10. Fetch - Les Sins
Les Sins is the more dance-oriented moniker of Chaz Bundick, usually known as Toro Y Moi. Dan Snaith, also known as Caribou or his dance-oriented alias of Daphni, runs a the Jiaolong label which has in the past included his own dance edits of African beats. Les Sins carries on the exotic tradition through Fetch, with crisp finger snaps, off-kilter skittering percussion and synths over a Bashmore-esque house beat. Another trait the track shares with usual Jiaolong releases is sheer experimentalism, creativity and ideas. Fetch is brimming with innovations and risks but instead of trailing off unfulfilled, all the elements ranging from the infectious cut vocal loops to the bass are brought in and taken out at the right moments to culminate into an absolute weapon on the decks.
9. Chum - Earl Sweatshirt
Many would put Odd Future's zenith at 2011 but I maintain that in 2012, OFWGKTA continues to thrive. The year is a landmark for the group, certainly after Frank Ocean came into his own, with his personal issues but mainly his musical achievements dominating the industry. However there was another key moment: The return of the enigmatic Earl Sweatshirt. Earl, who is surely now another on the list of rap-saviour candidates in the post-Illmatic era, returned from camp in Samoa. He'd been sent by his mother, as he'd been in a bad state of mind, in a bad way, at such a young age beforehand.
Earl's verse on Oldie was a statement of intent - "sterile-piss flow remind these niggas where embarrassed is" - but around the same time, unbeknownst to his fans, he wrote Chum. It was nearly the end of the year before Chum was unleashed upon the world, Earl's flow matching the beat for pleasantness but it's the lyrics that truly shine. Earl manages to open up and talk us through his vulnerabilities and issues with cadence and technical skill absent since the days of Marshall Mathers. The insight into Earl's problems with parents, fans and fame bring out an evolved, wisened side of him that we'd only managed to snatch mere glimpses of in the past.
8. Tell Me a Tale - Michael Kiwanuka
Vintage, '60s soul fresh from a 20-something Londoner. It technically came out in 2011 but that doesn't really matter now, does it? The track is tinged with nostalgia, and Michael sings with a voice that could represent more than one generation. The committed nature of his voice induces an authenticity and reality to the words he is singing, providing a tasteful starter for main course of his album.
There's something about the soft guitar licks and soulful brass and strings and other occasional occurrences of assorted instruments that chip in to different parts of the track that make it almost feel as if the the group of musicians are freely jamming in a bar. The flute playing throughout the song is unusual and intriguing, akin to a magic carpet taking the listener for a ride across Michael's civilisation of soul and acoustics.
The lyrics can speak for themselves, warm and embracing pleas for love - "Tell me a tale that always was, Sing me a song that I'll always be in, Tell me a story that I can read, Tell me a story that I believe".
7. Love Interruption - Jack White
This track is quite unusual in that the acoustic element and the harmonious chords and chimes only serve to cushion the vocals, but not much more; They never take the focus away from Jack's awkward but honest vocals, softened by beautifully-performed backing vocals from Ruby Amanfu. Jack's voice provides the emotion and Ruby's the power, and the pair strike the perfect balance.
The subtle build-up and chord progression subtly push the song forward as Jack states personal resolutions from the lessons and experiences love has taught him. What I love about it is how White Stripes-sounding it is yet with a completely different, soul-oriented edge to it. The simple aspect of it makes it seem like it should be performed with Meg White but the actual development of the song feels more Ruby-influenced than White Stripes songs were ever Meg-influenced.
6. Jasmine (demo) - Jai Paul
I'm thankful that I heard BTSTU relatively late in it's existence as it's so good that waiting for another elusive Jai Paul track would be too much to bear. Not a huge amount is known about Jai Paul, and his releases are very few, very far between, but of a very, very high standard. The renowned label XL even released Jasmine despite it's demo state, and it lived up to it's predecessor with little difficulty.
As it starts, it's hard to figure out what to expect, but the simple string loop builds urgency over a jittery beat beneath a typically hazy Jai Paul falsetto. The intimate lyrics and their barely discernible nature add mystery and sexiness to the rough, unmastered cut. Jai Paul doesn't release often and as a result, there are high expectations when tunes do surface. Maybe one day they will become too much for Jai Paul. However, that day has yet to come and for now I'm content to wait to hear such unique works of art.
5. I've Seen Footage - Death Grips
I believe it was Anthony Fantano who described Death Grips as 'angry, violent hobo-rap'. "I've Seen Footage" was a phrase repeated to the band by a homeless man as they passed by him. It stuck with them, and it has stuck with me. The relevance of such a phrase, such a song, is not to be missed in this age of hyper-information and globalised communication, touched on in the lyrics of the song.
