This is what SebastiAn has been opening his sets with for a while now. Some people say it's a message to his fanbase. Whatever it is, the man knows how to build up tension in a song.
SebastiAn - Threnody (alt) via
Monday, January 4, 2010
Just Like You Wanted
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Best of 2009
Incredible, but true, we have made it past another year. There has been changes in the scene, but the music is still music to those of us that love it. Having said that, I'll encourage you to understand our selections by really looking into each of the artists featured in order for a better understanding. Some are extremely popular, some are relatively unknown, so we hope you enjoy our selection for this year. As you all well know, some of these songs cannot be available for download, as they have not been cleared by the artists or their labels for release, but please download the ones that are. Without further ado, 2009's best:
1. Phoenix - Countdown (Sick For The Big Sun)
Of course Phoenix would have representation on this list, and of course it would be high up. Maybe the choice for the song throws you off. It throws me off as well, since lately I've loved "Armistice" the most from Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, and of course I'm a hug fan of singles "Lizstomania" and "1901" plus the rest of the album is great....the selection comes because this song sums up the band the best. Phoenix are able to draw us all in from a general starting point, and through the song leave us all at one directional vantage point. Lyrics and melody contradict and combat each other thematically; a song that already debates a generations existential dilemma to be somebody also becomes the band's premonition of their very near future success is also a song with youthful energy that reaches emotional apex's able to rally listeners into one battle cry. "We're the lonesome" cries Thomas Mars, but the song is so infectious, so inviting, that by the time we are done belching out the chorus, we realize to being lonesome together.
2. Fever Ray - If I Had A Heart (alt)
I'm pretty sure if Karin Dreijer-Andersson was named Thom Yorke, then this album would've been on everybody's lips a lot more that it has. As it stands, "If I Had A Heart", Fever Ray's haunting single from the self-titled album, is a masterpiece no matter who the auteur is. The hypnotic droning that starts the song allows for more guttural, deep notes as the Buffalo Bill voice work carries the burden of the lyrics until Karin's voice chimes in, giving us more undecipherable madness. The song gives off powerful imagery of the unknown and ritualistic, soundtrack fitting for Marlow and Jack Torrance in their most poignant moments. Cold and eerie, the song alludes to the dark exotic esoteric, but it's strongest purpose is to makes us look inward as listeners, forcing us into a communal trance with the song.
3. Van She - Don't Fear The Reaper (alt)
It's a hipster cliche to call out artists with generalized blanket statements of selling out when their music is promoted by corporate America. That particular annoying aspect of the culture comes from an insecurity of the music losing an aspect of authenticity. Ironies of hipsters wanting authenticity said aside, this is a theory that has gone largely accepted and is far from having been proved right. Baccardi's B-Live series, amongst others, is proof enough of this, and this latest release might be the best collaboration of the brand with a renowned artist to date. Van She covers Blue Oyster Cult's infamous cowbell single with a lot of care, respecting the psychedelic and soft moods of the original, revamping it in their own self-image with their best synth work. Good covers are hard to come by, never mind great ones, but Van She bucks the trend with this rarity, a jewel of a song that is hopefully not overlooked due to the authentic cacophonous mess that is the blog world.
4. Neon Indian - Deadbeat Summer (alt)
Alan Palomo is basically the champion of 80's kids' nostalgia. His music evokes Nintendo power gloves, Bright Light and Simon, Atari, Nintendo and Sega, slap wristbands, silly putty and yo-yos. Yet in Psychic Chasms first single, "Deadbeat Summer", is a song devoid of particularities of that era, and focuses on the universal archetype of teenage summers. Through the warped sounds, synth flutes and nonchalant chorus lyrics, we rediscover teen angst through Palomo, a reminisce far stronger than any attachment to the material. 80's put-on gimmicks might leave other artists vulnerable, but Palomo's substantive artistic context only enhances them, providing us with the duality of era memories and prime human emotions.
