M83 // Saturdays=Youth

M83 which comprises of Anthony Gonzalez from France is an artist I had heard about never got around to listening to, till the other day. I read a couple great reviews on their newest record 'Saturdays=Youth' which was released on April the 15th so I decided to go check it out. So far the verdict is wow!! They've released an amazing shoegazy, goth, pop tinged album drenched in 80's nostalgia, sound & feel. They even have a look-a-like Molly Ringwald on the cover! Fans of bands like Cocteau Twins, Psychedelic Furs, Tears for Fears, Radio Dept., Jesus & Mary Chain, My Bloody Valentine, Clan of Xymox or 80's New Wave/Goth bands in general will love this! They definitely tap into that feeling that 80's synth pop music made me feel growing up. The duo female/male vocals really add to the experience and music's beauty. Glad Anthony's putting out this kind of music for the newer generations who weren't around in the 80's to experience and enjoy first hand.

Stand out tracks so far are the First Single 'Graveyard Girl', 'Kim & Jessie' (my favorite!), 'Skin of the Night' and 'You, Appearing'. I'm gonna post up a couple tracks plus the video for Graveyard Girl. If you like these, I recommend you buy the whole thing. It's a good one!

Enjoy!

MP3: Kim & Jessie (YSI)
MP3: Skin of the Night (YSI)


Graveyard Girl Video

Buzz In Our Backyard

This weekend you have a chance to catch Black Kids in their own backyard (they are from Jacksonville, FL) before they cross the big pond to play shows in London. The interest this band is creating is reminiscent of the The Arctic Monkeys or The Go! Team. And their music is not far off either. Infectious pop songs, girl group harmonies, 80’s synth-pop. I swear I can hear The Cure in the song Hit the Heartbreaks.

The ENTIRE Wizard of Ahhhs demo is available for FREE from their MySpace profile. The band is currently unsigned but picked up Quest Management who also handles Bjork and Arcade Fire to represent them. And it seems they will not be unsigned for long.

So if you live in South Florida don't miss your chance to catch them LIVE this Saturday (11/24/07 ) at Circa28 for CircaSaturdays. They have already played with the likes of Lo-Fi Fnk and Tiger City and you know we are fans of those bands.

More info about Black Kids at their website (http://blackkidsmusic.com/). Here is song where they channel The Cure and a remix not available on the EP.

MP3: Hit the HeartBreaks (YSI)
MP3: Hurricane Jane (Beige Reemix) (YSI)

More press on Black Kids:

• Vice Magazine: Interview (Sep 4 2007)
• Pitchfork Media: Best New Music (Oct 5 2007)
• Current: Daily Fix (Oct 23 2007)
• Treble: Album of the Week (Oct 31 2007)
• NME: CMJ Review (Nov 10 2007)

She Wants A New Album

Go find your black eyeliner! She Wants Revenge is back. Doing what they do best, dark, brooding, synth pop (I really should not call it pop) let's call it dark wave. After their collaboration with Timbaland on his last release Shock Value (Honestly has everyone done something with this guy this year??), the guys focused on their new album due out on October 9th called This Is Forever.

MP3: Written In Blood

Buttered, Salted, Caramel, Cheese, Kettle...

I was driving with some friends over the weekend and scanning what was on satellite radio and I heard a brief bar of a song that caught by ear before he switched it.

"Go back!"

And that was when I discovered Popcorn by Hot Butter (1972 version). Digging on the internets, I found that this song has a pretty interesting history considering it has been covered over 500 times over the past 30+ years starting in 1969 with the original version by Gershon Kingsley. It is widely considered the first primarily electronic-based piece of music to reach the American popular music charts. Paving the way for other synth-pop bands and increasing the Moog synthesizer's popularity.

Aphex Twin, Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, Bim Skala Bim, the Boston Pops and Hot Butter have all covered the song. Hot Butter produced the most famous version and was the one that had caught my attention. There was a rumor around the time that it was released that a computer had generated the melody for it.

Because it has been covered so many times, many of the versions are mislabeled. One of the most common versions is attributed to Kraftwerk. It sounds nothing like them and was actually released by the M&H Band. It sounds more like Pet Shop Boys.

MP3: Hot Butter - Popcorn
MP3: M&H Band - Popcorn

It even has its own web page! Go check out http://www.popcorn-song.com/ for snippets of other versions.

They Are From London and NOT Teenagers!

This new single from Cobra Dukes (then again pretty much anything they put out at this point is new). It has a 80's synth feel to it but somehow seems updated (must be the vocals). Refreshing to hear something other than nu rave or teeny pop coming out of London.

The Cobra Dukes are already being played by Mylo, Touche, and Punks Jump Up (Kitsune) in their sets. Check out Shot Callin' for a Punks Jump Up remix of Digitalism.

Did I mention they have some remixes too? (Fine the remix may be a little nu ravish...)

MP3: Cobra Dukes - Leave the Light On
MP3: Cobra Dukes - Leave the Light On (Fredo and Thang Remix)

Classic Album Spotlight

A-Ha is mostly known in the U.S. as one hit wonders for their 1985 mega-hit Take on Me.

It's an amazing song, no doubt. Despite having heard that song about a million times, it's still great... Those quick synth notes, melodies and those vocals with notes so high only he could reach. You can especially appreciate it the longer you go between listens. It had that amazing video too.

The sad thing is that their entire debut album Hunting High and Low is a classic record that doesn't get the credit it deserves (at least in the US). Many of their later albums also for that matter. Minor Earth, Major Sky is another masterpiece of theirs that didn't come out till 2000 and is much more of a mature, darker record.

This first record was much more of a lighter affair with carefully crafted mid tempo and dancey electronic tracks. Great melodies, vocals and hooks that get you singing after only a few listens. A classic synthpop record. There's only 10 tracks and it clocks in at about 30 mins. Don't need anymore than that. Each track is slighly different but they each retain that classic A-Ha romantic style.

I can hear this album over and over. A great late night album.

Sometimes it's easier to hear than explain. Check out these 3 stellar tracks from that classic debut 22 years ago...

MP3: A-Ha - Living a Boy's Adventure Tale

MP3: A-Ha - Hunting High and Low

MP3: A-Ha - Here I Stand and Face the Rain

Synths and Bass and Cattle

Warning syth-disco ahead! And that is not a bad thing. Hailing from across the pond, in gay Pari-- Denton, Texas? Wait a second, I thought all electro goodness only came from France? At least that is what Mr. Banger and Kitsune want you to think.

With Italo stylings and a long list of influences (Sexual Harrassment, Kavinsky, Junior Boys, Chromeo, Cabaret Voltaire...) seems like the perfect Off the Radar group to us.

The group is still young (they played their first show last month), but that means they can only get better. Right?

MP3: Parking Lot Nights

(There is another demo track floating around out there, Losing Tracks.)