DORA ALEXANDER

My friend from T.O. (that's what cool kids from Toronto call Toronto) told me about a band she knew from the area who recently released their debut EP, 'Travelers'. I asked if she could get them to send me a copy so I could have a listen, and sure enough a day or two after I received an email from the band. At first listen I thought, 'hey, my friend knows Radiohead?!', an easy comparison to make, but no it was in fact Dora Alexander, a very promising quartet who are joining a wave of brilliant acts coming out of the big T.O.
'Travelers' was produced by John Critchley who has also worked with The Hidden Cameras and Dan Mangan and you can download the full EP from here.
I'm thinking I might need to take a trip to Toronto soon, there's got to be something in the water. 

DORA ALEXANDER - BEGINNING TO END

DORA ALEXANDER - MARLBORO FRIDAY

RORY PHILLIPS

I had a lot of amazing times at London's Durrr (Erol Alkan's club night) when it was still open, but what made it that much better was resident DJ, Rory Phillips. The Londoner is in the country at the moment and is playing this Friday night in Melbourne at New Guernica. Do whatever you can to get down and see him, his set's are nothing short of brilliant, to get a taster check out his latest remixes.

CRYSTAL CASTLES - BAPTISM (RORY PHILLIPS REMIX)


Maximum Balloon 'Groove Me' (Rory Phillips Remix) by RoryPhillips

STRANGE TALK Q & A

With a debut EP on its way, a string of upcoming shows supporting the likes of Muscles and The Rapture and even featuring on the new Kitsune compilation, Melbourne's Strange Talk are certainly one act to keep an eye on in 2011.
Here's a little Q&A I did with them recently. RECOGNIZE!


 
- S'Cracken y'all! how are you? what have you been up to this week?

RECOVERING FROM THE WKD, WORKING 9 TO 5 JOBS, AND HITTING THE STUDIO FINISHING A JESS MAUBOY REMIX, AND WORKING ON SOME STRANGE TALK TUNES

- So where did the name 'Strange Talk' come from?

JUST POPPED UP IN CONVERSATION AND IT STUCK...

- There's a lot of hype surrounding you guys. For a band that's only been kicking around since February, are you shocked at how much attention you've received?

YEH, WE ARE PLEASANTLY SURPRISED. GENERALLY JUST APPRECIATIVE OF ALL OF THE BLOGS THAT HAVE TALKED US UP, TRIPLE J WHO GOT BEHIND US MASSIVELY, AND PEOPLE THAT HAVE COME TO OUR SHOWS. SO THANKS TO ALL YOU LOVELY PEOPLE.

- You've been compared to acts like Phoenix and Yeasayer, do they have any influence on the way you write and record?

WE ARE INFLUENCED BY THOSE BANDS FOR SURE AND MANY OTHERS. GUESS WE LIKE CLEVER POP MUSIC. SO MUCH GOOD MUSIC OUT THERE AT THE MOMENT.

- You guys recorded a song with Gypsy & The Cat's Xavier Bacash, called, 'The River'. Do you have any other collaborations you're working on, or someone else you'd like to work with?

YEH, XAVIER IS GREAT. SUCH A TALENT, AND GYPSY & THE CAT ARE HOT HOT HOT.

NEW COLLABORATIONS THAT WE ARE WORKING ON.... WELL GUESS THEY'RE ALL A BIT SECRET AREN'T THEY HAHA. THEY'RE COOL THOUGH... CAN SAY THAT.

- You guys are going to feature on the latest Kitsune compilation. That's pretty huge, are you pretty excited? especially considering that Kitsune are notorious for selecting the best up and coming artists in the world.

I KNOW!! EXCITED INDEED. WILL BE COOL THAT ALOT OF PEOPLE AROUND THE GLOBE WILL GET A TASTE OF OUR MUSIC.

- How is the EP coming along?

MUSIC IS DONE. GETTING THE FINAL SONG MIXED BY ELIOT JAMES IN THE UK NEXT WK... THEN RELEASED EARLY NEXT YEAR...

- He-Man OR Thundercats?

HE-MAN. HE RIDES A LION, TIGERY THING

- What's next for Strange Talk?