5. Thriller - Genie (alt)
The best dub song of 2009 (with all due respect to Mr. Joy Orbison) came from this relatively unknown artist. Origins set aside, "Genie" is a song that can also moonlight as a hip-hop block party anthem, it's female vocal sample perfectly in balance with the rhythm section, glassy chimes and steady strings squirting in through the bombastic bass womps and filter washes. And when it all comes together in crescendo with more melody hooks than an Illmatic song, it undresses itself back down again to it's simplest version, leaving us in glee to enjoy the magic all over again.
6. Tiga - Overtime
Upon first hearing this song as the teaser for Tiga's Ciao!, I was entranced. The bouncy drum kit beat and the fading vocals pre-emptively appearing before the inertia of the underlying distorted organ starts being supplanted by wipe noises and handclaps. "Overtime" is a production extravaganza at it's best, with all sort of party tricks and whistles thrown in for good measure, Tiga's misunderstood lyrical banality passes quickly through the storm only to leave us with soulful pines at its end. Many songs have enhanced the self-ascribed primadona in Tiga, but none have been as wonderfully trippy, delightfully gimmicky and surprisingly pioneering as this one.
7. Joy Orbison - Hyph Mngo
Wondering where the dance sound might head was one of the many queries presented by this blog and many others. Though good music lingers, trends tend to fade away only to be replaced by new ones. If my instinct is correct, Joy Orbison has begun the transition for a more widespread following of dubstep music by reshaping the sound for an entirely new audience, willingly accepting of a new musical direction for dance music. "Hyph Mngo" was Joy's arrival into that audience, a song that develops beautifully as much due to it's near structural perfection as it does due to its infectious Janet Jackson vocal sample. Bloggers, introducing the new reigning champ of dance music, Joy Orbison.
8. G.L.O.V.E.S - Too Much To Dream (alt)
Half of one of our favorite groups (Damn Arms), G.L.O.V.E.S. (Yama Indra) is producing some of the best house music out there. Highly anticipated "PYX" took a lot of accolades, but it was its softer B-Side "Too Much To Dream" that really brings out the best out of G.L.O.V.E.S. Slow disco with female R&B voice samples, lyrics of dreamy love and and an upbeat tempo caramelized with softer Casio-toned melodies. Brilliant.
9. Fuck Buttons - Surf Solar (alt)
Fuck Buttons is not a group I've been particular fond of. As their name might indicate, their songs can get lost in their hectic, bizarre, throw-it-all-in-the-blender sound. At some point, though, you step back, and realize that while textures and sounds can be abrasive, Fuck Buttons land on the same realm as contemporaries M83 and Air France in meaning. They lead you to places that are softer in nature that one might realize, and though the sound shocks and awes , the amount of time given for the song to develop shows you its true nature, one of subtle psychedelic melodies.
10. Duck Sauce - aNYway
French house DJs have always been favorable of Motown and black R&B music amongst other genres in order to soften their productions and give it a more classic sound. This year outstanding French house DJ Armand Van Helden, with the help from silky smooth A-Trak, has made an Motown song of his own. This song reeks of attitude, thanks to the vocal work and the unbelievable melody work by the in sync piano & guitar. Once the chorus hits, we start fading in and out with warped synth work from the french maestro himself. If you don't find yourself repeating this memorable chorus "time after time" (pun intended) then you might want to stop listening to music all together.
Honorable Mentions:
Boys Noize - Gax; Royksopp - The Girl & The Robot; Javelin - Vibrations; Animal Collective - My Girls; Memory Tapes - Stop Talking; VEGA - No Reason; Four Tet - Love Cry
Remixes
1. Gucci Vump - Sha! Shtil! (L-Vis 1990 Remix) (alt)
It was the biggest surprise of the year from two of the up and coming producers in L-Vis 1990 and Gucci Vump. This song is so technically proficient, so well constructed, timed and executed that it boggles the mind. Drum sequences lead into the chopped vocal samples halted by chimes, and as the song starts swooning you slowly with it's underlying melody, the devastating synths accompany, getting louder and louder. Sitting there and analyzing every nano-second of sound tells one as much, but as a sum greater than it's parts, the song is a dance floor atom bomb.
