Undercover Treehouse

Upcoming: DEERHUNTER - Monomania

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 18:19:39 +0100

Deerhunter are back!!!

The new album, Monomania, is out on the 6th May.

Macklemore tearing it up at SXSW.

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 18:17:23 +0100

Macklemore tearing it up at SXSW.

.I. .Love. .Sky. .Ferreira.

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 18:15:56 +0100

.I. .Love. .Sky. .Ferreira.

Review: Foals - Holy Fire

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 20:23:00 +0000

The third studio album from one of the UK’s most exciting bands arrive in the form of Holy Fire on the 10th February and it has undeniably prolonged the enigmatic aura surrounding the band.
It’s perhaps easy to fall into a pit of clichés when describing quite what Foals have achieved with Holy Fire, labeling it more mature or more experimental for an example. Yet regardless of what description you land upon, one thing is inescapable; Foals are back. And they’re better than ever.

Now, bar the orgasmically infectious single My Number, even the most ardent of Foals fans will struggle to piece together a cohesive argument of this album being full of tracks that might feel at home on the dancefloor, perhaps unlike their debut album Antidotes. But, at risk of not taking my own warning on clichés here, Holy Fire is an album clearly demonstrating just how much the band have matured as both songwriters and people. For example, if you were to compare the opening track Prelude, which has no real distinguishable lyrics, to their debut album’s energetic lead single Cassius then you’ll understand just how far the band have come (not to say of course that anything from Antidotes is anything less than spectacular).

Moving from the somewhat eerie and suspenseful Prelude, which stands like a resurgent war cry, into the explosive lead single Inhaler, is a bold move from the Oxford five-piece; for it’s them setting foot in unexplored territory. But it’s an exploration that undoubtedly pays dividends, as the valiant jump from the early days to where we are now is, in essence, what makes Holy Fire what it is.

Having Inhaler as the albums lead single meant that we didn’t get the chance to be shocked in the albums context. That said the thundering guitars and the tortured screams are more than able to send a shiver down your spine merely as a standalone track. The album then takes an unexpected musical turn, as it jumps straight from the ferociously heavy Inhaler, straight into the dancefloor filler My Number. Unexpected, yes, but unwelcome most certainly not. The songs percussion drives
it through each chorus and verse effortlessly. In terms of sheer get-up-and-danceability, this ranks just as high as anything that Foals have recorded. However, behind the upbeat nature of the song lies a much deeper message, as lead singer Yannis Philippakis makes it clear that “I don’t need your counsel”, just one song after screaming, “I can’t get
enough space”.

And from this moment on it’s the inevitable heartache we come to expect in each track that truly makes it the masterpiece it is, as a concoction of anger, pain, lust and loneliness blend together to make an album stuck beautifully between a longing to move on and a cry for help.

Of course, it’s possible to enjoy the album outside of what appears to be its context, but when you can really feel the emotion in almost every single word, the vivid, yet intriguingly complex picture of the break-up that is painted is there to be deciphered. The synth-driven Bad Habit could have initially been understood as a reference to the “massive
amount of weed” the band were smoking, and perhaps in some aspects it could be, but as the stark message of “wash away the stains, I feel quite okay” rings out, it’s clear there’s a much deeper
message at heart.

The next track Everytime focuses on the same premise of a fresh start. The backing vocals help providing a choir like chorus of “Everytime I see you, I want to sail away”. It’s more upbeat than the Bad Habit and carries with it one of those choruses that will lodge itself in your mind for hours.
Beware.

Then comes the emotional collapse in the form of ‘Late Night’. On the surface it could be dismissed as perhaps a little straightforward in terms of its repeated lyrics. But this is the “fury in [his] head” as referred to in Spanish Sahara one of the previous albums stand out tracks. It’s the sheer desperation in the plea “stay with me” which gives the song its emotional depth, enabling it to demonstrate the sheer sense of conflict racing through the mind. But then again, as the track suggests, it is Late Night and the track had more than probably been composed after one too many in the early hours of the morning.

This idea of a drunken collapse is perhaps given more credence by the upbeat and more light feeling nature of next track “Out Of The Woods” which is essentially the classic stage of “No, honestly I’m fine. I’m doing really great at the moment actually”, often said with a false smile. Unfortunately, as the next track Milk And Black Spiders proves, he wasn’t fooling anyone; “Cause I’ve been around two times and found that you’re the only thing I need”.

