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More good things for next year.

This is not an optical illusion! Oh well, it is... but it's also the cover art for Merriweather Post Pavilion the 8th studio release from Animal Collective. It is out January 20th on Domino Records. And survey says... Me gusta mucho! There are even some - eh - dancefloor friendly tracks? (Not really, but I'll probably try them out anyways.)

The electronic elements of Strawberry Jam are still there but the album feels much warmer. I do not think I encountered anything like Peacebone (hit of of the previous album) on it. But what I did find I fell in love with immediately. In fact, this album is probably the first Animal Collective album I like after the first listen. Current favorite track is My Girls mainly because of the harmonic Beach Boy-esque vocals (what drew me to the band in the first place).

Here are a couple live versions of tracks from their Coachella performance last year. (Domino Records is crackin' down on leaks....sawry... Buy it anyways. It's good.)

My Girls


Summertime Clothes

What To Expect In 2009?

The year is wrapping up and I don't expect any big releases in the next couple of days. But there are a few things already announce for early 2009 that I am excited about. I'll spread it out over few posts (so you gotta come back! ha!).

First up is a newish track (new because it was just released) from Arcade Fire. I don't care when it was recorded, it's NEW ARCADE FIRE!

The band is releasing a DVD of their Neon Bible Archives (sessions?) called Miroir Noir. It documents the band recording Neon Bible and the subsequent album tour in 2007. If you head off to this link and sign up for their newsletter you get a free track recorded during that time. The documentary is available (in various sizes) for download immediately while the DVD will be shipping sometime in March 2009.

Win Butler speaking to NME.COM about the making of his band's new DVD documentary describes Miroir Noir as a "window into the band".

As far as the third album is concerned, Butler comments, "Right now, we're in the middle of writing, and things are coming together... It's a great feeling."

So hopefully this will fill in the gap until their next full length release. Here is the trailer for Miroir Noir.



Hold up!

Hold up! Hold up!

Now while Ray has some very juicy picks for his 'best of', I have a couple as well. I use a more technical method to determine my list. 12 months is a long time, do you remember what you were listening to on January 1st, 2007?

Didn't think so. Well, I don't either (it was probably Radiohead), BUT my trusty (and pretty well organized) iTunes library does. It keeps track of play counts, skip counts, last played, last skipped, date added, etc.... and basically I use that to unbiasedly make my top selections of the year. (Well, it's not perfect, and I fudge the numbers sometimes...). Also, I am focusing on albums instead of just singles. Of course a really good single, can only help an album.

Going through my music, it is funny how many albums I have listen to in the past year. Some I had completely forgotten about (this is where my iTunes data comes in handy). And some albums surprised me at how much I liked them. (Albert Hammond Jr. anybody?). While others were obvious (duh Hot Chip).

As a bonus, I'm adding the best compilations of 2008. For two reasons, I love compilations b/c if they are selected properly, the music flows from track to track without boring the listener. And it was the only way I could justify putting Joakim's remix compilation there b/c he NEEDED to be on my 2008 list.

Without further ado (b/c this post is going to be long as hell anyways...) MY list of the best 11 albums of 2008. (Who said it had to be top 10?)

Oh and I'm not ordering these (except for the Joakim album... LOL, just kidding.).

Kelley Polar - I Need You To Hold On While The Sky Is Falling
Pop maestro Kelley Polar blew away his debut release with his sophmore album. The album is a cohesive effort, with etherial themes and awesome strings provided by The Kelley Polar Quartet (he's a Julliard trained musician did you know?)

MP3: Kelley Polar - Entropy Reigns (in the Celestial City)






Hot Chip - Made In The Dark
Hot Chip needs no introduction. Made In The Dark was not quite The Warning, but with the number of singles that came out of it, there is no question these guys know what they are doing.

MP3: Hot Chip - One Pure Thought







El Guincho - Alegranza
Spain's answer to Animal Collective. Do I have to go further? Didn't think so. Man I have to go back and listen to this album again.

MP3: El Guincho - Palmitos Park







Albert Hammond, Jr. - ¿Cómo Te Llama?
This one came out of left field for me. I did not expect it to grow on me so much, but each time a track came up on shuffle, I let it play.

MP3: Albert Hammond, Jr. - Rocket








Metronomy - Nights Out
If was to name an album of the year, it would have to be this one. I have been following Metronomy for a while now (I have a signed copy of Pip Paine (Pay The £5000 You Owe) which I promised not to sell on eBay) and they (original it was a solo effort but now a full fledge band) have perfected their quirky pop music. Not only that but their remixes for the likes of Goldfrapp, Klaxons, DNTEL, Gorillaz, Ladytron, etc... showcase the bands innovative sound.

