Sadistik - The Art of Dying EP

http://www.mediafire.com/?6bmdbdpcb2a45w7

Sadistik's debut album, The Balancing Act, was without a doubt one the best hip-hop album of 2008. With sharp lyrics that tell depressive stories accompanied with the accomplished beatmaking of Emancipator, the album was a windfall in emotional hip-hop. Tracks like Searching For Some Beautiful, Absolution and Writes of Passage were contenders for song of the year; strong, heart-breaking lyrics alongside searching, wistful beats were a welcoming break from the tedium of mainstream hip-hop. The latest effort in Sadistik's catalogue, menacingly titled The Art of Dying, is a 6-song, 33-minute EP that one can only assume serves as a tasting plate for his next LP. If the EP is anything to go by, then the album will surely be a winner. We see Sadistik expanding his musical oeuvre, most notably through Bed of Flowers, a 7-minute track that meanders along, just as eagerly exploring the constraints of the instrumental as being used to back up Sadistik's story-telling. Save Yourself is the other stand-out track, with grinding drums alongside a mournful piano sample as Sadistik spits another lament. All in all, a fantastic hors d'oeuvre for what promises to be a delicious main course.

8.8

Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros - Up From Below

http://www.mediafire.com/?b5navh2da0oyawk

The lead singer of Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, Alex Ebert (Edward Sharpe is supposedly his childhood alter-ego), began his musical career fronting a rather unsuccessful power-pop band. While my reservations about the merits of power-pop are legion, they are not within the scope of this review, so let me just say that I was not particularly optimistic about the quality of Ebert's songwriting capabilities. But his band's debut album, Up From Below, happily dispels all criticism I envisaged myself levelling at it. The band display a craft that many indie bands nowadays seem to have eschewed; throughout the course of the album we see songs as expansive and triumphant as 'Home,' to the baroque/cabaret stylings of 'Black Water,' to the alt-country offerings such as 'I Come In Please.' Perhaps the most pleasing facet of the album is Ebert's commitment to creating pop songs that do not dissolve into formulaic repetitions of the same chords, ad infinitum (I'm looking at you, Mumford & Sons). Make no mistake, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros are not breaking new ground as far as indie-folk goes, and they aren't as good as bands such as Fleet Foxes (but you'd be hard pressed to find a band that are FF's equal), they are still well worth a listen.

7.2

Mount Kimbie - Crooks and Lovers

http://www.mediafire.com/?addfwd25hvin6rn

Mount Kimbie, alongside acts like Burial, Joy Orbison & James Blake, are the torchbearers of the dubstep community. Their much-hyped debut album Crooks & Lovers finally landed this year, and while I was originally sceptical, I eventually decided to check it out, and what followed is best described as sonic euphoria. While I called them dubstep torchbearers, classifying this duo as dubstep is perhaps to cluster them in with a genre that is for the most part associated with foreboding, bass-heavy rhythms that speak for the seedy underbelly of the UK. Mount Kimbie's sound eschews the brooding for the effervescent, and while they don't cut back on heavy bass, they still take their music in a direction that is more celebratory than the lamentations of Burial's Untrue or Joy Orbison's The Shrew Would Have Cushioned The Blow. So do yourselves and check out this album; it's a good length (35 minutes), so even if you aren't the biggest dubstep fan it won't last so long as to bore you, and it perhaps signals a new direction for dubstep, away from the gloomy Bristol scene toward a more triumphant, bombastic aesthetic that seems to be gaining currency within indie circles today.

8.6

Benoît Pioulard - Lasted

http://www.mediafire.com/?6t1gx09dmr2k2i4

So, as I promised, here is the new Benoît Pioulard album, Lasted. I first got to know of Pioulard (real name: Thomas Meluch) from a friend of mine who gave me a copy of his debut LP for Kranky, Précis. Since then, he released his sophomore album, Temper, and while it was still a good record, it didn't capture my imagination in the same way Précis did. Lasted sees, in my opinion, Pioulard's return to form; the record is 40 minutes long, in my opinion the perfect length for an album; long enough to sustain its main themes but not so long as to alienate and bore the listener. Stand-out tracks here include 'RTO,' 'Shouting Distance' and 'Ailleurs.' This looks to be a contender for my album of the year, or at the very least a top 5 of 2010 record. Get this, now.

