Sick Sick Sick
I’m unbelievably sick today - it legitimately feels like I’m in a perpetual state of swallowing fire - so forgive me if I’m not exactly on form, but I just wanted to take a quick break from our proper Best of 2007 lists to highlight a track that easily would have broken my top ten of last year had it seen a formal release, but alas I’ve had to wait until finally receiving clearance today from our dear friends at Frenchkiss to post it. The song is “Jody” and it narrowly bests “Fools” as the most impressive track on their remarkable upcoming album, Visiter, showcasing Meric Long’s incredible guitarmanship and songwriting ability. Opening with a languorous riff that recalls Iron & Wine’s more sedated moments, I love how the drums come in off-beat and faster-paced and the guitar has to catch up to it, setting the frantic pace for the track after an intro that suggests a more relaxed experience. Spanning six minutes, the song is consistently evolving into new forms and is the most rewarding track on their upcoming album, even if it lacks the immediacy and contagious accessibility of a track like “Fools”. ShareBee is down today so we’re going zShare for the time being, hope that’s cool with everyone.
MP3: “Jody” - The Dodos
Elsewhere, I’ve already taken in a healthy number of shows in the short time since I’ve been here, including Make Model at the Water Rats (conveniently located right across the street from my flat) last Thursday. They’re a bit of a guilty pleasure, but put on a great live show and all six members seem as if they were born to come together and write chart-topping singles, so yeah, they make me pretty happy. Thus, you can imagine how pumped I was to find this bad boy in my inbox this morning, despite my considerable physical discomfort. Phones, how I’ve missed you.
MP3: “The L.S.B.” (Phones Latino Remix) - Make Model
Next, here’s a new band to get all excited about in 2008. Drowned In Sound have been championing them to no end as of late, but the blogs don’t seem to have picked up on it yet. Their demo EP, available for purchase at 7Digital’s indiestore, is pretty hit or miss in my opinion, but I’ve taken a definite liking to this here track. The Celtic Arcade Fire? Your call I guess.
MP3: “A Good Reason” - Broken Records
Finally, there’s this monster of a track, and even though I’m a bit late to the party I’ve got to do my part to get the word out on this masterpiece. Neither Antony nor his Johnsons we’re ever really my bag, and I’ve always found dude’s eerie-ass vocals to be a bit off-putting, but his vocal contribution on this track is actually perfect. Musically, it sounds like LCD Soundsystem (a long lost remix of the “Tribulations” instrumental, perhaps?), only with more brass and it’s not hard to see how the Brooklyn-based producer ended up signed to Murphy’s DFA imprint. But yeah, if you’ve somehow missed out on this to this point, heed my words and get on this shit.
MP3: “Blind” - Hercules & Love Affair
I’m off to Paris this weekend to see some friends and catch Crystal Castles on Friday night, but hopefully I’ll be damn near finished with my Top Singles list by the time I return.