Eclectic Eavesdroppings

As the astute readers may have realised, I haven’t updated...

Wed, 06 Jun 2012 00:49:30 +0100

As the astute readers may have realised, I haven’t updated the blog over the last couple of weeks. I graduated from university a couple weeks back and life has gone up a couple gears as summer approaches. I simply can’t keep up with the relentless pace of the music blogosphere. Even though I’m constantly thinking about what music should go on the blog but simply can’t find the time; something’s gotta give. Eclectic Eavesdroppings will be back in due course but in the meantime, stay classy.

The much adored Lupe Fiasco just let loose the first single off...

Tue, 22 May 2012 14:46:05 +0100

The much adored Lupe Fiasco just let loose the first single off his upcoming double-album Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album and it’s pretty special folks. Around My Way (Freedom Ain’t Free) is a political song with some potent lyrics and features the classic horn riffs from They Reminisce Over You (TROY) by Pete Rock in 1992. This will be Lupe’s fourth album and he’s feeling good about it as he says:

“I wanted to go back to the frame of mind and essence of what made my first album so good. It’s Lupe Fiasco without the industry constraints or trying to please anyone. It’s a fucking masterpiece!”

We’ve got to wait until September 25 to judge wether it’s as good as he reckons but this smooth track will do perfectly for the time being:

Lovedrug: Dinosaurs Five cute girls and a guitarist dressed as a...

Tue, 22 May 2012 13:03:00 +0100

Lovedrug: Dinosaurs

Five cute girls and a guitarist dressed as a Yeti adventured into the woods with a video-camera. Here are the results accompanied by an awesome song of a soundtrack.

I’m gonna keep this short because I...

Thu, 17 May 2012 18:32:52 +0100

I’m gonna keep this short because I can’t succinctly put my excitement into words; I’m off to Watch The Throne at the London 02 arena this Friday. Finally getting to see Kanye West and Jay-Z, my two all time favourite artists on the same night. It don’t get much better than this folks!

Having ditched the synth-pop template employed on their last...

Wed, 16 May 2012 15:34:46 +0100

Having ditched the synth-pop template employed on their last couple albums, The Mystery Jets return with a rockier fourth effort called Radlands. The boys from Eel Pie Island couldn’t find the necessary inspiration in the English isles so headed to Austin, Texas: “the furthest place from everything we know.” Fear not though, whilst there are clear touches of Americana (desert references, southern twang and the occasional influence from The Eagles) the album is still drenched in their trademark British indie-rock.

Regrettably, one of their band-mates dropped out on the eve of the album, but thankfully their solid song-writing is still very much intact as can be heard on Sister Everett above; a wacky number inspired by a nun the band met on the plane over to the States. Another strong moment comes on the song Greatest Hits featured below: written about a drawn out argument with an ex-girlfriend about who gets what in their shared record collection. Bizarre but brilliant.

Their previous album, Serotonin, struck a special chord with me. And whilst I’ve only given this one a handful of spins, it’s shaping up to be a beauty.

Twin Shadow: Five Seconds [mp3] Straight out of Brooklyn comes...

Wed, 16 May 2012 10:41:52 +0100

Twin Shadow: Five Seconds [mp3]

Straight out of Brooklyn comes some retro tinged electro-pop from the upcoming album Confess.

Ben Howard: The Fear “I’ve been worrying that we...

Tue, 15 May 2012 22:08:31 +0100

Ben Howard: The Fear

“I’ve been worrying that we all live our lives by the confines of fear”

I was a little late to the Ben Howard party, but he’s been getting lots of rotation during these tough times of revision. The Fear is my current favourite along with Only Love; both taken from his first album Every Kingdom.

Great album artwork from some fellow called Brandun DeShay.

Tue, 15 May 2012 14:55:00 +0100

Great album artwork from some fellow called Brandun DeShay.

The astute amongst you will remember that London/Barcelona...

