New York producer and one half of the Flagrant Fowl imprint, Pocketknife, has been deftly remixing choice records since mid 2006. Artist's including Feist, Beirut and Adele have all had their music subtly beautified by the Brooklyn DJ, whose influences include the likes of Diplo, Grandmaster Flash and LCD Soundsystem. Knowing how much you all adore this chap, it is with great pleasure that I offer you his superb Loosefoot remix of Lykke Li's awesome track, Breaking It Up (Oh, I know, soooo 2008!) I do hope your NY celebration go according to plan.
Wednesday 31 December 2008
Pocketknife
Thursday 25 December 2008
Happy Christmas
From The Joy Formidable to me ^^. From me to you. Happy Christmas. Go on...open it:MP3: The Joy Formidable - My Beerdrunk Soul Is Sadder Than A Hundred Dead Christmas Trees DOWNLOAD
Wednesday 24 December 2008
No. 24
"The rich are always advising the poor, but the poor seldom return the compliment". Sir Arthur Helps MP3: Osborne - 16Th Stage DOWNLOAD
MP3: Tommy Sparks - I'm A Rope (Yuksek Rework) DOWNLOAD
MP3: Bitclipr - Discofreak DOWNLOAD
MP3: Tiga & Zyntherius - Sunglasses At Night (Black Devil Dub) DOWNLOAD
MP3: Kent - Vy Fraan Ett Luftslott (Punks Jump Up Remix) DOWNLOAD
MP3: System Of A Down - B.Y.O.B. DOWNLOAD
MP3: The New Standards - Such Great Heights (The Postal Service Cover) DOWNLOAD
Sunday 21 December 2008
Marina And The Diamonds
If you're like me, then your itunes will be littered with accomplished female artists (could I sound more patronising?) like Feist, Ladyhawke and Lykke Li (among others). Now you can add to the list pint-sized songstress, Marina And The Diamonds, hailing from the valleys of Wales via Greece (or maybe that's Greece via Wales). Marina's sound seems ripe for chart success, following the breakthrough of other artists like Duffy and Adele, though she's as annoying as neither. That's not to say she won't make it on her own merit, not at all. Obsessions, Marina's incoming single, demonstrates the singers inclination for bouncy keys, brisk beats, and cutting lyrics ("Won't you quit your crying I can't sleep, one minute I'm a little sweet heart, and next minute you are an absolute creep") contrasted by drawn out chords and softly-softly vocals.
Obsessions is backed with the track Mowgli's Road and will be released via Neon Gold Records, through which the mighty Sleepyhead was unleashed. The single is limited to 500 copies, 250 of which will be made available to customers outside the U.S.. Head on over to Puregroove to per-order your copy.
Thursday 18 December 2008
Passion Pit - Sleepyhead (Wallpaper Dio Remix)
You know you're truly broke when you have to economise servery to be buy a record. In the case of Passion Pits debut 7", Sleepyhead, I didn't mind. Looking back, I think we can agree that Passion Pit provided us with one of the tunes of the year. November saw New York's Finger On The Pulse blog commence a remix competition for the track which saw Wallpaper. crowned the winner. This excellent remix wants to be the darker cousin of the original, with its unrushed tempo and thick, moody synths, lightened up with some neatly placed pitched-up sax.
MP3: Passion Pit - Sleepyhead (Wallpaper. Dio Remix) DOWNLOAD
Wednesday 17 December 2008
Two Door Cinema Club
Hailing from County Down's seaside resort of Bangor comes Two Door Cinema Club. This drummer-less three-piece combine the frantic tendencies of Vampire Weekend with the smooth production of Death Cab For Cutie, culminating in a sound not to dissimilar to 2007 favourites, Goodbooks. Bursting at the seems with melodious guitar flourishes and vocal harmony, the band manage to create an indie sound with both pop and electronic overtones. Remarkably, they remain unsigned, but you do have to wonder for how much longer?