MC Ride's raw, unfettered delivery pounds against the aggravated moaning synths and relatively simple beat. The music is less experimental than most of Death Grips' material but that works in their favour; All of their tracks are powerful and hard-hitting, but the primitive, basic structure allows the brutality to stand out more than Death Grips' tracks usually do.
I stay noided!
4. Genesis - Grimes
In March or April, when I first encountered Grimes, I would have said she'd be too weird for most people. I didn't enjoy a sizeable portion of her previous work, but Visions was something else. Genesis isn't the album into, but it serves as an introduction to Grimes on her record. Like the rest of Visions, the simplistic chord progression the song starts with feels familiar, and the free, harmonious layer Grimes lays on top adds to the comforting feeling of the song.
After the drop, the percussion stays basic. Grimes tries to keep the number of layers on loop at the minimum throughout the song, but she'll swap a drum sample or add a little more texture here or there, while the lack of complexity adds to the sincerity of what she sings. I prefer this approach to pop music, as the mainstream fad of overloading the senses with nonsensical, in-cohesive synths aggravates me. The spacey, modified vocals are sung well but the added distortion give a sense of vulnerability, the kind felt when a good friend opens up her heart.
3. One Day (Reckoning Song) (Wankelmut Remix) - Asaf Avidan and the Mojos
I still don't now why I find this song so engrossing. I'd never heard of either artist, I'd had no idea where this song had come from. As it turns out it was simply a student playing about with his favourite song in his bedroom. The hard, four-to-the-floor house kick is softened by subtle acoustic playing with little else going on in the song, but for the odd percussion sample.
I guess there's something about the vocals that are so easily identified with: "One day, baby, we'll be old, oh baby, we'll be old, and think of all the stories that we could have told". It's repeated, and repeated, and repeated while Wankelmut plays with the gain, bringing the loop in and out on a whim and bringing listeners along with. The song is really easy to get lost in, and never does too little or too much.
2. Dun Dun - Joy Orbison & Boddika
Joy Orbison has been something of a revelation in the UK dance scene and his collaborations with Boddika such as Swims and Mercy took clubs by the throat and throttled them with bass. After releasing on the increasingly iconic Swamp81 label, the pair decided to create their own small label, Sunklo, to aid in the rapid release of their productions solely meant for record turntables.
Mercy and Froth came on the first 12", and expectations were ridiculously high for the next release. I think most people preferred Mercy but it was Dun Dun on their second release that truly captured my ears. There's a question - "What do I got to do to...?" Then it's heard: the faintest of calls to the floor, the softest of beacons approaching. Soon, it's gone - the warning has passed and it's time to be on the dancefloor. More apprehension builds along with the shuffling beat, turning into assertive piano stabs just before the drop. Joy Orbison and Boddika know how to manipulate their sounds and add melodies that never take away from the other layers of the song, resulting in a serious monster of a record.
1. & It Was U - How To Dress Well
Finger snaps - the simplest of illustrations detailing rhythm and soul. How To Dress Well, also known as Tom Krell, takes R'n'B back to basics amidst the work of artists like The Weeknd, Frank Ocean, Halls, Inc., Autre Ne Veut and his own creations. Largely influenced by '90s R'n'B, Tom isn't afraid to release a track with such nostalgic feeling while letting his soul shine through. The progressive percussion adds a groove to the song, the stomping beat inducing a desire to dance. He lets it go at just the right time, building things to climax but never going over the top and keeping the song in it's delicate state with the layering of self-vocals.
"You don't have to call me out, 'cause my love will be there for you" Tom croons at the beginning. On Total Loss, Tom's LP released this year, he deals with not only loss, but mourning and the record serves as a recovery - more than just detailing the feelings, he helps himself leave the hole he's been left in. But with & It Was U, Tom finds a turning point and builds new purpose from his previous experiences, a moment of clarity among his emotional soul-searching. In the latter half of the song, the beat disappears for a few bars while Tom makes promises and statements of intent, singing, "Anytime you need me I will come back, anytime you want me I will come back, time is almost there and I will come back, and it was you but my love was for come back".
It's interesting to note that the grammar doesn't always make sense in the song, as he's still finding his way even mid-sentence. Even if Tom doesn't quite know what direction he is headed in, he now knows what's important to him and what he has to do; He's finding his way from a bleak, dark place and he's holding the listener's hand, guiding them from their own respective recluse too.
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