Happy, uptempo, commercial, pop music that works and does what its design intended. Good song. Sounds like The Killers at times, but that’s fine because it’s made up for by the beautiful Coldplay sound at other points.

Also, they’ve got a show coming up next month–February 12–at The Wiltern in LA with Young the Giant. Click here for more information and tickets.

“its just a cigarette”

Princess Chelsea – The Cigarette Duet

Via Blowing or Blowing Up.

Wallpaper. – Okay by wallpaper

The forthcoming sophomore release from French band Adam Kesher entitled Challenging Nature is out April 11 on Disque Primeur.

Challenging Nature was produced by Dave One (Chromeo) with additional mixing from Zdar (Cassius), A-Trak and Pierrick Devin (Alex Gopher, Cassius, Cut Copy).

Check out rcrdlbl.com to download Hour Of The Wolf (Lifelike Remix)

Adam Kesher
Challenging Nature
April 11, 2011
(Disque Primeur. Distribution: EMI)
Adam Kesher Home
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1- A Hundred Years Later
2- Hour of the Wolf
3- Attraction
4- Blue Purple
5- Gravy Train
6- Knock Myself Out
7- Armed Hands
8- Kiss Me Kinski
9- Waterfall
10- Julien, Julie

What the clownery? This video is good. We guess.

We are happy to present forthcoming HEADLINE additions to the soon approaching and much anticipated Lightning in a Bottle Music and Arts Festival 2010, presented by The Do Lab, which will occur Memorial Day weekend (May 28-31) at the beautiful Oak Canyon Ranch in Irvine, CA.

On the heels of their upcoming release “Drink the Sea”, and after a stand-out Coachella performance, The Glitch Mob will be performing along with the indie sensation Nico Vega and our cherished brothers and sisters, the Lucent Dossier Experience.

We would like to offer our sincerest thanks to all of the amazing submissions on the “Mixtape to Make the Line-up” contest. Not surprisingly our three top finalists were all unbelievable female DJ’s… The submissions have all been great and it was quite a task picking the “Grand Producer” to perform at this years LIB, but alas we have chosen and her name is KRYSTEE!

Other musical additions include Heyoka, Sidecar Tommy, Kitty D, The Luminaries, Geno Cochino, The Makers, Ron Levy, Michael Hart, Manny Greensector, Terrakroma, Motion Potion and DJ Wolfie.

Performances added in addition to Lucent Dossier include, Vau de Vire Society, El Circo, Ricochet ~ Poetic Acrobats, Fire Groove, Stilt Circus, The Wandering Marionettes and Shakti Sunfire

For full lineup and additional information visit the LIB website and stay tuned for more exciting news in the coming weeks.

Lightning in a Bottle:

The history of LIB spans more than a decade, and friends, family, and co-horts of the Do LaB are thrilled and astounded that it’s been more than ten years of making miracles and catching Lightning in a Bottle! Together with all of our friends we will converge on a beautiful new location and transform it into a wonderland for the senses, once again capturing Lightning in a Bottle. Prepare to start the summer off right!!!

4 days and 3 nights of activities and entertainment including music, performances, inspiring art, yoga and meditation classes, sustainability workshops, clothing and craft vending, tasty organic foods, camping and much more!

The Do Lab:

Based in Downtown Los Angeles, The Do LaB is an ensemble cast of creatives ranging from artists, event producers, lighting designers, DJs, constructors, welders, costumers, musicians, and the performance troupe Lucent Dossier. Since 2000, The Do LaB has been dedicated to treating experience itself as the art form. Their exceptional annual events–including the Lighting in a Bottle Music Festival–and jaw-dropping, large-scale art environments, have been attracting a devoted following among the West Coast’s underground creative community, and around the world. While bringing the visions of their home-grown art collective to life, The Do LaB has evolved into a respected event creations company, winning over major brands, music festivals, and trade-shows, with their unparalleled creativity and innovation.

