Friday, May 27, 2011

Waiting

Song: Waiting
Artist: Pance Party
Album: Rainbow Road EP






So I know how you're feeling... you woke up this Friday, ready for a long weekend and thought to yourself... this day would be MADE with some Super Mario-inspired Instrumental Blip-House.  Well WeCast readers... this is your day.

Not my typical thing, but I have been digging the totally free "Rainbow Road" EP from San Francisco-based trio Pance Party.  They are giving away the entire thing on their official website.

There's a couple video game noises in there, but this isn't 8-bit, just some spacey dance music that's equal parts trippy and dance-floorable.  The title track is pretty stellar, but I also like "Waiting," which employs some computerized "vocals" and hard grooves.  I don't know much about the band, but they've done a couple remixes for various artists and seem to be friendly with Benny Benassi.

"The Rainbow Road" EP is a perfect slice of get-up-on-it, clocking in at just under twenty minutes.  A perfect amount of time to get ready to go out.  And no vocals for your annoying friend to sing along to while you're trying to talk about that boy you want to see tonight.

Enjoy.  And happy weekend.

Waiting
Rainbow Road
Greasy Weasel

Thursday, May 26, 2011

You Are a Tourist

Song: You Are a Tourist
Artist: Death Cab for Cutie
Album: Codes and Keys






I've never been a huge Death Cab for Cutie fan, but have likes tracks here and there, and of course liked moments from their breakthrough album "Transatlanticism," but have found subsequent releases a little blah.  I can own up to not giving them enough time, I may have to go back.

I heard the first single, "You Are a Tourist" off of their seventh studio album "Codes & Keys" a couple weeks back and it's slowly really grown on me.  It has an almost Tears for Fears meets Stone Roses vibe to it.  I was surprised upon hearing the full album how much I liked the sound.  The band claimed to have used less guitars than any other previous record on "Keys," though I hear them all over the place.  Okay.

The record is filled with dreamy songs that incorporate lush strings, piano, and soaring vocals.  I really like the dark "Some Boys" and sweeping title track.  That first single "You Are a Tourist" really does grab you after a couple listens, with a guitar lick that reminds me of Modest Mouse at their catchiest.  It's a great track.

I've often talked about the divide that happened between those that listened to "Alternative" rock in the 90's and early millennium, and those that listen to "Indie" now.  It's the same bloody stuff really, a catch-all for "out-there" music that doesn't fit into a pop label.  Death Cab were always Indie, which for whatever reason I just never got into... but this album, while not really sounding similar reminds me of 90's R.E.M., one of my favorite bands.  Something about the vibe.  Anyhow, I recommend this, even if you've never been a fan.

Enjoy.

You Are a Tourist
Some Boys
Codes and Keys

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Little White Doves

Song: Little White Doves
Artist: Dirty Vegas
Album: Electric Love






Dirty Vegas is best known for their single "Days Go By" which was famously initially used in a Mitsubishi Eclipse commercial before becoming an international hit.  I remember being disappointed in their self-titled debut album from which it came, and didn't even bother with the follow up, '04's "One" which apparently went into a different musical direction.  The band broke up in 2005, and lead Steve Smith released a solo album.  The group reformed years later, began working on new material in the same vein as their initial output, DJ'd high profile gigs like the Obama inauguration party, and now comes their third album, "Electric Love."

As I wasn't a huge fan I didn't have any expectations for "Electric Love" but from the stellar opener "Little White Doves" on, the album is filled with some great electro-pop songs that incorporate house, electro, pop hooks, and a decidedly pop-rock approach to songwriting.  Fans of Shy Child and Grum should take notice.

Opener "Dove" is killer, and the album goes into past single "Changes" and then current single and title-track "Electric Love."  These three tracks, all stellar, really exemplify the album.  You'll hear a leaning toward writing lyric-based tunes with dance/electronic elements, vs. the other way around.

I also really love the lush "Emma" as well as the more hard-hitting house track "Pressure."  Good stuff!