2. Miike Snow - Black & Blue (Tiga Remix) (alt)
Quite possibly the most interesting remix Tiga has done. It has so many sounds thrown in, so adequately placed and paced, it'd be foolhardy to try and find out where the song might sit genre wise. Tijuana bar-style whistles, Pacman sirens, different drum tickets, fades and squiggle sounds, warped pianos, fading voices and chorus chops make this song a complete catalogue of production prowess. It sounds jungle, drum and bass and then near the end is straight progressive electro that gets you out of your seat. Say what you will about Tiga, but the is ahead of his time and on top of that, can make one hell of a dance song.
3. Florence & The Machine - You Got The Love (The XX Remix) (alt)
The XX is not exactly a band that I'm particularly fond of. I resists the critical adoration because I feel that as good as their songs can be, the production can be too garage-band-copy-and-paste for my taste, wearing their influences (and their samples) on their sleeves too readily. What I do appreciate about the XX is their take on the concept of modern production sampling and their application to the rock music in the style they play. Nobody is more eponymous of this era for music, an era where bedroom computer productions and instruments are combined on an everyday basis. In this cover/remix of fellow blog sensation Florence and the Machine's "You've Got The Love", wood xylophones and a vocal sample of the original are given a go to produce what seems like a restrained drum and bass song. Before that we are given Romy Madley Croft and Oliver Slim's back-and-forward/call-and-response interplay, guiding us through the song with narration rather than singing. While I can accuse the XX of rookie ploys, those arguments fall flat on it's face in this song. It's impeccable, delicate and I can't wait to hear more.
4. Four Tet - Love Cry (Joy Orbison Remix) (alt)
In some ways, "Love Cry" was meant to be remixed by Joy Orbison. In almost all I've heard from Joy Orbison, he picks you up so slowly and leaves you at the top 3/4 into the song, only to bring you back down as slow as a feather might fall and bring you back up again. The construction again from Joy is sublime, but it is the lack of deviating too far from the outstanding strengths of Four Tet's original that really help him reach the audience in a different level. The songs pacing and slow build are becoming a signature, but the production values have a way of morphing differently in different songs, and in this one it comes off as pure bliss.
5. Yeah Yeah Yeahs! - Heads Will Roll (A-Trak Remix) (alt)It was the biggest surprise of the year from two of the up and coming producers in L-Vis 1990 and Gucci Vump. This song is so technically proficient, so well constructed, timed and executed that it boggles the mind. Drum sequences lead into the chopped vocal samples halted by chimes, and as the song starts swooning you slowly with it's underlying melody, the devastating synths accompany, getting louder and louder. Sitting there and analyzing every nano-second of sound tells one as much, but as a sum greater than it's parts, the song is a dance floor atom bomb.
2. Miike Snow - Black & Blue (Tiga Remix) (alt)
Quite possibly the most interesting remix Tiga has done. It has so many sounds thrown in, so adequately placed and paced, it'd be foolhardy to try and find out where the song might sit genre wise. Tijuana bar-style whistles, Pacman sirens, different drum tickets, fades and squiggle sounds, warped pianos, fading voices and chorus chops make this song a complete catalogue of production prowess. It sounds jungle, drum and bass and then near the end is straight progressive electro that gets you out of your seat. Say what you will about Tiga, but the is ahead of his time and on top of that, can make one hell of a dance song.
3. Florence & The Machine - You Got The Love (The XX Remix) (alt)
The XX is not exactly a band that I'm particularly fond of. I resists the critical adoration because I feel that as good as their songs can be, the production can be too garage-band-copy-and-paste for my taste, wearing their influences (and their samples) on their sleeves too readily. What I do appreciate about the XX is their take on the concept of modern production sampling and their application to the rock music in the style they play. Nobody is more eponymous of this era for music, an era where bedroom computer productions and instruments are combined on an everyday basis. In this cover/remix of fellow blog sensation Florence and the Machine's "You've Got The Love", wood xylophones and a vocal sample of the original are given a go to produce what seems like a restrained drum and bass song. Before that we are given Romy Madley Croft and Oliver Slim's back-and-forward/call-and-response interplay, guiding us through the song with narration rather than singing. While I can accuse the XX of rookie ploys, those arguments fall flat on it's face in this song. It's impeccable, delicate and I can't wait to hear more.
