Bit of a mid-summer lull today when it comes to new records – I guess everybody needs a vacation right? That’s not to say that this week is completely devoid of music! Let’s take a look at what’s new.
Shabazz Palaces | Lese Majesty
The production – that what this record is all about. The sound junkies, remix masters, and DJ’s among us are going to have a field day mining this record for the tribal drums, the bass plucks, the layering… oh man, the layering on this record!
Taking old sounds and making them new again. It’s difficult to do on a scale of this magnitude but it’s been pulled off.
Ultimately this record sound less like a hip-hop record and more like a electronic opera, or symphony. To the average listener it’ll take a few tries, but it is totally worth it.
Soft Walls | No Time
The first solo release from Brighton based Dan Reeves, No Time from his alter-ego Soft Walls is the result of Reeves’ pursuit of perfection of sound. Although this is a very subjective thing, he did do a very good job with it. The single, ‘Guided Through’ specifically shows a great understanding of echo, delay, distortion, conbined with his psych-rock sensibilities.
Jenny Lewis (pictured) | The Voyager
This is real soft, Southern California, mid-life crisis stuff. The adult contemporary world best take notice cause this one will be gaining heavy, heavy rotation on “Best of…” soft rock stations for years to come. There are a few stinkers on here that are incredibly cheesy takes on her subject material, but stylistically the genre-hopping has ended here and Lewis has stuck to her guns.
