James Triumphant Return!

After a depressing break up (at least for me) in 2001 James Return with their 10th Studio Album Hey Ma and it's excellent!! Fans of James will not be disappointed and they might even make some new ones. Time will tell were this album will fall amongst all their albums as they have many great ones. My favorites from them are 1993's big commercial crossover success Laid and 1999's almost un-noticed in the US Millionaires. For me the beauty of James has mostly been their underground status, just under the radar for the most part. Except for their brief commerical success in the early 90's they've mostly been an under the radar band and that's kinda were I like them. What's the fun if everyone was into them? They've probably gotten more fame in the last few years due to nice placements of their big 1993 hit Laid which came out in American Pie as well as commercials. Seems they reunited like other big bands to play some festivals when their fans began clamoring for new material and then bang a new album was born. They've not lost any of their passion and even get political in tracks like Hey Ma were Tim sings 'hey ma, the boys in bodybags, coming home in pieces.' Tim Booths voice sounds as beautiful as ever! Long may they live!!! The album is already out in the Europe and will be available in the US on Sept 16th. Here's a couple of my favorites to tide you over till then...

P.S. Much thanks to Rob who sent me the album!!

MP3: Whiteboy (YSI)
MP3: Of Monsters & Heroes & Men (YSI)

Here's a Classic James Track off of another under-appreciated album of theirs 1997's Whiplash. Although not their best, it had several stand out tracks, like this one.

MP3: Waltzing Along (YSI)

A Journey Across The Pond

My current goal is to some be able to play this song the next time I DJ.

MP3: Uncle O - Avalanche zshare/ysi

I consider it a challenge. I know it will be. The crowd will not know what hit them. In fact it could even kill the party. Or it could work. The mood will have to be right, the build up must be momentous and spill over to the next track, obviously the follow up track is key here. This song sets you off on a journey but does not necessarily take you all the way there. But sometimes it is not the destination but the trip that is the best part.

Uncle O released his latest LP on Cosmo Vitelli's I'm a Cliché Records.

Let's speak like what we definitely are: fans.
Uncle O is someone we have an unlimited respect for, here at I'm a Cliché.
A restless record digger with an insane record collection, a resident Dj at the mythical Bains-Douches club in Paris at its golden era (82-85), a graphic designer for James White, OMD, The Cure, A Certain Ratio as they were touring in France, and later part of the emerging French hip hop scene (he even appeared on vocals on the seminal French hit « H.I.P – H.O.P », french people will know what it's about!).
He produced occasional instrumentals for French hip-hop bands like Assassin, released a few cult records as JACKOS and organized some of the best parties we've been to, here in Paris, the TOXIC nights.
To finish with boring lists, we should mention some of the many compilations of soul breaks, Miami bass anthems or dancehall classics he did, like the « Shaolin Soul » serie, « Champion Sound », or « The Joint », etc…).
We were lucky enough to have lots of his unreleased tracks since ages and we thought that time had come to go for this release, the 14th of I'm a Cliché and its first LP. Everything we like at the moment is inside : Italo gems, weird industrial funk, deviant hip-hop, slow folk-disco…Yeah, it's all in there!

Supported by Trevor Jackson, Tomboy, Trickski, Krikor, Jean Nipon, DJ Morpheus, Roy Dank

- Cosmo Vitelli
I'm a Cliché Records

Check out some more tracks over at Cosmo Vitelli's own blog AlainFinkielKrautrock. He has a TON of rare tracks, DJ mixes, etc... to download. Sometimes I get really jealous at the things that happen on the other side of the pond.

An Interview w/The Faint!

The Faint were kind enough to do an Interview for Off the Radar! I sent Jacob from the Faint some questions about a whole bunch of stuff and here are his answers... Great interview if I do say so myself. Not too shabby for my first ever! Hope you like it, more in the works!


1 - Hey guys big fans of The Faint at Off the Radar. Why has it taken so long to release this new record? Last we heard from you guys was 2004's Wet from Birth.

We're pretty slow at writing songs. We want to make sure that all five of us are happy with the outcome of each song we write. But this time took us an especially long time because we built a studio after we were done touring for Wet From Birth. We hired contractors and completely remodeled the building we practice in. The whole project took about two years, and we were writing that whole time. I think it was a bit of a blessing that it took so long for the studio to be built because it allowed us extra time to polish the songs for the record. It took us about five months to record the songs and two months to mix them. It took about another month to master it, but that's another story.


