A little learning is a dangerous thing,
Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian Spring;
There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain,
And drinking largely sobers us again.
Showing posts with label New Artist Alert. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New Artist Alert. Show all posts
Donald Glover (who goes by Childish Gambino musically) was an RA in my dorm way back in freshman year. He did Hammerkatz improv in college, then help create Derrick Comedy. As he graduated from school, he wrote for 30 rock (you'll notice a lot of similarities between Tracy Morgan's character and some of Donald's mannerisms in his own skits). Derrick comedy put out a feature film called Mystery Team. Now he stars in Community and puts out music. His latest album is Culdesac. You can check out his first two mixtapes (I Am Just a Rapper 1 & 2) on his website childishgambino.com
Everyone's been giving me flak for not living up to the "New" in this segment's title so I've been plumbing the depths of my iPod for the unknown. And in the spirit of obscurity, I present you with MMMatthias, an unsigned German producer who specializes in glitchy remixes. Using repetitive, split-second samples, MMMatthias creates choppy, though strangely melodic mixes that ultimately bear little resemblance to their original versions. He practically eviscerates Royksopp's "Vision One," beginning his version as a quaint little dance number that dies halfway through. Left in its wake are subdued echoes, which quickly build in intensity until bursting like machine-gun fire. From that point on, the song is unrelenting.
MMMatthias isn't confined to hardcore-esq remixes though. His versatility is obvious when comparing his aggressive take on "Vision One" to his much softer approach to Sigur Ros' "Saeglopur." Although finding inspiration where not many tend to search is impressive (Who remixes Sigur Ros? [Before you smart asses get on my case, apparently all these people have, but really, who the fuck has even heard of half those guys?]), MMMatthias does lose the enormous power, drama, and intricacy of the original. Despite not working with a full orchestra, as Sigur Ros practically did in the original, MMMatthias still cultivates a quiet sort of emotion that's usually more associated with those strange electronica artists who work on actual listening music rather than the electro producers who churn out dance floor bangers.
Ultimately, MMMatthias doesn't remix a song simply by adding more bass and a few neat effects; he literally takes it apart and puts the odd pieces back together in a way that's reminiscent enough of the old version for your to see where it came from, but original enough to appreciate how far he's taken it.
Death to the Throne is a Phoenix-based electro producer who's taken to making brutal remixes of originally toothless pop and hip hop songs. The mixes are somewhat formulaic, but nonetheless enjoyable. The melodies tend to be broad tones with the bass and distortion cranked all the way up and are laid upon equally simple kick-snare drumbeats. Samples from the original songs are chopped up and sprinkled upon this base. Luckily, Death to the Throne manages to avoid the pitfall of dissonance that makes some glitchy electro unlistenable (see the bad half of either Boys Noize's album, Oi Oi Oi, or Teenage Bad Girls' Cocotte.) Instead, he crafts intense remixes that make you wonder whether you should be dancing or throwing down.
Considering the above comment, I realized that judging music is a lot like judging prospective relationships. Stay with me here: basically, all musicians fall somewhere on the exact same continuum as relationships. On one side of this spectrum you have the people you would never, ever even hook-up with. No matter how many drinks you have, it just isn't going to happen. Musically, this zone is dedicated to Lady Gaga, Akon and country music. The opposite end of this is marriage material. These are the people you're picking out curtains with and giving up blow for.
According to this rubric, Phoenix, a four-piece alternative rock band, falls into the "fling" category. (No homo.) Although there's definitely space for unflattering comparisons to other soft rock bands, like Maroon 5, Phoenix would be more appropriate alongside Chromeo because they're both so fucking smooth. Whereas Chromeo sweeps women off their feet while laying down the funk like later-day Stevie Wonders, Phoenix are a couple of white kids sitting in their suburban basement listening to soul records on repeat.
They're soon releasing their fifth album (really "New Artist," I know), and if listening through all their music featured on their MySpace is any indication, they had quite a few misses leading up to it. A few of the songs are forgettable, if not straightup bad. The songs where they really shine feature soft guitar melodies, funky bass lines, simple, danceable drum beats and swooning vocals. Sparse synthesizer and violin tones are small details that really polish off these songs. And though their smoothness might be chalked up to the fact that they're French, it's hard to believe because they don't sound French. The vocals lack even a hint of that accent that sounds like someone trying to speak while choking on a frog.
Overall, Phoenix has a few really great tracks, but it isn't a band to dedicate yourself to. It's a fling. So have fun with it while it lasts, 'cause that might not be long.
It must've been over a year ago, but one time I was smoking cigarettes with Vic during a party in Jersey and he called it:
"Soon all you're going to need to start an electro band is a relatively attractive chick and a guy who can play synth."
Or something like that.
