TOP 10 OF SEPTEMBER 2011.

A fairly good month for the charts. Above average new releases out in the UK from Frankmusik (what-I-call sellout, but enjoyable) Natalia Kills (the best popstar of the moment) and Nicola Roberts (love her or hate her, she really has come into her own, working with Metronomy for Christ's sake!). Indie-wise the Bombay Bicycle Club album was pretty good, though The Drums' album proved too be one moan too many and came across rather unlistenably depressing. Oh, and Laura Marling? She never was my cup of tea, but no one can deny, the girl knows her way around a lovely melody.

But as I have mostly found this year, stuff scuttering around in the underground amongst blogs and unsigned music playlists is what really impresses the most.

10.
"Radioactive"
Marina and the Diamonds

Ok, so this is hardly underground. And it's not so much creative as an obvious bid for Rihanna-level euphoric dancepop status. BUT, hasn't Marina always pined for fame and fortune? Her desperate, attention-seeking, lyrical outburst of a debut album was let down by its far from outstanding musical content. "Radioactive"'s melodramatic eurodance chords and clattering club beats, courtesy of Stargate, is finally a match for Marina's post-stage school histronics and confusing yet OTT phrasing: "lying on a fake beach, you'll never get a tan" opens the song, and gives way to a more poignant and emotional "At night your heart is full, and by the morning empty". The woman is paving her way to the kind of compromise between commercial and artistically free that make Robyn and Florence two of the best pop artists on the planet. Marina hasn't got long to go.



9.
"Go"
Delilah

One commenter on the youtube video notes how pleased he is that this dark post-dubstep tune doesn't break into a predictable throbbing breakdown. I am equally pleased, as "Go" and its predecessor, Delilah's debut single "Breathe", both recall a time in the 90s when music could be dark and eerie without having to tick any 'dance music' boxes. Portishead and especially Massive Attack are both pointers here, and Delilah, whilst not the best singer in the world, is a perfectly good front woman to ease in this (hopefully) new wave of Post-Dubstep Trip Hop revival. (Not to sound pretentious at all obviously)



8.
"Keep You"
Class Actress

I recently complimented the candy-cane-sweet, Sleigh Bells-lite (selling them short, but vaguely accurate) Class Actress on their great debut album, full of dark synthpop anthems with a creepy Witch House vibe. The great thing about C.A. however is how little they compromise the danceable and melodic nature of their tracks like so many in their field. "Keep You" opens the record, and ushers in a colossal synth bass and and insistent  alarmingly catchy melody.



7.
"Spectre"
Miracle Fortress

A flawed record, dreampop-indie band Miracle Fortress' debut "Was I The Wave" is an inconsistent bag of half-finished melodies, too much empty space and a lot of overused ideas, but with occasional flashes of melodic brilliance. The new wave pulse of "Spectre" is simply gorgeous, aced by a lovely wordless vocal hook in the chorus.



6.
"Lights Out, Words Gone"
Bombay Bicycle Club

"A Different Kind of Fix" is without a doubt BBC's summer record, Bombay-lite if you will, a lot of tracks awash with ambient pads and balearic rhythms, none-more-so than "Lights Out, Words Gone", a sure fire future single. A hypnotic clap-heavy dance beat gives proceedings a subtle groove as gentle pads resemble clouds passing overhead, and a lightly funky guitar hook steals the show. The whole track oozes simple melodic bliss.



5.
"Don't Fuck With My Money"
Penguin Prison

Penguin Prison are Simple Minds incarnate with a 2010s punch, and boy is "Don't Fuck With My Money" an addictive song. Hook after hook as 80s synths play by every rule in the 1980s pop rulebook, a slamming falsetto-led chorus, an era-perfect synth chord sequence and cocky slap bass. It even goes for the riskiest rules, such as a male falsetto scream in the middle 8, that could have been catastrophic, but ends up, thankfully, air punchingly brilliant. Like the whole track in fact.



4.
"Honey Mine (feat. Victoria Bergsman)"
Korallreven

What I said about "Honey Mine" in Popdar #37:

"...the lazy dub rhythms of "Honey Mine" by Korallreven usher in the same ethereal dancing melodies and distant guitar licks of The Radio Dept. themselves, but with the soft murmers of Taken by Trees vocalist Victoria Bergsman to serenade us. Essentially a balearic outtake from "Clinging to a Scheme", that would've stood out as one of that record's best tracks had it been included."



3.
"Toes"
Lights

What I said about "Toes" in Popdar #35:

"she now shows a punchier, more commercially minded approach to her production with the gleefully anthemic rush of "Toes". But don't worry about "selling out"... this is one of the best songs she's ever written. And she's lost none of the quirkiness that made us fall in love with her."



