EMPIRE OF THE SUN

Can I emphasize it more? Empire of the Sun are such a gem. Sunday, they gave a sneak peak of their album "Walking On a Dream" by releasing five more songs onto their Myspace player. I want to talk all about it but you should check it out for yourself.

The album will be released digitally and as CD October 4th. Go out and pre-order here, here, and here!!!

Tracklist:

1. Standing on the Shore
2. Walking on a Dream
3. Half Mast
4. We are the People (Full Song)
5. Delta Bay
6. Country
7. The World
8. Swordfish Hotkiss Night
9. Tiger by my Side
10. Without You

Mr. Oizo - Lamb's Anger

Arrêter De Vous Reproduuuuuuire . . .


In BIG news, Mr. Oizo is set to release an album November 17 with Ed Banger. "Bruce Willis is Dead" will in fact appear on the LP, contrary to the popular belief that it was a "joke" song. For those that are not familiar with Mr. Oizo, and this may include the million 16 year old kids I saw at the Justice show last night in Street Scene, Quentin Dupieux was key to putting Ed Banger on any map. Uffie toured like a maniac when Oizo produced the undeniably catchy "Ready to Uff," while Justice were still popularly recognized as "DJs." In his earlier productions, it was kinda hit or miss, but since his joining the Ed Banger records, there has been no better style brought to the table. Here's a preview of "positif" a song that blew we talked about here. Support Mr. Oizo; it's a select injunction.

Mr. Oizo - Positif

P.S. Stay tuned for a remix from Oizo's best friend . . . Sebastien Tellier - Roche Kavinsky Remix coming up soon !!!

Lovers Across the Atlantic

I've always had a special place in my heart for Lovers-Across-The-Atlantic themed songs. While there aren't too many of them, they're particuarly touching: just take a look at a map. It's one thing if you live two hours away from your lover, but separated by an ocean: that's quite a daunting separation.

First, there's "Honey Pie" by the Beatles. They take a humorous approach to the theme. A small-town English girl runs away to find fame and fortune in Hollywood and her lover croons after her, "Honey Pie, you are making me crazy/ I'm in love but I'm lazy/So won't you please come home."

Sunset Rubdown offers a more melancholy, sea-shantylike vision in their "Shut Up I Am Dreaming of Places Where Lovers Have Wings," where Spencer Krug calls to the "distant shore." Perhaps on tour, he thinks of his girlfriend and yearns to prove his fidelity through "Drawings of men with faithful hands." Anyone who's been in this situation can identify with Krug's toast: "And if I fall into a drink/ I will say your name before I sink." The ending of the song sound triumphant, dreamlike as the title suggests, and pierces the hearts of those who can empathize.

Now, Ladyhawke has something to add to the tradition. Naturally, the Kiwi's melodic backgrounds are vastly different than the first two songs--and also more clearly autobiographical--sounding kind of like a cross between Ladytron and Stevie Nicks. She sings about a man who comes to her show, she spots him in the crowd and falls in love with him. Well, shit, it turns out he lives across the Atlantic. Turns out Ladyhawke too, like Paul McCartney, is lazy: she promises, "one journey for you, but it's worth it/ one life here with me, and it's magic."

Ladyhawke - Magic

That said, by the time you read this I'll be in Thailand--"Oceans never listened to us anyway."

Truth Derailed

I don't know about you, but when I download a remix I expect to hear something I can dance to. Admittedly, the nature of the remix seems most suitable for the dance floor: you take a song that you can't dance to, add a four-four electronic bass drum and then work your magic. Indeed, where else might you hear those often obscure remixes but through a DJ at a club. But then, it's not often that you'll hear a Four Tet remix at a club. Nowadays, however, that doesn't always have to be the case, especially if you're working with songs to which you can already dance. So why not remix a song without the intentions of making it danceworthy? Enter Trentemøller.

Ever since I heard Trentemøller's remix of Moby's "Go," I was intrigued. The beat seems just slightly too slow to dance to, like just barely misses the mark for appropriate BPMs. But that doesn't take away from the quality of the remix. I love the way he uses the percussion in the beginning, almost like a drum solo wandered into the wrong party. It definitely sets the tone and raises the intensity level to get the song kicked off.

