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<title>RockFeedback > Recommendations</title>
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<title>John Talabot – Destiny (Permanent Vacation) [Recommendation]</title>
<pubDate>Tue, 07 Feb 2012 06:21:00 GMT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Barcelona-based producer John Talabot is gearing up for the release of his debut full-length album fIN this month, and getting us in the mood by releasing this corking single as a sample. Like many other Mediterranean-based musicians, the music has one eye on the dance floor at all times, but Talabot&rsquo;s skill lies in marrying the bass grooves and beats with enough clever stuff to make it equally at home in a club or at home.
&lsquo;Destiny&rsquo; sets itself apart from the crowd with a level of discipline and patience that is all too rare in dance music, always stopping itself tantalisingly short of that euphoric moment, and in the process making the song&rsquo;s many subtleties all the more exciting. It&rsquo;s basically the song equivalent of a romantic evening/fortnight with Sting, but less nausea inducing. It borders on (whisper it) IDM, but if he keeps this sort of thing up in John Talabot&rsquo;s fIN we may well have a contender for best dance album of 2012.]]></description>
<link>http://www.rockfeedback.com/review/5265/john-talabot-destiny-permanent-vacation/</link>
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<title>Air - Le Voyage Dans la Lune (EMI) [Recommendation]</title>
<pubDate>Mon, 06 Feb 2012 09:25:00 GMT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Initially writing a score for Georges M&eacute;li&egrave;s&rsquo; recently found and restored hand-coloured print of the film of the same name, there&rsquo;s innate common sense in letting Air expand this project to a full-length album. Soundtrack music is composed only to be altered to complement and enhance the visuals, so having the ability to hear full compositions removed from the film helps to actually prolong the film&rsquo;s impact. The music can follow and infuse into you beyond the (in this case) physical 14 minutes of active watching. It also allows the music to create its own identity and have that develop and alter previous perceptions. Soundtracks are essential, and Air&rsquo;s Le Voyage Dans la Lune is exceptional.
For Air, clearly inspired by the project and having the ability to grow it, this is an unusually organic sounding record. There are still plenty of big synthesisers having their way across the low end and the fluttering treble, but the drums are pounding rock-steady live recordings. It&rsquo;s great to hear Air play out the sci-fi indebted melodies via live studio performances.
There are plenty of the characteristics that have made Air so enduring on this record. &lsquo;Astronomic Club&rsquo; opens to the grandeur of two kettledrum&rsquo;s dropping massively in tone as orchestra stabs and stretched choir samples phase disorientatingly. This album is a stylistic departure for Air due to two traits. Firstly, it&rsquo;s their most Krautrock inspired album. Whilst it&rsquo;s a long expected avenue for them to explore, it is more than welcome, it&rsquo;s outright brilliant adding cinematic scope beyond Krautrock&rsquo;s ability. Air are less concerned about the groove but focus on scope and expanse. Secondly, this is also their simplest album, the album most heavily utilising isolated instruments or small musical groupings.
As &lsquo;Cosmic Club&rsquo; gives all the sensation of space travel, it does so with confidence and respect to the krautrock genre; motion is ever present and the rhythms never soften, but like the melodies continuously escalate. The ongoing rush develops that intensity and then relaxes away from it, providing release and fluidity.
When they play things slowly, it&rsquo;s just as exhilarating. &lsquo;Moon Fever&rsquo; and &lsquo;Lava&rsquo; set out a beautiful sense of isolation; bass lines softly reference the counterpoint of Moon Safari and solo piano lulls before setting in taught tempos. &lsquo;Lava&rsquo; in particular veers wonderfully between space ballad and prog-rock guitar show, with banjo&rsquo;s thrown on top for oddity. It would be interesting to see how this works over a visual, if it makes the cut.
&lsquo;Le Voyage Dans la Lune&rsquo; may be Air&rsquo;s strongest release since their soundtrack to The Virgin Suicides, which seems a long time ago. This album is graceful, raw and every note is beautifully placed. An essential album for 2012.]]></description>
<link>http://www.rockfeedback.com/review/5264/air-le-voyage-dans-la-lune-emi/</link>
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<title>First Aid Kit – Emmylou (Wichita) [Recommendation]</title>
<pubDate>Mon, 06 Feb 2012 09:13:00 GMT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[What is it with Swedes that makes them think they&rsquo;re from the American deep south? The Tallest Man On Earth has been peddling his (brilliant) twangy cod-Americana for a few years now, and now First Aid Kit are building on the success of their debut album with a sound that is so bloody Country that they&rsquo;re writing songs called &lsquo;Emmylou&rsquo;.
