February 10

French surf-rockers Le Femme are hitting New York this week, starting with a show at Tammany Hall on the 10th. To announce the occasion, they sent me :

LA FEMME - SUR LA PLANCHE (official music video) from George Trimm on Vimeo.

I'm a sucker for surf rock, and the chauntese vocals just send me over the edge. The stuff of fantasies...
You can pick up an MP3 of 'Sur La Planche' here.


I also got a couple of fun remixes. First off, something from an Australian outfit called Art vs Science... Their upcoming EP, out on March 15th, features the track "Magic Fountain"

The Kissy Sell Out remix of "Magic Fountain" makes me want to grab my glow sticks. You can get it for your shuffle here.
Their US tour is taking them to the west coast (and SXSW, of course; all roads lead there, it seems...)

Finally, the one-man music industry known as Pretty Lights is running from sea to shining sea this March and April.

You can hear his remix of Kanye's "All of the Lights" here. He's even started a record label, with free album downloads of artists that meet the Pretty Lights seal of approval; check out the website here.

February 7

So I just found this 23 year old Manual, instructing its readers on how to craft and direct a pop song to the top of the UK charts. It's been out of print forever (sells on Amazon for over $250) and speaks rather specifically to its times, but the concepts are still extremely salient. Most interesting to me was the songwriting formula, which points out the common ground between such contemporary acts as Lady Gaga and Lady Antebellum, Nickelback and Eminem, Lil Wayne and Coldplay. It's the reason DJ Earworm's year-end mashups weave together the Billboard radio chart Top 25 with a seeming effortlessness.

(you can find MP3s of his year-end mixes at his website.)
He's been slinging these together for years. 2010's was considered a step down from the previous year, but I don't blame the DJ; I blame the sameness of the music.

The most illuminating fact that I learned from this PDF was the structural rigidity of the successful pop song. The structure is as necessary to its identity as the structure of a sonnet or haiku, and just as essential in fulfilling its function. It's a very mathematical way of seeing it, but all the evidence I see suggests that it works.

Got a great example over the weekend: a press release for DJ Smurf's new mixtape, coming out in March. DJ Smurf, aka Mr Collipark, masterminded songs that jump-started the careers of the Yin-Yang Twins ("Whistle While You Twerk", "Wait(The Whisper Song)") Hurricane Chris, and Soulja Boy. He's part of a collective of music producers and performers who figured a variation on the 'road test' for a song; instead of just giving copies to nightclub DJs and gauging the dance floor's reaction, they sent copies to strip club DJs and counted the amounts of tips the dancers collected.
And it sounds like Mr Collipark is at it again. I got my hands on his single mix for one Lil Chuckee, who puts the Young in Young Money Records; Lil Chuckee turns 16this October, but that won't stop this song from playing around the poles (You can download this inescapable hit here.)

It's got all the elements: an unmistakable hook, an inescapable groove, an easy to remember chorus, and marginally interesting verses that keep out of the music's way. At the least, this will be the next "Chicken Noodle Soup".

All this inspires me to try to make 2011 the year I scratch an item off my Bucket List: "become a one-hit wonder". The field has changed, but the game's the same. (By the way, if you're just as interested, I've supplied all the clues you need to find the Manual... if you're up to the quest.) The manual gave a timetable of one month; meanwhile, I've got 11. Let's see how it goes...

February 4

Somebody at Girlie Action wants me to dance. First, they send me word about Yelle - French-language ingenues, trying to make Americans dance. Their North American tour starts at Coachella, and spans the amber waves and mountains majesty through the end of May. You can check out their song, "Safari Dance Club", here. You can also check out their American obsession in the video below:


Then there's Jessica 6, a dance trio descended from Hercules and Love Affair. As a preview to their See the Light album, due for an April release, they sent "White Horse". It's not a remake of the post-disco classic, but it does remind me of Madonna's Erotica phase. Judge for yourself here.

Holy Ghost! definitely sound like they're New York scenesters in their first single, "Do It Again." It's available for download here. They're touring the US in late March and throughout April, whetting appetites for their anticipated debut album. (Among the guests: the Rapture's Luke Jenner and 'yacht rocker' Michael McDonald.)


And if you're completely uninterested in electronic music, maybe a girl with a guitar is more your speed... Sure, Robin Bacior fits the bill, but don't expect a wilting flower. Her songs sound more like Ray Lamontaigne than Jewel or Ani DiFranco. Her album comes out late spring, but you can pick up a free 4-song EP at her Bandcamp.com page. It's been my favorite find all week...

Feb 2

The Dropkick Murphys made Irish folk songs cool, so why not banjos? The Deering Banjo Company's developed a line of custom banjos, for anyone ready to emulate their hardcore folk sound. The limited editions are available at the band's website.



Also in the mailbox today, looks like Echo and the Bunnymen are in the middle of a double album tour, performing the complete tracklistings of their first two albums Crocodiles and Heaven Up Here:

Echo & the Bunnymen - Stars are Stars (Live) from Girlie Action on Vimeo.
The Bunnymen will be hitting cities throughout North America in May. Incidentally, Echo and the Bunnymen didn't dent the US charts until their self-named fifth album - so it's almost like the debut tour they never had...

