Today’s Tune of the Day comes from Denmark via the star studded town of Croydon that has hosted not only the likes of pro skateboarders but superstar DJs and super models throughout the years.
Lucy Love has just recorded a new album ready for 2011 which sees her MC skills move to the next level alongside producer Yo Akim’s minimal grime, dub ‘n electro beats due for release on their own label Superbillion Records.
Enjoy the video for Daddy Was A DJ and look out for much more from Lucy Love in the coming months.
This may be only the third proper Deerhunter album, but in modest indie terms Bradford Cox has become something of a star. Whether it be under his own successful solo moniker Atlas Sound, or fronting Deerhunter, Cox has made a name for himself as both a gifted songwriter and music obsessive. As with any new recording baring his stamp, then, Halcyon Digest comes carrying the heavy weight of expectation.
From the noisy experimentation and psychadelia found on their debut Cryptograms, to the critically acclaimed indie rock found on 2008’s Microcastle, Deerhunterhave covered a lot of ground in a short space of time and Halcyon Digest continues this trend. The band’s trademark reverb laden guitars are back, giving the record the feel of a lost gem from a past decade. The appropriately named lead single ‘Revival’ is a good example, with a warm and simple sound that feels far removed from the heavily distorted guitars of the band’s earlier work.
In a way I miss the band’s experimental edge, which had up until this point contrasted with the more stripped back approach of Atlas Sound. However, the songwriting here is unsurprisingly top notch, and there shall undoubtedly be plenty more twists left to be taken in the Deerhunter story. While the band may have sacrificed some of their experimentation since Cryptograms, this has allowed for perfectly refined songs the likes of which could only be possible once those excess layers of fuzz are removed. ‘ Helicopter’, for example, is built around the simplest of chord progressions, but such care has been put into its construction that it needs little else. As Cox’s voice melts into the song’s chorus he strikes upon a melody that no level of pedalboard wankery could match, singing, “Oh these drugs played on me in terrible ways, they don’t play like they used to play”.
While it’s true Deerhunter’s latest is their easiest on the ear by a long shot, the band has lost none of their strength in depth. By cleaning up their sound they have managed to produce a set of crisp nostalgic pop songs, but still with thick layers of ambience to discover and enjoy. Whether this is as good as Cryptograms or Microcastle, I’m unsure, but this could be any other songwriter’s masterpiece.
When you think of French music, who comes to mind? Johnny Halliday? Edith Piaf? Probably Serge Gainsbourg? But it’s the hip hop scene which has been the most important cultural revolution in the country of the Bastille, giving as it does a voice to the disenfranchised youth and allowing second and third generation immigrants the chance to share their story.
Throughout the 90s in particular and moving through into the 21st century, French MCs, DJs and producers flourished, becoming part of the country’s fabric and providing the backdrop for other mediums, such as Matieu Kassovitz’s masterpiece ‘La Haine’. The Exception Culturelle Francaise law, which stated that at least 40% of the music played on the radio must be homegrown certainly helped, but it was the hard hitting and often overtly political and anti-establishment lyrics which cemented these artists in the foreground of people’s attentions.
It’s not easy to dissect every group or artist that made an impact in their homeland, but the five acts below are a selection of those that made their mark, whether in the old school or in the recent past. Look, listen and love. Vive La France!
Words: Abjekt
SAIAN SUPA CREW
Saian Supa Crew are simply one of the most innovative hip hop groups on the planet and certainly the foremost in France at pushing the musical envelope. Each track from their albums ‘KLR’, ‘X Raisons’ and ‘Hold Up’ features fast-paced delivery from each of the MCs across sometimes skittering, sometimes booming beats across their releases showcasing the talents of both the rappers and producers.
Even when a couple of the MCs fell away from the group, the Saian juggernaut showed no signs of abating and even caught the ears of RZA and Will.I.Am, proving how far their reach had travelled. With double-time rapping, reggae influences, singing and beatboxing, there’s no let-up on any of their albums, or the groups they were in pre-Saian – Explicit Samourai, Simple Spirit and OFX – which is why they are such an important group to get into.
IAM
Mid-90s hip hop in France was very much influenced by the gangster rap sounds of the American rap scene and it needed a group to stamp their own Gallic footprint into the scene, which is exactly what IAM did. Still lauded now as an extremely important group in the evolution of the country’s rap scene, IAM’s seminal album ‘L’Ecole De Micro D’Argent’ is as fresh today as it was when it was released in 1997.
Having caught the ear of Wu Tang and featured affiliated rappers on their track ‘Petit Frere’, they saw their album go gold in just two days and gained momentum outside of their homeland with a set at Reading Festival. Solo projects became commonplace amongst their members, but it’s as a group that IAM really showcase how hard-hitting and head-nodding French hip hop can be.
MC SOLAAR
Solaar is the daddy of French hip hop, still releasing records to much acclaim in both his homeland and abroad. Whilst purists prefer his older work, it’s his later material which brought him the mainstream plaudits with tracks such as ‘La Belle Et Le Badboy’ and ‘Solaar Pleure’.
Having guested on Missy Elliott’s ‘All In My Grill’ and seen his tracks used in such high-profile TV shows as Sex And The City, Solaar’s star continues to shine as brightly as ever. His reminiscence of his childhood and African heritage couple beautifully with his poetic lyrics throughout his entire catalogue and it’s clear to see why Solaar is viewed by many as the benchmark for hip hop in the country.
