A Creative Music Agency

Space Dimension Controller - First Glance

In general, I choose to avoid public transport at all costs, instead making use of my trusty old two wheeler. So you can imagine my dismay when stranded in Peckham at the weekend, looking to the higher powers of TFL to guide me, I found nothing but line closures and replacement buses. Alas, I had to look elsewhere for divine inspiration, & SDC was a more than fitting spiritual guide.

Here he is on this Royal Oak (a Clone Records offshoot) EP release from last year; ever since 2009’s Love Quadrant entered my consciousness I’ve been hooked. Expect his trademark blend of slippery sloppery electro sounds with infectious chord progressions.

Feels like music suited for being in motion to me - I imagine it’d sound amazing driving across a wide open road minutes before sundown.

One hit wonders: we all love them but know relatively little about them. It’s an area of music I am least versed in. Chesney Hawkes? No idea. Baha Men? Not a clue. Vanilla Ice? Sheesh.... The greatest one hit wonder of them all though comes from Louisiana, USA. John Phillip Baptiste AKA Phil Phillips wrote Sea of Love in 1959. It didn’t reach number one in the Billboard Charts, unfortunately it went to number two. But one hit wonders don’t need to go to the top of the charts to have a lasting legacy. That’s what Al Pacino is for. He starred in a 1989 film of the same name in which a serial killer plays that song right before he kills people. That film brought a wonderful song to a new and arguably even more appreciative audience. Sea of Love is not only one of the greatest and more peculiar love songs ever written, it’s also by far the best ever one hit wonder.

Women have only had the same right to vote as men for 86 years, which is quite astonishing. They were allowed to vote the same time working class men were. To celebrate voting day (and being the hardcore feminists that we are), here’s a selection of our favourite female artist’s:

Chelsea Wolfe: I’m of the mind that Chelsea Wolfe can do no wrong. When I first saw promo images of her, I was impressed by how oddly gothic they were (especially for a Californian). Indie witch house is what I first thought when I heard her tracks and saw the aesthetics. But I’m not really doing her any justice because she’s multi-talented and arguably my favourite female solo artist. Her vocals are always on point. Her records always masterfully self-produced. I like the clear vision she has of herself. Confidence in your art is key. The first song on this live video is a particular favourite (I like every note she hits when she sings).

Pocahaunted: I don’t even know where to start here, there’s so much to say. Probably the greatest female twosome you’ve never heard of (you most certainly have as individuals though). Before Bethany Cosentino went away to become Best Coast she was part of this incredibly cool experimentalist drone group. Her sparing partner was Amanda Brown, the queen of US cool. Along with her husband and fellow talented musician Britt, they both run the genius Not Not Fun & 100% Silk record labels. Back to Pocahaunted though. This is droney. This is experimental. This is freak folky. This is dub(by). This is my favourite track of theirs because it segues into something you’re not expecting. The 12” this features on is one of my most cherished records. Pocahaunted were just way too cool for you, me and everyone we know. 

Lowell: I stumbled upon Lowell a couple of years ago when she was posting demos on her youtube channel. The videos that she created to go with her songs were peculiar and intriguing as hell. It was at this point I wanted to try and sign her for an EP deal but nothing came of it. She is a damn talented Torontonian who has recently joined the Arts & Crafts family. Following her collaborated EP release with ‘supergroup’ Aparatjik, she released her debut solo EP earlier this year. Expect a cleverly composed record from her soon. Expect big things from her soon. Youth not wasted, that’s for sure.

MØ: I’m kind of obsessed with Karen Marie Ørsted, the Danish electronic / pop / R&B / singer-songwriter. The tracks she dropped online in 2012 were brilliant. Her EP in 2013 was better. Her album this year was thumping. There was a spate of Scandinavian electronic female artists popping up a couple of years ago... But in terms of progression and just general beat-making (and hooks of course, lots and lots of hooks), MØ swats the competition away. A must-must-must see live act, she has an effortlessly charismatic stage presence. Not conceited or trying too hard, just supremely talented. Brrrrrrap!

Leila: Blood, Looms, and Blooms is a badass album title (it even includes an oxford comma, adding the best kind of swag). Released by the godlike Warp Records in 2008, it’s my favourtie Leila record. A talented musician/producer/DJ from Iran but based in London, B,L,&L is definitely more accessible than her other works. You might recognise one of her earlier tracks (Underwaters – One for Keni) as it featured on the brilliant Avios ‘Anything Can Fly’ advert a couple of years ago. The track I am going with here though is obviously taken from Blood, Looms, and Blooms. In my opinion it is the best track on the record because it features the eerily good vocals of Martina Topley-Bird, London’s finest vocalist.

