Showing posts with label Royksopp. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Royksopp. Show all posts

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Microfilm: Teenage Symphonies

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My my, what have we here? Pop minimalism--that's what!

M. Mercer and Matt Keppel are the bodies behind the force known as Microfilm. After relocating from Chicago to Portland, the group is releasing their sophomore album on Nov. 11, entitled Teenage Symphonies.

I'm slightly in love with Microfilm's overall sound--It's raw, yet maintains melodic moments of dance and trip-hop that elevate each track's overall composition. Formulated with all of the flavors that make pop minimalism so delectable in the first place, Microfilm's sound contains tiny droplets of all of my favorites: The throbbing intensity of Kaito, the melodic crafting of the Pet Shop Boys, the electro tingles of Télépopmusik, and occasional flarings of Royksopp's vocal techniques." Beautiful work, especially considering this as a fully independent release.

Thanks to the band, we've got the title track of the album right here for download! This is a great one, similar to Royksopp's "Poor Leno" off of their first album, Melody AM.

DL: Microfilm - Teenage Symphonies

Have a listen at the group's MySpace here, or go to iTunes to buy their music!

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Posted by Brad at 11:38 PM

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Presets Ain't No Buzzkills.

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It's been four days, and I'm still trying to come down from the high that The Presets produced during their smashing set at the Paradise Rock Club in Boston on Tuesday. Seriously, they were fuh-nomonal. To my great excitement and confusion, I stumbled across a Presets track floating around that I haven't already managed to wrap my headphones around. Oh, what I've been missing!


It's both a U.K. bonus album track and the B-side to their amazing single "This Boy's In Love," called "Buzz Factory." The song truly takes only a few moments to become absolutely epic. It takes off from the get-go: From rough, gritty amateurish electro stabs and stutterings, it morphes into shades of early '90's club and gradually evolves into some very modern, very haunting trance. After three minutes, I was perfectly content to consider this song an incredible instrumental, so it was to my great surprise that Julian's vocals suddenly come floating in at the 3:30 mark, reminiscient of something off of Royksopp's The Understanding. Unearthly and transient, the song transports to another level in the last few minutes of lavishing synth...It's wonderfully essential. This is one of those few songs that manages to encapsulate everything that I love about electronic music. Now that is truly saying something.


I love you guys!

Special thanks to super-correspondent Michael for the pictures from our concert!

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Posted by Brad at 3:14 PM

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Swedish Days

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Swedesplease has just posted a blog about Kiryakin, an up-and-coming Swedish indie-pop group very much in the same vein as one of my all-time favorites, Royksopp. Head on over to his blog to check out their song "Still Here," an airy, breathlessly beautiful pop melody built to supply the soundtrack to a perfectly lazy summer's day. Absolute heaven. The MySpace has got a few more tracks as well, all equally delicious. Expect a review of their EP in the near future, just as soon as I can get my hands on it!

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Posted by Brad at 12:09 PM

Thursday, January 17, 2008

A Track By...Cher.

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Wait! Don't unsubscribe from the feed yet. What I am asking you to do is to give me a chance. GIVE ME A CHANCE TO REDEEM MYSELF.

Now, in my defense, I only came to learn of this song after hearing it relentlessly on an employee's mix tape at the school bookstore. I didn't know who was singing, but I knew what the CD was called: Euro-Pop Trash Mix. Needless to say, my interest piqued.

Finally, I decided I simply had to know who sang this. I was almost positive it was a guy. I went to Google, typed the main lyrics to the chorus, and hit Search. After peeling my jaw off the floor and batting away the visions of schoolgirls pointing and laughing ("THEY'RE ALL GONNA LAUGH AT YOU" Exorcist moment), I decided to take it like a man and realize the source of this oh-so-pleasing melody: Cher.