2.
"Still"
Bombay Bicycle Club

I've recently read that this track is about being told by your partner that they have been unfaithful. Reading the lyrics suddenly become all the more poignant.

What I said about "Still" in Popdar #32:

"...closer "Still" is a simple piano and voice number, that is fragile in a way I only previously thought Thom Yorke was capable of. The fuzzy, reverb-soaked falsetto from Jack Steadman is nothing short of heartbreakingly beautiful."



1.
"True Love Fantasy"
Unicorn Kid

I was tempted just to place the entire "Tidal Rave" EP as the top 3, but I feel to respect the other tracks released this month, I would chose merely one track to represent Unicorn Kid's phenomenal latest release.

Unicorn Kid, an 8-bit Nintendo-music-loving 19 year old (started releasing when he was 15) from Scotland, was known amongst underground quirky music lovers for his unrelentingly drug-happy techno. After signing to Ultra Records, his latest release is a massive step into a more commercial market. It's been a controversial move with fans, but to me, I hear the beginning of a new musical force.

I genuinely hope that this guy becomes the sound of dance music in 2012. "True Love Fantasy" brings its life and energy (sorely lacking in the robotic eurodance trash of 2011) from the early 90s rave scene, including an ejaculation-worthy breakbeat climax at its peak, a scene that Unicorn Kid openly admits to adoring (and wishing he'd been part of). Steel drums give the track a sense of the balearic, sun-blinded Ibiza-friendly anthem, as do Kid's choice to incorporate the benchmark trance chord sequence favoured by artists like Chris Brown and David Guetta, almost tongue in cheek, as the rhythms clatter and topple over themselves, refusing to conform to what is expected of it.

Although many miss the brittle, lo-fi synth onslaught of UK's early work, in my opinion, his crossover sound is just what this largely soulless, passionless dance music scene needs. YOUTH and HEART. Hell does this boy have both. Talented bastard.

Popdar! - 26/09/11

#38 + #39
"Boys of Paradise" + "True Love Fantasy"
Unicorn Kid
Taken from "Tidal Rave EP"

There is nothing better than music that genuinely excites me. A brief (bed bound, I'm unwell) new music session unveiled nothing expectional, except for this. Unicorn Kid make Balearic dance music that refuses to be ignored. There's a lot of pleasant but ignorable Balearic dance these days, but Unicorn Kid have nothing in common with these bands, drawing the gorgeous sense of beach-bound escapism of French melodic masters Air France and ripping through it a raging Crystal Castles energy, particularly on the raging euro-synth highs of "Boys of Paradise", which bounces along at such a pace that makes Owl City comparable to Leonard Cohen.


It's "True Love Fantasy" that's the hit here though. Taking the generic wall-o'-synth chord procession that we've heard a million times this year in the pitiful charts, and filing every soft edge to a hazardous point, as rebellious youths shout out rallies and chants as the track builds to a glorious early 90s rave bliss.


I would say this is something incredible for me. 2011 has been decidedly 'good' as opposed to 'great', but finally I have something I can gladly say has given me faith. Music's not dead yet, if you look you'll find life. BUZZING. If you'll excuse me I'm off to discover everything else he's ever done.

WILTT - 21/09/11

TODAY.

Or rather, THIS LAST WEEK.

Because I've not posted in almost 7 days. I'm planning a move from blogspot to a different host, so watch this space. Any recommendations? Tweet me @JoeCopplestone and tell me whether I should move to tumblr (winning so far), wordpress (tried it, hating it) or some other blogging gaff that I've not heard of.

Anyway, music.

There's not a lot of new stuff worth mentioning really, I've sort of hit a brick wall with new music. However, after listening to Main Attraktionz' mixtape "808s and Dark Grapes" in full (check out their ambient candy-coated hip hop ballad "Perfect Skies" HERE), I am tempted to say it's one of the most creative releases of the year. Gorgeously sparse samples are cut and pasted as rappers Squadda B and Mondre M.A.N. mumble dreamy ghetto gibberish over the top. Check out mixtape highlight "Diamond of God", which has the same mix of hard hitting rap and sugary sweet 80s R&B samples as some of my favourite early/mid 90s hip hop. The samples are mutilated and buzz around like tiny flies, and somehow manage to create something bizarre but beautiful.



