We never actually published the list, but The War On Drugs’ “Slave Ambient” was our favourite record of the year – and new b-side “Don’t Fear The Ghost” continues its linear, melancholic theme. So subtle, and yet so enveloping; it’s definitely one to get yourself lost in.

The War on Drugs – Don’t Fear the Ghost by DOJAGSC

We’re not going to lie – we’re pretty bloody excited about everybody’s favourite potentially-mentally-unstable indie act Alt-J. Their brilliant eccentricity keeps surpassing their previous efforts; see the meandering strangeness of new track “Fitzpleasure” for proof. Its brooding, almost schizophrenic tone is completely bonkers, but they tie the whole thing together seamlessly. In fact, they’re so good that all their off-the-wall ideas end up coalescing into a gloriously unhinged pop song. And when someone can do that, you know they’re good.

alt-J – Fitzpleasure by Infectious Music

FRENCH FILMS – You Don´t Know from Teemu Niukkanen on Vimeo.

French Films have somehow positioned themselves in an unbelievable position; they write towering, anthemic indie-pop, and somehow pull it off as if they’re the hippest, Urban-Outfitters loving, roll-your-own-fags lot from Shoreditch. And they’re from Finland. It just defies logic, but it has happened, and the best part is that as radio-friendly as their tunes may be, there’s more than enough substance and character there to satisfy the sternest, monocled Guardian critic. Almost like a more grandparent-friendly Yuck.

It’s the sort of situation that generally culminates in bands landing themselves hyperbolic feature pieces in the music press; surely it’s only a matter of time before somebody suggests that they’re about to save the guitar from its long expected death? Or maybe a xenophobic Daily Mail music journalist will call them part of the “Nordic Invasion” and slam their debut album? Only time will tell, but for now they’ve got the influential support of Ja Ja Ja and Record of the Day – and after being completely convinced by these two songs, we’re completely on-board, too.

