Newsflash from academic frontier: YACHT is back and better than ever. Dystopia is just plain unstoppable. Four minutes of post-apocalyptic electronic strutting.
Yacht - Dystopia (The Earth is on Fire) (YSI) (filesavr)
April 28, 2011
This Yacht Just Sank Tiger Woods' Yacht
March 24, 2011
Team-up of the Year?
I love Burial. Archangel moves me in ways few albums have. But not only is Burial a fabulous artist in his own right, he also has great taste in collaborators. First it was Four Tet last year on the awesome Moth and this year it is with Thom Yorke and Four Tet on Ego. Heady, atmospheric stuff, yet always rooted in the beat. I've been listening to both of the split EPs on repeat for the past week with no end in sight.
Burial, Four Tet & Thom Yorke - Ego (YSI) (filesavr)
Burial & Four Tet - Moth (YSI) (filesavr)
January 26, 2011
Memory Tapes: Suddenly Less Strange
Memory Tapes' fantastic debut Seek Magic, featuring Bicycle-perhaps my favorite song of 2009-was deep, weird, and captivating. Tempering its distorted vocals and mysterious rhythms, Memory Tapes loved New Order-esque guitar solos on Seek Magic. On their new single Today is Our Life, off their upcoming as yet untitled album, Memory Tapes take a few steps away from Bicycle towards poppy, or mainstream if you will, electronic music. Still using the New Order guitars, Today Is Our Life is more upbeat and joyous than anything off Seek Magic. The mystery and creepy atmospherics are toned down in favor of showcasing vocals that now sound normal. While a surprise based on their previous work, the general laid back vibe remains and Today Is Our Life is a fantastic track with a great groove and plenty of synth and guitar solos. I am very much looking forward to seeing what Memory Tapes have to offer in 2011.
Memory Tapes - Today Is Our Life (YSI) (filesavr)
Memory Tapes - Bicycle (YSI) (filesavr)
January 24, 2011
James Blake
When I first heard about James Blake, I was convinced I was going to hate his music. A young British dubstep-inflected electro-minimalist who liberally uses autotune? No thanks.
The joke was on me. Blake's new self titled record is the best album I've heard all year. It grabbed my attention on first listen, and has only gotten better the more it spins. Blake is a master of using silence to inform his sound, and he's not afraid to expose his voice - autotuned or not. The closest analog I can think of is Bon Iver, although James Blake and For Emma, Forever Ago are drastically different records. Both are built for winter, and both are built to last.
Check out a video of Blake performing live at the BBC. "Wilhelms Scream" is one of the best tracks on a record full of good ones.
James Blake - Wilhelms Scream (YSI) (filesavr<) (removed upon request)
January 5, 2011
Take A Baths
One artist that definitely didn't get his due on this here page in 2k10 was Baths, the solo project of Will Wiesenfeld. He's a dynamic performer with a Passion Pit-esque sound. Where those guys tend toward the pop side of synths, though, Baths cuts it up, opting for a glitchier sound. His debut album, Cerulean, is reminiscent of Four Tet's poppier moments, and definitely worth a listen for fans of that sort of thing.
Check out a couple tracks from Baths below. These tunes, along with Gold Panda and Kids & Explosions, have been satisfying my glitchy synth pop electro needs for a few months now.
December 6, 2010
Showing My Tanlines
One band that has progressively grown on me over the past year is Brooklyn natives Tanlines. The duo first showed up on my radar when they opened for Micachu and the Shapes at a show early this year. One of their synthesizers was broken, but they put on a fantastic show anyway. Since then, I've had the chance to see them twice, and both times they really wowed me. They opened for DJ/Rupture at a free show and were a dance party and a half. Then, at Pitchfork's #Offline fest, they overshadowed (in my mind) a number of really great acts. The pair just puts on a set that is consistently bubbly and happy.
I recently found out that Jesse Cohen, one of the two Tanlines, was also in Professor Murder, a similarly designed group that I very much enjoy. Check out "Real Life," my favorite Tanlines track, and then listen to Professor Murder's "The Mountain" - I think you'll see some bouncing similarities. Tanlines takes the ideas that make Professor Murder enjoyable and boils them down to make them great. If you can listen to "Real Life" without bopping even a little bit, you should stop staring at your computer quite so much.
Tanlines - Real Life (YSI) (filesavr)
Professor Murder - The Mountain (YSI) (filesavr)
November 3, 2010
Kids & Explosions Are Blowin' Up
There's an excitement that comes with stumbling across a transfiguration of a genre - an artist who has taken an established type of music, twists it around, and flips it on its head. Kids & Explosions does just that, doing for the mash-up what Girl Talk did for the remix. Kids & Explosion's version of the multi-track mash is a frantic, disjointed one, but in a brilliantly fluid sort of way. The herky-jerky moves of the tracks on Shit Computer somehow combine to form a beautiful whole, in an inexplicable kind of way.
