This week on anniversary albums we take a look at New York indie band The Strokes debut album "Is This It". Released in 2001, "Is This It" is considered a seminal indie rock album which had a significant influence on indie guitar music for the next ten years.
We are halfway through 2016 and what a year it has been for music. This pretty much continues on from the marker laid down by 2015, which to my ears was the best year for music in a long time. So many good albums have come out so far, and with the anticipation for more great albums to come, 2016 is lining up to match 2015 for music quality. With this in mind, here are my personal top twelve records of 2016 so far.
1. David Bowie - Blackstar
2. Kendrick Lamar - Untitled Unmastered
3. Average Rap Band - El Sol (NZ)
4. Anderson Paak - Malibu
5. The Growroom - Exhibition III (NZ)
6. Kaytranada - 99.9%
7. SWIDT - SWIDT vs Everybody (NZ)
8. Miles Davis & Robert Glasper - Everything's Beautiful
9. Terrace Martin - Velvet Portrait
10. Last Shadow Puppets - Everything You've Come to Expect
This week on anniversary albums we take a look at Grace Jones classic 1981 record "Nightclubbing". Considered her best album, this was the record that turned her from a cult disco act into a worldwide star.
This week on anniversary albums we celebrate thirty years of The Smiths classic album "The Queen Is Dead". Released in 1986, this album is considered an indie classic and one of the defining albums of the 1980's.
We are halfway through the year and what a year it has been so far for music. The amount of new music that has come out in the last three months has made picking my top twenty tracks for the period April to June a tough ask. It was really a case of what to leave out rather than what to include, something that can be put down to the quality of tracks dropping. We really are living in a bit of a golden age for music at the moment and this list I feel is reflective of that.
Ain't That Funkin' Kinda Hard on You? (remix) - Funkadelic featuring Ice Cube and Kendrick Lamar
George
Clinton is a living legend who often does not get the respect he deserves,
especially from the industry itself. This track is a remix from the last
Funkadelic album released in 2014 and it is a straight out banger. Featuring
guest spots by Kendrick Lamar and Ice Cube, if this track is anything to go by,
then there are still new tricks in the old atomic dog yet.
Another Century - Lawrence Arabia
The
second track we have heard off his impending forth album “Absolute Truth”. This
one has a strong George Harrison feel to it in the form of a great melody and
some wonderful backing vocal harmonies. Hopefully the album continues in this
vain.
Beautiful Thing - The Stone Roses
It
is fair to say the Manchester legends first comeback single “All For One”
received a mixed response. However, the band are definitely into the swing of
things now with their second new release “Beautiful Thing”. This is classic
sounding Roses with a very funky rhythm and some great guitar licks from John
Squire. The rumored new Roses album is now looking more and more appetizing.
Burn the Witch - Radiohead
After
releasing several mysterious video clips, Radiohead finally released their
first new track in years, and what a track it was. With its stirring strings,
explosive climatic ending and a wonderful accompanying video, “Burn the Witch”
was a great comeback, and a clear signal that Radiohead are not done yet.
Decks Dark - Radiohead
Radiohead
have come back strongly with “A Moon Shaped Pool” after the relatively disappointing
“The King of Limbs”. “Decks Dark” is quite OK Computer sounding with Thom’s
melancholy vocals, some haunting backing vocals, and the tracks spacey guitar
giving the song quite a dreamy quality.
Frankie Sinatra - The Avalanches featuring Danny Brown and MF Doom
Sixteen
long years have passed and we finally have new Avalanches music. “Frankie
Sinatra” is the first single off the Australian groups upcoming album
“Wildflower” and boy what a quirky number it is. I have no clue what the song
is about, but I do know it is catchy as hell and great to sing along to.
Freedom - Beyonce featuring Kendrick Lamar
There
is no doubt Beyonce is the queen of music, and her new album “Lemonade” is a
social statement as much as a musical one. “Freedom” in my opinion is one of
the best tracks she has ever written and the inclusion of Kendrick Lamar was an
absolute masterstroke. The energy the two display here would be hard to match
by most artists, and at the end you are left with no doubt that what she is singing
about is done with the utmost conviction.
Glowed Up - Kaytranada featuring Anderson Paak
Kaytranada
is one of the most talented up and coming producers around at the moment and
his debut album 99.9% is a beauty. It features a wide range of styles and some
great guest spots. One of these is Anderson Paak whose contribution to the track
“Glowed Up” is one of the highlights of the record.
