You might remember Vivek Shraya from a post on this very blog a long time ago. Well, our favorite Canadian indie/electro upstart is back with his sophomore album “Keys and Machines” and it’s set for a release this November! So hold onto your hat and enjoy this funky preview track “In Out” featuring Meghan Toohey.
The Echo Park, California indie group Monsters are Waiting first came to my attention with their excellent cover of the Stone Roses’ “I Wanna Be Adored” which had excellent breathy female vocals provided by Annalee Ferry. I checked out their Myspace page and was pleasantly surprised to find that their original work was at least as good as their excellent cover. They’ve got an album coming out in the next few months, it should be good, I’ll keep you posted.
Monsters Are Waiting – I Wanna Be Adored (Stone Roses Cover)
Vivek Shraya is an up and coming independent artist from Toronto, he employs electronic blips and beeps and the occasional guitar stab to create inventive ultra-clean, radio friendly (under three minute) pop songs. Shraya’s vocal capabilities could easily garner him radio attention if only the moons would align; at times his almost ethnic pop vocals call to mind what David Byrne would have sounded like if he had natural singing talent, and while we’re talking ‘Heads’ the whole album has that light poppy feeling that wouldn’t be out of place on the last few Talking Heads albums. Could a cover of “And She Was” be in the pipeline? Anyway, Shraya compiles several seemingly disparate styles into a unique cohesive whole. it’s interesting that he’s backed up his catchy polished pop with Gary Numan-lite style synthesizers. I don’t know what else he would use to flesh out his songs but the electronics certainly bring in a unique crossover element. Pure pop but with an electronic edge; a good example would be “Chemistry” (4), which sounds like the Donna Summer classic “I Feel Love” crossed with Nine Inch Nails’ “Closer”. There is also the woozy Bowie-esque “Fevered”(3) that sounds like Suffragette City with keyboards. Other highlights of the album include the punchy “Your Name”(2) which features guest vocals from Sarah Quin of Tegan and Sarah Fame, Her rhythmic chiming adds an interesting flavor and texture to the groove. The catchiest cut on the album in my opinion would have to be the album’s namesake track “If We’re Not Talking” (8), which has a similar psuedo-musak feel that made Royksopp’s “Remind Me” with Erlend Oye so memorable. Overall, the brief format of Mr. Shraya’s songs and their cleanliness leaves you wanting more. Like a light but enjoyable breakfast.
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