Orbital: In Sides

Yeah, this one is old. Yeah, you've heard it before. So what?

In 1996 Orbital were the kings of techno. I think they even had crowns. They certainly had subjects. Neon wearing, glowstick waving, high on ecstacy subjects.

I'm not a gun: We think as instruments

"I'm not a gun" is a collaborative project between John Tejada and Takeshi Nishimoto. If you haven't heard of these guys before, don't worry. I think they're mostly famous for their work in Germany so...if you haven't been to Berlin lately you may not have heard of them individually.

The Budos Band: II

The Budos Band is another incredible group coming from New York's Daptone Records. If you see a record with the Daptone label on it, just buy it. Seriously, you won't regret it. These guys can do no wrong.

Joe Bonamassa: Black Rock

Joe Bonamassa played his first major gig at the age of 12...alongside B.B. King. Seriously. At the time, B.B. had this to say of Joe Bonamassa:

“This kid's potential is unbelievable. He hasn't even begun to scratch the surface. He's one of a kind.”

The Blue Shadows: On The Floor of Heaven (Deluxe Re-issue)

I'm pretty sure everyone is going to think I'm nuts, but this is my favourite album of the year, and by a longshot.

It's a re-issue of a country album originally released in 1993--that was pretty much only popular in Alberta and in odd parts of Canada. If you don't believe me, check Wikipedia, the band merits only a footnote on Billy Cowsill's page.

O Rappa: O Silencio Q Precede O Esporro

O Rappa, which babelfish tells me means "Rappa" (I can use teh intarwebs) is a Brazilian reggae/rock/rap/hip-hop/funk band, and they skillfully defy my attempts at classification, while keeping just close enough to a pop feel to be very easily enjoyable by pretty much anyone (or so I would contend). I think there's even a little Bossa in there. Rad.

The Apples: Buzzin' About

For the 13th instalment (I was trying for 50, but I guess that might not happen before the end of June) of my album profiling series, I've chosen The Apples' "Buzzin' About". This is "The Apples" and not "The Apples in Stereo". They are two totally different bands. "The Apples" are Uri Wertheim, Erez Todres, Ofer Tal, Yuval Tabachnik, Oleg Naiman, Arthur Krasnobaev, Yaron Ouzana, Shai Ran and Yonadav Halevy. That last sentence took me like, 5 minutes to type.