If only you could hear what I’ve heard with your ears

Been pretty crazed as of late – working non-stop, running non-stop and not sleeping nearly enough. It wasn’t until after my early morning coop shift, this passed weekend, that I had a moment to sit down in Tea Lounge, order an iced coffee, jack some wifi and write about the music that’s hit me this week. So here’s a few tracks for ya…

A great one to start the day with. Nomak’s melodic keys, moody strings and simplex beats will easily please fans of Downtempo and Hip-hop alike. I found Nomak by searching for artists similar to the late, great Nujabes, whom, if you’ve never heard – you need to. While Nomak’s mix tapes take on a great Leftfield Hip-hop vibe similar to that of Jun Seba, his original work is far more calming and thought provoking; invoking a sense of nostalgia and, dare I say, zenful peace. Check out more from Nomak, here.

Nomak - Never Lost Control [dl]

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I got into Mayer Hawthorne when he jumped on Snoop Dogg’s track Gangsta Luv, yielding an entirely new version of the song that’s soulfully superior to the original. He’s a singer, producer and wiz on more than a few instruments – but the sweet sounds published on his 2009 album, A Strange Arrangement, are rooted in a Motown R&B kinda vibe with a Mark Ronson-like big band sound. With a knack for catchy melodies like Ben Folds mixed with Diana Ross and a side of Jamie Lidell – it’s tough not to dig him. Your Easy Lovin’ Ain’t Pleasin’ Nothin’ is a fun, summery track with a nice deep sax and a melody that invokes The Supremes’ track, Can’t Hurry Love, which always reminds me of my favorite Whoopi Goldberg movie.

Mayor Hawthorne - Your Easy Lovin’ Ain’t Pleasin’ Nothin’ [dl]

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One of those bands whose tracks have been floating around the net for a few months now without any sort of solid detail as to the release of the actual album – Kisses, has caught my ears and it’s surely not for overpromotion. Produced by one of the chaps from RAC (absolutely love their Nintendo VS Sega work), Kisses’ sound has a bit of The Smiths with some Cut Copy and a bit of Delorean. It’s light-hearted pop-rock with a disco vibe; just right for your vacation play-list. Since they clearly don’t have a SoundCloud account, check out their MySpace page for more music and an eventual announcement as to when their album, Heart of the Nightlife, will see release.

Kisses - Midnight Lover [dl]

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Want another helping of Balearic pop? Then check out this track from ceo, the solo project of Tough Alliance’s Eric Berglund. It’s happy, melodic and all about the hooks. While the entire album isn’t as danceable as the song Illuminata is, the light electro pop-rock flavor makes this another perfect one for your patio play-list. Among the other tracks on White Magic, my other album favorite is Come With Me, an overly-sampled, overly-happy blend of disco beats, strings and dreamy vocals. Not sure when this is seeing a proper release here in the US, but if you simply can’t wait to say “Yay for Sweden” then you can buy the album here.

Ceo - Illuminata [dl]

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I don’t really need to say very much about Coldplay. They’re a really great band and I love the fact that they appeared in Shaun of the Dead as part of the ZombAid gag. I do, however, think that Coldplay is a band for people who enjoyed Radiohead, but just don’t understand musical exploration and are frightened by anything that’s left field of left field – you know what I mean, you have friends like that. By the way, have you heard Mark Ronson’s cover of God Put a Smile Upon Your Face? So, for the track below I’ve got the Thin White Duke remix of Talk, originally from Coldplay’s album, X&Y. The Thin White Duke? Jacques Whu Cont? Ah, well that would be none other than Stuart Price – Part of Zoot Woman, originally behind Les Rhythmes Digitales, producer for the Scissor Sisters, Madonna, Seal, amongst myriad others. He was making electro back in 2000 that’s still, maybe even more, relevant now. Everthing he touches turns to gold disco balls. Ahem, yeah Coldplay…great remix.

Coldplay - Talk (Thin White Duke remix) [dl]

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I originally got into A Guy Called Gerald back around 1998 when his epic Downtempo track, Humanity, was all over the place – click that link, it’s an excellent track. Taking his penchant for electronic music with his love for Jamaican sounds, much of his work swirls around in a stew of lo-fi Acid-Jazz and Downtempo with a bit of Techno. Indie Vibe, off his latest release – Jazz Tronic: The Berlin Session – however sounds like something that would come from Orbital, totally different than that sound of Humanity. Rather than being fit for the beach play-list, this is a great one for a dark-tech dance floor or zoning out at work…

A Guy Called Gerald - Indie Vibe [dl]

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Black Ghosts are an Electro/Pop-Rock outfit from the UK with a dark and catchy sound. Their self-titled album was released on 2008, so I’m getting into them a little late, and honestly – they sound very 2008, that’s not to say they’re not good – just a little dated. I’ve been really digging their track, I Don’t Know, a lot over the last few days. More from these guys, here.

The Black Ghosts - I Don’t Know [dl]

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For what it’s worth – Scott Pilgrim was fucking awesome and I finally saw Inception in the theater for a 4th time – just like Beetlejuice’s love for The Exorcist: It keeps getting [better], every-single-time-I-see-it!! Now I just need to figure out the significance of the scenes where Cobb is or isn’t wearing his ring…

Stay tuned.