The Do LaB’s portfolio includes clients such as the Coachella Music Festival, Ford, Audi, Red Bull, Scion, the Virgin Music Festival, Speakercraft, Esquire Magazine, AIDS Project Los Angeles, Stop Aids Organization, and many more

The Confluence:

Is a post label thinking management/marketing firm that takes an artist-centric approach to addressing the shifting music landscape. They will be releasing EP’s for MartyParty, AdamandEvil and the Lightning in a Bottle 2010 festival’s “Lightning in Your Ear” artist sampler to benefit the charity Critical Beats whose goal is to allow the natives to share the sacred healing sounds of their lands with new audiences all over the globe.

Nico Vega – “So So Fresh:”

Download.

Lightning in a Bottle! (official video):

Axe Riverboy – “Carry On (Fortune Remix):”

Electric President is made up of Ben Cooper and Alex Kane, both natives of Jacksonville, Florida. Their musical history is scattered. Ben played in bands from the time he was 13, in as many of four at once, sometimes as a guitarist, or a drummer, singer or bassist. Alex first started playing as the bass player in a band called The Helicopter Project, which Ben joined when they were in need of a singer. It was there that they first met and started recording as Electric President. – with Alex on Bass and Ben handling just about everything else.

They’ve released two albums and two 7 inches as Electric President with the German imprint, Morr Music, and have toured in the US, Europe, and Japan. Their sound is a mixture of folk and indie pop crafted with electronic elements sometimes making occasional references to shoegaze and epic prog rock. The Violent Blue, their first stateside album, is set for release on New Haven, CT record label Fake Four Inc. on February 23rd, 2010.

Ben and Alex’s records stand out not only because of moments of irresistibly catchy melodies, or exquisite home production, but because of Ben Cooper’s knack for developed and detailed song writing. The Violent Blue a title that stems from Ben’s nickname for the ocean, started as a collection of B-sides from the band’s 2008 Sleep Well sessions but grew into much more. The idea of “drowning in sound” became increasingly important in areas of the album and the words turned out more personal than in the previous records. What came about is an elegantly crafted album that showcases Electric President’s mature and elaborate songs characterized by waves of harmonies, quiet acoustic guitars and loud distorted electric ones built upon layers of intricately produced percussive work whether it be in the form of big sounding drum machines, glitchy organic found sounds or live kit recordings.

Experience the beauty and power of The Violent Blue.

“Seventeen” by Casxio (”17 Ways Out” Remix by Velapene Screen)

Whitney Houston will always love you. We find this track intro. hilarious. The track itself is also good. From This Charming Mixtape, it’s “Always Love U:”

It’s New Look! Formerly “Jungle Talk,” here we have yet another project with interesting electronic instrumentals and poppy soulful vocals.

“Everything:”

Jimmy Edgar helped with the production of the track by New Look, entitled “Function of Your Love:”

In addition to writing the instrumentals, Edgar lent some vocals as well.

Live at Thugs & Hugs, The Legion, London, on 21st Feb 2009 :

“Make It Over:”

“So Real:”

As heard in the Machinedrum / Theophilus London mixtape “Jam!” The New Look track, “Future Times:”

Download: Function of Your Love SINGLE

Download: How’s My Hair EP

Mary Anne Hobbs talks about her famous show on BBC Radio 1 and her opinions on part of the West Coast experimental electronic music scene. Hobbs goes a little overboard in her admiration of Flying Lotus here. He’s great and all, but comparable to Hendrix? Really?

The following Soulwax mix incorporates 420 intros into 60 recorded minutes in their “00:00 Introversy” session on BBC Radio 1.

Click here to download.

Here is the track-listing.

Mike Milosh, now known as simply Milosh, produces electronic music and records his own vocals over his tracks. Milosh was trained in classical cello in his early childhood. Milosh’s first official release was You Make Me Feel from the Plug Research label on May 18th, 2004. If you browse around Milosh’s page, his music seems to make him popular with the ladies. We’ll leave the guesswork behind why Milosh’s music attracts the ladies to you, but regardless, some of his songs are really good.

