matthew levinson

Solipsism
Pere Ubu
Non sequiturs
Noble Savage
Narcissism
Pyrrhic victory

Things that I’m not so keen on include dodgy promo CDs from record labels that have lame voice overs on every track to dissuade you from selling the disc at your local shop, cue screwed down vocal on Cage’s new LP for Def Jux “This is promo” blah blah blah. Don’t they know that music writers are horribly underpaid and they should be giving them super love for just considering writing about their record? That’s aside from the fact that most labels only send out dodgy burnt discs as promo these days – btw doesn’t that contravene the laws around copying music? – anyway, fortunately most of the actual music I get sent in these disappointing packages is good.

Recent records that should be listened to far more widely include:

Broadcast – Tender Buttons (my copy came with photocopied liner notes and a burnt disc)

Sodastream – Take Me With You When You Go (beautiful digipack to complement the lovely Sodastream blend of folky melancholy and sound art-esque recording)

Jackson & His Computer Band – Smash (once again, photocopied liner and burnt disc)

Cage – Hell’s Kitchen (the worst, because it’s not even the proper recording)

Breakestra – Hit The Floor (colour photocopied liner notes, burnt CD)

Blockhead – Downtown Science (promo release styles from Ninja, if you have to do a special version for the music journo’s, at least do it this way)

Various: Symbiotic Sound System II – Everything Takes Forever (beatiful Australian beats, not to far removed from the first edition, but then that was brilliant)