Alaska In Winter

By Stef Siepel

The Weekly Froth! A weekly take on six tracks, most of which have recently popped up somewhere in the blogosphere. Bit of a mixed bag with a slight leaning towards house, disco, and remixes, but generally just anything that for some reason tickled the writer’s fancy.

Track of the week: ‘The Coldest Day in the World’ by Alaska in Winter

I loved the album Holiday by Alaska in Winter, really enjoyed that one. This continues in kind of a similar vein. It’s music heavily based on projecting a certain vibe and feel. It kind of has this alienated feel to it whilst still being able to get across an emotional state, and I always love music that does that. Perhaps it is kind of a city thing, I don’t know, I always associate this kind of stuff with walking around at midnight in a city with all the lights on and the streets slightly more empty. It starts with piano and someone singing “It’s the coldest day in the world” from faaaar faaar away it seems. Slowly it comes a bit more to the fore as some drums kick in as well, and it just builds up and builds up to get across that distanced emotion. I feel that the Holiday album was a bit more electronic, while this song seems to hinge a bit less on beats and more on instruments (which might as well come from a box for all I know, but still). Really good song, and love that he kicks up the pace about halfway through for a moment.

‘Shake’ by Lou Teti (JKriv remix)

I have been loving JKriv’s recent output. His songs are very disco, but also very patient. You got to love the bass in this one, and also those typical disco sounds that come in weaving through. Throughout the song he keeps on making these small adjustments that keep the song fresh yet they are still very much in line with the overall aesthetic of it. That change-up just after the two minute mark is especially lovely. Now, okay, the sound is lovely disco, the bass is great to keep dancing to, and the additional sounds are ace and perfectly in tune with what he wants to do. But for example that song he did last year called ‘Another Night’ with Adeline Michele, that’s got a bit more disco because it doesn’t only sound like disco, but it also has these lyrics and vocals that were totally appropriate. This song misses that, with someone just saying “everybody shake” throughout the song. Despite that, it still is a lovely disco song with a nice bass to move your hips to.

‘Avalon’ by Roxy Music (Lindstrom & Prins Thomas remix)

When it rains, it pours, so again a remix of a Roxy Music song! But when that is done by Lindstrom and Prins Thomas, you at least have to give it a listen to see what it is all about. They are, after all, the space disco kings from Scandinavia. It starts with a bit of horns, but slowly one can hear the sounds coming through that they are going to expect us to be dancing to. Or well, actually, it starts out kind of slow paced, so don’t expect a track that is going to set the dancefloor on fire. But slowly they build up the pace and they create some more layers, and by the time the song hits the 1:40 mark you might find yourself swaying a tad. Naturally, the original is kind of slow, and this is not really aimed at the dancefloor but more about exhuming a certain vibe and hypnotic aesthetic. Perhaps this is a good time to note that this track sounds more like Lindstrom & Prins Thomas than that it sounds like Roxy Music. Only at 4:20 I’m thinking, yeah, this kind of sounds like something that might come from that song, and it’s not until 4:45 that we have the first Bryan Ferry sighting. Which is kind of late, and to be honest I’m not sure that this warranted using Roxy Music.

‘Brooklyn Sunburn’ by Teen Daze

It kind of evokes this idea of a night that turns into morning for me, with from about 3:30 those lighter sounds kind of indicating the sun coming through and the new morning just beginning. In the summer, that is, when people stay out late to watch the sun come up with friends, not in the cold snow that I’m looking out at from my window. It has this kind of grainy sound to it, but it also has a nice beat going on underneath and the main sound that is repeated so often I kind of like. Due to the repetitiveness it really gets a flow going, and they at points change it up, like just before the two minute mark and again for the lighter “sunny” sounds at about 4:20 or so. I like how it keeps going and how it kind of blends in and so vividly manages to exhume a certain picture, a certain state in my mind. That’s lovely. I’m not sure if I’ll have this in constant rotation though, as it seems to me to lack a quality that would make me want to grab it and put it on.

‘Exercise #3 (Building)’ by CFCF

Oh many a times have I praised this young kid from Canada, CFCF. This is not one of his more danceable things, but rather one of the ones where aesthetics trump all. It is slow paced, but it has got this kind of beauty and serenity to it that I really like. It basically starts all piano, and slowly other sounds come in to expand the sound. At 1:10 those sounds are simply magical. I haven’t heard something like this that embodies such serenity in a long time whilst still being captivating. Again well done, and again just putting out something that is just very nice to listen to as opposed to putting something out that is fashionable and what other people are doing.

‘Disco Durello’ by Fare Soldi

Wow, the guys from Fare Soldi really barge in there, no holds barred. I love that guitar they come up with at the twenty seconds mark though, that’s wicked. They really get the funk going in this one. When the song started I thought, Oh no, again those people who think they have to come out guns a blazin and just assault the ears. But as soon as they get that funky rhythm going, and especially since it’s duration is only 3:20, that’s great. So yeah, sometimes songs can redeem themselves from a false start, although honestly I do think it is kind of too much and too in your face, especially at the start and at the end. Funk makes up a great deal though, it always does.

Jan Ken Po - Unlimited Man

By Stef Siepel

The Weekly Froth! A weekly take on six tracks, most of which have recently popped up somewhere in the blogosphere. Bit of a mixed bag with a slight leaning towards house, disco, and remixes, but generally just anything that for some reason tickled the writer’s fancy.

‘Colour Wheel’ by Jan Ken Po (Max Essa)

No he didn’t! Max Essa just released an album as Jan Ken Po, putting the bass lines at the center of attention and providing an album that keeps on rolling and rolling on. This is the album closer, and it is simply spectacular. It has a major bass line – like all the other songs on the album – that really keeps the song going, and this is mixed with sounds I connote to genre films. Some clever use of guitar and piano to give it a good vibe and to add some variety to the song (which you also get via that strip away of the bass at around 2:30, after which you get a build-up with the natural conclusion of the return of the bassline at around 3:30). In the mean time, all those extra sounds never conflict with the main sound, and thats ace. Such continuity, such flow: first surprise album of the year in what will hopefully be an ace 2012.

