Is it just Gorillaz or can I say The Gorillaz? It would be a lot better to start with ‘The Gorillaz have a new album coming out and it is called Plastic Beach. I only worry because I once referred to Arctic Monkeys as The Arctic Monkeys and out of nowhere 22 demented indie kids used admittedly very effective teamwork and co-ordination to pin me down and brand ‘There is no ‘The’ in Arctic Monkeys’ across my bare chest with one of those red hot cattle irons.

The album, in its entirety, is available on The Guardian’s site. ‘So click on the widget [above] to stream the album from start to finish (and remember not to refresh the page as it plays!)’. I’m so glad they added the anti-refreshing reminder in there because I often find myself listening to a track online and then thinking ‘man, you know what, I’m going to express my positive feelings towards this piece of music by clicking refresh’. It’s just so confusing because the word ‘fresh’ is in there.

From start to finish is how an album should be played. There’s a whole load of guest appearances on Plastic Beach, details of exactly who are alongside the track listing, as per usual. Personally, I think you should just follow the link and quickly click PLAY without reading anything about tracks or ‘ft.s’ and then play the guessing game.

Listen to Plastic Beach at The Guardian

More underground than the centre of the earth, The Mechanist has a fresh new track out roaming the streets. We captured it using a complex system of traps and stuff. Hours of work definitely not wasted.

The Mechanist is an old friend of us kids here, one of the reasons being because not only is he an all round decent chap, he creates tracks with such depth and grandeur. Home cooked, hearty goodness. ‘Recluse’ is one of the more chilling efforts in the collection and is available for a listen right here, right now. Then go check the MySpace for some more skills with a Z.

The Mechanist – Recluse

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The Mechanist @ MySpace

It’s still as cold as a Nazi’s heart here at the moment, so there’s really nothing else for me to do except sit inside, cover myself in wool and goose fat and pound out…uh…massive tunes. I’m sure HxDB will be excited at the prospect of me in this state hypnotically swaying to his recently unleashed Sicknote Vol. 7 mix, an hour-long blanket of swelling atmosphere and bass, and that’s exactly what I’ve been doing. Packed to the rafters with unparalleled ambient dubstep, Vol. 7’s roster includes Phaelah, Desto, Headhunter, Djunya, Mount Kimbie and a number of others who have the ability to instil a feeling of nebulous calm. Particular highlights, however, come in the form of Hyetal’s ‘Secret’ and Desto’s characteristically beautiful ‘Bounce’.

I’m getting a little bit addicted to these chilled out mixes, I reckon I may soon crumble into dust and spend the rest of my existence swirling around the scene of a Constable painting. It wouldn’t be so bad I guess…

Download it below, tracklisting after the jump.

HxDB – Sicknote Vol. 7

Hold tight, there is more to read »

This track is probably the main reason I didn’t pull a Van Gogh after my laptop, iPod and HD were taken from me in the dead of night (yeah that’s right I was robbed!). It’s just so jolly and upbeat, I think if it had been released in 1930’s Germany some shit that went down would not have gone down, if you know what I mean.

‘Heart It Races’ is actually a cover, originally by Architecture In Helsinki. Don’t tell them I said this but Dr. Dog do such a better job at transmitting the sounds to one’s ears that they should consider adopting the song and calling it their own. Turns out it’s pretty old but who cares.

Because I still see the internet as a kitten sees a ball of string and somebody hasn’t explained, in ‘My first ABC’ style steps, how to put that nifty looking audio player into my posts, you can download the track here (thanks to Stereo Gum).

Buy Dr. Dog tunes at 7digital.

Ho ho I selected words from the official title of the below video to throw you all into a veritable tornado of unexpected confusion. Did I just see a cow fly past in my tractor’s rear-view mirror?

Sheffield’s favourite genre-defying nutcases M.I.Loki have been ruling the roost for some time now, I mean their homemade imprint won Best Label at Breakspoll for crying out loud.

Likening these chaps to a couple of mad scientists is a tad cliché but definitely does the duo justice. Out of the M.I.Loki lab this time round then comes something no less bonkers. And I mean bonkers in the conkers with a B sense not the D.Rascal lovin’ life sense, because conkers are pretty crazy if you think about it.

The video doesn’t need explaining. I say that mainly because I can’t. Introducing M.I.Loki’s new video; a bizarre but very refreshing mix of 70’s harmonies, synchronized swimming and filthy filthy beats…

I spent a fair part of last year blowing my load to the squealing highs of ‘When I Look At You’ and now, faced with Emalkay’s latest release, it’s time to throw on a pair of clean undies and see if I can control myself. STORM016, which dropped on promo just over a week ago, features ‘Solid State’ and ‘Battle Suit’, two tracks laden with weighty expectation. Of course, I’ve heard snippets of them circulating the tubes and rearing their heads in various mixes, but getting your hands on the final incarnation always proffers an entirely different experience.

Although neither track is as mighty and affecting as ‘When I Look At You’, there is no lack of low frequency clout on offer here. The rasping and relentlessly pulsating heart of ‘Solid State’ would surely hit a rave like a hefty shot of benny and the monstrously heavy sub encompasses you like the middle of the ocean at midnight. ‘Battle Suit’, on the other hand, feels a bit thinner and seems to fizzle and whirr rather than electrocute and traumatise. I did, however, have a strange affinity with the snare which sounded nothing short of perfect and if I heard it on a huge system, I’d probably put my head between my legs and try and blow my sweater into a life jacket. ‘Solid State’ is the undoubted superior of the two tunes, but both stand as pretty respectable follow-ups to a classic.

STORM016 featuring ‘Solid State’ and ‘Battle Suit’ is out now on Storming Productions. Grab it at Chemical.

Emalkay – Battle Suit

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Buy Emalkay tunes at 7digital.