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Noel Pointer - Fantazia

Never heard of a funk violinist before. As an ex violinist myself I thought I'd give it a listen.
Pretty standard 70s Jazz Funk with extra violins, not mindblowing but a decent listen.

You're an ex-violinist?

I played for 3 years in junior school

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Extraordinary. Early Bob Dylan, Jeff Buckley and John Martyn in a new package.

Had no idea Stratovarius were releasing new material, but i'm giving it a first listen, and i'm really diggin' it.

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I'm not a Madlib expert by any means, but I know how daunting a challenge it can be to tackle his discography. It's fairly massive, sifting out the great from the good is almost impossible.

I suggest listening to Madvillainy if you haven't already. It's Madlib's beats with MF DOOM on vocals. I also highly recommend anything that he does under the Quasimoto moniker, those few albums are all really awesome. And finally, anything of his with his Yesterday's New Quintet project will probably be right up your alley, it's all nu-jazz and such.

But really, you shouldn't be too concerned. As far as I can tell, Madlib hasn't recorded anything bad, ever. Everything I've heard from him has been top-notch, just choose something at random and get happy.

I thought it paid homage to Art Deco.

That is one hell of a claim to make. I'm almost definitely going to check this out based on that comparison alone, but thats a long way to fall mate :)

Cheers for the advice.

I have heard Madvillainy, yeah but I'll make a dent in the rest of his discog sooner or later.

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Oblivians - Derperation

noisy garage punk ...just what the doctor ordered

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The Heliocentrics - 13 Degrees of Reality (2013)
Fantastic new album from this British Acid Jazz/Jazz Funk group. Their debut album in 2007 had more of a funk and hip-hop influence, whereas this one is more spacey with elements of Krautrock, Electroacoustic, and Illbient. So less hip-hop, more spacey but still very interesting and expertly played. Both on Now Again records.


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Kelpe - Fourth: The Golden Eagle (2013)
An electronic artist I've been a fan of for several years, producing what you could loosely define as IDM, sometimes downtempo and sometimes with hip-hop undertones. His style isn't necessarily unique, but it's hard to pin down genre-wise. I guess it is a bit like hip-hop IDM but not like the sound you associate with instrumental hip-hop. I've streamed the album a few times ahead of release, and while it's not going to beat his last few albums for quality, it provides some quality beats to bob your head to. Fantastic artwork makes me want to pick up the vinyl. If you're interested in checking him out for the first time, I'd suggest Ex-Aquarium first.


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Benoît Pioulard - Hymnal (2013)
I'm no expert when it comes to this guy's music, I just happened to get the album Lasted a few years ago and found it pleasant but maybe a bit too ambient at times. Still, a few songs stood out to me and actually reminded me of Bibio's folktronica. I've played Hymnal a few times and I'm warming up to it, but I think it lacks the stand-outs that Lasted has. I intend to check out Précis next, it seems to be his most highly regarded album.


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The Sound - From the Lions Mouth (1981)
Someone mentioned them recently so I thought I'd revisit their first two albums this week. I have this one and Jeopardy, but after revisiting both I'm finally ready to rate them and I prefer this one over the debut. It's a bit less jarring to me. Quality post-punk, less than stellar grammar.


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Alamo Race Track - Unicorn Loves Deer (2011)
This Dutch indie band has been a favorite discovery in the past few years. The style on this album is a bit more indie folk/pop than that of their previous album, which borrowed a bit more from 60s psych pop, and ends up sounding more mature. Apparently they went through some lineup changes between the two albums. Their debut is also great.


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Arcade Fire - The Suburbs (2012)
Still my favorite of their albums, a great listen. Any time I hear something from Funeral, I want to shoot myself...them first. I never really gave Neon Bible a chance, though I had good intentions to do so after becoming a fan of The Suburbs. I played it once and it just didn't cling. The times I've heard songs from it on shuffle, they reminded me too much of the Funeral style.