It’s been just over two years since BBC Sound of 2009 winner Little Boots, née Victoria Hesketh, unleashed Hands.

The stunning dance-pop debut (read the MuuMuse review now!) resulted in several gems, including the hypnotizing “Stuck On Repeat” and the RedOne-produced “Remedy” a storming pop tune which recalled all the best bits of Fame-era Gaga. Now, Boots returns with the lead single from her forthcoming sophomore studio album: “Stuck,” released today in the UK.

The song was crafted in just one day with James Ford of Simian Mobile Disco, responsible for production on such gems as Peaches‘ I Feel Cream (including the brilliant “Lose You”) and Beth Ditto‘s stunning 2011 eponymous solo EP.

From the press release:

“The song came in the latter stages of writing the new album,” Boots explains. “James and I had been emailing, and unusually both had a free day. It was one of those that just came out. Immediately it felt right. It also shed a new light on a lot of the other songs I’d been working on for the album.

“Everybody shake ’til your heart breaks,” Boots croons on top of early ’90′s House pulsations (Inner City comes to mind) and an ever-so-slight Italo-disco crispness, recalling all the reasons I fell in Boots with “Stuck On Repeat” in the first place: Haunting vocals and timeless disco beats.

“I love the statement shake ’till your heart breaks: it’s that violent kind of romance that runs through some of my favourite songs,” she says of the song in the press release.

I’m utterly obsessed. If “Shake” is an early indication, Little Boots ain’t suffering from a sophomore slump anytime soon.

Little Boots – SHAKE by LittleBoots

Along with its digital release, “Shake” will be available as a limited edition vinyl. The song has also received the full remix treatment, including upcoming re-rubs by Azari & III and Crazy P.

“Shake” was released on November 14. (iTunes)

Photo courtesy of SPIN.

Madonna‘s making a serious comeback these days…and she’s not even the one making the music.

After Christina Aguilera‘s (critically panned) homage to “Express Yourself” with the video for “Not Myself Tonight”, and the current brouhaha surrounding Lady Gaga‘s “Born This Way” and its not-so-subtle references to “Express Yourself” and “Vogue,” there’s never been more early ’90′s Madonna permeating the pop scene than in this moment. (Well, except for when she was actually living it.)

Now comes the video premiere for Gossip front-woman Beth Ditto‘s “I Wrote The Book”–one of the four tracks from her upcoming Simian Mobile Disco-produced solo EP.

In an unabashed nod to Madonna’s “Justify My Love,” Ditto finds herself wearily drifting down an empty hotel corridor, luggage in tow, in the opening moments of the brand new clip.

Throw in the ballroom dance of “Vogue” (WORK!), the bed sequences from Truth or Dare, and all the light, mood and shadow of the entire Erotica era (down to the very font!), and BINGO: You’ve got yourself a proper Madonna homage.

This is, hands down, the best celebration of the Queen yet. I love, love, LOVE everything about this!

The Beth Ditto EP will be released on March 8.

This morning, Deconstruction Records released a surprise early Christmas present: A 2-minute SoundCloud preview of Gossip frontwoman Beth Ditto‘s upcoming 4-track solo EP, produced by Simian Mobile Disco.

The stream includes all four songs on the EP, including “Goodnight Good Morning,” “Do You Need Someone?” “I Wrote The Book,” and “Open Heart Surgery.” Here’s the stream:

From the sounds of it, you will greatly enjoy Beth Ditto’s upcoming 4-track solo EP if:

+ You’re an early ’90′s club sound enthusiast.
+ You’re a fan of nu-disco.
+ You’re a fan of synthesizers.
+ You’re a fan of Róisín Murphy‘s Overpowered.
+ You’re a fan of Deconstruction Records–the same label responsible for Kylie Minogue‘s 1994 self-titled release and her 1997 artistic opus, Impossible Princess.
+ You’re a fan of Beth Ditto’s previous collaboration with Simian Mobile Disco, “Cruel Intentions,” the minimal disco gem from the troupe’s 2009 album, Temporary Pleasure.

Luckily I am all of these things, which makes this a very special and exciting release, indeed.

Beth Ditto’s upcoming solo EP will be released in January.

“Happiness hit her like a train on a track, coming towards her stuck still no turning back,” Florence Welch whispers above the lulling ukulele of “Dog Days Are Over,” the opening track off of her first full-length release. And before anyone can say much of anything, the ropes have been let loose, the horses are in full gait, and Welch’s wild shouts and yelps lead the raging pack’s charge until there’s no turning back: “Leave all your loving, your loving behind / You cant carry it with you if you want to survive.”

July 6 marks the official release of Lungs, the aptly-titled debut of a fresh, exciting troupe from England known as Florence & The Machine, fronted by a witchy chanteuse that coos much sweeter and cries out much louder than the vast landscape of dull, auto-tuned drones currently on the scene.

