HYPE THIRTY-TWO
Yeah, yeah. I know. But here’s the thing, it’s the write-ups that take so fucking long, so what I’m going to do with Hype posts from now on is post the track, and some one word descriptors for the sound. It could be band names or it could be buzz-words and faux-genres. But time is short and my wit is, believe it or not; finite, so that’s it for the mini-reviews for each track, at least for now. Some of the following tracks have been sitting around for a while, others are newish.
Remember that you haven’t followed NEO//NOIR on Facebook yet. You told yourself you would, but then you got distracted.
HYPE // TWENTY-SIX
Dame is the first single from the mysterious Manganese Madness. It’s a bass-driven slow burner that builds into a huge shoegazey instrumental chorus. It’s incredibly promising and if the rest of the follow-up work can reflect this quality we’re in for a real treat.
//
Germany Germany is the name on everyone’s lips and it’s because of Take Me Home. If you’ve heard it already then move on, but I know you haven’t because I live under the delusion that my blog is the only one you read.
The start had me rolling my eyes with a “Here we fucking go…” attitude. The drum machine sounds positively Postal Service-esque and I was half expecting the vocals of another whiny idiot, ripping off the sound and singing about happiness and phosphorescent insects to come in at any second.
But they never come, it just keeps getting better, sounding like the sort of thing that would soundtrack some bittersweet memory in the dark. And then the Bloc Party guitars come in! Just get it. Now. He’s got a whole bunch of other songs for download but they all seem a bit too sentimental and soft compared to Take Me Home.
Take Me Home - Germany Germany
//
Just Another Snake Cult is an incredibly prolific dude from Iceland named Thor. He dabbles in warped 60’s influenced surf-pop numbers that end up sounding sonically similar to the work of Coolrunnings. I Know She Does and Strong Enough are great examples of this vibe, and you can download two albums worth of his work for free at his Bandcamp.
I Know She Does - Just Another Snake Cult
Strong Enough - Just Another Snake Cult
//
Bleeding Knees Club are a rad Lo-Fi Garage Pop from Australia. It’s really good to see that there are bands from Australia that actually ‘get’ the state of the music industry today, i’m getting really sick of The Holidays, and Hungry Kids Of Hungry, and Little Red’s new material, and any other band that is being hyped by Triple J. It all sounds the same and it all sounds like it was made 4 years ago.
Have Fun will remind you instantly of Harlem. It’s a upbeat and fast number about, funnily enough, having fun.
Have Fun - Bleeding Knees Club
//
Ok so if you search ‘Babes’ on Google you obviously don’t get a great number of useful results, and the Last.fm page for Babes links to what would seem to be the page for ACID BWABES, a, and I quote here; “TRANNY PLAYING AROUND WITH ABLETON LIVE”. The tracks on the page are definitely not the same artist so I don’t think that’s what we’re after when I’m talking about this particular Babes, cool name though ACID BWABES.
No, Babes sounds more like the work of Port City or Wise Blood, on Teeth at least. It’s a hazy bubbling jam that sounds like it’s being played through a broken toy radio. But then you have Letters, which sounds far more conventional and almost like a more Lo-Fi Local Natives. There’s so little information to go by on the Bandcamp page but it’s definitely all coming from the same place, and it’s all free.
//
Rotor Perdition crafts Mid-Fi Pop that’s really fucking catchy. There’s a definite DOM feel here, but he sounds like a man when he sings. He created the Hard Limits EP after watching season one of Glee, and he wanted to create the vibe of teenage existence in an honest way through the music. He definitely did so. Every track on this thing is really really solid, so if you like Aurelie and Hard Limits, there’s more where that came from on his Bandcamp.
//
False Jesii is another dude from Australia who’s making music and seems to know what he’s doing. This Isn’t A Dream is scuzzy bedroom pop of the best kind, short, sweet, and catchy. Not much to say about this one if you’ve come this far down the list and liked what you’ve heard.
This Isn’t A Dream - False Jesii
//
Com Truise’s debut album is about to land and it’s shaping up pretty nicely. You know what his vibe is by now, so you won’t be surprised with the sound of Cathode Girls, it’s a dark moody night in the 80’s and you’re driving a sports car through time and space. Great jittery synth work on this one.
