What is it about those girl/boy harmonies? Coming at you like a train fuelled in a similar fashion to that Laura Marling/Mystery Jests/Noah and the Whale steamroller are these two young ruffians Paolo and Claire. However the real difference here being that Claire hasn't yet broken the heart of Paolo, as Laura did to Noah Fink, and decided to jump aboard the Mumford and Sons success ship headed to America, as Laura did. Lets hope that doesn't happen. We have access to three songs of presents a couple of demos and a more-sure of itself, seemingly finalised, song 'Six Sides' which is pure excellence. It oozes honesty and quality as if the pair of them don't have any other agenda, sweeping you along in the feel of an October night with the toffee apple kisses still present. The lyrics in all the songs are allowed to take centre stage, the listener not being blasted away by a big bass, and the delicate tones of both Paolo and Claire compliment each other brilliantly.
There are two areas within all the songs that make sure they are successful, the first one being that the music reminds not copies,you feel as if you have heard some aspects of the music before ie 'Young Love' and '5 Years Time' but that's as far as it goes, themes pop up now again but it all still sounds original. The second success lies in the fact that the music does not feel self-contained, the songs evoke your own memories of love and events. We don't feel isolated by them talking about their own experiences and feelings we can join in with the lyrics and melody. And that is a very hard task.
Exciting to see what these two love birds can do next. Just don't break up.
Icona don't really lie about the music they make deciding to put the 'genre' in their name, and like a couple of Swedish wonders before them (Robyn, Lykke Li) they decide to flip that said 'judge-a-book-by-its-cover' genre on its head then smash up the rulebook that it came from with a big dose of cool. Take 'Manners', Icona's first proper single and the track that has garnered them the most attention, this is a first-class synth anthem with easily the biggest chorus of the year thus far, leaving normal radio giants/kidnappers huddling in the shadows. It glitches and spins, wobbles and punches, carrying with it a musically infectious disease. The video, which kick started the post carries on the vein of madness and big vibes. If only normal people could look this cool with so much neon paint being splashed around, but normally the only place this usually occurs is on fourteen year old out on the pull for the first time. Check'it. The girls don't stop there, oh no, sweeping us away with a collaboration of epic proportions joining with French producer-whizzes Logo. The resultant melting pot of superb, 'Luvsick', is exactly that, superb, fusing that wonderfully fresh french swagger-cool sound and the slightly off-English sexy of Icona. Hits all day.
And finally, to top it all off, the one and only indie-rap boys Chiddy Bang sample 'Manners' in their latest single 'Mind Your Manners' the first track of the debut. Fresh from killing it on the mixtape, they do what they have the capabilities of doing with every song by killing it again.
Deep Breath.
Exploding back into action like supernova, except it's a start rather than the end, we have the first post since the apocalyptic feeling of Glastonbury. Taken a while to gather the thoughts and get back on it. So here we go, Fort Lean are another example of a band who are a pearl at the bottom of the ocean, who, when scraped above water make your life that o so little bit sweeter. Hailing from the rather cool regions of Brooklyn, they make that 2004 music, by 2004 music we reference the amazing debut by The Killers which they can no longer/ seem to want to recreate. Well, Fort Lean fit that soft space in between your ribs brilliantly, with their short sharp bursts of indie elegance, favourite 'Beach Holiday' starts off slowly and methodically enough, until suddenly it generates a sing-a-long, stadium sized chorus, the same can be said for 'Perfect', which again gives you a musical sized slap awakening the dance genes nestled deep within your DNA. The pace of the EP is checked with the other two songs 'High Defintion' and 'Dreams (Never Come True)' which give the release more balance and show a more diverse side to the band making sure there is truly something for everyone.
So, a week or so ago came the mysterious post from the band TangoCharlie. Wanting to know more I dug deeper until I managed to get in contact with one part of the band, Mathias Mental. This sounds like some kind of James Bond level, well it is. A few emails down the line the interview is spawned and now I am extremely excited to shed some light on such an impressive, organic and mysterious band. Answers from Mathias Mental and Frank Garrett. Enjoy.
>>Where are TangoCharlie from?
Frank - Montreal, in Canada.
>>Who are the members and what past/present projects are they involved in?
Mathias - I have the vocal duties. I've had a solo project for 6 years now, it's called Mathias Mental. I'm still active although TangoCharlie is my main focus for the moment. Frank produces the tracks and plays bass, Jerome plays guitar and Pepe plays keyboards. They were all involved in Cougarettes. Vincent plays drums.
>>How did you form?
Frank - First we remixed each others projects. There aren't a lot of electro bands in montreal so the pairing was pretty obvious. After that, since we were both on hiatus with our respective projects, we thought we should try to jam together. I was working on some beats, but I had yet to figure out what I was working on. Mathias gave some sense to those tracks by adding lyrics and vocals. We did it very organically, without asking ourselves to much questions. After one session we had finished 2 songs and it was pretty clear we were going somewhere with that. We asked some of our friends to help us play the songs live and they added ideas as well.
