This is a track review round-up in which I chew on some of the most exciting new tracks circulating around the web and regurgitate some thoughts directly to the readers, whom I consider my hungry baby birds. It's sustenance mixed with stomach acid, essentially. A salty cocktail, but good. Let's get started.
Gold Panda, 'You' (listen here)
After the miraculous warmth of last year's 'Quitters Raga', which stitched samples of guitar, sitar and sliced-up Hindi vocals into an emotionally gripping patchwork of textures and melodies, London producer Gold Panda might have been feeling the pressure to produce an adequate follow-up. Well, if 'You' is what Gold Panda comes up with when he's under pressure, I propose the motion that he henceforth be forced to write tunes whilst suspended over a pit of ravenous Komodo dragons. 'You' is a refinement of the chopped-up South Asian classicism of 'Quitters Raga', sacrificing a little of that track's emotional pull in favour of a more instant hook and danceable beat. It's a rare breed of sunny driving music that has enough depth to withstand the endless repeat listens foisted upon it by an obsessive like me.
Escape Artist: "OMG! It's Matt Berninger, lead singer of the National! Hey, can you tell us a little about Bloodbuzz Ohio?"
Whistling in pop songs. It's a hard road to walk. There are only a couple of sonic millimetres of difference between the wistful brilliance of Otis Redding's 'Sitting on the Dock of a Bay' and the skull-collapsing, planet-imploding agony of 'Young Folks'. Luckily, with the second track revealed from their upcoming album Together, the New Pornos walk that line with typical grace. 'The Crash Years' has a tremendous sense of momentum, building from a solid template of guitar and rhythm interplay and incorporating so many elements that there seems to be a hook around every corner. To some it's songwriting for the brain-mashed goldfish generation, but to me it's musical confectionery, a song that leads you merrily down the garden path, soundtracked by Neko Case's commanding vocals and the cheerful whistling of ruddy-cheeked Oompa-Loompas nearby.
With LCD Soundsystem's new album This Is Happening plump and ready to drop on May 17 (May's shaping up to be a pretty great month for music, isn't it?), leaks are popping up with a frequency that suggests the album has lost elasticity and tracks are simply tumbling out of its butt. While 'Drunk Girls' is exactly the kind of indulgent party banger that an LCD album would feel bereft without, 'I Can Change' feels like it might be more representative of the album's core. In other words, if 'Drunk Girls' is this album's 'North American Scum', 'I Can Change' is 'Someone Great'. Sharp, stripped-down keys are overlaid with a sparkling synth sheen. James Murphy is in contemplative mood here, reflecting on the emotional compromise of a lover stretching to accommodate an infatuation ("I can change...If it helps you fall in love"). It's also Murphy's most confident and consummate performance as a vocalist, his voice sounding more supple than ever, even bending to an impressive falsetto. David Byrne would be proud.
Tron Legacy, the sequel/reboot of the 1982 cult sci-fi favourite, will be hitting our screens in December. Based on this track, the movie's producers could do a lot worse than hire Bristol dubstep producer Joker to provide the score. Earlier Joker tracks like 'Digidesign' have shown his predilection for an aesthetic that evokes a future constantly shrouded in night, lit only by the flickering luminescence if the inner city. It's a good fit all round. With 'Tron', Joker has downplayed the hyper-bass of previous tunes to experiment with a more mid-pitch sonic spectrum (if you think 'Tron' is bassy, just try 'It Ain't Got A Name' by Joker and TC). The result is a lithe central hook intercut with thrilling diversions. It's a track that more than lives up to its name, and should leave track marks on a significant number of dancefloors, even if we never get to hear it blaring from the stereo of Kevin Flynn's light cycle.
Gold Panda, 'You' (listen here)
After the miraculous warmth of last year's 'Quitters Raga', which stitched samples of guitar, sitar and sliced-up Hindi vocals into an emotionally gripping patchwork of textures and melodies, London producer Gold Panda might have been feeling the pressure to produce an adequate follow-up. Well, if 'You' is what Gold Panda comes up with when he's under pressure, I propose the motion that he henceforth be forced to write tunes whilst suspended over a pit of ravenous Komodo dragons. 'You' is a refinement of the chopped-up South Asian classicism of 'Quitters Raga', sacrificing a little of that track's emotional pull in favour of a more instant hook and danceable beat. It's a rare breed of sunny driving music that has enough depth to withstand the endless repeat listens foisted upon it by an obsessive like me.
Escape Artist: "OMG! It's Matt Berninger, lead singer of the National! Hey, can you tell us a little about Bloodbuzz Ohio?"Matt Berninger: "Well, it's kind of like most other National songs."
