Various ArtistsSecondhand SureshotsDublab / Stones Throw Records (2010) Genre: ElectronicRating: B Secondhand Sureshots is the result of four LA-based beat makers who, with five dollars for five records, sifted through stacks of old thrift store vinyl with the intention of making something old and discarded new again. Commissioned by Dublab, producers J. Rocc, Ras G, Daedelus and Nobody each created one original song from their previously unheard thrift store finds for the collection and its accompanying documentary film. Further, in the spirit of recycling, for the vinyl release of Secondhand Sureshots, which includes the four initial tracks as well as additional remixes of those tracks, 500 old gatefold vinyl jackets were reclaimed, and the release’s artwork was silk screened on top of the original sleeves. The most interesting part about the music that came from the Secondhand Sureshots project are the separate identities of each producer to be heard in the tracks. Even though the methods were the same in the beginning, the results are purely individual. The sounds used to craft these songs are too many to list in their entirety, but include Middle Eastern beats, piano and organ melodies, and voices used for percussion, among other purposes. When the original four songs end—which they do so quickly, as they make up about 15 minutes in total—it feels a bit unfulfilling. The remixes that follow are okay, but they aren’t what make Sureshots interesting. Had more beat smiths been commissioned to take on the same challenge as J. Rocc, Ras G, Daedelus, and Nobody, a more satisfying release could have been made. There are plenty of records in thrift stores out there, and there are plenty of DJs and producers who might have created some pretty cool songs out of them, as these four did. -Todd Miller Listen:“J.Rocc”

Various Artists
Secondhand Sureshots
Dublab / Stones Throw Records (2010)

Genre: Electronic
Rating: B

Secondhand Sureshots is the result of four LA-based beat makers who, with five dollars for five records, sifted through stacks of old thrift store vinyl with the intention of making something old and discarded new again. Commissioned by Dublab, producers J. Rocc, Ras G, Daedelus and Nobody each created one original song from their previously unheard thrift store finds for the collection and its accompanying documentary film. Further, in the spirit of recycling, for the vinyl release of Secondhand Sureshots, which includes the four initial tracks as well as additional remixes of those tracks, 500 old gatefold vinyl jackets were reclaimed, and the release’s artwork was silk screened on top of the original sleeves.

The most interesting part about the music that came from the Secondhand Sureshots project are the separate identities of each producer to be heard in the tracks. Even though the methods were the same in the beginning, the results are purely individual. The sounds used to craft these songs are too many to list in their entirety, but include Middle Eastern beats, piano and organ melodies, and voices used for percussion, among other purposes. When the original four songs end—which they do so quickly, as they make up about 15 minutes in total—it feels a bit unfulfilling. The remixes that follow are okay, but they aren’t what make Sureshots interesting. Had more beat smiths been commissioned to take on the same challenge as J. Rocc, Ras G, Daedelus, and Nobody, a more satisfying release could have been made. There are plenty of records in thrift stores out there, and there are plenty of DJs and producers who might have created some pretty cool songs out of them, as these four did.

-Todd Miller

Listen:
“J.Rocc”

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Watch: The Splinters - “Splintered Bridges”

Now this is just fun. Oakland’s garage-rock heiresses, The Splinters, shared a new video from their debut full-length album, Kick, out now on Double Negative Records.

“Splintered Bridges” starts out innocently enough with some hazy, dream-like footage of a young man unwinding in his room with a little rock music. Suddenly, the band of his dreams appears in his room à la The Ramones in Rock ‘n Roll Highschool, but only moments before The Splinters distract the young man with their wily charms and trash his room in the name of punk. The band’s video is cute, fun, and full of teenage nostalgia. It’s The Splinters to a T.