2 - Notice you guys are releasing the new record on your own label. Why is that? What happened with Saddle Creek who had released your previous records?

We've always talked about putting out our own records, and with the industry being in such a weird transitional state, it seemed like it might finally be the right time.


3- How Does your new record 'Fasciinatiion' compare to your previous ones?

It's hard for me to say. I can't really be objective about it. I feel like we've incorporated our favorite elements of each record into this one, as well as some new techniques that we experimented with in the studio. The process of writing the songs was even a combination of the methods we've used on the previous records. Some of it was written in that five-dudes-in-a-room style that we wrote Blank-Wave and Danse Macabre in, and some of it was written in the demo-and-record-as-we-go method we used on Wet From Birth. I think we got the best of both worlds.


4 - What do you think of the current state of the Music Industry? Blogs/Internet/Bands like Radiohead Releasing their Albums for Free, etc? Where do you think it's all heading?

It's exciting to see everything shifting. It seems like the heyday of major labels is over. They were so excessive with their expense accounts and A & R departments. We know first hand from having many of them take us out to fancy dinners. I think it means more artists releasing their own music and making money off of touring and licensing. At least that's the way it seems to be working at the moment.
I love reading blogs and finding out about music through the internet. But nothing beats seeing a good live show.


5 - What are your musical influences? What are some bands/artists you liked growing up?

I've listened to all kinds of stuff throughout my life, and I feel like it's all had an influence in some way. Fugazi, Gravity Records stuff, Men's Recovery Project, early Human League, Aphex Twin, David Bowie. I don't know. Tons of shit.


6 - How old were you when you first started playing music? Did you have a musical family? What was the first instrument you played?

My mom played the piano and can sing pretty well. She taught me the basics on the piano and then I kind of taught myself chords and scales from there. I never really learned proper fingering technique, I don't think. I played the French horn for a year when I was 13. I've had a guitar and a bass for the last 15 years, but I don't play them too much.
The rest of the band has all different kinds of stories about how much formal training they've had and what kinds of bands they've played in previously. For example, Dapose was in a death metal band, while Todd majored in classical guitar in college.


7 - How did The Faint members first meet/decide to start making music?

I think Todd, Clark and Joel were all looking for something new to do since Todd wasn't really supposed to skate anymore after he had knee surgery. They ended up seeing a local show where some bands that eventually became Cursive and Bright Eyes were playing and they got inspired to do the same thing. They thought, "These kids are our age and they're doing it. Why can't we do it to?" I had the same kind of revelation with hardcore bands when I was in high school. I had a hardcore band for a while that I broke up for good when I joined the Faint. I told them that it didn't matter because Black Dice was doing everything we were doing anyway, only better. That was back when Black Dice was a hardcore band.

8 - What new bands/artists have you been digging recently?

Late of the Pier is my favorite new band. I like the Whip. The new Kills record is good. So is the new Ratatat.

9 - Do you think music is better now or do you prefer older/classic stuff?

I just did an interview for NPR that was all about Yaz, so I listened to their first record again and it's really good.
In general I think that music is getting simpler and dumber, like lowest common denominator style. I guess I'm talking about pop music mostly. Like people did better work when the technology made it so much harder, and that seems really fucked up to me. I'll listen to a new band and think, "This is boring. It just sounds like Bruce Springsteen. There's no no ideas here. Now I just want to listen to Bruce Springsteen." And I'll put on the Boss's record and it's way better. But then something new will come along that totally blows me away and I'll think, "Wow, what a great time to be alive!" Like SebastiAn or Oizo or something that sounds really modern and uses new technology in a great way.


10 - You guys all still live in Omaha? What's it like there? How's the club scene there? Do you guys go out dancing/Djing alot? What do you do for fun besides music?

There is not much of a club scene here. Todd and I started a party with this kid Derek who plays in Tilly & The Wall. It was really fun for a while, but then we got busy with our bands again. There are gay clubs and the occasional night here or there but that's about it for dancing. So no, not a lot. House parties are kind of where it's at. A lot of people go to shows here now, which is great.


11 - Do you prefer recording or touring? Do you guys get on each others nerves while on tour or have you have you figured out a way to keep that from happening already?

They're both great fun and also can be very stressful at the same time. Nobody really gets on my nerves on tour, but I can imagine that I get on other people's nerves. I'm going to try to keep that from happening as much as I can on this next tour.