MP3: Metronomy - Heartbreaker




Syclops - I Got My Eye On You
I had to find a Maurice Fulton album to put on this list. And Syclops it is. As musical trends are shifting to house music now, it only makes sense that someone puts out a leftfield house album to give the genre a little edge. And by edge I mean a freshly sharpened machete to cut through all the happy house out there. (Did I mention I'm DJ'ing a new night called Happy House on Thursdays? Plug, plug, plug...).

MP3: Syclops - NR17



Flying Lotus - Los Angeles
I am sneaking some hip hop into the list. But I can't even call this hip hop. If I play this for my more "mainstream influenced" friends, they will think I am weird (or more weird than they already think I am). This isn't Kanye (even though Flying Lotus just remixed Love Lockdown - gag, I'll forgive him).

MP3: Flying Lotus - Parisian Goldfish






Beyond The Wizard's Sleeve - Beyond The Wizards Sleeve Ark 1
These guys first came under my radar by their remixes. Psychedelic reanimations of bands like Midlake, Tracey Thorne, and Peter, Bjorn, and John. Ark 1 is really a best of compilation of their previous unofficial albums (Birth, Spring, George and West). With Erol Alkan at the helm, the album will take you well beyond your expectations.

MP3: Beyond The Wizard's Sleeve - I Swim Around





Santogold - Santogold
I have read a few 'best of' lists, and I cannot recall a single mention of Santogold's debut. Huh? Did I miss something?

MP3: Santogold - Creator







Uncle O - Untitled
Something about the samples he uses to create minimal sounding landscapes drew me to this release. He was a big influence in adding a few new musical styles to my DJ repertoire this year. And for getting me to listen to Leonard Cohen.

MP3: Uncle O - Huey Dewey






Tapes 'n Tapes - Walk It Off
Some indie rock for ya. I love these guys. A great follow up to 2005's The Loon. I also dig their cover art.

MP3: Tapes 'n Tapes - Conquest







Some honorable mentions here. The albums were good. But maybe I expected more? Walter Meego sounded great, except I had already heard the best singles in 2007. Quiet Village has a great sound but I found myself listening only to the track Can't Be Beat (but it's a really good track!) Neon Neon had such great promise! Boom Bip? Gruff Rhys? Did you hear the track Do's And Don'ts? AMAZING! Um, it wasn't on the album? If the lead singer of Late of the Pier would just not scream as much, I think they would have had a better chance.

Walter Meego - Voyager
Quiet Village - Silent Movie
Neon Neon - Stainless Style
Late of the Pier - Fantasy Black Channel

Here are the comps I think you MUST pick up. They give you the most bang for the buck, you don't get stuck listening to one artist.

Nobody Knows Anything DFA presents Supersoul Recordings
DFA knows where the future of dance music lies.

The Bees - Sound Selection
Great all around mix, a little vintage sounding (queue The Staple Singers) but I guarantee there is a track for everybody on this.

Groove Armada - Late Night Tales
By far my favorite compilation this year. I can play anywhere and people will come up to me asking what I am playing.

Joakim - My Best Remixes
I heart Joakim.

Studio - Yearbook 2
Another remixes collection, Studio gathered their previous 'remakes' and put them all onto one disk or disc (is it disck?)

That's it for now. I don't think there are any substantial releases coming out in the next few days.

Disclaimer: I'm sure I missed other great albums, these are just the ones that crossed my path and my ears. If you have other suggestions, leave them in the comments! We like comments! It actually shows you guys read this stuff (as opposed to searching for the yousendit or zshare links only).

I hope you guys enjoy our blog. Suffice to say we put in a lot of time hunting for music and hopefully have exposed you to artists or genres you have never listen to before.

*** UPDATE: This post is literally minutes old and I am already remembering albums I missed (I'll keep adding to this list as I remember them):

Hercules and Love Affair - Self-titled
TV on the Radio - Dear Science (this is more of an honorable mention)
Grace Jones - Hurricane (still listening to this... it's really good)
Dirty Edits Vol. 2 (compilation)
Squarepusher - Just a Souvenir
Moby - Last Night (he's still relevant!)
Mr. Oizo - Lamb's Anger (one more push for electro! And that's it. Seriously, time to move on)
Gotye - Learnalilgivinanlovin
Daedulus - Love To Make Music To
Madvillain - Madvillainy 2: The Madlib Remix (it's a remix album or it would have made my list)
Skeletons - Money
Kings of Leon - Only By Night
Simian Mobile Disco - Sample And Hold (Attack Decay Sustain Release Remixed) (another remix album that was really good)
Sébastien Tellier - Sexuality
Skull Disco - Soundboy Punishments

SHIT!