Got It Good - Kaytranada featuring Craig David
It
was so hard to choose tracks for this list given the amount of awesome new
music around. In the case of the Kaytranada record I had to pick two tracks
because of the quality on display. This one featured Craig David (remember him)
who puts in a great vocal performance on this smooth R&B track.
Know Us - INF
From
the Onehunga hip hop collective SWIDT and off their fantastic debt album “SWIDT
vs Everybody”, INF puts in a real chilled performance on this track “Know Us”.
It has a smooth R&B vibe to it and is quite different from the rest of the
album, which is high energy in your face hip hop.
Maiysha (So Long) - Miles Davis & Robert Glasper featuring Erykah Badu
I
don’t know how Robert Glasper does it. He is a great arranger and
re-interpreter of other artists, and that is what he does on his Miles Davis
tribute album “Everything’s Beautiful”. This bossa nova version of “Maiysha”
featuring Erykah Badu is absolutely gorgeous and is the centrepiece of what is
an outstanding record.
No Problem - Chance the Rapper featuring Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz
Although
I think the new Chance the Rapper mixtape has been over-hyped and is not as
good as what a lot of the music press are saying, I do think it has some good
tracks on it. One of these is the banger “No Problem” featuring Lil Wayne and 2
Chainz. This track has some great gospel backing vocals, while the two featured
artists spit some mean lines. Definitely one of the anthems of the year so far.
Radio Silence - James Blake
James
Blake returned after three years with his melancholy electro-soul, dropping a
record out of the blue last month. The opening track “Radio Silence” is a
rather haunting, but beautiful melodramatic number featuring some delicate
piano playing and a gorgeous vocal performance from the man himself.
Right on brotha - Miles Davis & Robert Glasper featuring Stevie Wonder
The
closing track on “Everything’s Beautiful”, “Right On brotha” is a dance funk
track with plenty of groove. The track is an instrumental and features Stevie
Wonder on harmonica and some really nice trumpet flourishes from Davis himself.
Glasper has certainly hit the musical jackpot with this album, in what is
turning out to be a great year for jazz fusion.
Sleepy City - Badcrop produced by WhyFi
The
Grow Room collective has taken the Auckland music scene by storm this year, and
their Exhibition III mixtape is one of the best releases of 2016 so far. This
track by Badcrop is a real smooth beats driven piece perfect for zoning out to.
With the collective having to move from St Kevin’s Arcade, hopefully they can
find a new place soon in order to continue to make beautiful music like this.
Take It From Me - Bailey Wiley
Bailey
Wiley is going places. The soul singer has just released her second EP “Still
On My Mind” and is beginning to get wider attention. The EP itself is full of
great soul and R&B gems like “Take It From Me” which combines some well
produced beats with Bailey’s amazingly soulful vocals.
Yes - Yoko-Zuna featuring HEAVY and Larz Randa
Yoko-Zuna
are establishing themselves as one of the best live acts in the country. Their
jam based concerts are quite simply amazing, which makes it more intriguing as
to what they can do on record. This track is off their latest EP “Luminols” and
features guest appearances by hip hop acts HEAVY and Larz Randa. The raps are
dope, the instrumentation is dope and Yoko-Zuna prove here that they can
transition quite easily between the stage and the studio.
Yesterday - Yumi Zouma
Yumi
Zouma are fast becoming one of New Zealand’s premier indie pop darlings, and
their latest record “Yoncalla” is testament to that. Songs like “Yesterday”
glisten through the speakers at you with their sweet, sweet harmonies and
glowing melodies very easy to like. This particular track also has a strong Fleetwood
Mac vibe to it so bonus points for that.
Jalen
Ngonda is the only artist on this list that hasn’t actually officially released
anything. However, I was so impressed when I stumbled across this live in
studio track on Soundcloud that it had to be here. This guy has plenty of soul,
think Sam Cooke 21st century style. And, although the soul-revival market is
crowded, I firmly believe we will be hearing a lot more about this Maryland
native very soon.
312 - SWIDT
SWIDT
burst onto the music scene this year with their anthem “No More Parties in
Stoneyhunga”, and their debt album “SWIDT vs Everybody”. The group rap about
their backyard and growing up in Onehunga as seen on tracks like this one. The
group in combination with the talented producer SmokeyGotBeatz have a formula
that will surely see them continue to blow up in this country and elsewhere in
no time.
This week on anniversary albums we take a look at Detroit garage rock-revivalists the White Stripes third studio album 'White Blood Cells'. Released in 2001, this record was very influential in the development of the garage rock scene of the early-2000's, as well as helping to establish the White Stripes as a commercial act.