Blue Hawaii / Braids: Having lived in Canada before London, anyone who knows me is well aware I have a soft spot for all things Canadian. Raphaelle Standell-Preston epitomises this in waves. I’m not sure what I would call her day job (Indie art rock?). Either way, Braids are like Animal Collective only less psychedelic, better lyrics and Raphaelle’s unique vocals. Not content with recording music with Braids, she has a very cool experimental / more electronic side project with her boyfriend call Blue Hawaii. She’s only in her early twenties and has four solid records with two different acts under her belt. Hopefully there’ll be plenty more to come in the future.

The Distillers: As a teenage boy I had the biggest crush on Brody Dalle. For starters she had the coolest name and just looked insane. In university I wrote an essay on why she was the best female musician in the industry. I was almost going to turn it in as a thesis before realising I was studying politics and not punk rock. I digress, The Distillers formed a large part of my youth. And although I’ve completely outgrown the music I listened to as a teenager, I’ll always have a soft spot for this band. Primarily because their major label debut (their first two records were on independent punk labels) was their best record. Coral Fang was a big f*ck you to anyone who doubted their merit.

The best way to stay ahead of the game is to spot the talent before everyone else. Or just lie and say you were driving the wagon before people clambered aboard. Alas we are honest souls and my newest favourite is Hoodlem.

I only came across her/him/them? last week so I know very little information other than: Hoodlem is anonymous and from Melbourne, Australia. One girl & one guy. It could be the sunshine blinding me today…

But her vocals and his beats are doing something for me. I like how the music flows with a very specific density. In particular I am a fan of good refrains in songs… And “you were in my firing line” is a game changer. Especially when it isn’t delivered with anger, rather pity.

Get on this now before everyone else says they were there before you.

Another game of Heads or Tails.

Last time around TLC (Creep) thought tails was better than heads.

Next up is the creators of arguably the best record of the 00s.

Metro Area cleared the way for DFA / LCD to become a staple in the New York house / nu-disco 'scene'.

Everyone should own their self-titled 2002 debut on vinyl. You're not worth a bloody thing if you don't have that.

Let's play Heads or Tails with Metro Area (artist) / Miura (song).

A small selection of our favourite recent additions to the bubble.

Everyone has their bookshelf artists. For the times when you've neglected to update your ipod for weeks on end. Or when your recent foray into the world of Japanese Surf Rock isn't quite answering life's questions like you'd hoped (although, I would argue the guitar solo in Dark Eyes by Takeshi Terauchi & The Bunnys could go some distance). Like an old friend, they can sometimes fall out of favour for one reason or another, but have the perennial ability to return and instantly feel relevant.

One such artist for me is Nick Drake. Far from the melancholy disposition most tend to associate with his songs, I've always found there to be something inherently hopeful about his humble melodies set against jaunty, finger-picked meanderings. Granted, he was a deeply troubled soul but for me it is a sense of fatalistic, British perspective that always prevailed in his music. Anywho...

Most would herald his third album Pink Moon, from which the track above is taken, as his most solid offering; indeed it serves as the best introduction for the uninitiated. The Documentary below also is a compelling insight into his tragically short life. 

Nick Drake - A Stranger Among Us from James Veitch on Vimeo.

RIP ND.

Not sure about you but I finished my weekend off in style, one unbefitting of a specific time or place, exactly like the film I watched.

I am of course talking about my trip to Screen on the Green to see the surprisingly uncomfortable The Double. Naively when I heard Richard Ayoade was directing, I was expecting whimsical dark humour (think Wes Anderson only more ominous and brooding) but brilliance nonetheless.

What I wasn't expecting was how anxious some of the scenes made me – It proved difficult viewings at times (in the best possible way – This is a good thing). I digress. One of the many things to standout about the film is the uneasy score by Andrew Hewitt.

Whenever the strings struck or the piano panged, an immediate sense of dread overcame the scene, it was all rather magnificent in a subtle manner. I'm ashamed to say the name ‘Andrew Hewitt’ had rung a bell but I wasn't capable of placing exactly where I knew it from. So I did what every self respecting chancer does and googled his name. Then it hit me: He’s the genius mind behind the very clever ‘Garth Marenghi's Darkplace’ theme tune (a Bach throwback allegedly).

For those of you who have never heard of Darkplace, it sits atop the list of most underrated British TV shows of all time. Hewitt’s great ability is to never overplay the mood of a scene, he keeps things all wily and understated. But what I like most about Darkplace’s theme tune is how brilliantly over the top it is, the exact antithesis of Hewitt’s work on The Double. No subtlety at all, just garish, kitsch and gimmicky (essentially parodying the exact same subjects as the writing in the show).

What I am trying to say here is Andrew Hewitt, you’re officially my favourite composer now.

Monday Morning Toe Dipping: Deux

Morning all. Over the weekend, a good friend introduced me to the mysterious world of minimal wave records.

My pick of the bunch - French duo Gérard Pelletier & Cati Tete, otherwise known as Deux. The rest of the EP from which this track is taken, and their full length Decadence, are both well worth more than a customary toe dip.