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DaVinciThe Day the Turf Stood StillSweetbreads Creative Collective (2010) Genre: Hip-HopRating: B- “No one that I knew called it Western Additon, they called it Fillmore,” the sample understatedly roars seconds into the DaVinci’s new album, The Day the Turf Stood Still. It’s a strong statement made by San Francisco-raised John DeVore. His fierce record grabs you and throws you into the issues of gentrification, urban renewal, and financial mishaps without giving you any time to wonder what happened to the ‘bitches and bling’ of rap’s usual suspects. It’s apparent right away that Turf is not about ego. It’s about self-preservation, DaVinci’s and his beloved Fillmore district’s, much like Harlem’s renaissance in the ’20s. Sonically, The Day the Turf Stood Still harkens back to the days of conscious backpack rappers Jurassic 5 and Blackalicious. The raw MPC-created grooves are brought confidently and tastefully by Al Jieh and Ammbush. Their sample-heavy jams leave behind the big production ethos of radio rap, and simply put, keep it raw. Songs like “Ben”—rocking a Jackson 5 sample—and “Whiplash,” with it’s hook “DaVinci the one who sold dimes with no baggies / You know how many niggas sell dimes with no baggies,” put both the solid production and fiery vocal performance in the forefront. Though, it wouldn’t be accurate to call Turf a throwback record. Let’s say, it’s part of the Western Addition renaissance. -Giovanni De La Cruz Listen:“What You Finna Do?” DaVinci on Last.fm

DaVinci
The Day the Turf Stood Still
Sweetbreads Creative Collective (2010)

Genre: Hip-Hop
Rating: B-

“No one that I knew called it Western Additon, they called it Fillmore,” the sample understatedly roars seconds into the DaVinci’s new album, The Day the Turf Stood Still. It’s a strong statement made by San Francisco-raised John DeVore. His fierce record grabs you and throws you into the issues of gentrification, urban renewal, and financial mishaps without giving you any time to wonder what happened to the ‘bitches and bling’ of rap’s usual suspects. It’s apparent right away that Turf is not about ego. It’s about self-preservation, DaVinci’s and his beloved Fillmore district’s, much like Harlem’s renaissance in the ’20s.

Sonically, The Day the Turf Stood Still harkens back to the days of conscious backpack rappers Jurassic 5 and Blackalicious. The raw MPC-created grooves are brought confidently and tastefully by Al Jieh and Ammbush. Their sample-heavy jams leave behind the big production ethos of radio rap, and simply put, keep it raw. Songs like “Ben”—rocking a Jackson 5 sample—and “Whiplash,” with it’s hook “DaVinci the one who sold dimes with no baggies / You know how many niggas sell dimes with no baggies,” put both the solid production and fiery vocal performance in the forefront. Though, it wouldn’t be accurate to call Turf a throwback record. Let’s say, it’s part of the Western Addition renaissance.

-Giovanni De La Cruz

Listen:
“What You Finna Do?”

DaVinci on Last.fm

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New EP Coming From Shlohmo

SF and LA’s recent addition to the evergrowing wonky beat scene, Shlohmo has finished work on the follow up to his debut release for Friends of Friends Music, Shlomoshun Deluxe. The 20-year old producer Henry Laufer has finished a new EP, entitled Camping, which features four original tracks alongside remixes from beat makers the likes of Anticon’s Baths, Asura of Non Projects, and Shigeto from Ghostly International.

Though the EP has to gain an official release date, Shlohmo and his crew over at the WEDIDIT collective have done us the favor of delivering remixes of two tracks from our youth, Khia’s “My Neck My Back” and “This is How We Do It” by Montell Jordan. You can score those jams as a free download here, and peep the artwork for the Camping EP below.

