EPISODE 18

           EPISODE 18 - Can't Rush The Heat



Song: Be My Friend
Artist: Darkel
Album: (Self Titled)
Label: Astralwerks (2006)













This is from Jean-Benoit Dunkel's solo album. Jean-Benoit Dunkel being the frequently eye-patched member of AIR. AIR being a once visionary couple of french electronic music pioneers (more on them later). I remember hearing this track shortly after we'd finished the Touch Base record and just being crushed by the dramatic tension of this track, and the gorgeous synth solos halfway through. Just destroyed me. Good record over all for fans of the androgynous, quirky aspects of AIR's vocals and krauty and ballady stuff from the mid period records.


Song: Battle Rhymes for Battle Times
Artist: Koushik
Album: Be With
Label: Stones Throw (2005)













This is from one of my top 5 of all time albums. I was going through a folk music baptism in 2005ish, hearing Linda Perhacs and Vashti Bunyan for the first time, and along comes this guy who grabs all of these off kilter, irregularly edited folk samples and takes Caribou's or Four Tet's Muskokan approach to electronic music, and just takes it to this next-level, streety, earthy, contradictory, but oh-so-inviting places. Layered vocals so gentle, with a swagger that is undeniably old school hip hop loving, and with just enough glitch in the application of the sun bleached folk sampling material. I love this album. Lived inside this one for a long time.



Song: Peppergood
Artist: The Samps
Album:The Samps EP
Label: Mexican Summer (2010)












Cole M. Greif-Neill plays keys with Ariel Pink, and also makes very strange music as the Samps. That is to say that he makes very strange music as The Samps, as well. If Ariel Pink's covering the pop ballad ballad bases, Cole explores more of the 80's soul / r'n'b memories but does it with a little more weirdness than let's say Dam Funk or Neon Indian. It's a weird record that plays a little more oddly than this nearly danceable cut, but if you liked Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffitti's 'Before Today' (and you should definitely form an opinion), then you'll probably like this, too.


Song: My Kz, Ur Bf
Artist: Everything Everything
Album: Man Alive
Label: Geffen (2010)













As of this moment, this record isn't out here in North America, and all our snobs in the UK probably don't need us to tell them about Everything Everything. Despite being obvious leaders most recently in the late 90s, there's just not a lot of great British music anymore. Sorry. So when something this ambitious comes along, we're very quick and happy to give it a spin and pass it on. You'll hear Radiohead, Phoenix, TV on the Radio, but you'll hear a pretty clever and original sound in the making in there, too. I'll be happy to pay full price whenever they can get this into the Canadian itunes music store, till then, it's available as an import through Amazon. As it turns out, Bunsen's in Europe right now, and copped his copy from the Southampton HMV - so that's awesome.



Song: Castles in the Snow
Artist: Twin Shadow
Album: Forget
Label: Terrible Records (2010)













This right here is one of the best new bands I've heard in good while, the most front to back satisfying thing I've heard since the new Sufjan. Actually, I got this for a dollar - (they had a small window preview opportunity deal for the Facebook fans) on the day I was mixing episode 17 down. Immediately crowbarred a version with this track in it together, then decided to hang onto it for next time. Real happy to finally give y'all a taste if you haven't heard it yet. Most of the rest of the album is something that very accurately builds on formulas laid down by the Smiths, the Cure, Tears for Fears, etc. Very hip. Then I find out that it's actually Chris (Grizzly Bear) Taylor's latest production project. Of course it is. As nifty as this video is, you must, must, must check the video for standout 'Slow'. Rated 'kinda safe for work, I guess'.




Song: Sweet and Bitter
Artist: Junip
Album: Fields
Label: City Slang (2010)












Despite a pretty at-first-glance incredible list of releases on Sept. 14th (Chromeo, Of Montreal - whaaat haaapppeeennned?), this is our outstanding pick. Jose Gonzales and his pre-fame band recorded with a constant hint of distortion as if they couldn't cram the warmth of the songs onto any mechanical medium. We loved the 'Rope and Summit', and the full length is even better.



Song: Fonz
Artist: Eugene McGuinness
Album: (Self Titled)
Label: Domino (2008)












Eugene has two albums full of sharp-tongued buggy pop tracks crammed with sickeningly catchy hooks. They're both pretty much awesome. Been waiting a while to play something from this dude. Should be a lot bigger than he is - I don't think I've heard him mentioned outside of the podcast I first caught him on last summer. That real good kind of obnoxiously talented.  
[Update: Apparently Euagene has yet another record recorded as 'Eugene + the Lizards' from 2009 out on Domino as well. Will be checking that out soon.]



Song: Locust Valley
Artist: Women
Album: Public Strain
Label: Jagjaguar (2010)













Women! Bleak Canadian Kraut! Recorded and produced fully on purpose in this very cold, paper thin, but intimate in a  shared-confined-quarters way by none other than Snob fave Chad Van Gaelen! Even better than their debut.  Equally at home with Bear in Heaven or J-Div... oh - you don't know? That's what we call Joy Division!


Song: STRT SRNS
Artist: Wise Blood
Album: '+'
Label: Self Released (2010)













Pittsburg resident and fellow-Pittsburg-Girl-Talk-collaborator-hopeful Chris Laufman blatantly rips off famous hooks and holds them for ransom, making lo-fi hiss-hop bangers with sweet singable refrains - singable if you could understand any of the words. Another artist exploring 
isolated aspects of pop and seriously disrespecting hi fidelity culture while doing it. Oh - and the ep's free at his band camp. Sold!
PS - We just patented 'Hiss-Hop'. 


Song: Already Over
Artist: Violens
Album: Violens EP
Label: Static Recital (2008)













Nice little ep. Sort of like 80's George Michael bubble gum pop vocals meeting shoegazer atmospheres and keen acoustic shuffle of 90s britpop. Hazy and clean all at once. Like The Radio Department combined with Phoenix. Like a cool mist surrounding a glowing purple... nah, I'm out.


Song: Lucky and Unhappy
Artist: AIR
Album: 10,000 Hz Legend
Label: Astralwerks (2001)













We're just playing this one for the love. I had the urge to revisit this album when the weather turned cold, and maybe it's just me, but this gem of an AIR record seems to be playing very, very well right now. Maybe it kind of indicates some qualities I never knew I missed in all this piss-taking lo-fi electro stuff these days. True, it was around ayear ago this time that their release of an album so profoundly mediocre prompted me to prudently take stock of my urge to buy underwhelming albums from bands that I've loved in the past (Lord knows I just bought Chromeo and Of Montreal - DOUBLE SLAM!). However, in their earlir days (and mine) they brought us Moon Safari, Premiere Symptoms, the excellent 10,000 hZ Legend, the Pretty Darn Nice Talkie Walkie... and yeah - let's throw Pocket Symphony in there, too. If that's not enough - they also signed Sebastien Tellier as the sole act on their Music Makers label for like a loooong time - and that's good looking out. Really, take a fresh listen. A true classic.


Song: I Was Thinking...
Artist: Gauntlet Hair
Album: Demos
Label: Forest Family













Worst Name Ever? BEST NAME EVER! Though, I'm totally just picturing the hair from the 'Warrior' character on the NES version of the game-ah with the same-ah name-ah.   Been waiting for what seems like a very long time for the LP to come out so's I could play this single for ya's, but with the season coming to an end, nothing firm in sight, and their recent release of 3 demos on digital and 7" (on the same label as the 'Cults' 7"), this is gonna hafta do! Now somebody get these guys on a bill with Sleigh Bells!