The album is surprisingly tight and properly constructed.  I've been listening to dance record after dance record that will have a good song or two and a LOT of filler.  It was nice to hear "Electric Love" and dig it from start to finish.  Take a listen to the three tracks below.  If you dig them you'll like the record throughout.

Enjoy!

Little White Doves
Changes
Electric Love

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Catcher in he Rye

Song: Catcher in the Rye
Artist: Datarock
Album: Catcher in the Rye EP






It wasn't until their sophomore album, 2009's "Red" that I got into Norway's Datarock.  But I liked that records mix of rock, punk, dance, and what seemed like a growing Talking Heads influence.  I adore the Talking Heads, and now that the band have recently released two EP's, "California" & "Catcher in the Rye," I'm starting to hear the influence even more.

On "Red," aside from the Heads' fixation, the band also explored a dark, totalitarian-state vibe that none-the-less was mixed with humor.  That humor is also found on these two new EP's, which are so good, I'm wondering why they decided to drop these now, why not wait until they had a material's worth for a full album?  Why question it I suppose... it's just that these songs are pretty great.

"Catcher in the Rye" is by far a favorite, it mixes some Television-esque guitar strumming, some "Psycho Killer"-like wailing, as well as some soaring synths that bring it all together.  Maybe unsurprisingly, the title track from the other EP, "California," is also a standout, which wears its 80's influences proudly, from the cheesy synthesisers, smile-endusing drum breakdowns, and Men at Work melodies.  Fun.

Well, these two EP's do constitute of more than throw-aways, and may just be a layover on the way to the third album.  Either way, "Catcher in the Rye" will get you going.

Enjoy.

Catcher in the Rye
California
Give it Up (from "Red")

Monday, May 23, 2011

The Edge of Glory

Song: Edge of Glory
Artist: Lady Gaga
Album: Born This Way







So admittedly, I went a little overboard for Gaga's big first single "Born This Way" upon first hearing it from the album of the same name, her second full-length.  It has become her biggest single to date... broke a couple of records, and... didn't appease a lot of people.  Some said she ripped off Madonna's "Express Yourself," the gays say she co-opted their sexuality as a marketing gimmick... and then her second single form the album, "Judas," didn't set the charts on fire.  Despite liking both songs personally... I had to admit they didn't give me the high "Bad Romance" did upon first listen... which, like Kelly Clarkson's "Since You've Been Gone," was a cross-over smash.  These new tunes just weren't connecting the same.

Despite the success of the first single, it's been clear that she's suddenly been second guessed after an astonishing two and a half years of meteoric rise, is this where she falls apart?

Well today sees the official release of "Born This Way," which I have been digesting for several days.  The verdict?  Well apologies aside... I'm going to continue to gush, it's one of the best pop records to come along in a LONG time.  They sort of don't make them like "Born This Way" anymore.  It's a trip down memory lane not for its 80's and 90's musical references alone, but it's an "event" record, and one that aims to be a big hit-packed tour-de-force.  To these ears... she's done it.

I got to finally see her live via The Monster Ball in Atlantic City back in February, the first date where she performed "Born This Way."  It was quite an experience.  I fed off the fan excitement, loved how many were dressed up outlandishly, but ultimately what I took away was... this woman is superstar.  Hands down.

This album reminds me a lot of "Like a Prayer" the album, and honestly not for the "Born This Way"/"Express Yourself " thing... but for its scope, anticipation, and career-defining momentousness.  She gets a lot of flack for copying Madonna, but I don't use the "Like a Prayer" parallel lightly... I love that record, and think it is not only one of Madonna's best albums, but one of the best pop records from that era.  I've been describing "Born This Way" the album as "Prayer" meets "Boys for Pele" learning the history of 80's rock at an underground Berlin sex party.  It's huge, sprawling, a touch obnoxious, and immediately addictive.  Honestly, this record has made me recall a time when I waited patiently for a record to come out, and the joy of something reaching, and then exceeding, expectations.  It's made me remember what it was like to be a rabid music fan.  Call a doctor y'all... I've gone Gaga.