4. Four Tet - Love Cry (Joy Orbison Remix) (alt)
In some ways, "Love Cry" was meant to be remixed by Joy Orbison. In almost all I've heard from Joy Orbison, he picks you up so slowly and leaves you at the top 3/4 into the song, only to bring you back down as slow as a feather might fall and bring you back up again. The construction again from Joy is sublime, but it is the lack of deviating too far from the outstanding strengths of Four Tet's original that really help him reach the audience in a different level. The songs pacing and slow build are becoming a signature, but the production values have a way of morphing differently in different songs, and in this one it comes off as pure bliss.
A-Trak always provides an extremely smooth remix per year, and this year is no different. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs had a huge year with their album It's Blitz! and it's no secret that their dance floor rock single "Heads Will Roll" would receive heavy remix treatment. The best version most definitely came from A-Trak. It starts so minimal and it hits hard electro razor synths at it's apex. There is a sample there that is so oddly familiar but I can't quite get my head around it, (maybe our readers will help us out with it) that brings the listener back to the early days of techno in the best way possible.
6. Curses! - The Deep End (Holy Ghost! Dub) (alt)
One of the outstanding tracks of the year, this is the way we always expect Holy Ghost! remixes, or dubs in this case, to develop. 8 minutes of deep drums, disco hand claps, bass strings with echoes and the contribution of Nancy Wang in vocals come together to form a progressive disco track like no other this year. Thanks to Holy Ghost!, the track has an are of haze and hauntingly glides in your ears. One of the smoothest remixes of the year by the prolific duo from DFA.
7. Phoenix - Lizstomania (Classixx Remix) (alt)
The beginnings for Classixx were as Young Americans, just another electro duo into making bangers, yet at some point they underwent a transformation, stemming from either as a result of an epiphany of the limits of hard electro or their own ability to transform into something else due to their own musical diligence. Reasons for the metamorphosis aside, everyone and their mother made remixes for Phoenix this year, and none hit home more than this calypso Balearic house mix, a soft song that plays to Phoenix's nature, yet also represented the vibe sounds we would hear for most of the summer.
8. Tommy Sparks - Miracle (Grum Remix) (alt)
Grum has been a known name across the blog world for some time now. His production style is familiar yet unequivocally his own. His sound transits somewhere between hard electro and Valerie-tinged nostalgia, so what's so surprising is how well he was able to combine his sensibilities for both and arrive at a french house-styled remix for Tommy Sparks' "Miracle". The song booms and soothes with the vocals, the synths and piano melodies, even the cowbell that paces the bridges and has the best build-ups of any remix with this year. Listen in at around 2:20, get ready to go crazy at 2:50 before you blow up 3:20. This is Grum following on the footsteps of Alan Braxe, Fred Falke and Lifelike, and hopefully he'll continue to do so as long as he releases dance floor hits like this one.
9. Ted & Francis - Erlend (Ted & Francis Remix) (alt)
To understand this remix, you must first listen to Ted & Francis' original. "Erlend" acts as a blueprint for the remix by it's own creators, providing a more emotional landscape for the song's lyrics about a lover's strife, which aim to swoon rather than accuse as in the original. It is a remix that embodies the song in a fuller sound, purring and crawling into the string section, followed by wipes progressing with the rhythm section. The slowed down tempo also fits the song in it's new look, a powerful conception from start to finish. In their short career, Ted & Francis have proven that they can make music for the light-hearted, but never has their sound been so concentrated, dark and dramatic as it is in this infectious remix.
10. Chromeo - Night By Night (Siriusmo Remix) (alt)
Chromeo is everybody's "favorite band", a band that is happy enough to make funky pop music that doesn't rock the boat, and their single "Night By Night" was received well enough that it merited support from several producers. The most prominent remix comes from German mastermind Siriusmo, who on top of having an awesome year managed to drop this little gem on our laps. The remix takes away every sound reminiscent of Chromeo, and except for the structure and the lyrics of the original, becomes an entire new song in Sirusmo's musical image. It turns out that it's not a bad thing, as the remix takes elements from his own "Gummiband" and becomes galactic, transcending dance floor contemplations by giving the song space in order to seduce us with German synthwork and kill us with rubbery, bouncy production that soon becomes a disguise for a computer/Crystal-Castle breakdown that returns us to the disco affections of Siriusmo. A scandalously versatile remix.