Like Girl Talk, Kids & Explosions invites you to play name-that-sample throughout the entirety of the album. More than that, he creates an interesting rhythm that transcends pop to become something one step further. The entire album is pretty incredible, so I feel a bit weird pulling out a couple tracks to share. Nevertheless, check out a couple tunes below. And please, for the love of music, download the whole mixtape; it's pay-what-you-want, and if this doesn't deserve a couple dollars, I don't know what does.
Kids & Explosions - The New Science (YSI) (filesavr)
Kids & Explosions - Use Your Words (YSI) (filesavr)
November 2, 2010
Cutting It Up With Gold Panda
So many songs to blawg about, so little time. I'm on a big electronic kick, so I'll start with the most electronic of the bunch - Gold Panda. Gold Panda is a UK producer who you might know from last year's banger "Quitter's Raga."
Well he's back with a full-length, Lucky Shiner, and it's completely dope. The first track alone has racked up an inordinate amount of spins from me in the past couple weeks. "You" is completely addictive in the way the CD-skipping of Four Tet and The Books is addicting.
You is more than just a pop piece, though. In fact, it reminds me of a fascinating track by Paul Lansky, wherein Lansky took human voices, cut them off so that the syllables were unintelligible, and orchestrated a masterful song. They aren't siblings, but these songs are certainly cousins. I think they're both fantastic and fascinating, I hope you enjoy as well.
Gold Panda - You (YSI) (filesavr)
Paul Lansky - Notjustmoreidlechatter (YSI) (filesavr)
November 1, 2010
I Play This Game Like Its a Sport
Sports are super serious and are never fun. That mentality is certainly visible in these two tracks by SPORTS. Just kidding, these tracks are vintage 80s electronica with surprisingly catchy, and similarly 80s, vocals. I was just expecting some electronics, but instead SPORTS craft complete songs that rise above a lot of the other stuff floating around out there. SPORTS treat the music industry like its a sport - game face.
SPORTS - Every World is a World of your Own (YSI) (filesavr)
SPORTS - To Catch a Thief (YSI) (filesavr)
October 24, 2010
Do You Like Video Games? Umberto Seemingly Does
This is some dark music. Perfect for a demonic rave from a Blade movie, or some updated super nintendo game music. Its been compared to something out of a Castlevania game - perfect! Heavy, atmospheric, and mysterious, Umberto really infuses his electronic music with some drama. Not for everyone, but it draws you in - not to mention the video game nostalgia.
Umberto - Temple Room (YSI) (filesavr)
Umberto - Someone Chasing Someone Through a House (YSI) (filesavr)
September 25, 2010
LCD Soundsystem @ Wellmont Theatre, 9/23
On Thursday night I saw one of the best shows I've seen in a long time - LCD Soundsystem headlining with Sleigh Bells opening. It was one of the highest energy concerts I've been to - Sleigh Bells rocked out as usual, and LCD blew the roof off of the Wellmont Theatre with a spectacular light set-up and phenomenal sound. They kicked off with "Dance Yrself Clean," probably my favorite track from their 2010 album This Is Happening, apparently the first time they had played that song live. Incredible.
Everything I could have desired from that show came true on Thursday. They played a full two hours, including a three song encore and the debut of a few songs they hadn't played before. A sped-up version of "Daft Punk Is Playing At My House" absolutely rocked, and "Someone Great" was beautiful. "You Wanted A Hit" was a high energy song when played live, and the band ended with "Home," a fitting conclusion to James Murphy's first show in his native New Jersey. Brilliant.
LCD Soundsystem is a band that took me a long time to get into. I strongly disagreed with those who thought Sound of Silver was the best album of 2007. While I still don't think it was tops of that year, and I dislike the song "North American Scum" with a passion, I have softened my stance. I have been bumping to This Is Happening all year, and have come to truly love LCD Soundsystem. One of the best releases of the year, and definitely toward the top of the concerts I've seen.
LCD Soundsystem - Dance Yrself Clean (YSI) (filesavr)
wait what - Lean Yourself Back (LCD Soundsystem vs. Eminem, Mase & Fat Joe) (YSI) (filesavr)
September 3, 2010
Golden Axe Attack
Woah, so I'm a serious grad student now supposedly and I was thinking of an appropriate song to post as a result. All I could think of though was this pretty ridiculous song by the Golden Axe. These dudes from Australia know how to have fun and it is certainly apparent in this track that sounds like a hot room full of superballs. Just the thing for academia.