The album is bookended by two of the best songs Lady Gaga has ever written, the slow-building opener "Marry the Night," a 90's Ace of Base-ish monster that slowly creeps up on you.  It took me a while to get into it, but once it clicked... I was in love.  The album is concluded with current promo-to-official single "The Edge of Glory," a song written about her Grandfather whom recently passed, that somehow makes its dark subject matter, a sax solo by The E Street Band's Clarence Clemmens, and a semi-cheesy outdated beat work to soaring new heights.  It's an absolute stunner that concludes one hell of a crazy ride of an album, best represented, ironically, from the abhorred cover art, which depicts Gaga as some sort of motorcycle Minotaur.  I mean... this shit is bananas.

From the slut-funk of "Government Hooker," the faux-flamenco lesbian border drama "Americano," to the semi-German pop-Industrial banger "Scheisse" and Def Leppard-does-Queen power ballad "You & I," "Born This Way" is all over the map, all over the road, and a lot over the top.  I do love it, but that's where the "Boys for Pele" comparison falls into place... it's a little self-indulgent, apparently made for her "little monsters," and therefore could be a little too much for some listeners.  But if you're up for this kind of thing, and fascinated by her past work, it's a rewarding listen.

The album is pretty varied in sound, though the songs do have a few things in common.  The record is filled with what Gaga described as "sledgehammer-like beats, sometimes just a persistent bang bang bang that simply lifts the song up, steroid-injecting it.  Also, if it wasn't clear before from "Bad Romance," "Paparazzi," "Poker Face," "Just Dance," or Hell, ANY of her songs, it is completely clear that the one thing that Lady Gaga can do practically in her sleep... it's write a killer chorus.  And every single track on "Born This Way" has one, two, or sometimes three off the chain vocal hooks that will have you humming to yourself without release.  The choruses of "Bad Kids," "Judas," and "The Edge of Glory" are so immediately catchy it's kind of remarkable.  But beyond their buoyancy, they soar lyrically, musically, and emotionally.

"Heavy Metal Lover," an immediate favorite, a dark pulsating club banger that's dirty, infectious, lyrically naughty, and completely hypnotic.  "Hair" is a Springsteen-goes-to-the-club follicle self-empowerment anthem that just keeps getting better to me with each listen.  And "Bloody Mary" her most haunting song, fuses storm a-brewing sound effects, Gregorian chanting, Mary Magdelene, and yup, a killer chorus, for one of her most dramatic statements.

"Born This Way" is an album made by a hungry woman who is wanting her moment.  She's turned some people off, but hell if she didn't deliver what was promised.  It's remarkably strange at times, even when it's crazy catchy and bubble-gum.  If it has a debt, compared to her previous material, it's that it is more proudly weird, and therefore less relatable than say the love termoil of "Bad Romance" or the just-no-reception-in-the-club, got-no-time-for-you drama of "Telephone."  The off-the-wall "Scheisse" is just as catchy and punchy as "Telephone," but I have no idea what "Scheisse" is... and despite having a crazy lyrical hook with the "I wish that I could dance on a single prayer" part, I wonder how a song with a foreign word hook could work as a single.  Not to mention trying to squeeze an Industrial rave track between Katy Perry's "Last Friday Night" and The Black Eyed Peas latest dumb-fun aural assault.  But then again, as gonzo as "Americano" is... if it hadn't gotten you at the official chorus, it jumps into another ABBA-worthy post-chorus ("Don't you try to catch me...") that is honestly one of my favorite moments on the record.

But for every magical unicorn track ("Highway Unicorn (Road to Love)") there is a "You & I," a pop-rock masterpiece that sounds classic, immediately attention-grabbing, and lyrically strong.  What's happening here are well-written songs that she's already proven work well stripped down to piano and vocal.  While Lady Gaga is best known for writing silly dance-pop songs, the reason they work and have been so successful is because they are so well written and executed.  Again, there is an over-the-top-ness to many of these songs, but what she's aimed for is an 80's idea of classic, the semi-cheesy, anthemic, fist-pumping moments that while goofy, still pack a satisfying punch if you let yourself go with them.  I keep flashing to the very end of "The Breakfast Club" when Judd Nelson pumps his fist into the air, the image freezes, the credits roll, and "Don't You Forget About Me" comes in... that's the attitude of the whole thing, through a harmless-heathen lens.  It really is fantastic.

