Blake Fleming self-releases all drum and percussion debut album

26 September 2012

Blake Fleming is one hell of a prolific drummer, with a notorious involvement in bands like Laddio Bolocko, The Mars Volta, Dazzling Killmen and Electric Turn To Me.

Last week Fleming released digitally his debut solo album entitled Time’s Up, an explosive instrumental record composed of nothing else but drums and percussion.
Fleming explains how Time’s Up came about:

“The idea was to make single length songs (3-4mins more or less) out of nothing but drum and percussion instruments, hopefully providing “hooks” not normally associated with such music. It’s part Bboy percussion throwdown, This Heat homage, Hybrid African, Afro-beat and myself.”

The album is now available to stream/download on his bandcamp on a pay-what-you-want basis or via Free Music Archive.

Envisioning a vinyl release for his debut record, Fleming launched a kickstarter campaign to help fund his “percussion odyssey”. There are still a few days to go until the campaign’s deadline but his goal was reached two days after it launched. I’m getting that vinyl.

Here’s the electrifying ‘Street corner throwdown’, the second track from Time’s Up.

Balmorhea unveil new single ahead of album release

26 September 2012

Balmorhea‘s highly anticipated fifth full-length album is excitingly close to release date. Stranger drops this Tuesday October 2nd via Western Vinyl.

Earlier this month, the sextet shared the glorious album opener, ‘Days‘. Now Balmorhea are luring us with ‘Masollan’, a dazzling and dense new cut from the album.
They have also unveiled a video for ‘Masollan’ showing the band, including founding members Rob Lowe and Michael Muller, writing the song, rehearsing and performing it. The video, filmed over the course of a week by director Joe Tomcho, also blends in arresting shots from their native and inspirational Texas. Watch the video below, and straight after, listen to the album version of the song.


Native Eloquence eases you into the Winter

25 September 2012

Native Eloquence, the solo project of Los Angeles’ multi-instrumentalist and composer Adam Hirsch, has recently released his self-titled debut EP via Stereocure.

All the tracks in the eponymous EP were written, recorded and produced by Hirsch.
“Weaving dense sonic tapestries from disparate influences” as the EP blurb describes, “Hirsch brings to bear a background in jazz, a keen ear for beats, and a native honesty.”

The Native Eloquence EP is like a warm and fluffy blanket you will want to wrap yourself in as the days get shorter and colder (if you’re in the northern hemisphere, that is).
‘Easy Winter’ and ‘Whalebone’ are two of the dreamy cuts crafted by Native Eloquence. Listen to them below and stream or download the EP on his bandcamp.


Sinkane’s debut album is on the way

24 September 2012

Sinkane, the nom de plume of Sudanese born, New York based prolific multi-instrumentalist Ahmed Gallab, keeps himself well busy playing with the likes of Caribou, Yeasayer, Of Montreal, Born Ruffians and Eleanor Friedberger. Sinkane also has his own brainchild project and a debut album on the way. Mars is due out late October via DFA Records and City Slang.

The forthcoming album features a stellar list of collaborators including Roberto Lange of Savath & Savathas and Helado Negro, Twin Shadow’s George Lewis Jr., Yeasayer’s Ira Wolf Tuton, members of Afrobeat band Nomo and saxophonist/flautist Casey Benjamin a/k/a stutzmcgee.

According to the issued press release, Mars “is dense with deep, polyrhythmic grooves that refer as much to early 70’s underground soul as it does back to Sudan, Gallab’s home country. On another level, it’s a 21st century party record that acknowledges the international musical village in which we all now live”.

‘Jeeper Creeper’ is one of the stunning spacey jams lifted from Mars. Listen to it below.

People Get Ready share first single ahead of debut album release

24 September 2012

Steven Reker, Luke Fasano (ex-Yeasayer), James Rickman (ex-Lizzie Trulie, ex-Slow Gherkin) and Jen Goma (A Sunny Day in Glasgow) make up Brooklyn based outfit People Get Ready.
The quartet are set to release their self-titled debut album on October  22nd via Brassland. The album was recorded last year in an old farm house in New York by songwriter, producer and composer Jherek Bischoff.

‘Windy Cindy’ is the first catchy taste lifted from People Get Ready’s upcoming album. Founding member Steven Reker, who has previously toured with David Byrne as a guitarist and dancer, said this about the single:

“‘Windy Cindy’ was inspired by Cindy Sherman’s pictures, her Untitled Film Stills. I spent a long time looking at those pictures, and then I got so into them, I mean really in to them. I found myself wanting to see things from the perspective of the characters she had made. So the song is basically me having this desire to take over her spot in the picture – forever. It’s a dialogue. I try to do it, it’s fine for a bit, but I end up getting super tired because I can’t hold the pose as long as she can. And then I imagine I’d rather be an inanimate object. Like I’d rather just be her dress or the glass that she’s holding, the match that she’s striking, the book she is getting off the shelf, and stuff like that. All these objects are endowed perfectly by her, the way she handles them. It’s very romantic to me, not in a lovey-dovey way at all but in the way the work feels…livable. It’s a livable world she made.”

Listen to ‘Windy Cindy’ below.