The Weekly Froth #24

The Juan MacLean

Our weekly look into the blogosphere where we talk about six tracks we found out about in the previous Wednesday-to-Wednesday seven-day period.

Track of the week:

‘Feel So Good’ by The Juan MacLean

In case they ever get tired of doing ‘Happy House’ (which I don’t hope because that song kills) they already have its replacement in place. This song will appear on John MacLean’s DJ Kicks, and it’s an absolute corker! It’s just ten minutes of pure dance mania, super catchy, and I can’t get enough of it really. One of the best tunes this year so far in my book. I just love that band, and live they are simply magnificent. Now, to support the DJ Kicks release John MacLean will appear behind the turntables throughout Europe, so be sure to be there. I believe he’s going to do a set with Horse Meat Disco in London, and if that doesn’t get you dancing nothing will I think. Not quite as great as the live version of ‘Happy House’ (which is twenty minutes of madnesssss), but I’m not sure anything is up to that really. Big love! … Continue Reading

Visions Of Trees – Sometimes It Kills EP

Visions of Trees - Sometimes it Kills

Oh my goodness, stop the noise! That was my mind cringing at the opening notes of the Visions of Trees‘ EP Sometimes It Kills. The opening tune is the title track, and starts with some distortion, which can be heard throughout the entire first song, though as the song progresses in a milder fashion. Don’t be fooled however, the distortion will soon make way, and the other three tracks are free from such imposing sounds. From a personal point of view I can only be grateful for that. … Continue Reading

The Weekly Froth #23

The Golden Filter

Track of the week:

‘Dance Around the Fire’ by The Golden Filter

I love the violins at the start. Those are amazing, it just sets the mood so well. And as this is the opening track of The Golden Filter’s debut that is actually what it has to do really, innit? This song does that amazingly. It also embodies what perhaps is the blueprint of this album, namely half italo/half electro with a slice of disco, and this is all put into a danceable mix with typical italo vocals on top of it. It is a bit of escapism, mystique and all that, but it is also danceable, especially when the song kicks it up slightly around 2:40. I really hope they’re going to be touring Europe soon, ’cause I would be there even if they would only play this and ‘Solid Gold’. I, for one, simply cannot not check out this album after having heard this lead track.
… Continue Reading

Ikons – Ikons

Ikons - Ikons

Variety is a tricky term. I think I can pretty confidently state that our concentration and our patience has slowly eroded in the past decades. This means that apparently we cannot focus on one and the same thing anymore, as long as we once did. We expect, perhaps even subconsciously demand, that something will happen. A film like 1974′s The Conversation would probably bomb horribly today (even though arguably the subject matter is as nu as it was then). The same essentially goes for music, especially in a musical environment which has so changed in the 21st century. When I interviewed  Dayve Hawk of Memory Tapes he said that listeners tend to skim more (not you, obviously), resulting in the need to have a signature sound that people can immediately recognise in orrder to avoid being shooed away in favour of the next one that ticks that box. So in essence, if Bowie had done Station to Station in the current musical environment, people would’ve glanced at it, would say, “hey, this is not Ziggy Stardust and what I like”, and gone to the next artist who did resemble that kind of sound. From this standpoint the new Ikons album, a self-titled one, does raise some interesting questions. … Continue Reading

The Weekly Froth #22

Rainbow Arabia

Our weekly look into the blogosphere where we talk about six tracks we found out about in the previous Wednesday-to-Wednesday seven-day period.

Track of the week:

‘Haunted Hall’ by Rainbow Arabia (We Are The World Happy Ghost remix)

I’m just lo-ving this! And just pretend I said that in like the gayest diva voice. Fa-bu-lous. Something like that. But I’m just surprised by it, I didn’t really think I would love it this much, but I do actually. It really, really has that We Are The World vibe to it, that worldy musical sound, those drums, I don’t know how to describe it really. If you know their track ‘Clay Stones’ you will get the vibe a bit. In the mean time you hear vocals trying to pierce the word “haunted” through the drumming violence. And it does really feel like some sort of menacing army of things are coming at you while you in the mean time hear “haunted” and some other vocal acrobatics swerving around it. Those drums really do it for me, and add to that the rest of the sounds, totally captivating. Yeah, brilliant. … Continue Reading

The Weekly Froth #21

Jacques Renault

Our weekly look into the blogosphere where we talk about six tracks we found out about in the previous Wednesday-to-Wednesday seven-day period.