Honorable Mentions:
Friendly Fires – Jump in the Pool (Thin White Dukes Remix); Ali Love - Smoke And Mirrors(In Flagranti Remix); Lady Gaga - Bad Romance (Hercules & Love Affair Remix); Golden Bug- Last Dance In Tokyo (G.L.O.V.E.S. Remix); Annie - Anthonio (Fred Falke Remix); Friendly Fires - Skeleton Boy (Air France Remix); Roy Davis Jr. - I Have A Vision (Fred Falke Remix); SPA - Pets Dance (Bloody Beetroots Remix)
One of the outstanding tracks of the year, this is the way we always expect Holy Ghost! remixes, or dubs in this case, to develop. 8 minutes of deep drums, disco hand claps, bass strings with echoes and the contribution of Nancy Wang in vocals come together to form a progressive disco track like no other this year. Thanks to Holy Ghost!, the track has an are of haze and hauntingly glides in your ears. One of the smoothest remixes of the year by the prolific duo from DFA.
7. Phoenix - Lizstomania (Classixx Remix) (alt)
The beginnings for Classixx were as Young Americans, just another electro duo into making bangers, yet at some point they underwent a transformation, stemming from either as a result of an epiphany of the limits of hard electro or their own ability to transform into something else due to their own musical diligence. Reasons for the metamorphosis aside, everyone and their mother made remixes for Phoenix this year, and none hit home more than this calypso Balearic house mix, a soft song that plays to Phoenix's nature, yet also represented the vibe sounds we would hear for most of the summer.
8. Tommy Sparks - Miracle (Grum Remix) (alt)
Grum has been a known name across the blog world for some time now. His production style is familiar yet unequivocally his own. His sound transits somewhere between hard electro and Valerie-tinged nostalgia, so what's so surprising is how well he was able to combine his sensibilities for both and arrive at a french house-styled remix for Tommy Sparks' "Miracle". The song booms and soothes with the vocals, the synths and piano melodies, even the cowbell that paces the bridges and has the best build-ups of any remix with this year. Listen in at around 2:20, get ready to go crazy at 2:50 before you blow up 3:20. This is Grum following on the footsteps of Alan Braxe, Fred Falke and Lifelike, and hopefully he'll continue to do so as long as he releases dance floor hits like this one.
9. Ted & Francis - Erlend (Ted & Francis Remix) (alt)
To understand this remix, you must first listen to Ted & Francis' original. "Erlend" acts as a blueprint for the remix by it's own creators, providing a more emotional landscape for the song's lyrics about a lover's strife, which aim to swoon rather than accuse as in the original. It is a remix that embodies the song in a fuller sound, purring and crawling into the string section, followed by wipes progressing with the rhythm section. The slowed down tempo also fits the song in it's new look, a powerful conception from start to finish. In their short career, Ted & Francis have proven that they can make music for the light-hearted, but never has their sound been so concentrated, dark and dramatic as it is in this infectious remix.
10. Chromeo - Night By Night (Siriusmo Remix) (alt)
Chromeo is everybody's "favorite band", a band that is happy enough to make funky pop music that doesn't rock the boat, and their single "Night By Night" was received well enough that it merited support from several producers. The most prominent remix comes from German mastermind Siriusmo, who on top of having an awesome year managed to drop this little gem on our laps. The remix takes away every sound reminiscent of Chromeo, and except for the structure and the lyrics of the original, becomes an entire new song in Sirusmo's musical image. It turns out that it's not a bad thing, as the remix takes elements from his own "Gummiband" and becomes galactic, transcending dance floor contemplations by giving the song space in order to seduce us with German synthwork and kill us with rubbery, bouncy production that soon becomes a disguise for a computer/Crystal-Castle breakdown that returns us to the disco affections of Siriusmo. A scandalously versatile remix.