Sun, 13 May 2012 11:40:03 +0100

The astute amongst you will remember that London/Barcelona band Crystal Fighters released their excellent debut Star of Love way back in 2010. Well, the Yanks are a couple years behind the trend and to celebrate the albums release stateside this month, they’re recorded a new song called Earth Island [mp3] and it’s an absolute gem. Featuring their traditionally eclectic mix of electro, dubstep, Spanish instrumentation and Basque folklore this will set you right up for the summer months. Energetic and experimental is all the right ways, it’ll allow you to revisit their brilliant first album with songs like At Home and In The Summer. Stream away:

Theophilus London: International playboy

Sat, 12 May 2012 10:01:00 +0100

Theophilus London: International playboy

For those of you who are familiar with Teen Dream, the...

Fri, 11 May 2012 12:38:02 +0100

For those of you who are familiar with Teen Dream, the spectacular genre-defining album from Beach House, this will come as great news. Album number four, Bloom, is on its way and comes out May 15th. The impatient amongst us can stream it over at NPR [HERE] and from what I’ve heard, it doesn’t stray far from the original musical formula. The girl-boy duo from Maryland have created a niche for themselves as the purveyors of dream-pop; hazy melodies floating through a beautiful dreamscape. As with previous work, the lyrics have a very romantic and nostalgic air. See four yourself and stream Equal Mind below. It sums up everything the band are all about:

Having conquered the crown for Eclectic Eavesdroppings’...

Tue, 08 May 2012 16:14:02 +0100

Having conquered the crown for Eclectic Eavesdroppings’ best album of 2009, Passion Pit then went into hibernation in their hometown of Cambridge, Massachusetts. Apparently the band have been working on their sophomore album since the summer of 2010 but only now do we get the first taste of things to come. Take A Walk is the new upcoming single off their second opus titled Gossamer which should see the light of day on July 24th. I overplayed these guys to death when I first discovered them so it’ll be interesting to see how their sound has progressed. I’ve only given the new single a couple of listens but it sounds great already; catchy falsettos, growing crescendos and epic catchiness. Everything one expects from these electro synth-pop/rockers.

Photo

Tue, 08 May 2012 16:00:28 +0100

Foster the People: Ruby [mp3] Here’s an unreleased gem...

Tue, 08 May 2012 11:02:13 +0100

Foster the People: Ruby [mp3]

Here’s an unreleased gem written when these Californians were relative unknowns. They re-recorded it professionally for Record Store Day last month and I’m glad they did; a stripped back piano and vocals number.

A$AP Rocky: Goldie Video of the year to date. The very...

Tue, 08 May 2012 10:01:58 +0100

A$AP Rocky: Goldie

Video of the year to date. The very definition of swagger.

Whilst I always find that Santigold records are quite...

Mon, 07 May 2012 10:01:56 +0100

Whilst I always find that Santigold records are quite hit-or-miss in terms of their track selection, there’s always a handful of gems worth treasuring. Her latest album Maker Of My Make Believe occasionally veers into weird territory but the track Keepers highlights everything I love about the funky songstress; energized vocals, politically charged message and slick production. Very much in her own image, she doesn’t follow trends and is all the better for it.

As the library hours pile up and the only thing...

Tue, 01 May 2012 16:03:00 +0100

As the library hours pile up and the only thing getting you through grueling revision is the thought of summer, it’s no wonder a band called Summer Heart easily catches the imagination. Fresh out of Malmo, Sweden comes the latest in the factory line of quality chill-wave/dream-pop ready to drift you off to blissful paradise. The one man operation (presided by David Alexander) released their debut EP called About A Feeling last week and the initial highlight is I Wanna Go. If your ears like what they hear below, stream all eight tracks over at their BandCamp page.

The Very Best: Yoshua Alikuti Straight outta Nairobi, Kenya...

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 10:01:35 +0100

The Very Best: Yoshua Alikuti

Straight outta Nairobi, Kenya comes the new single and accompanying visuals from The Very Best. Uplifting as ever. It’s a parody on the A Milli video by Lil’ Wayne.

Photo

Sat, 28 Apr 2012 12:50:21 +0100

(via Neon Gold)

Sat, 28 Apr 2012 12:49:52 +0100

(via Neon Gold)