Drive Soundtrack - 2011

For Fans Of: Matthew Dear, Electric Youth, The Chromatics

Genres: Electronica, Synth Pop, Ambient

Preview:

College feat. Electric Youth - A Real Hero by College

After finally watching this earlier tonight, I am convinced that Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn managed to make one of the best movies of last year. From the unique cinematography, to the suspenseful action/brutal murder scenes, to the great cast (Ryan Gosling - making jean jackets look too good, Carey Mulligan - making short haircuts on girls look too good, Bryan Cranston - of Breaking Bad, Malcolm in the Middle, and Christina Hendricks - of Madmen), and last but not least, the '80s electronica-inspired soundtrack, this movie stands as a truly impressive thriller.

Artists on the soundtrack include: Cliff Martinez, College, and Desire. Just like the movie, it winds back and fourth between calm and calamity; kicking things off with electronica, veering off into a more ambient sound, and then into a darker disco sound. When put together, the score provides a dark, seductive atmosphere. One fan wrote: "Fact: Listening to the Drive soundtrack will make you fifty times cooler", and I couldn't agree more.

So go ahead and grab a lady or gentleman friend, have some wine, and enjoy it, as well as the movie.

Asa Breed by Matthew Dear (2007)

For Fans Of: Dntel, Audion, Isolee

Genres: Electronica, Minimal Techno, Dream Pop

Preview: Matthew Dear - Deserter by Liminal Kitsch

I remember catching this guy at a show in Ann Arbor about a year or so ago. Turns out he's actually based in Detroit. I had never even heard of him or his music before then, and was immediately impressed by the dreamy pop/electronic sounds I was hearing. Fast forward a few months - I picked up his "Deserter" ten inch randomly at a record store after hearing Poo's copy and liking it, and it ended up becoming one of my favorite records in my whole collection. Here's a preview of my favorite song from that album, a remix of the title track. My sister's review of that song: "It sounds like something I would have made when I was five years old and had one of those play pianos for little kids." ...I completely disagree. But you can listen and decide for yourself.

Ghostly International is releasing his newest album, Headcage EP, on January 17th. I'm not sure how I feel about the title track just released from it, but I'm hoping the rest are better. Nonetheless he's worth checking out. Headcage hasn't leaked yet; rest assured that it will be up as soon as I can get my hands on it. But for now you can find a link to Asa Breed, which features the original "Deserter" track, right below. Also he's pretty much a babe.

Ghost in the Night by Stereo Soul Future (2011)

Kind of Like: Girls, Cults, Wilco
Genres: Indie, Pop, Soul, Folk
Preview: Website

I am putting off writing the Saturday version of the Fest Hangover because it's going to long.  So, until then here is a band that probably could use a little exposure judging by their last.fm profile.  They are based out of Boston and just released this album a couple weeks ago.  This should appeal to fans of indie in general, and they seem to be nice guys as well.

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Eyelid Movies by Phantogram

Kind of like: Sleigh Bells, Starfucker, Washed Out
Genres: Chillwave, Trip-hop, Psych Pop, Electronica
Preview:

"PHANTOGRAM is a trip-hop/psych-pop duo which formed in 2007 in Saratoga Springs, New York, United States. The band consists of Joshua Carter (guitar, vocals) and Sarah Barthel (vocals, keyboards). Their music can be described as a culmination of unique street beat rhythms, psychedelic melodies and organic textures." -Last.fm

I don't know why i have been so drawn to female vocals in music lately, but Phantogram crafts their sound with a lot of style and ambiance. At times this album reminds me of the dark atmosphere characteristic of groups like Portishead and even Massive Attack. Recommended!

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Life in the Trenches by The Embassy (2011)

Kind of Like: Boat Club, Air France, Delorean

Genres: Electronica, Pop

Preview: 

This is another Swedish duo that apparently had a lot of influence on Air France; a band I have been listening quite a bit lately.  After not many Americans noticed their early 2000 efforts, they are poised with this album to break some ground after many other Swedish dancy/pop groups have started to gain more popularity over here.  The video above is....interesting, I guess, but the song featured on it isn't some of the strongest stuff this album has to offer.

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Weathervanes by Freelance Whales (2010)

Kind of like: Blind Pilot, Local Natives, Miniature Tigers
Genres: Indie, Folk, pop
preview:

I can't remember where I found this group, but they are super rad. Seriously check them out. This is (hopefully) the end of my hiatus and I am on my way out the door to go to a show tonight, so it's a shitty, short review, but listen to this album.

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Funky Thursday: Sly & The Family Stone, Stanley Clarke, Edwin Starr, Jackson 5

Kind of Like: Funkadelic, James Brown, War, Prince, The Temptations
Genres: Funk, Soul, Rock, Motown, Pop
Preview: Boobtube


It's time to expose yourself to something a little bit outside of the box.  I've recently been buying lots of old funk records.  They are not only inexpensive, but they are fucking awesome.  I know Stanley Clarke wasn't as well received as the other bands on here, but I'm going to continue to force shit like this down your throats.    Here are a few records that I have been spinning lately.  Fact: Edwin Starr invented hardcore.

