Essential Sounds (2010/05/15)

Hello and welcome once again to Essential Sounds, it is I your real life Rob Gordon with another top 5 records to make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Upon this week’s silver platter we have a spot of Oxford prog rock, a slab of jazzy rap, some Canadian ambience, dirty basslines and a bearded fellow having a stab at reggae. So for maximum pleausre insert headphones and keep your hands inside the cart at all times.

1. “Air Born” by The Kid Daytona

It seems these days if you’re not a member of the cash money familia or an alumni from the new school of hipsters it’s quite hard to get yourself out into the mainstream of hip-hop society. Granted there’s the odd exception, but overall there’s a lot of great hip-hop artists flying under the radar and this week’s first essential sound is a shining example of this. What The Kid Daytona brings to the table is a soothing blend of hypnotic wah wah guitar, jazzy keys and the best use of steel drums I’ve heard for some time. Musically speaking “Air Born” is very reminiscent of the recently deceased and greatly missed Guru, in particular his work from the Jazzamatazz recordings. In contrast to the more electro influenced and suped up hip-hop of today it’s a very welcome addition. Alongside the chilled out summer vibe the music provides, Daytona keeps underground integrity by giving us a solid example of tight intricate lyrics which focuses on the struggles of succeding in the highly saturated hip-hop scene. All this is remarkably complimented by a guest verse from UGK’s Bun B. Whether you’re an old school hip-hop head or not, “Air Born” is the perfect track to get you in the mood for the upcoming summer season.

2. “Foolin” by Devandra Banhart

Some may say that Devandra Banhart is already an established figure of diverse musical tastes but not one to limit his creativity the bearded indie rogue has switched gear yet again. Bringing us a fresh sounding reggae vibe with “Foolin”, Devandra blends his singer songwriter sensibilities with a somewhat traditional mix of bouncy drum patterns and funky guitar licks. The American troubador also seals the deal here by inserting a wonderfully melodic delivery which is backed up by a good use of vocal harmonies. This not only notches up another well crafted number for the Texan native but also serves us the listener with a lovely slice of audible sunshine.

3. “Heavy” by Chase n Status featuring Dizzee Rascal

Heavy by name, heavy by nature. This unattached collaboration between super producers Chase n Status and ambassador of UK hip-hop Dizzee Rascal punches the roof into the red in terms of decibels. The most interesting dynamic here is that musicaly it seems as if Chase n Status are venturing into new ground while Dizzee’s vocal contribution is very much akin to his Boy In Da Corner LP roots. Not to knock his work of late in the slightest but “Heavy” is certainly a reminder of the Mercury Prize winning MC’s ability to cut deep and go hard when giving the right tools to work with. A mixed bag of big sub bass lines, crunching drums, sharp horn stabs, 8 bit glitching and air raid sirens, “Heavy” is so loud and viscious that it won’t just blow the bloody doors off it will bring the house down!

4. “Spanish Sahara” by Foals

Despite the single being out for a few weeks now I felt compelled with the release of Foals’ sophomore effort Total Life Forever to shine a light on one of their standout tracks and a serious contender for song of the year “Spanish Sahara”. In comparison to their previous material “Sahara” is a delicate, sombre and thought provoking thing of beauty. The haunting unison of slow burning guitar lines and vocal delivery from frontman Yannis linger in your ear and heart like a mournful ghost of breaks up past. The lyrics are just as distinct, in particular the echoed line of “I’m the fury in your head, I’m the fury in your bed, I’m the ghost in the back of your head” paints a picture of a love impossible to let go. Add all this to a crescendo of scrambled single note based fretwork and bleeding snyths and you have the audio equivalent of a baby hurricane of cherry blossoms, never threatening but incredibly captivating and magnificent.

5. “Lately” by Memory House

There must be something in the water up in Canada as again we have another truly exceptional export of theirs on display this week. Memoryhouse who were initially brought together as an art project to escape the severity of the winter season consist of neo classical composer and photographer Evan Abeele and Denise Nouvion. Together this unlikely pairing have created a wonderful feeling of prescious melancholy with “Lately”. Consisting primarily of velvet like guitar riffs shrouded by clouds of light distortion and prolonged lingerings of sweet sounding crystal pads “Lately” conjures up images of a sepia toned dreamscape flickering through a film projector. Memoryhouse have not only given us an essential sound here but have bookmarked themself as an act to keep a keen eye on.

–Malcolm Foster

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