December has to have the highest concentration of holidays in the fewest number of days. I mean… Hanuka, Christmas, Kwanza, New Year’s Eve, Boxing Day, and of course my birthday, which happens to coincide with New Year’s eve. That’s a lot of holidays! So I’m posting this ahead of time since I will probably be consumed with festivities on December 31st as I’m sure many of you will as well. So here is my birthday/new year’s gift to you, a mix of some of the best remixes I’ve heard this year. Bon nouvelle année et joyeux anniversaire à moi! Lykke Li – Breaking It Up (Punks Jump Up)
Here is a collection of the Cambridge, Massachusetts band Passio Pit’s remixes that have been sent to me through various sources. Including Wallpaper’s remix, who won the Finger on the Pulse remix contest! Passion Pit – Sleepyhead (Mr. Vega Remix)
The Japanese unit named I’m So Look You has released for the holidays a throbbing electro version of Wham!’s “Last Christmas”. Best version of the song ever? There’s a very good possibility…!
This year has been a surprising one for music. After last year I thought to myself, “How could this year possibly be better than last year for music?” And you know what? Album after album I was shocked, no musical lull in sight. Nothing but quality as far as the eye could see. Well, quality in terms of the albums I was looking for. In particular, bands that released somewhat unimpressive sophomore albums came back this year with some intense and riveting releases. Bloc Party, The Stills, The Killers, and Longwave all regrouped and recalibrated to create releases that will please initial fans as well as fans of their new directions.
Without further ado I bring you the AZLTRON Top 10 Albums of 2008.
10.The Notwist – The Devil, You & Me
The Notwist released their first album since their 2002 stylistic breakthrough Neon Golden this year. This album features a more linear song structure, less blips and clicks, and it is all the better for it. The best songs are built off of acoustic guitar chords and Marc Acher’s saccharine voice. Added into the mix occasionally are emotionally charged tremolo strings and minor key flourishes. A listen to the album from beginning to end runs a full emotional gamut from uncertainty, to sadness, to elation. The Notwist have done it again.
M83 came back this year in a big way. Anthony Gonzalez continues to plug away after the departure of Nicolas Fromageau and the towering sound of M83 has never been more accessible. Emotionally charged piano instrumentals to full on 80′s pop songs surge and percolate throughout the entire album. If there is a director out there trying to ellicit intense emotion from viewers using only music, there’s not an album out there that can reduce a listener to tears and then convert those tears to joy by the end of the album.
Boohoo has crafted an album that combines two of my favorite genres, delicate indie pop as well as touching electro pop. Normally you’d think that bleeps and blips next to glockenspiel and acoustic guitar and heavenly melodies wouldn’t normally work. Normally, you’d be right. Boohoo combines them together in such a way where it makes sense somehow that solo acoustic guitar song should come right after an electro twee jam. It’s a further testament to the album that the topics of the songs revolve around television shows, tabloid magazines, and of course grocery stores. Fans of Peter Bjorn & John and Jens Lekman will find a lot to love here.
The Killers hung up their Vegas suits and synths and grew moustaches. Their music morphed into christian country tinged post punk imitations of Bruce Springsteen in an attempt to prove that they weren’t a one trick pony at the new wave revival ranch. They accomplished this mission with their sophomore release Sam’s Town and even unleashed an epic single to rival anything they’ve done in When You Were Young. But where were the sleek synths and dance rhythms that drew so many people into their music in 2004? They were present, but with about a pound of sawdust draped over them. On Day & Age, they haven’t abandoned their new found dusty direction, but they’ve enhanced it with everything that they know they do well with a pinch of a spicy something new. Now, not only huge guitars, smooth synths, and dancebeats mark the album but saxophone and steel drums make an appearance as well. The Killers have reabsorbed their best influences and show of some new influences to make an album that is undoubtedly all killer and no filler.
Mason Proper had a busy year this year; releasing not only their Shorthand EP, Jonathan Visger’s North South EP, but also a brand new full length entitled Olly Olly Oxen Free. The first song The Fog is a great rallying point for the rest of the album because it seems as if all the musical elements in this release are floating around in the atmosphere as a phosphorescent gas that they’ve somehow managed to capture and contain in a magical cauldron of musical goodness. Every element in their songs seems buoyant somehow, guitar riffs ring in the air and the vocals increase the precarious altitude of each song like helium in an untied balloon. Like riding in a glass elevator, Olly Olly Oxen Free is meticulous, utilitarian and spine tingling. Look down all you like.
