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.
Just another Ski Beatz track is straight fire. From the forthcoming 24 Hour Karate School, it’s Cream Of The Planet featuring the mighty Mos Def. What more needs to be said but this is the type of beat that fits Mos like a glove. A simple beat, some jazz samples and let Mos get to work and work is exactly what he does here. This sounds better than anything he did on The Ecstatic and it bodes well for 24 Hour Karate School. Needless to say, that record is a must-own for any die-hard hip hop fan. Recommended.
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?
It shouldn’t be too much longer now. The 30th of August brings about the release of Man Alive, the debut record from Manchester quartet Everything Everything. I can’t get enough of their everything-but-the-kitchen-sink sound as it’s beyond clever and offers something different than the other flavours of pop currently bandied about on the blogs or heard on the radio. Above is the video for new single My Kz, Ur BF (My Keys, Your Boyfriend, if you hadn’t yet figured it out). I’ve loved this track since I first heard it a few months back and properly introduced to this band’s wacky world. While I do love this video, I prefer the original version to this one. I don’t really see the need to have done a new version when the first was quite visually appealing and did the song justice in its own right. Judge for yourself.
Pretty snazzy sleeve for the record as well, wouldn’t you say?
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.
Bryan Ferry is better than you. He gets more girls. He still looks good for a man well into his golden years. He also roped in some heavyweights for his brand new record Olympia. This is the first single entitled You Can Dance. This, friends, is baby-making music and nothing less should be expected from the man who helped put the “art” in “artifice” with the legendary Roxy Music. The record itself will feature his old Roxy Music cohorts Andy Mackay, Phil Manzanera and…Brian Eno! Throw in Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour, Mani from the Stone Roses/Primal Scream/Freebass, Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers among others and you’ve got a record that should be musically stunning. The record is out on the 25th of October.
1. “You Can Dance”
2. “Alphaville”
3. “Heartache By Numbers”
4. “Me Oh My”
5. “Shameless”
6. “Song to the Siren”
7. “No Face, No Name, No Number”
8. “BF Bass (Ode to Olympia)”
9. “Reason or Rhyme”
10. “Tender is the Night”
Truth be told, the promotional film for the new Klaxons single Echoes does little for me. It’s pretty much a standard-fare performance piece done in a desert which has been done a thousand times before and rarely ever does it illicit much more than a ho-hum. Still a great single though and the video does little to change that opinion at all. Even better news is that the tour dates have been released so get yourselves ready to see the Klaxons come to your city very soon to support Surfing The Void which comes out on the 23rd of August.
September
19 – Hoboken, NJ @ Mawell’s 20 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
21 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club 22 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
24 – Boston, MA @ Paradise
25 – Montreal, QC @ Cabaret du Musée Juste Pour Rire
27 – Toronto, ON @ The Mod Club
29 – Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick
30 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
October
01 – Minneapolis, MN @ Triple Rock
04 – Vancouver, BC @ Venue
05 – Seattle, WA @ Chop Suey
07 – San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall
08 – Los Angeles, CA @ Culture Collide Music Festival
09 – Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour
Love is ending… Here it is, friends. The promotional film for the new single by the Charlatans. I must say I do like the song a lot. It appears after their brief excursion through their New Order collection on You Cross My Path. The band decided to go back to the future by taking the best bits of their illustrious legacy of their own and giving the younger bands a primer on how the 1990s really got started. Tim Burgess sounds in fine form here and the band sounds re-energized which can only mean good things for the upcoming record Who We Touch.
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.
Dave Sitek. That name may not roll off the tongue of the average music listener. If you’re not aware of who he is, shame on you. The man has only been a major driving force in the New York sound in the last decade. Beginning with his own band, a little known outfit named TV On The Radio, then take a quick look at the work he’s done in the producer’s chair and you can see the man has done a little bit of work over the last ten years. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs… Liars…Telepathe…Scarlett Johansson (Let’s forgive him for that one. The man has to eat too…)… Celebration… Foals. Helping to save indie music from itself is a tough job but even he needs a break so here comes Sitek going solo under the name Maximum Balloon.
Sitek’s solo debut record is due to arrive on the 24th of August via DGC/Interscope and will feature some noteworthy guest appearances tagging along for the ride. Names such as David Byrne, Karen O, Tunde and Kyp from TV On The Radio can be expected to be heard and enjoyed on this set. First things first, we have the first single called Tiger up at the plate to lead off. This is what you call a banger. This track features Aku from Dragons of Zynth on the mike who sounds an awful lot like Tunde from TVOTR. One can’t help but fall for the rhythmic charm as the bass whip-cracks you out onto the dance floor. Hips start to sway. Sweat explodes from the pores. You simply have no control or any idea of what to do with yourself. That’s what one play of Tiger will do to you so be careful who you play this to or you may be held responsible for whatever may ensue next. On second thought, play it and then play it again.
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