Jacob Yates and the Pearly Gate Lockpickers - Murder 24/7

 

It has been a few years since we last wrote about Jacob and his mates. But while trawling the internet to avoid professional and household duties we discovered Murder 24/7, a six-track mini-album by Jacob Yates and the Pearly Gate Lockpickers. One listen and we were thorough captivated and massively entertained. With the theme of murder as entertainment, a gothic folk/roots R&R approach all underpinned by a dub rhythm section, it is a great little record. Call it gothic dub folk, rockabilly dub or whatever you imagine fits. But the genre really doesn't matter when it tickles our fancy. And oh, we are very tickled.

The band is Jacob Lovatt (vocals/lyrics), Josh Longton (bass/guitars/keys), Michael Bleazard (drums/percussion), Jamie Bolland (keysboards/piano), and Christopher Haddow (guitars). Murder 24/7 is out now in digital and vinyl formats via Errol's Hot Wax.

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Mong Tong - Mystery 秘神

Mystery, the debut album by Taiwan's Mong Tong provides us with one of the more creative sets of music we have heard in a long time. Constructed of synths, bass, guitar, programming and a boatload of samples, it is playful, adventuresome, and inspiring. And its bass heavy segments decorated with psychedelic shards would earn the approval of even King Tubby and Scratch Perry..

The band consists of brothers Hom Yu and Jun Chi. Apparently the music was inspired by Taiwanese folklore and occult. Sadly, we don't have the background knowledge to further describe how the music illustrates the brothers' take on those subjects, but we assure you that no such knowledge is necessary to appreciate the product. Mystery is out now in vinyl and digital formats.







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Honey 2 Honey - A Taste Of

This is a perfect way to slide into the weekend.  Canberra/Sydney four-piece Honey 2 Honey is priming our interest in their eventual full length with the tasty EP A Taste Of.  Consisting of one of our favorite songs so far this year, "Tone Of Voice", and three terrific supporting tracks.  The special sauce here is a hypnotic, dubby brand of electronic R&B.  This is a change of pace that all of us indie kids truly needed, and it has pasted a smile on all of our faces around here.

Honey 2 Honey are Rory Stenning, Luke Keanan-Brown, Del Lumanta, and Daryl Prondoso.  A Taste Of is out now in digital and vinyl formats via one of the finest indie labels in the business, Melbourne's Chapter Music.




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Bandcamp for A Taste Of
Chapter Music page for A Taste Of

"Tone of Voice" by Honey 2 Honey

Melbourne's Chapter Music is a "go to" kind of label.  We've covered electronic, club, pop, rock, and many, many guitar pop releases put out by these fine gents.  We've been wondering when their first release of the year would arrive, but we wonder no more.  Our ears have now had the pleasure of meeting Honey 2 Honey, via single "Tone Of Voice".  Firmly on the club side of the spectrum, it is the product of a Canberra/Sydney collaboration among Roy Stenning, Luke Keanan-Brown, Del Lumanta, and Daryl Prondoso, and is taken from their forthcoming EP A Taste Of.  Expect - no, anticipate - some jazz, dub, R&B and even Krautrock.  But for now, enjoy "Tone Of Voice".






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Bandcamp page for pre-orders of the EP
Chapter Music page for pre-orders of the EP

Various Artists - The Midland Roots Explosion Volume 2

Reggae Archive Records is determined to not let the world forget that some of the toughest roots reggae gifted to the world was created by Jamaican immigrants in the English midlands in the '70s and '80s.  Their latest effort is the directly titled The Midland Roots Explosion, Volume Two.  As was the case with last year's Volume One, it is a compilation of choice tracks from better known acts, such as the legendary Steel Pulse, Capital Letters, Black Symbol, Groundation, and Sceptre, and lesser known artists whose fame never reached the heights merited by their talent.  Consisting of 16 tracks previously recorded and released, it is available on double vinyl, CD, and digital formats (see the Bandcamp link below).  The production values are excellent, with bass that will rattle your ribcage and vocals with sharp edged commentary on injustice, struggle and religion.  Unlike many serial compilations, this Volume Two represents not drop off in quality as compared to Volume One.  In fact, this selection may be meatier and more varied than the first.

