Our weekly look into the blogosphere where we talk about six tracks we found out about in the previous Wednesday-to-Wednesday seven-day period.Track of the week:
‘Waiting’ by My Robot Friend feat. Alison Moyet (The Juan MacLean remix)
There is no wonder why Juan MacLean was attracted to this band, because the name alone strongly resembles the output of the DFA band of John MacLean and Nancy Whang. Strong, strong rhythm section here, with great drums propelling this one forward in the Juan MacLean style. Add to that a dash of house, a dash of disco (in other words, a dash of gay culture I guess, even though naturally both genres have grown bigger than their original niche), and a pretty nifty voice which is arguably better than John MacLean’s own, and what you get is just a great track. One that would fit perfectly on MacLean’s own albums I might add, in terms of vibe it really is a Juan MacLean song. If you put this one, ‘Happy House’, and ‘Feel So Good’ on vinyl, play it at a club, well, you’ve given me thirty minutes of perfect partying right there. If you like dancing and if you like The Juan MacLean, definitely check this one out.
http://hypem.com/track/1146465/My+Robot+Friend+-+Waiting+Juan+MacLean+Final+Remix+
‘4th of July’ by Kelis (Calvin Harris remix)
Normally I’m all for a Calvin Harris remix. I mean, I’m not opposed to remixes unashamedly pop, like his remixe of Mika, because those remixes are great to get things in a cheerful and happy mood. This one I find horrible. Can’t say anything else. It’s crude, it’s club, it is too hard, too bombastic, not original, not inventive, and this ticks almost every box that I am against in terms of music. There are moments in this song that made me cringe. And with that I mean a real cringe, one that goes on for lengths and where you are in visible pain. Nothing against Calvin Harris, and I even kind of liked the original of this song, but my my oh my, this just doesn’t even come close to anything I like.
http://hypem.com/track/1149761/Kelis+-+4th+Of+July+Fireworks+Calvin+Harris+Remix+
‘Ingrid Bergman’ by Champagne Riot
Truth be told, this is probably only in here because I just recently watched Casablanca on the big screen, and I don’t say this often, but that close-up of Bergman’s face when Sam plays that tune; divine. Absolute bliss. That’s old Hollywood, that glamour, her face, it just lit up the screen. I guess Champagne Riot, in this catchy yet melancholic synth track, comment on the phenomenon of perfect love and perfect romance and the perfect, radiant woman. “Ingrid Bergman, for years you’ve kept us longing, for something more than this”. Actually, I quite like this track. I like the melancholic vocals, the dancey yet dreamy synths, and I like the chorus as well. It all seems to blend together rather nicely. Yeah, hadn’t expected this one.
http://hypem.com/track/1096358/Champagne+Riot+-+Ingrid+Bergman
‘Songs That Remind me Of You’ by Annie (The Swiss and Donnie Sloan remix)
I was a bit anxious about this one, because though I like The Swiss, I’m not the biggest fan of Annie’s recent output. So this could go either way. And it went the wrong way. Oh well, can happen, no? Actually, it didn’t entirely go the wrong way, as there is stuff to like and some very nice bits in here. But it is too, well, you know, like a dress that has eighty bright colours in it: it is too much. There is no restraint to this. It sounds so loud (the music compared to the vocals as well), and it is only full throttle. Just a bit too much, too fast, too hard, too loud, too furious. Some nice bits, but that is the thing, you’ve got to dig to find them because of its brash exterior.
http://hypem.com/track/1149122/Annie+-+Songs+Remind+Me+Of+You+The+Swiss+Donnie+Sloan+remix+
‘Don’t Turn the Lights On’ by Chromeo
New single by Chromeo, that is always interesting. And unfortunately I must say that this kind of makes me regret missing their recent gig here, because I think this is pretty ace to be honest. Definitely hits the right vibe. Everything seems to mesh perfectly, and from the music to the vocals, it all says the same thing. It’s not always that everything is so perfectly attuned to each other as it is with this song. Gotta love the rolling bass as well, giving this song its legs.
http://hypem.com/track/1150428/Chromeo+-+Don+t+Turn+the+Lights+On
‘Cocknbullkid’ by Cocknbullkid
To be honest, I have yet to jump on the Cocknbullkid bandwagon, because I thought some of the previous songs were dodgy at best. I find this to be pretty decent though. Love the piano in the background, always a big fan of that. The singing is not as chopped up as I remember from some of her earlier songs. I really like the build up towards the chorus, it seems as if her intensity increases per sentence there. The chorus in itself doesn’t have the oomph you would hope for with a song like this. Not that a chorus can’t be understated, but with this kind of tune you might as well go for it I think. It is a pretty decent one, but for some reason it is missing that little bit extra for me.
http://hypem.com/track/1147973/Cocknbullkid+-+Cocknbullkid
Geen opmerkingen:
Een reactie posten