Is it grime? Is it dubstep? Is it post-dubstep? Is it funky? Is it Burial? Don’t ask us to decide nor really care. But Fantastic Mr. Fox’s Evelyn EP boasts (or maybe hushes out) some of the smoothest tones of 2010. “Over” is our choice track from a strong 4-song EP. There are vague R&B and soul influences that serve to warm and simmer the mix, breathe into it, and serve as rudiments, support for the caterwauls of space jam synths and pitched up drum pops.
Fantastic Mr Fox – OverRating: 8
OMG! The xx beatmaker goes in on the Adele song of the year candidate. So legit. CDQ soon.
Adele – Rolling in the Deep (Jamie Xx Remix) (Radio Rip) via Keshia BeeAdele Purchase / Info
Jamie Xx Purchase / Info
rating: 8.4
Christina Aguilera has arguably the best pipes in the business. Nary the (at least memorable) rap feature she’s done up to this point in her career. But wow what a turn, she sounds phenomenal here on the hook for “Castle Walls”. T.I. too sounds pretty phenomenal, rhyming here over what amounts to the best or at least most commercial hip hop radio friendly track so far from No Mercy. Christina, girl, get at us. We want to write you songs. We’ve got ideas. Tons of ‘em. We’re talking Album of the Year type shit. It’d be awesome! Call us!
T.I. – Castle Walls (Feat. Christina Aguilera)Rating: 8.2
Big tune here from Irish trio Funeral Suits. We heard “Colour Fader” on Zane Lowe’s show the other night, and wow, what a song. There are obvious influences here, MGMT, Temper Trap, (as cited by Zane himself) Blur, Smiths (Dudes are working with the Stephen Street! The bloke who produced Parklife!), but what a super exciting mix of sounds. And it sounds different! And from a new band! Love it. Can’t wait to see what more is in store from these guys.
Funeral Suits – Colour FaderRating: 8.5
Skinner’s back, and this time it’s personal! After recently dropping a few opening salvos via twitter, Skinner let loose yesterday on the first single from dude’s supposedly last LP. (We’re calling bullshit.) Have to say, at least musically, this song is a bit unexpected. Not like that really matters. But the guitar backed track sounds fucking great anyway. Skinner, himself, sounds at the top of his game. Flowing seemingly effortlessly on the track. He could do this in his sleep. Mike, Twitter us!
The Streets – Going Through Hell via Details of My LifeRating: 8.3
Gotta give it up to Chris Martin & co. “Christmas Lights” is great. It has all those components that make for good holiday music, feelings of nostalgia, feelings of warmth, and feelings of familiarity. “Christmas Lights” sounds familiar, probably cause it is, after all, Coldplay. “Christmas Lights” feels warm, it feels like a reminder. I put the tune on earlier for the first time, and I can’t front, I was skeptical I thought Coldplay doing a Christmas single, how many times shlocky will this end up being. But by the fifth or sixth listen (I had lost count), I was hooked. I was practically ready to trim the tree and all that by the end of the afternoon. Check it below.
Coldplay – Christmas Lights
Rating: 8.0
