To accompany my top ten albums of 2012, here are my top ten tracks of the last year. From older acts like Blur to the brand spanking new Palma Violets, listen to the ten tracks below. Watch out for a couple of surprise appearances....
Showing posts with label The XX. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The XX. Show all posts
on Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Words: Saam Das
I found it slightly perplexing that BASTILLE failed to make it onto either the BBC Sound Of 2013 longlist or the Blog Sound Of 2013. With a debut album set to drop next year, rave live reviews and a following numbering 50,000 Facebook fans - it seemed inevitable. Regardless, BASTILLE are giving us the gift of a new film-inspired mixtape/EP. Sample it below.
I found it slightly perplexing that BASTILLE failed to make it onto either the BBC Sound Of 2013 longlist or the Blog Sound Of 2013. With a debut album set to drop next year, rave live reviews and a following numbering 50,000 Facebook fans - it seemed inevitable. Regardless, BASTILLE are giving us the gift of a new film-inspired mixtape/EP. Sample it below.
on Sunday, December 25, 2011
Words: Saam Das
Merry Christmas everyone! Hope you all got a nice present or two. And if not, here's a lovely, understated offering from The xx, which they're giving away for free. The band are in the course of making their long awaited second album, following their Mercury winning debut. Download the demo of 'Open Eyes' below.
Merry Christmas everyone! Hope you all got a nice present or two. And if not, here's a lovely, understated offering from The xx, which they're giving away for free. The band are in the course of making their long awaited second album, following their Mercury winning debut. Download the demo of 'Open Eyes' below.
on Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Words: Saam Das
Radioclit and Esau Mwamwaya aka The Very Best recently put out a 'Super Mom' mixtape but seeing as I'm not really into mixtapes, that passed me by. But after a handy retweet from Stephen Moshi Moshi, I can bring you a couple of songs that didn't quite make the mix. Check out the infusion of African elements into both Yeasayer's 'Ambling Alp' and Jamie xx's remix of 'You Got The Love'.
Radioclit and Esau Mwamwaya aka The Very Best recently put out a 'Super Mom' mixtape but seeing as I'm not really into mixtapes, that passed me by. But after a handy retweet from Stephen Moshi Moshi, I can bring you a couple of songs that didn't quite make the mix. Check out the infusion of African elements into both Yeasayer's 'Ambling Alp' and Jamie xx's remix of 'You Got The Love'.
on Monday, August 24, 2009
With Twitter proving to be a contemporary barometer of consumer opinion, it appears that The XX have been strongly received both critically and commercially. Indeed, it seems quite remarkable that a minimalist dubtronica album has managed to breach the UK Top 40 albums chart.
The blog buzz is also generating thick and fast, with the likes of Said The Gramophone, The Daily Growl, Pinglewood and Gorilla vs Bear all chiming in with their vociferous support for The XX. In some senses, I find that (pleasantly) surprising. For once, it appears I was ahead of the curve, talking up The XX on one of my podcasts in May last year. Back then, there were plenty of sweet murmurings about The XX but I could never have predicted that the band would be so in vogue. Why the popularity?
Is it the minimalism? The beats? The constrastingly soulful vocals? The R&B influences? Or perhaps their melancholy strikes a resonant chord with the gloomy economic climate that we're all suffering from? Whichever way you look at it, the debut album from The XX is a flickering beacon of despondence, from which we must celebrate the coming of age of one of Britain's finest young bands.
Download the BBC Radio 1 session recorded for Steve Lamacq's show from April, which I presume is pretty unavailable now. Consider it also a tribute to Lamacq's show, which is sadly soon to disappear.
Listen in full to the eponymously titled debut album by The XX at we7.com then buy at Rough Trade or on iTunes.
Website // MySpace
The blog buzz is also generating thick and fast, with the likes of Said The Gramophone, The Daily Growl, Pinglewood and Gorilla vs Bear all chiming in with their vociferous support for The XX. In some senses, I find that (pleasantly) surprising. For once, it appears I was ahead of the curve, talking up The XX on one of my podcasts in May last year. Back then, there were plenty of sweet murmurings about The XX but I could never have predicted that the band would be so in vogue. Why the popularity?
Is it the minimalism? The beats? The constrastingly soulful vocals? The R&B influences? Or perhaps their melancholy strikes a resonant chord with the gloomy economic climate that we're all suffering from? Whichever way you look at it, the debut album from The XX is a flickering beacon of despondence, from which we must celebrate the coming of age of one of Britain's finest young bands.
Download the BBC Radio 1 session recorded for Steve Lamacq's show from April, which I presume is pretty unavailable now. Consider it also a tribute to Lamacq's show, which is sadly soon to disappear.
Listen in full to the eponymously titled debut album by The XX at we7.com then buy at Rough Trade or on iTunes.
Website // MySpace
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