‘Work It’ by Eli Escobar

“Move that body / work it”, that’s the way this song starts. So you know you are immediately in ’80s house with that kind of terminology. So don’t be shy on the dancefloor when this one is blasting through the stereo. And luckily, the song itself helps a bit, because you can say “work it”, if the song itself is no good, then no one will be working nothing. But it is very dancefloor friendly, its got a good pace to it, and despite the female vocals telling you what to do, you happily comply because the main thing is the beat and the beat has got it going on. Also love it when that new voice comes in at around the four minute mark. And if you’re in need of some moves to steal, check the clip of this song, because that’s got all kinds of people strutting their stuff, from Morrissey to Grace Jones to Charlie Chaplin to Eddie Murphy.

‘Do You Not Feel Loved’ by New Build

Nice angelic start to this, very atmospheric, though it kind of worries me now that this song is about nine minutes long. But sure enough, that atmospheric thingy is cast aside fairly quickly, and suddenly we are right into the electronic heart of music with fidgety electro sounds. Thankfully, at the minute mark they get some assistance from a main beat that the band nicely builds upon. I like the voices, so distant and disconnected, which are contrasted supernice with the more friendly sounds that come up every once and again and which connect the start with the rest of the song. That is what I perhaps like most about this track, how everything is build up, how they connect and contrast all the different sounds, and via these things craft a rather complex web that nonetheless is very listenable. I just love the disconnected vocals contrasted with both warm sounds and with dancey beats. You can both dance to it and dream away on it, and to somehow marry those two things I think is an accomplishment worth praising. And suddenly it doesn’t matter anymore that it is nine minutes long.

‘Gravel Pit’ by Matt Miller & Kilter (Flume remix)

All these people are all so very new to me, but that is fun, seeing new names and seeing what they are all about. It starts with this rave-y build-up, and then it goes into this kind of dubsteppy mode and it veers from left to right to center and off again. What I like is that its got attitude, that its got spunk. Like it ain’t scared of nuttin’, ya know. With that said, I like my songs continuous and rolling and flowing, and this does almost everything to disrupt any of that. And though I like a bit of deconstruction in literature, in music (especially if I have to dance to it), I like not to be surprised by sounds every three seconds.  Extra points for coming out like they’re going to take over the whole party though.

‘Hallways’ by Islands

I thought that last song they came up with, that was kind of not very inspiring I thought. But this already starts out totally different, with some upbeat and up tempo sounds. I like how the vocals kind of have fun playing with those sounds and seemingly adapting its mood a bit. Those sing-a-longs are very throwback, really takes one back a few decades ago. I believe actually the last song kind of gave out that same connotation for me as far as that throwback feeling goes, so maybe they’re going for that on this album. I like this song though, quick and nice pop song with elements that are nicely mixed together.

‘Black Tin Box’ by Miike Snow feat. Lykke Li

Miike Snow goes for slow and moody and Lykke Li, but in my opinion it just doesn’t really work. They have to adjust those vocals in such a way it just feels terribly strained and unnatural, without any feel for what kind of vocals would enhance the atmosphere they’re going after. And if they did take that into account, it doesn’t really work. The song itself, for me, is not that interesting. As said, it is low paced and goes for some sort of mysterious, moody atmosphere a la a Fever Ray, but it just doesn’t get there in my opinion. And I’m not sure Lykke Li helps that much to be honest, I think she doesn’t really add anything to this song. If you bring in someone of that stature, you might as well give her a distinctive role that helps bring the song across better. I’m afraid I can’t give this one a thumbs up.

John Talabot - Fin

By Stef Siepel

The Weekly Froth! A weekly take on six tracks, most of which have recently popped up somewhere in the blogosphere. Bit of a mixed bag with a slight leaning towards house, disco, and remixes, but generally just anything that for some reason tickled the writer’s fancy.

Track of the Week: ‘So Will Be Now…’ by John Talabot feat. Pional

Love the start with those vocals, and love how quickly he adds to it with the fingersnapping and a beat. Really gets it all going (and gets me going at that). This track is off of John Talabot’s new album, and he gets a bit of help here from Pional. Really like those echoey sounds that are thrown in there, and the kind of deeper beat that comes in after a minute or so. It all fits so well together, and it just keeps on rolling. After two+ minutes he dials it down for a moment, with the fingersnapping being one of the few sounds audible next to the vocals. That’s ace. After three minutes it delves in a bit deeper, and quickly the beat returns again. Nearing the end it gets some different sounds going eliciting different moods. Seriously, if this wasn’t on my to-watch-list before, it sure is now. Just an amazing track that keeps on giving and giving. All the sounds work really well together, and I love that voice and how it meshes so well with the rest of the song. February 2012, watch out for this album.

So will be now… (feat. Pional) by John Talabot

‘Sail Away’ by The Rapture (Cut Copy remix)

This one already starts out way more poppy than the original, but I guess you can leave that to Cut Copy. They can bring out the catchy and that easy-on-the-ear quality in just about anything, even in The Rapture. The latter band came out with an album last year, and this is from that LP. Cut Copy adds some catchy percussion to the song, which propels it forward and which gives it this kind of summery vibe that I really like. I actually kind of dig the vocals of Luke Jenner on this track, they’ve got this melancholic quality to them which I really fancy. And Cut Copy use those vocals really well whilst never forgetting to keep this song moving forward with percussion, synth, and what not (for a song is like a shark, ya know…). And then there is that strip down, vocals only, after which naturally a beat comes right in again to get the floor a dancin’. I sometimes think I take what Cut Copy does a bit for granted, but really it is quite remarkable how they always manage to do this. If anything, eight minutes is slightly pushing it perhaps.

