How To Dress Well : Ready For The World (xxxy Re-edit)

Beautiful.

How To Dress Well 'Ready For The World' (xxxy Re-edit)

More at tri-anglerecords.com.

Montauk : Boys

During a trip to Paris, Montauk listened to three songs incessantly: Kenny Loggins 'This Is It', Ned Doheny 'Get It Up For Love' and Genesis 'Man On The Corner'. These tracks provide the foundation of their new awesomely smooth 'Boys' EP, out now on Sweet Surprise Recordings



More at ssur.tumblr.com.

Jensen Sportag : Everything Good

Bass-popping ultra-smoothness from new Cascine signing Jensen Sportag. 'Pure Wet' EP is released on 15th February.


Jensen Sportag 'Everything Good'



More info at cascine.us.

Mount Kimbie : Before I Move Off

Mount Kimbie's 'Before I Move Off' has had a new video produced by photographer and filmmaker Tyrone Lebon, who also produced the group's album artwork. Made up of over 2500 carefully considered 35mm photographs, the video documents Tyrone’s two week trip from Turin – where Mount Kimbie played live - onto Shanghai, Bangkok, Tokyo, LA and NY.

More at hotflushrecordings.com.

YAWN : Toys

New video from the ace YAWN.

World Tour : Sparks

World Tour have signed to Cascine, one of my favourite new labels (home to Evan Voytas, Chad Valley, Selebrities etc). Their debut release is 'Sparks', a reminder that there is hope beyond the cold, dark winter nights.

World Tour 'Sparks'



More info at cascine.us.

Alternative Twenty Ten Mix

While I was compiling the obligatory end of year mix, I started to lose interest as it looked pretty much the same as everyone else's list. So this concentrates on some of the less hyped/popular music that made 2010 a pleasure.

And certainly no fucking Arcade Fire.

1. Cults 'Oh My God'
2. Sam Amidon 'How Come That Blood'
3. ARMS 'Heat & Hot Water'
4. Wild Nothing 'Chinatown'
5. Evan Voytas 'Our Thing'
6. Baths 'Lovely Bloodflow'
7. Yawn 'Toys'
8. Javelin 'Oh! Centra'
9. Pursuit Grooves 'Shabaps'
10. Vondelpark 'California Analog Dream'
11. Korallreven 'The Truest Faith'
12. Gala Drop 'Drop'
13. Arp 'Catch Wave'
14. Botany 'Feeling Today'
15. Seahawks 'High Tides'
16. Raw Moans 'Rose Bath' (Moon Remix)

Gala Drop : Overcoat Heat

Portuguese quartet Gala Drop have just released a cool new four track EP 'Overcoat Heat' via Golf Channel Recordings, from which the beautifully driving 'Drop' is taken.

MP3:
'Drop'

More at golfchannelrecordings.com.

Dream Cop : Daily Mirage

Dream Cop floats in a haze between dreamy shoegaze, glitched electronics and resampled hip hop. 'Daily Mirage' is a fuzzy slow-motion surf-jam while 'Beach City/Carol I Know' samples Pet Sounds era Beach Boys and twists Wilson's classic sounds into a hypnotic Panda Bear style groove.

MP3:
'Daily Mirage'
'Beach City/Carol I Know'

The Concretes : Good Evening (Eden Rock Version)

The Concretes return with a new album on Something In Construction in November...and they've gone disco. 'Good Evening' is the first listen with three versions up for freeload on their Bandcamp - with this Balearic Eden Rock Version being my pick.



More at Something In Construction.

Caribou : Sun

New video from Caribou's 'Swim', one of the best albums of 2010 so far.

More from City Slang.

Sam Amidon : How Come That Blood (Proper Songs Re-edit)

Bit of a departure from the usual re-edit source material. 'How Come That Blood' is the opening track from Sam Amidon's new album 'I Saw The Sign'. It's such an amazing song I didn't want to do too much, just take the groove up a notch or two.

Grovesnor : Taxi To The Airport

Grovesnor, a Proper Songs guest mixer no less, releases his long awaited album 'Soft Return' on 26th April. Updating 70s-80s smooth AM radio pop with modern electronics, the album contains the classic 'Nitemoves' alongside a collection of new songs including the ace 'Steppin Out' homage 'Taxi To The Airport'.

MP3:
Grovesnor 'Taxi From The Airport'

More at Lo Recordings.

Jonathan Jeremiah : Happiness

"Remixes from Morgan Geist and Quiet Village" is the type of subject header that makes me take notice. New artist Jonathan Jeremiah has both provide sterling versions of his forthcoming single 'Happiness' out 2nd Nov on Rosario Records, which also features the wonderful Heritage Orchestra. Geist opts for Yacht-friendly smoothness while QV evoke long forgotten memories of summer (with the help of a sun bed and a copy of 'Sounds of the Ocean Vol 4') with a beautifully string drenched mix.