The Ting Tings - Shut Up And Let It Snow
Courtesy of Radio 1. The crazy cat speaking at the end is uber douche bag Chris Moyles. My apologies... Lord Skywave - I Am A Dead Man (Grovesnor Remix)
One time Hot-Chiper, Grovesvnor (the moniker of one Rob Smoughton), produced a true gem of '08 with the deliciously over the top, Drive Your Car. Now, Grovesvnor has turned his hand to remixing the little known slide-project of former Simian, current Black Ghosts man, Simon Lord. A nice up-tempo slice of boogie-disco.
MP3: Lord Skywave - I Am A Dead Man (Grovesnor Remix) DOWNLOAD
Monday 15 December 2008
Ou Est Le Swimming Pool
Ou Est Le Swimming Pool are a band who will achieve success in 2009. This time next year, I'll smugly be uttering the words: "told you so". They have it all. They exude confidence, they've given up on their birth names, and they sport moustaches. Oh, and they make gloriously dingy disco tinged electro. Think The Human League on a downer. Enjoy.
MP3: Ou Est Le Swimning Pool - Dance The Way I Feel DOWNLOAD
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Sunday 14 December 2008
No. 23
"I tried comminting suicide by sticking my head in the oven, but there was a cake in it". Lesley BooneMP3: Jen Feldman - Kaddish For Britney DOWNLOAD
MP3: Housemeister - What You Want (Siriusmo Remix) DOWNLOAD
MP3: Kaiser Chiefs - Golden Skans (Klaxons Cover) DOWNLOAD
MP3: Shannon - Let The Music Play (Death To The Throne Remix) DOWNLOAD
MP3: Skew - Stadiums Are OK Too DOWNLOAD
MP3: Blue Sky Black Death - Once Away DOWNLOAD
MP3: Jedi Mind Tricks - Monolith DOWNLOAD
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Friday 12 December 2008
Audio Bullys/Shinichi Osawa News
Few bits of news I want get through. Firstly, electronic music duo, Audio Bullys have made a comic...that's right, a comic! Basically, the narrative fits round the lyrical content of the track Dope Fiend, which, when you purchase a physical copy of the comic you get a download link for. Here's you click-through banner:
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Second up is some swell news from the Shinichi Osawa camp: a competition entitled 'Who is The One who could remix and release your track?' Submit your MP3 for Joe public to listen to and vote on, after which Shinichi will take a butchers at the 10 highest rated tracks and choose an overall winner. Top dog will have their track released on Southern Fried Records together with an accompanying remix from Shinichi himself!
Thursday 11 December 2008
Clubfeet
Melbourne trio Clubfeet have just released their debut studio album. I'm rather surprised at the fact that last Wednesday was the first time I'd heard the bands refreshingly humorous brand of smooth electronic pop. The first single off their Gold On Gold album, Teenage Suicide, kind of sounds like it's been commissioned by the Samaritans, featuring the lyrical refrain "Teenage suicide, don't do it!". Very festive. But seriously, you'd be doing yourself a disservice if you didn't check these dudes out.
Purchase Gold On Gold.
The Joy Formidable - Cradle Release
I'm pretty sure that if The Joy Formidable had released an L.P. this year, it would've popped up somewhere on my 'Top Albums of 2008' list, which I posted the other day. Anyway, following the release of the bands debut 7", Austere (of which I'm a proud owner of a signed copy), you can now pre-order their follow up single, Cradle, released on Try Harder records, available on 2ND February. This particular 7", I've been informed, will be a gate fold release, and will feature new track, The Last Drop, as well as remixes from Kyte and Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaur. Here's your pre-order LINK.
MP3: The Joy Formidable - Cradle (Kyte Remix) DOWNLOAD
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Monday 8 December 2008
Top 10 Albums Of 2008
So here's Check The Availability's Top 10 Albums of 2008. I promised myself I'd never do one (I managed to resist last year), however, for me to be able to summit my a list for the Hype Machine's Zeitgeist of 2008 I actually have to have one posted on the blog. Please comment. Here goes:
1. Friendly Fires - Friendly Fires AMAZON
4. Born Ruffians - Red, Yellow & Blue AMAZON
9. Guns N' Roses - Chinese Democracy AMAZON
MP3: I'm not going to risk posting one, get me?