I&rsquo;d love to completely dismiss this record, mostly because my mum will probably love it and play it non-stop like she did with that bloody Laura Marling record, but there&rsquo;s something about the S&ouml;derberg sisters&rsquo; crystal clear harmonies and Mike Mogis&rsquo; pristine production that makes it impossible to criticise. Every sound is bell-like in its resonance, and for a pastiche of decades of American culture it&rsquo;s a very very convincing one. There&rsquo;s potential for this album to be massive; it&rsquo;s as inoffensive as anything you&rsquo;ll ever hear, and I will never ever listen to it again out of choice, yet I still can&rsquo;t hate it. I wish I could. Really.]]></description>
<link>http://www.rockfeedback.com/review/5263/first-aid-kit-emmylou-wichita/</link>
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<title>A Place To Bury Strangers – Onward To The Wall EP (Dead Oceans) [Recommendation]</title>
<pubDate>Fri, 03 Feb 2012 06:21:00 GMT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Onward to the Wall is A Place to Bury Strangers&rsquo; eighth EP, and one which allows for the introduction of new bassist Dion Lunadon. Their signature sound - an intense full-pelt sonic annihilation which has come to earn them the well deserved title of 'Loudest Band in New York' - is present in abundance right from opener 'I Lost You'.
It&rsquo;s the same overwhelming power with floating melodies, machine gun drums and pounding bass overlaid with layers and layers of screaming noise, but sticking to the formula simply drives home just what APTBS are about; making an immense racket that somehow carries enough pop sensibility to attach it to your brain. The complex creation of sound and context is mind-numbingly brilliant.  Each track seems to battle its way in with a deeply haunting urge, Ackerman&rsquo;s vocal taking on a ghost like mystique and certain JAMC qualities. On the whole, sure it sounds like stuff they have already done, but the excitement that rises whilst listening to these five tracks is of epic proportions.
This is a mini album&rsquo;s worth of material. APTBS are not a singles band, rather one who hold much integrity in their art, a group who exist solely to channel a creative side that revolves around pushing rock and roll sounds to as far as they can go. An exploding jolt of sonic pop layered fuzz, it&rsquo;s unpredictable, raw and admirably dirty.]]></description>
<link>http://www.rockfeedback.com/review/5262/a-place-to-bury-strangers-onward-to-the-wall-ep-dead-oceans/</link>
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<title>Cloud Nothings - Attack On Memory (Wichita) [Recommendation]</title>
<pubDate>Thu, 02 Feb 2012 09:24:00 GMT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Cloud Nothings&rsquo; debut album was by far my favourite album of last year, but even though I&rsquo;m still convinced it was brilliant in a raw, primitive way, no other critics felt the same and it failed to make any of the big album of the year lists, therefore proving that my taste is wrong. Despite the lack of critical appreciation, the album was seen as a stepping stone for Dylan Baldi, the sole protagonist of that debut album, on his way to something better. Attack on Memory may be just that, such a departure and a huge step forward from the band&rsquo;s debut that finding links between the two is futile.
Even though there are only 12 months between the two releases, the catalysts for the change are clear. Baldi expanded the band to a four-piece for touring purposes last year, leading to support slots with Fucked Up amongst others. He&rsquo;s admitted that the band were tired of playing the same songs all the time (their debut lasted less than 30 minutes), and set about jamming and writing songs with the band in a style their fans might not have been prepared for.
The upbeat, almost sugary sound of their debut is gone, replaced by deep rumbling bass and darker melodic patterns, no doubt inspired by the work of the album&rsquo;s producer Steve Albini. Getting the legendary mastermind behind albums like Nirvana&rsquo;s In Utero and Low&rsquo;s early records behind the mixing board is a clear statement of intent, as is opener &lsquo;No Future/No Past&rsquo;, a slow burning, bleak song that sounds like a demo from a post-rock band in its early stages at first, before erupting into a chugging rock monster for its conclusion. Baldi&rsquo;s screaming vocals respond to the criticism (not from me of course) that he was too laid back and passive vocally on his debut, and paying no mind to the fact that at times it can sound like the voice of a mid-pubescent teenager.
