Island Audio Faces No Obstacles

Island Audio isn’t quite as windswept and tropical as their name might imply. Yet, this four piece band from Bristol makes arty pop with big and bold brush strokes and a level of creativity that needs to find its way into more pop music. Their album Obstacles is a classic sounding art pop record that will bring to mind old Nettwerk Records bands like Single Gun Theory or maybe even a band like the Cranberries. As a band Island Audio are slightly askew but beautifully put together with jangly guitars, soaring vocals, and songs that are as literate as they are gorgeous.

Much like their name Obstacles is a bit of a misnomer as it's anything but difficult to listen to. Rather, the songs are easy on the ears and almost feel as pure and heavenly as a spring rain. This record has such a classic feel to it and such a cool aesthetic that it's hard not to become gripped by vocalist Savannah's hypnotic vocals. Obstacles is good stuff and while it's not necessarily an immediate record the thing works its magic very subtly. Songs are sublime, quiet, and unobtrusive. This is an album that gently makes its presence felt and when you discover it you feel compelled to pay attention to it. With post-gazing flourishes, jangly guitars, and a sense of contentment Obstacles feels very comfortable.

Excellently played and expertly crafted Obstacles is a classic in the making...and if you're old like me...you'll feel a sense of comfortable familiarity with Island Audio. They very artfully go about crafting songs that make gentle impressions in your subconscious and by the time Obstacles finishes the only obstacle remaining is you walking away from the record.

It's A Musical For Years and Years

It's a Musical is not an all singing, all dancing Broadway production. Rather It's A Musical is a quirky Germanic duo who play cuddly, twee, and quite good indie pop. Their sophomore album For Years and Years is a synthy and sugary treat that has summer written all over it. Taking the Mates of State template of duo-rock and giving it a little Teutonic flair, It's A Musical use the organ and drums as a huge part of their songs and songwriting and it gives the band a unique sound as that's carefree and frivolous without the use of one single jangly guitar.

For Years and Years is fantastic. This is pop music that's breezy, carefree, and totally in love with being a pop record. It's A Musical are an energetic little group that waste no time or energy on For Years and Years and as a result this is a giddy indie pop record with danceable gems, skippy tunes, memorable choruses; the whole she-bang. It's like a Barcelona record on a German slant with Mates of State influences everywhere. Boy/girl harmonies sidle next to each other, organs soar, horns chime in, and hearts melt as It's A Musical work their way through the twelve tracks here.

For Years and Years is easily one of my favorite indie pop records of 2012. It is light hearted, cheery, and the sort of thing that's guaranteed to lift your spirits when you’re down in the dumps. The world needs more bands like It's A Musical. In fact, it could use a whole bunch of them right now.

Beataucue Can't Slow Down

First off, I just want to say thank you to Kitsune Records. Amazingly with the destruction of dance music by dubstep and "electro house," Kitsune has never strayed from making redonkulously fantastic electro the way it should be made. They know how to pick 'em, know how to record 'em and know how to melt a dance floor with ease. As if to prove the point Beataucue's single, Slow Down is an absolute monster of a tune.

Featuring the vocals of Kenzie May and wrapping them in a sensuous throbbing poptastic electro blanket the song is absolutely golden. The vocals are crisp and irresistible and the synth work here is so hot that it might just melt your Ipod. This is a monster of a proper electro tune and has so much pop blood flowing through it, the thing should be a hit everywhere. It's kind of like every Dragonette/Martin Solveig team up; Beataucue have that cute but sexy thing down and knock it out of the park with hooks the size of Jupiter.

If you add in the five other mixes here you have one heck of a single that's destined to keep DJ's smiling and dance floor's rocking. Featuring remixes from Japanese Popstars, Adrian Lux, Yelle DJs, and DWNTWN there's no shortage of uber high quality re-workings here. Of the four superstar remixes I'm going to have to say that the Japanese Popstars remix is my favorite face melter; dark-ish with a super familiar throbby synth riff it's the kind of thing that could be used for mind control.

Slow Down is a slice of electro perfection. It's embraced it's inner pop demons and run with them all the way to the dance floor. You can't get much better than this tune and this is easily my favorite single at the moment.