12 - What's your process for writing new music? Any new gear you've gotten/been working with alot lately?

We don't have one method. The best method is when Todd has a song comprised of a vocal melody, hopefully some lyrics, and a chord progression he likes. Otherwise we'll try to come up with progressions for him to build from. Sometimes just a beat and a synth sound is all it takes.
We use all kinds of stuff in the studio. I like to try my synth parts on all different synths and see which one sounds the best.

13 - I always love your guys visuals while your on tour/performing. Anything exciting for this tour? Who does the visuals for you guys?

Thanks! We do them ourselves and our sequencer keeps it on time with the music. We're switching it up for this tour, but that's what we're working on now so I shouldn't say anything or I'll jinx it.


14 - Any advice for up and coming new bands?

Get a fuel efficient vehicle for touring.

15 - Anything I've missed or you'd like to say to your fans?

Come to a show and dance with us. If you're in Florida, please be patient. We'll be there in a couple months!


Here's one of the Projection Visuals I was talking about for 'Desperate Guys', plus a couple classic tracks from Wet From Birth. Enjoy and go buy their new record 'Fasciinatiion' when it's out August 5th! The Geeks Were Right, their first single off the new album is available on Itunes now, for the backbreaking price of .99!

MP3: Symptom Finger (YSI)
MP3: Southern Belles in London Sing (YSI)

We Have a Holiday Coming

Well at least for those of us in the U.S. BUT for everybody else, Metronomy is releasing a new track titled Holiday next week. They just sent over to us the b-side to the single. If The Raid, is a b-side I cannot wait to hear the other side!!

MP3: The Raid zshare / ysi
Well, actually we do get to hear it, via YouTube and this promotional clip for the track. The single is out on July 7th (probably not here in the US what else is new?). They also are running a contest via their MySpace profile, Facedook, etc... and will be giving out holiday "kits" for the funniest holiday photos which include special Metronomy sunglasses.

I'm sure you guys have a few photos floating around. Upload the photos and tell them who sent ya.

Albert Hammond Hearts Me

Every once in a while a song comes up on my iPod that makes me reach for it to see who it is. And for the past couple of weeks, I would say 7 times out of 10 it is a song from the upcoming Albert Hammond, Jr LP, ¿Cómo Te Llama?. Sorry Miami, Bro (love you), but I don't think the Strokes music is "musical diarrhea".

I go with the mindset there is a time and place for (most) music. And sometimes you want want fun music. You don't want to think about it, you just want the music to be good. I know The Strokes have a tainted past in some indie mindsets because of their "priviledged" upbringing, and perhaps their luck at getting signed was not so much about talent or luck. I don't really by it, but either way I was entertained by the music and ultimately that is what I want from it.

I would say Hammond's latest release is a far more polished (less garage) sounding album than any of The Strokes album leaning more towards Spoon than, well, The Stokes.

Oh so funny Albert Hammond story, when The Strokes first played Miami at Billboard Live (that promising live music venue that fizzled and now is Dolce - yes that Dolce of Dolce Gabana) my friends and I waited outside for the band to come out. Between one friend standing in the street to prevent the bus from moving so she could see Julian Casablancas and my other friend getting a kiss from another band member, my girlfriend at the time got my shirt signed by Hammond. Except he though he was signing it for her so now my Strokes shirt shows how much he "hearts" me. Oh and Julian finally did come out and blow my friend a kiss right before the bus almost ran her over.

MP3: Rocket zhsare/ysi
MP3: Borrowed Time zshare/ysi

And from his previous release, Yours To Keep ..

MP3: Back to the 101 zshare/ysi

Faint Feeling Fasciinatiion

Been awhile since we last heard from The Faint. Their last record 'Wet From Birth' came out in 2004! Boy does time fly! I've been a fan of theirs since 1999's 'Blank Wave Arcade' which featured the feverish 'Worked Up So Sexual'. I remember how that was the hot dancefloor track for quite some time around 2000 & 2001. It always made everyone go crazy on the dancefloor at PopLife when we were at Piccadilly Garden. I bet most of the kids nowadays probably don't even know who they are, which is a shame cause they helped usher in the whole electro dance scene as we know it today, along with a few contemporaries like Ladytron, Fischerspooner, Miss Kittin and Felix Da Housecat. Then they released 'Danse Macabre' in 2001 and they and Electroclash blew up. Every Indie Party in Miami which at the time basically consisted of PopLife, Revolver and eventually SpiderPussy were playing them.

