Babe Rainbow remixing Lindsay Lohan-"I Can Try To Run (Stuck)"

Lindsay Lohan's life is a circus. No two ways around being internationally in/famous for a party girl persona that would eventually lead to jail time: LiLo's career and its demise hold the bizarre allure of some Ray Bradbury circus. Babe Rainbow has taken this tragic fable and synthesized one of LiLo's (crappy) pop tunes into a freakshow track that stumbles and gaits along with the drunken humor of someone who read the entire wikipedia page about LiLo. This track, in conjunction with the larger "Let Me Shine For You" album is a deconstruction of glittery pop through re-interpretation of Lohan's heavily influenced (read:preassembled) music. Fitting, that the tracks are each handled by producers who are making names for themselves as outre artists and experimenters in sound. There are some pretty meta layers happening all throughout this album but the opener 'Stuck' spreads the gallows humor thickest of all the different producers represented in this six track effort (all available to download for free!!).
Babe Rainbow's interpretation of 'Stuck' isn't as spry as the original. LiLo's album edit was the kind of dunka-dunka, synth-driven pop that could have been written by Santogold before she broke out of her Ashley Simpson cage. The original could have easily been written for a great number of equally attractive, talented and disposable young women. The Babe Rainbow interpretation strikes at the trashy/throw-away vibe by recrafting the song entirely into something that sounds unlike anything near the radio. The track works by retaining its pop heart. The tracks soars because of its invention. It slows everything down to the bounce of a slow-mo scene where the camera shows us how much creepier the circus is at night. I'm sticking with that metaphor because it really is perfect. If the idea of a highly self-aware album full of meta-commentaries on the recently incarcerated sounds awesome to you, go download it. http://tinyurl.com/2wgdr4k

Song Review- Arcade Fire "Sprawl II: Mountains Beyond Mountains"

Arcade Fire doesn't half ass much. The about-face disco-pop of 'Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) delineates its style from the rest of The Suburbs but the track cogently flows and serves as a fantastic close to Arcade Fire's modern tragedy. Sprawl II features Régine Chassagne's strongest vocals to date in a character grown from The Funeral. It's an insanely catchy, sing-along anthem that recalls 'Heart of Glass' and 'Heartbeats' in the same instant with the song opening "They heard me singing and they told me to stop, Quit these pretentious things and just punch the clock." The immediate break from its predecessor 'Sprawl I (Flatland)' accentuates the rather un-Arcade Fire orchestration that reads more Andrew Butler than Thom Yorke. The Indie rock powerhouse has crafted their most immediately topical and peer-influenced single in a stupidly successful four album discography.
The track itself is something like 2004 and and 2011 with a deeply unhappy emotion packaged in a translucent synth line that accentuates lyrics from the musings of a modern Sylvia Plath(?) with the voice of Madonna(?). The song builds as it repeats melancholic lines built around the Houston-inspired imagery of "Dead shopping malls rise like mountains beyond mountains, And there's no end in sight, I need the darkness someone please cut the lights." The track itself is exactly what you'd expect from disco night with Arcade Fire; it's sad but pretty and emotive without succumbing to pop dramatics. It's a song for alot of emotional states. What most struck me as I listened the first time was how the song never quite got to being angry about its subject matter. Arcade Fire aren't mad or all that sad now. The whole album builds to Sprawl II in typical Arcade Fire fashion with the album's penultimate track being its strongest. The great vocal turns and beautifully detailed loops expand the horizon of The Suburbs and its pensive mental state. A sense of disco in the streets makes the tragic irresolution of Sprawl II all the more heartbreaking. The song never falls but its protagonist left outside, belting her heart out to a land with "no end in sight, I need the darkness someone please cut the lights." Shit, that's epic.

Song Review-: Robyn - 'Dancing on my Own'

Robyn has worked a long time to be able to craft a song this cheesy, dumb and affective. She took something personal and played it to a pop world that runs counter to the leather and lace ethic of “Just Dance” and “Rockstar 101”. She's just Robyn and she's just telling us how it is. Robyn has said that the dancehall is “the new church. It's where people go to experience something bigger than themselves.” Robyn applies this motif to “Cry When You Get Older” in a way that lesser artists would preach instead of perform. Robyn presents images of the “other dream I'm on top of the world ahead of the game.” A theme that hits close to home for the often-cheated artist who formed her own label to avoid the effect of corporate producers. She references the “incomprehensible boredom” of suburban life and sings directly to its inhabitants. Robyn and co-writer Klas Åhlund crafted a song that doesn't stop at discussing the melancholia of our times, it offers a solution. “Love hurts when you do it right/ You can cry when you get older.” This message created a song custom made for the times in our life when we experience something bigger than ourselves.