I'm eager to hear how the rest of the world responds to "Born This Way."  And would love to hear your reaction in the comments below.  (Or just tell me how much I've lost my mind.)  Time will tell if it's the "Thriller"-esque monster I think it is... or a self-indulgent misstep that sets her back a bit.  I find it hard to resist "The Edge of Glory" though, which I think has wide-range appeal... and could possibly be her biggest single yet, something that even your Dad wants to fist pump in the minivan to.  I do think it's a pop music masterpiece, and am loving its use in the new Gaga/Google Chrome ad.

While "Judas" wasn't well-liked by some, and "Born This Way" the single didn't have that everyone-in likability of "Bad Romance," they do work very well in the context of the album.  While it's hard to think of them as anything but first and second single, I do think they have given people an incorrect impression of what the album is.  And yet given the strength of the rest of the material, they just add to the hugeness of the album.

The album comes as a standard 14-track version, but also a 17-track "Special Edition" that also includes three additional songs and a bonus disc of remixes.  The extra three songs are mixed into the track listing with questionable success, I initially though they were good extras, disposable left-overs, but really have grown to like them and help pump the album into an even larger behemoth.  But I'd skip them if you're only half as Gaga as I am. (wink wink)

After some stellar releases from many of pop's heavy hitters (Britney, Rihanna, Katy, and Ke$ha all recently turned in some great product) I do think Gaga takes the crown.  As great as some of the aforementioned singles have been... none are the artistic statement that "Born This Way" is.  Nobody has really come close to doing what Madonna was able to do culturally, artistically, and commercially back in the day.

That was before Lady Gaga.

Enjoy.

The Edge of Glory

Hair

Judas

Thursday, May 12, 2011

Happy Birthday to Me

Song: Happy Birthday to Me
Artist: Cracker
Album: Cracker






Classic.

I also always liked Dr. Bernice.



Wednesday, May 11, 2011

2 Hearts

Song: 2 Hearts
Artist: Digitalism
Album: I Love You Dude







About a year and a half ago my cousin Evan introduced me to German industrial/dance duo Digitalism via their debut album, "Idealism."  I immediately heard Daft Punk's sound, whom they list as their inspiration, along with film soundtracks.  "Idealism" was pretty good, though it was more of a straight mood record than something you mine for singles.  (Not unlike Daft Punk's recent soundtrack to "Tron: Legacy" actually.)  But given their new single "2 Hearts," I'm wondering if they are looking for a big single a-la "One More Time" of their own.

The band was formed in 2004 and consists of Jence Moelle and Ismal "Isi" Tüfekçi.  They are signed to the French label Kitsune and released their debut album "Idealism" back in 2007, which spawned four singles.  They've done remixes for the likes of The Presets, The White Stripes, Cut Copy, Depeche Mode, Tiga, Klaxons, and Daft Punk themselves.

"2 Hearts" is the second track we've heard from their soon to be released sophomore album "I Love You Dude."  In November of last year they released the "Blitz" EP, which will be included on the new album.  "Blitz" sounded even more like Daft Punk from their "Discovery" period, a pummeling instrumental that's propulsive and hard driving.  But "2 Hearts," in comparison, is downright pop.  In the past, while they have had vocals on some of their tracks, they were very distorted a lot of the time and not the focus of the song.  (Save for maybe single "Pogo" off "Idealism.")  "2 Hearts," on the other hand, dips a toe into Joy Division-esque gloom rock, and adds some 80's-ish beats and flourishes.  Lyrically it's WAY more upbeat than Joy Division, and yet has a dark charm that really grows on you.

Little else is known of the new album, but it has been noted that Julian Casablancas of The Strokes has co-written a song called "Forrest Gump."  It's been a long four years since "Idealism," so possibly the band has really taken its time to make something very special.  I'm looking forward to hearing it.  In the meantime, check out "2 Hearts," it's a great track.

Enjoy.