Escape In The Afternoon by French Films

45. Dutch Uncles – X-O

44. Zulu Winter – Let’s Move Back To Front

43. TV On The Radio – Caffeinated Consciousness

42. Washed Out – Amor Fati

41. Crushed Beaks – Close Ups

Close-Ups by Crushed Beaks

40. The Antlers – I Don’t Want Love

39. Alt-j – Tessallate

38. Black Lips – Modern Art

37. Youth Lagoon – Cannons

36. Tune-yards – Powa

35. The Horrors – Still Life

34. Trophy Wife – The Quiet Earth

33. Pat Jordache – Salt On The Fields

Salt On The Fields

32. Outfit – Vehicles

31. Active Child – Hanging On

30. St. Vincent – Cheerleader

29. Loved Ones – Are You Hiding Out In Hell?

ARE YOU HIDING OUT IN HELL? (Album Version) by LovedOnes

28. Phantogram – Don’t Move

Phantogram – Don’t Move

27. Cults – Abducted

26. Theme Park – A Mountain We Love

25. Gil Scott Heron & Jamie xx – NY Is Killing Me

24. Jonquil – I Know I Don’t Know

23. Chad Valley – Now That I’m Real

Now That I’m Real (How Does It Feel) ft. Rose Dagul by chadvalley

22. Wye Oak – Dog’s Eyes

21. Niki & The Dove – The Drummer

20. Colourmusic – Tog

19. Shabazz Palaces – Are You, Can You, Were You (Felt)

18. Entrepreneurs – Fuck Tactics (ft. FOE & Ghostpoet)

17. Azealia Banks – 212

16. Real Estate – It’s Real

15. Slow Club – Two Cousins

14. Friends – I’m His Girl

Friends – I’m His Girl by LuckyNumberMusic

13. The War On Drugs – I Was There

12. Bombay Bicycle Club – Shuffle

11. Wild Beasts – Loop The Loop

10. Outfit – Two Islands

Two Islands by OUTFIT

9. Battles – Ice Cream (ft. Matias Aguayo)

Ice Cream (Featuring Matias Aguayo) by BATTLES

8. Radiohead – Codex

Radiohead – Codex by mariocon

7. SBTRKT – Pharaohs

6. Austra – Lose It

Austra – Lose It

5. Ghostpoet – Survive It

Ghostpoet – Survive It by ghostpoet

4. Theme Park – Wax

3. Bombay Bicycle Club – Lights Out, Words Gone

Bombay Bicycle Club – Lights Out, Words Gone

2. M83 – Midnight City

Midnight City by M83

1. The War On Drugs – Baby Missiles

The War On Drugs – Baby Missiles

Well there you have it… When we contacted The War On Drugs’ Adam Granduciel with news of his momentous victory he became so emotional that he lost the power of speech, which is why we don’t have a snappy acceptance line from the man himself. But, rest assured, he’s well pleased.

This is so underappreciated it is either going to make me question the state of the music media or my own sanity. However, I’m pretty sure I’m largely sane, and, more importantly, an objective enough a listener not to be drawn towards music simply for the virtue of having been made in a town relatively near to mine. So the conclusion is the same one that I’ve been drawing for a while; Loved Ones’ debut single “Are You Hiding Out In Hell?”s fragility and unrelenting, restrained emotion is absolutely brilliant. And now they’ve a hypnotic video to match the song’s subtle introspection, making the whole thing seem even more perfect. To put it more simply; this is an absolute tune and I’m loving it; you should buy it for less than the price of Sainsbury’s Basics Cooked Ham, and that tastes mostly of hormones. Trust me, go with the music.

ARE YOU HIDING OUT IN HELL? (Album Version) by LovedOnes

It’s December 6th which, as always, means its time for some heart-warmingly regressive Australian surf-pop just to get into the Christmas spirit. This year’s instalment comes from the emphatically titled Gung Ho who could only sound more Australian if they added a trio of didgeridoos and had a guest backing vocal from Shane Warne. That, of course, means that they sound completely infectious; the sort of beautifully energetic and simplistic pop music that should be played every day of the year.

Gung Ho – Twin Rays

When I was initially asked to take part in the Blog Sound of 2012, which was being presented not as a criticism of the BBC Sound of 2012, but as an alternative, I had my reservations. Was it really necessary? In light of the unveiling of the BBC list today, I would have to say that, yes, it probably was. Just to calm down and put things in perspective quickly; the world is still revolving. The “BBC Sound of” is not, despite the claims of George Ergatoudis, “the definitive annual list of exciting new artists to look out for”, it is just the opinion of the 184 fallible humans that they asked, and is clearly not the end of the careers for all of the thousands of artists not mentioned. However… despite all of these things, it is still such a missed opportunity for exposing good new music to a wider audience, and the unbelievable shunning of independent music in comparison with earlier years is more criminal than even the torching of the PIAS warehouse. Probably.

It reflects the opinions and tastes of those people who they chose to ask, but I have enough faith left to believe that it’s not an absolutely accurate representation of the music industry’s favourite new artists. In exactly the same way, the Blog Sound of 2012 simply reflects the opinions of the selection of blogs they chose to ask, and is therefore also imperfect. At the very least, it is emphatically not a formalisation of those acts that major labels will be spending amounts of money on next year. The hopefully fleeting success of some of those artists is as inevitable as the list itself; a self-fulfilling prophecy influenced by those who hope to gain the most from it.

I’m glad it exists, I just wish it existed in a different way. Ultimately, it’s all a question of taste, and who is anybody to denounce the tastes of anybody else? Admittedly, the pleasing presence of Niki & The Dove, Friends, and even Azealia Banks or Spector can’t be ignored. But it’s still the case that independent music has been horrendously under-represented, which isn’t the end of the world, just pretty bloody depressing. Yet it would be an effort to stay depressed for long, for the truth is that there is a wealth of compelling new music around at the moment. Some of it you’ll find on the BBC’s list, some on the bloggers’ list; but the most of it is found elsewhere, behind these lists that attract so much attention. At the very least, the Blog Sound of 2012 longlist which follows is a good, convenient, and honestly-voted place to start.

