Matt & Kim - Sidewalks: 3/5 Bits

Artist: Matt & Kim

Album: Sidewalks

Genre: Pop, Indie, Electronic

Matt & Kim are one of those bands I'd heard random songs by through friends and had always been meaning to give them a proper listen, but hadn't. With their new album Sidewalks just being released yesterday I figured what better time? The first thing that you'll notice is rather high energy music in the form primarily of synths and drums with vocals similar to that of Peter Bjorn and John's. The album continues the upbeat energy throughout the album. This is a good thing. Matt & Kim obviously know what sound their listeners expect to hear and don't disappoint. This is also a bad thing, as there's little diversity and each song easily blends into the next if you're not paying attention.

This album sadly borders on mediocrity. Two listens in and I have not had one song grip me. There are plenty of decent songs, in-fact the entire album is decent. It's just not very memorable. If you're looking for an upbeat synth and drum heavy album then this will definitely please you, I'm just not sure for how long.

Tracks to check out: Cameras, Where You're Coming From, Good For Great

3/5 Bits

The Album Leaf - A Chorus of Storytellers: 4/5 Bits

Artist: The Album Leaf

Album: A Chorus of Storytellers

Genres: Post-Rock, Ambient, Electronic

I had forgotten I had this album sitting on my hard drive for quite a while and boy am I sorry that I waited so long to hear it. Before I go into the album I'd like to explain why this is an important release by The Album Leaf. The biggest thing about this album is that it was the first time the whole band had been a part of the recording process, rather than one person doing it all. Secondly you may notice hints of Sigur Rós, this is because Jonsí helped with this album, mostly in the mixing department. Now onto why you should listen to this album, if the Sigur Rós name drop wasn't enough.

The first track opens up with a lush atmospheric ambiance that sets a theme for the album. The sound production on this is absolutely wonderful. The attention to detail is brilliant. This enhances the serene sounds that The Album Leaf have crafted. Wonderful soundscapes combined with electronic drumming and the occasional vocal melody mixes wonderfully together to bring the listener quite the experience. The only times I was left slightly disappointed were on the vocal tracks, which are few. It's not that they are bad, it's that they do instrumental much better.

I didn't know what to think of this album when I was loading it up to listen. To be honest I had low expectations. The Album Leaf have always been a solid band, but have never blown me away. This hasn't exactly blown me away, but it's a great start. This is a well crafted album with each song flowing well into the next. If you're a fan of anything I've mentioned here, you need to here this.

Tracks to check out: Blank Pages, Summer Fog, Until the Last

4/5 Bits

Das Racist: 4/5 Bits

Artist: Das Racist

Album: Shut Up, Dude - Sit Down, Man

Genre: Hip-Hop, Indie

I became aware of the New York duo Das Racist yesterday when a friend linked me his song "Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell" which to be frank is just for laughs. I decided to check out his two newly released mix tapes though to see what he was all about. I was quickly turned on. The first thing I noticed was a brilliant variety of sampling done throughout from Herbie Hancock to The Doors. Their lyrics next grabbed my attention. Varying from tongue in cheek racial lines to them simply rhyming a series of words into others with no purpose other than to provide brilliant wordplay. The beats are simply fantastic; Given the list of producers including Diplo, you knew it would be. I highly recommend these as they are freely available through Das Racist's bandcamp site. I've decided to upload them myself since the tagging on the albums was terrible.

Tracks to check out: Fake Patois, You Oughta Know, All Tan Everything

Both receive 4/5 Bits.

Brian Eno - Small Craft on a Milk Sea: 3/5 Bits

Artist: Brian Eno

Album: Small Craft on a Milk Sea

Genres: Electronic, Ambient

This is actually a shocker to me. This album I mean. I expected to completely hate this based on the past stuff I've heard from him. To be honest his past stuff bored me to a level that I've never experienced before or after. I heard a lot of people hyping this up though, as expected, so I decided to give it a try. I wasn't blown away, but I wasn't turned off. The album had it's moments where I really dug it, and moments where I was almost bored. My biggest problem with this album was the lack of fluidity from song to song. It was pretty noticeable when the track had switched despite me not giving it my full attention. Overall though the album made for good background music. It suited it's purpose while I played Wordfeud on my Droid.

Tracks to check out: Bone Jump, Paleosonic, Late Anthropocene

3/5 Bits

Toro Y Moi - Causers of This: 4/5 Bits

Artist: Toro Y Moi

Album: Causers of This

Genres: Chill Wave, Indie, Electronic

A friend recently recommended this album to me as we were discussing releases that were memorable for 2010. I decided to give it a go as I need more electronic upbeat music in my life. This album wound up on repeat for the next 3 hours. Was there anything that stood out about this album? Not really. That's the beauty though, the album was able to be judged as a whole rather than a few stand out tracks. This album made for excellent background music or would certainly be suitable for a party. The smooth electronic layered synths and various sounds with simple, yet fitting beats, and a smooth voice layered with effects just works.

Tracks to check out: Minors, Thanks Vision, Low Shoulder

4/5 Bits