Listen to Massive Attack and Burial‘s collaboration “4 Walls” below.

No, you’re not seeing things, this IS a collaboration between Massive Attack and Burial. Yes, THAT Massive Attack.  Yes, THAT Burial.  It’s ok, it completely took me by surprise too, but holy crap is this good.

Being released as a surprise limited edition 12″ it’s got some sexy packaging too, however the vinyl will set you back £25 ($39) (although it will come  in a gold glitter screen-printed sleeve designed by the main dude in Massive Attack Robert “3D” Del Naja, hand-numbered, and pressed on 180gram heavyweight vinyl),  but just based on the title track alone it’s more than worth it.

This collab has been rumoured and speculated for a long, but now it’s finally here. Two pioneers of U.K. Electronic music brought their A-Game with this track, a 12-minute, mournful, wet, dank take on a shitty winter to come. The b-side “Paradise Circus” is a reworking of a Massive Attack track from 2010′s “Heligoland”.  Burial seems to be focusing on working with other artists as of late as opposed to doing new stuff on his own, such as his collaboration with Radiohead‘s Thom Yorke and Four Tet on “Mirror” and “Ego”.

Listen to “4 Walls” below and buy the 12″ here. There are only 1,000 of them being pressed so be quick about it.

When I first heard the single “Close Your Eyes” by The Bullitts I knew I had to hear it again.

I listened the song over and over and over again, ’til I was bobbing my head and singing along. The single’s hypnotic opening monologue, repeated throughout like a mantra, ebbing perfectly with the beat; the undercurrent of the soft female voice of Lucy Liu (yes, that’s that Lucy Liu’s breathy recitation) opens you up to the soulful falsetto of Danny Defreitas, and you’re all in, ready for whatever else will happen by the time Jay Electronica‘s (who has worked with the likes of Jay-Z, Erykah Badu and J Dilla, among others–check out his take on Jon Brion’s “Eternal Sunshine” score) puts the icing on the cake.

The group has an air of mystery, with members being fairly high profile individuals, yet little has been publicized about this unique collaboration; the aforementioned album “They Die By Dawn…” has been forthcoming for a long time with no clear release date; even getting a band photo has been a goose chase, hence the veiled album art above.

What is known is producer and writer Jeymes Samuel seems to be largely behind the operation. The album “They Die By Dawn & Other Short Stories”  is said to have collaborations with more major players such as Mos Def. The permanent members of the group seem to be guitarist and vocalist Noel F. Whelan, guitarist Stevie V., bassist Stevie J. and drummer Mick Hefferon.

I don’t think I’ve come across a collaboration like this since getting into Massive Attack. Though the two couldn’t be more different, the blending of genres and engenue of guest vocalists is very alluring in both cases. “Those Silly Names” is another song that evokes this notion. A ballad, it reveals more of the spectrum this group is capable of, the percussion touching elements of trip-hop, even. And on songs like “Run & Hide,” which also features Jay Electronica, so many small pieces come together to make an effortless sound. This group has surprised me many times with how the very different elements of music can work with each other, i.e. spoken word, falsetto singing, rapping, ethereal synths and bassy beats.

“I knew there was more before there was nothing,” Liu repeats over and over in “Close Your Eyes”. For The Bullitts, this is something being proven true, as they take hip hop and make it sound new, showing me again that pop music can still be interesting and good.

Connect with The Bullitts – The Bullitts | Soundcloud | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube

The Bullitts – ”Those Silly Names”
Jay Electronica & The Bullitts – ”Run & Hide”
The Bullitts – ”Weirdo”

THE BULLITTS- Close Your Eyes (feat Jay Electronica and Lucy Liu) by Anorak London

I’m not hugely knowledgeable about Belarus, if I’m honest. I know a bit about the Bielski Partisans (of Defiance fame). I know it has one of the largest chunks of primeval woodland left in Europe: the Bialowieza Forest. That’s about it, really. Of course, this being a music blog and not, say, a Lonely Planet web portal, you’d probably like to hear about Belarusian music rather than history or geography. Good news on that front.

