Long before anyone had dared utter the words ‘James Blake’, Toronto resident Alt Altman had been creating delicate, minimalist synth-pop with R&B overtones for several years under the name Digits — something like what you’ll hear in this song from his self-released, free EP Lost Dream. It is easy and accurate to compare his work to that of Erland Oye/The Whitest Boy Alive but there’s something much more controlled about Digits which keeps me replaying the EP over and over again.

[BEGIN HYPERBOLE] There is a constant hypnotic allure to the songs in this collection, an unrelenting and inescapable sadness chasing the glory of some kind of ecstasy. The record seems to beam me up, leaving me afraid to press stop for fear that I’ll wake up naked on the ground having been thrown from the spaceship. This is one of the most beautiful EP’s anyone has sent me in a long time, and I’m fairly well hooked. [/HYPERBOLE]

Tracklisting

1. Lost Dream
2. Rachel Marie
3. Pale Green Morning
4. Desire
5. Lost Dream (Remix)

[ You can download Digits' EP Lost Dream for free by clicking here ]

Sometimes I get around to things fast, and sometimes I wait for them to simmer. It’s never really my intention to forget bands that are headed to SXSW. But Paris-based Chateau Marmont‘s songs have been in rotation here since the end of February, and it probably should have been much sooner.

The group consists of Julien Galinier, Guillaume De Maria, Angy Laperdrix & Raphaël Vialla who, having done a series of remixes for La Roux, Heartsrevolution, Ladyhawke, and Röyksopp over the past year (to name a few), have released 2008-2009-2010, a compendium of their three exceptional electronic music EP’s, Solar Apex EP, Nibiru EP and the Nibiru Remixes EP along with one track which appears on Kitsuné Maison Compilation 7.

Chateau Marmont’s single, “One Hundred Realities”, as with everything I’ve heard from Chateau Marmont, is a spacey mix of both Kraftwerk and Giorgio Moroder-influenced Italo-Disco that doesn’t bore itself with trying to fit in with conventional modern techno at all. It’s comfortable to reside on the plains with it’s 80′s counterparts, unashamed that it could just as easily have ended up on the soundtrack for Scarface or American Gigolo.

Chateau Marmont – One Hundred Realities

Their video for “One Hundred Realities”, directed and animated by Japanese artist Shinya Sato, is a journey within.

In addition to 2008-2009-2010, Chateau Marmont has also offered C-M-X Tape for free download, filled with rare electro and disco tracks. My only regret was that I didn’t have the chance to have seen them when they came to the U.S. just two weeks ago. My wish is that they return as soon as possible so that I can.

Of all the classic disco songs I’ve mistakenly attributed to being written by Giorgio Moroder, none is more important (in my mind) than Donna Summer’s “Sunset People”. Beyond simply telling a defining story and description of the Hollywood/Sunset Strip version of Los Angelino culture at the end of the 1970′s (Riot House, The Whisky-a-Go-Go and the Rainbow Bar & Grill all get name-dropped), the song (which was actually written by the team of Pete Bellotte, Harold Faltermeyer and Keith Forsey) is an electronic masterpiece. It’s 140 BPM of chest-clutching, heavy breathing, sweat-dripping aerobic neon-infused disco that numbs your face the way disco was probably meant to.

The album Bad Girls, which “Sunset People” closes out, is one of disco’s truly “all killer, no filler” releases. The double vinyl album sold 7 million copies worldwide, spawning three hit singles that are now so closely associated with disco, they’re practically synonymous with it — the title track “Bad Girls”, “Hot Stuff” and “Dim All The Lights”. Despite actually being marginalized by the success of the other songs on Bad Girls, “Sunset People”, to its credit, has still burned up more dance floors around the world, closed down more discotheques and launched more people out of their chairs than your mind can comprehend. The song’s grimy, sinewy, droning, filthy rhythm hypnotically says, “Yes, it’s 4:30 am, and there’s no turning back.” Though it has been remixed and re-imagined by a ton of producers since its release in 1979, the original version is (in my opinion) is still the best.

