The Buzz Bin
I promise that we will in fact be covering local music this week (record reviews and features to come), but while we work on that stuff, I thought you might be interested to hear and/or see three bands that have been getting a lot of attention around the blogosphere for the past couple of weeks/months. What is noteworthy about these three bands in not the newness of their sounds, but the fact that they sound like bands that probably could have broke really big a couple of years ago (not to mention 15-20 years ago). Remember when "dancepunk" was going to take over everything after The Rapture released Echoes? Well, I don't think that record had quite the impact people were expecting it to, but its clear that the indie kids still want to dance, and the three bands below have all been linked to words like "rave," "electro," and "dancerock." The spaced out krautrock of 120 Days seems to be by far the most promising of the three, and the song below sounds sort of like Can if they had formed in the late 80's in Manchester and started an Italo disco group... their first single is really quite good, and I think the band could possibly become quite big here in the next few months as they start their first U.S. tour. Klaxons sound a bit more immature and tied to the present (read: not far off from Arctic Monkeys and Bloc Party in some respects), but most of the material I've heard from them has been bold and exciting, and they are certainly worth a listen if nothing else. Working for a Nuclear Free City is probably the closest to straight up "dance" music of the three, and they might remind you of the Chemical Brothers, INXS, Stereo MCs, 80's funk and mid 90's big beat/deep house.... but it sounds better than that. Anyway, here are two tracks and a video (if bands, labels or management want any of this stuff taken down, please email weshotjr@yahoo.com and we'll take care of it):
120 Days "Come Out (Come Down, Fade Out, Be Gone)" MP3
Working for a Nuclear Free City " Troubled Son" MP3
Video for Klaxons' "Gravity's Rainbow"
120 Days "Come Out (Come Down, Fade Out, Be Gone)" MP3
Working for a Nuclear Free City " Troubled Son" MP3
Video for Klaxons' "Gravity's Rainbow"
posted by stonedranger at 1:28 AM
19 Comments:
Yeah, I was really skeptical of the things I read about 120 Days with all the descriptions of their motorik pulse, Neu! meets electro-rock thing but I really like that album. Despite how much I didn't want to. That leadoff song is really good and just what the doctor ordered.
Check out Tussle who share the same label as 120 Days (not Vice, but Smalltown Supersound). They have this dub/Liquid Liquid/electronic sound that I love. Their Myspace page has two of their new songs and the album is on Rhapsody. Pretty infectious stuff.
Is it just me, or have quite a few of the more interesting albums this year been electronic or heavily influenced by electronic and other sources like krautrock? For me at least... Feels like a shift in indie again...
yeah, I think you're right about that Zak.
working for a nuclear free city shreds it bro. harshly.
Yeah I totally see a shift towards electronic music in the underground. But somehow I am continually dissapointed with the lack of substance in most electronic music.
I think Thom Yorke's Eraser is a great exception of what is the norm with electronic music. It's not dance music first, but is still accessible, without comprimising artistic depth.
A couple more albums with that thought process could do the music world some good.
What about the new Album leaf? That to me is in the same line as the Eraser and it has that substance of making songs out of sounds not so much making dance music for clubs.
I actually haven't heard the new Album Leaf yet but I think I'm going to check it out.
Yes, I am an asshole... why would I not want to like something? If I read some review or description and they are dropping all the 'cool' terms to describe something, in this case 120 Days with 'krautrock' 'Neu!' 'motorik' etc, I get a bit skeptical because it is hard to actually do that type of thing well without sounding like a hack or you are ripping it off. Actually that goes for any style and it's refrences. Partly about the hype partly about not wanting to get let down after reading some great write up that drops all the terms that get my attention.
You know, I have to totally disagree with the Thom Yorke. I can't get into that album. 2-3 songs are really good, but to me the album feels hollow. I think he is missing the band.
I like that Nuclear Free City song too.
Definitely a lot of electronic lacked substance for a long time. I gave up on it for years because I got annoyed with how throw-away (and soul-less) it all was. I think that has drastically changed the past few years with the integration of the genres and more acceptance for electronic music as a viable art form and not just for dancing and the short shelf-life that goes along with that.
I haven't gotten the new Album Leaf yet, so I'll check it out. I like thier old stuff though.
About the Thom Yorke thing, I'd agree that it is not as good as the Radiohead material, but I was mostly speaking of the approach to the album.
If anyone else has any other recent musical recommendations of the electronic-with-depth persuasion, I'd love to hear em. I too have been ignoring a lot of electronic music over the past 5-6 years.
Of course, The Knife is always good if you are looking in that direction. Anything off the Kompakt label is also quite worthy... I would check out their most recent Total 7 Comp if you need an introduction to the Microhouse sound.
And although it might not be "electro" in the sense you mean here, I would say that Lansing-Dreiden has released one of the most intelligent synth pop records ever produced. Its called The Dividing Island, it came out this year, and its amazing.
stab the knife. ryan leaf???
ryan, trust me bro, go back to the blue.
zak: insofar as the asshole title, no argument here dude.
it's called rock for a reason!
I love my fans. lol
I'll vouch for that Knife record... It's really good; one of my favorites of the year.
how was that last Boards of Canada?
I live everything Boards of Canada has ever done... and more on the dance side, I've been digging on the Lindstrom record that came out several months ago... I forget what is called.
you mean the one that got best new music yesterday on pfork? yeah, right, SR. months.
actually, most of the records reviewed by pitchfork have been out for a while, they rarely review something right after it's released.
i was speaking to the claim that he'd been listening to it for months.
well, jackass, there have been two Lindstrom records released in the past year... look it up. The one I'm talking about is with Lindstrom and Prins Thomas, and I think it came out at the end of last year.
And the one you are talking about isn't even an album, but a singles collection... some of which have been around for several years. So blow me!
everything is always so negative around here. you're really bumming me out guys.
STONEDRANGER
i'm telling you ,i want your fingers inside of me.those same ones that write such poetry.i'd love to talk dirty in your ear while you...what?
I should check out what band?just you shush my dirty little one.keep licking.
Post a Comment
<< Home