THE RAPTURE SAIL AWAY CUT COPY REMIX by DFA Records

‘Love is the Drug’ by Roxy Music (Todd Terje dub)

I love it when DJs or producers take on the sounds of old. This one starts off with a generic bass, but soon enough those recognizable sounds of ‘Love is the Drug’ come in, one of Roxy Music’s hits. Todd Terje has made a dub out of it, doubling some lines with piano, adding some effects, but especially boosting the bass and percussion to make it a bit more dancefloor friendly. Terje has a bit of fun with the vocals as well, making it a fragmented collage of sentences Ferry utters during the original. It’s close enough to be recognizable as the song, and it still has that kind of artsy coolness to it the original had, but it is more dancefloor friendly and it has all those DJ tricks in it to make it a clear re-work. I think it’s got a bit of sexiness, a bit of spunk to it. I’m not going to claim it is the greatest work of art since the Mona Lisa, but these re-works of old hits are all about the fun for me anyway, and this one definitely provides that. Also big shout out to that part at 4:50, when you expect that Whoo-ohh-hoo-ooh of Ferry, but instead Terje uses it to have an instrumental interlude to build up to a more dancey last part.

ROXY MUSIC – Love Is The Drug (Todd Terje Disco Dub) by BryanFerry

‘Alpha People’ by Solar Bears feat. Keep Shelly in Athens

I don’t know much about Solar Bears except that they’ve got a new album coming, but I do know I’ve been touting Keep Shelly in Athens a bit this past year. I love that dreamy quality of their songs, and this song uses those escapist vocals very nicely indeed. I like the synth build-up, after which Keep Shelly in Athens comes over the top. It reminds me a bit of some of Blonde Redhead’s stuff, only sans the guitars they have. After a minute it veers into a slightly different direction though, with more lighter sounds taking the fore. I think the postlude is funny, I’m not sure that it adds to the song. I think it is nice, I do think that in an album setting it might resonate a bit more than as a stand alone for out of context it doesn’t quite pack a punch.

Alpha People by Solar Bears

‘Watertight’ by We Have Band

I instantly love the start of this. Not necessarily those weird sounds, but that other sound is nice, understated and catchy. After that they go ramshackle guitar for just a moment, after which Darren’s vocals come in along with those original sounds. I like that they do this three step thingy, with Darren’s vocals and that main sound, then add some extra oomph with percussion/guitars, and then they go ramshackle a bit with even more noise. Though I like such a build-up, I do think they go overboard a bit with those real noisy parts. Everytime they dial it down though I instantly remember why I fell for this band’s debut. I guess what I’m trying to say is that this song is 2/3rds ace, and 1/3rd overshooting its target for me.

Watertight by We Have Band

‘Brothers’ by Tanlines

Tanlines is getting some major press at the moment, so lots of people apparently looking forward to their upcoming album. I like how this song starts, and I do love my handclaps. The main sound of it I find slightly muddled though, and it kind of misses the nuances and clarity I like. Moreover, it is quite a bit of the same for quite a long time. Those two things put together gives it kind of this generic feel that might work well on the radio, but it does little for me when listening to this through my headphones. It just has that bit of big market feel to it for me that I don’t particularly fancy. Plus, I just don’t think it is very exciting to be honest.

Tanlines – “Brothers” by Some Kind of Awesome

Casiokids - Aabenbaringen Over Aaskammen

First of all, go see Casiokids live. They are the epitome of fun. It is a quirky bunch, and they are having fun being that, and they really exhume that feeling of “funness” to the audience. Not to mention that they have already released some catchy, lovely songs like ‘Finn Bikkjen’, ‘En Vill Hest’, and ‘Fot I Hose’ (they are one of those Scandinavian bands, by the way – where tuneful, easy-on-the-ear songs are grown in back gardens or plucked from trees or available from order at an online grocery shop). Plus, live they are always more fun and the songs always have a bit more punch than their recorded output, especially if one consumes it as an album. So you already kind of know where I’m going with my view on Casiokids’ latest release called Aabenbaringen Over Aaskammen.

This does not mean that there aren’t good songs on there or that it isn’t nice to listen to. It is, some of the songs are very good, but my major gripe is that despite the clear prelude and the clear postlude, the real notion of an album seems to be missing. It does not feel coherent, and it does not entice at the very least me to have to listen to this from start to finish. The song ‘Dresinen’ is a good example I think, where instead of the beat/electronic sounds this song’s intro basically is ramshackle guitar pop, which had me checking whether my media player skipped to another album. The song after focuses on a kind of African drum beat, which they’ve done before in songs so it is not that surprising, but in the context of the album it is kind of an odd one out, especially being put behind ‘Dresinen’ in the batting order. Perhaps the postlude is also being put on a little too soon, as both ‘Aldri Ska Me Ha Det Groy’ and ‘Golden Years’ could have been the closer.

Luckily there is plenty to enjoy on the album, basically starting from one minute in on the song ‘Selskapets Triste Avslutning’ until the end of ‘London Zoo’. What this band does so frightfully well is that they can make something catchy, with a rhythm to dance to, but they also know how to manage to keep it light and dreamy. The latter also due to the vocals, which are very characteristic of the band. But also by putting in the right percussion sounds, the right synth sounds to go along with the main beat, it makes for this balance that first of all lets you dance a bit with the people around you, but second of all which lets you escape in your own little dream world a bit. Especially fabulous is the song ‘Elefantenes Hemmelige Gravplass’, which is one of the more dreamier songs on there. I like the build-up, the light sounds and percussion, and when he sings the title the percussion picks it up a notch to emphasis that moment and contrast it a bit with the rest of the song. In the mean time, the more I hear the song ‘London Zoo’, the more I’m liking it.

So there is plenty of enjoyable stuff on there, and they have carved out their own sound which floats somewhere between the danceable and the escapist. The only question that remains is whether it is a good album, and there it just lacks a bit. Also because you cannot help but feel that some of the songs come across as unnecessarily tepid, whereas live that is a question that has never really arisen in my mind. So if you are on a tight budget, get to one of those gigs and see them perform it live in probably such a way that will have you smiling from beginning to end. And if you have got some money left because you have cut on your drinking, you can always pick up the album there, if only for that ace middle part.

Whomadewho - Inside World

By Stef Siepel

The weekly froth! A weekly take on six tracks, most of which have recently popped up somewhere in the blogosphere. Bit of a mixed bag with a slight leaning towards house, disco, and remixes, but generally just anything that for some reason tickled the writer’s fancy. After this will be a slight Holiday break, but don’t worry, come January we’ll be back with this one in a hurry. Happy holidays everybody and have a little fun, do a little dance, and get down tonight.

Track of the week: ‘Inside World’ by WhoMadeWho

WhoMadeWho are going to follow up Knee Deep with a new album next year, and if this is any indication it is going to be awesome. First the rougher sounds, the volume up, and then born out of that this great rhythm comes along with those fabulous vocals. I really love their vocals, I’ve always believed that one of the band’s strengths, and they do have an ear for finding that catchy rhythm and going with it. It is a short one at 3:37, and it fluently rolls right on through to the end. I think this is an amazing track by the lads, who are positively genius in a live setting. Recorded, I find them to be hit and miss a bit, but when they hit, they hit it out of the park, and this to me is a good example of that. So can’t wait for that new album, if only because that means they’ll be doing the rounds again and you can’t miss that opportunity.

WhoMadeWho – Inside World (from coming album “Brighter” out Feb 27 2012) by whomadewho

‘Headcage’ by Matthew Dear

Let me just say, first up, that Matthew Dear’s Black City was one of my favourite albums last year. Such a good album, so much atmosphere, brilliant. So then it is good to hear that he’s already working on the follow-up to that album and that he already has a new song out. I think that this track is not as slick as some of his work on Black City, it is a bit more crowded and muddled at times. I like the rhythm in the vocals though. Dear isn’t really a natural singer, but he finds a way to narrate his story and using the vocals as part of the instrumental layering as well. I like the middle part better, when Dear is singing it seems as if the waters calm down a bit, and I think that’s a good thing. I’m not completely sold yet, though I suspect that a lot of what he does now gets a bump when listened to in the context of an album or EP. This as opposed to some of his earlier, catchier work like ‘Don and Sherri’ and others from Asa Breed, which work equally well as part of the album and as a loose track.

‘Devil’s Work’ by Miike Snow

You know, I actually liked quite some songs of Miike Snow’s debut, so here’s hoping. However, as soon as this one starts, it has me thinking, Hmmm, not quite what I was hoping for. It is slow paced, it places emphasis on the vocals which I don’t think are the strongest thing about the band, and at the moments it has the opportunity to get something going they pull back instead. So what is left is some sort of ballad with strange instrumentals that just shoot all over the place (at one point even horns come in when there is nothing about this track that would make me think that horns would be a good addition) and it contains vocals that can’t quite carry this kind of weight in my personal opinion. Maybe that’s me listening to too many disco divas, and this voice is quite the opposite of that (or of Nite Jewel for that matter). Despite the music being slower paced, it does seem to be battling with the vocals one way or another. Not at all what I was hoping for when I heard these lads had returned, but hopefully I’m in a minority on this one.

Devil’s Work by miikesnow

‘One Second of Love’ by Nite Jewel

I don’t want to come into the habit of quoting people’s comments on the SoundCloud stream, but I was immediately captured by that intro, and when I saw one FelipeOwen in the comments say “saucy intro”, I thought, Yeah, it is actually. After that, you know, I like her vocals, they have this warmth in them that not everyone has. The trouble for me is that it doesn’t seem to mesh with the instruments. As if the instrumentals are asking for someone with a less lingering and a less slow manner of singing. So it seems as if those vocals are holding the music back when the music actually wants to speed it up a bit, like being trapped in a little cage. So even though I like some of the individual elements, I’m not sure I really like the track as a whole. Though these vocals, especially when they get some room, make things easier to forgive and forget.

One Second Of Love by Nite Jewel

‘Keep on Dancing’ by Stars on 33

Stars on 33 is a project by Kris Menace, Lawrence Thompson, and Radical Peterson. The way it starts, I love those fresh key sounds. That is so easy on the ear. Obviously that gets some additional help slowly but surely, but for a long while it indeed stays the focus of the song and I like that. That strip down just after the two minute mark is awesome. Absolutely love that. And after that they carefully build it up again by bringing all the other sounds back in. All the while it stays really easy on the ear and it just sounds so crisp. If I do have to mention something I don’t particularly like it is that outro, which goes on for waaay to long for a track of this length. Overall though, a very agreeable listen with some lovely moments and sounds in there.

Stars On 33 – Keep On Dancing by eskimorecordings

‘Sun God’ by Cut Copy (Andrew Weatherall remix)

‘Sun God’ was the behemoth closer on Cut Copy’s Zonoscope album that they released this year, and it gets a big trim from Andrew Weatherall, reducing it to eight minutes. It starts with these whispery vocals, which are quite fun, and in the background you already here the light synth sound that makes Cut Copy so fun to listen to. Weatherall seems to give it a sort of tropicana vibe, which is kind of fun though the strength of the original probably lied in that it was something more dancefloor oriented than what the lads normally produce. With dancefloor I mean for in a club, as opposed to dancing during a live gig, which you arguably can do to all of Cut Copy’s songs. I hate the fact that I can’t come up with where that guitar sample comes from, because I don’t think it is the original. It is an ’80s tune I think – it sounds as if it comes straight out of a Toto song. I think it is nice, it is a novelty, it is completely different than the original, however I don’t see me listening to this a whole lot. But it is nice and smooth and if you like a bit of that tropical vibe this might do the trick for you.

Cut Copy – Sun God (Andrew Weatherall Remix) by modularpeople

We Have Band - Where Are Your People?

By Stef Siepel

The weekly froth! A weekly take on six tracks, most of which have recently popped up somewhere in the blogosphere. Bit of a mixed bag with a slight leaning towards house, disco, and remixes, but generally just anything that for some reason tickled the writer’s fancy.

Track of the week: ‘Where are Your People?’ by We Have Band

We Have Band are really setting up their run for their sophomore album. They already released a track earlier this year, which I was kind of lukewarm about I guess, and this is their second try to wow their fans and to expand their base. Love the vocals by Darren, that’s really cool. It kind of has the same anxiety of their debut, but a bit slower paced I guess in terms of the music itself. I made a point in my review of their debut about using circular imagery quite often (knowingly or not), and it’s back again in this song as well. I like the change-up at 2:20, that’s nice, and the instrumental side that ensues is something I think we haven’t heard yet from the band. I certainly like it more than that other song they released, and it sheds a light in terms of where they are going with the new album. Something a bit more varied in sound, perhaps a bit more mature, slightly slower paced, but with the same feel to it in terms of what it exhumes. And I think the latter is important.