While the opener is completely new territory, the rest of the album holds reminders &ndash; albeit faint - of the band&rsquo;s pop-rock roots. &lsquo;Wasted Days&rsquo; doesn&rsquo;t mince about before hitting one of Baldi&rsquo;s trademark guitar hooks, one which could have been used to make a cracking two and a half minute pop song. You get the feeling that if the song was written around the time of the last album that&rsquo;s exactly what it would have been, but in this case it&rsquo;s stretched out into a sprawling nine minute magnum opus, breaking down for an old fashioned rock jam before gathering itself together for one last round of Baldi barking &ldquo;I THOUGHT. I WOULD. BE MORE. THAN THIS.&rdquo; It&rsquo;s not a better or worse way of going about his song writing, it&rsquo;s just very, very different from someone who could have easily slipped back into his old routine.
&lsquo;Stay Useless&rsquo; is as close to their debut&rsquo;s style as the album comes, with the weighty rock of &lsquo;No Sentiment&rsquo; lying at the other end of the spectrum, but both highlight the different approach to production this time round. Whereas on their debut the instruments are all funneled towards you in a concentrated blast with the whole track cocooned in a warm distortion, here there is palpable space between each component, stripping everything back to its clean state and bringing the vocals more to the fore, for better and for worse.
Attack on Memory is an album that wants to be heard, rather than an album that feels like it was recorded on a whim. While every move feels measured and calculated it&rsquo;s delivered with a rawness and urgency that puts it up there with the best 21st century rock records, and among the best albums Steve Albini has been involved with, especially in recent times. It hasn&rsquo;t got the potential to become my favourite album of the year, but there is no doubt that Attack on Memory is bigger, bolder and probably better than the band&rsquo;s debut in almost every way.]]></description>
<link>http://www.rockfeedback.com/review/5261/cloud-nothings-attack-on-memory-wichita/</link>
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<title>Porcelain Raft – Strange Weekend (Secretly Canadian) [Recommendation]</title>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Jan 2012 05:51:00 GMT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Probably the biggest unintentional insult that I've ever given an album (in the ear of the beholder) came a few years ago when I told a friend of mine that therecord she was playing was 'great background music'. She was personally offended. All I meant was that, while some songs demand your full attention,forcing you togive yourself over to whichever mood they fancy, others seem quietly content to drift by while you go about your day, giving plenty but demanding very little in return.   When reviewing an album,I can find it easy to detach myself and try and judge it on its own merits, but it can be even easier to be selfish and try and force it to fit into my own categories of listeningpleasure. How does this record fit into my own life? Would I sort my laundry to it? Would I listen to this song far too loudly onthe bus on the way to work? Would I continue to hum it to myself throughout the day, annoying myself and alarming those around me?  With this in mind, what then are we (meaning: me) to make of Porcelain Raft's debut album, Strange Weekend, as it coos and aahs its way through a series ofshort, sweet and songs, full of repetition and with minimal hooks? It's dream-like, it's calming, its vocal rarely rises above a whisper. One of its songs is called 'Put Me To Sleep'.Another, the gently whirring'Drifting In And Out', contains angelic harmonies and the lyrics 'just let go now, give it to us don't you worry now'. 'Music to fall asleep to' doesn't sound like much of a complimentto describe this set of psychadelic lullabies. But don't you worry now, this particular cup of warm milk is laced with something much stronger.

Muchlike when you bump into your friend/colleague/acquaintance and it all comes flooding back about how youkissed/physicallyfought/slept with them in your dream last night, Strange Weekend creeps up you when you aren't expecting it. There is anunexpected indie rockedge to many of songs; 'Picture' brings to mindvintage Blur, in particular 'Tender' and 'The Universal'. Thedarkest song on the album,'Is It TooDeep For You?', is perhaps the most emotionally affecting, with its echoing vocals and distant howls. Elsewhere, 'Unless You Speak From Your Heart' is by far the catchiest, gently bouncing and juddering along with a chorus of woo-ooo-ooohsthat will haunt your dreams. It's only when you fully give yourself overto Strange Weekend that itpulls you in so much deeperto its hypnotic core.]]></description>
<link>http://www.rockfeedback.com/review/5260/porcelain-raft-strange-weekend-secretly-canadian/</link>
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<title>Bear In Heaven - The Reflection of You (Hometapes) [Recommendation]</title>
<pubDate>Wed, 25 Jan 2012 07:58:00 GMT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[The last album by Brooklynites Bear In Heaven, 2009&rsquo;s Beast Rest Forth Mouth, saw the band bask in universal critical acclaim for their brand of 80s referencing synth-rock, and being named in countless album of the year lists as a result. The anticipation for their follow-up has been steadily increasing, not least since the band started streaming a 400,000% slowed down version of the album on their website (it&rsquo;s due to end on the album&rsquo;s release date).
