Twenty Well-Drilled Songs
Twenty Songs, 12 August 2007
Our eyes hurt and our limbs are tired but here we are bringing you some of our favourite tracks for the week that ended last week. Coloured somewhat by the enormity of going to Field Day and Justice et al putting in an incedinary display as well as, uh, this bit of video genius from YouTube and a bit of a lengthy search for The Missing Daft Punk Song (which turned out to just be the last track on Discovery - not so lost after all).
20 Medicine 8, Born On Mars
19 David E Sugar, Oi New York, This Is London
18 Virgin Souls, Next Meal
17 Justice, Let There Be Light
16 Klaxons, Golden Skans (Surkin Remix)
Still in the chart for it's catchy vocal and possibly the utter gaul of having a ten minute build up (or something), we still await the biggest track ever from Medicine 8 who quite plausibly have it in them. The latest from David E Sugar on the other hand takes him away from the direction we'd hope from him, being more straightfoward than his other blipriot-y stuff. Still good though. As is the luscious Next Meal from downtempo broken lounge set Virgin Souls, which drips from the stereo. You know who Justice are and you know how big they get, this is no exception and was a standout in their pretty damn good live show. Meanwhile, just because they're always on our charts somewhere, this week we've been singing golden skans go go, golden skans go go until our neighbours' ears bled. Mmm.
15 Does It Offend You, Yeah?, Let's Make Out (Alt Version)
14 Prinzhorn Dance School, Crackerjack Docker
13 Fields, If You Fail We All Fail
12 Underworld, Rez
11 MSTRKRFT, Paris
We like Does It Offend so it was nice to see that while a more song-y direction, this freebie mp3 didn't lose any of the sleaze or purile humous, although with a name like Let's Make Out I guess that would've been weird. Simiarly on track are Prinzhorn with the song that shares its name with their album apparently. More minimal indie blues art school drop out challenge, which, again, will either re-affirm detractors or bring smiles to the faces of supporters. We're the latter. An oldie next (well, in our sort of timeline), from Fields as remixed by one of our favourite artists of last week despite being about the only one we didn't see live. Still, if you can't love SebastiAn on any given day what can you do. Simiarly, a geniune oldie (in modern electronic music terms) from Underworld who were showing everyone how to do everything before any of it was even invented. Bleepy, dubby, bubbly joy that's as epic as it is enlightening. Which leaves us with good ol' MSTRKRFT, with their big room electro workout, one of the vocal-free standouts from The Looks.
10 Daft Punk, Digital Love
09 ddd, Wall To Wall
08 Blood Red Shoes, It's Getting Boring By The Sea
07 The Bird And The Bee, Again & Again
06 Pernice Brothers, Conscience Clean (I Went To Spain)
Speaking of MSTRKRFT, the band that taught them everything they know. Did You Know we only got our copy of Discovery a week or so ago, one of those Absolute Classics we never got 'round to actually owning. Which is a shame cuz we love Digital Love as a song cuz we're utter softies at heart. Except when it comes to filthy punk dirge, a la ddd, whose last single was pretty drainchord riot material, slurring into it's lit gasoline, just how we like it. Except when we like chipper pop punk grunge, like that of Blood Red Shoes and their every-song-is-a-standout ethos which has most recently given us It's Getting Boring, our new favourite. Like our last favourite. Funnily, we also quite like lovely lovely indie pop like that of American act The Bird And The Bee, who we weren't expecting to like but then, well, did. Much like Pernice Brothers who do a similar brand but who are even more middle-of-a-meadow awwww nice. Which is nice.
05 Max Waters, Cymbalon Remix (Simian Mobile Disco Remix)
Not, however, as nice as Simian Mobile Disco and their everything-we-touch-is-gold remix tactic, here employed on Max Waters who we've never heard of and his track Cymbalon which we don't know the original to. You could say it's possible SMD didn't actually do anything but then when you hear it, you know, it has the big men of bleepbeat written all over it. Slow, building, plodding but undeniably effective, this is a stunna.
