Niner Niner O. Niner

Oddly enough, we come up on an odd numerical day, which just had to deliver awesome music right? We certainly hope so.

First up, O. Children and their song "Dead Disco Dancer" is quite moody and out of left field, but seems to fill a niche right now that had been missing in hipster rock music, these guys excluded. O. Children's band makeup reminds me of this group, so I'm wary that the blogs and record companies are trying to sell me a generic formula. However, "Dead Disco Dancer" is a good song, partaking in moods belonging to early Interpol and that sort of Halloween rock sound that Nick Cave is famous for, and for some reason, they remind me of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, but I don't know quite where, so don't be scared to like it.

O. Children - Dead Disco Dancer (alt)

This a song that I fell in love with when I heard it, one of those I'll-download-now-listen-later-cuz-it-looks-like-another-generic-remix. Good thing I'm open-minded, then, cuz this is one of the better Sebastien Tellier remixes I've heard.

Sebastien Tellier - Fingers of Steel (Hypnolove Remix) (alt)

Finally, the maestro himself gives us another self-aware-of-the-genre electro song to make us smirk at the awesomeness/ridiculousness of electronic music.

Mr Oizo - Sucer Dancer (alt)

Cuz Cupid Never Made Music

Erasure - Chains of Love (alt)
Björk - Wanderlust (Ratatat Remix) (alt)
Beni - My Love Sees You (Beni Edit) (alt)
The Bird and The Bee - Fucking Boyfriend (Peaches Remix) (alt)
Sebastien Tellier - Kilometer (1001010101001 Remix) (alt)
The Cardigans - Erase and Rewind (Kleerup Mix) (alt)
Cassius - Feeling For You (Les Rythmes Digitales Short Dreamix) (alt)
DJ Falcon and Thomas Bangalter - Together (alt)

Kilometers Away

Time and time again Sébastien Tellier satisfies that warm spot in our gut where beards are king. A few nights ago I set up camp at a bar called the Attic in the Mission, ordered a Nagrony, and read an article by my friend Brandon about Tellier. The idea of Tellier reaching for the "master subject" I think is apt, yet in doing so he streches himself too thin. While his albums have many gems, others, like Kilometer, require a little polishing before it's as charming as reading a Tellier interview in English. And Moulinex has the goods. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the beginning reminds me a bit of U2, the good U2 of the 80s. But then come the vocals and the song falls into a definite groove. Moulinex has fun with the clip of the moaning woman in the original Kilometer. That night I read the article I ran into Brandon and we discussed the comparison between Tellier and Serge Gainsbourg. I found this video of Gainsbourg performing in the eighties, and from a distance, it might as well just be Tellier himself sans beard.

Sébastien Tellier - Kilometre (Moulinex remix) (alt)

When Doves Get Married

So Prince takes a stand against gay marriage, and all of a sudden you don't wanna hear what it sounds like when doves cry. Who can blame you? Luckily, La Roux has the alternative. Coming out of the UK, with wind-swept hair that would make the Human League proud, this girl is serious about the 80s--from Prince to Heaven 17. La Roux's single "Quicksand" is being released on everyone's favorite Kitsuné label, which means Ladyhawke and Yelle better not get too comfortable. Her labelmates, AutoKratz, already had a shot at a remix, but I think you better hear this one in its original form.

La Roux - Quicksand

And otherwise, yes we're predictable. Breakbot has a go at Sebastien Tellier's Roche and it's divine. I imagine he had a tough time with taking the slow R&B style of the original, but in the end it sounds like Breakbot took his own funky creation and sprinkled it with Tellier's vocals. It's just as beach-ready as the original though. See what you think.

Sebastien Tellier - Roche (Breakbot remix)

New design on the blog. Drop us a comment and let us know what you think. Edit: pesky blogger and regulations had to take down this post, hit up the linked artists to check out the songs.

Sebastian Tellier American Apparel Mix: Discobelle Contest

Sebastian Tellier's record label Record Makers have collaborated with retailer American Apparel for an exclusive three month pre-release of Tellier's album Sexuality. Limited edition versions of the Sexuality CD, LP and Dvine 7” and 12” single will be available in all North American American Apparel stores beginning July 22nd, 2008. Tellier also composed a MIX for Viva Radio, which is hosted at blog-juggernaut Discobelle. Discobelle contest rules can be viewed here.




Tracklist:

1. Sebastien Tellier – L’Amour et La Violence (Boys Noize Main version)
2. Michael Jackson – Rock With You
3. Sebastien Tellier – Roche
4. Justin Timberlake – Cry Me A River
5. Sebastien Tellier – Mauer
6. Babyshambles – Delivery
7. Sebastien Tellier – Look
8. Daft Punk – Veridis Quo
9. Marvin Gaye – Sexual Healing
10. Sebastien Tellier – Kilometer
11. Low Motion Disco – Things Are Gonna Get Easier (Sebastien Tellier Vocal Remix)

****************************************************************************

And just in case you guys have been bored lately, we're excited to announce some tunes headed our way . . .

The Kills - Cheap & Cheerful - Sebastian Remix
Midnight Juggernauts - Into the Galaxy - Danger Remix
MGMT - Kids - Soulwax Remix

Stay tuned to yours faithfully, LET THERE BE NIGHT.

5 Songs to Hear Before You Die This Summer

I was recently intrigued by the headline of a Smithsonian article published a few months ago called, "28 Places to Go Before You Die." Despite it being a travel article, the headline called attention, above all, to the fact that the reader will at some point die. Places are elusive, you've seen them and then what? You die. But unlike places, songs are retainable. They become part of your day, morning, mid-afternoon, eveningtime. They work their way into your routines and love affairs, into a moment when you've lost track of everything. Songs equally belong to the seasons, and so I've given myself the task to post and write about songs that belong to the summer. Here are five.


Biarritz © 2004

1. Datarock - Princess (Morgan Z remix)

If Animal Collective were strictly a dance group, I imagine this is what they sound like. Much like an AC song, this one never gets repetitive. Norwegians yell over the freshest bips and bloops, then orchestra synths, then glam-rock guitars, and then it all culminates into an acoustic guitar six chord melody that feels like an early morning summer's breeze. Feels good, tastes good.


2. Paul Simon - The Obvious Child

Summer loves parades, and parades love drums so this is a fitting choice. Paul Simon is one of the first to mash genres of music, leading all the way to Dan Deacon. On this album, he blends the styles of rock/folk with Latin American sounds so perfectly it's hard to tell where one stops and the other begins. Also, this song includes one of my favorite lines of all time: "Well I've been waking up at sunrise/ I've been following the light across my room/ I watch the night receive the room of my day."


3. The Rubies - I Feel Electric (Tiedye remix)

The Swedish redo of this Rubies song featuring Feist build the setting of an impossibly hot landscape. This year so far has had some of the most drastic weather: no one is sure if Global Warming is supposed to make summers hotter or winters colder? But if anything, we've been waiting for GW our whole lives. The weather is the number one topic between humans, and finally it's getting exciting.


4. Sébastien Tellier - Roche (Link Removed As Per Request)

We're all amoreuse des trucs sébastiennes, and Sébastien loves Biarritz. This song, which might have made R. Kelly a little jealous he didn't pay attention during French class, keeps it simple, but in its simplicity, beauty. I feel like this is a perfect song: it knows when enough is enough and when too much is too much and it captures the minimalism of a day at the beach--far niente--to a T.


5. B-52s - Dirty Back Road

When I first heard this song I was blown away that the B-52s, who are currently on tour, could sound so good. The album Wild Planet came out in 1980 and was their second. The lyrics seem to describe driving wrecklessly down a deserted road--but there seems to be a fine line between driving and sexual intercourse. But oh, those summer nights...

Don't Be So Emozioni

Monday night, to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, I went out with a friend to a neighborhood bar. I was immediately struck by the difference of the crowd compared to most nights. There were more guys who looked abrasive, brutish, who looked as though they were humored by the possibilities of a fight. When it came time to dance--called by the alcohol and music--I felt as though we had introduced a new language of dancing to these people. Out of the corner of my eye I would see them staring whistfully at us. We would move silently in our own space and then suddenly traverse the entire dance floor because we could. Other girls, I imagined, desperate to express themselves in a similar way, "freaked" each other. When, after short respite, we took once again to the hardwood floor, people would follow suit immediately and join us, as though we granted them permission to do so. It was a bizarre but enjoyable experience.

In anticipation of his newest album's sortie, Sebastien Tellier speaks on influences in this interview. His grasp of English is indeed "charming." It's always fun to see how people of different tongues express themselves in one's own language. They are excited about words and phrases that we have always taken for granted. You understand that excitement when you study a new language.



