Hello, my name is Alan W., and I'm addicted to La Roux.
I've had this YouTube video of their new upcoming single, "Bulletproof" on repeat for the last week solid, and I show no signs of slowing down. The song is as red hot as lead singer Elly Jackson's firey locks, and I wouldn't be surprised to see this become one of the hottest jams of '09. La Roux's retro-spiked sound falls comfortably between Yaz, '80s-era Prince, and Pet Shop Boys, and while Jackson, all of 21 years of age, wasn't around for the decade that influenced her sound the most, she knows how to bring it back, and bigger than ever, like nobody's business.
Check out the Mondrian-inspired video for "Bulletproof," who's chorus will stay with you for days like some kind of aural anti-depressant:
And here's a second dose--the video for "Quicksand," La Roux's first single:
Watch for a tour later in the summer and the full album release around the same time. I can't wait!
Röyksopp, “The Girl and the Robot”: Ah, the frustrations of loving a workaholic. Röyksopp’s new album, Junior, features a heaping helping of what fans have come to love and expect from the Norwegian duo, but this song’s lyrical theme particularly raises the stakes. The poor sap that inspired it apparently can’t choose between his woman and his cubicle. At least the rest of us get a club-bumping couple of minutes out of it…
Tonéx, “Bring It": Anybody else miss Prince? Well, don’t let Tonéx’s rep for inspirational/gospel music fool you. The better half of his new album, Unspoken, will get even the most ardent atheist moving.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs, “Heads Will Roll”: If Yeah Yeah Yeahs have always been waiting for the right bridge from melodic, feral punk to full-on dance pop, TV on the Radio’s Dave Sitek is the engineer who finally built the bridge. As Karen O herself sings, “dance ‘til you’re dead.”
Kinky, “Hasta Quemarnos”: We dance ourselves out. The hook says it all. Turn it up. Hit repeat. Come to tomorrow.
The Bird and the Bee, “Polite Dance Song”:
The most genteel of the lot, “Polite Dance Song” was first released on an EP in late ’07, but its inclusion on January’s full-length Ray Guns Are Not Just the Future justifies its inclusion here. The lyrical concept is positively airtight, a Brontë novel’s worth of sexual repression bottled into as few, elegantly chosen words as possible. And the horn fanfare at the finale? I defy you to find a bad mood that’ll hold through this. (Check out the hilarious video here.)
Tripwire reports on the Pavement reunion that took place Saturday... as a wedding band.
Bob Nastanovich, Pavement drummer/singer/toaster/fancy dancer, got hitched in Nashville. His old band mates rocked the reception. Apparently word got out and fans crashed the event but were flummoxed by the funk and 80's repertoire.
Through Valentine's Day 2009, you can download the ultra-classic Marvin Gaye loverman jam "Let's Get It On" absolutely free over at Amazon MP3. Download it and play it often, but please don't blame any subsequent unintentional babymaking on us.
Also, not to get too shilly or anything, but the album from which this song comes, plus four other albums from our list of the 100 Greatest Romantic Albums are on sale for $5 each through the weekend. Just thought you might like to know. -- Jeff Reguilon
While you could argue that rappers are already doing a fine enough job killing autotune on their own, two pranksters going by the names Roger Riley and Teddy Troutman officially put the knife through the heart (or heart-shaped balloon as it were) of the overused ProTools plug-in with their new mixtape, Death of Autotune. On it, they imagine what the world would have been like if, back in the '90s, autotune had been as prevalent as it is now. Aided by the magically melodifying computer crutch, they've re-recorded vocals on "Electric Relaxation" by a Tribe Called Quest, "Nothin' But a G Thang" by Dre and Snoop, "One More Chance" by Biggie, and nine other well-loved jams. The result is both amusing and terrifying. You can download it free and it and hear it for yourself here. -- Jeff Reguilon
This song is so addictive, I feel like I will literally die if I don't hear it every hour, on the hour.
Empire of the Sun, "Walking on a Dream"
What makes this addiction especially painful is the fact that it's not yet
available in the US. You can order the Australian import
version of the CD, but it's so hot, it's (for the moment) out of stock. To get your fix, you can always wach the youtube video or check out the band's myspace page, where this song has accrued nearly 4 million listens in a few short months. I'm sure some blogs somewhere have links posted as well, as this type of aural crack isn't easily contained.
The band is a collaboration between Luke Steele, creative force behind under-appreciated Aussie indie-poppers the Sleepy Jackson, and Nick Littlemore of electro-dance outfit Pnau. Like the Postal Service before them, this perfect meld of indie rock and electronics is greater than the sum of it's parts and will quite possibly take over the world in 2009. You've been warned.
