Ellen Allien Suns the Rain
Ellen Allien Suns the Rain
LOTP + Soulwax = freaky
LOTP + Soulwax = freaky
Besty Coasty Mixy Tapey
Besty Coasty Mixy Tapey
Chilly Gonzales is Bittersuite
Chilly Gonzales is Bittersuite
BEFORE TODAY by Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti
It doesn’t take much to make me feel stupid. Trying to find the words to describe the debut album of Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti at 4AD is just one of many examples I could give you. To me, ‘Before Today’ sounds like an album that Kevin Barnes could be recording if he loved goth bands more than funk ones. Or like the cold wave genre entering a multicoloured psychedelic stage instead of glazing at it's own depression. Don’t mind my threadbare examples; this is the album that will make it onto every interesting top 10 of the year and you don’t wanna miss it.
Nathan Smith
I can't resist (probably overpriced) basics-with-a-twist. My wardrobe, full of T by Wang, Oak, Bassike and yes, American Apparel is proof of this; and since in Australia, a new favourite has emerged in the form of Nathan Smith. His selection of supersoft tees, tanks and dresses have sucked me into buying multiples of a number of styles in different colourways. You just can't go wrong with these though! Addictively and endlessly wearable - and not in actual fact, overpriced in the slightlest - Nathan Smith is the way forward for your wardrobe.
Freaks and Geeks
I don’t think any series will treat teenagers the same way that Freaks and Geeks did almost 10 years ago. Although relying on every teen American cliché they could, this series was the closest thing to reality you could get whilst still being something fun and interesting to watch – cause, you know, life is boring. With bands like The Who, The Clash and XTC being either part of episodes or the soundtrack, this 80’s based cult show was short-lived (only 18 episodes), but long enough to enrich the careers of some young actors (i.e. James Franco, Seth Rogen, Jason Segel, Busy Philipps and, erm, Linda Cardellini) and is greatly missed. Can we have a movie about them meeting again in the 00’s?
Rong He
Once, a friend of mine wanted to take me to this 'cheap Chinese restaurant', situated in the heart of Liberdade, a Japanese neighborhood in São Paulo. When we got there the place was packed, but because it looked cheesy and kinda poor, I didn't want to wait it out. It took another friend for me to go back there and fall in love with it. Now, every time the mood for some freshly made noodles (you can watch the chief making the noodle dough through a window) framed in some horribly painted pink walls takes me, I go for Rong He. Did I mention the food is also incredibly generous and cheap?
The Selby Is In Your Place
The ultimate in peeping tom into other, cooler, more fashionable, richer, quirkier and more-hipster-than-thou lives is Todd Selby's The Selby. Having previously been an internet only voyeur's dream, Todd has just last month released The Selby Is In Your Place, a coffee table tome full of twee drawings, colourful interiors and people showering. Half of the images in the books are favourites from the website and the other is stuff he hasn't published online yet. So go check it out, maybe buy it if you can to make your crappy coffee table in your crappy apartment that little bit cooler with pictures of someone else's cool stuff.
Interview // CHROMEO

chromeo_imyouaregif by yours truly

 

Chrome Romeo is the perfect way to describe Dave1 and P-Thugg also known as Dave Macklovitch and Patrick Gemayel, collectively known as Chromeo. These international Casanovas of Cool have been re-contextualising 80s funk for a new generation, successfully manoeuvring the Internet Age AND the Age of Post Modern Irony with panache. This unlikely Canadian duo have somehow not only surfed a-top the new wave of music and media practices but have managed to avoid most of the backlash on hipster-ism and it’s post-ironic sensibilities to become an increasingly successful brand entity without compromising their artistic integrity - quite a magic feat in the current musical climate.

 

I think it honestly comes down to their careful balance of art and industry; just like how they manage to split time between alternate careers. Dave1 teaches French and French literature at university and P-Thugg is an accountant by trade. In fact, Dave1 flies out of Sao Paulo tomorrow to be back home in time for school next Monday. Keeping to this balance, like the way they conduct their careers as well as the name of their new album, Business Casual, can all be somewhat likened to that hotness from the early 80s that is The Mullet. It’s about business up front and party in the back, innit.

 

With what the boys are hoping to be the leak-proof album (sorry guys, it happened) set for official release on September the 14th, we can expect a more harmonically and musically sophisticated Chromeo; the duo having evolved their funk to the next level without losing any of their trademark humor, sincerity or fun.

 

In the meantime though, we sat down to chat with the Dave1 and P-Thugg about music and the internet (what else?), they answer some critical questions about selling out and most importantly, they define exactly what they mean by Business Casual.

 

Check the interview, the making of their 'Night by Night' video and a new remix of the track after the jump >>

The Drums tribute to Girl Groups

the drums

 

The Drums have a new video out for the melancholic ballad ‘Down By the Water’ (which you can download and read our opinion on by clicking here) and, according to the band, it’s a homage for the 50’s/60’s girls group - although all I can see is a darker and awkward version of Beyoncé’s ‘Single Ladies’. If you like black, white and sad, you're going to love this one.

 

 

The Drums - Down By The Water

 

 

The debut album will be released on 14th of September via Downtown.

Kanye's (with Jay-Z & Swizz) Got The Power

kanye_power

 

We love Kanye! His beyond ridonkulous-ness is beyond. This 'Power' remix features Jay-Z and Swizz Beats (who do fabulous work together) and a sample taken from the Snap's awesome 'I've Got The Power'. I have an odd weakness for tracks that make me feel like I got some mad swagger, and 'Power' is one of these. Kanye has mad swag, I don't care what y'all say. Here are some of Kanye twitter-isms, just for shits, and the remix below that...

