Category: Electro-Pop
Elite Gymnastics Defunct, Now Dead Girlfriends, NVM, Now Default Genders
Just in case you didn’t hear the news (‘cus you know, it only happened 9 days ago, which is apparently 6 months in music blog land), James Brooks, the seemingly gentle, sensitive, Canadian, BF of Grimes, K-pop enthusiast, and (now sole) proprietor of (what was) the electro-pop project, Elite Gymnastics is having an existential crisis… Okay no, he just wanted a new band with different name, or two.
Back in August of 2012, Josh Clancy left Elite Gymnastics, and since then, James Brooks released a track or two, though he obviously had other ideas in mind, such as a fresh start. At the end of July this year, Brooks announced that Elite Gymnastics was now “defunct” (sad face) and his new project Dead Girlfriends was in full force – He even released an EP, Stop Pretending (happy face!). However, just 4 days after the revealing of Dead Girlfriends, Brooks has changed the project name to Default Genders, stating on his site:
The name sort of had an effect i didn’t want, and it took me a little while to think of another phrase i could use that contained words that start with D and G so the artwork with claire’s drawing would still make sense. it doesn’t roll off the tongue as easily but thematically it makes more sense i guess
i apologize to anyone who’s inconvenienced by this but especially to anyone who was upset or offended or grossed out by the old name, and to the other band that was using the name first
Don’t sweat it James! Now that the name is sorted, have you listened to the new tunes? “Stop Pretending,” the title track from Default Genders‘ EP is by far the most addicting, and almost “Omamori“-esque (favorite Elite Gymnastics jam). Watch the video (complete w/Karaoke sing-a-long words!) starring what looks like a giant stuffed Totoro:
Default Genders – Stop Pretending
NEW 80s Synth-Pop Gem: Emilíana Torrini – Speed of Dark
Emilíana Torrini is an Icelandic electro-pop songstress, but don’t call her “new” or “emerging,” as this isn’t her first rodeo. Torrini has as many as 8 albums under her belt (mostly released in Iceland only), and another on the way. Plus, get this, Torrini also sang “Gollum’s Song” in Peter Jackson’s, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers – say what!?
The lady’s got an impressive rap sheet, including her latest release, “Speed of Dark.” It’s an addictive and infectious 80s synth-pop gem worthy of serious repeat action. The track can be found on Torrini’s forthcoming LP, Tookah due out September 9th via Rough Trade Records (The Strokes, Arcade Fire Jarvis Cocker, etc.)
Word on the street, however, is that the album will only be released in the UK, Ireland, Iceland, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland – Well, thank God for streaming on SoundCloud! The songstress is also currently on tour throughout Europe for the month of November. Have a listen to Torrini’s enchanting new track, “Speed of Dark” now:
Emilíana Torrini – Speed of Dark
Listen to NEW Hype-Worthy Electrotastic Band: Nothankyou
There’s a new hype-worthy electrostatic synth pop band worth getting giddy over y’all! So who are they, and what’s their deal?
Nothankyou is a new project/collaboration consisting of indie-popper Tom Vek, and Dirty Projectors’ Olga Bell (also formerly from Chairlift) Whadda combo! According to Moshi Moshi Records, to which the duo is signed to, Vek and Bell, “met” on Myspace several years ago when, as Vek explains was “a window of about a week when I was speaking to people over social media.” The two kept in contact through out the years, but “eventually, inevitably, they found themselves at the same Creators Project party in Brazil.” Funny, I inevitably and randomly run into people at parties in Brazil all the time too! The result of the two is pure bliss in electro-pop form.
The pair recently released two gems, “Know Yourself” and “Oyster” which will be released August 5th as a limited edition 7″ vinyl and download. If you’re eager for even more of Nothankyou’s addicting sound, the duo states “…more may come, especially if you are polite and firm.” Until then, have at it! Stream “Know Yourself” and “Oyster” below – Yesthankyou!