I've been swimming deep into the murky, day-glo waters of '80s pop music lately. DEEP. Like, I-can't-see-anything-around-me-anymore-because-I'm-so-far-down-the-sun-no-longer-reaches-me deep. I've been finding music I missed the first time around and discovering that I love it as much as the memory-laden favorites I always seem to crave. So, in what is sure to be a failed attempt to flush my mind of some excess nostalgia, I'm going to post some '80s videos. I hope you don't mind, but I really need to feel less alone here. Let us begin:
Ready For The World, "Oh, Sheila" The best part about this video/song is that they're from Michigan, and obviously have some serious thing for Prince/Minneapolis--however, when the singer speaks, he has some sort of weird fake British/Irish/Euro accent (more on fake accents later).
Bardeux, "Magic Carpet Ride" I know Bardeux are kind of an early era Madonna knock-off, but this song is way fun, criminally out of print, and kind of undeniable.
The Jets, "Crush On You" Best '80s band ever? Possibly. It's not hard to believe that this band is made up entirely of one family, but it *is* hard to believe that there were 17 kids in the family. SEVENTEEN. KIDS.
Tina Yothers (yes, *that* Tina Yothers), "Baby I'm Back In Love Again" I scored a copy of this on vinyl a few years ago, and I'm so glad I picked it up. I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I love this song so much, but it's pure '80s teen pop, and that's something I find incredibly hard to resist. It's surprisingly not embarrassing for young Miss Yothers either--unlike the b-side track "Girlie, Girlie," where she sings in a fake Jamaican accent. It's totally unbe-freaking-lieveable. You think I'm lying, but I'm not.
I could truly post '80s videos all day. However, I'll spare you--but not for long. Watch out for another upcoming '80s-centric, youtube-filled post focused on my most favoritest genre of '80s music: pop ballads.
The “Thou Shalt Always Kill” single was the definitive ultimate best track of 2007. Sadly, the re-recorded version on Angles lacks the jolly menace of the original so if anybody has an extra copy of that 7” handy, I’ll trade you an autographed copy of Graduation for it (never played!).
It took ages for Essex lads Dan Stephens and David Meads to get their album out here in the States. Leading with a version of “The Beat That My Heart Skipped,” with a smashing live into, Angles offers a dozen additional electro-blippy hip hop tracks blessed by Le Sac’s self-effacing, incisive rhyming. Highlights include the reality show love song “Look For the Woman,” with a chorus wherein Pip channels Beck and Bono (Love you too much to leave/Don't like you enough to stay), “Tommy C” (a sideways tribute to Welsh comedian Tommy Cooper), and “Development,” which rhymes the periodic table.
Hydrogen is number one Cause hydrogen is what puts the shine in the sun Through nuclear fusion, and when it’s done It leaves element number two: helium. Helium is the second lightest gas that there is So we use it in balloons we give little kids. Then there’s lithium, often used to treat mental problems. Beryllium don’t conduct electric currents, it stops them.
This could devolve into electro They Might Be Giants if Le Sac’s observations on religion, consumerism, and narcissism weren’t so thoughtful. Between the asides and canned laughs, Le Sac and Pip pretty much maintain some kind of real.
Soon to be blaring from a Forever 21 mall store near you, perhaps, but don't let that stop you from missing out on this lovely recording now.
Some of us will be heading to the Capitol Hill Block Party tomorrow, which is a music festival that goes down yearly in the Seattle neighborhood where I live. Acts like Vampire Weekend, the Hold Steady, and Girl Talk will be playing, but the band I'm most looking forward to seeing is Chromeo. Lucky for you, their set will be broadcast live via SyncLive at 7:30 p.m. Pacific on Saturday night. Bookmark this entry and head back over here then to catch it (the player is behind the jump). To keep you busy in the meantime, we'll be checking in from the festival on Friday and Saturday with blogerrific updates. Wish us luck.
Why it's significant: O is a treasure chest full of unabashedly gleeful pop jams inspired by '60s R&B, punk, and new wave.
Tilly and the Wall is one deliriously cute band. Cute but tough. Two members are married, they have a tap dancer instead of a regular drummer, and named themselves after a popular children’s book. They might just be the cutest band in America.
Hailing from Omaha, NE--both the center of the country and the county seat of indie-rock--the band is signed to Bright Eyes founder Conor Oberst's record label, Team Love.
O,Tilly's third full length album, captures the band staying true to its roots with exuberant, catchy-as-hell pop ditties that deliver a pretty hard punch. But, don't expect disposable saccharin stuff here. Sure, Tilly's into streamers, ice cream, and magic, but they've got a darkness about them and aren't too twee to tell you off. The best tracks show signs of a maturing band: the reflective ballad Tall Tall Grass ("I've been scared to say/I lined them up to fall"); the cautionary Poor Man's Ice Cream ("you better watch what you're doing"); the raucous Pot Kettle Black with its reverb-drenched vocal and driving four-on-the floor rhythm; and the crystalline Chandelier Lake's fantasy storybook of toy organs and glassy chimes.
Tilly and the Wall's O echoes the rough-hewn vocal harmonies of girl groups like the Shangri-Las and the psychedelic reverb-drenched pop of the Zombies combined with breezy new wave '80s synths 'n' drum
machines reminiscent of the Go-Go's. The overall effect is fresh and elastic--an excellent summer soundtrack. --Gabi Knight