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CaribouSwimMerge Records (2010) Genre: ElectronicRating: A- Daniel Snaith’s Caribou project has given us some particularly intriguing music over the last decade. 2007’s sauntering Andorra had the Ontario native throwing flute-flourishes, false-endings, and general hippy-bred insanity at a very brightly colored canvas. So naturally, his latest effort, Swim, is a nocturnal, dingy-cornered album that revels in the unexplored dimness of electronic music his past outings only hinted at, and surprisingly, it’s just as good. Across the board, Swim is turned down a notch. Even the cover, a psychedelic sort of treestump on a pitch-black background, is scaled back from the lush bucolic scenery adorning Andorra’s artwork. Every song is quite singular, like the cobbled chimes of “Bowls,” the topsy-turvy glitch-inspired interlude “Lalibela,” or the buoyant opening single, “Odessa,” and it all serves a very specific purpose within the context of the album. Like a perfectly sequenced DJ mix, it moves from idea to idea (sometimes even within songs) with a kind of grace and effectiveness you don’t often see in electronically music. It takes a lot of guts to keep relentlessly innovating the way Snaith does. I’m sure he hasn’t exhausted the ideas that defined Andorra’s sound, and it would’ve probably been pretty easy—possibly even a lot more logical—to simply crank out a follow-up to that particular concept. Instead, he pulled back everything in his repertoire and delivered a record that doesn’t infringe or familiarize with anything else in Caribou’s past. Swim is great, of course, but it also piques interest in what Snaith is going to try next. -Luke Winkie Listen:“Odessa” Caribou on Last.fm

Caribou
Swim
Merge Records (2010)

Genre: Electronic
Rating: A-

Daniel Snaith’s Caribou project has given us some particularly intriguing music over the last decade. 2007’s sauntering Andorra had the Ontario native throwing flute-flourishes, false-endings, and general hippy-bred insanity at a very brightly colored canvas. So naturally, his latest effort, Swim, is a nocturnal, dingy-cornered album that revels in the unexplored dimness of electronic music his past outings only hinted at, and surprisingly, it’s just as good.

Across the board, Swim is turned down a notch. Even the cover, a psychedelic sort of treestump on a pitch-black background, is scaled back from the lush bucolic scenery adorning Andorra’s artwork. Every song is quite singular, like the cobbled chimes of “Bowls,” the topsy-turvy glitch-inspired interlude “Lalibela,” or the buoyant opening single, “Odessa,” and it all serves a very specific purpose within the context of the album. Like a perfectly sequenced DJ mix, it moves from idea to idea (sometimes even within songs) with a kind of grace and effectiveness you don’t often see in electronically music.

It takes a lot of guts to keep relentlessly innovating the way Snaith does. I’m sure he hasn’t exhausted the ideas that defined Andorra’s sound, and it would’ve probably been pretty easy—possibly even a lot more logical—to simply crank out a follow-up to that particular concept. Instead, he pulled back everything in his repertoire and delivered a record that doesn’t infringe or familiarize with anything else in Caribou’s past. Swim is great, of course, but it also piques interest in what Snaith is going to try next.

-Luke Winkie

Listen:
“Odessa”

Caribou on Last.fm

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Watch: Tempo No Tempo - “Pole Position”

One of last years more interesting and unexpected debut’s, Waking Heat by San Francisco’s Tempo No Tempo showed us that there is still a bit left to uncover in the realm of D.C.-bred post-punk. The trio made a great album by wedding those obtuse sounds with the more bouncing styles of dub and Afrobeat for a fresh take all their own, one which is evidenced well in Heat’s second single, “Pole Position.”

This video for “Pole Position” song is ridiculously well-made and intricately choreographed for a band who self-released its first album. TNT’s three members move about through strange portals between practice spaces, basements, and beaches—sometimes travelling in precarious and disorienting ways—while simultaneously performing the song. Kudos to French Press Films for the quality retained in executing this idea.

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The Sight BelowIt All Falls ApartGhostly International (2010)Genre: ElectronicRating: C For It All Falls Apart, the latest full-length from The Sight Below, reclusive, Seattle-based artist Rafael Anton Irissari has collaborated with Simon Scott (ex-Slowdive) to create his project’s latest venture into sprawling, atmospheric soundscapes. With the exception of extremely minimal percussion, most of the album’s sounds are created by guitar tones that have been drenched in effects ranging from loop stations to reverb and delay units, some of which sound like guitar tones and some others which do not. All of the sounds, though, that have been layered, modified, filtered, looped and faded up and eventually out, when combined, serve to create The Sight Below’s musical world: a vast and, at times, haunting open space. Vocals become a welcome addition to the mix on The Sight Below’s cover of Joy Division’s “New Dawn Fades.” It’s unfortunate, though, that they don’t appear until the second-to-last song on the record. When guest vocalist Jesy Fortino (Tiny Vipers) enters the mix, a much-needed human element is given to the track. Until that point, the songs tend to blend together, without much differentiation, aside from a gradual fade out and then back in to signify the next track. The vocals—along with the guitar work and other textural sounds—make “New Dawn Fades,” by far, the standout track of the album. It’s simply a shame that a voice didn’t appear sooner and much more often. -Todd Miller Listen:“New Dawn Fades” The Sight Below on Last.fm

