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Woodhands
"Electric Avenue"
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2/11/2009
I think I may have already said this once before, but I'm not a big fan of cover versions. I'd much rather hear an original song. But! There are some exceptions. If I was ever asked to provide a list of songs I'd like to hear covered by a list of artists that I'd like to perform them, well, I'm pretty sure that somewhere high on that list would be Toronto's Woodhands tackling something like, oh, I dunno, Eddy Grant's "Electric Avenue." And what d'ya know, they've gone and done it. (More after the jump.)...
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Ducktails
"Surfs Up"
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2/10/2009
Am I writing about this Ridgewood, NJ-based artist because the name recalls a certain Disney show I watched back in my youth? Of course! But Matthew Mondanile's work as Ducktails deserves credit for expanding far beyond the reaches of what Scrooge McDuck and his nephews could accomplish with their series of home tape experiments. (More after the jump.)...
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Pet Shop Boys
"Love etc."
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2/9/2009
There are many reasons to get excited about the forthcoming Pet Shop Boys album, which is scheduled for release on March 17 via Parlophone. Though it features Johnny Marr, Owen Pallett and Tchaikovsky, what I anticipate most is hearing how Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe connect with Xenomania (aka Brian Higgins), the cream of the pop when it comes to chart-dominating production. (More after the jump.)...
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No Gold
"Miami"
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2/6/2009
Formerly known as Yukon, No Gold are a trio of early 20somethings from Vancouver heavily influenced by the likes of Aaliyah, R. Kelly and Rihanna. And yet they sound like they've been vacationing on the beaches of the Greater Antilles. Though their sound is very much "now," with the tropical melodies and soukous-flavoured rhythms, Liam Butler, Jack Jutesen and Haley Pearse were digging pop's latest Africanism fixation long before Vampire Weekend became this generation's Graceland. (More after the jump.)...
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Parallels
"Ultralight"/"Magnetics"
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2/5/2009
Because being the drummer for Crystal Castles likely requires some R&R;, for the last couple years Toronto's Cameron Findlay has been doing his own thing on the side. Titled Parallels, Findlay is joined by chanteuse Holly Dodson for a partnership that falls somewhere between the static-drenched, bleepity electro of Crystal Castles and the breezy Italo goodness of Glass Candy. Okay, that's a pretty weak comparison but the spirits of Giorgio Moroder and Alexander Robotnick surely act like ghosts in this oscillating machine. (More after the jump.)...
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Collected Animals
CAmpp
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2/4/2009
If you're still dissecting just how Animal Collective managed to pull off the brilliant Merriweather Post Pavilion, well, good luck. But somehow, months before its January release, a bunch of talented fans managed to string together cover versions of every single song on the album. According to the host site, Blind Man's Colour, each track was recorded purely based on hearing the music performed live. (More after the jump.)...
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De Tropix
"Tap Tap"
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2/3/2009
If you thought it was just indie rockers and punks pillaging the sounds of the Caribbean, well, meet London duo De Tropix, who go tropical not just in their music but also in name. Featuring singer/songwriter Cherry and producer/part-time lyrics man/beatmaker Damon (aka Instinct), in their words the duo "carry the influences of many different styles and songs to capture many moods" but "ya better be ready to party!!!" (More after the jump.)...
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Metz
"Soft Whiteout"
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2/2/2009
Say the name and everyone will think you're talking baseball but spell it out and well, for the time being, they'll think you can't spell. But with their onslaught of sludge and pummelling noise, Toronto's Metz will soon own that name outright amongst aggros still desperate for "dope, guns and fucking in the streets." (More after the jump.)...
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Doves
"Jetstream"
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1/30/2009
The Manchester-based three-piece have revealed the inspiration for the song saying that, "Being fans of the Vangelis film score [for] Blade Runner, we always wanted to write an imaginary song for the closing credits on Ridley Scott's classic." Jimi, Jez and Andy have certainly nailed the film's atmospheric immensity, using ambient textures, electronic beats and keyboard effects that first made appeared in Steve Miller Band's "Fly Like An Eagle." I'd argue that it isn't dramatic enough to be more than a DVD outtake, but what it says about the upcoming Doves album is that they're still trying to outdo themselves. (More after the jump.)...
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Micachu and the Shapes
"Golden Phone"
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1/29/2009
One of the most satisfying breakthroughs of last year for me was Joseph Mount's Metronomy and their sophomore album Nights Out. For many, it was a totally re-energizing experience that sounded unlike anything else on the planet. Well, I'm getting that same sensation listening to fellow Londoner Mica Levi (aka Michachu). A 21-year-old protégé of Matthew Herbert, Micachu and her band the Shapes make precocious and explosive avant-folk that's cut from the same twitchy, junky cloth as Metronomy's future rock. (More after the jump.)...
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Blank Dogs
"Before the Hours"
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1/28/2009
Blank Dogs is the best thing I've heard all week/month/etc. This one-man band is BK record shop clerk Mike Sniper, who's so damn prolific that he makes John Darnielle, Ryan Adams and Lil Wayne look like sluggards. Since 2007, this slave to the grind has released approximately eight EPs (on various sizes of wax and plastic), a single, a comp of all that stuff and last year's awesome full-length, called On Two Sides via Troubleman Unlimited. He also managed to squeeze in The Fields EP last month. (More after the jump.)...
