The official line-up for the 2012 Coachella Festival–a strange world where hipsters, hip-hop enthusiasts, ravers and wandering Burning Man attendees, join for one magical celebration–has just been announced.
The two week line-up includes some majorly MuuMuse Approved acts, including Swedish House Mafia, Florence + The Machine, Avicii, Morgan Page, M83, Kaskade, Afrojack, Miike Snow, Santigold and many, many more.
Will you be heading to Coachella Valley for this year’s festival? Who knows…I just may show up twirling in the crowd!
You’ve heard that she can take it to the next level, baybeh…and now, she’s proving it!
Britney‘s Till The World Ends: The Remixes was just released to iTunes, featuring seven delicious new remixes to keep you movin’ when you lose it hard. Check below for the full tracklisting:
1.Till The World Ends 3:58
2.Till The World Ends [Bloody Beatroots Extended Remix] 4:06
3.Till The World Ends [White Sea Extended Club Remix] 4:50
4.Till The World Ends [Kik Klap Radio Remix] 3:41
5.Till The World Ends [Alex Suarez Radio Remix] 3:56
6.Till The World Ends [Friscia and Lamboy Club Remix] 9:57
7.Till The World Ends [Varsity Team Radio Remix] 4:15
8.Till The World Ends [Karmatronic Extended Club Remix] 6:47
The collection finds Brit Brit bringing some fairly indie acts into the mix, including Bloody Beatroots and M83 member White Sea.
The White Sea Extended Remix is a spooky, shoegaze-friendly take on B’s original, smothering it with weird ambient beats, crashing electronica, echoed moans and…dolphin noises in the distance? I don’t even know, but I bet it’s right up Brit Brit’s alley.
Till The World Ends: The Remixes was released on April 15. (iTunes)
Genre: Dream-pop, shoegaze, indie electronica
For Fans Of: Sally Shapiro, Late Night Alumni, M83, Imogen Heap
I first discovered Caroline Lufkin back in freshman year of college. I’d heard nothing about her, except that she was the sister of J-Pop star Olivia Lukin (who I absolutely adore). Knowing only this and nothing else, I took a dive and checked out her debut album, Murmurs.
As it turns out, the two couldn’t be more different: Olivia has a full bodied voice, while Caroline all but whispers with her high-pitched coos. Olivia’s music is much darker and rock-tinged, while Caroline delivers lush, angelic dream pop. And whereas Olivia is usually depicted in heavy black make-up and gothic fashions, Caroline is pictured looking natural, frolicking amongst flowers and smiling contently. Jessica and Ashlee Simpson? Sort of, anyway.
After hearing the gentle, hazy beauty of songs like “Bicycle” and “Pink & Black,” I was immediately enamored, and Murmurs was put on constant replay–especially as I was drifting off to sleep.
Time’s since passed, and it appears Caroline is finally preparing to release the follow-up to her fantastic 2006 debut.
“Gone” is the first single from Verdugo Hills, due out on January 25.
Keeping true to the sound of her debut, “Gone” is yet another gorgeous dream-pop production. Atop twinkling piano and a simple strumming beat, “Gone” plays like a gorgeous lullaby–even if the underlying message proves much more sorrowful than its warm, sleepy sound implies. “It hurts me now, when you’re so far away / Now that you are gone,” Lufkin sadly croons throughout. (LISTEN/DOWNLOAD)
“Swimmer,” another song from Verdugo Hills which can be downloaded for free at Caroline’s record label website (and is available to stream below), is another treat. Tripping electronica beats join together with warm synthesizers and light strings to envelop Caroline’s lush, layered hums, resulting in one truly mesmerizing love letter.
If “Gone” and “Swimmer” are any indication, it sounds like Verdugo Hills–like Murmurs–will have listeners hopping on a cloud and drifting far, far away.
Verdugo Hills will be released on January 25. (iTunes)
Ever since their bouncy 2004 debut Bright Like Neon Love, Melbourne-bred electro-pop rockers Cut Copy have always remained faithful to the original, ’80′s-inspired synth-pop sound developed on such songs as “Saturdays” and “Future.”