FESTIVALS, RELEASES, DOING REMIXES, PLAYING LOADS OF SHOWS, RECORDING AN ALBUM.

F O A L S

Towards the end of September Foals dropped into BBC1's Live Lounge with Jo Whiley to perform a few songs from their recent album, 'Total Life Forever'. Whilst there they also performed one of the best covers I've heard in a while, as they turned Swedish House Mafia's cheese anthem, 'One' into a synth laden masterpiece. If you haven't heard this yet, then you're in for a treat.

FOALS - ONE [SWEDISH HOUSE MAFIA COVER]

CHAD VALLEY

'Ensoniq Funk' is the perfect type of tropical jam to accompany the sun, which actually came out today after a week filled with rain and shit weather. Chad Valley is the side project for Jonquil's Hugo Manuel and his forthcoming self-titled EP is due out November 16 on Cascine.

CHAD VALLEY - ENSONIQ FUNK
 

TROPHY WIFE

TROPHY WIFE - MICROLITE

One of the best new acts to come out of 2010 is Trophy Wife, a trio hailing from Oxford, UK. I've been following these guys ever since I first blogged about them earlier this year and their debut single, 'Microlite' will soon be released on November 8th via the brilliant Moshi Moshi. The band have just dropped the video for the single, check it out below.

HOLY FUCK

I'm not really a cat person, but I will however make an exception if they're driving cars or playing in a band. So, good thing that's exactly what they're doing in Holy Fuck's new video for 'Red Lights', directed by Brian Borcherdt & Michael LeBlanc.

MUMDANCE + ESSER

MUMDANCE ft ESSER - DON'T FORGET ME NOW

Mumdance has just released his debut EP, 'Mum Decent' on Diplo's über label, Mad Decent. The first track to see a release off the EP is "Don't Forget Me Now" which features the vocals of the brilliant Esser, who I haven't really heard much from recently. Check out the vid for the track, I'm pretty sure Milky Joe makes an appearance in there, somewhere. .

IS TROPICAL

'South Pacific' is Is Tropical's new single, set for release via their new label, Kitsuné on the 8th of November. The single will come backed with remixes from the likes of Crystal Fighters, Database, Yojimbo and Get People. If you live in London, head on down to The Macbeth next Tuesday (12th Oct), where they'll be playing their last show for a while before they embark on a UK tour in November supporting Mystery Jets.

WOLF GANG

 Parklife took place over the weekend and one of the standout performances for the festival was that of Wolf Gang. The UK band showcased a few new songs for the fanatical locals, but the one song that really stood out was their upcoming new single, 'Lions In Cages' which will be released November 22nd. I accidentally met a couple of the lads at the afterparty and I'm pretty sure I just said 'Wolf Gang! good shit' and stumbled off. Their debut album is scheduled for release some time next year, and should see Wolf Gang as being one of the big heroes of 2011.

WOLF GANG - LIONS IN CAGES [Removed by request]

HARD MIX

The young beat slinger from South Carolina, Hard Mix has just dropped a new mixtape into the blogosphere dubbed 'The Chill World'. Along with tracks from Burial, Javelin and J Dilla he's featured a brand new track of his own called "Had", which will not appear on his forth-coming debut LP, 'Weirdly Different'. Grab them both below!

HARD MIX - HAD

THE CHILL WORLD MIXTAPE

The Chill World Tracklist:
01 Burial: "Archangel (Phaseone Remix)"
02 Pretty Lights: "Finally Moving
03 Paul White: "Highlife"
04 Javelin: "Doug Flutey"
05 Hard Mix: "Had"
05 Bullion: "That's Not Dee"
06 Sexy Sushi: "I'm Afraid"
07 Donovan: "Wonderland"
08 FACT: "Reborn (Anoraak Remix)"
09 Juvelen: "Baby, When You're Gone"
10 O + S: "Permanent Scar"
11 Dirty Elegance: "Foreign Objects"
12 Club 8: Jesus, "Walk With Me (The Sound of Arrows Remix)"
13 J Dilla: "Stop"

AZARI & I I I

I'm really liking what Azari & III are doing, they embrace that classic House sound of the 90's and make it their own, which seems to work very well for them. With their recent collaboration with Friendly Fires and a number of remixes under their belt for the likes of Voltage, CFCF and Munk, the foursome have become one of the biggest names in Toronto. Their latest release, 'Indigo' is out now and was picked up by Turbo Records, check it out!

