2009 records?

[The Boston Crab]

All right, on the downlow now.

[Goldentony]

Prince/Artist Formery Known As Prince/O-+->/Camille/Partyman Has a new website up with songs from three of his new no doubt not as good as anything since The Gold Experience albums -

http://lotusflow3r.com/

A cover of Crimson & Clover by Tommy James & The Shondells (which is really good), '(There'll Never B) Another Like Me' which is OK, the backing is really good, i'm almost certain the drums sample 'When Doves Cry' at some point, mostly it seems like classic Prince with just well programmed drums, bass and voice until the chorus, which is a bit weak. So not as good as 'Black Sweat' which is in the same vein as all of that, but has to be the best song he's written in years, plus there's auto tune all over it.

And a god awful funk jam called Here Eye Come. zzzzz.

[Don_Preston]

Prince/Artist Formery Known As Prince/O-+->/Camille/Partyman Has a new website up with songs from three of his new no doubt not as good as anything since The Gold Experience albums -

http://lotusflow3r.com/

A cover of Crimson & Clover by Tommy James & The Shondells (which is really good), '(There'll Never B) Another Like Me' which is OK, the backing is really good, i'm almost certain the drums sample 'When Doves Cry' at some point, mostly it seems like classic Prince with just well programmed drums, bass and voice until the chorus, which is a bit weak. So not as good as 'Black Sweat' which is in the same vein as all of that, but has to be the best song he's written in years, plus there's auto tune all over it.

And a god awful funk jam called Here Eye Come. zzzzz.

I heard about this. They were saying that his problem is that he spends too much time in the studio, and releases most of it.

Then again I suppose if he took some time to quality control his work it wouldn't really be Prince.
Discuss.

[alan nagsworth]

If Vek doesn't do another album soon I'm going to have to track him down and force him at gunpoint to start recording again.

We Have Sound is just so, so brilliant.

Well said, buttdude. I hear that he's scheduled to release something this year but those are frustratingly vague and annual rumours. We can but hope.

[purlieu]

Some more artists that have taken my interest in recent times:
Florence & The Machine
Kid Cudi
Dinosaur Pile-Up
Narrows
Let's Wrestle
We Were Promised Jet Packs

[Ja'moke]

MF Doom will have some more stuff and of course Dre and EMINEM may actually drop their albums, however the one I and many others will be looking forward to is Big Boi's solo album from Outkast, I think most will agree that the last few years have confirmed he is much more talented than andre 3000 and judging by thoe who have heard the leaked tracks its meant to be immense.

I prefer Big Boi to Andre 3000, but isn't it always Andre that gets the most praise?

I doubt we'll see Dre's 'Detox' album this year, every year they say it is finally coming out and then nothing.

I've heard Eminem's new track 'Crack a Bottle' he is still using that shitty flow that he has been using ever since The Eminem Show. I want that more slowed down flow that was dominant on The Slim Shady and Marshal Mathers LPs. Encore was a shitty album so I don't have much hope for Relapse, but as always I'll be buying it no doubt.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ste3FVBE_po

[rjd2]

I prefer Big Boi to Andre 3000, but isn't it always Andre that gets the most praise?

I doubt we'll see Dre's 'Detox' album this year, every year they say it is finally coming out and then nothing.

I've heard Eminem's new track 'Crack a Bottle' he is still using that shitty flow that he has been using ever since The Eminem Show. I want that more slowed down flow that was dominant on The Slim Shady and Marshal Matthers LPs. Encore was a shitty album so I don't have much hope for Relapse, but as always I'll be buying it no doubt.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ste3FVBE_po

Yes and No!
Hip Hop critics have Big Boi up on a pedestal and rightfully so, the man is just a quality rapper simple as that. Andre seems to be the darling of the indie press who gloss over Big Boi sadly.Your post gives me a chance to relisten to Speakerboxxx which is just more solid than The Love Below which despite some awesome songs is tremendously overrated.
I'd love EMINEM to do one more quality album but I just can't see it happening that song is horrible and I have had a horrid feeling his album will merely be a platform for the least talented artists like 50 and his signings to make some sales. Yuck.

[Artemis]

I have had a horrid feeling his album will merely be a platform for the least talented artists like 50 and his signings to make some sales. Yuck.

Agreed. Ever since he started signing people, Eminem seems to have felt the desire to push them to try and increase sales for whoever he's signed. Sadly, aside from the very under-rated Obie Trice, I don't think Eminem's signed anybody that great. 50's 'Get Rich' was a superb album I thought, but since then he's been a joke. Em's latest song is alright - not terrible, but he still pales in comparison to his golden era. That said, his first track single is usually out of keeping with the rest of his album (aside from the truly dreadful 'Encore') so I still have hope. At least he's not trying to rhyme in a 'funny voice' again.

