Good Weather For Airstrikes

So yeah, it’s been a while. I’ve been extremely busy over this holiday break doing absolutely nothing and listening to the Dodos and Noah & The Whale on repeat, as well as getting started on my lengthy-ass best of ‘07 lists. And since Noah & The Whale are all over said year-end lists, what better way to celebrate today than with a very special Christmas track from everyone’s favorite new British folk collective. “To Cyril At Crunkmas” is the band’s contribution to Puregroove’s Christmas Mixtape, which also features festive contributions from the likes of Lightspeed Champion and Eugene McGuinness. Those interested in hearing the rest of the tracks can hear them at the special MySpace pages Puregroove has set up for the mixtape - Side A is here and Side B is here - and Noah & The Whale’s cut is available for download below.

MP3: “To Cyril At Crunkmas” - Noah & The Whale [Alternate Link]

In other Noah news, the band recently became the first act to sign on with the lovely Young & Lost Club girls to put out their debut long-player. Young & Lost now have a deal with Universal and as a result are able to expand into the full-length market, and Noah & The Whale look set to become Y&LC’s flagship artist in 2008. Their first single since signing with the label two months ago will be “2 Bodies 1 Heart”, the demo of which I threw up here and extolled it’s brilliance when I first introduced the band way back when, and it was made available for download from iTunes on Christmas Day. The 7″ won’t drop for two more weeks however, but when it does it’ll come backed by the amazing “Rocks & Daggers”, which could do pretty well as a single in its own right. I’ve had the demos of these tracks for ages, and I recently acquired a solid grip of the re-produced album versions of many of their songs, and it looks like their as-yet-unannounced debut album is shaping up to be something very special. Get at the demos of “Bodies” and “Rocks & Daggers” below, and be sure to stream the finished version of the A-side on their MySpace or pick it up on the UK iTunes at your earliest convenience.

MP3s:
“2 Bodies 1 Heart” (Demo) - Noah & The Whale [Alternate Link]
“Rocks & Daggers” (Demo) - Noah & The Whale [Alternate Link]

Just wait until you hear the final versions. Seriously. Oh, and James Copeman’s gone and directed another fantastic video for “Bodies”, which you should once again check out here if you’re one of those Wes Anderson types.

And it wouldn’t be a Noah & The Whale post without some news on frequent Noah collaborator and often-time video co-star Laura Marling, who recently followed up her excellent My Manic & I EP with a lovely new digital-only single just in time for the holidays (a physical release will follow next month). The Manic EP has proven to be one of my favorite releases of 2007, and new single “Ghosts” unveils a new, fuller sound for the shockingly young singer-songwriter. Where “New Romantic” and “My Manic & I” made their money on bare-bones arrangements that highlighted her unbelievable vocal and lyrical talent, “Ghosts” is a whole new animal, demonstrating a pop sensibility only hinted at on her earlier releases. It’s opening verses embrace that familiar Marling sound, but before too long the track erupts into an unrestrained climax of group vocals (no doubt featuring the Noah & The Whale boys), pounded keys and galloping drums. Yet another awe-inspiring single from Miss Marling then, and its getting to be really exciting to watch these two acts as they rise to the top of this so-called new folk scene.

MP3: “Ghosts” - Laura Marling [removed]

And finally, it wouldn’t be a Christmas post without some kind of totally awesome sonic treat for you to flip your shit for, and I’m pretty confident I’ve got just the thing. We’re probably all at least mildly familiar with the most recent New Young Pony Club single, “Get Lucky”, by now (or at the very least you’ve heard the MSTRKRFT remix), but you seriously haven’t lived until you’ve heard the Outlines take on the track. In what is probably the best and most obscure gem I’ve come across all year, the B-side to the 7″ release of “Get Lucky” featured the “Outlines Remix” of the track, but this is more of a cover than anything else, as the French trio scrap all of the original vocals and instrumentation and start over from scratch. I was of the mind that “Get Lucky” was NYPC’s weakest single to date - I mean, it’s perfectly fine, but it’s just kind of there, y’know? - but in the context of Outlines’ jazzy hooks and those smoother-than-smooth falsetto vocals it’s all of a sudden like the best thing ever. Seriously, I’m physically unable to get enough of this shit. Merry Christmas and I hope you feel the same way.