Theme Park. Theme Park – A Mountain We Love by Radar Maker

Alt J. Breezeblocks (demo) by alt-j

Houdini Dax. Houdini Dax – The Trend by See Monkey Do Monkey

French Wives. Numbers by French Wives

The Good Natured. The Good Natured – Wolves by The Good Natured

Lianne La Havas. Lianne La Havas – Forget (Live in LA) by Lianne La Havas

The Jezabels. Mace Spray by thejezabels

Lucy Rose. Lucy Rose – Middle Of The Bed by Lucy Rose

Bastille. FLAWS by BASTILLE

Beth Jeans Houghton. Beth Jeans Houghton – Dodecahedron by Mute UK

Friends. Friends – I’m His Girl by LuckyNumberMusic

Washington. Washington – Holy Moses by The Recommender

Meursault. Meursault – Flittin’ (Demo) by Song, by Toad

Daughter. Daughter – ‘Medicine’ (Taken from ‘The Wild Youth’ EP) by ohDaughter

Outfit. Vehicles by OUTFIT

I should probably mention that the views expressed above are in no way the view of The Blog Sound of 2012, and are probably opposed in part by many of the blogs which took part. But seeing as this is my blog, that should go without saying. The blogs which took part were:

A Tidal Wave Of Indifference, Breaking More Waves, God Is In the TV, Sweeping The Nation, The Von Pip Musical Express, The Recommender, Faded Glamour, Drunken Werewolf, Flying With Anna, Not Many Experts, Underclassed Idle Ideas, Sonic Masala, Mudkiss, The Ring Master, Both Bars On, Music From A Green Window, Dots And Dashes, The Daily Growl, And Everyone’s A DJ, Kowolskiy, Just Music That I Like, Cruel Rhythm, The Blue Walrus, Music Fans Mic, Seventeen Seconds, Eaten By Monsters, Seven Sevens, Unpeeled, New Rave Brain Wave, Peenko, Music Liberation, My Bands Better Than Your Band and Song By Toad.

I’m not a musician of any significance, or even a musician at all come to think of it, but from my untrained perspective it seems like flirting with a maudlin mood is a very dangerous idea. Of course, for those who it comes naturally to, like the National, it can be the source of all their success, but that’s only because they really mean it. Miss the intended level of sincerity even slightly and you end up sounding dull, contrite, calculated, uninspired and many many other depressing adjectives that are not positive at all.

And so when I heard Monument Valley’s debut EP, “Tongues”, I couldn’t help but get more than a little bit excited. More than anything, and especially on “Round and Round”, London-born Ned Younger just sounds so sincere. It’s that sincerity that makes each slightly melancholic note just more affecting, and combined with his heartfelt honesty, restraint and mastery of the understated melody, the entire EP becomes wonderfully maudlin. Like it should, it just sounds so satisfying, and to have pulled that off on a first EP is undoubtedly special. We’ll be keeping our two eyes on Monument Valley, not least because he’s just got wrapped up with those chaps at Transgressive, which can only suggest he’s got even more to offer.

Monument Valley – Round and Round by Partisan PR

Ignoring a number of violent revolutions across the Arab world, and the flirtation of the Eurozone with collapse, 2011 can be defined as a year in which a ridiculous amount of words were written about James Blake. That’s something that’s hard to complain about, because his music is so left-field and interesting that it still makes absolutely no sense to me that he has been so “successful”.

But, and I don’t mind upsetting his many fans by saying this, in the spectrum of eccentric electronic music that pushes closer and closer to true originality, without losing its soulful and affecting heart, Nicolas Jaar is king. Fact. A couple of weeks ago he dropped his “Don’t Break My Love” EP, for free, on soundcloud. If that’s not the perfect way of distributing music then I don’t know what is. And as the soundcloud player below will tell you, if “Why Didn’t You Save Me”’s 4 minutes of teasing followed by a short release isn’t the perfect representation of frustration, then I don’t know what is either.

