| BASE Album Club Picks One of our favorite stores in the world--super cool Miami store BASE--has hooked up this.hearts.on.fire. once again with their Album Club Picks. The picks are a very well-curated set of some of the sexiest, coolest music anywhere. I love it because it's so different from my usual taste and always introduces me to new artists that I would not have heard otherwise. You can listen to samples and buy each album by clicking on the links below. 10. BELVEDERE (BEADY BELLE) / The Scandinavian collective Beady Belle is a breath of fresh arctic air, gently and soulfully lulling you into their own jazzy kingdom. 9. WORKING NIGHTS (TRUS'ME) / Manchester native Trus'Me takes old soul and funk records, loops them up, adds drums and his own instrumentals, and voila, you have a new sound mixed from the old, eyeing the warmth and communal spirit of disco through a 21st Century lens. 8. ALL IS WELL (SAMAMIDON) / Vermont folkie Samamidan has been compared to Nick Drake, and with his soft, wistful vocal stylings and somber, introspective choices in material, the comparison is well justified. 7. JAZZ IS THE GRASS I CUT (JAZZBOX) / By fusing jazz and dance rhythms with electronic music and adding pulsating electronic grooves, Danish DJ and remixer Per Ebdrup, the force behind Jazzbox, has reenergized the classic form and infused it with an energy rarely seen before. 6. NICOLA CONTE PRESENTS VIAGEM / Acid-jazz innovator Nicola Conte, purveyor of laid-back and cool musical vibes has put together some of the finest classic bossa-nova and samba around, in order to celebrate the 50th anniversary of this groundbreaking musical form. 5. SEA LION (THE RUBY SUNS) / The term "sunny psych-pop" has been used to describe the The Ruby Suns, in which songs about suns, birds and love, along with a happy positivity missing from most music, reflect the indie stylings of this band from New Zealand. 4. URSULA 1000 / Ursula 1000, aka Alex Gimeno, renowned worldwide for his mixes using breaks, bossa nova, electro, Latin, and big beat, has handed the reins over to the likes of Ladytron, All Good Funk Alliance, and Fort Knox Five, who bring reggae, funk, electro house and glam rock to Ursula's already interesting compositions. 3. SEVENTH TREE (GOLDFRAPP) / Lush, trippy and surreal, with Alison Goldfrapp's ethereal vocals leading the way, this is a welcome return to Goldfrapp's earliest days and quite an outstanding Chillout album at that. 2. BRIGHTON TREATS WITH JAMAICAN BEATS / Brighton Treats with Jamaican Beats is Tru Thoughts label founder Robert Luis showcasing his musical mastery with a unique mix of his favorite dub and ska mixed with broken beat, drum n bass, and hip hop from the past few decades. 1. THE MANDE VARIATIONS (TOUMANI DIABATE) / Toumani Diabate's first solo album on the kora (which is a traditional West African 21-string instrument), is untouched by any electronic dubs or accompaniment, resulting in a minimal, spare, and gorgeously transcendent trip to Diabte's Malian homeland. |