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Sep 15th, 2009 1 Comment




Hey,

Metronomy recently released an EP entitled Not Made For Love. The release marks a change up in the band with guitarist leaving to form his own band called Your Twenties. The good thing about this move is that instead of simply replacing him, the band have gone and recruited TWO new members and in the process have created a new, more ‘live’ show. Apparently, at live shows from now on everything you hear will be from the band members playing their instruments i.e. no backing tracks. Hopefully this enables a more exciting live experience, although from what I can remember from seeing them in January it’d be pretty hard to top. Parklife will be interesting. By the way does anyone have a Brisbane Parklife ticket they could sell me? I previously was going to be away but my circumstances have changed. If you can help me out, email aderogatoryterm@gmail.com I’d really, really appreciate it.

Oh yeah, the EP. Right. The title track is on the poppier side of Metronomy’s repertoire and is definitely the best song on the EP. It’ll get stuck in your head after the 2nd or 3rd listen and I think the lyrics hit the nail on the head of the feelings of unrequited love. Another song on the EP worth getting is Do The Right Thing, which is a simple, catchy little ditty. The only other original on the release is What Do I Do Now? and is in my opinion not that great a track – it doesn’t really go anywhere and the vocoders don’t really do it for me in this case. It also includes a whopping 6 remixes with the Astronomer and Leo Zero mixes being the picks of the bunch. The Astronomer remix sounds really cool at about 3:10 check it out.


Metronomy – Not Made For Love



Metronomy – Do The Right Thing



Metronomy – Not Made For Love (Astronomer Remix)

Kid Cudi – the man who brought you the infamous Day N Nite – has had his concept album leaked online last week. It’s a bit of a strange one, check out the tracklist:

ACT 1: THE END OF THE DAY

1. In My Dreams (Cudder Anthem)

2. Soundtrack 2 My Life

3. Simple As…

ACT 2: RISE OF THE NIGHT TERRORS

4. Mr. Solo Dolo (Nightmare)

5. Heart of a Lion (KiD CuDi Theme Music)

6. My World ft. Billy Cravens

ACT 3: TAKING A TRIP

7. Day N Nite (Nightmare)

8. Sky Might Fall

9. Enter Galactic (Love Connection Part 1)

ACT 4: STUCK

10. Alive (Nightmare) ft. RATATAT

11. CuDi Zone

12. Make Her Say ft. Kanye West & Common

13. Pursuit of Happiness (Nightmare) ft. MGMT & RATATAT

ACT 5: A NEW BEGINNING

14. Hyyerrr ft. Chip Tha Ripper

15. Up, Up & Away (The Wake & Bake Song)



At the beginning of each act a short narration is spoken by Common to tell the story of Kid Cudi’s life. I think it’s an interesting idea and I hope it adds credence to the value of the album as a whole so that kids don’t just buy the songs with MGMT and Kanye in them. You could probably guess the tracks I would like the best and you’d be right – Ratatat are at their best. If you like the Ratatat Remixes Mixtapes (which you can get for free on their myspace) you’ll love these songs. I predict Pursuit of Happiness will be everywhere in a couple weeks mainly because of the ACRONYM, even though Ratatat deserve most of the credit. The other track’s first two lines made me laugh the first time I heard them; the rest of the track’s lyrics are pretty sharp too. All in all, I think it’s a really well made first album and, though I love Jay-Z, I think the rookie has outclassed the master here.



Kid Cudi – Pursuit of Happiness (ft. MGMT) (Produced by Ratatat)



Kid Cudi – Alive (Nightmare) (Produced by Ratatat)



Kid Cudi – Soundtrack 2 My Life



To finish up, I’ll quickly mention a band I’ve been absolutely loving lately: The xx. I know they’ve been blogged to death lately, but the hype is well deserved. If you haven’t given them a chance I strongly suggest you do. They’re from London and they make minimal electronic pop with interchanging boy-girl vocals. Sounds pretty run-of-the-mill? Well where they differentiate is their production value. They do all their production themselves, but by no means does it sound like it was made in their bedroom. You’d like it if you like Whitest Boy Alive. Cyrstalised is the single so you’d probably be best off starting there, but the album is alllll good. I think the drum machine pattern at about 1:55 in Basic Space is really cool and the cracking sound effect throughout Infinity is genius. Finally, make sure you listen to it loud as their sound may feel shallow on tinny laptop speakers.