A week from today, the Jaegermeister Tour hits my backyard (Louisville, KY). The big name on the marquee is the inexplicable radio kings Buckcherry (I still snicker about the kid who made "Crazy Bitch" a Mother's Day request and dedication.) Also hitting the stage are HellYeah, All That Remains, and The Damned Things - which is the only band I might get out of my chair for, if only for curiousity's sake. The Damned Things is basically the other half of Fall Out Boy, a pinch or two of Anthrax, and a double dose of All That Remains:

This video makes it a lot easier to describe the Damned Things as a metal geek convention. By this, I mean that they're geeks about all things metal, so they're goofing off and doing what they don't usually get to do, while using the peak of their talents to do it. That's the way geeks roll, like me - that's why I can say it. (When you say it, it's just wrong.) It might disappoint you, if you want it to sound like Anthrax or Fall Out Boy... It's unpretentious and true rock music, juiced on Red Bull. For those who don't enjoy it, you'll understand how important pretentiousness is in the recipe of rock music...

Finally, I've got a track by Dinosaur Bones available for download. "Royalty" was originally featured on their 4-song debut EP, "Birthright" last year. It's also going to be on their first full-length album, coming out next month on Dine Alone Records.



I'd put this song on a playlist between Firewater and Devotchka, two bands who evoke mystery and urgency in their retro-cabaret rock.
Just click here for musical goodness...

February 1

An open letter to an otherwise great artist who insists on using a previously branded name

Dear Adam Lindquist,

You deserve to have the world singing along with your music. Indeed, a song like "Reunion Day" seems crafted for exactly that intention. I've played that song several times now, and I can not stop myself from smiling. I keep waiting for a parade to march by me - the cool kind, that throws candy even at the tall kids like me.
It's true, the name that your momma gave you sounds like some guy that everybody went to school with in the 7th grade... But initializing yourself? Calling yourself APL? Dude, there's already somebody out there with that name. True, he is the least famous member of the currently biggest band in the world (hint: they're doing the Super Bowl halftime show this week.) Still, that's quite a hurdle to overcome... especially if you want to top the charts in the Philippines.

Do not compromise yourself. Do not change your music. Do not get a mohawk. But please consider a new name: something Google-friendly, because this is the 21st century. Perhaps something charming and ironic, like Some Body Awesome (for when they ask, "Hey, who's playing tonight?") Something as imaginative and unique as songs like this. (download) You've already recorded three albums: set aside five minutes of genius for a new name. Or do your own version of "Imma Be".

Thank you for your consideration (and the music),
Leroy Grey

(Thanks to Paper Heart Records' Lovely Hearts Club for shining a light on this guy's music; finding the great unknowns seems to be the LHC's mission.)

January 29

I'm out of practice with album reviews. I tried to cycle through "Sympathy", the upcoming album from Chicago band Scattered Trees, and get a quick paragraph or two out.

Instead, I've played this album about six times so far. That's not to say it's changed my life or anything; in the first place, the music's rather unobtrusive, like Mat Kearney or whoever you order a tall latte to these days. But songs like "Four Days Straight" and "Five Minutes" snuck up on me.
Apparently, the songs were written while the lead singer was mourning the death of his father. And while the album isn't a textbook concept album, the nine songs work as a collection, exploring the mourning landscapes, whether for a loved one or the love once shared. The cloudy-day music on "Sympathy" goes well with April showers...

"Sympathy" will be available for purchase in early April...

January 28, 2011

The first notice I received was for Alcohol Faith Mission; maybe it was the hurdy-gurdy sound, maybe the streetcorner choir vibe... maybe this bruised heart of mine, but I'm really digging this. All my friends that dig Mumford and Sons (or Devotchka) should give these guys a listen...

Right now, Ampeater Music has a 7" to download; in March, the band's new EP will be about, just about when they hit SXSW.

Another band making the trip to Austin is IZABO, from Tel Aviv. They like their dance rock with a bit of Middle Eastern flair. They also like making catchy, quirky videos: the press release was touting two follow-ups to "On My Way", a video featuring the band and 17 iPhones. (By the way, how many hits does a video need to be declared 'viral'?)

Yeah, I dig this one best, but the other ones are worth hunting down too. Besides home, it looks like they made their mark in the French indie scene; maybe they'll get a foothold in this hemisphere this Spring...

Seems we're getting noisier as we make our way through the mail; if you love the fuzzbox, check out James Pants. He's starting to beat the drums about his album, coming in April. You can pick up an MP3 at Gorilla vs Bear, which is a cool music blog to check out.

And here's a French chanteuce, named Emilie Simon:
A success in her native France, she got an apartment in Brooklyn, and began posting performances of her latest works on the Internet. So if you've ever wanted to see a girl that looks like Zooey Deschanel, sings like Kate Bush, and wears what looks like a homemade Nintendo Powerglove, your dreams have come true:

This performance of 'Rainbow' is a little different that what's going to be on the new album, out in April. You can grab the MP3 here, and whet your appetite...

Looks like I'm reviewing the Scattered Trees Symphony album tomorrow; check in then...