[Ja'moke]

The only other semi-decent signing Eminem made was Stat Quo but they held his album 'Statlanta' back for about three years and he finally left the labe just like Obie did. http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=2g_-0fpaie4

[confettiinmyhair]

Now I've seen Jamie T live (he was shit) and thought 'Panic Prevention' was a pretty average album, so in all honesty I was not that fussed about hearing anything from the chap again, however this is fucking fantastic and makes me want to hear his new album

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=MO81BSx7mFA

[confettiinmyhair]

"Propagandhi have announced the release of their next full length. The record is titled Supporting Caste and is due out March 10, 2009. The band recorded with Bill Stevenson (Black Flag, Descendents, Zeke, 7 Seconds) and so far a release has been confirmed on Smallman Records. "

[Backstage With Slowdive]

Years Of Refusal in a few weeks time, if anyone's still bothered.

[The Masked Unit]

Re: Dre's Detox, I read an interview with some rapper or other who was signed to Aftermath but left because his album never got released. He said that Dre's basically been working round the clock on that fucking album for years and has about fifty versions of it - none of which he's happy with. I can well believe that based on everythying I've read on him over the years (FYI, Ronin Ro's "Have gun will travel" is an excellent read for anyone interested in Death Row records and the history of how it came to be via NWA and the LA scene) and giben that he suffered the loss of his son late last year, I can only assume that the process wioll take even longer now.

On one hand it's fantastic that he's cautious with his catalogue/legacy, since so many of his peers release everything they produce without thought purely for the buck. Pretty much every album he's released in his career has been unquestionably classic and genre defining and he wants to ensure that his final album is the pinnacle.

On the other hand, he's really doing himself no favours by setting the bar so incredibly high. I remember him saying about six or seven years ago that Detox is "The most musically advanced rap album ever." If he puts out something sub-par after working on it for so long he'll be a laughing stock.

According to the aforementioned book, Dre was far from happy with about half of the songs he produced on "Doggystyle", which in my eyes as well as those of most is flawless, and wanted much longer to work on it. Thankfully in those days he had Suge Knight breathing down his neck and dare I say it, that's what he bloody well needs now.

[Ja'moke]

First record of 2009 I've heard...

Spoiler alert

[close]

Dan Bull - Safe. Not that well known but I expect him to be soon, his album was in the top recommended on Mininova.

Probably can be easily pigeon-holed in to 'Indie Hip Hop' but I think it is much more than that, musically it is far superior to any other UK hip hop record and it is nice to hear a UK rapper without a forced London accent. A bit like Just Jack, if Just Jack could rap or play the guitar. He does that singy-rap thing though which is where I draw the comparison, but don't let that put you off.

Can be downloaded for free at http://www.megaupload.com/?d=HMMBYOTZ

Reviews:

Certified Banger:
http://certifiedbanger.blogspot.com/2009/0...bum-review.html

Vocalswords:
http://vocalswords.blogspot.com/2009/01/its-dan-bull.html

Strictly Independant:
http://strictlyindependant.blogspot.com/20...-bull-safe.html

Can't Stop Fanatics:
http://cantstopfanatics.blogspot.com/2009/...h-attitude.html

Change The Record:
http://changetherecord.wordpress.com/2009/...bull-safe-2009/

[trotsky assortment]

"Propagandhi have announced the release of their next full length. The record is titled Supporting Caste and is due out March 10, 2009. The band recorded with Bill Stevenson (Black Flag, Descendents, Zeke, 7 Seconds) and so far a release has been confirmed on Smallman Records. "

Are they still persuing the more hardcore sound as per 'Potempkin City Limits', or are they going back to the more skate-punky sound?

[Cack Hen]

Now I've seen Jamie T live (he was shit) and thought 'Panic Prevention' was a pretty average album, so in all honesty I was not that fussed about hearing anything from the chap again, however this is fucking fantastic and makes me want to hear his new album

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=MO81BSx7mFA

that's really good!

i loved salvador but his other singles were zzz

[Duckula]

New Neko Case track from her imminent new album.

http://stereogum.com/archives/mp3/new-neko-case-people-got-a-lot-of-nerve_045361.html

Really great stuff. I almost wish she and A.C Newman would do a co-headline tour. I don't think either of them are planning a UK tour this year though.

[confettiinmyhair]

Are they still persuing the more hardcore sound as per 'Potempkin City Limits', or are they going back to the more skate-punky sound?

