Stateless- Matilda

I will keep this brief because honestly, i do not know enough about these guys to go into any certain detail besides having a vague understanding of the group for about half a year. Metaghost mentioned them to me, having heard of them from either Gav Castleton or Wallpaper (i think), and showed me a few tunes after he had given the album a thorough listening-to himself. His recent mixes have included Stateless tracks, and after seeing yet another song of theirs among the tracks of his latest mix, it finally hit me to put down some dollars on the iTunes stores and pick up Matilda, their 2011 release. I have only heard it through once, but what has struck me is how coherent it is as a whole. It flows really well, which is something i have appreciated after digesting Dark Side of the Moon, bombed out and alone in a dark room, as a teenager. My favorite artists usually share that trait, and I always love finding a new album that flows as though not only did deep thought go into each song, but also how they relate to and blend into the others.

Ariel is track 2 off Matilda. Its spanish intro guitar lick, and the electronics that enter and sustain after the first chorus lay a nice foreground to the sparse, glitchy drums and dreamy music box ambient synths. And mentioning dudemans voice is not necessary; he carries the album with great melodies and the harmonies to back them up. Check it:



You can pick up Matilda here at the ninja tune website, or pick it up on the iTunes store.

metaghostin' Vol. IX - If I saw double once, then again.

If I saw double once, then again. - 43' 26"
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Side A - What's cooler:

1. The Microphones - "Here With Summer" / Don't Wake Me Up (1999)
2. The Weeknd - "The Birds (Pt. 1)" / Thursday (2011)
3. RX Bandits - "White Lies" / Mandala (2009)
4. Penpal - "Bed Bugs" / Postscript EP (2011)
5. Genesis - "Chamber of 32 Doors" / The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (1974)

 Side B - An Eclipse or a Syzygy?

1. TV on the Radio - "Playhouses" / Return to Cookie Mountain (2006)
2. Stateless - "Visions" / Matilda (2011)
3. Gavin Castleton - "Swim Good (Frank Ocean x Portishead Mashup/Cover)
4. Mister Metaphor - "The Sunset Song" / This Is How the Day Goes (20XX)
5. noumenon - "Pimpin' Zenith (Pt. 2)" / Split 7" with Rooftops (2009)

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Don't you guys hate when albums are shoddily sequenced? I know people mostly just be listening to their tunes with complete disregard to context, but goddamn do I get salty when I put on a record and things just be arbitrarily jammed together like a motherfucker ain't never eaten a PB & J sandwich. I used to buy Mars Volta LPs, and the first thing I would do is rip it and re-sequence, because those dudes are basically retarded and put their ballads next to their helicopter sound effects.

metaghostin' Vol. 3 - Always Late, Then Never

Always Late, Then Never - 57:40
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So this mix is supposed to serve as counterpoint to a previous mix I posted on my other blog (Sold at the Sign of a Gun) that was dedicated to idea of the terrible break-up. Here we have a tale of enduring love, whether that's a love of God, love of Adventure, or just your everyday love, one that might move away and then return on a rainy day. Hopefully it brings some better vibes than the last one.
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1. "Acknowledgment" - John Coltrane / A Love Supreme (1964)

Da-dum da-dum / da-dum da-dum

This record is responsible for really changing my perspective on Jazz music, the first time I really had my soul moved, instead of just passively boppin' along. And it's not just one master blowing his sax, that whole crew was buckwild, and even today I'd say McCoy Tyner defines what I consider to be the sound of "Jazz" chord, that sound of P4 triads.

2. "Hardwood Floors" - Facing New York / Get Hot (2008)

This record is one of these things that straddles so many intersections of styles without really committing to a tangible style, resulting in what is definitely a "grower", chock full of hooks and grooves and dope subtleties and random little one-liners. All of us here at Plenty of Swords are heavy into the whole steez of Eric Frederic, aka Wallpaper, so it should be no surprise to see us talk about FNY etc....

3. "P.Y.T." - Michael Jackson / Thriller ( 1982)

I know lawyers gonna jack this mix because of this track, so fuck yo face up and get it while you can.

4. "Warpaint" - Gavin Castleton / Home (2008)

I talked about dude's band Grüvis Malt in a previous mix, so I'mma try to keep this brief. Guy is so nasty that he can make crazy prog-pop records full of retarded zombie metaphors that are still ridiculous touching in a "yo, this is some true emotion I'm feeling but I thought I was a robot whaddupwitdat?" and then you hear his songs in a mall and it doesn't even confuse you even though it should.

5. "Wayfarer" - Kayo Dot / Choirs of the Eye (2003)

Beautiful wandering sounds.

6. "Everything Must Go" - Foreign Exchange / Authenticity (2010)

The title track of this album is what inspired the initial break-up mix, as I just couldn't figure out how to fit it into any other style of mix. Though this track isn't especially indicative of the content of that record, it functions similarly within the context of the album and this mix, as palate-cleanser, slight pop-number, and emotional reset button.

7. "Ariel" - Stateless / Matilda (2011)

I was telling acerola about how addicted I was to this recent release, so I figure I should sneak a track in somewhere. I first heard of the band because some work they did with the previously mentioned Gavin Castleton. At the time, I didn't really think much of them, as that very British bippity-bop electro-pop type stuff indebted to Portishead or whoever just isn't what I was feeling and still don't. But here they've beefed up their sound, embracing all this super low-end club-fuzz and glitchy crackle and other production tweakage, while keeping things packaged into very concise pop structures highlighted by great vocals. Apparently they worked with a Bjork-affiliated producer, and it definitely has an aura of Vespertine to it.

8. "Watching You Watching Me" - Kate Bush / Hounds of Love (1985)

Sometimes this song is unspeakably creepy.

9. "Creature Fear / Team" - Bon Iver / For Emma, Forever Ago (2007)

Mumble mumble mumble.

10. "Lover, You Should Have Come Over" - Jeff Buckley / Grace (1994)

One of the best love songs ever.

11. "Cicada Sing the Galaxy" - Natsumen (2005)