Lost Valentinos – The Bismarck (12″ Version) (mp3)

Their stand-out 2007 single ’17 Deaths’ showed a move away from their indie roots to embrace a more dance-oriented aesthetic and feel. Now, Lost Valentinos have made those dancefloor aspirations even more transparent with the release of their latest single ‘The Bismarck’ as a 12″ with a handful of glorious remixes.

The song itself is a great number that shows why crossing over to dance territory doesn’t necessarily signal a dissolution of artistic integrity. Whilst still accessible, ‘The Bismarck’ has almost as much in common with Can’s krautrock digressions as it does with modern dance-pop kings The Rapture. Dark and dense, the incessant beat keeps the song progressing through the moody mire they have concocted alongside reknowned Berlin-based producer Ewan Pearson. Without a traditional verse/chorus structure, the song is directed by the tight groove of the rhythm section that weaves its way between the different segments of the song. Fantastic.

Lost Valentinos – The Bismarck (Knife Machine Remix) (mp3)

Knife Machine is actually Jono and Pat from Lost Valentinos in their electronic side-project mode. Their version introduces a straight up house beat, distorted synth bass and filtered break-downs that move ‘The Bismarck’ firmly into the realm of dance music. I’ll avoid making any solid comparisons to in-style French house remixes, though they do make for a good point of reference.

Lost Valentinos – The Bismarck (Canyons Remix) (mp3)

The Canyons remix makes the original sound like something lifted off Swedish duo The Knife’s last album by adding an even more sinister electronic vibe to proceedings. A quality remix that genuinely adds to the original.

www.myspace.com/lostvalentinos

www.myspace.com/theknifemachine

www.myspace.com/thecanyonsinfo

Read Post →

Lions At Your Door – ‘Shake It’ (mp3)

Sydney’s Lions At Your Door have constructed possibly the catchiest verse of the year with just a handful of words, some aggressive organ and a driving, hypnotic hi-hat. ‘Shake It’ echoes the naivety and simplicity of early pop but is updated for the modern indie dancefloor with a rhythm section to rival early Liars recordings and some subtle guitar work that adds a hint of darkness to this gem of a song.

The pro-dance sentiment of the lyrics is only heightened through the relentless beat and energy that bleeds through the speakers. This song does nothing if not make you want to jump around.

This is not meant to sound reductive – ‘Shake It’ is a quality composition that refuses to rely just on its dancefloor potential. Though its lyrics are simple and straightforward, they intentionally obscure the intelligence and precision of arrangement and performance that underscores them.

I’m so keen on this song. Definitely looking forward to hearing more from these guys.

www.myspace.com/lionsatyourdoor

Read Post →

Major Major – ‘The Beast’

This song’s been doing the rounds on music blogs lately – and rightly so. It’s a great slice of indie pop from a band who, when I saw them only twelve months ago, seemed incapable of producing something so professionally bold and catchy (which is a glowing appraisal of their progression and not a back-handed compliment).

‘The Beast’ combines a strong, stuttering back beat, stereo guitars and the odd ‘group chanted’ vocal to elevate its modest melody into near-anthemic territory. In addition to their penchant for effective embellishments, the band are fortunately also adept at knowing when to drop the bells and whistles. At various times throughout ‘The Beast,’ both dynamics are on display and work well when played off against each other. Adrian Slattery’s smooth and consistent voice contrasts nicely with the distorted guitars but is also, in itself, rough and emotive enough to avoid transgressing into dull competency. Perhaps the coolest thing about this song, and the best indicator of its success, is that it would sound equally at home in both small clubs and large stadiums.

Chances are that you’ve seen this song floating about already. Even if you have, you should listen to it again – it keeps getting better. I swear.

http://www.myspace.com/thisismajormajor

Read Post →

Ben Lee – ‘Yoko Ono’

Figured I’d get this one up quickly.

So, new Ben Lee. It seems like this guy hasn’t taken a break in the last four years.

His latest song, ‘Yoko Ono,’ is from his upcoming album The Rebirth of Venus (released Feb 7th) and continues Lee’s obsession with straight-forward pop songs filled with rolling, unassuming hooks. Acoustic guitars, quirky lyrics, and a double-tracked chorus keep this song within the sweet-pop aesthetics he’s mastered with ‘Catch My Disease’ et al.