The xx – Crystalised



The xx – Basic Space



The xx – Inifinity



All the best,


Adso

Original Mix Is The New Remix

Aug 7th, 2009 Leave a comment

Lately I’ve been feeling a real lack in quality within the whole remix culture side of music. I just went on a rampage and sorted through 945 new blog posts in my much-neglected feed reader, so when I get through that hopefully I will have found some good stuff for you guys.

In the mean time, I’ve been getting into a few albums which are certainly worth a gander.

Wow. The Temper Trap’s debut album Conditions is one of the best albums I have heard in a long time. From the very first words out of singer Dougy’s mouth I just knew this was going to be a great album. Although I must admit, I had already fallen in love with Sweet Disposition a while ago, so I had high expectations. This is often a curse for me as it can lead me to unfounded disappointment with the end product – not this time. Everything about the album abounds with originality, from the use of orchestral instruments and variety of structure in the tracks to Dougy’s unique voice. It’s so unique that it’s embarrassing trying to match it when thrashing the album in the car.

The Temper Trap – Sweet Disposition

The Temper Trap – Down River

If you’ve been reading my posts for a while you’d know I’m a sucker for progressive, building songs. Soldier On is a perfect example of how great they can be. The first few minutes consist solely of Dougy’s voice, acoustic guitar and some ambient strings, and just when you think the rest of the band are about to kick in at 2:35, they hold off and tease you by doing another verse. Once you being to wonder if the song will ever kick in, 3:50 comes along and brings with it an ominous guitar riff signalling 2 minutes full of crashing drums, bass and guitar solos to release the tension. Every other song on this album is great; you need to have it.

The Temper Trap – Soldier On

Red Riders are a Sydney band who’ve been milling around the music scene for a while threatening to make a big impact. I think they are close with their latest album Drown In Colour, just not quite there. The first half of the album is extremely good straight up-and-down indie rock, but the second half doesn’t follow through. Standout track Ordinary is far from ordinary for me – it would sit comfortably next to Jonathan Boulet’s A Community Service Announcement (which Triple J has been rightfully flogging as of late) and Two Door Cinema Club’s Something Good Can Work (which I posted a while ago). Its guitar hook is so undeniably catchy it will have you singing along to it before the lyrics will.

Red Riders – Ordinary

Red Riders – Feels Like Grace

Jonathan Boulet – A Community Service Announcement

I first came across Jack Ladder through watching the video for his single The Barber’s Son. I was instantly hooked on this guy’s music and had to have more. In the video he oozes swagger and old-world cool; I highly recommend you watch it to understand what I’m talking about. It’s such a stomper of a song, which was no doubt an influence from Pivot drummer Laurenz Pike, who lends his talents on the whole album as well.

Unfortunately, the rest of the album isn’t as stomping as The Barber’s Son, but that isn’t to say it’s not good. Another song off his latest album Love Is Gone that I really like is Case Closed, which wouldn’t sound out of place in the Rolling Stones back catalogue. Speaking of The Rolling Stones, I randomly came across this really funky edit of Miss You recently. It’s the perfect kind of edit – it doesn’t change the original too much, yet it adds another dimension to the track, giving it a new lease on life.

Jack Ladder – The Barber’s Son

Jack Ladder – Case Closed

The Rolling Stones – Miss You (717 Boys Edit)

Have a good weekend,

Adso

Pleasure Spiked With Pain

Jul 6th, 2009 Leave a comment
Death Star (40,000 Bullets)


Nothing that’s brand spanking new has really grabbed me and shook me like a polaroid picture lately, so rather than deprive you of my ranting and raving I thought I would share some fairly recent music I’ve been revisiting lately. Hopefully all you music-savvy people aren’t already up on all this.