There’s likely, ultimately, something dated and cheesy about the song that I don’t see because I love it so much. But this song’s blistering Moog and arp sounds were a primary inspiration to so many creators of electronic dance music that came after it, it’s longevity can be determined in the playlists, compositions, productions and re-edits all of those who (like me) can’t get it out of their heads. When people stop dancing to some version of this song, I will retire.

Donna Summer – Sunset People

[ Purchase Donna Summer - Bad Girls (Deluxe Edition) [MP3] from Amazon ]

In it’s original release, the now-classic (and still bumping as f**k) mixtape Couche Tard pulled together elements from all over the place — an untouchable generational and cultural crossbreed mixing tracks from Spank Rock with comedy drops, jazz, reggae, disco, funk, breakdance and even doo-wop, the crew of Xxxchange, Devlin and Darko completely outdid themselves.

According to Xxxchange, “Couche Tard is the name of a convenience store in the french part of Canada. It translates roughly to “we go to bed late” or “we stay up late”. Luckily, the sessions made it to Soundcloud (in advance of the crew’s soon-to-come CD/DVD project Win Win) where you can drop them at your party, get together, powerpuff circle, shindig, or you know … just so you can put on something ill to listen to. Or, if you want the full CD/DVD experience, you can still purchase the deluxe edition from Underground Hip-Hop here.

“Couche Tard” Mix CD by Xxxchange, Devlin and Darko

[ The Official Fully Fitted Blog ]

Speaking of anticipated new albums, The Strokes new album is due out tomorrow, 22 March 2011. To put it mildly, Angles [Amazon] is freaking everyone out. Their recent appearance on Saturday Night Live was flawlessly executed, and their showcase on Friday at SXSW 2011 nearly caused a riot to ensue, proving the band’s 5 year hiatus has done nothing but improve their quality. Some might even say (including me) that Angles is such an essential album, its excellence overshadows the band’s seminal debut Is This It [Amazon]. Here’s the official video for “Under Cover of Darkness” — it speaks for itself.

The Strokes – Under Cover of Darkness

[ Purchase Angles [Vinyl] from Amazon ]

I don’t have the patience or time to regulate overused cliches explaining why this is my favorite album of the moment. Words don’t fairly express the sentiment revealed to me via Destroyer’s masterwork of musical sensuality, Kaputt.

WHY I CARE: When I listen to this album, it makes me feel l like I’m walking through the East Village on a cool spring night in 1982, cigarette in hand on my way home from the club. The album’s love affair with minimalist latent disco and the early 80′s has given it a permanent place on my listening agenda. Hopefully this note and the accompanying songs will encourage you to invite Dan Bejar (who is also a member of The New Pornographers) and his songs a place to hang in your own galaxy.

FOR THE RECORD: There is unlikely to be a better lyric penned this year than “Wasting your days chasing some girls alright, chasing cocaine through the backrooms of the world all night.”

In particular, I love this video for the title track –

Destroyer – Kaputt
Destroyer – Chinatown

[ Purchase Kaputt digitally from iTunes | Purchase Kaputt on Vinyl from Insound ]

DESTROYER, THE WAR ON DRUGS – 2011 TOUR DATES
Mar 17 Vancouver BC – The Commodore Ballroom
Mar 18 Seattle WA – The Crocodile
Mar 19 Portland OR – Doug Fir Lounge
Mar 21 San Francisco CA – Great American Music Hall
Mar 22 Los Angeles CA – Troubadour
Mar 23 Tucson AZ – Club Congress
Mar 25 Austin TX – The Mohawk
Mar 26 Dallas TX – The Loft
Mar 27 Little Rock AR – Sticky Fingers Chicken Shack
Mar 28 St Louis MO – The Luminary Center for the Arts
Mar 29 Chicago IL – Lincoln Hall
Mar 30 Pontiac MI – The Pike Room at the Crofoot
Mar 31 Toronto ON – Lee’s Palace
Apr 01 Montreal QC – La Cabaret du Mile End
Apr 02 Cambridge MA – Middle East Downstairs
Apr 03 New York NY – Webster Hall
Apr 04 Philadelphia PA – First Unitarian Church
Apr 05 Washington DC – Black Cat
Apr 06 Asheville NC – Grey Eagle
Apr 07 Carrboro NC – Cat’s Cradle
Apr 08 Atlanta GA – The Earl
Apr 09 Nashville TN – Mercy Lounge
Apr 11 Madison WI – High Noon Saloon
Apr 12 Minneapolis MN – Cedar Cultural Centre
Apr 13 Winnipeg MB – West End Cultural Center
Apr 15 Edmonton AB – Starlite Room
Apr 16 Calgary AB – #1 Royal Canadian Legion

