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

Short Circuitry 007

Mount Kimbie

After another one of those hiatuses – in typical style, a case of life imitating art and hitting the wonky flex – Short Circuitry returns, and it’s hit the magic Bond number. As seems to have been the case an awful lot lately, it’s proving to be a consistently exciting time to be a follower of electronic music. There have been a whole raft of releases in recent weeks setting the bar high for the dancefloor, not to mention a couple of upcoming ones looking to kick down the walls of the mainstream entirely. … Continue Reading

The Weekly Froth #31

Headman

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:

‘Fluctuation’ by Headman (Thee loving remix by Timothy Goldsworthy)

Oh I love how it starts. It just seamlessly moves forward in a delightfully light and catchy way. Around two minutes in Goldsworthy changes it up a bit, first with more synth, then by stripping quite a few things and he goes bongo-crazy (or well, the focus moves to the drums at least, but I liked saying “bongo-crazy”). Then he builds the other elements back in again. I also really like those sharp sounds that occasionally pop up after the four minute mark. And in the mean time the core of the song is still seamlessly shifting forward in a dancey way. It seems to have been a bit quiet in the Tim Goldsworthy camp the past few months (or at least I didn’t come across new tracks of him in that period), but with this remix he once again shows why everyone likes his music so. … Continue Reading

The Stones… as you’ve never seen them before

From the beaches of Newport in Australia, there’s a new type of crooning cool that’s bound to grace the airwaves this season. Yet however fresh the offerings are, Angus and Julia Stone present a variation on a theme, that of an incredibly talented brother-sister musical team that brings its diverse stylistic strengths to the stage, working together to create hauntingly melodic pieces with effective acoustic compositions and minimalistic arrangements. Julia’s style has a distinctly fractured feel, one that draws listeners in and takes them for an enchanting ride; Angus, on the other hand, encourages one and all to kick back and let the waves of his by-the-beach drawl wash over them.

They didn’t initially realise that they were on to such a good thing though. Prior to their first collaboration in 2006, they each performed as solo artists and mainly doing so at open mike nights at beachside bars throughout the Sydney region. Following their first fruitful collaboration (the EP Chocolates and Cigarettes), they were launched on the Australian festival circuit, with performances most notably at The Great Escape Festival in Sydney and Splendour in the Grass in Byron Bay, both two key Australian music events in terms of festival tickets sales and annual attendance figures.

A trip to London, a collaboration with UK band Travis, their first Australian national tour – and the rest is history. Subsequent years have seen the duo’s second EP, Heart Full of Wine, wide acclaim for the single “Paper Aeroplane” and the release of their debut album A Book Like This. Apart from other solo concerts and festival appearances where tickets have been hard to come by (including sold-out Scala shows in London), the group has furthermore supported Martha Wainwright, The Magic Numbers, Brett Dennen, Newton Faulkner and David Gray in various venues across Australia, the UK and Europe, and the United States.

So would Angus and Julia Stone be the type of music for you? If you’re into hauntingly beautiful creations that seem so fragile they could break at a touch, yet with an ephemeral delicacy that somehow endures time after time – then it would certainly be worth giving the Stone siblings a listen and permit yourself to be transported into their world for any amount of live or recorded time from the impressive duo.

The Weekly Froth #30

Scissor Sisters

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: ‘Invisible Light  by Scissor Sisters (Stuart Price 12-inch Remix)

Not that I’m a bif fan of the Scissor Sisters, mind you, but it is always interesting to see what Stuart Price is doing besides not touring with his band Zoot Woman. And in this case it is making a pop track a bit more dancefloor-ready. The constant drumming provides a nice bit to hang on to, and after five minutes he kicks it into a higher gear which might just delight the people on the dance floor at that moment. In my opinion it actually is a better track this way. It is catchy and danceable, and especially the kick could potentially elicit a response from a party crowd. I would love to see a Scissor Sisters collab with Price. Do a four song EP of seven minute dance-pop songs, that would be interesting in my opinion. Danceable drums, slight camp, and just fun: I reckon the single will shift a few more with this as its B-side. … Continue Reading

The Weekly Froth #29

Holy Ghost!

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:

‘Static on the Wire’ by Holy Ghost!

I love Holy Ghost!, no wait, I lurrvv Holy Ghost! – yes, with two Rs. Or however that scene with Woody Allen in Annie Hall goes (or was it Manhattan? Anyway…). That Static on the Wire EP is just ridiculous, and I can’t wait for it to come out on vinyl so I can get my hands on a physical copy. It’s super catchy, in an understated disco fashion. Easy on the ear, with lovely vocals and some great lines (even a bit of nifty guitar playing which I believe comes courtesy of John MacLean of The Juan MacLean). It’s just incredible how everything they put out is so good and *breathes* New York so resolutely – or at least how I imagine New York at its best would be. Perhaps Woody Allen should’ve used it in his ode to NY; that is, if the song would’ve been made in the 1970s. Which it wasn’t. Good thing, because now I can actually buy a spanking new copy of this! … Continue Reading

The Weekly Froth #28

The Golden Filter - Hide Me

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:

‘Hide Me’ by The Golden Filter (Peter, Bjorn & John remix)

Okay, I really really liked the Rory Phillips remix of this one, and with Peter, Bjorn and John behind the buttons you know you’ll at least get something quirky and weird. And that is clear from the starting point. This song in its original form is very Italo, very dreamy almost to a fault. This remix puts an end to that one, as the original song’s vibe takes until midway to come through. I like how they puzzled this one together. The screeching in the background, the simple, understated beat up front, along with some vocals which I think are male, so probably from Peter, Bjorn & John themselves rather than from The Golden Filter. The song takes on a completely different identity, and sometimes a remix kills the song with that, and sometimes a remix prolongs the song’s lifespan by putting it in a different context and giving it a different look. I think Peter, Bjorn & John did the latter. … Continue Reading

The Weekly Froth #27

The Swiss - Bubble Bath

Track of the week:

‘Bubble Bath’ by The Swiss (Glimmers Plastic edit)

I really, really liked The Swiss EP that came out not too long ago, and I find most of their tunes very catchy and nifty. So it’s always interesting to see whether or not an edit/remix can make it more fun, or different fun, or keep it as fun while being a bit different, and so on. Glimmers do keep it danceable and catchy though, so no worries there. Perhaps they make it even a bit more ready for the dance floor (not that the original wasn’t, but you know what I mean). A bit more innocent fun with some cheesy stuff in there, but I like cheesy at the right moments. With the running time under the four minutes it can also stay high energy without wearing you out too much. … Continue Reading

The Weekly Froth #26

Boy 8-Bit

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:

‘A City Under Siege’ by Boy 8-Bit (StopMakingMe remix)

This has got me well impressed. London producer StopMakingMe took this ‘City Under Siege’ track by Boy 8-Bit, and the end result is pretty brilliant in my opinion. First of all, the track is aptly titled, because it really, really comes across as a city under siege, or at least something menacing or another. But not only the atmosphere is right, it is also pretty danceable and quite hypnotic. Also big love for the horns (at least, I think they are horns or are supposed to produce a horn-like sound). The track is also build-up very well with multiple layers and several different sections which work together very nicely. Cinematic yet for the dance floor as well. This definitely has me curious concerning the two artists involved. … Continue Reading

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