Hecq vs. Exillon - Spheres of Fury

Hecq vs. Exillon - Spheres of Fury

So, even though this video seems to have been doing the rounds quite a bit so far, not a whole lot is known about this song or video. The two artists, although relatively well known on their own, have never combined on a track before, and apart from a 'Spheres of Fury - Coming Soon' message on Hecq's homepage, there's not much information available about the collaboration anywhere else. What is evident, however, is that this song and video combination is AWESOME!

Tim Brown and Christopher Hewitt directed this fantastic clip, and the only available released information is that it was shot on a Canon 7D, a 30mm lens was used somewhere in the process, and the following 'overview':

"Born from a love of classic 80s war films Spheres of Fury is an action packed pastiche. The bravado and attitude that pours from these movies is nothing but a treat to watch, our modern remake aims to capture some of those magical moments but with a slightly comical, modern stance."
- Christopher Hewitt's overview

Not much to go on, but oh so much fun. The clip has amazing character buildup for the desperately short 3 minutes of actual music time, and yet there's unique characteristics for each of the people that you endear to. The only thing that detracts from this for me is the end credits, taking up another solid minute, 1/4 the entire running time of the video. It just wasn't that necessary for me. There is, however, a solid storyline that builds up to an amazing crescendo of this water fight in the middle of a field, and ties everything up with a neat little bow for the conclusion. In 3 minutes...

The great effectiveness of this I believe comes down to the fantastic actors and absolutely brilliant editing. The actors make this video seem like it's something anyone could make given a group of friends, some water guns and a promise of free dinner. I highly doubt this was the case, but something about this video just makes you want to jump out of your chair and make it yourself.

The editing makes every beat, every melody reflect an occurrence in the video and in turn makes the visual and aural aspects seem to blend together seamlessly. I couldn't imagine this video without the song, or listening to the song without looking at the video.

Unfortunately, that makes for a slight curse. Listening to the song without the video does show that the song is good, but what makes it great is the collaboration, the fusion that the video and song have. I can't listen to it without picturing the water shooting through the air timed perfectly to the glitching beat of the song, and that's a distraction. Perhaps this is down to being introduced to the song alongside the video first, which then linked the two. Although evidence of both the artists individual styles are evident in the song, it's packaged in a much more pleasing way than their other releases. I highly anticipate the Hecq vs. Exillon collaboration to hear what else they've come up with. I'll keep you posted...

Sola Rosa - Get it Together

Sola Rosa - Get It Together

Once again my penchant for genre blending (bLending, not bending...) music becomes apparent, with Sola Rosa being labelled as: Electronic, Hip Hop, Reggae, Latin, Rock, Pop, Funk / Soul.

Sola Rosa is a 5 piece band that begun with solely Andrew Spraggon in 1999, and has evolved to include many members of many famous New Zealand groups.  Get It Together, Sola Rosa’s third full length release a genuine pleasure to listen to with fantastic instruments mixed together in a toe-tapping manner that will leave you wanting more after each listen. Unlike The Evpatoria Report, reviewed earlier, this album is perfectly suited to an in depth listen just as much as it’s an ideal background album to chill to with friends over.

The album begins with a gradual lead up into a stunning frenzy of well structured instruments in The Ace of Space, which sets the tone perfectly for the first half of the album. It’s all very upbeat and nothing would seem out of place at a Latin nightclub, with the exception of perhaps the New Zealand accents. The album’s third song, Del Ray, was described to me by a friend as ‘Techno Spaghetti Western’, a term which sounds so wrong but works so well in Sola Rosa’s case. The Genres melt perfectly into each other, from cheery dance beginnings to slightly gloomier hip-hop middle and beyond.


Sola Rosa - Turn Around ft. Iva Lamkum

Lady Love featuring the well known Bajka is a sweeping emotional piece with spoken word verses and a delicate chorus in a beautifully unique voice layered over brooding strings and guitar. A traditional structure but somewhat unorthodox vocal arrangement reminds of hip-hop music without any of the aggression. This album is a continuous surprise in the scope of different sounds and yet retaining a certain familial sound that ties it back to the band and previous records.

The album is closed off with a reggae-like vibe in These Words, These Sounds, These Powers featuring Spikey Tree, albeit with a more dub influenced musical backdrop. Overall Sola Rosa’s Get It Together is an album that has something for almost every occasion, a perfect addition to an entertainer’s collection. - Last.fm - Myspace -

Younger Brother - A Flock of Bleeps

"Oh goody,

Let's pump ourselves full of magic monkey juice and take a trip to space land"

In anticipation to the imminent release of Younger Brother's third studio album, "Vaccine", here is a quick look back at the first two albums.

Younger Brother - A Flock of Bleeps

Starting off the album is Weird on a Monday Night, an aural masterpiece that starts with distorted vocal intro that only Simon Posford can be responsible for. The tone for the album is set from this brilliant opener on, with a surprisingly organic mix of electronic elements all meshed together to form a stunningly creative album. Each track can be singled out as a highlight, yet no one song over-powers any of the others, which is something that plagues plenty of other albums.

Crumblenaut is arguably the album's best known track, which blends the down-tempo album start with Posford's infamous vocal adjustments of Michele Adamson's beautiful voice. The later part of the song leads into a somewhat faster mood which perfectly lines up the following tracks.

As a debut album, forgetting for a second the pedigree that Mr. Posford (Shpongle, Hallucinogen) and Mr. Vaughan (Prometheus) bring to the table, this is a phenomenal start to what started out as a side project. A Flock of Bleeps has now reached something of a cult status in electronica circles after its release in 2003, an album that takes music in a completely new direction that is almost unclassifiable.

The mid-section is oft regarded as the trance equivalent of the album, and thus has reached a slightly broader audience but this should by no means put off listeners from listening to the outlying tracks.

There are fantastic vocals and vocal samples throughout, some laid straight over the track but most manipulated expertly by Posford to create some breathtakingly unique sounds which become music of their own accord.

Younger Brother - Weird on a Monday Night

The finish of the album comes through two tracks; Safety Zone, a seemingly dub influenced track that blends perfectly into Bedtime Story, an utterly chill track with predominantly acoustic guitar picking laid over ambient sounds. The track would not be out of place on a toddler's bedtime tape, and yet it book-ends A Flock of Bleeps so perfectly, finishing on such a peaceful note that leaves the listener in the best possible way relaxed. - Last.fm - Myspace -