Under The Influence

First impressions scream Beck - his voice is really similar in parts and the production is quite different from your run of the mill work. Generally quite mellow, certainly the first half is anyway. The deeper you get into it the rockier it becomes - eg 850 Commando (I knew a guy that had one of those once, probably still does - hell of a bike).

The keys in The Dartmouth Soundsystem sound like a Check Your Head era Beastie Boys lick. I just noticed that there are lots of electronic beats in the production. The more I listen the more diverse I realise this is. I prefer the more downbeat stuff, there are lots of lovely layers in the production. Having said that I enjoyed You'll Never Come Back which verges more on black/sludge metal.

Of course, the style of the track doesn't really matter. What matters is that there are pop hooks, and he has those in abundance.

It was quite some time ago but I recall loving the soundtrack when I watched this movie. I recall really enjoying the movie too for that matter - not sure why I've only just gotten around to getting myself a copy of this. You can't really go wrong with well performed Southern American blues/roots music. Really traditional Mississippi styles.

Obviously there are the tracks performed by the The Soggy Bottom Boys (the fictitious group from in the movie) who I believe are actually some sort of super group in real life (were they put together just for the movie?). As an interesting side note it turns out that there's a basis in fact to some of the events in the clip. Some time back a trio were pardoned by the governor after recording a hit some in prison. God bless the legal system.

These cats are set to make a bit of an impact. It sounds like a whole bunch of really cool old bands; Stone Roses, Cure, Joy Division, Velvet Underground etc all mixed up and put together in a new way. In fact, that's what makes this stuff cool. It's the nostalgia kick. It's much like how Wolfmother burst onto the scene to remind us about all the great Sabbath era music.

The production is rather lo-fi, far more so than one is used to these days - not that that worries me, I get sick of everything sounding polished and shiny.

I really hope these guys get a chance to show what they can do.

So I finally made it Brazil. Actually, I've been here for about a week now but I've been very busy soaking up the sun and playing my new guitar.

The race over was eventful to say the least. Too little education + spinnakers = much disaster. Ripping kites (the size of four storey buildings) is one thing, having them take control of your boat (broaching) is a whole other kettle of fish. Anyhoo, we got here in the end and most people got back on the boat (though... not the skipper). Some of the damage to the boat has been repaired and I'm optimistic about the team's chances for the next leg. (good luck everyone!)

The real bad news is that through carelessness my iPod is now descessed. It was full of the many albums awaiting attention in my inbox. I got through some of them but nowhere near as many as I'd hoped to. That cloud has a silver lining though - I'm in Brasil, and the music here is great so I shouldn't run short of material.

Nice chilled out bit of work, this one. I guess the basis is dub flavoured, space-dub even. Smooth, ambient space-dub. Reminds me slightly of a New Zealand band, Pitch Black, though it has a lot more background noise going on.

Lots of padded synths, acid synths and drum machines. There's not a single track on the album that I'd call upbeat in any way. Not that that's a problem, just don't put this one on when you're getting ready to go out clubbing.

I didn't look at the year on this album when I first listened to it. I had my suspicions (the first track, You're No Good, has a distinctive Joy Division vibe going on) that it was old but in all honestly if you had told me that it came out this year I'd have believed you without batting an eyelid. It's precisely what so many bands are trying to sound like now - and this lot had it sorted in 1981.

Hey, I've heard that sound in UFO before - it's been ripped for a modern track that I just can't think of right now. Actually, there are lots of little bits in here that I'm sure I've heard sampled all over the place.

Indie funk rock stripped down to the bare essentials. What a great sound - makes me want to get up and dance.

Hang on, let me just wipe the tear from my eye. What a sad collection of songs. Damn, it sure is strikingly beautiful - "I could die here in your arms, but I'm not sure you're worth the sacrifice".

I love the banjo sound. Luckily it features throughout of the album. Often just meandering along, certainly never overpowering. Nothing is overpowering here. Every instrument, voice included seems to find a humble spot somewhere in the background.

Some bits of this remind me of the days when I was listening to a lot of Jim White. The better bits of Jim White that is.

Have I heard Walk On before? Is it a cover? Maybe not, it's a must hear though.

At first I thought this was going to be kind of cheesy but I think that's just the vibe I often get from latin beats (like Señor Coconut). I left it for far too long before finishing listening to the whole thing. It's actually really good (it makes me smile) - and would surely have been exceptionally original at the time of it's release. I mean hell, it is a covers album after all, I'm bound to find something I like in there. At the moment it's closing track, Brazil, that's really doing it for me.

I never really knew much about Enoch Light but apparently I really have a lot to thank him for. Not only was he a pioneer of stereo effects (in a time when most recordings were still done in mono) but he also created the gatefold album sleeve. The gatefold album sleeve! One word, legend.

This one is getting the prize for most enjoyed album I've given to other people recently. There are a handful of people that I've shown this one to that seem to have fallen in love with it. I haven't listened to it enough to get to this stage but I can see why. I put it down to the super slick dubbed out hip hop production work.

There's plenty of variation in pace from soul vibes in Talk to Me to head nodding use of Beastie Boys samples in Got To Rock. The two city named tracks, Manchester and Milwaukee feel like abstract Shadow/RJD2 productions.

There are guest vocalists all over the place here (a different one on each track). We even get treated to the current favourite in my house of residence, Skinny Man.

If you're off to go chill out in the sunshine anytime soon put this one on the top of the playlist. You really won't regret it.

A couple of tracks in I was pretty convinced I'd stumbled on some rather dark material in my collection - almost invoking images of Sisters of Mercy. As it went on I started to pick up restrained Bjorkesk moments in the vocals in the lead singer's tone. I'd changed my opinion by the end of the album.

I like the instrumentation used throughout. Rhodes, piano, harpsichord, snares, handclaps; I think I even spotted a dash of theremin in there. I really like the rhythmic elements they choose to throw into the mix. Prescilla has some great examples of loose acoustic beats that really work.

It's not as dark as I'd envisaged, or at least elements of it aren't. It still feels gothy/vampirey/fantasy based but it almost like it contradicts that with the lyrical work (the content being kind of urban). Oh, I don't know what's going on, but I do like it.

As a completely irrelevant aside, the first second of What's a Girl To Do sounds like it's sampled from a Beach Boys track (Sloop John B I think). Told you it was irrelevant.