 

kanye1

138444778

 

kanye2

kanye5

 

kanye6

 

Flash Content
Kanye West - Power [Remix] (Ft. Jay-Z & Swizz Beatz) [mp3]

The Drums Used To Wait Too

arcadefire

 

 

The Wilderness Downtown is Chris Milk's interactive short film to accompany Arcade Fire's 'We Used To Wait'. I don't normally pay too much attention to "stuff you can play with on the internet" (except for Tetris - now THAT is addictive. I didn't even know what Chatroulette was until it was over) but the nostalgia thing about this little Googly/Chrome endorsed project piqued my curiosity...my dreams led me to wake up feeling kinda emo this morning, so this caught me in an appropriate moment to proactively go and 'close all unnecessary tabs' and wait for that shit to load. And it made me squeal with delight actually. If you haven't already, go listen to the single and have a play with it over at http://thewildernessdowntown.com/

 

In the meantime, The Drums actually did a lovely cover in their usual style of 'We Used To Wait', and here it is:

 

Flash Content
The Drums - We Used to Wait [mp3]

Miami Horror // I Look To You
miami horror
Hiya Kimbra

 

There was a time in which Miami Horror released an EP, got everyone excited and then disappeared. Two years later he's back with a full band, new image and an album with twelve new songs. Unfortunately, the first two singles – ‘Sometimes’ and ‘Moon Theory’ – from Illumination didn’t quite top the material from Bravado – ‘Don't Be On With Her’and ‘Make You Mine’. Fortunately, they don’t serve as a parameter for the album.

 

In fact, ‘I Look to You’ also doesn’t really reflect the sound of the album (it's one of the many Alan Palomo collaborations, and is the perfect blend of modern Australian synthpop with his Neon Indian sound) but it shares the same greatness you will find in the rest of it.

 

The track, sung by Aussie singer Kimbra (who works a breathy vocal sounding a lot like Penelope from The Golden Filter), is a pop bomb with a disco influence and is going to be massive. Basically because it has the same potential for radios as it does at the club – no remixes or edits necessary. The only bad thing to be said is that the video is the poorest in Miami Horror’s career, but who needs great videos with great music, right? Well...

 

Miami Horror - I Look To You

 

 

If you live in Australia you can already buy Illumination, and for the rest of the world there's plenty streaming and blogs to keep you satisfied until you get the real thing – and we think you should get it.

 

Flash Content
Miami Horror - I Look To You [mp3]

If you are going to listen to Jamiroquai...

jamiroquai

 

If there is a band that I never felt any attraction to in my whole life it might well be Jamiroquai. I don’t like the name, the look, the sound and even that video that everybody thought it was so cool in the 90’s. Recently they were confirmed in Brazil to play alongside Air in a new music festival (Natural About Us, in case you were wondering) and all I could think of was: WHY?

 

I guess I just found the answer. The band is releasing a new single - which will eventually lead to a new album – and it’s like a funky disco track for the radio that will play in supermarkets, taxis and every place wherein you can’t control the music. Yes, that bland – although not that offensive.

 

Apparently, Jamiroquai wants to join the cool kids and ordered remixes from Penguin Prison and Monarchy. While Penguin Prison (you can read an interview we did with him here) makes ‘White Knuckle Ride’ sound more sophisticated and dancefloor-orientated, Monarchy controls (for once) their wish to become huge electronic stars and edits the track into something more pleasant, although they’ve still left some major cheesy moments.

 

Flash Content
Jamiroquai - White Knuckle Ride (Penguin Prison Remix) [mp3]

Flash Content
Jamiroquai - White Knuckle Ride (Monarchy remix) [mp3]

 

I’m not saying that Jamiroquai has redeemed himself with those remixes, but if you find yourself with the original stuck in your head, there are better ways for you to enjoy it!

Best Coast Mixtape

best coast

 

Best Coast just put together a mixtape for The Independent and while there are some things in there that are so Best Coast – like Fleetwood Mac, Aretha Franklin, Beach House and Pavement – Bethany Cosentino also makes us proud, by choosing Beyoncé’s ‘Halo’ and tells all the haters to fuck off! How can you not love her?

 

Check the mixtape below, head over to The Independent to read her comments for every song and wait for our long-awaited interview with her on Monday (23 of August). It's a good one!

 

Late of the Pier and Soulwax soundtracking your nightmares

late of the pier soulwax

 

Kids, when you do drugs, there's always the chance that something might run out of control. Like, a party full of beautiful women dancing and singing along to an amazing 8-bit track might swirl into something terrible when the acid you dropped turns the wrong corner.

 

The women might suddenly have hairy old man mouths; nice old ladies will spout another mouth on their foreheads and creepy men will get even creepier. You may also realize that the sound turned heavier and the beats got even faster - like the good old days of bangin' electro.

 

Or maybe you didn’t do any drugs and you're just watching the Soulwax remix video for Late of the Pier’s ‘Best In Class’ instead of the original (or the director's cut). That’s because Daniel Brereton “remixed” the original video from Sam Potter and made it look scarier than Madonna without make up.

 

Late Of The Pier - Best In The Class (Soulwax Remix)

 

 

You can buy the Soulwax and the Simon Bookish remixes digitally already, but will have to wait until Monday (23/08) to get the vinyl. Either way, you can listen to teaser in the player below.

 

Late Of The Pier Remix EP Samples by phantasy sound

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