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Sunday 7 December 2008
BMX
Ahoy there! Quirky foursome BMX are an Australian bandwagon worth jumping on. Their minimalist, indie influenced chewing gum pop has already caught the attention of some big name blogs (notably Bigstereo), and they're set to play with Metronomy early next year. I'm pretty sure you'll love the whole girl/boy vocal thing, not to mention the fact that vocalist Dominique sounds like a cross between an 80's Madonna and a Princess Superstar, circa Bad Babysitter. Exactly like everything and nothing you've heard before. Go see...
MP3: BMX - War DOWNLOAD
MP3: BMX - Theme To BMX DOWNLOAD
MP3: BMX - Theme To BMX (Jasper Remix) DOWNLOAD
Sunday 30 November 2008
Chinese Democracy
A week today, Guns 'n' Roses (or its remnants) released their long awaited album, Chinese Democracy. "Long awaited" doesn't really do the actual time-scale justice, for GNR's sixth studio album was fourteen years in the making running up a bill of thirteen million big ones!
I love Guns 'n' Roses. You can blame my brothers, 11 years my senior, for that. The fact is, I'm far from being the only one. Remember the band's massively popular Greatest Hits?
No album is worth waiting fourteen years for. That said, I'm shocked at how good Chinese Democracy sounds. I'm not saying it's the best album of the year, but really, I was expecting some overblown, self-indulgent tut, produced to within an inch of its life. I'd be lying if I said it didn't feature any of those things, but come on, this is Axl Rose.
Much of the album picks up were the dramitics of November Rain left off but interestingly begins with three tracks that wouldn't sound out of place on a Korn record. Shackler's Revenge is an album highlight. If The World should really have been this years Bond theme tune. Better than that White/Keys nonsense.
Axl's voice is still in tact. Somewhere in between a strangled cat and an aggressive feminist. Conversations I've had over the years has made me realise that to some, it really grates. Though, perhaps because of the memories of my youth, it makes my spine tingle.
If you think I'm going to post a track off the album, you've got another thing coming. Chinese Democracy contributed to the downfall of Geffen, and I can only imagine the legal team is like nothing I've ever seen. You'll have to make do with this cover, but fans of GNR should really download the album.
MP3: Mylo- Sweet Child o' Mine (Guns n' Roses Cover) DOWNLOAD
Tuesday 25 November 2008
No. 22
"The only difference between a flower and a weed is...judgement" AnonymousMP3: Tough Alliance - Neo Violence (Shazam Remix) DOWNLOAD
MP3: Alexander Techinique & Van Scott - Nightlovers DOWNLOAD
MP3: Deerhunter - Octet (Simian Mobile Disco Remix) DOWNLOAD
MP3: Like Woah! - Discomboulator DOWNLOAD
Thursday 20 November 2008
A-ux
New Yorker, A-ux, makes old school tinged dance music. I'm not talking about that drug fuelled rave crap. No, this is the kind of dance music you can unwind to and gently bop your hat holder. Kind of ambient. Kind of euphoric, and crammed with some gorgeous metallic synth work. He has an album out, y'know. It's available at itunes.
Wednesday 19 November 2008
Heads We Dance
Yorkshire's Heads We Dance are set to release their much hyped 12" (and digital download) on 24Th of this month, via Gold City Records. The lead track, The Human Touch, described as "a crunchin' five minute space-disco synth workout", received a 5/5 rating in I-DJ, and was made Song of the Day by Popjustice. The flip side, You Are Never Alone With Model 21, sees the band do a great impression of a slightly sinister Pet Shop Boys. Now, I know that maybe doesn't sound like a compliment, but you should come see my collection of PSB vinyl.
MP3: Heads We Dance - You Are Never Alone With Model 21 DOWNLOAD
MP3: Heads We Dance - My Heart Is Set On You (Geek Chic's Cardio Workout) DOWNLOAD
Tuesday 18 November 2008
New Metric Track
Prior to the release of Metric's as yet unnamed forth studio album (due early 2009, fingers crossed), the band distributed a track entitled Help, I'm Alive, to Canadian radio. The song is thought to be the albums leading single. My initial reaction was one of indifference. It was only after I watched the video posted on the bands website, in which vocalist/songwriter Emily Haines describes the difficult process of putting together new material, that I came to appreciate the vocal anguish of the record. I usually find this kind of thing pretty pretentious, but I guess I can forgive a bit of pomp for such a great band.
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Monday 17 November 2008
Sleepyhead Remix
Passion Pit man, Ayad, was kind enough to send over his Bo Flex label's remix of Sleepyhead for posting. It's beefed up a bit and contains some lovely spacey keyboard stabs and melodic bass action, of which members of Giantess had a hand in writing. Weirdly, at the time I received this track from Ayad, I got an email from Brighton based band, The Mummers, containing their own interpretation (or reanimation) of the song. God moves in mysterious ways, blah, blah.
MP3: Passion Pit - Sleepyhead (Bo Flex Remix Feat. Giantess) DOWNLOAD
MP3: The Mummers vs. Passion Pit - Sleepyhead (Reanimation) DOWNLOAD
Sunday 16 November 2008
Giantess
Introducing Giantess; your new favourite Boston based electronic-pop group. They interest me for two reasons: one, they're produced by Passion Pit man, Ayad Al-Adhamy on his very own Bo Flex Music Label; and two, they combine uplifting Bag Raider-esque power synths with kitsch 80's overtones (not to disimilar to Chromeo) and a vocal display of emotive American attitude. A lot of current music seems to be heading more and more in this direction, wouldn't you say? A fact I'm rather happy about.
No. 21
"If you want your dreams to come true, don't over sleep." Yiddish ProverbMP3: Dan Black - Hyptz DOWNLOAD
MP3: Cut Copy - Far Away (Hercules And Love Affair Remix) DOWNLOAD
MP3: MGMT - Electric Feel (Dskotek Remix) DOWNLOAD
MP3: The Asteroids Galaxy Tour - Around The Bend DOWNLOAD
MP3: The Whip -Fire (Geometri Remix) DOWNLOAD
MP3: The Joy Formidable - Cradle (Kyte Remix) DOWNLOAD
MP3: FM Belfast - Lotus (Rage Against The Machine Cover) DOWNLOAD
Monday 10 November 2008
The Dark Romantics
The picture suggests sunshine drenched indie pop. The reality is not so sun kissed, for The Dark Romantics make music that wouldn't sound out of place on a early to mid eighties noir-rock compilation. The girl, boy, girl, boy, girl band are signed to U.S. label Lujo, and are due to play the Anti-Pop Music Fest in Florida, on 14th of this month. If you like what you hear, go buy the full album over at itunes.
MP3: The Dark Romantics - Another Song For Another Night DOWNLOAD
MP3: The Dark Romantics - Let's Ride
Friendly Fires - I'm Good, I'm Gone
Woah! Friendly Fires have turned Lykke Li's piano fuelled hit, I'm Good, I'm Gone, into an über smooth hand-bag house track. This is pure Genius.
Thursday 6 November 2008
Billion Dollar DJs
As promised, UK DJ set Billion Dollar DJs sent over the finished version of their track How I Laid My Minions (The Secret Of My Excess). They bundled it with their edits of Robot Rock and Song 2 (highly recommended) both of which you'll be familiar with if you've caught them live recently. The Song 2 edit is superb.
