Features Tracks: David Bowie, Kurt Vile, & More

The wind is howling about at ridiculous mph, and the sky is raining forth endless cats and dogs unto the earth. In other words, we could all do with a little bit of cheering up, couldn’t we?

You’re in luck dear readers, because DIY’s intrepid team of scribes have battled storms, inside-out umbrellas, and moderately sized puddles to bring you the best tracks of this week. There’s a remix so epic that it makes Lord of the Rings look like a short story, and that’s only the beginning. Enjoy.

David Bowie - Love Is Lost (Hello Steve Reich Mix By James Murphy For The DFA)

Normally the idea of a remix that reaches durational double figures induces nothing but groans of despair. Ten minutes, for pete’s sake? What point possibly takes 600 seconds to fully hammer home? This is a notable exception - because this remix could last days and still be delicious. James Murphy has an unfurling story to tell using Bowie’s ‘Love Is Lost’ as a foundation, and every moment is saturated with sonic delight. Clapping into life, it’s like Brubeck on a space hoverboard – the Reich reference in the title is clear to hear, too. Five minutes in, things really get going, though, as swaggering melodies burst into life, along with Murphy’s own take on the iconic ‘Ashes to Ashes’ melody. This is a thoughtful, classy and stylish remix that does the original proud whilst breathing new innovation into it. (El Hunt)

Gems - Medusa

Washington DC dream-poppers GEMS deal in floaty tones that occasionally pierce the surface. They’re probably the band to see at this year’s CMJ Fest, and ‘Medusa”s sharp-fanged serpent bite gives every reason as to why. Forget ‘dreamy’, forget ‘floaty’; this track packs serious venom, giving Greek myths a new, terrifying lease of life through the form of embittered, expansive beauty. (Jamie Milton)

Kurt Vile and Sore Eros - Serum

‘Serum’ isn’t a song, it is a lullaby. Taken from an upcoming EP ‘Jamaica Plain’, it is a recording from the early 2000s by Kurt Vile and former Violator Robert Robinson. Simplicity is the key, with gentle acoustics and Robinson’s ever so laidback vocals making for something that is very, very sleepy. Kurt Vile may have an infamous reputation for crafting extremely relaxed, drowsy and lethargic songs, but this unearthed gem must take the title. Just don’t close your eyes when listening to ‘Serum’, because if you do, before you know it you will be in a very deep slumber. (Samuel Cornforth)

Upset - She’s Gone

Having graced the drum kits of Vivian Girls and Best Coast in the past, Ali Koehler is doing her own thing in new project Upset. She’s certainly got a few things to get off her chest, backed by a wonderfully 90’s guitar riff that sounds just like what a band might play during the finale of a high school movie about forming a band against the odds. “Your songs mean nothing, I wish they would,” sings Koehler with more than just a hint of cathartic angst – perhaps directed towards a certain former project and their straightforward sunny lyricism? Who knows. On a total tangent ‘She’s Gone’ sometimes sounds like “cheese scone” during the chorus which should provide a fun little sprinkle of excitement for you on this dreary Friday evening. (El Hunt)

Jubilee Courts - A Room With A View

Northampton has previously been put on the map by legends such as Alan Moore (the cult comic book writer) and Alan Carr (that comedy dude) but it is bands such as Jubilee Courts that are making people take notice of the music being made in this corner of the Midlands. ‘Room With A View’ spits and stutters with a static energy that is in equal parts moody and melodic. They have chosen wisely to introduce us with this song as fans of Joy Division, King Krule and Interpol will surely be pricking up their ears. (Jack Parker)

Fryars - The Power

Amid the many mornings of sluggishly wallowing in a 15-tog duvet - cradling the pillow like a baby made of superglue –instead of facing the pungent realities of everyday life, there’s the odd moment where sun pierces through the curtains, forcing people to get off their backsides and venture outside. ‘The Power’ could be used as a catalyst for this – it’s an anthem to bleary-eyed vision, a soundtrack to internal DMCs. In simpler terms, it’s a starry-eyed call to spread the arms aloft. Hazy vocals are folded into twinkly synths and anthemic piano lines, before the whole thing tumbles into a 70s-nodding refrain. All this plays second fiddle to the chorus, though – it’s an almighty thud of echoey vocals and jittery synths that’s much bigger and bolder than any of Ben Garret’s shining back-catalogue. It ends with a dreamy outro that sees the London songwriter cleverly quipping ‘All I wanted was an IRL’. (Kyle MacNeill)

James Miller - The Sarcophagins

Emerging as the leader of the ever-elusive Woozy Tribe, James Miller has been making some of the most interesting music you’re likely to find in the murky depths of Bandcamp. Moving away from the hip-hop influenced ‘psycho-swagger’ of his Body Cheetah project, Miller has elected to dabble with experimental rock on his latest self-titled project. Dropping his debut album with very little warning beforehand, Miller’s online presence matches his mystifying music perfectly. Backed by an imperious bassline and a hypnotically lurching drum pattern, immediate highlight ‘The Sarcophagins’ makes perhaps the most compelling case for Miller’s profound talents yet. His strongest asset is his freakishly ghostly vocals, which slowly creep across his backwoods-esque surroundings with ease. How his music has gone unnoticed for so long is that of a mystery, but with his latest release ‘Sunny From My Throne’, it doesn’t seem like that’ll be the case for much longer. (Joe Price)

Sunny From My Throne by James Miller