//
Corduroi has just released a pretty stellar EP called Anything For Now for any price you want. If you love Teams, Ra Cailum, Star Slinger and the like you’ll love this stuff. Like Gentle Giants will chill you the fuck out.
//
Sunshower Orphans made the mistake of not getting someone who knew what they were doing to design their album covers, so as a result they have a cover that looks nothing like what they sound like, and what it looks like is the album of a band that’s going nowhere fast. It’s a real shame because it means people like me won’t give them the chance they deserve because everyone judges a book by its cover.
The sound is like a mix between Indie-Electro, Shoegaze and Mid-Fi. So basically think shoegazey sounds with electronic highlights. Cool stuff.
Kaleidoscope Plan - Sunshower Orphans
//
And obviously Washed Out released a new jam called Eyes Be Closed. The thing I find myself drawn to most is the upcoming album cover, which looks both awesome and completely different to what his previous releases looked like. Eyes Be Closed will be up your alley if you loved his other stuff. Hope Within And Without doesn’t suck.
//
And of course Teen Daze released some more fucking material. So here’s the obligatory new Teen Daze song of the week. It’s called Waves and it’s sounding closer to his Four More Years work.
//
HYPE // TWENTY-FIVE
If you’re thinking “Christ! It’s been ages since the last Hype!” then how about you shut the fuck up and make your own blog!
But seriously, please don’t, NEO//NOIR has enough competition as it is.
Here it is anyway.
//
COLORS is a upbeat Chillwave/Electronic Pop track from Airlines. It’s got that crossover sound that means it’ll probably get picked up and played to death by the radio stations soon enough. Or maybe it won’t, who can tell with these things. Either way it’s definitely the sort of track that makes you sit up and take notice, so check it out.
//
Rona Pano are a British Lo-Fi Indie band. The UK is strange, even when bands deliberately choose to position themselves as a different genre and a more Americanised singing style, they can never really get away from that “British Indie Band” vibe that they give off. By no means a bad thing at all, just something to think about. Anyway, “… You Stole The Laces From My Shoes” is a catchy jam that’s short and sweet. It doesn’t waste time taking the long way to the point, it gets there with a straight line and a crooked smile.
“… You Stole The Laces From My Shoes” - Rona Pano
//
Beach Street Hassle is an instrumental Chillwave track that caught my attention straight away. Mostly because instrumental Chillwave that doesn’t start with “T” and end with an “een Daze” is a pretty forgettable affair. There’s something about Longwaves that seems to stick though. Keep your eyes glued to this guy.
Beach Street Hassle - Longwaves
//
Speaking of Teen Daze, the genius only went and took a song from Neil Young, who, as you know, is awful, and made it awesome. He did the same with Japandroids as well. It takes real talent to make a bad song good, Teen Daze clearly isn’t fucking around.
//
We Are Trees certainly took his time getting decent. His Boyfriend EP was largely really not great at all, but his Girlfriend EP (see what he did there!?) shows a marked improvement. Here’s the last track from it called I Don’t Believe In Love. Lo-Fi Rock chock full of vocal harmonies.
I Don’t Believe In Love - We Are Trees
//
Tokyo is the new single from Mid-Fi band California Wives. It’s a polished segue track between their Affair EP and whatever they choose to do next. They’ve said though that this is a stand alone released rather than a precursor to their next EP/Album so don’t wait around for it too long. It’s got a The Radio Dept. vibe to it, this one.
//
This is the B-Side to Purity Ring’s newest release, it probably should be the A-Side it’s that good. It’s got a really interesting sound to it, instrumentally it sounds almost Witch House but there’s far more melody to it than such a track would normally possess. Great vocal work as well. Yeah, definitely download this.
//
Please Stay is from Swedish Chillpop artist SUMMER HEART. It’s catchy as anything and feels like the start of a really great series of releases if he can keep it regular and consistent. Such a feel good vibe in this song, it’ll get a lot of attention I think, actually, it’s already started to.
//
Beach Fossils and Wild Nothing teamed up for a split EP of covers of The Wake, they did one each. Here’s the Beach Fossils one. You know what to expect from these guys by now.