9.2

8tracks Mixtape - Midnight in an Imperfect World

http://8tracks.com/perversity/midnight-in-an-imperfect-world

Tracklist:

1. Ekstrak—Mass Dampers

2. Daedelus—I Took Two

3. Benga—Light Bulb

4. Mt Eden—Silence

5. Kode9 & The Spaceape—Time Patrol

6. edIT—Situps Pullups

7. The Glitch Mob—How To Be Eaten By A Woman

8. Mount Kimbie—Ode to Bear

Artwork by petitescargot @ dA: http://petitescargot.deviantart.com/art/Concrete-Jungle-64714431

Benoît Pioulard - Dakota/Housecoat

http://www.mediafire.com/?vzo03vk490au1gw

On the eve of Benoît Pioulard's new album Lasted being leaked (I'll probably post that up soonish as well), figured I'd share this extreme rarity from back in 2006. Dakota/Housecoat sees Pioulard adopting a more experimental tone, a far cry from his current niche of delicate laptop folk. Recommend for fans of ambient/drone music; don't expect anything like what you've heard on his albums Précis and Temper.

7.3

Wavves - King of the Beach

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?jw4ykiewqqz

The past 18 months have been tumultuous for Californian surf-punk trio Wavves. There have been many highs; most notably, the success of their sophomore effort, the not-so-imaginatively titled Wavves, which made Pitchfork’s vaunted Best New Music list. But the trappings of success have also befallen Wavves, such as their performance at music festival Primavera Sound in 2009, where frontman Nathan Williams struggled listlessly through his set, insulting the Barcelona crowd and drawing the ire of the indie community. Williams later admitted to being on a drug cocktail of ecstasy, valium and xanax, though he refused to accept full responsibility for the mishap, despite a confused and insincere MySpace apology.

Wavves are set to release their third album, King of the Beach, on August 3^rd through Fat Possum Records. As the album title suggests, Williams’ music would perhaps best be characterised as surf punk. The proof, as they say, is in the pudding, and the opening lines to the titular track prove to be exemplary of Wavves’ music; “Let the sun burn my eyes / let it burn my back.” The rest of the album’s lyrics follow a similarly simple and quite repetitive pattern. Wavves’ music is simple; for the most part, however, it is not banal. Rather, it is a host of episodic & catchy summer anthems that capture the essence of Williams at his disaffected best and his grumbling worst.

The album represents only the vaguest of departures from Wavvves. Where their second album saw such myopic efforts as ‘So Bored’ make the cut (the song has one line, “I’m so bored,” that is repeated ad infinitum), it seems as though Williams has grown wiser in his old age (he’s only 23). Unfortunately, we see somewhat of a recurrence of this in the song ‘Idiot,’ where the last minute or so finds the listener’s ears assailed by the rather facile line “And it wouldn’t mean shit.” Williams has made it quite clear that he is another young adult who is disaffected by the capitalist merry-go-round; wording his irritation so tritely, however, is unlikely to win over the broader listening public. ‘Convertiible Balloon” also tends to dull the listener into repetitious tedium, but these two tracks, in the greater scheme of things, are two minor dark spots on an otherwise catchy and interesting album.

Songs like ‘Take on the World’ depict Williams in his finest light. The lyrics are once again quite simple, focussed mainly around the line “to take on the world would be something.” Nonetheless, the lo-fi production combined with Williams’ hazy, distorted vocals make the song a particular stand-out, an anthem for the skater community. ‘Green Eyes’ finds Williams professing his love in an odd but endearing ballad; “Green eyes / I’d run away with you / Green eyes / cos I’m a fool / I tried staying away / I’m just not man enough.” It is these more nuanced aspects of Williams songwriting that stand him in good stead, projecting him as the figurehead of the world’s disillusioned twenty-somethings.

It seems with Williams, his personality is his greatest obstacle. It is what defines his music, for better or worse, and just as with Wavves, the album leaves me with a sense of ambivalence. While King of the Beach has less out-and-out clunkers and definitely less mediocre tracks than Wavves, I still find myself thinking that Williams has yet to unlock his full potential as a musician. If he can shake the petulance and childishness from his personality, or at least his music, then we might finally see his breakout as a true indie darling. Until then, however, I find myself drawn to the album despite its obvious flaws and waiting anxiously for his next release. Whether it proves to be the album we’ve all been waiting for, the shining representative of modern noise pop, remains to be seen.