ORELSAN
Orelsan courted much controversy when he first hit the French scene, with members of the French Parliament unfairly accusing him of sexism and masochism. Lyrically, he can border the edges but does so in such a skilled way, that you can’t help but appreciate his talent.
His album, ‘Perdu D’Avance’, dropped in 2009 and showcased his wit, wordplay and flow amongst a backdrop of fun beats which lead to him being dubbed the “French Eminem”. Regardless of whether that’s the case or not, it’s going to be interesting to see where the new face of French rap is going when he releases his follow-up.
DISIZ LA PESTE
Getting noticed by the legendary Joey Starr of the infamous Supreme NTM crew at an early age, Disiz La Peste thrust himself into the limelight with ‘La Poisson Rouge’ in 2000 with lead single ‘J’Pete Les Plombs’, inspired by the film ‘Falling Down’. Not one to rest on his laurels, Disiz continued his climb to the top of the French rap charts and appeared on the soundtrack of ‘Taxi 2’.
2009 saw Disiz retire from rap with a bulletin on MySpace but he said he was looking to continue on with music in general. With this statement came ‘Disiz The End’, an album that showed he’d lost nothing in the nine years since his debut album with the standout ‘C’est La Verite’ becoming France’s own version of Lil Wayne’s ‘A Milli’. Whether dropping double time as in his verse on Rouge A Levre’s ‘Gash’ or more centred rhyme patters on ‘Il Est Deja Trop Tard’, Disiz is definitely one for the annals.
Kano will be releasing the Chase and Status produced ‘Spaceship‘ on November 1st.
Spaceship appears off his acclaimed 2010 effort, Method To The Maadness, an album that features a vast range of contributors, including Boys Noize, Damon Albarn, Hot Chip, Diplo, Vybz Cartel and many more.
Tim Kasher of Cursive and The Good Life will be releasing his debut solo record, ‘The Game Of Monogamy‘, through Saddle Creek on October 5th.
You can currently stream the album in full online over on his profile at Absolute Punk (you must be registered to stream). For a taste of what to expect, download the Sleekly Lion approved ‘Cold Love‘ for free from the Crossfire Soundcloud and watch the video for it below.
The Big Deep as an expansive, thoughtful record. Every nuance is clearly carefully considered and vocalist Doug Robinson delivers with as much passion and intent as he always has. Whilst perhaps not as immediately and obviously catchy as the band’s previous efforts, this album ingrains itself in your memory after a few listens and you can really appreciate the band’s new depth of thought in songwriting. Not that any of their other albums are lacking thought. There’s just something more serious about the band’s approach this time. They mean business and set out to make a record that will stand the test of time. They may have achieved just that.
There are more keyboards winding their way through the fibres of the music than there have been on The Sleeping’s previous bodies of work. There’s certainly a distinct sinister feel to both the lyrics and music with tracks like Beautiful Gloom wending their way between conflicting feelings of doom and positivity. Retiring Spies (Change Your Life) taps into The Sleeping’s ability to create an original riff-led groove yet still keep a heavy focus on the melody.
The Big Deep is an album of many layers. It is demonstrates the more somber side to The Sleeping perfectly but despite the prevalence of slower jams on this record, there’s still plenty to get excited about in terms of melodic content and riff-led brilliance.
Fresh from releasing an unexpected EP earlier this year, Sufjan Stevens returns again by releasing his heavily anticipated album The Age Of Adz on October 12th.
You can listen to the entire thing below (via NPR). There’s already talk of this being one of the finest releases this year, so get stuck in below to see what all the fuss is about.
Animal Collective have joined forces with Keep to create a line of shoes, including the Avey Tare design ‘The Tobin‘ which you can see below.
In addition to the trippy slippy, fans that pre-order the shoes will recieve a tape full of unreleased material. How very exciting. Click the picture below to get a closer look at the creptillians. And for the hell of it, watch the video of the wonderful ‘Fireworks‘ below.
Today’s Tune of the Day comes from Denmark via the star studded town of Croydon that has hosted not only the likes of pro skateboarders but superstar DJs and super models throughout the years. 
This may be only the third proper Deerhunter album, but in modest indie terms Bradford Cox has become something of a star. Whether it be under his own successful solo moniker Atlas Sound, or fronting Deerhunter, Cox has made a name for himself as both a gifted songwriter and music obsessive. As with any new recording baring his stamp, then, Halcyon Digest comes carrying the heavy weight of expectation.
When you think of French music, who comes to mind? Johnny Halliday? Edith Piaf? Probably Serge Gainsbourg? But it’s the hip hop scene which has been the most important cultural revolution in the country of the Bastille, giving as it does a voice to the disenfranchised youth and allowing second and third generation immigrants the chance to share their story.
Sub Pop’s latest batch of new albums have been impressive to say the least but this week we have had the 
lele[SPEAKS] has unleashed a new mixtape overnight. Get some of her sickness from the link below and read a recent interview on this very site 
The Big Deep as an expansive, thoughtful record. Every nuance is clearly carefully considered and vocalist Doug Robinson delivers with as much passion and intent as he always has. Whilst perhaps not as immediately and obviously catchy as the band’s previous efforts, this album ingrains itself in your memory after a few listens and you can really appreciate the band’s new depth of thought in songwriting. Not that any of their other albums are lacking thought. There’s just something more serious about the band’s approach this time. They mean business and set out to make a record that will stand the test of time. They may have achieved just that.
