It is good to be back after another short hiatus – I have missed you guys so much and thanks once again to Adso for keeping the flame burning. Well how was Parklife everybody?? I was floating around Earth in an Aeroplane for about an hour – and that is about as much as I can say… Did anyone get to try out Adso’s playlist when they got home – I just gave it a listen and it sounded perfect for after life although I am sure that after life many of us saw death?
Since we last spoke there have been a few albums that I have been very happy with and just one that I have fallen in love with.
When Saints Go Machine – Ten Makes a Face
Well here it is – I do not want to be making any predictions with still a quarter of the year left but I think that this could be it – the album of the year for me. I first stumbled across these guys back in May when I randomly picked up their track Fail Forever that featured on one of my last Derogatory Playlists. I immediately fell in love with the track but it would take me another 3 months to finally track down their album and listen to it in full. When Saints Go Machine are still a relatively unknown band from Denmark although when you listen to their album you will not quite believe it. I believe that this could be due to the fact that their album has not been officially released in any country other then Denmark, so I predict that their popularity is still on the way.
As an album it has no weaknesses and a diverse range of strengths, stretching from pop melodic harmonies to synth driven house all tied together with vocals capturing the emotion with sharp hooks. Produced by themselves your can feel the personal connection attached to each track with innocence still flowing from every uplifting chord progression.
All I can hope for now is a world wide release of their album and for it to reach as far and wide as possible so their popularity can replicate its infection outside of Scandinavia and their live show can eventually stretch to Australia – if not looks like I am going to them….
Download (right click save as);
When Saints Go Machine – Fail Forever
When Saints Go Machine – Spitting Image
When Saints Go Machine – Pinned
Well I am a little out of breath after finally getting my love for When Saints Go Machine off my chest but I will try not to lose too much enthusiasm for the rest of the post as there are still some fantastic albums to talk about.
The Sounds – Crossing The Rubicon
The Sounds previous album was one of my favorites a few years back so I was highly anticipating the new one this year. A little less punk and a little more pop but just as sexy – if you know what the lead singer looks like then you will know what I mean. The stand out track for me on the album would have to be ‘Home Is Where The Heart Is” mainly due to its lyrical content – a beautiful track describing a way to find yourself by reaching out. Beatbox is the the electro Tony The Beat of the new album almost literally, good ol Tony even gets a mention in the lyrics – this track would sound nice in a DJ set if you are game to try it. Crossing The Rubicon is a very solid album and if you have soft spot for some rock then this is your pop album.
Download (right click save as);
The Sounds – Home Is Where The Heart Is
The Sounds – Beatbox
The Sounds – No One Sleeps When I’m Awake
Metric – Fantasies
Metric’s new album Fantasies is in the same vein as The Sounds above just with a little more depth that will create an easier cross to the indie dance scene. I had been really getting into this album recently and had the chance to see them at Parklife on the weekend but for some reason blew it – I would not call it my most successful festival for live music. The production on Fantasies is top notch with heaps of interesting layers creating an electronic feel over a somewhat indie album. The lead singers voice has an ability to create transitions within tracks producing memorising hooks and stabs – Help I’m Alive is a great example of this with smooth vocal changes throughout creating a formula of repetition fused by the vocal lines and guitars onto the dance floor.
Download (right click save as);
Metric – Help I’m Alive
Metric – Sick Muse
Metric – Gold Guns Girls
Lost Valentinos – Cities Of Gold
Lost Valentinos have been quite the enigma in the scene for the last few years. Although their music back then did not quite fit what was going on at the time (the rise of electro) they always seemed to be around supporting the big name live electro acts and DJs – it did not really make sense. It is clear that they have always been in the scene themselves and The Knife Machine is testimony to that however their sound has evolved and now slots perfectly into the chair left vacant for them. Cities Of Gold is an indie electro concept album exploring the realm of the Inca civilisation, which has obviously intrigued one or more of the band members in the past. It is quite clear that Lost Valentinos have achieved their stunning debut and new signature sound with the help of Ewan Pearson’s production on the album – an electronic producer/remixer who has helped turn the knobs on each synthesiser. My favourite track so far is Francisco due mainly to the deep rhythm section which builds to euphoric harmonies – perfect for the dance floor. I have not seen these guys live for a few years so I am now very excited for my next chance!!! You got to love all the awesome Aussie bands at the moment.
Download (right click save as);
Lost Valentinos – Francisco
Lost Valentinos – The Bismarck
Lost Valentinos – Thief
Yacht – See Mystery Lights
I had not heard of Yacht for a couple of years as I seemed to forget about them pretty quickly last time I started to get into them. I purchased their album after some hype and DFA support and really enjoyed it. As I continued to delve deeper into my appreciation for the tight production I made a fatal error which I would soon realise was the exact reason why I had forgotten about them in the first place. This error would be checking out a youtube clip of their live show – it all started to come back when I remembered that their live show is simply prerecorded tracks with the guy and now a girl singing over them – no band, no real live element. It sounded terrible and was insulting to his production work – Every time I listen to Physic City I can not get this image out of my head – the album was all but ruined – Get a band you douche bag or at worse just DJ – this is not a Japanese Karaoke contest.
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Yacht – Summer Song
Yacht – Psychic City
Yacht – It’s Boring/You Can Live Anywhere You Want
Eine Kleine Nacht Musik
I have been after Riton’s first Krautrock experiment since it was released, however it has taken me a very long time to finally track it down. The spacey instrumentals experiment with a diverse range of progressive sounds and effects. Die Verboten is what is next for Riton, his Krautrock project with Soulwax which has been agonisingly slow in any releases or word on progress – just a vinyl release of a track I have not even heard. In the meantime Eine Kleine Nacht Musik will take you on a journey back to Germany in the 1970’s with psychedelic riffs and progressions filling your mind.
Download (right click save as);
Eine Kleine Nacht Musik – Besuchen Sie Mich Einmal
Eine Kleine Nacht Musik – Bardolator
Eine Kleine Nacht Musik – Ertrinken
O and a fucked out mix for those nights in the hole – some seriously cool tracks on this – I highly recommend it.
Eine Kleine Nacht Musik – Only German Mix
Hope to be back soon with some Derogatory Playlists so stay tuned!!
Jimps