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No Way Down EP by Air France (2008)

Kind of Like: Boat Club, Delorean, Memory Tapes
Genres: Electronica, Ambient, Indie, Pop, Chillwave(?)
Preview: Pitchfork

The track on Pitchfork is a new track from his forthcoming debut LP, and following this little blurb is a download of his 2008 EP, No Way Down.  Not usually big on Pitchfork, but whatevs, I like this.

"Air France is a band from Gothenburg, Sweden. Their music has been described as “post-rave bliss”, “beach foam pop”, and “Balearic disco”, although they refer to their music as, “Disco Dub”. Their No Way Down EP received favorable reviews."
-Last.fm

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Has Been Defeated by Foxwarren (2011)

Kind of Like: Summer People, Fleet Foxes, Bon Iver
Genres: Folk, Indie, Emo, Pop
Preview: Bandcamp

"It's hard enough to write songs that truly have atmosphere, much less maintain such a thing over the course of a whole record, however Foxwarren have achieved this with 'Has Been Defeated,' a style seldom debut record.

Even though it runs short of 25 minutes, 'Has Ben Defeated' has an impact greater than its footprint suggests. It’s a record drenched in nostalgia and suffused with sense deep-set sense of regretful longing, tugging away at the strings binding together its particular brand of melancholic folk pop. Though it sometimes skates close to indulgent melodrama, its honesty and sense of battered worldliness carries it though."
-Alter the Press

This band is a self-proclaimed folk band, but I think there are definitely hints of classic midwest indiemo also in play here.  And the ending to the second song, "Leave but Stay the Same" is borderline screamo.  There certainly is a lot incorporated in this album: folk, indie, pop, horns, emo, screams, banjos, piano...It's a wonder how a band had the resources to burst in with a well-produced, instrument-varied debut like this.  I was skeptical that this would just be another Fleet Foxes/Mumford and Sons type folk band, but they actually have a sound that is quite different.  This could really be an example of a bridge between emo and folk fans.

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Two for Tuesday: Heavy Rocks and Attention, Please by Boris (2011)

Kind of Like: Sun O))), Earth, The xx
Genres: Sludge, Doom, Pop, Experimental
Preview: NPR

When I first put the new Heavy Rocks on my itunes, it immediately started causing problems.  The songs intertwined with the old Heavy Rocks album they put out so it looked like one giant album, so now  I have an album called Heavy Rocks and this one called Heavy Rocks 2.  Honestly, I don't know why they felt so compelled to call this Heavy Rocks again.  Trust me, it has some heavy ass songs, but it also has a bunch of poppy ones that were on the New Album.  I am still listening to Heavy Rocks and haven't listened to Attention, Please yet, but that album apparently is their "least metal" album they have put out and is instead focusing on "icy rhythms" and "smoky moods" that pull closer to being similar with bands like the xx.  Guitarist Wata is doing her first lead performance for that album.

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Slowriter Halloween Vacation Party Pack by Slowriter (2011)

Kind of Like: Robot Science (music), Beck (maybe), Postal Service (maybe)
Genres: Electronica, Pop, Indie, Experimental
Preview: Bandcamp

"slowriter is the music of Bryan Taylor. Bryan toured and played guitar in The Chariot (2008-2010) and wrote/recorded for their album 'Wars and Rumors of Wars'.


slowriter recordings are recorded and produced by Ryan Boesch (Foo Fighters, Andrew WK, Eels, etc.).


slowriter recordings are mixed by Ryan Boesch, Miles Walker (Ludacris, Beyonce, Rihanna, etc.), and Ralph Cacciurri (Outkast, Alicia Keys, Ludacris, etc.).


slowriter live is Bryan Taylor (vocals/guitar), Phil Hawkins (keys/samples), Nick Taft (bass), Dan Nelson (guitar), and Matt Karoglou (drums).."
-Official Website


I don't know how much of that to believe, but the production quality is pretty impeccable and extremely psychedelic.  You would not think that somebody from the Chariot would make music like this, but a lot of people don't realize that many musicians are interested in more than one genre.  Crazy, right?  It's hard to name other bands he sounds like, I would just say to go to his bandcamp and give him a listen and maybe check this video.

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Turtleneck and Chain by The Lonely Island (2011)

Genres: Comedy, Hip-hop, Pop
Preview: Youtube

If you don't know who this group is, they are a comedic group that started by doing digital shorts that got picked up by SNL.  You may recognize Andy Sandberg.  This album is a bunch of catchy, funny songs, that guest star people like Nicki Minaj, Akon, Rihanna, Beck, Snoop Dogg, and..Michael Bolton.  I don't really have time to write a review for this, we are about to go out to eat and get drinks for our last night in Chicago.  I have no idea how I will pull this off with little money left, but we will see what happens.

