SEASONS OF MY SOUL - Rumer

Thu, 31 Mar 2011 23:17:31 +1100

Having spent ten years becoming an overnight sensation, Rumer's debut album comes with tributes from luminaries such as Burt Bacharach, who flew her to Los Angeles just to hear her sing.

It's easy to understand why: there's a maturity about Rumer's delivery that sets her apart from the others, though the spooky similarity to Karen Carpenter on songs such as "Come To Me High" is uncanny. Small wonder, then, that Steve Brown's arrangements follow the Bacharach formula of coffee-toned horns sweetened with strings.

Rumer's songs, meanwhile, have a streak of melancholia that speaks of painful experience: the haunting "Aretha", the best thing here, posits the soul legend as comforting confidante for a small child's anxieties, without vainly trying to emulate Aretha's style.

With high critical acclaim, this could be the biggest album of the year.

BLOOD PRESSURES - The Kills

Thu, 31 Mar 2011 23:04:59 +1100

It’s been three years since Jamie Hince and Alison Mosshart released the last The Kills album, 2008′s Midnight Bloom, and both have been busy in the years since, with Mosshart focussing on her work with The Dead Weather, and Hince devoting his time to Another Moss.

In reconvening, Blood Pressures has become a test of their ongoing relationship. Almost immediately, any doubts you may have had are quashed, as ‘Future Starts Slow’ winds the album up musically while heavily showcasing their vocal chemistry.

In an interview with Vanity Fair earlier this month, Mosshart said “I don’t think any kind of break can f##k with 11 and a half years, you know?”

The Kills are a durable pair, each on the same level musically as if they were connected via some mystical cosmic force; even after a couple of years of relative separation, they’ve managed to pick up right where they left off. If the album’s main purpose were to measure the current vitality of the group, it becomes easy to conclude that the Kills are once again alive and well.

SING IT LOUD - K.D. Lang & The Siss Boom Bang

Thu, 31 Mar 2011 22:01:31 +1100

Produced by Lang and Joe Pisapia, 'Sing It Loud' is the award-winning singer-songwriter’s first record made entirely with a band of her own since the two albums with The Reclines that launched her career over 20 years ago.

The album is a collection of songs that reflect the organic, collaborative nature of the sessions, which took place at Pisapia’s Middletree Studios in Nashville. The lead single, 'I Confess', is one of three songs Lang penned with keyboardist, Daniel Clarke, and guitarist, Joshua Grange. Pisapia, who plays numerous instruments and serves as the band’s musical director, contributed the title track and co-wrote five songs with Lang.

In addition to the original material, 'Sing it Loud' includes a striking version of the Talking Heads hit, 'Heaven'.

ANGLES - The Strokes

Thu, 31 Mar 2011 21:44:19 +1100

In contrast to their previous albums, on which frontman, Julian Casablancas, did most of the writing, The Strokes fourth album, Angles, is billed as the one on which each member of the band has contributed on an equal footing. Perhaps they should have been more democratic in the past, because this is a terrific record that plays to The Strokes’ strengths and also adds fresh colour to their palette.

Always an enigmatic lyricist, Casablancas’ phrasing has become even more cryptic as he pushes his vocals and searches for hooks on which to hang his harmonies, and you sense this is still very much his album. A fantastic release that will appeal to long-time fans and newcomers alike.

THE KING OF LIMBS - Radiohead

Thu, 31 Mar 2011 20:35:05 +1100

The King of Limbs is Radiohead’s first release since 2007’s magnificently moody ‘In Rainbows’, and in that time, Yorke made more strides as a solo artist, Jonny Greenwood has scored some films, ‘Harry Patch’ and ‘These Are My Twisted Words’ were released as stand-alones, Phil Selway released his first solo set, and so forth.

Reconvening after a period of separation clearly demanded some recalibration or unfurling. While Yorke’s coo and ambiguous lyrical codes haven’t seemed to change much, the band on the whole structurally threw a lot out the window; rather, they don’t lack structure, but rather their structures remain remarkably simple.

There’s plenty of familiar ground covered in ‘The King of Limbs’, so nothing’s going to shove a Radiohead fan off his tracks, but the new, simpler sounds will certainly create a few new fans.

Watch the official video for the new single, Lotus Flower, here.

