Lux Aeterna...

Lux Aeterna, the orchestral piece written for the film Requiem For A Dream by Clint Mansell and performed by the Kronos Quartet is an astonishingly powerful piece of music that has seeped into popular culture in a way that not many other modern compositions can lay claim to.

The use of Lux Aeterna has been widespread in recent years, from film soundtracks (Sunshine, Lord of The Rings) to TV shows (Charlie Brooker - check the brilliant aspirational TV rant, best line: "suburban coffee-slurping smugitude") and adverts.

In terms of head noddage it's right up there with the heaviest Neptunes beat and never fails to get me hyped. The Lord of The Rings remix in particular amps up the aggression and immediacy of the original version and makes me want to go Hooooooooooo!

Oh Fortuna, you have been replaced.

Clint Mansell - Lux Aeterna
Clint Mansell - Lux Aeterna (Full Orchestral Version)
Clint Mansell - Lux Aeterna (Lord of The Rings Remix)

This will only work if you've seen the film, but it's awesome nonetheless. Toy Story 2: Requiem

The Monday Chiller #12 - Tunng...

Tunng have a new album out August 20th. From it, here's 'King', a killer song containing a rambling grip of melodies combined with an ominous vocal delivery and the usual array of intriguing glitches and samples.

Tunng - King (Removed at the request of the Web Sheriff and Tunng. Buy the album!)

Pre-order 'Good Arrows' from Amazon.

The new single 'Bricks' will be released August 13th (my birthday) on Ltd Edition 7", featuring remixes from Dntel (aka Figurine / The Postal Service member Jimmy Tamborello) and Daedelus. Download it from Bleep.com on August 6th.

With this banger i thee wed...

Wamp Wamp! What it do what it do? That's right, Aidan of Certified Banger infamy and his girlfriend Bec have gotten themselves engaged.

What better excuse to post good songs with 'wedding' in the title than the impending nuptials of this lovely couple (ahh). Well, they only just got engaged, but no doubt when they actually do tie the knot there'll be another celebratory post (leaving out Billy Connolly's D.I.V.O.R.C.E. of C.O.U.R.S.E.)

I hope there are plans to walk down the aisle to the Number 1 song on the HHC Top 100!

Andre 3000 - Dracula's Wedding (ft. Kelis)

Radiohead - A Punchup at a Wedding

Queens of the Stone Age - White Wedding (Billy Idol)

Evan Dando - $1000 Wedding

Congrats bruv.

Shy Child...

...are fulfilling all my electro-dance-punk needs for the day. Go buy their album Noise Won't Stop, it's not too late to get on it.

Shy Child - Drop The Phone

They're touring the snowglobe at the mo, check the myspace for dates.

And is that a Hitcher t-shirt? You slaaaags.

None shall pass...

Yeah i'm a little late on this one but I just heard it on the radio and had to stick it up. This track from Aesop's new album makes me think that Aesop Rock and Crystal Castles need to work together.

Aesop Rock - None Shall Pass

Risk One...

Man talk about fingers in pies, seattle-based DJ, producer and all round party dude Risk One is bringing heat to my inbox via his refixes of JT, M.I.A. and The Cool Kids.

Risk One - My Patchy Love

M.I.A. - Bucky Done Gone (Risk One B'fix)

Cool Kids - Black Mags (Risk One B'fix)

Hit the myspace for more mash-up action and a couple of mixtapes that would even get Steve Hawking shaking his ass.

If you're in Seattle tomorrow night then make sure you get down the Last Supper Club for Risk One, Z-Trip, Aceyalone and Gift Of Gab! Someone get Mass Hysteria on the speakers and send me the video.

Risk also does bare residential spots and his own show 'The Leak' on X104 FM. Check it.

The Monday Chiller 11# - John Martyn...

Apparently when Beth Orton was at uni she spent most of her time getting high and listening to John Martyn's seminal 1973 album Solid Air. I can't argue with that. The title track, available below, is a tribute to John's friend Nick Drake, who was suffering from depression at the time. Heavy.

You've been taking your time
And you've been living on solid air
You've been walking the line
You've been living on solid air
Don't know what's going wrong inside
And I can tell you that it's hard to hide
When you're living on
Solid air

John Martyn - Solid Air

I Fink he's gonna be big...