Also, Class Actress are definitely one to watch. The attitude of Sleigh Bells, the dustcloud synth onslaught of Washed Out, but with the irresistable hooks of Goldfrapp, Class Actress' debut "Rapprocher" (...I dunno) is a surprising winner, surpassing many of this years more commercial pop records. "Weekend" is an effortlessly understated drinking anthem, whilst "Keep You", my personal favourite, is borderline Witch House, with its sense of foreboding and eerie chorus vocal hook making you almost scared not to dance... I guess it's my track of the day.



Their debut "Rapprocher" is released on October 17th 2011.

Popdar! - 15/09/11

#37
Honey Mine (feat. Victoria Bergsman)
Korallreven

Summer's over, and it's hit all of us like a One Direction single (which also hit us right in our number one spot (probably), woe is me), so it's nice to have a reminder of the blissful months past lying in the sun. Featuring the keyboardist from my beloved Radio Dept., Daniel Tjader, the lazy dub rhythms of "Honey Mine" by Korallreven usher in the same ethereal dancing melodies and distant guitar licks of The Radio Dept. themselves, but with the soft murmers of Taken by Trees vocalist Victoria Bergsman to serenade us. Essentially a balearic outtake from "Clinging to a Scheme", that would've stood out as one of that record's best tracks had it been included.

"Shine on... shine on..." sings Bergsman in a rare moment of letting her voice soar, and if we close our eyes, the sun is still shining, and this is the soundtrack.

Natalie Ferrol: Recent Events EP - OUT NOW!

NATALIE FERROL

"RECENT EVENTS"

Download for FREE!!!

Step one of her Love Conquest series, dramatic electronic R&B with an orchestral edge, for fans of Keri Hilson and Kelly Rowland.

WILTT - 08/09/11

TODAY.

This morning I listened to the new project by R&B goliath The-Dream, which is pretty much just The-Dream using his real name Terius Nash (Admittedly 'The-Dream' is catchier), with an album entitled "1977". So far, every release by The-Dream has fine-tuned his sound further, each record sounding smoother, lusher and SLOWEEER, so much so that 'Love King' was excruciatingly erotic in its pace. However, from the dull brown cover to no longer titling himself as 'The-Dream', there are many hints that "1977" is going to be disappointing before you listen to it. Well, it's not DISAPPOINTING, there's just something missing. There's nothing here that isn't done better on "Love VS Money", its the same dirty synths, crisp beats and sugary sweet melodies, laced with autotune. Lyrically, The-Dream (sorry, Terius) is less about sex, and more about dysfunction this time around, and quite frankly. I miss the days of "Falsetto".



I guess it's time for The Weeknd to step up and take The-Dream's place...

Later on I listened to a dire middle of the singer-songwriter called Jay Leighton, whose album was offensively dull, 'nuff said. I'll be reviewing that later this week, I'll be as complimentary as I can. I came across something else fairly dull and uninspiring in the form of a synth/indie/nothing pop band called Miracle Fortress (just amalgamate those three words and you'll have a pretty good idea of what it sounds like). On their album "Was I The Wave", the band seem content to stroll along on uninteresting melodies and stolen ideas from The Cure and Depeche Mode. BUT I'm happy to say that amoungst the dirge, I came across two surprisingly great numbers. Heartwarming, bright melodies burst from wordless harmonies in "Spectre" above new wave drums and ethereal organs, whilst "Miscalculations" has a great chorus that emerges amongst an xx-esque backdrop of sparse guitars and plinking synths. More like this guys.





But my track of the day is a grand dubstep clanger from many a compilation this year, by the one and only Skream. Tittering along a tightrope bassline, waltzing precariously, its another track that proves no one does unease and dread in dubstep like him.

SKREAM - HEAVY HITTER.

WILTT - 07/09/11

TODAY.

Fleet Foxes made an appearance on my iPod, and I was pleasantly surprised. Before listening to their self-titled debut, I was expecting a folkier Mumford and Sons, with no drums, chirpy strumming and in your face hey-diddle-diddle singing. Well, yes, Fleet Foxes are all of that at times, but there's a magic about their music, and an airiness, that makes their bite sized nu folk ditties sound spacious and welcoming, rather than irritating and alienating. Opener "Sun it Rises" is particularly charming, with huge harmonies exploding out of their humble arrangement, and tribal drums softly pounding. I look forward to giving "Helplessness Blues" a whirl.



Something rather novelty I also found today. Reggae covers of Nirvana's "Nevermind" by an artist called Little Roy. The classic album is due to be reissued on the 26th, so this is a nice reminder of just how good these songs are, whatever their arrangement. I personally think that this version of "About A Girl" was meant to be. Which version do you prefer, this or the original?





My song of the day though? A song I have not given enough credit until now. I suddenly realised when listening to this on the way home, that it is in fact one of the best pop songs of the year. Intense, timeless and beautiful, think "Unfinished Symphony" for the 21st century.

