Good Weather For Airstrikes

NOTE: After nearly six months abroad, I’ve finally left London and am currently cruising around the Adriatic on a charter with some friends. I won’t be back in the states (or in front of a computer) until the 13th of June, so until then I’ve cued up some reposts of older content featuring bands who have gone a bit overlooked but are still fully deserving of your attention.

Sadly, less than a year after this was originally posted, Snowfight In The City Centre called it quits. The announcement of their break up via their MySpace assured that “various members of the band are currently working on other projects”, so there’s still hope for more brilliance from this bunch, but they will be missed nonetheless. Their initial double A-side single “No Light Left”/”My Saving Grace” remains one of my favorite debuts of all time (it was named our #7 single of 2006 after all), and given their defunct status, I’ve no need to hesitate in sharing both tracks, along with some of the other highlights from the group’s brief career.

Mancunian six-piece Snowfight In The City Centre have released what is easily the most impressive debut single of 2006 with “No Light Left”, an absolutely untouchable piece of pristine, shimmering indie pop. The principle core of Snowfight formed last year under the name Lisa Brown (sometimes referred to as The Lisa Brown), and they were quickly snatched up by up-and-coming Manchester imprint High Voltage Sounds, who put out the double A-side “What’s That Sound”/”Anna” shortly thereafter, though the impressive release went largely unnoticed in the crowded UK indie-rock scene. “What’s That Sound” was a little slice of dance-rock heaven, seemingly plucked straight out of the 80’s with that ridiculously retro “What’s! That! Sound!” refrain, slick production, catchy hooks, and discotheque-ready vibe. As immediate and accessible as anything that Franz Ferdinand or the Killers can lay claim to, the song had me sold a mere twenty seconds in with those four angular guitar jabs that alternate between the right and left channels and the things only get hotter from there. Still, it remained tragically overlooked. The B-side was an acoustic version of this song “Snowfight In The City Centre”, which isn’t really worth mentioning if not for the fact that, after confusing the shit out of new listeners who consistently expected Lisa Brown to be a solo female artist, the band chose to take this song title and take it for their band name. Now they introduce said song as “Lisa Brown” when they play it live, which I think is clever and endearing.

Now playing under the new Snowfight moniker, they unveiled a whole new sound when they released “No Light Left” last July. Gone is the overwhelming 80’s vibe and in its place are skyscraping melodies and soaring choruses, a new sound that’s self-described as “the Arcade Fire only more anthemic”, which - audacious as it may seem - seems fairly accurate here. “No Light Left” serves up a hefty dose of unadulterated indie-pop perfection, seemingly coming out of nowhere to become one of the elite indie-rock singles of 2006. Seriously, I’m not lying when I say this song has the catchiest chorus of the year, hands down. They warm you up with that first “angels and ghosts” chorus before dropping the proverbial bomb on the second time out when the song really takes flight and shoots towards the heavens. Sure, they have the potential to turn into another Coldplay or Keane sound-a-like (just check out “My Saving Grace”, though I won’t front like I don’t love it), but only time will tell. Their follow-up single, “Listen”, hits shelves in the UK on October 16^th, but you can stream it on their MySpace now, along with a few other unreleased tracks that show a good amount of promise as well. Long story short, this is a band to get very, very excited about.

MP3s:
“What’s That Sound” - Lisa Brown
“Anna” - Lisa Brown
“No Light Left” - Snowfight In The City Centre
“My Saving Grace” - Snowfight In The City Centre

Fuck 2007, 2008 is where it’s at. It’s such a great time to be in DC right now. First and foremost, the Redskins are 4-0 since burying Sean Taylor and look nigh-on unstoppable heading into the playoffs. A month ago I would have laughed in your face if you told me the Redskins would be in the playoffs, let alone looking like the most dangerous team in the NFC, but here we are cruising into the post-season on the strength of Todd Collins’ ridiculously hot hand and the sudden resurgence of Clinton Portis and Santana Moss as two of the most explosive offensive threats in the league. I mean, Todd Fucking Collins, people. Dude hadn’t played in ten years and now he’s orchestrated one of the greatest late-season turnarounds in NFL history. Amazing.

