Hey! You there! You feel in the mood for some anthemic electro grunge? I know I am!

With his first major EP Kick N’ Run, Don Rimini is jumping onto the mixing board with his sleeves rolled up, ready to unleash one hell of a set. Pulsating, pumping, and consistently aggressive, the five track package works a bit like being strapped to a ticking time bomb thrown into the line of fire. The grinding synths are unforgivably loud, while the massive, pounding bass bumps drop and drip as quickly as sweat atop the dancefloor.

The beats bouncing off this set are punishingly addictive, combining sweet-toothed old-school synth sounds with prickling, punching electro stings. Ebbing through screaming highs and colossal crashes back down, the compilation is one jittery trip. “Nervous Breakdown” is the highlight for me, heavy with stammering, stunted vocal glitches and glittering nineties club riffs. Then there’s the closer “Hools,” which supplies a cock-and-loaded explosion of dooming, damning electro slices. Certainly able to fit snugly within a setlist featuring MSTRKRFT and Justice, Rimini’s set shows major glimmers of promise for conquering the dancefloor.

As a MuuMuse Excluusive, check out the streaming clips from the EP now!

Don Rimini – Rave On
Don Rimini – Nervous Breakdown
Don Rimini – Hools

For more information, please check out Don Rimini’s Music MySpace here.

I learned of Get Well Soon a few weeks back thanks to 8/1, but never got around to posting about this incredible debut.

With sweeping, hypnotic combinations of folk, indie-rock, classical, and electronica influences, each track within Rest Now Your Weary Head, You Will Get Well Soon plays like a uniquely crafted genre-bending concoction. It makes sense, considering the album is more like a “greatest hits” of nearly three years of smaller music releases from the group. Interchanging the romantic sounds of accordian and piano with looming guitar riffs and crashing drums, the album offers a diverse taste geared toward no sound in particular. Konstantin Gropper, the main member of the project, dominates this album with a cold, unaffected tone that is both chilling and occasionally sardonic; the perfect killjoy to the otherwise bright flourishes of the music around his voice. Gropper’s voice is a cool collection of some of the more melting vocals in pop: The apocalyptic tone of Nick Cave and the theatrics of David Bowie come to mind for me.

Highlights include “Witches! Witches! Rest Now In The Fire,” a romantic stringed foray into sixties pop melodics and witchy condemnation as well as “If This Hat Is Missing, I Have Gone Hunting,” which bounces merrily between apocalyptic guitar/accordian melded madness and taunting chants. The real highlight for me here is “People Magazine Front Cover,” an ebbing carousel of lofty financial fantasies. The song operates as a critique of modern capitalism, moving its storyteller closer into madness as the song continues on in its waltzing fashion: “Now that we’re rich and we own half of Asia/ We’ll use our money to change the world/ Baby, we’ll reinvent monarchy/ We will rule the world.” It’s hopeless at times, majestic at others.

The album, and I do tend to overuse this word, is epic in many ways. In this case though, I believe the means are truly deserving of such a heavy-handed label. Merging morosity with beauty, Get Well Soon has created a morbid fascination within me that’s kept me listening for weeks. Check out the Get Well Soon MySpace here.

Time for something somewhat different. Let’s head over to a part of the world where the number one artist isn’t a man with a tattoo of a tear on the side of his face. I’m talking, of course, about Asia. Taiwan, more specifically.

Just a little while ago, I happened upon my latest discovery, Ms. Peggy Hsu. Judging by the picture above, you can tell that she is a rather pretty lady, even when hampered down by an elaborate clown costume. In fact, I see a little Mariah in her. Thankfully though, that’s not who I’m hearing.

Infused with jazzy notes and plenty of romantic accordion sounds, Peggy Hsu’s music is both pleasant and airy, perfect for a summer night’s sloppy, regrettable hook-up(s). She’s got a great, relaxing style along with her vocals, and her songs are all peaceful and fluid, ranging from bossa-nova to nearly pop. She’s a bit like Émilie Simon, though less experimental. Her 2001 debut album, Balloon, received quite a bit of fanfare when it was first released, leading to several music and lyric awards. Six years later in May of 2007, she returned with a second album, called Peggy’s Wish Box. And no, I’m not going near that title.

