Get UP! – Popnoname Interview at TVU. from TVU. on Vimeo.

Popnoname: Website | Last.fm | Myspace | Soundcloud | Discogs

go contains nine songs amassed from the large pool of songs written by jónsi during his many years with sigur rós. the album is sung in english and icelandic, and was co-produced by jónsi, his partner alex somers and peter katis (the national, interpol).

when he began working on go, jónsi initially thought he would be making a low-key, acoustic album until, as he says, “somewhere along the line, it just sort of exploded.” that explosion resulted in sheer aural fireworks. not a straight ahead pop record, nor rock, folk, ambient or electronic, it encompasses all of these to create an expansive musical palette that’s been brought to life by jónsi alongside a number of free-spirited collaborators.

chief among these is nico muhly, the philip glass protégé who is renowned for his work with björk, antony & the johnsons, bonnie “prince” billy and grizzly bear. muhly has arranged all the songs on go, bringing strings, brass and woodwind to dance playfully alongside his offbeat piano playing. add into the mix the percussive genius of samuli kosminen, whose original drumming powers many of the songs along, and you have a sonic landscape that bears little relation to anything else around today, yet explodes from the speakers with sheer happiness and wonder, wide-eyed and eager to be heard. [via]

Jónsi: Website | Twitter | Last.fm | Soundcloud | Myspace | Vimeo | Flickr

Interview with The Uglysuit from The Helium Project on Vimeo.

Made up of six friends from Oklahoma Cit, The Uglysuit brings a different mentality to what they do – remarkably fresh-faced and honest, the band believes in letting loose, fostering a heartfelt atmosphere of hope and love, and works hard to shape what comes naturally. Playing together since their early teen years has given them an almost familial connection which shines through on their beautiful, fully-realized debut album.

The comfort and ease The Uglysuit shares in performing together is evident in the direction each song takes. Some start as one thing and end as something completely different, but in a way that fits together perfectly. Nothing is sacrificed and everything makes sense. “Brownblue’s Passing” begins delicately before orchestral elements take a march-like turn, leading to a finale that becomes increasingly hypnotic and epic. “…And We Became Sunshine” opens with a bouncy intro that eventually transforms into a soaring chorus of guitar washes, keyboard flourishes, and lush, layered vocals. “Chicago” brings together a more traditional song structure, a melody painted with piano and delicate guitar lines, and a refrain that can stay embedded in your brain for days.

The Uglysuit’s music is an extended love song to the notion that everything is possible, yet nothing is guaranteed. It’s born of excitement and energy and built on potential and promise. It’s based on the premise that change exists in everything, and where a wide-eyed view of the world doesn’t equal naiveté. It reminds us that we are alive, and that maybe it’s not too late. [via]

on. Episode Four The Uglysuit – 1902, Deep Ocean from Steven Hopkins on Vimeo.

This is a longer live video.. but this shows the boys doing what they love. And goodness they manage to groove to it all :)

“…And We Became Sunshine” by the Uglysuit @ the Living Room from Music Taster's Choice on Vimeo.

The Uglysuit: website | myspace | last.fm | iTunes | merch | amazon

interview with The Non from The Helium Project on Vimeo.

The Non – Tadaima from The Helium Project on Vimeo.

The Non – Cloud Collision from The Helium Project on Vimeo.

The Non: website | myspace

There’s nothing, no mixing desk, no effects. Only my computer and my hi-fi. That’s all I used on my album. I record stuff, or sample records, or television, or radio. I collect most sounds and then put them on the computer and start messing it all, manipulate them, mock around with them. There’s nothing on the record that is just straight play. Everything has been highly edited, constructed. I might sample a few notes and change them. For instance, there’s no bass on the record at all. Every single bass-type sound on the whole thing is actually other instruments in the track slowed down. On Untangle, besides the drums, every single sound is made out of this one harp sample. I got quite into taking one or two sounds, messing with them loads, trying to make all the sounds I need to make the whole track, with just one little second-long burst of music.

Alongside recording his own material, Hebden has also performed remixes for a number of artists including Aphex Twin, Anti-Pop Consortium, Bonobo, Beth Orton, Explosions in the Sky, Super Furry Animals, Radiohead, Matthew Dear, Sia, Nathan Fake, Bloc Party, Andrew Bird, Kings of Convenience, Battles, Madvillain, and Black Sabbath. [text via wiki]

The three albums Kieran Hebden, aka Four Tet, released in quick succession: Pause (2001), Rounds (2003) and Everything Ecstatic (2005) represent a high watermark in new forms of pioneering musical creativity. These recordings fine-tuned the techniques of electronic music: sampling, sequencing, tweaking and injected them with an almost alchemical warmth. His ethos and immersion in the process of making an evolving body of work is, according to one of his track titles: Sleep, Eat Food, Have Visions. The result is a highly emotional and thought provoking set of records. Disparate forms such as free jazz, hip hop, concrete tape research music and open string folk tunings are distilled into something that can only be described as sounding like Four Tet. [via Domino Records]

Find out Hebden’s 9 favorite albums here.





Four Tet is wonderful, I love this music. This guy has a lot on the books tour wise coming up – make sure to check if one is in your area. I can imagine that you would not be disappointed!

Four Tet: website | myspace | last.fm | discogs