So yeah, obviously my DC pride is out of control right now, so I can’t help but get excited about the fact that the next great thing in mainstream hip-hop looks to be DC’s own Wale. My main man Zack got me way into him over the Thanksgiving break and his big single “Nike Boots” is everywhere on DC radio, and you really can’t listen to this guy and tell me he doesn’t sound like the next Kanye. Furthermore, he’s signed to Mark Ronson’s Allido label and seems to have impeccable taste in the tracks he remixes if his 100 Miles & Running mixtape is anything to go by. I know it’s a departure from the kind of shit we’re normally up on around these parts, but “Nike Boots” is as good a rap single as I’ve heard all year and his “D.A.N.C.E.” remix is just all kinds of amazing. Get at “Nike Boots” below, as well as that “D.A.N.C.E.” remix, which just might be my favorite Justice remix of the year (I know, call me crazy). I’d be lying if I said my heart doesn’t melt a little bit every time I hear that “I love you DC” right before the beat drops and that go-go beat he brings in at the end is just icing on the cake.

MP3s:
“Nike Boots” - Wale ((highly recommended)) [Alternate Link]
“W.A.L.E.D.A.N.C.E.” - Justice ft. Wale ((highly recommended)) [Alternate Link]

In other news, Rya’s back and better than ever and will have her Best of 2007s all up in your kool aid tomorrow, and my lists will be following shortly thereafter.

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.

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]

Tragic, but the beat must go on.

Lykke Li will be huge. Like, it’s not even a question. Basically Robyn only younger, hotter and better(?), Li takes the best elements of Annie, Peter Bjorn & John and the new breed of British female singer-songwriters to create her own unique lo-fi pop sound. Our first taste comes via “Little Bit”, currently only available on 10″ vinyl in Scandinavia and digitally through Swedish iTunes. But despite her lack of available material, Li’s already causing a stir internationally among A&R types the world over. One listen to “Little Bit” (or one run through the video below), and you’ll see why; it’s one of the most endearing pop debuts to surface in as long as I can remember. Copping that lo-fi-but-not-too-lo-fi pop sound popularized by Peter Bjorn & John last year thanks to production from PB&J’s Bjorn Yttling, “Little Bit” is a lesson in minimalist pop brilliance. Li bears her heart and soul on the track: “And for you I keep my legs apart/And forget about my tainted heart… I would do it/Push a button/Pull a trigger/Climb a mountain/Jump off a cliff/Cause you know baby I love you, love you a little bit”. And between her earnest lyrics and hushed delivery, she’s more like one of those British singer-songwriter types than a true pop star, but you better believe she’ll pull some serious pop star money from whatever major label ends up winning her hand.

Charming B-sides “Everybody But Me” and “Time Flies” only further cement her status as the Next! Big! Thing! to come out of Sweden, and there’s no denying this girl will be taking over European airwaves sooner rather than later. With her debut album in the final stages of the mixing process and primed for a 2008 release, there’s no telling how what kind of damage she can do on the European charts next year, but something tells me it’ll be pretty significant.

MP3s:
“Little Bit” - Lykke Li ((highly recommended)) [Alternate Link]
“Everybody But Me” (Demo) - Lykke Li [Alternate Link]

I first came across Li by way of Mattias Montero’s simply incredible video for “Little Bit”, which is easily one of the year’s best and an absolute gem from start to finish (what is it about those Scandinavian directors?). Watch this and do your best not to fall in love with this girl. No seriously, just try.

Oh and that’s Swedish superproducer Kleerup (see: Robyn’s “With Every Heartbeat”) rockin’ out at the piano in the clip, even though you totally thought it was Sebastien Tellier.

Video: “Little Bit”
Artist: Lykke Li
Director: Mattias Montero
Watch: [YouTube]
Download: [Quicktime • 43 MB] [direct link]

2006 was a huge year for the French, with talented electro-house acts breaking out all over the place, but things have quieted down a bit in 2007. Sure, all the usual suspects (Justice, SebastiAn, Kavinsky, et. al) are still dropping fire on the regular, but we haven’t had a new French act to lose our shit for since Kavinsky burst onto the scene with “Testarossa Autodrive” late last year. That’s all about to change though, with two new talents on the verge of breaking into the public consciousness, both with their own unique take on the French electro sound that’s become so huge over the last 18 months.

