Indie Shuffle » dance

Klaxons – Surfing the Void

Curtis — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 21:17:49 +0000

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Sounds like: Metronomy, Late of the Pier

What's so good?

A brief summary of Klaxons’s demolition of the British indie scene: “Atlantis to Interzone” and “Gravity’s Rainbow” demos circulated on the net, the songs became staples of student indie nights, and very soon after, debut album Myths of the Near Future won the Mercury Music Prize, a unique accolade given to British artists based solely on creative merit.

The band exuded cultural style, not just a surge in catchy electro indie. Between 2004 and 2007, successful British bands typically cultivated images as ordinary lads discussing ordinary things (Arctic Monkeys, The Wombats, Kaiser Chiefs and The View). The minutiae of awkward social encounters and bus stops were par for the course.

However, Klaxons stopped it with their fascination for fantasy, space, and abstraction. With this band, a new class of artists — Foals, Metronomy, Late of the Pier — flitted between fun energy and highbrow, intellectual philosophising. It wasn’t just the music that put Klaxons on the front cover of NME every week: it was the ambiguous concept of “nu rave” peddled by the music press that, led by Klaxons, kicked “I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor” into touch and made it look irrelevant, unsophisticated, and grey.

Klaxons never liked the in-vogue connotation that came with the “nu-rave” tag, and just as well because NME’s infatuation with Klaxons subsided after their album tour. Surfing the Void is an apt name for the following three years, due to this album’s protracted creation and the negative publicity associated with recent live shows.

Fallouts with Polydor over new psychedelic songs deemed “too experimental for release” echo Geffen Records, who once tried to sue Neil Young for making music “unrepresentative of Neil Young.” In this environment, Klaxons went through three producers. For all the hype, very few critics have labelled this album a disappointment. Rather, there is a sense of foreboding in the mainly positive reviews. Telegraph writer Andrew Perry called Surfing the Void “a real victory from the jaws of defeat.”

My own take on Surfing the Void is that by ditching the recordings rejected by Polydor, the LP stays true to Myths of the Near Future as far as vibrant choruses and lyrical escapism goes (“clouds of diamond dust,” “riding the timewave’s origin,” etc.)

However, Surfing the Void is less compact than its predecessor: it is unrestrained and distorted. The comparison is similar to the first two Arctic Monkeys records: the debut had clear production and the follow-up was fuzzy and industrial. As it creeps with caution and intrigue, the off-kilter tension and screaming guitars on “Extra Astronomica” could be a track by Bloc Party. “Flashover” is similarly dark, and sounds like the creative outcome of “Atlantis to Interzone” warped into something angry and demonic. The organs on “The Same Space” and unsettling synth melodies on “Valley of the Calm Trees” add to the overall impression that something otherworldly is afoot. That sci-fi concept unites the album and generates a defining atmosphere.

Klaxons typically offer up vague comments to puncture the promotional circus when doing interviews. In one with ITN, Jamie mocks the irritating arrogance of critics and fascination with his band, saying, “It’s an enigma; figure it all out.” Their tongue-in-cheek suggestions and the record’s overblown futurism always point to their philosophising songs being a parody. They like the pomp. “Future Memories” lyrics (“The future’s in our memories/the past is just a guess”) would be at home in the dialogue of a sci-fi b-movie, for instance. A cat inside an astronaut suit: that’s mental.

Overall, I like this album, and I like it because the grandeur of the tracks comes out in a really fun and adventurous way. As I’ve said, I don’t think Klaxons aimed to make a revolutionary concept record; some people just take the mystique they pump into every song too seriously. To me, these 10 songs stick on repeated listens, and as “Echoes” continues its strong stint of radio play, Klaxons enter a new chapter. Hopefully it won’t be as ridiculed or pored over as their last.

Elsewhere on the web:

myspace | myspace.com/klaxons

Robyn – Body Talk Pt. 1

Lola — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 22:54:27 +0000

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Sounds like: La Roux, Kelis, Annie

"Robyn - Dancing On My Own"

What's so good?

Respect to the dinosaurs.

