Not Many Experts

Do you remember that at the start of virtually every Harry Potter book there was the inevitable line of “Harry had only been back for a day and already felt like he was two weeks behind with work”? Well… I do, and it used to annoy me due to the fact that it seemed so unlikely. However, I’m getting that feeling right now. So, apologies, Ms Rowling. The truth is that there’s an insane amount of amazing music pouring out of every crevice of record companies right now, and recently I just haven’t had time to cover everything. Just one of these records is Bibio’s Ambivalence Avenue, a record that challenges every connotation you hold of the word “pop”. Ambivalence Avenue is tirelessly avant-garde, and yet retains a sense of carefree playfulness and pop majesty that 2009 has been so much lacking. His glitchy bedroom productions sound something like SebastiAn being pickpocketed by Of Montreal. And if that isn’t an appealing sounding felony, then I don’t know what is.

Bibio – Fire Ant

Bibio – Lover’s Carvings

A few months back, I posted Alex Metric’s remix of “Lisztomania”, and it has since become my most listened to song on iTunes! However, the internet police must have been on form that day, because the post not-so-mysteriously disappeared, despite the fact that it was only a remix that appeared as a b-side to the single. Dogmatic springs to mind.

Anyhow, I didn’t let the sanctimonious cretins put me off Alex Metric, who is fast becoming my favourite remixer. With his remix of “One More Chance” he made an average Bloc Party song better, perhaps showing them how electronic music is done. The only disappointing thing about the remix is that it didn’t come with a “get back to your guitar heroics” message for the band. I was further astounded when he actually made Reverend & The Makers sound delicious. His own productions aren’t quite up to his remixes, but they are fast improving. Like an electro Gandi.

Bloc Party – One More Chance (Alex Metric Remix)

Bloc Party – One More Chance (Tiesto Remix)

Reverend and the Makers – Silence Is Talking (Alex Metrix Remix)

Alex Metric – Head Straight

Bloc Party continue their abeyance from conforming to their image as a rock band with yet another foray into dance/house territory. “One More Chance” was debuted on Zane Lowe’s radio show about 50 minutes ago, and I already love it. That said, loving this song is almost implicit in the fact that it’s by Bloc Party. I really am that biased. However, taking a step back from my position as a distressingly obsessed Bloc Party fan, it’s clear that “One More Chance” is far more of a successful venture into unchartered territory than “Your Visits Are Getting Shorter” was, from the simplistic Eric Prydz-ian keyboard hook to the fuzzy guitar solos from Russell. Almost guaranteed to trouble the charts, although perhaps not in quite the same way as “Flux”; “One More Chance” is far from being the best thing that Bloc Party have ever done, but it reaffirms their place amongst the 21st century’s finest, just when everybody was losing faith.

And I can’t apologise enough for the jingle at the start…

Part I can (and should) be found here. This is what the latter part of April and early May had to offer: