The Weekly Froth! A weekly take on six tracks, most of which have recently popped up somewhere in the blogosphere. Bit of a mixed bag with a slight leaning towards house, disco, and remixes, but generally just anything that for some reason tickled the writer’s fancy.

Track of the week: ‘A Simple Design’ by The Juan MacLean

The Juan MacLean is coming with a new album this year, and this track kind of perfectly embodies what that band is about for me. You’ve got all the dancey goodness you can expect from a band whose most well-known track is called ‘Happy House’, but it also has this slight sci-fi/robot vibe to it, which gives it this innate Juan MacLeanness. This feel is enhanced to the max by those typical vocals by Nancy Whang, who sings on a lot of DFA bands, but on none are her vocals so fitting as when working with this band. This because she doesn’t only simply provide the vocals here, but that voice kind of seems to be part of the fabric. Obviously, there’s not only that thuddy drum sound which seems so typical DFA, but there are plenty of atmospheric synths as well, all which have some industrial/robotic vibe to them. And that’s the thing isn’t it, there’s such a clear vibe to this, almost detached in its robot studies, and yet it is also a song I would be dancing merrily to (if only for that springy piano sound that’s in there as well). In the chorus Whang sings that It is not a simple design / but I had it and everything you’ve build comes falling down. First of, this song is naturally not a simple design with lots going on, but the base structure providing the rhythm does provide these almost restrictions in its repetition, and in that falling down and the dancing you are free. It’s like a Robert Longo charcoal a bit. And, like those Longo’s, it’s absolutely awesome.

‘World Restart’ by Kindness feat. Kelela & Ade

This one starts lovely with that double feature of the horns and the two vocals, after which it kicks in some rhythm with the drums and bass. That trifecta really is the core of this track, with all kinds of secondary sounds providing extra atmosphere to it. I love the amount of horns on this one, it is rare you see that nowadays, especially with the horns being used in multiple ways (and right on through each other). I love how these horns sometimes come together, like they are being used as different layers as part of the whole structure, and then everything is stripped except for the two layers of horns, which suddenly work together in perfect unison. The vocals are silky smooth and give it a nice airy, dreamy feel, and Kindness does well to give the rhythm section enough deep vibes and punch to carry this one forward and keep it semi-dancey. New album coming out, so stay tuned.

‘Games for Girls’ by Say Lou Lou & Lindstrom

Lindstrom gets the dancing going on this one, immediately coming out of the gates with that catchy, space-discoey sound that certainly sounds like it should get all the girls dancing. At about fifty seconds in he comes with some light piano, after which he dives into a deliciously catchy instrumental for a little while. Plenty of Say Lou Lou here as well, with the vocals being very prominent. In that sense it is really close to, you know, a pop song, really. One I could actually see played on the radio. It’s got the timeframe (3:20), it is structured like one, and the lyrics “little boys with fancy toys”, that certainly seems the kind of thing kids would just love to be singing with its implied naughtiness. Aside from the start, where one can hear a shimmer of deepness, the track is really light sounding, really easy on the ear, and, above all (and that is certainly the one thing that draws me to it) really catchy.

‘Lotusland’ by Telephones (Discodromo remix)

This one starts by letting you listen to the seaside for a bit, though after about sixteen seconds in, nature is rudely disturbed by this deep bass sound that seems to come straight out of a Mojito commercial with its hip shaking madness. Discodromo quickly adds some percussion and, ehrm, ducks, dials down the bass for a moment, and at 1:35 he adds some extra drums to give this track some oomph for the dancing again. A little later he adds a spacey sounding synth (which I wasn’t expecting to be honest), and soon enough more keys come in to balance out all the deeper bass and drum sounds, giving it some atmosphere and momentum as opposed to just rhythm. In the mean time that bass is still rolling like there’s no tomorrow, so you definitely still have that core sound to be dancing to. By the midway point this track has evolved into this fully fledged sound, with plenty of stuff going on on top of the rhythm, which slowly gets dialled down a bit for Discodromo to come back with the beat at about 5:20 to help you finish this song dancing. I love how this one is set up, immediately coming out with that bass to get you dancing, and then just adding layer upon layer to patiently create the song whilst everyone is already on the dancefloor. Lovely remix by Discodromo.

