Digitalull - Your Weekly Electronic Fix

Adult- "I Feel Worse When I'm With You"

Sometimes we need to step outside of our silky comfortable lovey indie poprock sensitivity and jump into how we really feel. That manic, insane, uncontrolled feeling that keeps getting buried under soft harmonies and cushy guitar riffs needs to surface or else one day you will become a volcano and probably end up in a straight jacket. Adult has been making mizik since 1998, and although their sound or ideas haven't changed much, their unique wavelengths have been embedded as their own sound. Both straightforward and abstract at the same time, Adult creates chic, fast paced, electro that could make you dance, cringe, or say "fuck yeah" all at the same time. So answer that knock on your door and invite in "IFWWIWY". The anxiety you can never really express well comes in with some manic Adam Lee Miller keyboard and almost gabber beat that hits you in the temple right before Nicola Kuperus' shrill voice explains how we (ok I) feel about most people. As the video shows (it's on youtube) this looks like it is meant for your significant other but I think it is relevant to really anyone. I can't eat, breath, or sleep around a lot of people and honestly, couldn't say that to their faces. This song is a great muse for those of us who just cannot vocalize our grievances. The song title pretty much says it all (along with "Inclined To Vomit & You Don't Worry Enough" off of their new album Why Bother?) but at least they don't title their tracks Billy Corgan style.



Download >>I Feel Worse When I'm With You

Mr. Oizo - "Transexual" (Lorn Remix)

Mr.Oizo(below)
Lorn(right)

Quentin Dupieux has been in the game for a while now, most noticeably from that 1999 gem "Flat Beat". Ok so you don't recognize the title but you'd probably recognize the song. Look it up, we can't be your daddy for everything. Enough history, "Transexual" is the upcoming EP from Monsieur Oizo on Ed Banger Records and here is the title track all bass'd and lazer'd up just for you; complements of Lorn, who I've never even heard of before now. His talents seem to be emerging though, this track made me feel like I was back at the goth club, only not wearing fishnets or flailing furious fists at KMFDM. This song is pretty much all over the place with Benny Benassi type lady robot voice, hand clap snares, brown notes, and EDM organ breakbeat all in yo face. It almost seems German even though it's by a Frenchman, mixed by an American. Maybe the answer to life is France + USA = super German tranny goth.



Download >>Transexual (Lorn Remix)

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Tokyo Police Club

"Box"

HA HA! Fooled ya! Not only are Tokyo Police Club not from Japan, but they’re not cops either! Good one boys! You got us! Hahahahaha! But all seriousness aside, the Canadian blog-favs are destined to set the hype machine in motion…. as soon as they decide to release a full album. With only one EP (A Lesson In Crime) under their belt, the boys have already generated a decent buzz. So to keep the masses hungry, they give us the Smith EP, a digital only release. The lead-off track “Box” makes self-deprecation sound like fun. “It comes easy to a scum-bag like me” they admit. Fair enough. The drummer lays down a strict, propulsive rhythm while the rest of the boys shake out your typical, partially distorted guitar noise. “Box”, being only a limited release, really only hints at the bands potential. Whether or not their yet to be released full-length will fully deliver on the promise of early material….only time will tell.



Download >>Box

Au Revoir Simone

“A Violent Yet Flammable World”

The drum intro on “A Violent Yet Flammable World” is the same one perfected by Motown, Phil Spector, and so many other acts from the 60’s—and it still works. It’s a comforting welcome mat that tells you you’re entering familiar territory. But instead of launching into bouncy girlish harmonies or typical funky girl-group fanfare, Au Revoir Simone opt for a darker soundscape. The song is colored in grayscale, a monochromatic wash of storm cloud synthesizers. Underneath it all, the same drums from the intro keeps steady throughout the entire song, accented by what sounds like fluttering hand-drums. The vocals are sung with idle simplicity and innocence, and the harmonies don’t come in until the end—all which is in direct contrast with what you’d expect from the intro. It’s like the element of surprise, but one where they whisper it instead of shout.



Download >>A Violent Yet Flammable World

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Elk City

"Cherries In The Snow"

There’s a newfound energy on Elk City’s upcoming release New Believers. If you let the band tell it, they’d give credit to the departure of lead guitarist/singer Peter Langland-Hassan. If that’s truly the case, then it’s very unfortunate that one band member would be capable of stifling so much creativity. The music now lies somewhere between the soft, acoustic sounds of Camera Obscura and the charging rhythms and harmonies of the latter day girl groups. You make think I’m crazy, but I can actually hear a little bit of The Cranberries in “Cherries In The Snow”, which in this case is not a criticism. In between the “Ooh la la” harmonies and oh-so-90’s-rock guitar solo lies an irresistible slice of head-nodding pop perfection. The lyrics are simple enough to get stuck on endless repeat within the inner recesses of your brain, but cryptic enough make you ponder what reference may be flying over your head. But let’s not think too hard about that, we wouldn’t want to ruin the fun.



