Sorry for the late post — was down in Florida power-ramming manatees in a kayak. Here’s what I enjoyed in June:
- ♦ Bad Lamps popped up on my radar thanks to 32 ft/s and convey that same type of spastic, energetic, and wildly simplistic indie pop that fueled a lot of sold-out Darwin Deez shows over the last two years. No artifice here, just a programmed drum beat and taut, accelerating guitars. This song is a go-kart.
- ♦ Your go-to party trackss for this month’s mix are as follows 1. Atlas Genius ‘Trojans’ – possibly my favorite recent hit that channels the nonchalance of Phoenix’s indie pop while basing subject matter on uncomfortable contraceptive situations (sing it with me, “Your trojans in my head…”). 2. Goldroom ‘Morgan’s Bay’ – if there’s one track I’m breaking car speakers with this month, it’s this guy. Sparse Bongo drums keep maintain a lax rhythm but the guitar line is the centerpiece here, the kind of bouncy cadence that might as well be the physical manifestation of sunshine in song. 3. Familjen’s remix of Tove Styrke ‘Million Pieces’ – from mere onset of the piano and xlyophone lovechild 38 seconds in this song I was more or less addicted to this number (Shut up Jake). Really nice combination of Ting Tings ‘That’s Not My Name” and the remix work of Kissy Sellout on Calvin Harris ‘Merrymaking At My Place’. 4. Aston Shuffle ‘Your Love’ sports a fantastic graphic-fueled video and an organ riff that borders on Ministry of Sound but never quite devolves that far. Great to see these guys follow in the footsteps of other Australian dance-pop acts a la Cut Copy, Bag Raiders, etc.
- ♦ Plenty of chillwave and beat-driven ambient electronica thrown into the mix as well. Personal favorites are Neon Bunny ‘Unknown’ – South Korean chanteuse totally evokes the gorgeous combination of sexy cool and disinterest that Yelle employs to such effect (re: Ce Jeu). All I can think of listening to this song is Bill Murray cavorting around Tokyo with Scarlett Johansson, blurred neon lights lights, droning karaoke, and the onset of a warm buzz coalescing as the night melts away. Vetiver’s ‘Can’t You Tell’ might be the best late-in-the-afternoon beach song of the entire year and if this doesn’t end up synced in a major advertisement soon all music supervisors should be fired. Last, Hugo Manuel of Chad Valley and Jonquil fame continues to appear on every playlist I make. Here it’s with ‘Shell Games’, a percolating wave of warm, fuzzed-out electronica that slowly adds instrumentation and vocals over 4 minutes of sun-soaked bliss.
Referenced above, check out the video for Aston Shuffle ‘Light Years’ below and grab the mix. Have a good July!