Good Weather For Airstrikes

Pop music – good pop music, rather – made a triumphant return in 2007. Mr. Timberlake began the process and established himself as the new King of Pop with Futuresex/Lovesounds in late 2006 and kept things moving right on into 2007 with “My Love” and “What Goes Around”. Timbaland made sure it was here to stay, producing solid gold hits for Nelly Furtado, M.I.A., and even the loathsome Omarion, later reaching number one on the charts himself with “The Way I Are”, pretty much the only good thing he’s ever done as a solo artist. Kanye was there doing his part, taking Daft Punk back to the top of the charts with “Stronger” and releasing another excellent LP in “Graduation”, and even Robyn made a comeback, collaborating with producer Kleerup and reaching the top of the UK charts for the first time in nine years on the strength of “With Every Heartbeat”. No one can forget the international reign of pop supremacy Rihanna enjoyed after inviting the world to stand under her umba-rella, but the best female pop track of the year undoubtedly goes to Amerie. Vastly underappreciated in the mainstream for no apparent reason, “Gotta Work” is the pop triumph of 2007 and deserves far more recognition and acclaim than it’s received to this point.

Amerie’s mentor and the producer on the majority of the tracks on her first two records was Rich Harrison, the man responsible for taking her to the top of the charts in 2004 with “One Thing”, her first Top 10 hit. “One Thing” was a masterpiece of pop minimalism, composed of only a sharp one-chord riff, a clattering percussion section and Amerie’s saccharine vocal delivery. Any track achieving success on the back of such a sparse arrangment is worth noting, especially one able to access the upper echelons of mainstream popularity, as “One Thing” did when it reached #8 in 2005. “Gotta Work”, on the other hand, is a lesson in flamboyant maximalism, bursting at the seams with blaring brass arrangements and thunderous percussion courtesy of production team One Up. Sure, it’s very “Crazy In Love” and both songs operate within the same formula, but “Gotta Work” just does so much more for me on every occasion. I don’t think anyone saw this coming (least of all me) after Amerie failed to follow up the success of “One Thing” with the other singles off Touch, but shit – “Gotta Work” makes it clear that Amerie has the potential to be a pop force to reckon with in any music climate. Unfortunately, the track has gone largely over-looked in the US, as it was released without the company of an album here. Because I Love It, a sort of best-of compilation for the purpose of introducing Amerie to UK audiences, dropped across the pond this summer and was extremely well-received there, but the release of that album stateside would have been redundant for obvious reasons. Thus, American audiences went criminally under-exposed to the track, but that can’t really be held against it. That said, it’s nice to know there’s no danger of the track getting played to death everywhere you turn as was the case with “Umbrella”. Radio hit or not though, “Gotta Work” is a pop smash that can’t be fucked with any way you look at it.

MP3: “Gotta Work” - Amerie ((highly recommended))

And for those of you who may have somehow missed out on the pop brilliance of “One Thing” or just slept on the track because it’s too mainstream or whatever, here’s your chance to right your wrongs.

Bonus MP3: “One Thing” - Amerie ((highly recommended))

UPDATE: “Flux” now available for download below.

I saw Bloc Party play the WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden last night. It was okay. Not spectacular and nowhere near as good as they’ve been in the past, but it was the venue and audience that was to blame more than anything. The band gave it their all and were clearly psyched to be back under the bright lights in the states again, but it’s hard to get into a show when you’re surrounded by investment bankers who don’t dance ’cause they’re only there to impress their girlfriends. But whatever, it was fucking Bloc Party playing live ten feet away from me; I still had a phenomenal time. They played pretty much everything I wanted to hear, surprised everyone by working B-side “The Once And Future King” into the setlist and even had the entire audience wish my niece a happy birthday at one point. She turns one tomorrow, and even though Kele told the crowd to wish her a happy fifth birthday (we’ll chalk that up to the, uh, five year time difference in England…), it was a sweet gesture.

But the big news of the night was the unveiling of a BRAND NEW SONG to open the encore, featuring Gordy trading his bass for a Korg synth on the track. It didn’t sound all that mind-blowing, but it was only the second time they’d ever played it live and regardless, it’s not like the news of a Bloc Party song isn’t gonna give me a big old hard-on. Even more exciting though, is what they’re going to do with that new song. Titled “Flux”, it’ll see a release as a non-album single on November 12th (only three weeks!), backed by “Emma Kate’s Accident” on the CD-single and “Once And Future King” on the 7″. They recorded it live tonight, mixed the studio version yesterday and it’ll be in the hands of the masses before you know it. Or I could just give you the radio rip now, which Zane Lowe debuted as his Hottest Record In The World Today an hour ago. I’ll let you be the judge, but it’s… different. You can definitely dance to it, but oh man does Silent Alarm seem so far away these days.

