ep: Regal Safari - R G L S F R

I spent a pretty good portion of the weekend listening to Regal Safari's R G L S F R EP on repeat.  Really, it only took thirty seconds of "Light" streaming on Don't Die Wondering to grab hold of me.  Now that R G L S F R has fully wrapped itself around me through repeated listens, I can't recommend it enough.  Melodically pleasing, shimmering stutter-step is something the world is doing, but very few are doing it as well as this Brighton-based three-piece.  The quirky machinations of Mount Kimbie come to mind, as do the liberating excursions of The Miracle Club.  Best New Album or similar recognition, ASAP, please.  Stream the whole EP below; grab a free download here.  Hey labels - wouldn't this sound sweet on vinyl?

  R G L S F R by regalsafari

New Four Tet - "Pinnacles" / New Daphni - "Ye Ye"

Brand new song from Four Tet, whose album There Is Love In You made my list of favorites of 2010 and whose two live performances in Chicago last year were some of the best I've ever seen.  "Pinnacles" is classic Four Tet - radically simple bits of melodic sound repeating to meditative effect.  In this case, it's a chugging bass line, Asian-sounding string plucks, cascades of house piano and staccato synth washes.  From an upcoming split on Four Tet's own TEXT Records; the other side features Daphni's "Ye Ye."

Pinnacles by Four Tet

EDIT: Thanks to Solar Bears on Twitter, who pointed me to Self-Titled, who provide more information on this Four Tet/Daphni split.  Daphni, it turns out, is a new moniker for Caribou's Dan Snaith.  Caribou also made my list of albums of 2010, and his performance at Millennium Park last year was simply spectacular.  Daphni's contribution to the split, "Ye Ye," is a banger that shuffles and throbs along, making this one of the hottest splits to drop this year.  TEXT Records' web presence is non-existent, but the release should be out soon - I'd recommend checking Boomkat, Juno.co.uk and Rough Trade on a regular basis, as this will likely sell out quick.

Daphni - Ye Ye by Caribouband

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