Five years ago, I moved to Sweden from New York. They had 3G video phones (not only in WiFi… ahem, Apple), drop dead gorgeous blondes in skin-tight skinny jeans (not the USA trend of bell bottoms, blah), and what stands out the most (other than the delectable women) is that they played Robyn everywhere I went.

Turn on the TV, we had Robyn smashing mirrors bald in her “Be Mine” video; turn on the radio we had the vintage “Show Me Love.” Well, I fell in love. Sweden is ahead in fashion, ahead in cool, and undoubtedly ahead with Robyn.

So, should I be surprised that in 2010 Robyn is still killing it with Body Talk Pt. 1? Nah, not really. The sassy little lady promises us three albums in this series, and as our lovely Ali G says, “Re-spect!” Robyn is a dinosaur in this complicated and corrupt music world, and Body Talk Pt. 1 proves that she knows how to stay alive through the ages.

Throw Diplo and Royksopp into the mix with eight refined tracks and you have magic. Nothing sounds the same, and that alone, my friends, is pure beauty. Starting off with a strong “Don’t Fucking Tell Me What To Do,” and you have an immediate blood rush and inner rebellion against friends, your parents, and ex or current lover. Tracks like “Dancehall Queen” and “None of Dem” reminds you that Robyn still connects with her urban side seamlessly. Also, “Cry When You Get Older” and “Jag vet en Dejlig Rosa” exposes her inner girl, delicately vulnerable. Watch the “Hang With Me” video and you’ll understand it all!

Favorite: “Dancing On My Own” — Boo: “Fembot”

Elsewhere on the web:

myspace | myspace.com/robynmyspace

The Pass – Colors

Bryan Mojica — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 20:25:53 +0000

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Sounds like: Friendly Fires, Phoenix, Cut Copy

"The Pass - Colors"

What's so good?

Great bands beget great bands. Most artists readily point to an array of influences that helped mold their sound. It makes sense, after all, that producers of ‘good’ music would carry a respectably discerning ear themselves. That said, listing Justice, LCD Soundsystem, and Daft Punk as strong influences heavily raised hopes and expectations for electro pop/new-wave band The Pass and their EP Colors.

From their sound, you would expect The Pass to hail from New York, Montreal, Paris, etc. – but they don’t. Instead, the quartet is probably the hippest music act since VHS or Beta to spawn from country-music-laden Louisville, Kentucky. In this home of line dancing and doh-see-doh, The Pass paradoxically craft upbeat synth and guitar driven dance tunes through late nights of toying with synthesizer loops and writing lyrics recalling lost loves and hookups on the dance floor. In terms of their live show, try finding a more intriguing tagline: “…somewhere between the final act of a three ring circus and a rave in Prague.”

The Pass’ five-track EP, Colors, stays consistent with their aforementioned influences. The quite-evident common thread between The Pass and the three heavyweights is that they compose music that makes listeners dance. Lead singer Kyle Peters’ vocal tone and hooks seem perfectly matched for the group’s dance floor summoning. On the leading single “Colors,” Peters’ voice calls out over a layering of rhythmic, muted guitar strumming and ambient synthesizer sounds while the drummer raps crisply on the high hat. “Cross Walk Stereo” is also worth a listen – check out the intro and its glaring similarity to Phoenix’s “1901.” The song showcases Peters’ effective falsetto and employs clean guitar offset by gritty synth and a deep, fuzzy bass line.

Colors is not a groundbreaking work of art; but it is a glimpse of a band with sharp dance music sensibilities and soaring potential. With promise of higher production value and a more polished sound, I anxiously await their forthcoming album, Burst, which is set to release September 21.

Elsewhere on the web:

myspace | myspace.com/thepasstheband

FM Belfast – How To Make Friends

Bryan Mojica — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 02:16:11 +0000

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Sounds like: Hot Chip, Passion Pit, Miike Snow

"FM Belfast - "

What's so good?