I remember when I was with PopLife and we brought them down on a couple of occasions to the Polish American Club here in Miami. They were some cool ass dudes. The lead singer Todd went through my CD's while I was spinning and he was commenting how we pretty much had the same taste in music. Then I gave him some stuff to burn onto his laptop and he made me a CD with some of the music he was into. Included in that CD was a new artist by the name of Mylo. Didn't know it then, but they would go on to have a pretty amazing record 'Destroy Rock & Roll' not too long afterwards. Drop the Pressure anyone?

Anyways enough reminiscing. The Faint are Back with New Album 'Fasciinatiion' scheduled to be released August the 5th. Seems they're releasing it on their own label Blank.Wav versus Saddle Creek which put out their previous records. The first single is called 'The Geeks Were Right' and it's pretty much Classic Faint. If you've been a fan of theirs this should be right up your alley. Classic vocoder vocals, dancey beats and synths sure to get you shaking it on the dancefloor. Wondering how much play or how they will do in todays scene. Although they are pretty smart guys, so I'm sure they will be getting some cool new kids to remix their tracks and introduce them to a whole new audience. In addition here's a Classic Faint Track off of Danse Macabre.

The Faint contacted us saying they'd prefer if we use the player from their website for their new track, so here it is.



MP3: Your Retro Career Melted (YSI)

Fasciinatiion Tracklisting::
“Get Seduced”
“The Geeks Were Right”
“Machine in the Ghost”
“Fulcrum and Lever”
“Psycho”
“Mirror Error”
“I Treat You Wrong”
“Forever Growing Centipedes”
“Fish in a Womb”
“A Battle Hymn for Children”

The Verve Return!

After 11 long years (about the same stretch as Portishead) The Verve finally give us New Material! Yesterday they unleashed their first single to the world 'Love is Noise' off of their forthcoming new album and I'm glad to report it's amazing! I get worried after such long gaps that the magic bands once had won't be there anymore, but if this first single is any indication we have alot to look forward to! Apparently they're in a studio as we speak working on the new record. I guess the big crowds and money thrown at them at Coachella was enough for them to realize it was time to make that comeback record.

We haven't heard new Material from them since their Classic 1997 album Urban Hymns which is one of my favorite all time albums with the brilliant and possibly one of the best songs ever written Bitter Sweet Symphony. Remember all the problems they had with that Rolling Stones string sample? I think they ended up losing most of the profits from Bitter Sweet, but it still couldn't stop them from shooting to super stardom. Only problem is when they finally got there, they broke up... What a sad day that was.

Richard Ashcroft went on to release several solo albums, which although not bad didn't live up to the magic they had with Urban. It was time for their Return.

With no further ado here's what I've been waiting on for almost 11 years! Woo, that's a long wait...

MP3: Love is Noise (YSI)

Appropriate for this post The Verve performing 'Lucky Man' @ Coachella earlier this year. Damn me for missing this!

Time to rock it from the Delta to the DMZ!

Goooooooooooooood morning Vietnam!In a role he didn't suck in. Like Mork and Mindy.

I loved the tag line of the movie. I still remember it.

The wrong man. In the wrong place. At the right time.

Perfectly 80's! It seems that decade could make light of even the heaviest thing. Speaking of heavy... (you like that?)

Has anybody heard the ridiculousness that is Sample and Hold? It is Simian Mobile Disco's remix album. It seems artists have been intermingling a lot more lately. And SMD have brought on Cosmo Vitelli, Joakim!!, Shit Robot, Beyond the Wizard's Sleeve and others to remix the last album Attack Decay Sustain Release.

Anyways, thought you needed something to wake you up on a Monday morning.

MP3: Simian Mobile Disco - Tits And Acid (Oscilation Remix) zshare/ysi

Link back ya here?!

Hit up Winnie Cooper for the Cosmo Vitelli mix...

And it seems the duo are the next in line for the FabricLive series. FabricLive 41: Simian Mobile Disco is out on August 11th. I am a huge fan of the series, so I cannot wait for this release.

Name Your Price

Following on the heels of Radiohead's experimental release for their last album, In Rainbows, Girl Talk just released his latest Feed the Animals, and you can pay whatever you want for it on the Illegal Art website. The CD and vinyl versions are coming at the end of summer.