Honorable Mentions:
Friendly Fires – Jump in the Pool (Thin White Dukes Remix); Ali Love - Smoke And Mirrors(In Flagranti Remix); Lady Gaga - Bad Romance (Hercules & Love Affair Remix); Golden Bug- Last Dance In Tokyo (G.L.O.V.E.S. Remix); Annie - Anthonio (Fred Falke Remix); Friendly Fires - Skeleton Boy (Air France Remix); Roy Davis Jr. - I Have A Vision (Fred Falke Remix); SPA - Pets Dance (Bloody Beetroots Remix)
Friday, December 25, 2009
Friday, December 18, 2009
Full Preparation
I am now putting most of my focus on the lists for 2009. It's a lot of work for the possibility of having them taken down, but I still like to do it to give you guys an idea of summary, not that we don't have competition out there that might be improving on that thought.
To warm you guys up, here's one of the best things I've listened to recently. It's Blue Oyster Cult's "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" covered by Van She. Really nice take on it, Passion Pit-style without all the annoyingness. Soft rock is making a weird comeback. Also, for your listening pleasure, the Holy Ghost! disco take.
Van She - (Don't Fear) The Reaper (A B-Live Original) (alt)
BONUS:
Van She - (Don't Fear) The Reaper (Holy Ghost's! B-Live Mix) (alt)
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Early Momentum
New Uffie. It's got the Ohio Players "Rollercoaster of Love" as a sample, I think. Liking the outlook for the She-Uff in 2010.
Uffie - MC's Can Kiss (alt)
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Unfortunate Circumstances
I know we haven't been around lately as often as you would like. Definitely not as much as we would like. I've been working over forty hrs a week to save up money for the holidays and future plans. Getting sick, unfortunately, wasn't something I was planning on, and the destruction of my iPod put a hamper on my music listening time. It literally went up in smoke. Apparently, it's not the first time it's happened to old generation nanos. Screw you, Apple.
Enough about me though, let's talk about In Flagranti. I picked up three remixes that are pretty special. The first, a treat from Lilofee, wrapped up with some special Justice drum snares, and some of those 80's, early 90's pop sounds In Flagranti is becoming known for. Similar style for his next remix, this one for Lenka. Both songs sound like they belong on runways for the super model era, at least I get that vibe. The next one, the pick of the bunch, is for Ali Love's "Smoke and Mirrors". It's fantastic how he captures hip hop 80's dance floor vocoders and then Ali's voice does the rest with that haunting, MJ-esque pining voice.
I would embellish more on these songs but I'm spent.
Ali Love - Smoke & Mirrors (In Flagranti Remix) (alt)
Lenka - The Show (In Flagranti Remix) (alt)
Lilofee - Runaway (In Flagranti Remix) (alt)
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
You've Got Mail
Just got word through our mailbox that it had dropped. Without further ado, the follow up to "Who's There?", from us to you:
Riton and Primary 1 - Radiates (alt)
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Space Invaders
It's too bad they can't hear you scream in space, cuz your screaming would probably one of gleeful euphoria if you were listening to Cut Copy's remix of The Juan Maclean's "Happy House". The original is one of the better tracks TJM ever released, but this facelift is highly welcome.
The Juan Maclean - Happy House (Cut Copy's Space Is The Place Remix) (alt) via
Friday, November 20, 2009
Blow Them Away
What Kind Of Breeze Do You Blow? has been one of the better blog bands of the year, surprising us with a sound that can more or less characterize the year: transition from the hard stuff to softer tunes, but still wanting to keep what felt so good about the recent dance scene. Fortunately for us, WKOBDY? is not just blog music, they will probably start making a bigger splash soon with the release of their EP on Brilliantine by mid-December. To start the ball rolling, they left us with a track with dramatic razor synths, and whining pitches reminiscent of Symbolone. Enjoi:
What Kind Of Breeze Do You Blow? Unanswerable (alt)
BONUS:
The XX - Night Time (What Kind Of Breeze Do You Blow Extended Edit) (alt)
Monday, November 16, 2009
Continuity
It's not a bad thing to post this track after my previous post. This way we can attest together the coolness that is a sound transitioning from one decade to another. It is a Lady Gaga track, but so what, production from H&LA tips the balance here.
Lady Gaga - Bad Romance (Hercules & Love Affair Remix) (alt)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
