LexiconDon - Pink + Blue

LexiconDon unleash their debut album, 'Pink + Blue' today on Binary - a feat that has been two years in the making. These guys caught my attention a few months back with their first single 'December Sunset', a no frills disco track that magically envelops emotion in a singular revolving chord progression. There is a sense of less is more with LexiconDon as they strip back to the bare essentials serving up infectious, unadulterated synth-pop. Admittedly, they are a slightly guilty pleasure with tracks like pop-heavy 'Student Body' that wouldn't sound astray on any 'top 40' countdown, but it's not worth holding it against them - pop is great. However, Pink + Blue is not a one trick pony. LexiconDon delve into banging electro, sexy R&B, and 70's inspired nu-disco creating an eclectic, well rounded album that will be enjoyed by an extensive audience.

Check out the tunes below, and if you like what you hear pick up a copy of 'Pink + Blue' on iTunes today - they even encourage you to burn copies for all your friends!

LexiconDon - December Sunset

LexiconDon - Student Body





LexiconDon - December Sunset (U-Tern Remix) - DOWNLOAD

The Earlybirds - Favourite Fears

New Zealand indie-pop young guns, The Earlybirds, released their debut album 'Favourite Fears' yesterday. Their first three singles 'Runaway', 'I Killed the DJ', and 'I Can't Live Without You' generated significant TV and radio exposure due to their accessible 'can't-get-you-out-of-my-head' melodies, and have propelled The Earlybirds onto the centre stage of the New Zealand music scene.

The Earlybirds take the raw rock & roll attitude of The Strokes and early KOL and sprinkle a spoonful of sugar in the mix to help the medicine go down for a more mainstream audience. The songs are well crafted and breathe originality due in part to lead singer, Filip Kostovich' suave European tinged vocals. It's hard not to like The Earlybirds... even the most pretentious 'alt-buff' is likely to catch themselves humming along to their infectious indie-pop anthems. The debut album, 'Favourite Fears', is a top-notch release boasting a musical maturity well beyond their years, so at the risk of my plug sounding like a closet 'uber-fan' outburst - runaway now, runaway now, runaway and grab yourself a copy today.

myspace.com/earlybirds

facebook.com/theearlybirds

theearlybirds.co.nz (download a free acoustic track here!)

Late Of The Pier - Best In The Class

Late Of The Pier released a double A-side single, Best In The Class / Blueberry, in March on limited edition vinyl and digital download on Erol Alkan's Phantasy Sound label. It is their first release since the full-length 'Fantasy Black Channel' in 2008, which set an unprecedented standard for indie / electro crossover bands by defying era and genre with the help of visionary producer Erol Alkan.

Best In Class / Blueberry expands on the experimental tendency of Late Of The Pier. 'Best In Class' is definitely the 'pop-ier' of the two, but you couldn't exactly classify it as conventional pop. The melody is hooky, but the modulated vocals after the first chorus and the unexpected thrashy breakdown outro is on a par with 'weird-rock' maestros The Mars Volta. 'Blueberry' tilts even further into the experimental beginning with a noisy, frantic intro before dropping into an MGMT-meets-Beatles strum-a-long and once again evolving into a spastic distorted guitar finale. What some will consider genius, others will label noise-pollution - whatever you're opinion, everyone should agree that Late Of The Pier are relentlessly innovative.

The Naked & Famous - The Sun

I saw this video a while ago and had every intention of posting it, but for reasons unknown, it slipped my mind.

I stumbled across it again today during a routine youtube click-a-thon and was once again enthralled by its magnificence. 'The Sun' is a song from the forthcoming debut album by The Naked & Famous, which was filmed for the C4 Live Sessions and recorded at York Street Studios.

It's not likely to be a single, but it's such an intelligently executed track. The gradually building female / male vocals over a melancholy Radiohead-esque chord progression, scattered with distorted guitar feed-back builds the tension to the brink of climax... and then leaves you hanging, thrusting for more, but still - strangely satisfied by the overall experience.

The debut album, Passive Me, Aggressive You, is due out September 6.

The Chemical Brothers - Swoon

The Chemical Brothers catapulted dance music into the mainstream with the anthemic 'Hey Boy, Hey Girl' in 1999 and changed the world forever. While today they may be overshadowed by some more 'popular' pioneers of the dance music renaissance, they remain the champions of consistency, endurance and quality having produced seven cutting-edge albums since 1995.

Their latest album, Further, is no exception - sonically superb - building, dropping and guiding you through an experience of no bullshit 'do-it-for-the-love-of-it' electro. I'll spare you an extensive review, but check out the first single, and standout track from Further - 'Swoon' - then indulge yourself in some classic Chemical Brothers and pay homage to the ones who paved the way for the popularisation of modern electronic music.

The Chemical Brothers - Swoon

Miami Horror - Illumination

'Illumination', the much anticipated debut album from Australian dance-floor killers 'Miami Horror' is out today!

Illumination is everything we've come to expect from Miami Horror only amplified and improved. The soundscape's are expansive and each arrangement is dynamically stimulating leaving no purpose for the 'skip' button on your iPod. Unlike many single-oriented full-lengths, the hits 'Sometimes' and 'Moon Theory' are not the only nuggets of Miami Horror gold - in fact, to abuse the metaphor, Illumination is a gold-miners wet dream. Songs such as 'I Look To You' (the forthcoming single) featuring Kimbra, feel-good summer jam 'Holidays' (chorus melody magic!), and the "Justice goes to disco" title track 'Illumination' all ooze with the charming disco-funk spirit Miami Horror are renowned for.




Illumination will transport your mind to the road trips, the romance, the beauty and the festivities of summer - it is the soundtrack for the season.

Don't forget you can catch Miami Horror live this summer at Rhythm & Vines 2010/2011!

Chilly Gonzales - Ivory Tower

If you haven't heard of Chilly Gonzales - you have a lot of catching up to do. An extensive wikipedia session should get you up to date, but here's a few fast facts. Chilly Gonzales is an eccentric Canadian musician who has dipped his finger in the pie of pop, electro, rap, piano, music production and songwriting. He has collaborated with Peaches and Feist, broken the world record for the longest solo-artist performance (27 hours, 3 minutes & 44 seconds), but is perhaps most renowned for challenging "party hard" rockstar Andrew W.K to a piano battle, which he questionably 'won'. He is a master of his craft and has recently been garnered with attention for his piano re-works of contemporary artists such as Boys Noize & Erol Alkan, Daft Punk, Marina & The Diamonds and 50 Cent.

Gonzales most recently signed to Boys Noize Records and his new album Ivory Tower is produced by Boys Noize himself. The first two singles from Ivory Tower 'I am Europe' and 'Bittersuite' are what you'd expect from this unusual collaboration - engrossing piano arrangements decorated with Alex Ridha's electronic pizazz. 'I am Europe' - a quirky dance-floor filler, which parodies stereotypical European culture is a stark contrast to the sombre, revolving refrains of 'Bittersuite'.

The Gonzales-Noize combo is a refreshing reprieve for those who are a little queasy from riding the band-wagon too long. Ivory Tower looks set to be one of the most genre-defying, intriguing releases of the year.

Ivory Tower is out in Germany today! The rest of the world will have to wait a few days.








Erol Alkan & Boys Noize - Waves (Chilly Gonzales Piano Remake) - DOWNLOAD