While Pedro Winter and the Ed Banger collective have more or less dominated the French scene for the last two years, 2007 sees a new generation of artists and labels making a name for themselves outside of the Justice/SebastiAn/Uffie crowd. Kavinsky led the way with his signing to Air’s Record Makers label last year, and now labels like Disque Primeur and Elekroshock are beginning to make some serious noise as well. It’s Elekroshock who have the honor of putting out newcomer Danger’s tracks, and what an honor it is. Borrowing elements from everything that’s hot in electronic music now, Danger’s 9/14 2007 EP is an incredibly promising debut and suggests that Danger just might be the closest thing the French have to an heir to the Justice thrown of hype. Danger represents himself as an animated action hero, names all his songs after times and dates and his single, “11h30″, just might be the best electro-house track of the year not involving a children’s choir and disco strings. Remember how you felt when you first heard “Waters of Nazareth”? Yeah, it’s kind of like that.

Incorporating a pastiche of influences from across the European electro scene, Danger brings together glitchy pop sounds, electronic power chords, Klaxon-esque backing vocals and an incomprehensible chorus to create an absolute banger in “11h30″ and it totally slays. Working with the same dark edge that runs throughout the French-house scene these days, you can draw a lot of parallels between Danger’s sound and that of SebastiAn, Kavinsky and Justice, but as the literature accompanying the EP correctly asserts, he’s not just another nu-disco act jumping on the electro bandwagon. “This is about emotions. His music has meaning, it’s both personal and universal; he is a true composer working in his own universe,” the press release goes on, and I have to say I agree. “11h30″ is truly immense, a visceral listening experience on par with “Waters of Nazareth” and “Ross Ross Ross”, and the track joins said predecessors among the ranks of the best electronic singles in recent history. So listen people, Danger is definitely someone worth getting really excited about, and you best be ready for him to do some serious damage in the new year.

MP3: “11h30″ - Danger ((highly recommended))

Moving away from the purely electronic and into the realm of electro-rock is FORTUNE, who’s ready to takeover the France with a new sound of his own. While still embracing the heavy electronic influence of his contemporaries, he brings live drums and (*gasp*) guitars into the mix for a refreshing new take on that so hot right now French sound. “Bully” is the first and only track he’s currently got available, but it’s a total banger and a freshly-inked deal with Disque Primeur will supposedly yield a debut EP from FORTUNE before the year is out. Sounding like Phoenix if they took a more bangin’ direction or the Ed Banger dudes if they left their distortion knobs alone for a minute and picked up guitars instead, “Bully” is an amazing first track and has me desperate to hear more. I hope you feel the same.

MP3: “Bully” - FORTUNE ((highly recommend))

Elsewhere, the latest issue of the NME brought with it quite the bonus package on Wednesday, in the form of a free CD of “Flux” remixes. While opinions (including mine) are still extremely mixed on Bloc Party’s latest single, they rarely let us down in the remix department and this time out it’s no different. With MSTRKRFT’s JFK (seriously, dudes must have some serious disdain for vowels) and GoodBooks both throwing down some interesting takes on the tracks, this is definitely a remix EP worth purchasing. Oh wait, it’s free. Fuck yeah.

MP3s:
“Flux” (JFK Remix) - Bloc Party
“Flux” (GoodBooks Magnetism Mix) - Bloc Party

ALTERNATE LINKS
• “11h30″ - Danger
• “Bully” - FORTUNE
• “Flux” (JFK Remix) - Bloc Party
• “Flux” (GoodBooks Magnetism Mix) - Bloc Party

Remember Test Icicles? Yeah, they totally ruled. Sadly, they broke up not long after releasing their awesome debut LP, but silver lining has arrived in the form of Lightspeed Champion. Guitarist and sometime vocalist Devonte Hynes must have had some sort of epiphany after Test Icicles’ demise, as he traded the searing guitar riffs and acid-throated vocals (not to mention the hot pink guitars) of his former project for a whole new acoustic approach and began to record folk songs under the Lightspeed Champion moniker in 2006. A year later, he’s got two great singles under his belt and a highly anticipated debut album waiting in the wings, and appears primed to become the unlikeliest star the alt-country genre has ever seen. But before Test Icicles fade from our collective memory forever, let’s just this appreciate this track one last time, because, well, it’s the fucking jam.