5.David Byrne & Brian Eno – Everything That Happens Will Happen Today
Where else are you going to find two artists who are not only veterans of popular music but legends in thier own right, who continue to redefine the boundaries of what their music entails? Nowhere. David Byrne and Brian Eno have crafted a masterpiece here. Christening this new work as electric gospel. The term fits perfectly, the work here is largely uplifting major chords and David Byrne somehow manages to create an uplifting message out of lyrics like “I heard the sound of someone laughing, I saw my neighbor’s car explode”. Rife with bass percolation, soothing harmonies, and clever lyrics, you’ll be hard pressed to find an album this diverse that can please so many people.
Walter Meego’s Voyager is a cornucopia of electronic pop goodness. The first track Forever acts as the guy who starts the wave at a big stadium concert. It makes a big feel good splash that carries through till the end of the album. Justin Sconza’s helium tinged vocals accent perfectly the heavily phased bass processed synths. This album feels good to listen to. This isn’t just a feel good party starter, undoubtedly if you’re looking to get a party started you won’t find a better primer than Walter meego but, just as much attention is paid to the atmosphere and melodies as it is to beats. I’ll leave you with this: listen to Keyhole, it will blow your mind.
Longwave came back in a big way this year. Longwave was previously dropped from RCA after the departure of two of their band members. Even when they were unsigned and the future of the band was uncertain, Steve Schiltz and company strove to continue recording and playing. The Indie Label Original Signal
intelligently picked up Longwave and put out their latest album Secrets are Sinister which is such an incredible return to form you have to hear it to believe it. All the shoegaze elements from The Strangest Things are not only present, they are turned up to eleven. The guitars soar, the bass grinds with foundation shaking ferocity and Schiltz’s uplifting lyrics in the face of certain doom and gloom makes this one of the best releases of 2008.
Few artists these days can transport you to other worlds through just a few notes. Thieves Like Us does just that. We as the listeners are transported, after just a few finely produced arpeggio notes, into a world of not only late night debauchery and good times but also a land of neon grids and nobility. There is a majesty to the way that the electronic elements combine here. The synths just don’t play over the beats. They crash over them like waves on a rocky shore. The songs play out like an epic play. At times the beats kick in with reckless abandon, but the song after will masterfully describe the cost of living that way. The persistent bass throbs like a hangover after a heavy night of drinking or it pounds in your mind like a guilty conscience. It’s the songs that come after the more heady dramatic ones that stand out though, the songs of reconciliation, of coming to terms with what has transpired and making the best of it. These songs make Play Music an intensely emotional album and a collection of songs that I would be proud to have score the soundtrack of my life.
It’s been four long years since The Faint released a new full length album. But, luckily as soon as the bass on Get Seduced kicks in, you know the Faint are back and we are in for a treat. Todd Fink’s astute observational lyricism is this time directed at all kinds of sociological structures. From tabloids to religion, to the origin of the universe, to arguments with others and even arguments within yourself. Whenever I describe The Faint to people who have no idea what electronic/indie/punk is, I always say that their songs are very direct, very confrontational but also extremely intelligent, and Fasciinatiion has undoubtedly solidified that notion inside my skull. The Faint pick up right where they left off with Wet From Birth and without warning surge into uncharted territory like the rap-esque Fulcrum And Lever, to the razor sharp ballad Fish in a Womb. Every note of Fasciinatiion has been looked over, every effect finely tuned after endless tweaking. The album is wrapped in a warm blanket of sonic experimentation that will make it a gem for decades to come.
Welcome to the second installment of the AZLTRON Blog’s top 30 Albums of the year! Here are some albums for your listening/reading pleasure!Here is the link to Part 1.
20.Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head – Glistening Pleasure
This creatively named band feels like a joke band started between a few friends that somehow along the way they shocked each other with how good they became and decided to take the show on the road. The concepts featured on the album are just as ridiculous as the band’s name and their album art. With love songs sung to the father of your girl citing the things you do when he’s not in the room, to odes to facial hair and atrocious 80′s styles, you’re bound to find yourself laughing just as much as you find yourself dancing.
Genova, Itlay band The Banshee’s album “Your Nice Habits” is full of jittery post-punk-pop ready to get you wherever you need to go in a hurry. It’s hard to not physically speed up whatever you are doing while listening to them. This feeling is certainty helped by producer Luke Smith (Former member of equally as Jittery defunct band Clor, and producer of yet another fidgety band Shit Disco) who also helps guide the band into quirky Gary Numan synth territory. While there’s not exactly a lot of new ground forged here, the record is unabashedly fun and you can tell the band is having fun too. This record is proof that Italians may indeed do that better.