FREE BLOOD! - The Singles (yeah this goes in the list up top....)

Best Albums of 2008

It's that Time of the Year Again! Time for our 'Best Of's' from 2008!!

Ever since the prominence of blogs and itunes the last few years I've tended to listen to individual tracks more than whole albums. That being said there were still some excellent albums in 2008 that I enjoyed a whole lot, possibly more than last year when I only did a top singles list.

This year I'm gonna try to do both. A top albums and a top singles list. It's funny but I get used to playing certain tracks out and after awhile I forget their the remixes and not the originals. For example The Black Kids 'I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance' I always play out The Twelves Remix which I prefer over the original which is much slower.

I'm sure I'm gonna miss some good albums, but I'm gonna post the albums that I actually listened to and enjoyed the most throughout the year. If there was only a single or 2 that I liked from an album I'll just include those in the singles list. For example I didn't really listen to the whole Ting Tings album this year, but there were a couple of great singles, so I'll put those on the singles list instead.

I've decided to do a Top 15. 20 was too much and 10 left out some good ones. Also except for my favorite album of the year I had a hard time putting the albums in order, but I think it's more fun when you rank them so I'll assign a number to each of them. They're all great in my book though.

#15 Ladyhawke - Ladyhawke

One of the artists who was most remixed and made a big splash in 2008 was Ladyhawke. She had a solid, well produced debut record. If you know me or read the blog, you know I love electro-pop, so it's a no brainer that this album would make my list. This record is full of great sounding synths, a distinctly 80's feel, great melodies, pop hooks and her great voice. That's all it takes for me. The whole album is solid, not just the bigger hits like (Paris is Burning/Back of the Van). I can listen to the whole thing and enjoy it from start to finish. Starting with this great album opener which I've been playing out lately.

MP3: Magic - Ladyhawke (YSI)

#14 Late of the Pier - Fantasy Black Channel

Late of the Pier from the UK came on strong this year with their explosive debut Fantasy Black Channel produced by Erol Alkan. It's electro-rock for the dancefloor. Guitars and synths working together in unison to produce a record full of energy, adrenaline and excitement. What I love most is that they seem to be having a great time playing together and it shows! Like alot of records this year I'm not sure if it's available as a domestic release, but it's definitely worth getting. A fun, dancefloor friendly record.

MP3: Space and the Woods - Late of the Pier (YSI)

#13 Morgan Geist - Double Night Time

Fans of Junior Boys will love this album by Morgan Geist! It features a similar sound to Junior Boys (intelligent, electronic pop music) and it features Junior Boys frontman Jeremy Greenspan handling vocal duties on almost all the tracks. As the name implies, it's a great late night record that doesn't lose it's luster after repeated listens. Single Detroit which kicks off the album is stellar! So is Most of All which is an older track which they included on here as well. A beautiful record that will stand the test of time well I think.

MP3: Detroit - Morgan Geist (YSI)


#12 Bomb the Bass - Future Chaos

A late entry this year, coming in less than a month ago this record from Bomb the Bass is amazing! After more than a decade away Tim Simenon has returned with a dark, minimal electro-pop classic. Using only a laptop, a mini-moog and the help of 5 different vocalists. He stripped down all the excesses of his previous albums to produce a simple, dark sounding, well flowing album. It's not at all what I expected and I love it! Most like Morgan Geist's Double Night Time. These two late night records can be played back to back like sister records, probably why I put them back to back on the list.

MP3: Smog (feat Paul Conboy) - Bomb the Bass (YSI)




#11 Solid Gold - Bodies of Water

Probably the least known band (for now) on my list. I reviewed this record from Minnesota band Solid Gold not too long ago after hearing that they were opening up for the Ting Tings on their recent US tour and I was mightily impressed! They're a great mixture of rock, electronics and pop. The lead singer's voice is excellent and they have a knack for interesting pop hooks and beautiful varying musical landscapes. They're not afraid to try diffrent things and experiment with their music which is great. There's not a bad song in the bunch. I have a feeling we'll be hearing alot more from them in the years to come.

MP3: Get Over It - Solid Gold (YSI)


#10 Neon Neon - Stainless Style

One of my favorite singers of all time is Gruff Rhys from Super Furry Animals. I was pretty much addicted to SFA for their first 3 or 4 albums in late 90's to the early part of the decade. So when I heard he was doing a new electro-pop side project called Neon Neon with Boom Bip I was pretty excited. They made one of the funnest records of the year! Mixing hip hop tracks with electro-pop tracks is a perfect combination that appeals to both audiences. The album sounds fresh and of the times. I was burning out I Lust U when it first came. It kinda reminds me of the Postal Service back and forth male/female vocals of Nothing Better. Pop genious! Of course, it's Gruff Rhys, did you expect anything less?