EMELI SANDE - HEAVEN

Popdar! - 06/09/11

#36
"Here Come The Lights"
Joker feat. Silas of Turboweekend

Someone said to me recently that the year of dubstep is over. But then again, the year of chillwave ended last autumn, but both Washed Out and Chad Valley managed to pull out great releases this year despite not being "in season", so I have no problem sharing Joker's new single, "Here Come The Lights", which thuds and thwacks, throbs and grinds like dubstep should, without resorting to the 2012 End-Of-The-World histrionics of Chase & Status and Nero. He's more of a Benga and Skream kind of dubstep DJ, the more respectable kind if you ask me, and after a year of steady, creative and dark output from the UK based Joker, his album, entitled "The Vision" finally drops on the 7th November.



Thanks to Pitchfork, I also discovered the misty-eyed title track of sorts from "The Vision", apparently the first single, which I totally missed.

Popdar! - 05/09/11

#35
"Toes"
Lights

My favourite Canadian seems to be going from strength to strength. A fabulous debut album "The Listening", full of fairytale synthpop anthems with infectious beats and ethereal melodies, and an incredible follow up single in "My Boots"at the close of last year, she now shows a punchier, more commercially minded approach to her production with the gleefully anthemic rush of "Toes". But don't worry about "selling out"... this is one of the best songs she's ever written. And she's lost none of the quirkiness that made us fall in love with her.

THE COPPLESTONE EXPERIMENT IS HERE.

"I am scared of love. Everybody is."

Please support me: click on the cover above to download it for free :) Love.

Popdar! - 03/09/11

#34

"Lucky Day/Rhythm is a Dancer (Mash-Up)

Nicola Roberts

After being distinctly underwhelmed by the meandering, uninteresting "Lucky Day", I come across this mash-up, released today. Those familiar bloated retro eurosynths bring out the melody and make Nicola Roberts sound more a commander of the dancefloor than someone dancing alone in their bedroom. And the beat is huge. Great idea, all in all.

LISTEN BELOW...

Nicola Roberts – Luck Day x Rhythm Is A Dancer [Official Mash-Up]

Popdar! - 01/09/11

#31 + #32
"How Can You Swallow So Much Sleep"
"Still"
Highlights from "A Different Kind of Fix" by Bombay Bicycle Club


I'd previously read that BBC's new album was a halfway point between "I Had The Blues..." and "Flaws", but after listening to "Fix", I think it can only be described as an entirely new direction.  "Shuffle" is by far the poppiest thing here, but the almost balearic "Lights Out, Words Gone" (SWIMMING in warm pads) and the unashamedly anthemic "Leave It" certainly point a new directness in the bands song writing.


But the album finishes and closes on its strongest notes. "How Can You Swallow So Much Sleep" is staple BBC songcraft, building from a pretty guitar riff into something euphoric, but instead of piling on the distortion and frenetic drumming, the guitars become expansive and magnificent and the drums deliver a funky shuffle that recalls The Stone Roses. Conversely, closer "Still" is a simple piano and voice number, that is fragile in a way I only previously thought Thom Yorke was capable of. The fuzzy, reverb-soaked falsetto from Jack Steadman is nothing short of heartbreakingly beautiful.



There is no video or audio available online for "Still" currently, but read the lyrics and you might be able to paint a picture of how gorgeous the song is.

"Held your standards close to heart
but late one night you threw them down
Simple promises you said you'd never
break but now you have

All throughout the morning though 
I'm begging no 
your lips they stay perfectly still 

Did he fill the empty spaces
was he everything I'm not?
There's no force behind my mouth
but in just three words
he brings you down

There's a movement 
out the door 
I swear but no
your lips they stay perfectly still"


#33
"Don't Fuck With My Money"
Penguin Prison

It's sad that this kind of 80s synthpop revival never does all that well, it's so much fun. Holy Ghost did something similar earlier in the year, except perhaps a bit more strict with their rhythms and melodies, but when I heard the joyous singalong cheesefest that is "Don't Fuck With My Money" I couldn't help think back to artists like Sam Sparro and Tommy Sparks from a couple of years back who wanted to bring some soul and funk from the 80s into their electropop. Either way, enjoy "Don't Fuck With My Money" and a couple of my favourite 80s cheesefests from the last couple of years.

 Don't Fuck With My Money by Penguin Prison 

TOP 10 OF AUGUST 2011.

Some stuff you may know, some stuff I hope you don't, so I can claim I introduced you to it.