Golden Axe - Telephone (YSI)
August 24, 2010
Radiopathic Delivery: Telepathe
There's something truly wonderful about a long car ride with a fellow music lover, especially one that has the time to delve into both music discussion and music enjoyment. I spent somewhere around 22 hours in a Jeep with a friend this past weekend, talking about tunes and listening to some of our favorites. We did the usual iPod shuffle, with each of us taking a turn on the 1s and 2s.
A lot of the songs were familiar, sure, but a fair number of new tunes floated past my ears during the hours in the car. Perhaps the most fun was Telepathe's "So Fine," a bass driven dance tune with female vocals. I've seen Telepathe's name bounced around the blogosphere, but hadn't gotten around to checking them out. Glad I finally did.
Apparently the duo were introduced and bonded over their shared love of hip hop. Their debut album was produced by TV On The Radio's David Sitek, a fact that might pique your interest a bit. The beat-knowledge (of both Telepathe and Sitek, one would assume) bleeds through, as does some electronica influence; "So Fine" is definitely a mood track, not a lyric tune. But if you're looking for great dancey tunes, check this out. And don't hesitate to check in with Chairlift's chopped remix. The bass knob gets turnt up, everything gets a little more shimmery, and the song gets more present and less superficial. It's a good pair.
Telepathe - So Fine (YSI) (filesavr)
Telepathe - So Fine (Chairlift Remix) (YSI) (filesavr)
August 17, 2010
Javelin Redeemed
I had the pleasure of seeing Javelin at the end of last week, for the second time. The first time I saw them, they opened for The Very Best at Great Scott in Boston and were, in a word, forgettable. So much so that Zack and I continued enjoying our Guinesses at the bar rather than making our way toward the stage to watch the show. The sound was a muddled mess, the vocals were off, and it was a generally disappointing set from a band whose EP had been spinning on my stereo for quite some time.
The performance also got me reflecting on their full length release, No Mas, an album that we largely ignored here at TSRE. While the high points of No Mas don't quite reach the "Lindsay Brohan" and "Soda Popinski" pinnacles of Javelin, songs like "Moscow 1980" and "Vibrationz" are pretty darn great. Check 'em out below.
Javelin - Moscow 1980 (YSI) (filesavr)
Javelin - C-Town (YSI) (filesavr)
Javelin - Soda Popinski (YSI) (filesavr)
August 10, 2010
Laid Back Electro From Mock & Toof
I've been a bit overwhelmed with new music recently - there's just so much good music dropping every week that it's tough to keep up. There is, of course, a lot of mediocre music coming out as well, which makes the wading-through process even tougher. Every now and then, though, a surprise will break through and something that you don't expect to bump will catch your ear.
The rest of the album is similarly keyed, laid back and funky with an underlying bass groove. I dig it big-time. Check out that first cut from Tuning Echoes below, as well as a loooooong Hot Chip remix that might appeal to the more dubstep-minded members of the audience.
Mock & Toof - Farewell To Wendo (YSI) (filesavr)
Hot Chip - Over and Over (Mock and Toof Remix) (YSI) (filesavr)
August 2, 2010
No Doubt About It: These M.I.A. Remixes Rule
There has been a ton of debate about M.I.A.'s latest album, /\/\ /\ Y /\. Some people really like it, lots more really hate it. I happen to think that the album got a bad rap (not least of all because most early reviews were coming only after hearing a terrible quality version of the album) - I think the album is actually a lot better than people have been giving it credit for being.
One thing is for sure, and that's that M.I.A.'s sound has taken a turn for the abrasive. Perhaps trying to inhabit the same sonic space as Sleigh Bells, songs like "Steppin' Up" on /\/\ /\ Y /\ are intentionally confrontational and sharp.
The harsh mix on the original is a great set up for reworkers like Nacey, who takes M.I.A.'s verses from Steppin' Up and throws them on top of a jaunty little piano riff with a click track beat. It gives the song an entirely new feel, and makes it endlessly more repeatable. Where the original is challenging and perhaps re-defining, the remix is just damn catchy.
M.I.A. - Steppin' Up (Nacey Remix) (YSI) (filesavr)
Not all remixes of "Steppin' Up" go the complete soft route. Afghan Raiders take a shot at the track, making it a lot more electro, while smoothing out the edges. It's not quite the kicked-back low-key jam that the Nacey Remix, but it definitely puts the song in a new light. This remix is meant to be spun into mixes, and it shows nicely.