One of the standout tracks of the album, and one that’ll undoubtedly stand the test of time, Milk And Black Spiders is not only such an expansive tracks in terms of its emotional depth, but the repeated refrains throughout, including “And I know you’re still with me, you’re my compass and my sea”, show the lack of direction the album may have had, had it not been for this realisation. The song then explodes with a rush of guitar and piano, with the underlining sense of the song, that his
reliance upon whoever he’s singing to is still so strong, ringing clear.

And then… Well then comes Providence. An infusion of Prelude, Inhaler and My Number, it demonstrates quite cleverly that we have arrived back at the beginning again, in a musical sense as well as emotional. “I’m an animal just like you, I know just what I’ll do”. It carries with it the upbeat
drums that we had during My Number, up until we hit the repeated chant of “I’m an animal just like you”, almost tribal in its animalism, before the guitar explodes with one final roar. Complete with Milk and Black Spiders just before hand, this could just be one of 2013’s finest musical moments. For it’ll take something pretty spectacular to dislodge it.

The next track, ‘Stepson’ is summarised best in its own lyrics; “I’m falling, deeper down I go”, “I’m coming down for you”. It’s a comedown of regret and darkness after the unexpected physical urges unleashed in Providence. The album then concludes on Moon, the slowest song of the album, in which we’re told “There’s nothing left unsaid”, and after the insight the previous ten tracks have given us access to, it’s be near on impossible to disagree with this statement. The album then bows out in the same way it strutted in, on a wave of pure ambience.

From start to finish Holy Fire is a masterpiece. It might not be an album to stick on when you’re having your next house party, but if you’re ever experience a difficult break-up, you can count on it to be with you every step of the way.

9/10

Best Moment; The Milk And Black Spiders and Providence back to back.

lewisandhisblog: The Postal Service - “A Tattered Line Of...

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 21:42:19 +0000

lewisandhisblog:

The Postal Service - “A Tattered Line Of String”

Ben Gibbard and Jimmy Tamborello’s reunited project The Postal Service just dropped a previously unreleased track called “A Tattered Line Of String,” which will be included on the forthcoming 10th anniversary reissue of their terrifically nostalgic LP Give Up. It seems as though this song was recorded around the time that Give Up was released, because if it were truly a ‘new song’ from The Postal Service, it would probably have been branded as such.

The song is rather great, but I can understand why Gibbard and Tamborello would have chosen to keep it off the LP itself. With its comically club-ready EDM pulse, “A Tattered Line Of String” is too joyously self-assured to fit in with the lonely, soul-searching tone of Give Up. Regardless, I’m excited to hear how this track fits in with the rest of their live set when I see them at Barclay’s Center in June.

____________________________

Stream “A Tattered Line Of Spring” above via YouTube, and check out some footage of the reissued Give Up vinyl copies spinning in the accompanying clip.

Just In : Aspin & Bust - 25/01/2012 // Aspin FOTY Mix

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 14:40:05 +0000

…………………………………………..HUGE………………………………………………

Just In - Beach House : Forever Still Short Film

Wed, 06 Feb 2013 11:23:13 +0000

BEACH HOUSE

FOREVER STILL SHORT FILM

Just In : ADAM GREEN & BINKI SHAPIRO – JUST TO MAKE ME FEEL GOOD

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 18:43:44 +0000

Brand new video from this new collaboration. Their debut album is out imminently with the above song being a standout track. Have a little listen to beat away the cold winter blues.

Review: A$AP Rocky - Long.Live.A$AP

Wed, 23 Jan 2013 20:04:00 +0000

A$AP Rocky; Long.Live.A$AP

After making waves in 2011 with his mixtape LiveLoveA$AP, Harlem rapper A$AP Rocky’s much anticipated debut album is finally with us after it dropped on the 15^th January, with it bringing one pervasive question; is the hype warranted?

When the tracklist was released, eyebrows were raised. For not only was it quite a length album when taking into account the deluxe tracks (16 tracks long), but a few surprise collaborations cropped up out of nowhere, most notably in the form of dubstep artist (is that the right word?) Skrillex and Florence (minus The Machine). This created a real sense of excitement, with critics and fans alike postulating that this could be, next to Kendrick Lamar’s good kid, m.A.A.d city, one of the most important records for current Hip-Hop.