However, if you pay nothing, you will have to give a reason why you want the album for free (320 kbps by the way). $5 gets you lossless FLAC files and for $10 you get a physical copy when it is released on September 23rd.

The Wikipedia article is the best part though, the album has a gazillion samples and the article helps identify those "I know that song, it's on the tip of my tongue" moments you will most certainly have while listening to the album.

Girl Talk - Feed the Animals via Illegal Art

MP3: Grizzly Bear - Knife (Girl Talk Remix) zshare/ysi

(whoa, just realized this is a newer version of the same remix I was playing last year, Girl Talk cleaned it up and gave it more punch...)

So does this mean that Radiohead's experiment might have actually caused some change in the industry?

Moon over...[insert your city here]

Tonight the solstice moon comes out! Look to the east and you will see a giant rising in the sky. The phenomenon could possibly be attributed to the ponzo illusion. From NASA:

After all these years, scientists still aren't sure. When you look at the Moon, rays of moonlight converge and form an image about 0.15 mm wide on the retina in the back of your eye. High moons and low moons make the same sized spot, yet the brain insists one is bigger than the other. Go figure.

A similar illusion was discovered in 1913 by Mario Ponzo, who drew two identical bars across a pair of converging lines, like the railroad tracks pictured right. The upper yellow bar looks wider because it spans a greater apparent distance between the rails. This is the "Ponzo Illusion."

Either way if the weather is right, you should an amazing evening sky. Take pictures and post them back! I'm going to try and sneak into my friend's soon to be new apartment in my building which has a PERFECT view of downtown Miami. So hopefully I'll get some nice moon over Miami shots.

That picture above is not the moon though, it is the cover for Studio's next release, Yearbook 2 coming out next week which is a compilation of their most recent remixes. I have been playing some of these out (if I see the moment is right, mood it is critical to these songs) and they are well received. So glad I am to see them finally get put together. In fact I personally vouch for the first three tracks. All are amazing. Preview the album here.

Also, listen to how they transform Kylie's track. From disco diva to almost Stevie Nicks mysticism.

YEARBOOK 2
1. Brown Piano - A Mountain of One (Version by Studio)
2. Impossible - Shout Out Louds (Version by Studio)
3. Turn The Radio Off - Love Is All (Version by Studio) MP3 zshare/ysi
4. Room Without A Key - Rubies (Version by Studio)
5. Escape From Chinatown - Brennan Green (Version by Studio)
6. 2 Hearts - Kylie Minogue (Version by Studio) MP3 zshare/ysi
7. Love On A Real Train - Williams (Version by Studio)

I pull the curtains down and leave the sunshine out...
I turn the radio on... Hey world! I've had enough...

Beck is Back

Beck is Back. This time he's brought a little help in the form of indie producer du jour, Dangermouse. (Do I have to? Okay, The Gray Album, Gorillaz, Gnarlz Barkley, Danger Doom, The Good, The Bad and The Queen you get the picture...). In this album we see Beck going back a bit to the 60's. Apparently the new album called Modern Guilt has the definitive mid-century London garage sound.

Album details were sketchy in the beginning of the year, secret product, end of the year release date, etc... But all those questions have been (sorta) answered and the LP should drop sometime this month. Oh and did I mention that Cat Power has a guest spot on it?

The first single, Chemtrails, was released a few weeks ago and premiered on no less than BBC Radio 1 (has a better ring to it than Y-100. Radio in Miami is ridiculously lame...).

And so far so good, I have always been a fan of Beck and I do not think he is going to disappoint with his 10th full length release (TEN!!!). I am digging the guitar solo at the end of Chemtrails. I read some comments on different blogs making comparisons to Caribou. What do you guys think?
Anyways, here is a lowish-bitrate but listenable MySpace rip. Also, grab a cool remix of Nausea by XXXChange (Spank Rock crew) that might allow you to forgive me for the quality of Chemtrails. XXXChange is on a roll, check out his remix of Thom Yorke's The Eraser and Bjork's Earth Intruders if you have a chance.

MP3: Chemtrails
MP3: Nausea (XXXChange Remix)

Here is a video of the title track, Modern Guilt, performed a couple of days ago at a secret show in L.A.