Yeah bad pun but Fink is bringing the tunes and being helped along nicely by the latest UK Mastercard advert. You can stream his new single on the old myspace and download the tune below which is off his previous album Biscuits For Breakfast.

Fink - All Cried Out

He's a bit like John Martyn except not, but i'll probably do some JM on the next Monday Chiller so you can contrast and compare. Contrast, and compare.

It's Friday, yes it's Friday...

If music were an STD, here's what I picked up this week:

Iron and Wine - Boy With A Coin

New single from Mr Beam, I heard it on 6music as I was waking up this morning. If you only download one song from todays post, make it this one. (Though they're all immense)

Crystal Castles vs. HEALTH - Crimewave

From the Castles/HEALTH split 7", this is all over the tinternet but too good not to post.

Grizzly Bear - Knife (Girl Talk Remix)

Ow! The Knife vs. Wamp Wamp? It's a sure hit in Girl Talk's hands.

Hexstatic - Tokyo Traffic

Heavy

Rage Against The Machine - Killing In The Name Of (Mr Oizo Remix)

You know how the French are doing these days. This scuzz-fest goes beyond a remix and emerges an entirely different beast.

The Knife - One Hit (Crimp Yr Hair DJs Rmx)

My favourite artist being remixed by two of the slickest DJs abart? Good times.

To My Boy - Model

I hope To My Boy get more recogniton because this song can be filed under 'Great British Single'.

The Whip - Divebomb (Crystal Castles Remix)

Another CC track that sees the group seemingly unable to do wrong.

Enjoy the beats and the weekend.

Kings of Convenience / Feist...

Feist is deservedly blowing up all around the internet/radio/print world right now, so instead of posting the latest remixes from her album The Reminder i'm going for the guest spots she took on the Kings of Convenience 2004 album Riot On An Empty Street.

I wouldn't own the album were it not for a couple of guys I randomly met while working behind a bar at uni. One of them owned a bookstore and recommended the excellent Confederacy of Dunces, and the other told me about Riot. I'm not usually one for taking up the recommendations of strangers but these guys seemed pretty clued up so I took a chance, and both the album and the book remain two of my favourites.

It comes as no surprise that Feist's tracks are among the best on the LP, especially on The Build Up, her haunting voice coming out of nowhere with a melody that kills me everytime. (I didn't realise how much I was into singer-songwriter/folk music til I started this blog. Gotta get back to the beats!)

Kings of Convenience ft. Feist - Know How

Kings of Convenience ft. Feist - The Build Up

Ah go on then, here's the Chromeo remix of Sealion and a track from Feist's new album. Go Buy.

Feist - Sealion (Chromeo Remix)

Feist - I Feel It All

Hunting for Remixes...

The other night I went on a catch-up tour of some of my favourite blogs and ended up downloading about 80 songs, and that's only the stuff I liked the sound of. Working through them now it seems about 90% gold, and seeing as the new Bloc Party tune is a beast (even though two good songs does not a good album make) I couldn't resist posting a couple of remixes, cribbed from Missing Toof and Stereogum respectively.

Bloc Party - Hunting For Witches
Bloc Party - Hunting For Witches (Crystal Castles Remix)
Bloc Party - Hunting For Witches (RAC Remix)

Bonus Tunng material via Inkiostro:

Tunng - The Pioneers (Bloc Party)

The Monday Chiller 10# - Elbow...

Don't mix your drinks
Don't mix with him
It will kill you one day
Good advice, sound advice
Why can't you be
Like him, like me
Look what you could achieve

Elbow - Don't mix your drinks

Zentertainment '04 yeah?...

When Ninja Tune and Big Dada get together you know it aint gonna be your run o' the mill fare. Only the juiciest cuts will survive, and a selection of these can be found below, coming as they are from a 2004 label sampler that once again I have no idea how I came by.

If you're familiar with either label then you'll know what to expect: chilled out funky beats, abstract hip-hop, samples, lounge-jazz and all round downtempo randomness. I would love to post all 11 tracks from it but that might discourage you from actually buying the thing. The other 5 joints are beauties too though I promise.

Skalpel - 1958

Stabbing beats and horns on show on this uptempo scramble, described as Polish jazz trip-hop by some.

