Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Klaxons - Myths of the Near Future


Much to the glee of "nu-ravers", NME darlings Klaxons are set to release their debut LP, Myths of the Near Future, in a few days time. This is the follow-up to their Xan Valleys EP, released in October 2006. Back in '06 my curiousity, no, impatience, got the better of me and I hunted for anything and everything Klaxons - demos, unreleased tracks, rough mixes, etc. So if you're like me, you'll already know 60% of this album before listening to it, causing this LP might seem like an elongated EP. For those not yet acquainted with these Londoners, I thoroughly recommend it.

It starts off with the distorted drumbeat of 'Two Receivers', not as fierce a song as I'd expect for the opener, but decent nonetheless. 'Atlantis to Interzone', a favourite from the EP, comes next, upping the tempo. 'Golden Skans' is one of the highlights, paying homage to light machines of the rave days. 'Totem on the Timeline', one of my favourite demos (it was then simply known as 'Totem') sifts through a pile of historical references including Caesar and Lady Diana, amongst others, to an angular and garagey background. 'As Above, So Below' is a fresh nugget of scattered poppy electronics, sunny even, as it's the brightest of the album. 'Magick' and 'Gravity's Rainbow', both solidified favourites amongst Klaxons fans, soon appear, followed by 'It's Not Over Yet', a nice ballad slathered with cascading synths. Closing out the album is another Klaxons favourite, the mythically-inspired 'Four Horsemen of 2012'.

Muddled throughout the LP are references to mythical entities and magical ideas, a Klaxons trademark, and something missing from the UK indie scene, which is seemingly obsessed with existential notions and daily routines. The title of this album itself, derives from J.G. Ballard's sci-fi novel. If nothing else, they're well-read and educated. 'Magick' is a term associated with occultist Aleister Crowley's magical philosophy, 'Atlantis to Interzone' references Burrough's, "interzone", or non-space, and the lost aquatic city of Atlantis, and 'Gravity's Rainbow' is named after Thomas Pynchon's post-modern novel. They also pay due homage to their influences. Kicks Like a Mule's 'The Bouncer' was covered on Xan Valleys, and now rave duo Grace, (Oakenfold, Osbourne) are covered on Myths of the Near Future in the form of 'Not Over Yet'. It's a solid debut with a lot of depth.

Here are some new mp3s featured on Myths of the Near Future:

MP3: Klaxons - As Above, So Below
MP3: Klaxons - Golden Skans
MP3: Klaxons - It's Not Over Yet
MP3: Klaxons - Totem on the Timeline

Monday, January 22, 2007

Coachella 2007


The lineup for this year's Coachella Music and Arts Festival was announced a few hours ago, flaring up my jealousy towards those that live in the area/can afford the trek. The late April music bonanza has become one of the best outdoor shows in the world, in just 9 years mind you, and has been expanded into a 3-day event this year, as opposed to the traditional weekend event.

The biggest news is that Rage Against the Machine has re-united to headline the event's final day, surely pleasing fans and Audioslave cynics/haters alike. Those guys could make rebels out of even the most peaceful of us - "Why stand on a silent platform? Fight the war! F*ck the norm!" Phew!

Full Lineup (from wikipedia)

!!!, Air, Erol Alkan, Lily Allen, Anathallo, The Arcade Fire, Arctic Monkeys, The Avett Brothers, Benny Benassi, Andrew Bird, Bjork, The Black Keys, Blonde Redhead, Bojones, Brazilian Girls, Brother Ali, Busdriver, Manu Chao, Circa Survive, Jarvis Cocker, Coco Rosie, Comedians Of Comedy, Cornelius, The Coup, The Cribs, Crowded House, CSS, The Decemberists, Digitalism, DJ Heather, DJ Shadow, Roky Erickson And The Explosives, Evil Nine, Explosions In The Sky, Fair To Midland, Faithless, The Feeling, Felix Da Housecat, Lupe Fiasco, The Fields, Fountains Of Wayne, The Frames, The Fratellis, Ghostface Killah, Girl Talk, Gogol Bordello, Jose Gonzales, The Good, The Bad And The Queen, Gotan Project, Grizzly Bear, Happy Mondays, Richie Hawtin, Hot Chip, Infected Mushroom, Interpol, The Kooks, Jack's Mannequin, The Jesus & Mary Chain, Junior Boys, Justice, Kaiser Chiefs, Kings Of Leon, Klaxons, Kokono No. 1, LCD Soundsystem, Amos Lee, Stephen Marley feat Jr. Gong, Mika, MSTRKRFT, Willie Nelson, New Pornographers, Nickel Creek, Nightwatchman, The Noisettes, Of Montreal, Ozomatli, Peaches, Peeping Tom, Peter, Bjorn & John, Pharaohe Monche, Placebo, Pop Levi, Rage Against The Machine, The Rapture, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Mike Relm, Damien Rice, Rodrigo Y Gabriela, The Roots, Satellite Party, Silversun Pickups, Sonic Youth, Soulwax, Spank Rock, Sparklehorse, Regina Spektor, Tapes 'n Tapes, Tiesto, Tilly And The Wall, Tokyo Police Club, Travis, Paul Van Dyk, Julieta Venegas, VNV Nation, Rufus Wainwright, We Are Scientists, Gillian Welch, Amy Winehouse, Yeva.