Florence Welch is a voice to be reckoned with; the she-beast of “Howl” and the lion-hearted girl of “Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up).” She tears through octaves and rips into full-throated shouts without ever drawing a breath. She is of her own brand stylistically, although armed with a quirky quivering reminiscent of Kate Bush, the bounding howl of Björk, and perhaps most glaringly, the uncompromising female rock-chic edge of legends including Grace Slick of Jefferson Airplane.

Lucky for us, the triple-punch production behind this album proves to be rooted in equally diverse sounds: There’s James Ford of Simian Mobile Disco, Paul Epworth of Sam Sparro and Kate Nash fame, and UK musician Steve Mackey, responsible for tracks off of M.I.A. and Marianne Faithfull‘s albums.

It’s surprising then that a cast and crew of such diverse sounds could produce an album like Lungs. After all–and let’s prepare for the possible punny outcome here–Lungs is fluid. It’s an incredibly cohesive production as a whole, sounding like one long session recorded from the dingy confines of a medieval dungeon.

If there’s anything that comes to mind in thinking about this album, it’s texture. Each track is carefully constructed from top to bottom with pounding instruments, layered vocals, and fiery spirit and emotion. It is, as Florence might say, a beast.

While the singles have all been good, the album tracks are arguably even better. “Howl,” bursts forth with the kind of animalistic energy you’d expect from a song titled as such, while “Girl With One Eye” merges a confident guitar swagger with vindictive lyricism; a combination so murderous it ought to have Quentin Tarantino giddily jumping up and down like a schoolboy before shoving it into the soundtrack of his next gore-fest.

But “Girl With One Eye” isn’t the only song dripping blood from the speakers. In fact, basically every track does: “Kiss With A Fist” morphs the act of domestic abuse into a balls-to-the-wall garage rock ode, “My Boy Builds Coffins” reeks of ill-willed premonitions, and “I’m Not Calling You A Liar” sees an ex-flame in the form of a scorned ghostly apparition. Even the album’s soaring ballad “Cosmic Love” revels in a kind of Tim Burton-esque embrace of romantic macabre: “A falling star fell from your heart and landed in my eyes / I screamed aloud, as it tore through them, and now it’s left me blind.”

In a recent post discussing the story behind each track off the album, Welch had this to say regarding “Dog Days Are Over”:

A lot of people have said they think it’s about the Apocalypse. Or freedom. And someone said it was about the recession. But to me it just signifies being free, in that I’d made music in a way I’d never made it before.

Swamped in a sea of press releases frorm labels boldly proclaiming their artists to be the next Depeche Mode-meets-Madonna-meets-Queen
(who always ends up sounding like Cascada in one way or another), it’s beyond refreshing to hear an artist who couldn’t be further from being considered an imitation act. Florence & The Machine’s Lungs is honest music making, real music made through creative innovation for the new age.

Bottom Line: Macabre, magical, and anything but predictable. The album to beat for 2009, and an artist to watch for years to come. Florence & The Machine is the future. Are you prepared?

Make sure to click here to read Florence’s discussion of each track off of Lungs.

Please enjoy the Leo Zero mix of Florence’s latest single, “Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up),” courtesy of the Neon Gold Records blog.

DL: Florence & The Machine – Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up) (Leo Zero Remix)

For US Muusers, click below to preview and purchase Lungs.

For UK Muusers, click below to preview and purchase Lungs.

Hot off the press (release)!

Simian Mobile Disco have announced the release of their follow-up album, Temporary Pleasure, due out on August 17th on Wichita Recordings.

The album will feature collaborations with artists including Beth Ditto, Alexis Taylor of Hot Chip, and Jamie Lidell.

TRACKLISTING READY GO:

1) Cream Dream (featuring Gruff Rhys)
2) Audacity of Huge (featuring Chris Keating)
3) 10000 Horses Can’t Be Wrong
4) Cruel Intentions (featuring Beth Ditto)
5) Off The Map (featuring Jamie Lidell)
6) Synthesise
7) Bad Blood (featuring Alexis Taylor)
Turn Up The Dial (featuring Young Fathers)
9) Ambulance
10) Pinball (featuring Telepathe)

Preceding the release will be the Simian’s first single from the album, “Audacity of Huge” featuring Chris Keating.

Quite excited for this release!

Major mixers + Incredible singers = Unlimited possibilities.

…Well, usually anyway.

Peaches, Peaches, Peaches…check out your Chrissy behind now.

On her fifth studio album, I Feel Cream, the Queen of Electrocrap has decided to let her hair down (wayyy down if you’ve seen the video for “Talk To Me”) and invited some super cool collaborators into the creamery. Among them? A slew of the most exciting movers and shakers of alt-electronica, including Soulwax, Digitalism, Drums of Death, and most extensively, Simian Mobile Disco‘s James Ford. As a result, most of the album offers a wealth of complex electro-encrusted gems never before encountered by the likes of Peaches. Don’t worry, though–she’s got this.

