Wednesday 31 December 2008

Pocketknife

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.


MP3: Lykke Li -Breaking It Up (Pocketknife's Loosefoot Remix) DOWNLOAD
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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?

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MP3: Two Door Cinema Club - Hands Off My Cash, Monty DOWNLOAD
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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...
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MP3: The Ting Tings - Shut Up And Let It Snow DOWNLOAD
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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 Boone

MP3: 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!



MP3: Audio Bullys - Flickery Vision (Jamie Anderson and Deepgroove's Idiotproof Remix) DOWNLOAD

MP3: Shinichi Osawa - The Golden DOWNLOAD

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.

MP3: Clubfeet - Teenage Suicide DOWNLOAD
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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
MP3: Friendly Fires - Lovesick DOWNLOAD

2. Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours AMAZON
MP3: Cut Copy - Hearts On Fire DOWNLOAD

3. Ra Ra Riot - The Rhumb Line AMAZON
MP3: Ra Ra Riot - Ghost Under Rocks DOWNLOAD

4. Born Ruffians - Red, Yellow & Blue AMAZON
MP3: Born Ruffians - Barnacle Goose DOWNLOAD

5. Santogold - Santogold AMAZON
MP3: Santogold - I'm A Lady (Feat. Trouble Andrew) DOWNLOAD

6. MGMT - Oracular Spectacular AMAZON
MP3: MGMT - The Youth DOWNLOAD

7. Wax Stag - Wax Stag AMAZON
MP3: Wax Stag - Short Road DOWNLOAD

8. Lykke Li - Youth Novels AMAZON
MP3: Lykke Li - Breaking It Up DOWNLOAD

9. Guns N' Roses - Chinese Democracy AMAZON
MP3: I'm not going to risk posting one, get me?

10. Longwave - Secrets Are Sinister AMAZON
MP3: Longwave - Sirens In The Deep Sea DOWNLOAD
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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