The Weekly Froth – yum yum, it’s Teengirl Fantasy

Teengirl Fantasy

Track of the week: ‘Cheaters’ by Teengirl Fantasy

Oh my, I didn’t really know how lovely they were until I listened to this song! They kind of had passed me by up until this point, but I put them on the list for songs for this column, et voila. Just absolutely lovely. These vocals seemingly are old-fashioned disco vocals, but they seem to be a bit lower in the mix so the music isn’t overpowered by them. As if it is caught in a web of slight distortion or something. I love those synths, that danceable beat, and I do believe I hear a cowbell. So many ingredients that I love in songs, and they all come together here. I also like how they sometimes seem to crank it up a notch as the song goes on, which gives the song the occasional oomph to last the six plus minutes running time. Looking forward to the album already, though I think I’ve read that most of it is going to be instrumental. Which is too bad, because I really like those vocals here. But oh well, I’m sure it’ll turn out ace anyway. … Continue Reading

The Weekly Froth: we <3 Active Child…

Active Child

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: ‘When Your Love is Safe’ by Active Child (Classixxx remix)

That’s one nice voice Active Child has got there. And the good thing about this Classixxx remix is that the voice comes out perhaps even better than on the original, as he gives it something extra on occasion. And that works pretty well as far as I’m concerned. Classixxx saw the qualities of this song and basically put a bit of eyeliner on that to accentuate the eyes, so the best comes out even better while the rest sensibly stays in the background a bit more. I also love the understated instrumental additions by Classixxx, which makes it a sort of italo like 80s synth track, which is always good in my book. Just a smart remix of this track, not overhauling it like a buffoon, but instead just some changes in the right places without overshadowing the strengths of Active Child. And I will take such an approach over anything that just puts a heavy beat on it and tries to change it by just making it bigger and bolder. … Continue Reading

The Weekly Froth – new Cut Copy! Sound of the week!

Cut Copy

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: ‘Where I’m Going’ by Cut Copy

Hell. Yeah. First time I saw these guys live was just after their second album in a club in Brooklyn (a gig put on tape by Pitchfork and a venue which I believe since then has shut down). These guys, they can make you dance. Had to miss them just a few days ago, which I’m still bummed out about, but it was too expensive to get there, and in my hometown Dum Dum Girls were playing. Can’t have it all I suppose. Hope they come back soon though, because this is stellar. Naw, strike that, this is just immensely fun! Handclaps, but more camp than their earlier work it seems to me, and this is just a party from the get go. I mean, can anyone not dance to this? Surely. This has dance floor written all over it. They go a bit dreamy in the middle, and then they go back to the dancing again. And those “yeah, yeah, yeah” bits are a sure invite for everyone to pump their fists in the air and sing along. Perhaps the lads have been a bit cheeky and took some elements which are shoe-ins for a certain reaction. But to then execute it so finely, only a few can do that. … Continue Reading

De Affaire Festival, Nijmegen, Netherlands

July 18-23, 2010

What’s there not to love about the De Affaire Festival in Nijmegen? It’s free and, for seven evenings straight, bands from all over the world come to perform. From metal to indie to folk to avant-garde, everything but mainstream pop is represented. It is linked to the 4 Daagse (a four day walking event where people walk forty or fifty miles each day, for four days straight). Yes, everybody is crazy this side of the pond.

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The Weekly Froth: what’s hot on the blogs?

Dave Sitek

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: ‘If You Return’ by Maximum Tiger feat. Little Dragon

Now this, this I am looking forward to. Maximum Balloon, aka Dave Sitek, is going to blow everyone out of the water with this album, that’s a guarantee! Well, not really, I’m not the man of bold predictions, but that first track ‘Tiger’ was wicked. Not to mention that fabulous clip with the balloons and the Chinese tiger and the fact that at the beginning all the balloons are red with only a dash of yellow (Chinese flag, anyone?). Oh yeah, this track, it is not as catchy or rock as ‘Tiger’. In terms of pace it is a bit slower, but it is definitely engaging. Again, this is the right voice for it. That is always the danger of an album with so many guest vocalists, you can pick the wrong ones, but Little Dragon definitely fits the bill here. Love the continuous guitar sound in the back ground as well. It’s been a long while since I’ve anticipated an album to the extent I do this one. … Continue Reading

The Weekly Froth: what’s hot on the blogs?