488 Words About Styrofoam

Not quite, more like this guy... Arne Van Petegem, a one man glitch electronica artist from Antwerp, Belgium better known as Styrofoam. Having worked with the cream of the crop in his genre (The Notwist, Lali Puna, mum, The Postal Service, Das Pop) and been signed to Morr Music, the definitive IDM label, he has been able to fine tune his style and it shows in his latest release A Thousand Words. He has a slew of guest vocalists backed carefully crafted beats and electronic flourishes. I have only been playing the album for a couple of days, but I can see myself setting this record for a long play. The different vocalists help to keep things interesting, and the tracks going beyond those ethereal sounds some electropop songs have that might put one to sleep. Maybe this is the next The Postal Service Ray has been waiting for?

I really need to stop referencing that band as the go-to example for any electropop band this decade, for example Styrofoam was around a few years before PS's Give Up. The Postal Service might have been the one to break into the mainstream but they are not necessarily the ambassadors of the genre. Ben Gibbard actually also just recently quelled some rumors about the futures of The Postal Service...basically don't hold your breath.

“The second Postal Service album is threatening to become the Chinese Democracy of indie rock,” Gibbard tells Rolling Stone. “It will come out eventually, or maybe it won’t.”

Back in 2004, Ben also did the vocals to Styrofoams track, Couches in Alleys.

Anyways, back to artist named after packing material,his music, as opposed to sounding cold and robotic as the genre he falls into (by default) implies, has depth and a definite human touch. With each successive listen, you peel a layer back just to find something new you had not heard before...

Oh and he also has a blog, Styrofoam's Starry Skies.

I am including a remix Styrofoam did of a local Miami band (and very good friends of the blog) Dance, Jenny. Check them out too. I have an (quite possibly the only?) autographed copy of their album La Música Pop. Maybe I should drop that sucker on eBay and score some big bucks! They had a free remix EP up for download a while ago called McDonalds Put Me To Work featuring the remix below by Styrofoam and others by chiisai-oto, Sleepy Eyes, and the_viirus. If you guys are nice, drop me an email (and a comment or two every once in a while would be nice too) and I'll send you a digi-copy.

And after talking so much about The Postal Service... why not a Styrofoam remix of said band also?

MP3: The Postal Service - Nothing Better (Styrofoam Mix)
MP3: Dance, Jenny - Sex is Free (Styromix by Styrofoam) // (zp3)

From A Thousand Words
MP3: Bright Red Helmet
MP3: A Thousand Words

(And yes, according to MS Word (minus this note) the blog is 488 words long.)

OTRtv - Friday Videos

Weezer's new video for Pork and Beans on YouTube stars, who else, but a bunch of YouTube stars!! See how many you recognize.

Taste of Ratatat's upcoming LP3 (yes that's the name) with their new video for Mirando.

Here is Jamie Lidell's first single off of his recent release JIM entitled Another Day.

Here is Cut Copy's latest. Hearts on Fire... Is it me or does it seem like this track has been out forever? The video was just released.

Oh did I mentioend that Coldplay has a new album coming out? Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends, whatever that means. The title track is the soundtrack for the current iTunes ad out.

Go ahead, download it. I won't tell anyone. You need beach music anyways. It's Memorial Day weekend! Just head to North Beach though... stay away from anything south of 17th Street.

MP3: Coldplay - Viva La Vida (YSI)

Remixes + Stuffs

Thought it was a coincidence the first two tracks on my new comp CD both happened to have girlfriend/boyfriend in the song titles.  Hmmm, wonder if it means anything? How about the intro to a new post!

The first track here is a Twelves Remix of The Black Kids 'I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance'.  Great dance remix from this Florida band which has been getting tons of Press and Blog Love.  We were lucky enough to see them perform here in Miami @ Circa before they got too huge not too long ago. Free too! Not too shabby.. 

MP3: I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance (Twelves Remix) - The Black Kids (YSI)

  

The second track is by my one of my favorite Norwegian guilty pleasures Annie.  Haven't really heard too much of her new stuff, but this Remix by Get Shakes for 'I Know Your Girlfriend Hates Me' is pretty solid and a sure-fire dancefloor hit.   

MP3: I Know your Girlfriend Hates Me (Get Shakes Remix) - Annie  (YSI)

This next band The Ting Tings I noticed was listed on Hype Machine as one of the most searched/blogged bands the other day.  Pretty impressive, usually the bigger names/more well known artists get those honors.  Anyway's don't know that much about them yet, but this track I have from them 'Shut Up and Let Go' is pretty sweet. Reminds me of bands like New Young Pony Club.