‘I Feel It Comin On’ by NY Stomp feat. Matthew Kirkwood

NY Stomp is Dutch producer Gerd, and this lad knows a thing or two about house sounds, and he certainly puts that on display here. He teases with the beat for the starting minute or so, with the soulful vocals of Matthew Kirkwood singing that He feels it coming on, though the only thing NY Stomp gets on are the house-y piano sounds that do provide the vibe and flavour of house, though the real dancing has to wait for when the beat comes in to complement that piano, which is at about 1:30. So you’ve got the beat, the piano, and those vocals that have yet to differ from that one party line he’s been singing all the way through; and all of that gives you this really old school house vibe one can’t help but get jacking to in the club. So if you want a nice slice of old school house, this one is there for you to get your game on I reckon, with this stream obviously being a clip as a “real” house tune will have you at it for at least double its length.

‘Rain’ by Wrong Steps

The Boiler Room presents, and if The Boiler Room presents you can bet your little hiney that you can do some form of dancing to it. In this case, it presents Wrong Steps, and what Wrong Steps provides is this unpolished, garage like dance tune with plenty of dance music trademarks (just listen for a few seconds after the two minute mark and you’ll find that traditional base sound that everyone knows and can dance too), but on top and next to that it is a pretty experimental little humbug this one. It is definitely an intriguing one with multiple layers that often seem to run slightly off of each other, creating this double layer effect which is kind of odd and nice at the same time. If you listen from about 3:30 to 4:20 you get a nice idea of that, with plenty of experimental electronical sounds, but always returning to some form of an “easy” beat to dance to. So it never loses connection with the dance side of it, making it useable in the club, but always exhuming this underground vibe with the grainy, non 4-on-the-floor sounds. Definitely one I can just imagine hearing in a small Berlin club or something.

The Hot Five – My favourite new tracks of the week, usually rounded off with a classic, obscure or alternate track from my music collection.

Track of the week: Saint Agnes – ‘Old Bone Rattle’

It is widely acknowledged that guitar music is having a bit of a tough time of it at present. Saint Agnes’ rock n roll style trippy Western inspired psychedelic-rock certainly reminds us of what we’re missing. ‘Old Bone Rattle’ is raw, it’s bold, and it’s seriously fucking cool. Saint Agnes, aka Jon Tufnell and Kitty Austen, initially bonded over a mutual love of Nick Cave and Jack White, and those influences are as strong as the dual vocal line that erupts from the tracks first hook. This is an instant classic.

Black Rivers – ‘The Ship’

Just the other day I was listening to a couple of tracks from Doves’ 2009 album Kingdom Of Rust, and I wondered what had happened to them. It turns out that Doves announced a hiatus in 2010, but recently twin brothers Jez and Andy Williams have announced the formation of a new band, Black Rivers. The two-piece’s first single starts with a sparse intro, before developing the track with electronic synth sound that build ‘The Ship’ into an atmospheric piece typical of Doves at their best. The song is available as a free download from this link.

Bruno Merz – ‘Into The Air’

Sit back, relax, and take in ‘Into The Air’, the first track to be shared from New Zealand folk artist Bruno Merz’s new album Highways. As a track, ‘Into The Air’ is tranquil, and if you take the time to listen to this song in the right settings you will definitely be rewarded. The quality of the fragile vocal gives such character to the song, and the minimal arrangement works perfectly to create a relaxing atmosphere. If this track isn’t fitting for a Muso, I don’t know what is.

You can download this track for free via Bruno Merz’s official website

William Fitzsimmons – ‘Fortune (Acoustic)’

Liked the last track, yeah? Definitely press play on this one then. William Fitzsimmons is known for his cleverly emotive songwriting, and his raw talent really shines through when you strip the arrangement down to its bare essentials. In this acoustic arrangement the focus is on the delicate vocal line, which is simply mesmerizing. New EP The Acoustic Sessions is available now, with four new stripped down arrangements of previous recordings.

Hidden track of the week: Radiohead – ‘Staircase’

Radiohead were voted the most influential band on the planet this week…. Like I really need an excuse to share a Radiohead song. ‘Staircase’ was recorded in the TKOL From The Basement session alongside ‘The Daily Mail’, and was released in 2011. Radiohead are set to regroup in the near future to begin work on a potential ninth studio album.

