DATE ARCHIVES : April 2013

The Expert & Danny Diggs – ‘Expert Diggs’

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The Expert (one half of Messiah J & The Expert) has teamed up with Canadian counterpart Danny Diggs for a collaborative EP, aptly titled, Expert Diggs. 

The EP came from a simple idea whereby The Expert & Danny Diggs decided to digg in the crates and find songs to give each other to sample and flip and put their own unique spin on them. The result as you’ve probably guessed is Expert Diggs, which sounds like a real labour of love. So who flipped it better? Who cares? The really winner is us, the listeners, who are treated to two persons takes on a short but sweet selection tracks, spliced and diced into infectious, head nodding and beat filled jams. It more or less picks up where The Expert left off with the Neckbreakers beat tape, which in case you missed it, was excellent also.

You can download Expert Diggs in it’s entirety for free from bandcamp, you can’t say fairer than that, now can you?

Tandem Felix – Popcorn EP

Tandem Felix

This week saw Dubliners Tandem Felix release their brand new EP, Popcorn, broadly speaking this is indie; with a nod or two in the direction of The Verve, Radiohead & Us & Us Only era The Charlatans.

It’s more than simply ‘indie’, it’s experimental, moody and atmospheric, with this murky veil never really lifts throughout the EP. The maturity on display both from a songwriting and arrangement point of view is breathtaking. ‘Third Degree Burns’ sets the scene gracefully for what follows, with their experimental exploits, elegant twists and turns, working well with some lush instrumentation. There is a plaintive feel to the rest of Popcorn, the suave orchestral soul of ‘Tell Yer Loved Ones’ adds a new degree of emotional weight for which ‘Pointing and Laughing’ goes even further, plumbing new depths. It is never too dark, rather it is reflective, optimistic and hopeful, as should we, for what the future holds for Tandem Felix and where they go to next following this assured and confident EP.

Popcorn is out now and can be streamed in full or purchased via bandcamp.