MP3: I Lust U - Neon Neon (YSI)


#9 Black Kids - Partie Traumatic

This Florida band made quite a BUZZ in 2008. They blew up on the National stage seemingly overnight. Then it seems there was a backlash (as there almost always is when a band becomes too popular too fast). People started saying they were too sweet and poppy. Only problem with that argument is that I love sweet and poppy! This debut is magnificent. It got tons of play from me particularly at Fridays @ The Vagabond were the indie kids still go nuts everytime I play it out. A great record from beginning to end with some big singles like Hurricane Jane (my favorite) and I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance. Here's another stand out track from the album called I'm Making Eyes at You.

MP3: I'm Making Eyes at You - Black Kids (YSI)



#8 Hercules & Love Affair - Hercules & Love Affair

Of all the nu disco artists that came out this year Andy Butler's Hercules & Love Affair were able to capture the sound and reach a more mainstream audience than anyone else. Showcasing the disco sounds of the past in a new and interesting way and not being afraid to delve into other realms as well. It's a full fledged party album and the best pure dance record of the year! Blind has to be one of the best singles to come out all year! It's simply breathtaking. When I first heard it I was blown away, it sounded like an instant classic. Extremely bold, it made a statement. Antony Johnson's vocals are amazing! They lift the album to an even higher level. It was pure genious on Andy's part to incorporate him into this project. In addition their artwork has to be one of the best to come out this year. Simple, bold and classic, just like their music.

MP3: Athene - Hercules & Love Affair (YSI)


#7 Portishead - Third

Probably one of the most aniticipated records of the year. It was 10 years in the making! I wasn't crazy about the record at first. It took awhile for it to grow on me like every Portishead record before it. Simpler, rougher around the edges and more minimal than they're previous albums. It's a record that takes some time to digest, but if you give it a chance it will reward you. Beth's voice is still as amazing and delicate as ever. In the end it's classic Portishead. Stand out tracks for me are Nylon Smile, The Rip and first single Machine Gun.

MP3: Machine Gun - Portishead (YSI)



#6 David Byrne & Brian Eno - Everything That Happens Will Happen Today

Two of modern times most amazing and accomplished artists came together after a long gap to produce another stellar work of art! David Byrne is in top form here and written some of his best songs ever! It's a gorgeous mature work of art and thoroughly enjoyable. I can't get enough of Strange Overtones!

MP3: Strange Overtones - David Byrne & Brian Eno (YSI)



#5 Empire of the Sun - Walking on a Dream

Australia has been producing some of my favorite music the last couple of years. Including this apparent one off record from a members of PNAU and Sleepy Jackson called Empire of the Sun. It's a psychedelic rock/pop gem! The first 5 tracks on this are tough to beat! Probably only MGMT had a better opening half of a record this year, which interestingly is the other band that reminds me most of Empire of the Sun. Single Walking on a Dream is absolutely gorgeous! Their video for it is also one of the most beautiful videos ever! Shot entirely in Shanghai, China. You have to check that out on Youtube if you haven't already. Here's the excellent album opener Standing on the Shore.

MP3: Standing on the Shore - Empre of the Sun (YSI)


#4 James - Hey Ma

After an 8 year hiatus James returned this year with another classic album Hey Ma which will probably be overlooked by most 'Best of' lists this year, but that's the beauty of James. Even though they reached some success in the early 90's with Laid they've always kinda simmered below the surface of mainstream producing some of the best pop music of our time and that's kinda how I like it. This record features the full band line up of their Laid days and is pretty special. The lyrics get a little political with tracks like Hey Ma where he sings about soliders coming home in bodybags, but he does it in full pop fashion complete with horns, strumming guitars and soaring vocals. Gotta love Tim Booth! One of the best voices/lyricists in music in my opinion.

MP3: Oh My Heart - James (YSI)


#3 M83 - Saturdays = Youth

M83 produced one of the most beautiful records to come out this year with Saturdays = Youth. It is drenched in nostalgia, gorgeous melodies, exquisite sounds and beautiful male/female vocals. As I was researching for my list I noticed many critics/bloggers feel the same way as this album has made it on many 'Best of' lists and for good reason! This album gives you the sensation of reliving the 80's except with the added experience/knowledge you have now as an adult. It's as if all the cool bands from the 80's somehow came together to form a supergroup. Dashes of Jesus & Mary Chain, Cocteau Twins, My Bloody Valentine influences can all be heard, but yet they do it in a way that sounds like them and not like their copying anybody in particular. Kim & Jessie has to be one of the best singles to come out this year! So is Graveyard Girl and the whole thing really. A must own record! Absolutely gorgeous!

