Imagine stumbling upon James Brown & the Famous Flames in 1964, making women faint and everyone in their path sweaty and inspired. Substitute JB & Co with some hip looking Brazilian kids screaming and crooning tunes in Portuguese in a basement bar and you'll start understanding the excitement level surrounding Garotas Suecas. They've played a few shows in NYC (you can read Carrie Brownstein's exuberant review of a NYC show here) and are currently bouncing around the East Coast. You can find tour dates and a black & white & red video that furthers the notion that these kids are too cool to be fucked with here. Grab these songs and see Garotas Suecas immediately if not sooner.
Sounds Like: James Brown, Sam Cooke, the Hives, Shout Out Louds
When making music, producer/composer Matthew Herbert seems most at home when bound to an album-length concept. Turning unlikely, conceptual samples into palatable sounds is Herbert's M.O., which dates back to his days producing house and techno music which included samples of kitchen tools, body parts and foods. He adopted a big band to help fill out his sound on 2006's Scale and again on this year's forthcoming There's Me and There's You, although both are filigreed with samples, such as credit cards being cut up, nails being hammered into a coffin, and condoms being scraped on the floor of the British Museum. There's Me... is Herbert's statement on power and how it relates to the common man, but you don't need a philosophicaly degree to enjoy tunes like "The Story." The incredibly talented singer Eska drapes her versatile vocals over dusky piano chords, bright horn charts and humble drumming. If you're intrigued, make sure to stay tuned for his album to drop October 28th on K7.
Sounds like: Matmos, Mr. Scruff, Lemon Jelly
Download: The Matthew Herbert Big Band - The Story (Demo Edit)
The Matthew Herbert Big Band on RCRD LBL
The Matthew Herbert Big Band on Myspace
The Matthew Herbert Big Band website