Blockhead - Insomniacs Olympics

Moody + Beats x distorted vocals / rolling with the homies = Insomniacs Olympics. Hooks you in from the first bars and holds court throughout.

cLOUDDEAD - Rifle Eyes (Fileden direct link)

Typically quick and impenetrable lyrics by Dose and Why? and production by Nosdam makes for a left-field hip-hop classic for those that are into it. Ambient noises and beats manage to off-set the fairly serious words on offer.

Jaga Jazzist - Day (Fileden direct link)

Ho! This one rocks my block indeed. Breaks-style electronica designed for August barbecues and driving about in your drop-top (a sunroof will suffice).

Wagon Christ - Saddic Gladdic

Wagon Christ aka Luke Vibert continues his take-over of the underground electronic/ambient/beats world with this total smoothie of a track laid out with a bouncing beat and tweaked out, playful synth loops that bring the summer vibe even though it's likely to be raining where you are (UK).

Infinite Livez - Worcestershire Sauce (Fileden direct link)

I only have this one Infinite Livez track to base all my opinions on so it's a good job the tune in question is a goofy off-the-wall banger in which Mr Livez spits rhymes about Cheese and Onion crisps (aka crips) and laughing cows. Big up the British sense of humour.

Could this be the baddest post on Eclectic Hermit so far? It's a contender.

For Super Extra Turbo Bonus material peep this king-hell of a video for the Coldcut and Hexstatic song Timber. Chainsaw solo anyone? Bong!


This can also be watched with your eyes on the Ninja Tune video retrospective available here, featuring more ermazing promos from the likes of Mr Scruff, Amon Tobin, Bonobo, DJ Vadim and Funky Porcini.

As you can see Fileden seems to be letting me upload again so from now on I shouldn't have to use the dreaded Z-Share. Woop and that.

Gypsy Punks Jump Up...

"In the old time it was not a crime!"--He shouted. "Since you were Judge you'll die alone in madhouse...," then turned into a rabbit and suddenly was gone... Then this whole fucking thing broke out with gypsy riffs and crazy dubbing... Soon Judges were all drunk, the women were complete, and children were chasing the naked one... So since then I believe him... for it was true: along with my mind a one jamaican siren it was missing from the Courthouse.

From a chronicle of cultural revolution.

Gogol Bordello - Not A Crime
Gogol Bordello - Immigrant Punk
Gogol Bordello - Oh No
Gogol Bordello - Start Wearing Purple

These tracks are taken from the last album Gypsy Punks: Underdog World Strike, available here.

You can stream the new album Super Taranta on myspace here or buy it here.

Catch them at this years Leeds/Reading festivals in the UK or see the myspace for world dates.

Great Lost Soundtracks - Godzilla...

Wow. This blog is really going off the rails. Or so it might seem to the casual observer. The Godzilla OST? Are you serious? Why yes, yes I am.

David Arnold - Opening Titles

This is some pretty epic stuff from the chap who scored the last four James Bond films. Maybe everyone was so gee'd up by the score that the film was kind of a letdown in comparison. Same goes for Godzilla.

Jamiroquai - Deeper Underground

Can it really be nine (9) years since Jamiroquai's last good song? Check the 50 second intro for lessons on how to build suspense. Ha.

Ben Folds Five - Air

What are the other four guys doing these days?

Greenday - Brain Stew (The Godzilla Remix)(!)

'Hmm, how can we shoehorn a popular pop-punk act into this soundtrack? I know! A godzilla remix!'

'Great! In what way shall we remix it oh exalted executive?'

'Hmm... let's keep it exactly the same except we can have Godzilla screeching throughout.'

'Great.'

You won't find this on Hype Machine. XXXclusive!

Video for Deeper Underground. This version is new to me. It's good to see Jay-Kay finding time for some hot-stepping and scatting while everyone else runs screaming for the exits. Fools. You're missing an intimate acoustic gig!

Misogynistic Saxophonegrime...

J.M. Davies aka Datassette/Datashat has robots on his mind. An English fellow with a penchant for Businesscore and Chris Morris, he creates tunes with computers under the heavy influence of the C64 SID Chip, so get to know it before the 80s goes out of fashion!

Thanks to Datassette's GenreRator for the post title, now on with the tunes.

Datashat - Young Folks (Peter, Bjorn and John)

This, along with the Kate Bush and Interpol remixes (see last post) is probably all you've heard of Davies' work unless you delved deeper.

