We’ve reached the halfway point. Who’s in the list? Read on!
#15 – Sleater-Kinney – The Center Won’t Hold
Sleater-Kinney chose to mix their hard rock and punk chops with electro touches, and the result is a great record about loneliness, toxic masculinity, standing up when you get knocked down, and walking away from the past. The fact that drummer Janet Weiss left the band not long after The Center Won’t Hold was released adds a bittersweet edge to the album, too.
#14 – Jacques Greene – Dawn Chorus
This is a brilliant house music record that has a theme of getting ready for, going to, and then dealing with the after-effects of an all-night party. It’s full of great dance tracks and some chill stuff to give you a breather now and then. Jacques Greene spins like he was a DJ in the early 1990’s, even though he was just a toddler then.
#13 – Weeping Icon – self-titled
The image of the two skulls exploding with waves of…something is appropriate for the debut album from Weeping Icon because this album is a tidal wave of sound – guitar fuzz, psychedelic noise, and other things that are better heard than described all team up to make this one of the best debut albums of the year.
#12 – CHAI – Punk
CHAI just keep putting out great records. Punkis full of their wit, excellent musicianship, and pure joy. It’s a record about embracing who you are and not giving a damn what others think. Throw in J-Pop, post-punk, electro, and songs that practically force you to sing along with them and you have a winner.
#11 – Ash Walker – Aquamarine
Holy cow, this is a groovy record. All of the songs have some sort of theme related to oceans or water. Aquamarine blends soul, house, trip hop, dub, jazz, and lounge chill to produce something you might hear on Aquaman’s hi-fi.
The top 10 start tomorrow on New Year’s Day 2020!
Keep your mind open.
[Check a new year’s resolution off your list early by subscribing.]
This track about toxic masculinity let everyone know that Priests weren’t screwing around this year. It was the second cut from the brilliant album The Seduction of Kansas and it knocked you down if you didn’t respect it and them.
#4 – All Them Witches – “1 x 1”
Another single that knocked me flat this year was this new one from All Them Witches. It was a pleasant surprise and ended up being one of the heaviest tracks all year. ATW are brewing up dark stuff, and it’s all amazing.
#3 – Cass McCombs – “Absentee”
Cass McCombs wasn’t on my radar until I heard this single. I immediately thought, “Wow…I need to hear more of this guy.” This song, which my wife describes as “Comfortable,” is a haunting and lovely track that’s hard to describe (Alt-country jazz? Psychedelic lounge?) but why bother? Just enjoy it.
#2 – Cosmonauts – “Seven Sisters”
I’m not sure I rushed to buy an album so fast after hearing one track from it than when I heard this track from the new Cosmonauts record, Star 69. I blasted this thing in my wife’s car, possibly making her wonder if I was having an out-of-body experience based on my reaction to it. I think I was. I don’t quite remember because I think the wall of shoegaze sound that assaulted me knocked my brain into the back seat.
#1 – Kelly Lee Owens – “Let It Go”
This song will make you stop whatever you’re doing and dance. It was an instant club classic as soon as it was released. Kelly Lee Owens inspires me to make electronic music, and almost intimidates me to the point of not bothering – which is what a good teacher should do, inspire and challenge. She does both for all of us with this track.
There you have it. My list of top albums of the year is coming soon!
As always, there are a lot of good singles out there every year and picking just twenty to highlight is difficult, but here goes.
#20 – Andre Bratten – “HS”
Good heavens, the opening bass on this cut from Pax Americana is alone worth the purchase price. It’s one of the hottest house music singles I’ve heard in years.
#19 – BODEGA – “Shiny New Model”
“You will be replaced by a shiny new model” is the first lyric in this sharp single, and on the album of the same name, by these NYC post-punkers who remind us that not only are we replaceable, but we often encourage others to forget us and don’t even realize we’re doing it.
#18 – Durand Jones and the Indications – “Morning in America”
Speaking of songs that throw a heavy punch at modern times, this soul cut is beautiful and brutal. “It’s morning in America, but I can’t see the dawn” might be the hardest-hitting lyric of the year on the most soulful record of the year.