Moby - Go (Trentemøller remix)

In the Dane's latest work he pays respect to his fellow countryman-and-woman, The Raveonettes. He uses a similar sounding drum line to get things started, seems to be his signature sound. But then when the somber guitars chime in, you can hardly tell it's a remix: definitely not suitable for the dance floor. I wonder then what it was meant for. Well, that's for you to decide.

The Raveonettes - Lust (Trentemøller remix)

The Prydz Before The Fall

I´ve pretty much decided recently that I don´t hate all trance music, and that´s pretty hard for me to say (that the last 20 minutes have been spent trying to decide exactly what words to use to write this last sentence prove to me as much). I always try to keep my mind open as far as music but trance music had pushed me against a corner, due to its lack of soul and its overly annoying and dull repetitiveness. Artistry seems largely missing from this genre, most of its great examples stuck between a commercial sound and artistic anonimity.

To me it´s pretty amazing that Eric Prydz wasn´t subjected to the one and done trend that a lot of house-trance artists tend to suffer after his massive dance hit Call on Me, probably not just because of their musical abilities, but because of the overwhelming amounts of trance music available by the dollar.

However, lack of craftsmanship and a disappearance from the public (dance) ear are two things Eric Prydz does not suffer from. Even with the huge emergence of electro music, Prydz has managed to stay on top of what he does best: quality trance music combining soft melodies with Bennassian basses and substituting the overly used and annoying trance drum kits for a deeper rhythm section.

It´s not that Prydz doesn´t suffer from some of the same setbacks that most trance artists suffer (monotonous and unrevised structures; intro-outro like transitions that serve for buildup/dramatic purposes but to me sound like filler and waste momentum) but his deficiencies are more indicative of the genre than of the artist. In the end, Prydz´s strengths overcome his weaknesses and make him an important player in the new wave of electronic music, as evidenced by the release of Pjanoo this year.

The following is one of my favorite unexpected tracks of the year, along with Raven (Proxy) and Take A Chance (The Magic Numbers). My love affair with this one commences with the 8-bit Megaman-esque melody, cut apart by intense drumbreaks and follows through with a memorable trance structure that favours the songs softer overtones and reminds me a lot of Shinichi Osawa/Fred Falke/Paul Wall:

Eric Prydz - Miami Atlanta

Visit Eric´s Myspace as well as his official website.

MGMT - Kids - Soulwax Remix

It got out today and we got our hands in early enough to say it has been a lot of hype. Erol's version was probably an edit. Both Soulwax or MGMT sound real great at this present time, but this remix is lackluster. Has anyone seen Part of the Weekend Never Dies?

MGMT - Kids - Soulwax Remix

Also; what happened to Kidzbycolette? hehe, jk, lolz.

G.L.O.V.E.S.

It's not C.L.A.W.S. . . I mean Melbourne duo G.L.O.V.E.S. have signed on for two 12s to familiar label BANG GANG, a record label way underrated. AU readers; they read our blogs the most, second only to the French. Where is the Justice? Anyways, this remix came up recently and made the rounds at Bouleafacettes and Hyperbole too, but it's still worth posting here. This bit impressed me, those reminiscent high-hat hits that started everything in blog-universe . . . Any guesses? G.L.O.V.E.S. are scheduled to handle Cut Copy and Sneaky Sound System in the near future. Stay glued.

The Death Set - Listen to this Collision - G.L.O.V.E.S. Remix

New Mr. Oizo

There's a lot that can be blogged about right now. I have several songs in mind that I've wanted to post for a while, but when this came up, I thought I can't afford to lose my dungeons-and-dragons like allegiances to artists I feel are really "important," meaning artists that do what they like to do, no reservations. Not only that: the formula works, and it's way under appreciated. As some of you may now know, Mr Oizo recently made it public that he has finished work on his latest album. It's Mr Oizo. Stunt, halfanedit, Patrick 122; do these mean anything to you? Secret gems from a mysterious man. And here's what is in store next . . .

Mr Oizo - Vous êtes des animaux
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