Edit - The Jesus and Mary Chain are in too. WHOA!

I'm feeling generous, here's a few Rage tracks...

MP3: Rage Against the Machine - Bombtrack
MP3: Rage Against the Machine - Killing in the Name
MP3: Rage Against the Machine - Wake Up

Friday, January 19, 2007

Local Artist - Crystal Castles


Apologies for the hiatus, but hey, every tv series I'm hooked on went on break as well.

Quickly Googleing this duo's moniker leads to a plethora of pages devoted to an 8-bit video game that shared their name. Given Crystal Castles' (yes, that's the name, not She-Ra...) rudimentary approach to electro, it seems a good match. But not so! The name derives from their love of short-lived cartoons, more than anything else. History recap: She-Ra was a cartoon character that took refuge in the majestic Crystal Castle, the peak of Etheria, and was essentially the female version of the almighty He-Man, "the most powerful man in the universe" (Mattel's words, not mine).

Now that that's cleared up, CC are a Toronto duo most notable for their remix of the Klaxons' 'Atlantis to Interzone'. Feeding their synth into an 8-bit Atari chip, results in the spastic blips that occupy their EP, Alice Practice. For those that only know them for the Klaxons link, the EP is a lot more abrasive and thrashy than that mix would lead you to believe. They're doing a few shows this weekend in Toronto before departing for the UK to support the Klaxons tour. From what I've been told, they're good live, though I've not yet had the pleasure of attending a show. Hopefully we'll get an LP soon, until then... enjoy these mp3s.

MP3: Crystal Castles - Airwar
MP3: Crystal Castles - Alice Practice
MP3: GoodBooks - Leni (Crystal Castles vs. GoodBooks)

Monday, January 01, 2007

2006 - 50 Best Albums




















2006 is now officially over, so what do I have to say for it? For starters, my tastes have further broadened, changed, and grown. Genre-wise, I've ventured into electronic music more-so than ever; from ambient to experimental, and everything in between. Geographically speaking, Sweden continue to churn out the best indie(-pop) around, Austin, Texas are time and again justifying themselves as one of the premier indie hotspots on the globe, and Canada had another solid year. I was pleased with this year's output and I'm not-so-patiently awaiting what comes in 2007. It looks like it'll be a solid year in music, at least from what's been announced thus far. A new Art Brut album, the Klaxons' debut, LCD Soundsystem's true sophomore album, along with a plenitude of others.

Anyways, after many hours of thorough listening (and re-listening), Photoshopping, and uploading, these are all, in my opinion, the top 50 albums of the year past. Two mp3s are included from each album, and if you like them, be sure to click on the album cover above to buy it. Thanks again to Eric Spano for the banner. Enjoy and have a happy new year.

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MP3: Venetian Snares - Pwntendo
MP3: Venetian Snares - Swindon

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MP3: Pretty Girls Make Graves - Pyrite Pedestal
MP3: Pretty Girls Make Graves - The Nocturnal House

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MP3: TV on the Radio - I Was A Lover
MP3: TV on the Radio - Wolf Like Me

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MP3: J Dilla - Waves
MP3: J Dilla - Workonit

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MP3:
Le Sport - Your Brother is My Only Hope
MP3: Le Sport - I Do Renounce Them

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MP3: Spank Rock - Bump
MP3: Spank Rock - Rick Rubin

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MP3: Sound Team - No More Birthdays
MP3: Sound Team - Handful of Billions

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MP3: Lupe Fiasco - Daydreamin'
MP3: Lupe Fiasco - Kick, Push