Track of the week:

‘Norman’s Fire’ by Jacques Renault

Ah, Jacques Renault, I love Jacques Renault, and if you love Jacques Renault you know this is gonna bit a bit of old fashioned disco. I think this is a mix of his for a new something or another, I kind of lost track of what it is exactly he is releasing, but he’s doing something new and this is kicking that off. Forget the nu vibe of The Golden Filter, this is old school, this is a little guitar riff, a little handclap, and a bit of brass to accompany the vocals, which are not as bombastic as you find with the more popular disco of the ye olden years, still they are unmistakenly throwback. And obviously they are advising us to “Get up, and dance to the music”. That’s the essence of disco, no? He sometimes DJs with Holy Ghost!, so if you like that kind of stuff or perhaps even heard one of their sets you know what to expect. It is a bit understated and not complete euphoric, but that’s what that whole revivalist school there at DFA is going for. With seven minutes it is stretching it a bit, and perhaps the dancefloor might not be alight anymore come minute six or seven, but I’m just loving whatever they’re doing out there, and this is no exception. Gotta love the piano solo around the six minute mark. Old school, eh? … Continue Reading

The Weekly Froth #20

Ali Love

Just a little bit later than usual, here’s our weekly look into the blogopshere where we talk about six tracks we found out about in the previous Wednesday-to-Wednesday seven-day period.

Ali Love – Love Harder (Prins Thomas remix)

Spaceness by Prins Thomas of course! Who else? None other than the Lindstrom accomplice turns this rather poppy track into a space disco eight minute lovefest. Hips a flailing on that sweet bass, which keeps on coming and coming. Who needs vocals, right? Well they do come in, first kind of high and on the background, but at the half mark (as in, almost precisely the half mark I reckon) they get a more prominent place. This is after you’ve been seduced for a good four minutes by Prins Thomas and his space disco qualities, and after that you’re so into the song that the vocals offer just a bit of variation in this nine minutes behemoth. Prins Thomas makes it pretty easy to start singing along a bit as well. So if you find yourself singing and dancing like a loon, Prins Thomas is to blame, as this is one seductive remix. … Continue Reading

The Weekly Froth #19

Silver Columns

Track of the week:

‘Cavalier’ by Silver Columns (Time and Space Machine remix)

I don’t know much about Silver Columns, that always puts a damp on me trying to differentiate between who is responsible for which parts, but I am acquainted with The Time and Space Machine fair enough, and this does sound like a remix he would do. I love the easy and fresh start, not so into the beat that comes after, but it fits the song. I love the vocals, though I will be the first to admit that they might not be the best vocalists around (or at least are not showcasing that here), but sometimes it is more in the delivery, and I love that rather drowsy thing they do. I was waiting for a Benga like turning point after a stretched vocals only bit, but it stayed rather restraint, a bit more hypnotic than climactic. But hypnotic is good, and it is an atmosphere he sustains towards the end. I love the added, soft piano, that is such a peaceful sound between the hypnotic beat, lovely. He could’ve rode that sound home, and perhaps I would have preferred that over the new beat ending and returned vocals, but oh well, it’s still a good remix anyhow, definitely worth the listen. And at least the vocals return, that’s a plus. … Continue Reading

Spoon, Amsterdam Paradiso

Spoon

February 18, 2010

If you would look at a photo taken at this gig you might be led to believe that Spoon is a band of middle-aged indie-rockers standing on a stage and simply playing their own instruments to no theatrics at all. I mean, there they are, these men around the forty from Texas, standing there without much ado. They are dressed reasonably sharp, I’ll give them that. No Interpol antics though. However, the venue is almost at full capacity, and it would be absurd if all these people paid 20 euros to see some guys simply play their own instruments, right? Right? Luckily Spoon isn’t just any old indie-rock band. In Amsterdam they give three convincing reasons as to why they are at the head of their class: their oeuvre, their ability to play, and the “secret” theatrics and literary elements to their music. … Continue Reading

The Weekly Froth #18

Kasper Bjorke

Our weekly look into the blogosphere where we talk about six tracks we found out about in the previous Wednesday-to-Wednesday seven-day period.

Track of the week:

‘Efficient Machine’ by Kasper Bjorke

This record is gonna be huge, at least it will be for me (already ordered it on vinyl, you know, and based on three tracks that is). This is the second single in Scandinavia, in Europe ‘Alcatraz’ with Jacob Bellens on vocals had that honour. This track has the vocals of that guy from WhoMadeWho, and what a vocals they are. Bjorke sure knows how to pick them. Catchy, athmospheric, and just a bloody good tune as far as I’m concerned. Almost choir like vocals with handclaps on the background and a beat throbbing along, just to kick it into proper dance mode. It’s been on repeat ever since the clip was placed on his MySpace, and I’m actually not sure when I’m going to tire of it. Just terribly good and well looking forward to that bit of vinyl to drop through my mailbox. … Continue Reading