10
"Perfect Skies"
Main Attraktionz


There's something rather inspiring about relaxing Hip Hop, and something rather unexpectedly beautiful about it, like a meeting of worlds and genres. So when producer Friendzone melts his new age rhodes piano and angelic vocal sample over a softly pulsing beat, it encourages Main Attraktionz to lay back and rap lazily about getting high with their niggas.  Hell, it's peaceful.


9
"Hits Me Like A Rock"
CSS


Very MNDR-esque, CSS take every eurolectropop cliché in the book, but do everything so perfectly that although "Hits Me Like A Rock" is unoriginal, it's nauseatingly addictive. The sugar sweet main vocal hook that hits you like a BOULDER as the song opens is the main culprit here.


8
"Locked"
Four Tet


People wanting music where a lot happens better skip this one. Following in the sparser, more organic sounds of the gorgeous "There is Love in You", "Locked", taken from Four Tet's Fabric compilation, is like "Love Cry"'s more difficult older brother, shuffling awkwardly along on a post-dubstep beat, whilst whistle-synths and phasey guitars fiddle away thoughtfully, before they are startlingly interrupted by an impressive throb of a stop-start bassline. The track builds, subtley, and not an awful lot, into something hypnotic and very difficult to turn off.


7
"Jealousy"
Will Young


Having now heard Will's slightly disappointing "Echoes", I regret to report that Will is not yet the British Robyn. But that doesn't detract from the brilliance and haunting quality of lead single "Jealousy", a song that, much like Robyn's similar "Dancing on My Own", thrives on its own simplicity and honest message of heartbreak on the dancefloor. But whilst Robyn's character in her song seemed deluded and obsessed, Will's is firmly aware of what is going on, and as a result comes across defeated and beaten down. It's a touching lyric and vocal, one that matches some of Will's best.


6
"Swimmhaus Johannesburg"
Fixers


What I said about "Swimmhaus..." on the 8th of August:
"...a bludgeoning 90s dance beat, tacky piano chords and an impossible-to-shake melody. Think Bloc Party's "One More Chance" given an further injection of nu rave energy."


5
"Give It All Away"
My Plastic Sun


What I said about "Give It All Away" on the 14th August:
"...the band have a sense of rock 'n' roll tenderness that recalls Blur circa 1999 and dare-I-say The Beatles. Quite frankly, the heartbreaking "Give it All Away" is simply that good."



4
"Video Games"
Lana Del Rey


What I said about "Video Games" on the 8th August:
"...a sad, cynical anti-love song, one that would sound tired from most other current female crooners, but 'Lana' has a sultry, unimpressed and effortlessly sexy tone that drips with 60s authentic cool."



3
"Baby Missiles"
The War on Drugs


Not usually my cup of tea, "Baby Missiles" is anthemic, punky, organ-riddled rock 'n' roll quite simply. This highlight off The War on Drugs' impeccably melodic "Slave Ambient" thrives off the kind of passion and energy that stretches back to Bob Dylan, with tints of country and the harmonica solo is just pure ear-to-ear-grin enjoyable.

2
"Terra Incognita"

Atlas Sound


Atlas Sound is the solo project of the looming, mysterious frontman of the equally dark and eerie Deerhunter, Bradford Cox, but comparing "Terra Incognita" to anything Deerhunter have released seems unfitting, when I can make much more accurate comparisons to gothic cabaret acts Sopor Aeternus and even hints of sultry melancholy in the vein of Antony & The Johnsons.

Of course, Cox's voice, accompanied by a spinetingling acoustic guitar part for the most part, is neither as melodramatic or distinctive as either Sopor's Anna-Varney or Antony. However, the reason I make the comparisons is that unlike so many alternative music vocalists, Bradford's performance is not merely a carriage for the lyrics, it is an instrument of haunting beauty that leaves its mark long after the track is finished. In that aspect, "Terra Incognita" showcases a fragile man behind the music, a man who is essential to his main band, but whom is clearly meant for greater things solo.


1

"Shuffle"

Bombay Bicycle Club


After the lazy summer afternoon soundtrack that was "Flaws", it's refreshing to see Bombay Bicycle Club just not return to their roots but take an almighty big risk in airing a totally new sound. From the moment that stuttering honky tonk piano kicks in, til the final jumping vocal sample bows out abruptly, it's a plethora of hooks, yet Jack Steadman's heartbreaking cotton-candy voice and the band's wonderful songwriting still manages to shine through, better than ever in fact. "Shuffle" doesn't so much shuffle as bounce, and it's a new spring in the step of a band who have yet to disappoint.



MY REPORTS ON "A DIFFERENT KIND OF FIX" TOMORROW!!!