Nicolas Jaar / Why Didn’t You Save Me by Clown & Sunset

If you’d like to be reminded what Bon Iver sounded like before he diluted and confused his genius with the sounds of whatever instruments he could pick up for under $10 in a charity shop, then Dan Croll’s your man. Thinking about it, even if you happen to have been tricked into liking the new Bon Iver record, Dan Croll’s still the man for you.

In fact, whilst I’m just name-dropping the sort of fantastic artists that tend to leave you really underwhelmed when you actually listen to the artist being written about, let me bring up Bombay Bicycle Club. Quite like they did with their acoustic album “Flaws”, Croll has managed to tread a line perfectly between acoustic and digital, losing none of the character of either. He even has a quivering voice to rival Steadman’s. And the fact that they both thought it a good idea to name a song “Always Like This” doesn’t hurt, either.

In fact, the more you listen to Croll’s “It’s Always Like This”, the more you might come around to the thinking that mentions of Bon Iver and Bombay Bicycle Club won’t leave you feeling underwhelmed at all. He’s that good. And then you might even listen to the Fleet-Foxes-beating tender Americana of “Home” and be even more convinced. Ohhh, another Fleet Foxes reference? He went there. And I mean it. Surely you think that he’s your man by now?

Dan Croll – It’s Always Like This (Demo) by dancrollmusic

Dan Croll – Home (Live at the Paul McCartney Auditorium)

Crushed Beaks have spent the last couple of months being tipped everywhere from the hippest music blogs to the most mainstream broadsheets, based entirely on the tempting lo-fi buzz of b-side “Sun Dogs”. As impressive as the song is, we were simply left with both the song’s revolving riff and one question lodged in our heads; if this was the b-side, just how good was “Close Ups” going to be?

The answer is somewhere within the truly quite frightening video above. And if your first instinct was to press play before scrolling down, then you’ll already know that the answer is that, actually, it’s pretty bloody impressive. In fact, it’s even more impressive than “Sun Dogs” thanks to a deliberate abrasiveness that’s slightly No Age/Japandroids reminiscent, and is pulled off just as well as those two bands. There’s an amazing tune in there somewhere, the fact that you have to strain through sheets of distortion to hear it just makes it all the more satisfying.

“Close Ups/Sun Dogs” is released November 21st by Too Pure Singles Club.

Sun Dogs by Crushed Beaks

Midnight Love Short Film from Cave Painting on Vimeo.

I was already pretty much in love with “So Calm” even in its embryonic stages; there’s definitely some truth in that indie cliché that you can hear a great pop song no matter what the production quality or delivery. But fleshed out by Mercury subsidiary Hideout Records in what sounds to my completely unprofessional ears like a far more professional studio, the track is yet more expansive, but doesn’t feel needlessly polished or laboured.

The instinctive fear that things just don’t get any better than that are easily allayed by the rest of the EP; “Our Click Say Yeah” beats with almost tangible fervour, “Rio”’s fragile melody is even more affecting, and “Midnight Love”… well, just give it a crack. I’m more than convinced that this band is one of the most promising new bands around at the moment. I can’t say that I care that they’re now, suddenly, label-mates with Mariah Carey, I think you’d have to be quite depressingly cynical to argue that it has detracted from the simple, distinctive beauty that drew the band so many early supporters.

Cave Painting – So Calm by Not Many Experts

“You’ll Be Running Soon” is out today. Stream the whole EP here, and listen to the earlier “So Calm” demo below.

Given that, at the time of writing, there are only 4 copies of Friends’ “I’m His Girl” vinyl left, we thought we’d heighten the sense of pained anticipation that naturally precedes each post  by waiting until now to tell you… you’ve really got to get hold of one of these. And we’re probably going to buy one, we’re sure you can handle the maths on that one.

Since we last wrote about these men and women, the passionately reckless hyperbole being thrown the band’s way (a trend that we’d like to think we’re experts of) has swollen to a level where it’s starting to look like the truth more than hyperbole.

Are these Brooklynites the future of alternative pop music? I can’t predict the bloody future, but everybody seems to be coming round to the idea that, at the very least, the suggestion isn’t that stupid after all. And even if it turns out that they’re just another exercise in excited chatter followed by a disappointing album, at the very least they’ve left us with one of the year’s finest singles, and there’s no doubt about that.