Falcon emerged on the scene with an incredibly original concept. All of their songs have already been written, and they are a new band. “How is this possible?”, You might ask. Well, it’s because these songs were written by a songwriting prodigy named Jared Falcon that three of the band members went to school with. He recorded the songs on a simple four track recorder which the band then studies and fleshes out. If the intense guitar effect and drumming of the band seems familiar, it’s because the drummer and guitarist of Longwave are also in the band. Beyond the concept and all star line-up, it’s the songs that shine through for Falcon. Each song shines with an introspection and optimism that could only be written by an extremely talented youth.
Woven is a band out of L.A. that fuses electronic and rock so well, I was confused when I first listened to their music. It was so good, I felt like I had heard it before somewhere. I don’t know if I’d heard it during a movie, or a commercial or whatever, but their stuff is so cinematic that I think I should be hearing their stuff in commercials and movies. Waves of keys, guitars, and vocals wash in and out over otherworldly pristine pop. It’s like the band time traveled from the future to show us what rock will be like in 50 years.
The Presets have always been a gritty electro dance band. Once in a while they let some of their pop/dance stylings escape from their bag of tricks. Like on their excellent songs “The Girl and the Sea” or “Summer of Love”, but for the most part they prefer to be dirty and rowdy. On their new release Apocalypso, The Presets have cleaned up their act, and their music is all the better for it. The vocals soar, choruses richochet inside your head, where they’ll stay for days, and the beats and grooves have never been better. You’ll be hard pressed to find better party starters than “Yippiyo-Ay” and “My People”. There are even songs featured here that are actually pretty in spots (This Boy’s In Love). In a strange turn of fate, the beast has become the beauty.
If there is one band that is poised for mainstream crossover success and deserves it, it’s The Ting Tings. Jules and Katie have all of the fun and intelligence of the best indie-dance music and all of the accessibility of the best of Rihanna or Katie Perry, all without listeners having to hide it as a guilty pleasure. From the opening strums of “Great DJ”, you know there’s something special going on here. From guitar riffs, to microkorg melodies, to ample use of Cowbell, it’s all here. It’s hard to believe so much fun comes from just two people. They’re also phenomenal live.
The Age of Rockets is a NYC three piece composed of producer/frontman Andrew Futral, drummer Saul Simon Macwilliams, and guitarist/keyboardist Bess Rogers. Their album “Hannah” could easily soundtrack a movie about touring around the world on a cloud. The vocal harmonies ring out here as the richest assett featured througout. That’s not to say this is an accapella album in the least. There are all kinds of supplemental instrumentation, from guitars, to pounding drums, to glitchy beats, to gentle keys, to violins being gently plucked. The album is largely a mellow affair with poignant lyrics scattered througout. It’s remarkable that three people could make this big of a diverse sound and it’s that expansiveness and attention to detail that makes “Hannah” by The Age of Rockets one of the best albums of the year.
My Dear Disco is a band out of Michigan that fuses together dance-punk, jazz-funk, and many other styles into one cohesive digestible whole. The septet churns out dance hits that are on par with any club banger that you’ve heard this year while at the same time they contain musical and lyrical content that is equally enjoyable as well as intellectually stimulating. On every track you can feel the enthusiasm of the band bleed through to every note. Even though the band has significant instrumental might, their secret weapon is lead singer Michelle. Who has a duality equal to that of Clark Kent and Superman. Off stage, she’s personable and intelligent, but up on stage she lets loose with that glorious voice of hers with the might of a superhero. With the costumes they wear while on stage, being musical superheroes may not be far off.
The Walkmen have released a much more pensive album this time around with “You & Me”. They keep a tight leash on their wild, singular energy, careful to only let it out of the bag on a few occasions. This tension and release throughout album makes the both the quiet and loud songs better. Not to say that their other releases aren’t intimate at times, but this album feels the most personal out of all of their records. Like when Hamilton Leithhauser laments that he lives at the same address on “In the New Year”, the music conveys the urgency and optimism for him to redirect his life. The Walkmen have always had a formula that has fit a wintery retrospective pretty well. The most sublime example is the romantic reconciliation of “Canadian Girl”. The old school rhythm and ear warming guitar chimes will have you smiling in no time.