Download 'Happiness' (Morgan Geist Remix)
Download 'Happiness' (Quiet Village Remix)

Washed Out : Feel It All Around

Washed Out's 'Feel It All Around' was one of my favourite songs from this summer and its getting a release on 7" in October. *Warning* do not watch this video if you have the end of summer blues, it'll only hurt.



Buy at Puregroove.

Dark Captain Light Captain : Questions (Hatchback Remix)

Here's a lovely remix by San Francisco's Windsurf spinoff Hatchback of 'Questions' by Dark Captain Light Captain. Its taken from DCLC's new remix EP, which follows 2008's highly successful debut album 'Miracle Kicker'.

Download 'Questions' (Hatchback Remix).

Buy at Amazon.

Fontän : Winterhwila

From the ever reliable Information label comes the debut album by Fontän, Swedish producers Jesper Jarold and Johan Melin. Recorded in part in Jesper's grandmother's garden shed on broken - then mended - musical equipment, the LP catches the mood of the setting summer sun with pure Balearic vibes, dub-disco and psychedelic Kraut rock. Layered textures of synths and cosmic guitars create otherworldly soundscapes with a strong 80s influence, while keeping a tight reign on the Knopflerisms. The vocal tracks stand up strong, such as 2008 single 'Early Morning' and 'The Bridge' - the illegitimate son of David Bowie's 'Ashes To Ashes'. As should be expected from label mates to the excellent Studio, this is beautiful, timeless music.

Download 'Early Morning'.

Buy at Boomkat.

Here We Go Magic : Here We Go Magic

This snuck by me in February but definitely deserves a plug for all fans of warm, fuzzy, lo-fi recording it may have also side-stepped. Here We Go Magic is the project of Brooklyn's (where else?) Luke Temple, recorded at home on 4-track tape over a two-month period of stream-of-consciousness writing. The densely layered recording excentuates the trance inducing bliss-pop and Afro-influenced rhythms of stand out tracks 'Only Pieces', 'Tunnelvision' and 'Fangela', while the more experimental instrumental tracks prove a welcome counterpoint.



Buy at Rough Trade.

Off The Grid Mix

What with Proper Songs HQ still not having the 'net since moving (though we're not homeless now) and to make up for the absence of a podcast this month, here is a 1 hour 'Off The Grid' mix straight off the old vinyl - snaps, crackles and pops at no extra cost.

01. Dion - Daddy Rollin' (Decca)
02. Bonnie Koloc - Don't Leave Me (Ovation)
03. Francoise Hardy - Le Temps De L'Amour (PYE)
04. Fleetwood Mac - Hypnotized (Reprise)
05. Lalo Shifron - Quite Village (CTI)
06. Madlib - Elements For Mr Crabfeather (Stones Throw)
07. Lark - Hatbox [The Bees Version] (Care In The Community)
08. Donovan - Teen Angel (PYE)
09. Neotropic - Sunflower Girl (Ntone)
10. Roxy Music - Avalon (Warner Brothers)
11. Family Man Barrett - Soul Constitution (Dubstore Records)
12. Sam Ragga Band - Ibis Dub (Eimsbush Entertainment)
13. Found - Mullokian Dub (Surface Pressure)
14. Money Mark - Sometimes You Gotta Make It Alone (Mowax)
15. Scanner - 1978 Formant Modular (Static Caravan)
16. Elmore Judd - Eigenfunktion (Above The Clouds)
17. Yo La Tengo - Autumn Sweater [u-ZIQ Remix] (Matador)
18. The Beach Boys - All I Wanna Do (CBS)

Off The Grid by Proper Songs on Mixcloud

School Of Seven Bells : Alpinisms

Formed of ex-Secret Machines guitarist Benjamin Curtis and twin sisters Alejandra and Claudia Deheza, School Of Seven Bells have been building anticipation for their debut album since first emerging in early 2007. Named after a mythological Andean pickpocket academy, the Brooklyn trio create out-there songs, led beautifully by the Deheza sisters blood-harmony, crossing ethereal folk with prog-pop and electronics. Their sound is hard to pin down and crosses many periods of time, resulting in something akin to medieval folk ballads remixed by Kevin Shields (I said it was hard to pin down). 'Alpinisms' grows in briliance with every listen.


Buy @ Amazon

School Of Seven Bells are on tour in February/March including UK dates in London, Leeds, Manchester, Bristol, Brighton and Glasgow.