Balam Acab - Wander / Wonder

Cd 1
1. Welcome
2. Apart
3. Motion
4. Expect
5. Now Time
6. Oh, Why
7. Await
8. Fragile Hope

Cd 2
1. Heavy Living Things
2. Long
3. Still
4. Under

*Much anticipated album from the elusive Balam Acab for the Tri Angle label* Following last year's extraordinary See Birds EP - a record that has inspired legion imitators but to our knowledge no credible equals - Balam serves up his debut full-length proper on Tri Angle. From opening track 'Welcome' on in, you know you're in good hands: disembodied vocal fragments swirl like ghosts around the chambers of a sunken galleon before a sudden loop of life-affirming strings bursts brightly and alters your perspective. The American artist's brilliance lies in his ability to coax an almost liturgical drama out of loosely speaking R&B tropes, and to locate a timeless pastoral sublime in the glassy surfaces of fragmented contemporary pop: 'Expect' sounds like Virginia Astley gone hip-hop while 'Now Time' could be The Neptunes re-scored for Gavin Bryars and a chamber orchestra. Field recordings and crackle add to the sense of natural beauty, variously recalling The Caretaker, Pole, Broadcast and Boards of Canada, and even the canonical chill-out of Global Communication and The KLF. Sumptuous, psychedelic, richly melodic: Wander/Wonder is a joy to listen to, and confirms Balam Acab as a singular, exacting artist who exists in spite of, not because of, contemporary trends. Highly recommended...www.boomkat.com

Gotye - Making Mirrors

01. Making Mirrors
02. Easy Way Out
03. Somebody That I Used To Know
04. Eyes Wide Open
05. Smoke and Mirrors
06. I Feel Better
07. In Your Light
08. State of the Art
09. Don't Worry, We'll Be Watching You
10. Giving Me A Chance
11. Save Me
12. Bronte

De Backer has been pushing a unique blend of sample-based production and live instrumentation for almost a decade. Having cut his musical teeth as part of The Basics, a three-piece rock band formed in Melbourne in 2002, the Belgian-born multi-instrumentalist proved he could make it on his own with a series of solo albums, most notably 2006's Like Drawing Blood. De Backer's upcoming release will be his fourth solo full-length, and will be released via Eleven: A Music Company. Stylistically, the new album is a continuation of the sounds he's been crafting since his solo debut, thick with references to retro psychedelica, traditional R&B and pop...www.residentadvisor.net

Free The Robots - The Mind's Eye

1. The Free
2. The Minds Eye
3. Prototype B
4. Dance of the Deadbeat
5. Rattlesnake

Hectic, hazardous HipHop from LA's Free The Robots, following a cool appearance on All City's ace 10" series. With a deft, free jazziness, 'The Free' juggles crooked breaks and zig-zagging, funky synth stabs, before 'The Mind's Eye' spirals into more breakbeat scientifics and 'Prototype B' jams on some dramatic sci-fi theme vibe. The fonky bob of 'Dance Of The Deadbeat' could be put to good use in the club, and 'Rattlesnake' is screws down a shifty palette of tribal drums and warped, almost dubstep-like bass...www.boomkat.com

Ursula 1000 - Mondo Beyondo

01. Mondo Beyondo
02. Hey You! (feat. Fred Schneider of The B-52's)
03. Disko-Tech (feat. Ms. G)
04. Repetez Le Repertoire (feat. Isabella Antena)
05. The Elegant Oracle
06. Tropicadelica (with Natalia Clavier of Thievery Corporation)
07. Stinger
08. Baby laser Love (feat. Ms. G)
09. (You Can't Control) The Spectrum Soul
10. The Fly
11. Don't Get Your Panties in a Bunch
12. Red Hot mama (feat. Big Mike Geier)
13. Graveyard Stomp

Ursula 1000 is the stage name of DJ Alex Gimeno -- a man who reportedly owns over 20,000 records. The name is a reference to Ursula Andress -- the original Bond girl, appropriately enough it turns out, because many of the tracks on his new album, Mondo Beyondo, sound like they would be at home in a Bond film. They're coated in the cheeky style and glitz that seemed to flow out of Europe in the 1960s. You'll recognize the feisty organ shimmer-stabs, the buzzsaw guitar solos, the Ennio Morricone weirdness, and the lighthearted semi-sensical vocals from a million different films about kids freaking out in Technicolor. There's something pagan and wild about the whole thing.