Where Are Your People? by We Have Band

‘I Can’t Stay’ by Ben Browning

Ben Browning is one of the lads of Cut Copy, and the sound kind of gives that away to be honest. It is perhaps less dance and more summery pop (which makes sense, for here it is cold, but I believe not so much in Australia). It still has that light, that fun element that Cut Copy has. But as I said, not as dancey, and more poppy and happy-go-lucky. It’s something that wouldn’t be out of line on the radio I imagine, and I see myself listening to this on a road trip with my buddies going from Melbourne to Sydney. Nice song, light-hearted, fun pop, nothing really wrong with it. Not likely to strike you deep down in your heart, or something you are going to desperately want to put on when in a certain emotional state. But hey, it’s pop, it’s catchy; sometimes that’s good enough really, innit?

Download Ben Browning I Can’t Stay

‘Getting Away with It’ by Electronic (Greg Wilson edit)

After having seen the film 24 Hour Party People for the first time last night (yeah, shame on me, really), what makes more sense then to listen to this edit of an Electronic (the band built around Bernard Sumner and Johnny Marr) song by old hand Greg Wilson? It is a lengthy one, running close to twelve minutes, but the incessant drumming to start if off, I see the dancefloor rally around that. And don’t think that drumming is going to let up any time soon, so everyone has plenty of time  to warm up to it. Repetition really makes the world go round. At 2:40 those sounds come in which I connote to disco, really. The only problem for me are Sumner’s vocals, which just seem not to really deliver on the promise of the three plus minute build-up. Also, some of these lyrics, not quite Marr’s former colleague, is he? Not on this song anyhow. The instrumental side of it though, even aside from the drumming, it’s really pretty good. It has got this New Order vibe (duh) to it. Halfway through Wilson gets the strings out for what seems to be a closer, with beat/drums/rhythm all stripped. Then the piano takes over, but surely, after a good minute or so, Wilson returns to the drums and sees it all the way through to the end.

Electronic ‘Getting Away With It’ (greg wilson edit) by gregwilson

‘This is Not a Song’ by Islands

Nick Diamonds surely is a busy man, and now he is returning with his band Islands. Or rather, with a slow paced song that for some reason to me sounds a bit throwback. It feels like something that isn’t really being made anymore, especially that chorus just after the minute mark. That sound seems of long gone times. Which, to clarify, isn’t really a bad thing at all, for me at least. It has this nice swaying thing to it, with just the right amount of melancholy and sadness. And what is that instrument that comes in at 2:45? That too seems like something we haven’t really been hearing for a long time. Sounds a bit Asian to be honest. A nice effort, with this old school ballad sensibility. However, it does feel kind of long. The slow pace makes the four minute running time seem longer than it actually is, which isn’t really a positive thing, especially for repeat listens.

‘Bad Street’ by Twin Sister (Lindstrom & Prins Thomas remix)

Oh no, Lindstrom and Prins Thomas in da house! You know what you’re in for then, right? Love that sound combined with the bass thirty seconds in, that’s nice, and you know they are consistent lads and will roll with that for a while. Not a big fan of the vocals, and I find them surprisingly upfront and dominant in this remix. I do really like that thing with just the background vocals and the instruments that starts at 2:20 and which returns at certain times. The song is a bit slower paced than you might expect, but it has a nice groove to it, especially when they don’t put the emphasis on the vocals. That breakdown with just vocals and – what? timbales? I’m so bad at pointing out individual instruments… — is nice though, at about the five minute mark. And it adds some much needed variety, because for a remix at this pace, eight minutes is kind of pushing it. So good thing they have that break and get a bit spunky right after it.

Twin Sister – Bad Street (Lindstrom & Prins Thomas Remix) by DominoRecordCo

‘Reckless with Your Love’ by Azari & III (Tiga remix)

Oh no they didn’t. One of Azari & III’s hits of this year remixed by none other than Tiga. And you know he’s going to deliver. I always forget that, in terms of DJing, he’s into deeper stuff a bit (despite me having seen him spin records live), but it doesn’t take long for him to establish that with this remix. From the word go it has this deep house feel, but that does fit perfectly with the vocals from the two guys of Azari & III. And you know that any beat Tiga throws out there just feels sexy and, well, a bit naughty I guess. Tiga always provides something for the extravagant dancers to get down and dirty to. And it is really amazing how well these vocals fit on top of it. Bit straight forward perhaps,  but deep beats, good vocals, sexy vibe; it all adds up to a cracker for the dancefloor, especially if you have a crowd who doesn’t mind to get it on and get dirty a bit. I would love to drop this one, no doubt about it.

Azari & III – Reckless (With Your Love) [Tiga Remix] by PurplePR

YACHT - I Walked Alone (Jacques Renault Remix)

By Stef Siepel

The weekly froth! A weekly take on six tracks, most of which have recently popped up somewhere in the blogosphere. Bit of a mixed bag with a slight leaning towards house, disco, and remixes, but generally just anything that for some reason tickled the writer’s fancy.

Track of the week: ‘I Walked Alone’ by YACHT (Jacques Renault remix)

No way. If you had to pick about any song from the YACHT album that seemed least likely to be turned into a disco mix, this would be it. The original is a slower paced affair, and the potential of catchiness is certainly higher in a few of the other songs (which are, themselves, already catchy). But here comes Jacques Renault, the disco wizard of the East, and he puts on that bass at 20 seconds and we’re off to the tracks. Or rather, the dancefloor. From that point on it’s boogie woogie time and nothing can stop it anymore. 1:20 it puts on the keys and you start to hear the original coming through, and after a while the vocals come in as well. But don’t think, Oh vocals, now he has to slow it down, for the original is slower paced. Nuh-uh. You can keep on dancing, no cheap cop-outs to be seen here. Renault is a master in funking every track up and making it dancey and disco, and this is no exception. Fab remix. Those background vocals are also genius by the way, totally fit the remix.