2 Hearts
Blitz
Pogo

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Blue Tip

Song: Blue Tip
Artist: The Cars
Album: Move Like This






Ummm... holy moly, The Cars are back... and they sound exactly like... The Cars.  That sounds silly, but you really won't believe how much 2011 The Cars sound like 80's The Cars.  This is The Cars baby.

Following a 1997 interview in which lead Rick Ocasek was quoted as saying that The Cars would never reunite, ("I'm saying never and you can count on that.") and the 2005 reunion of guitarist Elliot Easton and keyboardist Greg Hawkes with singer Todd Rundgren performing as "The New Cars," playing The Cars hits as well as Rundgren's solo material, drummer David Robinson and of course Ocasek (bassist Benjamin Orr died of pancreatic cancer in 2000) the band got together in 2010 with producer Jacknife Lee to record "Move Like This."

This is the first new album from the band since 1987's "Door to Door."  Ocasek had done well for himself since producing for bands such as Weezer, Nada Surf, and No Doubt, giving those new bands a taste of The Cars sound.  I haven't heard anything from The New Cars, but hearing "Move Like This," with Ocasek's unmistakable voice, it's hard to think any other incarnation could do any justice.

If so many new bands weren't biting the 80's sound already, this might seem like a "why bother," but "Move Like This" is actually really really good, filled with one winning pop rock track after another.  From the very opening of lead track "Blue Tip" you hear The Cars burst back onto the scene.  The synthesizers, the drums... and yes, Ocasek's voice... which sounds like it hasn't changed a lick.  You'll hear "Best Friends Girl" in "Sad Song," and elements of some of their best mid-tempo ballads in "Soon."

"Move Like This" isn't a retread by any means.  This is a welcome return for me, and a nice way to show these new whipper-snapers how it's done.

Enjoy.

Blue Tip
Sad Song
Too Late

Friday, May 06, 2011

Judas - Music Video

Judas

Hypnotico

Song: Hypnotico
Artist: Jennifer Lopez
Album: Love?






Well if I haven't lost any WeCast readers with this pop-tastic week... today is sure to do it!  Jennifer Lopez?  Have I lost my mind?  Well... hang with me a second.

I've never been much a fan of Ms. Lopez both as an actress or a singer/pop star.  I'm not watching the current season of American Idol, the first I just didn't tune into, but have had a bit of regret from the great reviews that both she and Aerosmith's Steven Tyler have gotten for bringing the show back to life.  Anyhow, good on them.

Lopez as a recording artist has consisted of urban, vaguely "Latin"pop tunes that I've felt could be sung by just about anyone.  I'll admit I've enjoyed a track here or there in the same way I've liked other semi-faceless pop acts like Ciara, the Pussycat Dolls, blah blah blah.  But I have to say that I really have dug the first single on her latest dance-pop leaning album "Love?," the Pitbull cameo dancefloor filler "On the Floor."  It's got the faint "salsa" mixed in with the current popular Euro-pop beats and a memorable chorus.  It reminded me in a way of Enrique Iglesias' "I Like it," another semi-cheesy pop song that I couldn't stop listening to about a year back.  And what do they have in common?  Well they are produced by none other than RedOne, Lady Gaga's chief collaborator and the guy behind "Just Dance," "Paparazzi," "Bad Romance," and her latest "Judas."  I can't escape this woman!

Well it gets worse... so I heard that Ms. Gaga had co-written a couple tracks for La Lopez on this album, and I just had to check them out.  "Invading My Mind" sounds pretty generic in it's pop (much like the rest of "Love?") and has musical similarities to the hard driving "Bad Romance" and "Judas."  It made me shrug.

But then there is "Hypnotico," a bonus track tossed on the end that is also written by RedOne and Gaga, but produced by a Jimmy Joker, who I don't know.  "Hypnotico" has a reggaeton-lite beat that seems completely disposal, but when it gets to the chorus... I'm sold.  And reminded once again about the brilliance of Gaga... the girl can write a mind-numbing, uber-joyous chorus at the seeming drop of a hat. So I've had "Hypnotico" on repeat for the past couple of days, and might be one of my favorite tracks Lopez has ever recorded.  Song of the summer?  Well, despite it being Lopez who is doing rather well on the charts, it is listed as a bonus track and so I don't see it being released as a single.  Too bad... it's smoking.  ALL the boys gone crazy.