Friends – I’m His Girl by LuckyNumberMusic

If you’re not convinced, check out this cheeky little video that they put together, too, and be well and truly visually indoctrinated.

For me, pop music that comes the closest to genius is that which requires no context; there’s no need to know a band’s biography, have groped the lead singer at a frantic gig or own an entirely illegal back catalogue.

All I know about Phantogram is that they’re probably from America, I downloaded their debut album and quite liked it, and the centre piece to their new EP, “Don’t Move”, is one of those moments of genuine genius that are far, far too rare.

It’s got one of those wonderfully regretful, world-weary vocals that manages to be both sultry and completely accessible. Cut over stuttering electronics, with hook upon hook thrown in almost indiscriminately, it ends up sounding like an enormous collage of fantastic noises that somehow make perfect sense.

By quite a crazy coincidence, my quick research informs me that their “Nightlife” EP/mini album is out today. It was clearly meant to be. If that’s not a reason to press play on the soundcloud link below, then I don’t know what is. It’s the big orange button, live the dream and press it.

Phantogram – Don’t Move by Not Many Experts

Being a music journalist has always seemed like an unbelievably illogical career path to me, because presumably you would only choose to become one if you loved music, yet, surely to anybody who loves music, the idea of being forced to continuously listen to and pick over an album that you have a real hatred for is something close to Guantanamo Bay levels of torture (not that I’ve been and know what goes down there). And then there’s also the point that you get paid less than a well organised busker, and that whole crisis of people virtually stopping buying physical media. But mostly the first point.

So it should say a lot that I was effectively cling filmed to my chair and forced to write about Loved Ones, and I can still proudly say that, two months down the line, our relationship has grown to a level of maturity where I can safely say that I love them. As you can tell, this is quite an emotional blog post for me.

But it shouldn’t be too tough for you to press play on the two incredibly diverse tracks below and understand exactly why I’m so head over heels for this band. For what it’s worth, ‘Hell’ is a magnificent 5 minutes of eccentrically pitched vocals that worm their way into the brain, laid bare upon tribal beats, pulsating electronics, and the warm glow of the most subtle guitars. It’s the least blatantly beautiful song you’ll hear this year, but take half an hour, batter that play button, and it will become one of the favourites of the year too. It really is something special. And if that sounds like a fawning testimony to you, then you’ll be shocked to hear that I actually am even more taken with ‘Mossman’. But I’ll spare you the graphic details, because you’d probably just hit the big X in disgust, so just take advantage of the fact that this is the internet, mentally tell me to shut up, and listen to the proof for yourself.

Hell (Album Version) by LovedOnes

Mossman by LovedOnes

PS – if you’d like to find out more about Loved Ones then read the article on them that I was ‘forced’ to write for Bido Lito!, it’s got all that background story and all of that that people apparently love. It can be found in this issue, on page 12.

PPS – ‘Hell’ will be available to download on 12th November on Giant Haystacks, which, if my quick research is correct, is the same subsidiary of Label Fandango that released The Heartbreaks’ first single.

If you’ve been left slightly underwhelmed since our tease of a tweet promising much new things many weeks ago, fair enough. To get back into the flow of things, before we start throwing lots of words around, here’s some simply incredible music courtesy of London producer, Shells.

He threw down the ‘Shells/Arctic’ single last week as a follow up to his debut EP, and it’s flipping fantastic. Not a doubt about it. Understated, intricate electronica has never sounded so hugely affecting. Both sides of the single are sounding like something special right now, so we’re listening very closely to see where he goes next. You should too.

Shells – Arctic by Two Tap Digital

PS – successfully moved to a new city and started a degree, therefore lots of spare time to write about amazing music, see you soon.