Plastic Flowers - Beach Fossils
//
Naomi Punk have a cool Garage Pop sound that reminds me of Harlem’s louder moments and if I really delude myself enough, The Vines back when they weren’t complete burnouts. I’m Already Dead has this interesting quiet/loud alternation throughout the song that really caught my attention. Definitely, definitely cool.
//
The Notes are a British Lo-Fi/New Wave band with carefree melodies and hang ten guitar work. They are also very generous, giving their debut album, Wishing Well, away for free. It’s incredibly solid, so get it.
//
You all know The Weeknd by now, but just for the few hunks who don’t, they are basically revolutionising the R&B scene all over again. I Love that good R&B is back, It’s all thanks to How To Dress Well if you ask me. This is definitely not the in the same sphere of sound though, this is more upfront, more polished, more ugly, more, well more everything, really.
You can always tell the quality of a band by the choice of their covers, and this re-imagining of Siouxsie And The Banshees’ Happy House really highlights what separates these guys from the rest. Then it segues into Glass Table Girls which is even better than the first half of the track. Just, get on it.
House Of Balloons / Glass Table Girls - The Weeknd
//
//
HYPE // TWENTY-FOUR
Kruxe remind me of an awesome fusion of two of the best new bands kicking around lately, Cloud Nothings and Coolrunnings. They have the Lo-Fi pop catchiness, and then add weird, warped, retro instrumentation and effects over the top to create one minute and thirty-nine seconds of perfect pop in tre/\/\ors.
//
Black Eyes by The Twerps is a Lo-Fi Garage Rock jam about drunken mistakes and the fallout that comes with them. It’s a feel-good song about feeling horrible.
//
Raw Thrills seems like one of those guys who will never stop, and try everything once, even if it fails, just to satisfy his desire to be prolific. Here’s two great examples of this, the first being a song called For Someone. For Someone’s squelchy, distorted instrumentation and indecipherable vocals are pretty representative of the current trend in Lo-Fi production values these days, but so many artists forget to add the poppy melodies and humanistic elements that actually keep people interested. Raw Thrills does not.
Then there’s the wavy, warping rendition of The Beatles’ You Can’t Do That. I personally think that Lo-Fi and Beatles covers is a no-brainer but they aren’t as common as they should be, so it’s good to see somebody step up to the plate.
You Can’t Do That (The Beatles Cover) - Raw Thrills
//
There’s been a bit of drought in the past few months when it comes to new, promising Chillwave artists, so it’s good to see casa del mirto creating some jams with potential. The Sun is just one catchy blissed-out single, but they have several EPs up for download on their Bandcamp worth checking out too.
//
Elite Gymnastics released Gizzard Greens V.2 just after the release of NEU ‘92, which, like the first Gizzard Greens, has two sides and two tracks. The second side is a song called GΛGΛ, and while it is a remix of Lady Gaga, an artist I could go on a huge rant about regarding her unoriginality and dullness, the good news is it doesn’t really sound much like the original. There’s this deep voice at the start talking over the minimal instrumentation which is grating, that’s soon joined by a young woman’s voice that should have just been used from the start. Then, layer by layer, Paparazzi begins to form, but sounding more like a Utada Hikaru song than anything else. It’s hard to explain but definitely not hard to listen to.
//
XXXY recently remixed How To Dress Well’s Ready For The World. He adds a bit more punch to the whole thing and a solid beat that continues throughout. I have a soft spot for when an artist knows not to mess around with the song too much, only adding what’s needed to give it a different spin. It takes talent and restraint which XXXY definitely has in spades. They definitely suit each other, and further collaborations of sound between the two would be very cool.
Ready For The World (XXXY Re-Edit) - How To Dress Well
//
Hard Mix’s debut album just dropped, for free no less, and it’s a continuation of the sound everyone’s grown to love. 1997 is one of the last tracks on it and it’s the sonic personification of daydreaming by a stream in the woods on a sunny Spring’s day. There’s a gentle breeze too, if that helps you. Loving the samples used in this one.
//
Notes On Being Snowblind is a track by Burning God Little that’s got a more indie rock vibe than most Lo-Fi acts. There’s a bit of ambient instrumentation and carefully plotted guitar work rather than a (albeit awesome) scuzzy mess of sound. But it’s definitely got elements of distortion and minimalist production value. TV Girl is a good comparison to make in terms of sound.