MP3: “Get Lucky” (Outlines Version) - NYPC ((highly recommended)) [Alt. Link]

And finally, I’m going to take advantage of this whole Christmas spirit thing I hear so much about and cheekily direct your attention to that PayPal donations link over there beneath the secondary GWFAS logo on the page. I’m planning a fairly significant overhaul of the site for sometime in the first half of ‘08, complete with new reliable hosting that actually works, a classy redesign and a shit-ton of other new features, but those things don’t exactly come for free. Thus, whatever you feel like donating - $5, $10, sexual favors, etc. - would be more than appreciated, and I look forward to seeing you guys back here soon for our massive, empire-toppling, ship-sinking best of 2007 extravaganza.

Indie! Folk! Electro-pop! Winter! M3 Volume 17! I’m finishing up my final assignment of the semester so I’m a bit pressed for time, but I want to get this up real quick before I head to the airport with the Fav and fly out to LA for the weekend.

Quick run through: You’ve got some of the best songs of the past few years (”All My Friends”, “Heart’s A Mess”, “Ritournelle” and “Roscoe”) alongside some more obscure pleasures (The Dodos, frYars and Daniel Rossen’s exquisite Jojo cover), with a solid grip of Scandinavian gems rounding out the mix courtesy of The Dø, Lykke Li and Studio’s Shout Out Louds remix. So yeah, it’s a nice mix of tracks and there’s some impressive international diversity here, and it generally serves as a good soundtrack for trekking through the city while you freeze your balls off this winter. Obviously this is ideal for colder climates, but this’ll get you in a seriously winter mood regardless.

Oh and the artwork is probably the only good thing I’ve done since, like, high school. Enjoy.

High Resolution Artwork: [Front Cover] [Back Cover]

Download: M3 Volume 17 [follow link]

M3 Volume 17:
01. “All My Friends” - LCD Soundsystem [Alternate Link]
02. “The Ides” - frYars [Alternate Link]
03. “Playground Hustle” - The Dø [Alternate Link]
04. “Impossible” (Possible Remake by Studio) - Shout Out Louds [Alternate Link]
05. “Little Bit” - Lykke Li [Alternate Link]
06. “Sea Legs” - The Shins [Alternate Link]
07. “Heart’s A Mess” - Gotye [link removed]
08. “La Ritournelle” (Mr. Dan’s Mix) - Sebastien Tellier [link removed]
09. “Fools” - The Dodos [Alternate Link]
10. “Flakes” - Mystery Jets [Alternate Link]
11. “Too Little Too Late” - Daniel Rossen [Alternate Link]
12. “Roscoe” - Midlake [Alternate Link]
13. “HappY” - frYars [Alternate Link]
14. “Bluebells” - Patrick Wolf [Alternate Link]
15. “Merry Happy” - Kate Nash [Alternate Link]

Finishing up the last of my finals, so here’s a quick one.

Equal parts heavenly and dispensable, “Paris” is throwaway pop at its finest. Guitars be shimmering like it ain’t no thing, the percussion’s all over the place and the chorus is huge (just try to look past the cliche-ass lyrics); this is about as pop as indie gets. In fact, it’s a shame to see such a fine slice of summery pop perfection going to waste in the dark days of winter, but you can pretty much count on a major label snapping these guys up and re-releasing the shit out of this come next spring. For now though, it’s a good introduction to the band and a great way for them to generate some solid buzz heading into the new year. So yeah, I like this song, but I’ll like it a whole lot more when I’m rockin’ it with the top down on the way to the beach next summer.

MP3: “Paris” - Friendly Fires [Alternate Link]

The song’s great and all, but Price James went ahead and totally upstaged it with one of the most perfect videos I’ve seen for any song this year. Think of it as a tuxedo in music video form, if you will. So so classy.

Video: “Paris”
Artist: Friendly Fires
Director: Price James
Watch: [YouTube]
Download: [Quicktime • 49 MB] [follow link]

The Dodos have been kicking around for a good minute now, having self-released an EP and issued debut album Beware of the Maniacs in 2006, but they’re about to get a lot more familiar with an incredible debut single on the way and a sophomore album slated for release next spring. The San Franciscan duo have garnered a significant following on the west coast thanks to their phenomenal live shows, but a freshly-inked deal with Frenchkiss Records (hollerrrr) and the arrival of aforementioned single “Fools” suggests they’re about to jump to the next level in a big way.