I've included a few highlights below, including my current favorite, Sledge Hammer's "Ruled By The Stone".  But my strong recommendation is to listen to these streams, and then go to the Bandcamp page, put on your headphones, and become immersed in wonderful music.











Bandcamp for album
Reggae Archive Records

REVIEW: Las Kellies - Total Exposure

For Total Exposure, their fourth album, Argentinian trio  Las Kellies have chosen to not be defined by any specific genre.  The key production question wasn't "what fits", but "what sounds really good".  So the 15 tracks reflect new wave, post punk, chillwave, funk, dance rock and reggae influences.  What is consistent, however, is the quality of the performances and a glossy, dub-heavy production that maintains a coherent pop presentation and omnipresent groove.  And whether the ladies are channeling the garage pop of the Slits or the danceable trip hop of Massive Attack, you may well find it to be one of the catchiest collection of songs you have heard in a long time.  The Best synopsis I can offer is that the album is a wonderful package of raw intensity and infectious rhythms.  Get this album and put it on for your next party; you will be an instant taste maker.

Check out the sublime "Melting Ice" --


Here is an engaging reggae mash up with guest Dennis Bovell (who has worked with the Slits, Madness and Fela Kuti, and who mixed The Kellies third album) --


Enjoy a video of two of the album tracks, "Go V!" and "Typical Bitch", performed live in Paris last month --


The members of the band are listed as Ceci Kelley (guitar/vocals), Betty Kelly (bass/vocals), and Sil Kelley (drums/vocals).  They met at a gig in Buenos Aires in 2005 and decided to form a band.  Total Exposure is out now on Fire Records.

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Fire Records

REVIEW: Dub Club - Foundation Come Again

We started seeing tracks from Tom Chasteen and Tippa Lee (operating as Dub Club) several months ago, as we shared the two dub version albums, Signs And Wonders in Dub (WYMA post here) and Bubble Dub (WYMA post here) with you. Well, the mother lode is finally here: Foundation Come Again is a wonderful collection of new tracks from some of the best Jamaican sound system vocalists that Chasteen and Lee have worked with. Chasteen started bringing these artists to LA to perform at his club, and the idea of creating an album featuring their still-strong vocals over the super-bottom-heavy tracks of the Dub Club All-Stars was born. Since not all were available to travel to LA, Lee went to Jamaica and captured vocals from many of them at Mixing Lab in Jamaica. There are 20 tracks on the album, each with a different vocalist or combination of them - including such giants of reggae as Prince Jazzbo, who contributes the foreboding "Black Shadow", and Big Youth, who sounds nearly as strong as ever on "Healing of the Nation" - just to name two.

Here's sound system legend Josey Wales with "Hard Time":



Artists like Wales, who has a direct line back to U Roy's sound system, bring a level of credibility to this record that is almost unbelievable. However, while authenticity and gravitas are good, the sound is the thing. And this all sounds tremendous.

Here's Tippa Lee's own "Mr. Big Man":



Sadly, three of the vocalists on here: Ranking Trevor, King Stitt, and Errol Scorcher all passed on after recording their tracks for this album. But they are captured in fine style. Perhaps the best track on the album is Trevor's opener, "Paper and Pen". Note the dedication on the back cover:

If you're a fan of 70's-80's Jamaican dancehall and dub music, you will be amazed at the quality and quantity of music on Foundation Come Again. This album works as a time capsule or historical document - truly, just to have one track by each of these Jamaican legends, it would be worth much more than the cost of the album. But it's also (and perhaps more importantly) a great reggae album - a test for your sound system's bottom end and an invitation to the neighbors to come over for a good time, if you live too far from Los Angeles to catch one of the weekly shows at the Dub Club.

