ is as close to a hit single as he’s come since last year’s ‘Numbers In Action’ and of course ‘Wearing My Rolex’ and works for what it is – a great party tune. The fact that it’s placed between the flirtatious ‘Link Up’ and ‘I’m Skanking’, a song about dancing on your own in your room (“When the haters say ‘We can’t stand him”/I’m in my bedroom: skanking”) speaks volumes about how eclectic this album is.

The second half continues in a similarly unpredictable vein – veering from a couple of impressive Mark Pritchard productions (‘Scar’ and ‘Money Man’) through a track about ordering a taxi (the self-explanatory ‘Can I Have A Taxi Please’) and an overlong skit about going through customs that involves Wiley giving a urine sample. He hardly needed to include a track called ‘Weirdo’ for you to come away with the impression that Wiley’s one of a kind – he’ll rap about what he wants, collaborate with who he likes, and shoehorn any genre from house, R&B and pop into his already off-kilter grime tracks.

The result is, if its not clear already, mixed, though Evolve Or Be Extinct largely works due to Wiley’s skill as an MC, his humour and wit, and his creative restlessness – it’s more interesting to hear him push in new directions and occasionally miss the mark, then have him settling in his comfort zone. The interviews he’s given around this album’s release also paint a picture of someone with a realistic picture of where he sits in the musical landscape, somewhere between an insular UK scene and the big hitters of the US, and Evolve Or Be Extinct sounds like an honest expression of that. More than anything, the ‘evolving’ of the title feels like an ongoing process – the range of genres Wiley’s embracing here, and the varying results, suggest he’s still on a continuing and fruitful journey.

Perfume Genius

We’ve been listening to the new Perfume Genius album, Put Your Back N 2 It, for the last few days and it is stunning, even better than 2010′s heavily praised Learning. ‘Hood’ has already become something of a standout for us, so it’s great to see that Mike Hadreas has released a video for the song – and the first proper Perfume Genius video at that.

The video undercuts the lyrics of the song with a bit of humour – there’s Hadreas in a string vest and some make up alongside gay porn star Arpad Miklos. It’s short, sweet and you can watch it below.

BRIT awards 2012

The nominations for the 2012 BRIT awards were announced today at a fancy do at the Savoy in that London. It was already announced that Ed Sheeran and Jessie J were going to dominate – he’s picked up 4 nominations, she’s got 3, while Emeli Sande has already claimed the Critics Choice Award. Blur will perform on the night and receive the outstanding contribution to music award, so well done them. Bon Iver gets a couple of nods, James Blake and Anna Calvi get one each, and the best international female category is all sorts of amazing.

We’ve got the full list of nominations for you below. Voila:

British Male: James Blake, James Morrison, Noel Gallagher, Professor Green, Ed Sheeran

British Female: Adele, Florence and the Machine, Jessie J, Kate Bush, Laura Marling

British Breakthrough: Anna Calvi, Ed Sheeran, Emeli Sande, Jessie J, The Vaccines

British Group: Arctic Monkeys, Chase And Status, Coldplay, Elbow, Kasabian

British Single: Adele, ‘Someone Like You’; Ed Sheeran, ‘The A Team’; Example, ‘Changed The Way You Kissed Me’; Jessie J, ‘Price Tag’; JLS, ‘She Makes Me Wanna’; Military Wives, ‘Wherever You Are’; Olly Murs/Rizzle Kicks, ‘Heart Skips A Beat’; One Direction, ‘What Makes You Beautiful’; Pixie Lott, ‘All About Tonight’; The Wanted, ‘Glad You Came’

British Album: Adele, 21; Coldplay, Mylo Xyloto; PJ Harvey, Let England Shake; Ed Sheeran, +; Florence and the Machine, Ceremonials

International Male: Aloe Blacc, Bon Iver, Bruno Mars, Ryan Adams, David Guetta

International Female: Beyonce, Bjork, Feist, Lady Gaga, Rihanna

International Group: Fleet Foxes, Foo Fighters, Jay Z/Kanye West, Lady Antebellum, Maroon 5

International Breakthrough: Aloe Blacc, Bon Iver, Foster The People, Lana Del Rey, Nicki Minaj

Nicolas Jaar

Nicolas Jaar‘s debut LP Space Is Only Noise was one of 2011′s most loved albums – it made our own top 10 of the year – and the new material that has been slowly emerging since that album’s release (nearly a year ago now) suggests there’s much more to look forward to. At the tail end of last year we got the quietly impressive ‘Don’t Break My Love’/'Why Didn’t You Save Me’ single and recently another new track – the jazz inflected minimalism of ‘With Just One Glance’ – has made its way onto the blogs. Mildly interesting fact to mull over while you listen to it below: the singer is the daughter of Demi Moore and Bruce Willis.

‘With Just One Glance You’ Nicolas Jaar featuring. Scout Larue and Will Epstein 1 by Bullett Media

Amateur Best - Be Happy

A couple of years ago now, Joe Flory was gaining a fair amount of attention as Primary 1 – there was a bit of buzz, a rather good single with Nina Persson of The Cardigans called ‘The Blues’ and rumblings of an album, until… well, not very much. Flory did put out an LP as Primary 1 last year, but it was a digital-only release that seemed more like a desk-clearing exercise rather than a definitive artistic statement.

Flory has now re-emerged as Amateur Best, and it’s already looking like being an altogether more focused affair – his Amatuer Best guise is going to tell the story of James Best, a “sometime London DJ, latent alcoholic and lifelong amateur” through songs and also a comic book, which will accompany the Amateur Best releases. The first single is ‘Be Happy’, due out on 7″ on Double Denim Records on February 13. You can hear it below.

DD010 A1: Amateur Best // Be Happy by Double Denim Records

Xiu Xiu - Always

Xiu Xiu have been making music that manages to be earnest, melodic, poppy, strange and harrowing at once (often all in the space of one song) for ten years now. Ten years! Today, the band announced the next album (their eighth in all) will be called Always – it will commemorate the relationship between the band and their intensely devoted fanbase, intended to encapsulate “the mutual camaraderie with and deep dedication to each person who has internalized Xiu Xiu’s work, tattooed its name on their skin or soul, and throughout the past 10 years made the band a part of their lives”.

In the meantime, the band have made the album’s first single ‘Hi’ available to stream – have a listen below. Longtime fans hoping that Always will find Xiu Xiu tackling their usual subject matter will be pleased to hear that the tracklist includes songs such as ‘Chimney’s Afire (Mickensian Suicide)’ and ‘I Luv Abortion’.

Hi by Xiu Xiu

Dot Rotten

Dot Rotten found himself on the BBC Sound Of 2012 the other week – while he didn’t make the top 5, it was still a fairly big achievement for a grime MC, even in a post-Dizzee and Wiley world. In interviews, he seems refreshingly unconcerned with what his underground peers are going to make of his move overground – and the sheer number of mixtapes he released between 2008 and last year is testament to the work he’s been putting in. He’s just released the video for new single ‘Are You Not Entertained’ and its neither a retreat to his roots nor a Tinie Tempah style crossover – plenty of grime MCs have got lost in the space between the underground and the mainstream, and it’ll be interesting to hear where Dot Rotten’s album lands between those two worlds.