#17 – CHAI – “Fashionista”
It’s difficult to pick a favorite part of this post-punk jam from Japan. Is it the fun vocals? The fat bass? The sizzling high hat? The message to be yourself and not care what others think of you? It’s probably all of it.
#16 – L7 – “Stadium West”
This song was a triumphant return for L7, who blessed us all with their first new album in 20 years – Scatter the Rats. The track is a solid rocker that keeps their snark and shreds.
Who’s in the top 15? Come back later today to learn!
Jon Hopkins and Kelly Lee Owens present their new single and first collaborative recording, “Luminous Spaces,” available digitally now and on 12” on January 24, 2020. The track was originally destined to be a remix of Hopkins’ “Luminous Beings” by Owens, but after the pair worked closely together in the studio, it morphed into a standalone single. The two have built a working relationship over the past few years through sharing the same bill in live capacities and on DJ line-ups across the globe. Their work perfectly complements each other; Hopkins transcendent, dancefloor-focused electronics paired with Owens’ entrancing vocals and ethereal techno production creates a euphoric collaboration.
Hopkins on working with Owens: “This project started as something very different from what you’re hearing now – I wanted Kelly to do a straight remix of ‘Luminous Beings.’ I sent her the parts, but what she sent back just felt like something totally new, and had the potential to be so much more than a remix. She’d recorded these beautiful, uplifting vocal lines and had come up with joyous new riffs that recalled for me the best bits of the 90s trance/euphoria that I had grown up loving. I got a beautiful sense of nostalgia and a true heart-lifting joy the first time I heard it, and it was so painless to take it from there to a finished piece – related and born out of ‘Luminous Beings’ but very much its own thing.”
Owens on working with Hopkins: “‘Luminous Spaces’ initially began as a remix I did for Jon, which I also wrote vocals on top of. I sent the whole track to Jon for feedback and this lead to the start of a more collaborative effort, with him adding extra sound design/ production, and a new intro and outro, which I loved! The exchanging of ideas back and forth made it an extra special process for us and is why he decided to upgrade it to a full and proper collaboration. Our worlds truly colliding!”
Hopkins has forged a reputation for music that marries the dancefloor to the devotional, and for live performances that are visceral, generous, charged with a rapt, sensuous beauty. He’s regarded by The New Yorker as “one of the most celebrated electronic musicians of his generation” for his five solo albums – as well as collaborations with Brian Eno, David Lynch and King Creosote, and film scores for The Lovely Bones and Monsters. Last year, Hopkins’ Singularity received a GRAMMY nomination for Best Dance/Electronic Album.
Kelly Lee Owens bridges the gaps between cavernous techno, spectral pop, and krautrock’s mechanical pulse, and is known for her energetic, engaging live shows and DJ sets. She is also an in-demand remixer, working with Björk, Mount Kimbie, St Vincent and Jenny Hval. Her debut self-titled album was released via Smalltown Supersound in 2017.
Following the single, Hopkins will play shows in New Zealand and Australia, including the Sydney Opera House, early in the new year. He will then begin his Polarity Tour across the UK and Europe, combining his more meditative piano music, for which he will be joined on stage by a small group of consummate musician and long-time friends, with his harder more techno-focused material. A full list of dates for the Polarity Tour can found below.
Jon Hopkins Polarity Tour: Tue. March 3 – Edinburgh, UK @ Usher Hall Thu. March 5 – Gateshead, UK @ Sage Gateshead Fri. March 6 – Dublin, IE @ Bord Gais Energy Theatre – SOLD OUT Fri. March 13 – Manchester, UK @ Bridgewater Hall Sat. March 14 – Bath, UK @ The Forum Sun. March 15 – Brighton, UK @ Dome Wed. March 18 – London, UK @ Royal Albert Hall – SOLD OUT Fri. March 20 – Paris, FR @ Salle Pleyel Wed. March 25 – Copenhagen, DK @ Koncerthuset – Koncertsalen Thu. March 26 – Stockholm, SE @ Gota Lejon Fri. March 27 – Oslo, NO @ Sentrum Scene Sun. March 29 – Helsinki, FI @ Helsinki Music Centre Tue. March 31 – Hamburg, DE @ Laeiszhalle Wed. April 1 – Brussels, BE @ Cirque Royal Thu. April 2 – Berlin, DE @ Philharmonie Sat. April 4 – The Hague, NL @ Rewire
Guitarist / vocalist Ed O’Brien of Radioheadrecently released the first single, “Brasil,” from his upcoming solo record. It’s a dreamy track that mixes synthwave, house, and psychedelia with O’Brien’s excellent vocals. He started writing “Brasil” back in 2013 and it’s now available to stream and pre-order as a 12″ single. You can also watch the cool video here.
