Studio’s song “No Comply” begins in some casio-genius’ bedroom. Chalk full of cheap keyboard “Doo” voices and lo-fi beats. Though with each musical stanza, brilliant understated percussive noises emerge on top of a cruzie outer space bass line. The song is so deeply layered with sound you can spend multiple listens focusing on one or two lines a time and have a new experience with each one. With that in mind, “No Comply” is essentially in three or four different parts that snow ball into an ultimate crescendo filled with Duran Duran, LCD Soundsystem, Verve, and Daft Punk. I hesitate to orgasm over the danceable qualities of the song since it could be a little slow, depending on your taste. Though I’m sure some of our more visionary and dance inclined friends could be inspired to create some bitchin’ moves. In fact they should probably spend some time practicing ‘cause I’m starting to feel a little inspired myself.
Sweden, one part of the recent holy trinity of music (with France and laptops) has given birth to yet another gem with Zeigeist. In case you happened to get the leaked version of Silent Shout by The Knife last year, you might have noticed an extra track at the end named "F As In Knife". The song is actually named "Tar Heart" and sounding like The Knife's twin, your humble corespondent didn't even blink. Cut to a month or so later only to fnd out someone had tacked it on to get Zeigeist a little publicity. May many blessings come unto that person. The performance-art group includes (according to their myspace page): Maria N Styling & Costume Design// Per S Music & Production// Mattias B Words & Performance Consultant// Nicklas H Conceptual & Graphic Design// Andreas S Movies & Stage Design. So as you can see, the Zei are one half music and one half visual, much like The Knife, whose music is prerecorded for live shows. I have no idea if Zeigest does the same, but clearly the mission here is to infiltrate both the ears and eyes. Fortunately their music holds up to their counterparts, very very well. First thoughts would probably be 80's-electropop/electroclash, but I seriously dare you to only listen to these only once. Zeigeist manages to make dance songs with a great deal of sophistication mixed with playfulness and heart. Even with all of this excitement, they have yet to release a complete album and so, we bring you 3 of the 5 tracks released so far. One of my fellow Mizians says they are all about sex, which I could tell in a couple, but not all. Hi Devon.
"Dawn/Night" leads you down the bubbly road, needles you with synths and then you'll recognize the Knife-like vocals (only not all distorted to sound like a creepy guy). Yes they sound very feminine and very lovely, not only that, but for a synth-pop group they manage not to ever sound cheesy, but truly genuine. The battling female vocals and numerous hooks will leave you spell-bound and the haunting, reflective, almost sadness provokes a little spark for your dead battery.
"Bunny" steps it up a little bit, enough to get you to do the pogo, including some electro hand claps and (gasp) even some guitar riffs. Also in this recipe are some independent woman attitude, mid-80's keyboard and male harmonies popping in for a quick visit. Get off me muscle boy, I just want to dance ....SNAP. (or have a lot of sex with you later)
"Chasing Your Shadow All Around" is the sad song. His voice makes you melt a little and realize you've probably been in the same stranded situation, well maybe except for the first line which I will just let you listen for yourself. "My body's flesh and gore" rings out repeatedly alluding to just being a piece of meat. Combined with the late night purple sky-foamy waves washing on your feet as you walk along the beach alone-background of battling vocals and music, you might just cry a little bit.
"There's Something Odd About Elizabeth"/"She's Radioactive!"
What is it about catchy tunes that cause our morals to fall to the wayside? We’re willing to ignore terrible musicianship-- as long as it’s catchy. Lyrical content, a sense of purpose, thought provoking; none of these elements seem to matter when you can’t get that damn song out of your head. Luckily for you, Bikeride make catchy tunes that you can still feel good about the morning after. They often sing Beatlesque melodies (let’s be honest, who doesn’t these days?) over playfully experimental music, sometimes even with a touch of psychedelia as on “There’s Something Odd About Elizabeth”. There’s even a Theremin, adding to the creepy (in an Addams Family sort of way), low droning voices from the verse. “She’s Radioactive!” goes straight for the hip shake. Bouncy four-on-the-floor drums push the rhythm to the forefront over classic sounding sythns. It’s great material for a dance party, but more like the kind where the people don’t know how to dance. They even shout out directions at the end: “Put your hands on your hips!/Let your backbone slip!” Sure, it’s kind of cheesy. But we promise not to tell if you do it anyway.
