Cougar Microbes

Whilst Weezer are no strangers to pop culture references in their video their debut single ‘Buddy Holly‘ will hard to equal. The Happy Days referencing classic represents one of the my favourite all time videos.

TRACKS:

Weezer – Buddy Holly

Les Savy Fav have been underground indie-rock darlings for forever. This is as much a consequence of singer Tim Harrington’s eccentric onstage antics as their DIY ethos – all but one of their albums have been released on bassist Syd Butler’s Frenchkiss Records. After a decade and a half, which includes a year-long hiatus, the 5-piece have released a 5th studio album which may just catapult them into the big leagues.

The release, ‘Root For Ruin’, comes complete with the Fugazi-inspired post-hardcore quirks of previous LSF offerings. As a general rule song structures are consciously more straightforward, with the exception of midpoint ‘Poltergeist’, the result being greater accessibility for the uninitiated. There are elements borrowed from more commercially successful artists; guitars reminiscent of the Pixies, backing vocals veering towards Weezer territory and offbeat instrumentation that wouldn’t feel out of place on a Modest Mouse record. Still the band have not relinquished their edginess entirely and there are plenty of moments where you can feel the tension rising.

The high points on this album are… well pretty much everywhere to be honest. On a personal note rocking opener ‘Appetites’ ingeniously borrows from Silver Jews’ ‘Punks In The Beerlight’, a Cougar favourite. Stopping short of mentioning the entire track-list, ‘Dirty Knails’, ‘Sleepless in Silverlake’, ‘Lips n’ Stuff’ and ‘Excess Energies’ also contribute to make this a master class in dynamics, merging pop craftsmanship with ballsy rock ethos.

You’ve got to feel for LSF. They were forced into a hasty digital release of ‘Root For Ruin’ more than a month ahead of schedule after it was leaked via various torrent sites. As a result it may not have quite the impact that it would have enjoyed were it to have exploded onto the market with a co-ordinated release strategy.

It deserves more, seeing as it is arguably the Brooklyn post-hardcore outfit’s best work to date. Here’s hoping the gods smile upon “les bloody fab”.

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Post by back-to-school Kenny

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TRACKS:

Les Savy Fav – Appetites

It has been a while since I posted a good ol mashup on Cougar Microbes so these The White Panda mixes arrived just at the right time.  the American duo fuck around with some of the most popular hits from rap and rock’s recent heroes.

Mashups always tow a fine line between genius and cheese, if you are into this kind of thing you will love it and if you aren’t you are likely to cringe.

They say variety is the spice of life and I think The White Panda demonstrate plenty of  flair in my books

TRACKS:

The White Panda – What You Know About Little Secrets (T.I. Vs.  Passion Pit)

The White Panda – Eminem Front (Eminem Vs. Clipse Vs. The Who)

The White Panda – Tipsy In The Sun (J-Kwon Vs. Weezer)

Get the mixes from www.thewhitepanda.com

A part of you has grown in me.
And so you see, it’s you and me
Together forever and never apart,
Maybe in distance, but never in heart.
-Anonymous