Random 10 for Feb. 4, 2008
1. Burial, “Near Dark.” Techno has not evolved much since the electronica boomlet of 1996, so it’s encouraging when artists such as The Knife or Burial emerge to blow the dust off the samplers. Spooky and cinematic, Burial splices British 2-step rhythms with foreboding found sounds to create the dance equivalent to film noir. There’s doom in the grooves.
2. Matthew Alvin Brown, “Mouthgarden.”
3. Longwave, “I Know It’s Coming Someday.”
4. Sigur Ros, “Flugufrelsarinn.”
5. Mindy Smith, “Little Devil.” Smith is one of the smartest singer-songwriters in alt-country, and her voice is one of those spectacularly pure instruments that is rare in any genre. Despite the presence of mandolins, dobros and such, whenever I hear Smith, I think of Harriet Wheeler of The Sundays, and since The Sundays aren’t likely to do anything else in this lifetime, Smith is here to provide some solace.
6. Metric, “Poster of a Girl.”
7. Phoenix, “Long Distance Call (Sebastian Tellier remix).”
8. Ornette Coleman, “Chronology.”
9. Oingo Boingo, “No Spill Blood.”
10. Chromatics, “I’m On Fire.” Until last year, Portland, Oregon’s Chromatics were known for noisy punk, but with Night Drive, the trio featuring Adam Miller, Glass Candy’s Johnny Jewel and singer Ruth Radalet transformed into a luxe electro-pop group — one of the key highlights was a dark and dreamy cover of Kate Bush’s ”Running Up That Hill.” ”I’m On Fire” is another cover from 1984-85, and while the slow-burn obsessive longing of Springsteen’s original is held over, Radalet’s version has less of a stalker vibe.
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I like Burial from what I’ve heard so far. I may have to get off my wallet and explore it a little more.
Also, Kate Bush alert! Still marketable in my book.