The first proper song they&rsquo;ve let us hear is &lsquo;The Reflection of You&rsquo;, a track that sounds like it could fit seamlessly into Beast Rest Forth Mouth, which in this case is a very good thing indeed. It only takes a few seconds of the song to convince you that it&rsquo;s got one of the coolest sounds you&rsquo;re likely to hear on a record this year, and by the time the synth-heavy outro kicks in you&rsquo;ll be willing to leave your family and friends behind and elope to wherever it wants to take you. It&rsquo;s that bloody good.
  Bear In Heaven - The Reflection of You by Bear in Heaven]]></description>
<link>http://www.rockfeedback.com/review/5259/bear-in-heaven-the-reflection-of-you-hometapes/</link>
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<title>Plants and Animals – Lightshow (Secret City) [Recommendation]</title>
<pubDate>Wed, 25 Jan 2012 07:42:00 GMT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[French-Canadians Plants and Animals&rsquo; last album, 2010&rsquo;s La La Land, was criminally overlooked by the press upon its release, perhaps because of its similarities in style to the successful debut by Local Natives, released a few months previously.
For their third album The End Of That (pictured) the band haven&rsquo;t decided to change much, sticking with what worked so well on their previous effort but polishing up some of the rougher edges. Recording was done in Paris, but the sound is very much in line with some of the better indie music to have come from the other side of the Atlantic in the past few years, with a big guitar-heavy chorus and more pensive, jolting verses.
The band&rsquo;s position as an underrated and for the most part undiscovered outfit might just lead to a few surprises for those who stumble across them, but unless tracks like &lsquo;Lightshow&rsquo; are picked up by the press it looks like the band will continue to sparkle in the shadows of others.
  Plants and Animals - Lightshow by SecretCityRecords]]></description>
<link>http://www.rockfeedback.com/review/5258/plants-and-animals-lightshow-secret-city/</link>
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<title>Santigold - Big Mouth (Warner) [Recommendation]</title>
<pubDate>Mon, 23 Jan 2012 09:14:00 GMT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Before the release of her debut album, Santigold (Santogold at that time) was picked out as one of the hottest pop artists coming through, but despite radio-friendly singles like &lsquo;L.E.S. Artistes&rsquo; and &lsquo;Creator&rsquo; the album never managed to take off as most expected it would. Four years have passed since that album, more than enough time for Santi White to ponder over what her next move would be.
One option would have been for her to follow the eccentric pop star route (a la Nicki Minaj or Lady Gaga), but judging by &lsquo;Big Mouth&rsquo;, it seems she has decided to go darker, dropping a lot of the pop in favour of a sound that will divide a lot of her existing fans. There&rsquo;s no sing-along chorus - instead the track is dominated by a frenzied tribal beat that Santi skips over with near-unintelligible vocals that add to the rhythmic nature of the song. It&rsquo;s a brave step, but one that will hopefully earn her the respect she deserves.
  Santigold - Big Mouth by santigold]]></description>
<link>http://www.rockfeedback.com/review/5257/santigold-big-mouth-warner/</link>
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<title>Ariel Pink and R. Stevie Moore - SteviePink Javascript (PIAPTK) [Recommendation]</title>
<pubDate>Mon, 23 Jan 2012 08:45:00 GMT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[In case you weren&rsquo;t aware, Ariel Pink is one of the most individual artists around, mostly due to the fact that he&rsquo;s completely mental. Most of his albums have cemented their place as cult classics in a few short years, with their mix of folk-inspired songs and drug-inspired (probably) madness, and his rate of productivity hasn&rsquo;t dropped, averaging well over one album a year since his debut.
