Cougar Microbes

Hailing from Hemel Hempstead, a stones throw from London, The Dufflefolks are not your average peddlers of Casio infused art.

True; the four-piece layer synthesised drum patterns, with laidback melodies and minimalist instrumentation. However they do so with an effortless nod to The Postal Service, LCD Soundsystem, Passion Pit and Fenech-Soler and without a hint of formulaic predictability.

This lot are yet another exciting British prospect to keep a very close eye on. Enjoy.

—–

Post written by Kenny the Ref hater

—–

TRACKS:

The Dufflefolks – Thomas Crapper

The Dufflefolks – Homegrown

With the accessibility of music today, hearing bands and their influences through their music is inevitable and unsurprising. Unfortunately, for every appealing mockery you get 3,000 rip-offs. Robbers On High Street aping Spoon comes to mind and, of course, the popular rip-off artist of the moment Owl City, who practically admitted to copying The Postal Service sound.

Occasionally there are the rare examples where you say to yourself, “Wow, this sounds exactly like , <insert popular, genre defining band> but it’s still great!” and that’s just it; an act can tastefully wear their influences on their sleeves without sounding talentless.

For example, without Joy Division‘s moody, melancholic expression there would be no Interpol. The Brothers Wilson paved the way for the Fleet Foxes with their intricate and lush harmonies. Regardless of how ridiculous it may seem for preppy, educated white kids to dabble in world and afrobeat rhythms, the Talking Heads beat Vampire Weekend to the punch by over 30 years.

Although on a much smaller scale, Daddy Lion fall into the latter category. The unsigned band from Washington D.C sound like all of their influences (listed on their myspace) and they’re all the better for it. A hint of Joy Division can be heard on ‘Falling to Pieces‘, Hüsker Dü can be heard on ‘Just Die Young‘ and ‘Morning‘ could easily be a Dinosaur Jr. B-side slow burner.

According to NPR, it’s a bedroom breakup album by a semi-stalker using the name “Daddy Lion” as a pseudonym… you know… a typical stalker move. But stalker or not, his varying display of songs make for a good listen, and even though it’s a “break-up” album it doesn’t bog down with sadness.

Although they only have a 6-song EP to their credit, they cover a lot of ground in those precious 19 minutes, mining the past 30 years of pop influences. My hope is that they hone in on a specific genre for their follow-up, or risk falling into that previously mentioned latter category.

——–

This post written by Adam, aka Simon & Cougarfunkel

——–

Tracks available from http://daddylion.bandcamp.com/

Since its launch last summer Cougar Microbes are marching in like army ants… has been growing in new and exciting directions.  advice from friends, readers and anyone willing to share an opinion has been taken on board when planning the first site upgrade. Thanks to them (and far more sleepless nights than I had bargained for) Cougar is now a self sufficient beast.

“The unknown future rolls toward us. I face it, for the first time, with a sense of hope. Because if a machine, a Terminator, can learn the value of human life, maybe we can too” - Sarah Connor

When I started this site I had no idea who, if anyone, would be reading and how they would react. There have now been 7 guest writers covering a range of artists and genres and more scheduled for the near future. This natural evolution means the blog has now outgrown its initial home at WordPress. I’m glad to be unveiling a new look website that will allow Cougar Microbes to grow in scale and reach out beyond its initial ambition.

The aim remains to feature an array of tracks (both past and present) with the goal of promoting amazing releases and raise the artists profile and I hope to deliver with deliver an entertaining, informative and passionate music blog . So update your browsers to COUGARMICROBES.com and subscribe to the new RSS FEED.

Thank you for your support and thank you for reading so far,

Boaz.

MP3′s:

James Brown – Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag

The Postal Service – Brand New Colony