Album of the Week #25: Gramatik

Artist: Gramatik
Album: Beatz & Pieces Vol. 1
Year: 2011
Label: Pretty Lights Music

Gramatik's sample-laden music has been a guaranteed party starter for six years now, but the 2011 record Beatz & Pieces Vol. 1 is surely the pinnacle of his impressive discography.

Melding elements of funk, jazz, hip-hop into a cohesive body of work, Gramatik's instrumental music is DJ Shadow-esque in its execution and J Dilla-esque in its imagination. Though musically it is influenced by the likes of jazz and funk, in truth the samples called upon are from even further reaching corners of the globe and across huge swathes of time. A quick glance at his WhoSampled page reveals the above to be true - there are pinches of swing, soul, rock 'n' roll and more that are chopped, sliced and distorted before being thrown into this bubbling melting pot of styles and genres. It all makes for an intricately constructed set of songs from an artist who clearly has a rich and varied taste in music, but importantly Gramatik's talent is such that it all comes together to form a unique record that's great fun to listen to.

Repeated vocal hooks, scratchy funk samples and hip-hop drum beats tend to be the cornerstones of Beatz and Pieces, something which is evident as soon as the beat to album opener 'DreamBIG' kicks in. 'So Much For Love' is a joyful clash of sampled vocals and piano riffs that creates a dancefloor-filler that you won't find populating the airwaves of Radio One. The tracks here are wearing darkened shades, bopping their heads and smoking cigars whilst you long to be as fucking cool as them.

Gramatik expands upon his sound a little with the likes of 'Good Evening Mr. Hitchcock' and 'The Drink Is Called Rakja'. The former throws in sweeping strings and flickering keys for a lush body of orchestral sound, whilst the latter's electro-swing sound is the most frenetic affair on the record. Both are heavily-layered, masterfully-crafted bodies of work, which is symbolic of the whole album. Yet when Gramatik strips it back to the bare bones - if you could call it that - in 'Like You Do', the result is an effortlessly hip slice of instrumental funk-hop that is the standout moment of the record. Considering the competition it has, that's some achievement in this myriad of party-starting tracks that are, well, just. so. bloody. good.



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Album of the Week #24

Artist: Emma Ruth Rundle
Album: Some Heavy Ocean
Year: 2014

After leaving a tantalising glimpse of Emma Ruth Rundle's spectacular talents in last week's Midweek Mixtape, it's probably only fair that her stunning debut album comes under the one album a week-shaped spotlight today. Rundle has concocted a dreamy world of sounds in Some Heavy Ocean, taking the listener on an immersive journey through her folk-tinged set of psychedelic numbers. Recalling the spirit and sound of hometown L.A. and throwing in her own pop sensibilities to create a unique sound, it is a beguiling listen that sweeps and soars its way through 10 songs of pure beauty.

Although there are hints of 60s psychedelia, 70s folk and pop, it is the menacing atmosphere running through this work that sets it apart from its contemporaries. 'Haunted Houses' is atypical of the album as a whole, with its soft acoustic plucking the backbone behind sweeping strings and Rundle's haunting voice, which is honest, heartfelt and often seems to plead with the listener to join her on this journey - rather like fellow American Lana Del Rey.

'Arms I Know So Well' is the obvious entry point into the album and the perfect example of Rundle's eye for a pop melody underpinning the sea of ambient sounds that it accompanies. It reaches its glorious crescendo amidst barely-audible vocals and increasingly frantic guitar strumming, offering the perfect centrepoint of an album which is built around this song.

The reverb-heavy 'Living With The Black Dog', and is the furthest point at which Rundle extends her psychedelic tendencies, making it a compelling album closer that recalls female doom-pop merchant Anna Calvi and even Stevie Nicks' solo output. It may seem hyperbolic to compare 'Some Heavy Ocean' to such artists, but it is a fully deserved praise of an album that never fails to delight.

Midweek Mixtape #7

Eerie atmospherics soon give way to jangly guitars in Ferry Light Switch, the opening track off the Bristolian 5-piece Daggers and Waves' Wayward Lines EP. This uplifting sun-kissed drifter, held together by delicate guitars and woozy vocals, absolutely flies by in five minutes of Kurt Vile-esque bliss.

Continuing those warm weather vibes, as we desperately try to remember what sunny weather is like here in the South West, are father and son duo Tree Dwellers, who are presumably hanging around somewhere on the same beach frequented by Daggers and Waves. This one's a bit of an oddball really: a bass riff here, stabs of strings there, sampled vocals hooks and funky guitar licks all thrown into the melting pot for an infectious slice of funk-hop that comes from the same page as the likes of Gramatik or J Dilla.

I think these chilled-out tracks must be sending you to sleep though. SO WAKE UP! HERE'S A SING-SONG! Lois The Band's 'Be True To Yourself' is massive, epic, anthemic, glorious etc et al that recalls the best moments of Britpop and all of those early noughties sing-a-long groups. Live, this would be a beer-drenched classic.