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MP3: Lily Allen - Smile
MP3: Lily Allen - LDN

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MP3: The Rapture - W.A.Y.U.H.
MP3: The Rapture - Get Myself Into It

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MP3: Scritti Politti - The Boom Boom Bap
MP3: Scritti Politti - Snow in Sun

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MP3: LCD Soundsystem - 45:33 (00:00-5:00)

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MP3: Built to Spill - Liar
MP3: Built to Spill - Goin' Against Your Mind

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MP3: Bong-Ra - Suicide Speed Machine Girl
MP3: Bong-Ra - Coke Sniffah

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MP3: CSS - Let's Make Love & Listen to Death from Above
MP3: CSS - Alala

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MP3: The Roots - False Media
MP3: The Roots - In the Music

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MP3: Silversun Pickups - Lazy Eye
MP3: Silversun Pickups - Well Thought Out Twinkles

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MP3: The Whitest Boy Alive - Inflation
MP3: The Whitest Boy Alive - Burning

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MP3: Destroyer - Painter in Your Pocket
MP3: Destroyer - European Oils

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MP3: Sunshine Rubdown - They Took A Vote and Said No
MP3: Sunshine Rubdown - Stadiums and Shrines II

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MP3: Aceyalone & RJD2 - Fire
MP3: Aceyalone & RJD2 - All For U

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MP3: El Perro Del Mar - God Knows
MP3: El Perro Del Mar - It's All Good

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MP3: Clipse - Mr. Me Too
MP3: Clipse - We Got it For Cheap

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MP3: Danielson - Ship the Majestic Suffix
MP3: Danielson - Did I Step on Your Trumpet

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MP3: Voxtrot - Mothers, Sisters, Daughters & Wives
MP3: Voxtrot - Soft & Warm

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MP3: The Pipettes - Your Kisses Are Wasted on Me
MP3: The Pipettes - Pull Shapes

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MP3: Band of Horses - The Funeral
MP3: Band of Horses - The Great Salt Lake

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MP3: Joanna Newsom - Emily
MP3: Joanna Newsom - Cosmia

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MP3: Klaxons - Atlantis to Interzone
MP3: Klaxons - Gravity's Rainbow

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MP3: Islands - Don't Call Me Whitney, Bobby
MP3: Islands - Rough Gem

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MP3: The Radio Dept. - The Worst Taste in Music
MP3: The Radio Dept. - I Wanted You to Feel the Same

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MP3: Mahogany - Supervitesse
MP3: Mahogany - Tesselation, Formerly Plateau One

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MP3: Kid 606 - Let it Rock
MP3: Kid 606 - Chicken Fight

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MP3: Hot Chip - Over And Over
MP3: Hot Chip - Boys from School

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MP3: I'm From Barcelona - We're From Barcelona
MP3: I'm From Barcelona - Treehouse

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MP3: Malajube - Montréal -40C
MP3: Malajube - Pâte Filo

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MP3: Professor Murder - Champion
MP3: Professor Murder - The Mountain

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MP3: Beirut - Postcards from Italy
MP3: Beirut - Scenic World

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MP3: Camera Obscura - Razzle Dazzle Rose
MP3: Camera Obscura - Lloyd, I'm Ready to be Heartbroken

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MP3: Ghostface Killah - The Champ
MP3: Ghostface Killah - Shakey Dog

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MP3: Phoenix - Long Distance Call
MP3: Phoenix - Consolation Prizes

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MP3: Fujiya & Miyagi - Collarbone
MP3: Fujiya & Miyagi - In One Ear & out the Other

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MP3: Tokyo Police Club - Cheer it On
MP3: Tokyo Police Club - Shoulders & Arms

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MP3: Ellen Allien & Apparat - Turbo Dreams
MP3: Ellen Allien & Apparat - Leave Me Alone

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MP3: Junior Boys - Double Shadow
MP3: Junior Boys - Count Souvenirs

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MP3: Belle & Sebastian - To Be Myself Completely
MP3: Belle & Sebastian - Another Sunny Day

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MP3: The Knife - Marble House
MP3: The Knife - We Share Our Mother's Health

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MP3: Peter Bjorn & John - Young Folks
MP3: Peter Bjorn & John - Amsterdam

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MP3: Yo La Tengo - Mr. Tough
MP3: Yo La Tengo - Beanbag Chair

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MP3: Asobi Seksu - Strings
MP3: Asobi Seksu - Goodbye