True to form he&rsquo;s got a few projects on the boil, including a film about werewolves and a new Haunted Graffiti record, but perhaps the most interesting is a collaboration with legendary lo-fi musician R. Stevie Moore, provisionally titled Klu Klux Glam (yes, I know, I know). You may have thought Ariel Pink&rsquo;s rate of just over one album a year was impressive, but Moore has supposedly released 400 since 1968. Not bad.
Anyway, they&rsquo;ve done a song and it&rsquo;s mad. Here it is:
  SteviePink Javascript by kukluxglam]]></description>
<link>http://www.rockfeedback.com/review/5256/ariel-pink-and-r-stevie-moore-steviepink-javascript-piaptk/</link>
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<title>Perfume Genius - Put Your Back N 2 It (Turnsitle/Organs) [Recommendation]</title>
<pubDate>Fri, 20 Jan 2012 09:40:00 GMT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[From listening to Perfume Genius&rsquo; debut album Learning, you might be surprised that mastermind Mike Hadreas has made it through the last year and a half, such was the infinite sadness and heartbreak expressed on that record. Despite not seeming like much at first - with its lo-fi production and extremely limited instrumentation - that album has grown into a modern classic, and has been an unlikely resident in my car&rsquo;s CD player for the last year as a result.
For his follow-up, Hadreas promised less personal lyrical content, exploring more universal themes and subject matter, but carrying an equally dark undertone. Just when you thought things were taking another turn for the bleak, the album&rsquo;s title was released. Perhaps he had made an Ice Cube-inspired u-turn and made an album of misogynistic rap? Maybe it will be accompanied by a motivational weight-loss DVD? He hasn&rsquo;t, and it most certainly doesn&rsquo;t.
As soon as the first seconds of opener &lsquo;Awol Marine&rsquo; tiptoe out of the speakers; preceded by a deep, hesitant intake of breath, it&rsquo;s clear that any fans of Learning should lay their fears to rest. The tinkle of piano is a reassuring reminder of the debut&rsquo;s simple charm, but it&rsquo;s not long before a dense synth cloak drapes itself over the track, as if to assure you that the album is not simply Learning Part 2.
One obstacle Hadreas has to have faced in the making of this album is how to compensate for the loss of naivety that his debut leant upon so heavily; a trait that allowed the listener to forgive the album&rsquo;s imperfections and focus more on the flawed beauty of his collection of songs. It would have been a disappointment had he stuck to the same style of bedroom production and settled for what he already had, when most critics were desperate to see where the promise of his debut would lead.
The production has predictably been polished, then, with a more diverse selection of piano tones and instruments, and far less distorted vocals. Any change for the pristine has been balanced by the lack of change in Hadreas&rsquo; vocals themselves, with slightly-off harmonies and vocal cracks keeping the songs well away from the over-produced end of the spectrum. &lsquo;No Tear&rsquo;s quasi-gospel allows for the first appearance of a drum kit in Perfume Genius&rsquo; songs, albeit a very brief and sparsely populated appearance, and strikes the balance between using new production techniques and Hadreas playing to his strengths perfectly.
The album&rsquo;s first swell of emotion comes with &lsquo;17&rsquo;, a lush piano ballad (surprise surprise) accentuated by sweeps of strings and reverb-heavy drum hits. It&rsquo;s not songs like this that act as standout moments on the album though, some come from unlikely sources. Early album taster &lsquo;All Waters&rsquo; was distinctly average as a stand-alone song, but in the context of the album it acts as a jolting change of pace just when it&rsquo;s needed. It follows &lsquo;Dark Parts&rsquo;; a faster-paced piano-led song that is as uplifting as anything Perfume Genius has ever managed to write, and that draws to an understated close. The opening wall of synth of &lsquo;All Waters&rsquo; and Hadreas&rsquo; drawn-out vocals are in stark contrast to what preceded them, and acts as his own type of emotional &lsquo;drop&rsquo;, just like in those dubstep songs the kids listen to, just infinitely more gentle, obviously.
&lsquo;Hood&rsquo; is the most radio-friendly (relatively) song on the album, and even features a full piano-bass-drums lineup for all of&hellip;30 seconds, but that is where the album can sometimes fall a little short. On one hand you could argue that the songs are short and sweet, very rarely trespassing past the 3 minute mark, and never overstaying their welcome. On the other hand too many of the songs disappear before they have a chance to firmly plant themselves in your consciousness, creating an album that can at times seem slightly rushed (although this is slightly by periods of silence between certain songs).