MP3: Shut Up and Let Go - The Ting Tings  (YSI)

     

Finally I leave you with Woolfy.  Not the best name out there, but good music beats out a crappy name anyday! Just think how many crappy band names there are out there. Woolfy is a British transplant who resides in California. Recently he's been putting out music on Rong Music, which is Lee Douglas' label (who we recently brought down for WMC.)  This new track of his 'Oh Missy' is catchy as hell! Still trying to get that 'Oh Missy, Oh Missy, don't break my heart' chorus out of my head.  This might take awhile..  This track also has that great mid-tempo groove I love. 

Enjoy!

MP3: Oh Missy - Woolfy  (YSI)

P.S.  Not digging the new Death Cab for Cutie album 'Narrow Stairs'. What happened? Doesn't sound like a cohesive album to me.  There's a good song here or there, but as a whole just kinda sounds like a bunch of different styles thrown together with no rhyme or reason. Pretty disappointed.  I loved Transatlanticism and some of their earlier albums.  Can Ben just take like 6 months off at some point and put out a new Postal Service record. Thank you! Out!

 

Apocalypso = Nu-Industrial?

The Presets are back with New Album Apocalypso! This time around the Australian duo partially responsible for the emergence of the great Australian electro dance music scene of the last few years, along with others like Cut/Copy have now resurrected Industrial Music!?

While Cut/Copy has gone for more of the 80's New Wave/Pop feel The Presets have gone a bit harder and edgier with their latest release. Hard beats and hard synths are in abundance in Apocalypso. In particular it feels like they have resurrected Industrial giants Nitzer Ebb, of which I had quite a few albums. The album opener Kicking and Screaming (which even sounds like a Nitzer Ebb title) sounds eerily like Nitzer Ebb, as well as Track 4 Yippiyo-Ay. The beats and synths are fast, strong and pounding!

This isn't to say it's all heavy. They still retain their pop sensibilities and in tracks like the Single 'This Boy's in Love' you can hear pop influences by other favorites like Depeche Mode. While in other tracks like 'Talk Like That' they remind me of modern contemporaries The Faint.

Music always comes back around and I was wondering when Industrial Music would make a return. We've already kind of experienced a bit of a Goth revival the last few years with bands like Interpol, The Knife, The Editors, She Wants Revenge, etc... It'll be nice to hear some new interesting Industrial stuff as well. I always felt the reason Industrial/Goth music died out (or at least why I stopped listening), was because there weren't enough artists trying out interesting new things. This is just about right.

P.S. If you have a chance to catch The Presets Live, should jump on it! I've seen them perform twice and their great! Better than their recordings. Only two of them on stage, one on drums and one on synths/vocals, but they put on a great show! Highly Entertaining!

MP3: Kicking and Screaming (YSI)
MP3: A New Sky (YSI)

Here's a Classic Nitzer Ebb track 'Murderous'.

MP3: Murderous - Nitzer Ebb (YSI)

Here's the Video for their New Single This Boy's in Love... Be sure to grab the great Lifelike Remix I posted of this track earlier in the week.

L I F E L I K E

LifeLike is Laurent Ash from Paris, France. Nice hometown! This guy's been on a roll... He does his own music 'Discopolis', remixes for tons of varied artists such as Front 242, Annie, Chromeo, Sneaky Sound System, Does it Offend You, Yeah and many more. Plus to top it off now he's on tour with Alan Brake! Lucky bastard!

I've been playing out a new Remix he did for The Presets called 'This Boy's in Love' off of The Presets New Album 'Apocalypso'. It's a great one! Really kicks the track into a peak time dancefloor stomper. Also been playing out his disco tinged Remix for Alyoa's track 'It's Been Too Long' which should blend in really well with any nu-disco/classic disco mixes you may have going on..

Here they are for your enjoyment... I'll be doing a Review of the New Presets album soon as well.

MP3: This Boy's in Love (Lifelike Remix) - The Presets (YSI)
MP3: It's Been Too Long (Lifelike Top Gun Mix) - Alyoa (YSI)


Here's the R rated (late night Cinemax) video for Discopolis... Umm, nice!

