Pony Bravo - Si Bajo de Espalda No Me Da Miedo (2008)

Krautrock, Blues, Flamenco, Reggae, 70's Rock, Afro-Beat...the list of Andalusian band Pony Bravo's musical influences is virtually endless. Their music resembles a dark and psychedelic mosaic of styles and eras, which knows no boundaries whatsoever. Mostly, the band plays percussive, rhythm-centered offbeats while lead singer Daniel Alonso hypnotizes the listener with his "Jim-Morrison-on-the-verge-of-a-nervous-breakdown"  like vocal delivery. Records like these are the reason why people take acid, and I mean that in a good way! 

1.) El Pony Bravo

2.) El Rayo

3.) I Can See

4.) Lolita

5.) Trinchera

6.) El Guarda Forestal

7.) El Baile

8.) Fingers

9.) Arcanul

10.) El Piloto Automático

11.) Sunset

12.) El Sudor

                                           

Pete Philly & Perquisite - Mind.State (2005)

Dutch duo Pete Philly & Perqusite's debut album takes you back to the good old days of hip-hop, a time when rap was about telling stories instead of pimpin', drive-by-shootings and bling bling. De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest are two acts that will come to your mind immediately while listening to Perquisite's jazzy, laid-back instumentals and Pete Phillie's mellow, oldschool-ish rhymes. But Mind.State goes way beyond just being a  hommage to the "Golden Age" of hip-hop; it is a cleverly structured concept album, with each song describing a particular human emotion, a certain type of Mind.State.

1.) Intro

2.) Relieved

3.) Insomnia

4.) Motivated

5.) Eager

6.) Lazy

7.) Respect

8.) Cocksure

9.) Conflicted

10.) Grateful

11.) Mindstate

12.) Mellow

13.) Paranoid

14.) Cheeky

15.) Grateful II

16.) Hope

17.) Amazed

Yakuza - Way of the Dead (2002)

Yakuza's 2002 debut sounds like something Mike Patton and the Dillinger Escape Plan might record during a crystal meth binge. Vicious thrashing and grinding parts alternate with free jazz saxophone (!) solos and calm,  ambient moments. On top of it all floats vocalist Bruce Lamont's incredible voice. Lamont hums, sings, and goes ballistic, while the band takes its time to built complex, almost mathematical structures, just to finally collapse into raw chaos and apocalyptic breakdowns.  

1.) Vergasso

2.) Miami Device

3.) Yama

4.) Signal 2.42

5.) T.M.S.

6.) Chicago Typewriter

7.) Obscurity

8.) 01000011110011

                                          

Radiohead - In Rainbows Special Edition + Bonus Disc (2007)

 

After a mediocre live album and the rather weak "Hail To The Thief", Radiohead came back with a blast in 2007. "In Rainbows"  is their most songwriting-oriented album since "The Bends" and makes less use of electronic gimmicks than its predecessors, resulting in a very warm and organic sound. Radiohead's main achievement on "In Rainbows" is consistency; where some of their recent efforts lack substance or sound lost, there is great cohesion in these songs. Altogether this might be the most underrated Radiohead album, featuring some great b-sides on the bonus disc, most of all the mindblowing  Down Is the New Up.

1.) 15 Step

2.) Body Snatchers

3.) Nude

4.) Weird Fishes/Arpeggi

5.) All I Need

6.) Faust Arp

7.) Reckoner

8.) House of Cards

9.) Jigsaw Falling Into Place

10.) Videotape

+  8 Bonus Tracks on Disc 2

                                                                                                                                 

Le Tigre - Le Tigre (1999)

Formed in 1999 by ex-Bikini Kill frontwoman and riot grrrl Kathleen Hanna, magazine publisher J. Fateman and avant-garde video artist Sadie Benning, the NYC-based trio's music is as vivid and diverse as the band's  members themselves. Le Tigre stir half a dozen musical genres, such as hip hop and punk, till they get short easy-going pop songs  . From simple punk rock riffs, over retro wave hooks, to bizarre Star Wars samples,  this album delivers good clean fun!

1.) Deceptacon

2.) Hot Topic

3.) What Yr Take On Cassavetes

4.) The Empty

5.) Phanta

6.) Eau'd Bedroom Dancing

7.) Let's Run

8.) My My Metrocard

9.) Friendship Station

10.) Slideshow at Free University

11.) Dude, Yr So Crazy!