“Fools”, to put it simply, is incredible. Channeling the tribal energy of Animal Collective and a Midlake-esque vocal delivery, “Fools” boasts a huge sound that seems impossible for a band of only two members. The union of vocalist/guitarist Meric Long’s emotive, personal verses and drummer Logan Kroeber’s frantic backing shouts and percussion yields one of the best American singles of the year, like maybe the best thing since Midlake unleashed “Roscoe” in early ‘06. The duo’s unique, bluegrass-leaning folk-pop sound is showcased beautifully across sophomore album, Visiter, which is sure to bring them some serious attention when it drops next year.

Also worth noting is their art direction. Earlier this year they performed for special needs students at LA’s Dorsey High School, prompting the kids to thank them with illustrated responses to the band’s music and performance. From these drawings the band culled most of the artwork for their website and the album packaging for Visiter, and aside from being a really interesting idea, the result actually works surprisingly well with their sound. I haven’t had the pleasure of seeing them live yet, but I’ve heard they’re really amazing and they’ll be opening for Les Savy Fav in LA this coming Saturday, so I’ll be flying out to see them and I couldn’t be more excited. “Fools” is all I’m at liberty to share at this juncture, but it should be more than enough to get you super pumped about the Dodos in 2008. Oh and the file’s hosted on our server at Frenchkiss, so no need for an alternate download link this time around. Rejoice.

MP3: “Fools” - The Dodos ((highly recommended))

And in the interest of full disclosure, yes I do work for Frenchkiss and yes it’s my step-brother who owns the label, but listen to “Fools” and just try to tell me it’s a personal bias and not the quality of the song that’s inspiring me to sing its praises.

Why am I reviewing a single that dropped two years ago? Because I fucking can. I cordially invite you to deal with it.

Röyksopp changed my life a little bit when I was first introduced to “Eple” and Melody AM by my then-girlfriend in the spring of 2005. Then, two months later “Only This Moment” dropped and provided the first taste of the duo’s second long-player, The Understanding, and the rest is history. While Melody AM showed me I could truly shit myself over a record on which guitars were nowhere to be found and “Eple” proved that I could rank a wordless instrumental track among my all-time favorites, “Only This Moment” established Röyksopp as one of my favorite bands in the world and planted the seeds for what would develop into a full-fledged obsession with electronic music within two years’ time.

I can distinctly remember listening to “Only This Moment” on repeat for hours on a sun-drenched beach off the coast of Massachuesetts that summer, shutting myself out of conversations with my friends and getting sunscreen and sand in my headphones just so I could hear it a few more times. It would prove to be a prominent soundtrack for the rest of my year and ended up at #16 on our Top Songs of 2005 list, and Everett wrote the following in our year-end review way back when he still existed: “The first thirty seconds alone solidify the track’s place on this list, and the male/female trade-off vocals pose a wonderful contrast. The hushed male verse is followed by a digitized female chorus, with the backing instrumental remaining superb all the while. This song is evocative of feelings of pure, unadulterated bliss, and the almost childlike glee exhibited herein leaves me wholly unable to feel sorrow in the wake of the music. This is the most emotion I’ve heard captured by an electronic group.” He pretty much nailed it, especially with the “pure, unadulterated bliss” part, though repeated listens reveal a paradox of emotions on display on the track. That element of “childlike glee”, while it pervades throughout the instrumentation, is offset by the hushed, almost somber tone of the vocals, which were contributed for the first time by the duo themselves. Thus, it works in any context, whether happy or sad, uptempo or low-key, and is a shining example of Röyksopp’s effortless brilliance in the electro-pop arena.

Nearly two years have passed and I’m still totally fucking smitten with the track, but my interest was re-sparked by the unearthing of two hot remixes of the song done by Röyksopp themselves. Both of the titles, “Forsiktige Massasje” and “Hissige”, are foreign as shit, but the “Massasje” works more like an alternate version of the original while the “Hissige” kills it with some seriously bangin’ dark disco shit.