M.I.A. - Steppin' Up (Afghan Raiders Remix) (YSI) (filesavr)
M.I.A. - Steppin' Up (Nacey Remix) (YSI) (filesavr)
Not all remixes of "Steppin' Up" go the complete soft route. Afghan Raiders take a shot at the track, making it a lot more electro, while smoothing out the edges. It's not quite the kicked-back low-key jam that the Nacey Remix, but it definitely puts the song in a new light. This remix is meant to be spun into mixes, and it shows nicely.
M.I.A. - Steppin' Up (Afghan Raiders Remix) (YSI) (filesavr)
July 21, 2010
Majorly Lazerific
It's been a busy week around the TSRE universe - apologies for the scarcity of posts in the past few days. There have been lots of travels, shows, and other big news poppin'. But we're back to rock your face, mind, and body, have no fear.
To signal our return from the very brief hiatus (I mean, we're only talking two days here people), here are a couple of completely baller tunes. The first comes from Major Lazer's Lazers Never Die EP, which dropped yesterday. The whole EP is worth copping, but this track is one of the best - a remix from Buraka Som Sistema called "Bruk Out." It incorporates a lot of samples from Major Lazer's excellent Guns Don't Kill People...Lazers Do album from last year. I dare you to sit still while listening to it.
Because it wouldn't be fair to just leave you with one completely hype track, here's another recent Major Lazer product, my favorite song off of the remix album LazerProof. LazerProof finds Diplo and Switch remixing the entirety of La Roux's debut album, and it's completely bonkers. "In 4 The Kill Pon De Skream" is for sure one of my songs of the summer. Enjoy!
June 23, 2010
Raise the Bonnaroof: Bassnectar
On the graffiti-covered walls of Bonnaroo's center, someone scribbled the phrase, "YO! Have you heard about Bassnectar?" Coming into Bonnaroo, I'll admit that my answer to the question was in the negative. I'd never heard of him, and wasn't particularly interested to check him out. Narrow mind, dontcha know.
As it happened, though, twists of fate and fortune - specifically in the form of Bassnectar's slot directly in front of LCD Soundsystem - led me to a sweaty and smoky tent where Bassnectar was spinning tunes to feed the masses, dubstep-influenced dance anthems that recalled the dystopic future-worlds seen in many a B-movie. While not what I was expecting, and certainly not the music you would immediately associate with LCD Soundsystem, it was completely on point. These tunes were sick and the crowd ate them up.
He clearly thrived on the massive crowd, as well. At one point during the set, he implored the ladies to get up on the shoulders of people around them. It was a bi-level dance party, criss-crossed by flying glow sticks, and it was awesome.
Sleigh Bells - Run The Heart (Bassnectar Remix) (YSI) (filesavr)
Fever Ray - When I Grow Up (Bassnectar Remix) (YSI) (filesavr)
The Pixies - Where Is My Mind (Bassnectar Remix) (YSI) (filesavr)
May 19, 2010
Taking New Jams From A-Trak For A Spin
If anything is wrong with this mixtape, it's that it seems almost like Girl Talk Lite at times - the DJ/mash-up genre line has been so blurred that it's tough to remember what is original production here and what is recycled product. It's unfortunate since A-Trak's physical skills, in my mind, far outrank Gregg Gillis' - I guess that's the age we live in, though. Both dudes make baller tunes worth listening to.
Posted are some of my favorite tracks from this mixtape, which is pretty great from start to finish. Definitely a good mix to spin in the background as you do various things around the world. Cop the whole thing here or stream it in the player below:
A-Trak - Trizzy Turnt Up (YSI) (filesavr)
A-Trak - How Low Can U Bake (YSI) (filesavr)
A-Trak - Whatever You Shoot (YSI) (filesavr)
May 4, 2010
Ratatat and Glitch Mob Looking Good
So Ratatatatatat, kings of all things buzzy guitar instrumental indie rock related, are back with their latest uncreatively-titled full length, LP4. This, on the heels of its predecessor LP3. Great work naming team. Very informative regarding where each release falls in the chronology of the duo’s discography.
Long story short, everything I’ve heard from the album is killer. Totally great, as almost everything Ratatat has released is. Where LP3 took a step back from some of the bombast of Classics and their self-titled debut, LP4 finds a happy medium with laid-back “Swisha” type grooves mixed with huge “Lex” and “Seventeen Years” grinds. Looks good on you, Ratatat.It’s a good thing that Ratatat has stepped their game up a bit here (I was a tad disappointed with LP3) because Glitch Mob is right on their tail. Glitch Mob cops a little bit of Ratatat style, but adds some of their own flair here and there to keep the enthusiasm from waning. It’s the next step in the revolution that Ratatat has been a progenitor of – the instrumental, hip-hop-inflected indie rock. Next stop: Glitch Mob Remix Record.
Mmmm these tracks are tasty.
