Saturday 25 January 2014

This Weeks New Music feat Damon Albarn, Actress, Moderat and more...

The weekend is so close you can almost hear it so you know what that means right? Yeah okay, it's almost time to go out to the pub, but its also time for your weekly helping of brand new music. This week I've got some hazy electronica, lazy Americana and the first solo album from one of the UK's best pop musicians.


 Damon Albarn - Everyday Robots
Damon Albarn has put out a lot of music over there years, from the beginning of his career with blur to the everything-goes pop collage of Gorillaz and his super group The Good, the Bad & the Queen. Despite that he'd never ventured into creating a proper solo album until now. Working with XL records boss Richard Russell, who produced Gil Scott Heron's final album and collaborated with Albarn on Bobby Womack's The Bravest Man in the Universe. The first look at this record comes from Everyday Robots (the title track from the album) which see Albarn's voice accompanied by a piano, a paper thin violin line and scattering percussion hinting at the full record being a stripped back affair. The record also boasts guest spots from Brian Eno and Natasha Khan. Everyday Robots is due out on 28 April through Parlophone.  

Actress - Rap
The media shy producer has announced his much anticipated fourth album Ghettoville a sequel of sorts to his 2008 debut Hazyville. Now he's given us a hint of what the record will sound like in the shape of the rather short track Rap. It bares some of Actress' hallmarks with it's a filtered and skewed beat. It feels like a tape of some early nineties R&B that was forgotten and left to degrade for the last twenty years, it's warped textures leaving a warm yet dissociative affect. Ghettoville will be released 27 January 2014 on Actress's own label Werkdiscs and Ninja Tune.

Beck - Blue Moon
It's been a while since we've has a new album from Beck, his last being 2008's Modern Guilt. Fans of the genre hopping musician can rejoice as his new album Morning Phase is due next month. The new album is being billed as a successor two 2001's Sea Change and this first single, the acoustic Blue Moon shares some of the same Americana feel but where Sea Change, with songs like Lost Cause and Lonesome Tears, was often an downbeat breakup record, this track feels more positive. If that album was dealing with a break up this one may represent getting over it. Morning Phase arrives on February 24 through Capitol Records.  

Mo Kolours – Mike Black
I stumbled upon Mo Kolours music last year with his Tusk Dance EP, a unique fusion of Dilla like beats with rhythmic percussion and soulful vocals. Now he has a debut album on the way and Mike Black, a funky and rhythmic tune with vocal duties from Mo Kolours, is the first hint of what that'll contain. The self-titled album is being put out by One-Handed Music on 24 March 2014 and you can check out a trailer for the record .  


The Soft Moon - Feel
 Some acts can just get away with 80's indebted music, just by having something genuine to their creations. The Soft Moon are a band that could easily have existed three decades prior as they show on this one off single. It's a finely crafted piece downbeat goth pop with an abrasive industrial edge to it's hammering beat and serrated guitars. The has been no world yet on a full length follow up to 2012′s Zeros but this single is now available on .  

Moderat – Last Time
My final track for the week come in the form of a new single from the Electronica project of Modeselektor and Apparat. Last Time comes from the extended version of last years album II. Veering more to their condensed pop side, this atmospheric tune blends a tireless hi-hat led beat with some soaring vocals. II came out last year on Monkeytown records who're also putting out a limited edition vinyl the Last Time single.

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