Dekoder - Punk Rock (Canada)

One of the more surprising musical trends in punk/hardcore during 2012 was the resurgence of the death rock subgenre. Montreal's Dekoder play the kind of post-punk that is easy to identify as following that trend, but Between The Waking And The Dying is hardly just regurgitating stale genre cues. It is a completely immersive record that leaves the skip button in a distant and murky land that one's fingers shall never enter as long as the record plays.There are only eight songs on Between The Waking And The Dying, and it lasts a little over half an hour, so while these aren't your three-minute pop songs they aren't exactly exhaustive epics either. The structure Dekoder tend to rely on is one of tension and release, as well as repetition to hook you in without much in the way of actual hooks at all.

To say that the record reaches more for mood and atmosphere rather than bold statements would probably be correct. However, when I hear a band described as atmospheric it usually tends to mean their songs are oversaturated with feedback and effects. While Dekoder do use some effects, they creep to the forefront sparingly, only becoming noticeable in order to accent certain parts of the whole of the song, such as when the vocals kick in around the one minute mark on "Shadow Figures." The opening guitar on "Like Men" is so bright and familiar that the transformation into the main body of the song which epitomizes feelings of despair becomes even more unsettling - in the best way possible. This is far from cheap thrills but it also resists obscurity for obscurity's sake. The vocals, which tie everything together, are the kind of soaring near-croon Siouxsie Sioux made famous, and that suit the genre perfectly, whether it's the frantic "Anxiety" or the slow burning "What's Left."

If you are at least remotely a fan of post-punk or death rock you have to czech Between The Waking And The Dying, or even if you want to hear some of the best punk related tunes made in 2012. If this rubs you the wrong way, you are probably the type of person that loves the smell of their own bodily functions. 

Between the Waking and the Dying (2012)

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Erykah Badu - The Queen of Neo Soul (Soul Pop)

Erica Abi Wright (born February 26, 1971), known professionally as Erykah Badu, is an American singer and songwriter. Badu's career began after opening a show for D'Angelo in 1994 in Fort Worth; record label executive Kedar Massenburg was highly impressed with her performance and signed her to Kedar Entertainment. Her first album, Baduizm, was released in February 1997. It spawned three singles: "On & On", "Next Lifetime" and "Otherside of the Game". The album was certified triple Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Her first live album, Live, was released in November 1997 and was certified double Platinum by the RIAA.

Influenced by R&B, 1970s soul, and 1980s hip hop, Badu became associated with the neo soul subgenre in the 1990s along with artists like D'Angelo. Badu has been called the queen of neo soul. Her voice has been compared to jazz singer Billie Holiday. Early in her career, Badu was recognizable for her eccentric style, which often included wearing very large and colorful headwraps. She was a core member of the Soulquarians. As an actress, she has played a number of supporting roles in movies including Blues Brothers 2000, The Cider House Rules and House of D. She also has appeared in the documentaries Before the Music Dies and The Black Power Mixtapes.

New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh) (2010)

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Jimmy McGriff - Master of Hammond Jazz

This early-'70s title features a mixed program by the great soul-jazz organist Jimmy McGriff. McGriff not only digs into some Jimmy Smith-style, early '60s-era organ trio numbers like his original "Old Grad Dad" and Hoagy Carmichael's "Georgia on My Mind," but he also includes the kind of contemporary soul fare he had turned to by the late '60s; McGriff spares no expense, going for the heart of soul royalty with Al Green's "Let's Stay Together," Isaac Hayes' "Theme From Shaft," and Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On." Inspired by their attractive melody lines and challenging chord sequences, McGriff and band enliven these already great songs with fine horn arrangements and superb solos (Harold Bennett's passionate and assured flute solo on "What's Going On" especially stands out). McGriff registers some nasty, in-the-pocket solos himself and contributes one of the hottest tracks here, the chicken-shack cooker "Tiki." Let's Stay Together is a great set by one of the masters of the Hammond B-3 organ sound.

1972 - Let's Stay Together

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Jimmy Burns - Blues

Singer, guitarist, and songwriter, Jimmy Burns is a contemporary bluesman who combines his Delta roots with R&B and soul to come up with a sound uniquely his own. Burns is a charismatic performer with an expressive, soulful, voice and a melodic guitar style to match.