MP3: Graveyard Girl - M83 (YSI)


#2 MGMT - Oracular Spectacular

Probably the most impressive debut to come out this year was MGMT's Oracular Spectacular. Will you even be able to remember 2008 without remembering Kids (possibly the best single of the year), Time to Pretend and Electric Feel? They made a mighty impact in a really short time. Probably didn't hurt that they had one of the best engineers on the planet Dave Fridmann (Flaming Lips, Mercury Rev) producing their record, but in the end the talent was there. They tapped into a sound that captures classic rock elements and transforms it into a modern sound all their own. They brought the psychedelic pop/rock sound back into the mainstream even while everyone else was doing the electronic thing. A Classic!

MP3: Weekend Wars - MGMT (YSI)


#1 Cut/Copy - In Ghost Colours

No surprise here... By far my favorite album of 2008 is the sophmore album by Australia's Cut/Copy. They don't make electro-pop records any better than this. Even the instrumental tracks work perfectly within the context of the album and provide life. This has to be one of the best produced records of the year. A blueprint of how a great electronic pop album should sound like. Amazing synths, guitars, bass lines, vocals, melodies & pop hooks that leave you singing in your head for days on end after listening to them. Whereas their first album 'Bright Like Neon Love' had some great tracks, it was a bit more sporadic and vague, like they were still searching for their sound. In this record they honed their craft to a razor sharp edge. In my opinion Cut Copy have become our generations New Order who they are compared to for good reason. This album reminds me of peak era New Order circa 1987 when they were putting out Bizarre Love Triangle and True Faith. But one of my ultimate tests is the dancefloor and everytime I play them out the dancefloor fills up and people's heads start bobbing and that's what it's all about.

MP3: Nobody Lost, Nobody Found - Cut/Copy (YSI)

She Doesn't Seem As Scary Now
























Grace Jones
is back.

I have a new found respect for this woman. Anybody that can remain relevant for over 30 years tends to have that impact on me. She is beyond being a fashion icon, musician, actress, a muse for others. She is all of these.
Her new album Hurricane is said to be her most personal one yet. I found that to be such an interesting comment considering I always viewed her as a stone cold statuesque figure that is know more for her looks than her music. One listen to William's Blood her newest single and I was quickly proven wrong. The album includes collaborations with Brian Eno and Sly & Robbie.

MP3: William's Blood (ysi)

Torn between her religious upbringing on her father's side and the more free spirited side of her mother's (née Williams) the song explores her feelings growing up.

Here is a video for another track off of Hurricane, Corporate Cannibal.

Jones recently performed at a private party for Audi during Art Basel this year on Miami Beach (Audi was one of the main sponsors for Design Miami). I have forgiven my friend for not getting me in.



Oh and the artwork for the album is a photoshoot she Collaborated with Tom Hingston Studio, to explore the idea of a popstar as a visual commodity. They created life-size versions of Jones made out of chocolate!
Models are there to look like mannequins, not like real people.
Art and illusion are supposed to be fantasy.

- Grace Jones

I'll admit it, she scared me when I was little.

Who's Your Friend

I started working on my year end lists but the end of the year is always a really busy time for me. The list is partially done. I'll add some stuff I know I missed (don't know what they are just yet but I know I missed) and definitely take a couple out. I might even do a separate 'best of' remix(ers) or something.

Oh another reason I'm not done is that I can't turn off the TV. What a vice. Everybody talking about this show or that show. It's a digital keeping up with the Jones'. To top it off, Netflix is now streaming movies online so you don't even have to wait for the DVD. Boxee is heading out of alpha (or beta?) in January and I promise is going to change how we watch TV (just wait and see).

Well, fitting that WhoMadeWho named TV Friend as the first single of their sophomore album The Plot (due out March 2009).

For the record, I don't consider the Green Album as their second album since it is just (an ridiculously awesome and a must have) reworking of their debut Red Album. It's been a few years (almost four) since their last release. For those of you in Miami, think back to The District Thursdays.

I think a burned a whole in both CD's when I got them so I am pretty anxious for this release. The first single just wets my appetite for the entire release. They seem to have picked up where they left off.

MP3: TV Friend (Radio Edit) (ysi)

They also released a mix on their site perfect for any drunken holiday shindigs you have planned this week. From the band:

On December 4th we did an unannounced New Year’s Eve show for our friends at the tiny Ritz club in Copenhagen. After a solid, traditional Danish Christmas dinner of herring, pork and schnapps we got a old-school Danish viking party vibe going. People were drinking, dancing and kissing everywhere. Our bass player Tomas’ girlfriend even broke her leg. Truly a night to remember !