Edgy Mancunians Stay+ made one very keen point in this article; at what point did we become so saturated with an excessive amount of information that any band who simply releases their music is thrown mercilessly into the “cynically anonymous” camp. It is ridiculous that when presented with only music, we start to hound bands for being so secretive and obtuse. The depressing irony being that the bands being ridiculed for their supposedly childish secrecy have uploaded their music onto the internet for the entire world to judge and deride. Ultimately, it reflects very poorly on our internet generation that we are not at all happy to hear just a band’s music. It almost seems like a re-printable anecdote in a band’s biography is just as integral to a band’s success as their music is, yet all that should be relevant is their music. And according to that philosophy, we’re very, very excited indeed about No Ceremony///.

All we have heard is the chilling, nihilistic, emotive electronica of “HURTLOVE”, which writhes under the catharsis of an expressive, cut-up vocal, but that alone is enough to have us completely hooked. And that should be enough. Yet it seems inevitable that their unfortunate geography (Manchester), my unfortunate mentioning of fellow Mancunians Stay+ earlier, their impressive imagery and so-far successful publicising campaign will see them plastered with the “deliberately anonymous” moniker, judged simply on the basis that they choose not to make needless noise about the wonderful noise that they do make. I would be less than surprised if it was even suggested that Wu Lyf’s ‘War God’ Warren Bramley was behind the whole thing. Or even that he is Wu Lyf, Stay+ and No Ceremony///. The whole thing is fast approaching a farce, yet at the centre of the storm the music that is being created is unbelievably good. “HURTLOVE” is rare in its deep anguish, the intense and immediate connection that it makes, and the speed of its retreat. We’re left desperately wanting more. Music, that is.

NO CEREMONY/// – HURTLOVE by Not Many Experts

Yesterday we woke up to the heartbreaking news that PIAS’ London warehouse had been completely burnt down in a wave of wanton, vitriolic rioting that was completely lacking any legitimate political motive. Whilst the wider implications of this thoughtless and respectless behaviour is a problem probably best left to our inept politicians, it has become clear that many of the independent labels that we love are now under severe financial pressure, having had some or all of their physical stock destroyed.

Unfortunately for these companies, being insured is not enough. First of all, insurance companies are bastards. That is a fact. They will resort to almost anything to avoid their primary function; paying out cash. Even when they do, labels will presumably face a hefty excess to recoup any of their losses; in many cases this will be an excess that they can barely afford. As you know, we are barely even talking about businesses here; by and large, these labels are a labour for the love of music that pays very little, and are constantly living within the shadow of possible bankruptcy.

This latest development is a blow that may be the end for the most financially vulnerable; even if the problem of insurance is ignored, it is going to take a significant amount of time to manufacture CDs and vinyl again to start turning a profit. There’s no doubt that we need to do everything we can to help our indie labels. Frankly, the risk of some of them closing is scarily now a reality, and the impact that their folding would have on alternative music in the UK is something that I’d prefer to not even consider.

Like many of you, my instinctive reaction to the riots in London was to inflict some serious (but unconvictable) pain to London’s moral-less opportunists. As my anger subsided, and I had managed to stop visualising me bringing my Biblical vengeance down upon those who had earnt it, I realised, as I imagine many of you will have, that I am a fairly moderate and liberal alternative music fan who would probably be brutally killed within seconds. This not being an appealing thought, I resolved that, instead, all we can do is what so many people have been suggesting; buy digital copies of albums from these labels to keep them running until they have sorted their problems out.

The list of labels affected by PIAS is intimidatingly large, and many of them I have very little knowledge of, so below is a list of some of my favourite albums that these labels have released recently; if you like what you hear, then clicking on the album’s name to buy a digital copy from that label’s online store is definitely the best way that you can punch a looter in the metaphorical face without actually encountering physical danger. But this list is far from comprehensive, so my aim is also to benefit from your wisdom; please leave your recommendations for other albums that I haven’t mentioned and I’ll add soundcloud links and check them out myself. Hopefully we’ll end up with a constantly growing list of recommendations spanning a respectable amount of labels on the list. Of course this is only a tiny contribution, but when you’re operating at this end of the independent market, just one or two album sales could end up making all the difference. Please do all that you can.