‘Paradisco’ by Charlotte Gainsbourg

So Gainsbourg goes disco. Or well, sort of, because it is experimental sounding enough, and that bass isn’t a real real disco bass. So it is kind of a contemporary take on disco not really made for the dancefloor. So don’t be fooled. But I love (L.O.V.E.) those chanteuse vocals by Gainsbourg, they would fit a real disco song soooo well. And this song too, though at times I wish it was less subdued. Love those strokes of guitar in there after the minute mark, and hey whaddaya know, the bass starts to resemble something you can shuffle to more and more. The real star of the show are those vocals though, they are just excellent. It’s a nice kind of song to dreamily walk around with at midnight, especially with that guitar sometimes coming through like that, I think walking around in the dark is the place where this one will shine.

‘Uroboros’ by Pional & Henry Saiz (Permanent Vacation remix)

I love that start (after those noisy few seconds, that is), Pional and Henry Saiz really come out with something hypnotic and catchy. I really like the first minute, that build-up, and after that it goes into this hazey style. You know, where people are moving in slow motion and you see them in a hazed way? That’s the kind of sound it is I reckon. At 1:40 there’s some percussion coming in for the house boys to do their army jacking to. Slight break pretty early in the song, but it was needed to crossover to a new sort of sound that I am not as enamoured with as the earlier part to be quite honest. It is more deep house though than the first bit, so if you are aiming for the dancefloor that isn’t too bad I reckon. Those lighter sounds after the three minute mark, I didn’t see it coming and I like it for it gives it all a bit of air. At one point they go back to the noisy elements, for which I couldn’t care less about because that’s not really my style, but I love how they go all distortion and then just a stop, and you can hear slowly and on low volume the dancey bit coming out again. That’s very nice. All in all a nice deep house track with some lovely elements in there and some change-ups to keep it from being just-another-deep-house-track.

Pional & Henry Saiz Uroboros Permanent Vacation Rmx by permanent vacation

‘Need Your Lovin’ by Tensnake (Tiger & Woods remix)

Tensnake AND Tiger & Woods, oh me, oh my. Tensnake is one of the Sirs at this moment in that niche probably, and Tiger & Woods released what is, in my opinion, one of the better albums of this year. Not only that, the songs and remixes they make, they have such a unique style to it that I really do believe I could pick a song of theirs out of a line-up.  And in this remix again, some of these sounds really feel like Tiger & Woods. To be able to carve out your own, distinct sound after just one album is nothing short of remarkable. And when you’ve got a Tensnake track as source material you know it is going to be good. Tiger & Woods are the kings of repetition, and they showcase that skill on this track as well. They know what part to take from a song and they know exactly how to loop it (forever and ever and…). Where this is a recipe for disaster for most, Tiger & Woods simply know how to do it, and the results are genius. 5:12 is just pure love as well, and suddenly it gets a bit more disco, which is always good.

Tensnake Needyourlovin Tiger&Woods remix by permanent vacation

‘Saturday Night (is Shining) by Jean Claude Gavri

Jean Claude Gavri has steadily been releasing a whole bucketload of old school edits and remixes. He keeps that old school vibe and emotion and just makes it playable in a DJ set. On this EP there’s a Pointer Sisters’ tune that may just cause old fashioned mayhem on the disco dancefloor. This is a bit more tropical, summery, happy. Something you play at the end of the night (it is also at the end of the EP) when you want to see the crowd have a bit of a smile and go home happy. When else do you play a song where Thelma Houston sings “Saturday night is shining on my Sunday morning face”? For good vibes this, for good vibes.

Jean Claude Gavri – Saturday Night (Is Shining) by Jean Claude Gavri

‘Concierge D’Amour’ by Pollyester (Rory Phillips remix)

Wow, Permanent Vacation was on a role this past week, I think this is about the third song in this column released by this label. Wow. Rory Phillips will be DJing in my hometown in two weeks, trying to see if I can get some people to come with me to that, because I do like his sound (more so than of the actual headliner Erol Alkan). I vaguely remember listening to an album or EP by Pollyester last year, but obviously that didn’t quite catch on, so lets see if I have to do a double take on that. I immediately like how it starts with the beat and the keys in there, the latter juxtaposing the clubby sound of the beat nicely. After that we get some bass, and soon enough those kind of talky vocals come in. It reminds me a bit of those vocals by We Are The World, that band last year that released the Clay Stones album. Though arguably, the vocals are not quite as deep and polished as on that one, but it reminds me more in terms of delivery. After the two minute mark she gets into talking mode completely, and its got a bit of a seductive vibe to it, a sexy vibe. In the meantime Phillips keeps it rolling with the beat and all kinds of accessories. Definitely wouldn’t mind dancing to this in two weeks if I’m able to go.

Pollyester ‘Concierge D’Amour’ (Rory Phillips Mix) by Rory Phillips

Sleazy McQueen - Reconnect EP

By Stef Siepel

The weekly froth! A weekly take on six tracks, most of which have recently popped up somewhere in the blogosphere. Bit of a mixed bag with a slight leaning towards house, disco, and remixes, but generally just anything that for some reason tickled the writer’s fancy.

Track of the week: ‘We Need to Reconnect’ by Sleazy McQueen feat. Anne Montone

I just love the name, Sleazy McQueen. Not only that, I love the edits and the songs he puts out. Really old school sounds that, and they just flow nicely. Here it’s set up old school with one instrument being introduced at a time. None of that business you get in other songs, but clear sounds, clear lines, and with them coming in one after another you get enough time to acquaint yourself with them. Naturally, the song really gets going at 1:20 with the piano coming in, then you know it is time to get on the dancefloor. I would’ve liked the vocals to do a bit more than they do, especially for variety’s sake because at one point it does feel like the merry went round one too many a time, but still, one I would happily go on the dancefloor for.