In a year filled with comebacks, The Stills provided one of the most dramatic. I’m not saying that their previous release “Without Feathers” was a bad record by any means, it just didn’t feel like them. But, this album marks a return to their hypnotic guitar stylings and inspired drumming. Their previous album felt like they were reaching for a bunch of different sounds. “Oceans Will Rise” feels like they’ve remembered who they are. Also, they’ve not lost some of the stylings they picked up on their previous record, they’ve applied them for sensational effect. Pianos roar and resonate and Tim Fletcher’s vocal delivery will have you hanging on every word. There’s even some stadium appeal here with the fantastic single “Being Here”. It’s time to remember all the reasons why you liked The Stills in the first place.
Well here it is, the wrap of the best albums of 2008. Here are the links to part one and part two.
30. Black Kids – Partie Traumatic
Black Kids were kind of the Gnarls Barkley of this year, except… without the high powered up and coming producer and and dependable veteran performer. They did however come out of nowhere with a killer single named I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You, despite the title being ridiculously long and well… ridiculous as well, it caught on like wildfire and the kids ate it up like hot cakes. The band uses a bag of tricks including funky guitar solos, warbly synths, cowbells and a Robert Smith-like warble. The rest of the album is full of rich pop tunes and a Robert Smith-esque warble detailing tales of adolescent woes and throes of passion. If you’re looking for a non-stop androgynous dance party look no further than Jacksonville Florida’s own Black Kids.
Speaking of Gnarls Barkley, Beck teamed up with that prodigious producer DJ Danger Mouse for his latest release Modern Guilt. The atmosphere that Danger Mouse brings to the album fits perfectly with the multi-layered stylings of Beck. In fact, many are calling this album Beck’s first album that’s moved forward stylistically since his seminal release “Sea Change”. While “Guerro” and “The Information” did look back back for inspiration I felt that there was some innovative work there that marked progression. The fact that Modern Guilt doesn’t use too much superfluous instrumentation or loops and for the most is composed with ample reverb and less is more composition makes the album Beck’s most raw and intimate release since Sea Change.
Bloc Party’s latest release Intimacy is something of a return to form for the band from their experimental conceptual sophomore album A Weekend in the City. Its like the catchy tunes off of Banquet fused with the jarring emotional content from A Weekend in the City with a pinch of electronic wizardry that can be traced back to the Chemical Brothers and even the Bravery in some spots. There are arpeggios fueling ultra fast ticking drum beats, and even keyboard horns fueling stuttering vocals. There are a few songs where the formula works out a delicate balance of ferocity and melody like the perfect song for the subway Your Visits are getting Shorter and the Cure influenced melody of Letter to My Son. This is the most aggressive collection of songs Bloc Party has ever released. I could see many of these songs playing over loudspeakers during heated UK Soccer games.
27. Flight of the Conchords – Flight of the Conchords
Think “Tenacious D” for the indie rock crowd. Brett and Jermaine bring something special to the table here with their high low harmonies and clever songwriting. All the songs here have been played before on their hit HBO series, but they’re here with renewed vigor. Some songs even have new parts. Like on the homage-hit “Bowie” the end of the song explodes in a “Let’s Dance!” fashion. Likewise, “Robots” puts on it’s dancing shoes for a “Robo-Boogie” segment. They rifle through a lof different genres and crazy ideas and are talented enough to pull them off musicall and lyrically. If you’ve never heard of the before, prepare to listen to nothing but them for an entire month. For real.
Ruby Isle is the flagship property of the Kindercore record label. The lineup is composed of the all-star cast of former beat maker for “We are the World Trade Center”, Dan Geller, rock wild man Mark Mallman, and drummer Aaron Lemay. If you’re looking for an album to get the party started regardless of the crowd Ruby Isle has something for everbody. It’s true it’s dance music, but the ever present guitar riffs and and crazy synth is enough to even get grandma to do the twist. There’s a couple uses of great guest vocals, like the uber low voiced youtube phenomenon Tay Zonday, and the powerful reworking of “Solsbury Hill” featuring Amy Dykes. If you’re looking for a band to play a kicking set during the apocalypse, look no further than Ruby Isle.
I recieved Desmond & The Tutus album “Tuckshop” in my inbox and was immediately intrigued. First off they are named after a famous African holy man that I was not aware of (Thanks Wikipedia!). Secondly, the band is from South Africa. Although all the members are white. This was kind of a let down until I listened to their music. There are few releases that I listen to all the way through beginning all at one time, but the uplifting nature of their guitar rock compositions and borderline satirical lyrics made me listen to this thing the whole way through. From criticizing electro loving geeks (hm) to the best song about swimming I have heard ever. There’s a lot to love here.
