In our Moving Units column, Mike Ramirez at Fort Lauderdale's Radio-Active Records graciously keeps us up-to-date and comments on the current releases flying out of his store each week.
For the uninitiated, Flying Lotus is a California-based electronic music producer whose great-aunt is experimental jazz artist Alice Coltrane. Aside from the fact that the guy constructs dizzying beats that show an equal penchant for synthesized and analog instruments, Cosmogramma features vocals by Radiohead's Thom Yorke on "...And the World Laughs With You." Another observation is that a guy named Thundercat plays bass on almost every track, including one called "Zodiac Shit." Why you don't own this already is beyond us too.
Below, get some real talk from Ramirez regarding the week's top releases, and a (spoiler alert) New Pornographers video.
Radio-Active's Top 5 Releases for May 4-10:
1. Flying Lotus - Cosmogramma (Warp) "Haven't gotten aroung to the Lotus yet but all of the bedroom rockers say it's a real 'banger!'"
2. The New Pornographers - Together (Matador) [Editor's note: this is a video for new single "Your Hands (Together)," and it's exactly what The Karate Kid would have been like had Matrix-style special effects been available for Daniel-son.]
3. Broken Social Scene - Forgiveness Rock Record (Arts & Crafts)
4. Minus The Bear - Omni
(Dangerbird)
5. The Hold Steady - Heaven Is Whenever (Vagrant) "As I stated last week, I'm very impressed with the dedication of Hold Steady fans still buying their LPs."
Which albums will we be talking about next week?
"The National's High Violet (4AD) is already on my best-of list. Their most
mature record to date. This is where Interpol fucked up and could have
furthered their career with some integrity rather than stretching the
Joy Division rubber band to a snap. This coming week we also have some anticipated releases: CocoRosie's Grey Oceans (Sub Pop), the Dead Weather's Sea of Cowards (Third Man), Holy Fuck's Latin (XL) , UNKLE's Where Did the Night Fall (Surrender All), Sage Francis' Li(f)e (Anti-), Thee Oh Sees' Warm Slime (In the Red). Holy Fuck's Latin takes their instrumental electro-rock to atmospheric
heights and it clocks in just under 40 minutes."
Probably not actually a "thank you":
"Thank you to Sleigh Bells for releasing their tracks only on iTunes when we've had numerous
requests to purchase their album. Please keep on furthering the decline of independent brick & mortar retaliers with your online-only sales
strategy! Way To Go!"
Archive:
Moving
Units: Radio-Active Records' Top 5 Releases for March 2-8
Moving
Units: Radio-Active Records' Top 5 Releases for March 9-15
Moving
Units: Radio-Active Records' Top 5 Releases for March 16-22
Moving
Units: Radio-Active Records' Top 5 Releases for March 23-29
Moving
Units: Radio-Active Records' Top 5 Releases for March 30-April 5
Moving
Units: Radio-Active Records' Top 5 Releases for April 6-12
Moving Units: Radio-Active Records' Top 5 Releases for April 13-19
Moving Units: Radio-Active Records' Top 5 Releases for April 20-26
Moving Units: Radio-Active Records' Top 5 Releases for April 27-May 3