Dawn Chorus, the excellent new house music album from Jacques Greene, is music for an afterparty or what comes after the afterparty. It’s the sound of what’s buzzing in your head as the lights in the club are turned on to move you onto the streets, the sounds of those streets, or the sounds coming from your car stereo or in your earbuds as you head home from a long night of raving.
The opener, “Serenity,” is warm and still danceable. You’ve achieved a fuzzy bliss from all the dancing and making out that’s been going on all night. The drums on the track have you dancing and the bright synths are almost like alarm clock klaxons reminding you it’s time to start thinking about what comes next. “Drop Location” thumps along with you as you cruise home in your car stuffed with friends or on the train with just a few bleary eyed party-goers and early morning workers.
“Do It Without You” is empowering house that builds to a slick beat and begs you to come back to the dance floor. “Night Service” is Greene’s testament to how nights at the club are like church for many. They’re a community gathering where love is expressed and a place where transcendence can be found among beats, lights, and sweaty bodies. “Sel” touches on some psychedelic elements that flow nicely into “Let Go” – a song that tells us, “Love isn’t lust, unless you say it.”
The words “Girls, ’cause I’m too hot for love” are looped throughout the instant hit floor-filler “For Love.” The tribal beats alone are worth the purchase price. “Sibling” and “Whenever” add synthwave elements to house beats for excellent effect. “Understand” starts off with a cool, warped sound that reminds me on sunlight bouncing off a skipping record.
The last two tracks, “Distance” and “Stars,” invoke images of dawn breaking as you shuffle into your place after the long night of fun, drop your keys in the bowl next to the front door, and put on some house music as you undress and then brush your teeth. You’re not quite ready to lose the beats running through your head just yet, but the moment you’re in calls for a wind-down, and you’re happy for it.
This is one of the best house music albums I’ve heard in a long while, and it should be high among lists of such. It will be on mine.
Jacques Greene has released his new single, “For Love,” from his forthcoming album, Dawn Chorus, out October 18th via LuckyMe. “For Love” follows the “spacious and breakbeat-heavy” (SPIN) lead single “Do It Without You” and it’s accompanying video, as well as early single “Night Service” (Feat. Cadence Weapon).
Watch Video For “For Love” – https://youtu.be/GzdMcHhM7tQ
Greene approached the making of Dawn Chorus as if he were a band. He lived in the studio for five months this past winter – half the time at home in Toronto, the other half in Hudson Mohawke’s studio in L.A. – and wrote these songs in a sprint to capture this chapter in his life. While samples played a big part in his early output, his creative process for Dawn Chorus revolved around recording a stellar cast of musicians, arranging new parts. As a result, it’s his most collaborative project to date, featuring additional production and instrumentation from film composer Brian Reitzell (Lost In Translation), cello by London’s Oliver Coates, additional production from Clams Casino and original vocal contributions from ambient artist Julianna Barwick, rapper Cadence Weapon and singers Ebhoni and Rochelle Jordan, all sampled, processed and stitched back into the album.
To craft the sound of the record, he thought about the artists he held dear and researched the gear they used as a means of being in dialogue with their emotional tenor. Some of the gear he sourced included the delay that My Bloody Valentine was renowned for, as well as a compressor used by French Touch producers Alan Braxe and Fred Falke. Working with mix engineer Joel Ford (of Ford & Lopatin), he created a rule book for the album’s sonics that saw each part, from the drums to the pads, be processed in a specific way, through guitar pedals and outboard equipment.
Surrounding the release of Dawn Chorus, Greene will play select shows in Europe and the UK before returning to North America. All dates can be found below and tickets are on sale now.