From the new songs I've heard, mostly horrible recordings from live shows towards the end of last year they will continue along the frantic righteous euphoria of their last two albums.

Plus UK tour dates announced

April 17, 2009 Sheffield, UK Academy
April 18, 2009 Bristol, UK Fiddlers
April 19, 2009 London, UK Islington Academy
April 20, 2009 Brighton, UK Concorde 2
April 21, 2009 Norwich, UK Waterfront

[Deadeye Dick]

Years Of Refusal in a few weeks time, if anyone's still bothered.

I got a sneaky listen to this the other day, and while it's certainly no masterpiece, it is a lot better than I was expecting.  All You Need Is Me is by quite some distance the worst song on the album, That's How People Grow Up works considerably better in the context of the album, and there's some definite crackers in there: the over-dramatic (even by Morrissey standards) Mama Lay Softly On The Riverbed is pretty gripping, and the slower, more Ringleaders-esque second half is a real grower.  Overall, I still think Ringleaders is a notably superior record, but it does exceed my (admittedly pretty low) expectations, and it's more consistent than You Are The Quarry, its most obvious kin in the Morrissey oeuvre.

[samadriel]

New Neko Case track from her imminent new album.

http://stereogum.com/archives/mp3/new-neko-case-people-got-a-lot-of-nerve_045361.html

Really great stuff. I almost wish she and A.C Newman would do a co-headline tour. I don't think either of them are planning a UK tour this year though.

Aw yeh, nice.  Sounds bit more 'Furnace Room Lullabye' than 'Fox Confessor' with the speed and bounciness; I was kinda hoping she'd delve deeper into the 'spooky' Fox Confessor sound, but hey, who knows what the rest of the album's like (and either way is good, really; I like 'FRL' lots too)

[alan nagsworth]

Some more artists that have taken my interest in recent times:
Florence & The Machine

Aye that Dog Days single she did was grande, I really liked it, but for some reason I keep drawing comparisons to Kate Nash and am expecting her debut to be rushed and disappointing. Here's hoping it's not...

[Garam]

kinell, I thought purlieu was taking the piss with those album titles...Dinosaur Pile-Up? Jesus

[James "End-To-End" Benton]

They're named after a scene from King Kong (2005). TRUFAX

[The Plaque Goblin]

Here's an idea for last.fmers: Why not tag new tracks you like with verbwhores2009 ?

Eventually a globaltag radio thing will appaear that we can all listen to.

[CaledonianGonzo]

Super Furry Animals!

I had no idea about this - I just assumed that Gruff was tied up with Neon Neon and we'd be lucky to see anything before 2010!

As it is, it's out on March 16th!

[Maximash]

Fans of electronic music are really being spoilt this year, Alva Noto, Tim Hecker and SND all have albums (coming) out.

[sublingual]

Art Brut vs Satan is coming some time in April I think.

[ThickAndCreamy]

Art Brut vs Satan is coming some time in April I think.

They have a tour in May as well, I'm very, very tempted to go and see them live. The new record is produced by Frank Black (The Pixies) as well, so I have high expectations for it.

I saw Eddie with Glam Chops last year as well and although they were clearly musically average they were incredibly entertaining live, a bit like Art Brut.

[imitationleather]

Go for it. Art Brut are a laugh live. Well, they were when I saw them a few times around the launch of the debut album, anyway.

New SFA album ey? That's the best news I've had all week!

[ThickAndCreamy]

Go for it. Art Brut are a laugh live. Well, they were when I saw them a few times around the launch of the debut album, anyway.

I've saw them at the Astoria a few years back and as a support at the Shepards Bush Empire and on both occasions they were brilliantly energetic and very funny. Seeing them at Shepards Bush Empire made me want to get their records really, as beforehand I hadn't bothered to get into them merely just hearing about them a lot. Watching them live completely changed my opinion of them from faux-rock to sheer fun.

Also, new Franz Ferdinand record came out this week, one of the UK's better mainstream pop bands. I'll probably get the album in a month or so but I'm prepared to be disappointed, it did receive a 7.3 on Pitchfork however so I could be pleasantly surprised.

More importantly however is that on February 14th The Happiness Project (Charles Spearen, the founding member of Broken Social Scene + member of Do Make Say Think) is being released which is his debut solo album. Should be an interesting listen at worst.

Bell Orchestre (including 2 members of Arcade Fire) have their new record out on March 10th entitled As Seen Threw Windows as well. Their first record was a nice little gem of loud, brash post rock and the second should be even better now they're signed to Arts And Crafts.