Travel Blog - Mr & Mrs Smith Boutique & Luxury Hotels

Looking for the perfect music to take on your trips? Well, there’s Mr & Mrs Smith’s all-new In bed with… CD , of course, but you may need some additional inspiration. Here, our very own TuneSmith, DJ Rob Wood,  the brains and ears behind our albums, makes his essential monthly recommendations…

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ALBUM OF THE MONTH

Machine Dreams by Little Dragon

When? On the train to work
Why? It’s the perfect soundtrack to staring out of the window on a sunny day

You might not know much about this intriguing band from Gothenburg, but rest assured their musical pedigree is a promising one. Swedish-Japanese singer has graced tracks by jazzy lounge-lovers Koop with her intoxicating vocals, and drummer Erik Bodin is also the percussionist for alt-folk singer, so expectations should be high. They have not merely been content with following up their sweet self-titled album from 2007 with something respectable, they’ve have instead produced one of the best vocal-led electronic albums of the year. It certainly would be a shame if this slipped by unloved. It’s full of enough engaging songs and endearingly looped synths to delight any fan of Feist-like understated pop. Definitely worth rooting around for this quirky little gem.

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THE SMITH CLASSIC

Secret Agent by Tony Allen

When? Only blistering grooves will do
Why? It takes you straight to the sweaty heart of Afrobeat

Tony Allen might be Africa’s most famous drummer, but he certainly is no show-off. Secret Agent is his best album for a while and it’s packed with bubbling, evocative grooves all driven by his effortless flair with the Afrobeat, but without a drum solo in sight. Unusually for Allen, he adds his gentle voice to two of the tracks here, and Oribiyi Adunni provides a slight soul edge to most of the others. The dancing shadow of his former band mate Fela Kuti can, as expected, be felt across much of this music, but, at 70 years old, Allen is still not only a master of his art, but also the real innovator behind this spellbinding and rewarding album.

This entry was posted on Monday, September 7th, 2009 at 11:13 am and is filed under Arts & culture, Features, Uncategorized, Worth getting out of bed for. You can follow any comments on this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.