Though perhaps not as successful as some previous outings, ‘Yoko Ono’ still sees Lee continue to strive for the perfect pop song he’s been trying to write for on his past three albums. He’s come pretty close before. Maybe there’ll be a revelation somewhere on the album. ‘Yoko Ono’ may not be it, but it’s still likely to be as contagious as previous outings.

www.ben-lee.com

Read Post →

Comatone & Foley – ‘Electric Sheep’ (mp3)

Comatone & Foley‘s Electric Sheep would be equally at home on Ed Banger or Modular these days as it would on be on Warp in the mid 90’s. It’s also is the stand-out centrepiece of their latest album, Trigger Happy.

The song (which began its life as a remix of a song by The Colours) is something a bit different and more than a little memorable from these two Sydney exponents of IDM. Though not entirely indicative of their typically more subdued, experimental output, it’s proof of a strong pop sensibility that lurks beneath.

Electric Sheep mixes robotic vocoders and a dirty synthesised bass with floating keys and glitched-up IDM beats before finally grunging out. Comatone & Foley tread through several genres and do them all well, and also successfully invoke both mellow and euphoric moods.

Put your headphones on and enjoy.

www.myspace.com/triggerhappysound

Read Post →

Tic Toc Tokyo – ‘Ritual’

‘Ritual’ is certainly an appropriate name for a song that’s more meditative and deconstructive than the average pop outing – it’s the kind of thing that you can imagine actually being played at a tribal gathering (in, um, late 70s London). The repetitive form of this song, which some have labelled as directionless, is the very mechanism that draws the listener into its meditative groove on repeated listens. The main section of the song – consisting of sharp, sticcato vocals, delayed guitar lines, a dirty and incessant bassline and a four on the floor drum pattern – is punctuated only by the odd instrumental break. The reverbed melodica and half-time drum beat toward the end establishes a common but effective finale of tension and release that keeps the song progressing even as it retreads its path. Haunting and enchanting.

‘Ritual’ moves to dissolve the pejorative tone in the frequent post-punk comparisons and elevates the band beyond superficial imitators. It signals great things should the synthesis of their influences continue to be this successful and alluring.

www.myspace.com/tictoctokyo

Read Post →

Despite not releasing an album this year, Regurgitator have been far from complacent. Duel vocalists/song-writers Ben Ely and Quan Yeomans have both released side-project/solo albums respectively in the past few months whilst also managing to tour the UK with their mother band for the first time in over five years.

Over the last fifteen years, these two have managed to cover most musical genres and so it’s not hard to spot reflections of their stylistically disparate side-projects in Regurgitator’s back catalogue. What is common between all is the energy and sense of fun that has united Regurgitator’s output beyond generic delineations.

But enough about that band – these new albums deserve attention on their own merits.

Ben Ely’s Radio 5 – ‘I’m Psyched’

Starting firstly with Ben Ely’s Radio 5, which, like Ben Folds’s initial band, is actually a three piece. I’m Psyched distills dueling, distorted power chords and a relentless drum beat and into three minutes of unassuming hard pop. The arrangement is tight and simple but manages to sound as loose and loud as a house party at 3am. With stuttering expression in the verses and a chorus consisting merely of “Oh Yeah,” the song exhibits the effectiveness of simple vocal hooks that will serve pop music well until the form finally collapses on itself. The fun atmosphere and lyrical playfulness heighten the directness of the song whilst intentionally obscuring the thought in both composition and production.

www.myspace.com/benelysradio

Quan – ‘And This Is What She Said…’

Quan‘s solo album certainly highlights the origins of Regurgitator’s hip hop digressions. Greeted by electronic squeals, the listener is soon taken to a looped guitar stomp and drum line beneath vocals “about a girl who broke my heart in seven places,” replete with rhythmic doubling. The song is misleadingly simple until a bridge of chopped up vocals, synth string stabs and percussive punctuations extends the sonic palette considerably. Though the song contains scattered beeps and noises throughout it is certainly one of the more simple, stripped-backed offerings from his album. The production, though minimal, is nonetheless intelligent – particularly in the afforementioned bridge – and the beats Quan constructs are as strong as anything he’s done before. And This Is What She Said… stands with conviction alongside tracks by other Australian artists more notable for their hip hop output.

www.quantheamateur.com

Read Post →