http://boralv.se/blog/ An acidjazzer’s log, mostly about music, design and code. en erik@boralv.se (Erik Borälv) erik@boralv.se (Erik Borälv) Sun, 08 Apr 2012 21:48:01 +0100 http://boralv.se/blog/?id=1333914481 This is what happens when you are busy at work. No time whatsoever for finding the new good stuff. With the help of some general reviews I got this together. Decent stuff I guess. Surprisingly, I find the Madonna track Best friend fresh - I have a weak spot for these sentimental songs. There's a lot of talk (hipster house, skinny legs, bad hair days) about <a href="http://pitchfork.com/news/45799-sxsw-kindness/">Kindness</a> (<a href="http://www.svd.se/kultur/musik/pop-som-vagar-forlora-sig-i-nuet_6973445.svd">swedish</a>); maybe there's something here - I will have to spend some more time on that album. Excellent video though, see below. Incognito has a new album out; for an AJ fan always something to check out. <a href="http://www.blisstone.de/blisstone/bliss_ModularSoul.html">Bartmes</a>' album Modular soul, I find it interesting and solid. Also, starting collecting some Baile/Bossa club tracks for the summer. http://boralv.se/blog/?id=1330277725 <a href="http://submotion.co.uk/">Submotion orchestra</a>. Remember this. A band that does a mix of soul and dubstep as a traditional (non-laptop) live band. Should be huge, especially in the coming festival season. I'm so there, is they even come close to Sweden on a tour. Then a couple of recent buys that impressed me a lot: Trentemøller's reworked/remix compilation and Modeselector's album Monkeytown. It's all pretty electronic and dark, but I like it like that; February stuff imo. http://boralv.se/blog/?id=1326839844 Starting out a new year with a compilation with some of the highlights from 2011. So many huge tracks here. Maybe the top 3 tracks of the year on here, somewhere... And then a couple fresh remixes from the Barck and the Jazzanova team. http://boralv.se/blog/?id=1326042997 Dance music. Surely this must have been one of the major trends of 2011. That and dubstep, post-dubstep or whatever it's called. The selection below are the important tracks for me, with a slight focus on albums rather than single tracks (but I will cheat on this). http://boralv.se/blog/?id=1325864441 http://boralv.se/blog/?id=1325864440 Working on a best of 2011 and suddenly you have a lot of excellent songs that for one reason of the other don't make the list. Beside, a best of list is not only about quality - it's also a position statement. Right? The tracks here are singles or videos that are more than fine but really don't compare to a full album. A whole album is still worth more than a single - that's how old I am. Ok, here goes, in no specific order: http://boralv.se/blog/?id=1325415237 Running late, a couple of strong tracks made the last comp of the year. Ben Westbeech and Mary J. Blige are the ones to look out for here. The first two tracks are fanstastic imo, a bit darker and not so upbeat. Love the vibe, and voices too. You can hear Rasmus Faber wrote Butterflies I think - very much his style. Georg Levin's playing the bass on some tracks? <br/>My many trips to Berlin this year is the explanation for the electronica on the rest of the comp. Some minimal things of course but also some tiny dubstep and balearic influences. I will try to cut down on this style next year as it makes little sense to include music that, more or less, only works in club settings. http://boralv.se/blog/?id=1321785420 No time for a serious effort this month. Still some decent tracks. Kate Bush's duet with Elton is fine. Stacy Barthe, lots of talent there. New MdCL album, but havn't had time enough for it. Dulfer surprises with dubstep influences. Miguel Migs new album is fantastic, with guests to match! Highly recommended. Looking forward to the Little boots album, out soon. Then something a bit harder as finish. http://boralv.se/blog/?id=1317582742 That insanely boring spinning bike is to blame for most of the uptempo nonsense on my comps. I've also been listening a lot to Radio1 at work and I guess it shows. The compilation is definitely UK sounding and sort of in a commercial style. Maybe it will not last forever but I'm very happy with it. There are a couple of exceptional videos to go with the songs imo, be sure to check them out. http://boralv.se/blog/?id=1315154212 Just collecting some of the highlights from this summer, lazily preparing for a new fresh start this fall. Some nice experiences, mainly from <a href="http://www.wayoutwest.se/">Way out west</a> in Gothenburg. The video by Empire of the sun below is a must-see. The Stereo MC's comeback is also worth looking into. The new Pnau album - maybe, not done processing it yet. SBTRKT - go see if they play in your town!