You can follow Tom on twitter @tom_fake

The Weekly Froth! A weekly take on six tracks, most of which have recently popped up somewhere in the blogosphere. Bit of a mixed bag with a slight leaning towards house, disco, and remixes, but generally just anything that for some reason tickled the writer’s fancy.

Track of the week: ‘TNR’ by Kasper Bjorke feat. Jaakko Eino Kalevi

Kasper Bjorke is readying a new album, and for this song he has enlisted Jaakko Eino Kalevi, who recently released an album of his own. I happened to catch him not too long ago live as well, which was well fun. Here he lends his dreamy, airy vocals to Bjorke’s equally dreamy, yet darker arrangements. Especially the part after the vocals, like the one just after the minute mark, has a sense of deeper trouble. And not only the synth tapestries cause that, but also the way the drums are used. When Kalevi sings there’s a deeper bass sound that keeps the balance in those moments, and the synth and Kalevi seemingly reverse roles in the verse thereafter where he drops his voice and where Bjorke ups the synth. I really like Bjorke, his singles are always pure ace and as always I’m curious to see what the album is going to be like. Here you just see his ear for sounds, the way he alternates the deep sounds with the higher pitched ones, how he switches things up, and how he manages to create a mood through all of that. He’s doing some London DJ dates in September, around the release date of his album, which will also feature, amongst others, Nomi Ruiz on vocals.

‘Tiny Stars’ by Leo Zero ft. Candi Godbold

Leo Zero is coming with a new album, and this is a new cut off of that. It starts with a nice bassline and, what seems to me, plates that are being shattered. The rhythm builds, the synth comes in, and all of this is happening as the backdrop for the vocals of Candi Godbold, which have this minor Bjork quality to them, very atmospheric and whispery. When the vocals get a rest you really notice the bass that effortlessly gets this track to the next vocal bit. During the vocals you get loads of synth sounds to assist her, and for the parts without the vocals Leo Zero lets the rhythm do the talking, with the bass as his main priority. So if you like your bass sounds, this one is there for the dancing. I also like the deeper vocals going ooooohhh-hooooo-ahhh-haaa for the atmosphere, though the bass takes the cake in this seven minute affair, with Godbold’s voice giving it extra uniqueness points.

‘What Goes Around Comes Around’ by MJ (Young Pulse Rework)

Never not a good time to bust out an MJ (as in, Michael Jackson) track, as it is something that gets everyone dancing. Young Pulse takes an oooooldie, with MJ’s voice still oozing innocence over a plethora of strings. Young Pulse knows when to take back some sounds and just make it some conga’s as rhythm, because at times you just want to make sure that MJ gets the room to shine. At about 2:40 there’s a break in the action in terms of the vocals, and there’s a jazzy interlude that Young Pulse has decided to throw in there with some solos and stuff. It’s a pretty smooth ride, no huge drops or anything like that, which is probably the way to go. All the transitions seem natural, and with the percussion and extra keys in the interlude parts it gives it something festive and holiday like. So happy vibes all over, which I guess is the right kind of feel for an early MJ track, even if the King of Pop sounds a bit shout-y at times. Young fellas need to get heard though, right?

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‘Party Lights’ by Jam Master

Jam Master immediately gets the funk and the handclaps out on this one, with the old school build-up arriving at about forty seconds in. That one ends, fittingly, with some horns, after which that typical bass sound takes over again. He lets those ride for a while before returning with the horns and, this time, the vocals. They’ve got a nice soulful ring to them as they ask you to boogie along with them as they “turn those party lights on”. I love the transition into the chorus, so smile-inducingly old school, after which they immediately announce they are going to boogie. At about 3:10 there’s this break in the action, with just some handclap sounds basically, and what I guess is the horn section who collectively shout out to “turn up those party lights”. I mean, it has that kind of vibe, three-man horn section in the back, playing those damn things to boogie the place up, and then during the drop they have their horns by their side as they sway back and forth and yell in the microphone to get those party lights on. The title says it all, it’s a funky party track with some delicious old school happiness to it.