I’ll always have a soft spot for great pop. Let’s be honest, no matter how much the pretentious side of me wants to highlight obscure musical complexities with “look what I can appreciate” analysis, time and time again I’m a sucker for simple, shameless pop music. The bright tones, catchy hooks, wordless ‘oh oh’ refrains, and 4/4 time so even your grandma can clap on beat… they all unite as my kryptonite. Why? Well, when the combination succeeds it generally provides pure, unadulterated fun. My most recent experience of such has come in the form of FM Belfast: an electro-pop group from Reykjavík, Iceland delivering warm, contagious dance music that will keep you moving through the most frigid of Nordic winters (or simply uplift a spoiled Southern Californian like myself through an overcast day).

In 2005, FM Belfast started as a ‘studio project’ and consisted of only two members (bare with me on the Icelandic names): Árni Rúnar Hlöðversson and Lóa Hlín Hjálmtýsdóttir – but were just too good to be limited to side project status. With rising popularity, the duo expanded a year later and brought another, Árni Vilhjálmsson, on board to facilitate a full live act. Today, FM Belfast play shows with anywhere from the 3 core members to a complete 8-person group “depending on who can make it.”

How To Make Friends is a hand-crafted gem, literally. FM Belfast took it upon themselves to record, mix, master, and even create the album art themselves. The result is an 11-song bundle that will keep even the most ‘ADHD-prone’ listener intrigued for its entirety. The Icelanders entertain with a tag-you’re-it style of trading lines between the three vocalists (ranging from female voice to awkwardly-high male falsetto). This ménage à trois of singing is backed by relatively simplistic, yet always sufficient, playful 8-bit and lo-fi keyboard beats.

The bouncy, lighthearted instrumentation is a perfect pairing for FM Belfast’s amusing, and often humorous, lyricism. One of my favorite tracks from the LP, “VHS,” addresses the protagonists’ inability to cope with technology formats changing and becoming obsolete – a loving ode to VHS collections and VCR players:

they made me, made me switch the systems
you glow on VHS, you glow on
i miss your zeroes blinking bright in the dark
i lie awake and stare in the night you left me with no options

This is far from the extent of the fun.

- “Frequency” recalls having to be the designated driver for drunken relatives.

- “Underwear” addresses running through the streets half-naked to provide entertainment in a miserably boring hometown where “We count the days until nothing”.

- “Pump” is a cover of Technotronic’s 1989 hit “Pump Up The Jam” – except it’s barely recognizable as FM Belfast play it at quarter-speed. Who knew this track could be more fun/ridiculous as a slow jam?

– “Lotus” is a must-hear, synthed-out cover of Rage Against the Machine’s “Killing In the Name.”

– “Synthia” opens with the line: “I tried my best to put you back together,” a song about the group’s desire to save an abused synthesizer from a neglectful owner.

While they may be singing in jest, don’t get the wrong idea – the music is seriously good. Give How To Make Friends a chance and FM Belfast will surely win you over with their quirky foreign charm.

Elsewhere on the web:

myspace | myspace.com/fmbelfast

Sebastien Tellier – L’amour et la Violence (Allure Remix)

Bryan Mojica — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 00:49:37 +0000

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Sounds like: Air, Les Petits Pilous, Moby

"Sebastien Tellier - Lamour et la Violence (Allure Remix)"

What's so good?

A remix is especially memorable when the original tune undergoes an emotional metamorphosis. In this case, Allure demonstrates his keen ability to target a once-meditative track and completely transform its feeling via the omission of piano and subsequent addition of synth, snaps, claps and punctuated bass. Sebastien Tellier’s “L’amour et la Violence” (from 2008′s Sexuality) is a piano-driven, introspective ballad confronting his personal intrigue with polar feelings – love and violence. The vulnerability from bearing this internal struggle is revealed as Tellier’s voice trembles while repeating the only four lines of lyrics:

Dit moi ce que tu penses de ma vie, de mon adolescence.
Di moi ce que tu penses, J’aime aussi l’amour et la violence.

Translation:

Tell me what you think about my life, my adolescence.
Tell me what you think, I also like love and violence.

The listener is left to contemplate the lyrics for him/herself while an up-tempo synthesizer riff rises and falls in return to the minor tones of the piano. Fellow French artist, Allure, allows no such time for reflection – instead he dares you to keep from, in the least, tapping your foot to his French house beat. The snap-clap percussion is infectious, and the bass is bubbly – an instant groove.

