The Dirty Diamonds

CreamTeam likes to drop a whole selection of fire, and recently they introduced us to The Dirty Diamonds. As unappealing as, uh, I guess, "indie doo-wop" sounds, it's a bit unavoidable. Just totally different from anything I've hear in a while. I couldn't even find a picture to post that I confidently thought was them! Primarily, they fulfill the most important criteria for a band: fun.

The Dirty Diamonds - Naughty Girl

Myspace

A Champion Pun Would Be Too Easy

Repository of heat RCRD LBL tend to unleash a wealth of tracks which I heavy-love for a week and usually forget about. This time though, they're onto a stayer. Sam Champion have a raw early-KoL sound minus, largely, the Southern influences. It's the sort of melodic, folky blues-rock that everyone loves but doesn't get done right often enough.

Sam Champion - Be Mine Everyone

More tracks @ RCRD LBL | Myspace | Website

Shapeshifter vs. D-Bridge

Drum and bass is killing it at the moment. Its a fact. Just check my last few posts. I almost resisted posting this slice of absolute fire up here, but it cannot be denied.

Behold the merging of the epic feel good vibes of NZ's Shapeshifter with the golden touch of D-Bridge. Shit is immense.

Shapeshifter - One (D-Bridge Remix)

Myspace | Website

G-Unit - Terminate On Sight

G-Unit's new album drops on July 1, but here's a sneak peek. The album doesn't deviate from the standard G-Unit sound. I probably wouldn't normally bother talking about G-Unit, but Tha Bizness have produced a track with such completely balla production and wicked bounce that I'm compelled to. Check it:

G-Unit - Piano Man (link removed)

The official site below has snippets of the rest of the album.

Incidentally, does anyone want to tell Lloyd Banks that the Craig David look was late in '01? Let alone now?

Terminate On Sight | Myspace

Yes, she can.

Round my hometown...

So I may be getting a little carried with the drum and bass but really this a cross over track so it doesn't count. Right?

May I present the newest remix from BW's favourite son, High Contrast. This time he lends his golden touch too Adele's 'Hometown Glory'. Laying her sublime vocals on a bed of rave syths and rolling drums Contrast has come up with another banger. Check out the radio rip (better quality to come) below if you dont believe me.

Adele - Hometown Glory (High Contrast Remix)

Adele Myspace | High Contrast Myspace

Gully

They say good things come in three's. Looking at the recent drum and bass LP releases I would say 'they' were about right.


Firstly from the always reliable Hospital Records stable (home of High Contrast, Logistics and many more) comes a debut ten years in the making from Danny Byrd. Titled Super Sized its full of his trademark liquid sound. It also contains a number of curve balls in including the electro tinged Weird Science (below) and the old skool jungle vibes of Shock Out

Danny Byrd - Weird Science

Myspace | Website


D-Bridge was once a member of the acclaimed but now defunct Bad Company. He has now branched off and has been producing for the past few years, releasing singles on various label including his own Exit Recordings. This week sees the release of his first long player, The Gemini Principal. Deep and dark in sections D-Bridge layers his sounds and adds touches of soul to creating atmospheric drum and bass. The haunting Creatures of Habit (below) is a perfect example of this sound.

D-Bridge - Creatures of Habit

Myspace | Purchase


Rounding out the releases is the lastest LP from the revered Irish producer Calibre. His latest double disc LP is titled Overflow. It retains all his influences of dub and regge and adds a number of new ones, notably a tougher sound on a number of tracks. Calibre also his own vocals for the first time and the gamble pays off adding a personal touch to his lyrics. Textured, warm drum and bass for the soul. Check the key driven Always Lovin You below.

Calibre - Always Lovin You

Myspace | Wiki

Even if you dont feel that 178bpm vibe normally I would urge you too check this stuff out. Musically drum and bass is on fire at the moment.

This is just me indulging in some cultural imperialism.

I love Human Television and they should be bigger than they are. Their album "Look At Who You're Talking To" came out just over two years ago and I find it genuinely weird that everyone slept on such sweet indie-pop. So listen to the track, then download the zip (it's only 10mgs), and then we can talk about them together. Thanks.

