Ariel Pink

What? Yet another lo-fi dream-pop chillwave act from the States?

Difference here is that Ariel Pink was one of the first and is one of the best at this shtick.

With an new album out in early 2010 (on indier-than-thou stalwart 4AD), Pink is touring briefly in December and he's stopping off at Buffalo on the 6th. That's a Sunday.

Threatmantics are on the bill too, so it should be good. £8 on the door and you're in.

mp3---> Ariel Pink - Suicide Notes (Direct Link)

Dance Aerobics + Devo = Win

Best. Thing. Ever.

I'm looking to form a crack dance aerobics team. We will dance to Devo. We will wear spandex. We will be awesome. Who's with me?

To get you in the mood here's the Devo track used on the video.

mp3---> Devo - That's Good (Direct Link)

Can't believe I haven't posted about Devo before now. LOVE Devo.

Rain, Rain, Go Away...

This sums up the past week. I miss going outside.

mp3---> Ann Peebles - I Can't Stand The Rain (Direct Link)

Yeasayer

Pottering around the pub the other day, had Yeasayer's new track swirling round my head. I walked into the back bar to hear Sky Sports using it to soundtrack a package about Liverpool in the run up to their game with Man City. Ambling certainly describes their season so far.

Anyway Yeasayer's track is a pretty darn catchy tune, unmistakeably birthed in Brooklyn and doing the rounds.

mp3---> Yeasayer - Ambling Alp (Direct Link... hopefully)

M83 & Jackson

Nothing timely or clever or overarching with this post. It's just a great track and that's why I'm posting it.

Glitchy yet mellow, Jackson (without his computer band this time around) tweaks M83 into even lovelier shapes.

mp3---> M83 - Run Into Flowers (Jackson's Midnight Fuck Mix) (via box.net)

BLK JKS

Stumbled into the Cardiff Arts Institute the other night. Literally stumbled. We somehow came second in the quiz. Rob Da Bank was there and they have Lego on the wall. Thumbs up all round.

Anyways, South Africa's BLK JKS, everyone's current uncategorisable new squeeze are playing the Cardiff Arts Institute on the 27th, which is... just let me check... a Friday.

And it's free, how ace is that?

mp3---> BLK JKS - Lakeside (via box.net)

UKG--->FWD--->???

Best clubbing experience I had all year was in a rugby club in Cornwall. Returned to Falmouth and while I was there caught dubstep pioneer Hatcha. I had steered clear of dubstep up until then (apart from the odd Skream track) thinking it was too slow and therefore dull.

How wrong I was.

Anyway Blackdown recently celebrated its 5th birthday and stuck up an early, exclusive Hatcha mix from 2002, just as the scene was starting to coalesce.

You have to jump through a few hoops to get the mix, starting here.

Essential Logic

It's about time there was some proper, PROPER post-punk posted here, so here's some Essential Logic that I stumbled across on donnaslut a couple of weeks ago.

They've certainly got the credentials for post-punk immortality, born out of X-Ray Spex and feature the counter-intuitive use of a honking saxophone on most of their tracks, Essential Logic were one of those bands that coagulated around Rough Trade in 1979, when it was at the vanguard of all things post-punk.

Their 1981 single Fanfare In The Garden is an absolutely stormer of a tune and I'd argue is far better than their most well known and celebrated track, Aerosol Burns.

mp3---> Essential Logic - Fanfare In The Garden (via box.net)

We Have Brand

We Have Band have announced a briefest of brief UK Tour and they're shoving a Cardiff show into it, playing 10 Feet Tall on November 30th. I saw them play in The Old Blue Last around this time last year and they were pretty good.

If you're unfamiliar with We Have Band then they're kind of disco-rock, but disco-rock in the punk-funk sense of ESG and The Rapture rather than say Kiss playing disco. WHB also have a synth-pop slant through the bored, detached boy-girl vocals and well, synths. It's probably best to just download this.

mp3---> We Have Band - You Came Out (Demo) (via box.net)

UPDATE - Looks like the gig has been switched to Buffalo

Some Songs Put Together By Someone Else Which Sums Up Coldwave Pretty Much.

According to some fella over on The Beat! Coldwave is "...vaguely scary European synth pop and experimental instrumental stuff. Imagine Depeche Mode records sung in Polish by bands you've never heard of, and you're getting there."

Dons of the hit and miss, Angular (early Bloc Party, Klaxons, Long Blondes and Wet Dog) are releasing a compilation next year called "Wierd Presents… Coldwaves and Minimal Electronics Vol.1".

They've posted a mix on Vice. It's an interesting listen. The second track is especially good, very Kitten & Thee Glitz.

Coldwave is the new italo-disco.

mp3---> Angular vs. Coldwave Mix Part 1 (Direct Link)