AZARI & III - INDIGO [Removed by request]

DUCK SAUCE + FARE SOLDI

We all know the identity of Duck Sauce and we all know what an amazing duo they make, if you don't know who Duck Sauce are, then you're probably one of those 'Nickelback' types. Anyway, the guys just dropped the So Me directed clip for their track "Barbra Streisand", where So Me has basically grabbed every slick cat in NYC and around the world and dropped them into the video.
I've heard a slew of remixes for the track, but the one that stands far above all the rest is Fare Soldi's amazing reworking; it's guaranteed to have you bouncing off the walls, and if it doesn't, well you're probably one of those 'Nickelback' types.

DUCK SAUCE - BARBRA STREISAND (FARE SOLDI REMIX)

UNKNOWN PLEASURES

It's been 30 years since the death of Joy Division frontman, Ian Curtis and the release of the band's debut album "Unknown Pleasures". To celebrate the anniversary, Peter Hook has been touring and performing the seminal album in its entirety. Friday night I was lucky enough to go see this performance and witness the Joy Division/New Order bassist play to an adoring audience. Seeing this show is basically the closest thing I'll ever experience, to seeing Joy Division live and it was just something really special. The final song played on the night was, "Love Will Tear Us Apart" which I recorded for the video below.

F O A L S

Foals - 2 Trees from Sub Pop Records on Vimeo.
"2 Trees" is the latest single to be taken from Foals' brilliant sophomore album, 'Total Life Forever'. The video for the track was directed by Adam Bizansk and as much as I want to love the creatures featured in the clip, I just can't, they just seem to creep me out too much.

SLEIGH BELLS

Sleigh Bells "Infinity Guitars" from Phil Pinto on Vimeo.

Sleigh Bells have released the video for their track, 'Infinity Guitars'. The clip features cheerleaders, a bad-ass car and has Alexis strutting around in a school uniform with baseball bat in hand. The duo are heading our way towards the end of the year and will feature at a string of festivals including Falls Festival, where I'll be front and center.

DARWIN DEEZ + TOTALLY ENORMOUS EXTINCT DINOSAURS

Darwin Deez - Constellations from Lucky Number Music on Vimeo.

Darwin Deez is re-releasing his track 'Constellations' on October 18th as a digital-only single and will feature two remixes from SBTRKT and Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs. The New York outfit will be in town next week for the Parklife Festivals and will surely put on an amazing performance filled with their famous dance routines.

DARWIN DEEZ - CONSTELLATIONS (TOTALLY ENORMOUS EXTINCT DINOSAURS REMIX)

FRENCH HORN REBELLION

I love a good bit of synth-pop that lingers in your head for days after first hearing it. Brooklyn duo, French Horn Rebellion will unleash their debut single, 'This Moment' on November 1st and with it's catchy hooks and infectious vocal, you'll be humming it all week. Their debut album ‘The Infinite Music of French Horn Rebellion’ will see a release via Once Upon A Time Records on Nov 9th.

FRENCH HORN REBELLION - THIS MOMENT

CITY CALM DOWN

Melbourne's City Calm Down just dropped me a couple of tracks off their self-titled debut EP. The synth driven quartet combine a mix of genres from disco to post punk and appear to channel 80's bands such as Depeche Mode and Joy Division to form a sound that seems to be emerging at the moment. Joining other acts like the UK's, Heretics, they are leading the way in what would seem to be and can only be described as the NEW new wave.
The lads are playing a few shows around Melbourne in the upcoming months, check their myspace for details. You can buy their EP here!

CITY CALM DOWN - LOST. TRAPPED

CITY CALM DOWN - YOU COULD HAVE IT SO MUCH BETTER

C R O C O D I L E S

Crocodiles - Hearts Of Love - Music Video from Mark P. Smith on Vimeo.

This is Crocodiles' hardcore new vid for 'Hearts Of Love'. The duo are releasing their second album, 'Sleep Forever' next week via Fat Possum which you can pre-order here.
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