Memphis has a strangely disjointed music scene these days, or at least as it seems to me — but I am a native Memphian and a relative outsider at times, even in my own town. Things are changing so quickly these days as I focus on working with Future Unlimited, truly the most exciting new band I’ve heard in years, and veer away from really writing this music blog as more than a hobby. My tastes have accrued over time & I’ve gravitated towards certain aspects of the music created here through my own experiences and my passion. These days, I tend to veer away from the drug-and-alcohol-addled, excessively bitter or ill-tempered, seeking out sincerity and intention rather than wanton disregard. Memphis has seen me through, as John Roderick once told me, “many incarnations of my id”. In this one, I’ve discovered Fast Planet, and I could not be more impressed.

From the fallout of a band I long-championed & at times begged to come back known as This Is Goodbye (they did come back briefly last year), the performers — Brandon Herrington, Landon Moore, Wil Deshazo and Jared Rawlinson — were tired of doing the same thing all the time. They all moved around, got girlfriends or wives, found day jobs and moved into other phases of their lives. At some point, frustrated with being caught in the “rock bubble” & inspired by Thom Yorke’s solo outings and electronic meanderings, they made a decision: they were going to learn how to play electronic music. One bought Ableton, another bought Logic, and the rest took care of itself.

Over the course of the last year, they’ve been creating the songs which appear on the soon-to-be-released debut Jes, and probably (according to Landon) threw away twice as many as actually appear on the record. What was left behind as the layers stripped away is a harmonic convergence of orchestrated pieces filled with an elegiac ambience. The 9-song cycle contains patently beautiful, cavernous and majestic electronic songs informed by an intricate flirtation with trip hop, dubstep and ambient.

The songs on Jes are filled with the kind of genuine heart that comes from a certain kind of group dynamic, an equanimity that transcends the music itself. Reminiscent of Telefon Tel Aviv, James Blake, Thom Yorke and Bon Iver, it is a revealing collection of songs, a record so fluidly masterful that one can’t help but express surprise that it comes from a city like Memphis, known for Big Star, Al Green, Three 6 Mafia, The Oblivians and Jay Reatard. Put in the simplest terms, Jes is the kind of record that requires an artist to know something about the world in order to convey its themes without being dreary and mournful. There is redemption in the songs, joy in the heartbreak, and a stunning ushering in of a sound that will come to influence people here for a long time to come.

Produced by the band themselves and mastered by Brad Black, Jes has the necessary weight of an important record, a record dealing with heavy themes about love and mortality, growing up and becoming who we are as people, the greetings and farewells to those we love and lose. It lacks any pretense as it explores these gifted musicians’ journey through their own learning curve. Not limited to a regional appeal, Jes is not merely one of the best Memphis records of 2012; it is one of the best records of 2012 anywhere.

Fast Planet – These Hills
Fast Planet – Rain Game

_{Jes is released 21 February 2012 via their Bandcamp page with a “pay what you will” system. But if you hurry over there, you can get your hands on it now.}

The Weeknd has been in the studio banging out new tracks because, well, when you’re currently one of the hottest tickets on the planet at present, why wouldn’t you? Drake might have made the song “Trust Issues” famous, but Abel Tesfaye turns this song out by placing his deliberate, uncompromising voice into the mix.

The dynamic and enigmatic duo are currently working on completing two new mixtapes: Thursday, which will likely pop out by July sometime, and their back-to-school release, Echoes of Silence. Among the many collabos they’ve been involved with lately, the pair have been summoned by Jamie xx, Florence + The Machine and even Drake himself. Every song I hear from them makes me want to hear the next thing they’re going to do, so whatever the formula is, it’s hard not to sit back in slack-jawed awe and wonderment.

Still don’t have their epic House of Balloons mixtape? Cop it here.

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::: UPDATE ::: Thanks Luis from Pretty Much Amazing for this link to the MP3.

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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