Various Production - 'The World Is Gone'
Album on XL records
I bought the new Various Production album (as boomkat termed them in their catalogue, the band on the album itself is actually labelled just as 'Various') 'The World Is Gone' which is out via XL. It's beautifully (read expensively) packaged 3x12" with a slightly politically dodgy but very nice drawn image on the cover.
A very weird album -- the best I can describe it as lets say dubstep or grime production with a vocal more typical of something like Portishead or other electronic music than you'd expect to find on a dubstep rekkid (eg spaceape). Interspersed with this is the occasional indie-effette track complete with acoustic guitars and wan female vocal. Very strange, but I like it very much.
About this album, Seb says;
amazing. perfect summation of what is hot right now - folk and dubstep.
interesting you say portishead . . . reminds me more of tricky at his prime. proper urban dread and rural longing.
However, I am loving the album - except for the folkie bits. I hate the folkie bits. The vocals are too wan, washed out, and nothing, and as for Folk music, it's nothing against say Woodie Guthrie. But the fucked up vocalised dubstep is very nice. Highly recommended!
Only problem; the vinyl plays are not showing up on last.fm of course.
This issue of last.fm stats and playing off vinyl is also affecting the Leo Minor 'Sudden Death City' 12" and Skream 2x12" I bought at the same time as the Various album. Actually if you like high-energy electro, I also heartily recommend the Leo Minor record. The B-side is a version of The Electric Light Orchestra's "Don't Bring Me Down".