I know you might be sick of me talking about Radiohead, but I think this track is so fucking good I just had to share it with you. It’s a cover of the opener from Amnesiac by a guy named James Yuill. Now, I’m going to go out on a limb here – I think his cover is actually better than the original. This might be an apocalyptic statement for the Radiohead lovers out there, but I dare them to give it a try and see what they think. Also been loving the shit out of Talk Show Host from the Romeo + Juliet Soundtrack.

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James Yuill – Packt Like Sardines In A Crushd Tin Box (Radiohead Cover)

Radiohead – Talk Show Host

DFA signees Yacht are releasing a new album this month entitled See Mystery Lights. First single, Psychic City, describes a place where your friends throw you parties and washing machines speak. Despite the weird subject matter, it’s catchier than swine flu and will have you singing it back all day. The other song I’ve got for you is a love letter to LCD Soundsystem that they made after touring with James Murphy and co last year. James loved Summer Song so much that after hearing it he signed them to DFA.

Yacht – Psychic City

Yacht – Summer Song

Now I’m a bit late on this one, but this is a band formed by The Strokes’ drummer Fabrizio Moretti and the singer/guitarist of Brazilian band Los Hermanos. You could think of them as a more acoustic, slightly tropical version of The Strokes. You could be forgiven for thinking Keep Me In Mind is actually a Strokes track, as it’s scary how much the singer sounds like Julian Casablancas. This music is perfectly suited to sitting on the beach in the shade of a palm tree sipping on drinks housed in coconuts with little colourful umbrellas sticking out of them. So if that tickles your fancy you should definitely pick up their self-titled album.

Little Joy – Keep Me In Mind

Little Joy – How To Hang A Warhol

The Bird and the Bee came out of nowhere for me, I stumbled across their video for Polite Dance Song purely on the tip that it was a funny clip of old people dancing. While it was mildly funny, the thing that stayed with me the most was the actual music. With tongue firmly planted in cheek, singer Inara George pokes fun at every dance song ever made by politely asking you to clap your hands and apologising for losing her cool. I’ve also posted another cover that I think is better than the original – I think the sexy female voice appeals to me more in this context for obvious reasons. And apparently it’s featured in the Sex and the City movie, but I haven’t seen it so I wouldn’t know.

The other member of the group Greg Kurstin has worked with Lily Allen, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Beck and The Flaming Lips and the band opened for Lily Allen’s 2007 tour; so if you like that sort of music you will love this.

The Bird and the Bee – Polite Dance Song

The Bird and the Bee – How Deep Is Your Love (Bee Gees Cover)

I got Temper Trap’s debut and a couple of other albums recently so hopefully they’ll inspire me to post again soon. Until then, keep supporting your favourite artists.

Kindest Regards,

Adso

Going Mental

Jun 7th, 2009 6 Comments


NEWSFLASH: According to the Avalanches website they are currently clearing samples for their new album to be out towards the end of the year! Can’t wait for this one.

Kasabian – West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum

This is an album I had been looking forward to for a long time. I was so excited to hear what new sounds the psychedelic indie electro rock band had come up with. After a few listens though it hasn’t consumed my every waking hour like I thought I would – don’t get me wrong it’s a really good album, but West Ryder just isn’t amazing. I may be guilty of putting too high expectations on the album, as some of their older songs, namely Club Foot, Processed Beats, LSF (from their self titled debut), Shoot The Runner, Empire and Me Plus One (from 2nd album Empire) are some of my favourite songs ever and I HIGHLY recommend you listen to them.

From Kasabian (2004):

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Kasabian – Club Foot


Kasabian – Processed Beats


Kasabian – L.S.F.


From Empire (2006):

Kasabian – Empire


Kasabian – Shoot The Runner


Kasabian – Me Plus One

Shot from Vlad The Impaler

There are similar moments of brilliance on West Ryder as well, with the 60s-influenced Cream-sounding track Fire being the obvious stand out and one of the best songs I’ve heard all year. As good as the song is, I feel like they could’ve done a lot more with the small break at 2:35 by extending it and creating a bigger build-up. To me the track sounds pretty similar to what Tame Impala have been re-creating – so if you like them you’ll no doubt like Fire. Other songs worth noting are the catchy as hell tracks Where Did All The Love Go? and Take Aim, while the bass-heavy pump-up track Vlad The Impaler is fun and features Noel Fielding from The Mighty Boosh in its weird/scary/funny/creepy film clip.