Nothankyou – Oyster
Nothankyou – Know Yourself
Music or Misery? Listen to New: Clare Maguire, Haim, Rudimental, Judson Claiborne & GEMS
Clare Maguire
What came first, the music or the misery? People worry about kids playing with guns, or watching violent videos, that some sort of culture of violence will take them over. Nobody worries about kids listening to thousands, literally thousands of songs about heartbreak, rejection, pain, misery and loss. Did I listen to pop music because I was miserable? Or was I miserable because I listened to pop music?- High Fidelity
Clare Maguire, the young British singer-songwriter with a voice reminiscent of Stevie Nicks has released a new single, “Paper Thin.” It’s a brooding, somber, soulful and beautiful gem laced with keys and Maguire’s delicate, enchanting sound – An excellent track if your misery needs company:
Clare Maguire – Paper Thin
The LA-based sisters that make up Haim have done it again – Released yet another ridiculously catchy pop song you just can’t hate. I’m still debating what the lyrics actually mean. Did she cheat on him? Regardless, the “new” single (the track has been around for a while, but they finally created a fine-tuned studio version) is already blowing up blogosphere, and it’s well-deserving. the The trio have yet to release a full-length album, but each new single creates even more hype than the last. Enjoy:
Haim – The Wire
UK dance quartet Rudimental has been giving electro-pop brothers, Disclosure a healthy dose of competition. The group released their album, Home in the UK earlier this year and it’ll soon be hitting US streets in August via Big Beat Records. According to BrooklynVegan, Rudimental has collaborated with “choice vocalists like Sinead Harnett, and even more interestingly, Angel Haze, they’ve also got a track with Internet Explorer commercial soundtracking dude Alex Clare,” and of course Ella Eyre as heard below in the upbeat and infectious track, “Waiting All Night.” Have a listen …and tell me that you want me:
Rudimental – Waiting All Night ft. Ella Eyre
Judson Claiborne is an indie-rock-pop-folk band hailing from Chicago. They’ve been compared to Beck, Rufus Wainwright, and on last.fm someone tagged their music: “makes good goddamn hibiscus rose hip tea.” So, you know, it’s gotta be good. “Neo-Pagan Lovesong” is a romantic new number that can be found on their recently released LP, We have Not Doors You Need Not Keys.
Judson Claiborne – Neo-Pagan Lovesong
GEMS, the Washington D.C. based couple who’ve been taking the dream-pop spotlight by storm (and filling the hole in your heart you have reserved for ‘old’ Beach House sounds) has released yet another “gem.” “Sinking Stone” is a dreamy and nostalgic track, one in which front woman Lindsay Pitts delicately and somberly coos the chorus, “Could you ever love me again? I need to know…” successfully crushing your heart.
GEMS – Sinking Stone
Take Me Away Tracks! NEW: Museum of Bellas Artes + MONEY + Mind Tree
Museum Of Bellas Artes
Some days you really just wanna “get the f**k out of dodge,” (and I say this just as everyone in the United States is crawling back to work after a 4-day holiday weekend). But as a once nomadic vagabond traversing the world consistently for a handful of years, staying put in one place (even if it’s as beautiful as San Francisco), simply makes things feel stagnant.
And, if your day-to-day living situations seem to be less than stellar (i.e. boring job, too many housemates, lack of travel money), the idea of a great escape seems absolutely necessary, yet not entirely plausible. Luckily we have music – Our vice and sonic vacay when we simply wanna be taken away. With that, I present to you the loveliest of new jams that have recently been taking me “way down to Kokomo” – Let’s go:
Museum Of Bellas Artes is an electro-pop 3 piece hailing from the depths of Stockholm, Sweden. The trio made waves back in 2009 with their cover of Sapphire’s, “Who Do You Love,”as well as their ripping hype-worthy singles, “Days Ahead” (including epic synthy flute sounds!) and “Watch the Glow” in 2010. At last, the trio will soon be releasing their full-length debut album September 23 via Best Fit Recordings.