Easing you in to the album with a harmonic backdrop throughout, the eponymous track ‘Long.Live.A$AP’ strikes you as an immediately difference from previous work; with the change of pace and harmonic, choir like backing vocals helping to create a real sense of intrigue from the off. In terms of rapping style, it could be compared to the track ‘Demons’ from the mixtape, but there’s so much more to this album opener than the rapping, as A$AP himself is seemingly singing, a drastic change of pace.

We’re then bundled straight into ‘Goldie’, the single we were gifted with what seems an eternity ago (May), with the up tempo beat, as well as the distinctive whistling providing the perfect canvas for A$AP to lay down his colourful lyrics, however painfully cliché they seem to be.

As the album moves into PMW (known as Pussy, Money, Weed when it leaked in 2012), it’s easy to find yourself wondering whether or not A$AP Rocky has any real substance to him as a rapper, or whether he is just a walking cliché fixated on three things; “Pussy, Money, Weed”. The Schoolboy Q feature is definitely a welcome one, and his nod to his previous collaboration with A$AP ‘Hands On The Wheel’, although not exactly subtle, is one that might have you smiling. Having said that, his verse can’t save the song from what it is, a generic weed song with little or no creativity, something that may please some, but frustrate others, those perhaps wishing more for the originality shown in mixtape tracks such as ‘Palace’ or even ‘Peso’.

If there’s anyone that A$AP Rocky is slightly indebted to in the music business, it is producer Clams Casino. The distinctive samples and production injected from Clams Casino no doubt helped make A$AP’s mixtape what it was, and, from the very first second of ‘LVL’, you can feel his presence once more. Unfortunately, ‘LVL’ is another song from A$AP in which he tries to tell you just how much of a crazy street motherfucker he is (whether he is or not is a debate for another day…), wasting no time in declaring himself “Lord Flacko”, before a valiant roar of “I behead people” is sent out to anyone who may try and take his throne.

One of the many features across the album comes in the unexpected package of Santigold, who provides an infectious chorus to the song ‘Hell’, one which sounds like it may have come straight from the Caribbean. Once more Clams Casino’s unmistakable style seeps through within the track, with wave after wave engulfing you deeper.

On the opposite side of the spectrum, one of the most forgettable tracks on the album, “Pain”, coincides with one the most forgettable collaborations, in Overdoz. It’s not necessarily a bad song, it just feels that a few problems amalgamate into a larger one; most notably the songs failure to hit the high it could so easily have achieved.

Then, at long last, something special finally ignites the stick of dynamite that’s been perched precariously next to that barrel of petrol that’s been waiting to explode, preventing the album into sliding into the pool of mediocrity it may well have been destined for.

Firstly, ‘Fuckin Problems’, the single released in conjuction with the album, is welcomed like an old friend. Verses from Drake and Kendrick Lamar couldn’t be more at home on top of the Aaliyah sample, with Kendrick’s confidence oozing out of each syllable, and rightly so, for it’s by far the songs best verse. Even the abominable 2 Chainz couldn’t ruin this song.

Then comes the most contentious track of the album, as A$AP goes hard with his, and I quote “nigga Skrillex”. First and foremost, this song shouldn’t work. Dubstep production and Harlem’s A$AP Rocky? No chance. But my God, somehow, they pull it off. Skrillex’s unmistakable style of production elicits the high tempo, and this seemingly urges our young Rocky into a full on attack, like his boxing coach in the corner of the ring, laying the foundation for the fight, A$AP Micky if you will (reference to the film Rocky was inevitable, sorry). It’s exuberant, it’s infectious, and ‘Wild For The Night’ can get you feeling as the title suggests.

Then as the thrilling conclusion to our spectacular trio of songs, ‘1 Train’. Fresh from his bout with Skrillex, A$AP Rocky stands with a readied army of Kendrick Lamar, Danny Brown, Yelawolf, Action Bronson, Big K.R.I.T and the ever exciting Joey Bada$$, urging them to send their rivals to a “cemetery with obituaries”. The song feels dark and it blends an intrepid mix of aggression and despair, arrogance yet weakness, and most definitely success but failure. At over six minutes long it may seem a little over the top first couple of listens, but when it finally clicks, six minutes will not seem long enough.