Mondo Beyondo is a good-time party record, plain and simple. The song titles alone should tip you off: “Disko-Tech,” “Tropicadelica,” “Baby Laser Love,” and “Red Hot Mama.” But it's a party record with roots that go deeper into the past than most of us remember. It couldn't have been made by anyone who didn't have an extensive knowledge of music history, if only from listening to so much music. The tracks may have the tone of a fun mix-tape tossed off for a lark one sweltering afternoon when it was cooler in the studio than outdoors, but a closer listen reveals that they are actually well-crafted little trash-pop symphonies, like sculptures of dryads made from wire, chewing gum, and pieces of broken disco balls.

Another hint that this endeavor is more about dancing than artistic pretension is Fred Schneider's guest spot on one of the most fun tracks, “Hey You!” Anyone familiar with The B-52s knows that Schneider isn't a man to take himself seriously. In one verse, he shouts, “Life's too short to hide inside! / You just gotta enjoy the ride!” punctuated by rhythmic beeps from car horns. In the next, it's “Day-glo pickup, cherry-red details / Check the console, waitin' for emails!” It's hard not to smile at the gonzo glee with which he delivers these ridiculous lines. At the same time, the picture he paints of heat lightning over the city and “flaming creatures out for a stroll” is surprisingly complete. The song is a miniature model of the album itself: precision and care put towards having a blast.

“Disko-Tech” is a synthetic jam that sounds like funky robots playing Apple II keyboards in a hip-shakin' boogie. Telephones ring rhythmically, and clips from other songs jump in and out of earshot. This is followed by “Tropicadelica,” a swampy paradise of Bossa Nova delight. Its swinging beats twine around Natalia Clavier's syrupy vocals and sink into a vine-choked miasma like a lazy ruin drowning in quicksand. One imagines lost souls drifting and swaying across a deserted island; when they reach the ocean, they retreat back through the heart of the jungle, only to find that endless stretch of water waiting for them on the other side, whispering with echoes.

“Stinger” is a tight little aria by an operatic insect who was probably raised by James Brown, or who at least met James Brown when he was a pupa. It segues into “Baby Laser Love,” a rambling hip-hop excursion (featuring Ms. G) that repeats the “Don't stop, get it, get it” refrain that's still stuck in the heads of anyone who has heard Gorillaz's “Feel Good, Inc.”

Other standout moments include the awesomely creepy vibe of “(You Can't Control) The Spectrum Soul” and “The Fly,” as well as the goofy novelty-record camp of “Graveyard Stomp.” The latter brings to mind all those fantastic zombie-punk bands that dress like ghouls and give you a real show for your money.

If you're having a bad day, or a bad early part of the 21st Century, for that matter, this album is just the thing to cheer you up. If it doesn't cheer you up, then it's probably going to take more than music. It might take both music and dancing. You should probably get all your friends together, have a backyard barbeque, and put this record on just loud enough that people can still hear each other talk. That's just a courtesy, though, because after about fifteen seconds of the first track, they'll be speaking with their hips instead of their lips...www.buzzinemusic.com

James Blake - Order

1. Order
2. Pan

Given the hype surrounding his debut album, you could be forgiven for forgetting what a uniquely talented proposition James Blake is, and how powerful his work can be when aimed at the 'floor of DMZ rather than the housewives of Middle England. This 12" is just superb, bringing two instrumental, back-to-first-principals but still hugely inventive dubstep reductions with real balls to them 'Order' is a bruising, purist minimal half-stepper, off-kilter 808 hits nudging it forward and no doubt straight into the box of Mala and anyone else who still remembers how devastating a producer Blake can be. It's 'Pan', though, that's the real prize here: stalking, sub-heavy business for the the paranoiacs and occultists, tortured vocal textures that wouldn't sound out of place on a Raime or Haxan Cloak record peeling off a ruthlessly stripped groove that's reminiscent of early Shackleton and Mystikz productions but nonetheless possessed of its own unique presence...www.boomkat.com