>>It seems you are down for ‘OFF de Quebec’ Festival in July. Are there any more gigs in the pipeline?
Frank - Not for the moment.
>>Can we expect any more music in the coming months (please!)?
Frank - Yes, two more songs will be available in July! Mathias - There's one inspired by Don DeLillo, the other is about unresolved family issues. Classic pop stuff. Meanwhile, check out Frank's remix of Mathias Mental's song "Daylight Saving", it's awesome! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdeElGfumcI
>>Your song artwork messes with the mind. How did the photo come about?
>>There seems to be quite sexual images in the songs, especially ‘Salty’, and in ‘OLEV’ there appears to be a strong theme of drug use. As a band did you want to make dark songs or did it come naturally?
Mathias - When I heard Frank's beats, they're the first images that came to my mind. There's a dark feeling of urgency, but at the same time, there's a lot of hope. "Salty" can be interpreted very sexually, but it can also be seen as a very innocent, childish song. It could almost be a nursery rhyme. OLEV lyrics are more head-on, it's a mix of a lot of different feelings I had on the back of my mind at the time. Since the music is instrospective, I can't be detached with the lyrics, I have to dig deep and be sincere.
>>What is the best piece of music ever?
Mathias - We draw inspiration from a lot of stuff, here's a few: Gainsbourg, Bon Iver, James Blake, Leonard Cohen, Miike Snow, The Weeknd, Gonzales, Beck. But if I had a to bring a song on a desert island or something, I'd bring Jon Brion and Charlie Kaufman's "Little Person".
>>Why do you want to create a persona of mystery?
Frank - Because it's cool, and it's part of the creative approach. Mathias - And once people realize you're a nerd, there's no turning back. We'd like to delay that as much as possible.
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Finally, is an absolute banging remix by Frank on a track by Mathias, absolute party-killer. These guys really need to stop being so cool. Awating July.
Here is some more big-things for y'all. Floating into your mind, then stinging like a bee is the woozy raps of London's own H.A.S. Seemingly cropping up out of the ultra talented camp that is Sampha/SBTRKT/Jessie Ware and everything in between, H.A.S is a infusion of all things wonderful that these guys do, but not like that tea substance your mum drinks, no, this amalgamation of Sampha's production (which is supremely brilliant) and his own laid back flow is pretty exciting. The flowing river-like nature of the piano and the fog of synth and drum that covers you in musical smoke creates such a beautiful sound that you can't quite help falling in and drowning in the stickiness of it all. H.A.S's rap intertwines with the production in full effect, softly punching in your mind, making time slow down with his talk of clocks and clouds .'Wonderland' is like a friendly ghost itself the song being incredibly subtle and gentle, washing over you, and whilst the haze in your mind engulfs you, you can't quite focus on it's significance. Until the bleeps stop and you crash back into focus and realise it is scarily cool. Can't wait to be floating on the clouds with the rest of the E.P, 'Unconcious State'.
Today the weather went on holiday meaning that we couldn't enjoy the holiday season. Selfish. Here is something that is kinda like a substitute for Sun and they go by the name of Foster the People, a 3 man LA collective. In Summer 2010 they became one of the most hyped about bands due to the song 'Pumped Up Kicks', ensue predictable Label battle for their signature, sorta on the same lines as the epicness that Gandalf was fighting for and BAM, an album is spawned. As is always the case with everything kinda ever, the Americans get their mits on the album first but the plus side is the stream is out right about now (album out June 27) and its all kinds of fire. Swinging from trees made of piano chords and some funky samples, clambering among the undergrowth of good old synths and big bassy drums, this is the stuff a (musically minded) Tarzan dreamt of. Real nice to see a band making some pop music that also cares about making some bangers and having fun. O they're at GLASTONBURY. O, I will be having a proper big time meltdown rage at the front. These guys are a metaphorical huge fan that blows away those rain clouds.
The starting 3 seconds of Sydney's 'The Faults' first single 'Lucy' are scary, please God no more fuzzy lo-fi, there is so much we can take. Yeah, then the rest 2:10 absolutely kills when the leads voice smacks in, its short and sweet and it sounds drunk, and fills your brain with lush garage-rock. These guys have this pissed-up swagger, the guitars stopping and starting, the music spinning around like the stars when too much vodka has been consumed, but it all seems to fit together in an intensely enjoyable short moment in time. The other half of the single, 'Quarter', sounds like the 'Artic Monkeys', getting into a pub brawl, taking a pounding, and then picking up their instruments and absolutely crushing it. Bloody impressive for two guys. Again we feel as if the listening experience is taking place on a boat, the rhythm stopping and picking up were it left off with the leads vocals crooning madly. 'The Faults' manage to involve you fully in the music they make, they plug up all the holes, invade your brain and kick it for a short time then walk off into the sunset really coolly and pissed (I imagine).