MP3: Billion Dollare DJs - How I Laid My Minions (The Secret Of My Excess) DOWNLOAD
MP3: Daft Punk - Robot Rock (Billion Dollar DJs Edit) DOWNLOAD
MP3: Blur - Song 2 (Billion Dollar DJs Re-edit) DOWNLOAD
Monday 3 November 2008
No. 20
"Consider how hard it is to change yourself and you'll understand what little chance you have in trying to change others." Jacob M. BraudeMP3: Fortune - Bully DOWNLOAD
MP3: Robyn - Cobrastyle (The Bloody Beatroots Remix) DOWNLOAD
MP3: Golden Bug - LookLookLook (In Flagranti Remix) DOWLOAD
MP3: Au Revoir Simone - Sad Song (Pacific! Remix) DOWNLOAD
MP3: The Mighty Underdogs - Want You Back DOWNLOAD
MP3: Menehan Street Band - Make The Road By Walking DOWNLOAD
MP3: Bonde Do Role - Geremia (Chewy Chocolate Cookies Remix) DOWNLOAD
Bonus:
MP3: Treasure Fingers - Cros The Dancefloor (Alex Metric Remix) DOWNLOAD
Wednesday 29 October 2008
Caspa - Fabric Mix
The past year has seen my slow but definiate jump onto the Dubstep bandwagon, all thanks to a friend of mine. Lets call him Andy Butler. I'll not bother decribing the genre, or why I like it for fear of sounding like a middle-class, white-boy tit. I will, however, post this Fabric promo mixed by Dubstep stalwart, Caspa.
Tracklist:
1. Caspa - My Pet Moster
2. Klaxons - It's Not Over
3. Rusko -Mr Muscle
4. Caspa - Louder VIP
5. Caspa - Floor Them
6. Emalkay- Explicit
7. Sub Scape - Transaction
8. The Others - Africa VIP
9. Unitz - Wait A Minute
10. Rusko - Jahova
11. Caspa - The Terminator
12. T.C. - Where's My Money (Caspa Remix)
13. Skream - Fick
Kitsuné Maison 6
I'm sure you're all aware that French fashion house and record label, Kitsuné Music, dropped the sixth of its popular compilation/zeitgeist series just this Monday. It's filled with all the usual melodic 'bangers', courtesy of Heartsrevolution, The Shoes, Streetlife DJ's, et al; but it's the lighter, poppier aspects of the collection that makes you appreciate the labels ear for a tune.
Buy Kitsuné Maison Compilation 6 HERE and HERE.
MP3: Lo-Fi Fnk - Want U DOWNLOAD
MP3: Grovesnor - Drive Your Car (Hot Chip Remix) (Removed As Per Request)
MP3: Appaloosa - The Day We Fell In Love DOWNLOAD
Monday 27 October 2008
No. 18
"Everybody's worried about stopping terrorism. Well, there's a really easy way: stop participating in it." Noam Chomsky MP3: Dead Rock Machine - Good News DOWNLOAD
MP3: Kap10kurt - Mission Complete (Moulinex Remix) DOWNLOAD
MP3: Cut Copy - Far Away (Ring Trick Mix) DOWNLOAD
MP3: Starfucker - Pop Song DOWNLOAD
MP3: Mr Oizo - Cut Dick DOWNLOAD
MP3: The Loom - Song For The Winter Sun DOWNLOAD
MP3: Sneaky Sound System - When We Were Young (G.L.O.V.E.S. Remix) DOWNLOAD
Sunday 26 October 2008
Photons
Photons (no, not The Photons, just Photons) are an 8 piece musical collective straight out of San Fransisco. They share practice rooms with psychedelic folk rockers The Dodo's and (more importantly from this bloggers perspective) their guitarist studied in Liverpool and used to make music with the Wombats. Anyhoo, they've just released their eponymous debut E.P.. It contains 6 tracks that combine lo-fi indie with some interesting bassoon/glockenspiel/clarinet action over which lead singer, James Parrish pours his gritty London town vocals. And hey, just look how normal they all appear. I like that.
Buy the E.P. HERE, HERE or HERE.
