Stephen Coate’s project, The Real Tuesday Weld, has yielded an interesting combination of old timey jazz, electro nuance, and touching lyrics. The video directed by Elliot Kew for the track Cloud Cuckooland casts a silly yet sinister feeling over a song that wouldn’t seem out of place at a speak easy. It’s probably the creepiest music video I’ve seen in a long while.
September 29, 2007
Real Tuesday Weld is old timey, and creepy.
A Chance Encounter with Mason Proper
I wrote about Mason Proper some time ago, but they are a band worth repeated mentions. Browsing my media library I came across them again, and they are a blast of no holds barred pop rock fury. Wildly experimental and fierce while at the same time cerebral. Lead singer Jonathan Visger gyrates wildly during performances like he’s a cokehead Colin Meloy, and I mean that in a good way. I wouldn’t say their album “There’s a Moth in Your Chest” is flawless, but when the hits start rolling you better take cover.
MP3 – Lights Off – Mason Proper
MP3 – My My (Bad fruit) – Mason Proper
Mason Proper – “My My (Bad Fruit)” Music Video
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September 28, 2007
Running to Kelly to Make her Smile in Chicago
The Purple Crush are an electro duo from Brooklyn that caught my attention with a string of remixes from their jam “Shopping on the Dancefloor”. The track of theirs I’m hooked on is the excellent cover of Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill”. They turn the haunting ballad into an emotive dance floor burner.
MP3 – Running Up That Hill – Purple Crush (Kate Bush Cover)
The Van She is a band out of Australia that from what I’ve heard distills the mid 80′s teenage angst circa Prett In Pink into fist pumping pop anthems. Pop your collars, put on your horn rimmed sunglasses, and prepare yourself for the ideal mid 80′s Prom. Or you could just listen to their first single “Kelly”, I’m pretty sure they’re the same thing.
Frankmusik, not to be confused with Mix Master Frank (remember the k on the music people), has been tearing up the scene with his remixes for some time now, but his original work “Made Her Smile” forcibly drills it’s way through your cranium and clears out whatever is left there and nestles in for a long winters nap. It’s pretty darn catchy electro pop.
MP3 – Made Her Smile – Frankmusik
Microfilm is a two man homage to German techno, synthpop, and everything that is good with the world of electronic music. They have an excellent cover of Sufjan Steven’s Chicago that you should go and listen to immediately, along with all their other minimalist grooves.
(Update) I received an mp3 from the electronically adept duo just a little while ago of their single “After Dark” from their album of the same name. The track is boiling over with kinetic energy, and if you’re going to listen and drive, please don’t break the speed limit.
MP3 – After Dark – Microfilm
Also, last thing, I’m going to shamelessly plug my radio show on campus, which you can listen to here from 11am to 12pm eastern standard time, so adjust your clocks and schedules accordingly because it’s going to be a good time.
Greg Summerlin: All Done in Good Time
MP3 – Unlucky In Love – Greg Summerlin
Greg Summerlin’s latest album “All Done in Good Time” is a sunny trek through coming of age pop rock spectacle. The songs are grand and ideal even when they’re taken down to the acoustic level. Obvious single “Unlucky In Love”, is sure to garner Summerlin a lot of attention due to it’s insanely catchy chorus and super bouncy keyboard hook. Other album standouts include “Paintaker”, a rock number complete with falsetto and a fret board melting guitar solo. My personal favorite on the album, “He’s a Faker” is built on a wild organ hit and a chorus that needs to be shouted from the rooftops. All Done in Good Time is the perfect companion for an optimistic autumn.
MP3 – The Paintaker – Greg Summerlin
September 25, 2007
Backwards Through Wilco Forwards to Plastic Operation
Okay, I’ve been away for a long time, almost ten days, but with good reason. I’ve been doing school work. A lot of it, and procrastinating on a lot of it which as many of you know is just as important as working on it. So what I’ll be doing today is posting a few tracks that I’ve really been digging the last few days.
MP3 – Can’t Stand It – Wilco
I decided to check out Wilco earlier than Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, Summerteeth being the easiest to remember so I listened to that one first, and man, what a collection of songs, every bit as catchy and poppy as YHF with a touch of experimentation but the songs just breathe a little more. There’s a slight sheen left off the final mixes and it makes them shine that much more. Opening track “Can’t Stand It” is what I decided would be the music playing in the opening sequence of a biopic based on myself. It’s dramatic, playful and above all ironic (A key element), when the organ hits and Jeff tweedy lets loose a raspy wail through a megaphone I dare you to not bob your head. I’ll report more songs that I enjoy as I continue my adventure backwards through Wilco’s catalogue.