Perfume Genius&rsquo; problem of how to replace his endearing naivety seems to have been solved by making an album that is far more diverse than his debut, not just in instrumentation, but also in song styles and tone. Overall, the album is a moving and personal experience, and one that more than delivers on the immense promise showed on his debut. You feel that more is expected from Mike Hadreas, whether it be in his Perfume Genius guise or elsewhere, but at least he won&rsquo;t need to worry about matching his debut in the future, he&rsquo;s already done it.]]></description>
<link>http://www.rockfeedback.com/review/5255/perfume-genius-put-your-back-n-2-it-turnsitleorgans/</link>
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<title>Halls – Lifeblood (The Sounds of Sweet Nothing) [Recommendation]</title>
<pubDate>Fri, 20 Jan 2012 09:24:00 GMT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[With his Halls EP last year, Londoner Samuel Howard bridged the gap between the Chillwave that had become abundant in the alternative scene, and more reserved, minimalistic electronica that was emerging at the time. &lsquo;Lifeblood&rsquo; is the second track from his new Fragile EP, a release that, on the strength of this track, will signal Halls as one of the most promising electronic artists since James Blake first came to our attention.
The sound is more bass-heavy than his debut EP, but it&rsquo;s no step towards the dubstep mainstream. Layers of looped piano samples lie above a conservative, glitchy beat and Howard&rsquo;s faint, distant vocals that create a tone that isn&rsquo;t too dissimilar to Mr Blake&rsquo;s own work, but to label &lsquo;Lifeblood&rsquo; as a copy or rip-off of anyone else would be infinitely unfair, the sound is Halls&rsquo; own.
Samuel Howard continues to develop his sound, resisting the temptation to jump into a debut album while a genre is in vogue, but judging by this track he might just be ready to unleash a classic.
 Halls - Lifeblood by TheSoundsOfSweetNothing]]></description>
<link>http://www.rockfeedback.com/review/5254/halls-lifeblood-the-sounds-of-sweet-nothing/</link>
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<title>Porcelain Raft - Unless You Speak From Your Heart (Secretly Canadian) [Recommendation]</title>
<pubDate>Mon, 16 Jan 2012 05:26:00 GMT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Mauro Remiddi, aka Porcelain Raft, has been building up to the release of his debut album for what seems like an eternity. It was not long ago that he was being heralded, along with Perfume Genius, as the new saviour of bedroom musicians, and while Perfume Genius is readying his second album for release, Remiddi has spent his time perfecting his craft with a series of EPs.
&lsquo;Unless You Speak From Your Heart&rsquo; mixes the indie sound of Grizzly Bear and Beach House with synth sounds and a production style that has been seen recently in music by the likes of Gross Magic and Unknown Mortal Orchestra. It&rsquo;s undoubtedly dream pop, but the dream seems to be far more lucid in this case than in most of the genre, and carries more of a cutting edge as a result. It may lack some of the flawed magic of Perfume Genius&rsquo; first record, but this track is a confident step forward for Porcelain Raft.
  Unless You Speak From Your Heart by Porcelain Raft]]></description>
<link>http://www.rockfeedback.com/review/5253/porcelain-raft-unless-you-speak-from-your-heart-secretly-canadian/</link>
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<title>Leonard Cohen – Darkness (Columbia) [Recommendation]</title>
<pubDate>Fri, 13 Jan 2012 07:52:00 GMT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Before reading any review of a Leonard Cohen song it&rsquo;s worth remembering that he&rsquo;s practically untouchable, in the same way that a Tom Waits or Paul Simon are untouchable, and any opinion expressed about his work will always wither under the general consensus that he is a music legend. That won&rsquo;t stop me from doing it though.
In contrast to the first song Leonard Cohen released off his forthcoming album Old Ideas, &lsquo;Show Me The Place&rsquo;, &lsquo;Darkness&rsquo; is predictably more sinister and menacing. Where &rsquo;Show Me The Place&rsquo; was introspective and spiritual in nature, &rsquo;Darkness&rsquo; sounds like it was recorded after a late-night drinking session in a grimy bar.
It&rsquo;s essentially a simple 12-bar blues tune, but carried in Cohen&rsquo;s inimitable style, where it&rsquo;s acceptable to just mumble over a bog-standard backing. It sounds like it could be complete rubbish, but thankfully it&rsquo;s not. To be honest at this stage I don&rsquo;t think Leonard Cohen could make a rubbish song if he tried.
