Notes From Abroad
What up world, sorry I’ve been gone for a minute. I neglected to mention it until now, but I’m spending the semester abroad in London and god damn it’s good to be here. I’m studying at NYU’s London program, living with my best friend from high school in King’s Cross down the street from the Scala and working at Lucky Number Music (Gotye, Sebastien Tellier, Seventeen Evergreen, et al) commissioning remixes and music videos (easily the best job ever), so yeah, shit rules pretty hard right now. That said, I’ve got so much to do these days that it’s been pretty hard to keep up with the site, and I don’t think I’ll be getting any less busy any time soon. I’m hoping my best of lists are still on the way (read: it’s either up here within the next seven days or it won’t ever see the light of day) and I do still intend to do whatever I can to keep this shit regularly updated, but don’t be surprised if things drop off a bit around here this semester. As long as I’m here I might as well drop a few hot jams for you though. I mean, yeah, I’m way busy, but I always make sure to find the time to keep my headphones tuned to the freshest sounds, so here’s some of what I’ve been spinning as of late. Oh and thanks to Rya Backer for being my only friend.
MP3: “Bullets” - Editors [Alternate Link]
So yeah, you’ve probably heard this track, but I may never have heard such a quintessentially British song in my life. I’m not sure what it is really, but this is always the first song I listen to getting off the plane at Heathrow and the last song I play before I leave. An underrated classic from 2005.
MP3: “Don’t Know What To Do With My Hands” - Fans of Kate [Alternate Link]
Go ahead and file this one under British As Shit as well. This one’s been sitting on my hard drive for nearly as long as “Bullets” only this track never got any love from anyone, and Fans of Kate disbanded within a year of its release, dooming it to the annals of obscurity for eternity. Whatever though, I still think it rules.
MP3: “Say Yeah” - Wiz Khalifa [Alternate Link]
Zack showed me a radio rip of this INCREDIBLE track over break and I came pretty close to soiling myself. Alright, it could be better, but endless props to any rapper with the balls to sample ’99’s Alice DJ trance-pop classic “Better Off Alone” on their debut single proper. Here it is in high quality.
MP3: “Divine” - Sebastien Tellier [Alternate Link]
This song is perfect. I wasn’t so sure what to expect after “Sexual Sportswear” failed to live up to its flawless title, but “Divine” restored my faith in the French maestro and the rest of the album, which I was able to pick up from Lucky Number last week, doesn’t disappoint. In other Seb Tellier news, the recently-revealed album artwork for Sexuality is either the best album cover of the last five years or the absolute worst. Thoughts?
MP3: “Happy Rabbit” - Breakbot [Alternate Link]
It remains to be seen just how much influence I’ll have in the remixes department over at Lucky Number, but if there’s one thing I’ll be pushing for from the start it gonna be getting Breakbot on a remix of “Divine”. Dude’s basically Justice if they wrote songs about the beach and summertime and pool parties and shit instead of the whole epic religious/heavy metal imagery they’ve chosen to embrace instead.
MP3: “On My Shoulders” - The Dø [Alternate Link]
Another Parisian act with a unique sound and burgeoning buzz are the half-Finnish, half-Parisian husband-wife duo The Dø. Their excellent debut album, A Mouthful, dropped in France last week, and though “Playground Hustle” is the track that made me fall in love with the band, it’s “On My Shoulders” that has carried the album into the Top 20 in France with its massive success as a single. It forfeits the playful bounce of many of the record’s standout tracks in favor of a darker, more dramatic vibe, but it’s a hell of a song and is just another reason to get very excited about the Dø in ‘08.
MP3: “Hangman” - Eugene McGuinness [Alternate Link]
Staying consistent with a B-side pedigree of remarkably high quality, “Hangman” - off the flipside of last year’s “Bold Street” single - is yet another brilliant track from Eugene McGuinness and another reason to start foaming at the mouth with excitement at the prospect of a proper Eugene McGuinness full-length arriving in late 2008.
MP3: “Rocks & Daggers” - Noah & The Whale [Alternate Link]
The PUSH club night - put on by my main man Imran Ahmed from Abeano Music and the lovely Young & Lost girls - at the Astoria is usually a good bet for a fun-ass Saturday night, but they outdid themselves last week with a Noah & The Whale/Vampire Weekend bill that’s easily the best lineup they’ve ever had. The sound quality eft a bit to be desired, but both bands persevered and failed to disappoint. “Rocks & Daggers” is the B-side to their brand new single “2 Bodies 1 Heart”, but for my money it’s good enough to be a single in its own right.
And speaking of Vampire Weekend, how fucking good is the new video for “A-Punk”? After that dreadful self-made video for “Mansard Roof” I was a bit worried about them, but this new one’s great. Sure, stop-motion is a bit sooo 2006, but that can be forgiven for a video that’s this much fun.
MP3: “Lightbulbs” (James Yuill Remix) - James Yuill [Alternate Link]
We had the pleasure of catching James Yuill at Chocolate Rain last Wednesday and despite us coming in with low expectations it actually kind of ruled. His songs are good and all but you can tell he’s got a serious knack for remixing, as was indicated by an impromptu mid-set interlude in which he dropped a certifiably bananas remix of “Harder Better Faster Stronger” and his mix of the Answering Machines “Lightbulbs” isn’t too shabby either. Further supporting this notion was the completely amazing rendition of Radiohead’s “Jigsaw Falling Into Place” that he closed his set with. Apparently he’s heading into the studio to cut a proper recording of the cover next week, and I’m definitely going to see if I can talk to the Chess Club kids about letting me throw it up here, so keep an eye on this space and definitely see James Yuill if you’re in London, which shouldn’t be too hard since dude’s playing like 40 shows around town over the next few months.
MP3: “Pumpkin Soup” (Bloc Party’s Team Tiger Edit) - Kate Nash [Alternate Link]
So yeah, this kind of came out of nowhere. Not bad though.
MP3: “Cryptic” - Pin Me Down [Alternate Link]
While we’re on the subject of Bloc Party, guitarist Russell Lissack - who is also the brains behind the Bloc Party remixes - has a new project with New York City vocalist Milena Mepris called Pin Me Down, and “Cryptic” is the duo’s first single. It’s due out on Kitsune Maison’s GOLD Compilation February 4th and a proper 12″ release for the single will follow in March on the vaunted French house label. I could do with some different vocals I guess, but the guitars are all about that classic Silent Alarm-era Bloc Party sound, and there really isn’t anything more I can ask for than that.
MP3: “Get Lucky” (Outlines Remix) - New Young Pony Club [Alternate Link]
Finally, I’m reposting this absolute gem of a remix because it’s one of the best and most obscure remixes (though it’s more of a cover, really) I heard all last year and it got absolutely no love when I dropped it just after Christmas.
Yo that is a lot of fucking songs. I hope we’re back on good terms now.