The latest artist to join the Danielson family (which includes our good buddy Sufjan), are a duo by the name of Ben + Vesper. The (married) couple specializes in a unique brand of acoustic pop. Although lyrics like “The state of my plant life is my own business” and “Don’t try to divine my true thumbs color” lead me to believe there’s another substance influencing them besides pure talent (this is pure speculation by the way), I’m still willing to recommend them to fans of lush, folk influenced pop. The easy going “Gardens Ahead” from the bands EP More Questions makes use of care-free acoustic guitar, banjo, and some sort of chime that sounds like a star falling from the heavens. Ben sings with a slight drawl, à la Rufus Wainright, sometimes combining several words into one long sound. Vesper plays back-up, adding slightly unsettling harmonies which always manage to come together by the chorus. It all gently builds into a jangly, beautiful acoustic lull. It’s a good reminder of something most of us forget everyday: the art of relaxation.
UPDATE: I was informed by Vesper herself that no, they do not take partake in the use of illicit substances. They just really, really like plants.
"You'll Find A Way" (Switch & Graeme Sinden Remix)/"Creator"
It’s time to redefine “Bananas”. No, it aint got shit to do with produce. “You'll Find A Way” (Switch & Graeme Sinden Remix) is bananas. I listened to the track after it being suggested by of one of my fellow Mizians and promptly lost my shit. That loose, spacious, almost dub rhythm: bananas. The chains they substituted for a snare drum: bananas. The way they stretched the vocal over that sinister, bubbling synth: b-a-n-a-n-a-s. You get the point. There’s no two ways about it; I’m obsessed. I haven’t been able to digest any other music. It all seems pretty bland when compared with the few Santogold tracks I’ve managed to get my hands on. Check how she holds the tension in her voice, shouting warnings to “Watch out, run for cover!” while the beat plays it cool, executing equally measured claps and kicks before erupting into the aforementioned freak-out. It was the first moment of the year where my jaw literally dropped. Imagine my surprise when I came across the equally hot “Creator” after listening to some not-so-hot material from her previous full band effort. Imagine my face when I heard that bird-call vocal intro over sick drum rhythms and a queasy, wobbling synth line. Two shits lost in one day. I’m hesitant to make the obvious reference to M.I.A. because I think she deserves better, but it’s probably the closest comparison. Overreaching statement: I highly doubt there will be anything as exciting as Santogold in ‘07. Typical blog hype? Maybe, but you’d be silly not to see for yourself.
There’s a weird, comforting feeling I get from the fuzzed-out shoegaze sound of the late 80’s/early 90’s. Maybe it’s the way the sound fills the space, leaving no silence to hide in. Or maybe it’s the way all the elements bleed into one amorphous river of noise that’s somehow loud and soothing at the same time. Whatever it is, it’s always nice to hear an updated version done well. If ESP’s entire album copied the sound of “Woken By A Kiss”, they’d easily be written off as characterless copy cats. But since it’s a one-off, it simply works as a genre exercise. Luckily the band holds off on the fuzz long enough to introduce soft, distant piano trills in between verses. Once they pass the bridge, they turn on the “rock” switch and bring the tempo to double speed. It's not going to shake any musical foundations, but it's nice enough in its own right.
