barrie

The Original Lo-Fi - Babybird

This is a six CD boxed set of Stephen Jones home recordings and 'You're Gorgeous' isnt on it. They're all kind of mood pieces, some very sombre, some rapturous and ecstatic, some steeped in fear, others in loathing. There are some hilarious moments and some beautiful ones where you're left wondering how some bloke with a home recording studio could coax and concoct so much beauty and wonder.

I got into him through the fifth album - Dying Happy, which is a gorgeous ambient record, almost conceptual in that it is so fluent and simple and what I label as organic, ie, real instruments and synthesisers as opposed to strictly machines if you get my meaning.

Who should buy this record. Music lovers. All kinds of music lovers. Its so vast. Home recording artists. It will show you what you can achieve with so little. Musicians, writers, artists. This is art

Baz @ justramit.co.uk

Music Has The Right To Children - Boards of Canada

Music has the right to children is still Boards of Canada’s best effort. Geogaddi, while by no means disappointing, didn’t have the same impact, which is no mean criticism either. It was and still is an incredible record, easily up there for me with DJ Shadow’s Endtroducing or Amon Tobin’s Bricolage as stunning debut recording.

The lazy hip-hop electronic beats are way ahead of their time as with any great record of its ilk and they are no less well met by spacey keyboards and cinematic and robotic sound effects. A perfect chillout, Sunday afternoon, Monday morning record to soothe what ails you, its ideal for late night listening or those dreary stoned moments which just have to be soundtracked.

The length of the record is another reason to own it. At least an hour long you can pop it on and not have to worry what you’re going to put on after it or you can pop in and out of it without too quickly becoming familiar. I have it years and its still full of surprises and tricks that slipped my mind since the last listen.

In that sense, that is to say the sheer depth and number of sounds throughout, it is reminiscent of Orbital’s early records although Boards of Canada is more like Orbital’s sleepy younger brother.

The thing is, you've probably heard lots of this record on movie soundtracks and TV programs where you've spent ages wondering where they get the music from.

A baz @ justramit.co.uk essential then unequivocally recommended.

Outlaws by Doucet, Luke (SIX015)

Upbeat, Cajun, country rock from Canada gives you a two in your step while Doucet tells you tales of love and loss and life and the living of it. He has a lovely Jeff Buckley-esque twang in his plaintiff vocals and the guitars are rough and ready and full of soul. Lovely stuff. Nothingspecial just lovely stuff. He will probably go on to prove me wrong though.

Uncode Duello

Creepy soundtrack music full of fear and pain and anger. I was waiting for it to explode into a cacophony of beautiful noise but it doesnt. It does spooky intro after intro. I must be too accustomed to Pink Floyd and Hawkwind. I went to see Acid Mothers Temple a few months ago aswell and I didnt get that either.

Sometimes though it borders on freeform jazz and little vignettes sneak out which again I expected to turn into something divine and transcendental, but no. No Coltrane or McLaughlin for you here.

Hmm.

So I was trying to picture when I would enjoy listening to this or say some of John Coltranes weird out stuff where he was communing with the stars and planets and I thought, alone or when extremely high or as a soundtrack to an art or horror film (Avant-garde directors take heed!).

It picks up near the end and borders on rockout and I just wish they would. ROCK OUT DAMMIT! Nope.

I wonder are these guys geniuses of noise or chancers bent on pissing off their neighbours. Enjoy, weirdos.

EDIT: They get down to business on track 12 and make some serious noise that grabs you by the pants. They add in a female vocal giving it the full-on aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh and hey presto - gorgeous. This could be so good.

() by Sigur Ros (12

The first record was groundbreaking for a guitar band in that it stitched together a series of ambient tracks of differing vibe and flow like no other before. Pink Floyd comparisons abounded. Eno said, ''dammit why didnt I think of that?'' (speculation), but THIS record was just inspired. An inexorable groove towards a faultless crescendo leaving you in no doubt you have experienced something beautiful. It definitely rocks out at the finish but even the most avid guitar hater will have been seduced by the lushness and ebb and flow and depth and beauty. Comparisons could be made to boards of canada for its ability to encapsulate a bit of imagination in sound. The essence of an inhospitable environment made beauty by those that live within it (they're from Iceland). More later.

Stuchka Vkarmanye

The first couple of tracks on this CD failed to lift me up to that musical happy place, sounding like novelties and derivative of more innovative artists. Track three sounds like Aphex Twin at his cacophonous earbashing best and track four like Boards of Canada doing electronicised nature sound over bassy drones until its crescendo where it starts to take off on its own tangent. Then it becomes not so much homage as evolution. Not bad recommendations all in all. The final track shows no small potential employing a number of floor filling techniques with some classic gurning moments, oh yes! - leaving you with a good feeling about future releases from this artist. I cant say I've heard of him before so I'm imagining a bright future if this is the beginning.

For more baz based shenaniganery and to take a psychic load off, try http://www.justramit.co.uk. Have your say on the nets premier rants forum.

Mos Def - The New Danger

I'm currently grooving to Mos Def, The New Danger which is the hippidy hop music folks which I rarely buy because most of it is simply retarded but Mos has gotten himself a live band for this second record. They're called Black Jack Johnson and just like when Miles released the Jack Johnson record they're here to make it clear they're none too chuffed with you Whitey.

His first record, 'Black on Both Sides' was a delightful return to what I'm calling the 'Middle Skool' of hip-hop. Lush sampling, funky beats and a singing rap style which nestles proudly next to Three Feet High and Rising and The Low End Theory as a shining example of something that was once great.

Unfortunately most of the great samples have been had and its rare anything truly great rears its ugly head these days. Hip Hop has been quite dull for the last while with the odd exception from Jay-Z and I suppose you could argue Missy Elliot is an innovator but its all inadequately musical for my liking (for some relief try also Blackalicious or Jurassic Five).

The New Danger is that rarest thing, a genuinely new idea. The live band is mostly formed of the funk-metal-rap hybrid act Living Color (remember them black lads who were lumped in with the chillis, FNM and Janes Addiction as funk-metallers just prior to grunge?), Bad Brains (never heard of them) and honest to goodness legend and Rock'n'Roll Hall of Famer Bernie Worrell (Parliament/Funkadelic, arguably the most sampled man alive other than James Brown). Its a live rock, funk, blues, jazz, metal, rap, hip-hop fusion record and Mos Def's singing rap style floats delightfully above it.

He also sings with real soul.

Try downloading 'Umi Says' from the first record or 'The Beggar' from the second.

I'm chuffed with this record even though he hates me for making him rich.

For more baz based shenaniganery and to take a psychic load off, try http://www.justramit.co.uk. Have your say on the nets premier rants forum.