Here’s the track (“Then It Happened,”) Milosh submitted for Ghostly Swim, the Adult Swim joint release with the Ghostly International label:
 

“The City:”

Discography:

You Make Me Feel (Plug Research) 2004
MeMe (Plug Research) 2006MeMe (Plug Research) 2006
Ghostly Swim (Ghostly International / Adult Swim) 2008
iii (Studio !K7) (2008)

“You Make Me Feel:”

“Couldn’t Sleep:”

“Push:”

Here’s where glitchy instrumentals meet beautiful and sad moods, bringing a track that’s put together well, if you happen not to mind so much digital influence in your music.

Styrofoam is Arne Van Petegem, a Belgian one-man glitch electronic music project (indietronic) on the independent record label Morr Music. The track in focus, “Couches In Alleys (Feat. Ben Gibbard), is like down-tempo lap-pop. Since I keep using the genre label, I’ll give some background: lap-pop is basically pop music with electronic influence that was mostly produced with only laptops. Of course, it certainly takes a vocalist to add to the mood of these songs, but there’s nothing “pop” about the lyrics in lap-pop songs, really. You could argue that the lyrics or music appeal to popular culture, but there tends to be a clever twist in the lyrics that brings these tracks above your run of the mill Britney Spears tune. Don’t get me wrong, though, the production / instrumental end of Britney’s releases is really tight! Seriously. At any rate, I really like what Styrofoam is doing with the instrumentals here. The chopped break swooshes and clicks are right up my alley. Definitely not overlooking the melodic synthesizer work either.

On the album, “Nothing’s Lost,” Styrofoam worked together with artists Valerie Trebeljahr (Lali Puna), Andrew Kenny (The American Analog Set), Ben Gibbard (Death Cab for Cutie, The Postal Service), Bent Van Looy (Das Pop), Markus Acher (The Notwist, Lali Puna), Miki Yoshimura (Munk) and Alias. I can’t believe it took me four years to discover this track! I also can’t believe Ben Gibbard hasn’t collaborated on more songs of this style.

But enough about all of that. Let’s get to the song that has been elected our song of the month. And, a random video clip that was created by an arbitrary YouTube fan that decided the song moved her enough that she simply had to do something about it!

Now, listen to the hit.

Discography

Albums

2000: The Point Misser Morr Music
2000: A Short Album About Murder
2003: I’m What’s There To Show That Something’s Missing
2004: Nothing’s Lost
2006: The Same Channel [Joint album with Fat Jon]
2008: A Thousand Words Nettwerk

EP’s & Singles

2002: RR20 Rocket Racer
2002: Styrofoam/Dntel Split [7" Split]
2002: To Simply Lie Here And Breathe [7"] Morr Music
2003: A Heart Without A Mind [EP]
2005: Live
2008: Bright Red Helmet Nettwerk

Remixes

2001: múm, Please Sing My Spring Reverb, Please Smile My Noise Bleed
2002: Tristeza, Casio, Mixed Signals
Giardini di Mirò, A New Start, The Academic Rise of Falling Drifters
The American Analog Set, The Postman, We’re Computerizing And We Just Don’t Need You Anymore, Updates EP
2003: Zorn Marianengraben Marianengraben
2004: The Go, Find What I Want, Over The Edge
2005: The Postal Service, Nothing Better, We Will Become Silhouettes
The American Analog Set, Cool Kids Keep, Set Free (Japanese edition)
Jimmy Eat World, Drugs Or Me, Stay on My Side Tonight [EP]
The Free Design (with Sarah Shannon), I Found Love, The Now Sound Redesigned
Plastic Operator, Folder, Folder EP
2006: Najwa Nimri, Capable, Capable
Five Deez, Let The People Know, Let The People Know
The Submarines, Brighter Discontent, Remixes EP
Leigh Nash, All Along The Wall, Remixed 2 EP
2007: at the close of every day, Rain or Shine, Leaves You Puzzled