Indie Pop MIX TAPE

Just saw some of Chris's pictures from Japan and all I can say is wow! Pretty amazing place... Can't believe Chris actually came back. Here's a couple pics I'm stealing from him. Shhhh don't tell... Pretty amazing huh. He has over 1000! Lucky bastard! I told him to post some of the best ones on here so you guys can check them out as well. Let's keep our finger's crossed..

Anyways last week I did a Dance Mixtape so this week I'm doing an Indie Pop Mixtape for you guys. I don't get to play out too much Indie Pop anymore. It's all about the dance stuff nowadays, but I still love the jangly guitars and mellower stuff when I'm home and in the car.

Here's some cool tracks I've gotten recently, including new My Morning Jacket, Cinderpop, We Are Scientists, Electric President, Soundpool and more! Lots of cool stuff here, I'm sure there'll be something that'll tickle your fancy.

Enjoy and have a great week-end!

MP3: Cinnamon Winter - Cinderpop (YSI)

MP3: Two Halves - My Morning Jacket (YSI)

MP3: London Bridges - This is Ivy League (YSI)

MP3: After Hours - We Are Scientists (YSI)

MP3: Better Things - South (YSI)

MP3: The Divides of March - Soundpool (YSI)

MP3: Monsters - Electric President (YSI)

Feeling Spiritualized?

Been awhile since we've heard from Spiritualized and their main man Jason Pierce. The wait's almost over as they're set to release their New Album 'Song in A & E' on May the 27th. I managed to listen to about 5 tracks so far, including the First Single 'Soul on Fire'. They're mostly of the downtempo variety, but that's kinda what they do best and what their fans love about them. I've never been the biggest fan, but I know many are and I still appreciate their music and Jason's voice and vision. I'm sure this one will be a welcome return to form for this great band who in 1997 had NME's top album of the year with their classic 'Ladies and Gentleman We Are Floating in Space'.

They've always had very cool minimal artwork and this one continues that tradition...

P.S. This post is dedicated to my APT partner Josh who's a huge fan and has been telling me for weeks how I've been sitting on this one. There you go...

MP3: Soul on Fire (YSI)
MP3: Baby I'm Just a Fool (YSI)

Here's one of my Favorite Classic Tracks from Spiritualized. 'Do It All Over Again' off of 2001's 'Let It Come Down'. Another great album they had that I had forgotten about.

MP3: Do It All Over Again (YSI)

Here's a BBC interview with Jason talking about a medical warehouse with stuff they used for their new video 'Soul on Fire'.

Here's the finished product. You can see were they incorporated the medical gear. The video came out great!

Zeigeist Release Debut 'The Jade Motel'

One of my favorite electro-pop bands Zeigeist from Stockholm, Sweden are finally set to release their Debut Album 'The Jade Motel' April the 30th! Pretty excited, been digging them for awhile. Even picked their single Black Milk which is also on the album as one of my favorite singles of 2007.

Fans of bands like The Knife who they are constantly compared to (her voice's resemblance is uncanny!) will love Zeigeist. They are a great mixture of bands like early Fischerspooner's live theatrics and The Knife's dancey sound.

You can preview the whole thing albeit 30 sec samples on amazon. I managed to get a hold of 'Humanitarianism' which is set to be their first single and the lead-in track to the new album and 'Bunny' which I bought on Itunes. You can also listen to 'Wrecked Metal' another new track on their MySpace player.

If you like these I recommend you pick up the whole thing when it becomes available later this week. Not sure if it'll be on Itunes, but I think you can buy it directly from them on their MySpace page and on Amazon Wednesday.

MP3: Humanitarianism (YSI)

MP3: Bunny (YSI)

Here's a Live Concert of theirs at a Pop festival in Europe condensed into 4 in a half minutes. Some of the cuts are pretty crappy, but at least you can see what a great live show they put on...

Quiet in the Village

Quiet Village have just released their amazing debut album 'Silent Movie' (out now on Itunes and May 13th as hard copies) and just like the name implies it's like a soundtrack to an amazing movie that hasn't happened yet. Like other bands like The Avalanches who they remind me of, they mix and match a lot of different elements and samples to form an amazing piece of art. Mostly instrumental you can put this album on and let yourself be transported away to another place and time, from India to a secluded island beach. It's exactly the type of music that lets your mind float away and enjoy the beauty that music can bring. Sure to be a Classic! Highly recommended!!

Here's a couple of my favorites so far....

MP3: Free Rider