Cougar Microbes

Brooklyn‘s Matt & Kim  bring their catchy-as-ebola attitude to the video for new single ‘Block After Block‘. The track was taken off of their “mature” third studio album ‘Sidewalks‘ and sees more of the band’s trademark synth and drums fun sound.

Having seen the duo rip it up on stage in London it’s great to see that their live energy translates here too. This looks like it was a lot of fun filming.

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It is quite fitting that we just featured an ode to the fertile musical territory that is Brooklyn because it continues to produce noteworthy artists. Not least mysterious trio Sensual Harassment who have taken the act of providing scarce information on oneself to a new level with a minimalist website and bio to boot.

This is largely irelevant because this bunch have a lot to show in the tunes department. Take the track ‘Boss‘, a personal favourite, with it’s Bronski Beat meets ‘Hot Fuzz‘ era The Killers (with all the influences that entails) melody and riff overlaid with some decidedly modern Justice-like beats for an example of the band’s multifaceted attack.

Elsewhere on tracks such as ‘Fever‘ the band channels Tears For Fears having a very public row with Passion Pit. Sensual Harassment juxtapose sounds that are rooted in two different eras in a captivating way that leans more towards an affirmation than a cheesy tribute.

The album ‘Alpha Draconis‘ is out now through the band’s website.

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When it comes to music, Brooklyn seems to be the land of cool. From The Velvet Underground to Sonic Youth, TV on the Radio through to MGMT (and this list can go on and on), whatever the generation, when you hail from BK you are seemingly ahead of the pack and, somehow, able to generate something new and ‘different’ that will shake the music world. Snowmine look set to follow this blueprint.

This indie psych-pop ensemble is set to release their debut album ‘Laminate Pet Animal‘ on the 3rd May, and something tells me they will not stay unnoticed. Fronted by new-classical music composer Grayson Sanders, the five-pice offers richness and diversity encompassing tribal beats, echo pedals and classical orchestrations.

The album shows a surprising ability to juggle between the pop-rock rhythms on tracks such as ‘Penny‘ to more afrobeat/tropical sounds on the likes of ‘The Hill‘. The strongest aspect is the frontman’s magically soothing voice which is reminiscent of Fleet Floxes‘ singer Robin Pecknold.

Needless to say that they will naturally be compared to the likes of fellow Brooklynites Yeasayer, Grizzly Bear or Dirty Projectors. Furthermore their sound undoubtedly fits that beach surf indie wave that is currently so en vogue. But instead of blindly following the current like countless other acts Snowmine’s intriguing style is representative, to follow the theme, of gloriously riding a wave.

Their inspiration comes from love, lost and found and forest trips, and this clearly transpires through their music. With its vibrant melodies ‘Laminate Pet Animal‘ is definitely a perfect record for this summer.

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Post by Olivia
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A friend and I once had a debate that ended in the agreement that solo singer songwriters have to have either one of two things to keep us interested: Good lyrics or balls. These raw emotional qualities we find most clearly in pop history from Bob Dylan. The balls department is effectively covered by Johnny Cash.

Bruce Nathan aka everyBOY‘s sophomore album ‘Parachute Mind‘ combines some very classic Southern Californian folk with some neat electronic and analog instrumentation to fill out his uplifting stories on darkness into light.

Like the debate, he has managed strong open hearted lyrics with a little more balls than your average solo man; “I’ve been crawling through a cloudy haze“, He croaks into a wall of strings and minor note guitar picking.

Musically it felt like a cross between latter day Lindsey Buckingham (with a whiskey hangover) being backed by The Weepies. Tunes like ‘Life Is 4 Living‘ are sweet and enchanting yet have an undertone of sadness and of a sensitive and thoughtful soul that’s very much lost in a modern world.

The title track reminded me of the energy and imagination of “Down To Earth” by Peter Gabriel, a soulful yet playful effort that put forward the pop elements of folk.

A studier of Japanese arts and philosophy, everyBOY‘s words are what bring forth his strength. He brings messages of hope and love like George Harrison with the melancholy of Neil Young.

Singer songwriters will always be around, but they tend to be few and far between when it comes down to it. EveryBOY has not only future proofed his songs with very cool electronics and instrumentation but has made them sound timeless too.

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Post by Thom.

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everyBOY – Parachute Mind

New York legends The Strokes are back, with their highly anticipated new album ‘Angles‘. Almost five years since the release of ‘First Impressions of Earth‘, it seems fair to say that their biggest fans (myself included) have been waiting on this album like the second coming of the messiah. The amount of teasers that proliferated youtube and other sites before D-day proved how high expectations stand.

