Dublin-based band Funeral Suits kicked off their year of activity at Eurosonic and here we get a taste of what’s ahead with a stream of their new single ‘All Those Friendly People’, an anthemic sounding song produced by Stephen Street which gets a release on March 19th through Tri-tone/PIAS. It’s the most direct the band have sounded so far. They are on a UK tour from later this month. 2012 could be a big year for Brian James, Mik McKeogh, Greg McCarthy and Dar Grant.
Coming across like a Beach House tune conceived in the Antipodes with the gender roles reversed, ‘Rhodesia’ is a beautiful lilting song from Adelaide duo Manors, Nathaniel Morse and Caitlin Duff. It’s their first single and an album is out this year.
I wrote this post last night and since then another song ‘Elysian Fields’ has been revealed which is a bit more of a twinkling epic number. One to watch?
Chairlift’s 2008 debut album Does You Inspire You? was an impressive if somewhat muddled first release. Swaying from from bubblegum electro-pop to moodier synth cuts, the overall impression of the Brooklyn band’s debut was “interesting” and perhaps most notable for ‘Bruises’, a cute song that featured in an iPod commercial that year.
Chairlift founding member Aaron Pfenning left in 2010 to pursue his solo project Rewards. Meanwhile vocalist Caroline Polachek strengthened her vocal chops in appearances with Girl Crisis, Guards, Holy Ghost! and Washed Out while Patrick Wimberly produced some Das Racist tracks.
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Grizzly Bear’s Daniel Rossen has a solo EP coming out on Warp in March called Silent Hour/Golden Mile. ‘Silent Single’ is the first single from the EP, a gently rolling arrangement set to Rossen’s distinctive vocal and harmonies.
Last week, the more atmospheric piano number ‘Saint Nothing’ was revealed from the release.
Promising producer Evian Christ has signed to Tri Angle Records and they’ve put out a mixtape of his featuring eight tracks so far entitled Kings & Them. Pretty excited about more music from this project. Download the mixtape and add Evian Christ on Twitter.
‘Destiny’ is the second track off the excellent new John Talabot album ƒin to feature Pional. ƒin is defined by expansive intoxicated Mediterranean sun-kissed house and electronic productions. You’ll be hearing a lot more from Barcelona man Talabot this year.
Since I first met up with Shangaan Electro producer Nozinja in Johannesburg in 2010, the ultra fast-paced marimba electro music was an unknown phenomenon. Since then, thanks to an Honest Jon’s compilation and lots of media coverage, Nozinja and his team of dancers and singers have toured Europe, Australia and made appearances at Damon Albarn’s Another Honest Jon’s Chopup gigs in October last year alongside Fatoumata Diawara, Flea, Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, Tony Allen and Theo Parrish.
Last month, two new compilations appeared on digital download sites. The clown-faced boiler suited Tshestsha Boys’ released Youtube Top Hits while Tiyiselani Vomaseve, a five-piece girl group released Tiyiselani Volume 1. All music is by Nozinja. Here’s a tune from each:
Benny Smiles has given me one of my favourite tracks of the last month already with ‘Sunday Morning’ (below) but here in a turn into Rubberbandits territory, the Loud Mouth Collective producer combines with Ballz Deep (who wrote the lyrics and sings the tune) and goes for the art heads with an R&B jam about an NCAD Girl, that’s guaranteed to have Thomas Street buzzing.
“The afterparty is in Andrew’s Lane… Oh my god, the music is so amazing. There’ll be jizz and crunkstep, UK garage toolbox, grime, retro future cyberwave and a new minimalist techno from Berlin. It’s so minimal it’s actually silent… it’s so coooool..”
Benny Smiles is Ross Fortune from Wicklow and he was in the Gorgeous Colours at some point. He display his live looping live show at State vs. Loud Mouth Collective alongside The Notas and Mick. E Rawk on Feb 17th.
More tunes at Soundcloud.
Music aside for a second, Stephen Colbert is a bit of a hero, the kind of person you want attending that fantasy dinner party filled with all the people you admire. He has been using his show, The Colbert Report, to hilariously highlight the stupidity of Super PACs (a puppet group that run ads on behalf of a Presidential candidate often run by his closest allies) in the States by starting one himself and raising $1 million dollars from the people who watch his show (“I got 99 problems but a non-connected independent-expenditure only committee ain’t one!” he said on his show). It’s political satire at its best.
Colbert is also a master interviewer able to walk the line between delivering one-liners, establishing fascinating discourse and squeezing his interviewee for laughs through his Republican persona. Watch his interview with Björk where they talk about apps, elves and art & Björk performs ‘Cosmonogy’. Read More… →
NCAD Girl: A Dublin R&B song by Benny Smiles & Ballz DeepThe Nialler9 Dublin gig guide (January 31st – February 6th)Listen to songs from the soundtrack to DriveIntroducing: Young Wonder – Cork electronic pop duoAlbum stream roundup: Lana Del Rey, Blondes, Delorentos, Leonard Cohen, We Have Band & more
