To continue along with my love affair with The Sounds, Viking has released a remix of their latest single “No One Sleeps When I’m Awake”. Complete with sliding vacuum cleaner MSTRKRFT synths, an alarm clock, and a near flawless incorporation of Maja Ivarrson’s impassioned vocals. Do yourself a favor, download the song.September 26, 2009
Viking Remixes The Sounds!
To continue along with my love affair with The Sounds, Viking has released a remix of their latest single “No One Sleeps When I’m Awake”. Complete with sliding vacuum cleaner MSTRKRFT synths, an alarm clock, and a near flawless incorporation of Maja Ivarrson’s impassioned vocals. Do yourself a favor, download the song.February 18, 2009
Chiptune Cover of Blondie’s "Atomic"!
“Atomic” cover by Glomag f. stealthopera @ Blip Festival 2008 in NYC from 2 Player Productions on Vimeo.
I was looking up chiptunes software the other day and came across this. Pretty awesome.
Blondie – Call Me
Blondie – Call Me
January 12, 2009
Review: Division Kent’s Gravity is a Heavy Trip
Division Kent is a two piece from Zurich, Switzerland that plays swirling, dark new wave rock composed of two members; vocalist Andrea B. and instrumentalist Sky Antinori. Their music is at times dark and heavy, calling to mind the work of psychedelic indie band Midnight Movies due to the ominous melodies and sultry voice of Andrea B. While this is the primary musical mode the band is set in there are some fun surprises along the way.
Right off the bat the band set a mood with the atmospheric “No Kryptonite” that calls to mind Blonde Redhead. “Pat the PanAm Pilot”, starts off with some quirky keyboards and a skeptical narrative of the life of a successful pilot. From there the energetic “She’s Going Places” takes flight with guitar work and a beat that sounds like a fusing of Lali Puna and the Cure. “The Big Hush” is another experiment in combining a heavy atmosphere with haunting vocals. The track “In The Headlights” separates itself from the rest of the album using ultra bendy bass and a Casio beat that gives way to the most memorable chorus on the album. I could see this track being used in a dramatic scene of a movie. For all I know it might be already.
Once the album gets through most of it’s down tempo song, the arrangements, clicks, beats and synths really shine. “L’huere Blue” erupts with a dark 80′s pop sensibility and cascades of melodies and bells. Perfect for your retro goth prom. If “L’huere Blue” is an entrance song to said retro goth prom, then “Rooftop Rallye” is the party starter. Waves of aggressive bass pulse as Andrea B. purrs her way through the song. The next track is the most fun off of the album, entitled “Offshore”, featuring the most upbeat vocals and guitars that call to mind VHS or Beta in their heyday. The album winds down with the slinky duet “Salty” and comes to a close with the hauntingly programmed number “The Year of Magical Thinking”.
All the attention to detail makes Division Kent worth listening to. There are a couple spots on here where their formula, no matter how well done, feels worn out, dark electronica rock with deep sensual female vocals, we get it. It’s when Division Kent change up their style a little bit that they really shine, on tracks like “L’Heure Blue” and “Offshore” where their sound moves past brooding girl territory and into kicking electro rock pathos. Whether you’re looking for music to sulk dramatically to or music to get the party started, Division Kent has what you need.
October 10, 2008
Hearts of Palm UK, sensitive all girl synthpop FOR LIFE!
Hearts of Palm UK, is that girl that introduces herself to you under the wrong name at a party, but through perseverance, wit and charm you will find out on the third or fourth date. I say this because their name itself is something of a red herring, they are from Echo Park, California. That’s pretty far from the UK. Either way, the female electro-pop brandishing trio fires off some touching and danceable tracks on their debut album “For Life”.
Songwriter Erica Elektra originally wrote the album on her acoustic guitar, and fantasized about remixing it in
to a more electro style. So she did, and the results are gorgeous. These are three girls after my own heart, incorporating sweeping keyboard melodies, emotional bass, glitchy beats and even vocoder over their lovely voices. Another contributing factor in the sublime sound featured on this album is sure to be that it was mastered in Sweden by Henrik Jonsson who has mastered the likes of Peter Bjorn and John, Robyn, The Knife, and Lykke Li. I’m telling you, those Swedes know where it’s at. All this and they have a Brian Ferry cover. What are you waiting for! Sample tracks below!