I have a feeling this album would sound better in its live translation, so I’ll be eagerly awaiting their eventual tour to Oz. While it doesn’t really have many strong singles, it is a more cohesive from start to finish than its predecessors. All in all it’s a really solid album that’s definitely worth listening to, Kasabian fan or not; however it didn’t quite reach my expectation of being THE album of the year.

Kasabian – Fire


Kasabian – Where Did All The Love Go


Kasabian – Take Aim


Kasabian – Vlad The Impaler

Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

Another album I have been desperately waiting for. This time the end result did live up to my expectations. I would go so far to say that Phoenix’s latest effort is agonisingly close to my idea of a perfect pop album. Everything about it is just so catchy and uplifting (though not in a cheesy house sort of way) that it instantly lifts your mood and compels you to tap your feet. That’s not to say you are bombarded with monotonous single after single after single. The album’s beauty is in its ability to vary the feelings throughout the album and take you on journey rather than leaving you nauseous from travelling in circles.

When I first saw the track list I was extremely disappointed to see that Twenty-One One Zero was nowhere to be found (one of the first tracks I posted here and one of my favourite songs ever). But on first listen I realised the sly dogs had simply re-produced the song to give it a more electronic feel and renamed it Love Like A Sunset – phew. This is an album that everyone could enjoy – even your friends with really bad music taste – so do yourself a favour and get it.

Phoenix – Lisztomania


Phoenix – Lasso

White Lies – To Lose My Life

These guys are a London band, who have had enormous success over in the UK and a fair amount of airplay on Triple J. They make melodramatic synth-rock, with lyrics that are almost always gloomy in subject-matter, yet the singer’s voice is so strong it never lets the music become depressing. It is also an extremely well polished album for a debut effort. I’ve read they put on a great live show, so make sure you check them out if you’re lucky enough to be going to Splendour.


White Lies – Death


White Lies- Unfinished Business

White Lies – E.S.T.

Freeland – Cope

Freeland’s new album delivers exactly what you’d expect in terms of quality (high), but the sound might not be exactly what you thought it would be. The heavy electronics are all still there, but this follow-up album has a much rockier tinge to it. It also sounds like the drums have been performed live, which I’m sure is a result of Tommy Lee’s publicised involvement with the record. The band also has a full time vocalist now, who suits their sound well. These are all positives in my book. The standout track is the lead single Under Control which is a politically charged heavy pop song. Another highlight for me is the track Mancry, which shows he can create a good builder of a track that leaves you wanting more.

Freeland – Mancry


Freeland – Under Control

If you went, what did you think of Datarock? Don’t be afraid to leave a comment, I would love it if you did and comment on anything for that matter, feedback is always good – positive or constructive.

If you like the songs I’ve posted you should definitely get their respective albums.

Cheers,

Adso

Questions, Answers, Fetishes

May 12th, 2009 Leave a comment
Ludwig van Beethoven

Whoa, haven’t done this in a while. Some might say too long? I think so. Anywayyy, I’ve got some really cool stuff for you today. First off, I finally found my most sought after track in decent quality. If you haven’t heard this played live in some form you have been seriously deprived. It sounds much better live and I almost feel guilty about giving this out in not-perfect quality, but I couldn’t help myself.

(To Download Right Click Save As)
Soulwax – Beathoven (Edit)

I’ve been really enjoying some new material from one of my favourite producers Siriusmo. While he is usually very hit and miss with me, these two tracks from his new EP The Uninvited Guest are both resounding hits to me. My favourite of the two is Nights Off, its got the perfect mix of dark synths, a good melody and driving drums. Apparently, he will be releasing another EP and an album by the end of 2009 on Modeselektor’s new label Monkeytown Records.

