posted by Michael on August 15, 2011
You close your eyes. Like roaring sirens on the horizon, a melancholy synth swells up through the darkness. The air is thick with anticipation. You feel a cold bead of sweat break past your ear. Drums crash through the neon tainted wind, ushering in a storm of throbbing beats and grinding synths. Windows shatter, and glass like rain invades the asphalt. The city surrenders under such immensity of sound. The clock strikes midnight; you awake. I imagine a similar scenario might have compelled Anthony Gonzalez, leader and founder of French band M83, to write “Midnight City.”
Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming (out October 18th) is M83’s sixth record to date, marking an ambitious return after nearly two years of absence. “Midnight City” is stuck between a daydream and a nightmare, mixing delicate vocals and jarring electronics, alternatively haunting and catchy. The track opens with a deceivingly simplistic melody; two fluctuating synths soon merge to form a chorus. The drums then intervene, building to an infectious crescendo that evolves throughout the song, growing to mimic the very beat of a thriving urban jungle. The vocals glide effortlessly above the instrumentation, with lyrics presenting a dreamlike description of a common night out. The saxophone finale is a climactic moment of pure magic, adding a distinctive retro touch to an otherwise flawless modern classic.
M83 – Midnight City (Downloaded 1232 times)
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» Meaningless labels: Catchy • Dischordant • Electro • Psychedelic • Synth • With Bleeps & Blips
(24 votes)
Loading ...posted by Patrick on December 25, 2010
I know next to nothing about Oh No Oh My, but that’s sometimes for the best. With no preconceptions or expectations, I was free to be blown away. And ‘Walking Into You’ accomplished exactly that. I’ve always had a soft spot for sad songs with pop beats, tracks that make you mope in 4/4 time. ‘Walking’ combines bleepy blips and soaring vocals with a bleak tale of love lost and woe revisited. It’s a pretty backdrop for an ugly scene. ‘Our Mouths Were Wet’ is more jangly and uplifting, also enjoyable but in a different way. I think you’ll like them both.
p.s. Searching for a band photo, I learned that Oh No Oh My is based in Austin, Texas, the very city I’m currently in for the holidays. Spooky.
Oh No Oh My – Walking Into Me (Downloaded 834 times)
Oh No Oh My – Our Mouths Were Wet (Downloaded 392 times)
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» Meaningless labels: Dischordant • Lo-Fi • With Bleeps & Blips
(4 votes) Loading ...posted by Patrick on April 19, 2010
In the beginning, there was Indie Pop. The beginning of this blog, that is, long, long ago. I started Indieball to deliver indie pop to the People, to make the masses move their asses, or tap their toes at least. But it turns out there’s more to music (and life) than jangling guitars + backbeats, and our interests have expanded accordingly. ‘Devil In You’ by The Watson Twins is Example A: a lurching, shuffling, alt-country (or alt-something-else) gem of a song, with soaring vocals and a lilting piano in the background. Not poppy, exactly, but catchy in its own weird way. ‘U N Me’ is less interesting but showcases the Twins’ terrific voices. Both tracks are from the recently released EP ‘Talking To You, Talking To Me’.
The Watson Twins – Devil In You (Downloaded 869 times)
The Watson Twins – U N Me (Downloaded 516 times)
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» Meaningless labels: Alt-country • Dischordant • Downbeat • Female vocal • Rollicking
(14 votes) Loading ...This sounds exactly like fiona apple. Like… exactly like half the songs on ‘when the pawn hits’
its actually kind of freaky unoriginal, but then again what is original these days?
posted by Patrick on March 11, 2010
London band Veronica Falls has mastered an infectious-but-airy sound that is singalong but not stupid. I was going to segue into name-dropping some band that is singalong and actually dumb as bricks, but we don’t really name drop here. And I can’t think of anyone. Give “Starry Eyes” a listen regardless. You like?
Veronica Falls – Starry Eyes (Downloaded 1247 times)
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» Meaningless labels: Catchy • Dischordant • Female vocal • Lo-Fi • Orchestral • With Bleeps & Blips
(19 votes) Loading ...What a great resource this text is.
August 16th, 2011 at 10:16 am
It’s much easier to understand when you put it that way!