The Sight Below
It All Falls Apart
Ghostly International (2010)

Genre: Electronic
Rating: C

For It All Falls Apart, the latest full-length from The Sight Below, reclusive, Seattle-based artist Rafael Anton Irissari has collaborated with Simon Scott (ex-Slowdive) to create his project’s latest venture into sprawling, atmospheric soundscapes. With the exception of extremely minimal percussion, most of the album’s sounds are created by guitar tones that have been drenched in effects ranging from loop stations to reverb and delay units, some of which sound like guitar tones and some others which do not. All of the sounds, though, that have been layered, modified, filtered, looped and faded up and eventually out, when combined, serve to create The Sight Below’s musical world: a vast and, at times, haunting open space.

Vocals become a welcome addition to the mix on The Sight Below’s cover of Joy Division’s “New Dawn Fades.” It’s unfortunate, though, that they don’t appear until the second-to-last song on the record. When guest vocalist Jesy Fortino (Tiny Vipers) enters the mix, a much-needed human element is given to the track. Until that point, the songs tend to blend together, without much differentiation, aside from a gradual fade out and then back in to signify the next track. The vocals—along with the guitar work and other textural sounds—make “New Dawn Fades,” by far, the standout track of the album. It’s simply a shame that a voice didn’t appear sooner and much more often.

-Todd Miller

Listen:
“New Dawn Fades”

The Sight Below on Last.fm

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Listen: Grovesnor - “Taxi From the Airport (Radio Edit)”

One would imagine that despite the hectic schedule UK geek-pop outfit Hot Chip keeps its members like to keep busy in other ways. One man pulls a double shift with LCD Soundsystem, the bespectacled lead singer has his own solo project, and it looks like the drummer for the quintet does just the same. As Grovesnor, Rob Smoughton writes smooth ’80s-influenced pop songs that wouldn’t be the least bit out of place on soundtracks for Beverly Hills Cop or Miami Vice.

“Taxi From the Airport” is a driving number about a jet setting player trying to track a certain special someone after arriving in town. The song is a bit heavy on the kitsch and referential sonics (Hall & Oates’ guitar is laid on just as thick as Giorgio Moroder’s synths and drum machine), but still, “Taxi” has a soul of its own, and should make for a nice addition to Grovesnor’s debut album on Lore Recordings, Soft Return.

Listen:
“Taxi From the Airport (Radio Edit)”

Download as MP3

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Ninjasonik Art School GirlsGreen Owl Records (2010) Genre: Hip-HopRating: D+ Where to begin? Ninjasonik’s Art School Girls could possibly be found in the hip-hop section of whichever Brooklyn record stores rep for this motley crew. At the same time, any employee of those same stores could slip this trio’s debut album into the comedy section, where it wouldn’t be too out of place. It’s hard to tell whether these guys love or loathe all the checklist qualities that manifest ‘hipster-dom’ (fixed gear bikes, coke, and letting daddy foot all the bills) because they can’t seem to stop writing lyrics about it. The title track is nothing more than half of a conversation with a girl that has cute glasses, doesn’t comb her hair, and also likes the same band as MC Reverend McFly: “Oh what you have their seven inch / Ah right on you didn’t play it though.” “Picture Party” hates on those girls always snapping off cameras at every bar and shindig they attend just so they can update their default masturbatory social networking visage of themselves. And with songs like “Somebody Gonna Get Pregnant,” it would make more sense if Tracy Morgan was emceeing instead of the grocery list of names featured. All the joking is bunched onto tracks, like opener “Dada,” that provide the album with enough bass and mindless hooks to get any skank in the club dropping it as if it might be hot. Then we’re blessed with “Drink And My Ska Step,” which taps along a simple beat with scratchy vocal effects. Its thick bass wallops the chorus like a trampoline sized drum, although something still doesn’t quite sound right. “Ha Ha Ha” sinks disgustingly catchy bursts of guitar into the mix, but it’s curtain call by the time you’re hooked. “Daylight Remix” is  Art School Girls’ only real delight, and it’s nothing more than a fun loving rant about having friends that you’d waste away your hours with in the best way possible: “In the daylight I’m usually sleepin’ in / Cause last night I was out partyin’ / And in the daylight I don’t pick up my phone / Cause I’m still dead asleep at home.” Art School Girls doesn’t know quite what genre it is, yet some may just call that eclectic. If these guys hunted down a worthy grassroots producer in their city—say, El-P, maybe—this album could’ve put on the pounds to help throw its weight around. Alas, Ninjasonik leaves us with weak beats and a strong bout with whether to take it seriously or snicker. -Sean McCoy Listen:“Toe Wop” Ninjasonik on Last.fm