Siriusmo – Nights Off

Siriusmo – High Together

As pointed out to me today, Datarock will be playing live on June five at The Zoo in Brisbane. They are touring to support the release of their new album Red which will be available through etcetc in June. The first track on the album is called The Blog so I’m guessing that will be another hilarious stab at computer geeks (wait, does that make me a… shit) in the mould of their classic Computer Camp Love. I have a preview of the album for you with the song Dance! When you hear the catchy-as-fuck riff at the start it seems destined for greatness. Sadly I don’t think it ever reaches such great heights – to me it seems like the track never really gets started and then all of sudden it’s finished already, I think that may be because the chorus isn’t pronounced enough from the verses. Still, it’s a solid track, and definitely worth a listen.

Datarock – Dance!

The fact Dance! is not actually the lead single, rather the track Give It Up is, gives me hope that the rest of the album will have more direction. Give It Up is a better song and is available right now to download from iTunes. The reason I’m not posting it here is I think I have something much better for you. One of the rising stars of French electronic music Chateau Marmont has provided a remix of Give It Up which I much prefer over the original. The duo keep most of the Romeo & Juliet referencing lyrics intact, albeit in robotic vocodered form, and give the track a much stronger electronic feel. I’ve added a similarly awesome remix they did of Poney Poney (a band which Xavier from Justice produces for) and a nice bouncy original track from their Solar Apex EP. Definitely ones to watch for the future.

Datarock – Give It Up (Chateau Marmont Remix)

Poney Poney – Junior (Chateau Marmont Remix)

Chateau Marmont – Anything & Everywhere

This Austrian guy named Parov Stelar seemed to pop up out of the blue recently and I have been loving him ever since. He makes dark electro-house songs that really stand out through his samples of jazz instruments. They are so suave and groove-laden, yet would suit the dance floor at a party really well.

Parov Stelar – Chambermaid Swing

Parov Stelar – Kiss Kiss

Finally, is one of uber-cool French label Kistune’s latest signings Two Door Cinema Club. These guys are from Ireland funnily enough and make poppy guitar rock in a similar vein to Phoenix (whose album is out at the end of the month!!!). Something Good Can Work is featured on Kitsune’s upcoming compilation Maison 7: The Lucky One which looks like it will be a corker.

Two Door Cinema Club – Something Good Can Work

Two Door Cinema Club – Hands Off My Cash, Monty

Hope you enjoyed this instalment,

Adso

P.S.
Ratatat were amazing at the Hi-Fi last weekend. Guitar solos, crazy eyes, trippy visuals, bongo solos and rock star moves were aplenty. Even though there was a hint of pre-recordedness (it’s only a two-man band though), I highly recommend seeing them if you ever get the chance.

Nothing In Its Right Place

Mar 31st, 2009 2 Comments

I come to you again missing a chance to see some awesome live music (last time I missed Good Vibes) – I hope this doesn’t become a trend! I’m pretty devastated I didn’t get to see my favourite artist at the moment Breakbot at The Monastery on Thursday night. Did anyone go? If so, how was it? Anyway, Breakbot definitely makes the funnest music going around at the moment. Every song of his is so light-hearted yet so danceable and catchy that it’s impossible not to like him.

(Actual painting on a road)

Breakbot’s most recent remix is for Yuksek’s track Extraball off his album which I featured last time I posted. The original is good, but I think it sounded a little cluttered; Breakbot cleans it up nicely by spacing out the bass a bit and adding some “pssch” drums and synth squiggles.

Yuksek – Extra Ball (Breakbot Remix)

(Penelope Pitstop)

I usually like Breakbot remixes a lot more than his originals, however his most recent original Penelope Pitstop bucks that trend. This song’s a bit heavier and faster than his usual productions. Don’t worry though, he still manages to retain the fun and danceability of his songs.

Breakbot – Penelope Pitstop

Pic: Erik Johansson

And just in case you don’t have it, I will post my favourite Breakbot production – and one of my favourite songs of all time – his remix of A Thing For Me by Metronomy. It’s so laidback, simple and catchy, it’s just perfect pop. I don’t want to build up your expectations too high but it really is that good.

Metronomy – A Thing For Me (Breakbot Remix)

If you’re loving those, here’s another sweet Breakbot remix I found not long ago, as a bonus.