EA: "So, totally awesome in an earnest way; led by plaintive piano melodies and propulsive drums, with driving guitars heightening emotional tension as the song progresses? And lyrics expressing an intangible sense of loss and frank introspection, delivered in your trademark shellshocked baritone?"
MB: "Uh, yeah."
EA: "Cool! ...Hey, Matt?"
MB: "Yeah?"
EA: "...What's a bloodbuzz? And why does it happen in Ohio? And how did you get there in a swarm of bees? Also, can I be your friend?"
MB: "Oh my God, shut up."
Erykah Badu is now two-thirds of the way through her New Amerykah trilogy, with part two, entitled Return of the Ankh, released a week or so ago. Thematically, it's all change - out goes the venomous social commentary, in comes spiritual reflection backed by soft synths and ear-nibbling jazz; the hard concrete of the mind traded for the verdant glades of the soul. 'Window Seat' is a bewitching highlight, Badu weighing a yearning for escape against the need for the love of another ("Somebody say come back...I want you to need me"). It's the kind of effortlessly listenable soul music that's easy to define but so hard to master. This is music as spiritual salve.
The New Pornographers, 'The Crash Years' (listen here)
Whistling in pop songs. It's a hard road to walk. There are only a couple of sonic millimetres of difference between the wistful brilliance of Otis Redding's 'Sitting on the Dock of a Bay' and the skull-collapsing, planet-imploding agony of 'Young Folks'. Luckily, with the second track revealed from their upcoming album Together, the New Pornos walk that line with typical grace. 'The Crash Years' has a tremendous sense of momentum, building from a solid template of guitar and rhythm interplay and incorporating so many elements that there seems to be a hook around every corner. To some it's songwriting for the brain-mashed goldfish generation, but to me it's musical confectionery, a song that leads you merrily down the garden path, soundtracked by Neko Case's commanding vocals and the cheerful whistling of ruddy-cheeked Oompa-Loompas nearby. 
So, we've heard two tracks from Diamond Eyes, the new Deftones album coming out in May. The first, 'Rocket Skates', is a sleek atonal beast, all sharp elbows and bared fangs. Second single 'Diamond Eyes' is a more spacious affair. Where 'Rocket Skates' feels like a lunatic screeching off the walls of a padded cell, 'Diamond Eyes' builds a dense cathedral of noise, culminating in a sweeping chorus dominated by Chino Moreno's echoing vocal refrain: "Time will see us realign/ Diamonds rain across the sky". Perhaps the only link between the two tracks is a return to the thick riffs of Around The Fur, Steph Carpenter's guitar presiding over the track in a way not seen since 'My Own Summer (Shove It)'. Certainly, the pounding onslaught of the song's final seconds is one of the most lead-heavy moments in the band's career, which is another way of saying it will blow your teeth out through your anus. It's a tantalising glimpse into what we can expect from the album next month. Rest assured, too, that the band has lost none of its thunderstorm spark after the sudden (hopefully temporary) departure of bassist Chi Cheng following a car crash that left him in a semi-conscious state.
LCD Soundsystem, 'I Can Change' (listen here)
With LCD Soundsystem's new album This Is Happening plump and ready to drop on May 17 (May's shaping up to be a pretty great month for music, isn't it?), leaks are popping up with a frequency that suggests the album has lost elasticity and tracks are simply tumbling out of its butt. While 'Drunk Girls' is exactly the kind of indulgent party banger that an LCD album would feel bereft without, 'I Can Change' feels like it might be more representative of the album's core. In other words, if 'Drunk Girls' is this album's 'North American Scum', 'I Can Change' is 'Someone Great'. Sharp, stripped-down keys are overlaid with a sparkling synth sheen. James Murphy is in contemplative mood here, reflecting on the emotional compromise of a lover stretching to accommodate an infatuation ("I can change...If it helps you fall in love"). It's also Murphy's most confident and consummate performance as a vocalist, his voice sounding more supple than ever, even bending to an impressive falsetto. David Byrne would be proud.
Joker, 'Tron' (listen here)
Tron Legacy, the sequel/reboot of the 1982 cult sci-fi favourite, will be hitting our screens in December. Based on this track, the movie's producers could do a lot worse than hire Bristol dubstep producer Joker to provide the score. Earlier Joker tracks like 'Digidesign' have shown his predilection for an aesthetic that evokes a future constantly shrouded in night, lit only by the flickering luminescence if the inner city. It's a good fit all round. With 'Tron', Joker has downplayed the hyper-bass of previous tunes to experiment with a more mid-pitch sonic spectrum (if you think 'Tron' is bassy, just try 'It Ain't Got A Name' by Joker and TC). The result is a lithe central hook intercut with thrilling diversions. It's a track that more than lives up to its name, and should leave track marks on a significant number of dancefloors, even if we never get to hear it blaring from the stereo of Kevin Flynn's light cycle.
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