MP3s:
“Only This Moment” (Radio Edit) - Röyksopp ((highly recommended)) [Alt. Link]
“Only This Moment” (Röyksopp’s Forsiktige Massasje) - Röyksopp [Alternate Link]
“Only This Moment” (Röyksopp Hissige) - Röyksopp [Alternate Link]

Finally, I’d be considerably remiss if I didn’t mention the UN-FUCKING-BELIEVABLE music video for the track. That I got high with my friends and watched this video multiple times pretty much every night of my freshman year should paint a pretty good picture of just how incredible this video is, but I’ll go into further detail just to make sure you’re absolutely sold. Röyksopp has a pretty fine music video pedigree to this point in their career, and “Only This Moment” is easily their best. Shot using archival footage and incorporating actual shots of the Paris 1968 protests in addition to a slew of mind-fucking after effects, this video grabs you by the proverbial balls and doesn’t let go until its conclusion. Keep an eye out for the shot with the hands on the table and that totally unreal part with the birds flying overhead towards the end, as they’re both pretty brilliant and are in themselves enough to warrant this video the highest possible recommendation for anyone, but those of you with a passion for getting high as balls will definitely get the most out of this. Sadly, I can’t find it in terribly high quality, but whatever, it’s still totally worth your while.

Video: “Only This Moment”
Artist: Röyksopp
Director: Brendan McNamee & Robert Chandler
Watch: [YouTube]
Download: [Quicktime • 12 MB] [direct link]

Elsewhere, Monsieur Headphonesex echoes our love for Big Face and keeps it hot with the gloriously scratchy new track from the Damn Shames and the epic debut single from LA’s The Mae Shi, both of which you’d do well to check out.

Oh and both the Lightspeed Champion and Hot Chip full-lengths hit the internet today, which is, y’know, awesome.

The XL Recordings office in Notting Hill is a pretty cool place. Entering through the front door, you’re confronted by nearly 20 years of XL memorabilia plastered wall to wall. There’s Adele’s iPhone Fund jar sitting next to the door, M.I.A.’s shoes and the How Many? How Many? shirts from the “Boyz” video hanging from the wall and countless framed magazine covers featuring XL artists old and new lining the halls, with the artwork from Thom Yorke’s Eraser covering any remaining wall space (of which there’s not much to speak). Curious though, are the black and white stickers labeled frYars peppering the walls throughout the office. Upon inquiring as to their significance last spring, I got a nonchalant “Oh he’s friends with Cajun Dance Party”, and the conversation moved on. Somehow they failed to mention his merit as a recording artist in his own right, or the fact that he might just be the best electropop act since Maps hit the scene last year, and it’s taken me until now to finally track down his material. Holy shit though, talk about worth the wait.

Schoolmate and collaborator with the likes of Cajun and Bombay Bicycle Club, frYars (née Ben Garrett) is another young London upstart carrying the torch for the new wave of brilliant teenage talent coming out of the UK right now. But where his peers stick to the more familiar ground of conventional guitar-centric Britpop, frYars explores the less charted territory of experimentally-leaning electro-pop. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve championed Cajun Dance Party and the like in these pages extensively and expressed a sufficient amount of awe at their ability to produce such impressive tracks at such a young age, but frYars is perhaps the most impressive of them all. Crafting brilliant electronic pop compositions equally challenging and accessible, the 18 year-old has is establishing a unique niche for himself in an European electronic music climate heavily saturated with acts overly-fixated on dancefloor accessibility in the stead of creative songcraft and artistic merit.

On frYars remarkable debut EP, The Ides, the reference points are endless: the bouncy pop of Royksopp jostles for position alongside the keyboard sounds of Hot Chip, Maps and the Postal Service, even veering into the glitchy territory of Ed Banger house and 8-bit electro at times. Over it all, there’s Garrett’s astoundingly mature British croon recalling the likes of Alex Kapranos and Morrissey, singing lyrics rooted in a dream-like state of consciousness occupying a space somewhere between thought and expression. Nearly every song references death and despair to some extent, but the morbidity of it all is largely obscured by jaunty pop melodies and a youthful bounce. In discussing his lyrics, Garrett invokes the philosophy of his favorite thinker: “Nietzsche is presented or misinterpreted often as a negative force, despite being probably one of the more positive thinkers. He is tantamount to nihilism, yet nihilism is where we embrace life. We should think for ourselves, as far as we are able… this is probably Nietzsche’s greatest concern. At the same time, his writing is entertaining and full of art. This is what frYars is about, not doom and gloom.”