04 Daft Punk, Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger
You all know it already so go and watch perhaps the best thing to happen to the world as some guy does all the lyrics to the song before your very eyes in a way that, surely, defies the laws of how cool it's possible for something to be. We here are, as you may be able to tell, very big fans. It's also a wicked track, obv.
03 Justice, Stress
Speaking of songs that are pretty damn big - as we always are - have you heard Stress recently? Go back to it. It's not dance-y or poppy like some off † but my word it's got some substance. Across the road from us someone was recently murdered so us and our dancing parter were watching forensics and police trawl in and out for about five days solid. Turns out, this is a perfect soundtrack. What better, then, than to hear it live at Field Day and in da club at Durrr all in the space of a few days. Little.
02 Björk, Innocence (Ghostigital Untouchable Innocence Still Amazes Fearless Remix)
Also played with the Simian Mobile Disco remix of this. The SMD remix has one bonus over this version in that it's even more faithful and so doesn't include the ropey rap that ruins about twenty seconds of the Ghostigital one in the middle. Other than that, though, muscling SMD off the top remix spot is no mean feat but is acheived thanks to going the other direction - both versions are prety faithful (a shame when the song has potential for real daring action) but where SMD smooth it out, this bad boy roughs it all up the way it wanted and leaves it broken, bruised but asking for more. Wrong.
01 Groove Armada, Song 4 Mutya (Out Of Control) (Linus Loves Dub Remix)
Finally, and so, so right, is the Linus Loves remix of the awfully titled Song 4 Mutya. We've heard it a little and hate the original but my word, Kissy and this remix on the same package and you've got an instant hit in our books. The Linus Loves remix is all about dubby swirls and nonchalance and ends with our favourite musical bit of the week, a disgruntled Mutya telling us you're gone now i feel fine, seventeen months yeah i feel fine... Is that so, Mutya? Yet here you are...
Our eyes hurt and our limbs are tired but here we are bringing you some of our favourite tracks for the week that ended last week. Coloured somewhat by the enormity of going to Field Day and Justice et al putting in an incedinary display as well as, uh, this bit of video genius from YouTube and a bit of a lengthy search for The Missing Daft Punk Song (which turned out to just be the last track on Discovery - not so lost after all).
20 Medicine 8, Born On Mars
19 David E Sugar, Oi New York, This Is London
18 Virgin Souls, Next Meal
17 Justice, Let There Be Light
16 Klaxons, Golden Skans (Surkin Remix)
Still in the chart for it's catchy vocal and possibly the utter gaul of having a ten minute build up (or something), we still await the biggest track ever from Medicine 8 who quite plausibly have it in them. The latest from David E Sugar on the other hand takes him away from the direction we'd hope from him, being more straightfoward than his other blipriot-y stuff. Still good though. As is the luscious Next Meal from downtempo broken lounge set Virgin Souls, which drips from the stereo. You know who Justice are and you know how big they get, this is no exception and was a standout in their pretty damn good live show. Meanwhile, just because they're always on our charts somewhere, this week we've been singing golden skans go go, golden skans go go until our neighbours' ears bled. Mmm.
15 Does It Offend You, Yeah?, Let's Make Out (Alt Version)
14 Prinzhorn Dance School, Crackerjack Docker
13 Fields, If You Fail We All Fail
12 Underworld, Rez
11 MSTRKRFT, Paris
We like Does It Offend so it was nice to see that while a more song-y direction, this freebie mp3 didn't lose any of the sleaze or purile humous, although with a name like Let's Make Out I guess that would've been weird. Simiarly on track are Prinzhorn with the song that shares its name with their album apparently. More minimal indie blues art school drop out challenge, which, again, will either re-affirm detractors or bring smiles to the faces of supporters. We're the latter. An oldie next (well, in our sort of timeline), from Fields as remixed by one of our favourite artists of last week despite being about the only one we didn't see live. Still, if you can't love SebastiAn on any given day what can you do. Simiarly, a geniune oldie (in modern electronic music terms) from Underworld who were showing everyone how to do everything before any of it was even invented. Bleepy, dubby, bubbly joy that's as epic as it is enlightening. Which leaves us with good ol' MSTRKRFT, with their big room electro workout, one of the vocal-free standouts from The Looks.