Their third album Let It Sway (Polyvinyl) is triumphant, not-too-sweet indie pop with seamless edges in a direct line with The Shins, a collection of nearly perfect gritty pop songs with an achingly sugary filling. The production is never overbearing, set just enough to let the stellar songwriting shine through. Let It Sway, full of sneering sing-along melodies and marching rhythms, droning guitars and punch-drunk effects, has quickly become one of my favorite albums of 2010. I cannot recommend this album enough.

[LISTEN] Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin – Sink/Let It Sway [MP3]

[LISTEN] Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin – Everlyn

[Pre-order Let It Sway from Insound and receive a FREE 7", poster, sticker, and button (while supplies last)!]

Starting out as jazz flutist Herbie Mann’s backing band, Googie & Tom’s first band together Air (not to be confused with the French duo of the same name) was an unrelentingly funky prog-jazz effort fueled by the sweet, soul-laden tones of Googie’s voice. Their first and only self-titled album was released on Mann’s Atlantic Records label imprint, Embryo, in 1970. I was told by my friend Daniel tonight (and I hope someone can verify) that the album was written entirely by Googie herself — although THAT REAL SCHITT has a story which tests Daniel’s somewhat, in which the story of how “Sister Bessie” came to exist and what it was written about –

Well, I finally found the deal, as explained by the song’s writer Moogy Klingman: “Someone told me a true story about a nun, who took LSD after falling in love with a hippie, and then made love to him, deciding she would leave the church and the convent. Apparently, the hippie had different ideas and left town quickly. This song is about what he might say to her about his hasty exit, if he said anything at all.” Okay… safe to say I wouldn’t have ever guessed that one. NEXT LEVEL.

Shortly after this album was released, Googie & Tom would leave Air to become born-again Christian.

In the years that followed, Googie would also end up provide backing vocals for acts that Tom was performing with, including Hermeto Pascoal, Flora Purim, Herbie Mann, David Matthews, John Blair, Bette Midler, Ray Barretto, Lenny White and Jeremy Steig to name but a few. In 1980, she & Tom made an album called Shine The Light of Love for Columbia Records, a Christian music album that was, in many ways, light years ahead of their contemporaries. However, mediocre production quality and lack of promotion from the label caused the record to disappear.

Eventually, Tom began studying jazz at UCLA and returned to Asheville, NC. Sadly, Googie Coppola passed away in 2008. Their daughter, who performs under the name EvaEva, lives in Brooklyn and is a performer in her own right.

I want to apologize if some of this info is slightly inaccurate — I really can’t find much information about them on the web, and what I could find was from other music blogs who have attempted (as I have) to cobble together the story of how this Air record never really took flight & came to find it’s place in music history as simply an overlooked classic for crate diggers to drool over. The music on the self-titled Air album is so immediate and so incredible, you’ll probably (if it’s your sort of thing) find it hard to imagine how it stays footnoted. If you don’t feel like looking around for a copy on vinyl, just go cop the CD from Dusty Groove. Thank me later.

