The Weekly Froth #3

Lindstrom

And so our pursuit continues, our relentless pursuit of what’s hot and what’s not on the blogs this week.

Track of the week:

‘Baby I Can’t Stop’ by Lindstrom and Christabelle (Aeroplane remix)

Lindstrom has been hot for some time now. Whether it is his solo stuff like ‘I Feel Space’, his discolicious remixes, or his collaborations with Prins Thomas: it always is just a bit better than what the rest is doing, ain’t it? Now an album with singer Christabelle (aka Solale) is coming up, and this is one of the fruits of their labour, remixed by Aeroplane, who puts a beat under it. The synths that pop up one and a half minute in are sweet, and the rest is a delightful disco affaire, to which the female vocals add some old school credibility. When the music gets pulled back so that almost only the backing vocals are audible you just know Lindstrom is working towards a climax, which will happen on the dance floor no doubt when those synths (the same as around the one and a half mark) tune in again. At the end of the song it seems like there is even a hint of Spanish guitar audible, which serves as a red carpet for the return of the beat. Delightful track by everyone’s favourite Norwegian.

http://hypem.com/track/883907/Lindstrom+Solale+-+Baby+I+Can+t+Stop+Aeroplane+Remix+

‘Thee Only One’ by Frankie Rose & the Outs

Frankie Rose said bye-bye to the Crystal Stilts to form her own band, and this is the first track her new band has released. Naturally, for Frankie herself it is very nice she can now do her own thing and is in charge of her own band, but I do wonder if the band itself really adds something to that ever growing American lo-fi/grainy scene. It actually seems to me (blasphemy, no doubt) that she is now fronting her very own Crystal Stilts, no doubt a pleasurable experience for her, but the added value to the music scene escapes me. In actuality it perhaps is because I’ve already stopped hearing the difference between all those grainy sounding bands a while ago, and I like Crystal Stilts better than all.

http://hypem.com/track/927314/Frankie+Rose+The+Outs+-+Thee+Only+One

‘Untitled’ by Phoreski

English band Phoreski has released this track as a new a-side. It all begins with a somewhat dark vibe, to which train noises are added to create a certain atmosphere. It actually sounds a bit Blues Brothers like to me. Until the three minute mark that is, when suddenly an old school disco sample is added into the mix, which seems straight out of the 70s disco soul scene. It stops abruptly, just to return again a bit later. It is a bizarre contrast, especially when an old-fashioned guitar solo starts to run through the never stopping rhythm, which has been propelling the song from the get go. All this mixing and matching gives the track a certain underground club vibe, and I think it is there where this track would especially shine. Now, here, as a stand alone in broad daylight it is a bit odd. Not in a bad way though. The track does lack any kind of ending though, so it does seem a bit as if a train is barging through on continuously the same rhythm and passengers are simply jumping on and off to add their particular flavour to it.

http://hypem.com/track/925181/Phoreski+-+Untitled

‘The Pretender’ by Datarock (Holy Ghost remix dub)

I do love these remixes these two lads of Holy Ghost! make, and they are a sure bet to stay on my playlist for a long time. Whether it is a track by Moby or Cut Copy; they make something danceable and catchy out of it for everyone to enjoy. And they again deliver with this remix of Datarock. The only sentence used from the original track is the one with the title in it, and it features in the song in a variety of ways, sometimes completely reworked, sometimes mixed in to the sound. Whilst this is happening one can hear a nice, catchy beat, and I just love those icy synths around mid-song. The sound also works really well with what they did to the vocals, which makes the track run delightfully smooth. New elements are integrated throughout the song which makes the track sound fresh for its entire seven minute duration. So this is another one to add to the ever growing list of successful Holy Ghost! remixes. If you want to nitpick then perhaps the song runs one minute too long, and that spooky laughter bit at the end should have been cut regardless.

http://hypem.com/track/918646/Datarock+-+The+Pretender+Holy+Ghost+Remix+Dub+

‘Diminishing Returns’ by Ali Love

The song starts with some drums that come barging in, and the synth starts to tick-tock over that. The main sound then enters the picture, but this sound is a bit too mainstream for my liking. Perhaps it is too much radio, too little club. Both the vocals and the song seem to lack punch. The song is decidedly retro as well, especially with those backing vocals. With that said, the song is catchy, and the drums and beat provide something to sway to. It is a decent track to have on and I don’t think anyone would complain when it comes on via the shuffle mode. But it just seems to lack a bit of balls really. It is fair enough, nothing to get too excited about.

http://hypem.com/track/930365/Ali+Love+-+Diminishing+Returns+Extended+Version+

‘This New Technology’ by Midnight Juggernauts

Is that an organ? In any case it sounds like an organ, which makes the discussion whether it actually is one rather redundant. The drums are perhaps most notable, and it is that instrument which propels this track forward for most of the song. Which, to my surprise at least, stays in mid-tempo for about the entire duration. There are a few stops or periods when the drums are turned off, but there are no periods when they put the foot to the pedal. The second stop also is a bit too long in my opinion, and it slows down the song even more, which it really didn’t need at all. And what you get in return are some spacey sounds, a little bit of guitar once in a while, and a vocal contribution consisting of singing “na-na-na” as slowly as humanly possibly. Personally I hope that they weren’t banking on this song to be the magnum opus of the new album.

http://hypem.com/track/931456/Midnight+Juggernauts+-+This+New+Technology+Album+Version+

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