The Weekly Froth #5

Top hits! Amazing new things! Stuff you’ve not heard about! Here’s our latest round-up of what’s going down…

Track of the week:

‘Young Again’ by Kasper Bjorke (WhoMadeWho & Tomboy blog remix)

Ah, lovely. The original track is a bit more italo, and although you can hear the roots of that this remix by WhoMadeWho and Tomboy makes the beat a bit more danceable and a bit more immediate. The voice is really a delight, very deep, and perhaps it even should have gotten a bigger part in this remix. But the remix does work together with the vocals very well. They really work to and from the vocal bits which makes the track go forth smoothly. The track is just three minutes, a bit on the short side for a remix I reckon, and perhaps it should have been just a minute longer. But that is something you only say when it is good, and it is. Within those three minutes all parties involved deliver a very nice remix which is both danceable as well as just delightful to hear, so you can either just have it on or actually have a bit of a party to it. Being multifunctional for the win!

http://hypem.com/track/941803/Kasper+Bjrke+-+Young+Again+WhoMadeWho+Tomboy+Blog+Remix+

‘This New Technology’ by Midnight Juggernauts (The Juan MacLean remix)

I believe I discussed this track a little while ago (the original version of course, not the exact same remix, that would be redundancy personified) and I thought it to be too mid-paced and too bland. Now The Juan MacLean has tried to work their magic to see if they can save the day. I’ve seen The Juan MacLean live twice with their own songs, and that was brilliant, but this not so much. Their own tracks are crystal clear and are masterfully build up, this song is kind of, well, bland, really. They give the track a dull beat, which is not catchy enough. A couple of times there seems to be the beginning of a build up, but it never reaches the climax, something it has in common with the original. After five minutes there is a stretch where they give it a bit more punch, but that’s it. Every time when it seems as if they turn into the right direction old habits come back and die hard. Live with their own material The Juan MacLean are epic, here not really, no.

http://hypem.com/track/938653/Midnight+Juggernauts+-+This+New+Technology+The+Juan+Maclean+Remix+

‘Vote Bowie for President’ van Sidwho?

To be honest I had never heard of the band, but going by the name of track and band alone I presupposed goodness. Sure, it seems a bit superficial to say that, but references in names often connote either positively or negatively to something. If a band refers to Andy Warhol, and you like Andy Warhol and his aesthetics, there’s a bigger chance that you’ll like the aesthetics of the band as well, no? This track is nine minutes of funky disco. The bass is a bit understated but delightfully catchy. In the background you can hear them sing “Imagine David Bowie was your president”, to which the main vocals react: “None of us would have to pay the rent.” The nifty guitar comes and goes to assist the vocals and the rest of the instrumentation, and it is given enough room for some solos as well. Perhaps nine minutes is a bit too much, especially since the vocals disappear early in the track. Around the eight minute mark the band injects a bit of punch into it, but I can’t help but feel that if you get rid of three minutes in between the first part with vocals and that bit with more bravado at the end it would be much better. Now it stays the same for too long a time. Perhaps they should have just added more vocals. Regardless, if you like disco and like the idea of Bowie as president (don’t ponder this too realistically…) then it’s still a very nice track to play.

http://hypem.com/track/939377/Sidwho+-+Vote+Bowie+For+President

‘I Can Talk’ by Two Door Cinema Club (French Horn Rebellion remix)

Lots of things going on here at the beginning. Lots of bleeps and sounds and stuff, and this over a very clean beat. This soon changes to an archetypical clubbeat with manipulated vocals (I assume) on top of it. Thankfully the song switches to clear synths which come over the top of the somewhat boring beat, and cleverly take your mind off of it. From that point on there is always something matched with that beat to keep it interesting, which causes the song to sound decent most of the time. At times they go too clubby with those echo’s. But there are so many ideas that are given a go that one or two bad ones do not immediately sink the track. But perhaps because of all these different ideas the song has trouble gaining any real moment, this only coming late in the 4 ½ minute song. It is fair enough, nothing special. I guess pleasant mediocrity is a term applicable.

http://hypem.com/track/944678/Two+Door+Cinema+Club+-+I+Can+Talk+French+Horn+Rebellion+Remix+

‘Dominos’ by The Big Pink (Switch remix)

Well, these kind of tribal drums were not the thing I was expecting when I saw the name of The Big Pink on there. Then again, I’m easily misled. After these drums a big beat kicks in, which is aided by some drums, applied in a sort of marching band fashion. Amidst all this violence the vocals get lost a bit, and they sound a bit flat in comparison. Further on in the song all kinds of electronic tricks are pulled out of the box and combined with the beat to give it a nice club atmosphere. Unfortunately this does not really work alongside the bits where the vocals take over, not too mention the generalness that goes with those parts. After the part where the vocals are given the spotlight the track has a tough time getting back to how it started, which is a shame. It is a bit uneven, and perhaps more under than above the line at that.

http://hypem.com/track/941137/The+Big+Pink+-+Dominos+Switch+Remix+

‘Lies’ by Fenech Soler

I’ve heard a couple of tracks by Fenech Soler and I thought they were quite nice. This, on the other hand, I find less so. Despite the pretty tough beat that is thrown in there the sound of the track is actually quite poppy. I think the vocals and the chorus mostly induced this atmosphere, as they are pop by the numbers. The best part therefore perhaps is around three quarters of the song when the vocals are taken out and the booming instrumentals are given a go. Without really listening to the lyrics I do get the notion that it is not all too poetic. In short, it’s just not the best thing these lads have ever produced.

http://hypem.com/track/940320/Fenech+Soler+-+Lies