Well, he was right; not just about the future of electronic music, but even his melancholy regarding it. Here are two bands that prove his point; Cute chicks singing, with invisible guys providing the beats. The tunes aren't really innovative or substantial, but they make for fun, interesting dance music. The songs also double as great remix ammo.
La Roux
I think Vic's comment stemmed from a conversation about Crystal Castles, so its only appropriate that La Roux reminded me of CC, sans the meth. Ben Langmaid creates a similar rough, lo-fi sound, but its much more restrained, more melodic. Also, unlike Alice of CC, Elly Jackson can actually sing. The Twelves took to La Roux's "In for the Kill," but came up a little short of their usual handiwork.
Ladyhawke Alright, maybe I spoke too soon: Turns out Ladyhawke is actually just one chick, who sings and produces the music. Sorry Vic, guess your theory's got a hole in it--unless the guy behind this is really invisible. Anyway, Ladyhawke is a blond from New Zealand churning out electro-pop. It's actually a bit more layered and intricate than La Roux's brand. And if Alex Metric's and Fred Falke's attempts are any indication, its much more conducive to great remixes.
The group unfortunately disbanded in late 2004 leaving us eager for something equally fun and melodious. Luckily, Clues was formed in 2007 to excite our aural sensations.
The band is made up of Alden Penner (former vocalist of The Unicorns), Brendan Reed (The Arcade Fire), Ben Borden, Lisa Gamble, and Nick Scribner, thereby creating a sound much akin to The Unicorns and Arcade Fire. Every song is engaging in its own manner for each has a similar melodic theme but evolves completely differently. Some of their stuff is geared towards the sappy-lyric obsessed emo kids (like me), while others are a bit more upbeat and danceable to (hey, I enjoy this too, don't call me an emo kid!). They will be in New York on June 17th, for which my friend Mike will be traveling to all the way from Rhode Island! (Nudge, I think all of you New Yorkers should make the subway trip). The show is $12 and available for purchase at: TicketWeb.
Although their debut album, To Lose My Life, has topped the charts and everyone from BBC Radio 1 to NME have been singing their praises, the hype surrounding White Lies seems a bit undeserved. They're a trio from London who make mediocre alternative rock. They occasionally sound like lesser versions of celebrated bands: unexperimental Joy Division; Franz Ferdinand minus the dance; Muse without the impetus. Their songs feature energetic, though sometimes inappropriate, repetitive drumming. The lead vocalist can sound hollow, and his guitar work is nothing special. The bassist is alright, though his sound never really varies. Many of their songs also feature synths, though they do little more than add a harmonic backdrop and thus feel tacked on. They're are pretty good when they finally kick out the stops, which is usually during the last minute of a song after a melodic build up. Then the vocalist's voice really shimmers, the guitar and bass fall inline with the drums, and the synths--well, they sort of disappear, but that's probably for the best. The only problem is that it often takes White Lies so long to get to that sweet spot that most of the song has already passed in a forgetable haze.
Although White Lies' music might be negligible on its own terms, there are a few DJs who have done some interesting stuff with it. Yuksek, who you may remember from last Saturday, transformed "Farewell to the Fairground" into a great electro banger. Filthy Dukes also managed to inject some life into "To Lose My Life," which they molded into a poppy dance tune. Generally speaking, the remixes are much more memorable than White Lies' orginal material.
[Disclaimer: This band is actually really fucking old; thus, it would probably have been more prudent to title this post "Really Old Artist Alert."]
I was driving home from Yacki's house tonight when the song "Six Months in a Leaky Boat" by Split Enz came on the radio. Listening to it, I couldn't help but notice its similarity to Cut Copy's "Feel the Love." I got home, did a little research, and all the pieces began to fall in place. Try to follow me here: Split Enz are from New Zealand, which is very close to Cut Copy's homeland (i.e. Australia). This means Cut Copy probably knew Split Enz's music when they began producing their own. Also, whereas Cut Copy have that whole '80s vibe, Split Enz are actually from the motherfucking '80s. Do you see where I'm going with this? Cut Copy jacked Split Enz! It was a devious plan, Cut Copy. I'm sure you thought no one would catch on because, well, who really gives a fuck about New Zealand? But now you've been ousted. In the end, I suppose it doesn't actually matter because Split Enz still comes out on top. Try as they might to "copy" (haha, get it?) Split Enz's sound, Cut Copy still haven't managed to produce a mildly racists music video that serves as a metaphoric excuse for homosexual experimentation in the prolonged absence of the opposite sex.
Disclaimer: If you're Aileen Olmedo, then do not continue reading.
I don't mean to ruin the ending of Anna Karenina, but I remember sitting in my Tolstoy versus Dostoevsky class and practically 90% of the class already knowing it. I felt stupid, so I sat there quietly and pretended to know it.