WhoMadeWho played live, great local DJ’s were playing, and we recorded the whole thing, so that you can now download and have WhoMadeWho play your New Years Eve house party!

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

Tomas, Jeppe, and Tomas


Oh and here is the video of their breakout single Space For Rent as a refresher...
Mmmmmmm


Happy Holidays Everybody!! Stay Safe!!


All this talk about danishes and I'm getting hungry for a cheese danish. Seriously. No joke.
Entenmann’s...

Bass In Your Face

Before more blogs start to post this, I figured we should jump in. Local homeboys, Jose El Rey, head of his security El Tigre, and Otto Von Schirach are getting alot of blog love lately for the tribute to Calle Ocho (literally 8th St but figuratively WAY more). If you guys are ever in the 'hood, hit me up. I only live a few blocks away.

Kid Freakout

Kid Freakout (formerly Kid Filthy) from the U.K. sent us a few tracks last week. He must read the blog or have very similar taste, cause all the tracks he sent are totally our cup of tea.

First he sent an original track 'Primary' (Rage Version) which as the name implies is a raging electro dancefloor stomper. This should pretty much get any party going, if there's a heartbeat in it at least.

Then he sent us a remix for Franz Ferdinand's new one 'Ulysses' that is excellent! Great housey version of the track. Should work well in the clubs.

Finally he sent us a nice midtempo re-interpretation of Ladyhawke's 'Back of the Van'.

He sent these all in full quality 320 bitrate!

Want even more FREE stuff from him?? Go to his Myspace and download his great Christmas Mixtape. It's a dark and grooving hour long electronic mix. Been jamming to it the last couple days. Highly recommended!!

Thanks for the early Christmas Gifts Kid! Love the new art too!

MP3: Primary (Rage Version) - Kid Freakout (YSI)
MP3: Ulysses (Kid Freakout Remix) - Franz Ferdinand (YSI)
MP3: Back of the Van (Kid Freakout Remix) - Ladyhawke (YSI)

Classic Album Spotlight::The Go Find 'Miami'

I'm probably biased about The Go Find cause the name of this classic electronic album is from my hometown of Miami, but this debut album released in 2004 on one of my favorite labels of all time Morr Music is stellar and a classic!

Morr Music which was responsible for bringing many amazing acts to the world's attention including Lali Puna, Ms. John Soda, Notwist, Styrofoam, Radio Dept. and many others released this classic at the exact right moment of my life, 2004. Just a year after Postal Service released their classic 'Give Up' I was always on the look-out for the next great electro-pop record and this one was one of only a select few which lived up to my expectations.

It's an excellent midtempo electronic pop record with great vocals and lyrics which tug at the heart. One of my favorite 'car' records that I would hear over and over without getting bored of it. I can't recommend it enough. Fans of intelligent electronic pop music will love this! Long live The Go Find!

They released sophmore album Stars on the Wall in 2007 which I recommend as well, but this debut has a special place in my heart.

Here are a couple stellar tracks from Miami, plus their video for album opener 'Over the Edge'. If you like these I highly recommend you buy the whole thing, you won't be disappointed...

MP3: Bleeding Heart - The Go Find (YSI)
MP3: Modern Times - The Go Find (YSI)


PIC VICIOUS

Pic Vicious are a band from California. First thing that caught my attention from them was the make-up they wear. That's probably why you'd do something like that. To get some attention, but then the music's gotta be good to keep your interests going and they've managed to do that as well.

Their music consists of dark synthpop that occassionally strays into the hip-hop/electro realm with tracks like 'Systematik'. Their music reminds me a bit of bands like Mount Sims, except with that added hip hop twist and theatrics which always make for a more interesting live shows.

They've released a self titled EP which they've been kind enough to send me. Here's a couple tracks 'Music Box' and 'Systematik', plus a great remix On Off On did for 'Who's Your Lover'. In addition here's their video for 'L.A. Dreamer', probably my favorite track from them.



Marcus Rombo/Adrian Lux

You might recall Marcus Rombo who did that great house track Bringing that I posted a couple weeks ago. We had to bring that track down, but he promised to send us more stuff that we could post. Yesterday he fulfilled that promise with this great remix he did for Adrian Lux's track Strawberry which is stellar! Another dance floor stomper that I think you guys will enjoy.

As I was searching my Itunes I noticed that Adrian Lux did the great remix of that classic house track Shadows by Pryda which I play out at the clubs, especially Saturdays at Bamby were it's a bit more housey. Thought I'd post that here as well. Enjoy!