‘True Romance’ by Citizens! (Gigamesh remix)

Wow, this starts out with, like, really high sounds. It has been a long time ago since I’ve listened to something that started in this kind of way. It sounds a bit, I don’t know, kids in a Christmas factory, until the screamy lady announces the rest of the instruments and then you feel like dialling the volume down. Funnily enough, the screamy lady has transformed into this Jazz chanteuse with a deep voice for the rest of the track – which I like more. When the happy sounds come in she goes a bit higher in the vocal range, which fits it, so that was a good choice. From the halfway point it has quietly changed into this catchy pop track, with yet another range of vocals, more ’80s female pop in style. So you know, it is kind of one thing first, and the other next, so if you are looking for consistency, this is not for you. I like parts of it very much, but it is a bit too much for me personally.

Citizens! – True Romance (Gigamesh Remix) by GIGAMESH

‘I Like Holden Caulfield’ by Bodi Bill feat. Siriusmo

I’m not sure the vocals mix well with the sound at the beginning. It seems a bit too sped up, and it feels like two songs mixed together in a DJ set but not quite being able to sync. I like how the synth evolves (I assume it is a synth). I think the song gets better after the first part, a bit clearer, it settles down a bit. That part between 1:45 and 2:45, that is a nice build-up, and it makes you interested in the pay-off. Which, unfortunately, isn’t really different than the build-up. That’s a shame. You’ve got a good build-up, you’ve got the break, and then they decide to just alter the sounds of the build-up slightly and go with that. I would’ve loved for something completely different to come up, whether it would induce dancefloor mayhem or it would go completely slow and vocal crooning doesn’t matter. Not really a track I’ll return to too often.

Bodi Bill – I Like Holden Caulfield feat. Siriusmo by Sinnbus

‘You’ll Improve Me’ by Junior Boys (Caribou remix)

If you are a regular reader of this column, probably you’ll know I’m a bit hit-and-miss with Caribou. However, I went to see Junior Boys last week, and that was wicked. They are fab live, and this was one of my favourite tracks that night. And when you get to play with such beautiful vocals, you’d better make it work. Caribou, in an expected yet for me unfortunate move, goes experimental and glitch with it. Though I think that horn sound after the one minute mark is absolutely divine. And luckily it doesn’t botch up the vocals, because then I would’ve gotten quite mad I reckon. The rest, as said, is slow paced, experimental, and sometimes a glitchy sound gets thrown in there. It is completely different from the original, and if you like this kind of thing I reckon it has some beautiful moments in there that probably make it go above the masses. However, me personally, I would take the original any day of the week because I just like it smooth like that.

Junior Boys – You’ll Improve Me (Caribou Remix) by DominoRecordCo

‘Work’ by The 2 Bears

I remember liking previous songs of theirs, so count me in. It starts with a dancey piano, the vocals are decent, and then it gets a quick turn around to the hi-hat and beat to turn it into a dancefloor thing. It is quite a simple recipe, but one that tends to work. And I like the vocal delivery. What I’m not so keen on, is that it seems to be just a few BPMs too fast. It just sounds sped up for some reason, and that is not really what one’s aiming for I reckon. So unfortunately, not that keen on it.

Work by The 2 Bears

‘Serpents’ by Sharon van Etten

She’s got this lovely, lingering voice, that Van Etten girl has. I like the bit of slide guitar, and actually I think that the instrumental side is pretty accomplished, though I do wonder if it was made in combination with the vocals or that the latter were just pasted on it. It seems a bit disconnected unfortunately. I like the repetitive drums, and as said, she’s got a lovely voice. If anything, she does stay on this one and the same pace a bit too much I find. I’m sorry to say, again, it just seems like it isn’t really working together this whole thing. It feels off, it feels a bit of the same after a while as well. There’s not much going on, truth be told. The elements are nice, but they don’t change all that much throughout the song, and that is another minus unfortunately. I loved listening to her sing live though a few months back, I do want to add that.

Sharon Van Etten – Serpents by Pretty Much Amazing

Azari & III

By Stef Siepel

November 20, 2011

The woodwork squeaks and out come the freaks. With freaks, naturally being used as a term of endearment in this case. Wearing a t-shirt might just mean you are terribly underdressed when Azari & III come to town. Boys on heels, girls with half-shaven heads, and suddenly a small group in new wave black hits the scene. When the boys come on and hit the crowd with ‘Manic’, ‘Reckless With Your Love’, or some of the other album hits people are using the sparse room they have in the sold-out Amsterdam venue Trouw to strut their stuff. So plenty of people working it, and the two singers of Azari & III lead by example.

Azari & III are making waves this year. Leading up to their monumental 2011 they had already released some singles, some work, but they have been on the offensive for the last twelve months. They haven’t been shy with touring, including gigs at the biggest Dutch festival Lowlands and with Hercules and Love Affair. This in support of their debut album which came out earlier this year. On the back of that they returned to The Netherlands to play for a packed house, and certainly no punches were pulled for this one.

Before Azari & III take the stage the band When Saints Go Machine get a chance to cash in on their critically acclaimed album Konkylie. The singer starts out high, but when he goes low he shows some similarities to Antony Hegarty. This doesn’t save the first half of the show from being rather terrible. They start with their more experimental and dubby stuff, but if you’re upfront (like I am) then probably you are experiencing physical agony. The sheer volume is enough to make people rush to their earplugs in no time, not to mention that first my legs are shaking, then my upper body is getting the jitters too, and at one point my Adam’s Apple seemingly is on high adventure to pop out. Rarely have I experienced such an utter, involuntary shakedown. The second half sees the band in more catchy, dancey waters, which is better if only because the trembling ceases.

None of that with Azari & III. First the two guys creating the sound take their place behind their kits, and after a song sans vocalists the two singers come up and start working it. Like their following they are extravagantly dressed (or undressed), and throughout the gig they not only sing, but they dance, flirt, pose, and make it all so very very sexy. If Hercules and Love Affair, in their performance, is a bit of fun, a bit sweeter, the Azari & III show is more physical, more about getting down and dirty. In the mean time the crowd is jacking it up so hard that the room is getting hotter by the minute and sweaty bodies are all around.

