March 7, 2008

Friday Top Five: Beach House, 3Face, McLaughlin Grooves?

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1. Beach House – “Gila” (mp3 at The Line of Best Fit)
Turns out Baltimore doesn’t just make thuddy syncopated club tunes with SpongeBob samples, it also boasts Velvet Underground-y duo Beach House, and this tune from their excellent new album Devotion is both delicate and dark.

2. 3face – “Different World” (All Star Remix) (buy it at iTunes)
Amazingly, the sped-up Four Tops sample isn’t even the best thing about this new grime number from the London MC: it’s the propulsive, ringing chords that push the verses along, urgent and hypnotic.

3. Andrew WK – “McLaughlin Groove” (listen at the Fair Game site)
Wow: turns out Andrew WK’s bloody, raucous throwdowns fit right in with the long-running political talk show’s bloody, raucous throwdowns. My mind is blown.

4. Duffy – “Mercy” (mp3 at Fluxblog)
As Amy Winehouse is to ’60s soul, or maybe more like Lily Allen is to ’80s ska, Duffy is the cute, young, Welsh take on the blues, and it’s actually better than that sounds. (See also Dunproofin’s bouncy remix)

5. Various Artists – Mad Decent Podcast #25: Niche House (download for free at iTunes)
Contrary to the situation here in the states (as I desribed in my post on Friday), in the UK, dance music and hip-hop have been best buds for ages, and the new, speedy genre of “niche” or “bassline” house is their latest mutant stepchild. Get an 18-track introduction to the style from the astoundingly-named Faggatronix DJ crew.

Photos courtesy Carpark Records, Gold Seal Recordings, Island Records, and Mad Decent Records.

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