  Leonard Cohen - Darkness by leonardcohen]]></description>
<link>http://www.rockfeedback.com/review/5251/leonard-cohen-darkness-columbia/</link>
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<title>Nicolas Jaar - With Just One Glance (Circus Company) [Recommendation]</title>
<pubDate>Fri, 13 Jan 2012 07:32:00 GMT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Nicolas Jaar&rsquo;s debut album Space Is Only Noise made it into our top albums of last year, with its dense production and minimalistic beats marking Mr Jaar as one of the most talented young artists to emerge over the past few years (he was only 21 at the time). A year has passed since the release of that album, and it seems new material is on the horizon, starting with &lsquo;With Just One Glance&rsquo;.
The track features Scout LaRue (daughter of Demi Moore/Bruce Willis, not that it matters) on vocals, over a tribal beat and woody bass that will be familiar to anyone who has heard Jaar&rsquo;s previous work.
His sound may not have progressed much over the past year, but the track retains all of the understated cool of his album, a sound that would fit in equally well at a smoky jazz club or on a DJ&rsquo;s decks (at a very, very good club, mind). With this track Nicolas Jaar has issued a reminder, if we needed it, of what he is capable of. Expect to hear a lot more of him in 2012.
  With Just One Glance - Nicolas Jaar by deardeerdash]]></description>
<link>http://www.rockfeedback.com/review/5250/nicolas-jaar-with-just-one-glance-circus-company/</link>
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<title>The Magnetic Fields - Andrew In Drag (Domino) [Recommendation]</title>
<pubDate>Thu, 12 Jan 2012 08:44:00 GMT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[After a trilogy of albums (I, Distortion and Realism) that featured little to no synths, Stephen Merritt is easing back towards the sound that he made his name with in the 90s. &lsquo;Andrew In Drag&rsquo; blends acoustic instruments with bouncy ping-pong synths and Merritt&rsquo;s distinctive dry humour, a humour that makes the song as funny as anything The Lonely Island have ever come up with, with lines like &ldquo;A pity she does not exist, a shame he&rsquo;s not a fag, the only girl I ever loved was Andrew in drag&rdquo;.
Like all the songs on The Magnetic Fields&rsquo; forthcoming album Love At The Bottom Of The Sea, &lsquo;Andrew In Drag&rsquo; is less than three minutes long, stopping long before the joke starts to wear thin. The only down side to the record is that the instrumentation is extremely basic, but in this instance it&rsquo;s just a means to frame the story being told by one of America&rsquo;s greatest song writers, and awarding anything less than full marks on that basis would just seem pedantic.
  The Magnetic Fields - Andrew in Drag by MergeRecords]]></description>
<link>http://www.rockfeedback.com/review/5249/the-magnetic-fields-andrew-in-drag-domino/</link>
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<title>The Shins - Simple Song (Aural Apothecary/Columbia) [Recommendation]</title>
<pubDate>Thu, 12 Jan 2012 08:35:00 GMT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[It&rsquo;s been five long, long years since The Shins&rsquo; excellent last release, Wincing The Night Away, time which has been spent by front man James Mercer dallying with his Broken Bells project with Danger Mouse. And whilst that project threw up some great moments, it was always too hit and miss to keep the patient Shins fans happy for too long. Luckily the recent announcement of the band&rsquo;s fourth album Port Of Morrow came alongside the release of this first glimpse.
Simple song writing (pun intended) has always been one of The Shins&rsquo; greatest strengths, but this new track attempts to jazz up the old formula a bit, with a highly produced sound that will be unfamiliar to anyone only acquainted with the band&rsquo;s earlier work. The glam guitar riff hints at stadium rock aspirations for the new album, and is likely to sound absolutely bloody brilliant live, but any threat of pomposity is averted by James Mercer&rsquo;s disarmingly modest vocal delivery. The new sound works, and could even appeal to a new audience whilst no doubt giving existing fans what they&rsquo;ve waited so long to hear.