Tehnoloogiline Päike - Koige Pikem Päev

01 Illuminatsioon
02 Suvevaheajaks Maale
03 Preluud
04 Su Joud
05 Kasvav Maa
06 Koige Pikem Maa
07 Kauboid Ja Indiaanlased
08 Raadio Berliin
09 Lapsepolv Jaab Igaveseks Meelde
10 Ohtu

Evar Anvelt calm electronic music makers and Mihkel Pumpkin less become their second full-length album, which took three years of maturing. The familiar paradigm of electronics, science fiction has been added to the acoustic sounds of instruments, the sound has become more diverse picture, smooth transitions are added to the refreshing contrasts and angles...www.klassikaraadio.err.ee

Ugress - Reminiscience

01. AMZ 1974
02. Chrome Shuriken Dragonfire
03. Numb (feat. Christine Litle)
04. New Shoes Escape Manoeuvre
05. It Was A Great Year (Movies With Robots)
06. The Bosporus Incident
07. Cthulhu's Night Out (feat. Heidi Marie Vestrheim)
08. Sandtraps (feat. Christine Litle)
09. Apocalypse Please Wait Buffering
10. Sordid Pulse (feat. Sjur Hjeltnes)
11. Malaria 22
12. Win Without Triumph (feat. Christine Litle)

Reminiscience is the fourth studio album from Ugress. Presenting melodic, epic retro-electronica in a cinematic scope, it lives up to the title, delivering the science and research of sweet memories.

Nostalgic robots are singing about their forgotten movies, sweet and scary monsters are humming massive club lullabies, 70'ies disco detectives are fighting crime with funk, and bubbly 80'ies computer game music bring us back to the digital childhood escapism. Masters of kung-fu deliver wise sample advice in a delicious dub, and guest vocalists bathe in pulsing house tracks and stadium sized beats.

Featuring guest vocals by Christine Litle, Heidi Marie Vestrheim and Sjur Hjeltnes.

Flunk - This Is What You Get

01. Dying To See You
02. Common Sense
03. Cigarette Burns
04. Ride
05. Love Hearts
06. Speedskating
07. Stain
08. Cardboard Rebel
09. Shoreline
10. Down
11. Karma Police

"This Is What You Get" is a natural evolution from their last album "Personal Stereo" (2007), with a darker and more experimental feel, with the electronic elements more present in the sound. This time with a distinct inspiration from the backstreets of London, with dubstep-elements (Stain, Shoreline, and partly in Dying To See You), and house-elements (Common Sense), but also a small dose of plain rock (Ride). The pop elements are still there, for example in Cigarette Burns,Common Sense, og Down.

Flunk have the habit of including a covertrack on each album, this time the Radiohead-classic Karma Police gets the Flunk treatement, with rough, edgy syncopated rhythms and Anja's lovely vocals.

Lukid - Foma

01. Ice Nine
02. Raise High the Roof Beam
03. Veto
04. Slow Hand Slap
05. Saddlebags
06. Chord
07. Foma
08. Fall Apart
09. Laughin
10. Ski Fly
11. Time Doing So Mean

On the strength of his past two albums, Lukid, AKA Luke Blair, may as well re-christen his production alias "The Master of Musical Subtlety." His second collection of perplexingly complex hip-hop instrumentals, Foma, takes the low-slung, late night pace of his first, Onandon, and runs headlong with it through a room full of wilting vinyl into a sample bank of bitty drum hits and scuzzed out succulent synth swells. Selected and arranged culpably and with a seemingly heavy hand, he manages to make these small snatches of sampled melody fit, without completely ironing out the rough creases or crackles.

