Certified Banger...

All wheat, no chuffin' chaff!

4 weeks of terrible sound later I finally realise there's a subwoofer under the PC desk and that some afflicted fool had turned it to full treble, no bass. I had been living a bass-less life and can't tell you how good it is to hear deep, rich, rounded sounds again. So to celebrate this new found vibration i'm posting the best of the Certified Banger mixtapes, currently up to volume 3 and mashed together in a novice-like way by me. Keeping it eclectic as always, there are new songs, remixes and much randomitry throughout, but every tune is an absolute Banger. Warning: Be careful to stretch before listening as your body may be subject to involuntary jerking.

MP3: Knightlife - Ambopop

Yes it was posted not too long ago but it's the perfect track to kick off with. Australians are rocking da haus right now man. 3:24 on the clock is the musical equivalent of orgasm. Absolute monster.

MP3: The Knife - We Share Our Mother's Health (Live at Gothenburg)

Best album of 2006 for me and soon to release a live DVD along with all sorts of bonus shiznit, this track is from that DVD and contains an intro that blows me away everytime and makes me feel like Howard Moon. 'Yow, feel that bass'.

MP3: Klaxons - The Bouncer (South Central Bootleg)

I have the original of this on Hits '92, man what great taste for an 8 year old! The double CD contains other classics such as The Prodigy - Everybody In The Place, The Shamen - Ebeneezer Goode, SL2 - On A Ragga Tip and Undercover - Baker Street (feel that Sax). However it also contains monstrosities like Right Said Fred - Deeply Dippy and Simply Red - For Your Babies. Not all good in the hood then but near enough. Anyway, Klaxons have bang updated Kicks Like A Mule's song and brought it screaming into the new century. Yer name's not down yer not comin in.

MP3: Arctic Monkeys - This House Is A Circus

Best track i've heard off the new album and if it ever gets released i'll grow to hate it, but for now it's pretty sick. Hope the web sheriff doesn't get all high-noon on my ass. I like the band when they're being fast and loud and this certainly fits the bill. Full of witty lyricisms blah blah blah... go read somewhere else for reviews.

MP3: Kano - Layer Cake

Nice samplage from otherwise poor film Layer Cake. Kano takes this notion of social standing and turns it into the soundtrack for a futuristic film that never got made. Downbeat, Grimy and full of references to making it to the top, Kano sounds angry at a British industry in which he can't see a way through and can 'never sell more than a indie band'.

MP3: Wu-Tang Clan - Aint nuthin' to fuck with (Bird Peterson Remix)

Another YOW! for the Wu which i got from Missing Toof. Not much to say except that it starts hard and gets harder. I wouldn't fuck with Bird Peterson after listening to this. Tiger style.

MP3: Kanye West - Diamonds (Ratatat Remix)

I don't like Kanye West as a rule. I don't identify with the dude and don't really care that he got his face mashed in and learned to rap again (take note Mr Cent). However, I do like Ratatat and this version of Diamonds. Realising when to back off the beat and when to bring it right back with all 43 flavours, it seems Ratatat can do now wrong right now.

MP3: Cocorosie - Noah's Ark

Not a banger in any traditional sense (is there a traditional banger?), this was on in the background while i was working yesterday but after a couple of minutes i realised i was just staring out of the window listening to the song and drifting off into daydream. It could do with a less insipid beat but all the hooks and melodies are there in abundance. Someone described the video to this track as: Gwen Stefani + Way more drugs = Cororosie.

MP3: Justice - Waters of Nazareth

Wait... isn't this the tune that started to break Justice? Then how have they gone from this to the bag-o-shite D.A.N.C.E.? Shocking. Thankfully this one is still a beast.

MP3: The Faint - Posed to Death

I can't decide if The Faint are pretentious as hell or just make quality tunes dripping in beats and melody. Either way, listen and pose away.

MP3: Ratatat - Wildcat

A lot of songs are reminding me of Summer recently and this is no exception. Perfect for cruising about in yer whip, the cat sample may have sounded wack in less capable hands but the Tat crew pull it off nicely. Chilling and indeed Distilling.

MP3: Product 01. - Heart Ov Glass (Original Mix)

Electroclash eh? Sounds gay but then all new mashed-up genre titles do these days. Forget what it's pigeonholed into and float away on synths, beats and Debbie Harry's supoib vocals.

MP3: Bloc Party - The Prayer (Hadouken Remix)

I'll admit, I was a fan of the Bloc Party when their debut album dropped, their spiky brand of pop was pretty exciting at the time and tracks like 'Helicopter' and 'The Price of Gasoline' were damn good, but i should have seen the warning signs. 'The Bluest Line' and 'Luno' were morose, boring songs but i put that down to the fact that it's near impossible to like every track on an album, but it turns out that Bloc Party's newest offering is just as morose and wank as the these two aforementioned tracks. And 'Another Weekend In The City', the album of b-sides? Argh i wanted to strangle myself with a fork. The Prayer was the only glimmer that The Party could produce something half decent but even that turned out to be Kele singing about getting divine power and using it to pull girls. Fairplay though when your head is as comically-mishapen as his. Anyway, Hadouken have managed to salvage something from the wreckage and bring their tales of drugs, parties and dance to the mix to create something pretty smart. Whodathunkit.

MP3: Venetian Snares - Szamar Madar

What if, for just a day, we could both be pigeons?

Aaron is bringing the Funk on this one. This post couldn't have ended on a much higher note than this cut taken from Snares' 2005 album 'Rossz Csillag Alatt Szuletett' (damnit I wanted to include it in the best of 2006). An album of love songs and grief songs, Szamar Madar would be the standout track if it weren't for the quality of the rest of the album, which ranges from jaw-droppingly immense to brown-trouseringly awesome. Haha maybe that's a bit much but yeah the album is a banger from start to fin.

The track begins with shrieking horns and ominous strings, building your expectations before busting out into some amazing breakcore which then precedes to break out AGAIN into a full orchestral melange of beats and a haunting melodic motif that makes you want to skip back to the start and ride the rollercoaster all over again. Bang.

If that wasn't enough then your appetite for tunes is unsatiable and I suggest you check out some of the links on the right to other time sensitive scribblings.

Or go here.

Okay I thought it was funny.