I’ve posted about the wonderful Manchester trio Performance pretty steadily the last few months. I believe this lot are onto something and I firmly stand behind them in their quest to restore intelligently crafted pop to the top of the pops. This is exactly why I deem it necessary to post a banging reinterpretation of the new single Unconsoled reworked by house maestro Tom Staar who has previously done work for the likes of Basement Jaxx and Fenech-Soler, to name a couple. Turn out the lights, close your eyes and bounce to this.
I’d been meaning to post about NYC’s Holy Ghost! for some time now but for some reason never got around to it. Allow me to correct that error now since this band is so good and deservedly is making waves outside of the metropolitan area. Their recent remix of Monarchy’s Love Get Out Of My Way was mega and their upcoming tour with Chromeo should definitely turn the party out. A band with a rhythm section this tight should not be kept under wraps, it would simply be criminal. Taken from their just released EP Static On The Wire, this banger called I Know I Hear should be played and replayed often in your playback device of choice right about now. I can’t say enough about the bass-line. Never mind about the rest of the song, it’s the Chic-like bassline that does the deed for me. Bernard Edwards would surely be proud, I would think!
Do the deed and cop the EP here then make sure you see the band live Thursday night at the Bowery Ballroom.
Amazing what a major label can do for your video! Hurts is releasing that old chestnut Wonderful Life as the official second single to be taken from Happiness and with it comes a brand-spanking new video to boot. To be honest with you, there is something about the original video that I love. I will admit this new video is beautiful on its own and the picture of the dancer from the original version was a nice touch though. What say you?
As a dance music junkie, it brings a smile to my face to see that in 2010, a bunch of esteemed veterans have been releasing quality records or are about to make long-awaited comebacks that promise to show the new kids where all this ravin’ started. Enter Faithless, the chart-topping trio that’s been blowing minds and making feet stomp since 1997’s debut record Reverence. When I first heard Imsomnia, I pretty much had nightmares for a week. Once over those, I couldn’t help but marvel at their sound. Put a Faithless record on in a club and it’s an experience like few other acts can provide. It truly feels like your senses are being reinvigorated and the feeling of complete euphoria grabs hold. They’ve been going strong since and recently the trio just released their new record The Dance. Featuring the first single Not Going Home which is a tremendous tune in its own right, the record continues the band’s record of excellence and has much to offer for fans, old and new. Reacquaint yourself with Faithless now.
Yes friends. This is actually the artwork for the forthcoming debut record by our favourite boy toys, Hurts. Keeping the simple yet so chic black and white aesthetic the band has come to be known for. Happiness is out on the 6th of September via Major Label/Sony with the next single being…Wonderful Life! A new video is currently being filmed though I have to say it would take a lot to top the original video but I’m sure the new version will be grand in its own right. Come to think of it. Anyone notice a similar vibe being shared being the artwork for Happiness and the one from these boys?
Three all-stars from the dance music world come together to form like Voltron and become the Swedish House Mafia. Axwell. Steve Angello. Sebastian Ingrosso. Three top notch producers in their own right come forth with their first official single One (Your Name) featuring Pharrell. This trio’s sole objective is to get your arse on the floor and moving in ways that would be considered illegal in most cities. One listen to this joint and it certainly looks as if the trio hit the mark with plenty of room to spare. The beat pumps hard. The synth stabs are so fierce that even the most disillusioned hipster can’t help but grab a set, grab a girl and get sweaty. This is aural crack right here. It begs to heard at maximum volume where your body feels as if it’s about to spontaneously combust as a result of all the bass, drums and synths hitting you all at once. Clocking in at just under three and half minutes, the song comes and goes leaving you a hot mess in its wake. This is hardcore.
It will be difficult to find a better bill than this as the leaves start to fall. The new faces of Australian pop-rock, The Temper Trap and Mancunian dance-pop heroes, Delphic hit the road together in what could very well be the breakout tour for both bands in the States. Both bands are faves of mine and both debut records still get quality mileage in my house. I hope to see my fellow New Yorkers at the Terminal 5 gig. Let’s go!
SEPTEMBER
26 Philadelphia, PA – Trocadero
29 Boston, MA – House of Blues
30 Montclair, NJ – Wellmont Theater
OCTOBER 01 New York, NY – Terminal 5
02 Montreal, QC – Le National
03 Ottawa, ON – Capital Music Hall
05 Toronto, ON – Phoenix Concert Theater
11 Detroit, MI – St Andrews Hall
12 Chicago, IL – Metro
13 Milwaukee, WI – Turner Hall
14 Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue
16 Mexico City – Capital Festival
22 Pomona, CA – The Fox Theater
23 Los Angeles, CA – Club Nokia
It’s the video to Love Get Out Of My Way, the simply scorching single from Monarchy. The duo who are quickly rising through the ranks in the race to become the supreme male electronic duo of 2010. Still there is very little known about them to date but it’s fair to say that will change very soon as more news about their forthcoming debut record surfaces. In the meantime, enjoy the vid. Not what one would expect given the vibe of the song but whatever. Who doesn’t love dancing robots? Right, Mr. Electronic Rumors?
Personally I’ve always been a fan of dark and cold electronic music. The mechanical sound of dystopia set to a motorik beat is the equivalent to a chorus of birds singing heralding the arrival of another day. That’s probably why I love bands like These New Puritans so much. No hope whatsoever to be found in the music. It’s the apocalypse you can dance to. You can only imagine how giddy I became when I came across Detachments! Take TNP and add a slight glimmer or hint of a hook and you’ve got Detachments. If anything, if one was to take the sound of early New Order or Fad Gadget and Cabaret Voltaire, throw them in a blender and you’ve got the sound of H.A.L., the single featured here. Arpeggiated hi-hats. Booming bass drums. Swirling synth pads of impending doom. Heavily reverbed vocals. It’s all here. Needless to say, this is highly recommended…
It’s always nice to receive submissions from earnest indie bands who simply want you to know that they plan on ruling the world one blog at a time. When it comes in the form of cheery no-frills electronic pop, it’s even better. It’s always the quiet ones that you have to watch for! Coming from South London, we have a wonderful trio called Arp Attack. Theirs is a sound that blends the joys of indie rock and throws in some Fisher-Price synths for good measure that add up to songs that are pure saccharine to the ears. Stylistically the band reminds me a bit of another too-cute for words electronic pop band that went by the wayside in Bis. These are the kinds of band that indie kids simply can’t help but love because of their “blink and you’ll miss it” hooks that once enjoyed, you really can’t help but fall in love. Give these four a long listen and see what I mean.
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