MP3: “Flux” (Radio Rip) - Bloc Party

And yeah, that’s pretty much it. Most of all I’m just bummed I never got to see Bloc Party before their graduation to big-league venues and theaters. I managed to break my ankle they night they played their first-ever DC show at the Black Cat in 2005 (which I may never forgive myself for), and when they returned to play the 9:30 Club that June I was off in Europe, busy smoking my bodyweight in pot in Amsterdam. Now I’m stuck getting lost in the crowd at fucking Madison Square Garden and other over-sized venues around town, but whatever, I can deal I guess. At the end of the day, it was was a pretty fucking great way to spend a Wednesday night, so I’m all smiles for now.

MP3: “The Once And Future King” - Bloc Party

And in case you’d forgotten, that James Rutledge remix of “Uniform” is still one of the best things to ever happen to the band and one of the elite remixes of the year.

MP3: “Uniform” (James Rutledge Remix) - Bloc Party ((highly recommended))

I know I’ve forsaken electro in favor of folk and indie as of late, but the hot fire returns with a bang today. Maybe now we can be friends again?

It’s been a minute now since we’ve heard any new studio material from Sebastien Tellier, the mastermind behind “La Ritournelle”, one of the most awe-inspiring tracks of last year ever, but I’m pleased to announce the wait is over. On October 16th Mr. Tellier will release his brand new single in the form of “Sexual Sportswear”, an 8-minute epoch that swaps the orchestral in favor of the electronic and sports production from Daft Punk’s very own Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo. The French house legend is manning the boards on Tellier’s entire upcoming LP, titled Sexuality and out January 2008, and “Sexual Sportswear” is a delicious first taste.

It’s no “La Ritournelle”, but it’s unwavering sexiness wholly justifies its exceedingly awesome title. Like “Ritournelle”, “Sexual Sportswear” is a sprawling odyssey, but where the former continuously evolves with a new twist around every turn, “Sportswear” seems a bit directionless at times. An epic, ominous intro rides swirling atmospheric synths into the body of the track, which takes off on a churning synth progression that it proceeds to ride for the remainder of the track. It’s no secret that French house has become the style to emulate this year, with everyone from Kanye to will.i.am trying to get in on the action, and it’s clear that Tellier’s taken note as well (though the accompanying literature calls this “electro-classical”). There’s no doubt he’s got plenty of Ed Banger records in his collection, but “Sportswear” suggests he may be looking off labelmate Kavinsky’s paper as well (”Testarossa Autodrive”, anyone?). That said, it’d be hard not to be influenced by the French house explosion when it’s going down in your own backyard, so we can’t be too hard on the man. Instead, let’s applaud him for the new direction he’s taken and hope that Sexuality’s got some more streamlined chart-toppers up its proverbial sleeve.

But wait, there’s more. The single comes backed by a remix from the inimitable SebastiAn, who’s also been M.I.A. in the remix scene for a few months now. And well… that kid done did it again. I mean oh JESUS, just when you thought the remix maestro might be slowing down, he drops so much fire on the track they should call him Vesuvius (sorry… it had to happen). All of his staples are back - the emphatic bass surges, the razor-sharp strings bursts, the choppy production; they’re all here. SebastiAn’s always been in the business of stealing thunder from the original compositions he reworks, but this is some next-level shit. So yeah, buy the single for the A-side, but make damn sure you stay for the remix.

STREAM: “Sexual Sportswear” - Sebastien Tellier

MP3: “Sexual Sportswear” (SebastiAn Remix) - Tellier ((highly recommended))

There’s this quasi-renaissance of British folk music going on in London right now, with singer-songwriters and folk collectives thriving artistically and commercially everywhere you look. Just as 2006 and early 2007 were dominated by electro, folk seems to be the genre du jour in the eyes of the majors and the scene is flourishing. At the forefront of the movement are singer-songwriters like Kid Harpoon, Lightspeed Champion and Kate Nash, but there are plenty more acts to get excited about in the new folk scene. However, there may be none more promising than Noah & The Whale and Laura Marling.

Noah & The Whale just might be my favorite new band. I caught them live twice in London last June, just as they were beginning to generate buzz amongst industry heads and those in the know, once with Florence and the Machine and later opening for Fields at the Institute of Contemporary Art. I attended with a group of people each time and the verdict was unanimous on both occasions: totally awesome.

