Four Tet

Electronic music can be terrible. It can be loud, obnoxious and tacky. Fortunately electronic music can be fantastic. It can tell a story, convey an emotion or just make you want to move. Four Tet's new album is an example of the latter. Released on January 26th, 2010, There is Love in You is already being labeled as album of the year by some listeners. I espcially like the glitchy track "Sing."

Four Tet - Sing

The House Of Supreme Mathematics

Good news music fans. On January 25th, Oxford, England's Foals announced that they have recently finished recording their sophomore album. As of yet, no release date has been announced for the disc entitled The House Of Supreme Mathematics. Another one to get excited for. 2010 is already shaping up to be a good year in music.

Foals - Big Big Love (Fig. 2)

The Trapeze Swinger

I was able to catch a performatnce of Iron & Wine at Austin City Limits the other night on public television. Sam Beam was performing with a full band with no less than six members. Song arrangements sounded somewhat different than those on record, however, they still sounded great. I would love to see Iron & Wine perform live in a sit down venue to really appreciate the nuances and intricacies of his sound.

Incidently that same night, In Good Company was on the tele as well. The best thing about that movie, other than Scarlett Johansson of course, would be the soundtrack, which features three songs by Iron & Wine. The highlight from both the Austin City Limits concert and the In Good Company Soundtrack is easily "The Trapeze Swinger."

Iron & Wine - The Trapeze Swinger (live)


Iron & Wine - The Trapeze Swinger

Embryonic

Widely acclaimed for their elaborate live performances which feature constumes, confetti canons, puppets and frontman Wayne Coyne traversing through the crowd in a giant bubble, the Flaming Lips have come to be known as a band that every self-respecting concert-goer must see before they die. A staple at summer music festivals, The Lips have gained more notoriety and fanfare in recent years for their wacky stage antics than for their studio offerings.

In 2009, the 23 year indie rock veterans released their 12th full-length studio album. The disc entitled Embryonic is described as "a wonderfully weird parade of sonic delights: an arresting consummation of the Lips' two-and-a-half decade career." (1)Take album opener "Convinced of the Hex" for example. This track was concieved during an full band jam session early in the writing/recoring process.

While Embryonic sounds and feels like a Lips' record, several other artists also made contributions to the disc. German mathematician Dr. Thorsten Wörmann contributed to the track "Gemini Syringes", synthpop band MGMT contributed to the song "Worm Mountain", and Karen O (Yeah Yeah Yeahs) contributed to the songs "I Can Be a Frog" and "Watching the Planets" which were recorded by Wayne Coyne over the phone.

Certainly not an album to overlooked, The Flaming Lips provide one of the greatest highlights from 2009.

The Flaming Lips - Convinced of the Hex


The Flaming Lips feat. Karen O. - I Can Be A Frog


The Flaming Lips feat. Karen O. - Watching the Planets


Bonus Tip: Check out the "Watching the Planets" video (Warning - NSFW)!

Fuck Buttons

As every year comes to a close, music critics and music elitist alike take the opportunity to compile their inevitable "Best of" lists. It is an opportunity, at least for this listener, to review such lists and pick up on albums and artists that might have been missed the first time around.

Take for instance Fuck Buttons. An artist easily overlooked with a moniker too similar to other recently hyped bands to warrant any real distinction. 2009 was fucked - Fuck Buttons, Fucked Up, Holy Fuck. Fuck was to 2009 as Crystal was to 2008 - Crystal Castles, Crystals Stilts, Crystal Antlers, etc. I mean, who can really keep track?

Fuck Buttons are an experimental duo from London, England. Their critically acclaimed second album Tarot Sport was released in October 2009. Tarot Sport is a cerebral journey of swelling anthematic electronica. Lead track, "Surf Solar", slowly yet defiantly pushes through the fuzz to hit the listener right between the ears and leave them wanting more. And Tarot Sport certainly delivers as its seven tracks spread over an ambitious 58:35. Album closer "Flight of the Feathered Serpent" brings the journey back down to earth with its settling melody layered over top of a triumphant drum beat.


Fuck Buttons - Surf Solar


Fuck Buttons - Flight of the Feathered Serpent