Ninjasonik 
Art School Girls
Green Owl Records (2010)

Genre: Hip-Hop
Rating: D+

Where to begin? Ninjasonik’s Art School Girls could possibly be found in the hip-hop section of whichever Brooklyn record stores rep for this motley crew. At the same time, any employee of those same stores could slip this trio’s debut album into the comedy section, where it wouldn’t be too out of place. It’s hard to tell whether these guys love or loathe all the checklist qualities that manifest ‘hipster-dom’ (fixed gear bikes, coke, and letting daddy foot all the bills) because they can’t seem to stop writing lyrics about it. The title track is nothing more than half of a conversation with a girl that has cute glasses, doesn’t comb her hair, and also likes the same band as MC Reverend McFly: “Oh what you have their seven inch / Ah right on you didn’t play it though.” “Picture Party” hates on those girls always snapping off cameras at every bar and shindig they attend just so they can update their default masturbatory social networking visage of themselves. And with songs like “Somebody Gonna Get Pregnant,” it would make more sense if Tracy Morgan was emceeing instead of the grocery list of names featured.

All the joking is bunched onto tracks, like opener “Dada,” that provide the album with enough bass and mindless hooks to get any skank in the club dropping it as if it might be hot. Then we’re blessed with “Drink And My Ska Step,” which taps along a simple beat with scratchy vocal effects. Its thick bass wallops the chorus like a trampoline sized drum, although something still doesn’t quite sound right. “Ha Ha Ha” sinks disgustingly catchy bursts of guitar into the mix, but it’s curtain call by the time you’re hooked. “Daylight Remix” is  Art School Girls’ only real delight, and it’s nothing more than a fun loving rant about having friends that you’d waste away your hours with in the best way possible: “In the daylight I’m usually sleepin’ in / Cause last night I was out partyin’ / And in the daylight I don’t pick up my phone / Cause I’m still dead asleep at home.”

Art School Girls doesn’t know quite what genre it is, yet some may just call that eclectic. If these guys hunted down a worthy grassroots producer in their city—say, El-P, maybe—this album could’ve put on the pounds to help throw its weight around. Alas, Ninjasonik leaves us with weak beats and a strong bout with whether to take it seriously or snicker.

-Sean McCoy

Listen:
“Toe Wop”

Ninjasonik on Last.fm

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Watch: Dosh - “Airlift”

Multi-instrumentalist and solo music man Dosh just shared this awesome video for the song “Airlift” from his recently released fifth album, Tommy, and it’s pretty amazing. When so many music videos tend to placate only to a band’s need to be seen and heard, it’s refreshing to see such a well thought out idea—which actually has a solid narrative—brought to life in a beautiful way.

Director Shal Ngo presents the story of an aging man who lacks a certain consistency in his life, and the young girl who introduces him to a special kind of calm. Dosh’s swelling piano melodies, poignant synth arrangements, and jazzy drumming provide the ideal backdrop to Ngo’s Gondry-esque images—an effect which culminates into a peaceful, twinkling atmosphere that lasts for the video’s final minute.