Jacques Greene tour dates: Thu. Oct. 17 – Berlin, DE @ Burg Schnabel Fri. Oct. 18 – London, UK @ St. Pancras Old Church – SOLD OUT Fri. Oct. 18 – Manchester, UK @ Warehouse Project (DJ set) (late show) Sat. Oct. 19 – London, UK @ Five Miles (DJ set) Wed. Oct. 23 – Brooklyn, NY @ National Sawdust Fri. Oct. 25 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo Sat. Oct. 26 – Montreal, QC @ Ausgang
Pre-order Dawn Chorus – https://jacquesgreene.com/
Watch/Listen/Share: “Do It Without You” video – https://youtu.be/ftBguTzzVYI
“Do It Without You” stream – https://bit.ly/2mRYy8n
LuckyMe proudly present Dawn Chorus, the new album from Jacques Greene (out October 18th), and present lead single, “Do It Without You.” A bold step forward, Dawn Chorus is also Greene’s most collaborative project to date, featuring additional production and instrumentation from film composer Brian Reitzell (Lost in Translation), cello by London’s Oliver Coates, additional production from Clams Casino and original vocal contributions from ambient artist Julianna Barwick, rapper Cadence Weapon and singers Ebhoni and Rochelle Jordan, all sampled, processed and stitched back into the album.
Stream “Do It Without You” – https://soundcloud.com/jacquesgreene/do-it-without-you/
If Greene’s 2017 debut album, Feel Infinite, was the soundtrack to a dream pregame – amping you up to lose yourself in the club – then Dawn Chorus resides in the post-rave reflective moment. A time of heightened sensuality and latent possibility.
Greene approached the making of Dawn Chorus as if he were a band. He lived in the studio for five months this past winter – half the time at home in Toronto, the other half in Hudson Mohawke’s studio in L.A. – and wrote these songs in a sprint to capture this chapter in his life. Ten years into the game and not yet in his thirties, his perspective on the value of dance music and where it rests with his daily life and inspiration bare out on this album. While samples played a big part in his early output, his creative process for Dawn Chorus revolved around recording a stellar cast of musicians, arranging new parts.
To craft the sound of the record, he thought about the artists he held dear and researched the gear they used as a means of being in dialogue with their emotional tenor. Some of the gear he sourced included the delay that My Bloody Valentine was renowned for, as well as a compressor used by French Touch producers Alan Braxe and Fred Falke. Working with mix engineer Joel Ford (of Ford & Lopatin), he created a rule book for the album’s sonics that saw each part, from the drums to the pads, be processed in a specific way, through guitar pedals and outboard equipment. Dawn Chorus opens with “Serenity,” an all-back-to-mine breaks tune that Greene describes as “a weird, euphoric take on Chemical Brothers.” “Night Service” is a neon-lit hip house anthem helmed by Canadian rapper Cadence Weapon, who drapes a love letter to the club around Greene’s acid-dipped synths. Elsewhere, “Distance” blends ambient textures with sampled birdsong and the snaking lines of Oliver Coates’s cello.
Now 29, Greene has been making music “about the club” for over a decade. His sound could be described as an emotional haze, in that its balance of sonic elements work to illuminate the overlapping feelings that lie between the familiar binaries. Outside of his own releases, Greene has explored his relationship with the club in a variety of contexts, from remixing Radiohead to producing for Katy B and Tinashe and touring with The xx.
He will tour Dawn Chorus in Europe and North America this October. An intimate first live show at the St Pancras Old Church is already sold out in London and another show has been added.