The Kindness Kind is a new band out of Seattle, Washington who employs careful guitar work over beautiful piano melodies topped off with the excellent vocals by Alessandra Rose and a pinch of electronica to make some of the most listenable indie pop this year. The Highlight of their self titled album “Houndstooth” starts off with gentle feedback before the jazzy keys and bendy synths are rocketed forward by the paced drums, that navigate the song through several soaring melodies. If you’re looking for a complex but extremely listenable new indie rock band to love, The Kindness Kind should be first on your plate.
If you’re looking for an album released this year that was as filled with youthful elation as much as it was filled with talented instrumentalists and vocalists, look no further, Unicycle Loves You is for you. Each one of their songs explodes in catchy accessible pop with layers of guitars and keyboards atop bangin’ beats. If I had to use other bands to describe their sound I would say they’re like all the fun songs by the Arcade Fire, channeled through The Cars and the Stokes all peppered with a pinch of Lou Reed. That said, there are so many rocking pop songs here that it would be a crime if these guys didn’t get more popular. Long live Unicycle Loves You!
The Slingshot Orchestra has made a distinct progression from their previous release. This time opting for a more lush sound rather than the minimalist german techno sound that people might know them better for. But fear not, there are beats and synths galore here. In addition to those glorious tones, there are also strings, piano, and plethora of other instruments that might sound completely natural but are actually synthesized and played by the band, but you’d be hard pressed to know that just by listening to them. In short, if you’re looking for a tasty slice of electro/synth pop pie, you better order up The Slingshot Orchestra.
Cut Copy’s 2004 release “Bright Like Neon Love”, became one of the sleeper hits for me in the year following. Which led me to be really anticipating their new release “In Ghost Colours”. On “Neon Love”, they showed that they were capable of combining garage rock and electro in a powerful way, but on “In Ghost Colours” they’ve somewhat abandoned that idea in favor of some really poppy electro songs. It marks their progression as a band that they use guitar more for melody than for a slamming riff. All this talk about style changes and guitar might confuse you as to whether or not you can dance to the album. The overwhelming answer is “Yes!”.
The UK indie group The Joy Formidable, has released a haunting single for the holidays in their song “My Beerdrunk Soul is Sadder Than a Hundred Dead Christmas Trees”. While the title seems somewhat drawn out, the song is not. After the sleigh bells shake gently, the epic minor key melody kicks in, accented perfectly by vocalist/guitarist Ritzy. Their sound is as big as anything the Arcade Fire have done and there’s only three members in the band! This drama filled single is not to be missed this holiday season.
I had the opportunity to ask Matt Mercer and Matt Keppel of the Portland, Oregon electronic band Microfilm and here are the results!
1.Your earlier works are very minimalist and German inspired, while the later works still work in this vein, your new work on the Slingshot Orchestra leans toward more of a synth-pop aesthetic. Is that a latent taste that you guys have always had or did you guys have an epiphany and start working in that direction? And if it was an epiphany, can you tell us about that?
Mercer: It’s been an organic evolution. My solo music is more angular and fragmented, sometimes a bit harder, and the earliest Microfilm tracks are more a reflection of this; I think these new tracks are more collaborative and have veered into something more lush.
Keppel: I don’t know if it was an epiphany or even a discussed decision, I think we just started writing songs that were a little more musical, more complex, maybe a bit softer then the first album.
2.How did you guys arrive at creating a cover, that I think is better than the original, of Sufjan Steven’s song “Chicago”?
Keppel: Better? Well, thanks for that! We’re both fans of Sufjan’s music and decided we wanted to do our first cover version and I think I suggested ‘Chicago’. I think we wanted to cover a song that was a completely different genre and try to make it fit into an electronic, dance realm. It wouldn’t be very interesting for someone like us to cover, say, the Pet Shop Boys.
Mercer: We both liked the song, and it represented a moment in time for us, being enthusiastic about our city of residence… ironically, not long after we decided to leave for Portland! But with that cover we really strived to recreate all the various layers of the original arrangement, but in new and different ways. For instance, I played a lot of piano parts from ear and then cut it apart into fragments, and we recorded numerous layers of vocals to give it a different harmonic sensibility…. but we felt that a good song is a good song, and we didn’t want to rewrite the song itself and wanted to honor it as much as possible.