Notes On Being Snowblind - Burning God Little
//
Jamie Long creates a sort of Electronic/Chillwave fusion. The Postal Service comparisons could be apt here, especially when the track Years is getting a bit of remix attention from more contemporary electronic artists like The Sound Of Arrows and Horse Shoes rather than obviously Lo-Fi/Chillwave electronic artists. But it’s not a song out of place on this list by any stretch of the imagination so check it out and decide for yourself.
//
SLEEP ∞ OVER’s got a new song out called Casual Diamond. I particularly like this one over the previous releases due to the fact that it’s not awful. It’s actually got some melody to it which is really nice and always missing from Witch House. Love the artwork accompanying it too.
//
Golden Eye have a really decent EP out right now called Golden Eyes Forever. It’s got more hooks than you’d expect actually and it’s definitely worth downloading, there’s some really catchy jams on it. In Turn features an interesting juxtaposition of Chillwavey instrumentation and that sort of slacker-esque American drawl you’d hear on a Coolrunnings track. Tides continues this trend nicely with a compelling build up that just ends abruptly to keep you guessing. Yeah, just download the EP from their Bandcamp for free while you can.
//
Colleen Green has just released a debut EP called Green One. It’s simple, poppy, carefree Lo-Fi and Garage Pop that further illustrates how overrated Best Coast are when there’s so many bands that do it better without having to sing about the same thing over and over and over again.
It’s like “I wish I was with him, but I’m not so i’ll just obsess about him and smoke weed and freak out and harass my cat with shit it clearly doesn’t want to be a part of, take photos of it and then write some more songs about boys.” God Bethany, once is enough; you don’t need dozens of songs all saying the same thing to drive your point home.
Y Do U Call Me? - Colleen Green
//
HYPE // TWENTY-THREE
Star Slinger just released a new three track EP called Bedroom Joints for free on his Bandcamp. I think it’s reached its free download limit but here’s the best track from it in case you missed out. It’s called Baby Mama and it’s Star Slinger at his best, with jittery beats and spliced vocals combined together to create an uplifting electro-jam. It’s currently my ringtone as well, so there’s my personal endorsement.
//
Cat’s Eyes is Farris Badwan’s side-project with some girl (Rachel Zeffira) who apparently snaps necks and cashes cheques when it comes to opera soprano. You might have heard the newest single from them posted yesterday but this is their previous one, which is still fairly obscure I believe, and is much better to be honest. Reminds me of a darker Summer Camp. Also; new album from The Horrors is due in July so get ready for that shit.
//
Baths just released a whole album of B-sides and rarities called Pop Music / False B-Sides. It’s not as good as Cerulean, but then again, what is? This is an instrumental track from it called The Vapors and in classic Baths style it’ll hook you in and never let you go. I won’t bother explaining how it sounds because you should know Baths by now and if you don’t then you really need to sort your life out.
//
Ra Cailum’s got a new EP out called Change. It’s the continuation of where he left off with his previous work, and it seems he’s getting more and more into the idea of letting his vocals be front and centre. The title track is a perfect example of this. Think Chillwave Anoraak.
//
Zoo Kid’s going to be huge, that’s a fact. Well not huge huge, but big enough to make some serious waves in the part of the music community that still actually counts for something. Out Getting Ribs was posted here before but if you missed out on it i’ll explain a few things: he’s sixteen, he makes music spanning a number of genres from Lo-Fi to electronic, and he quoted lyrics from The Streets’ Empty Cans in one of his songs.
Oh and then he went and remixed one of the few decent tracks on Computers & Blues into something Mike Skinner circa 2001 would be proud to call his own. Here’s Ocean Bed, which you better damn well fall instantly in love with, and the aforementioned remix.
Puzzled By People (Zoo Kid Remix) - The Streets
//
Come On by Melted Toys sounds a lot like what bands like Craft Spells and Wild Nothing are putting out right now. That should be enough for you. Get downloading.
//
Now Her is a new jam from Hard Mix’s incoming debut album. It’s classic Hard Mix. Warped choruses become indecipherable aside from their most basest melody, and the synth solo in the middle of the track is simply flawless. Dude just gets abstraction and mood.