Phil Gloire - Philip Zhybin to his parents – is a twenty-year-old who’s been making music for four years now. “Making” in the sense that he plays piano, guitar, drums, horns, synthesisers, and so on; sings; records; mixes; and masters everything himself. Also, he still has time to handle the PR side of things personally. As he puts it, he’s “independent”. You could say that.

He’s a man with a love-hate relationship with spaces: track titles from his debut album “Augustdelirium” include “Runawaybeforeidie”, “Talesfortheprisoners”, “Dissolveindivinity” … you get the point. But while he might not be fond of gaps between words, he certainly knows how to deploy them musically. The temptation for a lot of new artists is to throw all they can at a track – it can work at times, but think “less is more”. Phil does. Selective instrumentation, tight arrangements and a healthy dose of side-chaining all make for a record that really breathes.

NB – I’m not saying he doesn’t also know how to cut loose. Far from it. Mr Gloire is a man with a knack for moving between tempos and moods seamlessly and rather stylishly. Stand-out track “Talesfortheprisoners” is a case in point. I’m not sure whether it’s hats or rim-shots or something else entirely that he sends dancing about your head in the opening, but whatever it is it sure makes things spacious. And yet somehow, by the end, we’re in full-on Ratatat mode with swooping synths and thumping bass drums, and at no point along the way did anything jar. My favourite moment is at 2:44, where he gives you a sneaky little peek at what’s about to drop. It’s very Digitalism, and I like that.

Phil’s influences include the likes of Boards Of Canada, Radiohead, Björk and Godspeed You! Black Emperor, as well as a whole bunch of Romantic and Impressionist classical. All of those are certainly fair calls. Personally, I heard a bit of Maps and M83 - especially in the vocals – and “Sirenscantcry” has a definite vibe of Massive Attack‘s “Angel”. There’s maybe even a hint of St Petersburg’s Half Dub Theory. You could call it gothic glitch-hop meets alt-rock.

The next album is tentatively scheduled for later this year, but in the meantime you can check out a few of the highlights below. Plus, you now know more about Belarus. Win.

Connect with Phil Gloire – Facebook | Soundcloud | PureVolume | MySpace | Last.fm

Phil Gloire – ”Augustdelirium”
Phil Gloire – ”Runawaybeforeidie”
Phil Gloire – ”Talesfortheprisoners”
Phil Gloire – ”Sirenscantcry”

Hailing from London, England,  White Russia are the duo Marina Elderton and Benjamin Bufton (the legitimacy of his last name to be determined).

The first time I gave them a listen was just over a week ago when I was sent their Soundcloud page, and first song “Solution” reeled me in instantly with Marina’s ghostly vocals layered over foreboding synths and reverberating drums, something akin to a cross between an English Bjork, and Elizabeth Fraser’s haunting distain on Massive Attack’s “Teardrop”.  As you make your way through their handful of songs you find yourself becoming absorbed in the sound of a future post-apocalyptic, baleful Russia, dark and cold and uninhabited.

At the moment they’re currently unsigned (what the fuck, signy-uppy-people?) and thanks to Jack from BigSoundManagement (jack@bigsoundmanagement.com) you can hear a bunch of their songs to pique your interest, as well as their video for “Charmless State”.  So whatcha waitin’ for?

Keep up to date with White Russia – Facebook | MySpace | YouTube

White Russia – Charmless State by ListenBeforeYouBuy

White Russia – O Jerusalem by ListenBeforeYouBuy

White Russia – Warfare (3hundreds Remix) by ListenBeforeYouBuy

If you’re unaware of what Music Monday is, it’s a Twitter recommendation system where users of Twitter share their favourite music, artists, genres, etc in order to not only find new music themselves but help others find new music too.  Using the hashtag (#) followed by “MusicMonday” you can easily find new music posted by the thousands of people making recommendations each week.

Every #MusicMonday I upload a playlist of 20 songs that I’ve been listening to (new and old) over the past week and hopefully you’ll enjoy some of them.  Want me to check someone out? Let me know at that Contact Us thinger up there.

