Sunday, March 1, 2009

Fela Kuti


What can I say? Fela was a badass musician and political figure, and father of Femi Kuti. All his albums feature some pretty funky grooves, and I can't say I've come across a bad one yet. Opposite People, the half I prefer, is now packaged with Sorrow Tears and Blood, so I figure why not include both? Enjoy.

Q And Not You



For a punk band from D.C. this album certainly has some bounce in its beats, mixing punk riffs with erratic vocals and a pulsing rhytmic section. Often categorized as "dance-punk" or "post-hardcore," Q And Not You bends the punk genre to form their own truly artistic sound. Different Damage moves at a  jerky stop/start pace similar to their first record, No Kill No Beep Beep, with frequent rhythm changes. In a strange, quirky way they manage to balance melody with noise flawlessly. Reccomended for fans of Les Savy Fav, Japanther and Foals.

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Wax Tailor


Tales of Forgotten Melodies is the first LP from French hip/hop producer Wax Tailor. His second album, Hope & Sorrow, was recently nominated for "Best Electronica Album" at the
2008 Victoires de la Musique, a French award ceremony. Recommended for fans of RJD2 and DJ Shadow.

Monday, February 16, 2009

Mission Statement/Set 'Em Wild, Set 'Em Free

Link removed at the request of the band.

For the past 2-3 years I have been an avid reader of music blogs, searching for a site/author that knows what I'm in the mood for. Often downloading multiple albums a day and neglecting too many of them, I find myself drowning in an abundance of music. It seems like a shame to keep it to myself and more importantly I'd like to give something back to the blogosphere that has brought me so much joy. This is why I am starting Surfeit Music.
 
One thing that really bothers me is when people just jump on an album because of the hype(ex. Animal Collective is over rated). That's why I will probably not be posting too many leaks or brand new albums. The music I will post here will be of quality,  not quantity. Still, I'll try to update on a regular basis, and keep the mixture of music eclectic.
 
I encourage you to leave feedback in the comments, please let me know what you think. Really, any comment is appreciated. Oh, and if you are a band and want your music taken down, let me know, and take the post as a compliment. My intention is to share and spread music, not encourage piracy. If you find an album you love, please invest in it and the people who made it will love you.

//End Mission Statement, Start Music

So I'm going to go ahead and contradict myself right off the bat and post a leak. Akron/Family has dominated my iPod for the last couple years, and their new album just leaked. It's actually the catalyst that brought me to start this blog, as I was disappointed by how little coverage their last album got.

Leading up to Love is Simple, each Akron/Family album had a different feel, moving from psychedelic folk, to noise rock, to tribal grooves. Love is Simple marked the consolidation of all these sounds into one coherent album. Set 'Em Wild is a continuation of this, with their own confident sound, this album manages to still push the limits of what the band has done before. Even more impressive is the fact that this is probably the most accessible album that they've made yet. In shifting the band's emphasis from always creating new sounds, perfecting their own sound they have shifted from one of the most exciting bands of the new millennium to one of the best bands of the new millennium.

Akron/Family is a truly unique band blending psychedelic jams with outrageous vocal harmonies and heavy tribal jams; more than anything they seem like a band that loves life and loves making music. With umpteen musicians and fans joining the trio onstage, their live shows are the stuff of legends (they lead the crowd singing and dancing out of the venue and into the streets at the end of their set at the last SXSW festival). Last time I saw them it ended in a beatbox jam. For a band that never ceases to amaze me, it's possible they've outdone themselves again with Set 'Em Wild, Set 'Em Free.