Hot Chip – One Life Stand

February 9th, 2010  |  by hannahsimon  |  published in dance, electro pop  |  2 comments

All hail Hot Chip, who I have just crowned kings of the British electropop scene. Exhibit A: Their new album, “One Life Stand,” the fourth in a string of solid releases (“Coming on Strong,” “The Warning,” and “Made in the Dark” preceded). This album truly sets Hot Chip apart from the other UK bands clamoring for the electro/dance/synth spotlight.

Two Door Cinema Club – Tourist History

February 3rd, 2010  |  by b aiken  |  published in dance, indie pop, post-punk  |  4 comments

What do you get when you cross three Irish dudes, some guitars, and some heavy electronic influence? Well, you can get a ton of things, one of which is the sound produced by Two Door Cinema Club, a modern contemporary trio bringing us some seriously catchy tunes on their debut, Tourist History. While we wrote about them back in April of 2009, this album illustrates the band’s range while simultaneously keeping to a central theme of guitar-driven electro-pop and lyrics that cling to your brain like… brain glue?

Foals – Antidotes

November 9th, 2009  |  by jason grishkoff  |  published in dance, indie pop, math-rock, post-punk

One could easily draw the comparison to Bloc Party while listening to the album Antidotes, the Foals’ first major release. And not the new Bloc Party that has driven themselves into the ground. Nope, this is like the good old stuff. And what’s more, they’ve done it all themselves.

still life still – girls come too

August 25th, 2009  |  by jason grishkoff  |  published in dance, experimental, indie pop, indie rock, noise, shoegaze  |  2 comments

you ever turn on a song that you liked so much, you said, ‘jesus christ, this band rocks!’ before you’d even gotten 20 seconds into the song? a song so good that as the music washed over your body, you felt the waves go down your spine? still life still nails it.

my first earthquake – downstairs

July 27th, 2009  |  by jason grishkoff  |  published in dance, electro pop, female vocalists, indie rock, punk

“Who among us can resist that sweet spot between synthesized electro-pop and hooky indie rock — that fertile, eminently familiar territory mined by modern outfits like Mates of State and Matt and Kim? Not San Francisco group My First Earthquake, whose debut blends those bands’ pop might and indie cool with strong, irreverent female vocals to varying degrees of success” – eastbayexpress.com

The Whitest Boy Alive – Rules

May 11th, 2009  |  by jason grishkoff  |  published in dance, electronic, funk, indie pop, jazz

Take Kings of Concenience, and give them some funk. Somehow this group manages to keep things upbeat, dancey, cutting-edge-indie, and yet totally chill. Perhaps it’s the clean sound of the guitars, the grooving keyboard, or (most likely) the mellowed out vocals of their frontman. Word around the webnet is that the band took a more ‘organic’ approach to recording, with all of the tracks being done live with no overdubs or additional effects. I think you’d be hard pressed to find another band doing the same thing these days.

Flamingo Crash – Triangle Island

May 4th, 2009  |  by jason grishkoff  |  published in dance, electronic, indie rock

“the band was noisy and quiet, liked sharp angles and soft shapes, played vintage instruments and brand new ones, liked enchanting rhymes and forbidden tales, loud drums and invisible sounds and most of all making music with everything they had until forever” – swindlers.com

Post War Years – Black Morning

April 28th, 2009  |  by jason grishkoff  |  published in dance, electronic, indie pop, indie rock, post-punk  |  1 comment

“their intricate songs are full of danceable beats, driven basslines and enthusiastic vocal harmonies that hide themselves deep within your brain for you to find yourself singing days later.” – the 405