as you know, i am obsessed with music. i’ve even been taking guitar lessons for an embarrassing number of years! being a pop/rock star is still one of my goals, so needless to say, the studio here usually has music playing.
so here is a short list of what got played the most with a short review from me.
au revoire simone: reverse migration
not a new album from this adorable brooklyn based band, but rather a re-working with additional musicians/engineers. i actually like it when artists revisit old work and this is a very successful project in that vein. vocals between 60s folk pop and pop with signature electronica music.
MGMT: Oracular Spectacular and Time to Pretend
another nyc-band! i am visually in love with their lead singer...he is so cute! but more than that, MGMT brought a wonderful light to music this year with their cryptic yet optimistic lyrics and a sound so eclectic, it defies classification. i was hoping they’d break-through but the thinness of the vocals was never addressed on their re-release nor did they capitalize on how sexy they are...oh well...i’m not their manager.
Eugene McGuinness: Eugene McGuinness
a UK entry, eugene mcguinness sounds like a happy morrisey who enjoys sex. what more needs to be said? love this record!
the Presets: Apocalypso
hailing from australia, these neo bogans bring the delirious sound i like to call boganzatronica to the masses. seriously, as i said the first time i heard “the girl and the sea” from their 2006 release, the presets have mastered sophisticated song writing so lacking in electronic and pop acts. that doesn’t mean there aren’t silly meaningless club tracks here though...a very fun album.
School of Seven Bells: Alpinisms
nyc locals again, the school of seven bells are a pleasure to look at as well as listen 2. live, they are part of the small wave of new psychedelica – an amazing wall of sound from a 3-piece outfit – powerful music with powerful multi layered vocals. the album, being recorded in a studio has a different feeling, more accessible, pop, and pretty.
Black Devil Disco: 28 After and Disco Club
you can read all the legends about the french librarian who recorded as black devil disco in the 1970s and their current revival. all i can say is that i always applaud music that is both dark, sensuous and full of energy – yummmmmm!
Midnight Juggernauts: Dystopia
also from australia here is another band i can not get enough of. though lumped in electronica, i hear the potential for this band the expand their line-up and be the next arena rock star band like queen and r.e.o. speedwagon as they have a really big sound [and by big, i mean full of drama-potential]. also, they have injected sci-fi back into music which is right up my alley – so really, they're the sci-fi synth sweet in outer space...they should do a cover of love is like oxygen to test my theory.
Panda Bear: Person Bitch
this came out in 2007 but got lots of play in the studio in 2008. also, hard to put in a genre, their ethereal psychedelic sound is evocative of the 60s yet is somehow fresh, hypnotic and happy.
Hercules and love affair: Hercules and love affair
gosh, brooklyn produces a lot of great bands these past few years. i read reviews of this band as ‘the comeback of disco’ but really, their sound is more like the no-wave music of NYC from the early 1980s. it’s also pretty gay. a great album with something for everyone.
and if i can add one more:
portland's glass candy. i would describe as a porn soundtrack meets disco dollies in the back of a nyc taxi cab known for sloppy trannie blow jobs...this is your night time soundtrack – whatever you do.
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