July releases continue… I've included info and links for the ones you want to know about most below, plus some other ones you may not have heard of (but should know), with audio & video for your listening and viewing pleasure. Click here to check out releases that dropped over the past few months.
Aesop Rock, Skelethon (Rhymesayers Entertainment)
The Archives, The Archives (ESL)
The project led by Thievery Corporation's producer/DJ Eric Hilton drops a debut drawing heavily on Jamaican musical styles, its solid foundation of progressive roots reggae marked by elements of rock steady, lover's rock, early dub and dancehall, and funked up with jazz flute, melodica,
organ and clavinet. The band also features vocalists Lenny Kurlou (S.T.O.R.M.) and Ras Puma, who appeared on Thievery
Corp's 2011 album, Culture of Fear; Mateo Monk
(Sankofa Blackstar) on guitar, flute and melodica; Darryl "D-Trane" Burke (Eek-
A-Mouse, Gregory Isaacs) on keys; Leslie "Black Seed"
James Jr. (Culture, Eek-A-Mouse) on drums; and Justin "Relentless" Parrott
(Claudius Linton) on bass.
BEAK>, BEAK II (BEAK>>) (Invada)
BEAK> was originally formed in 2009 by three musicians from Bristol, England – Portishead's producer/instrumentalist Geoff Barrow (Portishead), multi-instrumentalist Matt Williams (Team Brick)s and bassist Billy Fuller (Fuzz Against Funk, Massive Attack, Robert Plant). Their debut was created from 12 days of improvised sessions edited into song form. After several false starts on the second album, the trio returned to form, added analog synths to the mix, and produced this dark electro-experimental post-rock album with drone and krautrock overtones. BEAK>> sees its U.S. release today; check out lead-off track "The Gaol" below.
Bibi Tanga and the Selenites, 40º of Sunshine (Nat Geo)
Afro-Parisian groove outfit Bibi Tanga & the Selenites lays down a mix of muscular funk and bouncing Afro-beat. Check out the disco bump and grind of "Poet Of The Soul" after the jump along with the rest of this week's new releases…
This article appears in Jul 5-11, 2012.