//
PS I Love You teamed up with Diamond Rings to make something more appealing than either is by themselves. It’s got that iconic PS I Love You instrumental sound coupled with lyrics you can actually understand for once which is a welcome change. They are releasing an EP together so expect a few more tracks appearing from this collaboration soon.
Leftovers - PS I Love You & Diamond Rings
//
Show Your Shoe remixed Dreams by Futurecop! and Keenhouse into something substantially better than the original. People are saying this will be a huge summer jam but I don’t really see it getting big enough for that. But that’s more a comment on society than the quality of the song though. Keep an eye out for Show Your Shoe’s upcoming Technik City EP which I did the album artwork for, which is cool.
Dreams (Show Your Shoe Remix) - Futurecop! (ft. Keenhouse)
//
And finally, an atmospheric track from MOTHS called <3. An unrelenting bassline, with simple harmonies over the top and a focus on mood and space more than cheap thrills. Listen to this one on a quiet afternoon or when beautiful shit is happening around you in slow motion in the nighttime.
//
//
HYPE // TWENTY-TWO
Ghostwood are finally back after no definitive activity for a worrying amount of time. Sunset Mirage is the new single from them and it takes their clear brooding 80’s influences and fuses them with that increasingly iconic sound that all young indie bands from Australia tend to have these days. Getting some strong Red Riders vibes from this one, although each band was always a very complimentary matching to begin with. What a chorus though, seriously.
//
The Yes Club have a cool Retro-Pop vibe akin to Caesars. You can never go wrong with catchy, carefree songwriting and melodies, and that’s exactly what Whoa has in spades.
//
I’m getting really sick of saying how much of a machine Teen Daze is, but he’s got yet another single out, with two new tracks, Together and Something. This is the A-Side. Slightly different vibe for these ones, more sample driven creations this time round, and, as with everything he does, it’s awesome.
Incoming from Teen Daze is a remix/reinterpretation EP of Baths side project, Geotic. Also sounds like he’s got an announcement to make fairly soon, likely mention of another album on the way.
//
Metronomy’s new song is basically a four minute representation of what makes them such a great band. She Wants may not impress you the first few times you hear it. It’s slow, warped and strange sounding, and you can’t help but feel that maybe you’re missing something. You certainly are. Before too long the intricate layering makes itself known and the chorus grabs hold of your mind and you’ve got the song on repeat. Check out the music video as well, it’s perfect.
//
Outer Limits Recordings has finally found that perfect mix of noisy abstraction and pop sentimentality. $20 Bill is a catchy, shifting Lo-Fi beach jam that sounds like it was filtered through an old broken stereo system underwater. Huge improvement on the Foxy Baby LP
$20 Bill - Outer Limits Recordings
//
San Cisco’s new song Golden Revolver has been doing the rounds on popular Australian radio station Triple J, who are giving it away for free, and if you like bands like Hungry Kids Of Hungary or Little Red then you’re in for a treat. Feel good, harmony laden Indie-Pop.
//
Campfires released a split EP with Cloud Nothings early in his career. While he has received huge amounts of hype and fanfare since then, Campfires have yet to break through. This new track from them is definitely steering them in the right direction though, the distortion has been toned down (still maybe not enough) and the vibe of the song itself is charming Lo-Fi Indie-Folk along the lines of Real Estate’s sound. Genuinely catchy stuff.
//
Today Is Our Life is the new one from Memory Tapes and it’s got the same sort of song structure that made Graphics the best song on Seek Magic. Slow build, huge chorus. Surprisingly upbeat and happy for Memory Tapes actually.
Today Is Our Life - Memory Tapes
//
Gossip Culture brings something strangely lacking from the music scene in 2010 and already in 2011; soul.
Close comparisons can be made to soundscapes of Toro y Moi, especially in the track Whispers In My Ear, from his upcoming EP, People Talk. And funnily enough, here’s his remix of Toro y Moi’s Still Sound while we’re on the subject. If you’re digging that, then check his Soundcloud page as well, where he’s offered several tracks for free download. Expect big things from Gossip Culture in the future.
Whispers In My Ear - Gossip Culture
Still Sound (Gossip Culture Remix) - Toro y Moi
//
And here’s Exact Index’s remix of the same song from Toro y Moi. He somehow makes it even more chill, in classic Exact Index style. Awesome stuff.