MP3: Strawberry (Marcus Rombo Remix) - Adrian Lux (YSI)
MP3: Shadows (Adrian Lux Bootleg) - Pryda (YSI)

RED WIRE BLACK WIRE

We've been telling you about the rising music scene in Brooklyn and here's another great example. Brooklyn based electro-pop band Red Wire Black Wire released their debut EP Compass earlier this year and then in November re-released it with an added new dance stomper 'Locked Out'. Love their music! They're a mixture of electro-pop and indie pop that is pretty delicious and hard to resist. Heard samples of the whole EP on amazon and there's not a bad one in the bunch. I'm gonna keep an eye on these guys. Hopefully a debut album to look forward to 09!

Here are a couple stellar tracks from Compass. Check out their myspace for more...

MP3: Compass - Red Wire Black Wire (YSI)
MP3: Locked Out - Red Wire Black Wire (YSI)

PANIC BOMBER

The other day my friend showed me the demo of Miami based artist Richard Haig's project Panic Bomber and I was mightily impressed! Great to hear good dance music coming from our lovely city.

Funny thing is, it seems Richard's a disgruntled Miami musician who's turned to dance music to try and compete with DJ's! Ha... I hope I never pissed him off. Check out the great Mission Statement/Treastise were he talks about it on his Myspace/Facebook.

He manages to mix electro, house, techno as well as touches of pop and concocted a great formula. Familiar, but with a touch of new-ness that makes it fresh to the ears.

Fans of bands like Daft Punk, Aphex Twin, electro, vocoders and dance music in general will enjoy this. A bit experimental, but never losing it's pop sensibilities.

Download the entire 6 song demo 'Calling in Threats' for FREE from his website::www.panicbomber.com.

Here are a couple of my favorites so far... Track #3 'Until Our Legs Break' is a must have for electro fans.

MP3: Sweating Tiny Buckets - Panic Bomber (YSI)
MP3: Smooth Sailor - Panic Bomber (YSI)

P.S. If you're in the South Florida area, Panic Bomber will be 'Performing' Friday, January the 9th @ The Vagabond. Appropriately from the DJ Booth! Interesting to see if he can reproduce the sounds live and what the show will be like.

David Byrne/Holy Ghost! Re-Cap

Saturday Night was pretty sweet! Got to see David Byrne (no Brian Eno unfortunately, but he played some of their songs) at the Fillmore/Jackie Gleason Theater which by the way is gorgeous! Hadn't been there since they revamped it and it has to be one of the nicest auditoriums to see a quality show in Miami. (I hope it lasts!)

Then I was off to The Vagabond to open up for Holy Ghost! (DFA) at Back Door Bamby.

Both were excellent! Had a great time! Maybe too great, ended up getting drunk and sick by the time I got home.

My only regret for the David Byrne show is that I got there a tad late and missed the first track which happened to be Strange Overtones, the one new song I most wanted to hear. Oh well... When they played their big Talking Heads hit Once in a Lifetime about midway through the set the crowd went nuts! Everyone jumped off their seats and started dancing. It was pretty amazing! Same thing for Burning Down the House later in the night for their third encore. No Psycho Killer unfortunately.

They had dancers and back up singers that seem to be multi-talented, playing instruments and dancing as well. It was nice that they incorporated David into some of the choreography as well. He looks pretty amazing for his age! I hope I look half that good at his age.

One of my favorite songs he played which I had never heard was a Talking Heads track called Heaven. Pretty heavenly indeed! Here is that track.

MP3: Heaven - Talking Heads (YSI)

Then at The Vagabond Holy Ghost! rocked Bamby with some rare Disco gems and a bit of newer Electro stuff as well. Took the crowd a bit to adjust to their style. Seems Miami is still behind with the whole obscure Disco/Nu-Disco thing, but eventually the crowd started grooving and filled up the dancefloor.

Nice guys! Had a couple lemon drop shots and beers with them. Told them about Off the Radar and they were nice enough to give me a brand new 'Edit' they did for a classic Michael Jackson track 'Get on the Floor' from Off the Wall for me to post! So with no further a-do here it is.

MP3: Get on the Floor (Holy Ghost! Edit) - Michael Jackson (YSI)

If you can read Swedish...

If you can read Swedish the site will tell you that Peter, Bjorn and John like 1000APR and wanted to debut their new video there.

Or here.


The guys sound a bit upset compared to their Young Folks days, no? Either way, I like the direction they are heading.