If you like your music soft and pretty, please walk away. But if you can stomach the jazz tindged noir-metal of Acoustic Ladyland, please step forward and embrace the monster of an album that is Skinny Grin. Not unlike Norway’s Shinning, Acoustic Ladyland creates the sort of frantic (mostly) instrumental music that defies categorization and adheres to no simple structures. “Road Of Bones” Plays out like Jekyll and Hyde. The piano begins unassumingly, occasionally stopping at the end of a phrase as if to observe its surroundings. Just when you think it’s ok to relax, beastly power chords come crashing down and the piano surrenders to freakish dissonance, yanking you from a gentle daydream into a chilling nightmare. It’s a powerful juxtaposition of mellow balladry with heavy metal. Consider it Headbangers Ball for your local café. If “Red Sky” sounds like the theme from a classic 80’s crime drama to you, then now is the time to admit how much you loved those classic 80’s crime dramas. It’s one of the more tame tracks from the album with its saxophone and spindly, phased-out guitar. The rest of the album is even more on the experimental side than the two tracks presented here. It’s neither your dad’s jazz nor his rock and roll, but a monstrous hybrid of the two. Final warning: enter at your own risk.
It’s 2007, and the I <3 the 80’s nostalgia has yet to wear thin. I’m sure it’s on its way out, but for now we’ll revel in the gloomy magic of bands like Low Vs. Diamond. You might have mistaken them for some dreary English dudes. Maybe that’s because their four song EP Life After Love is only available in the U.K. Or maybe it’s because the music seems to fit so well with our sheltered American idea of what London is like. Regardless, it’s important to note that this band resides in L.A., and it’s pretty sad that they have to go to the other side of the Atlantic to get a little recognition. Like every other band that resembles Echo and the Bunnymen, LvD specialize in moody mid-tempo rock for the most part. The one exception, “Stay Awake” introduces itself with an insistent kick drum and shimmering synths that hover somewhere in the distance. With its almost silly sentiments (“Stay awake, I’m sure you’re feeling tired. But you haven’t done that little song that you sing to yourself”), it could have been a classic high school “last dance” from the post-punk era. “Life After Love” shows the bands love for dreamy, romanticized verses paired with soft rock hooks. So what’s the difference between Low Vs. Diamond and every other 80’s hand me down? For one, the music may sound drab, but they still manage to avoid the self-loathing that characterizes most of its genre. It’s nice to be able to simply indulge in your sadness without sinking into total despair.
Bright Eyes is not a prophet. Despite what a majority of music critics and devoted fans may tell you, there’s nothing he can tell you that you don’t already know. However, how he tells it is what separates him from the other songwriters of our time. Pre I’m Wide Awake It’s Morning, it was hard to understand such heavy praise as “Our generations Bob Dylan.” But Wide Awake showed a talent for well written stories with political underpinnings not seen on any album prior. So it’s no surprise that his follow-up Cassadaga finds him embracing the folk and Americana of the more successful half of his previous double album release. While Wide Awake reveled in simplicity, “Hot Knives” shows a new penchant for larger orchestrations. Strings run from slurring to soaring over rolling drums showcasing the albums bigger and bolder arrangements. Along with more complexed orchestrations comes obfuscating lyrics such as “I’m a cartoon, you’re a full moon/Let’s stay up” or the defiantly blunt “So I’ve made love, yeah I’ve been fucked/So what?” Not quite Dylan....but then again, who is?
If this song were sung in English I’d be embarrassed to admit I dug it. As it is, the Euro-techno-pop sensation leaves me wondering (as I drive around in my car): “Oh shit- can other people hear this?” Upon first shallow listen, the tiny saccharine voice of a French girl is mildly distracting. On second listen, I wonder if I can hear Parliament’s masterpiece “White Horse” in the bass line. Ok, so it’s funky! Then I decide there’s more to this song than meets the eye...or ear. Flashback to my freshman year of high school about ten years ago: I had an obsession with Furação 2000. Furação 2000 was a Brazilian club phenomenon who's music was characterized by pounding basslines, beats resembling that of a tweaked out marching band and random space age sound effects, all punctuated by a tiny foreign female voice singing about booty-shaking. Granted, I can’t understand French so I can’t verify this hypothesis, but Yelle has taken a very effective formula and milked it for all it’s worth. Perhaps not groundbreaking or original in its conception, but “Je Veux Te Voir” is a successful song that creeps up on you until you can’t stop listening to it. Then, after it creeps up on you, it convinces you that you are indeed THE BEST dancer ever known to man. I say, A ++ for getting the job done.