7.5

Baths - Cerulean

http://www.mediafire.com/?zejmez2zdiz

It seems to me that chillwave is the new sound of 2010. Bands like Toro y Moi, Washed Out, and this Will Wiesenfeld, a.k.a. Baths, have released critically acclaimed albums over the past year. Chillwave, best described as a mixture of psychedelia and electronica, is the perfect soundtrack for one to while away the summer, and so the release of Cerulean has come at just the right time (for those in the Northern Hemisphere at least; I'm here freezing my balls off in the South!). Baths is a remarkably consistent album that varies from instrumental offerings to tracks with soft understated vocals that, while not as philosophical and thought-out as those of, say, Death Cab for Cutie or Elliott Smith, they are employed solely for their aesthetic appeal, and work well within the context of the album. Nor is the album a magnum opus of extreme length; its 12 tracks span 43 minutes, just the right amount of time where they don't drift into repetitive tedium. Anyway, check this album out, it's a good one, and if you do like it have a look at Toro y Moi & Washed Out, you'll probably enjoy them as well.

7.9

AFTA-1 - F O R M

http://www.mediafire.com/?mej4ty2wkzq

FORM: by definition is the mode in which a thing exists, acts, or manifests itself. It is the foundation by which all things are perceivable in the physical realm. Our reality takes form as we visualize to manifest it. Once it is visualized we can manifest it physically, becoming part in building our exterior existence as a reflection of what we are within; LIFE. LOVE. CREATION.

That's what AFTA-1 says about his new album, F O R M. His stellar debut album, Aftathoughts Vol. 1, introduced us to the hipster beatsmith whose music transports its listener to an astral plane. A must-hear for fans of Flying Lotus, Gonjasufi, Ras G and other musicians bringing the space jazz sound to hip-hop beats, the album is filled with celestial melodies over banging basslines. Fans should check out his website if they're after the collector's edition, hand-made cassette tapes which provide the avid fan with a specialised copy of what is a fine addition to the growing body of spacey vibes that is taking over the instrumental hip-hop genre.

7.4

8tracks Mixtape - Jabulani - the FIFA World Cup Mix

http://8tracks.com/perversity/jabulani-the-fifa-world-cup-mix

Tracklist:

1. Shakira—Waka Waka (This Time For Africa) [Official FIFA World Cup Anthem]

2. Soweto Gospel Choir—Avulekile Amasango / One Love [South Africa]

3. Santana—Maria Maria [Mexico]

4. Jorge Drexler—Al Otro Lado Del Rio [Uruguay]

5. Daft Punk—One More Time [France]

6. Los Fabulosos Cadillacs—La Luz del Ritmo [Argentina]

7. Fela Kuti—Fefe Naa Efe [Nigeria]

8. Epik High—Fan [South Korea]

9. Despina Vandi—Come Along Now vs. Gia [Greece]

10. Maxïmo Park—A Cloud of Mystery [England]

11. Interpol—Obstacle 1 [USA]

12. Idir—Tout ce temps (avec Zaho) [Algeria]

13. Umek—Slap (Original Mix) [Slovenia]

14. Boys Noize—& Down [Germany]

15. The Presets—My People [Australia]

16. Darkwood Dub—Nepravda [Serbia]

17. Rocky Dawuni—Download the Revolution [Ghana]

18. Armin van Buuren—In and Out of Love [Netherlands]

19. The Kissaway Trail—Smother + Evil = Hurt [Denmark]

20. Nujabes—Luv (Sic) [Japan]

21. Manu Dibango—Soul Makossa [Cameroon]

22. Eiffel 65—Blue (Da Ba Dee) [Italy]

23. Polemic—Trip To Jamaica [Paraguay]

24. Scribe—Not Many [New Zealand]

25. Flou—Les Gens Pour Ce Qu'ils Sont (Designer Drugs Remix) [Slovakia]

26. Antônio Carlos Jobim—Garota de Ipanema (The girl from Ipanema) [Brazil]

27. Pochonbo Electronic Ensemble—Reunification Rainbow [North Korea]

28. Paco Sery—Nasty Girl [Côte d'Ivoire]

29. Buraka Som Sistema—Kalemba (Wegue Wegue) [Portugal]

30. Carlos Jean—Get Down [Spain]

31. Thomas Fehlmann—With Wings [Switzerland]

32. Aurelio Martinez—Yau [Honduras]

33. Ricardo Villalobos—Tempura [Chile]

34. K'naan—Wavin' Flag (Celebration Mix) [Official FIFA World Cup Anthem]

8tracks Mixtape - Method Acting

http://8tracks.com/perversity/method-acting

Tracklist:

1. William Fitzsimmons—Funeral Dress

2. Cursive—From The Hips

3. Flowers From The Man Who Shot Your Cousin—I Do Not Love You Anymore

4. Bright Eyes—Nothing Gets Crossed Out

5. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds—Your Funeral, My Trial

6. Elliott Smith—Between the Bars

7. Joie De Vivre—Sundays

8. The Frames—Fake

9. The National—Fake Empire

10. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds—Stranger Than Kindness