MP3: “Circle Square Triangle” - Test Icicles

Staying close to home and working once again with Domino Records, he put out his debut single, “Galaxy of the Lost”, through the label last summer. Featuring the amazing “Waiting Game” stealing mad thunder on the B-side, it was one of the best debuts of the summer and established Hynes as one of the most promising talents in London’s burgeoning folk scene. Among Lightspeed Champion’s biggest fans is one Conor Oberst, who personally invited Hynes (who is originally from Houston) to his Omaha, Nebraska studio to record his debut album with Saddle Creek resident producer Mike Mogis. That record, titled Falling Off The Lavender Bridge, is due for an early 2008 release in the UK with a US release to follow shortly thereafter. Only two singles have been culled from it so far (the other being the four-act, 10+ minute epic “Midnight Surprise”), but their excellence - combined with the remarkable quality of their B-sides - suggests Lavender Bridge could be one of the best alt-country records since Bright Eyes’ own I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning in 2005. In fact, Hynes’ best track to date just might be the aforementioned B-side, “Waiting Game”, and that’s not even a lock to make the final cut for the record.

MP3: “Waiting Game” - Lightspeed Champion ((highly recommended))

There has been shit talked about how Lightspeed’s tracks are made on the female backing vocals often found on his recordings, but such accusations are clearly unjust when one considers the brilliance of “Waiting Game” and “No Surprise” (on which backing vocals are noticeably absent), easily two of his best tracks to date. That said, such doubts are somewhat understandable considering the incredible vocal talent Hynes surrounds himself with - Emmy The Great and Florence (of Florence and the Machine) are frequent collaborators - but its still Hynes emotive vocal stylings and impressive guitar work that have gotten him where he is today.

With the “Galaxy of the Lost” and “Midnight Surprise” singles already having earned him notoriety in the UK scene, Dev is set to make his American debut next week with the Galaxy of the Lost EP. The five-track EP culls the stand-out B-sides from his two single releases (”Waiting Game” and an acoustic version of “No Surprise”), alongside the title track and two cover songs - a brilliant rendition of “The Flesh Failures” from the musical Hair and a decent take on former ELO frontman Jeff Lynne’s “Xanadu”. Emmy The Great shows why she’s one of the most coveted backing vocalists in the London folk scene (even if her own material can’t quite stack up to that of her collaborators quite yet) on “Flesh Failures” and “Galaxy of the Lost”, but it’s Florence who really took the tracks to a whole new level when she supported Dev in his recent live session for BBC 6Music. In fact, the 6Music rendition of “Galaxy of the Lost” actually surpasses the brilliance of the original for me.

Lightspeed Champion, Live @ BBC 6Music
1. “Galaxy of the Lost” (ft. Florence) - Lightspeed Champion
2. “No Surprise” (ft. Florence) - Lightspeed Champion
3. “Mr. Fisk” (ft. Florence) - Lightspeed Champion

British audiences have had plenty of chances to catch Lightspeed throughout the UK over the last 18 months, but US audiences will have to wait to 2008 to see Hynes live. That is, unless you live in our fair city of New York, where Dev will be making his American live debut at Soundfix (N 11th and Bedford in Williamsburg) this Halloween Wednesday. It’s his only US show of the year, so definitely make it out if you can - I can assure you it’ll be worth your time. Check out the flyer for more info here.

Finally, while I won’t be offering the MP3 for download (though the song is quite good), definitely make sure to check out/download this high-ass resolution copy of the “Galaxy of the Lost” video. It’s totally fucked up (think Little Shop of Horrors gone plush), but it’s kind of awesome too. As it’s a large file and those download issues still aren’t totally resolved, I’m hosting it on Megaupload for y’all to download and enjoy over and over again. Check it:

Video: “Galaxy of the Lost”
Artist: Lightspeed Champion
Director: Ferry Gouw
Watch: [YouTube]
Download: [AVI • 67 MB] [follow link]

In other news, I saw Anton Corbijn’s Control (that Ian Curtis biopic) over the weekend and it was totally amazing. Go see it, assuming it’s out in your city. I know its run in NYC (at the Film Forum on W Houston between 6th and 7th) ends Thursday so you might have to act fast, but it’s worth it.
Oh and one final thing: M3 Volume 15 drops Halloween (hollerrr). See you then.