FEMME FATAL - Britney Spears

Thu, 31 Mar 2011 19:17:55 +1100

The bulk of Femme Fatal was produced by long-time collaborator, Max Martin, and his partner in crime, Dr. Luke, including the lead single, 'Hold It Against Me', and the follow-up, 'Till The World Ends'.

Other big name producers have contributed to the latest pop-tastic offering from Ms. Spears, with '(Drop Dead) Beautiful', produced by Benny Blanco of Moto Blanco fame, 'Big Fat Bass' produced by Will.I.Am, and 'How I Roll' and 'Trip To Your Heart', both produced by Bloodshy & Avant, who first made their name with Britney's huge single, 'Toxic'.

The Australian deluxe edition release features 16 tracks and comes in a glam fold-out digipack.

BORN THIS WAY - Lady Gaga

Sun, 13 Mar 2011 10:30:59 +1100

The highly-anticipated new single from pop queen, Lady Gaga, is here.

The official Australian CD single release is a fold-out digi-pak with the single version plus 3 solid remixes.

Only a limited pressing of these have been made, so once they’re gone, they’re gone!

BETTER THAN TODAY - Kylie Minogue

Sat, 12 Mar 2011 10:28:06 +1100

The third single from Kylie Minogue’s Aphrodite album finally gets an official CD single release in Australia.

Fun, catchy and with a great video, this is a solid 3rd single from the album. Included on the CD single is the single version plus 3 remixes,.

TRIPLE J’s HOTTEST 100 VOL. 18 - Various

Fri, 11 Mar 2011 10:24:24 +1100

Each year, more and more people vote in Triple J's annual survey to find the hottest 100 songs of the year, which are announced on-air on Australia Day. For the 2010 Hottest 100, an incredible 155,222 voters from 152 countries registered 1.26 million votes, making it the biggest poll yet.

The double CD release highlighting the hottest 100 tracks is finally here - Triple J's Hottest 100 Volume 18.

Featuring 42 of the top 100 tracks, the album showcases loads of Australian artists and releases, which reflects the increasing acknowledgement and respect our home-grown musicians are commanding.

The double CD release is currently available in Limited edition format with lenticular cover art, and also comes with bonus guitar picks, while stocks last.

ARMISTEAD MAUPIN’S TALES OF THE CITY

Wed, 9 Mar 2011 10:22:34 +1100

Armistead Maupin's 'Tales of the City', the first book in his much-loved series, was made into a television miniseries by the BBC's Channel 4 in 1993, starring Academy Award nominee Laura Linney as Mary Ann Singleton and Academy Award winner Olympia Dukakis as the transgendered matriarch, Anna Madrigal.

'More Tales of the City' and 'Further Tales of the City' were subsequently also produced for television in later years, but all three had been out of production on DVD in Australia the last few years.

Acorn Media has thankfully picked up the rights to 'Tales of the City', and has released the original BBC miniseries on double DVD in Australia.

Fingers crossed that 'More Tales of the City' and 'Further Tales of the City' will also get a local release on DVD in the coming months!

RUBY TRANCE 9 - Various

Tue, 8 Mar 2011 10:21:21 +1100

Staying true to form, Ruby Trance Volume 9 features the best trance hits and artists around, compiled into an epic journey over 2 CD's.

Local DJ and Promoter, Ruby, has built his empire, and continues to produce the Ruby Trance CD series independently.

An icon in Sydney's trance scene, and well-known overseas, Ruby's CD series continues to sell like hotcakes, and gains momentum with each release.

Only available from limited stockists, get into your local Hum store to pick up your copy. We also stock the Ruby Trance back catalogue, if you're missing any of the previous volumes.

MUSHROOM JAZZ 7 - Various

Sun, 6 Mar 2011 10:18:31 +1100

Mark Farina developed his musical tastes in Chicago listening to house music on the radio while living in one of the country's most primordial breeding grounds for the genre.

Farina first started wandering from the purist forms of House towards his trademark down tempo style - Mushroom Jazz - when he was DJing in both the main and the side rooms at Chicago nightclubs in the same night. Mark experimented with a slower style, dropping De La Soul, Herbie Hancock, funk classics and other stuff that wasn't being played in the main room. This resulted in Mark releasing a small run of mix tapes entitled "Mushroom Jazz" which featured his jazzy down tempo style.