Their latest single, “Abyss,” which can be found on their forthcoming album is a dreamy, trance-inducing, and soulful gem worthy of serious repeat action. Stay tuned for their long-awaited debut:
Museum Of Bellas Artes – Abyss
Pick a band name, any band name! That’s the ‘name’ of the game for Bella Union‘s latest signed group: MONEY – Not exactly easy to find, but I suppose it’s better than their previously chosen band names, “Youth,” and/or “Books.” The fresh Manchester-based quartet has produced less than a handful of sweeping, dreamy, breathtaking tracks, but they’re selling out shows in nano-seconds – Their hype is hot, just in time for a debut album due out late this summer. Have a listen, watch Money’s brand-new video for “Bluebell Fields,” and keep these fellas on your radar… before they change names again:
Money –Bluebell Fields
Mind Tree is the moniker of a 21 “year young” producer and undergrad music student based in Melbourne, Australia. According to his site, Mind Tree states that his music “has an empathic focus on beauty and nostalgia with a cinematic production style that revolves around delicately warm melodies and self recorded samples from special moments throughout my life.” Have a listen to the beauty below, a track that derives from the soundtrack to an “atmospheric, minimalistic” platform game, Element 4L – Interesting to say the least:
Mind Tree – Close Your Eyes So You Can See (Pretty Ghost Mix)
Friends Don’t Let Friends Have Music Slumps! – Listen to NEW: Mortar and Pestle + Shortcircles + Hospital Ships
Mortar and Pestle
Music slumps are serious business. Only the freshest, synth-tastic, moving and/or funkiest of sweet sounds can dig you out of the black pit of despair that comes with a lack of enthusiasm for any new music out there. Friends don’t let friends get stuck in music slumps. This is why I’m ever so grateful for friends (or lovers – Oooh la la) who’ve passed along the following gems that’ll cure the the most lonely, stagnant and discouranging of music slumps:
Mortar and Pestle is an “avant pop” trio from Oakland, California who exude funk and bring deliciously sweet synth and dark beats to life on stage. The near-and-dear to my heart musician/audio producer/engineer, Bryan Lovett was mixing Mortar & Pestle at San Francisco Magazine’s 2013 “Best of the Bay” party when he sent me their details and exclaimed, “Think you’d really dig ’em!” And just a few days later to our pleasant surprise, Mortar & Pestle opened for Prince Rama, the electrotastic, weird, wild & whacky sister duo from Brooklyn. Both bands put on ridiculously fun and energetic shows, and I danced harder than I have in a long time – Way to bring it! We snatched up Mortar & Pestle‘s recently released and self-titled debut which can easily and obsessively be repeated. Find Mortar & Pestle on Facebook, Bandcamp, and/or Soundcloud.
Prince Rama also debuted their musical masterpiece of a film (that was created thanks to Kickstarter) featuring songs from their album, Top Ten Hits of the End of the World – It’ll leave you thinking, “Am I on drugs right now, or are they?” Both bands are a must-see live, especially if you’re in the pits of musical apathy.
Mortar and Pestle – U.V.
Mortar and Pestle – Pristine Dream
Shortcircles is the electro-pop project of Oakland, California-based (way to represent East Bay) producer, Matt Tammariello. Lovely friends and music aficionados at Professional Fans recently held one of their up-and-coming new music showcases here in San Francisco featuring Shortcircles and I was instantly hooked. Luckily for us, Shortcircles released his sophomore album, Between Waves (via Plug Research Records) for our listening pleasure. Enjoy:
Shortcircles – All I Can Be for You
Hospital Ships is a Lawrence, Kansas-based indie-folk-pop group and “bedroom project” of Jordan Geiger. I heard Hospital Ship‘s hauntingly addictive jam, “Remaining Light” on friend, music writer and radio host, Anthony Carew’s weekly two hour Melbourne, Australia-based radio program, International Pop Underground – An amazing source of ecclectic music discovery. Their latest LP, Destruction in Yr Soul was released June 18th via Graveface Records. Have a listen for some all-Americana jams – perfect timing for USA’s Independence Day:
Hospital Ships – Remaining Light
Hospital Ships – If It Speaks
Braids is Finally Back! Listen to New Jams – In Kind + Amends
Raphaelle Standell-Preston is a busy woman. As the vocal half of the ambient dream-pop “love project,” Blue Hawaii, and vocalist in the electro-pop “art rockers” group, Braids, Raphaelle’s dynamic voice is keeping electro music in Montreal alive and beautiful.