The first two tracks on Foma, "Ice Nine" and "Raise High the Roof Beam," are pure pressure-builders with Blair creating serious anticipation via some pattering percussion and rolling piano samples. But it's the third track, "Veto," where he first unleashes his trademark bump. Blair sets his splicing of a whirling organ underneath a stabbing piano riff alongside a carefully gesticulated drum pattern and some '80s pop bass stabs, managing to consistently make the song pulse by bringing the force of a 4 x 4 kick drum and muting the slap by boosting the low end.

Steering himself away from just beats, bass and a sample, Lukid epitomises the Grievous Angel-endorsed idea that these days, trip-hop is actually trippy. (Refer to the snatches of scything bass and the lush vibes on "Saddlebags" for any further embellisment of this new psychedelic hip-hop theory.) "Slow Hand Slap" takes things in a moodier direction with a sinister bassline opening proceedings before Blair hijacks some of Rustie's playfully pitched tom drums and lays them over three separate bass evolutions. He lets the tension build before he unleashes the ascending vocal sample, which slays the simplistic drum pattern by serving up a memorable hook that evokes wide-open wafting fields and late '60s flower power temptresses.

Throughout Foma Lukid displays a flair for creating quick witted odysseys. Quick because all—bar one—are less than five minutes long; and odysseys because they unfold and ripen into sonic screenplays that you can re-discover and re-immerse yourself in on each listen. Blair has spent a lot of time finetuning his use of bass and on tracks like "Chord" and the sure-fire standout, "Fall Apart," you can hear the impression a painstakingly wobbled sine wave makes to the overall product. Whilst keeping the insatiable thump displayed on "Onandon" as a heady mainstay in his music, Blair manages to seamlessly combine the impetuous wooziness of his fuzzed-up psychotropics with an impeccable heap of punchy post-Dilla drum programming...www.residentadvisor.net

Plastik Joy - 3:03

01. Sleepy Quest For Coffee
02. Hands
03. True Norwegian Black Metal
04. Medispiace
05. Problem With Humans
06. Twenty-Ninth Of April
07. Barcelona - Reykjavik [FHE276]
08. No-Date Night
09. 63 (She Was Trying To Sleep, I Was Trying To Breathe)
10. Asynchrony Of Lives
11. Imperfect Diarchies

Plastik Joy's Debut album 3:03 which gets its name from the time of morning when the recording sessions usually came to an end. The duo of Cristiano Nicolini (ITALY) and Fannar Asgrimsson (ICELAND) with a bit of supportive help from a few friends created an album that emits a definitive nocturnal quality. It feels as sensual as it is lonely, as dreamy as it is conscious, and as bright as the dim glow of midnight streetlights, definitely music for after the after party. A perfect soundtrack to watch the sun return to its perch or to loose yourself in on a hazy day.

Jon Kennedy - Cubed

01. Cubed (Pt 1)
02. Cubed (Pt 2)

Jon Kennedy serves up a Tasty 2 Tracker on the Evol Intent Label, this being the Housier of the 2 with some wicked melodic synths and subtle bass line. He uses some great strings in the breakdown before that phat drop goes off! Check Part 1 for a more electro flavoured outing! Recommended!

Park Avenue Music - By Hearts+Horses

01 Norway Kitty
02 Strawberry Magnet
03 Palaces And Prisons
04 (Soundtrack)
05 Tufts
06 Saltwater
07 Piet
08 Roxy's Summer
09 Before
10 Japon Luvr

Sacramento couple Wes Steed and Jeannette "Juju" Faith got a shiny new piano - really shiny. So up went the mics and out came the music. Flowing pieces of raw improvisation from Juju were recorded and then dressed, bit by bit, by Wes in layers of modular synth distortion; some for the fun of making soundtracks for short films by New Zealand artist and web designer Fuyuko Akiyoshi; some for the fun of mixing 10 minutes of piano music down to 3; or making 3 minute songs out of 4 measures of sometimes bluesy, sometimes ethereal use of the 88s. When one mic picked up off-the-cuff vocals for several tracks, another picked up the team's beloved cat Harrison's collar bell ringing in the background for what seems the sweetest topping to the already honeyed instrumental "norway kitty", the opening track on what has become park avenue music's loveliest accomplishment yet.