  Simple Song by theshins]]></description>
<link>http://www.rockfeedback.com/review/5248/the-shins-simple-song-aural-apothecarycolumbia/</link>
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<title>Ital - Floridian Void (Planet Mu) [Recommendation]</title>
<pubDate>Tue, 10 Jan 2012 06:33:00 GMT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Ital is the name for Daniel Martin-McCormick&rsquo;s side project when he isn&rsquo;t being part of duo Mi Ami, a side project that will have to become a full-time job if he continues to churn out music of the quality of &lsquo;Floridian Void&rsquo;.
This 10 minute-long mix is full of futuristic sounds and synths that at times sound like they&rsquo;re taken straight from a 60s sci-fi film, built around constantly shifting beats that never threaten to overpower the rest of the track. The slowly evolving melodic patterns twist and meld into each other until they reach a peak around the eight minute mark, before slowly carrying you back down to earth for the smoothest and gentlest of landings.
The track carries on the growing tradition of electronic music that values subtlety as much as immediacy that has developed in the last few years, and has hopefully helped pave the way for 2012 to be a year for exciting, forward thinking electronica.
Listen over at Mixmag&rsquo;s Soundcloud.]]></description>
<link>http://www.rockfeedback.com/review/5247/ital-floridian-void-planet-mu/</link>
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<title>Damien Jurado – Maraqopa (Secretly Canadian) [Recommendation]</title>
<pubDate>Mon, 09 Jan 2012 07:38:00 GMT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[As Damien Jurado sings on 'Working Titles',&ldquo;in the end you're a fool like the journalist/who turns what she's seen into business&rdquo;. It turns out that there is no greater fool than the part-time music journalist who sifts through dozensof Google pagesonlyto find out that Maraqopais in fact Spanish for 'album titledesigned to makefoolish part-time music journalist sift through dozensof Google pages'.Interestingly enough, Maraqopa is also Ancient Catalan for 'album with atitle that isvery hard to pronounce, and thus difficult to to talk about to people you've only just met atdinner parties'. Fun fact: itcan also be spelt as Marapoqa, repeatedly, if you're not a fan of proofreading and no-one notices.
But while the name of Jurado'slatest album may not be the most accessible, the record itself is amuch more inviting place to be. Jurado guides us carefullythrough this vast, wild landscape, which stretchesfromthe disorientating screams and sirens of'Nothing is the News'through to thesteadily dizzying howls of 'Reel to Reel',binding them together with his earthy tones.His broken-down vocal adds grit to the record's softer moments, like the haunting 'Life Away from the Garden', with its children's choir gently echoingJuradobefore slowlylosing themselvesamid swirling percussion.
It's a richer, more heavily layered sound than Jurado's previous collaboration with Richard Swift, Saint Bartlett (2010). Swift's consistently distanced production throughout Maraqopaleaves Jurado most exposed during his more vulnerable moments,aswith the weary pleading of 'So On Nevada', and stops the dream-like title track fromfloating away.As Jurado singson that particular tune,&ldquo;all are welcome in&rdquo;. All are certainly welcome, and all will likely find something to appreciatein the land of Maraqopa. Someof us might just be a little hesitant togive the album's name when discussing it with people we've only just met at dinner parties.
  "Nothing is the News" by Damien Jurado by DOJAGSC]]></description>
<link>http://www.rockfeedback.com/review/5246/damien-jurado-maraqopa-secretly-canadian/</link>
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<title>Sleigh Bells - Born To Lose (Sony) [Recommendation]</title>
<pubDate>Mon, 09 Jan 2012 07:26:00 GMT</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[New York duo Sleigh Bells are back with the first track from their second album, the ominously titled Reign of Terror. Even though it starts out sounding a lot like a Marilyn Manson tune, &lsquo;Born To Lose&rsquo; ends up being a big step forward from their debut album Treats. The track amplifies a lot of the raw power and presence found on their debut, but cleans up the production so you can actually hear Alexis Krauss&rsquo; vocals clearly above the heavy guitar riffs and pounding industrial drums.
Essentially a straight-forward pop song at its heart, the track is packaged in such a way that it sounds unlike anything else out there, and shows the band&rsquo;s genre-hopping ability that started on their debut and will no doubt continue on their follow-up. By making positive and significant changes to their output the band are having to rely less on their freshness, carving out a niche and a sound that are unmistakably theirs.
  Sleigh Bells - Born To Lose by Ernestime]]></description>
<link>http://www.rockfeedback.com/review/5245/sleigh-bells-born-to-lose-sony/</link>
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