Friday Feature - Six downloadable remixes and a cover from Phoenix's Bankrupt!

Hi guys, sorry for the disappearance. Mum fell down a hole and broke her leg in two places so I've been looking after her. I'll probably be barely blogging for another eight weeks however I'll try my best to post when I can.

So anyway...back in April French electro indie rock band Phoenix released their latest album Bankrupt! To accompany Bankrupt! Phoenix allowed other indie and pop types to remix their singles. Some amazing music has come out of these remixes and the best thing is that the majority of the remixes are available for download for free via their soundcloud.

Phoenix have a massive following by those in the know however they're the kind of band whose singles rarely make it into the top 40 (even in France) so it's most likely that you either know everything about them or nothing at all. If you have encountered them it is probably via their single Too Young which appeared in the party scene in Lost in Translation.

Here are my favourite of the Bankrupt! remixes plus a cover:



You can do much worse than start your exploration of the noise pop genre than with the bouncing girlish glee of Sleigh Bells. They very much make this remix their own by replacing Thomas Mars' vocals with that of the instantly recognisable Alexis Krauss, returning him in the chorus to create a duet effect. It is sugary, pounding and menacing all at the same time.



You're in for a real treat with the Trying To Be Cool remixes as they feature four cracking versions, my favourites being Canadian DJ A-Trak's indie trance epic and French DJ Breakbot's super funky disco groove. All of the remixes are available to download apart from the one featuring R. Kelly and all the components are also available to download so that you can mix your own!



My favourite of the Entertainment remixes is by Blood Orange (aka producer Dev Hynes / Lightspeed Champion) featuring vocals by MKS (the three original Sugababes). It is a twinkling, dreamy, forlorn R&B indie mashup with MKS singing a soulful version of the song's chorus against distorted guitar riffs and Thomas Mars' echoing main vocals.



Saving the best till last is alternative rock band Dinosaur Jr's 'remix' of Entertainment. Despite advertising it's a cover not remix. No one from Phoenix appears in this version and the vocals and instrumentals are all reinterpreted by Dinosaur Jr. I find it absolutely beautiful and actually (don't shoot me) better than the original. It is slow burning, tortured, heartfelt, etc etc. It is the perfect kind of cover, the kind where the band has put their own style onto a song without losing what made that original song so magical and worthy of being covered in the first place. It's very different from Phoenix's electro pop take on alternative music but if you approach it with an open mind you should find it just as enjoyable as the original.

Friday Feature - EMA

This week's Friday Feature is super cool tough girl EMA aka Erika M. Anderson, a noise rocker from South Dakota, USA. She is probably the closest a singer song writer can get to recreating the sound of an entire industrial band. She is musical Marmite. A fact she is completely unapologetic about. She is noise. She is extreme distortion. She is heavy, heavy pulsing beats. She screams and you think you get what she is about but then suddenly all the noise will drop to reveal she also has the most beautiful, husky, gentle singing voice. Mixed into all this contradiction are incredibly catchy tunes.

 

Where will I have heard her before?

EMA's previous bands include Amps for Christ and Gowns. She is very popular with Spin and appeared on their tribute to Nirvana's Nevermind album singing 'Endless, Nameless'. 'The Grey Ship' was used on an episode of Adult Swim's Off the Air.

Featured Song: Grey Ship

Where can I hear more?

EMA's free music usually comes courtesy of SPIN. Check out her two albums Little Sketches on Tape (2010) and Past Life Martyred Saints (2011).

What is her website?

http://cameouttanowhere.com/

Next week: We'll enjoy flowers in December with Mazzy Star

Friday Feature - Matt & Kim

This week's Friday Feature are Matt & Kim, an indie dance duo from New York, United States. Matt is vocals and keyboards and Kim is drums. Combined they are unashamedly rough and noisy...but it's an upbeat, energising, free spirited noise. Their rhythm led sound may be a little too aggressive for some but if you don't mind a beat for your buck then you'll find many of their songs such as Daylight, Gold Ol' Fashioned Nightmare and Cameras incredibly catchy (and if you listen hard enough you'll hear the lyrics are pretty deep too). 

Where will I have heard them before?

Matt & Kim first became popular touring however now their music's all over the place! Lessons Learned won the Breakthrough Video award at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, AF/FM Sound features on the TV show Chuck, Cameras appears on the soundtrack for Morgan Spurlock's 2011 film The Greatest Movie Ever Sold and Let's Go appeared on the comedy website Funny or Die however their best known song is Daylight. Daylight has appeared in various commercials; in the TV shows Community (which also featured Good Ol' Fashioned Nightmare), Entourage and Skins; and in the video games NBA Live 10, Need for Speed Nitro, The Sims 3: World Adventures (in Simlish) and FIFA 10 (a remixed version featuring De La Soul).

Featured Song: Cameras

Where can I hear more?

Sorry - no free songs but four fab albums for you to explore: Matt & Kim, Grand, Sidewalks and Lightning (just released this month).

What is their website?

They have an official website however it crashed my laptop twice so here's their wikipedia page and you can take you computer's life in your own hands!

Next week: We're going back to the 1960s to explore the original Garage Girl Group Sound!60sWe're going,