This song is perhaps my favorite. Tellier says it has to do with missing (manque) a woman, though it is not a sad song. It was apparently the top single of 1976 in Italy.

Lucio Battisti - Ancora Tu

I've been obsessed with this song lately. Mateusz scoffed when I told him that. He says that the original is better, but I can't get enough of this one. It starts off kind of similar to Busy P's "Rainbow Man" with a churning deep synth sound, but then when the song blasts off into its fullness it feels like your swimming in butter, only much less fattening.

Bag Raiders - Nil By Mouth (Knightlife Remix)

Otherwise, the gap between indie-emo musicians and DJs is getting smaller and smaller. Recent remixes of songs you never thought would end up in a club have never sounded better. For instance, "Golden Cage" by The Whitest Boy Alive speaks of sad things, but Fred Falke assures us, in his remix, that it is not a sad song. Thanks Fred.

The Whitest Boy Alive - Golden Cage (Fred Falke remix)

Three Dead People

Yesterday while I was at Amoeba, Weston called me. His voice sounded urgent: "Dude, Michel Gondry is speaking at the Apple Store tonight." We had already waited in line to see a free screening of There Will Be Blood last week and failed that, so we wanted to get to this event really early. We headed downtown at half past 3 and walked down Market cigarette in hand. We were putting our cigarettes out as the store came into view. From a distance we could see a line of only two girls. I told Weston, "I don't know how comfortable I feel about being the first in line." We ended up waiting for about two hours, but were able to get some pizza by writing on the sidewalk with chalk where we were standing, "Alex and Weston will be back in 20 mins." Probably no less than 100 people came up to us or the girl in the very front to ask what we were standing in line for. We began experimenting with responses: 1. "to buy an iPhone... the 2009 edition," 2. "free iPhones," 3. "to see Mariah Carey," 4. "we actually don't know why," 5. "to see director/screenwriter Weston Green," 6. "what're you in line for?"

Seeing Michel Gondry was pretty exciting. Although I can't attest to being the hugest fan, I could feel the excitement. He was a very inspiring person, and his accent made me very Franconostalgic. Since he was promoting his new film Be Kind Rewind, Mos Def--who coincidentally happened to be in SF as well--also showed up. Mos Def made the crowd laugh the most by adding his "regular guy" persona to the group. The interviewer probably tried too hard to ask "intellectual" questions. And Michel Gondry was very inspiring; I especially was pleased to hear him talk about his gripes with too high production, his inspiration for different music videos and films, and how Kanye West was hard to work with. I loved how at times he would be really into explaining something from his oeuvre and he would get really into it and keep talking as the interviewer tried to intervene. Then, as she finally was allowed to speak, he would stop paying attention for a moment, look down at the ground, and smile, as though in talking about such a project he was reminded of something from his past that made him laugh.



Justice - D.A.N.C.E. (Benny Blanco Mix ft. Mos Def)

Lately I've been doing some intense research on new music, so today I have three songs to write about. Let's start with Sebastien Tellier. His "Ritournelle" for me is one of those perfect songs, but I have been wary about any of his other songs. The original "Sexual Sportswear" is alright, though repetitive and a bit boring. SebastiAn makes it more dance-floor friendly, and without putting too much grinding computer sounds that he seems prone to use (on songs like "Smoking Kills" or his "Ready to Uff" remix).

Sebastien Tellier - Sexual Sportswear (SebastiAn Remix)


Next up we have perhaps DFA's most bizarrely named band, Hercules & Love Affair. Is it the name of two people or is it a mysterious story based on Greek mythology? Well, Brooklyn-based Hercules' songs have a disco-feel, but are mostly heavy. In "Blind," however, they've enlisted the help of Antony Hegarty (of "the Johnsons" fame). Antony, mostly known for his sad, resonating and often twisted songs, gives this track a sort of timelessness. With its bongos, bouncy synths and walking bass, this one definitely deserves some radio play.


Hercules & Love Affair - Blind




And then the best for last; I can't get enough of this one. Judging from his get up My Robot Friend electrifies indie rock and is making Devo cool again. And with the presidential primaries in process right now, the song is doubly poignant: "Everything I say about bad education/ a million broken records have already said."

My Robot Friend - Robot High School