Blue Hawaii has been in the spotlight as of late – They released a new album this year, Untogether, which was received with incredible praise, and headed out on a whirlwind tour with electro Canadian comrades and bffs, Purity Ring. However, Braids is now having its well-deserved shining moment… again.
Braids made waves with their 2011 debut LP, Native Speaker, establishing themselves as a “promising band.” With two new recent releases, “In Kind” and “Amends,” Braids is back and it appears they’re keeping up with the reputation. However, the blend and undistinguished sound between Blue Hawaii and Braids has become even more apparent amongst fans – but can you really complain? Have a listen and decide:
Braids‘ 12 inch, In Kind//Amends is due out 6/11/13 and their highly anticipated sophomore album, Flourish//Perish is due out 8/20/13 via Arbutus, Full Time Hobby, and Flemish Eye.
Watch New Electro-Pop Video: Mozart’s Sister – Mozart’s Sister
The extremely talented Montreal-hailing electro-pop artist, Mozart’s Sister has released her first video. Caila Thompson-Hannant, (formerly of Shapes and Sizes) is the electro-pop Queen claiming to be #2, however, she’s slowly but surely making big waves in the blogosphere with her undeniably catchy beats and soaring, soulful vocals. Donning just a handful of songs via her 2011 self-released EP, Dear Fear, Mozart’s Sister has since teamed up with Merok Records (Crystal Castles, Majical Cloudz, Active Child, Giza) and re-released her EP as Hello back in February.
Today, we’re graced with a video of the quirky songstress with the sweetest beats belting the song that started it all, “Mozart’s Sister.” At SXSW this year, while Caila bounced around on stage, she exclaimed that “Mozart’s Sister” was her very first track (though not her first release) and the inspiration for her project’s name, for which we’re ecstatic!
Watch Mozart’s Sister‘s video now and find her on Facebook, Twitter, SoundCloud and/or Bandcamp. Can’t wait for more! Until then, ENJOY:
Listen to New (Rat) Jams! Wise Blood is Most Certainly Boss
Oh hello, Wise Blood. Welcome back, we’ve missed you.
Wise Blood is the moniker of Pittsburgh native and experimental electro-pop producer, Christopher Laufman. He, as Pitchfork so eloquently stated, “appeared out of left field” in 2010, and wooed ears over in 2011 with his clean EP, These Wings. After some silence, Wise Blood is back and he’s donning jams that’re more smooth, soulful and poppy than ever – They also coincidently seem to commonly mention rats and/or rat poison (okay, it’s just two jams). Regardless, Wise Blood’s experimental pop gems will sweep you off your feet.
“Rat” and “Universe is Blessed” can both be found on Wise Blood‘s forthcoming and debut album, id, due out June 25th via Dovecote Records. Welcome Wise Blood back into the well-deserved limelight with a thorough listen:
Wise Blood – Rat
Wise Blood – Universe is Blessed
Funkdafied Mixtape ft. NONONO + Chlöe Howl + MØ + Dungeonesse + Banks + Club 8 + Suvi + Prides, etc.
UGH. I’m in a funk. Like, a really big one. Being annoyed or frustrated is one of the most all-consuming, poisonous, and (duh!) annoying emotions to have to endure. Sure, “only you can determine how you feel,” but I also call bullshit. Sometimes, you just need something else to pull you out of a funk (like a margarita!), or some seriously funky jams. Hence, I’ve created a funkdafied mixtape of brand spankin’ new jams… They’re perfect for any day in which you need to be smacked out of a seriously big funk: coco stereo’s funkdafied mixtape playlist:
NONONO – Like The Wind (D. Lissvik Remix)
Chlöe Howl – Rumour (YACHT remix)
Dungeonesse – Drive You Crazy
Banks – Warm Water (Prod. By Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs)
Prides – Out Of the Blue
MØ – Waste Of Time
O S C A R – Never Told You
Club 8 – I’m Not Gonna Grow Old
Cosmo Sheldrake – Rich (Feat. Anna Roo)
Suvi – Bleeding For Your Love
coco stereo 