It's tough to even pick a genre with which to peg these guys. A Manchester crew with an impeccable sense of arrangement, they overlay quick rhythms and vocal harmonies relentlessly for almost four minutes of pop bliss. Bands they remind me of (mostly due to their desire to construct rhythm for pop music in a completely non-traditional manner) are the Dismemberment Plan, who dropped a couple of tempo-abusing classics right around the millenium, and Minus The Bear, who wrote a collection of songs on the Menos El Oso LP that had the same jittery, hook-filled vibe. I haven't been able to get it out of my head for a week.
I linked to the first advance track from the solo album of Jonsi Birgisson (lead singer of Sigur Ros) here. Now we've got the second, and it feels a bit more like we're back in Sigur Ros territory. For those of you familiar with the Icelandic sound sculptors, that's a good thing. If not, give it a thorough listen, as he inundates the song in sinfully rich atmosphere.
North Highlands are a young Brooklyn band crafting deftly arranged, dreamy psych-pop. Fans of Animal Collective, Yeasayer and Grizzly Bear will want to take notice - "Sugar Lips" is a yearning composition with an impressive hint of technical chops and it will only sound better as they mix it in a real studio and bring it to a festival near you in the coming years. Full Disclosure: I played Little League baseball with the drummer, but there's plenty to like here besides Jasper's hipster haircut.
Advance single from the Southern Gothic indie vets. It sounds exactly like BRMC - propulsive rhythm and distorted guitar, replete with vaguely threatening vocals.
I've pumped these guys and girls for all the hype I'm worth (not much yet, I know) and they just keep on making me look good. "Ring Ring" shows a softer side with melodic chops while maintaining their trademark sound (best described as "Oh shit! Are my speakers broken?"). Gorgeous.
Upcoming concept album from the Talking Heads frontman and 90's repetition-gurus Fatboy Slim centered around Imelda Marcos, the First Lady of the Philippines. Lead track features sassy Santigold doing what frankly sounds like a Gwen Stefani impression. Back me up here? Though if Gwen ever croons about Nixon, I'd be surprised.
New album from the psych-indie troupe hits all the right notes. I linked to the excellent "Ambling Alp" and "Madder Red" here, but "ONE" is just as worthy of your ears. A nice change of pace from their last album, moving in a slightly more accessible direction but retaining their unique aesthetic.
All-star cast of rappers headlines the single from the upcoming Reflection Eternal (Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek) album Revolutions Per Minute, pre-released as part of the Static Selektah The Re:union Mixtape. Well worth a spin, as these are some of the purest emcees producing music at this point in time.
Hot Chip feature their sensitive side almost exclusively on new release One Life Stand. Listen to the advance tracks I've already featured here. While it feels like a shame to have a new Hot Chip album without a monster dance single, "Hand Me Down Your Love" maintains a stomping groove and wistful sensibility throughout.
Erykah Badu's advance single may feature a short cameo from super-rapper Lil Wayne (he trails only Kanye West in the egomania sweepstakes, but he's the hardest-working man in hip hop today), but it's all about the vibe that she's flaunting. She seems to be grooving in a distinctly Prince-like manner, and it suits her to walk in his extravagant shoes for the duration of this slinky, velvet-soul number.
Recent release Teen Dream is already a favorite for Best Album of 2010 across the blogosphere. Lead single "Norway" made my year-end top 20 (get it and other advance tracks I featured here) and "Used To Be" continues to show the evolution of Beach House into a slightly dreamier Grizzly Bear counterpart. Victoria Legrand strews her gossamer vocals atop the chiming keys and strings, and this is the definition of what an album track should be on a brilliant record - completely filled with the atmosphere that pervades the album, but able to stand on its own melodic innovation.
For all those out there who have given up any hope of resisting the mind-bogglingly catchy current electro-pop trend, Yes Giantess drop some synth squiggle worthy of MGMT's catchiest riffs, chant with unbridled enthusiasm, and slather the song's build-up with a raspy backdrop. They descend into utter cheese in the middle, but bring the heat back up right as you're thinking about relegating them to romantic sop status.
Monarchy fall on the icier side of the electro genre, forgoing the chipper exuberance of the above Yes Giantess track for a tone of indulgent regret. I'm not sure what it says about my musical taste that this song has caught me - the melodic arrangements are so predictable that I fear Maroon 5 + any House music producer could have created this - but with deadly smoothness and crystalline groove, you can embrace the extra cheese and just get down.
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