This week’s #bottomrightcorner is dedicated to Soul. Soul as a genre, soul as a lifestyle, soul as a state of being, as a representation of life and everything we are… Soul, soul soul. Please enjoy this lovely selection that celebrates the part of you that is moved by good music… after all, for some of us, the eyes are not the windows to our souls — the ears are. Enjoy!
Hiatus Kaiyote – ‘Malika’
HIATUS KAIYOTE
Remember the very first time you heard your favourite song? The way it made your skin ripple with anticipation of that next snare, that next bell, that next crescendo? This band has given us that, and so much more… Hiatus Kaiyote is elemental, textural, soulful, quirky ‘multi-dimensional poly-rhythmic gangster shit’. Hailing from Melbourne, this band is phenomenal. With off-the-wall style and equally mind-bending tone, Nai Palm is sassy with her vocals, while the uncanny combination of jazz, opera and electronic soul-math-rock-goodness confuses and amuses to the point where this 10-track album is just not enough. If any new year’s resolutions are to be made, resolve to listen to more music of this calibre!
Hejira- ‘Gypsy of the Soul’
HEJIRA
Comprised of Londoners Sam Beste, Rahel Debebe-Dessalegne, Alex Reeve and Alexis Nunez, Hejira has an organic, deeply satisfying way with creating melodies that sit in the hollows of your chest and hibernate there… Especially on this amazing track, ‘Gypsy of the Soul’. Hejira also run Traum, a monthly event featuring great music (including Micachu, Moats & Thrones & Hello Skinny) visual art and edibles. For more info on both the band and Traum, follow Hejira on twitter!
Atoms for Peace – ‘Judge Jury & Executioner’
ATOMS FOR PEACE
If you have a long standing love for the ’90s rock power bands, you’ll definitely take to Atoms for Peace. This supergroup of Thom Yorke (Radiohead frontman), Red Hot Chili Peppers’ bassist Flea, Nigel Godrich (Radiohead), Joey Waronker (Beck & REM) and Mauro Refosco, is pretty killer. Atoms’ new single dropped this very week, along with a percussive video. Keep an ear out for their upcoming album Amok, available soon… They have an incredibly cool yet simple website, so go check that out too.
Fatima & Floating Points – ‘Mind’
fatima
Now this track is amazing in its own right, thanks to Melbourne’s head nod business on production going by the moniker of Floating Points. Then comes Swedish songstress, Fatima, on the vocals to further bring that soul vibe. She is phenomenal, and this track is so well rounded and well paired that one cannot help but move. Reminiscent of Janet Jackson’s ‘Got Til It’s Gone’, Fatima brings a classy energy to the freshness of Floating Points’ efforts. If you have not heard either act before, get a hold of their collaborative EP entitled Follow You. You will not regret it!
Ninetails – Slept and Did Not Sleep (EP)
ninetails
This EP will leave you asking what the hell you just heard. It is gorgeous. Its guitars are simultaneously balmy and intriguing. Often we find bands these days struggle to be musically interesting, and gentle on the ear, since the thing to do when it comes to making sales is to simplify the life out of music in order to make it marketable. This music is not simple, and not for the fainthearted. Time signatures all over the place, these guys are unafraid. This music is either for stoners, lucid dreamers or those who love to listen and re-listen to tracks to hear every little nuance — and trust me there are many to be heard. The same way one would stretch an elastic band to see how far it can go before being destroyed, Ninetails (Ed Black, Philip Morris, Jordan Balaber and Jake King) use what they know about music to see just how much they can cram into each venture, in the same way that our minds go beyond what reality will allow when we dream… Give ‘Slept but Did Not Sleep’ a listen, and you’ll see what I mean.
Bohren & Der Club of Gore – ‘Black City Skyline’
bohren & der club of gore
‘Unholy ambient mixture of slow jazz ballads, Black Sabbath doom and down tuned Autopsy sounds.’ – Bohren & Der Club of Gore
German experimental jazz band Bohren & Der Club of Gore might be dark & twisty, but their music is soulful, engaging and nostalgic as well. The perfect soundtrack for Huxley’s Brave New World, the long pauses and slow progressions have an air of finality about them, as if the music is whispering secrets only the listener should ever hear… which leads one to suggest that if you’re staying in and having a glass of red wine, put this one on for a little pretension and technical talk with like-minded people. Or, whilst contemplating life via a pair of headphones and a night sky? …Their post-apocalyptic feel is not for dance floors. Sit back and enjoy ‘Black City Skyline’, aptly titled and extremely pungent, this is one to be enjoyed for every second it plays.
Cocaine 80s feat. Nas – ‘Chain Glow’
JAMES FAUNTELROY OF COCAINE 80S
Forever being compared to/confused with Frank Ocean, who has a similar sounding voice, James Fauntelroy kills it in this outfit, Cocaine 80s. This track entitled ‘Chain Glow’ features non other than Nas, next to a whole lot of other gems on the Express OG EP. Gold!
Funkommunity – ‘The Light’
funkommunity
This group of electro-funk gurus are making headway in the world of good music. They are, however, flying somewhat under the radar… not for long though! Their gentle groove and wonderfully classy synths are only further accentuated by singer Rachel Fraser’s rapturous vocals. This music is for dancing — so feel good and so intelligent. Fat Freddy’s Drop and Electric Wire Hustle have both vouched for this group, so why shouldn’t we? Get involved!
1 comment
Chipa2 says:
Jan 11, 2013
too dope. this is my mix for whole weekend. lol @ ” compared to/confused with Frank Ocean”