1.    Ranking Trevor – Paper & Pen
2.    Josey Wales – Hard Time
3.    Little Harry – Revolution
4.    Ranking Joe & Tristan – Bring The Sensi Come
5.    Lone Ranger ­– Wicked Dem Come
6.    Danny Dread – Every Herbsman Is A Star
7.    Dillinger – Around The World
8.    Tippa Lee ­– Hey Mr. Big Man
9.    Trinity ­– Rolling Stone
10.  Tullo T – Can’t Stop The Ras
11.  Natty King & King Stitt – Gimmie Gimmie
12.  Jim Brown – Sensimilla
13.  Welton Irie – Chant Down Babylon
14.  Errol Schorcher ­– Ride Riddim
15.  Kojak – Hear Me Now Star
16.  Brigadier Jerry & Ranking Joe – Meditation Chant
17.  Prince Jazzbo ­– Black Shadow
18.  Pompidoo – Selassie I Rule
19.  Big Youth ­– Healing Of The Nation
20.  Robert Mystic ­– Satta

Foundation Come Again was released last week (July 16) on Stones Throw. Buy the album, individual tracks, or learn more at Stones Throw. Learn about the shows on Dub Club's Facebook page - both below.

Dub Club website on Stones Throw
Dub Club Facebook

New Reggae: Tippa Lee - "Mr. Big Man" from Foundation Come Again, out July 16 via Dub Club/Stones Throw

Via their recording studio and reggae showcase Dub Club, Tippa Lee and Tom Chasteen have been working on a series of stellar dub and reggae albums for release on Stones Throw. I can't recommend this stuff highly enough. We previously reviewed the two dub albums (Signs And Wonders In Dub - review here and Bubble Dub - review here), and we are eagerly looking forward to the full album Foundation Come Again, due out July 16. In advance, here's Lee on vocals, in a video filmed in Kingston, Jamaica for the album track "Mr. Big Man":



Read more at the Stones Throw Website.

New Jamaican Singles from Stones Throw: Duppy Gun - "What Would You Say About Me?"

Stones Throw has a new out - Duppy Gun: "What Would You Say About Me?" It is unlike anything else you are listening to right now. The music is not exactly reggae and not exactly hip-hop but contains elements of both. There are actually four songs - "versions" of both tracks are also included.

Duppy Gun 12-inch #3 includes "What Would You Say About Me," a tune by Fyah Flames with a beat by DJ High Waistline (aka Matthewdavid). The flip side is "Own Pattern" by I Jahbar, with a beat by Big Flite & Velkro (aka the Duppy producers). Both tracks were recorded in Spanish Town, Jamaica. These records come with an oversized poster — half of the records with Fyah Flames, half with I Jahbar.





Read and learn more at Stones Throw.

More From Dub Club - Vol. 2, Bubble Dub

Our friends at Stones Throw and the Dub Club have done it again. We recently featured the excellent Vol. 1, Signs And Wonders in Dub from LA's Dub Club (WYMA post here). It was the first of three planned summer 2013 releases featuring Tom Chasteen, Tippa Lee and a host of Jamaica's finest singers, musicians and toasters. This week, the followup dub album Bubble Dub was released - a limited edition on vinyl and downloads.

These are dub versions of the tracks from the forthcoming Foundation Come Again (due out in July on Stones Throw), and they are plenty hot and heavy on their own. Really, this is an unbelievable treasure. It's true dub - Chasteen and Lee really know what they're doing and show a real love for this type of music. Opening track "Gimmie Dub" is a traditional-sounding dub version, and features the super-heavy bass with reverb-laden keyboards and DJ toasting. Several other cuts, including "Bring the Dub Again", "Hard Time Dub" and "Ain't Too Proud To Dub" (yes, it's a version of a cover of that one), feature some really tasty guitar licks.

Here's "Bring The Dub Again":



Read more, see the cover and buy at Stones Throw Records.

Stones Throw Website

New Reggae/Dub Discovery: Stones Throw & Dub Club - Signs & Wonders In Dub

On the heels of the wonderful Lions album This Generation, comes another full blast of Jamaican awesomeness, by way of LA, on Stones Throw Records. Stones Throw and the Los Angeles-based reggae club night Dub Club have joined forces to release a scorching compilation of all new recordings by Jamaican sound system legends entitled Dub Club: Foundation Come Again.

