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Somewhere between Gorillaz and Curtis Mayfield lies The Heavy, an English five-piece bringing you sweet soul and fat beats. These guys are the real deal. Just starting to grab attention on BBC radio and in UK newspapers, and with retro all the rage (see: Amy Winehouse, Jamie Lidell, Duffy), it's only a matter of time before they're huge!
Released today, Push features music that returns to the foundations of hip hop, forgoing big production for more modest beats and an emphasis on the rhymes; and for this week only you can download the album for $5 (or less if you hurry)! This new solo project comes after eight years of fronting for and collaborating with Oakland's old-school live hip hop group, Crown City Rockers. In his time with the Rockers, Ahmad was recognized for "bring[ing] forward thinking hip hop to the masses" (Billboard).
Boo Human, the new album from Joan Of Arc, is the most diverse and intimate record from this Chicago-based collective. In addition to the group's only permanent member, singer Tim Kinsella, the album features 14 musicians whose previous collaborations include Wilco, Iron & Wine, Bonnie Prince Billy, Beth Orton, and Prefuse 73. The songs range from meditative ("Shown And Told") to polyrhythmic ("Laughter Reflected Back") to dramatic ("9/11 2"), showing off Joan Of Arc's unique range of mood and texture.
Kings X is arguably one of the most influential bands in the development of groove rock and grunge. Pearl Jam bassist Jeff Ament once declared that "King's X invented grunge" and VH1 named the group one of their "100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock." Ever since they toured with AC/DC in the early '90s, the band has been playing to masses of fans worldwide and made an appearance at the historic Woodstock '94. Released today, XV is full of soulful groove-rock that proves that the band is still just as bad-ass as ever.
All the stereotypes of stuffiness and restraint in classical music are thrown out the window with Anti-Social Music, a New York collective whose work brings the energy and anarchy of punk rock to the orchestra. Every year they present two concerts of new music from a variety of NY-based composers, and their shows have featured members of Ida, The Hold Steady, and the New York City Opera. Time Out New York, Pitchfork, and The New York Press have all praised ASM, but the best description of the group is probably from Magnet magazine: "Imagine an orchestra wearing formal attire and combat boots, then replace the conductor's baton with a bottle of Jack Daniel's."
Before North Carolina rapper Phonte formed Little Brother with Big Pooh and 9th Wonder, he cut this hilarious concept album with his friend and producer Eccentric. The Story of U.S. (recorded in under three days) tells the story of two out-of-work rappers trying to find their own style, with Phonte doing dead-on freestyle imitations of people like DMX, Juvenile, Eminem, RZA, and Madlib. In 2003 they never intended to distribute the album to anyone but friends, but after Phonte's success this brilliantly funny satire has been reissued for everyone to enjoy.
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
Formed in 1991, The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion amassed a cult following with their bluesy licks and noisy, belligerent garage rock. The band's live shows were notorious for Jon Spencer's crazy on-stage persona, where he sang like an Elvis impersonator and once trashed a TV studio during a performance. Aside from their antics, the band managed to record a handful of excellent records, including 2002's Plastic Fang, which Alternative Press described as "sweaty, sexy and leaner than a Thanksgiving turkey."
The third album from Melbourne's Shooting At Unarmed Men is a gloriously dirty, noisy return to the earliest experiments in grunge rock. Australia's Mess+Noise magazine calls it "utterly explosive... as if the spirit of Nirvana has somehow been transmuted into the body of [frontman Jon Chapple]." Triptych, so titled because the physical release is split into three short CDs, is a loud, angry affair that still flirts with the riffs and structure of pop rock, and will get you turning up the volume until your ears ring.