Zomby – Dedication (4AD)

Zomby – Natalia’s Song

Bon Iver – Bon Iver (4AD)

Bon Iver – Calgary

Gyratory System – New Harmony (Angular Recording Corporation)

New Harmony Edit by Gyratory System

Samiyam – Sam Baker’s Album (Brainfeeder)

SAMIYAM – Cushion

Doveman – The Conformist (Brassland)

Doveman- “Breathing Out”

Ghostpoet – Peanut Butter Blues & Melancholy Jam (Brownswood Recordings)

Ghostpoet – Survive It

Washed Out – Within And Without (Domino Records)

Washed Out – Amor Fati

Austra – Feel It Break (Domino Records)

Austra – Lose It

Milk Maid – Yucca (Fatcat Records)

Milk Maid – Girl

Kurt Vile – Smoke Ring For My Halo (Matador)

Kurt Vile – In My Time

Banjo Or Freakout – Banjo Or Freakout (Memphis Industries)

105 by Banjo or Freakout

Colourmusic – My ___ Is Pink (Memphis Industries)

Colourmusic – Tog

Dutch Uncles – Cadenza (Memphis Industries)

X-O by Dutch Uncles

Blanck Mass – Blanck Mass (Rock Action Records)

Blanck Mass – Land Disasters

Alexander – Alexander (Rough Trade Records)

TRUTH Feat. The RZA by Alexander

The War On Drugs – Slave Ambient (Secretly Canadian)

The War On Drugs – Baby Missiles

Sarabek Tucek – Get Well Soon (Sonic Cathedral)

Sarabeth Tucek ‘Wooden’

Shabazz Palaces – Black Up (Sub Pop)

Shabazz Palaces – Swerve…

Beardyman – I Done A Album (Sunday Best)

The ablution will not be incentivized by Beardyman

Battles – Gloss Drop (Warp)

Ice Cream (Featuring Matias Aguayo) by BATTLES

The Horrors – Skying (XL Recordings)

The Horrors – “Still Life”

SBTRKT – SBTRKT (Young Turks)

SBTRKT – Something Goes Right (feat. Sampha) by Aeros

PS – If you hit the gym a lot and would just like to go and hurt some looters for us, that is also cool.

PPS – You can find a full list of labels affected here.

Update: PIAS have now announced a support fund to donate directly to the affected labels; for full information see here.

Big Black Delta is the solo project of Jonathan Bates – an outlet for his raw, abrasive, electronica-tinged pop music. He moved on from his last band, Mellowdrone, because he wasn’t sure that it was working, which we can’t quite understand because, for us, having a wikipedia page and being featured on the FIFA 07 soundtrack would be the height of our musical careers. It would be on our epitaph. As a discerning musician, what more can you ask for?

But it seems that Mr Bates is more ambitious than that, and new single ‘Huggin & Kissin’ is more than enough proof that that ambition has been paid off. Its an absolutely thunderous introduction to him, a coarse, hopeless anthem riddled by frustration that sounds like a logical progression from Jai Paul’s ‘BTSTU’. You can download his vicious, Cold-Cave-esq first EP for free at his web-site.

Big Black Delta – Huggin & Kissin by Not Many Experts

Yesterday it was announced that Dead Oceans will be releasing Gauntlet Hair’s eponymous album on October 18th, preceded by this, “Top Bunk”, the album’s first single. It’s literally incomparable, a completely unique, reverb-sodden raga that’s driven by a confidence suggesting that they know how many incredible ideas they’ve compressed into just under 5 minutes of jaw-dropping music. Their eccentric rhythm is still intact, the track stuttering indecisively but somehow carrying it off as its own elaborate groove.

What’s most to Gauntlet Hair’s credit is exactly what they’ve done best on their previous material; no matter how left-field the approach, they translate their ideas into thrilling, experimental pop. Does “Top Bunk” have a chorus? Who knows. It sounds like they don’t even know what a verse is. I doubt they even used instruments to make it. It just sounds phenomenal.

Gauntlet Hair – Top Bunk by Not Many Experts