VA - Now Hear This! (The Word Magazine, June 2009)

Tracks
01. Speech Debelle - The Key (3:01)
02. Brakes - Two Shocks (3:50)
03. Mexican Institute Of Sound - Alocatel (3:42)
04. Elvis Costello - Down Among The Wine & Spirits (3:14)
05. Mulatu Astatke & The Heliocentrics - Cha Cha (4:35)
06. Terry Callier - Hidden Conversations (3:56)
07. Devon Sproule - Don't Hurry For Heaven (3:49)
08. The DO - Playground Hustle (2:56)
09. Bombay Bicycle Club - Lamplight (3:48)
10. Grizzly Bear - Cheerleader (4:49)
11. Jason Lytle - Yours Truly, The Commuter (3:16)
12. Conor Oberst & The Mystic Valley Band - Worldwide (3:33)
13. Eg White - But California (2:58)
14. Jon Allen - Dead Man's Suit (3:49)
15. Nancy Wallace - I Live Not Where I Love (3:36)

Total time: 54m 52s


What's on the CD with the June issue.

1. Speech Debelle - The Key
The first album by this south London performer is one of the most keenly anticipated debuts of recent years. Recorded in Melbourne, Australia with producer Loteck, it features guest appearances from admirers Roots Manuva and Micachu. One of the albums of the summer. Word's Rob Fitzpatrick described The Key as a "sort of oboe'n'bass hip-hop jazz style that owes more to Oliver Postgate than DJ Premier."
From the album Speech Therapy

2. Brakes - Two Shocks
Formed in 2003 from associates of Electric Soft Parade and British Sea Power, Brakes have made three albums but have the kind of reputation that in another era would have attracted the compound adjective "hard-gigging". In the United States they have been compelled to trade under the name "Brakesbrakesbrakes" in order to distinguish them from another Brake-like aggregation.
From the album Touchdown

3. Mexican Institute Of Sound - Alcotel
Camilo Lara, senior executive at EMI's Mexican franchise (and seen here in a fetching yellow cardigan), tops up his day-job pesos by producing high-spirited pop mashups – tracks that have drawn admiring glances from the Beastie Boys and Placebo as well as finding a home on US TV shows Ugly Betty and Californication.
From the album Soy Sauce

4. Elvis Costello - Down Among The Wine And Spirits
Elvis told us a year ago that records were no longer at the centre of his work. In future he would record and release them as and when he felt like it. This set was recorded in three days at Nashville's Sound Emporium Studio and features contributions from old trusties Jerry Douglas, Emmylou Harris and producer T Bone Burnett, whose Kay electric guitar is the only amplified instrument on the record.
From the album Secret, Profane and Sugarcane

5. Mulatu Astatke & The Heliocentrics
Mulatu Astatke, the father of Ethiopian jazz, had his name on one of the most distinguished albums in the Ethiopiques series and has seen his music used on the soundtrack of Jim Jarmusch’s 2005 film Broken Flowers. This record, the third in Strut’s Inspiration Information series, was recorded in London with pioneering jazz-funk outfit The Heliocentrics.
From the album Inspiration Information 3

6. Terry Callier - Hidden Conversations
A contemporary of Curtis Mayfield, the music of Terry Callier might have passed unremarked into the dustbin of history had it not been for British club DJs who found his gentle, trippy brand of soul ideal for their chill-out zones. This is from a new album in which he collaborates with members of Massive Attack.
From the album Hidden Conversation

7. Devon Sproule - Don't Hurry For Heaven
Recorded in Northants and completed in Virginia, the fourth album by Devon Sproule features a cameo from her hero Jesse Winchester, a desert-blues version of Black Uhuru's Sponji Reggae and this flirtatious piece of advice for him indoors, in her case musician/producer Paul Curreri.
From the album Don't Hurry For Heaven

8. The Dø - Playground Hustle
The Dø, who take their name from the first note on the musical scale, are based in Paris and comprise Olivia B Merilahti and Dan Levy. Their avowed intent is to "roll the rock uncovering the hole left in rock and roll after disco and pop skyrocketed to the top, eclipsing all the other musical genre's except for hip hop". Seems fair.
From the album A Mouthful

9. Bombay Bicycle Club - Lamplight
Still in their teens, Bombay Bicycle Club come from north London, won a competition to open the V Festival in 2006 and have enjoyed a great deal of acclaim in some of the right quarters. Their guitarist Jamie MacColl is the son of Neill and nephew of the late Kirsty.
From the album I Had The Blues But I Shook Them Loose

10. Grizzly Bear - Cheerleader
One of those groups who are respected and well connected in the indie universe (Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead has called them his favourite group) despite projecting a front that's at best opaque and featuring members who also operate in other outfits (such as Daniel Rossen of Department Of Eagles), Grizzly Bear name their third album after an island in Dukes County, Massachusetts.
From the album Veckatimest

11. Jason Lytle - Yours Truly, The Commander
The erstwhile leader of Grandaddy went solo following their last album, The Fambly Cat, and candidly describes the relief he feels in "not having four girlfriends to lug around with me all the time". Jason's website lists his hobbies: hiking in woods, skateboarding in skateparks, bicycling on anything and skiing on mountains. There should be more of this kind of thing.
From the album Yours Truly, The Commander

12. Conor Oberst & The Mystic Valley Band - Worldwide
Trading under his own name rather than the Bright Eyes brand, Conor Oberst & The Mystic Valley Band presents a brand-new album featuring songs written by Oberst, Jason Boesel, Nik Freitas and Taylor Hollingsworth, some of which were part of the live show from late last year, including the almost-brand-named Nikorette, which they performed on Late Night With Conan O'Brien in November.
From the album Outer South

13. Eg White - But California
Francis Anthony "Eg" White recorded an acclaimed record in 1990 as Eg & Alice with model Alice Temple. Since then he has devoted most of his energy to writing songs for others, scoring big hits with the likes of Chasing Pavements for Adele, Call My Name for Charlotte Church and Changes for Will Young.
From the album Adventure Man

14. Jon Allen - Dead Man's Suit
Jon Allen arrives via Liverpool, where he studied at the famous school of the performing arts, and Devon, where he went to hippy school. "My songwriting is melodic and I think many of my songs could have been written at any time in the last 30 years, although most likely in 1970."
From the album Dead Man's Suit

15. Nancy Wallace - I Live Not Where I Love
An occasional member of The Memory Band, Sussex singer Nancy Wallace's first record is full of plain, unvarnished tales. This heartfelt rendition of an old English ballad is a perfect representative.
From the album Old Stories