Owl City is a lap-pop project of Adam Young. Owl City was created in early 2007 in Owatonna, Minnesota, and has released two albums, “Of June” and “Maybe I’m Dreaming.” Owl City has reached the Top Unsigned Artist position on Myspace by exceeding a total play count of 10 million. Young is currently working on two side projects, Swimming With Dolphins, and Port Blue (an “Ambient / Pop” genres project), similar to that of work from former Merck artist Helios, who is now signed to the indie label Type Records. The side projects of Young are certainly interesting, but not on the same level of his work under the Owl City moniker. Interesting ideas are certainly being addressed in all three of Young’s projects. All good things.

This track is how I first heard of Owl City, from his “Of June” record, and it’s still one of my favorites:

Here are a couple more Owl City tracks I enjoy, both from his “Maybe I’m Dreaming” release. As for the remainder of Young’s music, I think I find it a bit juvenile for my tastes, but that is also shown in quick observations made about the young age group of the majority of his Myspace fan-base.

“Hello Seattle:”

Young has trouble sleeping, referencing sleeping pills in some of his lyrics. Further, the artist started producing his tracks at home in his bedroom. Quite impressive, wouldn’t you say?

Discography

Of June (August 29, 2007)
Maybe I’m Dreaming (March 18, 2008)

As for his production style, there are lots of catchy synthy melodies and beats. He uses an autotuner DSP plug-in on his voice to give it that robotic sound, which is possibly overused seeing as it is in all of his tracks; however, it works really well in a few of them and his tracks tend to have a sort of relaxed, carefree and dreamy feel to them. However, it is known among experienced producers that using autotuning on every single vocal you record could show an inability to sing in proper pitch, the autotuner being used as a crutch to correct incorrect notes and mistakes in vocals. However, with over 13,000,000 song plays on Myspace, Owl City is certainly doing enough right to get the job done and make music that people enjoy. Today alone Owl City beat out Timbaland with Myspace plays: 131,000+ to 65,000+.

“On The Wing”

“West Coast Friendship”

“The Saltwater Room:”

PlayRadioPlay! is a electronic/pop band from Aledo, Texas started by Daniel Hunter in December 2005. Hunter began creating music in his garage, but it was not until he discovered Fruity Loops in Music Theory class at Aledo High School that he began to create electronic based music. After rapidly gaining popularity on MySpace, Hunter signed with Island/Stolen Transmission midway through his senior year of high school.

Hunter makes his music with Propellerheads Reason, Pro Tools, Logic Pro, and various other electric and acoustic instruments to create an upbeat, dancy, and lyrically simple style of music. He writes, performs, and records all of his own music. The sound can be compared to The Postal Service, Hellogoodbye, Electric President,Metro Station, and other electronic acts. PlayRadioPlay! released an E.P. entitled The Frequency on April 27, 2007, which debuted at #6 on the Billboard Electronic chart and #27 on the Heatseekers chart. A full-length album entitled Texas was released Tuesday, March 18, 2008 debuting at #157 on the Billboard 200. In support of the album, PlayRadioPlay! toured nationally with American Rock Bands Secondhand Serenade and Making April.

Hunter left Island Records in late June 2008 after a 2-year run. He describes his affliction with the company as a nightmare in his MySpace blog. Shortly after, on June 27, 2008, Hunter announced in his MySpace blog that he had demoed a new E.P. titled ‘The Organic/Synthetic’ as well as another unnamed E.P. which he will eventually combine as a full-length album and hopes to release it sometime after the new year. Since then he has released three demos from the E.P. on his MySpace page.

Discography

The Frequency E.P. (April 24, 2007)
Texas (March 18, 2008)

And why wouldn’t I leave you with a sample?

PlayRadioPlay! – Confines Of Gravity