Things that I'm listening to/want to be listening to...

Into the first category (things what i am currently listening to) fall the following:

1. On a literal level, i am literally listening to this as we speak/I type:
The Notorious xx- a mash up of The xx's debut album of late night melancholy minimalism and       hip-hop hero Biggie. It shouldn't work, but it does. You can listen to it all at Soundcloud. (This is a few months old by the way, i just wanted an excuse to mention it)

2. I've been listening to an online stream of blog darlings Best Coast's debut album, Crazy For You. Online streams of albums ahead of their release seem to be the new thing, The National and LCD Soundsystem just two others to have followed a similar strategy this year. Anyway, you've probably all read about how Best Coast make that lo-fi nostalgia-pop everyone seems to love this year, music that must have a crick in its neck from all the nods it makes to older bands. Despite its zeitgeist-riding derivative nature, it's got some wonderful melodies and enough charm to carry it all off. Listen to it here.

3. Another online stream worth checking out this week is that of Mount Kimbie's Crooks & Lovers, another debut effort. Unlike Best Coast, Mount Kimbie's music could only have been written today, or perhaps tomorrow, a fact i've mentioned before i believe. They're one of those production teams forging a new path away from the wobbly dubstep of of old and into the future, taking with them a whole new army of fans not previously so enamoured with the genre. Listen to it here.

4. Hugo is a singer i'd never heard of until recently when i discovered his intriguing, and ultimately enthralling cover of Jay-Z's 99 Problems. He turns it into a roots-y, blues-y stomper that's pretty much as far from the original as can be imagined. Well worth checking out, again on Soundcloud.

5. Flying Lotus' Cosmogramma album is pretty much amazing, unsurprisingly, but i've been enjoying the latest video he's released. It's for the track Mmmhmm, which features Thundercat, and was directed by Special Problems. The track itself is pretty deep and psychedelic, a trippy, bewildering amalgam of shuffling beats, pianos and high, velvety vocals. The video somehow enhances all these aspects, a weird and wonderful ride from collage seabeds to space scenes, with some floating Indians for good measure. The space theme in particular seems particularly resonant, it's what FlyLo's productions always remind me of. If such a name hasn't already been made up before, he should be crowned king of space-hop.


And onto the second category of things what I'm looking forward to hearing...

1. Arcade Fire and their new album, obviously. In this i'm probably not alone. Hype for The Suburbs has been building for some time now, hype that i like to think i helped build, and now that we've heard a few songs in full, it seems fever pitch has been reached. We'll just have to wait until August 2nd though.

2. Deerhunter.
I bloody love Deerhunter (childish swearing intended, i'm that excited).
Microcastle and Weird Era Continued were excellent, as were all of the various side projects, such as Bradford Cox's Atlas Sound and Lockett Pundt's Lotus Plaza. Their new album, Halcyon Digest, isn't out until the end of September, but they're marketing strategy is also of note, harking back as it does to the good old (halcyon????) days of rock and roll and when posters for all your favourite bands were plastered on all the city walls. Cox has designed a poster for fans to print out and stick up around town, with photos of your handiwork earning exclusive ownership of the first single and a non-album track.
Here's the poster (and a link to the appropriate website):

Apologies for the length of this post. I hope it was worth it.