Now for something all the way from L.A. Singer songwriter Emma Ruth Rundle makes incredibly atmospheric, heart-wrenching guitar music sprinkled with pop sensibilities. It can be pretty dark and pretty powerful stuff - but beware Rundle's ability to draw you into her world with those catchy melodies before you find yourself totally engrossed in the arresting soundscapes that she creates. 'Arms I Know So Well' is a nice entry point into her stunning debut album Some Heavy Ocean, which you can listen to here.

Sheffield duo Slow Club's latest offering veers away from their earlier folk-pop offerings, strings and brass giving the slow-burning 'Suffering You, Suffering Me' a real Motown edge that pushes the group into their poppiest territory yet - not that you should be worried, 'cause those two have absolutely nailed it once again.

Midweek Mixtape #6

After first thrusting themselves into view with the release of their no nonsense self-titled debut album earlier this year, the stock of Leeds punk rockers Eagulls has continued to rise with two recent scintillating performances on Letterman and Jools Holland. Their confrontational punk rock isn't displayed any better than in 'Possessed', as cascading, fuzzed out riffs collide with pounding drums and aggressive, shouty vocals to create an enticingly-toxic melting pot of noise.

Anton Newcombe may be a divisive figure at the best of times, but it is hard to argue with the peaks of The Brian Jonestown Massacre's long and occasionally-frustrating discography. When he's on form, such as in 1996's Take It From The Man!, there are surely few songwriters more talented than the enigmatic Newcombe. 'Memory Camp', the stand-out track from latest album Revelation, sees the band returning to scale those huge mid-90s peaks once again.

Mac DeMarco is another hugely talented songwriter making a welcome return: this time with the critically-lauded Salad Days, backed by the hugely enjoyable 'Passing Out Pieces'. A careful evolution rather than revolution from his earlier sound, don't let his 'oddball' persona mislead you into thinking his music is equally slack and carefree: 'Passing Out Pieces' is delicately put together with a sheen and confidence that mirrors DeMarco's flourishing skills as a songwriter.

Leamington Spa two-piece Coves are a group of counterpoints and contrasts: a boy and girl, guitar and drum duo who mesh crashing blues numbers with dreamy electronic sounds to create beguiling songs more reminiscent of the L.A. sun than the undoubted delights of urban Warwickshire. 'Beatings' sums up this intriguing aesthetic as it soars with the repeated line My heart stops beating for you before slipping into a psychedelic crack-out in its stunning finale: distorted guitars, crashing drums and bleeps and glitches battling for precedence at the heart of this psych-rock behemoth.

Album of the Week #23

Artist: Teleman
Album: Breakfast
Year: 2014
Label: Moshi Moshi

Rising from the remnants of late noughties indie pop outfit Pete and the Pirates, it could have been tempting for Teleman to rest on their laurels and on the reputation of their former incarnation. But with the swooning, electro-tinged 60s melodies of debut album Breakfast they have already managed to carve out a sound that is both familiar yet totally their own. Despite just one change in the lineup, drummer Hiro Amamiya joining the former pirates Tom Sanders, Jonny Sanders and Pete Cattermoul to form the band, the shift in sound from guitar-heavy indie to boasting a more blissful and melodic electronic edge has been sharp yet apparently effortless.

Whilst Pete and the Pirates boomed with a restless energy beneath their catchy guitar pop, Teleman have taken on a droid-like appearance and their music appears almost robotic in patches. However, that's not to say the group have ditched personality in favour of a more sleek and assured sound. 'Steam Train Girl', for instance, shares characteristics of both. It is precise, exact and confident in its delivery, yet its motoring melodies and instrumental climax make it the life force and beating heart of Breakfast. Imagine Kraftwerk with guitars and you're halfway to understanding it.

Elsewhere, the Velvet-esque ambient balladry of '23 Floors Up' and 'Cristina' display the group's personal touch and canny knack of finding that addictive melody that served them so well as Pete and the Pirates. And though guitars still feature on Breakfast, it is the keyboard and synths that feature more prominently, and as the album progresses, they come to define Teleman's sound. Perhaps the trio needed a clean slate to edge the six-stringer into the background, but it has worked a treat. A range of ideas are explored on Breakfast and it has all the hallmarks of a group exploring yet still finding their feet and their own sound.

If the amalgamation of guitars and synths is the one thread running right through the record, that notion is perhaps summed up most pertinently in album closer 'Travel Song.' Quite literally a song of two halves, the first is a pleasant enough stomp with nods to new wave and Motorik via Pirates-esque indie. Yet the band move head-on into Motorik territory after a brief lull in sound, harsh guitars and robotic vocals clashing and colliding as Sanders' fitting vocal hook of I'm not in control, I'm not in control soars and soars and soars in mantra-esque fashion. It is a thrilling end to a thrilling record, and the sound of swirling synths guiding the song to its abrupt climax is emblematic of an album that successfully blends the old and the new to create one of the most exciting efforts of 2014.

'Breakfast' is released on 26th May by Moshi Moshi Records. Until then, you can hear some of the tracks from the album on Teleman's Soundcloud page.

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