I became very familiar with Adele as a result of interning at XL this summer. Not only was I able to hear the finished versions of many of her album tracks there - a blessing and a curse, as the wait to the point where I could actually have the songs has been interminable - but she was also in the office all the time, chainsmoking at the computers and merrily socializing with anyone and everyone, usually in the company of her mate Jack Penate. Her and Penate, along with Cajun Dance Party, are part of the new class of breadwinning XL signings for 2007 that have the label set for truly massive success in late ‘07 and 2008, and the trio of artists were all among Britain’s most hotly pursued acts before choosing to sign on with the esteemed Notting Hill-based imprint. Adele (full name: Adele Adkins), however, just might be the most talented of the bunch.

Alright, listen: I know I’m prone to hyperbole, but when I say Adele has one of the single best voices I’ve ever heard I’m not even close to exaggerating. It’s everything you could want it to be: powerful, soulful, nuanced and developed far beyond her years. A product of the Brit School, which counts both Kate Nash and Amy Winehouse among recent alumni, Ms. Adkins was actually discovered after industry heads came across the song she wrote for her final project in a music course. Titled “My Same”, it’s still available for free download from the school website, but it’s nothing more than an initial taste of the brilliance to come in her later recordings.

MP3: “My Same” - Adele

Signed to XL within a year of graduation on the strength of only three tracks, she’s been writing and recording ever since and her debut is due out early next year, with debut single “Hometown Glory” out next week on limited edition vinyl as the first release on Jamie T’s Pacemaker imprint. Ostensibly about life, love and trying to figure your shit out in the wake of high school, the album is called 19 and could easily be one of the most popular releases of early 2008. Even at this stage, there’s an extraordinary amount of buzz surrounding the young artist and it will only increase from here, especially with the news that Mark Ronson is producing at least one track (”Cold Shoulder”, if memory serves) on the record. There’s nothing terribly cool or “now” about Adele’s sound, but that’s what makes her great: she’s a timeless artist with vocal talents that recall (and rival) anyone from Amy Winehouse to Etta James. Seriously, she’s got a voice that just might knock you off your feet if you’re not ready for it. That was the case for thousands across the UK when Adkins made her national TV debut on Later With Jools Holland last summer, her brilliant performance of “Daydreamer” inspiring awe in any and all who saw it and sending hundreds of new fans to her MySpace to discover more.

And while “Daydreamer” is truly a wonderful track, it’s only the tip of the iceberg. “Hometown Glory” is the real show-stopper in her repertoire, a piano-driven ode to London written as a protest song when her mother suggested she consider leaving London for university. It’s arresting, haunting and one of the year’s most promising debut singles, the first sign that Adele has arrived and is here to stay. But it’s “Chasing Pavements” that should lay the foundation for massive chart success for the young singer-songwriter when it sees release as a single preceding 19 early next year. Making its money on a huge, sweeping chorus wrought with emotion and longing, even the cheesy production (see: the massive, swelling strings of the chorus) can be forgiven in the context of a song this sensational. It’s a timeless classic-in-waiting; completely removed from any temporal context, it could be a hit single from any of the last three decades and is destined for success in this one as well. To some, Adele is just one of many shining young talents in the thriving new London folk scene, but on these tracks she displays a vocal prowess unrivaled by any of her peers and the songwriting chops to back it up. 19 will undoubtedly be the your mother’s favorite album of next year, but give it a chance and it just might be yours too.