Befriending cellist Gretchen Lehtonen in time to add her touch to that first track (even if recorded backwards) was a lucky move. The trio has played a handful of boutique performances, each one unique and special as they improvised in the dark while streams of Akiyoshi's imagery served as backdrop. They have also brought a crowded house of listeners to silence even when equipment failed, piano and cello went on to duet without the noise of synthesizers, drum machines, and Unix-based applications.

"by hearts+horses" may seem an odd title, but given that the band has morphed over the years and is indeed changing their name to hearts+horses, this last effort as park avenue music seemed only fit to be thusly titled.

Soulphiction - Underground Railroad

A - Underground Railroad
B1 - Things To Get By
B2 - Regrets

Three tracks to choose from, starting off with the title track "Underground Railroad", a lo-end House track with a thick
atmosphere rooted in Jazz. On the flip the first track is called "Things To Get By", a reminiscence to the classics, timeless House
music to the bone! To round that up the last track "Regrets" is a stripped down percussion tool, an instrumental version of the
original contained on the album.

Teardrop - Time Spent With Antique Mirrors

1. Floating In A Lake
2. Euphoria
3. White Rose
4. There Is Nothing Left To Say
5. Fiction
6. Waving From A Rock Just Offshore
7. Pause
8. Contemporary Flight
9. A Short Walk Around A Glacier (Walking From A Rave)
10. Today The World Will Change
11. Ten Short Thoughts
12. Final Words
13. Open Arms

Teardrop consists of just two members, Jono Renton and Pete Renton. Both are brothers and have been producing music together for years, and there latest project, Teardrop, has taken them the furthest. Both members using different skills to create their unique sound, often associated with such acts as The Album Leaf, Boards Of Canada, Aphex Twin and other IDM artists.

Bonobo - Between The Lines / Recurring (Remixes)

01. Between The Lines (Nostalgia 77 Remix) feat. Bajka
02. Recurring (Mice Parade Remix)

Simon Green aka Bonobo returns with a 10” single featuring remixes from his highly acclaimed album, “Days To Come.” Nostalgia 77 remix “Between The Lines” and bring out the soul-jazz side of the original with lighter, shuffling drums and an increased emphasis on baritone sax and flute. New York’s Mice Parade, on the other hand, use the cello theme from “Recurring” and build it into a signature (and awesome) guitar-drone catharsis.

Monokle - Tesaurus

01. Bear and Mug
02. Steppe
03. Warm Control
04. Seven
05. Fir
06. Friday
07. Magic Go!
08. Nut Brain
09. Maya
10. Transit

Music can act as something like an emotional anchor. Listening to some old songs will conjure up past experiences, situations and moods and will transport the listener into that state of mind he was in back then. Monokle celebrate exactly this quality of music. Their nuanced and agreeable mix of the most different references from 1970 to today, from Can to Plaid, from New Order to Maniacs of Noise, from prog-rock via new wave and pop to ambient and electronica is about a wee bit more than just piling up quotations. In their own, very original, sometimes minimal, sometimes opulent, but always highly detailed style Monokle play with virtuosity on the keyboard of the listener's memories, triggering long-forgotten images and sensations by the second, teasing out thoughts of afternoons spent with C64 games, of weltschmerz and heartaches, of great plans and little gifts until you can hardly decide whether to go for euphoria or nostalgia. Happily we therefore continue to lie at anchor, pull a sunlounger and decide to stay just a little longer. Who knows when all this will happen to cross our minds once again.

Lindstrøm & Prins Thomas - II

01. Cisco
02. Rothaus
03. For Ett Slikk Og Ingenting
04. Rett Paa
05. Skal Vi Proeve Naa?
06. Gudene Vet + Snutt
07. Note I Love You + 100
08. Flue Paa Veggen

Scandinavian disco kings Hans-Peter Lindstrøm and Prins Thomas are set to release the follow up to their widely acclaimed eponymous debut this year.