The Mushroom Jazz tapes grew from the first run of 50 copies to the next run at 500 copies. Today, these early releases are highly sought after items around the globe, and the series is widely recognisable, and much loved, worldwide.

Mushroom Jazz 7 is the latest installment in the groundbreaking compilation series, featuring Farina's signature hip-hop, jazz-infused, downtempo, dance floor friendly beats.

This time around, he deftly mixes and arranges tracks by some of the world's most dynamic artists including Andy Caldwell, Billa Qause, Colossus, Dave Allison, Derek Dunbar, The Hue, Giano & Michael Knight, Jazz Spastiks, Joshua Heath, Lurob, Slakah the Beatchild, Tommy Largo and Uneaq. The result; a seamless, crisp, hypnotic and sublime journey – true to the easygoing essence that is Mushroom Jazz.

COCOON BEACH CLUB - Various

Sat, 5 Mar 2011 10:16:50 +1100

Bali's latest bar, restaurant and beach club, Cocoon, presents its self-titled debut compilation.

Located in Seminyak, with its backdrop of the ocean and fine dining along with its stunning pool and day beds, has captured global savvy tourists, shooting the club to notoriety. Featuring an amazing Dj console, the venue turns into a cool poolside club with the worlds leading Dj's and producers performing at the venue.

This 2CD release features one disc of chilled nu disco cuts and a second disc of up-tempo house, all packaged in high-end 6-panel digi pack with embossing and gloss, music that is the sound of Summer 2011. Many of the tracks on the release are exclusive cuts and remixes or tracks appearing for the first time ever on a compilation.

The ultimate soundtrack for your Summer Sunday afternoons. Get it now!

JAMES BLAKE - James Blake

Fri, 4 Mar 2011 10:14:49 +1100

More than a decade after the slow, dark and deep electronic sound now called dubstep began to develop, it finally has something close to a break-out star. James Blake is tall, handsome, young, talented, and unafraid to acknowledge Stevie Wonder and Joni Mitchell as musical influences.

This self-titled album almost completely reverses some dance music's tendency towards slick, full-throttle cartoonishness. It's a record which is as slow, meticulous, and emotionally engaged as its first single, the Feist cover 'Limit To Your Love', suggested it would be.

Blake employs the musical building blocks from which he created that track throughout the album. Stately piano chords ring out and then abruptly stop. Syncopated beats wink into existence, tiptoe about nervously for a while, then disappear. The vocals, which Blake relies on far more than he did in his previous work, are heavily processed and frequently multi-tracked, but despite this, sound plaintive and soulful; a single lyric will typically be repeated again and again, gaining emotional force with each repetition.

Blake's music can be divisive, and one criticism has a grain of truth in it: the carefully composed and arranged nature of his music sometimes detracts from its emotional pull. Some songs of love and loss from the album seem to have been composed by an alien who has never experienced love or loss, but is fascinated by the idea. The unsettling strangeness of these tracks is one of many reasons why the record succeeds.

LET ENGLAND SHAKE - PJ Harvey

Wed, 2 Mar 2011 10:13:04 +1100

PJ Harvey remains as beguiling and determinedly experimental on her eighth studio album, "Let England Shake," as she has throughout her iconoclastic two-decade career.

Here, she eschews the constrictive piano basis of her last release, 2007's "White Chalk," for warmer, more varied sounds. The set was recorded live in a 19th-century church in her native Dorset, England, with longtime collaborators John Parish, Mick Harvey and producer Flood.

While the sound is looser with strummed acoustic guitar, sax, autoharp and brushed drums, it contrasts sharply with Harvey's thematic adherence to war, guns, bloodshed and bleak landscapes. But that doesn't mean you won't stomp your feet to chants of "evil land" and "evil children." There's heady sampling including bits of "Reveille," a woman's Arabic chants on the song "England" and the repeated Eddie Cochran line from "Summertime Blues" ("I'm gonna take my problems to the United Nations") that suddenly takes on genocidal implications.

The standout moment, among many, is the warbling track "Written on the Forehead" with a heavily processed psychedelic swirl dovetailing seamlessly with Niney the Observer's reggae classic "Blood and Fire." Warfare has never sounded better.