Fat Freddy’s Drop – Big BW

Even though New Zealand’s Fat Freddy’s Drop has been a huge success worldwide their presence has been largely absent in the United States, even among the underground scene. The group, led by the soulful vocals of Joe Dukie with their combination of big band, jazz, and dub reggae to form some of the most unique sound I’ve ever heard. Their last album, Based on a True Story, which is still a fixture on my iPod, has gone 7x platinum and already made them pop stars down under, and I’m hoping their newest album Dr Boondigga And The Big BW will get these dudes noticed here.

Even though Based On… skewed more into the pop direction, Dr Boondigga seems like it’s going more experimental, with the group playing around with some more electro (on “Shiverman” and “Wild Wind”) and big band (on “Boondigga” and “The Nod”) sounds. However, their core reggae/dub sound remains.

Dr Boondigga And The Big BW has already dropped in the lower Hemisphere, but an album release date for the US has not been set at the moment.

fatfreddysdrop.com

BLK JKS – Lakeside

When many people think of Africa, the stereotypical images abound: tribal music, mud huts, grass skirts and conflict dominate our images of the continent. However, Africa has been leading the modern music revolution for a hot minute now, from the Afrobeat stylings of Fela Kuti, to the Ethiopian jazz beats of Mulatu Astatke, to the more recent African hip-hop movement.

The South African rock band BLK JKS (pronounced Black Jacks), is again shaking up what African music is supposed sound like. Ever since their 5 song EP dropped 2 years ago, the collective has been getting worldwide acclaim from the Internet and music industry execs alike. The sound–a collection of psychedelic rock combined with African rhythms and heavy percussion–is a maturation of what acts like Mandrill and Bad Brains used to do back in the day. The sound is strictly African, however, with their rock guitars peppered by Zulu chants and various ramblings about the environment, teenage pregnancy, and South African politics.

The group has become a fascination in their native country, attracting as one local paper calls it, “new South African hipsters who are looking for a soundtrack to an identity…”, and they’ve gotten cosigns by Pharrell and Dead Prez. They are currently on the first leg of an extensive US Tour, which is scheduled to conclude with multiple dates in Austin for South By Southwest, including the NPR Music showcase on Thursday, March 19th. (much thanks to Lady Glock for the track)

Already a superstar in his native Jamaica, Mavado is heading to the States real soon with his new album Mr. Brooks…A Better Tomorrow which hits stores in March. This track will be a big tune people. Be on the lookout of this dude at a dancehall near you.

We’ve covered K’Naan pretty extensively here on The Couch Sessions for the past few years, and I’m glad that the dude is getting his much deserved shine. The Canadian/Somali MC’s newest album Troubadour drops next month and his newest track bearing the name of his mother country is rather timely considering the pirate situation going on off the Somali coast. Troubadour will be in stores soon. (spotted at DDoff)

From RadioMilwaukee.

Asa comes to us from Paris by the way of Lagos, Nigeria. Her music is a fusion of acoustic soul, African folk, R&B, and jazz. Her lyrics are often political, due to her upbringing, but have a dose of humor as well. Her song, “Jailer,” is one of the most potent and powerful songs of 2008.

Unfortunately, her album is not available in the US (BOO!!), but if you’re in France or the UK you can get her music from Amazon and iTunes.

myspace.com/asaofficial

M.I.A. – Hit That

“Galang,” “Sunshowers,” and “URAQT” are still my jams, and the girl’s live show is one of the best around, but my tolerance for M.I.A. has dropped threefold. “Hit That” is more tolerable than her first single “Bird Flu,” but I’m really only providing this as a public service cause this one’s definitely not making its way to my iPod. Unfortunately like the show 24, M.I.A. has managed to become stale, repetitive, and almost funny. Still, I know the hipsters are gonna get excited like crazy for this one, especially when the Akon remix comes out! (I’m joking.)

Dr. Evil – More Punanny + Marijuana

from ??? (Audio Not Safe for Work)

Late pass for me y’all. I was trolling the hard drive last night and came across these two tracks from Dr. Evil (not that Dr. Evil). Both from Lemon Red. Then I was listening to the Radioclit podcast and damn, Dr. Evil Again. Needless to say, these tracks have been blowin’ up my MP3 player. All I know is that these dudes are some Dancehall DJ’s trying to reinvent themselves. Think Kool Keith or Spank Rock. Other than that, I’m stumped. More info, please.