‘Everything We Are’ by Slow Hands

Slow Hands will release a new EP through the Wolf+Lamb label, and this is a luscious track off of that. It’s got some nice, incessant drums that pop up on occassion, and that whispery voice certainly adds some mood to the whole thing. In the mean time something is going wrong in love country, with the lads singing that There’s nothing left to say and that you are The one that got away. I really like all those additional sounds they put in there at exactly the right moments, like that high synth, and those drums do give it a nice tinge of immediacy that go along well with the dramatic reading the vocalists give. Wolf+Lamb records always manages to churn out some quality, and this EP surely will be no different. Also comes with a Cameo Culture remix of this tune.

‘Got Me Moving’ by Sinden presents The Crystal System feat. SYF

"Party track!", that’s what this one screams right out of the gates. It’s got a punchy beat and some wavy, deep synths that the lads throw out there, though it are the piano and those vocals that are this track’s biggest strengths from the get go (even if I do think there’s something to that wavering, deeper synth that seemingly just lives on its own). That 1:30 momentum builder is build for the masses I do think, and SYF starts repeating the line “you got me moving” quicker and quicker before the track returns to normal again. This all is quickly followed by another drop, after which the track picks up some pace to give a bit of a jolt to those on the dancefloor. I would be lying if I said this is my favorite track SYF has worked on this year, but those vocals can get me to listen to an oral history of the aubergine on tape if that’s what he puts out. Sonny Fodera is one of the guys doing a remix on this though, and it seems like an album will be coming out some time, some place, so there you go.

The Hot Five – My favourite new tracks of the week, usually rounded off with a classic, obscure or alternate track from my music collection.

Track of the week: Phil Selway – ‘Coming Up For Air’

Radiohead drummer Phil Selway has recently announced his second solo album, entitled Weatherhouse. Along with this announcement, Selway has premiered single ‘Coming Up For Air’ and it’s accompanying video, a fantastic, Hitchcock-inspired piece created by Spanish collective NYSU. The track itself carries on where 2010’s Familial left off; it’s atmospheric, and in typical Selway style has a strong, striking drum beat that helps to create a clever, and well-rounded piece. It’s a strong track that is sending all the right messages to promote the new album, which will be released by independent label Bella Union on October 6.

Escapists – ‘Eyes’

Atmospheric harmonies and huge vocal character – that’s what keeps you hooked in the opening exchanges of this track. ‘Eyes’ showcases “a more delicate relaxed sound to counterpoint the chaos heard in other Escapists songs”. The minimal arrangement gives the track a simplistic beauty that justifies the immediate comparison to Bon Iver. Escapists’ debut album, Only Bodies, was released on Monday (August 4), and the band has announced a show at the Lexington in London on August 25.

Vance Joy – ‘First Time’

Vance Joy has announced details of the lead single to be taken from his forthcoming debut album Dream Your Life Away, which is to be released on September 15. Building on hit single ‘Riptide’, the bittersweet ‘First Time’ has an upbeat shuffle beat and cleverly basic arrangement that accompanies sombre lyrics of heartbreak and sorrow. To celebrate the release of the album, Vance Joy will begin a sold out headline UK tour on September 21, finishing up with two consecutive nights at Shepherd's Bush Empire on October 2 & 3, the second London show being added due to demand.

Ezra Vine – ‘Celeste’

Continuing along folky lines, here we have self-produced, London-based singer-songwriter Ezra Vine. Vine is originally from Auckland, and ‘Celeste’ enjoyed great success in New Zealand last year; the song is set for an official release in the UK in late September. It’s another uplifting track, complete with a driving drum beat and reverberating vocal harmonies that emphasise the already strong vocal melodies. You can catch Ezra Vine on tour, funnily enough, with Vance Joy in September, and he is also set to perform at Boardmasters Festival in Cornwall this coming weekend.

Hidden track of the week: Beth Orton – ‘Daybreaker’

I’ve just been reading some reviews of Daybreaker, the 2002 album from folktronica singer-songwriter Beth Orton. I’d like to take this opportunity to be publically upset at the man who branded Daybreaker “Beth Orton's third in a series of progressively bland and unadventurous releases”. This particular track is an intelligent, trip hop-inspired piece with a vocal strong and characteristic enough to rival any female electronica artist. It also uses the talents of collaborators William Orbit and Ben Watt perfectly to create the atmospheric landscape of sound effects, drum beats, and reverberating vocals. Hardly “bland and unadventurous”, now is it?

You can follow Tom on twitter @tom_fake