Allure wisely keeps the original synth build-up towards the end of the track (afterall, Sexuality was produced by one of the gods of electronic music: Daft Punk’s Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo). The finished product is an addictive, upbeat toe-tapper that is highly distinct from the original… much like the clash of love and violence.

Elsewhere on the web:

myspace | myspace.com/sebastientellier

Indiekid – Electric Symphony

Taylor Fife — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 02:17:25 +0000

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Sounds like: Justice, Soulwax

"Indiekid - Only You"

What's so good?

I know you’ve been waiting for that mysterious 2^nd LP by Justice to just come out already. Yeah, they signed to Elektra, and there’s supposed to be album coming out this year, but getting the scoop on new Justice seems to be a Herculean feat. So in the meantime I suggest getting your electro-house fix by listening to Indiekid.

Indiekid is an Austrian producer similar to Justice or Soulwax with some solid tracks that should tide you over until Gaspard and Xavier decide to reemerge. Unlike Justice, Indiekid’s release date is set: July 1^st. ‘Only You,’ a banging mix-friendly track, was previously released as a single and will be featured on the new album. Check out his MySpace or Soundcloud for a surprisingly functional remix of Nirvana’s ‘Rape Me.’

Elsewhere on the web:

myspace | myspace.com/indiekidofficial

Hottub – On Blast!

Taylor Fife — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 20:46:31 +0000

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Sounds like: Fanny Pack, CSS

"Hottub - Hottub - M.A.N.B.I.T.C.H."

What's so good?

You know a group is ripe for a blog review when they drop a ‘2 Girls 1 Cup’ reference within 30 seconds of their E.P. starting. And the vulgarity and hilarity keep plugging along full steam for the rest of the immensely clever and funny opener ‘M.A.N.B.I.T.C.H.,’ an extravaganza that also manages to seriously challenge gender stereotypes. ‘1-2-3-Go!’ is another excellent hip-hop jam meant to get you moving. The first two tracks from these three Oakland girls are hella clean energetic hip-hop numbers full of attitude and wit, but the last two tracks mostly fall flat.

‘Fifteen’ has the girls singing about their teenage sexual exploits like an unenthusiastic and accent-less CSS. And the last track, ‘Superfriction,’ sounds like Ke$ha on a budget. Here’s to hoping the strength of ‘M.A.N.B.I.T.C.H.’ and ‘1-2-3-Go!’ get Hottub enough hype and spending money to head back to the studio and record a handful more gems. By the way, word on the street is these girls are something to behold live. Check them out this summer as they party up around the Pacific Northwest.

Elsewhere on the web:

myspace | myspace.com/hottub94608

LCD Soundsystem – This is Happening

svotel — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 16:46:22 +0000

This review was posted by guest contributor Scott Votel on No Genre, which you can visit to discover much more new music.

Click image to download full album

Sounds like: Liquid Liquid, Kraftwerk, The Juan MacLean, ESG

What’s so good?
There is no new art. Everything has been done before. The best art these days is merely a carefully disguised echo chamber. Every good band working right now has a musical antecedent in the past. While others are crippled by the ever-escalating arms race between bands, James Murphy is unfazed by any of these facts. He made his peace with it by airing out his complaints and his worries over the funky bassline of “Losing My Edge.” So, in the end, James Murphy’s music is the sum of his influences. LCD Soundsystem is a fantastic amalgam of Liquid Liquid and Kraftwerk and Neu! and ESG and Talking Heads and Cluster and Can and Detroit Techno (“1985 . . . ’86 . . . ’87″). Remember, it’s you who do not know what you really want.

But James Murphy knows what he wants. He arrived fully formed 8 years ago with a string of singles (“Losing My Edge,” “Give It Up,” “Yeah,” “Movement”) so good that his debut record already sounded like a greatest hits package. And now, after having recorded what is arguably the greatest song of the decade, LCD Soundsystem is back with “This is Happening”. The terrific success of “Sound of Silver” only invited unreasonable expectations. The most immediate question is whether there is anything as good as “All My Friends” on the album. Of course not. But if/when there’s a follow up to This is Happening, we will invariably ask if it has anything as good as “Dance Yrself Clean” on it. This is Happening succeeds precisely because Murphy understands the logic of success: don’t ever try to surpass your previous achievements, simply make new ones.