In order to listen to the playlist you’ll need to have Flash enabled.

This week’s #MusicMonday playlist:

If you’re unaware of what Music Monday is, it’s a Twitter recommendation system where users of Twitter share their favourite music, artists, genres, etc in order to not only find new music themselves but help others find new music too.  Using the hashtag (#) followed by “MusicMonday” you can easily find new music posted by the thousands of people making recommendations each week.

Every #MusicMonday I upload a playlist of 20 songs that I’ve been listening to (new and old) over the past week and hopefully you’ll enjoy some of them.  Want me to check someone out? Let me know at that Contact Us thinger up there.

In order to listen to the playlist you’ll need to have Flash enabled.

This week’s #MusicMonday playlist:

When I reviewed Massive Attack’s latest musical attack “Heligoland” back in February I was really disappointed (4/10) but maybe it’s time I give it another spin.  Their latest song from the album is “Psyche”, a chilled-out, trip-hopped ghost of a song, and the video is equally as ghostly.

With a school girl walking through the (I’m guessing) streets of London at night, she’s followed by bike-riding ghosts riding ghost-bikes who just won’t die.  Or go away.  I didn’t even know ghosts could ride bikes unless they died riding a bike a were then stuck as a ghost riding a bike…..if that IS the case then I really hope that I die eating cheesecake or something.  Or maybe alongside my favourite squirrel.

Buy “Heligoland”

• Amazon: CD | MP3
• Insound: CD | 3xLP + CD Deluxe Vinyl

(via Pitchfork)

If you’re unaware of what Music Monday is, it’s a Twitter recommendation system where users of Twitter share their favourite music, artists, genres, etc in order to not only find new music themselves but help others find new music too.  Using the hashtag (#) followed by “MusicMonday” you can easily find new music posted by the thousands of people making recommendations each week.

Every #MusicMonday I upload a playlist of 20 songs that I’ve been listening to (new and old) over the past week and hopefully you’ll enjoy some of them.  Want me to check someone out? Let me know at that Contact Us thinger up there.

In order to listen to the playlist you’ll need to have Flash enabled.

This week’s #MusicMonday playlist:

Massive Attack’s music is so timeless that it’s hard to believe it’s been seven years since their last album “100th Window”. When “100th Window” was released they had waited five years since the album before that, Mezzanine, so this being a seven year wait for “Heligoland” means we’re in for a treat. Right?

“100th Window” was a mixed bag in terms of it’s reception by the public, mostly enjoying favourable reviews but not getting the kind of coverage that their previous albums did and many people saw it as a step in the same direction of Mezzanine as opposed to a step forward away from Mezzanine. Being a fan of TV On The Radio I’m drawn to almost anything that their singer Tunde Adebimpe appears on, and he makes an appearance on “Pray For Rain”, the opening track on “Heligoland”. His unique voice lends weight to the song, carrying it through the deep drum rolls and melancholy piano riff that follows him to it’s 6:44 ending. It’s a slow start to the album, considering the opening songs from their previous albums have been huge, “Safe From Harm, “Protection” and especially “Angel”. When I first heard “Angel” I had never heard anything like it before, it set the scene for a uniquely absorbing and dark album, but “Pray For Rain” doesn’t have the same impact. “Babel” is more upbeat, a distorted drum beat leads up to a simple bass line as Martina Toply-Bird’s delicate vocals wrap around it like a blanket, trying to make sure it doesn’t go anywhere, which it doesn’t, following the same route from start to finish.

So far, not so good.