As with all of Peaches back catalog, the album is mostly lined with skittish, electro-stung up-tempos, including the sugary-sweet bounce of “Trick Or Treat,” the noisy build-up of “More,” and the faithfully minimal opener “Serpentine” (2009′s contemplative response piece to 2003′s “I Don’t Give A…”). Then there’s the self-described “electro-soul” first single, “Talk To Me,” which features a strut-fest of swagger that simply begs to be delivered live on her upcoming tour.

“Never mind my age, it’s like I’m breaking out of a cage,” she moans in the middle of the foot-stomping chaos of “Show Stopper.” While the album is rife with allusions to Ms. Nisker’s age (having just turned forty in November), Peaches keeps her Teaches as sexified as ever, urging her listeners to suck that fat and lick her crow’s feet. “Almost as old school as me…I’m gonna send you back to school,” she taunts atop the series of grinding, industrial synths in “Mommy Complex.” Did I forget to mention Peaches was an elementary teacher once? Too real.

But perhaps the greatest surprise hidden within Cream are the numerous mid-tempos including “Lose You,” the best song Annie never recorded. “I Feel Cream” is another stunning highlight, a gritty, winding re-interpretation of Donna Summer‘s signature “I Feel Love” suited with one of the slickest bridges (about two and a half minutes in) that I’ve heard in a long time: “Let’s get suspect, let’s get ripped, every little defect gets respect” she coos across a high-wire of jagged synths.

It’s only with the plodding “Billionaire” that the artist seems to get a bit too mired in the super-slick production from her buddies, sounding more like a Peaches song slowly deflating atop uneven electro slaps.

Though the album’s production value is at an all time maximum, the Queen of Nazzty holds her own against the torrent of hard synths and buckets of drippy electronica. While I’ll always know Peaches best for her most minimal of work, it’s nice to see that she’s expanded her repertoire with Cream. It’s not the greatest album she’s ever done, but unlike some of the other reigning Queens of the music industry (including, I dare say, Pop), the songstress keeps it legitimate with this undeniably Peaches affair.

Click below to hear more from Peaches and pre-order her new album, I Feel Cream!

It’s been a while since I’ve taken a spin ’round the blogosphere for you Muusers. Let’s go again, shall we?

Over at XO, Steve’s still going gaga (in the non-pop-star-wannabe sense) for Antigone. Make sure to check out the little mixtape widget for her debut album, AntigoneLand, released online this week. Good luck, Mizz ‘Tig!

AnthoNYC started my day off right at Tastes Like Caramel with this fabulous video of Little Boots‘ cover of the Sugababes track, “Overload.” What kind of instrument is that anyway? It’s more gorgeous than the sounds it’s emitting! Oh, and just a few minutes ago, we got the dish on the Lollapalooza ’09 line-up. Fleet Foxes, Animal Collective, and Vampire Weekend? Yep…it’s a Pitchfork affair. I’m far more interested in the spinning going on at Perry’s, featuring Simian Mobile Disco, Kaskade, and Hercules & Love Affair. Now that? That’s my kind of party.

Ohh!Crapp continues to be one step ahead of the game with the show-stopping Fred Falke remix of Annie‘s “Anthonio.” Smooth, rich, and creamy. As my friend David suggested, could this be the first Italo Disco-esque release in years? Me thinks it possible. Going to invest in vinyl for this one!

HardCandyMusic‘s got a hugely essential collection of eleven recordings from Grace Jones‘ Hurricane Tour now currently ripping through the other side of globe, as well as some future tour dates. Anyone willing to shell out a few to fly me over to the Hollywood Bowl this summer? Let me know.

RobPop’s reviewed the new Emilia de Poret album over at DontStopThePop. I’ve not listened yet, but I’m more than willing to bet it’s a rather homosexual affair.

The sluts over at TheMusicSlut are giving away tickets to Peaches‘ NYC show and offering downloads of a shitty Coldplay cover by Gaga. It’s a mixed bag, you know?

Trust me, there’s loads of other news out there…now go on and support my friends!

HOW DID I MISS THIS?!!

According to the LA Times Blog, Peaches has been hard at work diddling her skittle with Simian Mobile Disco and Drums of Death for this upcoming album, I Feel Cream, due out on May 5 on XL Recordings!

In lieu of the new, Drums of Death has spliced together a massive mix-tape ripe with both old and new selections from the best of the Almighty Teaches of Peaches. Scattered within the tracks are various fan stories, recollecting their favorite live moments with the Queen of Crass. New songs in the mix include the ghetto fabulous “Buck It Like A Billionaire” and “Lose You,” a falsetto heavy electro creeper that may as well be a B-side from Annie‘s Don’t Stop sessions. Fast forward to the half-hour mark to hear “I Feel Cream” in full.

It seems as though Peaches has returned to her synthified electro roots, only this time she’s pumping up the production value and dumbing down the XXX.

Whether it’ll be a hit or miss with the fans remains to be seen–But then again, Peaches doesn’t give a fuck what you think.

DL: Drums of Death – The Peaches Mixtape (Sharebee)