I highly recommend that you give her a chance by heading over to her MySpace to hear a few songs from Wish Box. There’s even some English thrown into many of her songs for good measure. Below is the song, “Pink Dress,” which is pretty representative of her poppier sound (give it a moment to load the play box).

Seems like just a few weeks ago I was posting about his 2006 release, Love Mysterious. Now, Kaskade has returned to the floor with the release of Strobelite Seduction. On his fifth solo effort, Chicago-based Ryan Raddon makes all the right moves in transforming and evolving the personality of his sound. Utilizing some ethereal textures, glittering synths, and angelic vocal performances, Kaskade’s latest release may just be his finest yet.

One of the finest moments of the album, opening track “Move For Me,” was constructed entirely via AIM with fellow electro artist, Deadmau5, though you’d never guess it. The song is a lush, entrancing experience that captures the entire feel of the album in a span of four minutes. Beyond, there are countless stand-outs from the tracklisting. It’s actually difficult for me to specify certain songs from this album–which is a crushing blow to mediocre albums, and a sweeping victory for high achievers. This one belongs in the latter category.

It’s also well worth noting that the vocal delivery on album tracks such as “Back On You,” “Step One Two,” and “Pose” is simply top notch. Each song’s performer deserves accolades in their own right for their impressive, dance-ready tone.

Perhaps more so than previous releases, Strobelite Seduction performs as a cohesive and comprehensive collection of lighter house and electro samples. Some have even been toying with the idea of Kaskade’s rise to impressive heights among the house scene. Some reviewers have been throwing around names such as Armand Van Helden and Junior Vasquez in comparison. Rightfully so. Check out Kaskade’s MySpace here, and order his new album here.

DL: Kaskade – Move For Me

Hold on to your hard hats, everyone–it’s time to take a brief sweep through Pitchfork territory. Go ahead and gather up the 1980′s (sans the Speak-N-Spell), dark pop, sprinkles (shots, if you will) of indie-electro shivers, Anthony Gonzales, and a few good producers including Ken Thomas, Ewan Pearson, and Morgan Kibby. Jumble that all up together and what have you? Nope, not Xanadu, though kudos to you for your unwavering optimistic attitude toward the film’s revival. No, it’s the latest album by M83, entitled Saturdays=Youth.

Intending to supply a nod or two to those golden days of yore, Mr. Gonzales has thrown a wrench into his typical electro-ambient stylings with the occasional blips and bleeps that made the ’80′s so undeniably cheesy and wonderful. Now don’t roll your eyes just yet. I, like you, am quite beyond the whole ’80′s revival scene (it’s so mid-’00′s), but when I say revival, it’s not in regards to the mere usage of a few blaring synthesizers, but more of a subtle recapturing of the sounds and noises of 1980′s New Wave pop.

Saturdays=Youth is stunning, truly. The moody, breathy male and female vocals of the album carry well over its collection of strumming guitars and clouded synths, allowing each track its own unearthly sound. Layered tracks like the first single, “Couleurs” as well as lead-off track “You Appearing” and “Highway of Endless Dreams” prove that the involved producers are adept at doing more than merely recreating yesterday’s sounds, but rather carving complex monuments devoted to previous conquerors of all things synthesized. Gonzales also proves to pave his own inroads into dark pop, providing songs like “Graveyard Girl” and “Kim & Jessie,” unmistakably legitimate tracks that fall in line perfectly with the best of them–from Depeche Mode to New Order. There’s also the breathtaking sixth track, “Up!” of which I’m convinced features Allison Goldfrapp’s tender vocals. Through the album’s deeply dark melodies and brighter flourishes however, Gonzales never loses his way for a second.

If you’re interested in learning more about the album, head over to Amazon to hear clips of the tracks, or to the M83 MySpace for additional information.