The duo have had quite a journey since the release of their debut three years ago, with Thomas completing countless remixes and seeing his Full Pupp stable go from strength to strength, whilst Lindstrøm went on to release his solo cosmic disco opus, Where I Go You Go Too. Both of them have been busy in the studio together during their time back in Oslo, and the fruits of their labour are now finally ready for release.

Whilst Lindstrøm has always been one for using live instrumentation in the studio, Thomas' gradual shift into using more and more live elements in his solo work has meant that their second collaborative album, entitled II, has a much looser, organic feel than the first record. The original intent stands, however, as they merge their italo, Krautrock and disco influences into a lush singular whole, imbuing them with their characteristically warm production sheen. Released just in time for summer, it looks as if the Nordic duo are looking to compete for part of your personal sunshine soundtrack this year.

Quiet Village - Silent Movie

01. Victoria's Secret
02. Circus of Horror
03. Free Rider
04. Too High To Move
05. Pacific Rhythm
06. Broken Promises
07. Pillow Talk
08. Can't Be Beat
09. Gold Rush
10. Singing Sand
11. Utopia
12. Keep on Rolling

We thought we were pretty familiar with Radio Slave, aka techno thumper Matt Edwards, but his side project Quiet Village makes us think he might really be a softie at heart. A collab between Edwards and ex-film editor and music nut Joel Martin, Quiet Village take their name from the fake-Hawaiian Les Baxter track from the fifties, which should clue you in to the sound: QV loves bad Italian movie soundtracks, easy listening and slo-mo disco and aren’t too bothered about the dancefloor (well, perhaps a little bit).

Me & You - Music for Birthdays

Cd 1 "floating"
01. The Stranglers - Golden Brown (Me&You Texture Like Sun Remix)
02. Da Ranjhaz - The Reason I Wrote This (Me&You Re-Edit)
03. The Impressions vs J Dilla & Pharoahe Monch - We Must Be In Love (Me&You Re-Edit)
04. Showbiz & A.G. feat. Big L, D'Shawn, Lord Finesse (D.I.T.C.) - Represent (Me&You Sorta Sick Remix)
05. Phyllis Dillon - Don't Stay Away (Me&You Even Vulcans Cry Remix)
06. Gang Starr - DWYCK (Me&You Lemonade Was A Popular Drink Remix)
07. Me&You - Attack Of The Yellow Ducks
08. N.E.R.D. f/ Common, De La Soul, Mos Def, Q-Tip - She Wants to Move (Me&You Polka Dot Flow Remix)
09. Me&You - Fly Pelican Fly
10. Me&You - I Wish I Was An Elephant

Cd 2 "heavy"
01. Me&You - Me&You Is Da Bomb - Aiiightt!
02. Me&You - Fabregas
03. Rick James - How Can I Love You When Your Body Keeps Moving (Me&You Re-Edit)
04. Me&You - Papillon
05. M.I.A. - Jimmy (Me&You White Choo Hill Remix)
06. Fela Kuti - United States Of Africa (Me&You Remix)
07. TM Juke - Come Away (Me&You Remix)
08. Me&You - Banksy Fashion
09. Me&You - Arnie Versus Gandhi
10. Me&You - Anyone See The Light?
11. Bob Marley - Sun Is Shining (Me&You Taino Remix)
12. Me&You - Untitled (silence)
13. Michael Jackson - Human Nature (Me&You Remix)

Strange Attractor - Mettle

01. Anything (ft. Marie-Claudine)
02. The Best Things Are Left Unspoken (ft. Graham Lewis)
03. Evaporate (ft. Marie-Claudine)
04. Loneliness Is A Crowded Room (ft. Richard Sinclair)
05. Sleaze (ft. David J)
06. Plain Gold Ring (ft. Marie-Claudine)
07. Sound Generation
08. Quietude (ft. Winston Tong)
09. Snail (ft. Peter Christopherson)
10. Heaven (ft. Marie-Claudine)