3.You also worked on a cover of “The Desperate Things You Made Me Do” for a Magnetic Fields cover album. How did this come about?
Keppel: We saw a post on the blog The Music Slut about a Chicago singer/songwriter who was compiling a covers album of Magnetic Fields tunes and he was looking for submissions. We’re both big fans of Magnetic Fields and so we wrote the guy and asked him if he’d like a submission from us and he said yes. Pretty simple.
4.Out of all the songs by the Magnetic Fields, what made you choose that one?
Mercer: I’ve always been more interested in Stephin Merrit’s earlier, stranger synth-pop flirtations. I like the weird sounds he uses; they all sound sort of cheap (in a good way). This one seemed the most dancefloor-ready, something we could have fun with without removing it too far from the source. It’s actually a relatively complex song and it was fun to dissect it… plus, it has one of the more memorable pop choruses of our time, in my opinion!
5.Your vocals have a very signature sound to them, sometimes they are processed and sometimes not. What kind of processes do you guys run your vocals through?
Mercer: It varies. Sometimes the vocals are more “naked” where we just add some reverb to them and let them shine on their own; at other times we add a lot of effects to give it some more edge. Early on we experimented a lot with the detuned unison effect that you hear on tracks like “Paris”, where Keppel’s voice sounds slightly disembodied… this is a treatment we continue to explore as a unifying element.
6.There are many classical instruments heard throughout “The Slingshot Orchestra”, including piano and violin. Where did this idea come from?
Mercer: Part of it is sheer intrigue of what’s become possible via software. Almost all of those instruments are digital instruments, and I “played” them using a midi keyboard. We liked the juxtaposition of hard and soft, synthetic and organic. That sense of contrast is, of course, nothing new, but I think we struck a healthy balance between those two worlds.
7.Do you guys have a favorite classical composer?
Mercer: I studied classical organ and piano growing up, and my favorite composer was always Chopin. I listen to more adventurous 20th century neoclassical music as well as a lot of stuff in between, but Chopin will always be special to me for reasons that are hard to articulate.
8.Who exactly is Johnny X and how did he lose his girl to Erlend Oye?
Keppel: It’s just a character I created for the song. Haven’t really been that specific with characters in my lyrics yet, but thought I would write one of those “name” songs. The title supposed to be a bit Ramones-y. I thought it was funny that this guy would lose a girlfriend to someone like Erlend Oye, who seems a bit bespectacled and kind of wimpy; he’s an anti-hero of the un-cliched variety.
9. What song or artist is stuck in your head today?
Keppel: Good song? ‘Old Fools’ by Magnetic Fields. Bad song? ‘She’s Not Me’ by Madonna; a terrible, terrible song.
Mercer: A handful of artists I’ve really been enjoying lately are Booka Shade, Andy Stott, Grouper, Alias, Mountains, Lindstrøm, James Din A4… the list always goes on, but those are some current favorites.
10.There’s been a lot of snow hitting the ground up here in the North East United States, Does it look like you guys will have snow over there in Oregon for Christmas after all?
Mercer: Yes, and neither of us is happy about it.
Keppel: Well, I like it from the inside, but it needs to all melt come Dec. 26th.
Thanks for doing this interview and Happy Holidays!
Cheers Elephant is a band based out of the city of brotherly love, and whose sound has its roots in everything from 60′s psychedelia, alternative country, folk, and rock. The band is composed of lead vocalist and guitarist Derek Krzywicki, bassist Travelin’ Mat, lead guitarist Jordan del Rosario, and drummer Roberto Kingston. Their songs run through a gamut of melodic guitars, hazy swooning harmonies, phaser effects, and some irresistable classic rock stylings. Known for their fevered live shows and love of dark beer, if these cheerful elephants happen to be in your neck of the jungle, check them out. With bands like Ra Ra Riot and Vampire Weekend blowing up, these guys might soon be taking to larger venues as well. They are set to play an album release party January 17 at the North Star in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
December has to have the highest concentration of holidays in the fewest number of days. I mean… Hanuka, Christmas, Kwanza, New Year’s Eve, Boxing Day, and of course my birthday, which happens to coincide with New Year’s eve. That’s a lot of holidays! So I’m posting this ahead of time since I will probably be consumed with festivities on December 31st as I’m sure many of you will as well. So here is my birthday/new year’s gift to you, a mix of some of the best remixes I’ve heard this year. Bon nouvelle année et joyeux anniversaire à moi!
