27 January 2011 - 0 Comments

WOMAD – SOUNDS OF THE PLANET 2011

Since 1982, WOMAD – the World of Music, Arts and Dance – has presented exhilarating festivals in countries all over the world, consistently thrilling capacity audiences with an incredible diversity of styles that always provokes and entices. WOMAD takes us to places we don’t know, reaching compass points in music that is way beyond our navigation and imagination.

What better way to enjoy the festival than to listen to the accompanying CD, Sounds of the Planet 2011. Encompassing artists like Angus and Julia Stone, Nitin Sawhney, Luka Bloom, Afro Celt Sound System and Trinity Roots, this is set to be one of the compilations of the year.

For Fans of: TrinityRoots, Horace Andy, Nitin Sawhney

VARIOUS – HARDER, FASTER AND LOUDER ‘FAT MUSIC VOL 7’

It's been eight years since Fat Wreck Chords released one of these infamous comps. Back in the late-'90s and early 2000s, these el-cheapo collections worked as a fantastic introduction to punk, or at least the pop-friendly type of punk that dragged the genre into the mainstream a la bands like Blink-182 and Simple Plan.

So it's not surprising that the label abandoned the series back in 2002 in favour of more pointed, often politically-charged comps.

Volume 7 though picks up where Uncontrollable Fatulance left off in 2002, offering 22 tracks from the label's deep roster of bands. There's a good dose of old favourites (Strung Out, Chixdiggit!) along with relative newcomers (Cobra Skull, Old Man Markley).

Fat Music Vol. 7 is without a doubt one of the strongest entries into the Fat Music series, presenting a label overview with no weak links.

For Fans of: Mad Caddies, Me First & The Gimme Gimme Gimmie’s, NOFX

VARIOUS – NYC SALSA

“N.Y.C Salsa” is an impressive thirty-song compilation of the golden age, when percussion was heavy, singers were soneros, arrangers pushed musical boundaries, and instrumental solos were common. This collection captures the full spectrum of artists between 1970 and 1980 on the Fania label: from the best known bands and legends Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, Héctor Lavoé, Sonora Ponceña, Eddie Palmieri, Ray Barretto to rare artists and groups Latin Tempo, Cabrerita y sus Ideas, Baby Gonzalez, Julio Castro y Orquesta Masacre, Rafi Val & La Diferente. This compilation is a great introduction to newcomers to Salsa and of interest to Salsa aficionados eager to discover bands they may have never heard of.

Re-mastered from the original ¼ inch tapes this collection really is quite special, best part is, you don’t even have to be very good at salsa to be able to enjoy it!

For Fans of: Tito Puente, Gilles Peterson, Salsa

BLACK LIPS – 200 MILLION THOUSAND

The band's debut full length album, Black Lips!, was released on Bomp! Records in 2003. Since then they’ve gone on to release 5 albums including this recent effort 200 Million Thousand.

They have slowly built a fanbase that appreciates their style that is a rough mishmash of blues, rock, doo-wop, country, and punk. One of their biggest influence is the 60's Peruvian garage band Los Saicos. They gained national attention in 2006 with features in Spin and Rolling Stone magazines.

The band got exposure in the New York Times during the 2007 South by Southwest music festival in Austin, Texas, to which they played a dozen shows over a three-day period.

For fans of: Jay Reatard, Wavves, The King Khan and BBQ Show

BRANDT BRAUER FRICK – YOU MAKE ME REAL

What do you get when you cross live instrumentation with Techno, this isn’t a joke either. You get one of the most interesting albums of the year courtesy of Brand Brauer Frick.

Recently playing at a Gilles Peterson showcase gig with the excellent MountKimbie, Brandt Brauer Frick are clearly making some serious statements.

When different worlds are confronted within their music, be it the pulse pattern minimalism à la Steve Reich dissolving into a deep house panorama, or a polymetric layering of sounds until the kick-drum finally reinstates the principle of the collective hip-shake, you can always be certain of one thing: no matter what disparate elements come together, it always sounds like Brandt, like Brauer, and like Frick.

And just what is that sound?  The sound is in their method, the precise selection and straddling of techniques. Their fuel is nothing less than the history of music, and their goal is to create a sound aesthetic which adapts itself to a club as well as a concert hall. At night, it can be flung at the party pack. During the day, the home listening experience reveals new facets.

For Fans of: Juan Atkins, MountKimbie, Cobblestone Jazz

PIEBALD - III

Piebald are an Amercian alternative rock band who started life in the hardcore scene.

Although the band broke up sometime in 2007, they still do the odd show together, and judging by this collection of compilations there is still a large demand for there music.

This compilation is the 3rd volume from Rise records documenting tracks from the first 10 years of Piebald, including b sides rareties, early works and live shows.

The music is a classic sounding edgy indie rock affair, and although the band gained more mainstream success years after some of these tracks were released, a lot of these tracks are classics in the indie rock underground circuits.

For Fans of: Jawbreaker, None More Black

WOE IS ME - NUMBERS

Post Hardcore band Woe, Is Me didn’t start life very long ago, early 2010 to be precise. But they haven’t wasted anytime in getting themselves out there and signing a deal with Velocity Records, subsidiary to Rise Records.

The rest as they say is history! They originally recorded a handful of demos which made quite a bit of noise, They’d signed an album deal with Rise before they’d even played there first live show. Currently touring and penning tracks for there 2nd album, here’s the first one to get you acquainted with the band that is Woe, Is Me.

For Fans of: Miss May I, Emacosa, Alesana

Thanks to www.border.co.nz for this story.

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