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Feature: Tomorrow’s Sounds Today

Hello and welcome to another edition of Tomorrow’s Sounds Today, where, as always, our crack team at Spotisfaction have crossed palms with silver, tossed runes, followed black cats and polished crystal balls till our fingers were mere nubs to bring you the latest and greatest releases on the Spotify shelves.

Also I’m afraid I’d also like to have a little moan but best to get it out of the way before the good music! I’m not sure if this is a function of Spotify or their wrangling with the evils that are record executives (I have my suspicions but at the moment they are unproven), but a number of the newer releases I’ve been listening to recently are starting to have that growing trend of only including part of the full release. It can’t be my account as I’m currently running the full premium (mostly so I can listen on my iPad) so I can only assume its deliberate. My concern is that some bright spark at (x) records has decided that if we cant hear the full album on Spotify, we’ll rush to the nearest MP3 vendor or better still, the killer margin of a high street record store to buy their wares. Can I just say, if any of you are listening, no this won’t! It will make me more likely to look online for the rest of the album. Once I have made the decision to spend my hard earned on streaming services I am not buying your overpriced plastic discs! Recent articles have shown in some territories, Spotify makes more for the artist than regular sales, stop robbing us of half the album!

”¦. and breathe…

Onto the good stuff! This week we have a nice mix of genres for you. In the lead up to Christmas I’m sure we’ll start to see the compilations and seasonal albums ramp up, but for the moment we’re still getting normal releases thankfully!

UNKLE ”“ Where Did The Night Fall – Opinion appears to be divided as to whether the current releases by UNKLE are as good as their early work, personally I’m a fan of all their albums but I’m sure the debate could rage in the comments section :) This album was an easy choice for me following my slightly unhealthy repeated plays of one of its tracks, Follow Me Down which reminds me of early Sneaker Pimps. This record contains some great guess artists and a good range of subtle blending of styles which for me just create a really complete sound and a really solid record. To those new to the artist, there is nothing about this record that will disappoint, but to those fans of the old, I’ll leave you to make your own minds up!

Rumer ”“ Seasons Of My Soul ”“ Considering the amount of coverage and hype Rumer has had, its hard not to remember this is still her debut album. Countless comparisons to the likes of Karen Carpenter are easy enough to hear in both her voice and the tunes, but at the same time these comparisons feel a little lazy. One of two of the tracks certainly seem to have been written to show that style of vocal of which she’s more than capable of, but she also has enough range to be strong on her own and not just be seen as a clone of a former favourite of the collected consciousness. This album might feel safe to some but I see it as a great example of someone playing to their strengths. It’s a perfect sunny morning, coffee and danish, feel good about yourself record and I think there are days we all need that.

Jamiroquai ”“ Rock Dust Light Star ”“ A welcome return for the crazy-hatted Dance Funk petrol-head Jay Kay and friends. I’ve always held Jamiroquai as a party staple and found that if you fire up one of their albums, you’ll definitely get people dancing. Nothing has changed and they are still doing what they do best – making those booty shaking but soulful funky tunes, each track containing a little of that signature magic. They are also sufficiently varied enough so that you don’t feel short changed. There are the predictable disco funk singles through to the guitar focused tracks onto some slower more soulful chill-out grooves. Getting ready to hit the town or back in from the night out and having that late night lock-in… this album would easily cover both bases and more!

Elvis Costello ”“ National Ransom – What is there to say about musical institution and national treasure that is Elvis Costello? This record contains enough familiarity to his own personal style to appeal to followers of his work, but enough difference to stop him from being one of those long term artists that just appear to push out the same songs over and over again. He might lack the in your face political charge of artists such as Billy Bragg but there are some definite undercurrents running in this album for those of you who like to analyse things a little. A fantastic record that would fit in a number of moods and styles so don’t be shy on mixing it into your play queue.

Kurt Wagner & Cortney Tidwell present…KORT ”“ Invariable Heartache – When I first set this album up to play I really wasn’t sure what to expect from it. I was aware of Kurt Wagner in so much that I knew he was an American country singer but I knew more of Cortney Tidwell. Its not a genre of music I normally listen to much but with my moves of late into some of the folk/country crossover (artists like Lissie for example), I had heard some of Cortney’s work and I absolutely love her voice. This album may well challenge a number of views on the genre and it certainly represents some of the crossover/homogenisation occurring in music currently. I would challenge you all to listen to it and see what you think, I would hope like me you are pleasantly surprised.

As ever, all of the above works plus the usual sneaky hidden extras are included in the below playlist. Every week we also encourage you to leave feedback, thoughts and your own personal touches in the comments section below!

FEATURE: Tomorrows Sounds Today (1 Nov)

Peace, Love and Music
Battinski

James Battin

By James Battin

James is the little voice in Dave's ear but certainly not his conscience...

Contributor, Writer, Playlister and general loiterer in the background... I have ideas but often need to help in following them through!

I love the variety of music on offer out there and am often told off for subconciously beatboxing while working.

I'm a Cisco engineer by day and tired parent to 2 awesome children by night.

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