New Music, New Writer: Akala, Mother Vulpine, Ghost
And I guess I should start out explaining a little about why I'm here doing what I'm doing. Like the millions of other blogs out there, it's tough to find a distinguishing trait between them. Michael's done a fine job just being himself here at Audiversity; that natural flair has translated so well that, like, he was totally on Largeheartedboy. Totally.
So the question becomes, what can I offer alongside a guy who's already well-rounded enough to be considered a bona fide audiophile?
Akala -
Akala - It's Not a Rumour / Illa State
That's where Kingslee "Akala" Daley enters to help me out. To be frank, this isn't really new music; "Shakespeare" was the single from last year's "It's Not a Rumour," which no one in the US saw the light of even though the man has opened for Jay-Z on his "Kingdom Come" tour and for Christina Aguilera and DJ Shadow at the end of auld lang syne. Too bad the dude (brother of Ms. Dynamite, by the by) hasn't gotten a deal here in the US yet: "Shakespeare" is just a bit sample of what both "It's Not a Rumour" and his mix-'06 mixtape "A Bit Darker," both well worth the price of entry. When you slow down Tomcraft's "Loneliness" to half-speed fuzztastic lurching, everyone listening is going to win. "Yeah Yeah Yeah" and "Cold" aren't far off; all tracks possess this tinny kind of grunge guitar sampling that's sure to be a hit with the rockists and hip-hoppers alike. Is that what wins Mobo awards nowadays? It's about time. Mega, as the kids say.
But that's not enough. I mean, Michael's got some time to kill. If he wanted to, he could seek out Akala on his own. It's not like it's hard to find him in the latest Fader. He opened for Christina Aguilera, for chrissakes. So what kind of work have I been doing on my own time?
Mother Vulpine -
Cue Mother Vulpine. A few entries back, Michael assessed the new Bloc Party single "A Prayer" and he and I both agree it's a bit... lacking. "A Weekend in the City" isn't a bad album by any means, but if you miss the Bloc Party of old (and by that I mean rough-around-the-edges pre-"Silent Alarm"), fresh-faced youngsters Mother Vulpine might be your answer. The Leeds quartet don't, ah, actually have any releases yet... But if this demo version of "We'll Be Detectives for the Day" and the accompanying rough cuts to be found on their MySpace are anything to go by, '07 might yet have found another UK post-punk indie-dance "new rave" savio(u)r. The best part: They've been known to play with actual wolf masks. Stay tuned. PS. Please don't say you read that Mother Vulpine were new rave here first. You saw it in NME. Only them and Spin make egregious mistakes like that anymore.
Ghost -
Ghost - In Stormy Nights / Drag City
Ultimately though, Michael and I aren't so different. Being an independent radio music director takes time because you have responsiblities, like listening to albums that people send you and not just reading XLR8R or wandering MySpace searching for diamonds in the rough all day. That's how I came to know Ghost. Who are they? Psychedelic overlords... From Tokyo. Gasp! Guffaw! At last, something not British! The second coming of Les Rallizes Denudes? Well, not quite. Even still, don't be fooled by the six marked tracks: What lies beneath is 62 minutes of pure, unadulterated psych-noise. Think more Acid Mothers Temple or Psychic Paramount and less Solar Anus or Boris. Stuffed full of tribal chants, wayward piano lines, vocal-as-instrument ambiance, pseudo-jazz breakdowns, and warped noise following the pendulum of a hypnotist, "Hemicyclic Anthelion" pretty much encapsulates the album at a mind-bending 28 minutes. For a pill slightly easier to swallow: "Gareki No Toshi" translates as something like "garage no Toshi," and since I'm no Japanese expert I'll make no promises that my translation is even remotely correct. What's important about this song is how you can feel the incessant percussion, the minimalist piano line, the distant and distorted vocals... Yessir, "Gareki No Toshi" is, like "In Stormy Nights," as engaging or as thoughtless as you want to make it. As for me, I'll have the former. Check please, good riddance and onward, ho! Next week awaits, after all.
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