This is Happening is a high water mark for LCD Soundsystem. Whereas the previous two albums frequently sounded like great song collections, This is Happening sounds like a great album. From the opening stunner “Dance Yrself Clean” to the final salvo that is “Home,” the album is a beautifully sequenced emotional travelogue through modern masculine consciousness. The emotional dynamic of the album, then, tends to look like the cardiogram of a heart attack patient. Even LCD’s party anthems have a resonate twinge of melancholy to them. Take the lead single, “Drunk Girls,” for example. After a punchy back and forth comparison between drunk boys and drunk girls, Murphy reaches the song’s climax by plainly asking, “Just be honest with me/Honestly/Honestly/Unless it hurts, why do it?” Elsewhere, on the classically funky “Pow Pow,” Murphy rants about the kids these days: “Your time will come, but tonight is our night, so you should give us all your drugs.” But the song’s cheery playfulness is threatened by some nasty glances in the mirror: “I’m paralyzed and looking through you/But if nothing’s right, we try anyway.” Murphy’s ability to piss on his own parade makes him an endearing and rare figure in a world of inhumanely calculated personas.

LCD Soundsystem has always been at their most potent when Murphy examines the emotional tectonics shifting underneath the cool swagger of his sleek disco. And it’s these moments that are the highlights on This is Happening. The motorik beat of “All I Want” carries Murphy along as he admits that all he wants is your pity. But instead of sounding pathetic, it comes across as a triumph of honesty. Murphy has never been one to pull punches aimed at his own reflection, and “I Can Change” picks up essentially where the galaxy of spaced-out synths leaves him at the end of “All I Want.” But “I Can Change” is even more bracingly honest: “I can change/If it helps you fall in love.” The song is about blindly sacrificing yourself for attention and affection, a dirty little secret that props up relationships. The album’s bookends will (and rightly should) garner the most attention. Both songs center on the redemptive possibilities of a good night out. On “Home,” the album’s closer, Murphy whips up the kind of melancholic disco shuffle that the band has been perfecting the whole album. The song is full of well-earned lines of devastating verse: “And this is what you waited for/But under the lights, we’re all unsure/So tell me/What would make you feel better?” And then there’s “Dance Yrself Clean,” the album’s opening end-all-be-all masterpiece. Murphy understands that our best moments tend to throw our worst fears into stark relief. After all, we seek these moments to escape the doubt and the regret that crouches low in our minds in the small hours of the morning. The act of going out to a club, then, becomes a ritual, a ceremony, a group therapy session, a moment of redemption and happiness. A moment when you can get away from it all, while simultaneously realizing exactly what we’re escaping.

Among the thousand other things that This is Happening demonstrates, the album is deft in its ability to show you that the endless chase for innovation is a ridiculous pursuit. LCD Soundsystem never tried to prove that they were anything more than a clever mash-up of Neu! and Kraftwerk and Liquid Liquid. This is Happening doesn’t change any of that because it doesn’t have to. New songs that sound like old songs are the most innovative trick anyone’s pulled in years.

Elsewhere on the Web:
myspace | myspace.com/lcdsoundsystem

Live in DC: Two Door Cinema Club

Jason Grishkoff — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 18:02:31 +0000

Click image to download full album

Sounds like: Bloc Party, Foals, Tokyo Police Club, Vampire Weekend

What’s so good?
I can’t help but feel like Two Door Cinema Club got jipped. Last night, they played an excellent opening set for Phoenix at DAR | Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. The only problem was that 95% of the audience was there for Phoenix. The result meant that the performance felt somewhat like a zoo exhibit: no one was getting groovy. Instead, folks were trying to find their seats, mingling, paying half-attention and occasionally walking right up to take their $50 photo and walk away.