On explaining the album’s name guitarist Albert Hammond Jr stated that “it’s what it sounds like. It comes from five different people.” On the other hand Nic Valensi was not so enthusiastic expressing his dissatisfaction towards the way the album was made and being quoted as saying that Julian Casablancas was often absent or recorded separately, sometimes leading Valensi to record his guitar parts alone in the studio. So much for letting bygones be bygones…

Nevertheless this album works and after a five year break we weren’t expecting less. A healthy dose of stabbing and ill-tempered guitars, a glass of Moretti‘s masterful beats, a splash of Casablanca‘s unique deep/dry howl… all the ingredients that made The Strokes one of the best rock’n'roll bands in circulation have been recovered on ‘Angles‘.

The album opens majestically with ‘Machu Picchu‘, where guitars smoothly imitate the beat of synthesisers. ‘Under Cover of Darkness‘, the first single, is probably the track that most follows a ‘Strokesian‘ tradition through its prodigious rhythm, rage and garage atmosphere.

‘Taken For a Fool‘ is in my opinion one of the highlights of the album; its ambitious rhythm and Casablancas‘ unique cry for ‘Mama‘ definitely makes it one of those songs that will stay in your head for a long time. It is even more sensational live and I would strongly recommend watching their performance on Letterman. The band also seem keen to add new beats and sounds to the mix offering a more electronic vibe on some trakcs as evidenced by ‘Games‘ or ‘Two Kinds of Happiness‘.

‘Angles‘ is not as raw as ‘Is this It‘ or dark as ‘First Impressions of Earth‘ but it should be celebrated as a fantastic return for the quintet; the members all participated and it works as a result of it. Ultimately the tracks complement each other perfectly making this a great album rather than a collection of great songs.

Moretti and Hammond cut their afros, Casablancas is not as drunk, Valensi doesn’t look like a hobbit anymore…. more than a decade has passed since we first discovered them, and they have changed, we have changed… let’s all appreciate that. Welcome back!

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Post by the irrepressible Olivia

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British newcomers Swimming are gearing up for the single ‘Sun In The Island’ in early March. The 5-piece is the first planned release for New York record label EVR Records, a new endeavour from the influential East Village Radio.

The Nottinham lads have also unleashed The b-side ‘Team Jetstream (Pre Flight Mix)’ on us. With its dreamy synth intro and sweeping contagious beat it comes close to what Sneaker Pimps were doing so well back in the day.

A lot of good words are being spent on Swimming and they may be one of the revelations of 2011.

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For the next 48 hours The Strokes are giving away ‘Under Cover Of Darkness‘, the first single from the much awaited new album ‘Angles’ . It has been five long years since “First Impressions of Earth” was released to a bittersweet reception but we can look back and appreciate the darker side of that album.

The band members used this downtime to work on individual projects such as band leader Julian Casablancas’ great debut solo album ‘Phrases for the Young’, drummer Fabrizio Moretti’s summery project  Little Joy in which he proved that he is not only the reliable heartbeat that keeps the band alive but also a talented singer,  or Albert Hammond JR lovely ‘Yours to Keep’ album .

Following this self imposed break it seems they have all benefited from this extensive break and put their past differences aside. In a time where it seems that a new rock band is born every two seconds, all eyes are on the ones who revived garage rock and gave birth to what is undeniably one of the greatest albums of 2000s.

It’s time for the New Yorkers to take back their throne.

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Post by Olivia ex-les miserables.

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To the uninitiated pressing play on a Gregory and The Hawk album and hearing the beautiful serenading of Meredith Godreau may come as a surprise. This deliberately cloudy moniker is designed to avoid being pigeonholed in the “female singer/songwriter” bin.

It would therefore be lazy reviewing to say ‘Leche‘ sounds like Emiliana Torrini recorded underwater, or that it is as endearing as Soko without ever relying solely on cutesy nuances, or that it subtly captures Bat For Lashes eeriness…

The above statements are somewhat true but if you need a male example to justify this inclusion then I’m confident in saying that Godreau‘s songwriting sits comfortably next to any of Owen Pallett/Final Fantasy‘s output whilst displaying a more imposing vocal range. There is a spectral quality to her melodies that are almost disarming to the listener.

‘Leche‘ is an album equally suited for those times when it is raining outside and you just want to stare solemnly out of the window as the times when you decide it’s time to splash around in the puddles.  

With the aid of it’s subtle layers and emotional dynamics it deservedly earns it’s spot on the top albums list.

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