Alb – Sweet Sensation (Breakbot Remix)


As a bit of a follow-on from Jimps’ previous post about Whitest Boy Alive, I thought I’d let you all know that Erlend Oye (the lead singer) did a DJ-Kicks mix a few years ago. It features him creating special edits of some cool tracks where he sings over the top of them. Artists in the mix include: The Rapture, Phoenix, Morgan Geist, Royksopp, Alan Braxe and Fred Falke
among others. I’ve posted one of the standouts of the mix by Morgan Geist and also a nice little edit by Jack Tennis of Courage from Whitest Boy Alive’s new album (which Jimps posted the original of).

Morgan Geist – Lullaby

Whitest Boy Alive – Courage (Jack Tennis Edit)

Pics originally posted at Hipster Runoff

It’s not often you get a Radiohead remix that is worth the time of day. They usually just never compare to the original and ultimately ruin the song. Despite his off-putting name, Gigamesh comes through with goods here, producing a simple but effective remix of Everything In It’s Right Place. He basically gives it enough drive and some build-ups and break-downs so a DJ could play it out. It really does add to the song though, providing it a bit of purpose.

Radiohead – Everything in Its Right Place (Gigamesh Remix)

Pic: Doddie

I downloaded this Hot Chip remix recently and didn’t realise until I saw a duplicate of it in my iTunes library that it was released in Dec. 2007, that’s how current it sounds! It’s a remix of this British singer named Tracey Thorn, whose vocals are quite haunting. The song sounds quite a bit like the stuff Aeroplane is making at the moment, which is why I thought it was new. Make sure you listen to it really loud and wait for the drop at around 2:20 it makes my spine tingle every time. So good.

Tracey Thorn – King’s Cross (Hot Chip Remix)


Speaking of Aeroplane, a new remix of their’s has just come out. This time they’ve remixed french pop star Sebastien Tellier’s already cool as track Kilometer. The first minute or so introduces the song with vocoders and synth stabs, but it’s not ’til after 1:20 that the song really gets into it. They bring in these huge synths, with the hint of that sound Regurgitator uses in Polyester Girl, I think. Anyway it’s an awesome track, I hope you enjoy it.

Sebastien Tellier – Kilometer (Aeroplane Italo ’84 Remix)

That’s all from me, buy what you like at iTunes,

Adso

I Used To Love Harry Potter

Feb 27th, 2009 1 Comment
pic: Andy Gilmore

Hey again everyone. I’m sure a lot of you had an awesome day at Good Vibes last weekend. I couldn’t be there so let’s not talk about that. What I am going to talk about though is a band that played there called Chromeo (which I hope you managed to see) and the remixes album they have just released. This may not come as a surprise but the DFA remix is definitely the highlight for me. I love the way DFA are able to use abrasive distortion in this remix without allowing it to drown out the melody and other elements of the song like so many bedroom producers do these days.

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Chromeo – Destination Overdrive (DFA Remix)

I’ve got another DFA remix for you today, this time by DFA members Tim Goldsworthy (who has produced albums for Cut Copy, The Rapture and Hurcules and Love Affair) and Tim Sweeney (who runs the Beats In Space radio show, which you can podcast at beatsinspace.net, and was the Soundtrack Supervisor for Rockstar Games (Grand Theft Auto and such) for 2003-2006 ) (Enough brackets?). What I’m trying to say here is they’re fucking good – up there with James Murphy.

Now I’m a bit of a die-hard Michael Jackson fan, so when I saw they had made a remix of his classic Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough I was pretty fucking excited. Like most DFA remixes they extend the song for a lot longer than usual, this time breaking the song into three distinct parts. The first 4 minutes is basically the original song with a bit of disco sprinkled over the top of it, then, just when you think it’s getting a little boring, T&T decide to bring out a big dirty synth for the next 2 or so minutes. Finally, they pull some high-pitched synth punches that are almost Thriller-like.

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Michael Jackson – Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough (T&T Version)

Those pictures are made from hundreds of individual crayons – by Chritian Faur

If you liked those songs you’ll love this one. Its an extended edit of Hall & Oates’ classic I Can’t Go For That, this time by Melbourne boys Fromage. These guys have managed to create a version of this song that would rival any DFA remix and that’s no mean feat at all.