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Sugar & GoldGet Wet!Antenna Farm Records (2010) Genre: ElectronicRating: B-  The sophomore LP from San Francisco’s Sugar & Gold, Get Wet!, brings a batch of polished electro-pop dance cuts laden with a proverbial grab-bag of bells and whistles reminiscent of the soundtrack to an all night dance party. S&G runs the gamut of playful electronic tinged melodies. Tracks like “Stay Soft” and “Sneek Freq” throw you into a funk/disco/R&B revival that features the ghost of Lipps, Inc. clashing with the contemporary sounds of Chromeo. “Bodyaches” achieves a Passion Pit vibe—utilizing the common cache of sound effects layered with complex orchestration and pulsating arpeggiators. Though not all is four to the floor and club-ready. “Call Me (Softly)” transports you to a neon cocktail lounge and “Couvade,” with its layered vocals harmonizing with celestial pad synths, definitely lends an Of Montreal-esque pomp. Get Wet! mirrors the relative singularity in style flexed by the current neo-disco/funk scene. At first listen, it is easy to produce a mental laundry list of the influences and homage in play, both new and old, but in a way, the unabashed attempt at a plastic dance-pop album is Wet!’s selling point. The title, the cover, the predictable sweaty synth lines and octave bass, the hedonistic lyrics, and overall summertime pool party aesthetic are so blatant it all reminds you of the futility in over-criticizing a pop record that begs to not be taken too seriously; that would just make you the party pooper. -Dave Peterson Listen:“Stay Soft” Sugar & Gold on Last.fm

Sugar & Gold
Get Wet!
Antenna Farm Records (2010)

Genre: Electronic
Rating: B- 

The sophomore LP from San Francisco’s Sugar & Gold, Get Wet!, brings a batch of polished electro-pop dance cuts laden with a proverbial grab-bag of bells and whistles reminiscent of the soundtrack to an all night dance party. S&G runs the gamut of playful electronic tinged melodies. Tracks like “Stay Soft” and “Sneek Freq” throw you into a funk/disco/R&B revival that features the ghost of Lipps, Inc. clashing with the contemporary sounds of Chromeo. “Bodyaches” achieves a Passion Pit vibe—utilizing the common cache of sound effects layered with complex orchestration and pulsating arpeggiators. Though not all is four to the floor and club-ready. “Call Me (Softly)” transports you to a neon cocktail lounge and “Couvade,” with its layered vocals harmonizing with celestial pad synths, definitely lends an Of Montreal-esque pomp.

Get Wet! mirrors the relative singularity in style flexed by the current neo-disco/funk scene. At first listen, it is easy to produce a mental laundry list of the influences and homage in play, both new and old, but in a way, the unabashed attempt at a plastic dance-pop album is Wet!’s selling point. The title, the cover, the predictable sweaty synth lines and octave bass, the hedonistic lyrics, and overall summertime pool party aesthetic are so blatant it all reminds you of the futility in over-criticizing a pop record that begs to not be taken too seriously; that would just make you the party pooper.

-Dave Peterson

Listen:
“Stay Soft”

Sugar & Gold on Last.fm

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To-Do List: Blondes @ Li Po Lounge

The wide-stretching analog sonics of NY’s Blondes have finally made their way to the West Coast. More specifically, the acid-house revivalist duo has come to San Francicso to play a handful of gigs. Earlier this week—on Tuesday to be exact—Blondes DJed in a Tenderloin gay bar, Sunday evening they’ll do the same at the Beauty Bar in the Mission, but only tonight will they be performing live in Chinatown at the illustrious Li Po Lounge. Some of SF’s finest dance music fiends will be there, like DJs Pickpocket and Disco Shawn, Bookworms, and East Bay’s Party Effects, which is even more reason why you should be too. Check out the “flier” and a free Blondes jam, below.