Happy Friday, enjoy!

Hypnotico

On the Floor

Invading My Mind

Thursday, May 05, 2011

Stars in Your Eyes

Song: Stars in Your Eyes
Artist: Her Majesty & the Wolves
Album: Her Majesty & the Wolves EP






I've been listening to this song for some time and have been a bit on the fence about WeCasting it.  I do like it, though it does verge into Black Eyed Peas pop territory... but the more I hear from this new band I find them more interesting.  This London-based band could find themselves with a US crossover hit... a WeCast prediction!

Her Majesty & the Wolves is a duo comprised of ex-Pussycat Dolls singer Kimberly Wyatt, and MC/Producer Spencer Nezey from Jupiter Rising.  They state their influences as including Florence & he Machine, Sia, Empire of the Sun, and Ladyhawke.  Interesting.  The duo met while working on song for was to be a solo album for Wyatt, who became frustrated because the other producers were going in a very current direction, but she wanted something more futuristic.  As Nezey agreed, Her Majesty & he Wolves was formed.

They released their first single "Glaciers" last August, and "Stars in Your Eyes" this past January.  While it didn't set radio on fire, I'm not writing them, or this song off.  A five-song EP introducing the band made the rounds on music blogs, and they just released a video for another new track, "Goodbye, Goodnight."  That track is VERY pop-y and I'm not sure I dig it... but the EP is pretty solid in its balance of dance-pop, electro, and the songwriting and sound you do equate with Empire of the Sun and Ladyhawke.  I just can't tell if they're verging more towards B.E.P.'s Euro-cheese, or something a bit more interesting.

But "Stars in Your Eyes" is a good single and I suppose should have been bigger here.  I really dug the Sidney Sampson remix as well, with elements of dubstep (which in general is kind of annoying me) and their first single "Glaciers" sounds very La Roux.  I did that one quite a bit too.  I think this is a duo to watch.  Their debut album is expected sometime this year, so I'm not ruling a song of the summer possibility for them.  Time will tell.

You can read more about the band on their official website.

Enjoy.

Star in Your Eyes

Glaciers
Goodbye, Goodnight

Wednesday, May 04, 2011

Off & On

Song: Off & On
Artist: Sophie Ellis-Bextor
Album: Make a Scene






While it didn't happen for this country, when it came to songs of the summer, I think you'd have a hard time arguing that Kylie's "All the Lovers" wasn't the song of the summer last year.  It was a massive hit in Europe, and here in every gay bar/vacation locale I went to.  But then again, Kylie is a huge pop music force everywhere else in the world but here.  This summer, I'm hoping that English singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor gets to expand her fan-base based on her excellent disco-electro-pop fourth album, "Make a Scene."

Intended initially to be a Greatest Hits package for release back in 2007, Sophie recorded a couple new tracks for that proposed compilation that went so well, it was decided to create a fourth proper album instead.  Back in 2009 she released a collaboration with the Freemasons, "Heartbreak (Make Me a Dancer)" which is included on "Make a Scene," as well as "Bittersweet," another Freemasons produced track which was released last year in May.  It's been a long road, but "Make a Scene" is finally set for release next month.

I'm happy to report that the end result is quite worth the wait.  The album is filled with one catchy Euro-disco gem after another, and includes collaborations with Neil Howe, Cathy Dennis, Greg Kurstin, Calvin Harris, Richard X, and Junior Caldera to name a few.  "Starlight" has been chosen as the lead single in some territories, but I much prefer the Calvin Harris produced "Off & On."  The song was written with, and was initially for, Roisin Murphy, co-penned also by Cathy Dennis.  Old time readers of the blog might remember I highlighted this track way back in 2009, during "Calvin Harris Week."  And in a WeCastMusic first... I'm re-blogging the song.  For one it's just that good... but also this album version blows the old demo-ish version out of the water.  It's truly a smash-hit contender.

