Tinashe - "Talk To Me Nice"

Sultry and seductive, the new single from Tinashe finds her in a more intimate mood. The track was produced by Nosaj Thing and Scoop DeVille. 

Nosaj Thing & Kučka - "Gemini"

Los Angeles producer Nosaj Thing teams up with Australian singer Kučka on this atmospheric/ambient-esque track. Nosaj Thing provides a bed of pillowy synths for Kučka's plaintive, child-like vocals.

Jam of the Day: Nosaj Thing ft. Kazu Makino - "How We Do"

Moody synth pop collaboration with Kazu Makino of Blonde Redhead.

Album Review: Nosaj Thing - Home

Nosaj Thing
Home
Rating: Woof Daddy

Jason Chung, otherwise known as Nosaj Thing, initially was lumped into the LA beat scene alongside artists like Flying Lotus. While there was a similar quality to that scene, Nosaj Thing's debut album Drift was more minimal and ominous, finding comparisons with the burgeoning UK bass music explosion more apt. While I was preparing to listen to his follow up Home, I returned to Drift and was amazed at the differences between the two records. Not to say that the records are not noticeably from the same artist, but the approaches are so different, as if attacked from two widely divergent angles. Drift is paranoid, edgy, and slightly leaning towards being cold, whereas Home is more warm and analog based, ambient, and ethereal. Chung has stated that Home is a very personal record to him, that he made it only for him, and there seems to be a very lonely, melancholy vibe throughout the record which, while seemingly personal, also has a universal quality to it where you can easily assign your own emotions and feelings to the tracks.

On Home, Chung really stretches himself to morph his sound in different ways, choosing to be less oblique and more direct. He even adds collaborators to the mix for the first time, and hits the ball out of the park. On "Eclipse/Blue," Blonde Redhead's Kazu Makino lends her sultry, breathy vocals to the insistent beat and backwards flowing keyboards, creating an emotional heart to the record.



His other collaboration is with Toro Y Moi (a.k.a. Chazwick Bundick), the former beat maker turned retro-funk stylist, on the soft analog bubblebath of "Try." Burbling electronics ache and swoon over Bundick's achingly tender coos.



Of course, the main focus on the record is on the instrumentals, and each one here is full of interesting textures, melodies, and moments that all coalesce into a gorgeous whole. From the opening haze of title track "Home" with its clicking beats and dreamland keyboards,



to "Snap" with its woozy, stuttering beats and buzzing synths,



and the brilliant closing of "Light #3" where everything comes to a head, the fractured electronics and nervous beats are brought together by tender washes of synths, Home is constantly shifting and forcing you to listen deeply to the sounds.



The complaints I can see with the record are that it is merely background music and too quiet. It is definitely a headphones record, where you can immerse yourself in its pristine world. It is not a dense record, but there is a lot going on within these soundscapes. You can easily lose yourself in these elegantly melancholic compositions. The haunted strains of "Safe" whose subtle electronics are buffeted by ghostly sighs.



"Distance" combines muted two-step drum programming with Boards of Canada-esque melodies.



While "Prelude" sounds easily like Erik Satie returned from the grave and embraced electronic composition.



I've been completely immersed in this wonderful record and rarely have it off. There is something very inviting and warm about Home that keeps pulling me in, even though a lot of the tracks have a slightly somber feel to them. While Drift impressed with its production wizardry, Home takes things a step further by engaging the heart as well as the mind.

Rating Scale:

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and piques one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.

Videos of the Week

Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella Coachella!!!!

First day of Coachella, and New Pants, a Chinese synthpop band, are the first act on my agenda.



Hoping I can catch Magnetic Man unfortunately due to a conflict I might miss part of it.



My finger is on the button.



Menomena is a definite must-see.



Another hopeful, though there are conflicts.

Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx: We're New Here

Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx
We're New Here
Rating: Grrrr

Gil Scott-Heron's 2010 album I'm New Here was his first release in over 16 years. I will admit I have not followed Scott-Heron's career all that closely, so I can't attest to how that album stands up to the rest of the music in his catalog, but I will say it was a striking release. The music was minimal, ghostly, and cavernous, the perfect canvas on which to showcase Scott-Heron's gravelly baritone and seen-it-all survivor lyrics. Richard Russell, XL label founder and the producer of I'm New Here, approached Jamie Smith beat-maker and producer of The xx to re-contextualize the album, bringing it up to date with the latest sounds and trends. In addition to his phenomenal production work and instrumentation for his own band, Smith has recently been the go-to remixer for a wide array of acts, from Adele, Glasser, and Nosaj Thing; so, it made perfect sense to get the old guard and the new guard together. Interestingly enough, Smith only met Scott-Heron a couple of times at some gigs, and only communicated with him via traditional mail. Smith would articulate his approach for each track, and Scott-Heron would either agree or make suggestions. The resulting work, while not a track for track reworking of the album, is a fascinating album in its own right. The raw and gritty feel of I'm New Here, while still a background presence, is instead replaced with a brighter, more urgent pulse.