Yes, Cher, damnit. Cher it is. But enough about Cher. More importantly, this song. Which was released in 2001, and sounds relevant enough to be considered "new" in today's waning pop industry. "The Music's No Good Without You" is a super-slick, addictive mid-tempo track that almost reminds me of "Only This Moment" by Royksopp. Except not. It's a builder that starts off insanely low in volume, and then chugs right along into Euro-trance PERFECTION. The sheer amount of vocal effects pumped into this production make it almost impossible not to ignore. It's truly delicious and all shades of camp, so I suggest that you at least click the link and hear the preview at the download site to get at least a taste. I can't promise perfection, but I can promise some goat-like Diva warbling by the end of the song that is completely undeniably Cher. And who doesn't like to lip-synch to that, really?

DL: Cher - The Music's No Good Without You

You'll thank me later. I know it.

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Posted by Brad at 6:00 PM

Monday, January 14, 2008

A Little Bit Electric

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Now introducing the debut album, Pain Disappears, from electronic musicians Mlle Caro & Franck Garcia. Mlle is the French abbreviation for the word "mademoiselle." I forget the exact translation of that word, but roughly it means "made in moiselle." The collaboration produces unquestionably hypnotic music. The typical song off of their upcoming album features complex mash-ups of thumping electronic blips, melancholic guitar strumming, and unadulterated synth-rock. The song production is reminiscent to that of Cut Copy, Royksopp, and New Order. Each track's echoey vocals are pulled straight from the pages of classic 80's dark electro-pop. "Dead Souls" offers a dark Junkie XL-ish, thickly-French accented reflection of memories from the past. Give this fresh collaboration a shot...It's one of those CD's that can be brought out in the middle of the dance floor, or listened to while drifting into slumber. I found myself really enjoying the diverse tunes on the album. The tracks can be monotonous (they tend to last around six minutes), but the melodies are individually infectious and reflective.

Included in this post is a MuuMuse Excluusive for you all, the Ben Watt radio edit of the track, "Dead Souls." Dig in!

DL: Mlle Caro & Franck Garcia - Dead Souls (Ben Watt Radio Edit)

Please enjoy, and if you like what you hear, make sure you buy their album, Pain Disappears, on March 4th from BuzzinFly Records.
And you, what do you think?

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Posted by Brad at 9:49 PM

Sunday, December 30, 2007

Royksopp - The Understanding

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For my final post of the night, I wanted to introduce one of my most cherished artists, Royksopp. The Norweigan duo, consisting of Torbjørn Brundtland and Svein Bergeare are currently working on their third album. Anyone have any news on its production state? Anyway. They are responsible for countless songs you know, love, and hate, depending upon the various commercials they've permeated. Most notably, they are responsible for one of the greatest CD's I've ever heard.

For me, it's a very personal experience to listen to The Understanding, most likely stemming from my own experiences that were interwoven within the initial playing period. The Understanding is terribly beautiful; it fluctuates from majestic, expansive instrumentals to frenetic, soul-searching melodies, yet manages to withhold a deep mystery and lonesomeness that demands to be revisited time and time again.

"Only This Moment" is arguably my favorite track off of the album. It's completely personal, though the initial beats may deem it as otherwise. The haunting lyrics are encompassing. The layers of sound allow the song to be enshrouded with the longing feeling detailed within the lyrics. Not to mention its the haunting voice of Miss. Kate Havnevik! And, it's got my favorite lyrics of all time: "Voices within me mix reason with lust / But I'll try to accept it and not make it worse / 'Cause I know I might lose it by taking the chance / But love without pain isn't really romance." So ethereal and beautiful. It's an absolute must.

But the album continues to be eclectic. "99 Percent" is a seductive trip-hop rap, while "What Else is There?" featuring The Knife's lead singer Karin, and so much more. There really are no dull tracks on the album. It is rich in its entirety, and I recommend it to any and all who are looking for a deeper experience through electronica.

DL: Royksopp - Only This Moment
DL: Royksopp - Follow My Ruin
DL: Royksopp - What Else Is There?


PLEASE be sure to buy The Understanding by Royksopp at Amazon.

And you, what do you think?

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Posted by Brad at 10:36 PM
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