MP3s:
“Hometown Glory” - Adele [removed]
“Chasing Pavements” - Adele [removed]
JUSTICE REMIX KLAXONS FOR NEW SINGLE/EP RELEASE
For a complete stylistic 180, cop this brand new Justice remix of Klaxons’ “As Above, So Below”. Klaxons have been remixed by just about ever major player in the remix game (Erol Alkan, SMD, Metronomy et. al), so it was only a matter of time before Justice got in on the action. I always thought “As Above, So Below” was a considerably underrated track on Myths of the Near Future, so I’m glad to see that it’s finally stepping out of the shadow of that record’s monster singles (”Atlantis To Interzone”, “Golden Skans”, “It’s Not Over Yet”, “Gravity’s Rainbow”, “Magick”) and getting some love of its own. Granted, six singles from the same record is a bit much, but I can’t really complain if they keep bringing the heat with the grade-A remixes.

MP3: “As Above, So Below” (Justice Remix) - Klaxons

Canada’s yielded some of the world’s best new bands over the last five years, but 2007 is yet to see a single band (save for maybe Holy Fuck) come close to the greatness of previous exports like the Arcade Fire, New Pornographers and Wolf Parade. However, Vancouver’s own Paper Cranes look primed to carry the torch with an extremely promising debut EP and 7″ out in Canada and the UK, respectively. The Veins EP compiles four of the band’s best tracks to date and an excellent remix, while the vinyl single takes the EP’s standout tracks, “I’ll Love You Until Your Veins Explode” and “Milkrun”, and slaps them onto two sides of a 7″ record to introduce the band to audiences across the pond. Out on Longest Mile Records, the label founded by the Futureheads’ Ross Millard, it’s one of the most impressive debut singles of the year featuring two sides of keyboard and piano-driven pop perfection.

As the story goes, one who folds 1,000 paper cranes will be granted one wish, for whatever they desire. It’s from this Japanese legend that the band take their name and draw the inspiration for “I’ll Love You Until My Veins Explode”, a pounding piano-based track featuring a haunting, almost hollowed-out production approach that emphasizes the dark desperation of the lyrics perfectly. The track draws heavily from the styles of the Cure and the Arcade Fire to an almost egregious point, but the brilliant songwriting is enough for me to look past that without a second thought. Invoking the paper cranes story to illustrate his desperation (”One thousand paper cranes for you, you cut my paper heart in two”), vocalist Ryan McCullagh’s emotive lyrics are some of the best of the year. I’m especially taken by his brilliant allusions to the Trojan War (”You’ve got wooden bones, you trojan horse/I’ll let your soldiers in my fort”) and Christian Saints (”Like Saint Sebastian on a tree/I’ve got your arrows stuck in me/It hurts too much to pull them out/So I’ll cut holes into my coat”) to represent his emotional strife, and you really can’t ask for more here from a songwriting perspective.

While the Arcade Fire/Cure comparisons are clearly justified on “Veins”, it’s primarily a vocal similarity, but on “Milkrun” the Cure’s influence holds dominion over the entire song. From the vocal structure, to the keys and guitars and especially that chorus, a lot of people will hate on the Cranes for such blatant aping of an established sound. To be honest, it just sounds like a really great Cure song, and I can’t really have a problem with that. Besides, Robert Smith and company have inspired FAR shittier bands in recent years, so I’m not really complaining.

Built around the creative force and husband-wife duo of Ryan McCullagh (vox/guitar) and Miranda Roach-McCullagh (keys) with a rotating cast of musicians and friends pitching in to make up the rhythm section, the Paper Cranes are the flagship artist on up-and-coming Candian imprint Unfamilar Records and a band to get very excited about in the coming months. In “Veins” and “Milkrun” alone you’ve got massive pop songs just waiting to break into the limelight, but too much polish would rob the tracks of the desperate atmosphere in which they flourish. Thus, one can only hope the songs don’t fall victim to overproduction and the charm of the originals holds over from the EP to their upcoming album. Said album is Halcyon Days, which was originally meant to be released in August, but has been since postponed while Unfamiliar looks to secure a legitimate distribution deal. Regardless of when it comes out though, it’s destined to be hotly anticipated by anyone with even the slightest exposure to the tracks below and will likely turn a lot of people onto the Paper Cranes’ cause. Acquaint yourself with the band below and don’t be surprised when you see “Veins” on my Top Tracks list at the end of the year.

MP3s:
“Love You Until My Veins Explode” - The Paper Cranes ((highly recommended))
“Milkrun” - The Paper Cranes

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]

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