White Lies


White Lies from London are being touted as one of the next big acts of 2009. They are set to release their debut album 'To Lose My Life' January the 20th. Apparently their produced by one of the guys who helped produce Pulp & Suede. Not bad company.

Their sound is dark brooding rock, reminiscent of bands like Interpol, The Editors and the godfathers of it all Joy Division. The singer even looks a little like Ian Curtis. So if you're craving some dark, melodic rock this should be right up your alley.

Here's a track of theirs 'Death' plus a remix of 'To Lose My Life' by Filthy Dukes. Aimed more for the dancefloor it's pretty good, but I think I still like the original better. You can hear that below in their video for 'To Lose My Life'. Set to be released as a single prior to the album's release in early '09' as well.

ART BASEL Re-Cap

I didn't go to too many places for Art Basel. All the crowds and parking issues kinda always put me off, but I managed to push myself to check out a few exhibits.

First was Art Positions on the beach Wednesday Night to open up Basel. I have to say I was pretty disappointed with that one. Not much good art there, plus the containers were so small it was annoying to walk through and come back around through the only entrance/exit for each container. I did get to see JD Samson from Le Tigre and chatted a bit and took a pic with her. Then Yelle performed for their yearly free show on the sand at 10pm. The crowd was pretty thin at first compared to other years, but eventually after she started it filled up a bit more. Kinda wish they would have gotten someone else for this. Yelle had just performed in Miami a couple months earlier and I'm sure alot of people here didn't even know who she was. Especially since previous years they had much bigger acts like Iggy Pop, New York Dolls, Peaches & Scissor Sisters (still by far my favorite show there!)

On Thursday Night I went to the Kill Your Idols Exhibit where Matt & Kim were performing and it was rather disappointing also. Mostly just had punk rock show leaflets all over the walls and some framed punk band posters which looked kinda cheap compared to some of the other exhibits for Basel. Didn't really like Matt & Kim much either. Live their music is kinda bland and simple. Like watered down electro with her drumming and him on keyboards. There were also so many young kids it made me feel old. I felt like I was at a High School party with an appropriately matching long ass line serving one keg of beer for everyone there. I snuck out with some friends and bought some beers next door at a small shop that was open/empty then walked around the Design District enjoying the nice weather. Finally ending our night at a sparcely decorated warehouse party.

Finally Friday was the saving grace of Basel for me. First during the day I went to the Scope Exhibit which was excellent and at night I headed out to my gig at GEN ART's Vanguard Exibition for their Official Party were I was spinning from 8 to 12. Even had a guy propose marriage to his GF right in front of me after I played a song he requested! The track was American Boy by Estelle. I didn't wanna play it cause I had played it earlier in the night and I thought he was drunk and BS-ing me so I would play it again. Boy was I wrong! Pretty unreal.

Here are the pics from Scope followed by the Gen Art ones. Sorry I don't have the artists names but my camera was low on battery and I couldn't take pictures of all the tags. (Plus even if I could there's no telling which artists I would have attached to which piece.)

As I walked up to the Scope exhibit they had this sweet disco ball Miata right outside. Then they had these huge twin wall paintings on the building of Barrack Obama as Superman with this great message on the side of the building. Pretty inspiring words. Friends With You also had a playground area with a huge adult size bouncing house which I partook of for a bit till I ran out of breath. Great workout!




These were from an artist called Mr. Brainwash (you can see it on the bottom). They reminded me a bit of Bansky and were painted all around the exhibit which was pretty sweet.

This was 3D looking piece which was pretty amazing! Looks better in person than it came out in the pics.


Superman in carbonite!

One of my favorites! Love the way it came out in the pic.

Pretty sure this was a Friends With You piece.

Here's that Friend With You bounce house. Pretty amazing huh, there were more adults jumping in there than kids.

This one was pretty disturbing to me. Like a scary black and white dream image.


Loved this one! Pretty amazing in person.

Me and Li having a little picture fun with some mirror balls they had on display.


These blood bath pieces with the girl were pretty sweet...

This sculpture was huge! One of my favorites on the way out...


The following ones are from the GEN ART VANGUARD Exhibiton were I spun later in the night. Always tons of great art here. They had over 2,000 people come through for the Official Party. I managed to take these shots before I had to start spinning around 7:30. It was nice to walk around and check out all the art before there was anyone there. They had these vintage dressed girls who did choreagraphed routines in the pool later in the night. You can see them chilling on the side in the first pic.


This piece by SAS Christian was one of my favorites. Love her work! This one must have been over 15 ft tall! Pretty spectacular...
Loved this painting! Gorgeous girl!


Bush as a lite bright! Suits him.

Some Jap Animation...
Loved this siamese twins piece! Came out great in the pic.