Robyn's emotional range has been utilized to great effect to tell the stories of other songs but she's never gotten the last word in. Some man is always tying another girl's laces or dancing with his new friend or she's just hurting “With Every Heartbeat”. Robyn's always the loser. Her albums may open on a vehement statement of personal awesomeness but by album's end the cracks have begun to show through her consistent pop sensibilities. Robyn may be dropping danceable beats and emoting over hook-laden backtrack but “Cry When You Get Older” is the odd track, written in a way that hasn't been in vogue for years. This song runs counter to the commonly held belief in music that self awareness and irony mitigate an artist's ability to convey an idea earnestly. Robyn earnestly believes in what she sings and it sets her performance above any other this year. Robyn's vocal style is unique in the lengths she goes to let her defenses down to embody the music. Where other acts rely on theatricality and technology to portray themselves in the music Robyn simply sings and proves herself the strongest diva in the crowd (sorry Antony).

Robyn has described herself as the outsider always looking in and many of her songs reflect that ethic. “Dance When You Get Older” transcends the limitations of the Robyn character to impart a simple catharsis both for herself and the listener. After years of being almost-a-pop-star and almost-independent Robyn finally doesn't have to act or fluff her own feathers. Somewhere along the way Robyn figured a few things out and decided to just tell it straight. This year's best song is a new call to the dancefloor. The song is compassionate and unpretentious; it's appealing after many listens and it's unafraid to be uncool. “Cry When You Get Older” is a reminder of the power that art has to not just comment on its surroundings but to also improve them.

Music to Watch- The Radio Dept

Swedish people must know something the rest of us don't. The highly emotive pop of The Radio Dept is such a step up from anything available on the US scene that it simply has to be something in the water that has allowed for this Swedish invasion (Lykke Li, The Knife, Robyn, etc_). The Radio Dept's latest album is entitled 'Clinging to a Scheme' and it's so amazing you have to go out and buy it now. The often evocative, sometimes sad and always beautiful songcraft indicate the band's maturity of character and sound. The highlights are many but the best songs are the bookends. 'Domestic Scene' opens the album with the autumnal sounds of Scandinavia and segues into the equally excellent 'Heaven's on Fire'. The album moves forward and grows with each track until the fantastic closer 'You Stopped Making Sense'.
The album is never bitter despite the pain it expresses. The vocals by Elin Almared stand up admirably to the intricate orchestral arrangements; the end result is pop through and through. Remind me again why American pop music doesn't try to make you think? What happened to American pop music that the best acts around are all Swedish? Though, I won't complain too loudly though as long as I can continue downloading works like this.

Music to Watch- 'Good Intentions Paving Company' Joanna Newsom

Initially I was going to review a different track off JN's amazing new release Have One on Me. Then I decided that the best track really did deserve some special recognition. This song moved me in a way that neither Ys or Milk Eyed Mender did on first listen. The voice that could once tease grating is suddenly a mature instrument in a pop/country/medieval/dance/folk/woah vibe. This album hosts a groove that is encapsulated in the near seven minutes of Good Intentions Paving Company. Newsom is finally talking about herself without layers and layers of extra text. She is expressing her messages in hook-laden tunes that hold all that technical beauty of Ys without the tendencies that scared some listeners off (while inebriated I once said that Joanna Newsom sounded like an ancient, crazy woman that is eternal). Paving Company is a mini epic that sounds, in my mind, like Newsom smoked a blunt at her piano while listening to Dolly Parton. The Newsome mystique has always been based around whether or not she took her music seriously. She spoke in twisting, knotty fables that were always greatly rewarding after multiple listens to let the text sink in. The mystique has now shifted to something that comes very close to happiness. Newsom speaks in Good Intentions with the voice of a confident woman finding the spring that comes after the melancholia of winter. Really, well worth a listen on a clear morning as you bustle to work. (That sentence intentionally had the word bustle in it)