Luckily, the music is their to match the intensity. The band has some deeper cuts (which, I might say, work better in a live setting than they do on album), but the crowd really gets it going when the singles come, the songs where the vocals are more upfront. Songs like ‘Reckless with Your Love’, ‘Manic’, and ‘Hungry for the Power’ get the whole crowd dancing, while in the encore the sultry ‘Into the Night’ makes for some sweet loving. The band also dusts off Adonis’s house classic ‘No Way Back’ to give some hard evidence of where their roots lie.

Paying homage in house music is very tempting for it has such a rich history. House music has always been connoted to the Gay Rights movement and African-American culture, and the signifiers that link the music to these two things apparently transcend quite well thirty years on, going by both the band and the crowd. The gig is, in good tradition, a celebration of freedom and sexuality. A specific part of it also the freedom of sexuality, to express it, to show it, and the tension that is released by the beats and the physicality of it. Putting aside DJs and club nights for a second, as bands go, Azari & III are one of the best in creating a contemporary version of that house vibe during their gigs. Going by the extravagant crowd, there are definitely enough people who are feeling that.

Leo Zero

By Stef Siepel

The weekly froth! A weekly take on six tracks, most of which have recently popped up somewhere in the blogosphere. Bit of a mixed bag with a slight leaning towards house, disco, and remixes, but generally just anything that for some reason tickled the writer’s fancy.

Track of the Week: ‘Down the Drain’ by Leo Zero

Leo Zero is back with a new track, and I love those boogie-woogie drums at the start there. Some talky vocals that I for some reason find to fit the track pretty well. Done bad, this kind of thing will sound like a bad rap song, but this kind of takes me into a 90s hip-hop/house vibe. Not the music itself though, that is a bit more spacey and reverby before it gets a bit cleaner again and the drums come back in. Don’t expect a corker of a track, it is rather subdued, but I like that in this case. It’s a bit mid-to-slow paced. He really gets a vibe going on this one. It is just a good combination of that kind of grainy sound, those drums, and those vocals, and it really meshes well. In the mean time Leo Zero makes sure it doesn’t get boring, despite it never going all out, by just constantly changing it up a bit and introducing new elements that just fit the flow of the music. Really nicely crafted this one, major kudos to Leo Zero for that.

Leo Zero ‘Down The Drain’ by Leo Zero

‘Answer’ by CANT (Round Table Knights edit)

CANT played in Amsterdam last week, but unfortunately I wasn’t able to attend. Not that I’m so high on the album (I’m not) but some of the stuff I find quite all right. This one gets a bit of help from Round Table Knights, and I like the way how they combine these more aerial elements with a nice beat that will keep the people dancing. I also like that musical humming sound from about the minute mark on, that’s lovely, and it gives you something else aside from the beat to move to if you want to. I like how protective they are with the vocals, not overusing them at all, and when they use them they give it enough room to breathe a bit. Normally I love cowbell, but that mini stretch where they briefly use it is not so fitting in my personal opinion. But really lovely track, nicely struts along with that beat, but also enough “soft” elements to shape this lovely aesthetic. Very nice indeed.

Cant – Answer (Round Table Knights edit) by Round Table Knights

‘Find a Way’ by Joakim

A new clip came out not too long ago for this track on Joakim’s latest album Nothing Gold, which everyone should really be listening to in my opinion. I love how this one starts instrumentally, and the dialogue start in the singing with its kind of fragmented, chopped nature is pretty inventive. Its got this rhythm to it which just sounds so different from what we’ve been hearing lately, which is a mixture I guess of the instrumental side and the typical vocal delivery. A very good track on what is a very good album, so any time I get a chance to say a few words on it I’m going to take because I don’t think it is getting enough love out there.

joakim – find a way by Lisias

‘Something for You’ by WIM (Memory Tapes remix)

I love Memory Tapes, I really do. And the start of this is not your average Memory Tapes track. It is fast paced, and the core sound actually sounds as something that should be auditioning for the new Ghostbusters film. After fifty seconds this nice, fast sound comes in to highjack it all a bit and to drown the vocals a tad. At 1:30 it does actually seem as if Dayve Hawk was tired of it a bit and just starts a whole new song right in the middle of it. I don’t think this is the best thing he’s ever done, though the ghostly vocals after the two minute mark and the direction it takes at about 2:30 are absolutely fantastic I think. But it does feel he was a bit out of his element with this track and it never really feels as one perfectly flowing song, something which he normally is a master at. But oh well, you can’t always expect pure gold if people have to work with material that is not theirs, and this date went a bit awkwardly I think – probably skipped on dessert and never called each other again.

WIM – Something For You (Memory Tapes remix) by modularpeople

‘Makeover’ by Escort

Oh yeah, lets get some of that disco going on. Lovely track to do some dancing to, it has this kind of playful yet sexy vibe going on, and I like it when those vocals go so very high just before the minute mark. So pick out that beautiful girl or cute boy and have a shuffle, as I think that’s the eventual goal of this track. Or at least, she sings something to the effect of I don’t understand a word you say,  but I know exactly what you mean. It is not a sex track I think, but more a bit of like it is time to get some coy flirtation going on. With four minutes it is relatively short for a track for the dancefloor, and with that catchy music it could’ve gone on for about two minutes longer I think. Just a very nice tune that is going to get some people smiling.

Escort – Makeover by extramusicnew

‘Campus Martius’ by Keep Shelley in Athens

I’ve been touting this band for a while now, and I know some other sites that are quite head over heels with them as well, so it’s always good to see something by them indicating they are strutting along for more releases. However, the start to this is appalling, not sure what they were thinking there. Luckily, just before the minute mark, they go back to the kind of sound which made me like them in the first place, and that is these dreamy sounds that transport you to greener pastures. Unfortunately, they keep that fidgety electronic sound as well and play it underneath it, which makes it feel you’re listening to two things, and you would actually like to kill one of them. I’m not sure if this is a new direction or just this one track, but if I was in charge of their artistic development plan (and everyone is very grateful that I’m not) I wouldn’t really urge them to pursue this route.

Keep Shelly In Athens – ‘Campus Martius’ by BOILER ROOM