ALBUM REVIEW: SANTOGOLD vs DIPLO - Top Ranking

Santogold vs Diplo
Top Ranking
(Mad Decent)
5/5

Diplo is on his way to god-like status (well to me anyway) and here you find him showcasing Santogold’s influences, which range from Sir Mix A Lot to The Clash. He manages to traverse through many genres in 75 minutes, expect to hear classic cuts next to dancehall and dubstep. There are plenty of exclusive remixes from the likes of XXXchange and Switch. All in all a bargain. Oh and watch out for the Bombay Bicycle Club! Y'all heard it here first.

SUPERDUPERDAN

ALBUM REVIEW: MATT HELDERS - Late Night Tales

VARIOUS ARTISTS
Late Night Tales: Matt Helders from The Arctic Monkeys
(Azuli)
4/5

Arctic Monkeys’ drummer Matt Helders is also a DJ, and he’s got good taste in hip hop: Ty, Roots Manuva and DOOM (under alias Viktor Vaughn), for example. He still somehow manages to get The Stooges in there (Dirt). And mixing The Coral’s Grey Harpoon with I Got 5 On It by Luniz, is definitely a cool thing. Matt’s own effective breakbeat cover version of Livin’ Joy’s Dreamer is also a winner. Other standout tracks include Charity Shop Soundclash by DJ Format & Aspects, and Mos Def’s Ms Fat Booty.

Arash Torabi

ALBUM REVIEW: TRAVIS - Ode To J Smith

TRAVIS
Ode To J Smith
(Red Telephone Box)
2/5

We are informed that this is Travis’ loudest, edgiest and most arresting record since their debut. Christ knows what planet they’ve been on for the last few years to even begin to use such epithets when describing an album that limps out of the speakers so unassumingly you half expect it to apologise for the inconvenience. Still, it’s loveable ol’ Fran Healy. You can’t knock a guy who means well, can you? I guess ‘Something Anything’ is quite punchy. I’ll let him have that one.

BACKBONE