40 MusicWeek 12.07.13
PRODUCTRECOMMENDED ALBUM OF THE WEEK
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TRACK OF THE WEEK
Appearing first on Claude Von Stroke’s Dirtybird label earlier this year, Jack by UK DJ/producer Breach aka Ben Westbeech now sees a full release via Dirtybird/Atlantic Records.
Jack has been building rapidly
GREGORY PORTER Liquid Spirit
(Blue Note/Universal)
Following two globally-acclaimed, Grammy-nominated albums, Gregory Porter will release his major label debut in September through Blue Note/Universal. Porter combines the subtle intricacies of jazz with a deep, gospel-
powered soulfulness. The album swings between delicate, lyrically reflective ballads (Water Under Bridges, Hey Laura), driving, hard bop-influenced rhythms (Liquid Spirit, The In Crowd), and soulful mid-tempo numbers (Free, Movin’). Porter retains the same core musicians that accompanied him on
September 9
his previous two albums – pianist and musical director Chip Crawford, drummer Emanuel Harrold, bassist Aaron James, alto saxophonist Yosuke Sato, and tenor saxophonist Tivon Pennicott. Raised in California, Porter began singing in small jazz clubs in San Diego while attending San Diego State University on a football scholarship but chose to pursue full-time and before long he was singing in a theatre production of It Ain't Nothin' But the Blues, which garnered rave reviews and eventually ended up on Broadway. In 2010 released his debut album Water, which earned a Grammy nomination for Best Jazz Vocal Album. The follow-up Be Good earned Porter his second Grammy nomination for Best Traditional R&B Performance and propelled him to international stardom.
INCOMING ALBUMS
GOODIE MOB Age Against The Machine (Warner Bros)
Goodie Mob - the Atlanta rap group featuring Grammy Award-winner CeeLo Green alongside Big
Gipp, Khujo and T-Mo - are set to return with fourth album Age Against the Machine after a 14-year hiatus. GM will preview the release of the album with track Special Education featuring Janelle Monae as well as the Pinstripes featuring T.I. Last year, GM premiered track Fight to Win on The Voice, saw it used as the official theme song for the 2012 NBA Playoffs and featured in the campaign for the release of the Samsung Galaxy SIII. GM’s debut LP Soul Food (1995) was
certified Gold and is recognised as the album that put Atlanta’s rap scene on the map. they later released Still Standing (1998) and World Party (1999), which were both certified Gold in the US. SEPTEMBER 2
BABYSHAMBLES Sequel To The Prequel (Parlophone Records)
The third Babyshambles album Sequel To The Prequel will be released in September and
preceded by lead single Nothing Comes To Nothing on August 26. The album was recorded at Question Du Son, Paris and mixed in The Bunker, London, with long-time Shambles collaborator Stephen Street. Peter Doherty told NME recently: “I
don’t want this to be half arsed, I want to get up there and really fucking smash it out. Babyshambles aren’t back, this band has always been here”. On hearing the final version of the single Nothing Comes To Nothing, he said “it actually made me cry”. Babyshambles have announced a 20-
date UK tour running in September and October. They play Brixton Academy on September 14.
SEPTEMBER 2
MOBY Innocents (Little Idiot)
Moby, who has sold over 20 million albums, chose to make new album Innocents with a
stellar cast. For the first time in his career he worked with an outside producer, friend Mark ‘Spike’ Stent (Madonna, U2, Muse, Björk, and Massive Attack) and other collaborators including Wayne Coyne (The Flaming Lips), Mark Lanegan, Cold Specks, Skylar Grey, and Damien Jurado and Inyang Bassey. He has named them the Innocents. The first song to be released from the LP is the Cold Specks collaboration A Case For Shame. The video for the track was directed by Moby, and shot at his home. The entire concert tour for Innocents will consist of just three shows in Los Angeles, most likely at a theatre within walking distance from his home - details to be announced.
SEPTEMBER 30
BREACH Jack
(Dirtybird/Atlantic)
over the past few months, particularly at the Miami Winter Music Conference, and beyond that it has had major support from Disclosure, Skream & Benga, Duke Dumont, Annie Mac, Maya Jane Coles, Heidi, Rob Da Bank, Roska, Artwork and Annie Nightingale to name just a few.
The track has already made
the Top 5 of Resident Advisor’s DJ charts. Now based in Amsterdam,
July 15
Westbeech has launched his own label Naked Naked – putting out releases from the likes of Midland, Dark Sky, Dusky and more, including himself – and releasing more of his own material through Ramp/PTN, Pets Recordings and Dirtybird.
STAFF PICK: ALEX CALVIN, WORK EXPERIENCE
BIFFY CLYRO Opposites (14th Floor Records)
You can’t deny that Biffy have become more mainstream as their career has soared upwards, whatever that means, and that Opposites is the logical conclusion of that trajectory. Some bands, when posed with a double album, just go nuts, releasing some pompous wannabe ‘masterpiece’, but the Bif have managed to stay themselves. Is it more radio friendly? Yes, but why does that matter?
The usual mix is here – fast, slippery and metallic riffs, such as those found in Sounds Like Balloons and The Joke’s On Us, the band’s speciality, and pumping, driving ballads like first two
singles, Black Chandelier and Biblical, which have had their fair share of radio play. Simon Neil’s vocals are every bit as cryptic and poetic as before, the drums just as furious, and the songs every bit as anthemic. There is something wonderfully 80s about the ballads,
something almost Springsteen-esque. That is not to say there is nothing new here. We have Mariachi brass on Spanish Radio, and bagpipes on Stingin’ Belle, which both defy logic by actually
working and not ruining the songs, which illustrate just how well put together this album is. Six albums in, and Biffy sound every bit anthemic, edgy and commanding. ‘mon the Biff.
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