BONOBO
The artist named after a monkey which apparently has an insatiable sex-drive, Simon Green has brought some really interesting work to the scene. I am particularly fond of Green for his ability to intertwine some really compelling classic jazz sounds into a futuristic and laid back downtempo scene. He has that knack for tight loops, and spotless transitions, and I would be remiss if I didn't at least give him a spot in an article either now or in the future. So 'now' it is. You will notice a lack of vocals, and that is just his thing. Even if you don't like instrumentals or just don't feel a song is complete without vocals, I would still give this guy a listen.
-Recurring
-I think this is an absolutely gorgeous display of Green's talents. I am enamored with the far-eastern feel of this piece, and the beat is simple yet perfect for what he is trying to accomplish. I am also surprised at the lack of "over-production", there seems to be plenty of analog sound in there to keep things balanced.
-Days To Come
-When I was mentioning a lack of vocals, I was talking about how Simon Green isn't a singer. This song has someone's vocals on it, not sure who it is, but the unique sound seems familiar to me. I again like the far-eastern sound, and also those jazz references really come out quite a bit here.
If you want to hear some more Bonobo
, I would check out the rest of his Days to Come album, and a couple other songs as well (Flutter, Kota and Noctuary
to name a few off his Dial "M" for Monkey album).
WAX TAILOR
My brother put me onto this guy just a few weeks ago, and I have to say I was pretty impressed for the same reasons as I listed for our pal Simon Green above. Just an overall impressive and tight display of production talent. Wax has an even more downtempo feel, and seems to have listeners experiencing trip-hop sonic transference. Again a very jazzy sound, and if James Brown came in over top singing the vocals I wouldn't at all be surprised. He also makes a lot of use of vinyl, and has some pretty impressive "scratch" ability. He also seems to sample a ton of old movie or television lines, which I am usually partial to. It tends to lend a lot to one's music.
-Ungodly Fruit
-This was the song my brother put me onto. I was pretty impressed by it, as it seems to have this waltz quality to it, and yet still makes good use of a compelling beat. I love the Santana-like guitar solo and flute work. If this song makes you want to jump nude on a silk trampoline, then you and my brother have some strange interests in common (sorry man, had to add that in there haha)
If you are looking for a bit more from our boy Wax T, look no further than Que Sera
and No Pity
.
TORO Y MOI
This was another suggestion sent to me by a good friend, and someone who I share a good amount of common music taste with. This guy Toro Y Moi is a South Carolina native by the name of Chazwick Bundick... yes, I said Chazwick Bundick. He has a lot of electronic influences, and I wouldn't necessarily paint him as a downtempo artist like the two above, but he is capable of providing the same style with a different spin. Toro is more of an electro-pop guy, and I am pretty fond of some of his work. He isn't an accomplished vocalist by any means, but he gets the job done; and though his time-signature seems somewhat off throughout his songs, it lends a uniqueness to his work. When I was talking hip, this is pretty hip.
-Blessa
-Though I think the vocals are a tad weak here, I do like the dreamy sound-scape. I think it's a pretty interesting and thought-provoking sound he puts out.
-Talamak
-Though I am not particularly sure of the goal of this music video, I do like the song. Again a pretty dreamy sound, and some strange beat time signatures, but overall some impressive work.
If you want to check out some more Toro Y Moi, have a look into New Beat
and Fax Shadow
. Loving this LOTR reference.
CARIBOU
This was another recommendation from my friend, and actually an artist I had heard of before, and only missed seeing live because of a botched dinner. Caribou was scheduled to play in Cincinnati for the Midpoint Music Festival, and a group of friends and I were very excited to go. Needless to say, we went to have dinner at a neat little restaurant in town called Lav-o-matic, and had a VERY hard time getting served (just an off night for them I guess). So we missed the show all together, which ended up leading us in a different direction, where we saw another pretty awesome band I will probably highlight in the future. Anyhow, Caribou is a Canadian born musician, Dan Snaith, who's original moniker was Manitoba; but he was unfortunately taken to court over this and had to have a minor re-branding. This is again an electropop sound with some break-beat work co-mingled in there. Again, the vocals aren't incredibly strong, and you will notice the same strange time-signature work as you heard with Toro y Moi. Caribou has a bit of a more steely sound, and I get this almost 80's feel from listening to him. Either way, it's some different and fun stuff.
-Odessa
-Strange music video, but cool and unique sound. Overall, I really like the simplicity and again 80's feel to it.
-Kaili
-Again, a pretty interesting dreamy pop sound, and an awesome job working with filters and phasing. I like his analog injections into a very synthetic sound.
Wish I was able to see this guy live to get a better feel for him. I would say that he doesn't really sound much like anyone else I have heard to date, which in itself carries some weight.
Hope you enjoyed some if not all of the stuff here tonight. I will be going out of town, but will attempt to get another two posts up this week before Friday. I am also going to be getting back into some work with "Statefantry", which has been receiving quite a few upgrades since the last post about it. I haven't put a ton of hours in, but have decided on a complete change in the direction of the chorus section, as well as a revamp to the beat which was suggested by my new hire (my brother as music consultant heh). If I make decent progress with it between now and Friday, I will make a new video. So stay tuned.
Have a wonderful Tuesday!
-CS
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