Smith, although only 22 years old, has a vast knowledge and respect for music of all ages and genres, and what could have come off as a ridiculous attempt to "modernize" Scott-Heron, is more a tribute to him and how he really is ageless and timeless. Smith draws inspiration from many different sources, even sampling Scott-Heron's vocals from older tracks and merging them with the new tracks. One of the standouts is lead track "I'm New Here," almost a spoken word performance featuring Scott-Heron's voice reminiscing about trying to pick up a woman, and counter's it with a pitch-shifted sample from Gloria Gaynor's "Cassanova Brown," which makes it a Rashoman-like recounting of the event.



The centerpiece of the album, "My Cloud," takes vocals for an unreleased track for the I'm New Here sessions and marries it to a lush, Four Tet soundscape, casting Scott-Heron as an R&B lothario:



Smith is careful not to tamper too much with what made the original tracks so special, usually adding minimal touches or surprising counterpoints. In only a couple of instances does he radically change a song. On the original album "NY Is Killing Me," the track was a minimal rush of handclaps and haunting atmospherics. The re-imagined track retains the paranoia and creepiness, but propels it forward with an almost reggaeton beat.



"I'll Take Care of U" is transformed into what could easily be an xx track. Smith uses all the weapons in his arsenal, creating a sweeping canvas of house music piano, haunting guitar work from The xx's Romy Madley Croft, and squiggly electronics.



Although Smith draws from many different genres, there is a nice cohesiveness, and thoughtful juxtaposition of styles within the flow of the record. Moving swiftly from dub:



to dubstep/sub bass explorations:



and even drum and bass:



The only thing that keeps this release from being higher up on my scale is the reliance on too many interludes. Five of the thirteen tracks are interludes, and some are less than twenty seconds long. I am assuming Smith incorporated them as a way to connect the longer tracks together, perhaps thinking the stylistic differences would be too jarring. Unfortunately, I think the opposite occurred, and it takes the listener outside the experience too often. With that said, however, it is a minor quibble and doesn't detract from the overall success of the record.

Rating Guide

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top albums of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and peaks one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been trimmed or polished.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.

Videos of the Week

Another long and drawn out week. Here are the latest videos that have made turning one year older more bearable:



Really interesting video for the new Erykah Badu single directed by Flying Lotus.





UK buzz band Yuck actually lives up to all of the hype. While their sound is very reminiscent of late 80s early 90s alternative rock from Dinosaur Jr., Sonic Youth, Pixies, Pavement, etc, the band throws enough of their own swagger into the mix to keep it from being mere pastiche.



Ok, I will admit that Miley Cyrus' "Party In The USA" was a pretty big guilty pleasure of mine. Having Rye Rye use it in her new mixtape is pure genius.



I just love her. She is cute, adorable, can rap, and dances with a lot of energy. She is a definite must see at Coachella this year.



The new single from The Strokes is finally out. It's a decent single, but I was expecting more from them.





Gayngs is a 23 member supergroup featuring Ryan Olson, Justin Vernon and Mike Noyce of Bon Iver, Zak Coulter and Adam Hurlburt of Solid Gold, Jake Luck of Leisure Birds, Ivan Rosebud of The Rosebuds, Brad Cook and Joe Westerlund of Megafaun, and Mike Lewis of Andrew Bird and Happy Apple. They mine their sound from lite rock from the late 70s early 80s, and it is groovy and slick, but with a good tongue in cheek sense of humor.



Alex Clare is a new artist I have been digging lately. He has a very deep, soulful voice and thankfully teams up with cutting edge producers that really showcase his vocals with interesting sounds. This video is slightly NSFW.



Toro Y Moi move in a completely different direction from their last chillwave inspired release, opting to release a more funky, disco inspired album. I am really digging this squelchy track.



I am really loving this all female quartet. They have a really nice Interpol meets Lush sound. A lot of their songs start off slow, but once all their guitars kick into the mix, they can really lock into an amazing groove.



Another amazing track from Alex Clare, produced by Diplo and Switch. It takes a heavy metal meets reggaeton approach that blasts out of your speakers. In a perfect world, this track would be huge.



I got to see Baths (aka Will Wiesenfeld) in concert this week, and was lucky enough to meet him before and after his set. As you know, I have been touting him all last year, and "Lovely Bloodflow" was one of my top tracks of last year.



Nosaj Thing is another electronic artist in the Flying Lotus stable. I've really been enjoying his music lately and am looking forward to hopefully catching his set at Coachella.



Cut Copy is one of definite must-sees at Coachella. The new album is phenomenal, and this is one of the best tracks off their previous one.



Cold Cave is on my to see list as well. Their new single is very heavy, much heavier than their previous songs. I have no idea what to expect now that they appear to be leaning towards an industrial sound. Should be interesting.



Slammin track from Ciara. One of my favorite tracks of the year so far.