Kindness may as well be the heir-apparent to the throne The Avalanches claimed with the otherworldly Since I Left You with this fitting 2012 update, World, You Need A Change of Mind . “Gee-Up” the upbeat under 2 minute track I’m featuring here, is influenced by the likes of Prince with its “who said Disco is dead” funk, while other parts of the album draw in influences as far flung as calypso and dupstep.
Hiatus Kaiyote has something good in “Nakamarra” despite the hard to follow name, the song cruises with a swelling jazz arrangement. If The Roots were to ever find a singer worthy of their jazzy backbeats, “Nakamarra” would be the beautiful result, and that’s a good thing. Nai Palm has a sultry croon reminiscent of some of the best soul singers, Aretha Franklin springs to mind with flashes of Amy Winehouse, keep an eye on these guys.
“Time Out Of Mind” the fifth track off of Steely Dan’s 1980 release Gaucho is one hell of a groove. Right from the outset with a drum beat that would find itself in Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” only two years later, it’s a joy to the ears with some great guitar work, great harmonies and seemingly easy chord changes. Simple is one thing Steely Dan never was, but their ability to make a pop song shines here and Gaucho remains among the most stunningly produced albums in terms of sonic integrity. The guitar and organ interplay makes you just want to put this song on repeat, forever.
Few bands can match the Americana spirit that lies within Portland, OR based Blitzen Trapper and their 2011 release, American Goldwing is one of the finest examples of their homage to the American Dream. More specifically, it’s about constant motion, escape, always searching for something better. Here on “Astronaut” the 8th song on the 11 track album, we find the band at their unique best with some George Harrison meets Jerry Garcia guitar breaks, some beatle-esque harmonies and a lovely song overall.
Check out the beautiful description of how the album came to be by the ever-humble frontman, Eric Earley, here .
The Art of the Mixtape 