[LISTEN] Air – Man Is Free
Air – Man Is Free

[LISTEN] Air -Sister Bessie
Air -Sister Bessie

The Legendary Roots Crew are called that for a reason. You know, these cats didn’t really have to prove it to anyone, but they did: they’re much bigger than hip-hop. The Roots have always been the unique light that shone from within hip-hop, the ones whose solidarity as a musical unit profoundly demonstrates that hip-hop holds a much greater power than its humble beginnings of MC’s and a DJ. The Roots as a band, intentionally or unintentionally, represent the struggle of real musicians & artists to stick together through whatever may come, seeming to remain friends and collaborators against all odds. People who know and love their music revere them with great reason; with their new album,How I Got Over, they have created one of 2010′s best albums and one which (I think) we will talk about for a long time.

What I love now (and always have) about The Roots is that at their core, they purport themselves as they actually are, as the most sincere and serious of music fans. Creating and playing isn’t just a job (though they understand the necessity of treating it as a job) — they are decidedly inclusive of the influence of artists and musicians whom they recognize as real and never shy away from it. They are consummate performers and creators, their image and music stressing the group’s unwritten formula of brotherhood as a blueprint to young people who might seek to have a life and career in music. At the same time, The Roots crew don’t hold themselves above their fan base. They embrace their fan base, treating them as part and parcel, wanting to give back constantly and, with this album, even asked fans to submit questions for the band to answer as part of the liner notes.

The code of the streets speak through their words and motions; an unraveled a heritage of musical pride and intense anger juxtaposed with fearless reverence can be heard in every track on How I Got Over. These tracks come across to me as a very personal expression about growing up feeling trapped within the ghettos of the mind, the daily collective and individual search within ourselves to unleash even the simple desire to want to do what is necessary to attain a better life. Black Thought’s verses and flows are as sharp and solid as they’ve ever been, underscored by equally on point guest verses from STS, Phonte, Dice Raw, Peedi Peedi, and Truck North on various tracks. ?uestlove’s scholarly and unflappable percussion adds symmetry and power to the poetry, highlighting the bleak backdrops with hopeful reverie. The song “The Fire”, a collabo with John Legend, is seamlessly executed, strengthening the album’s core dynamics, rounding out a resonating message of hope. The vocal contributions of Yim Yames on “Dear God” are plaintive bottled soul, and as with most of the collabos on this album, the track leaves it’s mark on listeners, begging the questions people often consider to themselves but fear to vocalize. There’s clearly a lot of mutual respect in the artistry between collaborators that is laced throughout this record, as if they all sensed how the importance of their contributions to the tracks they worked on. It doesn’t feel like anyone held back.

At the same time, How I Got Over seems to me a musical thank you note penned to (among others) Curtis Mayfield, Norman Whitfield and Roy Ayers. The time signatures and sounds are all there, demonstrating both gratitude and a directional move within the framework these men invented.

Through repeated listenings, I now firmly believe How I Got Over is an album by which the quality of other albums should be judged and which (much like albums made by the artists who influenced it) we will be listening to ten, twenty, forty years from now, calling it an important document of the times in which we lived and what was possible when collaborations between hip-hop artists and indie artists shaped constructive explorations in music.

The Roots – Right On (feat. Joanna Newsom & STS) by loudersoft

[PURCHASE:How I Got Over - The Roots from iTunes]

Yellow Magic Orchestra – Computer Games (Extended Version) by loudersoft

I never stop loving the idea of the great Ryuichi Sakamoto being in this band. Go with it, and wait at least a full two minutes for the groove to kick in.

Yellow Magic Orchestra – Computer Games (Extended Version) [119 BPM]

[Yellow Magic Orchestra info on Discogs]

We’re trying to fix up, look sharp. Nahh mean?

Mark Ronson & The Business INTL – Bang Bang Bang feat. Q-Tip & MNDR by loudersoft

Two key recordings which serve as bookends to Elliott Smith‘s catalogue of solo recordings, Roman Candle (his first) and From A Basement on the Hill (ostensibly, his last), are being reissued by Kill Rock Stars on 6 April 2010. Roman Candle, Elliott’s first album, was issued by Portland’s Cavity Search Records in 1994. For the Kill Rock Stars reissue, Roman Candle been remastered by Smith family archivist Larry Crane. Crane, the respected long-time editor of Tape Op Magazine, served in several engineering capacities on Elliott’s work over the course of his career, predominantly as owner and operator of Jackpot! Recordings where Elliott recorded many of his earliest works.