MP3: Photons - This Must Be Love DOWNLOAD
MP3: Photons - Animals DOWNLOAD
Tuesday 21 October 2008
Club Clique Mixtape #1
Clique sounds like a rather horrific retro 80's club night. Club Clique is not that night. Rather it is a twice monthly club night that delivers "digital dance, neo-disco and 21ST century explosive party pop" to some of Manchester city's most glamorous blowout kids. After being deemed "A club of the year" by Mixmag and "The city's hottest club night" by the Manchester Evening News, the team thought it about time to release their first ever mixtape. Some stuff you know, some stuff you might not:
Tracklist:
1. Kathy Brown vs. Lo-Fi Fnk - Change Channel And Turn On Me
2. Black Kids - Hurricane Jane (The Twelves Remix)
3. The New Sins - It Doesn't Work Like That
4. Trasure Fingers - Cross The Dancefloor
5. Kate Nash - Punpkin Soup (Russel Bloc Party's Team Tiger Edit)
6. Trailmix -You Make Lovin' Fun
7. Infadels - Free Things For Poor People (Alex Metric Remix)
8. Ciara - One, Two, Step (Captain Planet Mix)
9. Santogold - Say Aha (Tepr Remix)
10. CSS - Move (Cut Copy Remix)
11. Das Pop - Fool for Love (Yuksek Remix)
12. Soundhog - Take It Easy, Freak
13. Mystery Jets - Young Love (The Shoes Remix)
14. Soft Cell - Memorabilia (Edit)
15. Muslces - Sweaty (Shazam Remix)
16. Robyn - Handle Me (Ortzroka Death To Disco Remix)
17. Fox The Fox - Precious Little Diamond (Ben Liebrand Remix)
18. The Whitest Boy Alive - Golden Cage (Fred Falke Remix)
19. The Shoes - Baby I'm For Real
MP3: Club Clique - Mixtape #1 DOWNLOAD
Sunday 19 October 2008
Van She - Kelly (Lifelike Remix)
I remember when I first heard Van She's signature tune, Kelly. I was totally stoked (pardon my Australianism). Now, 2 years on, French producer Lifelike has set about remixing Kelly, in light of the song's update for the release of the band's debut album, V. The result is, well, a pretty boring re-work. See what you think. I'm kind of disappointed.
MP3: Van She - Kelly (Lifelike Remix) DOWNLOAD
BONUS (This is how it's done):
MP3: Van She - Kelly (Alan Braxe and Fred Falke Remix) DOWNLOAD
MP3: Van She - Kelly (Cut Copy Remix) DOWNLOAD
Saturday 18 October 2008
No. 17
"Once, during Prohibition, I was forced to live for days on nothing but food and water". W. C. FieldsMP3: BMX - Theme To BMX (1928 Diamondback Remix) DOWNLOAD
MP3: Shinichi Osawa - Star Guitar (The Japanese Popstars Remix) DOWNLOAD
MP3: Late Of The Pier - Focker (Boys Noize Terror Remix) DOWNLOAD
MP3: Truly Beautiful Disaster - Miranda's Verandah DOWNLOAD
MP3: Lo-Fi Fnk - Want U DOWNLOAD
MP3: Streetlife DJs - We Love The Disco Sound DOWNLOAD
MP3: Treasure Fingers - Cross The Dancefloor (Chromeo Remix) DOWNLOAD
BONUS:
MP3: Empire Of The Sun - We Are The People (Ted &Francis Remix) DOWNLOAD
Sunday 12 October 2008
Born Ruffians
I fucking LOVE Born Ruffians. I got hold of their debut L.P., Red, Yellow & Blue the other day and I'm still grinning. The band, comprising of Luke LaLonde (guitar/vocals), Mitch DeRosier (bass/vocals) and Steve Hamelin (drums), make lovably energetic guitar music, utilising vocal harmonies, minimal production and sporadic hootin' to memorable effect. I caught them at Korova the other week in what must have been one of the hottest gigs I've ever been to, both literally and metaphorically.
If you happen to be in the North America area (I hear there's 300 million of you), they're playing a shit load of shows with Plants and Animals throughout October, so be sure to catch them.
MP3: Born Ruffians - Barnacle Goose DOWNLOAD
MP3: Born Ruffians - I Need A Life (Acoustic) DOWNLOAD
MP3: Born Ruffians - I Need A Life (Four Tet Remix) DOWNLOAD
MP3: Nancy - Keep Cooler (Born Ruffians Remix) DOWNLOAD
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