MattMontagano has been heavily involved in music from the tender age of 15... Based in London he works in TV, blogs, writes and is a musician. He's also the head honcho of 'We Are Not A Rock Band', a music blog that supplies it readers with free downloads. Tags: Dinner With Daisy, French For Cartridge, Oooh!
Weird does not even cover this one. Described by some as ‘Geisha rock’, this abstract number by French For Cartridge really does make you stop and listen, even if you do have a bemused expression plastered all over your Chevy Chase whilst doing so. ‘Oooh!’ is totally stop-start, jumping from a kind of Russian sounding ballad to a suspense filled ‘chorus’ – if you can call it that. It also has an unusual time signature – where there are 3 beats instead of 4 to every bar throughout this short song. Despite being out there with the fairies, this song is charming, suspense-ridden and mystifying, and it’s this strange appeal that has got me sticking it on repeat (even if it is just a vain attempt to get my head around it). In a nutshell, French for Cartridge have a weird name and suitably weird songs. But it is all strangely compelling and I’m totally drawn in by it. Very nice indeed.
The Soft Pack sound like a bunch of politically aware American teenagers. Their song, ‘C’mon’, is a weak attempt at a statement against war – or something along those lines. The vocals sing ‘find out what it means… army, navy, air force and marines’ before breaking into a chorus of ‘Ah, C’mon’ which is repeated 3 or 4 times. Whilst this is moderately catchy, the message they are trying to convey is lost amongst the out of tune guitars, hyperactive drumming and the basic power chord riffs. The quick fire vocals in the verse are the only highlight. Much hype surrounds The Soft Pack; they appear to promise much, but on this offering they fail to deliver.
Radioclit’s 2008 electro hit ‘Secousse’ has been given a facelift and has been re-released as ‘Secousse All Stars’. This time around, the Latin feel is unmistakable. Portuguese vocals chant hypnotically over the track, adding a little bit of spice to it, whilst the low, pulsing bass line chugs along with the rather odd percussion loops. Much of the original has remained intact – in fact, the main noticeable difference here is that there are some Brazilian vocals slapped over the top, with the exception of some re-structuring and slightly more polished production. Unfortunately, those sexy Brazilian vocals don’t give ‘Secousse’ much of a marked improvement, nor does it make this song any more desirable. DJ’s and electro/techno fans would probably be best advised to check out who’s been on remix duties for this one…
Au Revoir Simone are a precocious trio from New York who seem highly capable of churning out easy listening, pleasant little ditties. ‘Another Likely Story’ is an enchanting song, seemingly about a girl not being able to depend on her lover. The lyrics sing “Don’t tell me, it’s another likely story, could’ve pinned it on you from the start”. Twinkling synths and hissy percussion add to these lyrics, presenting us with an ethereal lining bursting with melody which is beautifully complemented by the catchy vocals – both in the form of the verse and the Lily Allen-esque chorus. Listening to this is more of an experience than simply banging on a tune – and it most certainly is a pleasant one. To date, all showings of Au Revoir Simone have been top quality and the trio is gathering a real head of steam. These girls are certainly a force to be reckoned with.
‘Dedication’ is a seamless combination of two things I cannot stand. American teenybopper ‘punk rock’ with awful, winey American accents (think Blink 182), and Euro-pop/techno (think Scooter). When presented by said combination in the form of Iglu & Hartly’s abomination of a song – I found myself in a unique situation; this is a song that is so terrible that I actually found myself enjoying it. That’s right –it’s so bad it’s good (doesn’t mean it’ll be getting higher marks though). For a song to go beyond bad to a point where I actually begin enjoying it and singing along to the chorus is pretty impressive. ANYWAY – back in the real world – I can only imagine that this must be one for the kiddies. Picture this: angst-ridden 14-year-old emo (eyeliner, spiky black hair and studs in tow) bops/sings along to this whilst drunk for only the third time. If I was one of those kiddies I’d argue that the chorus is uplifting, anthemic and euphoric, however, I’m not, and what I want to do when I hear this, is melt the CD down into an ashtray to give it some use. May it never (dis)grace my iTunes again.