Embarking on the journey of remastering Roman Candle, Crane says that his primary intention going in was to “make the album more listenable.” The job was never to create remixes from the masters or to purposefully make the record seem louder, Crane said. Instead, Crane tried to deal with intricacies that would give the audio a warmer quality. “We never tried to make this CD as loud as current, over-limited trends,” Crane says, “but just to match the volume of the rest of Elliott’s KRS catalog in a graceful way. Please note that none of this album is “remixed” from the master tapes – it is still composed of the mixes Elliott created himself.”

From A Basement on the Hill was previously released by ANTI- Records in 2004 and now becomes part of the Kill Rock Stars catalogue of Elliott Smith material.

To celebrate these two reissues, KRS is giving away this free, previously unreleased track, “Cecilia/Amanda” which was recorded at Jackpot! Recording Studio in 1997 by Larry Crane. And, until January 4th, Elliott Smith’s entire back catalogue is on sale both via KRS mail order (http://buyolympia.com/killrockstars) and via iTunes.

Elliott Smith – Cecilia/Amanda

[Sweet Adeline:KRS (Label)]

WARNING: THIS VIDEO CONTAINS EXPLICIT PORNOGRAPHIC MATERIAL WHICH MAY BE CONSIDERED OFFENSIVE. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED – PLAY THIS VIDEO AT YOUR OWN RISK.

A new video has been released from Massive Attack’s forthcoming Heligoland, a video which is likely to raise some eyebrows. The video for “Paradise Circus” features an interview with ’70′s porn icon Georgina Spelvin, providing color commentary over portions of her banned pornographic film classic, The Devil in Miss Jones. I found it tough to watch, but I post it in the hopes you’ll find it enjoyable and interesting.

The standard-bearers for trip-hop, Bristol natives Massive Attack, have announced complete details on their soon-to-be released new album. Entitled Heligoland, the album will see release on 8 February 2010. Their first studio album in seven years, Heligoland is seen as one of the most hotly anticipated releases of 2010.

Ranked among the most influential bands to come out of British music in the 1990′s, Massive Attack had long been believed to reach their creative peak with 1998′s seminal release, Mezzanine. Creative fallout and personnel changes within the band left founding members Robert Del Naja (3D) and Grant Marshall (Daddy G) to trudge forward. The band’s 2003 release, 100th Window, though critically well-received, has long been speculated to be, in reality, the first solo work of now-accomplished soundtrack producer 3D. Regardless, one constant remains: Massive Attack’s popularity as live artists has never waned to any serious degree. They have remained a successful touring and performing act the world over.

The litany of guest appearances on Heligoland is impressive: there are substantial contributions on Heligoland from vocalists Martina Topley-Bird and Hope Sandoval, Gorillaz and Blur frontman Damon Albarn, Guy Garvey (from the band Elbow), Tunde Adebimpe and the return of legendary Reggae vocalist Horace Andy.

In addition to production from the band themselves, Tim Goldsworthy of DFA lends his help with production duties on the album. The tracks which appeared on their recently-released EP Splitting the Atom will also appear on the album, songs which give strong indication that Massive Attack have entered yet another phase of depth and creativity worth listening to and noticing.

Tracklisting for Heligloland:
01) Pray For Rain – featuring Tunde Adebimpe
02) Babel – featuring Martina Topley-Bird
03) Splitting The Atom – featuring Robert del Naja/Grant Marshall/Horace Andy
04) Girl I Love You – featuring Horace Andy
05) Psyche – featuring Martina Topley-Bird
06) Flat Of The Blade – featuring Guy Garvey
07) Paradise Circus – featuring Hope Sandoval
08) Rush Minute – featuring Robert del Naja
09) Saturday Come Slow – featuring Damon Albarn
10) Atlas Air – featuring Robert del Naja

(Big ups to DISCO ATTACK via Gorilla vs. Bear)