Basically, I came across this song on hypem.com, and not only was the vocalist's voice interesting, but the lyrics were fucking amazing:
And when they pulled you from the tracks / Your body splayed and split / Your chest flushed bright as it was in life / When they pulled you from the tracks, mindful of your separate halves / Your face relaxed lying flat upon your back / Body brushed beneath such crushing weight / Stolen in your awkward stage that you never would escape / The same state that decorates your chest and face with a scarlet mark of shame when you'd stutter out of place / And when they pulled you from the tracks your eyes gone milky white, strangely alive.
These lines remind me so much of when I started Part Seven of Anna Karenina. I remember reading these lines and crying so hard: A little muzhik, muttering to himself, was working over some iron. And the candle by the light of which she had been reading that book filled with anxieties, deceptions, grief and evil, flared up brighter than ever, lit up her all that had once been in darkness, sputtered, grew dim, and went out forever.
Amidst destroying dance floors across the world, releasing a documentary about their American tour and designing their own clothing line, the two Frenchmen who combine to form the electro juggernaut, Justice, have somehow found time to collaborate with other artists. Here are three acts that Gaspard Auge (the Mustache) and Xavier de Rosnay (the China) have recently worked with:
I. Poney Poney Poney Poney are a French garage rock trio who teamed up with the China on "Cross the Fader." Although Xavier's influence is ostensibly limited to the tight drums, crisp guitars and liberally applied sound bites, it's interesting to see his take on a new genre. The end product isn't half bad either.
II. Birdy Nam Nam Just ignore the ridiculous name because beneath it are four prize-winning French turntablists, who over the course of their careers have churned out a variety of different music and have recently set their sights on electro. Birdy Nam Nam handed Justice a song that was recorded mostly live, which they didn't intend on adding to their latest album, Manual for Successful Rioting. Justice worked their magic and handed them back something akin to "Waters of Nazareth" and "Planisphere." The Justice influence is obvious: a heavy kick and dramatic synthesizer build-up that gives way to a distorted bass line and glitch-y melody. But it's Birdy Nam Nam's samples and turntable work that make this song more brutal than anything Justice would have produce alone.
III. Midfield General Midfield General is a producer from the U.K. who moved to Paris and befriended Ed Banger Records, Justice's label. He served as an executive producer on Justice's single "D.A.N.C.E." and, seemingly to repay the favor, the China worked alongside the General on the first single off of his new album, General Disarray. The bass line has a similar ring to "We Are Your Friends" (it's also strangely similar to Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust"--I smell a mash-up!). It also features Vila from the Bumblebeez rapping pretty damn well for a little white girl. I feel like this song would be on dance floors everywhere if only people knew about it.
Empire of the Sun are an Australian electro-pop duo. They follow closely in the vein of MGMT, from their melodic tunes and girlish vocals right down to their elaborate costumes. Even their videos seem absurd in a way that's vaguely reminiscent MGMT's "Time to Pretend." Only difference is Empire of the Sun seem to overly indulge in "exotic" cultures to the point that it seems borderline racist. You're white, guys. Get over it.
DiscoTech are a trio of DJs and producers from the U.S. They create a melodic, synthesizer-heavy brand of electro that's reminiscent of Kill the Noise or LAZRtag. Although they've remixed a number of their contemporaries (MIA, Stardust and TI to name a few), DiscoTech seem to fare better with bringing oldies up to speed. Olek might consider DiscoTech's remixes of Michael Jackson and the Police to be "sacrilegious," but I'm sure he'll enjoy their take on Bill O'Reilly. Gotta love DJs with a sense of humor. Michael Jackson - Thriller (DiscoTech remix) The Police - Roxanne (DiscoTech remix) Bill O'Reilly - DO IT LIVE! (DiscoTech remix)
The blogosphere is abuzz with praise for Fleet Foxes, a Seattle-based quintet that sounds like a barbershop quartet and a choir joined forces to start a folk band. But fear not readers! Arv has not fallen behind the curve and, as far as I understand, I am still "with it" and ready to bring "it" to "you."
I first heard Fleet Foxes when a commercial for La Blogotheque featuring their song "White Winter Hymnal" aired on Current. La Blogotheque is a new show on Current which centers on what they call "Take Away Shows"--largely improvised, one-take recordings of bands performing in public spaces. They're really quite something. Yacki, who failed to initially enjoy Fleet Foxes, did so after watching a video of them performing in an empty gymnasium.
Listening through the rest of Fleet Foxes' offerings, I came up a little short of my expectations. "White Winter Hymnal" is probably their best song and listening to it first pales everything in comparison. It brings together their unique vocal style with beautifully poetic lyrics and music that is simultaneously powerful and subtle. "He Doesn't Know Why" has the same strengths, but lacks the impact. Both have strangely wonderful accompanying music videos.