But I've been listening to "Make a Scene" for the past two weeks or so and it really is such a great record.  (Kylie fans... it honestly rivals "Aphrodite," seriously.)  It's one great song after another, and while many different producers had their hands in each of the tracks, it's a cohesive whole.  Highlights include the pulsating title track, the Armin va Buurin-produced "Not Giving Up on Love," "Dial My Number" and "Can't Fight This Feeling."  I'm really loving this record, and highly recommend it for any Euro-dance fans.

Enjoy.

Off & On

Make a Scene

Dial My Number

Tuesday, May 03, 2011

Bounce (feat. Kelis)

Song: Bounce (feat. Kelis)
Artist: Calvin Harris
Album: Bounce





So in keeping with possible songs of the summer that don't have a chance at becoming so, I will double-down with another track that has the word "bounce" in it... the new Calvin Harris single... "Bounce." (!!!) I was pleasantly surprised that Mr. Harris was working on new material so soon after his excellent sophomore album, "Ready for the Weekend" from 2009, and yet... so much has changed since then in pop music, and maybe he's just trying to strike while the oven is hot, given how he's recently been ripped off...

When "I'm Not Alone," the big trance-tastic first single from his eagerly awaited sophomore album was released, I was surprised at how un-pop it was.  I loved the song, but felt that Harris was so close to writing a pop dance track from his debut, that that is what he was going for with the next record.  Well, "Alone" was a bit of a misnomer, as subsequent singles had his own brand of electro-pop all over them. (Title track, "Flashback," & "You Used to Hold Me.")  Despite these tracks being killer and on constant rotation through my ears, he didn't break through here in the States.

But American producers were listening, as we saw Chris Brown lift the open of "You Used to Hold Me" and then add a very similar hook to "Alone" for his single "Yeah 3x" as well as pop group JLS, who seem to straight-up sample "Alone" on their single "Eyes Wide Shut." (none were by permission btw)  So Harris has taken his sound, grabbed new-to-dance-pop queen Kelis, and come up with "Bounce."  I loved Kelis' recent album "Flesh Tones," and her voice works perfectly within Calvin's production.  I must say at initial listen I wasn't blown away like I was with "I'm Not Alone," nor the instant pop bliss of  "Ready for the Weekend," but it's still been on repeat, and once that simple synth/piano rift gets into your head... you're stuck.

Harris first put out another track from his third album, due sometime this year, an instrumental called "Awooga," which is all hard beats with another simplistic but totally mind-numbing riff.  He's a master!  Can't wait to hear more from this, but in the meantime... I'll be playing "Bounce" everywhere.

Enjoy.

Bounce

Awooga

I'm Not Alone

Monday, May 02, 2011

Ode to the Bouncer

Song: Ode to the Bouncer
Artist: Studio Killers
Album: Ode to the Bouncer





As the weather gets warmer, and pool days and beach trips begin to enter the mind, one thing come to the forefront of the mind... what's going to be the song of the Summer?!?!? Will Katy Perry have it AGAIN with the seventeenth single from her sophomore album, Gaga?  Britney?  Beyonce?  All the heavy hitters are out with new material, but I've been hearing a couple new tracks from new and semi-established artists that don't have a chance at actually being made song of the summer, but think you should totally give them a chance...

Thanks to an acquaintance sharing the video on Facebook, I've become aware of the London-based group called Studio Killers.  Very little is known from the band, and the animated video to their first and only single "Ode to the Bouncer" doesn't help you get to know them personally, but I don't really care... I'm obsessed with this new track.

The Studio Killers are comprised of three members, Cherry, Goldie Foxx, and Dyna Mink.  They are based in London, and Cherry is the singer.  That's all the bio they really have.  Learn "More" on their Facebook page.

This song is pretty infectious, and quite funny lyrically.  The girl just wants to get into the club, because she NEEDS to dance.  I get it.  I'm just loving this so much right now, and really looking forward to hearing more from this mysterious band.  They have a preview for a second single "All About You" also posted below.

Enjoy.

Ode to the Bouncer

All About You (preview)