On the flip side, however, I heard a number of individuals saying, “WHO WERE THOSE GUYS? SO AWESOME!”

Two Door Cinema Club hit the jackpot touring with Phoenix, and the relationship between the two makes perfect sense, both stylistically and characteristically (not to mention sharing the same label).

To the untrained ear, it almost sounds as if they’re playing hit after hit. That makes sense, though. In contrast to the act for whom they were opening (Phoenix), Two Door Cinema Club has only one release to date. It just so happens that practically every song on there is a powerful pop hit [see review here].

General conclusion? Bloody good live performance. I only wish it’d been in a small warehouse, rather than an over-sized orchestral concert hall. Regardless, I’m certain they walked away with a few thousand new fans.

Bonuses:
Two Door Cinema Club – Something Good Can Work (Ted & Francis Remix)

Two Door Cinema Club – What You Know (LightsoverLA Remix)

Elsewhere on the Web:
myspace | myspace.com/twodoorcinemaclub

Hot Chip – One Life Stand

Hannah Simon — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 01:05:07 +0000

Click image to download full album

Sounds like: LCD Soundsystem, Hercules and Love Affair, Junior Boys, Miike Snow

What’s so good?
All hail Hot Chip, who I have just crowned kings of the British electropop scene. Exhibit A: Their new album, “One Life Stand,” which Americans just got their paws on today. 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.

To all you naysayers who will inevitably listen to “One Life Stand” with a critical eye, pointing fingers at slower songs like “Brothers” and “Slush,” I ask you to listen to the album again. And again.

Following the disco-influenced tunes of “Made in the Dark” with calmer, more cohesive tracks, “One Life Stand” is a treasure trove of sophisticated songwriting. I’m a sucker for well-written lyrics, and I’m thrilled that the songs on this album have the same thematic pulse.

Hot Chip exchanges lighter dance hits like “Shake a Fist” (Made in the Dark, 2008) for more well-rounded disco beats like the title track “One Life Stand” and “We Have Love.” I’m also partial to the auto-tune rifts on “I Feel Better,” although some reviewers have called the song “a regrettable fusion of Cher and the dregs of mid-’90s dance pop” (Paste Magazine).

At first, I was split on the 6:31 minute piano ballad “Slush”…but you know what? I think it works. In fact, I think the whole album foreshadows the kind of music we’ll be seeing more of in the weeks and months to come. Hot Chip has set a high standard, but there’s always room for contenders.

Elsewhere on the web:
myspace | myspace.com/hotchip

Two Door Cinema Club – Tourist History

b aiken — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 02:11:26 +0000

Click image to download full album

Sounds like: Bloc Party, Foals, Tokyo Police Club, Vampire Weekend

What’s so good?
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? Really, it’s surprising how far they’ve come!

Okay, I’m not sure about the brain glue, but song after song has me humming along and thoroughly enjoying myself. Totaling just over 32 minutes, this album comes on fast and ends somewhat abruptly, but like any good quickie, this album holds onto its high energy throughout the duration. While not overtly striking in terms of either lyrical or musical genius, this offering from TDCC (take note: acronyms make bands sound at least 37% more badass) provides an enjoyable and feel-good listen, exactly what the doctor ordered as a pick-me-up during the winter doldrums — at least in this reviewer’s neck of the woods.

The album will be released March 1, 2010, but be sure to click the image above to see more of the artists’ work in iTunes.

So, as it turns out, the BBC’s Sound Of 2010 is much as the same as the Sound of 2009. We have quirky female songstresses, electropop types, grime MCs and angular indie merchants.

It’s this latter category that Belfast’s Two Door Cinema Club, who were named on the longlist of Sound of 2010 but who failed to make the top 5, fall into. And if you’re wondering whether the world really needs another Foals and Bloc Party hybrid, you’d be forgiven.

