It’s that time of year again and the LP Blog is off gallivanting for a week as of tomorrow, so today is a special treat! Not just one song of the day, but FIVE!! Yes, here are five lovely tracks to keep you going whilst I’m away!! See you on the 9th July!
1) LAUCAN – “MOLTEN SILVER”
First up is a gorgeous new track from Lewes-raised newcomer, Laurence Galpin (aka Laucan). Amongst the many enchanting qualities that this new artist possesses, what really stands out to me is the ability he has to captivate with such little effort. His sound is gentle and subtle, yet very potent and this pours out in his music. I’ve featured Laucan several times since I first came across him in November last year and you can read and listen to plenty more of this new artist:here, here, here and here.
His latest offering is the graceful delights of Molten Silver, a track which really showcases his lustrous vocal qualities and gorgeous songwriting skills. This song is to appear on his forthcoming debut album FramesPerSecond which is due on the 21st of next month. Listen above.
Meanwhile, if you want to hear more, Laucan’s Up Tomorrow EP is now available and can be found here.
2) BACAO RHYTHM & STEEL BAND – “PIMP”
Anyone who knows this song will realise that this is a cover of 50 Cent’s 2003 track Pimp, which has more recently been gorgeously revamped re-released steel drum-stylie!! Performed by the mysterious German band Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band, their version of this song appears on their debut album, ‘55′ which was released last year via the Brooklyn-based indie label, Big Crown Records.
The album came about after band leader Bjorn Wagner spent a few months in Trindad & Tobago where he became fascinated with Steel Drums. His initial intrigue with local steel pan music culture led him to learning the instrument both through help of local players and on his own. After he became proficient on the pans Bjorn had his own instrument built from a used oil barrel by legendary pan man Louis C. Smith. Upon returning home to Germany, Bjorn set out to blend the Tropical Steel into his already sharply honed Funk, Soul, and Hip Hop sensibilities..and the sweet-sounding result can be heard above!
Interesting fact: This cover of 50 Cent’s hit PIMP took the DJ and vinyl collecting communities by storm and many people thought the recording was the original sample (and probably still do to this day when it is played!)
3) SIV JAKOBSEN – “SHALLOW DIGGER”
Norwegian indie-folk artist Siv Jakobsen has a haunting sound, one that encapsulates many of the things that I love and look for when it comes to folk. New single Shallow Digger demonstrates this perfectly and is due for release tomorrow. In an interview with NPR Music , Siv had this to say of the song:
“It’s very different — it’s intense and loud and brooding, and just sort of came out. It surprised me lyrically, I didn’t quite understand what it was about until I wrote down the words that had come out — but they made sense, even still. It’s as if it was written by my subconscious, this slowly brooding tale that touches on being shallow, selfish and, ultimately, human. The song was a sort of epiphany for me, realizing that although I am, and we are all, products of this massive world, we aren’t always the best at taking care of it. It came from feeling shallow and selfish and frustrated about that very fact.”
This latest single is to appear on Jakobsen’s forthcoming album The Nordic Mellow, which follows her 2015 EP The Lingering and is due for release on August 25th. Read more and pre-order your copy of this here.
4) RESTLESS LEG SYNDROME – “ROOTED”
Austrian hip-hop team Restless Leg Syndrome came to my attention with their smashing track Here For Good, which I featured earlier this month. Since then the trio have released their new album Rooted, and its title track is the song I am featuring today! To discover more, click on my link above and if you like, order your copy from here.
5) VIEUX FARKA TOURE – SAMBA SI KAIRI (Live on KEXP)
A couple of weeks ago I was fortunate enough to see Vieux Farka Touré live and I am still completely enchanted by his performance…and probably will be for many years to come! I love this band and if you get chance to see them live, I can’t recommend it enough! Check out my page on Vieux Farka Touré here and listen/purchase his new album Samba from here.
I hope that you all enjoy this delightful selection of songs?! I’m already looking forward to sharing lots more when I return on the 8th July!! 🙂
thelisteningpostblog.wordpress.com 