The man behind this project is Tom Chasteen, a Los Angeles club promoter, DJ and producer. It was a revelation for Chasteen when he discovered that the artists who made the classic reggae 45s he was playing each week were still out there and ready to perform. He started tracking them down and flying them in to Los Angeles to play at the Dub Club.

Chasteen, along with Jamaican artist Tippa Lee, jointly produced Foundation Come Again. In addition to (and preceding) the release of Foundation Come Again, Stones Throw will release two dub albums from Dub Club: Signs and Wonders in Dub and Bubble Dub. Both include dub versions of several tracks from Foundation Come Again and were mixed live to tape in one take by Chasteen.

Chasteen says, “Dub is not just a contest to create the heaviest ever bassline, but a subtle carving away at a piece of music. The dubs on this record also keep one foot in the dancehall, where dub where was born and raised."  Both Signs and Wonders in Dub and Bubble Dub are being released exclusively on vinyl with hand screen printed in various colors and limited quantities.

Here's "Beware Dub":





This is a tremendous record - if you like dub, dancehall or any variety of reggae at all, it is something you will be very happy to get your hands on.

More to come, as we get a chance to hear Bubble Dub and Foundation Come Again. You can learn more, including viewing pictures of the screen printed album covers, at Stones Throw's website.

Stones Throw Records

REVIEW: Sound 'n' Pressure Story (various artists)

Turn off your phone, block out some time on your calendar and grab your headphones.  It is time to experience the Sound 'n' Pressure Story.  Even without knowing the history, this album is a treat simply for the aural pleasure provided by these stellar digital roots and dub tracks.  The production is crisp and the bass bottomless.  But I think you'll appreciate the collection even more when you realize that these tracks have been hotly sought for some time, and have never before been so available.

The tracks on the Sound 'n' Pressure Story emerged from the digital dub movement in Britain that began in the late '80s.  The instigator was DJ Anthony Cummins (also credited as TC Bassman, Tony C and TC Montana), joined by friends and reggae fans Mark Evans (Suffurah) Adam Holden (Fish) and Hamish Brown (All Nation Rocker).  They released four 12" singles, and had a fifth ready to go when the project ground to a halt due to lack of funds and other distractions.

This compilation includes all the finished tracks from the label, the dub plate "No Man Curse" and its dub version, and a song Tony wrote for a movie soundtrack -- "Theme From 'Move The Posts'".  All the tracks have been remastered and the sound quality is superb.   I've included a few of my favorite tracks to provide you with a sample of the quality.  You also can stream the album at the Bandcamp link below.  As I've written before about Reggae Archive Records, they have great taste and provide excellent music that you just cannot find elsewhere.  It doesn't matter whether you had been familiar with this period of UK reggae, if you like dub roots reggae, this compilation is essential.









The album was released on March 11, 2013 in CD, vinyl and digital formats by Reggae Archive Records.  Use either of the links below.

Bandcamp
Reggae Archive Records

REVIEW: Black Roots - On the Ground Dub

If one truly loves reggae, and I do, one cannot ignore the genre's development outside Jamaica.  In particular, the Caribbean diaspora to the UK resulted in a thriving reggae scene, spawning lovers rock stars, influencing rock bands (e.g. The Clash), providing a touring outlet for traveling Jamaican artists, influencing the two-tone ska movement, and nurturing a number of very good UK-grown roots bands.  Among the latter is Bristol's Black Roots.  Formed in the early '80s, it was a true band (multiple vocalists, keys, guitars, bass, dual percussionists) rather than a vocal group backed by hired instrumentalists.  While the band enjoyed a fair amount of success in the UK, until recently they had gone two decades without releasing new music.  In September 2012, Black Roots released a very good roots album of new material, On the Ground, on Mike Darby's Sugar Shack Records and Nubian Records.  Now, Sugar Shack and Nubian have released a dub version of 15 of the 17 tracks from the September album -- On the Ground In Dub.