MP3 – Nothingsevergonnastandinmyway (Again) – Wilco
MP3 – Peppermint – Plastic Operator
The next artist on my ‘hit list’ is plastic operator. I don’t remember what I was looking for, but I stumbled across them the other day and what I am amazed by is how good their songwriting is, for an electronic band, the pop structures and choruses are mind bogglingly affective. Sure many songs start off with a sampled beat, or one clearly programmed on our friend the Casio but the inclusion of an acoustic guitar and gentle crooning vocals complete the package. When the cascade of melancholy synth starts in Home 0207 you’ll be floored. They sound like the Notwist, if they would just make more synthetic sounds and make more straight up pop. The gentle coaxing of electronics through a pure pop sound gets two thumbs up from me.
MP3 – Home 0207 – Plastic Operator
September 18, 2007
The Magic Haircut
I had the chance to listen to the new Jens Lekman album yesteday, and, well, it’s a contender for my favorite release of the year. The strings, the samples, and most surprisingly the beats accent the songs perfectly.
September 17, 2007
Why Don’t You Write Me?
The polysymphonic pop of Steve Goldberg and the Arch Enemies is engaging and inventive. Their string and brass sections bring the song “Summer’s Ending” to a sweeping crescendo, while the lyrics provide satisfying heart sick substance. Plus it’s timely that I post this song now because, y’know, summer really is ending soon.
September 16, 2007
You’re So Silent Jens
The air this morning was crisp, cold, and the scent of fall was in the air. That’s right there’s a smell for fall. It’s the smell of all the apples on the trees ripening, the leaves changing color, hay bales, dried out corn husks. OK, so I’m basically admitting that I live in the middle of nowhere, but this gives me a specific, tangible connection to the feeling of fall that I’m sure I will look back on nostalgically like I am now for many years to come.
Anyway, I loaded up my MP3 player with some new and old tunes to familiarize myself with on my daily adventures. Sustaining myself on this mix of old Wilco, new electro, and Swedish pop I found that an old novelty had grown into a current favorite. Jens Lekman’s increased play time in my catalogue may be due to his sarcastic handclaps on “You Are The Light” or the fact that his new album Night Falls Over Kortedala is due out on the 9th of October, or it may be due to the fact that Jens stayed the night at my former co-hosts apartment. Either way, people have been writing about it and posting preview tracks at other blogs, and all the new stuff sounds just as satisfying as his earlier work. For the uninitiated, the music Mr. Lekman produces is a spectacular combination of sardonic wit, timeless sparkling instrumentation, and above all a pure emotive quality that will cut into your mind and your heart. It seems like a perfect fit for my favorite time of year.
MP3 – Maple Leaves – Jens Lekman
MP3 – Higher Power – Jens Lekman
September 15, 2007
Greg Summerlin is Getting Lucky
“Unlucky In Love”, the debut track off of Greg Summerlin’s new album “All Done in Good Time” is the kind of chewy addictive pop that will have you setting your mp3 player to repeat. The bouncy keyboards and the infections chorus of this song will be jumping around in your head for days.
September 14, 2007
Another Day On Earth
I’m writing a paper on electronic music and the influential popular artists and composers who brought attention and acclaim to the genre. One premiere artist of the genre is Brian Eno whose contributions to the musical world include collaborations with David Byrne of the Talking Heads, David Bowie, John Cale, U2, the B-52′s, not to mention his many solo albums. I’d listened to Eno’s album Another Day On Earth before (A couple years ago), but I wasn’t in such a place to appreciate it as I am now. He isn’t called the father of ambient music for nothing. When I say ‘ambient’ I don’t mean recording the sounds of the woods and playing them back, I mean absolutely beautiful melodies and spacious unobtrusive production. If ever I reach my goal of completely ‘zen’-ing out my living space, Brian Eno’s work will be played a great deal.
MP3 – Just Another Day – Brian Eno
MP3 – This – Brian Eno
Buy “Just Another Day On Earth”