With a keen sense of his musical heritage Burns has created an upbeat style that has won critical acclaim both at home and abroad. Born near Dublin, Mississippi in 1943, Burns was fascinated by music early on. He loved the sounds coming out of the church, and the blues he heard on the streets. Burns’ sang in church and taught himself how to play guitar while he was still in the Delta. One of his particular favorites was Lightnin’ Hopkins, His oldest brother, renowned Detroit bluesman Eddie Burns, is also a guitarist who played with John Lee Hooker for a number of years before striking out on his own.

Delta Blues

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Joy Division - Rock (UK)

Joy Division were an English rock band formed in 1976 in Salford, Greater Manchester. Originally named Warsaw, the band consisted of singer Ian Curtis, guitarist/keyboardist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook and drummer Stephen Morris. Formed by Sumner and Hook right after they attended a Sex Pistols gig, Joy Division transcended their punk roots to develop a sound and style that made them one of the pioneers of the post-punk movement. Their self-released 1978 debut EP, An Ideal for Living, drew the attention of the Manchester television personality Tony Wilson. The sleeve's Germanic imagery drew criticism and speculation on their politics, not helped by later name changes. Joy Division's debut album Unknown Pleasures was released in 1979 on Wilson's independent label Factory Records. Aided by Martin Hannett's sparse production, it was a critical success with the British music press.

Despite this early acclaim, Curtis suffered from severe depression and personal difficulties, including a broken marriage and epilepsy. In particular he found it increasingly difficult to perform at live concerts, during which he often suffered seizures. In May 1980, on the eve of the band's debut American tour, Curtis, aged 23, committed suicide. Closer, Joy Division's second and final album was released two months later; the album and preceding single "Love Will Tear Us Apart" became the band's highest charting release. After Curtis's death, the remaining members continued as New Order, achieving critical and commercial success. Today Joy Division are seen as one of the most influential bands of the late 1970s.

1979 - Unknown Pleasures

Alternative Link

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1980 - Closer

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Voodoo Boogie - Blues with Psychedelic Boogiematic Roots (Belgian)

"John Lee Hooker meets The Doors" .. Keep that in mind and you'll know what kind of places 'Losing My Cool' will take you to. With their first full album, released on Naked Productions, Belgian band Voodoo Boogie presents twelve songs, all with traditional blues roots, but at the same time very much influenced by psychedelica, (garage) rock and world music. After several preproductions with top producers such as Jan Ieven (ex El Fish, ex The Rhythm Junks) and Marc T (TEE, The Electric Kings), Voodoo Boogie decided they were ready to produce their first full CD.

Voodoo Boogie is not a traditional blues band. They prefer to describe their music as 'psychedelic boogiematic roots'. With that kind of stuff, no wonder they quickly developed into a band with an excellent live reputation, both in and around Belgium. Each time this exciting band performs, they create an ambience that will haunt you until long after the gig. The eight originals and four original interpretations of old blues songs on 'Losing My Cool' will do exactly the same thing, only off stage this time. 

Voodoo Boogie was born in 2004. Founding members Jan Jaspers and Gert Servaes previously played with blues bands like High Five Jive, Dizzy Dimples and Big Mama's Kitchen, and also backed up American artists, such as Louisiana Red and Keith Dunn. Bass player Rob Vanspauwen and drummer Gert Servaes are Voodoo Boogie's groove machine, or the perfect engine for a hypnotising trip with Wouter Haest on piano, hammond and rhodes, and Jan Jaspers on vocals and guitars.

Losing My Cool [2008]

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Elza Soares - Samba MPB (Brazil)

A Mulher do Fim do Mundo (The Woman of the End of the World) is the 32nd studio album of Brazilian singer Elza Soares, released on October 3, 2015, by the label Circus. The eleven songs of the project, made possible by financial resources from Natura Musical, under the production of Guilherme Kastrup, mix musical genres such as samba, rock, rap and electronic, and current themes such as domestic violence, urban suffering, transsexuality, blackness, among others . The success and great repercussion caused by this album were considered a "rebirth" and "beginning of a new phase in the career of the already consecrated singer" by musical critics. With it, Elza performed for the first time at the prestigious Rock in Rio festival and accumulated more than nine million plays in the Spotify application.

The recordings of the album occurred between April and May 2015, in the city of São Paulo. The first single from the album is "Maria da Vila Matilde" and was released on August 11, 2015. "Red Light" was released as the second single on September 10, 2015.

The album won the Latin Grammy 2016 in the category Best Album of Brazilian Popular Music. The song "Woman of the End of the World" is part of the soundtrack of the Brazilian series 3%, with Netflix rights.

2015 A Mulher do Fim do Mundo

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