Hearts of Palm UK – More Than This (Bryan Ferry Cover)
May 28, 2008
Vivek Shraya Returns
Your friend and mine, Vivek Shraya is releasing “If We’re Not Talking” as a single from his album of the same name, with some producers gently mutating the song into some banging club mixes. They might start off slow, but they evolve into the kind of dance songs you might expect a kaleidoscopic montage to go with.
Vivek Shraya – If We’re Not Talking
Vivek Shraya – If We’re Not Talking (Ben Mono Mix)
Vivek Shraya – If We’re Not Talking (Rodian Remix)
August 24, 2007
You said it was LOVE for the FIRST TIME!
The Sounds are a new wave punk band from Sweden fronted by one of the most compelling female singers I’ve seen in a while. Maja Ivarsson is like a raunchier Blondie that was somehow co-opted into singing pop-rock songs. Her sing/shout voice makes each song makes each song more anthematic somehow. The rest of the band does an excellent job in packaging perfect pop-rock with a kick, particularly keyboardist Jesper Anderberg. His keyboard lines will transport you back to 1983 while the rest of the band assaults you in the present, creating a contagiously wild environment. One you hear “24 Hours”, no matter how hard and cynical you are you’ll believe that you can love again, at least for the duration of the song. Their latest album “Dying to Say this to You” is full of catchy crunchy punchy party anthems. I dare you to listen and not dance.
MP3 – Don’t Want to Hurt You – The Sounds
Tony The Beat (Push It) Video:
July 29, 2007
What a Fantastic Playroom!
The first band that I’m going to cover in my series of girl fronted groups is the indomitable and Intel pimped New Young Pony Club. The UK band was heralded as one of the first acts to kick start the Nu Rave movement along with other NME super hyped bands like the Klaxons. They utilize a system of stop and go ultra rhythmic bass and cooing synthesizers to coax people out onto the dance floor. Once you’re there though, vocalist Tahita Balmer will induce some manic dance floor fury with her Blondie-like seductive authority.
New Young Pony Club’s debut LP “Fantastic Playroom” is set to be released in late August of this year. A clear highlight from the album is the galloping single “Ice Cream” with it’s sensuous strut that could work just as well in the bedroom as it could fire up a party. The atmospherics and build in another album highlight “The Get Go” release to become a bouncy and most satisfying number. While the Talking Heads like rhythm never does let up, that doesn’t mean that the songs don’t slow down for some sensitive, in your ear style purring like on “Talking Talking”. That song practically requires mood lighting and a rotating zebra bed. The greatest strength of the New Young Pony Club is that they aren’t afraid to slow songs up a bit and increase the funkiness, every guitar, every blip, every bass jab is there to enhance the groove and get the party started.
MP3 – FAN – New Young Pony Club
July 3, 2007
Catch some UV Rays
Ultraviolet is a flamboyant Dance Rock/New Wave Band from L.A. that has garnered much attention from their use of Myspace to promote their music and their live performances. Their songs have a dirty no holds barred sound that utilizes synthesizers, drums, guitars, and more vocal processors than you can shake a stick at. Fans of Le Tigre, Peaches, and other Riot Grrl groups should find something to like here.
Ultraviolet pull of an interesting balance in their music because their sound is at once both edgy and completely safe. The lyrics sound like something that you would want to hear on the radio already, it’s just the packaging (i.e. synthesizers, effects) that make it more appealing than current radio fodder. The draw of “Gimme My Electro” is immediate and it delivers exactly what it promises, a sensual dance floor beat down, while “Dead on the Dancefloor” reveals a love for Blondie and ambient/vocal breakdowns that teenage girls will surely love. Ultraviolet is aimed at massive commercial success and if they can knock out all the Evanescence-type bands to get there, more power to them.
MP3 – Gimme My Electro – Ultraviolet
MP3 – Dead on the Dance Floor – Ultraviolet