As “Splitting The Atom” starts my hope picks up, a heavy beat and organ-like hook repeat for the first 30 seconds and then a low, “Candyman”-like voice drops in, the kind that makes you nervous to go to sleep at night, “The baby was born/Nettles and Ferns/The evening it chokes/The candle it burns/This disguise covers/Bitter lies/Repeating the joke/The meaning it dies”. It’s the first indication so far that there might just be something on here to put it on par with Mezzanine, and as “Girl I Love You” starts, the album’s fourth track, it actually sounds like something from the Mezzanine sessions. A rolling thunderous bass line is eventually caught up by a repetitive drum beat and Andy Horace’s distinctive voice (heard on some of MA’s biggest and best songs), echoing into the distance as the song picks up and gets raucous before sitting back down and taking it easy towards the end. “Psyche” starts off sounding like something you’d hear Rodrigo Y Gabriella play, a quick acoustic guitar picks away and again Martina Topley-Bird takes the lead on vocals but that’s about as far as the song goes and so far it’s the weakest (and most out of place) song on the record.

Another notable guest appearance on “Heligoland” is Guy Garvey, lead singer with Elbow. He gives his dulcet tones to “Flat Of The Blade”, a 5:30 sullen, vibrating tune comprising of Guy crooning alongside the alien-like electronic beat, “I’m not good in a crowd/I got skills I can’t speak of/Things I’ve seen will chase me/To the grave/I’m not good in a crowd/I got skills I can’t speak of/Over there”. With what sounds like someone drilling holes into the side of a washing machine in the background that slowly dies away, strings take its place as the song ends on the electronic twinklings that populated the opening. The last third of the album does what the first third did with the first being slow to start, the last is slow to end and you almost just want it to.

“Rush Minute” offers almost five minutes of the same electronic drums and guitar refrain that switches up the pace and then slows back down again towards the end, with Massive Attack founder Robert Del Naja talk-singing over the top in a low, dejected tone. “Saturday Come Slow” features Damon Albarn and is one of the highlights of the album. As it strides from side to side, a bassy guitar and heavy background beat make way for Albarn’s mellow tones, pining a sentiment of an insecure love and asking “Do you love me?/Do you love me?/Or is there nothing there?”. The album’s ender is “Atlas Air” an almost Hip-Hop venture with trip-hop rumblings that trundles on for nigh-on eight minutes, failing to really go anywhere other than “on”.

After seven years I expected so much more from “Heligoland” and all in all it has maybe three strong tracks in “Splitting The Atom”, “Girl I Love You” and “Saturday Come Slow”. Massive Attack are taking longer and longer between albums so if Heligoland is anything to go by we’ll be waiting 10 years for them to spawn only two decent songs.

4/10

Worth checking out: Portishead, Tricky, UNKLE

Buy “Heligoland” / Download “Heligoland”

Listen Before You Buy – “Heligoland”

If you’re unaware of what Music Monday is, it’s a Twitter recommendation system where users of Twitter share their favourite music, artists, genres, etc in order to not only find new music themselves but help others find new music too.  Using the hashtag (#) followed by “MusicMonday” you can easily find new music posted by the thousands of people making recommendations each week.

Every #MusicMonday I’ll upload a playlist of 20 songs that I’ve been listening to (new and old) over the past week and hopefully you’ll enjoy some of them.  Want me to check someone out? Let me know at that Contact us thinger up there.

In order to listen to the playlist you’ll need to have Flash enabled and you may need an account Lala, if you do, it only takes a minute to signup.

This week’s #MusicMonday playlist:

1. “Floating Vibes – Surfer Blood“
2. “Splitting The Atom – Massive Attack”
3. “Hatari – tUnE yArDs”
4. “Madder Red – Yeasayer”
5. “It Came From Japan – The Von Bondies”
6. “Modern Love – David Bowie”
7. “Song For The Sick – Graham Coxon”
8. “Floating In The Forth – Frightened Rabbit”
9. “Parallel Lines – Junior Boys”
10. “Casimir Pulaski Day – Sufjan Stevens”
11. “Such A Fool – 22-20s”
12. “Get What You Want – Operator Please“
13. “Wave Of Mutilation – Pixies”
14. “Night Vision – Super Furry Animals”
15. “Way I Are – Timbaland”
16. “Gypsy Woman – Muddy Waters”
17. “Loaded – Primal Scream”
18. “Graveyard Girl – M83″
19. “She Came Along – Sharam”
20. “Bad Moon Rising – Creedence Clearwater Revival” (CCR)