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Saint Etienne
"Method of Modern Love"
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1/27/2009
With super-producer Richard X (Annie, Sugababes) behind the desk, the group return to the heavenly post-acid house sound they perfected in the early '90s. Though there isn't any of that spelling Daryl and John boggled minds with back in 1984, the synths sure do spangle, the house beat pulsates at the rate of my excited heart and Ms. Cracknell's voice is as cherubic and lovely as when we first heard her debut on "Nothing Can Stop Us" 18 years ago. Talk about aging gracefully. (More after the jump.)...
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Blues Control
"Tenku You"
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1/26/2009
Queens, NY's Blues Control got a leg up last week when they were given the highly coveted opening slot for Animal Collective's two NYC shows. It must have been quite the anticipation builder, considering the persistent drone that fluctuates through the work of Lea Cho and Russ Waterhouse. With a signature sound that utilizes warped manipulations of classic rock riffage, ambient lulls and fried washes of psychedelia, the tuneage these two emit is remarkably lethargic yet hasty in its disposition. (More after the jump.)...
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Tanlines
"New Flowers"
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1/23/2009
The latest signing to the Young Turks label (Holy Fuck, El Guincho) are this duo from — where else? — Brooklyn. Consisting of Jesse Cohen and Eric Emm, who also spend time making music in Professor Murder and Storm & Stress, respectively. Tanlines actually formed one day last April, when the two wrote a song and shot the video for it in the same day. Considering they've already remixed the likes of Telepathe and El Guincho, and have the Tough Alliance lined up in their sights, it's pretty safe to say these dudes are well on their way to something special. (More after the jump.)...
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Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti
"Can't Hear My Eyes"
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1/22/2009
Just the other day, Alan McGee was blogging about how he thinks Animal Collective are the new Hall & Oates, and in the rant he went on about how much Ariel Pink's new single also sounded a lot like the blue-eyed, soulful Philadelphians. Well, that's all it really takes to get me listening and I've gotta say that the former Creation Records head honcho is bang on. (More after the jump.)...
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Deep Red
"Fun Girl"/"Good To Go"
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1/21/2009
Considering the number of bodies involved in the disco octopus known as Hercules and Love Affair, it was only a matter of time before the projects of other members began popping up. Aside from Antony Hegarty, of course, the group's diva extraordinaire Nomi Ruiz, bassist Andrew Raposo and keyboardist Morgan Wiley have formed a new outfit called Deep Red. (More after the jump.)...
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Odawas
"Harmless Lover's Discourse"
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1/20/2009
Often bands relocate to get heard, but I can't really say why Odawas have gone from Bloomington, IN to Elletsville, IN, then to Indianapolis, IN, on to Chicago, IL and then set up camp in Berkeley, CA - seeing as their label is Bloomington's Jagjaguwar. It appears that the travelling has done them some good, though, judging by this first sample of their forthcoming full-length, The Blue Depths. (More after the jump.)...
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Jeremy Jay
"Love Everlasting"
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1/19/2009
I wasn't the only one who felt let down when K Records dropped Jeremy Jay's debut LP last year. A Place Where We Could Go had its shining moments but nothing quite lived up to the awestruck beauty of previous single "Airwalker." Well, it looks like Jeremy has returned already with news of a follow-up, which will be titled Slow Dance (out March 24). The first evidence of this is a single titled "Love Everlasting" (out tomorrow), and it sees the towering crooner change directions, aborting the early rock'n'roll Gene Vincent-isms for something a little more current. (More after the jump.)...
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The Spooks
"Now I'm a Spook"
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1/16/2009
I'm not 100 percent sure what they're story is, but what I do know is that I sure love Atlanta's the Spooks (how could you not, considering their MySpace URL is "Atlanta's crunkest"?). Rumours about who they actually are follow these guys around like a bad stink, but if we're to believe them, members come from such ATL bands such as the Black Lips, Deerhunter, the Kiwis and Baby Dinosaurs vs. Extinction. Live, they disguise themselves as either ghosts or as you can see, hockey and gas masks, no doubt showing they're trick-or-treaters come October 31. What I love, though, is that this all extends into their music....
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A Certain Ratio
"Teri"
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1/15/2009
I'm not sure why it hasn't really been news but A Certain Ratio released a brand new studio album at the tail end of 2008. This calls for a celebration, doesn't it? WTF? These guys wrote "Shack Up" and "Do the Du"! Mind Made Up is the band's first album since 1997 and yeah, it's not exactly Graveyard And The Ballroom but isn't that just expected? One song does strike me though....
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Exclaim! shot the shit with Architects' vocalist Sam Carter over the phone while the band were messing around in a subterranean dressing room somewhere in Newcastle, England. Carter, as jovial as ever, was glowing about the crowds that have been showing up to their first headlining UK tour in sometime. He also had touched on the band’s quasi obsession with reading their press, how they aren’t just a haircut band and why a prank between him and Oliver Sykes resulted in death threats. Oh, we also managed to talk about Hollow Crown at some point too....
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