Jacques Greene tour dates: Thu. Oct. 17 – Berlin, DE @ Burg Schnabel Fri. Oct. 18 – London, UK @ St. Pancras Old Church – SOLD OUT Fri. Oct. 18 – Manchester, UK @ Warehouse Project (DJ set) (late show) Sat. Oct. 19 – London, UK @ Five Miles (DJ set) Wed. Oct. 23 – Brooklyn, NY @ National Sawdust Fri. Oct. 25 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo Sat. Oct. 26 – Montreal, QC @ Ausgang
“Night Service” (The Remixes) – Whatever/Whatever Night Version – https://youtu.be/_x3Ysk3po4k
Whatever/Whatever Day Version – https://youtu.be/iltM5sg-f8g
Pre-orderDawn Chorus – https://jacquesgreene.com/ Dawn Chorus
Tracklist: 1. Serenity 2. Drop Location 3. Do It Without You 4. Night Service 5. Sel 6. Let Go 7. For Love 8. Sibling 9. Whenever 10. Understand 11. Distance 12. Stars
Homeshake – the recording project of Peter Sagar – unveils Helium Remixes in full via Sinderlyn.
Following the “Like Mariah (Jessy Lanza Remix)” last month with accompanying visuals from Nicole Ginelli, Homeshake has shared “All Night Long (Ciel’s Daylight Savings Mix)” and “Another Thing (Cecile Believe Mix)” in the last two weeks.
The Ciel remix of “All Night Long” doubles its original length. The track is vibrant with ricocheting percussion and bright tones. “I was blown away when I first heard Ciel’s ‘Hundred Flowers’ EP. The way the melody and drums evolved around one another was so hypnotizing,” says Sagar. “Her attention to percussive detail is masterful. It’s too bad I don’t really party because I hear she’s an excellent DJ.”
Throughout the “Another Thing” remix, Cecile Believe warps Sagar’s vocals and adds a layer of textured instrumentation. “You don’t get to hear it on her remix, but Cecile is the most amazing singer I know. She performed vocals all over the latest (and amazing) SOPHIE record,” Sagar says. “Thanks to her vocal coaching I was able to drastically improve my own voice, and I’m endlessly grateful for that, as well as her amazing remix, which shows how incredible a producer she is as well.”
Teklife crew members DJ Taye and DJ Paypal appear multiple times throughout the EP, including on the remix of “Just Like My.” Sagar cites them as two of his favorite footwork producers and says “These were the first remixes I got back, I listened to them thru my iphone 6s speaker standing in a department store and cried a little.”
Helium Remixes EP Tracklist: 1. All Night Long (Ciel’s Daylight Savings Mix) 2. Just Like My (TAYE//PAL Mix) 3. Other Than (TAYE//PAL Mix) 4. Like Mariah (Jessy Lanza Remix) 5. Nothing Could Be Better (Foodman Remix) 6. Another Thing (LH Mix) 7. Just Like My (Project Pablo Remix) 8. Another Thing (Cecile Believe Mix) 9. (Secret Track) (DJ Paypal Secret Remix)
Shura is pleased to release the Gabe Gurnsey remix of “religion (u can lay your hands on me),”a track from her forthcoming album, forevher, due August 16th. Gurnsey – a London based producer and co-founder of seminal post-industrial act Factory Floor – adds oscillating beats and a club-driven tempo to the single.
“I’ve been a huge fan of Shura’s work since ‘Nothing’s Real’ so it was an honour to be asked to remix her latest single ‘Religion’,” says Gurnsey. “Shura’s vocals alone are a dream element to have in the remix process and that coupled with the amazing textures and production that lie deep in her tracks have made working on this a massive pleasure. The vocal hook ‘Oh girl don’t stop ‘ was destined for the dance floor…”
Written primarily about Shura’s relationship with her girlfriend and their long-distance conception, forevher traces everything from the initial pull of desire to that first IRL meeting (“the stage”), before recognizing when the connection develops into something scarily meaningful. It’s a classic NYC-to-London love-story, but one told through the totally modern filter of dating apps, unanswered texts, Skype chats…and MUNA gigs. The album was co-produced alongside Joel Pott – with musical turns from Jona Ma (from Jagwar Ma), Will Miller (Whitney), T-E-E-D and additional vocals from Rosie Lowe, Kerry Leatham, Reva from Nimmo. “religion (u can lay your hands on me)” Remixes: 1. religion (u can lay your hands on me) 2. religion (u can lay your hands on me) [Gabe Gurnsey Remix] 3. religion (u can lay your hands on me) [Gabe Gurnsey Remix Edit] 4. religion (u can lay your hands on me) [Gabe Gurnsey Dub]