“Ides” is the single and title track, but you’d be hard-pressed to find a weak moment on the release thanks to Garrett’s beyond-his-years songwriting ability and former Clor frontman Luke Smith’s immaculate production on the record. Lyrics and basic melodies aside, Garrett and Smith experiment with a broad sound palette that takes the tracks to new heights of excellence. Production flourishes weave and wind throughout the mix, with the duo dropping all manner of synthetic sound effects and always with impeccable timing. “Madeleine” is perhaps the best example of this, all squiggling synths in the chorus and quirky booms and bips throughout. “HappY” is the true show-stealer on the record though, jangly guitars and hand-claps filling out the mix alongside his familiar keyboard sounds and politically-minded lyrics, all leading up to an immense chorus that takes to the skies without warning and hits hard as one of the year’s best. “HappY” is up for download below and I’d love to share more, but this shit’s really worth your dollar no matter how hard-earned it is. Plus, it’s available DRM-free in high quality on iTunes, so you really have no excuse this time. Or better yet, help out his label and buy the actual 7″ (A-side: “Ides”, B-side: “HappY”) and then sell when it’s worth mad money in a year or two. Long story short though, frYars rules.

STREAM: “The Ides” - frYars ((highly recommended))

MP3: “HappY” - frYars ((highly recommended)) [Alternate Link]

For a minute there, I thought Kitsune might have lost it. In the first half of 2006 it seemed like they were on the scene with a new killer release every week, whether it was debut singles from Digitalism, Simian Mobile Disco and Klaxons, or that bomb-ass Boys Noize remix 10″ of “Banquet” and the unimpeachable first two installments of their Kitsune Maison compilations. But then things kind of slowed down with a string of not-all-that-amazing releases and a very disappointing third compilation in the Maison series, and it seemed like Kitsune might take a permanent backseat to Ed Banger in the French house scene. Now all of a sudden their back, with hot releases from the Teenagers, Yelle, two new excellent compilations (Maison 4 and Kitsune BoomBox) and this excellent debut from Glasgow dance-rockers Big Face.

While it’s not quite on par with some of the more flawless debuts (see: “Gravity’s Rainbow”) issued last year on Kitsune, “I Wanna Be A Style Crusader” isn’t exactly anything to scoff at either. Rather, it’s a promising debut featuring slick production, hot basslines and a cooler-than-cool vocal delivery that climaxes in a certifiably bad-ass chorus about, what else - the pursuit of fashionable excellence. And yeah, I’m not totally sure what exactly defines a style crusader, but I’m pretty sure I’d take it as a compliment if I were described as such. Either way though, you’ll be hard-pressed to get that “Funny how you go about your style” refrain and those backing “oh whoa-oh-ohs” out of your head anytime soon and Big Face are definitely a band to keep an eye on in 2008.

But hey, want something to really lose your shit for? As with any Kitsune release, the single comes backed with some most excellent remixes, this time courtesy of David E. Sugar and DatA. David E. Sugar’s remix pedigree in 2007 has been nigh-on impeccable - I mean, have you heard his Rumble Strips edit? - but it’s French up-and-comer DatA who totally steals the show on this one. Sure, the original mix of “Style Crusader” is great, but there’s just a little something missing that keeps it from hitting quite as hard as it could and being the dancefloor anthem it really should be. Thankfully DatA rolls up on the remix and makes up for that in spades. Transposing a shimmering synth line over the track and maximizing the beat to really get your blood pumping, he builds his remix around that aforementioned refrain and brings the “whoa-oh-ohs” higher in the mix for a totally addictive, totally awesome new take on what was already an excellent track. There was definite gold buried somewhere in the original, and you better believe DatA has mined the shit out of it here. And so when all is said and done we have another fine example of your classic French single release: Buy it for the original, stay for the remixes.

STREAM: “I Wanna Be A Style Crusader” - Big Face

MP3: “I Wanna Be A Style Crusader” (DatA Remix) - Big Face [Alternate Link]

The Big Face crew were also nice enough to send me another unreleased track for your downloading pleasure. “Big Face Rides The Back Seat” is a little bit longer, a little big bigger, a little bit harder than “Style Crusader” and only builds on the promise displayed on their debut. Most definitely worth your time; get at it below.

MP3: “Big Face Rides The Front Seat” - Big Face [Alternate Link]