2008′s follow-up, In Ghost Colours, found the band working to with complex new instrumentation, incorporating angelic choirs, distorted guitar riffs and heaven-sent soundscapes. Crunchier cuts like “Lights & Music” and “Hearts on Fire” demonstrated Cut Copy’s increasing New Wave influence, yet ultimately remained true to their underlying pop penchant.
Zonoscope–the band’s third studio album, to be released on February 8–finds Cut Copy taking their sound to still newer heights. Namely, outer space.
“I know we’re going crazy, but I need you now,” lead singer Dan Whitford sadly croons above a series of signature Cut Copy echoed coos and hazy, ambient electronica on the chorus of the album’s first single and opening track, “Need You Now.”
The song is a solid representation of what lies ahead: Intergalactic bleeps and blips, tribal disco rhythms, bleak lyricism and atmospheric sounds recalling that of French electro-master M83 all come together to texture the space-pop opus that is Zonoscope, Cut Copy’s most seamless and cohesive collection yet.
“Pharoahs & Pyramids,” another highlight on the album, finds the band working on top of a dazzling disco synth pattern, an abundance of hand-claps and bright, light electronica, somewhat reminiscent of Hercules & Love Affair‘s ’90′s House revivalism, while songs like “Take Me Over,” “Corner of the Sky” and the Beach Boys-esque “Where I’m Going” all recall the bouncy pop revelry of the band’s origins.
Aside from the album’s catchier cuts, it’s clear that Cut Copy have also decided to take a few chances and push their musical limits beyond the confines of a typical track on Zonoscope: “Strange Nostalgia for the Future,” for instance, works against a strangely looped string of organic electronica reminiscent of something one might hear on Sigur Rós‘ Takk…, while “Sun God,” the album’s epic 16-minute tribal closer, plays like a 2011 update to Donna Summer‘s iconic disco number, “I Feel Love.”
“Please, please, please, won’t you give your love to me?” Whitford repeats again and again as the track slowly builds on top of grooving synthesizers and a driving percussion (plus cowbell!), ultimately giving way to spine-tingling waves of ambient rhythms and danceable synth grooves. It’s gorgeous, to say the least.
With dreamy electronica production and sublime, hook-filled pop songcraft, it seems the sky is not the limit for Cut Copy–they’re too busy exploring the stars.
“Take Me Over”
“Take Me Over (Thee Loving Hand Remix by Tim Goldsworthy)”
Zonoscope will be released on February 8. (iTunes)
It’s time for a brand new MuuCast!
Fair warning: This isn’t a collection of juicy booty bangers or sizzling electro stompers–instead, it’s the stuff of dreams.
Inspired by my recent longing to travel, plenty of downtime and perhaps a touch of the holiday blues, I now present MuuCast Episode 7: Miles Away, a sampling of songs with one idea in mind: To take you far, far away.
Music’s always been an escape for me, but the following collection inspires an especially strong sense of wanderlust. It’s the music I listen to when I’m looking for inspiration, feeling emotional, or–most often of all–when I’m preparing to drift into slumberville.
The playlist begins with El Perro Del Mar‘s “Change Of Heart,” my definitive come-down anthem for dulling the sound of loud drunks and creepy scumbags while riding the last train home out of Grand Central at 2 A.M., and closes with one of my all time favorites, Duke B‘s “Hey You (feat. Angela McCluskey),” which is one of the most haunting and beautiful songs I’ve ever heard. (It also makes an appearance on MuuCast Episode Three!)
Regardless, it’s yours to keep. I hope you enjoy the escape!
…And the semi-awkward spoken word introduction.
DL: MuuCast Episode 7: Miles Away
Oh, and apologies for no actual Utada on the tracklisting–I just thought her cover for Single Collection Volume 2 made a perfect match for the MuuCast’s mood!
To see the full tracklisting, click “Read More”!
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