Listen:
“You Mean So Much to Me (Acid Redux Cut)”

Download as MP3

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JavelinNo MasLuaka Bop (2010) Genre: ElectronicRating: A- Boomboxes, cassette tapes, immaculate taste, and a pair of quirky cousins—all coming straight outta Brooklyn—sounds like an exciting combination, and Tom Van Buskirk’s and George Langford’s latest album together, No Mas, proves it is. The duo, better known as Javelin, has made a record out of sampling warped secondhand tapes, chopping up the source material, and transforming the sounds into a universal frolic. Simply put, Javelin has crafted your new favorite party record. 8-bit waves are surfed by high-pitched vocals on “Oh! Centra,” one of many songs that’ll stick in your head for weeks thanks to their ultra-catchy, caffeinated swagger. Tracks like “Susie Cue” sound like they could have been produced by revered vinyl archeologists The Avalanches or veteran electronic producer Howie B, if he ever got a bit funkier. Occasionally, Mas weighs in a bit heavy on the cheesy side, but somehow does so without losing its best qualities. “Moscow 1980” sounds a bit too much like it was taken from one of Harold Faltermeyer’s film scores, and “On It On It,” a disco-tinged ballad, has enough sugary synth hooks and rubbery sound effects to make Les Rhythm Digitales blush. And yet despite the nearly overbearing ecstatic energy of Javelin’s music, there’s something deeply lovable in the duo’s heart-on-sleeve sentiments and ‘dance like no one is watching’ attitude. Essentially, what makes No Mas so enjoyable is Javelin’s dedication to the simple idea of sampling something catchy and familiar, and then turning it into something that is completely original and even more lovable. No matter where the sounds are pilfered from, Buskirk and Langford will make it fun through and through. It’s a feat that few records can come close to accomplishing, especially with music that sounds so casual and off the cuff; it’s as if the songs had always existed within the producers’ collective mind. With No Mas, Javelin has taken the sample-obsessed styles of late-’90s and early-’00s dance and pop music, and revitalized that sound for its own private party. -Giovanni De La Cruz Listen:“Vibrationz” Javelin on Last.fm

Javelin
No Mas
Luaka Bop (2010)

Genre: Electronic
Rating: A-

Boomboxes, cassette tapes, immaculate taste, and a pair of quirky cousins—all coming straight outta Brooklyn—sounds like an exciting combination, and Tom Van Buskirk’s and George Langford’s latest album together, No Mas, proves it is. The duo, better known as Javelin, has made a record out of sampling warped secondhand tapes, chopping up the source material, and transforming the sounds into a universal frolic. Simply put, Javelin has crafted your new favorite party record.

8-bit waves are surfed by high-pitched vocals on “Oh! Centra,” one of many songs that’ll stick in your head for weeks thanks to their ultra-catchy, caffeinated swagger. Tracks like “Susie Cue” sound like they could have been produced by revered vinyl archeologists The Avalanches or veteran electronic producer Howie B, if he ever got a bit funkier. Occasionally, Mas weighs in a bit heavy on the cheesy side, but somehow does so without losing its best qualities. “Moscow 1980” sounds a bit too much like it was taken from one of Harold Faltermeyer’s film scores, and “On It On It,” a disco-tinged ballad, has enough sugary synth hooks and rubbery sound effects to make Les Rhythm Digitales blush. And yet despite the nearly overbearing ecstatic energy of Javelin’s music, there’s something deeply lovable in the duo’s heart-on-sleeve sentiments and ‘dance like no one is watching’ attitude.

Essentially, what makes No Mas so enjoyable is Javelin’s dedication to the simple idea of sampling something catchy and familiar, and then turning it into something that is completely original and even more lovable. No matter where the sounds are pilfered from, Buskirk and Langford will make it fun through and through. It’s a feat that few records can come close to accomplishing, especially with music that sounds so casual and off the cuff; it’s as if the songs had always existed within the producers’ collective mind. With No Mas, Javelin has taken the sample-obsessed styles of late-’90s and early-’00s dance and pop music, and revitalized that sound for its own private party.

-Giovanni De La Cruz

Listen:
“Vibrationz”

Javelin on Last.fm

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Remix Yeasayer’s “O.N.E.” and Win Big!