Human Television - In Front Of The House

Zipped Tracks (thanks to freeindie.com)


Myspace

The oddly named Joe Pug

At times, nothing satisfies like the minimalism of a guitar, a voice and a powerful song. So many musicians will do this, and of these, we all know when they have the je ne sais quoi that makes the combination so successful. It is a vast collection of musical heavyweights and forlorn obscurities, and making oneself standout from the myriad must be daunting. It seems unfair to judge an emerging artist against Bob Dylan, or Cat Power, or the tragically sublime Elliott Smith. But it's probably necessary. It's probably unavoidable. I can't but compare when hearing a new artist. With this in mind, I was so impressed with Joe Pug. The carpenter from Chicago follows the dustbowl troubadour tradition, variously displaying the influences required of this mode: the wistful pace, the harmonica accents, the themes of heartbreak or triumph, or self-discovery. He has the voice of a chain-smoking Appalachian journeyman, and the raw guitar melodies complement this beautifully. The honest lyricism in his songs are such appropriate stories for this mode of music. I won't go on, because I'm scared to overhype. His album, Nation of Heat, is out now, and at his website he's actively asking to post his cd to you, free. In numerous quantities, if you want. Just 'cause he wants people to hear his music.

(Incidentally, when listening to the below, tell me you don't hear a young Bob Dylan doing "Mama You Been On My Mind.")

Joe Pug - Hymn #101

Myspace | Website

Ahoy Thar, Port O'Brien

Finding themselves somewhere in the realm of Colourbook and No Age, with some obtuse hints of Arcade Fire, Port O'Brien are a five-piece outta Oakland who dropped their long-awaited album "All We Could Do Was Sing" in mid-May. There's some kinda Decemberists-esque imagery and it has a kind of Human Television earnestness / naïvete...
Anyway about 18 months ago, Pitchfork reviewed "I Woke Up Today", and claimed it was angsty and isolated. I call bullshit. I was having a weak day today, and other people were having worse ones, and this track picked me up and hit a chord it hadn't when first released in late '06. I think I listened to it once and forgot about it then. But this time, I found the whole confessional, proto-indie-folk-pop sound beautiful. If this song can count as a 2008 release, it's maybe my favourite non-banger track of the year. So far.

Port O'Brien - I Woke Up Today

Myspace | Website

Hang on mate!? 7$T?

The Swiss have given us the Swiss Army Knife, political neutrality and Roger Federer, but what have they delivered musically? Hmmm... one of only two "Swiss" winners of Eurovision is Celine Dion. And they gave her back to Canada! But is anyone going to argue with that decision?
Well, despair no longer Switzerland because, as you already know, four boys from Lucerne are about to change that forever. Apparently 7 Dollar Taxi (7$T - yeah, I'm not quite sure about that tag either) have been a big deal in their home land since 2006 when their debut album, Come and Figure it Out, dropped. The album is set to be released in the anglosphere in August and they look set to be bigger than they are in their home market.
Do the Robot is the lead-in single. It's quite a pleasant little Scandinavian pop tune, but maybe a bit uninspiring. However, the clip for it is heat with what my untrained tells me is plenty of rotoscoping, a la A Scanner Darkly.
I'm more enamoured with the B-side, Red Lips. This tune is fire and rocks and rolls very nicely. You should also head over to their MySpace and check out the tune Jurassic Heads, which is very tight.
Oh, and if you want to know what they sound like think Arctic Monkeys with a touch of The Hives grit.

MySpace | Website

Don't Touch Me!

So Zane and Ronson have been flogging this track for weeks now which normally would discount it from appearing on these pages. Add that to the fact that I still harbor a big old chip on my shoulder for the no show Busta made last time he visited these shores.

All that being said I just can't ignore the fire Busta is spitting on this track. It almost makes you forget about the Linkin Park collaboration. Almost.

Busta Rhymes - Don't Touch Me (Throw Da Water on Them)

Myspace | Website

Lay off the drank, Weezy.

NYC rap station HOT97's annual Summer Jam was on yessirday in NYC, and, amongst other, ahem, 'highlights' of this festival was the above: Lil' Wayne bugging out to Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You." In further WTFness, Weezy plinks out 5 minutes of improv guitar work (he's not exactly Buddy Guy) and decides to do half his twenty minute set a capella. At least he brought out Kanye for the "Lollipop" remix.

So it wasn't as eventful as Hov calling out Prodigy or The Game beefing the shit out of Fiddy in '05, but I still wish I was there. There's a whole bunch of other stuff from the day worth checking out at HOT97's YouTube Channel, especially if you're into hip-hop palling-about: Rick Ross' shirtlessness, Jim Jones and Juelz Santana still being idiot mates, half of Wu-Tang showing up for Alicia Keys' set, and about seven thousand interviews with rappers and DJ's dropping platitudes about what a great day it is. And oh yeah, more live footage of Kanye being the most fire human in the world right now.

HOT97 YouTube Channel