The best dub is more than an engineer's art.  If the original material lacks the melody, rhythm, and vocal hooks, even the best dub master will risk turning out something that resembles a science project gone wrong -- all bells and whistles and no soul.  But there is no such danger here, as On the Ground not only is a fine album, but it contains the elements needed to create a dub version.  Stage two, the work of the engineer, is top notch in this case.  At the hands of Louis Becket working at J & J Studio in Bristol, the bass pulses, the horns punctuate the rhythm, and the vocals ghost in and out.  Moreover, Becket is to be lauded for his restraint. In stripping down the original material and building the dub, he was sufficiently confident in his choices that he didn't drown the final tracks in excessive effects (and leaves me with the intent to check out other work by Louis).  The result is vibrant, breathing dub, and deserves the attention of anyone who enjoys reggae.  And to pick out a song for which I don't have a stream to share with you, "Oh Mama Africa Dub" is pure joy.






Black Roots is Jabulani Ngozi (guitar), Kondwani Ngozi (congas/vocals), Carlton Smith (vocals), Errol Brown (vocals), Cordell Francis (guitar) and Charles Bryan aka Delroy Ogilvie (vocals).

Black Roots website
Black Roots on Facebook
Bandcamp for album
Sugar Shack Records

REVIEW: The Lions - This Generation

The Lions are an LA-based reggae outfit featuring 18 members and five vocalists, among them Robbie Shakespeare's cousin Black Shakespeare. It's an assembly of great musicians who share, in addition to their obvious talent, a deep reverence for roots and dub reggae - the kind of stuff that keeps you searching through the used record bins in the hope of finding one more Scratch Perry or King Tubby record that's new to you, that you've never heard before - because they just don't make that stuff anymore, right?

Well, good news. Somebody makes that stuff now. And we have the fine people at Stones Throw to thank for the Lions' latest album, This Generation. It's got all the ingredients: deep rhythms, scratch guitar, horns and extremely soulful vocals. On the song "Revelations", Black Shakespeare takes the lead, and the harmony vocals are stellar. And the extended horn section on "New Girl" (featuring James King) is delightful... but keeping in mind that all good reggae starts with a solid drum and bass underpinning, that's the element that makes this such a good record.

To get you started, here's a soundcheck video:




Being an American band, the Lions aren't simply replicating the dub sounds of the 70's - such a thing might be impossible outside of Jamaica anyway - and it's on songs like "Pieces of a Man" where the influences of American soul music show through - and highlight the specific talent of this band. In lesser hands, an attempted melding of Philly falsetto soul and reggae might just fall flat - here, it shows the best of both worlds. And have you ever wondered what a reggae version of "Jamie's Cryin'" might sound like? Well, for starters, it's heavy on the vocal harmonies.

Here's the video for the title track - a timeless reggae song:



Here's a deep dub cut, "Padre Ichiro":



And here's the dub of the title cut:



It was released Feb. 18, and you can listen and buy at Stones Throw.

Midnight World Pop Scout-32: Models Can't Fuck; Mozam Beaks; Lo-Fi-Fnk

The edition of the Midnight World Pop Scout features its first ever Hungarian representative, as well as artists from Boise, Idaho and Sweden. Remember, it always is midnight somewhere.


The poetically named Models Can’t Fuck is the project of Hungarian Árpi Szarvasis. Despite the somewhat in-your-face stage name, the music is very good gentle dream pop/shoegaze. The September release, Move to Iceland (EP), provided below is available for free download.


"Ghost Kid" is a track from December 2010:



Bandcamp



Mozam Beaks is a Boise artist producing a dub/electronic music with a psychedelic, surfy feel. I think it's great for relaxing on a Saturday night with a good beverage or two. The following recording was released on June 4, 2011:
Cremé de la Kremlin


Bandcamp
Label



Lo-Fi-Fnk are Leo Drougge and August Hellsing (plus Link Drougge when performing live) a Stockholm, Sweden group that plays well-constructed, polished, synth-based pop music. Their album This Summer was released this year. "Kissing Tate", "Last Summer and "Shut the World Out" are three of the tracks from the album:




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Soundcloud
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