Hurts

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: ‘Wonderful Life’ by Hurts (Mantronix remix)

Now, don’t laugh, but I actually thought I was listening to some sort of remix of a Michael Jackson B-side at first! Never thought you would hear that in a paragraph dealing with a Hurts’ song, did you? Mantronix puts some disco in the track though, and it works amazingly well. The voice and the narrative lend themselves perfectly for such a reworking. Those two elements combined with their new environment give it this kind of 80s quality. And suddenly lines like “So don’t let go / never give up it’s such a wonderful life” don’t sound trite anymore, but just part of that underground disco aesthetic. Now, it’s not full throttle disco, if you perhaps got that idea from this. Bit more understated, perhaps even more synth 80s than disco. Like an early Spandau Ballet/Eurythmics mixture, without the swagger of the latter and the commercial appeal of the former in the later stages of the career (followed that time line?). Even for people who don’t want anything to do with Hurts because of that hype thingy they are surrounded by, this might actually be worth a shot if you like your 80s stuff.
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The Weekly Froth #35

Foals

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: ‘Spanish Sahara’ by Foals (Deadboy remix)

Like with every change of sound, the new Foals album had its supporters and critics. Every decision anyone makes can always count on people agreeing with it and not agreeing with it. It’s how the world turns, I guess. Deadboy, you know, I don’t really remember the name and his stuff, and if someone says “Deadboy” to me, I’m inclined to think something crude and hard will follow. Actually, this is the opposite, which not only surprises me, but it surprises me pleasantly. I love the woodblock kind of thingy he puts on it, and that combined with other subtle additions make this a worthwhile listen. Deadboy fills up the “break” in the song with some deep bass and then has it continue for a while. The vocals, which arguably are one of the things that have improved on the new Foals album, are high up in the mix, which I always tend to like. Add to that the bass, the woodblock and some nifty additional sequences, and I think Deadboy has made this track his own in quite a nice manner. Pleasant surprise. Even though I wouldn’t have mind it if he would’ve cut the last two minutes. … Continue Reading

The Weekly Froth #34

Tortoiseshell

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: ‘This Girl’ by Tortoiseshell (Canyons dub)

I find Canyons a terribly, terribly strange band. Some of their stuff have me in hallelujah mode, while some songs seem unnecessarily longwinded. This is their dub of Tortoiseshell’s ‘This Girl’. And it quite works for me actually. It begins understated, yearning male vocals up front, and a lovely, lovely understated bass that goes with it. The bass stays, drums are added, and the vocals go up up up. And rightfully so, because the first time I heard that I was pretty impressed. I could probably live a day on that bass and vocal combination alone. I just love it when vocals do that, and good vocals are quite underrated me thinks. Definitely try and get to that chorus part and see whether it ticks your box, because if it does I think you’re in for a treat. … Continue Reading

The Weekly Froth #33

crystal castles

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: ‘Suffocation’ by Crystal Castles (Memory Tapes remix)

I always feel slightly ashamed when I have to say that I don’t fancy Crystal Castles that much, because it kind of seems the thing to do. I do love Memory Tapes though, and I do love that band a whole bunch (me is the proud owner of a first edition vinyl of the album). So this could go either way. You would think. But I was lucky enough to have a little interview with the man behind Memory Tapes and so I know how he does his remixes. And the thing is, he doesn’t look at the original at all. He just looks at the components and creates a remix off of that. So in essence, it will definitely be more his aesthetic that will be shining through than that of Crystal Castles. Which, for me personally, is a good thing. So no surprise here, I do love this one. It has got a bit of that dreamy vibe that I love so much and which I think is just so great to listen to while walking around at night. If you want to bounce off of each other on the dance floor then this probably isn’t going to make you happy. But if you like the dreamy, fantastical vibe, then this might just be for you. It definitely is for me, in any case. Also, nifty drumming. … Continue Reading

The Weekly Froth #32

Monarchy - Love Get Out Of My Way

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:

‘Love Get Out of My Way’ by Monarchy (Holy Ghost dub remix)

I can’t help but get that LCD Soundsystem line in my head from that ‘One Touch’ song: “This is getting sort of unreasonable”. Because that is the idea I get whenever I hear yet another ace tune from the Holy Ghost! crew. Sorry other musicians, I’ve found my home. So if anyone is going to slug it out with The National for my fav album of the year, this duo is it. And they are doing a remix of a Monarchy song to boot! And the Octans edit of that ‘Phoenix Alive’ tune is one of the best tracks I’ve heard so far this year. So there is absolutely no reason to think this would be anything less than friggin’ amazing. And it is. Insanely catchy, and I do believe that there is a cowbell solo somewhere in that song. Bit more for the disco people among us, but it is happy and danceable, qualities a lot of people might enjoy in a track. … Continue Reading