Friday Bridge
“This Case is Closed (Johan Agebjörn Remix)” MP3
Jun 03, 2009
The ‘80s-influenced electro-pop of Friday Bridge is pretty much a household name in Sweden but the musical vehicle for Ylva Lindberg and Niklas Gustafsson barely register a blip here in the States. Here’s a short history lesson. Friday Bridge was founded in 2004, and quickly grew a fanbase after the release of The Lady Julie. The following year, Friday Bridge released an EP and the single It Girl, which received extensive airplay in Sweden and elsewhere. Friday Bridge’s debut album Intricacy was released on But is it Art? in 2007 and this past March the duo saw the release of their sophomore album, Bite My Tongue. Thankfully they’re friends with Sally Shapiro songwriter/producer and fellow Swede, Johan Agebjörn. This crisp, 320 kbps remix of the Tongue track has that distinctive Italo-Disco sound he’s perfected with Shapiro. Loungey keyboard washes and synth lines fill in the grooves between that steady dance beat and Lindberg does her best ice queen impression. “This Case is Closed” is a lock for any self-respecting electro fan…case closed.
YACHT
“Psychic City (Voodoo City)” MP3
Jun 02, 2009
Summer jam contender number one is the bubbly YACHT’s “Psychic City (Voodoo City).” Perfect soundtrack for inner-tubing down the river or playing Frisbee on the beach. The Portland electro duo have rarely impressed this much. Got to love that wordless chorus and those bass-y snyths. The new single is taken from Jona Bechtolt and Claire L. Evans’ forthcoming album, See Mystery Lights. YACHT took the lyrics to “Psychic City” from Two Million Years, an early K Records cassette tape release by Rich Jensen and then laid down a synth part inspired by Althea and Donna’s “Uptown Top Ranking.” See Mystery Lights appropriately drops July 28th on DFA and the pair is on a U.K. tour with Patrick Wolf in the meantime.
What’s Up?
“Harper” MP3
Jun 02, 2009
They’ve got a somewhat unfortunate name but Sacramento, Calif. natives What’s Up? bring the old school contrapuntal rock en masse. Here’s “Harper” from the now-Portland, Ore. trio’s debut Content Imagination, which is out now on Obey Your Brain. The single sounds like if Battles and fellow Sacramentans The Advantage had a prog-loving baby. Robby Moncrieff, Brian Marshall, and Teddy Briggs are hitting the road soon in support of the west coast leg of the Dirty Projectors’ tour. Dates are below.
Jun 04 Holocene Portland, OR
Jun 28 SUPERFEST @ Rotture Portland, OR
Jul 02 Richard’s on Richards Vancouver, BC *
Jul 03 Chop Suey Seattle, WA *
Jul 04 Holocene Portland, OR *
Jul 07 The Independent San Francisco, CA *
Jul 08 Troubadour Los Angeles, CA *
Jul 24 PDX Pop Now! Portland, OR
* = w/ Dirty Projectors
Datarock
Red Album Stream
Jun 01, 2009
Myspace is doing an exclusive premiere of Datarock‘s Red. Starting today everyone’s favorite Norwegian electro act is streaming their entire new album from their player. Frontman Fredrik Saroea also took some time to record a video where he talked about some of the inspirations and references behind the group’s sophomore release. Check that out here. Red will be in stores next week in the U.K., Europe, and will be available online in the U.S. (CD release is September 1.)
The Cave Singers
“Beach House” MP3
Jun 01, 2009
The Cave Singers are prepping their sophomore LP, Welcome Joy for a August 18 release on Matador. Here’s a sneak peak from the follow-up to 2007’s Invitation Songs. “Beach House” is a morning slow-burner (hello hangover!) for fans of folk-rock acts like Deer Tick. Welcome Joy will feature the Webber sisters from Lightning dust, who will join the Seattle band on their fall tour. More details at the Matablog.
Monsters at Work
“Magic Morning” (from A Psychedelic Guide to Monsterism Island) MP3
May 30, 2009
Here’s a track to gnaw on from the latest volume of Pete Fowler’s Monsterism island compilation series, A Psychedelic Guide to Monsterism Island. The song is entitled “Magic Morning” by Monsters at Work and has a breezy beach cocktail vibe to it. It’s perfect music for your next Tiki hut bash/videogame showdown. The rest of Monsterism Island aggregates cuts from Super Furry Animals’ Gruff Rhys, The Specials’ Jerry Dammers, Jonny Trunk, Luke Vibert, Circulus, Wolf People, Cherrystones, and members of The Future Sound of London, The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain, and Beyond the Wizard’s Sleeve. For more info, take a canoe ride to www.monsterism.net.
Magnolia Electric Co.
“Josephine” MP3
May 28, 2009
Magnolia Electric Co.‘s Josephine is coming to your local record store July 21st in the U.S. and July 20th in the U.K. You still go to those right? Anyway, Jason Molina’s first Magnolia album in three years is starting to sound rather promising if the single that shares its name is any indication. The Songs: Ohia/Magnolia legend’s forthcoming Secretly Canadian release was inspired by the tragic Oakland-fire death of touring bassist Evan Farrell. The band recorded once again with Steve Albini and “Josephine” certainly goes for the minimalistic sound they were talking about in previous interviews. The album and song were recorded at Albini’s Electrical Audio Studios in Chicago.
The Rentals
“Story of a Thousand Seasons Past” MP3
May 28, 2009
Ex-Weezer bassist Matt Sharp started The Rentals in 1994. You know, way back when you could blast “Say It Ain’t So” in your two-door without the paralyzing weight of all the terrible Weez tracks that came after it. Sharp’s group have a new self-released EP called Songs About Time. The Rentals aren’t exactly prolific, so this new one is a welcome sign for their fans. The last time they heard a Rentals album was 1999’s Seven More Minutes and more recently, 2007’s The Last Little Life EP. “Story of a Thousand Seasons Past” is the title track from the new EP, the first of three musical chapters from The Rentals’ yearlong online multimedia project Songs About Time. It’s a breezy bit of alt-rock about the strangeness of our Web 2.0 life. The EP also features a guest appearance from Pixies guitarist Joey Santiago. Rental-holics can purchase the new joint at www.therentals.com.