Datasette - Breakfast

There aren't enough breakfast-based tunes out there.

Datassette - Science Pipe

For all you Crystal Castles lovers, lovely Nintenbeats.

Datassette - Till Next Time

What is this? Minimal IDM? Glitch-tronica? Cillit-Bang Wrongness? I don't know but it aint half a sweet beat.

Datassette - Making Plans For Nigel (XTC)

Stripped down vocoder beats take this late 70s classic in a new direction.

XTC performing Making Plans For Nigel on Top Of The Pops in 1979:

1) Is that first shot just Youtube jitter or a BBC effect?
2) TOTP is all about the mime.
3) Is the lead singer a robot?

Check this fine slice of Businessfunk, also viewable at the Datassette myspace:

Make sure you go to the official site for many more tunes, Businessfunk mixtapes, Fur-Q's Uzi Lover and other mighty randomness.

What I like about the Data projects is that the angle of approach always seems to be from the side or a sneaky manouver round the back. He manages to keep an air of irreverance and even comedy without losing any musical integrity, whatever that is. I'd urge you to buy his stuff but it seems that most of it's available for free. Three cheers for the Shat.

Next time i'll be looking at advanced French hip-hop. 'Till then, goodbye.

DATASSETTE.NET

The Monday Chiller #9 - Datasette does Interpol

It's been a lazy week here at Hermit Towers. On wednesday I drove up to Edinburgh for a few days of good eating and drinking with the family, and celebrated both my sister's graduation (congrats on the MA) and my Gran's birthday (congrats on making it to 86). As such i've been out of the blog loop for a bit, haven't read any blogs or downloaded any new music for a week or so. I've been using this time to consolidate the stuff that I have got, and a certain few tunes have really come into the category of What Feels Right in terms of what i'm into these days. Over the next week then i'll be playing catch-up with music that I think needs to be shared and trying not to post stuff that's already all over the interweb. After this post, that is.

Interpol - Untitled (Datasette version)

Still haven't worked out which Datasette stuff needs to be posted after I found a good 30 or so free tracks on his website, but this will most definitely do for now. One of those tracks that makes you skip back to the start because you get so into the vibe of the song.

Check out Rest My Chemistry and Mammoth especially off the new Interpol album available here.

Indie catch-up - The Cribs

I've not been paying much attention to the happenings in the Indie world lately but The Cribs recent single Mens Need's did cross my radar and is a total singalong classic. They're from Wakefield too, always good to see Yorkshire bands making it into the mainstream.

The Cribs - Men's Needs

The album Men's Needs, Women's Needs, Whatever is available now from all good online/physical record stores.

Here they are performing I'm A Realist on Jools Holland:

Come on, who can, who can, can hear the bass drum?...

I heard this on Radio 1 last night and extended my drive home so i could listen to the whole thing, dancing like a loon in my car all the way. Any tune that makes you go mental everytime you hear it even though it's over a decade old is worth a post.

Prodigy - No Good (Start the Dance)

Thanks to Manalogue who I cribbed this from, check out his blog for Techno goodness.

The Monday Chiller 8# - Scrotum Ear Lobe

Oh man, what began as a simple Monday Chiller post about one Datasette song has snowballed into a mountain of information and music that i can't possibly tackle in this post alone. Therefore i'll find a replacement track for today and try to get to grips with this can of worms tomorrow.

All i'll say at this point is that Datassette is my new favourite artist, simply because of this description of his track Eggs of Length:

'A short blast of egg-based nonsense'

Well, there are other reasons I like him too but that is one of the best. Anyone not tantalised by this eggy promise should look elsewhere for musical nourishment.

Here's the song then, Scrotum Ear Lobe by Lucky and Easy, from the album I Would Do Anything For A Dairylea. I have no idea where I got it but it's been on my computer for years and I just remember loving the name, the fact that the tune is good is a bonus. There's nothing like some nice downtempo electronica reminiscent of AFX to ease you into the week.

Lucky and Easy - Scrotum Ear Lobe

I've inspired myself to start creating a post of songs with great names like the two mentioned above, but i'll probably forget by the time i've finished this. Got any suggestions?

Oh yeah and this is my 50th post! Thanks to everyone who visits the site, has linked to me, commented and whatnot. Big up especially to Aidan of Certified Banger who inspired me to start. Here's to the century.