At the other side of all this, we’re greeted with ‘Fashion Killa’, and after the three back to back tracks of such explosion and sincerity from the artists involved, it sort of feels like you’ve woken up somewhere unfamiliar the day after a night out, with a banging headache. Again, it’s not that ‘Fashion Killa’ is a bad song by any means, for the synthy hook is excellent, it’s just that we’ve finally scratched below the surface with ‘1 Train’ and then we’re straight back to square one unfortunately.

The end to the twelve track album is a slightly calmer one then may have been anticipated, with ‘Phoenix’ and ‘Suddenly’ seemingly blurring into one, admittedly less than thrilling, conclusion. The four deluxe tracks however offer a mixed bag, and in ‘I Come Apart’ featuring Florence Welch, a much more euphoric end to the album is offered, with Florence perfectly complementing not only A$AP’s vocals, but also the production of the single itself.

Long.Live.A$AP is a great debut album from an artist who has got a long future ahead of him in music, yet I can’t help but feel that, as ever with A$AP Rocky, there’s always so much more to come and that if he could move away from his seemingly inane and often clichéd lyrics and produce an album of real emotional consequence (just like his good friend Kendrick Lamar has done) then we can finally look at an artist who might just have it all.

7/10

Just In: Disclosure ft. AlunaGeorge - White Noise

Wed, 23 Jan 2013 15:38:15 +0000

I have never been the most avid fan of AlunaGeorge so when I heard there was a new

track from Disclosure I was unsure about whether it would stick or not.

To my surprize he has.

For some reason the slightly erratic nature of Aluna’s voice sample put over the track intertwines with the classic back line from the London duo seems to work. Hoping to hear more in the future from these two.

Upcoming: Foxygen - We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic

Thu, 17 Jan 2013 17:52:00 +0000

THE NEW FOXYGEN LP IS SOUNDING FRESH AND FULL OF ENERGY

EMINENT OF THE SWINGING 60’S

LISTEN HERE

Just In: Flume - Left Alone Music Video

Wed, 16 Jan 2013 23:42:00 +0000

….. ///// ….. /// FLUME /// ….. ///// …..

Just In: Ryan Hemsworth - Colour & Movement

Sun, 13 Jan 2013 16:55:00 +0000

Just In: Ryan Hemsworth - Colour & Movement:

Ryan ///…………………………..///…………………………./// Hemsworth

Colour /// … … … /// … … & … … /// … … … /// Movement

Upcoming: The Men - New Moon

Fri, 11 Jan 2013 14:01:46 +0000

Everyone in the Treehouse were greatly looking forward to some new stuff from rock ‘n’ roll champions The Men. Mentioned in numerous end of year lists for the past couple of years, their highly consistent output is unrivaled in this genre of hard-hitting post-punk layered upon roots of basic rock ‘n’ roll.

Although certainly not your run of the mill rock band, The Men seem to produce very good rock records building upon the foundations of doing the simple things well and performing excellently and gelling as a group.

“Electric” is the first song to drop from their upcoming release entitled New Moon, unveiled on Sacred Bones on the 5th March.

Just In: FIDLAR - Gimme Something Music Video

Mon, 17 Dec 2012 20:03:15 +0000

F. I. D. L. A. R.

G. I. M. M. E. S. O. M. E. T. H. I. N. G.

Just In: Ninetails - Slept and Did Not Sleep

Mon, 10 Dec 2012 14:08:05 +0000

STREAM AWAY!! ……. x

Feature: Yellow Ostrich - Chills

Thu, 06 Dec 2012 06:00:35 +0000

On constant rotation at the minute.

Check out their recent EP Ghost for more.

Macklemore Killing It!!! 2500 People Des Moines, Iowa...

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 18:40:39 +0000

Macklemore Killing It!!!

2500 People Des Moines, Iowa #theheistworldtour #otherside #sparkling

Just In: METZ - Live at KEXP

Tue, 04 Dec 2012 12:00:57 +0000

A LIVE SESSION FROM METZ AT THE KEXP STUDIOS ANYONE?

Just In: Johnny Jewel - Black & White Mixtape

Tue, 04 Dec 2012 06:00:43 +0000

Treehouse favourite Johnny Jewel is at it again. Producing another killer batch of songs.

This is what autumn supposedly means to Johnny himself and on the first couple of listens I can’t argue with the kid.

The output of Jewel this year has been immese and some of his projects will certainly feature in our end of year lists.