Heaven Releases A Record

Heaven's latest single, the oddly enough titled Heaven 7" features two songs of half awake dream pop that seem to waft by without raising much of a fuss. Both the A and B-side of the single are stellar performances and contain enough mind numbing ethereal guitar work to hypnotize all who listen. The A-side, "Move Mountains," is almost the closest thing to the Mary Chain's "Just Like Honey," I've heard in a while. The tune has that sense of heartbroken desperation pulsating through it and the song just kind of floats along like it. On the flip things are a bit more repetitive but none-the-less brilliant. "Falling Apple," is a bit easier to latch on to because of a riff that repeats into infinity and never leaves your memory. It's good stuff.

Heaven is an awesome little record that hints at how great this band is and how amazing an album would be from them. Here's hoping they take a little time away from heaven to record a bunch more songs that sound as otherworldly and as good as these. Heaven is an awesome band and I guess that's to be expected when you name your band after the place with the pearly gates up there in the clouds.

Herzog Enjoys Cartoon Violence

 
I'll be the first to admit, when I saw the name Herzog...my mind went straight to Whitey Herzog and his famed career with the Cards. Some of you artier types might even thing of Werner Herzog...But alas the band Herzog is an indie rock band from that tourism capital of the world...Cleveland. After listening to their album Cartoon Violence I think it can be safely said that there is no doubt that Cleveland rocks.

Coming at Cartoon Violence with a retro 80's, Stiff Records power pop attack, Herzog create jumpy, pogotastic tunes that are energetic and sugary sweet. To say that Cartoon Violence is anything but great would be an understatement as every tune on the record is instantly accessible and mind numbingly memorable. Guitars chop their way through riffs, drums march onward, and the vocals shout in a melodious way and when it all comes together it's the way pop music should be...hyper, catchy, and good. These guys have a strong degree of retro-futurism pulsating throughout their songs and it's that old-time 80's power pop feel that really makes this all click.

I've really enjoyed listening to Cartoon Violence. Its sense of the past is spot on and even when they try modernizing what they do, you can still hear that Stiff Records influence. These guys have created a set of songs that kick butt and take no prisoners. Their chunky riffs and catchy shouts give every song a shot of adrenalin that takes Cartoon Violence to pop Babylon!

Christian Strobe Loves Without Love

Christian Strobe has made quite a name for himself over the last year. From his remixes of M83 and Arcade Fire setting the blogosphere on fire to being asked to remix Katy Perry the guy has just about seen and done it all except release his own material. That's where Love Without Love comes into play. Filled with three original tunes and three reworks/edits the single has something for everyone to current house/electro styles to classic 80's synths it's all here and it's getting sweaty.

Strobe clearly knows his way around his equipment and has no shortages of ideas when it comes to constructing massive tunes. From using piano house influences, trancy synths, catchy choruses and four to the floor drums it's all here and used with scientific like precision. The three originals are all floor packing anthems that should be gargantuan hits. In listening to these tunes, "Love Without Love," "Nighthawk," and "Helen" it’s easy to see why he's getting phone calls from people like Katy Perry; he's a one man hit making machine. While some of the re-works and edits really don't do anything for me, ("Radio Edit," and "Instrumental Club Mix") the "Classic Version" of the title track is worth the price of the single alone; think 80's synths, piano house chords and the like and you have a hit covered in fluro.

If you're looking for a summer anthem you don't ever want to forget, find Love Without Love. An excellent single it proves that Christian Strobe is one producer that's got to be reckoned with. The only question remains is if there are more tunes like this on a hard drive just waiting to be unleashed? One can only hope.

MaddJazz's Windy City Chronicles

MaddJazz's latest EP Windy City Chronicles is a breezy house record packed with nearly thirty minutes of floor filling, hands throwing, feet moving jams. A blinding tech-house record, the five tracks that make it up are absolutely massive tunes and are so incredibly catchy that they might just never leave your mind.

Packed with repetitive, mind numbing samples, synth stabs and steady pounding beats, Windy City Chronicles is a non-stop electronic battle weapon that any self respecting DJ should have in his box. Add in a series of killer (non-wobbly) bass lines and you have a solid record that shows MaddJazz to be one of the finest producers working the decks today. From the appropriately titled, "Bass Drop," and "Keep Ya Hands Up," to the full on minimal techno mayhem of "So Seductive," Windy City Chronicles will seduce your ears and feet whether you want it to or not. An essential single without a doubt MaddJazz has done Chicago proud.