Like so many artists in this burgeoning scene, Noah & The Whale’s success is founded on their ability to be totally fucking endearing at all times. Nowhere is this more apparent than on debut single “Five Years Time”, perhaps the most carefree, relentlessly breezy single of the year. With a jovial effervescence that can brighten even the darkest day, the track is all ukuleles, xylophones and whimsically nostalgic lyrics about fun, sun and love (these words come up A LOT), yet manages not to be overly-cute or cloying in spite of itself. This would have been ideal for heavy rotation in the summertime, but it arrives just in time to give you one last wistful look back at the warmer months before putting on your sweater and marching into autumn. The lovely Emmy The Great contributes backing vocals on the track, and she’s in even finer form on “Jocasta”, the Neutral Milk Hotel-inspired B-side that comes complete with accordions and hand-claps and easily rivals the A-side in terms of excellence.

Out on the esteemed Young & Lost Club imprint, the 7″ is available now from any record store worth it’s salt. For the turntable-challenged, however, the Puregroove Digital store is offering the tracks for purchase as high-quality 320 kbps MP3s. Unlike iTunes, Puregroove won’t discriminate against you by your place of residence (read: you can buy this even if you’re stateside) AND they throw in a FREE bonus track, the lovely “Beating”, just ’cause they’re nice like that. I’ve posted the A-Side below, along with another promising demo (”2 Bodies 1 Heart”) and the demo version of “Jocasta”. The sparse demo sounds terribly anemic in comparison to the vastly superior and lushly arranged final version, so do yourself a favor and pick up the rest of the bundle from Puregroove at your earliest convenience. Do feel free to enjoy the tracks below in the meantime, but don’t sleep on the whole package.

MP3s:
“Five Years Time” - Noah & The Whale ((highly recommended))
“2 Bodies 1 Heart” (Demo) - Noah & The Whale
“Jocasta” (Demo) - Noah & The Whale

Rolling deep with the Noah & The Whale crew (and currently headlining their tour) is Laura Marling, a 17 year-old singer-songwriter who’s a brilliant talent in her own right. A figurehead in the post-Lily Allen movement of talented female singer-songwriters, Laura Marling sets herself apart as the one with perhaps the most potential at her very young age. She made her debut on Way Out West Recordings last spring with the London Town EP, an admirable debut that only barely scratched the surface of Marling’s abilities as a songwriter. Now she’s returned with the My Manic & I EP, her major label on Virgin and the release that should catapult her to the forefront of the public consciousness. Her songs are generally built around nothing more than her haunting, seductive voice and elegantly simplistic acoustic guitar work, and the EP’s single and lead track, “New Romantic”, is a shining example of this.

One of the best tracks of the year, “New Romantic” is simply dazzling from start to finish. Marling sounds like weary woman worn down from years of love and life in the city, remarkable considering her young age, singing of teenage self-doubt, heartbreak and Ryan Adams (all pretty much the same territory, I guess) over a sparse guitar arrangement. The track perfectly displays Marling’s rare gift for melody and earnest lyrical approach, and it’s not hard to see how Marling was able to secure a major label deal essentially on the strength of “New Romantic” alone. Something tells me this won’t be the last brilliant song she pens though, and the young songstress seems primed to enjoy wonderful success as a top-dollar recording artist in the UK for years to come. Prepare to be swept off your feet by the fresh new face of folk.

MP3: “New Romantic” - Laura Marling ((highly recommended))

LIKE IF WES ANDERSON DID MUSIC VIDEOS, ONLY BETTER
Not that those artists weren’t entirely worthy of a post themselves, but the PRIMARY reason for this post was to spotlight James Copeman’s impeccable video for “Five Years Time”, which features the Noah & The Whale gang joined by the wonderful Miss Marling for an afternoon of Super-8 fun in a Hackney pub. The video is absolutely perfect for the track, and there’s not much more I can say about it other than that it’s easily one of my Top 3 favorite videos of the year. Download and cherish it forever below.

Video: “Five Years Time”
Artist: Noah & The Whale
Director: James Copeman
Watch: [YouTube]
Download: [Quicktime • 18 MB]

please start commenting again kthx

This is just absurdly brilliant. I have too many questions to even begin to know where to start, but this is truly amazing any way you look at it. Let’s celebrate, shall we? “Videotape” is slated to be the last track on the album, and this pristine solo recording of the track from Thom Yorke’s From The Basement session should be enough to get you extremely excited for the final version and the entire album. Because you totally weren’t excited already, right?

MP3: “Videotape” (Solo Piano Version) - Thom Yorke ((highly recommended))