Except that Two Door Cinema Club are a much better prospect than the generic indie guitar trio that they appear at first glance to be. Their songs are instantly likeable and catchy, they sound genuinely exciting at times and already seem like pop stars in waiting – Music Omh

Elsewhere on the web:
myspace | myspace.com/twodoorcinemaclub

Foals – Antidotes

Jason Grishkoff — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 04:51:02 +0000

Click image to download full album

Sounds like: Bloc Party, Battles, LCD Soundsystem, Klaxons

What’s so good?
Be warned: this isn’t the newest, cutting-edge music. It is, however, some of the best. I haven’t written about Foals on Indie Shuffle yet, but I can say that hands down, this is easily one of my top three favorite albums to have come out of 2008. Not everyone will like it, but I have consistently found myself playing it on an almost-daily basis, whether it be at work or while riding the Metro. Simply put: this album stands up to all my standards.

One could easily draw the comparison to Bloc Party while listening to the the Foals’ first major release, Antidotes. 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. While the Oxford group had originally enlisted TV on the Radio’s Dave Sitek to mix the album, they decided that his use of reverb was a little too much for their liking. Taking the reins themselves, they produced a punctuated and sharp sound featuring just the right amount of ambient background noise to keep the rigidity in check.

If some of the UK press have seized on “math rock” as a way to describe the largely 4/4 Foals it’s less because they fit the genre and more that their best tracks sound like they were plotted on grid paper: oblique instrumental vectors crossing, rotating and transforming. In concert videos the guitarists face each other, instruments high and tight against their chests, reflecting one another on an invisible y-axis, shutting the audience out. The stances fit the songwriting: Foals are a band who offer their listeners little in the way of graspable emotion or explanation, but sometimes make up for that with momentum and intrigue – Pitchfork

Elsewhere on the web:
myspace | myspace.com/foals

download:
Foals – Balloons.mp3

Still Life Still – Girls Come Too

Jason Grishkoff — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 02:01:26 +0000

Click image to download full album

Sounds like: Built to Spill, Broken Social Scene, Foals, Pomegranates, Pinback

What’s so good?
Have you ever turned on a song that you liked so much that you said, ‘Jesus Christ, this band rocks!’ before getting 20 seconds into the song? A song so good that as the music washed over your body, you felt the waves tingle down your spine? When a band can make that happen, and then continue to keep you awstruck passed that 20 second mark, you’re onto something. Still life Still nails it. Much of that might have been due to my mood at the time I gave it that first listen, but upon continued listens, they do keep a good flow throughout the album. Just as something’s starting to get questionable, they take you on a quick turn, much like the Pomegranates. It’s as if they’re teasing: bringing you down for just one second, so that the next chapter sounds so much sweeter.

From one of the best up-and-coming-labels, Canadian Arts+Crafts, this group is composed of five grade-school friends who have been blowing up the house-party scene in toronto. Their sound is much like Built to Spill, but with all the electronic gadgets, fancy effects pedals and crazy production techniques, Still Lufe Still is unmistakeably on the cutting edge of modern indie rock. Well done, lads. And it only took ten years! If you liked Bombay Bicycle Club, I highly recommend you check out this band.

Be warned, though. The lyrics on this album are not for the underaged!

“Much like the EP, Girls Come Too is a big messy swirl of poppy hooks, tangled and tortured lyrical content and sweeping, catchy tunes. Singer/guitarist Eric Young’s plaintive, often tender, delivery belies the anarchic edge to many of the songs. For gently nuanced power-pop with a bit of a snarl, Still Life Still is a can’t miss proposition.” – citizendick.com

My First Earthquake – Downstairs

Jason Grishkoff — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 02:28:48 +0000

Click image to download full album

Sounds like: Tilly and the Wall, Flakes, Metric, Matt & Kim

What’s so good?
What’s with San Francisco pumping out all these good bands? That’s a rhetorical question, you say? Yeah, kinda. I’ve been really into the band “Flakes” lately, so there’s no surprise that this group drew my attention upon first listen.

When I first played “My First Earthquake’s” new album, “Downstairs”, I was initially expecting them to groove to a similar style as the aforementioned “Flakes”. As such, I was pleasantly surprised to find (as you’ll notice that half-way through the song I’ve posted above) that they pump in a “Tilly and the Wall” influence that generates a pretty catchy sound. But why would you want to listen to a band that sounds like two others have already established somewhat established themselves? Well, that’s simple: it’s the electro pop twist!

