4Play: Sia, The XX, The Roots, Groove Armada

Aug. 15, 2010

Sia - We Are Born - Hear Music
UK-via-Australia singer Sia returns with her fourth set, as produced
by Kylie Minogue collaborator Greg Kurstin; Inara George and The
Strokes’ guitarist Nick Valensi also chip in. First single “Clap Your
Hands” sets the dance-floor-friendly tracklisting in motion, alongside
other disco-ish hits “You’ve Changed” and “The Fight.” Elsewhere, Sia
shows off her balladry skills on a Madonna cover as well as her own
songs “I’m Here” and “Stop Trying” - she may have started as a simple
pop singer, but she’s gradually gaining more depth with each album.


The XX - XX - XL Recordings

The XX – ironically signed to XL Recordings for this set - blend
call-and-response male/female vocals with R&B tunes and arrangements
and ’80s synths. Have we lost you yet? It’s definitely a unique mix,
but one that works in a modern new wave way. Opening with the
obviously-titled “Intro,” the sparsely-edited instrumental flows into
the first introduction of singers Sim and Croft (not to be confused in
any way with Seals and Crofts), who proceed to shoegaze beautifully
and quirkily through songs like “Shelter,” “Basic Space,” and
“Crystalized.”


The Roots - How I Got Over - Def Jam

Hip-hop pioneers and Jimmy Fallon house band The Roots have taken
their time to put together their 9th studio album, but the wait was
definitely worth it audio-wise. First single “Dear God 2.0” remakes
the Monsters of Folk song (“Dear God”) and includes contributions from
M. Ward and Conor Oberst; John Legend also shows up - twice - to
collaborate with The Roots on “The Fire” and a revamp of his own tune,
“Again,” here re-dubbed as “Doin’ It Again.” It’s a bright, funky set
with The Roots’ usual snappy arrangements and deft musicianship.


Groove Armada - Black Light - Om Records
After spending a good part of the past 10 years of their career
collaborating with everyone from Fatboy Slim to the aforementioned
Kylie Minogue, Groove Armada’s latest brings in a little pop and a
little art rock to their Eurodisco sound, via the vocals of Will Young
and Roxy Music’s Bryan Ferry, respectively. “Shameless” offers up
Ferry’s smooth vocals and some spoken-word efforts (in French, of
course), while “Fall Silent” adds a dash of The Human League via
Empire of the Sun’s Nick Littlemore, and “History” adds Will Young’s
vocals to the ’70s/’80s mix.