As one might have expected, one of our favorite albums to come out this year, Yeasayer’s Odd Blood, is being pilfered for a super sweet remix contest. The leftfield-pop outfit has offered up the pieces of its second single, “O.N.E.,” to be downloaded, desecrated, and delivered by all with a computer and dreams of fame and fortune. Okay, maybe not fortune, but the winner of the contest will score a copy of Traktor Scratch Pro, Yeasayer’s latest album, and some serious love from the Mad Decent website.

Those so inclined to enter are encouraged to travel here for the elements and details necessary to partake in the Yeasayer “O.N.E.” Remix Contest. And here’s a twist: you don’t even need production software to enter. Manipulation-crazed website Aviary has just launched its premiere audio editor for you to go nuts with at no cost. So you’d better get started, because entries are already filtering in.

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GonjasufiA Sufi and a KillerWarp Records (2010) Genre: ElectronicRating: B+ An understatement to be sure, Gonjasufi’s debut album, A Sufi and a Killer, is weird. Indubitably, it’s the rare record that incorporates desultory, outré, and occasionally straight-up unnatural elements into something that somehow resists even the most reductive attempts of categorizing. We’ve got fractured soul, goth-leaning post-punk, chintzy, primordial electro, and a dash of Gil Scott-Heron’s brand of half-sung proto-rap all surprisingly solidified into an album that not only bewilders, but sounds absolutely natural and impeccably structured, which—given it’s array of disparate influences and disjointed sonic elements—is totally weird. All that being said, what really elevates A Sufi and a Killer—from experimentation up to a fully-formed idea—is Gonjasufi’s own tattered, ghoulish voice. On practically every one of the 19 tracks (produced by such LA beat scene luminaries as Flying Lotus and The Gaslamp Killer), he delivers yearning and strained verses—periodically about the entirely uncool and heady topic of mortality. “My body finally starts to decay,” he unravels on “Love of Reign.” The singer seems almost obsessed with the ugly side of death—never letting any hopeful spirituality or friendly ghost-isms sneak through. A Sufi and a Killer is easily one of the most original albums that will be released this year; it literally sounds like nothing else on the market. That might sound naïve at first, but once the dusty, haunted world created on A Sufi gets a hold of your brain, it’s undeniable. Gonjasufi is nearing something great. His classic is already visible on the horizon, and this album designates himself as a true innovator. Now, all he must do is follow that innovation to its logical, and beautiful conclusion. -Luke Winkie Listen:“Ancestors” Gonjasufi on Last.fm

Gonjasufi
A Sufi and a Killer
Warp Records (2010)

Genre: Electronic
Rating: B+

An understatement to be sure, Gonjasufi’s debut album, A Sufi and a Killer, is weird. Indubitably, it’s the rare record that incorporates desultory, outré, and occasionally straight-up unnatural elements into something that somehow resists even the most reductive attempts of categorizing. We’ve got fractured soul, goth-leaning post-punk, chintzy, primordial electro, and a dash of Gil Scott-Heron’s brand of half-sung proto-rap all surprisingly solidified into an album that not only bewilders, but sounds absolutely natural and impeccably structured, which—given it’s array of disparate influences and disjointed sonic elements—is totally weird.

All that being said, what really elevates A Sufi and a Killer—from experimentation up to a fully-formed idea—is Gonjasufi’s own tattered, ghoulish voice. On practically every one of the 19 tracks (produced by such LA beat scene luminaries as Flying Lotus and The Gaslamp Killer), he delivers yearning and strained verses—periodically about the entirely uncool and heady topic of mortality. “My body finally starts to decay,” he unravels on “Love of Reign.” The singer seems almost obsessed with the ugly side of death—never letting any hopeful spirituality or friendly ghost-isms sneak through.

A Sufi and a Killer is easily one of the most original albums that will be released this year; it literally sounds like nothing else on the market. That might sound naïve at first, but once the dusty, haunted world created on A Sufi gets a hold of your brain, it’s undeniable. Gonjasufi is nearing something great. His classic is already visible on the horizon, and this album designates himself as a true innovator. Now, all he must do is follow that innovation to its logical, and beautiful conclusion.

-Luke Winkie

Listen:
“Ancestors”

Gonjasufi on Last.fm

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