10 Daft Punk, Digital Love
09 ddd, Wall To Wall
08 Blood Red Shoes, It's Getting Boring By The Sea
07 The Bird And The Bee, Again & Again
06 Pernice Brothers, Conscience Clean (I Went To Spain)
Speaking of MSTRKRFT, the band that taught them everything they know. Did You Know we only got our copy of Discovery a week or so ago, one of those Absolute Classics we never got 'round to actually owning. Which is a shame cuz we love Digital Love as a song cuz we're utter softies at heart. Except when it comes to filthy punk dirge, a la ddd, whose last single was pretty drainchord riot material, slurring into it's lit gasoline, just how we like it. Except when we like chipper pop punk grunge, like that of Blood Red Shoes and their every-song-is-a-standout ethos which has most recently given us It's Getting Boring, our new favourite. Like our last favourite. Funnily, we also quite like lovely lovely indie pop like that of American act The Bird And The Bee, who we weren't expecting to like but then, well, did. Much like Pernice Brothers who do a similar brand but who are even more middle-of-a-meadow awwww nice. Which is nice.
05 Max Waters, Cymbalon Remix (Simian Mobile Disco Remix)
Not, however, as nice as Simian Mobile Disco and their everything-we-touch-is-gold remix tactic, here employed on Max Waters who we've never heard of and his track Cymbalon which we don't know the original to. You could say it's possible SMD didn't actually do anything but then when you hear it, you know, it has the big men of bleepbeat written all over it. Slow, building, plodding but undeniably effective, this is a stunna.
04 Daft Punk, Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger
You all know it already so go and watch perhaps the best thing to happen to the world as some guy does all the lyrics to the song before your very eyes in a way that, surely, defies the laws of how cool it's possible for something to be. We here are, as you may be able to tell, very big fans. It's also a wicked track, obv.
03 Justice, Stress
Speaking of songs that are pretty damn big - as we always are - have you heard Stress recently? Go back to it. It's not dance-y or poppy like some off † but my word it's got some substance. Across the road from us someone was recently murdered so us and our dancing parter were watching forensics and police trawl in and out for about five days solid. Turns out, this is a perfect soundtrack. What better, then, than to hear it live at Field Day and in da club at Durrr all in the space of a few days. Little.
02 Björk, Innocence (Ghostigital Untouchable Innocence Still Amazes Fearless Remix)
Also played with the Simian Mobile Disco remix of this. The SMD remix has one bonus over this version in that it's even more faithful and so doesn't include the ropey rap that ruins about twenty seconds of the Ghostigital one in the middle. Other than that, though, muscling SMD off the top remix spot is no mean feat but is acheived thanks to going the other direction - both versions are prety faithful (a shame when the song has potential for real daring action) but where SMD smooth it out, this bad boy roughs it all up the way it wanted and leaves it broken, bruised but asking for more. Wrong.
01 Groove Armada, Song 4 Mutya (Out Of Control) (Linus Loves Dub Remix)
Finally, and so, so right, is the Linus Loves remix of the awfully titled Song 4 Mutya. We've heard it a little and hate the original but my word, Kissy and this remix on the same package and you've got an instant hit in our books. The Linus Loves remix is all about dubby swirls and nonchalance and ends with our favourite musical bit of the week, a disgruntled Mutya telling us you're gone now i feel fine, seventeen months yeah i feel fine... Is that so, Mutya? Yet here you are...