11. Okkervil River—Calling and Not Calling My Ex

12. Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova—When Your Mind's Made Up

13. Radiohead—Black Star

Artwork by SnnR @ dA: http://snnr.deviantart.com/art/Lonely-Soul-71932287

8tracks Mixtape - Generation X is dead

http://8tracks.com/perversity/generation-x-is-dead

Tracklist:
1. Flying Lotus—Dance of the Pseudo Nymph
2. Crystal Castles—Doe Deer
3. Dimlite—Sun-Sized Twinkles
4. Ben Frost—Stomp
5. Vex'd—Slug Trawl Depths
6. Kode9 & The Spaceape—Ghost Town
7. The Field—Over The Ice
8. DJ Spooky vs. The Freight Elevator Quartet—Chromatic Aberration

8tracks Mixtape - Beauty and the Beat, Vol. 1: For The Heads Who Need Beats

http://8tracks.com/perversity/beauty-and-the-beat-vol-1-for-the-heads-who-need-beats

Tracklist:
1. edIT—Battling Go-Go Yubari in Downtown L.A.
2. DJ Shadow—Stem/Long Stem/Transmission 2
3. Flying Lotus—Breathe.Something / Stellar Star
4. Knxwledge—Extrkt
5. Clutchy Hopkins—Rocktober
6. Samon Kawamura—Love and Sex
7. Tonda Trio—Twisted in the Moonset
8. AFTA-1—The Gaze
9. Blockhead—Insomniac Olympics
10. J Dilla—CaDILLAc
11. Shingo Suzuki—Eternal Sunshine
12. Edan—A.E.O.C.
13. Stevo—Fall In Love

8tracks Mixtape - Harmony in Ultraviolet

http://8tracks.com/perversity/harmony-in-ultraviolet

Tracklist:
1. Tim Hecker—Stags, Aircraft, Kings and Secretaries
2. Belong—Who Told You This Room Exists?
3. Ben Frost—Through The Roof Of Your Mouth
4. Lars Blek—Om det skulle regna
5. Meursault—Jumping From The 40th Floor, Just The Once
6. Flying Lotus—Auntie's Lock / Infinitum
7. Knives ov Resistance—Rosicrucian
8. Godspeed You! Black Emperor—The Dead Flag Blues

8tracks Mixtape - On That New Shit

http://8tracks.com/perversity/on-that-new-shit

Tracklist:
1. The Album Leaf—There Is A Wind
2. The Black Keys—Everlasting Light
3. Crystal Castles—Celestica
4. Foals—Spanish Sahara
5. José James—Blackmagic
6. Kate Nash—Mansion Song
7. The National—Bloodbuzz Ohio
8. Madlib—Untitled

8tracks Mixtape - You Ain't Artsier Than Me

http://8tracks.com/perversity/you-ain-t-artsier-than-me

Tracklist:
1. Quasimoto—Microphone Mathematics
2. Busdriver—Avantcore
3. Gonjasufi—She Gone
4. Saul Williams—Tr(n)igger
5. Cannibal Ox—Ox Out The Cage
6. Flying Lotus—GNG BNG
7. ORKO the Sycotik Alien—Wack As Fuck
8. Aesop Rock—Daylight

8tracks Mixtape - Hello Scotland

http://8tracks.com/perversity/hello-scotland

Tracklist:
1. Admiral Fallow—Squealing Pigs
2. Belle & Sebastian—The Boy With The Arab Strap
3. Frightened Rabbit—Fast Blood
4. Boards of Canada—Amo Bishop Roden
5. We Were Promised Jetpacks—This Is My House, This Is My Home
6. Travis—Writing To Reach You
7. The Delgados—The Light Before We Land
8. The Twilight Sad—That Summer, At Home I Had Become the Invisible Boy
9. Sons and Daughters—This Gift

8tracks Mixtape - Warped

http://8tracks.com/perversity/warped

Tracklist:
1. Gonjasufi—She Gone
2. Grizzly Bear—Fine For Now
3. Harmonic 313—Problem 7
4. Flying Lotus—Table Tennis (ft. Laura Darlington)
5. Maxïmo Park—A Cloud Of Mystery
6. Vincent Gallo—When
7. Hudson Mohawke—FUSE
8. Boards of Canada—Amo Bishop Roden
9. Bibio—Fire Ant