“My First Earthquake” use of plenty of synth, electronica and smart lyrics brings an originality, danceability, and edginess that no doubt makes this group worth a moment of your attention. Whether “Downstairs” will find itself looping on my iPod like “Flakes” has been is yet to be seen. What I can say is that if you’re looking to round out your library with some female-vocal “umph!”, you’ll want to check these hipsters out.

“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

Jason Grishkoff — Tue, 12 May 2009 02:20:22 +0000

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Sounds like: The Shins, Kings of Convenience, Minus the Bear

What’s so good?
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.

“if the songs from rules …were to be played in a long ride on the elevator, while you’re waiting to be put through to a phone operator, or in one of those godforsaken american bars with a name like, ‘the starlight room’, or, ‘lounge paradiso’, the world would be a lot more exciting place” – the 405

Flamingo Crash – Triangle Island

Jason Grishkoff — Tue, 05 May 2009 02:05:19 +0000

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Sounds like: Friendly Fires, Hot Fuss, The Go! Team, XTC, Refused

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What’s so good?
“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

Much like friendly fires, these guys put a hop in my step – they’re great! If you want a little fun and a varied track list, don’t pass the album up. It’s also worthwhile noting that this album ends stronger than any I’ve heard in ages.

Post War Years – Black Morning

Jason Grishkoff — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 19:36:53 +0000

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Sounds like: Flamingo Crash, Battles, Anathello, Friendly Fires, Foals

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What’s so good?
“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

Right, so all they’ve released is an EP, but there are two songs on it that I’m tripping over. That is to say, they’re bloody amazing. Namely, “Black Morning” and “That’s All.” Seriously give these guys a check see if you’re into indie/danceable stuff.

Bombay Bicycle Club – Always Like This

Jason Grishkoff — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 14:26:54 +0000

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Sounds like: Say Hi (to Your Mom), Cajun Dance Party, Vampire Weekend, Two Door Cinema Club

What’s so good?
Would you look at how young these fine lads are?! Just out of high school, they’ve wisely postponed college to work on their debut album, and if this single is any hint at what’s to come, we’re going to be in for a treat. I should add that the moment I heard this single, I rushed out and got their two other EPs, and they haven’t let down. Check it, check it. I’ll be keeping my ears posted for more news on them.

Bombay Bicycle Club’s “new single ‘always like this’ …[is] a deliciously danceable number, with an almost afro-pop melodious riff that would make vampire weekend jealous. topped with bombay’s typically quivering, devendra-esque vocals then, the track looks set to soundtrack the summer” – the music journal

Two Door Cinema Club – Something Good Can Work

Jason Grishkoff — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 23:53:32 +0000

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Sounds like: Flamingo Crash, Friendly Fires, Colour

What’s so good?
I’ve been looking for a band like this since September 08′s discovery of Friendly Fires and Flamingo Crash, and here they are, only to taunt me with the fact that they only have two songs released on this EP, and three total on their Myspace. What gives, guys?

“Every now and again a song comes along which, once heard, feels like it has become ingrained in your skin – and this is one of those tunes. A quirky combination of electro-pop and indie, the key lies within a relentless beat combined with an airy guitar riff. Add in harmonious vocals and you’ve an infectious ditty, but whether it falls on the side of genius or annoyance may change with repeated listens!” – contactmusic.com

They’re a young crew with a fresh sound. You should check them. No, seriously. I know I’ll be keeping an eye posted for their first LP.

Starfucker – Starfucker

Jason Grishkoff — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 00:12:56 +0000

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Wounds like: Of Montreal, The Unicorns, Apples in the Stereo

What’s so good?
When the noise of Hard Smart Beta finally gives way to Pop Song, I can’t refrain from letting loose and tapping my feet. This tapping usually takes place while I’m waiting for the train, where I’ve listened to this album repeatedly over the last few days. At times, this band also samples the same stuff as the electronic/ambient band the Books (“you are something that the whole universe is doing”), which provides for some pretty humorous moments (turns out the Books’ quote goes on to talk about wiggles).