Still Sound (Exact Index Remix) - Toro y Moi
//
//
HYPE // TWENTY ONE
So it’s been a while. Rather than try make up for lost ground lets just power on through shall we?
Teen Daze, following his M.O. of equal parts talent and generosity, gave us all his debut LP, My Bedroom Floor, for free. It’s a joy-filled instrumental affair that is completely in keeping with his sound and work yet at the same time surprisingly different from his recent releases. You should all have it by now but if you don’t here’s the opening track to give you a taste.
Keep The Girls Away - Teen Daze
//
Cosmonaut Grechko’s All The Time EP is now out and you should buy it. It’s available in both digital download and cassette release and the cover art was actually created by myself. Personal investment aside, the dude just keeps impressing with a handful of new tracks and remixes every week, each as good as the last. Here’s one I’m particularly fond of; glitchy beats and spliced up vocals get me every time.
ニバルニソトラニルニトラソ - Cosmonaut Grechko
//
Phone Tag create endearing Chill-Pop that reminds me at times of a less wimpy Passion Pit. Really catchy and just brimming with happiness and joy, their Look And Feel EP is not only incredibly solid, but it’s free. Get on it.
//
Craft Spells’ debut Idle Labor has been a long time coming. It’s got a release date of March 2011 but he was three tracks away from done in March 2010 so we’ll see how it goes I guess. Until then here’s another track from it called After The Moment. There’s a strong 80’s guitar pop vibe on this one, it’s really strange to look back on tracks like You Should Close The Door and compare them to Craft Spells’ current sound. He’s got a lot of versatility in him, that much is clear.
After The Moment - Craft Spells
//
ADVENTURE are good enough to get a supporting slot on the mindblowingly awesome Toro y Moi / Cloud Nothings tour that’s about to set America on fire. Feels Like Heaven is a really interesting track with abstract metallic beats and a strong New-Wave vibe, but there’s definitely tropical influences as well. Sit up and take notice.
//
Jeremy Lee Given is a tough one to pin down. Sometimes he sounds almost Country but not in a bad way. Sometimes he sounds Lo-Fi but never to the point of complete abstraction. Sometimes he sounds like Vampire Weekend mixed with Kings Of Leon but before they got rubbish. But mostly he just sounds really promising, and you can download his whole Old Flames EP for any price you wish to pay on his Bandcamp page.
Rebel Ghost - Jeremy Lee Given
//
Sutcliffe Catering Co. create hazy Lo-Fi moments drenched in reverb and melancholy. Ponderosa White is the title track from their debut EP which is, like most things here, yours to download for free. Highly recommended, but they need to change that name.
Ponderosa White - Sutcliff Catering Co.
//
New Animal span a whole bunch of genres on their recently released debut album. There’s an overriding bedroom pop motif, but explorations into Psych Pop, Lo-Fi, Acoustic and sprinklings of electronic elements. There’s something for everyone here and you’d be silly not to go pick it up. They are running low on the allocated number of free downloads for their bandcamp page but I have been told that they have a mediafire link ready as backup.
The opening track is called Nightmares Of Candy Yang & The Black Italian. Infectious bongo work, distorted yet accessible vocals and guitar reminiscent of The Cure make this one of my favourites on the record.
Nightmares Of Candy Yang & The Black Italian - New Animal
//
Oh, and PNAU are back. And either they are releasing another horrible album with a single amazing track on it; or based on first single, The Truth, this one might be actually worth listening to! Here’s the Jump Jump Dance Dance remix.
The Truth (Jump Jump Dance Dance Remix) - PNAU
//
Chat Room mix Chillwave vibes with sleazy 80’s lounge music elements. It’s an odd combo and it’ll be interesting to see where they go with it, but as for now, there’s definitely something really cool in Just A Friend That I Sleep With.
Just A Friend That I Sleep With - Chat Room
//
CL Sosa’s crafted himself some awesome Lo-Fi Hip-Hop in Flo-Fi. It’s short and sweet and just leaves you with really uplifting vibes. I can imagine this being the song I wake up to every day this summer. Make it yours.
//
Boy Friend, the side project of the people who brought you SLEEP ∞ OVER, is actually much better than SLEEP ∞ OVER itself. Hazy Dreamwave that has far more fragile beauty in it than what people say the latter exudes so well.
//
//