12.) Les and Ray

Boys Noize - Oi Oi Oi (2007)

Boys Noize is a house project by German electro producer Alexander Ridha, who made a name for himself remixing Bloc Party and Justice songs. The sound of his 2007 debut, however,  is hugely influenced by Daft Punk and old Chemical Brothers records. Oi Oi Oi is dominated by kick-ass breaks, heavily distorted french house beats and Ridha's trademark chainsaw synthesizers, that sound about as evil as if satan himself had played them.

1.) & Down

2.) Lava

3.) The Battery

4.) Oh!

5.) Let's Buy Happiness

6.) Arcade Robot

7.) Deny Selected

8.) Shine Shine

9.) Vergiftet

10.) Superfresh

11.) Wu-Tang

12.) Don't Believe the Hype

13.) Frau

14.) My Moon My Man

                                              

Pavement - Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain (1994)

Even though they were among  the leaders of the early 90's Lo-Fi movement, Pavement never actually made it past underground status. Too absurd the lyrics and too chaotic the arrangements, they remain a secret tip within the indie scene, their albums being considered modern classics by fans and critics. Stephen Malkmus, songwriter and ingenious mastermind behind Pavement, successfully copes with the balancing act of breaking with most traditional songwriting conventions and, at the same creating breathtaking caricatures of pop songs, as beyond the fuzzy guitars and lakonic vocals, beautiful Beach Boys melodies unfold.

1.) Silence Kit

2.) Elevate Me Later

3.) Stop Breathing

4.) Cuty Your Hair

5.) Newark Wilder

6.) Unfair

7.) Gold Sounds

8.) 5-4=Unity

9.) Range Life

10.) Heaven's a Truck

11.) Hit the Plane Down

12.) Fillmore Five  

Telefon Tel Aviv - Fahrenheit Fair Enough (2001)

On their debut album, New Orleans-based electronica duo Telefon Tel Aviv create beautiful experimental ambient. Its far out cinematic soundscapes in combination with the minimalist beats (a blip here, a crackle there) make Fahrenheit Fair Enough sound like the soundtrack of a deep dream. This is the perfect album to relax and chill out to after a hard night of dancing, partying and getting shitfaced. 

1.) Fahrenheit Fair Enough

2.) TTV

3.) Lotus Above Water

4.) John Thomas on the Inside is Nothing But Foam

5.) Life is All About Taking Things in and Putting Things Out

6.) Your Face Reminds Me of When I Was Old

7.) What's the Use of Feet When You Haven't Got Legs

8.) Introductory Nomenclature

9.) Fahrenheit Far Away

Art Brut - Bang Bang Rock & Roll (2005)

Every now and then, a rock and roll band comes along, which not only reinvents the whole genre, but turns it upside down. So did Art Brut, on Bang Bang Rock & Roll.  They caricature and corrupt all rock conventions of the past 40 years, yet ironically manage to deliver music that's still gonna kick you in your whore ass! Hilarious lyrics ("I wanna be the man who writes the song, that makes Israel and Palestine get along"), unexpected songwriting and riffs that sound like shooting yourself in the face with a sawed-off shotgun make the British quartet's debut album  the most enyojable rock record of the past decade. 

1.) Formed a Band

2.) My Little Brother

3.) Emily Kane

4.) Rusted Guns of Milan

5.) Modern Art

6.) Good Weekend

7.) Bang Bang Rock & Roll

8.) Fight!

9.) Moving to L.A.

10.) Bad Weekend

11.) Stand Down

12.) 18,000 Lira

Rory Gallagher - Irish Tour '74 (1974)

This is my favourite blues record, and one of the most mindblowing live gigs ever to be put on vinyl. Rory Gallagher, who is considered to be the best white blues guitar player along with Stevie Ray Vaughan, is a force of nature. In contrast to Vaughn, whose licks are as dry as the Texan desert, the troubled Irish genius rocks it dirty like a motherfucker. Drunk off his ass most of the time, he somehow still managed to deliver insanely energetic performances. This album features recordings from his 1974 tour through both Ireland and Northern Ireland, which at that time was nothing more than a war zone; a fact that heavily influenced his blues. Raw power!

1.) Cradle Rock

2.) I Wonder Who

3.) Tattoo'd Lady

4.) Too Much Alcohol

5.) As the Crow Flies

6.) A Million Miles Away

7.) Walk on Hot Coals

8.) Who's That Comin'?

9.) Back on My Stompin' Ground

10.) Maritime