Download >>Cherries In The Snow

Apparat

"Arcadia"

If it weren’t for the airy synths, soft falsetto, and distant angelic choir, I would have deemed “Arcadia” the next club banger. Strip it down to just the first few bars of the intro and you’re left with a potential radio-ready single. But with the other elements mixed in, it becomes the dream-like comedown after a long night of partying and substance abuse. It actually sounds like one of those parties where everyone dances is slow motion, fully bathed in blue light. The only thing keeping the song from floating away is the booming kick drum and clattering percussion. Coming off like a less erratic Thom Yorke, Apparat handles vocals on this and a handful of other tracks on the forthcoming Walls. The style suits the tracks well, keeping everything light and smooth to match the drifting background sounds awash in reverb. The only frustrating thing is deciding whether to pop and lock or sit back and relax.



Download >>Arcadia

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The Rosebuds

Are you having a bad day? Not for long! (I just said that while running down the street and ripping some tear-away pants from my loins). Don’t be fooled by the euro-pop synth strings and happy high hat. Sleeping on top of that sugary sweet melody is an indie-pop dream song called "Get Up And Get Out" from the duo of Ivan Howard and Kelly Crisp, otherwise known as The Rosebuds. Not since PB&J’s "Young Folks" has a song been so set for a dance club remix. "Get Up And Get Out" is deceivingly amazing. The song’s beat is incorrigible, and worthy of some private dance sessions. The lofty melody introduced in the beginning of the song, and what is ultimately the songs musical center piece, is accompanied by a verse/chorus/verse of jazzy acoustic chords and great lyrics. It’s awesome that a song about curing the poisonous parts of life with goodness and freedom inspires just that. "Get Up And Get Out" may seem like aspartame, but if one expands their pallet a little more, they'll see that it’s sweetness is homemade and pure.



Download >>Get Up And Get Out

Eluvium

"Prelude For Time Feelers"

Sometimes in life it seems as if before we have time to grasp what is happening at any given moment, that moment has ended and the next has already begun. We get so caught up in living for the moment that has yet to come we never have time to appreciate the moment that is now. Copia, Eluvium’s latest album seems to have the effect of slowing the world to near stop and allowing us to escape into a dreamlike atmosphere of thought, feeling and emotion. With “Prelude For Time Feelers” Matthew Cooper starts with a simple piano melody that instantly seems to slow your breathing and lovingly pull you from reality. While the simple circular piano melody runs throughout, string swells are gradually introduced and you begin to feel as if the music is empathetically reaching out to you, comforting you, much the same way a mother would rock her child to sleep in her arms. Turn off your phones, close your eyes and have a listen, “Prelude For Time Feelers” may just be what you need to transport you to that strange place between reality and dream, where neither seems to matter.



Download >>Prelude For Time Feelers

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Art Brut

"Pump Up The Volume"

Being obsessed with pop culture is an interesting habit when you’re in a indie rock band. Especially when that bands entire goal is to infiltrate pop culture. Then again, maybe that’s not so strange at all, but for some reason it still seems like an odd fixation for Art Brut. They’ve openly declared their desire to be on the British television program Top of the Pops, and still, after the shows cancellation last year, are adamant about it. So it’s no surprise that “Pump Up The Volume” finds lead singer Eddie Argos more interested in a song on the radio than making out with his date. It’s a ridiculous notion for most, but expected behavior from these guys (and girl). The music consists of the usual hard rock riffs paired with Argos' awkward, half melodic speak-singing. It’s hard to believe Argos when he claims to be serious about a majority of the material since most of it borders on tongue-in-cheek, but in this case we’ll have to just take his word for it. I can only hope that whatever song it is on the radio that keeps him from getting play is really, really good.



Download >>Pump Up The Volume

Low

"Breaker"

When you’ve been around as long as Low have (fourteen years), you would think you’d run out of things to say. With the primary members being married (to each other) with children, one might assume that any fiery protest they may have had in them would have died with age. But obviously, as “Breaker” and the rest of the bands latest album Drums and Guns illustrates, assumptions aren’t always accurate. And while most protest songs attempt to channel their rebellious energy through the music, Low take a more subtle, effective route. The track uses a synthetic drum beat as the backbone, accented by heavy claps. Once the organ comes in, the sound of a mournful dirge becomes clear. The message is direct: “Our bodies break and the blood just spills and spills/But here we sit debating math/It’s just a shame, my hand just kills and kills/There’s got to be and end to that.” Whatever crimes are being committed, be it here or elsewhere in foreign countries, we’re all somehow responsible. It’s as if a lack of action, in effect, actively perpetuates the very injustices we’re ignoring. It’s heavy stuff, which of course no one wants to be bothered with. I guess we’ll have to leave it up to bands like Low to speak up every now and then and hope that someone’s actually willing to listen.



Download >>Breaker

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Rufus Wainwright

"Going To A Town"

Rufus Wainwright has given up. You can hear it in his voice. While he always sung in that lazy drawn out style, you can’t help but notice how tired he sounds this time around. What once sounded slightly defiant has become fully defeated. “I’m going to a town that has already been burned down/I’m going to a place that has already been disgraced/…I’m so tired of America.” Wow. No more clever puns, no sarcastic commentary, no humor. Whatever hit Rufus, it hit hard. While I can’t say that everything the man has done has been completely uplifting, I’m still certain that the level of depression has increased some-fold. While Rufus sings in his typical elongated fashion, the music sweeps and swells acting as Wainwright’s emotional conscious, as if the weight was too much to carry in his own voice. I don’t normally encourage drinking, but you might need one after this.



Download >>Going To A Town