Everyone knows Simian Mobile Disco – whether it’s for anthems such as ‘The Hustler’ or ‘It’s The Beat’, or whether it’s for their dynamic and explosive DJ sets. But here, Ford and Shaw present their lesser-known softer sides to us all with a disco twinged, 90s sounding track. It’s a continuation of the mellower direction that they are heading in, following on from songs such as ‘Synthesize’. Muffled, fuzzy kick drums and echo-y synth stabs underpin Beth Ditto’s surprisingly non-irritating vocals. It sounds like SMD have managed to tame her, making her vocals less like Beth Ditto and more like a soulful singer (you can decide whether that’s a good or a bad thing). Simian Mobile Disco have avoided making an obvious, generic dance track here; instead, they have made an electronic ‘song’. Yet whilst it’s a good song – a classic it certainly is not. And the problem is, songs like this need to be classics to get noticed by the fans. Otherwise the chances are they’ll go largely un-noticed…
Umek – or Umek The Exorciser as he used to be called – is Techno royalty. He’s been producing proper, no-nonsense bangers for years. This ‘mix tape’ that he’s compiled for Hell Yeah Records sounds like something taken straight out of a dirty, squatty, illegal warehouse rave somewhere in Hackney and comes jam-packed with cheeky surprises such as unexpected builds, hi-hats, snares, drops and bass lines – whipping you into a frenzy with the greatest of ease. This is certainly one for the techno enthusiasts out there. The only downside of this mix is that by comparison, the end section doesn’t live up to the beginning but that shouldn’t stop you from checking it out. All hail King Umek The Exorciser.
Turning the mind is a painfully cheesy journey into ethereal singer/songwriter electronica. Oliver Huntemann co-produces and mixes parts of the album so it benefits somewhat from his production skills. He features on what is arguably the tune of the album – ‘Let Go Of The Fear’. This is a slightly more up-tempo electro tune, one to bob your head to – until, after singing “let go of the fear” Maps goes and spoils it by talking over the verses. That’s right – he talks. But not in a cool way; in a ‘we’re Pet Shop Boys and we’re so electro’ kinda of way. This album does have some nice moments and in parts it gets a bit dark and techno-y, but in other parts it sounds like something that Take That would come out with if they were to hijack some synths and drum pads. And what’s with the constant reference to drugs like Crystal Meth, Valium and Cocaine? Seriously – bragging about it ain’t cool. It’s an effort just to listen to this all the way through – in fact – I challenge you to try listening to it in its entirety without flicking through any of the tune’s. You can’t. Avoid.
Buzz band of the moment, Fenech-Soler undeniably seemed destined for great things. They have created/captured a sound that is becoming ever present within the world of popular music, one that picks up where nu-rave left off. Electro-pop/synth-pop/techno pop – whatever you want to call it (watch this space – I’m sure the genre will be given an atrocious name very soon) – is everywhere at the moment and these guys have got it on lock down. Not bad for a few lads who are still in their teens and hail from a part of England where you would expect to find a wealth of chavs, not a wealth of musical talent. Their second release ‘Lies’ is a catchy little number that has the perfect mix of indie and electro to make it a very current pop hit. The verses are vocal lead and backed up by old school funky house-style filtered synths, which bursts into a chorus of electro synth leads, rasping bass and 4×4 beats which are both catchy and anthemic. This is a big song from a band whose popularity seems set to explode in 2010. If Fenech-Soler don’t get big – I’ll eat my hat.
This action packed garage/punk E.P. should come with a health warning. The first thing you notice when listening to this is that it explodes with relentless, ferocious energy from the first riff to the final crash. It’s wrought with fuzzy guitars and fuzzy bass that collides head first into crashing cymbals and drums – certainly not one for the weak hearted. Many comparisons can be drawn from their songs too – ‘On My Way’ is reminiscent of The Stooges classic ‘Search and Destroy’; ‘Say’ has the feel of The Subway’s – ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Queen’, but with more distortion and energy that those guys could ever even dream of. The vocals state – “This time I’m saying something” They certainly are – this is a statement of intent from a band that know how to thrash. Ever watched Back To The Future? Of course you have. Remember the bit where Marty McFly played his electric guitar in front of that huge speaker and got blasted across the room? Little did we know but he’d actually gone forward in time and was playing a Federals tune. If you like your music fuzzy, these guys are well worth a check.