Spring is Coming, the mix

What Else Is There (Ft Karin Dreijer Anderson)- Royksopp
I like this song as a pick-up from where the list mix picked up. This is one of the most epic tracks KDA has ever contributed to and, though older, it still sounds like it could be added to many of the last year's pop/electronic albums as a lead single without anyone batting an eyelash.
Run This Town- L'il Wayne
Yeah, so btw if you didn't get in on No Ceilings then you have missed out on a hugely fun release from one of the best living musical artists that just happens to feature a few backtracks we know/love/hate from that ol' radio box the truly indie are not allowed to ever listen to.
Camera Talk- Local Natives
This group just released an extremely confident, well-rounded album by the name of Gorilla Manor. GO LISTEN TO IT IMMEDIATELY. Just kidding, keep reading this blog.
Moonson- Delorean
My infatuation with this Barcelona project continues and I am anxiously awaiting March with the promise of their first full-length(!) This song is the closing track to the Delorean EP and it closes some of the doors flung open by Moonsun while still standing as a great track in its own right.
Thieves in the Night- Hot Chip
While their latest (One Life Stand, 2010) is not my favorite Hot Chip album, our boys still managed to produce some enjoyable tunes. This track gives us a very strong opener in this musical reinvention of the Hot Chip album: think less techno and more pop. Don't expect a Ready for the Floor but do expect another ear-candy treat from the electronic version of Vampire Weekend.
She's the One- Caribou
This is pulled from one of those very prestigious albums that made plenty of '2009 Best' lists. Personally, I feel this track is very technically excellent and has enough heart/soul to make it worth repeated listens.
Satellite Snyper- Pantha du Prince
This brand-spanking-new album for Feb 2010 is GREAT. I love minimalism in electronic music and Pantha du Prince creates (what my itunes calls) blacknoise with aplomb, grace and a seemingly vicious desire to soundtrack the areas between light and dark.
Dream Get Together- Citay
Another brand-spanking new album that will worm its way into top-ten lists everywhere. Simple hooks, simple production and simple ideas meld together in a musically complex and lyrically beautiful 4:11.
Vcr- The XX
I'm going to see the xx in March with JJ (omg!!!!) so I'm stocking up on their bests. VCR captures most of the things we liked about the xx while also giving us an ideal for the hipster relationship we crave despite ourselves.
Cold Spring- Cymbals Eat Guitars
More of that 2009 stuff! This song is not one of the best off of Why there Are Mountains but it's still a damn good track that taps into the winter mentality of Cymbals. Also, the guitar work here is, really, just ridiculously good.
Unspeakable- Mt Sims
Gonna admit it, I had to go back and listened to see what Mt Sims had to offer after a certain opera was released. This track kind of makes me think of what would happen if Mindless Self Indulgence stopped taking acid as a group, tried ecstasy and bought a nice midi keyboard. It's not great but it's not bad either.
Towards the Bare Hill- Efterklang
This is a definite oldie-but-goodie. Efterklang has released plans for a 2010 album and I put Tripper and Parades on my 'Zune' once more so I can get back into the mood for EPIC norwegians making EPIC songs about EPIC topics. Have I mentioned that Efterklang might suffer from just a tad too much drama? Regardless, this song is pretty and has plenty of dudes belting out unintelligible lines about, no doubt, some very far-reaching and epic topic.
The Strangers- St Vincent
If you haven't been obsessed with St. Vincent since her sublimely creepy debut Marry Me then you have been missing out on some of the best character acting happening in music today. This song kicks off her 2009 Actor album and sets the tone for a CD full of songs about unhappy, confined women. Yaaaaaay!
Calculation Theme- Metric
Closing on another throwback just made sense. Also, if you ask me, this is the best thing Metric has yet created.

This mix sees alot less throwback and alot more of the things we grew to love over the last year. Notably, several of these songs will have new friends as their artists expand the ol' discography in 2010.