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Heaven Is Attached By A Slender Thread by The One AM Radio

Kind of like: Benjamin Gibbard (Death Cab For Cutie, The Postal Service), Pheonix, Owen
Genres: Electronic, Indie, Indie Pop
Preview:

"The One AM Radio's 2011 effort Heaven Is Attached by a Slender Thread features more of lead singer/songwriter Hrishikesh Hirway's melodic and lushly produced pop. This is music crafted for sunny late-afternoon listening and melancholy days spent alone. Joining Hirway behind the scenes is Tony Hoffer, whose work with such like-minded bands as Belle & Sebastian, Phoenix, and Air fits perfectly with the album's overall laid-back, melodic dance-pop vibe. In that sense, such tracks as the yearningly romantic "Everything Falls Apart" and the sweetly sunny "In a City Without Seasons," featuring vocals from Fontaine Cole, are perfect sad pop nuggets that fall somewhere in between the handclappy rhythms of the Blow and the hummable Swedish pop of the Acid House Kings. Similarly, such cuts as the new wave, synth-driven "Plans" and the Beach Boys meet Death Cab for Cutie-sounding "Everyone But You" are as immediately catchy as they are heartbreakingly bittersweet. Matt Collar, Rovi"
-Starpulse.com

I found this album through Circling The Drain, an amazing blog everyone should check out. At first this album reminded me of what I liked most from The Postal Service, somber vocals mixed with simple yet emotive electronic instrumentation. There are a couple of tracks I don't particularly care for, but in whole, I can see myself listening to this for a long time to come. As the weather begins to get warmer, and the days get longer, I can't help but listen to music like this and dream of sunny days and warm nights ending with watching the sun rise surrounded by good friends.

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You And Me by Open Hand (2005)

Kind of like: Silent Drive, The Sleeping
Genres: Rock, Indie, Pop
Preview:

Some bands are really hard for me to categorize. It literally took me 10 minutes to scroll through my library and think of bands Open Hand sounds like. Regardless, this is one of my favorite albums of all time. Hands down. Pun intended. Released in 2005, You And Me is 14 songs beautifully crafted to fit together in a seamless fabric of story and intrigue. Ranging dynamically from soft whispers and sparse guitars to full pounding drums and riffs layered across a solid-as-fuck rhythm section. It's dancy, rockin, poppy, and emotive.

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12 Desperate Straight Lines by Telekinesis

Kind of like: Death Cab For Cutie, Someone Still Love You Boris Yeltsin
Genres: Indie Rock, Indie Pop
Preview:

Based out of Seattle, Washington, Telekinesis delivers quality Indie Rock with very catchy Pop hooks. Working previously with Chris Walla (most notably from DCFC fame), 12 Desperate Straight Lines flows like an Indie Rock album should. Accessible dynamics and straightforward song structures help to craft this release into something noteworthy for a genre that is quickly becoming over saturated with lo-fi hipster pop (particularly in the Pacific Northwest). This is feel good, intelligent Indie Rock album and will surely be in heavy rotation as the sun comes out.

Check out the online store at Merge Records to buy a copy. Also, check out the other bands on their roster, tons of great music.

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Dig Up The Dead by Mansions (2011)

Kind of Like: Person L, I Can Make A Mess Like Nobody's Business
Genres: Emo, Indie, Pop
Preview: Myspace

"Mansions is a rock band based out of Louisville, KY. On record it has consisted solely of Christopher Browder, but live he is joined by Sal Cassato on drums and Ryan Davis on bass. Mansions plays indie-pop-rock sometimes described as The Get Up Kids meets Ryan Adams meets Dinosaur Jr. Their lyrics are often powerful and blunt, but many listeners can easily relate to the things their songs portray."
-Last.fm

Look for this guy touring with I Can Make A Mess and Into It. Over It.  They all will be in Lansing in a month or so.  Woo!  I almost feel like breaking up with my girlfriend just so I can be in the right mood to listen to this.  Lots of angst and longing coming from this album.  Not to mention great composition and thematic development from this songwriter.

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Tantale by Monogrenade

Kind of like: Arcade Fire (ish?), Mumford and Sons (maybe?)
Genre: Pop, Experimental
Preview:
*check out the music video for this track (full screen). very trippy and filmed completely in stop motion*

"The Montreal based musical formation Monogrenade, with Jean-Michel Pigeon (keyboard, guitar, vocals), Frederic B. Girard (vocals), Mathieu Collette (drums, glockenspield, electro) and François Lessard (bass), offers a rich variety of textures and soundscapes. Their exciting melodies, haunting rhythms and aerial pop create a unique and eclectic assortment."
-Last FM

I haven't been able to stop listening to this album for a solid two weeks now. Think electro/acoustic pop music, but with a more experimental and orchestrated arrangement. Cello is prevalent through the entire album and adds a very unique atmosphere to the overall ambiance. Note: the entire album is in French. I love this personally, and I think it is beautiful, but if understanding and comprehending lyrics is your prerogative, heed warning.

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