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Guerilla Show Poster by Aaron Z. Lee

Mick Van Rick Facebook

Burning Bridge Street Purevolume

Catherine AD

Catherine AD employs an all female string section to play beautifully orchestrated pop music. If your Monday needed some class, here it is.
Catherine AD – ‘Going Wrong’ (free download) by Stayloose

SONOIO – Enough from Alessandro Cortini on Vimeo.

Alessandro Cortini has burst onto the scene with two premiere albums under the name Sonoio. These albums are entitled Blue and Red. They are haunting and driving pieces of electronic rock. He will be touring with Ladytron this fall. This is quickly becoming my fall soundtrack. (more…)

Fang Island is a Brooklyn based band that formed at the Rhode Island School of design. They play optimistic, joyous mostly instrumental rock music. Think somewhere between the Octopus Project and the Pixies. They’re playing with the Joy Formidable at the Water Street Music Hall in Rochester, NY next Friday (September 30). Be there.

Fang Island – Daisy

Red Eye Fugu is Enzo Tiano, an immigrant from the Philippines whose fascination with horror movies and sly subtle dance music is evident on his debut album “Watchers”. Check the video above, sample the album below.  Watchers LP by Red Eye Fugu

Red Eye Fugu – Night Runner

Gary’s still got it!

Battles – My Machines Featuring Gary Numan

Alan Palomo of Neon Indian

Neon Indian have released 2 videos to hawk their new single “Polish Girl” and their custom synthesizer from bleep labs. Check them out.

Neon Indian – Step Into the World With Your PAL198X from Neon Indian on Vimeo.

Click here for the video for Polish Girl. It’s got cyborgs and light up keyboards. Success.

Neon Indian – Polish Girl

The Rapture Illustration by Aaron Z. Lee

New York City dance punk icons The Rapture have released “In The Grace of Your Love, their first new studio release since 2006′s “Pieces of the People We Love”. Longtime bassist and co-vocalist Matt Safer left the group in 2009 so multi-instrumentalist (and superior cowbell player) Gabriel Andruzzi took over playing bass for the recording of “In The Grace of Your Love”. Safer brought to the table fluid and funky basslines as well as memorable vocals and dynamic harmonies with lead singer and guitarist Luke Jenner. The departure of Safer has left The Rapture a tighter and more focused group, the sound of “In the Grace of Your Love” is familiarly their own with echoes (pun intended) of their debut album. Jenner’s vocal range really shines on this record as he lays down layers of ethereal backing vocals as well as his signature quavering-party starting shrieks.It’s no surprise that they’ve returned to the DFA label with their return (somewhat) to their classic sound.

The new batch of songs funtion as a halfway point between the ultra-clean sound of “Pieces of the People We Love” and the worn down and rough production on “Echoes”. Lessons were learned from both albums and that information has been put to good use. Influences from other songs is also evident in this new album. The lead single and fall dance jam “How Deep is Your Love” has a lead vocal melody that mirrors Cisco’s “Thong Song” (I know Stereogum said that first, but I was thinking it immediately when I listened for the first time) and “Rollercoaster” has moments that remind me both of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and The Walkmen.

Overall “In The Grace of Your Love” is an album that builds towards it’s conclusion with excellent grooves and style change-ups. The album’s final one-two dance/r&b punch of “How Deep is Your Love” and “It Takes Time to be a Man” will have many critics thinking fondly of this album into next year. The Rapture have released an album that sounds distinctly dangerous and dance-able, just like the Rapture should.

The Rapture - In The Grace of Your Love

The Rapture-How Deep Is Your Love (Buffetlibre Remix) by Buffetlibre

The Rapture – In The Grace of Your Love by modularpeople