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Hall & Oates – I Can’t Go For That (Fromage Extended Edit)


Phoenix have recently announced they will be releasing a new album entitled Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix on May 25th. With a member having previously been in a band called Darlin’ with the guys from Daft Punk, it’s easy to see the influence electronic music has had on Phoenix’s brand of music. The first single released from the album – 1901 - is one of the best pieces of indie-pop I’ve heard in a while. It’s in a similar vein to their old classic If I Ever Feel Better which no doubt some of you will recognise.
In a completely different vein, but awesome nonetheless, is their song Twenty-One One Zero. This is one of those tracks that just builds and builds adding layer upon layer until it climaxes near the end of the song, managing to fully engage you even without lyrics.

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Phoenix – 1901

Phoenix – If I Ever Feel Better

Phoenix – Twenty-One One Zero

Another band with a new album to get excited about is Lost Valentinos. They’ve released two singles now which both allude to a different sound to their previous work. I personally would’ve liked it if they kept with their old punk-rock sound ’cause I thought it was refreshing, but undoubtedly their new electronic sound fits in with what’s popular at the moment and will win them fans and success. The first single Bismarck is a dirty, haunting sort of track, which contrasts nicely with the almost uplifting second single Serio. Hopefully this means their album will continue this trend.

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Lost Valentinos – Bismarck

Lost Valentinos – Serio

Lucid

Feb 11th, 2009 2 Comments


Hello blogosphere, my name is Adso and I will be helping Jimps out with the blog from now on. With that awkwardness out of the way, time to get into some tunes.

I picked up Franz Ferdinand’s new album Tonight: Franz Ferdinand recently and have been really impressed with the catchiness and diversity of it. Just when you think a track sounds identical to its predecessor, they go in a completely different direction with the track while still managing to keep the album sounding cohesive. On the first listen I was shocked and thrilled at the same time when I heard track 10 Lucid Dreams. The first half of the song is not too shocking at all – although it is noticeably different to the leaked version that Triple J were playing for a while. However, at the 4:45 mark the song turns into a distorted electronic nightmare – in the best way possible.

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Franz Ferdinand – Lucid Dreams

I also got Yuksek’s first album recently entitled Away From The Sea. It’s a pretty sweet electro album that’s not all just non-stop heavy bangers. The tracks I Could Never Be A Dancer and So Down (Featuring one of my favourite bands Chromeo) display Yuksek’s diversity by proving he can make funky chilled out tracks too. I actually prefer these kinds of tracks he makes over the harder ones, but sometimes you just can’t go past an awesome banger like Break Ya, which I swear I’ve heard on some sort of Bang Gang compilation or mix before.

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Yuksek – I Could Never Be A Dancer

Yuksek – So Down feat. Chromeo

Yuksek – Break Ya

I went to the Gold Coast leg of the Big Day Out festival not too long ago and suffice to say I had an awesome time. The highlights for me were TV On The Radio, Lupe Fiasco, Simian Mobile Disco, Hot Chip Holy Ghost! and of course The Prodigy. Being about 10 people back from the front at The Prodigy was probably the craziest atmosphere I’ve ever been in, closely followed by Rage Against The Machine at the same event last year.

Lupe impressed me with the energy and intensity of his performance which was the perfect thing to get warmed up to in the late afternoon. I’m sure many of you have heard his track Daydream so I’ll post the original song that he pretty much add lyrics and lays a beat over to create his own version, which is just as good I think.

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I Monster – Daydream In Blue

Hot Chip were my favourite act of the day. The way they extend their songs for the live show is just amazing; it even made one of their most overplayed songs Ready For The Floor seem fresh. You have to be there to appreciate the greatness of their live versions and they haven’t officially released any live recordings, so I’ll post their recent cover of Joy Division’s Transmission, which is just fucking brilliant and I can’t stop listening to.

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Hot Chip – Transimission (Joy Division Cover)

Finally, Simian Mobile Disco were a very close second favourite on the day. They put on a live show unlike anyone else going around with the switchboard-like machines they use and their awesome light show. The track below is an older song, released in 2004, it’s a bit different to what you might expect, but it’s got such a sweet bass line it’ll be hard not to like.

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Simian Mobile Disco – Upside Down