With the first hit of the drum, pluck of the bass and strum of the guitar, for a split second, I hear the opening of AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell” (gotta throw in an obligatory reference to today’s once-in-a-century date). All you rockers, don’t get your hopes up. The stadium rock doesn’t continue, at least not in an AC/DC sense. However, the herky-jerky pogo beats, the Hyde brothers’ thick, northern British accents, and their soaring harmonies kick in full force. The Futureheads are often compared to XTC, with good reason (and not in a bad way: they sound neither nostalgic nor derivative), and the similarities continue on their second record, News And Tributes, out next week. “Worry About It Later” sounds as if it was pulled from the English Settlement sessions, mixed with a little pop-opera. Don’t expect anything near a slump for these blokes as their powerful/playful style, which has earned them opening spots (on stadium shows!) for Oasis and The Pixies, has only matured and had this come out some forty years earlier I can imagine The Futureheads playing with the likes of Townsend and company. Here we are, back to the future and you’ll find them out on the road in North America, starting next week, with French Kicks for the first leg and Tapes ‘N Tapes for the next.
Dr. Octagon
It must have been a sign when I recently found a tape recording of an interview I did with Dr. Octagon (aka Kool Keith) circa Dr. Octagonecologyst. This is the same tape that provided such reliable mix drops as “ain’t nothing smellin’ in jazz” and the Doctor’s bizarre verbal recreation of “greasy” beats. I don’t have downloads of the interview outtakes, but I do have a track from The Return of Dr. Octagon due out later this month. My man’s still at it. Some ‘notherworld production and lyrics to match. He can, to quote Rakim, “take a phrase that’s rarely heard, flip it…now it’s a daily word.” Oh and say kids, who likes remixes? Cause we got ’em, from Her Space Holiday and Cassettes Won’t Listen among others.
P.S. Wonder if we’ll ever hear The Mountain Goats remix Dr. Octagon. Turns out he’s a big fan. Just when I thought I knew everything…
Goodnight Monsters
If you’re fluent in German you might enjoy the online magazine Spoonfork (in English we call it a “spork”). I don’t speak German, so I can’t give it a proper review. They’re kind enough to link to our entries once in awhile, so I’ll stop by there every so often to hear what they’re listening to. They seem to have a weak spot for sunshiney pop, and indeed Finland’s Goodnight Monsters are beaming with it. “20 Fingers 20 Toes” is an anatomically wonderful love song which captures a couple cataloging their combined body parts. Contemporaries might include The Boy Least Likely To, influences obviously include The Beach Boys and Burt Bacharach. This is a shimmering gem you’d be wise to add to your forthcoming Summer mixes…
(By the way: today is the last day to enter our Psapp contest)
Manual
I promise this will be the last plug I give a Darla artist this week (gotcha…it’s Saturday!). Manual is Danish prodigy Jonas Munk. At age 22, he’s already got over a dozen releases to his name(s), many of them an epic 10+ minues in length. I always thought it was weird when music critics would use the term “big” to describe a sound. But that’s about the best way I can think of to describe Manual. Big and warm and familiar. In fact, Darla’s press release says: “In Jonas’ world there’s no line between dream pop and stadium rock…” So here I am, lighter held up high.
Isabelle Antena
Isabelle Antena is a Parisian songbird whose bossa- and samba-inflected electro-Francopop is as glamorous as it is playful. And she’s been making hip jingles for almost three decades. Antena released Camino del Sol 25 years ago on Benelux, the continental stepchild of Factory Records. So while New Order et. al. were taking over clubs worldwide, Antena were mostly, and criminally, overlooked. Yet, you listen to the coy cover of “The Boy From Ipanema” and, beyond sounding like it could have been recorded this year in a Williamsburg loft, you realize where bands like Stereolab got their groove. Antena is back with Tujours de Soleil, ostensibly a follow-up to Camino. “Spinner” is perfect for urban adventures, but unfortunately the only version I can find for download is only two-thirds the length of the original. Fortunately, Isabelle has a career-spanning catalog of MP3s on her site, so make a sampler and plan that trip to Paris sooner than you thought.
When Life Gives You MP3s, Make a Podcast
S.S. Cardiacs
No. 1 candidate for my new favorite song (at least for the month of June): “Noo Noo” by S.S. Cardiacs. Jessie Stein sounds like she’s about 12 years old until you hit that chorus, “Word play is the foreplay of the gods,” and then it’s like we’re all back in high school again. Off-kilter rock, bizarre brainy lyrics, lots of t’s and i’s left uncrossed or undotted; great fun. The suggestion for S.S. Cardiacs comes from 3hive alumni Shotgun and Jaybird, representing full-on for Canadian indie rock. (We’ve posted so much from up north this year that we’ll be named Knights of the Canadian Empire soon, just you watch.)
Play It As It Lays #239
Beatnik Filmstars
They’re back! After a seven year break, the Beatnik Filmstars, Sam’s and my favorite lo-fi noise pop band of the ’90s, have released a 23-song album, In Great Shape, that’s full of hooks, fuzz, crashing cymbals, strange noises, muffled voices, and buckets of pop. It’s like they never left!