"Tomorrow, in a Year" The Knife

I'm just gonna say it, This album is hard as a dick but far more rewarding than any sexual appendage I've met so far. This is the quintessential album for people who REALLY like music. I warn you now, if you're looking for a follow-up to Silent Shout or the second chapter of Fever Ray then you will be swiftly disappointed. The vast majority of Tomorrow, in a Year is the kind of sound experimentation that we've not heard from the Knife in so blunt a package. The programming and sampling present in this album are, and I won't bandy this word about easily, Revolutionary. Legitimately, after I listened to this album from start to finish I felt as though I'd just heard something colossally important. This music feels important because it expands our definition of opera and electronic music quite dramatically. New opera has not achieved the artistic highs or sonic perfection of classic composition (looking at you Brunderfly) because they try too quickly to imitate an established sound and performance style. The Knife deftly avoided the grand issue of making music 'operatic' by focusing on their own strengths. The Knife has created an operatic experience that not only feels like an opera sounds like the best electronic album possible in the medium. The Knife has vastly exceeded expectations that were already sky-high simply by relying on their established strengths of drama, experimentation and strong composition holding together disparate sounds.
The high point of this album is, without a doubt, Seeds. This nine minute follow-up to Colouring of Pigeons (the single) bases itself on a percussive line that hearkens back to Heartbeats or Pass this On while still showcasing a mezzo-soprano and the ephemeral voice of Mt. Sims. Seeds is great because it builds on the texture of Variation of Birds (track 7), the vocal strength of the mezzo noted throughout the first act but notably in Upheaved (Track4) and Annie's Box (track 10), and it serves as an in-the-face reminder of why Karin Dreijer Anderson stands as one of the best modern composers out there. Seeds is incredibly dense and it showcases that hip-hop possee sound of Colouring of Pigeons while moving to critique opera and electronic music (something I feel the entire album succeeds at). Seeds climaxes with a jarring loop of vocalizations from the mezzo that feels soaring and cramped at the same time. The loop never quite matches up and the harmonies are close but never exact. This is the maddening humor of the entire opera. The piece spends alot of time building and then uses a vocal loop as another sound to stick through the sampler. All the vocal sampling and playing that The Knife has become famous for is safe as a walk in the park when you compare it to the balls it takes for a piece that closes with a clunky vocal line played against another and another. Literally, this feels like a slap in the face to music snobs of a certain pedigree and it feels like electronic music gone slightly awry. It's still beautiful but it's off. By choosing to put the female voice in a looped vocalization she is degraded to just another sound in the track but she is also put forward as an interesting option of how electronic music can evolve. If Bjork can make Medulla withher rapper buddies and some choirs, why can't The Knife make more tracks that have opera singers doing nothing more than vocalizing while someone sings over? I feel that Tomorrow, in a Year is immensely successful at asking smart musical questions and providing interesting, musically evocative scenes through its inherent quirkiness.
Unlike some soundtracks where you can only tangentially pick out a plot this album was never intended to provide a 'plot' to its listener. It was written to convey the emotions and character of evolutionary thought. In that, the opera is vastly successful at conveying dread, hope, fear, destruction, noise, pain and the humyn condition that arsises from it all. The last four tracks of the album are easily the best because they are, immedately, the closest to a typical piece from The Knife. The last four tracks are also strongest because they build on an entire first act of sound experiment and musical build-up. Colouring of Pigeons feels like even more of a gigantic climax after eleven tracks that feel like the kind of musical/mental games electronic artists would probably play all the time if they could convince us to buy albums of nothing but odd drum lines and occassional electronic screeching (OH WAIT I JUST BOUGHT THAT).
I do have to say that this feels like the most mature work by a long shot from any of the artists involved, specifically Mt Sims. After Ultrasex I had mainly written off Mt Sims but now feel that there could be hope after all for the dance act that lucked into the prestige project of the decade. The real work in this opera seems to be done by Olof Anderson. The first act puts the DJ and production skills of the male half of the Knife in the forefront. The second most work is done by the mezzo who is put to the test in every single piece as another sound in the texture of electronic music. The rest of the components all come together when need be and give the listener new surprises with each track. The album feels like a well-lead ensemble piece and its many collaborators ensure that there is never a lack of fresh ideas or thoughts.
I'll say that Tomorrow, in a Year is definitely not for the faint of heart. To add to that, however, I must say that it is the most musically rewarding experience I've had in a long while. This album is a distance from anything I've ever heard before. What Tomorrow, in a Year ultimately succeeds at is establishing its own legitimacy as an electronic foray into the stuffy, mainly static world of classical music. This is a fascinating album and I cannot recommend it enough to music lovers everywhere. For the non-music lovers, why are you reading this blog in the first place?


PS- If that really is Karin Dreijer Anderson singing on the alternate vocal track of Annie's Box then I cannot wait to see what her next project sounds like in light of her still-growing abilities and eccentricities. If the sound of the next The Knife album is put together with the synthy fun of The Height of Summer (track 15) then I really cannot wait to see what happens when siblings reunite and we get a follow-up to my favorite album of the past decade- Silent Shout.